#mission atlantis island

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

In your opinion, what's the darkest thing in Poptropica?

Oh... wow. You know, some people might be surprised at some of the dark stuff that's happened/implied throughout the franchise. And from such an innocent looking world too :)

I guess I'll make a list of some stuff that stands out to me:

24 Carrot Island 

The 4 children were kidnapped and brainwashed by Dr. Hare probably for months.

Astro-Knights Island 

Mordred almost died in a crash, and had to replace half of his body with robotics. 

Mordred kidnapped the princess because he wanted to marry her. And her parents most likely thought they were never going to see her again, since they had no way of going after her.

Counterfeit Island 

It's implied that Black Widow was gonna torture the player in order to get answers. 

Reality TV Island/Wild Safari Island 

Villains allowed to be on reality tv… and being treated as celebrities... WHAT.

Skullduggery Island 

Captain Crawfish probably killed a lot of people. Cause… pirate.

Steamworks Island 

The entire backstory of this island: the people were doing experiments on plants, when the plants mutated and tried to kill them. The only way they could survive is by freezing themselves.

Captain Ziggs sacrificed himself to hold off the Plant Monsters. Mayor Crumb must be feeling pretty depressed now that she's free and forced to live without him.

Red Dragon Island  

The Shogun being a pretty terrifying tyrant. 

Shrink Ray Island  

POV: you're an elementary school student and your teacher's star pupil. You trust him, because he's a nice teacher. And then he goes crazy and kidnaps you.

Mr. Silva threatens to shrink CJ and the player to the point where they can't be seen by anyone, which is kinda dark honestly. 

Blimp Adventure 

Dr. Cumulo Nimbus sets fire to the rain to all the islands. 

Game Show Island  

Robots take over and enslave humanity. 

Ghost Story Island  

A really depressing murder mystery/ weird love triangle story that involves several character's deaths.

S.O.S Island  

The ship sinks and everyone inside almost dies. Also a child.

Vampire's Curse Island  

Count Bram outlives his wife, and goes crazy. And he kidnaps a child due to insanity. 

Cactus von Garlic has killed many vampires. But not all vampires in Poptropica are evil (if Haunted House is any indication). 

Twisted Thicket Island  

The forest creatures turning into stone. I'm not 100% sure if they're still alive in there or not...

Poptropolis Games Island

The island sinks back into the ocean, with people still on it. Some of the ancient islanders are waterlogged (but still alive, for some reason).

Lunar Colony Island (Book)

The PASE workers are oddly sociopathic to Glen John's situation, only caring about Glen helping them. Glen is 13 btw.

Super Villain Island  

Zeus almost winning. He blew up the world for no reason. Also, there's something really scary about the way he blew up his own island.

Zomberry Island  

Zombie apocalypse. 

Virus Hunter Island  

A pandemic almost happened. 

Monster Carnival Island 

Ringmaster Raven's backstory: Pretty messed up. 

Edgar is an orphan who ran away and joined the carnival. He put a lot of trust in the Ringmaster and seemed pretty happy… and then the Ringmaster hypnotizes him and uses him for his scheme. Pretty messed up. 

Survival Island 

Myron Van Buren. Enough said.

Mission Atlantis Island 

The alien was trapped underwater for years and died.

PoptropiCon Island  

Omegon taking over the convention center, and turning the people into Hench-Bots.

Arabian Nights Island 

Scheherazade attempted to steal the player's soul… what the heck.

Graphic Novels

The kids almost died… several times. (A Saber tooth tiger and polar bear almost maul them, they almost fall to their deaths, they almost freeze to death, they are almost stabbed to death by Lieutenant Rogers, they almost got erased from history on the Ancient Egypt Island, they almost burned alive in a volcano eruption, etc)

The ancient Egyptians are erased from one timeline, and a bunch of people on earth died... and it's unknown if they were brought back, or what.

When Spencer Albright is murdered, Jonas is so overcome with grief that he completely loses it and becomes murderous like Octavian. Jonas is 18-20 btw.

The backstories for the main characters (Octavian is forced to let Paulla die, Mya's mom abruptly dies and she goes through depression, Oliver’s dad walks out on the family).

Octavian's fate at the end is this: he accidentally jumped through the portal before the universe he wanted to go to fully formed. Because of this, he jumped into the in-between point of universes, and was split into an infinite amount of versions of himself. Sounds complicated, but is incredibly messed up.

Mya was seriously considering leaving her own timeline, even though she would be leaving her family and friends behind. Whether or not she knew this is unknown, but if she did... kinda messed up.

And… that's it. No more dark things that stick out to me after that. Probably because after this, they fired the writer who was responsible for most of the dark undertones in the franchise. OOPS!!! >:(

I think the darkest stuff comes from Monster Carnival, Survival, and the graphic novels.

[apocalypse-shuffle]

DIANA PRINCE | WONDER WOMAN (the flashpoint paradox)

────────────────────

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“The Messenger Bird Sings” (Diana Prince x Fem!Reader)

| Infiltrating Themyscira to save a resistance member is a disaster. But it leads to unexpected consequences when the Queen captures you.

| SFW, open ending, infatuated!reader, (TW: captured!reader, spoils of war, unfettered murder), -dark!wonder woman

| pics via: Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox animated movie

| Here’s a link to the scene this is based on. The words/dialogue that are mine are mine and the words that are from the movie are not mine.

| 2k+ words

Sneaking around New Themyscira is a feat you didn’t think you’d ever experience but, lo and behold, here you were.

The island was beautiful in a way that reminded you of what used to be. It’s battle torn, but the skies are still bright blue and the air’s still unnaturally fresh and fizzling with magic.

Even if it’s not the same as you're sure it’d be on the original “Paradise Island”, the residual effect of the Amazon’s whimsy sticks to the place like it was fated to be. Like their magic lays as much claim over this part of what used to be Europe as they do.

It’s a drastic contrast to the wreckage all around you all.

“Alright crew, we meet back at the ship by dusk. This is an evidence gathering retreat and extraction mission so stay out of sight and do not engage.” Steve’s command stays quiet through coms even as he shifts to giving out individual instructions next. His voice a steady balm that you lock onto to distract you enough you don’t have to keep biting back your grin.

It’s hours before anything worthwhile than ducking and hiding takes place.

Initially Steve’s group was primarily tasked with direct extraction of Lois Lane from behind enemy lines but you had run into her, and a small number of other survivors hiding in the nature reclaimed remains of what used to be London, first.

Your branch-off specifically is just meant to be gathering enough tangible evidence that the Amazon’s are taking human hostages to finally push the last remaining world leader to actually let Steve’s task force move in to save them.

Years ago you’d thought politics was hard to navigate. Now it was a literal minefield, one wrong move and someone would take off your head.

You’re hoping at the very least your wrong move doesn’t happen here.

The Amazons were brutal. What little clear footage that still remained showed their killing prowess off well. They didn’t level cities the way the Atlanteans did, but at the beginning of all this they’d conquered their way across the Mediterranean in less than a week and no one had even noticed.

The Atlanteans were too loud, even put up against the Amazons brutality and true disdain for humanity. Especially men. Atlantis had taken over the European Coast with brute force and luck that their extremely obvious assault couldn’t be stopped by any human forces.

If the human world had been anywhere near as technologically advanced and superhuman you’re sure that Atlantis would’ve fallen that day. King Arthur had put all of his forces, after the Amazon’s had near silently ran them off, into conquering Europe’s waters but he’d made a gamble in doing so.

The Amazon’s didn’t gamble.

Call it years of godly military practice coming into play or whatever but the Amazon’s were a strategic power house. They blew through everything they wanted to as if it was parchment paper in a way that the Atlanteans and their ‘throw everything at it until it sticks’ strategy could never.

The Queen didn’t take whatever she wanted, the rumored start of the war in the first place, because she was careless.

“Pilgrim to Mayflower, we’ve been caught in an ambush—”

Your radio crackles to life on your hip. You turn to your team leader but she only shakes her head. She gestures for you all to get closer together. She’s following protocol, if you have to leave team ‘Pilgrim’ behind you have to wait in silence five minutes before doing so, but if you get a response in that period you have to call in for backup.

Beside you Lois’s quiet as she stares at the radio in Boston’s hand, lip between her teeth.

The following crackle three and a half minutes in makes you all jump.

“—it’s The Queen. The Queen’s with them!”

This time it’s not Steve’s voice but a woman from his group. The air rushes from your lungs.

Queen Diana of Themyscira wasn’t careless.

Something presses down on the receiver and the sounds of screaming and gunfire reach your ears. Right behind it cheers of triumph follow.

All distinctly feminine sounding.

The Queen took what she wanted without hesitation because she was self assured in her prowess.

“Dammit to hell,” Boston curses.

Your heart feels tight all of a sudden.

The Queen.

The same one who started a whole world war because she didn’t bow down to such pitiful quirks as apologizing. The Queen who allegedly wore the crown of the woman she killed as a trophy.

When that exact crown, Atlantean in nature, crests over a row of rubble from toppled buildings towards you the sight of that golden headrest becomes an omen.

The Amazon’s are ruthless when they reach you. There’s barely a triumphant yell afterwards the fight was so close to already won once it started. In fact it’d probably be an insult to the Goddess Artemis herself to call it a fight at all.

A mild squabble maybe.

Like a kitten might give a gangly boy throwing her into a box to slowly meet its death. Or the inevitable but hopeless life of a fly when around a flytrap.

The Amazon’s had gained on you too fast for women who were supposed to be on the other side of the island right now.

