#major friedkin

[austinbutlermischief]

[jakes3resin]

PowerPoint Night with Bubbles

There are many things a man needs to know once assigned to the 100th Bomber group, and Bubbles Payne has created a presentation full of rules of survival. These are vital things to ensure the safety of the crews and keep the peace on base. Rules like don't touch Major Egan's curls unless you can outrun Buck as well as don't let Lieutenant Biddick talk you into flirting with Major Egan even if you think Buck isn't there. Or don't dare Major Egan to do anything unless Buck or Kidd have approved it. Learn these rules, and you too can enjoy a peaceful life here at Thorpe Abbotts! Link to AO3

"Major where are we going?"

"Don't ask questions, just get in the bunker before they see us."

"Sir?"

"Private get in the fucking bunker right now."

"Yes, sir!"

Jack sighs from where he can hear Veal and one of the new guys. Really, he wished they could have this talk back in the briefing room where he'd welcomed them all or even in the mess, but secrecy is key according to Curt. Jack is hard pressed to disagree given the contraband they have, contraband that could get them all killed if Buck found out, but he still wishes they didn't have to sound so ominous shoving the new guys down here.

Bubbles stands to his right quietly collecting his note cards. Jack isn't sure why he has notecards considering this is a talk even he could give in his sleep, but Bubbles likes his note cards, says they make things seem less threatening.

Sure, Jack scoffs to himself, they're the threatening ones here.

Curt slides in right after Veal shuffles in the last of the new guys, who all look differing shades of terrified, confused, and lost. Curt waves his arms around, his signal for them to get the show on the road, and Jack sighs when he nearly hits Rosenthal in the face. The pilot, thankfully, doesn't seem upset by it, especially after Curt sends him a smile before darting off. Jack isn't going to think about the lovestruck look on the lieutenant's face. He has more pressing issues to deal with.

"Hi y'all," Bubbles starts with a smile as Friedkin and Claytor drag the projector forward. Bubbles is the best at these lectures with his sweet smile that'd make you think butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. It's a shame he's also secretly a gremlin like Bucky and Curt. "Now if anyone can't see the front of the room, please move so that you can. I've got visuals for this, and it's important everyone can see them."

A few boys shuffle around, and Bubbles nods gesturing for Friedkin to click on the projector. Without prompting, Veal turns to dim the lights. Curt hushes all of the new guys, and Hambone locks the doors. It's startingly well-coordinated, but Jack, despite himself, is thankful for it.

"I'm sure you boys are all wonderin' why we dragged you down here. Don't worry, you're not in trouble!" Bubbles turns to his next notecard. One of the new boys sneezes in the background.

"So, you've all sat through Harding's welcome and the regular onboarding talk, yes?" Bubbles nods as a few voices confirm it. "Great! Well, you can consider this an addendum to that talk! Just a few more very important things to learn before you settle in on base. This won't take more than an hour I promise, and then we'll show you all to the enlisted men's mess to get you some dinner!"

Bubbles turns to the screen that Curt somehow wrangled down here a week after they'd flown in. Jack didn't ask any questions just simply accepted it. Friedkin clicks the projector onto the first image, a picture of Jack, Veal, Buck, Bucky, Harding, and Turner. The boys all stare in confusion.

"I'm sure you fellas recognize Major Kidd, Major Veal, Colonel Harding, and Major Turner." Bubbles uses a laser pointer that he'd pulled from nowhere to point out each man as he names them. He jumps over Buck and Bucky. "They were all at your briefing earlier, you'll be seeing a lot of them depending which squad you're on. Now,"

Friedkin clicks to the next picture. Buck and Bucky stand smiling at each other. Jack knows neither of them know of this picture's existence given they'd been too deep in the other's eyes to notice the camera pointed right at them even after Curt yelled at them to smile. Idiots, the pair of them.

"These are Major Gale 'Buck' Cleven," Bubbles points his laser pointer at Buck's smiling face before shifting it to Bucky's. "And Major John Clarence 'Bucky' Egan. They're the topic of this briefing."

Jack leans back watching the new guys shuffle around glancing at one and other. Rosenthal quickly raises his hand. Jack sighs.

"We'll take questions at the end, sorry lieutenant, but there's a lot of ground to cover with not a lot of time." Bubbles at least seems apologetic when he says it.

"They, sadly, had to miss the briefing earlier due to Major Egan hitting his head during a rec soccer game this morning. They'll introduce themselves in the next few days."

Jack does not want to think about that headache. A simple soccer game nearly turned into a bloodbath. Friedkin had nearly been murdered, and Bucky was still in the infirmary at Buck’s insistence. God, he really didn't want to think about it.

Bubbles gestures towards the screen. A picture of Buck appears. Jack leans back against the wall as the new guys all stare slack jawed. For good reason too.

"This is Major Cleven demonstrating his hand-to-hand combat skills." Bubbles uses his laser pointer to circle the knife Buck's holding. "We don't know where he got this knife. Next!"

Friedkin clicks to the next picture. This one is Bucky's military headshot. Jack thinks its a good opener. They need to control the replacement's first Bucky Daze, and doing so with a soft opener like this works best. Curt had wanted to open with a shirtless smiling Bucky, but he'd been swiftly vetoed. Bubbles nods and turns to stare into the crowd.

"Now, I'm going to show you boys a few pictures, and then I'll get into a few Dos and Don’ts of life here at Thorpe Abbotts. We'll take it slow, but if any of you start feeling dazed or light headed, please take a seat on the ground. Someone will help you if you need."

The boys all turn to each other confused. A few whispers break out about what the hell is going on, but Bubbles doesn't let that deter him.

Friedkin clicks to the next photo.

"This," Bubbles says, not looking directly at the photo. "Is Major Egan after winning a baseball game."

Jack stares out into the crowd checking on the boys. A few seem dazed. Another few lean forward. He glances at the photo as Bubbles keeps talking in the background.

It's a good photo. Bucky is smiling nearly blinding in the darkness of the bunker. His curls are going everywhere as he stares down at the ground as he walks off the field. He's wearing a long-sleeved black shirt which does nothing to hide how broad his shoulders are, and you can just see the beginnings of his shorts if you glance down. Thankfully, the shot didn't show anything lower. Brady must have taken this one most likely, Jack notes. Few others would have stopped so high.

A click, and the photo changes.

"This is Major Egan after hearing Major Cleven tell a joke."

If Bucky's smile in the last picture was bright, this one was radiant. Jack would call it like staring right into the sun itself. Bucky's staring at Buck off camera, and with the sun just behind him, Bucky looks a lot like the sun made human.

"We call this the Bucky Sunshine Smile. On days where the weather consists of rain, rain, and more rain, it is dangerous to look at head on which is why we've prepared this for you boys just so you know. Early exposure helps keep you on your feet when you see it in person."

Bubbles uses his laser pointer to point out the ground crew in the background. A few boys sit down on the ground.

"Poor Winks fainted the first time he saw the Sunshine smile, and Lemmons now requires his boys to wear goggles if Bucky is going to hang around while they work."

Bubbles smiles at the men, but Jack can tell a few of them are already lost to Bucky's smile. Bubbles gives them another minute. Thankfully no one faints.

Friedkin clicks to the next photo. This one prompts a larger reaction from the men.

"This is Major Egan on the wing of Major Cleven's fort after a night of drinking."

Bucky stares up at the camera with flushed cheeks and a lazy grin on his face. With the top few buttons of his shirt undone, he's laid out on the wing like it's his bed back home, thighs open and arms draped above his head. This one was taken by Curt. Jack can tell because it looks closer to a pin-up poster than an innocent photo of his friend. Jack's just glad he's wearing more clothes this time. In the last iteration of this presentation, Bubbles had included one of Bucky in a tank top and shorts. Shorts, Jack might add, that went exactly five inches down his thighs before stopping. They're lucky the boys made it through the rest of the presentation.

Bubbles gives the boys a few minutes to take in the photo before gesturing to Friedkin to move along.

Bucky stares out at them, one arm curled pillowing his head. His curls are nearly as wild as the first photo, but they lay almost stylishly messy. Curt would describe Bucky's eyes here as 'fuck me' eyes, but Jack chooses to think they look sleepy, for his own sanity you see.

One of the new guys faints. A few others look like they might join him. Crosby runs over with some smelling salts. Well, Jack thinks to himself, at least it's only the one this time. They may have finally gotten the correct photo order this time. Daze the boys just enough that exposure to the real thing doesn’t kill them.

"Sorry bout that. He's fine, happens all the time," Bubbles gestures to Friedkin again. "Just one more then I'll give you gentlemen a moment."

The final picture gives Jack headaches just looking at it. It's Buck and Bucky, all over each other as usual. Bucky's got an arm thrown around Buck's waist with his other hand reaching up to squish Buck's cheeks. Buck has one arm tossed over Bucky's shoulders, and he's staring back at Bucky with a soft besotted look. In the background you can just see Veal doing shots at the bar of the officer's club. Jack doesn't blame him.

"Lights please!" Bubbles calls out. He leaves that last photo up even as the lights start to wash it out. It's probably for the best. Giving the boys a picture to focus on helps them remember the information, but washed out like this, they don't run the risk of anyone fainting again.

"Now, gentlemen," Bubbles moves to his next notecard. "These are the Buckies' Dos and Don'ts of Survival. Or as I like to call them 'Bucky-Proofing the 100th,' and if you follow them carefully, you may escape bodily harm and grievous injury to live a happy life here between missions."

Bubbles grins at them all. Jack suppresses a groan as Curt cackles. Rosenthal, Jack notes, turns his head in Curt's direction to watch him laugh. Jack turns his head away. He's not focusing on that right now, no sir. One problem at a time.

"Now, if my lovely assistant could bring up the poster boards he prepared." Bubbles looks over at Croz, who under the eyes of everyone there looks like he would rather die. Croz carefully drags over an easel with a bunch of poster boards under each arm. Dougie steps forward to help fix the easel when Croz trips over it and nearly smashes the thing to pieces. Jack sighs pinching the bridge of his nose.

Croz puts up the first poster board up before running back to hide at the wall. Dougie follows with a laugh.

"Thanks Harry!" Bubbles chirps before pointing his laser at the board. "The first Buckies' Do is: do keep space between you and Buck. Major Cleven likes his personal space, and he likes Major Egan’s personal space. So, unless Major Egan invites you into his and Buck's space, do keep a few feet away. Major Cleven may also decide to enter your personal space, but usually that isn't a good thing so avoid it if possible. Once he has his hands on you, we can't help you."

Bubbles moves on.

"Next! Do join Bucky's sports leagues! He has a few of them, so if baseball isn't your game, try soccer, volleyball, or any number of other sports. Bucky also likes learning about new games, so we encourage you to teach him. Buck doesn't care for sports, but he'll watch Bucky play." Bubbles points his laser to the next point.

"Do go out to the pub, especially if Bucky invites you! He's the best at getting everyone passes off base, so take the opportunity when it presents itself. There's always something fun to do, and usually there are games to bet on or locals to flirt with."

Jack can see Douglass nudging Harry. He hates this last point. He really does, not that Jack can blame him. Poor Croz had been subject to both Buck and Bucky due to the man's unfortunate tendency to walk in at the worst moment.

"Finally!" Bubbles says it like it's some grand reveal. "Our last Buckies' Do! Do place your trust in Majors Cleven and Egan on missions even if one of them just threatened you. Especially if they just threatened you! They're good men, and you'll soon see why we respect them so much up in the air!"

Bubbles gently lifts the board off of the easel to replace it with the next one. Curt starts laughing, probably at something Dickie or Veal said to him, and Jack wishes he'd sat this meeting out. Rosenthal is just blatantly watching Curt laugh now instead of Bubbles.

"Here are the Buckies' Don'ts. These are vitally important gentlemen, do not forget them! We'll do questions after, and Dickie and Hambone will have leaflets for when you leave listing them."

Dickie and Hambone wave when Bubbles points them out. They're both carrying a large stack of printed leaflets that Jack doesn't want to know where they came from.

"The first Don't is the most vital. Do not under any circumstances touch Major Egan's hair. Major Cleven doesn't like it, and he will react negatively to those who do. If you're interested in witness testimonies, those are also on the leaflets." Bubbles moves on.

"The second Don't is do not listen to Lieutenant Biddick when he says Bucky is okay with something. Bucky may be okay with it if you're nice and polite, but usually Buck isn't. Curt knows this, and he knows you don't. We've lost a few boys to this already."

Curt just smirks as the new guys all turn to stare at him. He winks at them, and Jack, for his sanity, does not want to think about why Rosenthal is blushing right now.

"The third Don't is do not flirt with either of them. Bucky is protective, and Buck is feral." Bubbles circles this Don't with his laser pointer. "Bucky won't hurt you, but Buck probably will. Your best bet at dealing with a feral Buck is to divert Bucky's attention to him. Usually this will calm him down within moments, but you will have to avoid the pair for at least three days. Buck never forgets, but time around Bucky lessens the punishment you’ll face we’ve found."

