#meanwhile when it comes to dc's animated stuff

[awakefor48hours]

[demonic0angel]

So far ever since the new epic musical album came up I've been seeing a lot more people come up with the idea of the god games but Danny Phantom

And I was just imagining how funny if in that song Dan was Aphrodite and Danielle was Aries

I'm about to get more as Danielle being a goddess of trickery and chaos of all types and can being considered to be three-faced like having like a three-faced mask that she wears around a lot and using her ability to melt as a way to appear behind people vastly without them noticing and she's really protective over Dan since she considers herself to be his older sibling because in her opinion he came in the family last

Dan being the ancient of love being so terrifying because love can also be considered to be a scary thing with his symbol being eagles and stuff and he is much more terrifying and violated the most people expect from the god of love but also when he needs to be complete and loving

I imagine Tucker taking up the sense of being Apollo with him being The reincarnation of an old pharaoh they're kind of being like a lots of Egyptian things around him but also like a theme of more technologically advanced with him working on a PDA all kind of having modern clothes on with hints of Egyptian pharaoh

oh and Sam acting like Hephaestus would be more interested in the plant she has in her garden then the heroes her clothes are kind of nature-like invite but also give all of a sense of golfness with like her plant giving off the shape of a large Palace that looks terrifying on the outside but the inside is filled with plants of all types

I imagine Jazz has like a therapist like setting office but like it's a open Greek palace like things of gold and bright blues and just being laid around it looks like an conference room but also like an open Palace I feel like her simple animal being Wolf's and bears would be so funny also be a hint to the little bear plush that she owns

I kind of feel like Danny's level would be a mix of Jazz's and Sam's with Danny's being like an open Palace room that kind of has like the hints of someone young is there with random bean bags being scattered around or miniature handcraft spaceships but also stars all around I feel like it'd be cute if his symbol animal was jellyfish which like jellyfish Stars kind of like float around

But I've just been imagining that song with Danny Phantom x DC I can probably start off with the Justice League like always getting into something this year now than having to deal with the consequence of it and the consequences is six teenagers taking a vote or not to kill them

Gods, I can’t wait for the Vengeance Saga

I am in love with the idea of Dan being Aphrodite and Dani being Ares, especially bc they’re both gods of war. And in EPIC, Aphrodite’s argument is about a mother’s love!! I hope you like the quick sketch of them :3

I don’t agree with a few of your ideas, but they all seem really fun. The idea of the Justice League having to argue against 6 teenagers is funny, bc imagine that they think they can argue against Dani and she just stabs them. Meanwhile, Jazz is like: so how did you feel when you got stabbed? when they come to her later to argue against her.

Actually, I also had thoughts about DP x EPIC, except Sam and Tucker were Odysseus (they shared the role idk) and Danny was Penelope. Jazz was Athena, Dani was Aeolus, and Dan was Scylla 😩

[puppetwoman17]

Billy in the Watchmen AU (spoilers for Watchmen Chapter 1)

For anyone who already knows who the Watchmen are and avidly read and generally consume the media, this is a post from a newbie, so don’t expect any nuance, lol. I’ve only watched the recent animated movie. Also be forewarned that this does mean the timeline is way more recent. This takes place in at least the 2010s, not the 80s like in canon.

If you don’t know who the Watchmen are, they are a group of “heroes” from an alternate dc universe where it’s the 80s and superheroes are outlawed. There’s also a group called the Minute Men who were there before them, who were all either taken out or had their lives wrecked.

The second Nite Owl got the permission of the first to dawn the name and costume. The second Silk Spectre is the daughter of the first. The Comedian was part of the Minute Men along with the first Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, and he is known to be part of the Watchmen. There’s also Rorschach, who’s like a darker version of Question. Dr. Manhattan is like if Martian Manhunter didn’t feel emotion and also cannot shape shift, but his power set is still extensive. Ozymandias is apparently a hero turned villain, and I already see that playing out a bit in the animated movie—

Holy shit he kills people. So many people. He has a warped sense of justice and he kills a whole bunch of people under the guise of an alien invasion just to unite the population. Yeah, now I get it. Anyway before he was a member, and after retiring he has this huge company called Veidt, where he sells toys and stuff.

Whole lotta other stuff to say about the Minute Men and Watchmen, but I’m sure you get the jist.

SO, with all that out of the way. TIME BUBBLE, people. Maybe it pops sometimes, maybe the bubble isn’t a bubble but it stops the aging process until it pops, idk. But Billy joins the Watchmen and goes through all the tough shit they go through, like Dr. Manhattan not understanding human emotion so he watches The Conedian kill a woman pregnant with his child.(I know, but I’m too lazy to explain every single detail lol).

He’s in the background while everyone starts hating their team and watches the Comedian wreck their whole image. Keep in mind that he’s not in his Cap form for his stint as a member because it’s way too flashy. He’s like their tech guy, but the tech is actually magic.

After the law against supers, Billy hightails it for Fawcett and leaves a note for the Watchmen who he actually like(everyone but the Comedian, fuck you Edward Blake). When Superman comes into the scene, he brings a new vision with him, and new and old heroes are able to come into the limelight. However, with three members working for the government (Manhattan, Comedian, and Silk Spectre 2), one on the run(Rorschach), one staying away,(Nite Owl 2), and one going into mass producing himself (Veidt)…Yeah, they think better of that.

A decade goes by and Billy’s(looking like) an eighteen year old living it up with his JL pals. Meanwhile, a retired army veteran, Edward Blake, has just been murdered. He doesn’t have the best thoughts on the US military, so he doesn’t pay much mind. That is until Amanda Waller kidnaps and takes him to a remote facility and decides to info dump that yes, she knows who he is, and yes, she knows he used to work with/for the Watchmen. Also, Edward Blake is the Comedian, surprise.

Yeah, Billy gets the hell out of there as soon as possible. Waller says she wants his help bringing in the members who aren’t on government watch, but he’s firm with his refusal, and she can’t just keep Captain Marvel locked up without facing the wrath of the Justice League and Squadron of Justice.

A couple days later, the JL are in Fawcett and planning to go to one of those magic infused restaurants with performances and everything, but Billy has to make a pit stop at his apartment. They’re cool with it and go with him, and guess who’s sitting in the dining room inhaling canned beans?

Iiiiits Rorschach!

Billy is FREAKING out because the Watchmen can’t be seen together! He rushes the JL out as quick as possible and says he’s “so sorry, but something’s come up, I can’t go. Just tell the front desk fawn that I sent you and she’ll know.”

Naturally, Diana is the first to say that she is not leaving him alone with someone who BROKE INTO HIS HOME. Billy waves her off and says that “it’s totally cool! This happens all the time in Fawcett!” before slamming the door closed.

Billy: what the hell were you thinking?

Rorschach: Im here for good reason, B.

Billy: Save it, I know about the Comedian and Blake.

Rorschach: You don’t think this is a one and done thing, do you? Someone’s clearly gunning for masks, and for some reason, they started with one of us! Why not those new flashy heroes you hang with? Superman? Batman? Wonder Woman? Why one of us?

Billy: In case you forgot, we operated during the Cold War. We made enemies. And even without that, Blake was a military man who enjoyed making people suffer. If he had no enemies, I call bullshit!

Rorschach: I’m still determined to make sure this doesn’t happen to the rest of us. I’m going to everyone’s homes, and—

Billy: Okay, now you’ve blocked me. No one is going to listen. Daniel(Nite Owl) has moved on. Laurel hates the guy and Jon(Dr. Manhattan) does whatever Laurel(Silk Spectre) wants. Adrian(Ozymandius) is perfectly happy with his company. And I swear, if you bring any of the Minute Men into this…

Rorschach: I have to try. Even if they don’t believe me, I have to get it into their heads somehow. The Minute Men went through the exact same thing.

Billy: no offense, but your wording does not get across to people as “caring.” You’ll just as soon make them throw you out.

Rorschach: Agreed. So, I’ll need to bring along someone who’s better at that than I am.

Billy:

Rorschach:

Billy: Damn it.

Cue the cancel out duo of Billy and Rorschach going to the home of the former second Nite Owl and freaking him the hell out. Daniel and Billy reminisce about the old days while Rorschach gets across his point. Daniel naturally thinks it’s a flimsy take, and Billy says he gets it, but being a little more careful never hurt anyone, right?

They also talk about Blake. Dan says he’s thinking of going to the funeral, but he also has mixed feelings. Billy says he isn’t going. After what happened with Sally Jupiter(the first Silk Spectre, and Laurel’s mom), he can’t look at any pictures of him the same way.

They leave, next going to Veidt Inc.

Predictably, it does the same way. Except this time, Billy is able to glean that something is off about Adrian. He can’t put his finger on it, but he tells Rorschach to leave as soon as possible.

Laurel and Jon are a little less angry(they have good reason tho) because billy is there. Laurel’s so happy to see him! Jon on the other hand doesn’t know what to do.

They used to be close. Billy was used to speaking to higher beings who didn’t understand the concept of human morality and the like. Jon’s a little different, because gods are able to feel, but it’s as close as it can get. Billy stood up for him on multiple occasions, except when Jon cheated on his gf with Laurel, that got him a two month no-talking period until it didn’t seem right to do so and he got to know Laurel.

Then the island stuff happened. The Comedian may be an asshole, but he doesn’t lie. Jon just stood there while that woman bled out. Billy just…couldn’t look at him the same anymore.

Unlike in the movie, where Rorschach says something stupid and Laurel tells Jon to make him leave, Billy stops Rorschach from making that idiotic mistake and says that they don’t have to hide themselves or actively look for danger. It’s just important that they generally keep themselves safe by any means that they want to. They readily agree because wow, boundaries!

Meanwhile, Bruce and his gaggle of detectives found out who that weird guy sitting at Billy’s dining table is. A member of a team that hasn’t been talked about in decades. Of course, there are no articles or pictures involving the Watchmen interacting with a kid with magic. So, they naturally want answers from HIM. Billy is tight-lipped when they see him, and is somewhere else in his free time(with Rorschach).

Unfortunately, that’s when shit really takes a turn. A former villain that Rorschach and Billy spoke to tells them that the Comedian, without a mask, was in his bedroom weeks before he died! Spouting nonsense about Dr. Manhattan, an island, a list, people who were apparently worse than him, so much worse that he started begging to be forgiven.

Dr. Manhattan goes on live television for the first time in decades. This is the first time the JL has ever seen him. Billy’s watching it carefully with Rorschach and just about has a heart attack when some reporter gets up and tells him that several people who he used to know have contracted forms of cancer. At least a dozen. There’s a list.

A list. Oh shit!

Jon cries out in anger and disappears, rushing who knows where(Mars).

Meanwhile, Adrian kills someone. At least, it looks like he did. The other guy attacked him and his assistant, and was biting his tongue to keep from saying anything. Adrian puts his hand in his mouth to stop him, but he’s too late. He’s been framed for murder.

With all of this happening, Rorschach gets a message from Moloch saying that they need to talk. Cool, have fun. Billy’s at the Watchtower and he’s swiftly avoiding the topic of that weird guy in his apartment.

Two seconds later, Rorschach is on the news. He’s been caught. His mask is off. Billy is screaming internally.

That is the exact moment when he turns to the JL.

“…I need your help breaking someone out of prison. And presumably stopping a mass killing. And that mass killing kind if sort of includes me.”

Yeah, they’re gonna need more info. Like hold up, you were in a team before us😠?

Anyway that’s where the brain rot ends until the second movie. Jeez this was a lot.

[ultra-kek]

Is it true you don't like anything from Grant Morrison, or just the man himself at all?

I don't think I've mentioned my thoughts on Grant Morrison here but I do really love Grant Morrison's early DC work, in particular Animal Man being one of my favorite comics of all time, but I find their later work to be so terrible that I consider it my least favorite comics of all time. I blame this on the running themes of Metatextuality and a sort of reconstructivist ideology in Morrison's work that has ended up completely antithetical to what i desire from comics.

While the absurdist ruminations on the nature of fiction in Animal Man made for an amazing and radical sort of comic that deconstructed a lot about both superheroes and the relationship between fiction and reality, over time their work fell into what to me feels like just very shallow and uninteresting narratives that frequently fall into the same traps as like, redditors and youtube theorists, where it doesn't really have that much to say beyond "woah... this is a work of fiction and we're breaking the fourth wall!!!!!1111" and "superheroes are actually super cool and should never be criticized". The top examples i can think of are their Batman run, which brought back several concepts but in ways that felt shallow (was it really that necessary to bring back the Batman of Zurr-En-Arrh as an edgy violent alternate personality?), meanspirited (Son of the Demon being brought into canon, but retconning Bruce and Talia's loving relationship to... that.), or even offensive (if you're going to make a modern version of the Batmen of all Nations, even if you're going to be rewriting them to attempt to make more realistic and progressive incarnations of them is it really necessary to keep the more offensive designs, and redesign others to be even more offensive? I don't think they had people of color on hand for that stuff...). Meanwhile there's the multiverse stuff that I just really can't bring myself to care about, that kind of thing is already really boring for me personally and though Morrison tries to make more meaningful narrative in them that narrative is just "Aren't superheroes really epic and cool?"

There's also the fact that regardless of being nonbinary Morrison hasn't really had the best track record when it comes to depicting minority groups. I already mentioned the Batmen of all Nations but there's them turning Talia into a misogynistic and somewhat racist stereotype, and Professor Pyg, who's Buffalo Bill-type queercoding is so offensive that I genuinely can't stomach it as a character. This is more controversial, but I feel this even about A Serious House on Serious Earth, both in the character of Mad Dog but also in the comic's general depiction of Batman's rogues' gallery not as characters of their own but as caricatures of mental illness existing primarily as foils for Batman's personal conflicts, which bled into the comics and kind of became a defining part of Batman as a franchise and its frequent usage of psychological themes.

Morrison also has a particularly unfortunate flaw in that theyre kind of... redditbrained. They're famous for their personal theory on the ending of the Killing Joke of how it actually represents Batman finally breaking his one rule and killing the Joker, despite how the comic very clearly frames the moment as the one last moment of understanding the two will ever have. There's also Morrison's idea of all Batman media being true, and justifying it as the sillier parts of Batman being caused by... him and Robin being on drugs. They've literally said that.

My main like, ideological opposition to Morrison though is in their reconstructivist themes and the way they place superheroes as like gods to be aspired to. I certainly fall closer to Moore when it comes to my perspective on comics and while I don't think they're beyond salvation Morrison simply isn't doing them any favors. I just don't want to see comics about how epic Batman and Superman are or whatever, I want to see more radical stuff that breaks down superhero comics as a whole. By all means I like seeing the weird reinvention of old concepts, but being so stuck in the past is just kind of, stupid.

[toulousewayne]

Teen Titans:The Judas Contract

———

This is a concept for a live-action Teen Titans film that could be adapted for theatrical release.This film would be in the same universe as other DC projects, I’ve been developing on here.

—-

Synopsis: Nightwing returns to the Titans and welcomes the newest addition Terra,to the team. Meanwhile, a new threat has risen for the Titans,leading to an ultimate betrayal.

———

Runtime: 2 Hour, 45 Minutes

Release: June 20, 2025

Returning Cast:

Dick Grayson/Nightwing….Josh Heuston

Koriand'r/Starfire…….Halle Bailey

Rachel Roth/Raven……………. Avantika Vandanapu

Garfield Logan/Beast Boy……Malachi Barton

Victor Stone/ Cyborg…….. John Boyega

Donna Troy……………….Samantha Logan

New Cast:

Terra Markov………….. Isabela Merced

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Deathstroke……………Christian Bale

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Jericho……………..Teo Briones

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Adeline Wilson………Constance Wu

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————-

Concept Art:

Nightwing New suit:

-

Terra Suit:

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Deakstroke Suit:

-

———-

Plot:

Nightwing returns to Titans tower and is introduced to Terra. He goes to his room and finds a red letter telling him that he’s not safe.

The next day Donna comes to visit the Titans, she takes Kory and Raven with her to run errands.

Gar beings to take Terra around the city to get to know her but she’s only interested in finding out about him.

Dick takes a trip downtown to find investigate a lead about the letter he got but finds only dead ends.