As you’re thrown into the middle of a circle of stern-faced Amazon’s with your team, knocking right into Steve and his remaining crew, you start to feel a lot like a fly trapped because of its need to further inspect a predator so unequivocally greater than itself.

Your eyes prickle and your breath squeezes past your throat, but as you watch the towering few women around you your heart thuds not with fear but revelation.

In person the Amazon’s were every bit as terrifying as the stories and mission reports made them out to be, then some. Their armor was chinked and dusted with the brutal effects of war and yet they still seemed to glow brighter than the overcast sun as they set their ire upon you.

It was a lesson in skill to be present for the way they fought up close. Every strike and simple step was so clearly packed full with power and yet they moved as one graceful unit, where one woman leaned right two more would work to balance back out the open circle till closed again like feathers in the wind.

They were seamless even as they taunted Steve, held in The Queen’s lasso as he was. The center of everyone’s attention.

Something shamefully akin to envy prods at you incessantly. You do your best to ignore it.

Your fists clench and unclench at your side as you watch the warriors playing with their food. Lois looks like she can’t decide whether to throw up or throw something. For the sake of all your lives you pray she only vomits.

“You’re all Americans,” Queen Diana points out before tightening her hold on the lasso. Steve is forced to rise up on his knees at the movement, hands going to his throat in a fruitless effort to pry off the rope choking him. “But you’re going to tell me a little more about yourself. Who are you and what is your group’s goal?”

For a few seconds you all watch as Steve just…doesn’t answer. Your eyes narrow. Maybe the rumors about The Queen’s lasso were actually just rumors this time around, you’re pretty sure a gift from the gods isn’t supposed to have user defects.

The other Amazon’s seem to think the same thing as five of them huddle closer to their leader and soft murmurs travel around you from the ones that remain vigil.

“He’s resisting the lasso of truth! How is that possible Queen Diana?”

The Queen looks offended, jaw tightening.

“It’s not,” she says before wrapping more of the lasso around her hand and pulling Steve up so they’re face to face, his toes dragging in the dirt. “Who are you and what are you and your people doing in New Themyscira?”

You all gasp. Off to the side Boston starts to struggle, cursing up a storm as Steve truly goes red in the face. You can’t not watch her a bit impassioned, you know what’ll happen next. One Amazon, red haired and incredibly angry looking, kicks her in the face so hard that by the time her body falls to the dirt you can all tell she’s dead. Face crunched to all hell as her lifeless body faces you.

You shiver and look away.

“This is an outrage,” Lois murmurs.

You don’t argue in any direction with her, just turn back to The Queen.

“Thank you for shutting her up, Artemis. Now back to you, I believe I asked you a question.”

Steve can barely put up a token protest, still actively choking, before he starts to spill everything.

“My name is Colonel Steve Trevor of the United States Special Forces. Me and my team, the second of which was headed by the woman you just killed, Colonel Boston Knight, were tasked with gathering information about your base and with the retrieval of Lois Lane.”

The Queen’s brows furrow, “Who is this Lois Lane?”

You close your eyes. You can feel the very woman stiffen where she’s crouched next to you. Your next breath in feels too much like a hiccup.

“Lois Lane is a Politzer prize winning journalist who has been embedded in New Themyscira to gather intel on your Amazons for Cyborg. She’s…she’s also one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met.”

Steve struggles, doing his best to clamp down on his jaw before some invisible force pries it back open and one of his trembling hands flick out to point. “And she’s over there.”

All eyes seem to shift to the woman no less than a foot away from you.

The Queen looks over at her with a haughty air as she takes in the new information.

“‘Most beautiful’ until me, that is,” she states while lowering him.

You're mesmerized as the glow of the lasso fades while she dismisses you all once again. The Queen’s attention quickly shifts to a blonde Amazon who nods and begins speaking immediately.

“Our information was correct, then, My Queen. Cyborg is amassing the outside world’s superhumans in an attempt to interfere in our war.”

“And he will fail,” her voice echoes across their foggy battlefield with surety. Wonder Woman scowls. “Now seize the Lane woman and take her back to our sanctum.”

“Yes, My Queen,” the blonde speaks up again as all the others quickly nod their assent.

Lois puts up a huge struggle, kicking out at a woman and briefly causing her to stumble before three more are on her. It takes a couple seconds before she stops, limbs twisted every which way as she’s held before the Queen’s unforgiving gaze.

She looks distinctly unimpressed as she and Lois stare down one another. The reporter definitely lived up to her reputation at least. Unfortunately so did Queen Diana.

“Go. I will deal with her later.”

They take Lois away and all you can do is watch.

The Queen glances over all of you again as the blonde waves the women off and then turns to Queen Diana with a wave in Steve’s direction.

“May I deal with this prisoner for you?”

She takes barely a second to decide.

“No, Persephone. The Queen of the Amazons is a servant to her people,” she rises then, taking Steve up with her and letting him dangle from the ropes. His gagging makes you curl in on yourself, “nothing is beneath her,” Queen Diana finishes as Steve takes his final struggling breaths.

The blood vessels on his face pop at the relentless pressure put on them as The Queen stares on impassively. The remaining Amazons cheer and the woman seems to bask in their praise.

“You must remember that this is a win for all of us!” Her exclamation is met with more cheers as she dangles Steve’s lifeless body through the air like a marionette.

“May the gods continue to look down favorably upon the daughters of Themyscira!” That cheer, from a dark skinned Amazon with snowy white hair, gets even Queen Diana calling out in excitement.

Their voices thunder around you all and in all your years both as black and as a woman you have never been made to feel so small as you do till now.

Like this, however, that feeling of absolute insignificance was damningly heady.

In the very next moment The Queen’s sharp gaze seems to snap to you and the skant air you’ve managed to gain seems to flee from your lungs in terror.

“Exactly sisters! And for that the fates of the spoils of our hunt today shall be decided by you!” She bows in mid air. “A gift from your ever faithful Queen.”

Seems the celebration won’t be stopping anytime soon then. You glance around at your teammates and see matching fear welling in their eyes.

Some of the people the Amazons choose are killed instantly and with gusto, others tossed between two of them like nothing as they’re tortured, some are even dragged away for who knows what, but you?

You’re left untouched.

Shaking you watch as everyone is picked off one by one around you and how in the rush The Queen's gaze still manages to stay locked on your form.

You’re watching her back with wide, nearly star struck eyes when she finally starts towards you. Your blood goes cold as she descends, carelessly dropping Steve in the process, before that damned lasso gets thrown around your body.

“Now you see that is a face of admiration!” She hoists you up into the air and your stomach drops. “Now tell me your truth, little human.”

“You’re…ethereal,” comes tumbling past your lips before you can hope to stop it.

The woman looks back at you in mild surprise before her laughter fills your ears.

“Of course I am.” She shifts you in her grip while motioning for the Amazons to move, hovering with you above them as they march back to their sanctuary.

You wonder if its location was one of the things Lois was going to share with you.

You were willing to bet it was too late to find out now.

When you get back to the Queen’s new castle you feel like where they were hiding when they weren’t fighting should’ve been pretty obvious.

It was literally the former royal palace.

You walk in and can tell instantly that while some form of a fight must have occurred within the walls, the palace itself looked in otherwise perfect shape.

While most of the other Amazons that came with you disperse, some stay to debrief the Queen as she takes you along to the throne room.

At the entrance you’re met with a set of Amazons. Swiftly, they bow to their leader before opening the doors for her.

As you get a look inside your brows raise.

The throne that sits at the end of the velvet walkway is singular, first of all, and a lot bigger and more ornate than anything the British could’ve ever scrounged up. It makes even you impressed.

Queen Diana sits in it with all the air of a woman who knows without a moment of uncertainty that little can harm her.

In the following seconds she moves you to join her too, and you flush hard enough for a slight red hue to tint the deep brown of your cheeks.

The binding along your arms and midsection is so strong that you don’t even bother attempting to wiggle loose as you’re made to sit on the Amazon’s lap.

She’s completely self assured as she discusses her next steps with her council, and it makes you feel hopeless the way they blow off the US’s push back efforts as nothing. Easily solvable.

And all while you’re sitting on her lap like a trophy.

Eventually she dismisses everyone but the guards at the door and you're as alone as you’ll get.

You swallow thickly, glancing up at her through your lashes.

It’s a last ditch attempt but you try it anyway.

“If you kill me it’ll be all the US needs to join the war and deploy their forces.”

She looks down at you with a subtle raise of a brow.

“It’s adorable that you think you can scare me,” The Queen says. “Your government is so pathetic they jump at their own shadow. What threat could they ever possibly be to me when they can barely handle the problems within their own borders?”

She laughs, a boisterous sound that you feel just as much as you hear, and you’re unintentionally shaken in her hold. You knew it was a long shot but damn. She didn’t just shoot your idea down, she busted a fucking gut at it. You pout.

Yeah, you were screwed.

The Queen looked fucking unreal when she laughed though; you were a little winded.

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!!! I love dark!WW, and she was too good looking in the Flash Point animation style; fourteen year old me literally couldn’t handle it.

Boy, has this one been in the works for a hot ass minute, but at least now it’s finally out.

In general, though, I’m trying to get out fics with more of The Trinity as a focus that aren’t just Batman fics. So yeah.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it!

[nimuetheseawitch]

SGA Summer Vacation Recs

So, a few weeks ago, a friend asked for longfic recommendations to read while on vacation, and I did not really realize how many I was recommending at the time. Seemed like a good idea to make a post about it.