"The fourth Don't," Bubbles moves to his next note card. "Is do not stare too long into either of their eyes or look at Bucky's smile for longer than three seconds. It will cause confusion and befuddlement, and in some cases, it can be permanent. They are very, very blue. We know this. They are very, very captivating. We know this as well."

"The final Don't is a new one, added just for you boys," Bubbles lifts up another poster board. "Do not dare Major Egan to do anything if Buck, Kidd, or any other officer of or above the rank of Major are not there to stop him from doing something stupid. He likes dares, but there have been disruptions in base wide activities, which means any dare, bet, or proposition must be judged by the committee before they can be carried out. If anyone is found to have dared Bucky to do anything without approval, the guilty parties may be subjected to discipline under Buck or Kidd depending on the severity of the outcome."

Bubbles gestures for Friedkin to turn the projector off. Harry runs forward to dismantle the easel. Dougie, thankfully, helps him before he breaks it.

"Thank you for sitting through this presentation. We will be taking questions now." Bubbles gestures for the others to join him at the front of the bunker to answer the replacements' questions. Jack stands up to follow the guys up there. The replacements just stare at them. Jack almost thinks maybe they're still in shock when one tentatively raises their hand.

"Is Major Egan a model?" The question draws a few laughs, but a few nod along.

"Not in this century," Curt shakes his head.

That seems to open up the floodgates.

"How did you get those photos?"

"Very carefully, and no one is allowed to tell Buck about them. We’re still recovering from his rampage after the pin-up fiasco." Jack jumps to answer this one when he sees Curt start to open his mouth. Jack doesn’t need Curt giving them any ideas. Not yet at least.

“Are his curls soft?”

“Devastatingly so.”

"What do you mean you don't know where Major Cleven got that knife?"

"He just pulled it out during training one day after someone played with Bucky's curls." Bubbles shrugged.

"He's damn good with it too. Man can fight." Curt joins in. "Next question?"

Curt's eyes latched onto someone in the crowd. Jack did not like how they lit up.

"You," Curt points, "Rosie, right? What's your question handsome?"

Jack was going to neuter Curt.

"Well, I," Rosenthal's cheeks looked near ready to burst into flames. "I was wondering how long the pair of them had been going steady?"

Curt bursts out laughing. Jack rolls his eyes. Veal sighs next to him, and Jack understands his pain.

"Nah, those two ain't going steady. In their dreams, yeah, but reality is Buck can't get his head out of his ass to ask Bucky who thinks he's not good enough for Buck."

Curt clapped his hands together, the sound echoed in the large underground bunker.

“Which is why I have a master plan,” Curt’s grin is downright sinister. Jack reaches over to shut him up.

“Do not listen to a word he says. Second Don’t remember that boys.” Jack stares at the crowd in front of him, deadly serious. “Lieutenant Biddick is not to be listened to. He enjoys chaos and destroying Buck’s psyche. He gets away with it because he’s Bucky’s best friend, and Buck wouldn’t do anything to upset him.”

Curt licks his palm, but Jack’s used to it and holds firm. Sadly, this is his life now.

“Majors Cleven and Egan are, how can do I say this?” Bubbles jumps in. “Circling each other? We’re trying to force one of ‘em to make the first move, but they’re stubborn.”

“Any other questions?” Jack pulls his hand away when he feels Curt open his mouth, narrowly avoiding Curt sinking his teeth into his palm. “You are a feral child they never should have let into a cockpit.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re no fun.” Curt zeroes in on Rosenthal in the crowd again. “Rosie dear, why don’t you help me lead these boys to the mess?”

Rosie stutters, but Curt guides him along. Jack fears he’s lost Rosenthal to Curt’s clutches now. The man is hanging off of Curt’s every word, and Curt is beaming from the attention.

“Don’t forget to pick up a leaflet on your way out!” Bubbles calls after the boys. Veal helps guide the stragglers out, and Jack locks up once Bubbles secures the projector.

“I think that went rather well?” Harry joins them as they climb out.

“Sure did Croz!” Bubbles links their arms. “Only one guy fainted! I think that’s our new record!”

“C’mon Buck!” Jack can hear Bucky’s whining tone. “I just wanna say hi to the new crews! Curt said he saw a few cute ones.”

“Oh God,” Jack guesses the boys will be getting their first real viewing of Buck and Bucky sooner than he thought. He starts to push his way to the front of the crowd. Maybe he’ll be able to divert them a different way.

“I’m just making sure John.” Buck’s low voice grows louder, probably walking in their direction now. The new boys all stop, eyes wide. “That ball could have done real damage. I can’t believe Friedkin kicked it at your head.”

“It’s fine! See?” Bucky laughs. “Doc said it only bled so much because it reopened the cut from before! Two wounds mean double the blood!”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Buck and Bucky round the corner, too caught up in each other to notice the crowd watching them.

“Holy shit!”

“Oh my god!”

Jack hears a thump as someone faints. Fuck, they forgot to warn them about the blond hair.

Bucky’s still blond curls gleam in the late evening light. His roots have slightly grown out, but that just means they bounce as he moves around. He’s still in his gear from this morning’s soccer game, and while thankfully his shorts are slightly longer, there is little left to the imagination. Buck hovers at his shoulder, worry etched into the lines of his face. Jack hears Friedkin squeak and run away.

“Don’t be such a worrywart Buck!” Bucky drags Buck closer. Buck doesn’t even flinch at having Bucky’s face barely even an inch from his own. Jack thinks it probably calms him down, the fucking simp. “How about a kiss to make it feel better? Don’t know if you know this, but kisses heal all wounds.”

Buck stares at Bucky with furrowed brows. Bucky grins and leans closer. Jack can see that at least the infirmary had washed the blood off his face.

Quick as a whip, Buck pulls Bucky’s face down to press a soft kiss to the cut across his nose. He places a second on the tip of his nose before pulling away. Bucky stands frozen. His cheeks start to color, a bright pink coloring his pale cheeks. His blue eyes stare at Bucky dazed.

“And they’re not going steady?” Rosenthal’s voice whispers to his left. Curt’s answer whisper is closer to a laugh than anything else.

“Idiots, am I right Rosie?” Curt pauses. “See what they want right in front of them, but they just won’t take it.”

Rosie stares back at a loss for words. Jack sighs.

[meyerlansky]

i think the thing that bugs me most about The Clevencourse, which mostly only exists in my mind when i'm trying to write shit, is... he should be my favorite. stoic, snarky under the stoicism, has a violent streak he keeps very tightly under control because he's terrified of what it would make him, ridiculously repressed romantically/sexually, COMPLETE control freak, sharp as a tack and in a Numbers way specifically, not great with people on a one-to-one basis but understands how groups work and that it's important to know the people you interact with, shorter/smaller than the guy he doms the fuck out of. i should be ALL OVER HIM.

but the narrative doesn't actually give him opportunities to let out that violent streak, it doesn't put his internal tension on display, everyone around him fawns over him CONSTANTLY and he never seems uncomfortable with it but doesn't really do anything with it either. and then the fan reaction to him [on here, i'm not gonna get into the reddit crowd's Wrong Takes because they're just as annoying to me but in a different direction] is either "perfect woobie who can do no wrong and needs to be protected" or "complete and utter freak who outpaces everyone ever for kink and violence and callousness"

and like. neither of those move me. neither of those feel true to me. i am absolutely fucking CAPTIVATED by bucky, who is not at ALL my usual type, but like i've said in other posts, there's a fundamental tension in him between his EXTREME self-centeredness—he doesn't care that curt doesn't want to hit him, he doesn't care that crank is making valid points about the cathedral, he doesn't want to sit on the ground safe while everyone else is fighting—and the fact that he is STILL, EVEN SO, a fundamentally decent dude who cares about keeping people safe, who signed up for a dangerous job to help right nazi germany's wrongs BEFORE pearl harbor, who's the one to say "we SHOULD fold them in" about the tuskegee airmen when gale is like "i don't think anything about them," who rerouted the whole group—at least a dozen crews, 120 men—to keep one fort [piloted by someone he Really Really Likes, at MINIMUM] from going down over trondheim, who very obviously cares about people In The Abstract AND in the directly personal. it's that tension that makes him FASCINATING to me.

and it's not that gale DOESN'T have that tension! he has just as much of it IF NOT MORE, centered aroundthe fact that he Wants and categorically Will Not Allow Himself To Have. he WANTS to beat the shit out of the RAF guys, but lets curt talk him down because he Shouldn't Want To. he snaps at friedkin that they're gonna take the FW gunfire, and then right away is like "you all did such a good job" over the radio so he doesn't look like an asshole to the rest of the crew. he was GOING TO SHOOT THAT KID, and he SHOULD'VE, because it would have been WAY more interesting for him to have a single moment of rage-fueled vengeance that then haunted him for the rest of his fucking life, but he doesn't, because he has to Look Good In The Narrative.

like, curt and friedkin have like the ONLY interesting not-bucky interactions with gale BECAUSE they see that ugly side of him—curt zeroes in on his violent streak and encourages it in the pre-regensburg convo with the "we could do some real damage" as opposed to something more palatable like "we could make a big difference" or something else less aggressive. friedkin is like a kicked dog for the entire rest of the episode after gale gets in his face and won't look at him head on again. everyone else just sees Perfect Major Cleven, including gale, who never really seems to or deal with or even be angsted by his own tension, just sort of goes on acting like he doesn't have some nasty shit in him, and it's so. boring.

[bl-bam-beyond]

Spotlight Series:

A Classic in Gay Films

Title: BOYS IN THE BAND

Year: 1970

Written by: Mart Crowley

Directed by: William Friedkin

Adapted from play of same name.

This film is based on a Off Broadway play, it is among the early major American Motion Pictures to revolve around gay characters. It is cited as a milestone in the history of queer cinema.

Starring: Kenneth Nelson, Leonard Frey, Cliff Gorman, Laurence Luckinbill, Frederick Combs, Keith Prentice, Robert LaTourneaux, Rueben Greene and Peter White.

This spawned a 2020 remake available on Netflix. The 1970 version is available on Showtime.

Premise: Not for the weak of heart. There is a lot in this film. About friends coming together for their friend's birthday party. Set mainly in an apartment. It spirals into a clash. So many triggers including violence (nothing major but a fight ensues) homophobia, depression, alcoholism, racism, suicidal talk, prostitution, infidelity and a whole lot of self loathing.

Harold is the birthday boy and is so down on himself but at the same time he's fierce. Michael is quick witted potty mouth and gets worse when he drinks as spews hateful speech. Donald is fairly laid back and a kind person but still sees a therapist. Emory is an effeminate man and a little bit racist. Bernard is the only black character and the brunt of racism by Emory and Michael. Larry is a handsome fella and self proclaimed slut. Hank is a married man that left his wife and children to be with Larry yet Larry is an unapologetic cheater and Alan is Michael straight college friend (whom Michael believes is a closeted homosexual) and rounding out the party is Cowboy, who is a street hustler purchased by Emory for Harold.

Alan is an uninvited guest that starts the horrific trouble as he attacks the effeminate Emory and using gay slurs. Sending Michael back to drinking and becoming quite malicious to his friends.

Though the triggers are serious, there is a bit of humor and even after the melee and Michael's viciousness his friends seem not to blame him.

Though not a pretty story it has some fantastic performances. And in the history of gay cinema. This is a classic. I did watch the remake on Netflix which includes Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer and Zachary Quinto among others.

@pose4photoml

[hardcore-lonewolf]

I made this time-line for Eva Nelson with Gwen Tennyson's face claim!

Quest/Teen Titans/Origins (S0): Eva Nelson (10-11) is taken under the claws of her godmother Selina Kyle since her parents and family members lived in Bellwood. She starts as Mouse, Robin's main romantic interest and the very first female sidekick in history with pure magic energy. Eva was graduating from Evermore College as honorable valedictorian and has the highest scores due to her skilled talents. She meets her godfather Bruce Wayne and her crush Dick Grayson through Gotham City's Red Carpet Gala with her godmother, who's a famous entrepreneur of expensive jewelry and fashion trends. Eva goes platinum and gold with music, dancing, acting, videos, movies, and more. She was the Lucky Girl of Gotham City and she begins her journey in Tokyo, Japan...as Mouse...with trouble right down her path. Will she become the White Kitten Thief or will this "kitty" lose her claws?