Gar takes Terra to the boardwalk for a surprise date. But he ends up being surprised.

The girls return to the Tower to find only Cyborg who was waiting for Gar to return with stuff for him from the boardwalk.

Terra comes inside and tells them that Beast Boy was abducted and she was knocked out.

Kory tells Dick that Gar is missing and the Titans go to search for him.

Raven stays behind with Terra who she doesn’t trust anymore.

Kory looks at Gar’s favorite food places and the animal shelter he volunteers at but can’t find him.

Cyborg checks in with Nightwing but their com links are cut. When Nightwing arrives at Cyborg’s location he only finds evidence of a struggle.

Kory sends a distress calls from Titans Tower and by the time Nightwing arrives he’s to late. Starfire is missing too and no sign of Raven or Terra.

Confused and frustrated Nightwing isn’t prepared for when he’s attacked by Deathstroke. He’s badly injured and nearly killed after fighting through out the Tower and falls from the top of the tower. 

Dick awakes in a crappy apartment and is banaged up. Unable to move he notices a younger teen watching him from across the room,and once again falls unconscious. 

He re-awakes to a woman tending to his wounds, she tells him her name is Adeline. She beings to tell him what happened to his friends and that it was Terra who betrayed Gar and then everyone else. She tells him about Deathstroke and how she knows so much about him.

She tells him that Deathstroke is still looking for Dick to finish his contract he needs proof that he’s really dead or needs to bring him in himself.

Dick meets Jericho and understands why Adeline kept him away from his father. She tells him that Dick has been out of it for a few days and that she’s been taken care of him. Troia arrives and Adeline takes her into the next room to explain what’s going on.

Donna tells Dick that she and Adeline are going to save the Titans,Jericho wants to helps and uses his mothers “energy drinks” to heal Dick’s injuries a bit quickier.

Dick tells him he can’t go but knowing he can’t stop the boy they go off to save his friends.

They arrive at the underground lair to that belongs to an organization named H.I.V.E. Ran by Mistress and they want to harvest the titans powers to make mind controlled-mutants.

Donna Troy stops them from killing Starfire and frees her. Terra arrives and attacks Donna.

Nightwing and Jericho break in Nightwing and Deathstroke being to fight.

Jericho frees the rest of the Titans and finds his mom bleeding from a head wound from Terra.

He uses his hidden powers on Deathstroke and stops him from killing Dick Grayson. Terra in a fit of rage uses her powers attempting to attack Jericho.

Adeline cries out for her son and pushes him out the way and is fatally wounded.

Deathstroke free from Jericho��s powers ask why, and she tells him who Jericho is. And why she never wanted him involved due to what happened to Slade’s other son Grant.

Adeline in last moments tells him that she used to work for H.I.V.E. And it was Mistress who killed Grant.

Deathstroke vows to dismantle H.I.V.E. Mistress tells Terra to kill everyone who is revealed to have been working with H.I.V.E. The whole time and was never loyal to Slade. Mad with power and enraged, she begins to bring down the building.

Donna get Jericho and the rest of the Titans out and Dick helps Deathstroke escape even though he tried to kill him.

Deathstroke tells Dick that he was told blinded my rage and grief about his son but was still inclined to finish his contract. He tells him to watch over his son, and this isn’t their last meeting.

The titans now rebuilding the tower welcome Jericho. Jericho becomes fast friends with Gar and Cyborg. And even enjoys dark literature like Raven.

Starfire ask Dick is it over and he tells her for now.

Post Credit:

Raven returns to her room after a missions and brings to have strong convolutions and she collapses. When she’s able to get to her feet she sees the mark of Trigon on her forehead. And he speaks to her in her head that it’s time for the ascension to begin.

[hailkingphantom]

dp x dc

Twins au

Danny and Damian are twins, Ra only wanted one heir, so he told Talia to kill Danyal. She didn't do it and let a baby Danyal in a random little town.

Meanwhile the ghosts of Thomas and Marta Wayne wander around gotham as always. Many times they were about to fade but look like their son can't keep himself and their family safe enough to do it. (Bruce's parents obssesion is the safety of their family, when they died they didn't know what happend with their little brucie. This, more the natural ectoplasm in gotham, caused by the lots of deaths there, let they become in ghost. But since their son and later their grandsons decided work as vigilants they can't fulfill their obsession. Who with a obssesion like theirs, could rest in peace when their alive family decide dress up as animals and fight crime?)

The day of the twins' birth, they felt a pull, a new connection. They went of where it comes from just to find a newborn twins. To one side, they were over the moon, Two grandsons more! But all the emotion felt when they heard Ra's order and saw how Talia gave up in Danyal. They saw how a couple with a young girl adopted Danyal but soon notice how the couple were ghost hunters and that they can't enter into the house.

Over the years they watch the twins, they didn't plan talk with they but Damian catch them, or best say it, sense them. Probably relate in how Damian born and grow in a ecto-contamined place (by the pit) and his train as asassin. They panick and though in hide again, without say anything, but seeing how lonely were Damian and.. they just couldn't.

They told the true, at first Damian looked esceptic but as the time pass he trust them more and more. When they told him about Danyal, Damian was in rage. He demanded that they let him contact with his twin and if they didn't he will find him by his own. They still visited Danyal or Danny, how their other grandson prefer to be called nowdays, but not as much as Damian and Bruce with the kids. Danny live in a safe enviroment in contrast with the others.

They thought in deny Damian's demand but... maybe this could be helpfull for both sides if they play their cards right. Danyal's adoptive family was becoming colder year by year, the fentons lock themselves in their lab more and more time, they even start forgetting feed Danny and Jazz sometimes.

After put some conditions they agree with Damian petition, but first they need to talk with Danyal.

Late a panick atack, incredulity by the existence of ghosts and conviced Danny that they were telling the true, the twin begin talk trought cards. Not the best way but the safest.

This rutine continue in the coming years, when Damian moved in with Bruce become more difficult keep the visits and cards in secret, but somehow they sucessed.

Even with their family dangerous life (and all the deaths, family problems and Bruce's distrust problem. How this happend they thought the raised their son better thatn this.) the twins get use to their rutine.

Until Danny accident.

Danny didn't come back, al least not completly. When they got over their grandson death (and the blame. Damian barely sucessed in keep his composure in front Bruce and the others when he found out about it.) and the fact that now all their alive family were heroes come Pariah.

Their grandson become in a king, a king of a whole dimession, and the pression was breaking him. They couldn't stop Damian of take his stuff and go to help his brother.

Look like their family will fall into chaos again

[jessiquinn]

Justice league x villain reader

gif found in Giphy website, 

when I wrote this I was watching justice league unlimited! I swear such an underrated gem! people always dis dc for their movies but they have never watched their animated shows/movies. they are the best.

another mess I tried to fix I wrote it when I was in middle school! even tho it’s a mess but I can see that I improved! it’s so clear that I was trying my best. I wish someday that’ll have the same passion...

if you have any tips please do tell me.

Nov 24, 2018

Warnings:

1-bad writing 3-villains stuff 🦇

2-attempted suicide V/n and Y/n are the same people, s/n = sister name.

I tried not to put a certain gender here.

enjoy 🌻

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

It has been 8 years now fighting against the Justice League.

it wasn't a choice really... I joined this team of villains to protect someone so dear to me, my little sister, All for her...

from a solider to the head commander of this whole team, I suffered a lot during these years but it doesn't matter because I’m a ‘villain’, meanwhile, since you started this hectic job your little sister has been living in paradise, protected by the justice league... the irony.

Now a war is about to begin between the justice league and your team, we Must win that’s what we trained for.

Y/n pov in the bar

-soldiers are laughing and celebrating with beer in their hands-

Y/n enters the room

what is this? are they underestimating the war? how dare they be so arrogant?!

Hitting the metal door so hard grabbing everyone's attention, they immediately stopped and looked at Y/n in fear

“wow who told you-you can celebrate?! did I tell you that you can have fun? did we win to celebrate!” enraged with anger “This war is everything to us if we lose be ready to face your fate” the last part said with a dark sense

eyes filled with dread, “What are you looking at! GO TRAIN NOW!” Everyone went running to the training room. sighing “meeting at 10 o'clock tonight don't forget!” yelling at them to hear...

walking to the bar...

in all reality it isn’t their fault, every single one of us came here for a reason.. to pay money for their dad’s cancer treatment or to feed their family... the thing is you think you have the freedom to just ditch this job after earning your wants.. but the reality it’s like a never-ending fall...you can never leave...

“what would you like to drink, head commander?” the bartender said while looking at you with concern but decides to not say a word. “the same” sigh

he got your drink, and after finishing it headed immediately to your room.

“I don't really care if we win I just want to finish this war already” talking to yourself became a common thing.

Justice league pov

“This is the last battle we have, last time we almost lost, and we don’t want this to happen again, especially with this war

batman explained the plan to them

“what about s/n,” Flash said in worry

“she's coming with us, we need everyone in this fight. we want the world to be safe again” Batman's serious eyes say everything

“but we have to protect her! with (V/N) in this, she’ll be in danger” green lantern said with disbelief.

“she’s not a kid anymore, she can protect herself,” Batman with bitterness in his voice.

“Bu-” Flash got cut off “As I said before, we need every power we got”

The villains pov:

At 10 o'clock

“Listen up! It's the final battle, Everyone must follow the plan and be in their assigned positions and time! if we win, we can grant our freedom!”

their eyes gleam with hope

“We have to use every single power we have. Everyone is important here... freedom is our name and we must win it!” sighing breaking character “now everyone must go and rest, charge your energy for tomorrow” signaling to them that they can leave

suddenly someone raises their hand “can I ask a question” everyone seems interested in his question.

“what", trembling with hesitation “what if we lose” but he finally said it.

“There's no losing here. some will die, some will be caught and some will survive. it’s a vague question” answering the question in a calm manner.

will the truth is... to lose, the leader must die. if I don’t die then we win.

Even if that means taking my own life, it’s still winning... till the next leader comes and starts it all over again.

Tomorrow at 5 o'clock

“Everyone at their positions! we will attack soon, Group A is going to attack the center while Group B is going to place the explosives and take hostages everywhere around the city, Group C is going to attack the heroes, and finally, I will get on the tallest building and place the meteor attraction machine. is that clear!”

“YEAH”

“FOR FREEDOM”

Everyone went to their positions, waiting for the signal.

meanwhile, on the building... placing the meteor machine, lighting the signal.

The mission has begun, waiting for Group B to finish planting bombs.

“Shit! they already came, I have to take cover!” hiding behind a wall ready to shoot at anything that comes near!. I’M NOT GOING TO LOSE THIS!

Justice league pov

“Green Lantern, Flash go search for explosives around the city, stop them we don't have enough time, Arrow and Wonder women protect the civilians, I'm going to search for their leader” Batman's eyes glared into the sky with worry,

Everyone started doing their own thing, batman opened his area tracker to try and locate them, no use, they are more intelligent than I thought... they are planting some sort of futuristic magnet all over the city.. if they want to activate it.. it will cause a chain reaction of explosions.. they can't do it in a low ground.. they must be in a high place...

looking at s/n, “s/n come with me I have a plan, if doesn’t succeed then we will take it the hard way” Batman and s/n get going

The villain's pov

Group B succeeded in planting the explosives. firing the signal.

standing up, looking over the city... what a view.

The countdown begins, “all we have to do now is wait” sigh.. this could go both ways

hearing a sudden sound behind you, “Stop Y/n it’s over” batman says, “well the joke’s on you, the timer is already at 50″ laughing at his face.

Turning to your serious face again, “are you going to fight me or not?” taunting batman is always fun.

“Y/n please think about it first, a lot of innocent people are going to die because of this,” your dear sister said, "I could care less about those ‘innocent’ people you’re talking about, sister. those people made me what I am, plus it’s too late” smirking at her reaction.

without notching batman “I don't think so!” sneaked a jump kick to your stomach.

barley dodging it, grabbing the taser gun from your belt, and shooting him.

of course, he got away, but guess what? s/n got hurt.

YES, it’s 100% all that is left is for me to press the button!

rushing to press the button but Batman kicked you, grabbing your arms... looking at him with a smirk... batman got confused but everything became clear when he felt pain in his stomach.

a yelp of pain came from batman “y-you won't get away with this!” getting up before he does, but your sister punched you before you can even make it, making you fall again. batman got a hold of your hair and threw you to the wall...

Flash and Green lantern finally came after finding all of the explosives.

“UMM did we miss anything? oh SHIT s/n are you alright,” Flash said with concern, checking her for injuries.

“yeah don't worry” reassuring him but still alert.

Everyone pov

V/n slowly got up, breathing heavily, a smirk planted on their face, the controller is with V/n.

“don't- come any closer or I will activate the machine!” still their breathing hasn’t got steady

“stop it v/n we already disarmed all the bombs in the city and took all your guys down,” Green Lantern said with confidence, granted that they’ll win.

V/n smirk still raised with pride “huh! who do you think I am!... the biggest bomb is in this building and it's going to make the city lose!” their eye movement shows how tired they are, the obsession of winning.

“b-but that will kill all of us! even you.. and me your sister remember...” freaking out

“my sister? you don't even remember me you little shit.. all those years you left, I don't care about you anymore” that was a lie but...

“V/n you have a chance to stop,” batman said running out of patience, giving s/n a look

“you can actually have a chance at life if you stop this-” s/n tried to say but- “too late-” pressing the button but Flash take it away from them- Batman punched V/n in the face-

Y/n pov

There’s still a chance at winning...for us...

on the floor, mouth filled with blood.. reaching to the gun near you while they’re distracted with celebrating.

The whole purpose of creating this carved golden gun is for.. failure.

whispering “drol ym detnaw uoy raw eht niw” slowly pointing the gun at your head

your fingers getting closer to the trigger, unfortunately catching Flash's attention

“No! stop-” snatching the gun from you with ease.

Batman looking at you with pity... or is it sympathy.

“w-why! you already won! let me at least fulfill my destiny!” quavering on your words.

Batman got closer to you “that’s not your destiny” reaching his hand at you to get up

“then what is it? jail?” sarcasm fills your words

sighing “You're not going to jail... how about a second chance with the justice league?” can’t tell if it’s sarcasm or real.

The roof filled with shocked faces, it’s rare to see this side of Batman

still has his hand reaching to you

“I’d ra-” already knowing what you’re going to say, “actually.. it's not an option” it’s his turn to smirk now

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

honestly editing it wasn’t bad, I was trying to improve at that time... I hope I improved tho... there’s part 2 of this short fic. Hopefully, I’ll edit it faster than this.it’s more focused on batman I think

if you have tips on writing please tell me

please reblog hehe 🦋

[aion-rsa]

What Sweet Tooth Changes From the Comic

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This article contains spoilers for Sweet Tooth, both the TV series and the comic.

Sweet Tooth, the live-action adaptation of Jeff Lemire’s post-apocalyptic comic, has now arrived on Netflix and it’s a hit! Or at least that’s what producer Robert Downey Jr. ‘s overwhelmingly prevalent promoted tweet claims. I can recite “#SweetTooth is now certified fresh with a perfect 100% critics score. So incredibly proud of the whole @sweettooth team and can’t wait for you to see ‘the show of the summer.’ All episodes are now streaming on Netflix!” more readily than my own name at this point.

Still, it’s easy to see why Sweet Tooth found an audience on Netflix. The story of a gentle deer-boy hybrid named Gus and his quest to find his mother in a virus-ravaged world puts a refreshingly optimistic face on a well-worn post-apocalypse genre. Actor Christian Convery is a real find as Gus a.k.a. Sweet Tooth and the series eight episodes feel like an ‘80s Amblin Entertainment homage done right. 

Sweet Tooth is so inherently sweet that audiences might not realize just how much it deviates from its comic inspiration. Lemire’s comic miniseries, published from 2009 through 2013 by DC’s Vertigo imprint, has many fans, including some big pop culture names. Actor Michael Sheen wrote the foreword for the series first collected trade paperback. TV writer Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, Lost) conducted an interview with Lemire for the end of the final book. The comic is also decidedly less sweet than the TV show it inspired.