Time in a Bottle by astolat, 14K (not originally on my list because it was too short, but it's too perfect for a summer reading list, so I added it), McShep, Rated E, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour.

The Long Dark (series) by @logicgunn, 141K, McShep, Rated G-E but the first is M, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings An astronomical event causes two strangers to crash land on a remote island in the frozen Canadian north. Cue a fluffy slow burn in a survival setting.

Lord John Sheppard Versus Earth by LitGal, 61K, McShep, Rated M, Graphic Depictions of Violence Canon diverged before Jackson found Atlantis. The IOC stepped in and decided to make things more efficient. A gene testing program brought Major John Sheppard into the program earlier, but budget constraints and international treaties have kept Dr. Jackson out of the antarctic. So now John has to find his own team--and his own geek--or he's in danger of being stuck in the mountain forever as a light switch. However, as the universe changes, fate forces some things to return to proper form, and other things… they get wildly out of control. John isn't sure how he came to be Earth's enemy, but he's going to have to deal with the cards he's dealt.

Teamwork by onthewaters, 24K, McShep and others, Rated E, Graphic Depictions of Violence There is an Earth where things have turned out a little differently, and the people who go to Atlantis aren't quite the ones we know. AKA The one where Rodney is a Mountie.

The Doctor and the Sheppard by @hero-in-waiting, 70K, McShep, Rated E They've been in Pegasus for a year before Rodney is finally allowed to go off-world to meet with the mysterious leader of a group of allies against the wraith. The first meeting goes well, sending them down a path none of them could've foreseen, and leaving Rodney with thoughts of the mysterious leader with his bright eyes and dark hair.

The Hard Prayer by Rheanna, 30K, McShep, Rated M One year after the end of the world, John meets another survivor.

In Sickness and in Health by @a-storm-of-roses, 31K, McShep, Rated E "So I told a little lie, just to get you back to Atlantis. It was the only way, so try not to get too mad. I told them we were married.” When John suffers a major, life-changing injury on Earth, Rodney must pretend to be his husband to ensure his return to Atlantis. As he struggles to navigate recovery and accept his new reality, John must also come to terms with his new role as Rodney's husband and the new dynamics in their relationship. A story of healing, recovery, loss, love, and acceptance.

Enigma by sgamadison, McShep, 32K, McShep, Rated E, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings During an off-world mission, a piece of Ancient technology transports Rodney and John on a one-way trip to a deserted airfield. Working together to get back, it takes a vivid dream to make Rodney realize what's been in front of him all along.

Bridges by bussaiko, 52K, McShep, Rated E Engineer Rodney McKay went to North Carolina's Crystal Coast to help his sister design a series of bridges. He hoped to rebuild his career following a professional disaster; he didn't expect to be drawn into the small community of Athos Island, where he found friendship and perhaps something more with helicopter pilot John Sheppard. But when Rodney tries to learn more about John's past, what he discovers might tear them apart. (non-Stargate AU)

Apocalypse Rising by sian1359, 81K, McShep, Rated M, Graphic Depictions of Violence The Goa'uld are not the only ones who covet Earth.

Zen and the Art of Jumper Maintenance by Indybaggins, 39K, McShep, Rated M The one where Rodney gets sucked in and John… follows. Featuring a quirky John, Rodney in orange robes, crazy Ancient-worship, sheep milking and jumpers that aren't broken but need to be fixed anyway.

Black Helicopters (series) by whizzy, 141K, McShep, Rated T-E but the first is M, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Screw the bet. Rodney was going to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Oh, and incidentally, he might just catch the United States Air Force with their pants around their ankles.

Pegasus Purgatorio by MrsHamill, 127K, McShep, Rated E, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings It is difficult to write a paradise when all the superficial indications are that you ought to write an apocalypse. It is obviously much easier to find inhabitants for an inferno or even a purgatorio. (Ezra Pound) Yeah, I'd say that about covers it, Ezra. John and Rodney are left behind when Atlantis (and, by extension, Pegasus) is evacuated. While returning to the Milky Way, they decide to bring a few friends along.

What A Wonderful Bunker You Would Make by ocdindeed, 50K, McShep, Rated M Summary in simple words: Rodney is recluse and John has a kid. Summary in not so simple words: Rodney McKay has given up on the world, living a simple life up on a mountain devoid of people. He likes it that way, at least he did until a kid with a full head of dark hair ambled up his dirt driveway and changed his sequestered life forever. (AU - Set during SG1 & Pre-SGA timeline.)

G******, Tramps, and Thieves* (series) by auburn, 372K, McShep and a whole lot more, Rated T-M, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, later fics Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Vala Mal Doran and her partners, renegades Jehan abd-Ba'al and Meredith McKay, hijack the Tau'ri ship Prometheus and leave the Milky Way behind in search of the Lost City of the Ancients, Atlantis.

*I censored this title due to a common racial slur

[livingforstars]

Mir Dreams - June 3rd, 1996.

"This dream-like image of Mir was recorded by astronauts as the Space Shuttle Atlantis approached the Russian Space Station prior to docking during the STS-76 mission. Sporting spindly appendages and solar panels, Mir resembled a whimsical flying insect as it orbited above New Zealand's South Island, near the Cook Strait. Atlantis shuttled astronaut Shannon W. Lucid to Mir for a 140 day visit, increasing the Mir's occupancy from two to three. It would return to pick Lucid up and drop off astronaut John Blaha during the STS-79 mission, which was scheduled for launch on July 31st, 1996."

[comradeboyhalo]

I had wrote a post a month ago about q!Bad's role in the narrative, and I want to revisit it. (Full disclaimer, this is just Not Real. I'm analyzing mcrp like a conventional narrative for fun. There are no actual "roles": every character is a main character.)

The analysis had come after months of Bad being a large part of lore, but not a major player. The mysteries and missions he went on were never his own. He was known as a strong fighter, until the codes directed their attention at Etoiles. He was second place in the election. Characters would get kidnapped or given enigmas, and q!Bad always played support. At the time, we were all impatient that he had no special Federation plotline after months of arriving on the island (no shade to the admins here - we're not talking meta).

But that brings us to present day, and suddenly Bad has become a very proactive character. His kids are gone, he has a motive, and suddenly he's the one changing the story. In literature, there is the trope of a "passive character": one that is affected by the story, one who is led by the plot. q!Bad is certainly not this character anymore. Instead of letting the Federation set the scene, he takes a page out of their book. He kidnaps one of theirs. Instead of theorizing about a spy like he did months ago, he's now actively feeding information to others to find a puppet. His skin is deteriorating due to his self-inflicted punishment. There has been a spike in posts and tweets about how Bad did [x] to [y] character. And that's what I'm talking about: Bad is moving his own plot. He is now what others react to.

And still. This is not Federation-designed. This is all on his hands. It's very rare that QSMP characters are so untouched by the Federation. Many characters are punished by the Federation. Many characters discover a storyline tied to the Federation. Many characters are experiments of the Federation. Bad has none of this. And I'm not at all saying this is unique to Bad, or that Bad is the only one who's actively moving his own plot, I just think that this provides a really interesting insight to Bad's character. (Again: this is a NON-META analysis! Every creator writes/helps writes their own storylines).

He is an extremely insular character. The Federation only investigated him when he made himself too hard to ignore. Aside from that? They do nothing. Secret shulker boxes? They were tied to Cellbit's lore. The tickets? Everyone ended up getting one. Imprisonment? Okay, but only for 15 minutes. He remembers his backstory, he remembers his life before the island. While the Federation could have interfered anytime in his lifetime, he's over 11,000 years old. His core trauma stems from (presumably) Atlantis. None of that is connected at all to the Federation. Drop q!Bad in another server, and nothing about his backstory changes. The more I think about it, the more odd it strikes me that Bad is an original islander, and he is so untouched by the Federation.

So this brings us to Bad's biggest Federation tie, which are the emails from before the server started. And even then, it implies that Bad is not a worker or an experiment, but a guest. And a special one, at that. It's very hard to take the emails as any definitive evidence, but what stands out to me is this quote:

"We are seeking quotes for the purchase of 1393 muffins to satisfy the extra demand of our special guest."

Each word here is the Federation catering to the special guest. The Federation has been given a demand, and they are fulfilling it. They are the reactionary party here. They are not the ones pulling the strings. They are not penning this story. It is the guest who is doing so, and, in theory, q!Bad.

So we come back to the same conclusion. Perhaps this has always been Bad's "role" - the special guest of Quesadilla Island. Invited to sit at the table, but not to give a speech. Perhaps he just never is going to get that Federation-tailored storyline because he is not meant to. His story started in Atlantis and he will always be pushing forward his own already-established plot. The Federation is just another antagonist in an already long, long tale. Everything he does is self-inflicted. Doesn't it make sense if this applies to the narrative as well?