Retaliation/Next Generation/Infinity (S1): Eva Nelson (12-13) is currently in Friedkin University for her doctorate degrees and has the best elite awards. She founded the Team with Robin I, Aqualad II, Kid Flash I, Superboy I, Miss Martian, Wonder Girl I (OFC: Ophelia Trevor), and Artemis I. Eva lost her paternal grandfather Kent Nelson and her maternal grandmother Inza Cramer to her two major enemies as Catgirl, who then awakens her hybrid form and fuse her pure mana with her inner phoenix out of mixed emotions when all of her loved ones got hurt at the Tower of Fate. The Forever Knights and Genomorphs join alongside Zephyr Incorporated after the head manager of the company turns out to be Dubbilex. The battle between henchmen and sidekicks has begun, a powerful watch is upgraded and its wielder is her best friend Lumus (OMC: Matt Ferris). The Young Justice League have fully merged with the Teen Titans, and the fight against Onslaught and Incursion is on. Who will win this epic battle?

Legacy/Invasion/Aftermath (S2): Eva Nelson (17-18) earns all of her degrees and start her mana training during the whole five-year gap at Legerdomain, Zoraster, Soulland, Anodyne, and Earth. She resurrects all the loved ones of her close friends at the Forge of Creation, saved Kid Flash I within her Anodite form, and ended a ginormous alien invasion by fusing with Solstice...the life-force phoenix within her soul to scare them off and absorb all of the zero-point energy from all 21 Magnetic Field Disruptors in order to save Planet Earth against the quantum forces of evil. Eva becomes Black Cat during that time with Nightwing (Robin I) as her boyfriend, she currently has three adopted god-sisters and was their big sister figure. It's the war between the Team against the Light, Hive, Reach, and Naga for the safety of Planet Earth...and one shocking plot twist is...uncovered. What secrets are hidden in this saga?

Darkside/Outsiders/Enlightenment (S3): Eva Nelson (20-21) was pregnant and expecting a magical pair of baby twins with Nightwing during the two-year gap, they've been engaged and to be married at a private ceremony. They secretly tied the knot without any villains knowing their location at Anodyne, though they have to save meta-humans and protect mutants from more villains on Earth. Eva were being aligned with the Genomorphs and Forever Knights, but are defending them against the Lucabras and Flame Keepers who were trying to make her a living sacrifice to their inner circle by doing a blood ritual in order to summon Dagon. The birth of the next generation has arrived and this one will be the most extraordinary one...yet. Can the Team protect her and her family from Dagon?

Phantoms/Ultimate Team/Targets (S4): Eva Nelson (23-24) saves Steel Scion (Superboy I) and Rocket I from the Zod War. She brought Changeling (Beast Boy I), White Raven, Cyborg I, Starfire, Lumus (OMC), Zatanna, Aquaman II (Aqualad II), Wonder Woman II (Wonder Girl I/OFC), Breach (OMC), Tigress (Artemis I), Nightwing, Miss Martian, and Flash III (Kid Flash I) with her to save the Son of Steel and revive Rocket I. It's the Team against General Zod's family, the final battle that destroys the House of Zod with the El Family's remaining members, and the Lucky Girl faces off against her grandmother's greatest enemy with Tashmetum by using the Mask of Destiny to become Mistress Destiny. It's about to be a swarm of nanochips and the Team is prepared to take down the Decoy Queen of the Hive...once and for all. Will they dethrone this monarch and end the general?

Armageddon/Missing Years/Enhanced (S5): Eva Nelson (29-30) is back and is ready to take down some bad guys with her loved ones. The Lucky Girl joined forces with the rest of the Team to defeat Darkseid after he destroys the Map of Infinity to cause the dimensional paradox, she revives it and restores everlasting peace by balancing an internal vortex of portals to revert everything back in place. Eva becomes the main entrepreneur and head president of Zephyr Incorporated, wedded spouse of Dick Grayson, mother of two children, and future member of the new Justice League of America. Time must be restored and every paradox must stay...infinite. Will the Team be able to fix the time-lines?

She's voiced by the late Meagan Smith at Origins and in her childhood memories. Her permanent voice will be Hayley Williams of Paramore for Retaliation to Phantoms, and it fits her well. Her future voice will come from Erica Lindbeck, who voiced Felicia Hardy aka "Black Cat" from "Spider-Man".

[shadowbunnydragon]

To Elite: I wonder how Judy, Jack, Thomas and any bunny would feel about the story of the tortoise and the hare

Thomas: "Uh, we have that story, actually. I grew up hearing it and applying the logic of it. I.e., slow and steady wins the race."

Jack: "And of course, instead of it being about a rabbit slacking off, that old specist story just had to have it be a hare who got all cocky and lackadaisical and fell asleep, letting the dumb tortoise win!"

Judy: "Jack, you can't possibly be saying that this is a story of specist propaganda! Hares slacking off is not even a stereotype!"

Jack: "Is so! I've heard mentioning it all my life! Even from some members of my own family!"

Thomas: "... Uh, Officer Savage... are you certain that those comments were directed towards hares in general or..."

Jack: "Or what?"

Judy: "Maybe you are just kinda lazy?"

Jack, sputtering: "Seriously?!"

Judy: "Major Friedkin mentioned how you were the only cadet to have secretly fashioned a hammock from vines above the monkey bars in the rainforest section of the training grounds, hidden in the fake leaves."

Jack: "Th-that was... to help me sleep at night! Yeah! I wasn't just slipping away when everyone wasn't looking to get in a power nap or six!"

Judy and Thomas simultaneously roll their eyes.

Jack: "And I'll have you know, just a week ago, my cousin and I decided to reenact the story of the tortoise and the hare! He got his pet Gallopagos tortoise, Shelley, and we set up a little race track. We even set it up so that her favorite chew toy was hooked up to his old train set, the tracks on some rails forming a large oval. Four laps around that would be one mile, and we decided to make the race three miles!" Crosses arms and smiles smugly.

Thomas: "... So did you win?"

Jack, looking away: "...I fail to see how that's relevant."

Judy: "Wait, was this your cousin Bobby-Ray?"

Jack: "You know him?"

Judy: "Yeah. Sometimes he works on fixing the precinct's cruisers. If you'd like, I can just call him up and ask how the race went."

Jack: "So I kinda may have gotten my math wrong and, after the tenth lap, decided to sit and watch Shelley keep chasing her toy... and then it got a little boring so I may have rested my eyes a little."

Thomas: "Sweet cheese and crackers, you really did reenact the story!" Falls out of the chair, laughing, while Jack sulks.

Judy: "You heard it here, folks! Slow and steady wins the race. Also, maybe take the time to brush up on basic math skills."

[swanimagines]

FANDOMS

I’m that weirdo who’s willing to write for fandoms no one else writes for so don’t judge me. :D I like to challenge myself, so if I like the movie/tv show/game, I'll often write for it! Even if it's a "weird" fandom. Please note: this does not mean I write for every fandom there is. If the fandom isn't listed here, it's unlikely I even know it or then I'm just not interested. You can ask if I know it/if I could write for it, but please do not send in requests assuming I write for a fandom even when it's not listed.

READ MY RULES BEFORE REQUESTING!

The list for my fave characters to write for is below the fandom list in case you're interested!

(My random and unpopular fandoms are below the main list to make this easier to read)

I WRITE FOR ALL CHARACTERS UNLESS I STATE OTHERWISE IN THIS LIST

FANDOMS I WILL WRITE FOR:

MOVIES

10 Things I Hate About You

(James Cameron's) Avatar franchise

Batman: The Dark Knight Trilogy

Disney & Pixar movies (animated + live action)

Full list here!

Edward Scissorhands

Enola Holmes

Hunger Games

Jumanji (1995, 2017 and 2019)

Little Women (2019)

Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit

Marvel

Spider-Men (Maguire, Garfield, Holland)

MCU (up to No Way Home)

Venom (1 and 2)

X-Men (2000-2006 + 2011-2019)

Deadpool 1 + 2

Fantastic Four (2005-2007)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2017)

Shazam!

Sky High

Star Wars

The Skywalker Saga

Rogue One

Solo

Star Wars: Jedi (video game series)

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Maze Runner

Titanic

TV SERIES

Bones

Chicago Med

DC Titans

Gotham

Free Rein

H2O: Just Add Water + Mako Mermaids

His Dark Materials

Julie and the Phantoms

Lucifer

Once Upon A Time

Peaky Blinders

Shadow and Bone/Grishaverse as a whole

Stranger Things

Teen Wolf

The 100

The Queen’s Gambit

The Sandman (Netflix)

The Umbrella Academy

The Witcher

Wednesday

Xena: Warrior Princess

VIDEO GAMES

Assassin’s Creed (up to Syndicate)

Baldur's Gate 3

Detroit: Become Human

Dragon Age games

Ghost of Tsushima

God of War & Ragnarok (2018 & 2022)

Horizon Zero Dawn + Forbidden West

Kingdom Hearts games

Marvel’s Spider-Man + Miles Morales

Red Dead Redemption 2

Sly Cooper

Star Wars: Jedi (video game series)

Tomb Raider (the new trilogy)

Uncharted up to Lost Legacy

Watch Dogs/Watch Dogs 2/Bloodline

RANDOM

Freddy Carter’s characters, at the moment these:

Kaz Brekker

Pin Hawthorne

Jason Ripper

Tom (15 Days)

I also write for Ellis through research (from 2018 horror movie The Convent)

Gideon Fletcher

David Friedkin

(Also likely Ray when Recursive Dreams comes out)

SUBLIST: NICHE MOVIE FANDOMS

(These are all very small and random fandoms so that's why I separated them from the main list)

AND CLARIFICATION, YOU CAN REQUEST SOMETHING FOR ANY OF THESE!!

MOVIES

Aquamarine

Catwoman

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Ella Enchanted

Flicka

Garfield movies

Home Alone 1 & 2

Love and Monsters

Moulin Rouge

Notting Hill

Peter Pan (2003)

Red Eye

Rise of the Guardians

Stardust

The Dark is Rising

The Martian

Warm Bodies

—

This list is growing all the time!

Below I’ve listed some fandoms I once wrote for but not anymore in case you wonder why are they missing even though I have fics for it here. I've also included a reason why I'm no longer writing for it.

FANDOMS I NO LONGER WRITE FOR:

Wizarding World (Harry Potter + Fantastic Beasts)

I was bullied out of the fandom and even though it has calmed down since, I no longer have interest to come back. The fandom is divided in three major "camps" now after JKR started clowning around and I don't want to be part of that drama.

[fancysasquatch]

Just saw the new Hunger Games movie after obsessively consuming the book over the course of the past few days. 900+ word review below the cut. Spoiler warning for Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, obviously, but spoiler warning for William Friedkin's Bug (2006) too.

The short version of this is going to be that the movie works fine enough on it's own, but is very disappointing as an adaptation to a book I really enjoyed.

Before I start getting into negatives, I'll start with what I liked. The acting was overall fine. Jason Schwartzman was no Stanley Tucci as the tv host but he was still pretty good. Viola Davis knocked it out of the park as the mad scientist Dr. Gaul. Peter Dinklage didn't have much to do outside of one monologue at the end which was ruined by poor direction.

I also really liked the art design of the movie. The brutalist architecture was reminiscent of post-war Europe, particularly the Soviet Union. The military uniforms were sufficiently Nazi-esque without being tasteless. I saw a social realist-style poster in the background in District 12. The technology in the Capitol had a postwar Mid-century Modern aesthetic while in the poorer districts it looked like older technology from the 30s and 40s (including a video chatting device that looked like a candlestick telephone). Altogether it conveyed the idea that this happened decades ago, in relation to the original trilogy, and took place not too long after a major war. Very well done.

Now to get into the parts I didn't like too much. I'm still too much of a philistine to pay much attention to the directing/editing/cinematography side of things during my first viewing of a movie, but there were a few things that stood out to me. As I mentioned, Peter Dinklage has a monologue at the end which could have been very good it it wasn't filmed in flat shot-reverse shot with uninteresting framing, blocking, set design, and lighting. There was also a moment in the middle of the film which where the main characters have their last conversation the night before one will be fighting and possibly dying in the Hunger Games, but most of it is filmed in a profile shot of their faces leaning into towards the bars of her cage. The visual metaphor was a bit too on-the-nose, and the shot itself was framed in an awkwardly claustrophobic way.

That was all preamble though, and the bulk of this review is about the writing, specifically how they condensed a 500 page book into a 150 page screenplay. Obviously a lot had to be cut or shortened, and sometimes they did it well. For instance, the first minute or two covers several different page-long flashbacks which tell you all you really need to know. But some changes really hurt the pacing and even quality of the story.

The first part of the book covers the month leading up to the Hunger Games, but the movie condenses that down into a few days, so everything seems rushed because you have a week's worth of plot development happening in a single busy afternoon. The two main characters fall in love after meeting 5(?) times for a total of about 30 minutes. There was also a scene rewritten for no reason which was completely ruined, where a girl willingly sticks her hand into a cage of snakes she nows will attack her rather than admit to lying about helping on an essay (in the book she's tricked into it as part of a cruel test).