Arriving in an era before apocalypse fatigue fully set in for pop culture, Sweet Tooth really leans into the Mad Max side of its “Bambi Meets Mad Max” elevator pitch. The book is quite dark and unflinching. That Netflix and series creator Jim Mickle decided to go in a brighter direction for the show is an interesting commentary on entertainment’s priorities at the moment. But what if Sweet Tooth the TV series decided to hew closer to its source material? Read on to see how the comic and the show differ.

Tone

It cannot be overstated just how much darker the Sweet Tooth comic is than the TV series. The show acknowledges that the post-apocalyptic world after “The Sick” would feature some inherent violence. In fact, the whole plot of the show involves hunters trying to kidnap a child and deliver him to the military to be ground up into medicine essentially. That’s obviously dark. But the show still does its best to avoid as much onscreen violence as possible.

When the Big Man or another character rescues Gus from hunters, he does so in a largely bloodless fashion. Even when Big Man takes a bear trap to a poacher’s head, audiences are spared the grisly sights and sounds of it. Readers of the Sweet Tooth comic, however, are spared nothing. The pages of Lemire’s work are positively drenched in blood. Midway through the story, Gus is even forced to beat a fellow hybrid’s brains in with a brick. He says he feels bad about it, but not that bad.

The comic also delves into the realm of sexual violence as many post-apocalyptic stories have felt compelled to do before. Early on in the proceedings Big Man and Gus come across a town where a family captures women and forces them into prostitution. When Big Man rescues two women, they become permanent fixtures of their party. These characters, Lucy and Becky, do not appear in the TV show (though one character does borrow her name from one). 

If all the violence didn’t already make it apparent, the Sweet Tooth comic is particularly misanthropic. Nearly all of the human characters in the comic are monsters. Even Gus’s beloved Big Man Jepperd is useful because he’s a monster. Jepperd never loses sight of what makes him useful in this world, which is killing. He only becomes a hero when he applies that skill to those who deserve it. Throughout the series run, the comic continually intimates that perhaps planet Earth would be better off without all these humans anyway. 

Characters

Befitting the comic’s darker tone, the characters of Sweet Tooth are also quite a bit darker. While Convery’s depiction of Gus in the show is absolutely pitch perfect for a young Spielbergian hero, the Gus of the comic isn’t quite as self-assured or sophisticated. The education that Gus received from his “pubba” wasn’t necessarily top notch stuff so his vernacular is filled with more slang and abbreviations. He comes across as a true Nebraskan country boy. 

Meanwhile, Tommy Jepperds a.k.a Big Man (Nonso Anozie) gets an even bigger makeover for the show. Lemire describes the Jepperds of the comic as being inspired by the concept of an aging Frank Castle. There is absolutely no warmth in the comic’s Big Man. Instead of being an ex-football player, he’s an ex hockey player…and a pretty terrible one at that, only useful as his team’s “enforcer”. Anozie’s Jepperds is quite a bit more personable and open. Though he intends to sell Gus to the Last Men, he never goes through with it. In the comic, Jepperds does exactly that before changing his mind and rescuing the boy. 

The pig-girl hybrid Wendy (Naledi Murray) exists in the comic but her mother Aimee (Dania Ramirez) does not. Instead Gus meets Wendy at the Last Men facility after Jepperds sells him off. He meets Wendy’s little buddy Bobby there too. 

Gus’s “pubba” is a janitor at a medical facility in both the comic and the show, but as played by Will Forte in the show, he’s a lot more tender and smooth. The show Pubba is the perfect father to young Gus, open, communicative, and knowledgeable. In the comic, however, the character has lost some of his mental faculties in isolation. He is a God-fearing man who entertains and writes down his apocalyptic visions. Gus loves him and he loves Gus but he’s also not operating at full capacity. Also not operating at full capacity is Dr. Adityah Singh (Adeel Akhtar), who becomes inspired by Pubba’s writings and believes that Gus is a new god.

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

The Animal Army is quite different in the comic. Instead of being a ragtag gang of Neverland-style kids, it’s a disturbing cult of adults in animal masks, led by a deranged man who has five dog-hybrid children. Becky a.k.a Bear (Stefania LaVie Owen) is an invention for the show but she does take her name from a comic character.

General Abbott though? He’s pretty much that villainous in both iterations of the story. Screw that guy.

Story

Though Sweet Tooth’s first season begins and ends in a similar spot to the first “Book” (12 issues) of the comic, the path it takes to get there is wildly different. 

Read more

TV

Why Sweet Tooth’s Ending is Ultimately Hopeful

By Nicole Hill

Scenes at Aimee’s Preserve and at Dr. Singh’s Stepford-ian community are invented entirely for the show. The Preserve is mentioned in the comic, but it’s never confirmed to exist (and likely does not, given the comic’s relentlessly dark tone). The first time Gus and readers meet Wendy and Dr. Singh is at the Last Men facility where Gus finds himself in the final episode of the season. Also new to the TV series are Gus and Big Man’s side quest through an outdoor sporting goods store, and the entire Animal Army’s arc. 

In the comic, Gus, Big Man, and company’s journey stretches from Nebraska to Alaska (hey, that rhymes!). The show elects to shorten that a bit by having Gus venture from Wyoming to Colorado. In addition to introducing new stories, the show also abandons some comic stories entirely, likely in pursuit of its cheerier tone. 

Netflix has not announced Sweet Tooth season 2 yet. Based on the show’s apparent success, however, future seasons seem likely. When they arrive, they will undoubtedly have many more changes to make from the source material to ensure an appropriately sweet viewing experience.

Sweet Tooth is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post What Sweet Tooth Changes From the Comic appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[midnights-light]

Ladybug and the Hound

So before I begin I need to say a few things

This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic so it’s most likely going to suck and all that jazz

I do not own any characters in the DC or Miraculous universes (if i did everything would make little to no sense so yeah)

Can we all agree that  @ozmav is an amazing writer?

If you don’t like Daminette, don’t read it’s that simple

I am also going to use “Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend” by @kelelamentia for some inspiration on this cuz I love that idea

All characters are going to be OOC so just be prepared

If ya’ll like it I might write more just let me know if I should write more or if I should never think about writing again (I have low self-esteem so if it look like I am hating on myself it’s because I am but I’ll get over someday but if you criticize me please at least try to be constructive criticism)

Now onto the terrible thing I decided needed to exist

LB-Ladybug

CN- Chat Noir

M-Marinette

Di-Dick

D-Damian

B-Bruce

T-Tim

J-Jason

A-Alfred

The Meeting

It was a normal Tuesday, ya know? Birds are singing, the sun is shining, the Eiffel Tower collapsed, ya know the usual. Well usual for Parisians who had to deal with this for 4 almost 5 years now but for those who just wanted a vacation like the Waynes... well let’s just say they were unprepared to see the Eiffel Tower come crashing down just a few blocks ahead of them as they were walking to get some pastries from Tom and Sabine Boulangerie patisserie for a afternoon snack and to walk Titus (they brought Titus because Damian refused to leave him alone in the mansion for two weeks while they are on vacation so Bruce reluctantly agreed to bring him with them). So them being them ran towards the fallen tower and see a few people dead and some injured. They help the injured, but just as they are about to get the remaining few out of the wreckage a girl in a clearly ladybug themed suit comes crashing to the ground creating a few cracks to form on the ground. She gets up with a groan just as a dog in a fox themed costume came running up to her and helps her steady herself. “Thanks, Hound.” says the spotted girl and as the batfam are about to check if she’s okay a... IS THAT A GIANT BABY?! Well the giant baby comes walking towards the girl and the dog when a voice shouts “If you go on a date with me Ladybug I will come help you just accept your feelings for me already!” 

Damian's POV

As soon as the spotted girl heard that she looked towards the owner of the voice and low and behold it’s a guy in a leather cat suit and on the outside I look indifferent to what is happening but on the inside the only thing I can think is ‘What is going on in this city!’ because I was just expecting a boring two weeks of ‘required’ vacation in the ‘city of love’ I hate the nickname of the city because as Father has shown love is a weakness. But apparently the city of love is not as boring as I thought it would be. The girl (ladybug I think is her name) now has a look of murder in her eyes and the dog (hound is what she called him) growled at him as ladybug said “Chat, you can’t be serious! You just caused the Eiffel Tower to fall and kill and injure people!” CN-“Yes because you can’t realize that we are meant to be together!” LB-”No we are not now either help or shut up so I can focus on gigantitan!” CN-”Fine then i’ll just sit here and enjoy the show” That one interaction makes me question if this is how it is everything something like this happens.

*Time skip because i can’t write smart plans or fight scenes*

Dick’s POV

After ladybug got his watch thing off his wrist she and hound tore it apart which released a black butterfly and the giant baby was now back to a normal sized baby. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?1 I’M SO CONFUSED! After I stopped questioning reality I realized that ladybug was comforting the kid (HE COULDN’T BE OLDER THAN 4 YEARS OLD!) she picked him up and was about to throw her spotted thing up in the air for some reason but was interrupted by the cat boy saying ‘Pound it!’ and acting like he actually helped her and didn’t just sit there on a roof watching ladybug and hound do everything. What the heck? Ladybug walks over to me and asked if I could hold the kid for a sec and I said sure because she looks ready to murder. After she hands me the kid she walks over to cat boy and started yelling at him about how he can’t just be reckless like that but it seemed to just go over his head as he replied saying something about how she owed hit to him to date him but I quickly stopped listening when the kid started crying because of all the yelling going on so I started to talk and play with him to cheer him up until he pointed to ladybug as she yelled miraculous ladybug and tossed the spotted object into the sky. I was confused about what she was doing until I saw a swarm of ladybugs appear and start fixing the damage, healing the injured, and even bringing people back to life. Then she came back over and was about to ask something but then a shrill beeping noise came from her earrings causing her to ask if we could watch over the kid until his mom came and picked him up. Titus and Hound were playing until she called him over to her and then they jumped, yes JUMPED, up to the roof and left. “What the hell was all that and does anyone else want to kill a cat boy?”

Tim’s POV

“So that all really happened, huh? It wasn’t really just a coffee dream?” I say and then look at everyone else has a different reactions to what just happened: Jason is looking at where dead bodies had been but now they were alive, Bruce is trying to understand what just happened, Alfred looks concerned, Dick is keeping the kid happy, and Damian is trying to keep Titus from running after Hound. I notice other civilians just walking around like nothing just happened and I’m just thinking ‘How long has this been happening and how have we not noticed? WHAT IS LIFE!?’

Jason’s POV

I look at everybody that was dead just walk away like nothing happened and I am about to ask Bruce if he know what that was when I feel someone bump into me. I turn around to see a girl around Damian’s age on the ground picking up the stuff she dropped while rapidly apologizing while a dog, presumably hers, was sniffing her making sure she was ok and had what looked like a glare on his face when he looked at me. M-“I’m so so sorry Monsieur! I wasn’t looking where I was going.” J-”It’s alright little lady, but if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the rush?” M- “Well you see I’m supposed to be helping in my parents bakery after I finished walking Captain but we got caught up in the akuma attack so I’m running a bit late. My names Marinette by the way. I don’t think I’ve seen you before are you visiting?” What’s an akuma? I’ll file that away for later for replacement to look at but for now. J- ”Yeah we are here for a family vacation to take a break from work. Would you mind if me and my family follow you to your parent’s bakery? We were heading to one for a snack but it seems we got turned around during the attack.” M- “Sure just tell me your names first so I at least know you to some degree cause I’m not supposed to talk to people I don’t know. I hate life but I’m not ready to die just yet.” She laughs and I swear it feels like the world just got a whole lot brighter, J- “Of course where are my manners name’s Jason. I have a feeling my family is going to love you and your dog.” I say as I hold my hand out for Captain to sniff and after he does he stops giving me what I swear looks like a glare but he’s still standing near Marinette when I notice my family looking at me and Marinette and Alfred asks me, A- “Master Jason are you going to introduce us to the young miss?” J- “Oh right, guys this is Marinette, Marinette this is Alfred he’s our butler/ grandpa, the one who looks like he’s about to pass out is Tim, the one playing with the kid is Dick, the stern one is Bruce, and the  one with the dog is Damian.” I say.

Damian’s POV

I hear Todd talking to someone and introducing us and as soon as I turn to glare at Todd I see the most beautiful eyes in the whole world. they look like sapphires and her hair is like the midnight sky. She looks like an Angel... wait WHAT!?  I only zone back in as soon as Todd told the Angel my name so I did what not even I  was expecting, I took her hand, gave the back of it a kiss and said, D- “Nice to meet you Angel.” I was not smiling when I saw her blush and I for certain do not want to make her blush again... but if I have a chance to then I will take it. Then I hear a low growl and I then notice that she has a dog (yes she loves animals to!) that is looking at me like he’s going to rip me to shreds and I will forever deny that I was a little scared. M- “Sorry Damian, Captain’s just a little protective of me and doesn’t like strangers being around me.” D-”I understand.” I say then I hold out my hand for her dog (Captain I think it was) to sniff and after he does he still growls at me but doesn’t look ready to tear me to pieces so progress towards getting to know the Angel before me. And then my good mood is ruined by the sound of my idiot brothers and father, the traitor, snickering behind us. I turn and scowl at them but they don’t seem to care. Meanwhile Titus and Captain appear to have met and are now chasing each other around making me and the Angel laugh. Her laughter sounds amazing and her smile makes it feel like the world brightens up just a little. M- “So shall we start walking to the bakery?” A chorus of yes comes from my family and then we start walking. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

BONUS

*Whispering* J- “Am I going crazy or did Demon Spawn just laugh and smile at Marinette?”

Di- “No I heard it to *gasp* do you think he has a crush?”

J- “Are we sure he’s capable of having a crush?”

T- “Well I’m sure she will be good for him, but what I’m confused about is how she doesn’t recognize who we are. I mean how does she not know us she didn’t even seem to recognize our faces.

A- “I think Miss Marinette will do Master Damian some good.”

And Bruce is just looking at his youngest son with pride. His first crush and he’s able to witness it.

So as I said in the beginning this is my first fanfic and It’s most likely terrible so let me know if I should never write again, if you want another chapter, or if I should just reevaluate my life choices.

Chapter 2

[boymeetsweevil]

the most magical place in hell

Grouping: (For Science) Reader x JK

Word Count: ~3.1k

Warnings/Themes: implied sex, 5 is a crowd annoying friends since that’s the vibe these days, d*sn*y please don’t sue

Prompt: “For Science, I miss this couple sm. Any scenario would be fantastic! For inspo, did JK and OC get to go on a vacation, (jk expressed he wanted to in his journal) if so how did that go? Any fun new experiments?”

A/N: This commissioned fic is part of the Changes with Luv project, hosted by FicsWithLuv. Here you can find more information about the project, cause, places to donate, and ways to commission a piece or offer your services if you are a content creator. Thank you!

On the third day of the cruise, Jungkook rolls over in his sleep. His hand reaches for you. His palm meets the bare skin of your shoulder already moving despite how pale the morning light is under his lashes.

“What’s happening,” he mumbles before grabbing more greedily at you. There’s not too much resistance as you let yourself be dragged a few inches across the sheets.

“We have to get up. Breakfast starts in 10 minutes, remember?”

You lean down to press a peck just above his brow bone and he groans. As you pull away, there’s a sweet waft that hits him and lets him know you’ve already showered and gotten ready. Now it’s his turn.

He gives himself just until you gather your things and shut the door to the room. Then he’s pulling himself out of bed with every ounce of energy he has left. He brushes his teeth with his eyes closed, does a perfunctory shower with the lights off like it’ll give him some more sleep. But he’s still dead tired as he throws on an outfit and heads out the door.

The walk to the dining area was exciting 3 days ago. The decadent decor, the view from the high balcony separating his floor from the others, the grand 20’s style atrium with Mickey Mouse memorabilia incorporated throughout. Everything used to be exciting 3 days ago. Sadly, the first day passed and things quickly lost their charm.

As he scoops a smiley-face omelette onto his plate in the buffet line, he searches for your face in the crowd of families scarfing down their first meals of the day so they can take their kids to the waterfall pool on deck 6. By the time he reaches the end of the line, there’s still no sight of you among the tables. So he ventures outdoors where there’s less seating but considerably more sun. He thinks back to his quick routine in the room. Did he remember to put on sunscreen?