[bambiilooza]

fantasy (human) AU that has been cooking in my mind for a while :

i'm calling this the lost temple au

i'm very attached to this i'll definately make art for it but imagine an atlantis (the vibes from the disney movie) inspired human AU but it's not atlantis but rather a hidden underwater city belonging to the vegimals. they are very godly and are a feared/worshipped and they actually live under a temple in the jungle.

also elemental magic is a thing cuz it's cool.

the world isn't modern but i don't know what time period

natquik went missing on his journey to this place so barnacles (+ tracker) are on a mission to relocate him and they met tweak along the way - i haven't figured out how exactly they meet though

the ship they travel on is the MV Manitoba

kwazii's granddad also went missing in his journey to this temple and he's on a mission to find him - he meets the other three when they all wash up on the same island or smth and kwazii's boat dies

also remember the elemental magic? yea kwazii can fire bend. why cuz i think it's cool. he makes a sword out of fire or smth

(the two missing old men have found each other and are besties)

peso and shellington met at university. shellington discovered the core 5 vegimals and is wanting to return them home - and trying to cope with the fact that he has to say bye bye to his babies. peso goes with him and along the way, grows more confident as he begins to be around more people - the rest of the crew - that respect him rather than undermine him

shellingto gives me milo thatch vibes and that's the whole reason this au exists

dashi and ryla are exploring the caves near this area - i need a name for it lmao - and meet the rest of the crew when peso and barnacles get stuck in the caves system. they help them out ofc and tag along cuz friendship

peso and barnacles meet while stuck in the caves and shellydoo meets the others while peso is gone. (and the other three meet the vegimals)

min and inkling are on a lil worldwide trip (cuz they're cute like that) and they meet the others while peso and barnacles are in the magic caves. and tag along (cuz friendship)

also min can airbend cuz i want her too. she has a bamboo staff - like aang in atla for reference.

selva actually lives in the temple with the vegimals as a wild forest plant princess type character. cuz i think that makes sense and she makes sure that other ppl stay away from the temple by talking through these giant iguana statues up front and scares people away

she also has plant magic

they meet paani (he has water powers) when they're in the desert before they meet the rest of crew and he initially steals their supplies to help his elephant - mabel - who (because i'm evil) is ill and may die. but then they get it and ofc help him.

peso and shellington meet him - he find them melting in the heat and helps them out cuz he learned kindness - after the other 4 are gone and peso somehow cures mabel cuz i'm not that evil. paani helps them get to the jungle but doesn't stay with them because this guy doesn't know how to rely on others.

that's all i have for now. if anoyone has questions plz ask, that helps me with worldbuilding.

[sokkas-secret-tunnel]

Atlantis is Beautiful in Ruins

Kaldur!Aqualad! x Demigod!Villain!Reader

MINORS DNI, 18+ ONLY Word Count: 560 Warnings: No warnings

"Oh, Kaldur! I'm bored! Come play with me!" You called as you dived into the water. The water always felt refreshing against your gills, especially after Robin threw his explosive Batarang you. The water healed you and made you more powerful.

"I won't let you get away!" Kaldur dived in after you, leaving his team to deal with yours. Kaldur was Atlantean meaning he was incredibly fast in the water, but not as fast as you. Kaldur started using his light-up tattoos to try and find you. "You can't hide."

You snuck up behind him in the murky water, "Sure I can," you whispered in his ear before swimming away.

"I will find you," Kaldur started swimming in the opposite direction from where you were.

"I hope you do!" You called while swimming in front of him. You were so fast that all Kaldur was able to see was a blur before you disappeared again. "I have a surprise for you, that is if you can find me."

"I will find you, and you and Ocean Master will pay for your crimes against Atlantis!" Kaldur kept his head on a swivel, trying to catch a glimpse of your movement.

"You always say that, but as soon as we're alone you let me go," You snuck up behind him again wrapped him in a hug, and kissed his cheek. "I think you're a big softie who actually likes play fighting with me."

Kaldur spun in your arms to face you, "Maybe I do." A few chaste kisses were shared between you two before Kaldur pulled away. "I assume you have your escape route planned."

"I'm always prepared," your hand starts to fidget with the strap that holds his water-bearers. "How much time do we have left?"

"I think my team is better than yours." Kaldur wore an uncharacteristic smirk.

"And why's that?" You pout.

"They've been waiting on me for the last five minutes." Kaldur pulls you closer for one last kiss, "Stay safe."

"You too." You say as you watch Kaldur swim to the surface and rendezvoused with his team.

You made your way out of the murky river easy enough, it was only a mile from your location to the open ocean. River water was fine, but ocean water is where you thrived. Once you hit the sea you swam to Infinity Island to meet with your mentors, Ocean Master, and the rest of The Light. You met Ocean Master and Ra's al Ghul when you reached the shore.

"The young heroes captured the rest of the squadron, where they'll be transported to Belle Reve, as you requested." You knelt in front of The Demon's Head, "I await further orders."

"You have done well, I'm pleased with your work." That was a high compliment from Ra's al Ghul.

"I assured you of their capabilities, did I not?" Ocean Master wadded into the sea. "Ra's has another mission for you, do me proud." With that, Ocean Master swam away to play house with his unsuspecting brother.

"How was young Kaldur'ahm?" Ra's asked nonchalantly like he was asking about the ocean temperature.

Feigning ignorance was futile, "He was fine," answering honestly was the best option.

"Not even attempting to lie?" Ra's smiled a little, "You have learned well. Stand." as you stood, Ra's turned inland. "Your next assignment is Santa Prisca."

[masterofdemise]

MFB: Solar Swap AU, What Does it Mean To Be Legendary?

I had a new idea for this AU and it completely spiraled so behold. I’m going to talk about one of the biggest events in this AU (that has no comparable event in canon Fury) and how it sparks a change in the side of good (and evil).

If you prefer to read on AO3, the link is here:

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/42298515/chapters/119563858

JOHANNES VS CYCNUS

Johannes versus Cycnus is not long after Beyster Island, when moral for the good side is quite low. Even with the good side having some legendary bladers like Pluto, Gingka, Herschel, Keyser and Rago, they also have yet to find Kyoya after the event of Atlantis Island (equivalent to Mist Mountain arc), Ryuga still shows no interest in helping them and Chris is revealed to be a legendary blader, but he’s working for Dynamis. Some are continuing to train (Gingka, Masamune, King who has just joined them), while others are moping (Tsubasa is seriously questioning his value to the team right about now). During this dead period of nothing really happening, Pluto and Johannes decide to go on a walk together to take their minds off of the unlucky string of events. In the meanwhile, Cycnus is still panicking and stressing over his recent loss to Rago during the Atlantis mission. Dynamis was not too pleased with Cycnus’s failure and insisted he catch his breath before getting any new orders. Desperate for Dynamis’s praise and wanting to prove himself, decides it is time to act on his own. Cycnus misinterprets Dynamis’s views on Pluto and thinks that if he kills Pluto on his own, Dynamis will be proud of Cycnus.

During Pluto and Johannes’s walk, Pluto worries about Johannes tagging along after he has got hurt trying to protect Pluto despite Pluto being the legendary blader. Johannes fires back and says that if anything, he is not doing a good enough job protecting Pluto. Before they can say anymore, Cycnus launches his bey directly at Pluto to take him down. Pluto is about to counter attack to protect himself but before he can, Johannes intervenes and chooses to battle Cycnus instead. Pluto is horrified and knowing how powerful Cycnus is, begs Johannes to not fight him in his stead since Cycnus is a very powerful legendary blader but Johannes doesn’t listen. Cycnus is annoyed and tries to attack Pluto again but is blocked once more by Johannes. Johannes, as Pluto’s bodyguard, refuses to allow any harm to come to Pluto.

As the battle heats up and they throw more and more insults at one another, Cycnus is so fed up, his pride so damaged, that he also threatens to harm Motti, who he has seen at Olympus Corp conversing with Yuki (she is a double agent and works on her own to eventually help out the WBBA later but Cycnus doesn’t know she is actually betraying Olympus). Cycnus hints that Motti is a traitor, but Johannes doesn't really care for that part and tells Cycnus that "No matter what, Pluto and Motti is my family, if she's being stupid then I'll set her straight. Even if she can be an idiot, she is my sister and I won't let a loser puppet like you lay a finger on her". In the end, Johannes wins as Cycnus runs away in shame.

How though? Isn’t Johannes not a legendary blader while Cycnus is? Let me explain. Legendary nladers are indeed more powerful than regular ones, but not by a lot. Regular Bladers still have the potential to defeat legendary bladers if they do not have a strong will or spirit and this is most clearly displayed in Johannes versus Cycnus. Johannes wins because his motivation to protect the people he loves (Motti, Pluto) is far stronger than Cycnus’s one-sided admiration for Dynamis, which isn’t even that strong because his pride hinders him and Rago challenging Cycnus’s beliefs has left Cycnus in a twisted and confused state. Cycnus cannot win because deep down, his blader spirit is next to nothing when compared to Johannes because Cycnus doesn’t know what he really wants for him or Cygnus. Johannes doesn't just protect Pluto because it's his job, or protect Motti because he is obligated to as her brother, but because he genuinely loves them both and wants to protect them of his own volition. Johannes knows exactly what he wants from himself and its to protect the people he loves so he can preserve the things they have.

Johannes versus Cycnus largely affects both the allies and all the villains in their approach in stopping or trying to revive Nemesis.

THE EFFECTS ON OLYMPUS CORP

Dynamis returns from successfully cursing and kidnapping Rago after a rigged battle where Dynamis cheated, and Yuki returns from Beyster Island with the good news that Chris is the final legendary blader they need. The two of them congratulate the other as they are a step closer to reviving Nemesis. All is going well until Cycnus barges in with injuries from his fight with Johannes. Cycnus tells Dynamis everything and apologizes for failure to kill Pluto. Dynamis is enraged that Cycnus acted without consulting him and even tried to kill his main rival.Dynamis calls Cycnus “useless” and an “idiot” for fighting them and still having nothing to show, especially after Atlantis where Dynamis had to bring Rago himself to make up for Cycnus’s first failure. Dynamis has never wanted to kill or purposely cheat against Pluto because as much as he fights with his rival, he also heavily respects him and wants to be the one and only one to defeat him. So when Dynamis hears that Cycnus tried to take him down in such a manner, Dynamis is furious at this act, especially since Cycnus is the legendary blader in the situation and despite trying his hardest, still lost.