Almost the entirety of the Hunger Games itself was rewritten, although that's something I was fine with because it was different but not worse. The games as written would have been boring, and the version they had was a solid ~30 minute substitute.

The last section of the movie might have been butchered even worse than the beginning. A lot of that section of the book is Snow experiencing a simpler life in District 12, so when he gets a chance to go back to the capital there's a question of whether he chooses that life or his new life, which plays into the books themes of control and freedom. The movie barely shows his new life, so it's more of a question of whether he gets everything he wants in life or some girl he met two weeks ago he sorta likes.

The climax is also heavily bungled. Instead of his paranoia getting the better of him during one of his downward spirals, causing him to turn on Lucy Gray when he thinks she turns on him, she actually just turns on him. It's possible for a movie to capture losing your grip on reality like that, like the climax of Bug where the main duo feed into one another's mania until they burn themselves alive (that movie rules btw), but this movie didn't use any of the moviemaking techniques that . She also pretty unambiguously survives which is worse than the book, where her fate is left up to interpretation like the Wordsworth poem she's named after.

Just in general this movie suffers because it lacks the insight that came from the book being from Snow's point of view. We lose all of his internality, good and bad, so he's much flatter and less consistent. That theme of control vs freedom I mentioned runs throughout the book, but mostly in his internal dialogue, so in the movie we just get a few disjointed "this is what I believe" monologues from various characters that don't work as well.

To end on a positive note, I'll say there was one more change I liked. At the end of the movie, Snow's cousin Tigris very visibly sees Snow for what he is and is reasonably scared of him, which is better than in the book where they're all one big happy family.

[demcnsinmymind]

cult members and NPC infos for mobile, long so behind a cut as always

Cult stuff and possession nav

Possession timeline and lore for mobile Azathoth info and traits for mobile Azathoth powers for mobile

Cult members and NPC info

Dr. Arthur Friedkin

Leader of the cult of Azathoth, 1940s *01/05/1900- +08/16/1948

"Dr Arthur Friedkin was a Harvard graduate neurologist who was Collingwood's head physician from 1937 to 1948. He was famous for his work in experimental brain surgery. He was a major advocate of prefrontal lobotomy. Under Friedkin's supervision, there were about 140 lobotomies." - Morgan Turner, March 2003

Born in the year 1900, Arthur Friedkin grew up in a world all too familiar with death and suffering. Losing his father in the first world war and his mother to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the young Bostonian wanted to get answers just like anybody else in that time period. All thanks to the US' spiritualism craze around 1920, he became fascinated by the occult. Seances, spirit boards and spirit photography were an exciting opportunity and distraction from all that death.

The birth of his son Sean Everett Friedkin in the year 1921 marked a happier period in his life, and his acceptance into Harvard and a detailed dive into the world of neurology turned Friedkin away from the occult at least for a little while. Nevertheless, he remained an avid reader of works of fiction similiar to Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, whose focus on cosmicism and scientific horror fascinated him especially. And even though he was a doting father and seemingly a 'family man' through and through, Friedkin's general misantrophy and generally cold and methodic approach in his field were somewhat infamous.

Friedkin moved to Maryland in 1933 and worked as Neurologist at Danver's State Hospital. When his wife became pregnant with their fifth child, they decided to leave the city and move into a spacious subburbian mansion in Ryerson Valley, a quiet little town known for its gigantic psychiatric hospital. Friedkin became part of Collingwood's medical staff in 1935 and was subsequently appointed head physician in 1937.

Since the state's focus was primarily set on Danver's State Hospital, being in charge of Collingwood allowed the neurologist, who was much younger than most his peers, to start experimenting with new and questionable procedures on the surplus of patients his hospital provided.

After the loss of his son, Friedkin founded the cult of Azathoth within the walls of his hospital and began experimenting with the idea of disrupting the veil between the real world and the spirit world. See more details for that in my detailed possession timeline.

On August 16th, 1948 six patients broke out of their room, freed more of their fellow inmates and wrecked havoc inside Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital. In the chaos, Arthur Friedkin was killed by one of the patients, Lance Preston.

The Cult

Friedkin's nursing staff, 1940s

Death, as fate would have it, would never stay far away from Arthur Friedkin, this time with a twist of irony. At the age of just 21, his first born son Sean was drafted into the US military to fight in World War II. The horrors he witnessed during that time left the sensible young man shell-shocked and damaged beyond repair. Severe PTSD, depression and psychosis were taking their toll on his mind, and despite having learned so much from his father in the field of psychology and even wanting to become a neurologist himself after the war, all hope was lost.(keep scrolling)

Sean Everett Friedkin committed suicide just three years into his military service abroad. Running straight into enemy territory and getting torn apart by heavy artillery fire, leaving his father without a body to bury, without closure, without answers, and utterly devastated. With his belief in the ability to cure mental illness shattered, and succumbing to madness himself, Friedkin once again turned to occultism to search for a solution to destroy the monster that was insanity and death once and for all.

Due to the horrors of world war II and many men lost to the battlefields abroad or on their own soil, it was not hard for the charismatic neurosurgeon to find like-minded souls within his own staff. Nurses and orderlies alike had lost loved ones and family as well and were desperate to see them return. Ever surrounded by the madness of an overcrowded insane asylum, with many patients dumped and forgotten in their care, Friedkin soon decided to combine pseudo-science with his occult beliefs. Delusions of grandeur dictated that together with new surgical treatments for the insane, they could not only cure insanity, but death itself.

Their God

Azathoth and Nyarlathotep ∞

"Outside the ordered universe is that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity, the boundless demon sultan Azathoth whose name no lips dare speak aloud and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable unlighted chambers beyond time and space, amidst the muffled maddening beating of vile drums.”

A man of science from an early age, Friedkin never believed in any conventional gods or common religions such as Christianity. Instead, he became obsessed with the Cosmic horrors described in H.P. Lovecraft's works, the most powerful Outer Gods in particular. Ever linked to psychology and insanity, Friedkin took a special interest in the likes of Azathoth and its offspring Nyarlathotep. Even seeing himself as the human embodiment of 'The Cold One', and his deceased first born as the reincarnation of 'The Crawling Chaos'.

Azathoth, known as 'The Blind Idiot God', 'Nuclear Chaos' or 'Demon Sultan' is a supreme omnipotent being. It is a significant malign presence in the Necronomicon as both Albert Wilmarth (HPL: "The Whisperer in Darkness") and Walter Gilman (HPL: "The Dreams in the Witch House") are horrified at the mere mention of its name having both read about it in the occult tome.

There is no definite description of Azathoth because everybody envisions it differently and it is always changing. According to some accounts, it is a huge sentient black hole. Among its many followers, "obscene rites" were often performed that involved "atrocities practiced on still-living victims".

Nyarlathotep, known as 'The Crawling Chaos' is a supreme omnipotent being as well, a direct offspring of Azathoth's. He differs from the other deities in the Lovecraft's Mythos in a number of ways. Most of the Outer Gods, like his father Azathoth, are exiled to the stars, Nyarlathotep, however, is active and frequently walks the Earth in the guise of a human being, usually a tall, slim, joyous man. He has "a thousand" other forms and manifestations, many reputed to be quite horrific and sanity-blasting.

Most Outer Gods use strange alien languages, while Nyarlathotep uses human languages and can easily pass for a human being if he chooses to do so. Finally, most of them are all-powerful yet evidently without clear purpose or agenda, yet Nyarlathotep seems to be deliberately deceptive and manipulative, and even uses propaganda to achieve his goals.

Unlike the other Outer Gods, spreading madness is more important and enjoyable than death and destruction to Nyarlathotep. It is suggested by some that he will destroy the human race and possibly the earth as well.

Brenda Peterson

Head nurse and member of the cult of Azathoth, 1940s *10/28/1905 - +08/16/1948

Brenda Peterson was born in Baltimore in 1902. The eldest of 9 daughters, Brenda faced the brute force and hatred of her father from an early age. A failed physician with an alcohol problem. Throughout the remainder of his failed life and with their family left in poverty, Brenda's father pushed hard for her to make it into the medical field, knowing that even though his daughter would never become a successful doctor herself, nurses and other medical staff were well sought after during the first world war.

Life in poverty as well as the ongoing abuse from her father rendered Brenda a bitter, violent woman with a sadistic streak. Feared among the patients she looked after and her peers alike, Brenda's steely attitude and work ethic made it possible for her to become head nurse at Collingwood Psychiatric hospital in 1941.

It was there that she began idolizing Dr. Arthur Friedkin, who represented everything her father failed to achieve in his life. Infatuated, almost obsessed with Friedkin, she soon clung to his every method and teachings, and was the first to join his cult when he founded it. It was her who provided Friedkin with sufficient input on which patient to chose for the next experiment and ritual, and she was also the one to admister sedatives to get their patients where they were needed. Covering their tracks by falsifying patient records and only having members of their cult on the clock whenever a ritual was supposed to take place.

Brenda became so convinced of what they were doing was right and the only way for their world to make it past the 40s, that she too involved her children in Friedkin's teachings and cult from a very early age, leaving the path wide open for future generations of said cult to come.

Brenda was the only other cult member killed along with Friedkin on August 16th, leaving behind her 21 year old son Emmett and her 18 year old daughter Jennifer. With the former continuing on the rites, rituals and beliefs of their cult despite Friedkin's passing.

Andromeda Peterson

Leader of the cult of Azathoth, 2000s *08/07/1983

Andromeda Peterson is the great-granddaughter of Brenda Peterson. Her grandfather, Emmett, went on to pass along Friedkin's teachings of the cult of Azathoth to his children, and with his entire circle of friends consisting of members of the cult, it came as no surprise that Andromeda, too, would come to believe that the veil between the real world and the spirit world ought to be broken, that chaos and a complete reset of everything that is known and conceivable is the only way for humanity to surpass its misery and death itself.

Coming from a long line of psychiatric nurses, she happens to work not just at Danvers Psychiatric hospital by the time she's 24 years old, but she is also the head of the CPH (short for Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital) historical society. A new, far more inconspicuous name for a cult that is still active and waiting for their most promising experiment and subject to turn back up in their current timeline - Lance Preston, who brought about the death of their original cult leader as well as Andromeda's great-grandmother all the way back in 1948.

With her father's passing in 2015 Andromeda has only just become the new leader of the cult of Azathoth, and just like Brenda, she's a fiercely loyal, cold and sadistic individual who will stop at nothing to unleash their god and teachings upon the world.

By 2016, it seems that her ideals are well on their way of becoming real, when Lance Preston turns back up in their timeline and is brought to her hospital, where she's more than eager to interview him in the name of the CPHHS. Lance is quick to catch on to her and the cult though and runs, leaving Andromeda and the members of her cult no choice but to try and follow him wherever he goes. Eager to catch and kill him so that his body can be fully taken over by their deity.

Matthew Sinclair

Member of the cult of Azathoth, 2000s *11/30/1986

Matthew Sinclair is another member of the cult of Azathoth and Andromeda's right hand man. Born in 1986 in upstate New York into a rich family of investment bankers, Matthew never felt quite at home where he was. By the time he was 17 years old he ran away from home, and spent the next five years on the road travelling all over the states in order to find himself.

By 2008 he ended up in Baltimore, Maryland, where he crossed paths with Andromeda Peterson and quickly became infatuated with her. Andromeda, a gay woman with no interest in men whatsoever, still saw a chance in using Matthew's infatuation for her own purposes. Promising him a place to stay and a way inside a career he's always wanted, but could never pursue to his lack of credentials and medical training.

Matthew always saw his parents as heartless bloodsuckers without a purpose, and always wanted to help people as a doctor - a career choice they heavily objected, and which ultimately forced him to run away in the first place. Andromeda's family as well as the CPHHS made almost all of his dreams come true the second he walked into their open arms though - providing him with a job at Baltimore Psychiatric Hospital as a janitor, with the prospect of making his way into a nursing position by 2014.

With his ongoing love for Andromeda, the Peterson family paying his rent and having the last say in his employment, Matthew is at the complete mercy of the cult and easily susceptible to its expert brainwashing methods. He soon follows their teachings and beliefs to a T as well, and will stop at nothing to make Andromeda happy.

When Lance Preston turns back up in 2016 Matthew catches glimpse of him and becomes a fullblown believer, convinced that everything the cult and Andromeda have been saying to him about their origins is true and worth pursuing. When Lance flees Baltimore in an attempt to get away from the cult, Andromeda sends Matthew after his known family in Washington and California, where he tries to worm his way into their lives so that the CPHHS has leverage against their most valuable asset yet.

Police Captain Malcom Hodge

Police detective for Baltimore PD, 2000s *03/03/1962

Captain Malcom Hodge was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Incredibly involved in his community from a young age, Malcom first wanted to become a fireman, but changed his mind after witnessing severe misdeeds in the local police force and crime scene. Determined to make his hometown a safer, juster place, he pursued a career in law enforcement. Starting out as Valedictorian for his academy, Malcom was quick to climb the ladder, working his way up to Police Captain.