When he finds you, you’re stretched out on a beach chair and taking in some of the sun. His mood is partially lifted when he sees just how content you look getting warmed like a lizard on a rock in your tiny bikini. He stands over you deliberately just to see you pout and pull down your sunglasses with a huff.

“Oh, it’s just you.”

“Who’d you think it was?”

“I thought it was Hoseok about to ask me to take his profile pic again.”

Jungkook chuckles a little before sitting in the open seat next to you. “Couldn’t have been him. Too early.” “That’s true.” You sit up then, peering at his plate. “What’d you get us?”

“Us?” His smile is warm. “I thought you’d have eaten by now with the way you left the room.”

“I was looking for an empty spot for us. It was your job to find the actual food.”

“No one else would willingly wake up this early,” he cuts a fraction of the omelette before holding the bite up to you. “But I guess it’s only fair.”

You open your mouth happily.

“Permission to board the S.S. girlfriend?”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m wasting fuel in the port,” he continues to hover the fork just outside your reach, even when you jump forward with a nip.

“Permission to board,” you grumble.

He laughs like you told a great joke and gently feeds you the bite. With soft eyes, he watches you point to different things on the plate and dutifully feeds you your fill. This might be the first time he’s been able to spend a few moments alone with you since the five of you got on the cruise. He finishes up the bit of toast you couldn’t finish and the few blueberries that didn’t interest you. He must be staring because you turn to him in your reclined position and return the favor.

“You’re looking a little red. Did you put on sunscreen?”

“I think I forgot. I was trying to get ready fast so you wouldn’t have to sit around alone.”

“I wasn’t alone,” you reach into the bag you brought for sunscreen. “Yoori was with me. She left for the gym maybe 2 minutes before you came out here.”

“Oh,” is all he says.

Jungkook scowls a bit as you rub the lotion onto his face. That Yoori and Hoseok, and probably even Taehyung, might be spending more time with you on this trip than him is starting to be the horrible icing on this shitty vacation cake.

“Why don’t we take some time to—” He begins but a large shadow looming over the two of you makes him stop in his tracks.

“Hey,” a man with thick blond hair and even thicker muscles nods down at you. “You were at the adult lounge last night, right?”

Jungkook’s mouth drops open. Thor—or the actor who plays him during the Marvel day activities—has come up to your spot. He’s got the Ragnorok breastplate on with board shorts adorning his chiseled lower half. From the top up, he looks just like the real thing.

“Wow. Yeah I was, I’m surprised you remember,” you hold a hand over your eyes so you can look up at “Thor”.

“How could I forget. You and your beautiful friend were quite the sight yesterday.”

“Oh, uh. Thanks.”

In all his excitement, he overlooks the flirting. Jungkook stands up from his seat then and sticks out his hand. “Thor” shakes it hesitantly.

“Hey. I know you’re not the real thing, but it’s great to see you. I wasn’t at the adult lounge last night, so we didn’t get to meet.”

Jungkook makes sure to puff out his chest so “Thor” will notice the print of his button down shirt. Tiny little hammers.

“Do you like the shirt?” He beams. 

“Thor” squints down at the animated hammers.

“I can’t say I really know what’s on it, but sure.” 

“They’re...they’re Mjölnirs.”

“Mole-whats?”

You gasp, clapping your hands over your mouth. 

Jungkook drops “Thor”’s hand at the same moment, disappointment turning down the corners of his mouth.

“Nothing. They’re just drawings. Have a good day, man.”

“Thor” chuckles before looking back down at you. “Cute kid,” he says before sending you a wink and making some comment about getting to rehearsal.

Yoori returns from the gym that moment, nearly running into “Thor”. He gives her an appreciative once over which she returns smugly. Her expression changes as she approaches you and Jungkook looking like you had both seen a car crash.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing,” you respond quickly with a subtle look at the back of Jungkook’s head to tell her ‘not now’.

“Well,” she plops down on the end of Jungkook’s beach chair, “How was breakfast?”

“It was fine,” Jungkook sighs and scoots back so she’ll have some room. “We finished a little while ago. Now we’re just making plans for the rest of the morning.”

“Couple stuff...I’ll go get myself a plate, then.”

You wait until Yoori’s disappeared into the dining area to turn to Jungkook. He doesn’t look angry per se. Just resigned.

“What were you saying before?”

“Hmm,” his eyes are far away, “I was just saying we could take some time to ourselves.”

He wants to say he feels like he’s barely seen you since he stepped on the ship, but he doesn’t want to make you feel bad. The funny thing is that you weren’t even looking forward to the trip before the first day. The tickets for this Marvel cruise were a last minute gamble. You had dropped many not-so-subtle hints about wanting to go somewhere a little less kid-friendly, but he’d waited until the last minute.

At first it seemed like the best possible last choice a person could have. You were all fans of the comics and movies with the exception of Taehyung and Yoori. Taehyung was more of a DC fan and Yoori just sort of let the movies wash over her. You’d been worried that the week would be torture for you with all the screaming kids around. But you were actually having the time of your life. Meanwhile Jungkook was having a less than ideal time.

“Sure. Like what?”

“Maybe we could relax? I’ve had research video meetings the last two nights, so I haven’t really been up for the late night stuff. And I’m just barely up for the morning stuff.”

“Hmm. What about the spa? I haven’t been there yet and it’s on my list.”

“The spa?” Yoori comes out with a mountain of waffles and rumpled-looking Taehyung and Hoseok behind her. “Yeah, let’s go to the spa!”

“Actually, I think Kook just wanted to—”

“I heard it’s actually pretty decent on this boat. They have a hot rock massage where all of the rocks look like the Tinman’s suit.”

“The Tinman,” Jungkook practically chokes.

“I think she means Iron Man,” Hoseok grins sleepily. “Anyway, I’m down for the spa thing too. Never too early to have a tiny lady go in on my thighs.”

“You’re literally so nasty,” Yoori glares back at him.

As your other friends bicker, you flash Jungkook an apologetic look. He shrugs because that’s easier than fighting it. He relishes the second plate of food you get for him and lets you feed him the bites in between kisses and mini-reapplications of sunscreen. It’s all the rest he gets that day. The spa is probably the least relaxing moment of his life.

He doesn’t even get to sit near you. Instead, he gets roped into the men’s section where Hoseok’s tiny lady goes too hard on his thighs and the resulting yelps make Jungkook’s ear drums pound. Taehyung falls asleep two minutes into the Iron Man hot rock massage and snores in a way that’s nearly identical to the 60 year old guests napping nearby.

You emerge from the women’s section with Yoori looking like you’d smell and feel like a rose petal. But Jungkook doesn’t ever find out if you do, because he’s being thrown right back into more “fun”. Somewhere in the back of his mind—between Black Widow meet and greet and the Ant-Man lunch show—he thinks that he would probably be having actual fun if he had some time to breathe. Although, he figures it’s enough to just breathe you in. He feels slightly less drained looking at your smiling face and wide eyes as a wild Hulk appears behind you at the pool after lunch, spraying you lighty with comically huge muscles and a comically tiny water gun.

“You’re not coming?”

Jungkook groans, partly out of guilt and partly out of exhaustion. It’s nearing 10:30 at night and you’re getting ready to go to the adult lounge again. This time it’s for all-things-Spiderman trivia and drinks. He wants to want to go. But he can’t find the strength. He figures too much sun and too much socialization is the answer.

“You’re not staying,” he counters as he does his best to sit up in bed. There’s a nice soft glow bleeding in from the giant picture window of the suite that looks onto the water and there’s some Loki pajamas calling his name. Your tight little dress is calling to him too. I’d look better on the floor, it says.

“I figured this would be a lot more lowkey than everything else we’ve done today. There’s no water and no noisy families. Or screaming Hoseoks.”

“You heard that earlier?”

“I did,” you grimace. “He must have really pissed off that masseuse.”

“I’m pretty sure he just talked with her like he talks normally.”

“Can’t fault her for that, then.”

There’s a beat of silence as you test the security of some strappy heels. Naturally your eyes wander from the shoes to your boyfriend. He’s tapping away at some emails on the ship’s slow wifi no doubt. If you couldn’t tell how tired he was from the slope of his shoulders and the bruise-like shadows under his eyes, the giant yawn he barely stifles is a giveaway.

“Maybe I could just—”

The door to your suite swings open, revealing Taehyung looking frightened in a silky peach button down as Yoori pinches Hoseok’s ear.

“You’re coming, right? Please tell me you’re coming.”

“She’s coming,” Jungkook pipes up from the bed. His eyes never leave the screen of the computer as he types away, but he blinks slow and long. Your heart aches a little.

Taehyung breathes out a sigh of relief and links arms with you. You get one last look at your exhausted boyfriend before you’re pulled out of the room entirely.

“Do you think they’ll even bother asking about the Garfield version?” Taehyung’s question shakes you out of your worry.

“Pfft, no.”

On the fourth day of the cruise, Jungkook is awakened earlier than he wants yet again. A large clap of thunder and the bolt of lightning flash from the other side of the window. He crawls quietly around your sleeping form and throws on his glasses. There’s heavy rain too—a sure sign that the pools and sundecks will be closed. Out of habit, he checks his email and sees a message from the ship coordinator.

Esteemed Guests,

As some of you may know, two performers at last night’s dinner show in House of Mouse theatre (Deck 5, room 6B) showed signs of a stomach bug during the performances. For the safety of the rest of the cast, staff, and guests, we will be postponing today’s shows to sanitize the performance rooms and allow the actors time to recover. Room service will still be available.

We know this is a large inconvenience, and to thank you for understanding, please check your trip accounts for a refund for today’s fares. Additionally...

Jungkook can’t help the fist pump and small hoot he lets out. The email gives him the same feeling he gets on those days when he wakes up hours before his alarm only to discover his professor had cancelled class for the day. With a skip in his step, he returns to bed.

When he wakes up hours later, it’s natural. You’re still spooned to him, still soft and warm and pliant in sleep. He runs the tip of his nose along your neck while the fog of sleep lifts. The smell of your soap and skin is warmed with sleep. The sniffing must tickle you, because you stir before arching against him in a morning stretch. He moves so he doesn’t get in the way of your swinging limbs and smiles to himself. It feels like it’s been forever since he last got to hold you like this without the threat of someone whisking you away.

“Morning,” your voice is gravelly from disuse. “What’s going on. What’s the plan?”

“There’s no plan.”

You’re still half asleep, but you have the social awareness to let your voice go high with incredulity. “No plan?”

“No plan. They sent an email.”

“Read it to me?”

He reads the formal apology while you turn in the covers so you can embrace him while you wake up. By the time he’s done reading, you’ve sat yourself up to look at his phone screen as well.

“Sounds good,” you chirp.

“Really? I would have thought you’d be disappointed about not having a packed day. You’ve been zooming around since we got on board.”

“Yeah, but this was supposed to be our time together. It’s only natural that your friends would tag along.”

“So they’re my friends now?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Only when they’re annoying.”

As if on cue, the front door sounds with knocking. Taehyung is the one who calls out about breakfast plans, but you know all three of them are out there. It’s almost a menacing thought.

“Your friends are here,” he groans. His head falls back onto his pillow defeatedly. They’re likely to burst in any second.

“Don’t worry.”

The sound dies down momentarily when Yoori mentions the extra keycard you gave her for emergencies. Hoseok and Taehyung continue to jiggle the door for sport while chatting idly. Meanwhile, you crawl underneath the sheets and re-emerge on Jungkook’s side of the bed. You look him over, as if searching for something. He’s about to ask what you’re looking for when you reach out and pinch both his cheeks suddenly. While he’s mid-yelp, you swoop in and nip at his lips. It’s quick but it was just harsh enough that his face looks blotchy and his mouth starts to swell.

He whines. “Is this because I called them your friends?”

“Just trust me,” you hiss before your hands disappear further down the sheets to tug off your own underwear and throw it towards the door.

A moment later, the door swings open to reveal Yoori, Hoseok, and Taehyung. Their smiles are bright until they take in the scene. Jungkook’s hair is a mess, his cheeks are flushed, and his mouth looks like it’s been lightly ravaged. Though you’re mostly covered with the sheets, the underwear that is very clearly not on your body and the way the sheets drape over your head as you lay between his knees tell a very convincing lie.

“I think I just caught that stomach bug.” Yoori says lightly, still smiling. Hoseok peers behind her, looking mildly interested.

“I hate it when I remember they have sex with eachother,” Taehyung buries his face in his friend’s shoulder looking mortified as Yoori slowly closes the door.

“Yeah, it’s kind of like walking in on your aunt and uncle doing it. But, like, 12 times worse.”

Jungkook basks in the new silence for a few moments before it’s replaced with the rustle of sheets.

“What are you doing” he trails off to a whisper as you tug the waistband of his underwear down. Your hands still.

“You don’t want to have boat sex?”

“No, no, I do. I wanna have boat sex.”

He nods intensely and you laugh at how earnest he still is. Jungkook’s cheeks flare up, now doubly red from quiet excitement.

“Guess I should have just proposed this, huh?”

“Yeah,” you hum thoughtfully while moving on your knees to straddle his hips. “I can't see how this would have ruined anyone’s fun.”

“I can think of a couple people’s fun we just ruined.”

“I really meant my fun. Speaking of which,” you settle onto his lap and begin to grind.

He shudders, head falling forward with a sigh. This, he thinks, is the real happiest place on earth.

[swearwolf-writes]

Teen Wolf 2020

it’s 2020 and corona is a bitch :) the wolves might not be able to get sick but they still wear their masks bcs they could still be carriers so *clears throat* WEAR YOUR MASKS Y’ALL!! this is very much a no one dies/everybody lives au :)

[CROSSPOSTED ON: AO3]

Scott McCall - age 26

this cute nerd. he studied veterinary medicine which takes about 4 years so he graduated in 2017 and works as Deaton’s partner at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic. he’s dating Isaac (bcs he came back from France with Argent, remember) and Kira (she came back from the Skinwalkers in 2019 and has a proper grasp on her powers). sorry scalia shippers but it’s not really my thing-

Stiles Stilinski - age 26

NERD. anywho- FBI dork became an agent in 2019 whoo and lives in DC with Lydia, Derek and Braeden. he’s dating Lydia and Derek and things are pretty chill - he yells at arseholes who refuse to wear their masks bcs ‘it’s uncomfortable :(’ like bite me karen no one cares

Derek Hale - age 32

grumpy sourwolf actually knows how to smile!! who knew- he lives in DC with Stiles, Lydia and Braeden most of the time but he and Braeden travel often to fight butthead hunters who need to mind their own business. he’s dating Stiles and he and Braeden are engaged - it’s cute and they’re being dorks about it. he likes to complain that they’d be married by now if it wasn’t for freakin covid

Lydia Martin - age 26

your local genius banshee~ 🥰 still awesome, still a harbinger of death - so yk, the usual. bcs she had extra credits she started as a junior studying maths and graduates in 2016!! 🎉🎉 she moved to DC after she got some money together while working as a tutor - the quartet splits rent (but usually it’s just Stiles and Lydia splitting it bcs the other two don’t technically have jobs and yk Derek is an unsub and Stiles is in the FBI which Lydia finds hilarious). she teaches adults in the local community college and helps supernatural folk on the dl - she runs a grief counselling service at the same place for people who’ve lost someone. she’s also trying to get a degree to become a high school maths teacher and it’s a lot but she’s got it handled.