Yuki, slightly concerned over Johannes since he is Motti's brother, asks how Cycnus lost to Johannes of all people. Cycnus also then reveals how he threatened Motti the same way he did to Pluto. Yuki has been friends with Motti the whole time outside of work so he feels a lot of concern since he cares for Motti a lot. While Yuki just calls Cycnus an idiot in the room, in reality, he is terrified and worried about putting Motti in danger whenever she goes into the Olympus Corporation building. Even though Yuki never really listened to Motti telling him to stop working for Olympus because he was so dead set loyal to Dynamis before, now he is feeling conflicted. He knows Dynamis would never threaten Motti because she is too much of an “insignificant flea” in his plans to change anything, now he has to worry about Cycnus going too far and hurting his “best friend”. This feeling of doubt and uncertainty lingers inside Yuki until he eventually betrays Dynamis in the end after Nemesis is revived successfully. This doubt also spreads to the Beylin Fist, who also can’t really condone such harming of innocent people (Motti) in such a manner after rumors spread of Cycnus’s failure.

THE EFFECTS ON THE ALLIES

Johannes defeating Cycnus is a huge revelation and realization for the allies because it proves to everyone that it is possible for non-legendary bladers to defeat powered up legendary bladers. Anyone can be a powerful blader, even without bonus legendary powers, because it's about spirit and passion, not just skill and some magic flying rock.

One of the two people who were most affected by their losses against the legendary bladers are Masamune and Tsubasa (Ryuga and Chris respectively). Masamune is the most obvious one and not much changes from canon since King still gives him that sunset speech (with just a tiny bit of adjustment to fit the AU). Tsubasa however, is a different story. Tsubasa was tasked with finding legendary bladers and was kept away from his friends for a period of time. When all the legendary bladers were found and he was not one, he became frustrated with others and himself. Why were people like Cycnus and Ryuga selected as legendary bladers instead of him? Was he not responsible enough, strong enough, did he not have enough spirit? Tsubasa in his disappointed state, is unable to enjoy any of his training sessions because he is starting to base his worth on the fact that he was not a legendary blader. He begins to forget about his blader spirit, until Johannes comes back victorious.

When they first met, Tsubasa did not view Johannes highly as he saw him as overly reckless and chaotic. After Johannes defeats Cycnus however, he gains a new found respect for him. Tsubasa asks Johannes how he did it and beat the impossible. Johannes bluntly responds, “I just won.” Tsubasa tries to find a reasoning for this by asking if Johannes cheated or used some sort of trick but Johannes tells Tsubasa that his reasoning is the sound of someone who is “weak and just tries to find excuses”. Tsubasa yells at him for the insult but Johannes clarifies that he’s not talking about his skill, but his willpower and confidence in himself. Tsubasa still confused, Johannes has to remind Tsubasa on what blading spirit really means. If you already admit to yourself that you can’t fight the legendary bladers, you have already lost. Johannes, not much of a motivational speaker, tells Tsubasa that the title of legendary blader doesn’t mean anything other than their role to form the barrier, and that he is still just much of a powerful blader as the likes of Gingka and Kyoya. Tsubasa realizes that his love for Beyblade does not and should not change just because of a star fragment. Tsubasa later converses with Gingka and when he realizes that Gingka still sees Tsubasa as a worthy rival despite the power difference, Tsubasa finally has his motivation returned. Tsubasa tells himself that when Nemesis is finally defeated, he is going to keep striving for his best and to continue helping out with the Beyblade scene so that others can continue to pursue their dreams too.

Other non-legendary bladers like Toby Zeo, and Benkei also have a boost in motivation, not just in their hopes of saving the world from destruction, but also in the way that it really isn’t impossible for them to eventually catch up to and rival their legendary blader friends. They don’t need to give up on their dreams of being the strongest bladers because they have just as much potential to achieve that title as other people do.

Despite all the recent losses that the protagonists have to suffer through, the group realizes that there is still hope, this hope being their blader spirit and fighting passion. With things finally starting to look up, they all prepare to head off into the end game to stop the revival of Nemesis.

[aeoki]

Atlantis - Clown: Chapter 3

Location: ES Reception Room Characters: Eichi & Wataru Season: Autumn

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< A flashback. A few months earlier. ES Building – Reception Room >

Eichi: That’s the work offer from the Z. K. Zaibatsu – no, it’s from Z. K. Amano Hashidate.

What do you say? Will you take it on? Personally, I would really appreciate it if you said yes…

Wataru: Hmm. If we’re just talking about my personal feelings here without considering the losses and gains, then I would like to accept.

It’s a rare opportunity to completely turn into someone else. I think it will be an enjoyable work offer that will be worth the challenge as an actor.

Eichi: The job is more similar to that of a spy as opposed to an actor, though.

Now that I see you’re on board, I’ll brief you on the details. This job is something urgent that I’d like you to begin right away – today, if possible.

You have until the termination date of “Project-ATLANTIS”. At the very least, I’d like you to continue with this job until that gets back on track.

An ES outpost will be built on land that is taboo in the idol industry. Normally, that would have been an impossible project.

But the Z. K. Zaibatsu has great influence over that land and if we can gain their cooperation, then this project may be realised.

No. In order for that to happen, I approached the Z. K. Zaibatsu with a cooperation proposal. This job offer is their answer to my proposal.

Prepare a “fake” Z. K. Amano Hashidate and that “fake” will oversee “Project-ATLANTIS”.

Strictly speaking, I’d prefer “fine” to be the ones to oversee it. And the “fake” Z. K. Amano Hashidate will cooperate with us – that will be the ideal picture.

Wataru: What is the point of having a “fake”, then? I don’t know much about this Z. K. person, but is there a reason why they cannot do it themselves?

Eichi: Right. The Z. K. Zaibatsu and the Tenshouin Zaibatsu are sworn enemies that are closely connected to one another.

On the surface, Z. K. Amano Hashidate cannot cooperate with us. She may want to but the people around us will certainly not allow it.

That’s why this time, I don’t want to make it look as if it was the Z. K. Zaibatsu’s doing, but rather Z. K. Amano Hashidate who behaved recklessly on her own.

It wasn’t the Z. K. Zaibatsu who will be cooperating with the Tenshouin Zaibatsu, but Z. K. Amano Hashidate herself.

Wataru: I can’t understand what millionaires are thinking, but in that case, wouldn’t that leave Z. K. Amano Hashidate-san in an unfavourable position?

It would mean she had betrayed her family, behaved recklessly and helped their sworn enemy…

Oh, wait? I see. I understand now!

I see, I see~ That’s why a “fake” is needed.

Eichi: Exactly. After “Project-ATLANTIS” is completed thanks to our partnership, Z. K. Amano Hashidate will be labelled a traitor and will definitely be criticised by her family. 

Then she can respond as follows: “I don’t recall that happening. The one who did that was the ‘fake’ who pretended to be me.”

Naturally, she’ll also provide evidence for her absence. She’ll make up an alibi and say that she snuck away, having fun on an island in the south or something.

While she was away, her “fake” was acting suspiciously, but she herself would know nothing about it…

In fact, she would insist that she was a victim in the matter.

And there will be evidence supporting her absence, so no one can blame her.

Otherwise, the ones blaming her will look like horrible people. 

By using these tricks, the Tenshouin and Z. K. families will have succeeded in a partnership for the first time. In other words, it’ll be a rare and unprecedented event.

Wataru: Hmm. So you want me to act as the “fake” in this plan, correct?

Eichi: Yeah. I believe you can pull it off. No, this is an important mission I can only ask you to carry out.

There is no one in the world who is a better actor than you. And amongst those actors, you’re the only one I can trust.

Wataru: Hehehe, it seems the bar is set quite high.

Eichi: Yeah. I lived my life making a lot of enemies along the way, after all. I don’t regret doing that and it’s also precisely why your existence is so dazzlingly beautiful.

What do you say, Wataru? Let’s play a trick on those old men who keep complaining about the enmity of the past ♪

Wataru: Amazing! This seems very amusing so I shall accept!

I, Wataru Hibiki, shall do everything in my power– no, I swear it on my pride as an actor to complete the mission! I won’t betray your trust, Eichi!

…But I have a question. Why did this Z. K. Amano Hashidate person agree to go along with such a prank?

The Tenshouin Zaibatsu and the Z. K. Zaibatsu are long-time enemies, no?

Eichi: Yeah. Actually, we first met as enemies.

The interests of the businesses we managed happened to overlap quite some time ago. We settled it privately before the situation escalated into a conflict, though.

After all, if two zaibatsus were to have a full-on conflict, then regardless of who wins, the only thing left in its wake would be burning fields.

I met her for the first time during our negotiations there. We both complained about our families as part of our small talk and we hit it off. Our positions are similar so we could empathise with one another.

That was the “beginning” and now we’re digital penpals who complain to each other once in a while.

Wataru: Digital penpals? Eichi, you can sound like an old man at times.

Eichi: I couldn’t think of a better word.

Hajime-kun sometimes tells me, “Eichi Onii-chan, your messages occasionally resemble that of a middle-aged man.” He means nothing bad by it but I can’t help but feel disheartened.

Wataru: Hmm… Anyway, it’s because you have this secret and trivial connection that you were able to ask her for her help in this matter, right?

Eichi: Yeah. The Z. K. Zaibatsu has completely withdrawn from Japan, after all. In reality, they might not even have an ounce of interest in “Project-ATLANTIS”.