Him and his team have been building a case against the Peterson family for several years now, and as a former Ryerson Valley local, has had a very personal interest in the disappearances of the Grave Encounters crew for the past 13 years as well. With Lance having turned up in his city again and killing a member of the nursing staff at Danver’s Psychiatric Hospital in Baltimore, Hodge and his force are actively trying to recapture him, so they can solve not just the current murder, but the Ryerson Valley cold cases as well.

Unlike his RCMP counterparts, Hodge has a thorough and levelheaded work ethic and believes in uncovering the unfiltered truth, whatever it may be. Whether that ends with him putting Lance behind bars or putting an end to decades of debauchery and torture at the hands of the cult of Azathoth is left to be discovered.

Kiara Evelyn Miller

The only remaining family *12/10/1987

See thatevester for more detailed infos on her, as well as threads I'm writing for her.

Kiara is Lance's only biological daughter and the accidental result of a onenight stand he had during his first semester at film school. For the first 28 years of her life, Kiara has had no contact with Lance whatsoever.

Born on December 10th 1986 in Santa Barbara, California, Kiara was raised by her doting mother and adoptive father, and only learned about her heritage on her 16th birthday. By the year 2003, Lance promised he'd meet her at least once, but a month before that could ever happen, he vanished off the face of the earth for the next 13 years. Kiara spent her teens and early 20s troubled by severe problems with self worth, and more details about her can be read in her blog bio if interested.

In 2016, she was the first person Lance came back to, hoping to deliver on the promise he made all the way back in 2003. With his mother suffering from severe dementia and having placed in a nursing home, Kiara is pretty much the only family Lance has left, and the years inside Collingwood after losing all of his friends have taught him to appreciate that a lot more.

His choice to come to her has put her in the crossfire though, and it doesn't take long for both Azathoth as well as its cult to show an immense interest in her, hoping to use her as leverage against her father. Kiara in return is just as eager to find out the truth about his disappearance, and soon digs deeper into the circumstances surrounding Lance, Collingwood, as well as Friedkin and what remains of his cult.

Hayley Anne Miller, nee Thompson

The teenage trouble *07/19/1969 - +12/15/2016 (verse dependent)

Hayley Anne Miller was born as Hayley Anne Thompson on July 19th, 1969 in Santa Barbara, California. From a very young age, she developed an interest in all things photography and film. By the time she was 18 years old, she was more than happy to begin film school at UCLA-TFT, where she met Lance Preston, a fellow film enthusiast and student.

While Lance could be considered an overachiever, stockpiling sports trophies and top grades in all their classes as the years went by, Hayley was more of a free spirit, out to meet as many creative and interesting people as possible.

It was spring 1987 when Hayley took an interest in the infamous guy that was top of her class, sitting somewhere in the shadows on campus, writing, planning, alone and constantly busy. A snapped candid photo of the person of interest soon turned into casual conversation, and the Santa Barbara native was determined to make the broody Washington film nerd her next muse and project for the summer. Ever the collector of interesting stories, faces, people.

While the desired friendship between them never really hit it off because Lance was much more interested in his studies and projects, friendly 'hi's and 'how's your latest project doing' still turned into the occassional meet up for coffee, and Hayley, as stubborn as ever, was determined to turn him into someone to her liking. Knowing that much more might linger beneath if only she pushed him in the right direction. After weeks of nudging, she eventually managed to drag Lance to a frat party on campus, where she proceeded to get him drunk, high, and focused on something other than his projects for once. Minutes of drinking and talking turned into hours, one bottle of beer and a shot of whiskey turned into two, three, four, and by midnight, all was said and done.

The endeavour resulted in an accidentental pregnancy. After much consideration and despite their young age of 19 and 18 respectively, Hayley chose to keep the unborn girl that would soon become one Kiara Evelyn Miller. She quit her studies by spring break and left UCLA to live with her childhood sweetheart back in Santa Barbara.

Lance never bothered to question or challenge her decision. Instead, he gladly accepted her proposal to have the other man named as the father just before she left, because he considered family life an unnecessary bump in the road to his filmmaking career. Parting on mutual and respectful terms, Hayley left for Santa Barbara while Lance focused back on his studies. He graduated from UCLA with honors, scoring several internships and freelance jobs as a cameraman and screenwriter. It was the last time either of them would see each other for the next 28 years.

In early 2016, Hayley filed for divorce from Kiara's adoptive father when she found out that he was cheating on her with a much younger woman. Spending a couple of months griefing the loss of her marriage as well as worrying about her daughter's mental health. It was in late November of the same year when things seemed to be looking up for her, because a young man by the name of Matthew Sinclair started courting her at her local café.

Hayley, flawed and still hurt from her divorce, flees into an affair with the man, not knowing that he's only come to California to keep an eye on her and her daughter - hoping to catch glimpse of her long lost one night stand. It doesn't take long, because only a couple of weeks later, Hayley receives a call from her daughter, who lets her know that her elusive biological father has turned right back up on her doorstep. Naturally, Hayley is more than eager to come right over to L.A. - unknowingly leading Matthew and thus the CPHHS right back to Lance.

Depending on the verse and timeline, Hayley ends up in the crossfire and gets killed by Matthew and the cult (or Klaus Mikaelson in my TO verse with @sanguinelupus)

.

[austinbutlermischief]

[monkeyswithjetpacks]

The scariest scene in The Exorcist is the spinal tap sequence. All of the demon possession scenes are crass, "horror in the pejorative" stuff. I don't think Friedkin liked or understood the horror genre. The best done scenes in the movie are the straight dramatic sequences.

Jack Nicholson was miscast in The Shining. He starts at an 8 on the unhinged spectrum and a good Jack Torrance needs to be at least a 5 so it's more affecting when he hits a 10. I also don't think Kubrick particularly liked or understood the horror genre, but I give him more of a pass because some of the visuals are iconic.

Bela Lugosi does a great Dracula in Dracula (1931), but while the common take is that directors and studios wasted him in his later career, I just think they were working with what they had. He had one great horror performance in him and otherwise, he was a pretty workmanlike actor (obviously there are always exceptions).

Yes, I ran a major horror website for 13 years. I said what I said.

horror people. please reblog this with something that would get your “horror card” revoked. could be a director/film/actor you don’t like, or something you haven’t seen or whatnot

[vatt-world]

hi

Adam Wingard

Movies:

Halloween (1978) by John Carpenter – A horror classic known for its suspense and pacing, which likely influenced Wingard’s style in You're Next and The Guest.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) by Tobe Hooper – A low-budget horror that became iconic for its use of tension and atmosphere, a staple in Wingard's horror work.

Audio Commentaries:

The Thing (1982) by John Carpenter – Carpenter’s commentary is widely praised for its insights into horror filmmaking and building tension, a clear influence on Wingard.

Classes:

Wingard has talked about how he’s largely self-taught, likely relying on film commentaries, books, and practice rather than formal film school classes.

2. Gareth Edwards

Movies:

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) by George Lucas – Edwards often cited Star Wars as a major influence, which later manifested in his own work on Rogue One.

Jurassic Park (1993) by Steven Spielberg – A big-budget spectacle that uses visual effects and tension, similar to the techniques Edwards employed in Godzilla.

Audio Commentaries:

District 9 (2009) by Neill Blomkamp – A film commentary that dives into making sci-fi on a smaller budget, a direct inspiration for Edwards' Monsters.

Classes:

Edwards attended the National Film and Television School (UK), which gave him practical filmmaking knowledge, especially in visual effects, as seen in his early indie work.

3. David F. Sandberg

Movies:

The Exorcist (1973) by William Friedkin – A horror classic that likely influenced Sandberg’s approach to tension and scares in Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation.

Poltergeist (1982) by Tobe Hooper – Known for its balance between supernatural horror and family dynamics, which resonates with Sandberg’s horror style.

Audio Commentaries:

The Conjuring (2013) by James Wan – Wan's commentary explains how he approached horror with tension and minimal jump scares, an influence on Sandberg.

Classes:

Sandberg didn't attend formal film school but learned filmmaking through practice and by watching behind-the-scenes features, which heavily influenced his approach to directing.

4. James Wan

Movies:

Suspiria (1977) by Dario Argento – An influential horror film for its use of color and style, which is evident in Wan's visual storytelling in The Conjuring series.

The Sixth Sense (1999) by M. Night Shyamalan – Known for its blend of horror and emotional depth, which influenced Wan’s own storytelling in Insidious and The Conjuring.

Audio Commentaries:

Saw (2004) by James Wan and Leigh Whannell – Wan’s own commentary on his first big success reveals his indie mindset and creativity with limited resources.

Classes:

Wan studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), where he likely learned the basics of directing, though his real education came from making Saw on a small budget.

5. Fede Álvarez

Movies:

The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi – A clear influence on Álvarez, who later rebooted Evil Dead (2013), adapting Raimi’s kinetic horror style.

Jaws (1975) by Steven Spielberg – Álvarez has cited Jaws as a huge influence on his approach to tension and horror in Don’t Breathe.

Audio Commentaries:

The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi – Raimi’s commentary on his indie horror masterpiece gives insight into how to make a successful film on a tight budget.

Classes:

Álvarez did not attend formal film school, but he gained attention through short films and likely learned through online tutorials, practicing visual effects, and watching director commentaries.

6. Colin Trevorrow

Movies:

Back to the Future (1985) by Robert Zemeckis – Trevorrow has cited this film as a big influence, especially its mix of humor, adventure, and sci-fi, which shows in Jurassic World.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) by Steven Spielberg – Spielberg’s ability to blend heart and spectacle likely influenced Trevorrow’s approach to emotional beats in blockbusters.

Audio Commentaries:

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) by Colin Trevorrow – His commentary on his breakout indie film is filled with insight into directing on a small budget, before making Jurassic World.

Classes:

Trevorrow didn’t attend film school but honed his craft by making short films and music videos, learning the basics of directing through hands-on experience and collaborations.

7. Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Movies:

Apocalypse Now (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola – Vogt-Roberts cited this film as an influence on Kong: Skull Island, especially in terms of scope and the chaos of war scenes.

Jurassic Park (1993) by Steven Spielberg – The way Spielberg mixed awe and danger with giant creatures likely influenced Vogt-Roberts’ handling of scale in Kong: Skull Island.

Audio Commentaries:

King Kong (2005) by Peter Jackson – Jackson’s commentary on the making of King Kong would have given Vogt-Roberts insight into creating a large-scale monster movie.

Classes:

Vogt-Roberts attended Columbia College Chicago, where he studied film and likely gained practical filmmaking knowledge, but his major break came from working in indie films.

8. Matt Reeves

Movies:

Alien (1979) by Ridley Scott – Reeves has cited Alien as an influence, particularly in terms of pacing and tension, elements present in Cloverfield and The Batman.

Planet of the Apes (1968) by Franklin J. Schaffner – The original Planet of the Apes series was a major influence on Reeves' Dawn and War for the Planet of the Apes.

Audio Commentaries:

Cloverfield (2008) by Matt Reeves – His commentary on Cloverfield dives deep into how he approached a large-scale, found-footage film, with a focus on realism and tension.

Classes:

Reeves studied at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts, one of the top film schools, where he built relationships with industry professionals and honed his craft.

9. Taika Waititi

Movies:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) by Terry Gilliam – Waititi has often cited the absurdist humor of Monty Python as an influence on his comedic sensibilities.

This is Spinal Tap (1984) by Rob Reiner – A mockumentary that influenced Waititi’s style in films like What We Do in the Shadows (2014), where humor comes from grounded absurdity.

Audio Commentaries:

What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Taika Waititi – His commentary on this film offers insights into how he balances comedy and improvisation while maintaining a strong narrative.

Classes:

Waititi didn’t attend formal film school but learned through acting and making short films in New Zealand, refining his style by focusing on humor and character-based storytelling.

10. Sam Raimi

Movies:

Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock – Known for its suspense and innovative camera techniques, Psycho is a likely influence on Raimi’s work in horror and thriller genres.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) by George A. Romero – An influential low-budget horror film that Raimi likely drew from while making The Evil Dead.

Audio Commentaries:

The Evil Dead (1981) by Sam Raimi – His own commentary explains how he made a low-budget horror film that became a cult classic, offering insight into DIY filmmaking.

Classes:

Raimi didn’t attend formal film school but learned filmmaking through making short films with friends, and through watching classic films and analyzing their techniques.

Common Classes and Workshops for Aspiring Directors:

MasterClass: Werner Herzog Teaches Filmmaking – A well-regarded class from an iconic filmmaker, which teaches practical skills for indie filmmaking.

UCLA Extension and USC School of Cinematic Arts Workshops – Many directors, even if they didn’t attend full film school programs, often took workshops or short courses in screenwriting and directing from top film schools.