Allison Argent - 24

accidentally brought back from the dead by the Dread Doctors. everyone could not stop crying bcs she’s back baby!! she died in 2011 age 17 and came back in 2012 so she wasn’t dead long thankfully - wanted to kill Theo bcs he messed with her pack even he did bring her back. she’s a chimera now lads- she needed a kidney transplant when she was young which was why she was kept away from the family business. she was a werewolf-werejaguar chimera like Hayden but stayed a chimera. Chris and Isaac stayed home and bcs she and Isaac never actually broke up, they kept dating - she found it funny that Isaac and Scott were dating at this point,, meanwhile they were panicking wildly :) she went back to school and said she wasn’t dead, just in the hospital for a really long time. she joined Liam’s year and again, wanted to very badly throw hands when she found out about Monroe- she’s the coolest, like she has claws and bow and arrows

Malia Tate - 26

our girl went to France as promised and hooked up with plenty of hot French people *le eyebrow wiggle* she found her beau there in France and it was not a love at first sight sort of thing - she wanted to punch them in the face,, in their very pretty face- she was basically doing her own thing when she smells them, another bloody werewolf and like don’t get me wrong, she’s fond of werewolves, but bloody hell do they cause trouble. and they smell her too and it’s like ‘eh-?’ bcs werecoyotes aren’t so common as werewolves. and they’re just there in a club in Bordeaux and they’re sniffed each other out and they kinda just pause like huh- bcs they were were not expecting to see someone that pretty- but that’s not the point of course- they pretend to leave together and as soon as they’re out of sight from humans, they start fighting in an alley, as you do. it ends up with the wolf tasting the wall bcs who the hell are you- once they figure out they’re both just there to party, things chill and they see more of each other, naturally, it’s all just a big coincidence and doesn’t mean anything. and then they’re dancing and it doesn’t mean anything. and then they’re sleeping together and it doesn’t mean anything. except it does. and they don’t know when it became normal to cuddle or wake up together or have breakfast together but it just was. and when the cute werewolf (who I still don’t have a name for-) plans on moving to the next place, she comes with. the pack are happy for her and they usually road trip from place to place so when the pack comes to visit in Prague? it’s fun to say the least

Kira Yukimura - age 25

she came back from the Skinwalkers in 2019 and she and Allison became good friends. she kept going with school from home and is dating Scott. her powers are strong and when she sneezes bcs yk pollen or wtv, there’s sparks and it’s hilarious and Scott finds it adorable. she doesn’t really know what she wants to do yet and that’s cool of her

Erica Reyes - age 25

they thought she was dead- think again bitch, she slowed her heart rate down so they couldn’t hear and everyone thought she was dead - when the alpha pack got rid of her body and Allison found it, she told her to tell the others to pretend she was dead bcs of the Alpha pack - they beat the Alpha pack but she and Boyd hid with Satomi’s pack while that went down and helped generally after. she kept going with school and bcs she dipped for a while, ended in Liam’s year and eventually became a nurse in 2017. she works with Melissa McCall and joins for family dinner a lot.

Isaac Lahey - age 25

went to France with Chris Argent but kept going with his studies at Chris’ insistence. was dating dating Scott before he had to leave with Chris but they didn’t actually break up,, it was more ‘i’ll miss you :(’. came back to Beacon Hills when Chris came to help with the deadpool business and stayed bcs of Allison and Scott 💞 his studies were mostly uninterrupted and he studied law, becoming a lawyer in 2020!! so at least one good thing came of this infernal year- he wants to specialise in family law.

Vernon Boyd III - age 26

yea no, Derek didn’t mercy kill him bcs he was fine :) de nile ain’t just a river lads he went into hiding with Satomi’s pack and came back when the Alpha pack was dealt with. went back to school and ended up in Liam’s year. he joined the air force when he was 18 and finished his rotc training stuff in 2018 and it’s pretty alright - he’s a pilot but was discharged in 2019 bcs someone started with him and bcs they were a superior, he couldn’t say shit. so now he likes to wear ‘fuck the army’ and ‘fuck the air force’ shirt. he has mad respect for the people out there but the people in charge? fuck em

Aiden Steiner - age 27

he lives bitches 😎 Ethan had a silver chain on so he plugged the wound with it - it counteracted the oni poison and the chain started melting into the would (he had mild silver poisoning but he was fine). school was normal and now he’s an engineer, living in Beacon Hills. he and Ethan left for London for a while bcs that town was crazy af. while Ethan was very happy there, he missed home so went back. he got an online ordination and learnt Japanese bcs why not

Ethan Steiner-Whittemore - age 27

got married!! whoo 🎉🎉 Aiden officiated (this is 2018 btw) and it was cute. the whole pack was there and the wedding was in London bcs as quaint as Beacon Hills is 

‘i’m only planning on getting married once so this is gonna be awesome’ - Jackson Whittemore, 2017

he’s dramatic but yk Ethan was a blushing mess bcs ~life partners~ he’s soft y’all. he’s a primary school teacher in London and they’re part of the South London pack.

Jackson Steiner-Whittemore - age 25

also got married!! whoo 🎉🎉 ngl he’s lowkey a trophey husband/sugar hubby bcs he’s rich af - he does business with his dad but it’s not a big workload. he and Aiden want to adopt and yk being rich will hopefully help

Theo Raeken - age 25

ah yes, the absolute nightmare bi enby returns. (i hc him with he/they pronouns ✌🏽 as you do) so he successfully gained Scott’s trust and is part of the pack - yay! he and Allison have a sort of ‘you’re a bitch’ ‘no u’ *saves each others lives* relationship at this point - it took a while for Allison to warm up to him but he did save Liam’s butt several times so,, anywho, he’s still a werewolf-werecoyote chimera and he’s cool with it. he went to an online school and got his high school diploma - Liam then snuck him into the school and he signed the bookshelf bcs yea he didn’t graduate there but he did go there and now he’s graduated so yay. speaking of, he and Liam are dating, yea ik we been knew. they started dating in 2014 and Theo now works waiting tables at a local restaurants bcs he lives with Liam and his parents (you best bet that when they found out he was living in his car, they made him move in so he pays rent, not at their request but his). that was till 2017 and they moved out into an apartment together. Theo chips in on rent but it usually ends up being split 60:40 (Liam: Theo) so he cooks and cleans a lot,,, mainly bcs Liam can’t cook and does laundry like a maniac-

Liam Dunbar - age 24

this werepup is just as chaotic as always - he cannot be trusted with laundry bcs he doesn’t split colours from whites :) honestly it makes me wanna cry a lil bcs he can’t even fry eggs either- he has Theo to cook for him tho so that’s all good. he’s a history tutor for the high school students bcs he likes history and he knows the pain of high school- *shudder* he got an online Spanish and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) degree and is now teaching at Beacon Hills High but yk his first year teaching is all online bcs 2020-

Mason Hewitt - age 23

he’s Emissary to the pack when they don’t have Deaton *wipes tear* he’s all grown up- he went to UCLA and majored in biophysics and minored in LGBTQ studies (graduated 2017). he lived on campus (kept the bat next to his bed lmao) and videochatted with Liam almost everyday - he would visit almost every weekend even tho it’s a 6 and half drive but hey. he got an apartment near the uni where he and Corey lived after he graduated. they’ve been engaged since 2018 (it was actually the day after the Steiner-Whittemore wedding). he’s helping work on a new drug delivery system and they moved closer to Beacon Hills (Sacramento)

Corey Bryant - age 24

he also went UCLA, studying comparative literature and LGBTQ studies, and lived on campus (for 3 years before moving in with Mason in 2017) before graduating in 2018. they’re engaged and moved to Sacramento. he’s writing a novel that will thankfully have nothing to do with their confusing ass lives

Cora Hale - age 28

lesbian queen *bows* still part of her pack in Ecuador, South America - she’s got a lady lover who I call Rosa (affectionately nicknamed Rosalita). they met when she first got there age 12 (Rosa being 13 at the time). Rosa taught her Spanish  and made her feel like part of the pack - after all the Alpha pack stuff, when she went back with Derek and Peter, she didn’t realise how much she’d missed them- how much she’d missed her. Derek asks if that’s her girlfriend and she’s like ‘wha- o.o’ and Rosa just goes ‘yup - nice to finally meet you guys’. she still visits DC to see Derek and Beacon Hills to see Erica and Isaac. even tho she lives in a different continent, Peter still looks out for her, sending anonymous donations in Talia’s name to the areas surrounding her pack’s territory

Brett Talbot - 24

*singsongs* ~he did not die~ the car swerved out of the way and the pack took him to Deaton who burnt the poison out of him (it was a long and painful process but he’s fine y’all). he’s the new lacrosse coach at Devenford Prep and he and Liam have a (mostly) friendly rivalry :) he’s a single pringle not bcs of lack of dates but just bcs he hasn’t found the one yet

Lorilee Rohr - age 22

also did not die :) she finished high school (2015) and went on to studying at UC Berkeley (art practice and theatre and performance studies, major and minor), graduating in 2018. she and Brett moved once he reached age 18. she makes and sells art from home

Nolan Holloway - age 25

after proving himself, same as Theo, he was eventually accepted into the pack. he and Gabe were dating and that’s that so he did mourn him for a long while. he works with hunters on the dl, trying to stop them hunting the supernaturals - he’s flipped 23 away from the dark side by 2020. he and Liam are friends which took a while but Nolan has his back (like there was that one time someone from the lacrosse team said they weren’t gonna ‘follow some mongrel’ so he reminded them that Liam was co-captain and if they didn’t wanna follow him, they could kindly fuck off :)) he’s a simp and has a raging crush on Brett like me too bruh

~the end~ for now

[davidmann95]

Got a 2020 Superman State of the Union assessment?

Not the most overtly monumental of years for big blue - a lot of the biggest news for Superman this year was about stuff we’ll see next year, which I’ll get into further below - but on the whole definitely a net positive!

Really, the only things I’d say counted ‘against’ this year were the back half of Rucka and Perkins’ Lois Lane and how badly that went off the rails - which for my money was more than counterbalanced by the conclusion to Fraction and Lieber’s Jimmy Olsen - and Romita Jr. turning in shoddy work on Action Comics. Otherwise? Bendis played out the consequences of Truth in fun ways and closed out his tenure on the main titles with a pair of artful final issues, we got Waid’s return to the character alongside Francis Manapul for a great short story, the last issue of the instantly iconic Superman Smashes The Klan, and several excellent installments in DC’s digital Man of Tomorrow series, while Commanders in Crisis introduced the Superman analogue to beat for the 2020s in Prizefighter. And in mass-media Routh’s Superman got a nice fly-by sendoff at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, there were two animated features in Red Son and Man of Tomorrow (the former of which I haven’t seen but the latter of which is probably the best official Superman movie, even if that says more about other Superman movies than anything else), and we naaaaarowly avoided the Superman logo being codified as fascist iconography for a generation. Oh and the comics industry did not in fact end due to Covid. So all-in-all a win.

Anonymous said: It’s almost New Year’s, what’s your predictions for Superman in 2021? (I guess you can do Batman too if you want)

So here’s what we do know officially for Superman in 2021:

* Superman & Lois will debut on the CW, the first Superman TV show (without substantial qualifiers) in 20+ years.

* Future State will feature Jon Kent taking on the mantle in Superman of Metropolis, Justice League, and Superman/Wonder Woman, while a now spacefaring Clark is in Worlds of War, Imperious Lex, Batman/Superman, and House of El. Meanwhile Kara graduates from Supergirl to Superwoman in her own two-parter as well as featuring in Superman of Metropolis, and Conner Kent appears to be acting as some kind of Superman in Suicide Squad.

* Phillip Kennedy Johnson takes over Action Comics and Superman in March, beginning with a two-part crossover The Golden Age illustrated by Phil Hester. After that Action Comics will be drawn by Daniel Sampere through around September, at which point Mikel Janin will be illustrating an event-scale arc for the book. Meanwhile Scott Godlewski will be the artist on Superman, but around the time of Janin’s arc on Action an entirely new, as yet unknown creative team will take over Superman while PKJ remains on Action. Both books will also have backup features spotlighting various Superman/Metropolis-adjacent characters as there’s little space for them in the cosmic direction the main story will be tilting towards for the time being.

* Superman: Red & Blue will debut in March as a counterpart to the various Batman: Black & White series over the years.

* Outside the main Superman books, Clark will star in Brian Bendis and David Marquez’s Justice League, as well as Gene Yang and Ivan Reis’s incredibly rad-looking dimension-hopping new take on Batman/Superman. Bendis is indicating we’ll be seeing the long-delayed Event Leviathan: Checkmate this year as well, which features Lois as one of the main characters.

* Not strictly Superman news, but apparently we’ll be seeing Netflix’s adaptation of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely’s Jupiter’s Legacy next year, which centers around the multi-generational drama of the family of Superman analogue Utopian.

* Zack Snyder’s Justice League, its hour come round at last, slouches towards HBO Max to be born.

As for predictions? Well for starters, pretty much everyone takes as a given that Mark Waid is putting together some long-form Superman project now that he’s working with DC again, and I expect to see something come of that next year; Tom King has also soft-announced he’s working on a Superman project since he’s done with scripting his three current DC minis, but I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing directly came of that until 2022. I’d also speculate that Scott Snyder has something in mind: he’s repeatedly said he’s planning on a major out-of-continuity project, and he’s made clear he’s done with Batman for the time being, I imagine he’s done whatever he wanted to for Wonder Woman with Death Metal, and anything he did with the JSA right now would be extremely in-continuity; I doubt he’s playing with anything less than the icons anytime soon and he definitely seems more engaged with Superman now than he was when he wrote Unchained (hell, the end of Last Knight on Earth can basically only be read as ‘I wanna write Superman now’). Again though, dunno that I’d put money on that being next year. 

Outside the theoretical prestige stuff, everything we’re hearing about Future State, Infinite Frontier, and PKJ’s barely-veiled discussion of his run seems to suggest Jon will end up sharing the Superman name in the present and probably taking over that book alongside the new creative team. If Batman: Urban Legends takes off then I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a Superman anthology given DC’s apparent current priorities of consolidating, testing a new publishing model, and putting the biggest names first. And maybe something will finally come of the back-and-forth over whether or not Cavill’s sticking around in the movies - if he is my first guess would be an appearance in DuVernay and King’s New Gods (which is still in progress per DuVernay as of this month) - but we can all I think be pretty sure he’s still not getting a video game anytime soon.

As for what we know for certain of Batman’s 2021:

* Future State has a whole slate of Batman-related books, but Tim Fox takes over the cape and cowl to fight the police state that’s taken over Gotham in John Ridley and Nick Derington/Laura Braga’s The Next Batman, while a resourceless Bruce on the run stars in Mariko Takaki and Dan Mora’s Dark Detective.

* James Tynion and Jorge Jimenez are solidified as the creative team on the now-monthly Batman, while Tamaki and Mora take Detective Comics, with a Damian backup by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov running through the first issues of each and apparently leading to something, probably a Robin book. Elsewhere Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo take over Nightwing, Chip Zdarsky and Eddy Barrows spearhead the new anthology title Batman: Urban Legends, and Tynion and Gullem March launch a Joker ongoing, while Bruce also stars in the aforementioned Justice League and Batman/Superman.

* The Gotham Knights game is scheduled to drop next year.

Aside from the Infinite Frontier cover suggesting Tim Fox will take on a role in the present before long as (a) Batman same as Jon Kent as Superman, hopefully with Ridley and Derington coming back, it doesn’t feel like there’s a ton of big Batman stuff to speculate on? Aside from the inevitable unannounced Black Label stuff - including probably Scott Snyder’s Nightwing book - we know the basic shape of things. The Batman is inching closer, Tynion/Jimenez are probably on Batman through at least the end of the year, Mora I don’t think stays on Detective because he’s committed to Once & Future but Tamaki presumably does, Taylor/Redondo Nightwing is immediately going to be a fandom favorite, and Gotham Knights is probably gonna suck because boy that doesn’t look very good. We know the broad strokes of where he’s headed for the time being across all media. If I had to take a whack at a big guess, I’d say I’m a touch skeptical about that HBO GCPD show or the Batmobile cartoon reaching fruition, the former because that’s an incredibly charged premise that has to act perfectly in sync with another mass-media project in another medium AND we know there’s already been behind-the-scenes drama, and the latter because that sounds incredibly stupid.

EDIT: Forgot, Bendis said in 2019 he was working on a Black Label Batman book, so wouldn’t be surprised to see that too this year.

[redjaybathood]

Bruce/Selina/Talia plotbunny

A proposal for yet another DC reboot. Or, if you will, Batman-focused line of comics, like White Knight universe. Only it starts with year one Batman who just returned to Gotham from his travels, training with the League of Assassins, starts his vigilante career, and - the tragedy of Flying Graysons happens.