But I need their cooperation in order for this matter to succeed no matter what.

And that’s where I said, “Please, Amano Hashidate-chan~ Uncle Eichi needs your help.”

Then she replied with something along the lines of “Very well. This uncle is a hopeless one.” We discussed it between ourselves afterwards and came up with this plan.

Wataru: I see you get along quite well with her.

Eichi: I do. Oh, I don’t want you to misunderstand, but she already has a fiancee.

It seems she truly loves her fiancee from the bottom of her heart, so there is no chance of anything happening between us.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.12 (after 1920)

1920 – The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty is signed, by which Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of Lithuania. 1943 – World War II: Battle of Kursk: German and Soviet forces engage in the Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest armored engagements of all time. 1948 – Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla. 1960 – Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded. 1961 – Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people. 1961 – ČSA Flight 511 crashes at Casablanca–Anfa Airport in Morocco, killing 72. 1963 – Pauline Reade, 16, disappears in Gorton, England, the first victim in the Moors murders. 1967 – Riots begin in Newark, New Jersey. 1971 – The Australian Aboriginal Flag is flown for the first time. 1973 – A fire destroys the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States. 1975 – São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal. 1979 – The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom. 1995 – Chinese seismologists successfully predict the 1995 Myanmar–China earthquake, reducing the number of casualties to 11. 1998 – The Ulster Volunteer Force attacked a house in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a petrol bomb, killing the Quinn brothers. 2001 – Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-104, carrying the Quest Joint Airlock to the International Space Station. 2006 – The 2006 Lebanon War begins. 2007 – U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against armed insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, where civilians are killed; footage from the cockpit is later leaked to the Internet. 2012 – Syrian Civil War: Government forces target the homes of rebels and activists in Tremseh and kill anywhere between 68 and 150 people. 2012 – A tank truck explosion kills more than 100 people in Okobie, Nigeria. 2013 – Six people are killed and 200 injured in a French passenger train derailment in Brétigny-sur-Orge.

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

Then what the fuck is stopping us from just

throwing ourselves off a bridge

and giving up and saying, yeah,

the planet is dying,

the government hates us,

the animals are leaving,

the aliens aren't contacting us,

we might be alone,

it just might be you and me,

but that's ok, cause do you really need anyone else?

[the-atlantis-project]

The Atlantis Project

(Photo Transcriptions available below the cut. I really wanted it to be pretty so it’s all screenshots, sorry.)

Begin Photo Transcriptions:

-Photo One: A series of ten lettters from the writing system called Atlantean. 

-Photo Two: Screenshot of text. All of it is center aligned. The first line of writing is in bold and says, “‘I meet you’ in Atlantean.” The word Atlantean is in italics. On the next line there are five tildes to seperate the lines of text. The third line is written in a smalled font and says “On this page you will find lore, worldbuilding, a created language, far too many details for one story, and a smattering of memes created just for fun.” This is followed by five tildes again. The next line says, “‘The Atlantis Project’ is a historical fantasy story told in two parts.” This screenshot ends with five tildes.

-Photo Three: The first line says: “The First:” The second line says “1957 London” in bold. It is followed by three paragraphs of text. “A retired Army soldier turned historian Endeavor Amadeo is approached by an old friend with a mission unlike any other. He is tasked with finding the lost continent of Atlantis, a feat deemed impossible by many. But Amadeo has more up his sleeve than he is willing to share. He carries with him the stories of generations of Atlanteans that fled their country, artifacts that fill a shoebox that now encompassed the whole of a continent's identity, and a language that has not been spoken in centuries. He is joined by the crew of the Macon Rhodes and Admiral William Moore for his journey. The Admiral will become a welcomed friend during the months of travel throughout the Mediterranean Sea, south of Europe, and the northernmost coast of Africa.A story of riddles and puzzles and finding lost things with the help of an eager naval crew and a newfound friend.” This photo also ends with five tildes.

-Photo Four: The first line says “The Second:” The second line says “1200 BC Atlantis” in bold. It is followed by three paragraphs of text and two lines of writing that are one sentence each. It says “The continent of Atlantis has thrived untouched for many centuries in its spot in the Atlantic ocean, the home of their goddess Noseah. The ten sons, created from the mountain’s own hand, each crafted kingdoms with an individual purpose and a beauty of their own. In the centuries that followed their creation the ten kingdoms of Atlantis created a space of their own on their islands.Of these ten kingdoms, the two queens of Autochita, the northernmost island, have chosen to pass on the rule of the kingdom to their son, Naheel.But, before he can be king, he must first honor the journey that the mountains took to create the ten sons. He must travel to the nine islands and take part in the culture and beauty of each, to fully grasp the effect that each of the kingdoms has on his own. Prince Naheel begins his journey in the grasslands of Gadeiria, with a handsome guard who is sworn to protect him no matter what.This is a story of a Prince’s journey to become king.And it is the story of how Atlantis came to sink and be lost in the sea it once worshiped.” This photo also ends with five tildes.

-Photo Five (the last): The first line says in bold “Information About This Tumblr.” This is followed by three bullet points. The first: “This is mostly just for fun, I like to share the process of working on this project with people and I thought that this page would be the best way.” The second, which is bold and italics, “Everything found on this page is my own creation, unless otherwise specified.” The last bullet point says: “While the story itself does not (yet) have a name, it has been referred to consistently as the “Atlantis Story” or “Atlantis Project” in all of my notes and research that I have conducted over the past few years.” This screenshot ends with five tildes.

End Photo Transcriptions.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #314: "Along Came A Spider..."

February, 1990

Guest-Starring the Amazing SPIDER-MAN! INTO THE VOID!

The world has apparently been replaced by a void but yet the headline is "Spider-Man hangs out with Avengers"?

Weird priorities, cover text and also title of issue.

Jarvis is on the cover but doesn't get a "guest-starring Edwin Jarvis" caption? That's BS!

Anyway.

Last times in Avengers: just a whole bunch of stuff. Atlantis Attacks and Acts of Vengeance back to back. Avengers Island sank and the grounds of Avengers Park suffered significant damage.

The Avengers have given up on the whole island headquarters thing, despite having only just moved into it. They're moving back to Avengers Park where the old Avengers Mansion was located. And they're gonna make it bigger this time!

(It was already variably big so whatever.)

Iron Man lands and invites himself into the conversation that Cap is having with I guess the construction foreman.

The guy, Mr. Withers, thinks they'll need blasting permits to expand the sub-structure like the Avengers want. But Iron Man ironsplains that the additions fit pretty closely to what's already there.

Despite abandoning the original Avengers Mansion site and moving the whole mansion to Avengers Island, all the original sub-basements were maintained, including plumbing and electrical. So that part of the new HQ construction job is already done.

He knows because Tony Stark told him, wink.

Captain America has a similar reaction that "New" Iron Man got with the West Coast Avengers.

Gosh, he certainly knows everything Tony Stark knows. And Cap knows that Iron Man was Tony Stark. But the original Iron Man supposedly died after Armor Wars. But Tony Stark is still around. And now there's a supposedly new Iron Man.

But if "new" Iron Man is Tony, why won't he admit it to his good pals?

Anyway, Thor takes a giant ball of debris from the site to deposit in a government land-fill in New Jersey.

There might be proprietary technology mixed in so they'll have to sort through it all but the land-fill will let them keep it out of the way but still under guard.

Mr. Withers: "Wow! Y'know, I've read about Thor, even seen him onna TV..." Iron Man: "But up close he does kind of take your breath away. I know. And you know something, Withers? You just never get used to it!"

Cap, overhearing this exchange: HM BUT IF YOU WERE A NEW IRON MAN, YOU'D HAVE BARELY BEEN AROUND THOR AT ALL.

Tony, just confide in your damn friends so they don't stand around =_= at you all day.

Since Iron Man somehow knows everything about the sub-basements, Captain America decides to head off on a mission of his own.

With his pilot, John Jameson and the newly fixed Quinjet. Yes, the one that crashed during Acts of Vengeance has been made like new.

I suppose if Quinjets get destroyed as often as they have been, it saves money to repair what can be.

Cap's mission?

Recruitment!

Cap has John hover outside Sersi's apartment so he can go inside and proposition her.

No, not like that.

Sersi is decorating for Christmas. While Eternals aren't really down with Buddy Christ, Sersi also doesn't let a good excuse to party pass her by.

She also wants to bang Cap probably but he's here on business. Between the Negative Zone trip and her help in Atlantis Attacks and y'know, there is an Eternal vacancy since that Gilgamesh guy went on medical leave... Sersi, will you join the Avengers?

Meanwhile, Thor is carrying the large garbage ball New Jerseyward when suddenly the world goes photo-negative and he drops the dang thing.

And as unluck would have it? He dropped it right over a school!

Dangit, Thor!

Thor yells at the mortals to scatter but realizes that when the ball drops, its going to shotgun razor sharp shrapnel everywhere.

His only other thought is to hit the ball with Mjolnir, which solves a lot of problems but wouldn't this time. It'd just knock it down faster.

But then a wonderful sound: thwiiippt!

And then vvrrooosh!

Tethered by something, instead of hitting the playground, the ball of garbage swings like a pendulum.

This gives Thor the opportunity to throw Mjolnir from a lower vantage point. Throw it so hard it embeds in the ball. Then he hops the fence, books it to a big, clear area, and summons Mjolnir (and the garbage ball) back to himself.

He catches it, pulls out Mjolnir, and sets the garbage sphere down.

A guy: "Wow! Thor... That was somethin' else!!" Thor: "Verily? What was it then, I wonder?"