Sundance Labs – Many indie directors have participated in the Sundance Institute's programs, where they develop films under the mentorship of industry veterans.

These directors were likely influenced by a combination of classic films, genre-defining works, and practical experiences through film commentaries, classes, and workshops. They all built their unique styles while learning from both low-budget indie filmmaking and large-scale productions.

4o

[a-muscle-the-size-of-your-fist]

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MUSES:

BLAIR WITCH:

Ellis Lynch, Lane

FINAL DESTINATION:

Billy Hitchcock, Rory Peters, Frankie Cheeks, Ian McKinley, Olivia Castle, Peter Friedkin

INSIDIOUS:

Foster Lambert, The Lipstick-Face Demon, Steven "Specs" Stanheight-Faulkner

LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW:

Juliet Starling, Swan

POPPY PLAYTIME:

CatNap, Poppy

RESIDENT EVIL:

Ashley Graham, Clancy Jarvis, Ethan Winters, Luis Serra Navarro, Salvatore Moreau, Zoe Baker

SAW:

Adam Stanheight-Faulkner, Cecilia Pederson, David Stanheight-Faulkner, Lark Mason, Logan Nelson, Lynn Denlon, Mallick Scott, Mitchell "Chell" Smith, Peter Strahm, Scott Tibbs

SHROOMS:

Tara

SILENT HILL:

Eddie Dombrowski, James Sunderland, Travis Grady

THE QUARRY:

Bobby Hackett, Chris Hackett, Dylan Lenivy, Jacob Custos, Max Brinley

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE:

Edith Rose Sawyer/Heather Miller, Robert "Chop Top" Sawyer

UNTIL DAWN:

Chris Hartley, Jessica Riley, Matt Taylor, Mike Munroe

---

ASKS: 27

DRAFTS: 10

STARTERS OWED: 3

[hardcore-lonewolf]

❤️‍🔥KARMA❤️‍🔥

PLOT: Mouse has been missing ever since their newest member joined the Sidekick Squad and it's now Halloween. This thief got a major bone to pick with Terra when she defeated her in her disguise as Punchline, Onslaught told her that Terra was the mole right after meeting the new favorite right-hand woman of the violent mercenary and gave the JLA proof that'll lead to the double-crossing of sides. Mouse managed to defeat her loved ones, took those flash drives Terra Mater has on them, and her laptop into her old lair at Friedkin University rather than to the Council of Light and gave it back with a virus that sends evidence to the JLA. The Lucky Girl made the JLA realize that she's Punchline, she's going incognito with her skills and talents to expose the Light. During that time, Mouse made the cure and switched the mind-controlling chips with it. Now it's her time to reveal her truth and show her loved ones that she's not that shy girl they once know as Mouse...she became Catgirl after her training in Tokyo with her mentor Catwoman. Will her loved ones find out the truth or not?

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Characters: S1!Young Justice League/Team (MY AU), Elder Justice League of America (MY AU), New Crime Syndicate/Gang (MY AU), Old Crime Syndicate of Russia (MY AU), etc.

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WARNING: PLOT TWISTS, RE-EDIT OF EPISODES, FLUFF, ANGST, EXPOSING RUMORS, REVEALING LIES, SHOCKING TRUTHS, ETC!

═══•.·:·.☽✧✦✧☾.·:·.•═══•.·:·.☽✧✦✧☾.·:·.•═══•.·:·.☽✧✦✧☾.·:·.•═══

The junior league group were still heartbroken about their former member ever since she left for Anodyne to train with her alien grandmother and gave them one last gift...to hear her voice. Robin would never leave her room and wore her missing item...her crystal teardrop necklace. The Boy Wonder kept it all to himself, his best friend Kid Flash could tell that the vigilante misses his crush and fellow team member.

The Team decided on Thanksgiving to get Catgirl's number and call her on video chat. Their newest member Terra was nothing like the Lucky Girl and would always use Beast Boy for any single thing, though Catgirl tends to let the Team know that she's taking the young green mutant someplace else for fun. Raven grew instantly jealous and kept a close sharp eye right on the younger blonde girl after her older best friend told her to watch her back on the newcomer.

Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Miss Martian will sit in silence while holding back their emotions and spoke with each other in secret. The female demigod got a gut feeling about Terra's intentions, who's hesitant on hurting Onslaught and would only give them minor injuries. The Atlantean squire agreed with his girlfriend like their Kryptonian and Martian friends, they saw how Terra would dodge their hits and each member will never strike her.

"I want Mouse back in the cave beloved, Robin's been depressed for the past few weeks that I stayed with him every night and held his hand while he slept...that's how bad it is. He got nightmares and worried about her...Robin seriously loves Mouse, not as a friend or family, he has romantic feelings for her." Wonder Girl stated while holding his hand.

"My love, I truly agree with you, Robin's feelings for Cat hasn't left his system and it's messing with him. Black Canary sent an update last night on Mouse's whereabouts and told us her training on Anodyne. This could be the solution love, Robin reuniting with Mouse and telling his feelings to her." Aqualad told her in response.

"Either way guys, we gotta find out who's the mole cause Will found Roy and brought him back home thanks to Jade. Not only that...Jade pointed out that the Light led the mole to us and put mind-controlling chips on the League. They haven't activated yet, which means somebody has been helping our mentors and could be an ally of Will." Superboy said.

"If they didn't activate, that could mean they got a spy as well helping us and gave the League the cure before it all happened. Will and Jade did have some points about their new ally who gave them the cure, they sent us the Light's next plans for the New Year's Revolution from 2010 to 2011." Wonder Girl added. "Based on how the League's reactions and what they'd almost done, our mentors got those chips out and sent them to Star Labs for further examinations."

Miss Martian felt her phone vibrate, she takes it out and sees Mouse's number on it. She froze with shock and excitement before she presses the green answer button. The female Martian puts it on speaker and sees that it's a video call.

"Hey guys," the Team froze with disbelief to see Mouse with her natural ginger orange hair down and grown out to her waistline.

"Sup Mama, how's Anodyne?" Beast Boy asked while turning into a cat.

"Anodyne has been very great Gar, I learned a lot here and mastered my mana. I missed y'all guys, I was calling to say Happy Thanksgiving. I got good news to say and tell, so be prepared...my grandma's letting me go home back to Earth tomorrow...permanently. I finally unlocked all of my powers," the Team smiled and begun mentally cheering. "I know Robin's been hurting a lot, it's my fault that he's that way...I'll make it up to him and tell him how I felt. I love Robin so much, he's the only person I can see my future with...my family even told me that my visions aren't lying to me, I've found my destined soulmate and I've never thought it'll be him. When you see Robin, tell him that I said that I love him and I'm coming home. Okay, I gotta go hurry up and pack my things...this family reunion drove me nuts. Bye guys, I miss y'all."

Miss Martian hangs up and the rest sighed in thought. Cyborg and Starfire went to find the Boy Wonder, who heard the conversation and was smiling. Rocket and Zatanna sat next to Artemis, talking about a girl's night out with Catgirl in it at last.

Terra was frowning and silently seething in rage. She got everything locked and hidden in her own hands for the Light, which was good for now since the favorite henchwoman of his master's psychopathic clown killer ally got it from her to send out for the Light. She has to wait until Halloween to betray the Team and expose her lies.

On Planet Anodyne, Mouse put on her Punchline disguise while handing the JLA the proof and evidence they need against their enemies. The Dark Knight ruffled her hair and she nods up at him with a serious look on her face. His godchild grew confident and strong during her training in Anodyne, he's proud that she'll be there for his adopted son and become part of his family.

"On the night of Black Friday, I'll be capturing the Team and getting Terra Mater to confess her secrets. Once I'm all alone, this face paint comes off and this will be the end of Terra's reign. She tried multiple times to hack into the Super Computer and everything at each of our headquarters. I've been updating our bases by shielding our technology with viruses and codes that it can only unlock to my grandmother." Mouse explained to the JLA.

"And this is why we loved you for your hacking skills and super intelligence Eva." The Lucky Girl nodded as she puts on her gothic makeup and platinum wig. "Your amulet my dear."

Mouse puts on her amulet and it transformed her from the Lucky Girl to Punchline. Punchline took a deep breath and opens a portal to the docks. The JLA let her enter through the vortex and she mouthed out that she needs them fully prepared with inhibitor collars alongside power neutralizers.

As soon as Punchline gets on Earth's ground, the portal closes and she puts her poker face back on for her rebellious acts. The Scenery Countess begun her reign of terror while licking an ice cream cone, cackling and giggling with fake sinister madness in her own veins in a psychopathic lifestyle. Punchline does some parkour through Gotham City and found her targets...Onslaught.

"There's my favorite clown!" Icicle Junior said with a grin on his face.

"Sup my peeps," she greeted him before back-flipping off the ladder and onto her feet. "This old man and those stupid bozos sent me to capture a couple of mini "Justice League" sidekicks. Here's the catch in Savage's quote..."If Gaia doesn't bring me that information by New Year's Day, she'll be "punished" by her daddy dearest...Deathstroke." What a load of bullshit."

Onslaught begun chuckling in amusement by Punchline's blunt statement about Gaia, Terra's actual identity and villain alias. The clown villainess took them to the warehouse, where they found an armored tech aircraft that Punchline stolen and upgraded with weapons. The clown countess opens the door and tosses a rocket missile launcher that was combined with a homemade bazooka cannon to Devastation.

"That's my favorite toy there Deva, it can blow up a whole bank and gives a light show of pain on those stupid cops. It got a missile filled with the toughest stuff I can get from Ace Chemicals, one big blow and BAM! Those goodie two-shoes will be laughing and screaming to their deaths." Punchline said.

"Nice," the Daimone commented with an evil smirk.

"Who wants to see what this baby can do?" Punchline suggested with a wicked smile.

Onslaught smirked in return and were pumped up to see the clown countess cause some crimes. They got into Punchline's aircraft and she started it with one click of a button. The abandoned warehouse's doors slid open and she took off through them.

The villains wooed in excitement while Punchline flew them in the skies and the reign of terror was about to begin now. Icicle Junior stood up from his seat and whispered an idea that made the clown countess smirk. Punchline presses the blue button and it drops a giant metal can of Punchline spray into Arkham City.

"That's for ditching me to the cops you cocksuckers!" It exploded in seconds and several thugs begun laughing hard while screaming in terror.

Onslaught laughed as the thugs passed out cold and hard like stones. Punchline flew them to the nearest bank in Gotham City and tossed them some gas masks. The clown countess nods for Devastation to fire the missile, the Daimone fires it and it went off in seconds when it drops to the floor.

"Damn it! These jackasses are here to ruin shit! Let these bitches feel the motherfucking taste of payback!" Punchline said after dropping another cherry bomb and it got all the cops in a matter of minutes.

All fifteen villains minus Punchline were sent down by ladders right before the bomb exploded and it got members of several police squads. Many innocents were screaming in terror and laughing hard in pain. Onslaught watched as every citizen got knocked out and lose consciousness by Punchline's newest invention.

"Gaia would absolutely love you Punchline, they'll get along well." Tommy Terror commented.

"Agree big brother," his younger sister Tuppence Terror replied.

After Punchline told Joker that she put the world on blast with her spray on the communicator, the Clown King was proud of his hit-woman and was laughing at how she built cherry bombs with her perfume spray in it. The clown countess got some clear mist popped into her mouth in dissolving capsules and kept her gas mask off except for her face paint. Once she heard her targets come back with all of the loot, Punchline caught a bright red aircraft and knew the Bio-Ship was landing on the next rooftop.

"Seriously," the clown countess muttered under her breath before landing her ship and flipping down on the sidewalk with swiftness.

"Hey sidekicks, meet our newest member Punchline." Gizmo introduced the clown countess, watching her land gracefully and standing on her two heeled boots.

The Team sees an unfamiliar member of the villains and realized that this was Joker's very first sidekick Punchline. She was looking gothic, corrupted, psychopathic, and evil with laughter and jokes. When Punchline licks her plump lips that was coated with matte black lipstick, Wonder Girl could see the metal piercings of Snake Eyes on her bottom lip and the Venom on her blue raspberry-flavored tongue.

"Is that y'all dweebs been dealing with this whole time? A couple of obnoxious sidekicks hiding behind the cowardly shadows of their stupid mentors?" Superboy wasn't pleased with Punchline's words and the rest was offended by the rebellious clown villainess.

"Sadly," the super-intelligent genius inventor answered.

"How boring, though...I did like that gray little rodent you guys all know about. Well...I think this will spark something quite...pleasing." Punchline said, holding the Lucky Girl's customized domino mask, and the sidekicks froze to see human blood and burn marks on it.

Robin recognized it and caught the small little splashes of fresh blood on the domino mask. The Boy Wonder was now shaking with shock and anger. Punchline's done the most shocking and unthinkable thing that every villain wishes to do.