Bruce takes Dick in but - plot twists - does not allow him on the streets as Robin. It’s just Batman adventures in catching criminals and raising a kid.

Then, another plot twist! Talia, heavily pregnant, comes to Gotham too. She decided that she won’t raise her child under Ra’s guidance because, let’s be honest, Ra’s is fucked up, and he fucked her up, and her siblings, so - she doesn’t want that for her child.

She seeks Bruce out for help because being pregnant makes it difficult fighting off the assassins, and she stays. Damian is born, Dick is adopted. Talia and Bruce are not getting back together (yet) because they both are emotionally constipated in different ways (Talia is still hurt because Bruce left the League  left her, and she is certain he lets her stay only because a) their son and b) Ra’s is after her; Bruce is still hurt that Talia didn’t leave with him, and he’s sure she came to him only because of a) their son and b) Ra’s is after her). And, cue Selina!

Talia is not a stay at home mom though. As soon as she gives birth and recovers from it, she begins to work on rooting the League out of Gotham. She also accidentally discovers the Court of Owls (or maybe they go after her because they don’t like Ra’s - view him as their competition) and they have to go, too.

But it’s not like Talia is leaving kids untended, or only with Alfred (which was what Bruce did before she came along) - instead as they have joint custody, they switch.

They both meet Cawoman, separately: Batman one night tries to stop a robbery in a museum. Talia saves Catwoman from getting caught in a crossfire with some Assassins. Catwoman has no idea Batman and Talia (I don’t have a good secret identity name for her, sorry; maybe Muse?) know each other, and the same with Bruce and Talia. Selina flirts with both of them, more genuine on her end in Talia’s case, more playful in Bruce’s case. They both fall in love with her.

Meanwhile, Dick is introduced to other superkids, Roy, Wally, Donna, Garth. No one among them is actually allowed to be a vigilante! Instead, they form a team of kid/teenager detectives and have, like, age-appropriate adventures and help other kids, animals and adults. During these adventures, they find, help and befriend Kory, Raven, Vic, Gar, and oh god, all the Wilson kids. They call themselves Teen Titans and have a “base of operation”/”secret hideout” bankrolled by Bruce, Ollie, maybe Diana and Arthur too. Still, nodoby is in the suits! If, say, Trigon goes after Raven, or Slade tries to kidnap his kids back before finishing his parenting classes, they call adults and hold them off before the cavalry is there. If they ever have to face “evil” kids, like, I don’t know, from HIVE Academy, or Terra, they actually help them escape the adults who make them do those things, and so Titans grow. In the end, there are so many of them, Bruce has no choice but transform Titans Tower into Titans Academy for gifted kids or something like that. Every kid gets to have safe space to live, and also education. First time Dick and his friends ever suit up for real is when they are 18 or so, freshly graduated, and supervillains attack the city the school is in. It’s much higher stakes than anything they fought off before, and waiting for Justice League is not an option. Still, younger kids are not suited up, only the oldest.

After that, OG Titans become heroes but also stay young adults with things like college and jobs and stuff. Younger Titans become kid/teenage detectives, and they call in OG Titans when they get over their heads.

Meanwhile! Bruce meets Jason who tries to steal the tires off the Batmobile. Oh no, a child! He can't adopt him though because it's something that needs to be discussed first with Talia and Alfred and Dick and Damian who is like seven already.

He can't take him to Titans either because most of the kids there are metas or magic or super-related. Also, except for OG Titans, everyone there was found by Titans themselves.

So it's Ma Gunn school for him. Only of course after finding out what is going on there, he runs away and seeks out Muse (who everyone knows has a soft spot for children, and dealing with anyone who abuses kids much more definitely than Batman, so even if Batman wasn’t the one who left Jason there, Jason would still trust Muse more; AND, they met before, when Catherine was still alive - and an Untitled came to Gotham. So they worked together before! Talia even said to him to find her in a few years, when he gets older, to train - she seemed certain he had a talent for fighting evil things). Talia sees Jason and - okay, first, she apprehends Ma Gunn, second, she makes Batman investigate Gotham’s Social Services and Bruce - to donate money to fund foster programs and such. But the third thing she does is bring Jason to the manor. She talked about this with Bruce when she explained why he needed to do something about Social Services, explained things to Dick and Damian so they know that adults weren’t replacing them or love them any less but rather they had so much love around that they decided to take in another kid, and made sure Alfred was okay with caring for another child too. If anyone wasn’t okay with that, she supposed she would have to get her own place, and work out visitation for Damian and Dick. It wouldn’t have been great but she couldn’t just leave Jason. It was like fate.

Thankfully, it did not come to that. But Jason coming to live at Manor is not without the difficulties. First of all, Talia can’t just adopt him. Bruce had a lot of influence in Gotham to be allowed to adopt Dick, and also everyone thought that he’s going to marry Talia, the mother of his other child, pretty soon, but that did not happen. And for Talia, who is unmarried, and has a day job but it’s at her son’s father company, and does not have her own place to live, things are slightly more difficult. And Bruce and Talia both can’t adopt Jason as they are not married. So, they have to foster Jason for now, but they got a hint from Jason’s case worker that they could actually have a better chance at adopting Jason if they are married to each other. Both of them are like: oh no.

Thing is, they are still pining for each other, even if they also repress it with all their soul as they also love each other more than just romantically - they are family that raises two kids together. They don’t want to mess it up! And, also, both of them are pretty much in love with Catwoman, secretly, or so they think, Because at this point they know that the other one is in love with Catwoman, and so they both refuse to date her out of misplaced sense of loyalty and certainty that Selina will be happier with the other one. Selina is this close to calling their bullshit out but then, Jason comes along. And Bruce and Talia have to get fake-married. Which is in truth a real marriage, and was so for years, only without sex, mostly, because they think the other one does not love them anymore.

While adults are being dumbasses with love triangle and ignoring the simple answer of poly relationships with Selina, things are not that much better with Jason, Dick, and Damian.

Look, Jason is half-feral child who thinks the only reason Muse wants to adopt him is that she wants him to become her student and eventually, help her with getting Gotham rid of magical threats like the Untitled. Of course, she doesn’t want him as her son, she has two already and it seems like she can’t bear the idea of them fighting evil with magical punches and swords, so Jason is an expandable street rat. Damian, however, is mad jelly because mother did not ever teach him any magical punches. And everyone in this family treats him like a child! While Todd gets much more freedom. Thus, the resentment grows.

Dick, however, is just put off by Jason’s brash nature. He is more used to half-feral or full-feral kids being nicer to him (because usually he and his team are the ones that rescue them), so Jason, in his opinion, is a little asshole, who doesn’t know what is good. Also, he also jealous? Talia didn’t allow him to fight side by side with her, ever.

And Dick’s friends basically don’t like Jason either out of solidarity with him. Except for Eddie. Eddie thinks Jason is cool and a hero already.

Sorry, Tim is not going to figure out Batman’s identity, because Richard Grayson was never Robin, and Nightwing does not operate in Gotham, so Tim, even when he eventually saw Nightwing on TV, was much older at the time and forgot about the quadruple somersault and did not put two and two together.

However! After a fight with his siblings, Jason runs away from Manor, and meets Tim Drake who takes pictures of Batman, and Spoiler, who spoils Cluemaster’s plans, and Batgirl, who doesn’t talk and lives at an old clock tower that is secretly a base of operation for benevolent hacker Oracle - who is actually Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara. And thing is, neither of them wants to go home - Jason, to the Manor where nobody really wants him in (or so he thinks); Tim, to the empty house; Spoiler, to her parents’ flat where her dad lives and mother sometimes remembers about her, in between highs and withdrawl; Cass has nowhere to go, actually. And Barbara doesn’t really know how to help any of them legally and not to make it worse, so she lets them all stay.

They: gather evidence and put Cluemaster behind bars; make a succesful trap for David Cain, the assassin, and he was supposed to go to the Blackgate but nobody heard of him since (because Muse found Jason very fast, actually, but was hesitant to interfere as it’s the first Jason made friends with kids his age after coming to Manor - but when she found out what Cain did to his daughter, well...); sue for Tim Drake’s emancipation; help to gather evidence that would allow for Joker’s extradiction to a state with capital punishment.

They all live at Clock Tower now. Safe, sound, not in costumes (anymore, if we’re talking about Spoiler and Batgirl).

Talia bites the bullet and asks Bruce to marry her, just so they could adopt not one but four additional kids instead. He agrees in a hearbeat (it’s for the kids! sure, Bruce).

Though, Stephanie ends up not being adopted because she does not want to part with her mom. She lives at the Manor for some time while her mom is in the rehab though.

And then, when Damian is ten, he realises that all of his siblings have a team of their own (Jason’s calling the team he is in, the Outlaws, because he’s dramatic like that, and well, technically, all of them did a lot of illegal stuff before the adoption - stealing, stalkering, fighting, hacking).

That’s when he meets Jon, and they run away together (supervised by Jon’s older borther Kon though) to find the truth about Damian’s mother’s past - they find the League, they found out that there are kids in the League like Mara al Ghul, Maya Ducard. They return to Gotham with them. In Gotham they meet and rescue Colin Wilkes. (all the adventures must be age appropriate though, no killing and no one seriously trying to kill them either).

And get their hides tanned by Wayne/Head and Kent/Lane household.

Duke Thomas, seeing how his parents weren’t Jokerized - Joker was tried and found guilty and got death penalty - still manages to find his way to the Batfam. Only this time, it’s because he’s a meta who helped to bring down the Riddler - though, not with his meta abilities but with his smarts. He is not adopted into the family, his parents are alive and well and not abusive. Instead, he is offered to join Titans Academy where all the batkids go to at this point of time. After they graduate, he and Cass form their own team, the Outsiders. Tim, Young Justuce. Jason stays with the Outlaws name though the people on the team change: Cass and Tim - obvious, Steph - joins Young Justice (because she feels it would be wierd to be on the same team as her girlfriend). Duela Dent joins Outlaws, as does Eddie Bloomberg, Grant Wilson (hey, someone needs to superwise the kids, he has experience with his younger siblings, he volunteered).

Tl;dr: Bruce adopts everyone he legally able to adopt, Talia is a good mom, every batkid has their team, nobody is allowed to be on a team until they either 18 or graduated school. Minor acts of heroics, detective work and age-appropriate adventures are fine before that, but if things become R-rated or more, kids have to call adults. Nobody dies. Everyone is happy and gets along (eventually).

[jq37]

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 10 Blood and Bread

Come Together

Welcome back and I hope you took advantage of the opportunity to catch your breath because the Rocks family is granted no such reprieve. Fresh off the heels of Jet’s tragic murder by Ciabatta and Calroy answering the question of whether a cake can coup, we pick back up with Theo who’s foiled his imprisonment by making use of the skills Lazuli taught him and magically busting down the door. Then, he makes use of his other knight skills and absolutely eviscerates the shocked guards outside. 

He runs for the King’s quarters and, obviously, doesn’t find Amethar as he’s in a smoking crater outside, but he does run into Caramelinda who he immediately informs of the situation as best he can. Cara is confused, even as guards (Cal’s men) show up and start firing on them. She tries to get them to stop on her royal authority but Theo hears a lot more soldiers coming on a Nat 20 Insight and is like, “We need to go.” Cara does her own Insight check and has the good sense to follow him.

They run and Theo takes her into a little secret door in one of the hallways. Just in time too, because Cal walks by all camp-y kids movie villain, clearly telegraphing his intention to kill Cara, and tries drawing her out by saying some bait-y stuff about Amethar but Theo says they should ignore it and they escape down a spiral staircase instead of confronting Cal.  

Meanwhile, Ruby (still Invisible) runs across the bridge, feels Jet pass, and keeps running, all the way to the standing stones of the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

“Bring her back,” she demands, tearfully. “I know you can bring her back. What is the point of having magic if I can’t bring her back. Please.”

The SPF appears and gently says that the nature of the world is such that she can’t bring Jet back. However, it may be possible to bring them to Jet. Go north to the Stone Candy Mountain, she says. That’s where she is and where her sister is waiting.  

Ruby then sneaks her way back to the castle, and sees Kerradin on his way there with about 30 knights. On double Nat 20s, when she gets to the castle, she clocks her dad immediately. Cumulous (who was also in the general area Ruby just came from and can now see where she is based on the glow of her magic, though he doesn’t know it’s her) also sees Amethar. Ruby, horrified at the thought of losing both her sister and father within about five minutes, runs to him.

Liam, still in the lingerie shop, hears Ciabatta wonder where the “witch boy” (Liam himself) went and also gives away some plot info for free: Alfredi has been hanged and she was apparently the only person skilled enough to make watersteel daggers. They’re fresh out. They leave and Liam pops out of the Rope Trick. He checks the glowing chest and sees that all that’s in there is a glowing rock--ambush bait. He then wraps Jet’s body in tasteful lingerie (sure), puts it in a cabinet for later retrieval, and takes her sword and locket for Ruby before stealthing away to find the others. 

Amethar, fallen but not Fallen, unsteadily picks himself up, just in time to see the magic glow of his invisible daughter’s footsteps approaching him. “Pops, it’s me,” she says, voice wavering. “I think Jet is dead.”  Amethar gives her a huge dad hug as she channels some of his barbarian energy, vowing to kill whoever did this, and their children, and drown their lands. The very stealthy Liam and Cumulous also show up for this--Liam joining the hug and Cumulous just announcing his presence awkwardly when his name is mentioned. 

Liam lets them know where Jet’s body is and also gives Jet’s things to Ruby. Ruby takes the sword but haltingly insists that Liam keep the locket--it won’t work alone, and besides, Jet would want him to have it. 

Cara and Theo pop out of the secret tunnel and the kids instantly Perception/Insight check her (no doubt feeling burned after Cal’s betrayal). Ruby, on a 23, gets nothing sinister--it’s just her extremely freaked out mom. With that reassurance, she reveals that Jet is dead and Liam chimes in that it was Ciabatta and his men. Liam accusatorily mentions the letter that got them ambushed and Cara claims to not only not know about the letter, but to not know the lingerie lady at all.

Ruby lets everyone know that Kerradin is on his way and Cara says that most of the Castle Candy soldiers have been sent to Castle Many Licks on Cal’s orders. It’s mainly just Cal’s men in the castle--the castle that is currently being redecorated with House Cruller banners. Translation: They’re F’d. 

Amethar remembers that Manta Ray Jack is still in the harbor and--after talking Liam out of going rogue and tracking Kerradin--the group decides getting to him and making a break for it is the best bet. They pick a path that will go past the lingerie shop so they can pick up Jet’s body on the way.

They see torches being lit and hear dogs--clearly a search party coming for them--so Ruby uses Prestidigitation to scent the path with anise so the dogs will be confused (which Brennan rewards with disadvantage on tracking checks). Ruby and Amethar are both mortally wounded, but they decide that getting away ASAP is a better option than waiting to tend to their wounds. They roll initiative and head off.

The Sweet Escape

This is another unusual combat episode from Crown of Candy. There’s not so much brawling as there is running and trying to avoid fighting. I don’t think a play by play will be very interesting, so I’ll just give a quick rundown of the highlights. 

The mechanics of this is it’s basically a series of group stealth checks until they get to where they’re going. Ruby still has 25 mins left on her invisibility and Brennan lets her cast Mage Hand with a 1st level spell slot to keep Theo’s armor from clinking and giving him disadvantage for seven rounds. 

They fail their first round of checks and are spotted by hot-hounds (hot dog hounds, of course). Cumulous tells the group to keep going and he stays behind to handle it. He kills the dogs (yay?) but alerts other guards in doing so. Liam, with his crossbow, headshots the guard about to make trouble for Cumulous and then Cumulous steals his chariot. 

Ruby, cantrip master, uses her Mage Hand (feeling a kiss on her cheek as she does) to hold a lantern and send it in a different direction, creating more confusion for the people tracking them.

Cumulous, on a Nat 20 Animal Handling check, fully on purpose (and after taking a bunch of damage from being fired on by ballista) drives the chariot off a cliff.

We’ll get back to that.