Thor is down with modern slang.

Thor calls Spider-Man to come out, since he recognized his webbing tethering the trash orb.

He asks if the wall-crawler also felt the world go photo-negative.

And not in the exact same way, no. But something made his spider-sense scream at him.

Thor realizes that this is bigger than a giant ball of garbage so he abandons that where he set it down. And tells Spider-Man they need to get to Avengers HQ like now!

Spider-Man: "But... But I'm not an Avenger...?? Thor...?"

Oh, Spider-Man! You act like you've never been dragged into a crossover or guest star spot before!

And I know you have.

Meanwhile, at Sersi's apartment, both Sersi and Captain America felt the photo-negativity too.

Cap describes it as feeling like "my whole head had turned inside out" and it is very alarming that Sersi felt the same. If it floored too strong people like them, what are normal peeps feeling?

No, really, what are normal peeps feeling? In the Thor drops garage scene, we only see people reacting in fear to the giant garbage drop, not being floored by photo-negativity.

But over with Cap and Sersi, pilot John Jameson is so affected he can't fly the Quinjet and Cap has to budge him over to take the controls.

John Jameson: "Awful. As if... something had got inside me and turned every cell in my body upside down. I haven't felt anything like it since I was freed of the curse that used to transform me into the Man-Wolf!"

Okay, so, John is/was a super-powered weirdo too. Maybe its only affected superheroes and adjacent people.

(Also, Sersi decided to join the Avengers, at least in regards to this newest crisis. And she molecularly shifts her duds into a fur-lined version of her green swimsuit costume.)

The scene shift proves me wrong. All the construction crew have been knocked a loop by the whatsit. Which Vision (oh, hi, Vision) calls "some kind of flux, an atomic inversion."

And Vision's robot ears can hear thousands of people around the park moaning in pain. So the effect is widespread.

Iron Man himself is about as weak as the normal construction dudes but his armor is keeping him upright and moving.

Captain America and co arrive, reporting that the inversion effect was as widespread as Sersi's apartment.

Iron Man: "That's bad. As an Eternal, she's in complete mental control of every atom of her body at all times. For her to be hit..." Sersi: "... The effect must have been most powerful and insidious."

A good reason to have a super-powerful character on a superhero team is not just for how good they can beat people up. But so they can feel disturbances in the Force and go 'guys, shit is BAD.'

Meanwhile, the PolyDyne Lab with Professor Harker and Nebula.

Nebula in her generic blonde lady disguise and the professor are also woozied by the photo-negativity. The professor calls it an unexpected glitch but can't explain why it happened.

Nebula: "Old fool! Your so-called compressor holds the key to vast power, and you tell me now there are things about it you cannot predict?"

She calls her Rigellian henchman, Gunthar, who is in a spaceship orbiting Earth and wow, geez, he was knocked out by the effect too.

It's widespread enough to affect orbit!

Damn, Professor Harker!

Scratch that, Gunthar checked the sub-space communications grid and the effect actually covered AT LEAST the entire galaxy!

Damn, Professor Harker! You've moved up from blowing up your own house.

Nebula changes gears from yelling at Harker to being impressed how powerful the compressor is. She has Gunthar (that is such a penguin name) calculate the full extent of the effect.

Gunthar: "I have already done so, my lady... But I cannot believe my findings! According to the automatic scanners, at the precise moment the Earthling Harker's compressor reached within .0000000000000000001 percent of its maximum efficiency... the entire universe flashed out of existence!"

Holy shit!

Nebula is surprised that she stumbled assbackwards into such a source of power. So is Starfox, who is lurking in secret on Gunthar's ship.

He had no idea Nebula would come so close to becoming as powerful as Thanos or that Starfox would find it so difficult to stop her.

(Hey, Eros, a thought? Just blow up the PolyDyne facility. Duh.)

Gunthar cautions Nebula that while blinking the universe out of existence IS neat and it seems safe to continue testing, some undefined, mysterious "he" might be aggroed by all this and then bad things.

Back at Avengers Subbasement Serving As Headquarters Until The Mansion Gets Rebuilt, Captain America and Vision contact the West Coast Avengers.

Hank Pym confirms that the photo-negativity atomic inversion effect was even felt as far as California.

Hm. I think this scene contacting the West Coast Avengers should have gone before we learned the effect went as far as THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Learning that it affected California is a bit of a 'no shit' situation. The Avengers are behind the audience.

(Also, I wonder when this is happening in conjunction with the Evil Scarlet Witch stuff. That arc happens right after Acts of Vengeance and nobody fell over shouting 'OW, MY ATOMS!' so I have to assume this is after all of that.)

Sersi finishes her psychic scan and reports that everyone on Earth felt the same effect.

Vision extrapolates that such a widespread effect MUST be outside the four fundamental forces.

I don't follow his logic but it's leading him in the right direction.

Vision: "In effect, something which cancelled out those forces." Wasp: "Canceled as in...?" Dr Pym: "That's impossible, Vision. if the four forces binding our universe together were to be cancelled..." Vision: "... The universe would cease to exist. Which is precisely what seems to have happened, Dr. Pym."

Wow, Vision. You really logiced your way into exactly what is happening.

Now the Avengers aren't behind the audience so much.

Hank guesses "the only thing that could really pack enough power to achieve the effect would be another universe encroaching on our plane of existence!"

Huh. He predicted Secret Wars (2015) way before it happened.

Captain America recalls that the Fantastic Four encountered the Beyonder or someone similar recently and wonders if the photo-negativity is a prelude to another Beyonder invasion.

Hank doesn't want to think about that. And unfortunately, there isn't enough data to make a good theory on the cause. They have no choice but to wait for it to happen again and hope that it doesn't.

Back at the PolyDyne lab, Nebula starts shouting at the lab people, telling them to start up the compressor again.

Nebula: "That was nearly it! That was the ultimate power I seek!!"

A goggled lab man protests the flux was a totally unanticipated effect and Professor Harker backs him up. BECAUSE. His calculations indicated something like this could happen... he just didn't tell anyone because it would have gotten in the way of him getting funding.

You dipshit!

YOU CALCULATED THE UNIVERSE MIGHT BLINK OUT OF EXISTENCE AND YOU BUILT THE MACHINE ANYWAY?

Go to your room!

Nebula is equally angry in the opposite direction.

Nebula: "You dare speak so to the granddaughter of Thanos? I have crossed and recrossed the universe seeking a source of energy that would elevate me to the position of power and fear he once commanded! I shall not be frustrated now!"

Two of the lab workers briefly discuss what the hell Nebula's deal is. She wasn't part of the deal between PolyDyne and Professor Harker. So either she was Harker's secret benefactor all along... or she's nuts.

GUYS. SHE'S NUTS. She's talking about ultimate power and Thanos! Someone pull the plug!

Starfox shows himself to Gunthar and knocks the Rigellian out with a judicious application of his PLEASURE POWER.

You're not beating the creepy powers allegation yet, Starfox.

He takes over the radio and tries to contact the Avengers but gets choked out by another of Nebula's minions before he can get further than "Starfox calling the Avengers!"

Jarvis does report to the Avengers that Starfox tried to contact them.

Sersi: "Eros? Of the Eternals of Titan? What's wrong...?" Captain America: "Easy, Sersi. I know your own race of Eternals is distantly related to the dwellers of the Saturnian moon, but there may not be anything to get upset about here..."

Jesus, Cap.

She's thousands of years older than you. Give her some credit for controlling her emotions. Reflexive sexism isn't a good look on you.

Jarvis backs up Sersi's worry because Starfox was unable to complete the transmission before it was cut off. And because of the way it was cut off, Jarvis guesses Eros didn't cut the connection but was stopped.

Captain America checks and sees that the Subbasement's communications equipment managed to track the signal to beyond the orbit of the Moon.

Iron Man suspects that it must have something to do with the current crisis. He interfaces with the Subbasement's computers to run the data through his armor systems.

Cap once again =_= at Iron Man and thinks he's AWFULLY familiar with all the Avengers equipment. Could Tony REALLY have briefed a completely new guy so thoroughly?

Tony, just TELL them. God.

Iron Man finishes tracking the signal and takes Vision to go check it out.

As those two tear out, Thor and Spider-Man tear in.

Spider-Man wonders if they should go with Iron Man and Vision, wherever they're going. But Thor says nay because they didn't come all the way to Avengers Subbasement to NOT find out what's going on.

They arrive just in time to get hit by back to back photo-negativity.

I don't know why but the idea that briefly not existing hurts like hell is kind of funny to me.

The Avengers are blinking in and out of existence and fuck ow. Their atoms don't like it!

I don't know what effect that would have realistically because what here is realistic? But if I had to guess an effect, I'd guess... mostly mental effects. Confusion, dread, stuff like that. But, no. It hurrrrrrts.

Even though the Avengers were waiting for another flux, now that they've gotten three in a row, the Subbasement's instruments can't tell them anything substantive.

Cap asks Sersi if she can do anything about this barrage of not existing.

She grants that hypothetically it is something she can do.

As an Eternal, she controls every atom in her body by force of will. And of the Eternals, she is the most skilled at molecular transmutation.

Hypothetically, she should be able to protect all the atoms in this room from the effect.

Even though another flux comes while she's preparing, Sersi holds strong and successfully protects the room.

Sersi: "Whatever force this is, I shall not let it master me! I am Sersi! I am an Eternal born! I... WILL... NOT... FAIL!"

But... even though she succeeded, Spider-Man notices something very odd on the external security feed.