"What did you do to Mouse, you heartless monster?!" Punchline chuckled darkly while smirking at the livid sidekicks, winking at the Boy Wonder with a seductive look.

"Punchy here did the most amazing thing villains always wanted, the death of that pesky little rodent...by playing Russian Roulette with the staff members at Zephyr...all by herself." Blackfire said.

'No, it can't be true...' the Boy Wonder thought with fear and rage.

"Her death in my hands...earned me this spot in this laugh pack, that poor little squeaker was crying and begging for y'all...her stupid little friends to come rescue her from me, aw...those fucking selfish sobs got on my damn nerves." Punchline said, hissing angrily when she mentioned the tears and cries "Mouse" let out for the Young Justice Team.

Memories of Mouse being with each member except for Terra flashed through their minds by a spell from Punchline (Mouse), her helping them with many things and reassuring everybody that she will heal their pain away. The sibling-like bonds they formed and the hugs she gave them before she left for Anodyne. Robin was still shaking in rage while Punchline gave him a little wink and lick her lips again.

"Here's how I killed her...I slit her pretty throat wide open, cut her pink tongue out of her tiny mouth into small pieces, made her choke on her own blood and broke all of her bones. I would've made her my plaything and break her like a little doll, but her suffering a slow and painful death got me satisfied enough until I played my game. Russian Roulette, those last bullets ended her life...forever!" Punchline told the Young Justice Team, earning chuckles from Onslaught as she twirls her butterfly switchblades and props her stiletto guns on the heels of her black thigh-high boots.

'She's so dead,' the demigoddess thought while clutching her sword and lasso with anger.

"That little girl was so cute bleeding, so...I kissed her and she tasted better after she died...as a selfish heroine...protecting y'all dumbass idiots from me. As for her fucking body," Robin's glare hardened with anger as he tries to not snap and attack Punchline with a murderous intention. "I took her corpse, stab that tiny bitch multiple times...and I burned it down to her grave till she was nothing but some cinder fucking ashes to my boss's...cigar...tray."

Robin immediately charged for Punchline with an enraged growl, who quickly dodged and begun deflecting the Boy Wonder's merciless hits as she cackles at his vampiric red eyes. The rest followed their friend's lead and went after different people. The clown countess led Robin up onto the rooftops and ran away while the Boy Wonder rushed after her.

"COME BACK HERE YOU EVIL BITCH!!" Robin yelled angrily.

"Aw, is the poor little vampire mad?" Punchline taunted him, getting his anger pumping with his adrenaline. "Don't worry you leech, your precious rodent loved you so much that I gave that sweet little brat her first kiss."

Their rooftop fight continued while their own teammates fought each other and try to win the fight. The Boy Wonder was jabbed in his Adam's apple hard and got punched in the gut. He gasps and coughs for air while Punchline knelt down to his level.

"Fly away little bat," the clown countess whispered evilly into Robin's ears and did an air-themed spell. "Fly away."

Robin was suddenly hit into the night sky and Punchline hit a vital point with her two fingers, sending the Boy Wonder into Superboy who caught him right on time. The Son of Steel caught a pair of Kryptonite daggers in the female clown's hands and kneeled down with a weakened grunt when she got much closer to him. Punchline smirked with a sinister intent and shot some tranquilizer darts at each sidekicks.

"Ack!" Robin groaned in pain as Punchline grabs his face, he growls weakly and went wide-eyed when she kisses him dead on his lips.

The clown countess put some tongue within their forced kiss and pulls away with a smirk. Robin gasps for breath and coughs as his teammates were horrified when Punchline begun violating him with her mouth. The fifteen sidekicks passed out while Terra stood up and laughs with the clown countess.

"Nice one Punchline, I see why the gang loves how heartless and corrupting you can be." Gaia commented.

"Doesn't matter what the fuck I can do, get them in Cadmus, I got some new toys to break and dismantle for my dollhouse. You guys stay on watch and wait for your rides back to the Light. Is that clear?" Onslaught nodded before strapping each unconscious hero tight and hard into the truck Punchline sent with her in an abandoned alleyway. "This is what November is really all about...their murders and your unfaithfulness Gaia, time to reveal the truth and why you did it all...thanks to your help, I finally got payback on that useless coward. We got more time to celebrate till our reign of chaos and torture begins at midnight sharp."

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The Young Justice Team wakes up restrained and held captive within Cadmus Laboratories as new projects. They instantly sees Punchline sitting in front of them with Onslaught sitting beside her, caressing Mouse's broken replica mask and smiling evilly at it with madness. Robin struggles to get free for some vengeance, but was electrocuted when the clown rebel presses a red button on her remote controller.

"ROBIN!" The Boy Wonder stops struggling and glares straight at a smirking Punchline.

"Happy Thanksgiving kiddos, how's your little nap time?" Punchline mocked them, laughing hard when they gave her hardened glares. "Keep doing that, it won't bring that twerp back...oh wait, she's already dead!"

Punchline cracks up hard and sighs happily afterwards while wiping a fake tear from her left eye. She fiddles with her customized daggers around her black lab cloak and crosses her legs together while sharpening her fingernails. Beast Boy tried to transform into animals, but he sees brand new inhibitor collars and power neutralizers on him along with his loved ones.

"YOU MONSTER, WHERE'S TERRA?!!" Beast Boy yelled at Punchline, who smirks happily and gave him a cocky look.

She coldly presses the lime button and Beast Boy screams in pain. Punchline stops pressing it and puts the remote controller back in her front pocket, zipping it up and crossing her arms to her ample chest. She gave him a fake pout and it slowly shifts into a crazed look when she tilts her head a bit.

"Oh...you mean your little girlfriend," she replied to him with a sinister look. "Well...you little hemoglobin, wanna hear a bedtime story before I drained all of your blood out with this machine and make some clones out of it for the Light?"

The others were confused and concerned for themselves getting cloned by the clown countess. Raven and Zatanna tried their magic to break their loved ones free, but they saw that there was magic cuffs on their wrists and ankles. The rest saw all of their weapons hanging on the shelf that's labeled as Punchline's Dollhouse.

"WHY DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH TERRA?!!" Punchline smacked her plump lips before going close to Raven's chamber with darkened eyes and a blank look on her face.

"You should remember something about that tiny little rodent pointing out other clues to who's the real mole was before she died...Trigon's selfless little girl," the Azarathian Cambion was shocked and frightened cause Punchline brought up her horrid father. "Think about it, Mouse broke the whole mole case, which gave me the opportunity to kill her before it's all too late...who was the last person to arrive back in your base? Who tried to get inside her room and be put under her designation number? Huh?"

Amalgam and Rocket froze when they both realize what Mouse warned them about having new members...risks of having a spy for the Light in their base. Kid Flash mouthed out to Artemis that it was truly Terra who tricked them and made Mouse suffer her tragic death in the hands of Punchline. Lumus grew mad with Beast Boy until she presses the gray and lime buttons, stopping only to let them breathe for her torture games.

"Not every villain lies you idiots, Terra's the main reason why your Lucky Girl's now dead and long gone." Terra was the mole this whole time, Raven begun raging through the mind link and Miss Martian cuts her off from it.

All of her remaining teammates could see the female cambion about to snap and beat up Punchline for killing her big sister figure Mouse. Zatanna could feel her mother Unia's powers corrupting her due to the rage from Punchline's taunts and mockery on them. Wonder Girl gave both magic users warning glares, which made them snap out of their raging fits and calmed down.

"Here's more news though, Mouse's soul is lost inside the Lazarus Pits and being used for a new sacrifice. After the old man brings her back from the dead, they'll hand her off to the Dagon and give him a host. The most powerful being in the universe beyond every single dimension...an Anodite." Amalgam gulped nervously when he heard the name Dagon and whispered no with fear.

"Do you realize you're putting all of us including yourself in danger?!" Punchline shrugged with a blank look at Zatanna's exclamation.

"So? Nobody's stopping me," the Boy Wonder gave the female clown widened eyes and raised eyebrows. "If I was them, I would've been like..."Let's take the female Martian, she got enough power to kill!", and do that suggestion instead!"

Miss Martian gave the clown countess a petrified expression and continuously shakes her head no while Superboy growls angrily at Punchline, not wanting his Martian girlfriend becoming a sacrifice that could end the world. The female clown rolled her green eyes at the Son of Steel and opens the door to reveal the mole in her apprentice suit. Beast Boy growls angrily at his ex crush and she smirks evilly at him in response.

"Okay the rest of you savages, y'all deserve to bask in the glory of what these oldies couldn't do in one night and get your break...take as much as you want. I don't care for the money, I just love making heroes suffer and killing them after they are weak. Christmas is in a month, my present to y'all is their deaths...and their weapons as souvenirs." Punchline told them, earning appreciative looks from Onslaught and they left the room.

Gaia stood beside Punchline, handing her the flash drives of information and locations of each superhero. The clown countess nodded down at the female Stratan and pats her back in respect. Punchline begun using her hacking skills to send the files and information over to the Bat-Cave instead, watching Gaia point at Beast Boy with a disgusted look on her face.

"I wanna smack that damn smirk right off your face you traitor," the female archer scoffed at Gaia, speaking in a cold and blunt tone.

"Sorry Artemis, but it's already too late...you and the rest of these failures here will lose everything while I get the credit I de-" Gaia was cut off by Punchline who kicked her hard across her face, knocking her out and tying her up.

Punchline shushed the Young Justice Team as her eyes glowed pink and mana wrapped around the doors, locking them shut with a grip of an immortal. She takes a deep breath and uses her powers to close the doors till they're impossibly indestructible. The sidekicks were confused as Punchline mutters a few curse words and mumbles a noise cancelation spell in Latin.

"YOU -" Punchline gestured them to not talk by holding the remote controller, which made them silent and watched the clown countess puts an unconscious Gaia down on her rolling chair.

"Before you fools say anything, I'm maybe that evil but not enough to kill innocents...your best friend's still alive somewhere." The Boy Wonder was confused and scared for a moment cause Punchline just brutally hit Gaia hard with a knockout superkick.

"No, she's not! You're lying you crazy chick! You killed her cold-blooded!" Kid Flash yelled in denial.

Punchline clicks her tongue in annoyance while rolling her eyes at the yellow teenage speedster, she slowly takes off the sacred amulet her grandma gave her for this mission and the disguise comes right off of her body. The Young Justice Team froze to see Mouse, who's now known as Catgirl for the first time with new looks, such as the bright green cat eyes, and the platinum white wig covering her natural ginger orange hair. The Lucky Girl then pressed the clear button on the remote controller and let all fifteen sidekicks go.

"HOW?!! THE LEAGUE TOLD US YOU DIED WHEN YOU CAME BACK HOME!!" Lumus asked in shock, hugging his best friend tight.

"Three words Lumi...made of magic," the Lucky Girl answered as she takes off the restraints on each hero. "I told them that I'm secretly going undercover as Punchline to get tons of important information and steal a lot of files from the Light. It worked out very well, but we're still dealing with the mole problem until Gaia have confessed everything when I got security cameras and trackers on me from Batman during my personal mission. She can't escape from the truth now and so forth. I just needed an illusion that'll make me look dead and have somebody else disguised as Punchline in order to make it true. Knowing all of you will complicate things for me, the reason why I brought Onslaught here to Cadmus for this purpose...this is where the Team all started and where Onslaught will be defeated. Gaia nor her comrades can't hear us speak, but I got a bone to pick with somebody else...she better know that Boy Wonder has always been mine first and never will be hers. Isn't that right pretty boy~?"

Robin was about to say something, but was blushing hard as he realizes that Catgirl was the one who kissed him hard and gave him his first kiss. Kid Flash snickers at the reddened cheeks on Robin's face, giving him a high-five while ruffling his hair and hugging Catgirl. The Lucky Girl accepts the hug and pulls away before she snaps her fingers, causing the door to the "dollhouse" shelf to open.

"You're such an evil genius Cat, no wonder Gaia hates you so much." Catgirl nodded at Artemis's statement in agreement before grabbing something from her bag and turning it on. "YOU WOULDN'T DARE!!"

The half-Anodite held Gaia down and pinned her on her stomach. As soon as Superboy hears the loud buzzing sounds of an electric device, he snaps his head and smiles mischievously when Catgirl shaves all of Gaia's golden blonde hair off. The Lucky Girl stood back up and held up all the natural strands of blond hair in one gloved hand, dropping them like snow onto Gaia's face on purpose.

"Never mess with my loved ones Gaia, this is what happens if you do!" Catgirl whispered at her, shaving off her eyebrows and turning off her electric razor-sharp clippers.

Raven begun laughing hard, which made the rest of the Team shocked cause she never laughs and smiles. Beast Boy hugs Catgirl and she kisses her little brother figure on his forehead. He smiled at the sibling love she gave him and turned into a puppy, licking her cheeks.