Liam, four rounds in, remembers that, oh yeah, he *does* have Pass Without Trace which gives +10 to all stealth checks--a little late but a game changer nonetheless. As he casts it, Cumulous feels the call of something like the Hungry One but not the Hungry One and Liam feels that same weird magical feeling he did running from the Cathedral in Comida.

Cumulous, as he rockets off the cliff (killing the horses in a very Hardwon Surefoot move), uses Fluffwind (his staff) to cast Gaseous Form--dropping his speed to a snail’s pace but saving his candy bacon.

The rest of the group does stealth checks until they make it to Dulcington. Ruby sets a tent on fire with her lantern as a distraction and all of them have to cross a river (the bridge is occupied by guards). Ruby gets a Nat 1 and falls in but Liam gets a Nat 20 and helps her across.

Unfortunately, the initial splash into the river alerted guards and they’re run up on by Ceresian soldiers. But, really, it’s more of a minor annoyance. Between Peppermint Batman critting, Ruby doing some sniping (losing her Invisibility in the process), Theo desperate to not see another Rocks dead on his watch, and Amethar in a full dad-rage, these guys are dead before they even have a chance to attack.

Cumulous drops Gaseous Form and anime sprints back to the gang. 

Amethar and Liam grab Jet’s body and then run for the harbor with the others. Theo Messages Jack to get the ship ready because they’re gonna be there in a minute and they need to go NOW.

Enemy archers fire on them but they ignore it and just keep running. When they show up, Jack is confused but they’re like, “Sail now, questions later.”

Brennan says there’s no way they’re gonna get the ship going before soldiers catch up with them but he obviously didn’t count on Amethar going into a rage and just pushing the boat himself, snapping the mooring keeping it docked. As soldiers ride up on them, Ruby uses Mage Hand to help with the few remaining ropes and Theo casts Knock to undo the reins on one of the horses, sending the mounted soldier flying. 

They narrowly escape up the river, and that’s where we end our episode. 

Thing I’m Concerned About

This is something I mentioned as an aside in the last recap and it seems that it’s become relevant so I’ll be more explicit now. When the tear-away lingerie came up in episode one, it seemed like it was news to Cara (and I’m sure Brennan too because it was obv off the cuff). But last episode, the letter they got seemed to indicate that she was in cahoots with that person. But then in this episode, after a pretty high Insight check that indicated she was on the level, she said he didn’t know about any lingerie lady. Which seems to indicate setup, right? Which would make sense there was nothing at the shop and assassins waiting (assassins who seemed unsurprised to see the kids and not her for what it’s worth). But the way they got the letter, with Cara leaving the room, it seems like she would have seen it. So was that even really her? Is there a bad guy walking around with Disguise Self? If so, Bad! Also Bad! if she actually does turn out to be bad and it was like a DC 30 Insight check to find out, “Surprise! Your mom has been secretly evil this whole time!” Cara calls Ciabatta Imperator before she gets that info and idk if that’s Brennan misspeaking or A Clue and it *better* be the first because I don’t have the energy for *another* betrayal right now. It does seem like exactly the kind of thing you’d use in story to bait the twins if you knew them though, right? Like anyone who even sorta knew them (but especially someone who really knew them like Cal--was he there for that lingerie conversation in episode 1?) would know that was surefire twin-bait. 

Don’t love that the SPF is, with different faces and different tactics, corralling everyone to the Mountains. I don’t know what her game is but I Do Not Trust fae. Also, maybe I’m being paranoid but when the SPF said, “Your sister is waiting,” I def had a burst of...your sister as in Jet or your sister as in this bastard child who we know nothing about? Wouldn’t that be such a dirty trick? To skirt fae lying rules (idk if they exist in this world) by talking about Jet a bunch and then saying, “Your sister is waiting,” about a totally different (half) sister?

So who all is working together? Cal last week said he was working with Alfredi and Ciabatta was also working with Alfredi. Plus, Kerradin was there (which, sidenote, WILD. Did Alfredi just take all the heat or something?). But I can't imagine everyone’s goals are fully synced. Ciabatta seems to mostly care for his own power. The Pontifex wants the Ramsian Doctrine fulfilled presumably which puts her at cross-purposes to Cal. What’s everyone’s game here. Is any of this stuff just happening independently of the others and Amethar just has hella enemies/has just lost Concord protection?

All this “like the Hungry One but not the Hungry One” stuff has me suspicious. People have mentioned to me that the noises that Brennan makes when he brings that up are kinda snorty and pig-like which raises two possibilities. It could be the vengeful spirit of Preston--which would go with the ice motif since he’s a peppermint pig and we all know peppermint is the cold magic of candy. It could also be related to the Great Boar of the Meatlands. I can see a pig spirit showing favor to an angry kid who took good care of his best pig friend who then tragically died, even with the cross-food barrier. Idk, we’ll see how this goes.

Ruby, my girl, please don’t do anything rash in your grief. You’re 1000% valid but please stay as levelheaded as you can. 

Five More Things

Lol at Ally very confidently saying they don’t have Pass Without a Trace even after being reminded of it and then three turns later being like wait nevermind. 

Killshot Thompson at it again with those precision voice breaks at all the most heart-crushing times. I would have loved to have seen Emily’s reactions from video village during the scene with Amethar. And then the, “I can’t lose another. Please,” to Liam? Ugh. My heart.

Ally’s “WHY?” when Manta Ray Jack started ringing that bell was beautiful.

“Another secret black woman,” might be the funniest thing Lou has ever said. And he’s said a lot of funny things. He originated, “Somebody call Wizards of the Coast.”

A second set of double Nat 20s from Siobhan! She also did it in Fantasy High Sophomore Year when freeing Fig from mind control. The only other person I think who’s done it is Lou as Fabian during the arcade battle in FH S1. You can’t really tell because of the way I glossed over the nitty gritty of this ep, but the Nat 20s were really out of control this session. It’s just that, as the cast said in Adventuring Party, Nat 20s don’t get you spectacular things this season. They just mean you get to not die that turn.

[intergalactic-zoo]

I'll give one thing to DC Comics Skeletor: he's a quicker study than the animated version.

Turns out that searching for the Power Sword and trying to take Grayskull hasn't been working, so Skeletor decides to kidnap the Sorceress Goddess and make He-Man find the Power Sword instead.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Masters of the Universe #1 came out in August, 1982, the month after the Preview insert. Paul Kupperberg returns as writer, with George Tuska on pencilling duties. Mini-storybooks artist Alfredo Alcala is back to ink the first two issues, with Rodin Rodriguez taking over in #3. Adam Kubert and Ben Oda are our letterers, and Adrienne Roy and Anthony Tollin are the colorists. Getting Alcala back, even just for inks, really does make a difference; he brings a Prince Valiant quality to Tuska’s pencils in the first issues, which is lost a bit in Rodriguez’s cleaner style. Tuska definitely feels more suited to this setting than Curt Swan did; much as I love Swan, this era of Masters of the Universe really lives in a more brutal, Conan-inspired place than what would come later, and that’s just not what Swan’s classic superheroic style is best at.

Our story begins at another party, where Prince Adam is continuing with that playboy lifestyle, though we get explicit confirmation that this is at least in part an act.

I think this is a really interesting hook for the character, even if it clearly wasn’t very sustainable for a children’s property, particularly one as beset by watchdog groups as Masters of the Universe. The alter ego with a different personality from the hero is nothing new in superhero comics, and we’ve even seen characters like Batman playing the carefree Casanova, but Adam feels a little distinct here, characterized closer to Johnny Storm than Bruce Wayne. Usually the immature, impulsive character who’s always thinking about the opposite sex is played straight, as character flaws that the hero genuinely needs to overcome; it's less common to make those the hallmarks of his secret identity.

Adam gets attacked by demons in his bedroom, and finds Cringer when he hides under the bed, which is a solid gag. We never do find out what the demons were doing there. They rush off to the Goddess's magic cavern, where they are transformed—but find Skeletor instead of the Goddess (who is occasionally also called the Sorceress in the story). Skeletor has imprisoned her, and will only release her if He-Man retrieves the Power Sword for him, which the Goddess has hidden away. In order to find the sword He-Man will need to find three talismans (talismen?) representing the sea, the sky, and the cosmos. 

It's a fetch quest to start the fetch quest. Not the most auspicious start to a series. Or end to one.

He-Man returns to the palace, where we get confirmation of something that fans have always speculated about: do He-Man and Prince Adam really look that similar? In the DC Universe, the answer appears to be yes:

It also plays into a longtime fan theory that Queen Marlena knows Adam's secret. Now that he's back to the palace, He-Man seeks help from the palace wizard, Tarrak, who is being attacked by demons himself! 

He-Man, Teela—wearing for this issue only a sword-and-sorcery standard metal bikini—Battle Cat, and Man-at-Arms manage to defeat the demons, but not before they take the cosmos talisman. Meanwhile, the Bird-People of Avion are attacked by a squad of Beastmen, who are after the sky talisman, which Stratos wears. Stratos seeks help from He-Man, and with Tarrak's assistance, the heroes set off to find the other two talismans. 

This specific outfit and pose feels so familiar.

He-Man and Battle Cat head into the jungle, where they meet a clan of barbarians that He-Man has encountered before, in what feels like a nod to his classic origins. He-Man once helped them battle a sexy evil wizard named Damon.

The barbarians know where the cosmos talisman is, but before they can retrieve it, the group is attacked by demons again. He-Man takes the talisman, and is transported away. 

Out in the Sea of Blackness, Man-at-Arms, Teela, and Stratos are looking for the sea talisman, which is being held by the Mer-People. Fortunately, Tarrak gave them potions so they could breathe underwater. Mer-Man leads a fight against them, because this version also has ambitions of his own, until Skeletor pulls a Darth Vader from a distance. Teela is less than grateful, so Skeletor leaves them to the mercies of the Mer-People.

Just going to admire how great Skeletor looks in that first panel for awhile.

But Stratos claims the sea talisman just in time, and the whole crew is transported into a Steve Ditko drawing. 

They get attacked by demons again, but are saved by Zodac, who refuses to give them any information about the person sending the demons, but a page later we learn that it's the wizard Damon, who wants the Power Swords so he can control Eternia, not that dimensional-carpetbagging wizard-come-lately Skeletor. He's gotten considerably less sexy and more...problematic since that brief appearance in the previous issue. 

Seriously, he looks like the antisemitic caricature from that Carman video. He also happens to be right next to where the Goddess stored the two halves of the Power Sword, but they're in an impenetrable force field, which is not mentioned again. 

Zodac uses the talismans to open a portal to the Sword's location (sort of?) and then gives them to Zoar the poorly-drawn falcon before sending the heroes on their way. 

Feels like the reference got away from you a bit.

Meanwhile, Damon decides to tip his hand by attacking Skeletor, who lashes out with magic that is strong enough to teleport them both into Castle Grayskull, just as Damon had planned. But in a pretty great moment of both villains trying to two-steps-ahead each other, that was all part of Skeletor's plan, and he apparently kills Damon. 

These comics go pretty hard for stuff that was based on toys for babies.

Also, this happened earlier in the issue.

The heroes also end up in Castle Grayskull, which is apparently where the Power Sword is, even though we already saw Damon with the Power Sword before he was able to access Castle Grayskull.

You and me both, He-Man. The heroes split up to search the castle. Stratos gets caught in a giant spiderweb, Man-at-Arms gets blown up by a tripwire, and Teela ends up in a hedge maze until she stumbles on Skeletor, who pulls the Power Sword out of a magic warp. 

He-Man shows up shortly after, but Skeletor sends Beast-Man (singular) and a monsterized Man-E-Faces (who was briefly introduced earlier in this third issue) against the hero. Eventually He-Man, Teela, and Zoar get the sword away from Skeletor, and then the Goddess appears to say "actually I wasn't in any danger, but your friends are all caught in booby traps." The End. 

What an absolutely bizarre miniseries. It feels like it was initially intended to be four issues and cut down to three, but that change had to be made before the first issue—with its "Mini-Series 1 of 3" banner—went to the printers. The promotional push makes it seem like DC was intending to do a lot more than three comics and a handful of mini-comics. Editor Dave Manak speculated that there might have been an issue with contract negotiations, but I'd be really interested if there's a clearer answer. Every aspect of the DC Masters of the Universe license feels abnormally cut off, right down to the end of this story. 

Whatever the reasons were, this would be the last full-sized Masters of the Universe comic from DC for almost 30 years. Next time we'll pick up with the Marvel/Star Comics. 

[hellyeahheroes]

Building Aqualad in D&D 5e

I told myself I will do at least one more of these for the Pride Month. This time it is technically for two characters who are two sides of the same coin. Despite opposite backstories they both share simlair abilitties. Kaldur’Ahm, raised in Atlantis leader of Young Justice and future Aquaman and leader of Justice League is in many ways what Jackson Hyde, his less-experienced, surface-raised gay counterpart from comics may become if he is allwoed to grow. So we will try to make a build that reflects on both of them and basically let YOU roleplay this growth.

As always (since I lifted template for these posts from Tulok The Barbarian we will kick it off with stating our Goals. First of all, we need to have power to use water as a weapon. Second, we need to have a variety of ways in which we can face our enemies. Finally, we need to be able to move as well on both surface and underwater

For Ability Scores we’ll be using Standard Points Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8). If you want to roll or use point buy, use this as a guideline and keep in mind our Multiclassig Requirements will ask for at least 13 in Wisdom and Dexterity. Kaldur’ahm seems good in pretty much everything but Jackson does not...anyway, we will prioritize stats we need the most.

Strength: 8. Kaldur wore some heavy armors but we don’t really need this one.

Dexterity: 14, two-weapon fighting is traditionally associated with high Dexterity.

Constitution: 13, both have taken hits from some heavy hitters

Intelligence: 12, Kaldur is strategist of the team

Wisdom: 15, Kaldur is pretty stoic and Jackson has patience of a saint to put up with some of reckless people he is working with.

Charisma: 10, you either have Robin challenge your authority or you follow a smaller, angrier Robin. 

For D&D way to say species, Race, whichever version of the character you want to be, your mother was from underwater kingdom of Xibil and your dad is Black Manta, a living proof of human assholery. There is no half-human half-Xibilian race, so we will go with Triton. You get +1 to Strength, Constitution and Charisma, can breathe on both surface and udnerwater, have land and swim speed of 30 feet, resistance to cold damage, ignore drawbacks caused by deep underwater enviroment, can communicate simple ideas to sea creatures, know Common and Primodial and can cast Fog Cloud once per day, heavily obscuring area in a 20 foot radius. Apparently Tritons come with a built-in smoke grenade. Atlantean training is hardcore.

We will build a custom Background, pick up Insight and Investigation as your skills, a proficiency in any campaign-relevant language and any thieves’ tools and Safe Haven feature from Faction Agent background, meaning you have a way to communicate with hidden allies providing you with a place to stay get information, but they won’t risk their lives or revealing their secret identities for you.

Now for Class Levels:

Level 1: We Will kick things off as a Ranger. First level Ranger gets proficiency in simple and martial weapons, light and medium armors, shields, Strength and Dexterity saving throws and three skills, pick Perception, Stealth and Survival for whenever your team gets separated again. 

Your two features we will swap for those from Unearthed Arcana. Favored Foe lets you mark a target with a Hunter’s Mark number of times equal your Wisdom Modifier per long rest, letting you deal extra 1d6 of damage whenever you hit the target with a weapon attack and gain advantage on Perception and Survival checks to track it down and you can as a bonus action move it on to another target once icurrent one drops to zero hit points.

Deft Explorer lets you pick one of 3 features. Rowing adds 5 to your walking speed and ensures your climbing and swimming speed is equal to it. This is a little better than Triton giving us flat 30 feet of swimming speed.

Level 2: 2nd Level Rangers gets to pick a Fighting Style. Druidic Warrior is from the same Unearthed Arcana and lets you pick up two Cantrips from Druid’s spell-list. Which is nice since we get Spellcasting on this level as well.

Rangers know a specific number of spells, which we will use to roleplay some of kaldur and Jack’s powers and/or gadgets. Cantrips you can cast as many times as you want and they scale with your level, while spells you need to extend spell slots to cast (they regenerate on a long rest). You can know spells of level you have spell slots for avialable and every time you level up as a Ranger in addition to learnign a new spell you can unlearn one in place of another. if Spell asks you to make an spell attack you add your Proficiency and Wisdom modifiers to it. If it asks target to make a saving throw it must beats a DC equals sum of those two numbers +8.

Shape Water gives you limited, harmless control over water, mostly small stuff but may be fun to better roleplay.

Thorn Whip lets you make a spell attack against a target within 30 feet of you, dealing 1d6 damage on a hit. If it’s Large or smaller you also pull it 10 feet closer to you. This will be our Water Whip. Some of you may wonder why I’m getting is this way when a 3rd level Way Of the Four Elements Monk can use Water Whip which is actual water and deals more damage. The thing is, Monks cast this from their Ki Points, which is horribly limited. With this you can cast Kaldur’s iconic water whips as many times as you want.

Longstrider lets you for an hour increase your speed by 10 feet, which will also increase your swimming speed as well due to your Rowing abilitty..

Cure Wounds lets you cure 1d8+Your Wisdom modifier of damage dealt to you or someone else. Be it medipack or reassuring word, you know a thing abotu staying in combat.

Level 3: Tritons for some reason get Gust of Wind at this level, letting you choose a line and blow wind forcing all creatures in it to succeed a Strength saving throw (agaisnt your Charisma not Wisdom) or be pushed 15 feet away. I guess it’s some gadget picked from your teammates? Or maybe you can refluff it as a stream of water?

Anyway, some of you were probably wondering why I picked Druidic Warrior for Aqualad’s fighting style over Two-Weapon Fighting, since it is such an iconic thing done by Kaldur and Jake. Don’t worry, we will amend this one. 1st Level Fighter gets to pick another Fighting Style - Two-Weapon Fighting lets you add your dexterity modifier to an attack you make with your off-hand weapon.

You also get Second Wind, letting you regenerate 1d10+Your Fighter Level of Damage as a bonus action once per short or long rest. This keeps you up in combat longer, and whichever version of character you use, they are known for their heroic determination.

Level 4: 3rd Level Ranger gets to Pick a Ranger Conclave. I was thinking which one would fit best and arrived at a conclusion that it’s Monster Slayer from Xanathar’s Guide To Everything. Apparently it included Xibil, who wuld have thought.

Slayer’s Sense lets you a number of time equal your Wisdom modifier per long rest observe one creature in line of sight within 60 feet from you as an action. Unless it is shielded from divination magic, you learn what kinds of damage resistances, immunities or vurnerabilities it possesses, if any. Meanwhile Slayer’s Prey lets you as a bonus action designate one creature within 60 feet that you can see and deal it extra 1d6 of damage on your first weapon attack that hits on each turn. These two fit the idea of Kaldur as someone more level-headed, waiting for a good moment to strike.

Unearthed Arcana will let you pick Primal Awareness - it grants you a number of spells you can cast without expending a spell slot but the price is you can do it only once per long rest. As in, only one of all those spell per long rest. I guess it is some sort of Atlantean Sorcery focused on being one with the ocean. I will be marking these spells as (PA) when listing them with other spells you get (which now will also include Monster Slayer’s bonus spells, neither of which counts against your normal number of spells known).

Speaking of which, spells of this level:

Detect Magic (PA) lets you sense magic in the area of 30 feet, as long as it is not  separated from you by (deep breath) 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. If you sense something you can use your action to also learn what school of magic it is and see its aura around any obcject in the room.

Speak With Animals (PA) lets you talk to fish and other animals too, no wonder you replaced Orin as Aquaman. They won’t tell you much but at minimum will inform you of monsters in the area and what they have seen within past day. If you persuade them (read: the DM) the ycan do you a small favor too.

Protection From Evil And Good lets you grant yourself or another protection against aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends and undead, imposing disadvantage on their attacks against the target, making the target imune to being charmed, frightened or posessed by these creatures and if that already happenned, they get an advantage on future saving throw to shake this effect off. Raven’s dad? A fiend. Ghost of Nabu? An undead. Whatever crawled from the sea to eat Arthur? Probably an Aberration. New Gods? Celestials. And I think Klarion counts as a fey.

Detect Poison and Disease lets you identify all kinds of poisons and diseases present within 30 feet from you, unless you are hidden by the same barriers as listed under detect magic. I guess you need to see them to be able to tell if this fish is poisonous or not.

Level 5: On this level Triton allows you to cast Wall of Water once a day. You can shape water into a straigth wall 30 feet long and 10 feet high or round one 20 feet long and 20 feet high, either of them 1 foot thick. It counts as difficult terrain, attacks passing through it have disadvantage and all fire damage of attacks or spells is halved, but if anything that deals ice damage is flung through it, it freezes 5 feet of the wall, turning it into a block of ice with 5 AC and 15 HP that is not filled when broken with an attack.

4th Level Rangers get an Ability Score Improvement, bumb your Dexterity for better attack rolls and armor class.

Level 6: 5th level Ranger gets an Extra Attack, letting you attack twice for each attack action.

And now for the spells, since you just got access to 2nd level ones:

Beast Sense (PA) let’s you strap a camera to an animal and see through its eyes and hear through its ears, but you cannto do anythign else while you watch it.

Locate Animal or Plants (PA) let’s you name a kind of animal or a plant and you know where, as in derection and distance from you, to find closest one within 5 miles.

Darkvision let’s you for 8 hours with no concentration see for 60 feet in the dim light as in bright and in darkness as in dim light, but iwthout discerning colors. This is something that you, as a Triton player, has spent last 5 levels yelling at DM you should have and WotC did a mistake to not let you have it. 

Zone of Truth allows you to make it impossible to lie in a 15-foot radius. Creatures who are in the area or enter it must make a Charisma saving throw or are unable to tell a lie on purpose and you know they have attempted the save and passed or not. I’m not saying this would have solved so many issues in Young Justice but it sure owuld make things easier. Or not, I’m sure Vandal Savage’s Charisma save is like +15.

Level 7: We hop back to Fighter to get Action Surge, letting you once per short rest. Meaning you can in one turn make your full attack and cast a spell, make four or five attacks if you also use your off-hand weapon, or cast two spells. In fact, this is the only way to cast two spells (as opposed to a spell and a cantrip) in a single turn.

Level 8: 3rd Level Fighter gets to choose a Martial Archetype. Eldritch Knight  lets you for a bond with both your weapons, meaning you cannot be unwillingly disarmed unless you are incapitated and if you drop the weapon, you can use your bonus action to summon it to your hand as long as you’re on the same plane of existence.

You also learn two Cantrips and 3 1st Level Spells from Wizard Spell List. They work the same as your Ranger spelsl except using Intelligence instead of Wisdom.

Booming Blade lets you make a single attack. If you hit you deal extra 1d8 thunder damage and if and the target willingly moves before start of your next turn it is dealt 2d8 thunder damage. 

Shocking Grasp let’s you make a single meele spell attack, with advantage if target is wearing metal armor, to deal 2d8 lightning damage. Both this and Booming Blade increase with levels and let you imitate some of minor electric powers shown by both Jackson and Kaldur

Shield lets you add +5 to AC would you be hit by an attack, potentially making it miss you. I guess in your case it owuld be a water shield.

Absorb Elements grants you as a reaction resistance to acid, cold, fire, lighting or thunder damage - you cast it as a reaction when you take one of those types of damage and it lasts until start of your next turn. And during your next turn first time you hit a foe you deal extra 1d6 damage of that type. Kaldur withstood hits from Black Lightning and his dad runs around with a heat-beam blasting cooking pot on his head, this will be useful.

Chromatic Orb lets you make a spell attack against a target and deal it 3d8 of your choice  acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder damage. Most of the time you will likely stick to cold and lightning or thunder which are most fitting the character but you can refluff other options as special weapons for one-time use.

Level 9: Back to the Ranger, on 6th Level you get another form of Deft Explorer. Canny allows you to pick one more skill from  Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, or Survival to get proficient in OR get your proficiency bonus to it doubled. Personally I would go with History - you know a lot about the world and have good memory and a number of times my party got themselves in trouble by failing a simple History check would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

Also, you get Favored Enemy, since apparently Favored Foe only replaces the first one. Choose one type of creatures:  aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead, or two races of humanoids. You get advantage on Survival rolls to track them and Intelligence checks to recall information about. Yes, that’s it. You see why I forgot this feature on America Chavez build on this level? To be fair you also learn one language spoken by whatever you picked, which mixes well with Kaldur being fluent in multiple languages. Though Ancient Greeks are not valid choice on any setting except theros and it would be extremly fucked up anyway.

Level 10: 7th Level Monster Slayer gains Supernatural Defense, letting you add 1d6 to escape being grappled by or to saving throws forced on you by targer of your Slayer’s Prey.

Our Spell for this level is Protection From Poison. The target that is poisoned has effects of one poison neutralized and for an hour makes all saving throws against poison with an advantage. Which is somewhat better than Kaldur’s resistance to poison of some udnerwater flora and fauna.

Level 11: 8th Level Rangers gain an Abilitty Score Improvement, keep investing in your Dexterity. You also no longer slow your movement for moving through difficult terrain and nonmagical plants and you get an advantage on saving throw against magical plants to impede your movement. I would say this applies to moving underwater but consult your DM.

Level 12: 9th Level Ranger gains access to 3rd Level Spells.

Speak With Plants (PA) make you make all plants in 30 feet from you GAIN SENTIENCE so you can question them or make difficult terrain normal one for the duration. I know some Aquaman comics argued there is a sea-faring force similiar to the Green that Arthur (and apparently in our take also Kaldur) can tap into but man, this is ridiculous. 

Magic Circle is a force field of 10 feet radius and 20 feet height. At your choice it can be used so that creatures cannot enter or leave area inside it and pass a Charisma Saving Throw is they try to bypass that by teleportation, have disadvantages on attacks against creatures on the other side and cannot frighter, charm or possess them. This is likely another gadget or you somehow enchanced water to do it.

Protection From Energy is list a better version of Absorb Elements - continuous resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage up to an hour on Concentration. Again, your dad wears a cooking pot that shoots heat beams.

ALTERNATIVES: Magic Weapon can be a good choice too since your blades/whips are weird and if DM doesn’t throw a pair of magic weapons your way, this will help you roleplay them better.

Level 13: 10th Level Unearthed Arcana Ranger gains the stealthsuit - once every short or long rest you can become invisible until start of your next round 

Level 14: 11th Level Monster Slayer becomes a Magic User’s Nemesis, letting you attempt to foil an enemy within 60 feet of you from casting a spell or teleport by forcing a Wisdom saving throw on them. if they fail, their spell or teleport is fasted. I don’t even want to count how many times it would get Vandal Savage and rest of the Light in a tight spot.

 Our Spell for this Level will be Water Walk, letting you for one hour give up to 10 creatures within 30 feet an abilitty to walk on water as if it was solid ground. It os not exactly water pillars Kaldur uses to save people from burning buildings but maybe if you combine it with Wall of Water...

level 15: 12th Level Ranger means another Ability Score Improvement, you should have Dexterity around 18 so now focus on Wisdom since more and more of your spells and abilitties require saving throws.

Level 16: 13th Level Ranger gains more spells and acess to 4th level spells

Locate Creature (PA) lets you locate a specific creature you know or a nearest creature of a type you have seen up close that is within 1 thousand miles, except if its in a different form or at least 10 feet of running water crosses the area between you and it. If the creature is moving you know its direction. Basically, if your team wants to track someone specific, like Ras Al’Ghul or Deathstroke or your dad, you can do it.

Banishment let’s you push a target into a portal to somewhere else if the fail Charisma saving throw - if the target is native to this plane of existence, it will be back once the spell ends. but if it’s not from around here and you hold the concentration for 1 minute, they are permamently sent back home. So theorethically you could roleplay this as kicking Darkseid into his own Boom Tube, just saying.

Freedom of Movement is basically a better version of your 10th level Ranger feature - you ignore difficult therrain and spells that would reduce your movement or make you paralyzed or restrained, being  underwater does not impede your movement or attacks, you can spend 5 feet from your movement to automatically escape all nonmagical ways of impeding your movement or restraining you. Beast Boy will likely joke about you being slippery like an eel once you use it to escape being grappled by Grodd or Monsieur Mallah or ultra Humanite... Young Justice has fought a lot of gorillas, come to think of it.

Level 17: 14th Level Ranger gets Vanish, letting you Hide as a bonus action like a Rogue of a...2nd fucking level wtf Wizards... and make it impossible to track you by nonmagical means.  Also, you get one more option to pick for Favored Enemy.

Level 18: 15th Level Monster Slayer gets Slayer’s Counter - if the target of your Slayer’s Prey forces you to make a saving throw you can make one attack against them. If you hit you deal normal damage and automatically succeed the saving throw. If you miss, you still roll as usual. Your old man’s cooking pot beam? Like a Dexterity save. Dark Robin’s toxin? Probably Wisdom. M’Gann trying to clean up your mind? Intelligence. I liek this abilitty because you have an image of someone like Psimon trying to mess with your mind and getting punched in the face.

Our Spell for this level will be Death Ward, letting you protect someone from dying. For 8 hours after you cast it, the spell goess of if one of two things happen - the target is reduced to 0 hit points, in which case it’s reduced to 1 instead, or is outright killed, in which case the effect that did it is negated. It has only one charge but it will likely protect someone from becoming another statue or hologram in your team’s hall of fallen heroes.

Level 19: 16th Level Ranger gets final Abilitty Score Improvement., go for Wisdom since more and mroe things you do require saving throws.

Level 20: We will finish with a 17th Level Ranger for a set of 5th level spells.

Commune With Nature (PA) let’s you gather informations about the area within 3 miles or 300 feet underground, letting you know three facts about terrain and bodies of water, prevalent plants, minerals, animals, or peoples, powerful celestials, fey, fiends, elementals, or undead, influence from other planes of existence or buildings in the area. Doesn’t work in towns or dungeons.

Hold Monster - you force a Wisdom saving throw on any creature and if they fail, they become Paralyzed until spell ends, you break concentration or they succeed another saving throw atr the end of  each of their turns. I would play it as you wrapping your water whip around the target.

Greater Restoration let’s you remove one effect that charmed, petrified, cursed, reduced abilitty scores or hit points maximum of the target.

Overview: My take on Aqualad is a Triton Monster Slayer Ranger 17/Eldritch Knight Fighter 3. Let’s now see how well does it work.

Pros: You are pretty well-rounded in both defensive and offensive ways, letting you be able to deal damage and to mess with your enemies. Second, you have multiple ways to protect yourself or your allies. Third, there is no terrain that will stop you, if your DM loves using tricks related to that you two will have a blast trying to outmaneuver one another. Finally, you are pretty good at information gathering, meaning you can be team tactician, setting up plans for combat.

Cons: Your Constitution is mediocre, meaning your concentration will run out fast and your Hit Points aren’t that imnpressive - on average you should be slightly below 150 which is not bad but could be better. We didn’t cap either Dexterity or Wisdom - while +4 is not that much worse than +5, sometimes it will make a difference. Finally, a lot of your abilitties are situational and/or once per day, meaning there will be a lot of times when you won’t be able to utilize your strategic powers well.

Overall however, all these weak points fit your character - whenever you build Kaldur or Jacke, you are a team player. You don’t operate alone, you lay down a plan and you protect and support your teammates. A good party that works together and doesn’t underestiamte you will be grateful to have you on board

Alternatives: 

Pick a  Shillelagh as a Druidic Warrior Cantrip, replace your swords with a staff and for other fighting style pick Great Weapon Fighting, then maximalize Wisdom and Constitution. Fits well with you beinga tactical person as now you punch with your Wisdom. But it does stay away from Aqualad’s iconic blades.

Instead of Canny pick Tireless as your second Deft Explorer, giving you more ways to regenerate damage - you will be mroe a determinator than a wise guy, pushing you a bit closer to Jack than Kaldur.

In you want to sacrifice electric powers, grab Battlemaster archetype for Fight or even consider replacing it with Cleric - Protection, Solidarity or Unity Domains will work pretty well for you as a great team player.

- Admin