As in, there is no outside anymore.

Universe gone.

What a place to end an issue!

Gotta laugh at Spider-Man seeing a blank monitor and (correctly) leaping to the conclusion that the universe broke rather than that the monitor did.

Also, gotta laugh at Sersi choosing now to still keep being horny for Cap. I have no idea how she ended up with Black Knight instead. No offense to Dane but some offense to Dane.

Next week, more Evil Scarlet Witch.

I'm getting excited about Avengers (East Coast) again. It's been kind of spinning its wheels during Byrne's run and then back to back events. But I'm looking forward to seeing where this one is going. And the other book has Evil Scarlet Witch so at least I have one book that I'm excited to read.

Follow @essential-avengers because I'll never flick the universe off and on like a light switch. I'm courteous. Like and reblog and comment and applaud as the mood moves you.

[wanderingmind867]

Group 1 (Namorita, Andromeda, She-Hulk, Daimon Helstrom and Hellcat): Considering this group only set out to protect and save Atlantis, you'd think they'd have the most normal mission ahead of them. That becomes clearly untrue when they arrive to find atlantis has completely vanished. No traces of it anywhere. The invading armies are even missing. It's like there's nothing there.

They only begin to notice something is wrong they go in for a closer look. Something like a force field appears to keep stopping them in their tracks, although they barely notice due to the very lifelike illusions. By the time they finally realize something really weird is going on, they've been ambushed by a new super-villian and his giant mechanical killer whale.

This new villian is a sea captain whose grandfather died during a feud with atlantis over his immoral, unethical and downright strange methods of killing whales. He killed so many in such a short span of time, to the point where the atlanteans knew they had to do something to stop him. So they collectively lead an attack on his ship, and caused it to sink into the watery depths below.

Growing up hearing tales of his grandfather's death from his father (the only survivor of the attack), our vengeful young lad has spent ages planning this attack. He even had a giant killer whale robot built for just this purpose. But atlantis is already gone by the time he gets there. And as befitting a zealot with a temper and a prejudice towards atlanteans, he's outraged and doesn't take it well.

In a fit of rage (and possibly realizing that killing two atlanteans is better for him than killing none at all), he abducts Namorita and Andromeda and knows the other three heroes unconscious with his ships laser cannon. By the time She-Hulk, Helstrom and Hellcat wake up, he's gone. He's already bound for his headquarters: a deserted island off the coast of Africa.

This ends up leading to Black Panther somehow getting involved, as our intrepid set of 4 heroes head off to stop this madman from killing Namorita and Andromeda. I don't actually know how the rest of this little story would go, but I think this is a great start. I don't know how to resolve the atlantis storyline, though. I suppose that's a question for someone more versed in namor's comics, though.

The one thing I have to add: When this group of four (Black Panther leaves after the fight on the deserted island) finishes freeing atlantis from it's many enemies, Daimon Helstrom, She-Hulk and Hellcat head back to Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum (Andromeda and Namorita will stay back in Atlantis, for now). When they arrive at the Sanctum however, a very strange sight awaits their eyes: it's Nighthawk! Somehow (just like with all the dead new defenders) Kyle Richmond has come back from the dead!

[positivelybeastly]

Years ago, "the beast of Krakoa" turned an Orchis agent into a Pollack painting for an abducted--very pregnant--Woolf as she'd gone into labor. Very high drama. Lots of crossroads moments, not to mention bald spots on Hank's arms where she'd accidentally ripped fur out of his arms from the nerves.

(Namor found out later, and Hank probably holds that against him, not that Hank needed an excuse to hold anything against the King of Atlantis at this point.)

Hank's third "nephew" is a surprise--literally thought to be water weight, and the situation is so ridiculous it's hard to process it all, or think anything other than "shit, dude" or "mutant lives are weird.' Especially since Woolf is sitting in a big comfy chair outside the lab, a jar in her arms full of--baby water.

Yeah, it's been a long couple of days scouring the island for a sentient water puddle--not because the many psychics on the island couldn't detect the brand new mind, but because said puddle eventually rolled off into the Broken Baths and--well, it was a mess.

As the infant sloshes around, Tess raises her head, takes one look at Hank... and bursts into tears.

Is this hilarious? Is it sad? (Is Namor unaware again?) Can the universe just... let Hank have some rest?

"I have a baby in a jar!" she wails, and holds it tight to her.

The bursting into tears catches the emotionally shellshocked husk that had only just gotten used to calling itself Hank McCoy again by surprise, and he starts, thinking for a moment that he was the one to prompt it. It wasn't hard to believe, after all - even now, even after he had been judged and left to fulfil his sentence, people still looked at him with sorrow, pity, hatred, fury, disgust, curiosity, sometimes all of them and more. Tears wasn't a hard one to understand.

"You - have a baby in a jar, yes . . ."

His voice doesn't have nearly the same musical quality as before, none of the bombast, but it isn't the cold, cruel snarl it had been when he was leading X-Force, either, so we'll take it. The island will take it. He just sounds - baffled, because he is. All the knowledge of how to deal with wailing, crying women had been deleted, replaced with tactical movements, intelligence secrets, torture methods - only for that, also, to be deleted, leaving him with . . . well. Yes.

Bafflement.

But as he looks at Tess, there's a spark in him, if only for a moment. A flint catches his soul in just the right way, and he finds it in him to - smile. It's the same spark that propelled him to intervene on her behalf in the first place, that day, years ago, when he'd done what everyone had thought was no longer possible for him, and put someone, a person, ahead of the mission.

There's a separate discussion to be had, there, about the fact that even his moment of redemption came at the cost of someone else's life. Just one more black blot on his soul that would never wash out, but. It's not. About that, right now. No, right now, he needs to be. He needs. To be.

He brings up a hand and lays it on Tess' shoulder, squeezes. He finds it in him to smile a little wider.

"Tess."

He waits a moment.

"Do you know . . . I think he has his father's eyes?"

Ba. Dum. Tsh.

[imjusthereforyj]

YJ Season 4 Arc Rankings Part 1

Since it’s almost been a year since Phantoms ended here’s my personal ranking of the arcs for that season

 spoilers ahead

 #6- Kaldur‘s  Arc

To me this arc just felt kinda slow and not very necessary as it didn’t tie in with the over all plot of the season. It felt like it’s job was to just justify the extra history lesson we got on Vandal Savage on how he’s also the father to Atlanteans and the whole story with King Arion. The story was slow because it took unit the third ep for them to actually go on a mission to find the lost crown and that felt kinda basic of mission with the only real threat that they faced was a giant fish. I think most things just solved themselves and there wasn’t a lot of big change that happen that would impact the rest of the season. I don’t think much will change with Mera being the new king of Atlantis I think she will have similar policy's as her husband did.I did like how they brought up wealth inequality in the different kingdoms of Atlantis and getting to see La’gaan family as well as seeing him show regret over Conor’s death. We love a fish boy that can show growth yayy.😊 And our boy Kaldur finally learned to take a break and sit at home with his boyfriend.

Kalder gets a 4/10

#5-Zatanna’s Arc

Zantanna definitely had a lot more going on with her arc with two chaos lords fighting, another Vandal Savage history lesson, and the origins of the magic school bus. To me the story of Klarion and Vandal meeting was so funny, like Klarion just killed him over and over for a year until Valdal said “wait, I think we can be business partners”. I understand why Nabu hates his dad when he completely ignored his advice not to work with the kid that sunk a continent and killed millions the last time they hung out.😒 I was pretty hyped to see the phantom Stanger and everyone favorite rhyming demon Etrigan but Etrigan only got to be in one fight and he was just used as a distraction. I felt like Zantanna also had one too many apprentices, just along with the other magic users we met it felt a little crowded. I thought it was intreating how they brought religion into it with Kahlid trying to find the balance between magic, medicine, and his Islamic faith. Giovanni being the Italian man that he is held strong to his Catholic faith but idk if he should of did the Lord’s prayer in found of Nabu who was born in 1,836 BCE. I like that the fight between child and Klarion was so big that other heroes had to come to pick up the pieces and now we got 4 new doctor fates on ration and Zantanna can finally hug her dad again. RIP to Teekl #1 long live Teekl #2

Zantanna gets a 6/10

 #4 -Artemis’s Arc

This was really close between Artemis’s Arc and Zantanna Arc but I’m getting the high ranking to Artemis. This arc had hard act to follow with Conor dying in just the ep before. I think this arc did really good with showing how Artemis was dealing with the grief of losing another team member and how she copes by helping others. But girl idk if you can get away with saying that Conor was like a brother to you when everyone on the mind link heard you checking him out. 🙁 I also really like how we got to look at Jade and Artemis relationship and their childhood together and we see more of how Jade really did care for Artemis. We also see Jade struggle with wanting to be a good mom and being an assassin. But she ain’t the only ninja mom as we see Lady Shiva try to get her daughter back and I really need a season 5 so I can see Talia al Ghul eat her words about not giving up Damian. I don’t have much of an option on them changing Barbara Gordon story on how she end up in a wheelchair. I did like how they brought back Cassandra Savage and I was really questioning if she was gonna turn on her dad or not. Onyx was just kinda there but it was good to have her there to question if Cassandra was legit or not. I do wish they would of just let Jada go back to Will and Lian instead of going to therapy island with Jason Todd and Onyx. I think it would just clean up the loose ends of her story more and it would feel more complete for her to find peace with her family. Also finding out that Artemis’s new boyfriend is 31 is kinda a trip when you realize he was 21 when she was 15 in season 1.

Artemis gets a 6.5/10