"Love you too Beastie," the Lucky Girl whispered to Beast Boy's ear before putting him down and opening a portal.

Catgirl erases Gaia's memories about her loved ones and allies before replacing them with ones she can only keep. Miss Martian and Superboy sees the proof that the Lucky Girl, every single fake moment Gaia made with everyone from the Team. Catgirl absorbs everything and trades it for her version of memories that contains hatred.

"That's for my stuff," she mouthed out angrily. "And you'll never see the lights of day the same way ever again."

Catgirl tosses Gaia through the portal and closes it shut immediately. Aqualad gave the Lucky Girl a disapproving look as she cancels the spell and their enemies can finally hear again. The female white-haired vigilante points at the door and nods at her leader.

"I don't approve you doing things like that Catgirl," she gave her leader a raised eyebrow and smiles when Wonder Girl gives Aqualad the same deadpan look he got from the tomboyish demi-goddess one time for his overprotective behavior on her. "But Gaia deserves it from you as a clear message to our enemies."

Catgirl immediately rolled her green eyes with an amused look and let Superboy hold her close to Miss Martian. The two telepaths smiled at each other with joy, though the female Martian let her back in the mind link and the Lucky Girl went livid after Kid Flash mentioned her former height again. Catgirl smacks him in the back of his head with her hand and he yelps in pain, rubbing it from the firm impact as Artemis and Robin laughs at him.

'Who wants to beat up some bad guys and go back home?' Catgirl asked them, grabbing her whip and katana sword. 'Zee, Rae, time for a magic trick.'

Raven and Zatanna stood side by side with Catgirl. They held her hand in theirs and their eyes begun glowing. Darkness, light, and ethereality begun circling around them as the Trinity of Magic begun chanting their spells.

"Aperi Lanua!" The three circles of magic energy combined as one to form twilight tendrils and it opened the doors wide. "Dimitte Sigillum!"

The seal breaks and the three magic users were free. Catgirl saw her pink mana turning back to pure magic energy, which made her smile with relief and amazement. The Lucky Girl begins levitating from the floor and flying towards Nova, going after the youngest Star Sapphire from the Violet Lantern Corps.

The two girls begun engaging in fists and blasting energy rays at each other. Nova throws an enhanced fist made from violet lantern power, but Catgirl absorbs it and teleports behind her. When the blond-haired Star Sapphire turns to face her, the Lucky Girl lets out a sonic scream and it sent her feet away from her for Starfire to kick her across the floor into her older twin sister Blackfire.

Amalgam does a step-up Enziguri on Mammoth and Superboy punches the younger twin before they used their super strength on him together in unison. The two metahumans nodded with smirks and ducked on time for Holocaust to get hit instead. Amalgam electrocuted the male Hellspawn while kneeling down and absorbing the metal on the floor.

"Hey you over-sized oven, try this!" Amalgam yelled out before swinging his mallet-shifted hand into his face. "And that's for burning my gal!"

Catgirl senses the JLA, so she lets them enter her portal and her fifteen friends froze when they caught their mentors appearing. Onslaught were shot with tranquilizer darts from Catgirl before losing consciousness and she stood up in victory. The Justice League handcuffed all sixteen villains and took them to the main exit, silently thanking Catgirl for cracking the case.

"It's not over Catgirl, wait till I-" the Lucky Girl's mouth went open and her jaw dropped in shock when Raven punched Gaia right across her face, knocking her out cold.

"You made so proud Raven," the cambion nodded with a soft smile, running back to Beast Boy's arms and hugging him.

The green changeling smiles while blushing and hugging her back in joy. Catgirl went to them and joined the group hug with rest behind her, doing the same thing to two youngest members of the Team. The sixteen heroes pulled away and headed outside to see the Bio-Ship waiting for them.

"So Robin, are you going to tell Batman about your girlfriend~?" The Boy Wonder blushed and told Kid Flash to shut up, but was suddenly being held upside down by a pink mana tendril. "Hahaha!! Got him good Cat!!"

The rest of the Team laughed with the speedster as Catgirl sat criss-crossed on her pink mana platform and was smiling at him with a loving look on her face. She kisses the Boy Wonder softly on his lips and felt Robin smile from her affection on him. The Lucky Girl lets him down and was lifted up in his arms, earning a flustered look on her face.

"Take us home Boy Wonder," he grinned and unleash his vampiric dragon wings to guide them away as a night creature.

"Y'all heading home already?" Artemis asked them, smirking as Robin held Catgirl bridal style.

"Yep, he needs me as much as I need him gal. See you guys in the morning...love y'all!" The Boy Wonder begun flying away with a proud look and taking his Lucky Girl with him.

Robin cackles while carrying and flyinh away to the Bat-Cave with his new lover in his arms. Catgirl held onto him and lay her head on his chest. She kissed where his heart was and the two vigilantes headed to the Bat-Cave in one piece.

"Let's head back to the mountain, Cat did pointed out she's been having full access there since she got there." The rest nodded before getting on the Bio-Ship.

"Me too Princess," the demigoddess suddenly gives Kid Flash a set of hardened eyes. "Me too."

Wonder Girl instantly snapped and sent Kid Flash flying through the starry night sky by one low blow kick. The rest of the guys in the ship and their girlfriends watched in shock as the speedster was screaming in terror throughout his launch. Aqualad pulls his lover close while she glares at the others in warning and they sat down on their spots.

During their nightly stroll around Gotham, the new young couple heard screaming and saw Kid Flash flying towards them. Catgirl's round pupils in her green eyes turned into feline slits and she swung her whip at a different direction. Robin watched his new girlfriend maneuver the teenage speedster into the skies again and open a portal back to the Bio-Ship.

"Was that Tavia's doing?" Robin asked her, who nod her head yes to confirm and grew scared.

"Kaldur's the only person who can Tavia by her royal title Princess, Wally pushed that rank way too far." Catgirl answered, watching Kid Flash slid down the floor of the Bio-Ship and crashing into the front...face first. "At least, he's back in the ship. We should continue heading back to the Cave..."

The two begun rushing back through Gotham City and going through stealth mode while smiling at the moonlit sky that glowed bright with the stars. The Boy Wonder spun the Lucky Girl around and twirled her around as she giggles gleefully. Robin and Catgirl shared one last kiss before dropping down into Wayne Enterprises by a secret entrance...what a good night for love.

[dankusner]

TEXAS Longtime locals and newer residents make list of 27 state billionaires

By IRVING MEJIA-HILARIO

Staff Writer

irving.mejia-hilario@dallasnews.com

It’s not just average, everyday citizens who are moving to Texas. More of the ultra rich and powerful are beginning to call Texas home.

A total of 27 individuals, including Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban, Dallas philanthropists Margot Perot and family, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, Dallas oilman Ray Hunt, and many more, are part of a long list of the most affluent people who claim the Lone Star State as their stomping grounds, according to the Bloomberg 2024 billionaire index tracking the world’s 500 richest individuals.

Musk, also the owner of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, remains atop all other Texans as the third richest individual on the list. He only trails Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos and Louis Vuitton CEO Bernard Arnault. Musk has an estimated net worth of $187 billion, according to Bloomberg.

The controversial Texas businessman and South Africa native has close ties to Texas’ capital, Austin, as he’s made it the home of the Tesla Gigafactory. The factory produces approximately 375,000 electric vehicles every year.

Musk’s ties to Texas don’t end there, as the state plays host to a SpaceX launch site and has broken ground on 6,000 acres near Austin where he’s planning to build a “Texas utopia,” according to The Wall Street Journal . Musk has also moved his tunneling venture Boring Company and brain chip company Neuralink to Texas.

Though Musk has an affinity for Texas, he’s also dismissed Dallas as a city he finds to be “too Texas” for his liking, according to Walter Isaacson’s book titled Elon Musk .

Sports fans may also be unsurprised as other prominent names such as Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones, Tilman Fertitta and Stan Kroenke all made the list. Of those names, Fertitta is up the most from last year as he’s gained an additional $915 million to add to his $12 billion net worth. Cuban also made a splash in cash this year when he sold a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks for $3.5 billion.

Since this point last year, Cuban has gained $425 million and has a net worth of approximately $7.29 billion, according to Bloomberg. He sold the majority stake to casino matriarch Miriam Adelson, who also sits at 43rd on the overall list with an estimated net worth of approximately $35.5 billion.

Another Dallas billionaire, Jerry Jones, continues to grow his hoard of wealth as he added $60.7 million to his estimated $12.6 billion net worth, according to Bloomberg.

Despite recent controversies, such as a recently dismissed defamation suit in which a woman claimed she was his biological daughter as well as an uncovered photo that showed Jones as a bystander when six Black teenagers entered desegregated North Little Rock High School in North Little Rock, Ark., in 1957, Jones’ love for Texas doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

He recently pumped $100 million into Comstock Resources Inc., a Frisco-based natural gas company of which he is listed as a majority shareholder.

Other Dallas-Fort Worth names such as prominent Walmart stockholder Alice Walton, Koch Industries director Elaine Marshall, Hunt Consolidated chairman Ray Hunt, Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren, Rees-Jones Oil & Minerals owner Trevor Rees-Jones and philanthropists Margot Perot and family were all featured on the list.

Other big Texas cities didn’t miss out on some big names. In addition to Musk, University of Texas at Austin alumni and chief executive of Dell Technologies Michael Dell calls Austin home, and Friedkin Group CEO Dan Friedkin, among others, look to Houston as their homes.

To make the list, a person had to have a minimum net worth of at least $5.79 billion.

Other Texas billionaires on the list include:

Autry Stephens ($23.4 billion), Endeavor Energy Resources founder

Jeffery Hildebrand ($19.8 billion), Hilcorp Energy founder

Charles Butt and family ($13.3 billion), H-E-B Grocery chairman

Andy Beal ($13.1 billion), Beal Bank chairman

Robert Smith ($11.4 billion), CEO of Vista Equity Partners

Richard Kinder ($10 billion), Kinder Morgan chairman

Randa Williams ($9.67 billion), Enterprise Products Partners chairman

Dannine Avara ($9.65 billion), Enterprise Products Partners stockholder

Scott Duncan, ($9.65 billion), Enterprise Products Partners stockholder

Milane Frantz ($9.65 billion), Enterprise Products Partners stockholder

Ann Kroenke, ($8.18 billion), Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche owner

Michael Smith, ($7.97 billion) Freeport LNG chief executive

Tito Beveridge ($7.51 billion), Tito’s Vodka founder

Thai Lee ($6.32 billion), SHI International Corporation CEO

Dallas has added more millionaires than all but 3 other US cities, new report finds

The number of millionaires in Dallas has increased 75% over the past decade as wealth continues to accumulate in the fastest-growing region in the United States.

That's according to a report by consulting firm Henley & Partners Holdings Ltd., which ranked Big D fourth for the percentage increase in the number of millionaires from 2013 to 2023.

Dallas tied with Washington, D.C., and trailed only Austin, the San Francisco Bay Area and Miami.

That concentration of wealth has big implications for a wide swath of North Texans, from financial advisers and other service providers to government leaders and nonprofit bosses.

Overall, Dallas has the sixth-most millionaires in the country with 68,600, according to Henley & Partners, which says it specializes in residence and citizenship by investment.

New York continues to wear the millionaires crown with 349,500. The Bay Area ranked second, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.

But the tech-fueled Bay Area ranked No. 1 for the most billionaires in the country with 68. New York City ranked second with 60, followed by Los Angeles with 43. Dallas ranked sixth with 15 billionaires.

The increase of wealth in Dallas has coincided with an economic boom.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex's population growth has led the nation in recent years — it added an estimated 152,598 people from mid-2022 to mid-2023, the largest increase of any metro in the nation, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The region has grown to more than 8 million residents.

The Metroplex has also added a large number of corporate headquarters in recent years, including those for Charles Schwab Corp., Caterpillar Inc. and CBRE Group Inc.

The attraction of wealth has helped contribute to DFW's ascendance as a U.S. financial center with hundreds of money managers choosing to move to or expand in the region.

In December 2020, DFW surpassed the Los Angeles metro as the second-largest hub of financial workers in the U.S., trailing only New York, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Dallas isn't alone in Texas for its increased wealth. The Henley & Partners report tabbed Austin as the fastest-growing millionaire hub, with a 110% increase in the past decade.

Elsewhere in the country, Salt Lake City and Florida's Tampa and Naples are expected to attract rising numbers of wealthy individuals over the next decade, according to the report.

Nationally, the number of millionaires grew 62% from 2013 to 2023, significantly higher than the global rate of 38%, according to the Henley & Partners report. The U.S. ranks first in liquid investable wealth at $67 trillion, the number of millionaires (5.5 million) and the number of billionaires (788). However, America's per capita wealth of $201,497 ranks sixth globally behind Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore.