#so that means when Glaucus picks him up

[secret-engima]

The Future’s Blurry (The Past is A Trap) verse Drabble: Cavaugh

I’m trying to answer an ask but my muses are jumping around rn so instead lemme real quick:

Picture. It is a wonderful day and you are a cranky time-traveler with a former Accursed and current mad scientist tagging along on your heels everywhere you go.

Glaucus is not expecting to find anything interesting in Cavaugh. Hadn’t even wanted to stop there, but circumstances had happened and they’d needed to grab some supplies and Hunts anyway. At first the most interesting thing to happen is the pickpocket he catches trying to steal their money, a furious blue eyed scamp of about eleven that Glaucus lets go after reclaiming the money and offering some tips on not getting caught next time. The kid looks at him oddly before scampering away and now Besithia is staring at Glaucus like he’s taking mental notes on Glaucus’s past, but he doesn’t care. He knows what it’s like to be hungry and desperate and if a few tips keeps the kid from getting beaten black and blue then so be it.

Anyway.

Glaucus and his two companions are just gearing up to LEAVE the town when the gang walks into the store.

Promptly demands that Glaucus give them not only all their money, but also all the supplies they just purchased. Ardyn tries the diplomacy thing but the thugs don’t take the hints the redhead keeps dropping that fighting Glaucus is bad news. All they see is a shabby 18 year old, a shabbier red-haired 35 or so year old, and a blond 23 year old who is completely ignoring them in favor of writing down whatever new science idea just popped into his head.

There’s really only one way this can end.

After tossing the dead bodies of the thugs into the dumpster out back for the sake of the shopkeeper hiding behind the counter, Glaucus goes to find the ringleader of the gang. Because he knows how this works. If they leave now, the gang will punish the store and any nearby townsfolk and that just isn’t gonna fly with Glaucus. Besides, he’s been thinking of taking over some pieces of the underworld to fund the lab Besithia is gonna need anyway. Might as well start here.

The fight is ... a little harder than he expected. Mostly because WHO keeps an albino behemoth as a pet. Seriously. Even so, with Ardyn guarding civilians and Besithia sniping from a safe distance, Glaucus takes the behemoth down before it can do more than tear up a few blocks of the main street, then forces the gang members who surrender to swear loyalty to him, which his magic takes as a literal thing (he’ll deal with THAT discovery later). He puts a relatively sane looking younger member in charge with strict rules on what to do and not do and then they leave before anyone can call the town guard.

They’re about a mile outside of town before Besithia loudly asks if Glaucus is going to deal with the pest following them or if he can have if for a specimen.

Glaucus slaps the man over the head and reminds him that they don’t take humans as specimens.

Ardyn meanwhile wanders over to the bush that is trying vainly to look uninhabited and offers the occupant some food, narrowly escapes getting kicked between the legs for his trouble.

Glaucus warps over with barely a thought (magic is so convenient why hadn’t Regis used it more often, honestly), collars the brat, lifts him in the air and hangs him by his shirt on a tree branch. The kid cusses him out with impressive skill. Glaucus just crosses his arms and waits. And waits. And waits.

Finally the kid gets the message that being angry is getting him nowhere fast and settles, seething from his position hanging from a tree.

“Take me with you.” He demands and Glaucus blinks.

“Why.”

“I can be useful,” the boy insists with a slight edge of desperation, “I’m a good pickpocket, and nobody notices street kids, I can get you information. I can run messages. I can do whatever you want. Just take me with you.”

Glaucus carefully ignores the ... implications of that last bit and elaborates, “Why do you want to come?”

The boy bites his lip. Astrals the kid looks maybe a day over eleven if he’s anything, “I wanna learn to fight like you did. You took down the gang and a behemoth all by yourself. I wanna learn to do that.”

Glaucus stares into washed out blue eyes that burn with a desperate, furious edge Glaucus knows far too well (saw in the mirror for 15 years before Gilgamesh stabbed some patience into him). He sighs.

If he says no, the kid is going to either keep following them or do something spectacularly stupid, he just knows it.

“You will obey my orders,” Glaucus growls with all the authority of a former Marshal of the Crownsguard, “You will follow my rules, and you will stay out of fights unless your life is on the line or I give permission. Is that clear?”

Hope burns, “I can stay?”

Glaucus sighs and lifts the kid out of the tree while Ardyn sputters about the dangers of the wilds and Besithia scoffs at the “liability”, “Yes. You can come, and I will train you. But disobey my orders in battle and I will beat your butt into the dirt next time we reach a Haven, understood?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, I can come. You’ll teach me how to fight.”

Glaucus sighs again and already feels a habit forming, “If only to keep you from dying when you do something stupid.” Besithia scoffs again and then yelps when the boy darts forward to kick the blond hard in the shin. Glaucus resists the urge to smile.

“Brat!” Screeches Besithia.

“Not a brat!” Retorts the Definite Brat, “Not a specimen either, I heard you, you sicko!”

Ardyn intervenes, which is good because Glaucus is too entertained to do so, and gently rests a hand on the boy’s shaggy, dirty hair (Glaucus thinks it’s brown, but that could just be the dirt layers), “Do you have a name we can call you by, then?” The former Accursed asks softly, ignoring the wary flinch his touch had caused and then the wonder in the boy’s eyes and Ardyn’s fingers flicker gold with healing magic.

The boy licks his lips in a sign of nervousness as he holds still under Ardyn’s touch, “...Titus,” he says and Glaucus feels the world stumble, “Titus Drautos.”

Everyone stares at Glaucus when he starts laughing, low and soft but with an edge of hysteria.

Future Ardyn is mocking him from the afterlife isn’t he. Glaucus can feel it.

He shakes his head and scrubs his face with his hands briefly to regain composure, then rumbles, “Right. Right. Of course. Come on, Brat we’ve got a ways to go before lunch.” He walks away, ignoring but the minor hysteria in his blood (General Glauca the crabby eleven year old. He’s just taken in YET ANOTHER person who was a hated enemy in his past timeline. The Astrals have got to be messing with him), and the the faint murmur of Ardyn explaining to Titus (TITUS.) that Glaucus is just Like That and not to mind when he reacts strangely to things.

[gerec]

AU-gust 2021 Prompts

1. Ancient Gods AU - Part 6

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Cherik, Greek mythology au; inspired by the myth of Medusa. No warnings apply.

Whereby Charles realizes it's handy to have a Gorgon around when a sea serpent suddenly appears....

-----

The great beast rose slowly from the water, its neck stretching to the height of ten men, its monstrous bulk churning the waves around their tiny fishing boat. The children screamed even as the fisherman’s daughter ushered them inside the cabin, leaving only her husband and father at the helm. So close were they to Seriphus that he could see it from the distance, with the serpent firmly blocking their path.

“So, you have come for me at last,” he heard Erik say, as Charles stared up at the serpent, thinking through myriad ways in which they might possibly survive the encounter. It had not occurred to him that its arrival was anything but mere bad luck, nor that the Black King himself would deign to send one of his children to waylay them. It filled Charles with uncharacteristic rage, that He would try to harm Erik even after all this time, and he resolved to save them all if he could from a watery grave.

“Erik,” he called, and again when there was no answer, as Erik stared up at the serpent as though he were transfixed. Perhaps seeing the Black King’s intent made real had brought back all of his terror and pain, for he seemed not to notice the boat rocking perilously amidst the waves.

Instead, Charles turned to the old fisherman and hollered, “Glaucus, can you steer the boat away if I dive in and distract the beast?”

Alarmed, Glaucus shook his head. “The serpent will catch up to us, long before we arrive on land. It is useless…you go only to your death, young friend, with us not far behind you.”

“I must try!” He picked up the harpoon as the great beast bellowed, and, heart pounding, turned to look upon Erik one last time. “Erik, save yourself and the others if you can, and if you make it to Seriphus…please, help my mother, and tell her I died with love in my heart.”

He did not know if Erik would comprehend his meaning, and he had no time left to explain, for the beast thrashed its mighty tail and sent a wave crashing onto the deck. It knocked Charles over and soaked them all to the bone, though as he scrambled to his feet, he felt Erik’s hand grip tightly by the elbow.

“No. Stay behind me, and do not look upon my face.”

Then Erik stepped forward until he stood at the bow, and lifted the hood clean from his head.

Though Charles knew the power of Erik’s gaze - and had seen first-hand the stone remnants of men and women strewn throughout his home – it was still a shocking sight to watch the giant serpent freeze in place, its body groaning as the scales rippled and then morphed from flesh to stone. Of Erik, he could see only a mass of writhing snakes upon his head, and thought he understood better the man’s self-loathing and despair.

It was Glaucus who moved first, as Erik donned his hood once more, and flung himself prostrate at the Gorgon’s feet.

“May the gods bless you,” he said, as the rest of his family burst onto the deck, the children staring upwards in awe at the mountain of stone. “You have saved us all.”

Erik sighed, “I have saved myself.”

[johannstutt413]

(requested by anonymous)

Glaucus was in her room, as per usual, tinkering with the weapon she’d claimed from the failed Raythean demos, when there was a knock on her door. “It’s open!” She called to her intruder, annoyed but unsure of a way to get out of this one.

“Hey.” The Doctor walked in nonchalantly, closing the door behind him. “You got a few minutes?”

“...What do you need?”

He shrugged. “Not really a need, more of a want, but I was hoping you’d indulge me nonetheless. Is it true that without your exoskeleton, you’d need someone to carry you around base?”

“I’m not quite there, but I will be if we can’t reverse it.” Glaucus sighed, setting aside her Franker for the moment. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, before I continue - you aren’t wearing it now, right?”

His train of thought was starting to concern her. “No, I’m not, but-”

“Good.” In the blink of an eye, he was next to her, and then he picked her up in his arms. “I need practice.”

“P-practice with what? Put me down, please.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Sorry, no can do. Have to figure out if I can teleport with a person in tow.”

“Huh? Wait, you can-” Before she could finish her sentence, they were in the cafeteria. “-telep- Doctor!”

“Hey, it worked!” He looked her in the eye with an excited smile. “Sorry to drag you into this, but I’ve gotta figure this out, and I thought it would be best to start with you.”

Glaucus sputtered, “But, but, but why me?!”

“You can’t wander off nearly as quickly. Besides, if I’m going to be carrying someone around, might as well be someone I like being around, right?”

“I...That makes sense,” she admitted, “but why now?”

The Doctor realized he hadn’t explained that part at all. “I hate being all but useless in a fight. If I can at least take our casualties out of the field when they’re hurt, I’ll feel a lot better about myself.”

“So this is a self-confidence thing?”

“...Yes.” He teleported them out onto the balcony. “Hey, look, you can see the sky today.”

Glaucus looked out. “Huh. You can.”

“Alright, let’s see where else we can go...”

-

At the end of the day, the Doctor brought Glaucus to his office and set her on his couch. “I just need to type this up real quick, and then I’ll take you back to your room, okay?”

“Okay.” She watched him sit down, reviewing the day’s experience for herself. “Um, Doctor? Do you think you’ll need to do more practicing?”

“I mean, I could. You were very cooperative, and I think I’ll need to try again with someone less willing just to see the limits of my ability, but if you can make more of a fuss, you could be my official self-teaching aid.”

Glaucus smiled. “That wouldn’t be so bad...”

“What happened to the cries of protest from earlier?” His computer had booted up and just now opened his word processor. “You did seem to be enjoying yourself towards the end there.”

“Well...I’ve never been very fast, Doctor, so being able to go from place to place so quickly was kind of nice for a change. Some of the places we went I’d never seen before - that one room with all the machines, whose was that?”

The Doctor blanched. “Mayer’s workshop...Maybe I shouldn’t have tried that one. If one of her Meaboos found us-”

“-You’d get us out of there before anything happened, I’m sure.” Her glance shifted from the Doctor to the couch. “Anyway, the best part was...no, I still can’t say it.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to, don’t worry,” he smiled.

Glaucus’ eyes lit up for a moment before she hid it. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“I had fun today, too,” the Doctor admitted, “so even if it’s not a test, I wouldn’t mind doing this with you again.”

“Really?...Thank you.”

He nodded as he got up from his chair. “Alright, we’re good to go. Straight to your room, or is there anywhere else you’d like to see?”

“Not that I can think of right now.” As the Doctor picked her up again, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “When we get back, though...could you stay a little while?”

“Sure, but um...can you tell me why?”

Glaucus smiled, nuzzling his cheek. “Your arms are so comfortable, I don’t want to leave them.”

[totesmccoats]

Doomsday Clock #1

We open in Watchmen’s New York, on November 22nd, 1992; which is 25 years to the day before this comic’s release, and also the week that Superman #75 – the Death of Superman – was released. A mob gathers outside the business headquarters of Adrian Veidt, the world’s smartest, and now most wanted man, for his orchestration of the “alien” attack on New York City that resulted in over three million dead and thousands more physically injured.

The hoax revealed, the fragile peace it ushered in rapidly collapses as Russia begins an invasion of an ununited Europe; North Korea expands their nuclear capabilities to match the rearmament of other nuclear states; and the President of the United States, Robert Redford, is too busy golfing to properly respond. Dozens of media voices in the US are replaced by one Schutzstaffel logoed National News Network that prepares people for a righteous nuclear war.

Amid this chaos, Rorschach breaks out two criminals, Marionette and her partner, Mime, from prison to bring them to his new partner – Ozymandias, who again tries to cure the world, this time by bringing back its Superman.

And, in a distant land, a Superman wakes up from a nightmare.

Whether or not you think this story is a good idea, you have to admit that this issue makes a strong argument for itself. The issue echos Watchmen in the same ways Watchmen echos, well, itself; presented it’s separate threads as thematic and visual reflections of each-other. Rorschach unlocks a prisoner’s cage, releasing them; just as soldiers key into a nuclear console, unleashing armageddon.

Geoff Johns may be the only person capable of picking up Watchmen, given that his personal superpower as a writer has been his reverence of old comic stories, and ability to weave their threads into new patterns and expand them into larger universes. He’s basically doing to Watchmen’s character what he’d previously done with Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. And while Johns is an incredible talent in his own right, he’s aided by his ability to match Alan Moore’s style of dialogue; particularly in his writing of Rorschach, who switches between gorey purple-prose in his narration, and article-less laconism in his speech.

Gary Frank is a perfect artist for matching Dave Gibbons’ detail heavy illustrations, giving the book a texture and shadow-heavy tone that conveys the anxiety and dread of its world. Where the resemblance breaks is with Brad Anderson’s colors, which are more realistic and understated than John Higgins’ brightly saturated pop-art aesthetic.

Doomsday Clock’s biggest achievement so far is that, against all expectations, it fits. Johns wrote a story that, so far, makes sense as a sequel to Watchmen, and manages to infuse it with the same political resonance and thematic weight to today as the original had in the 80s.

  Batgirl #17

Then: Batgirl and Robin close in on the Mad Hatter, and rescue Ainsley from his control; and Dick keeps Barbara from crossing a line.

Now: Batgirl and Nightwing close in on the Red Queen, who has a few more tricks up her sleeve, including giant nanobots, and bringing Nightwing under her control.

I really enjoyed this entire Dick/Babs story, and this issue gives both timelines a really strong ending. The “then” timeline gives the two a solid shared experience for their relationship to start from; a time where they both needed to rely on the other to get through something incredibly taxing, physically, and mentally, but mostly emotionally. And in the present, the two work on a case recalls all those same emotions and have to rely on each-other in many of the same ways. As George Lucas might say, “it rhymes.” And Wildgoose’s art perfectly captures both the couple’s intimacy, and their emotional distance, in the two’s body language. If you’re a fan of Dick/Babs, this is a story that should be in your collection.

  Wonder Woman #35

Wonder Woman’s brother – Jason! Who he is, and how he came to be!

Glaucus begins the tale of raising Jason, Diana’s secret brother; from the day that he discovered his powers until the day Jason wouldn’t need him anymore. And from that point, Jason takes over, telling of how, even though he kept his powers a secret from the world and the mythic figures who would look for him, they found him anyway.

The most interesting part of this otherwise typical origin story is how it riffs on the familiar stories of Superman discovering and training his powers – particularly the version told in Man of Steel. Like Clark in that movie, Jason is told by his adoptive father to keep his powers hidden so that he wouldn’t be hunted for them. But, hewing a bit closer to Wonder Woman’s own origin, Glaucus does ask Hercules to train Jason, realizing that if his powers are only going to grow, he should learn how to use them, even if he shouldn’t.

Once Jason takes over narration, he tells of how hiding his powers created a hole in his life that he couldn’t quite identify until he saw how his sister – Wonder Woman – was using her powers to help people.

Unfortunately, Jason’s story ends on a cliffhanger, which means that we’re dedicating at least two issues of Wonder Woman completely to the history of this completely new, and relatively unimportant dude. Superhero comics really doesn’t need any more riffs on this origin story. We’ve seen it all, in almost every possible permutation – and we especially don’t need it taking up room in a Wonder Woman book. Also, who are Glaucus and Jason even talking to? They’re supposedly in completely different places, so…how is this even supposed to work? And if they aren’t “talking” to anyone, then why is Glaucus’ narration written phonetically?

  The Flash #35

Meena steals the Negative-Speedforce from Flash, and explains that she’s loyal to Black Hole because they’re the ones who saved her when Godspeed pulled her into the Speedforce when Barry had already written her off as dead. Then she escapes back to Black Hole’s labs, where she meets with Black Hole’s true leader – Raijin, God of Lightning.

Meanwhile, Barry and Wally finish off the rest of the Black Hole troops at the demolition derby, agreeing to work better in tandem to explore the real potential of the Speedforce to better combat Meena and Black Hole.

Kristen continues her investigation into Central City’s new crimelord at Iron Heights when she’s interrupted…

After Flash drops Wally off at home, where Wally comforts Iris; he gets a call from Warden Wolfe – there’s been a murder at Iron Heights.

This issue is an improvement over the last one, which mainly rehashed a bunch of information we already knew; but is still very exposition heavy, and does more work in introducing new plot questions than it does in making progress along already set-up plot threads. The issue’s biggest development is a return to status-quo, Barry’s got his usual powers back. Everything else is pretty much the same: Iris still needs her space from Barry; Barry and Wally are still repairing their relationship; Black Hole and the new Central City crimelord are still at large.

  Nightwing: The New Order #4

Kate Kane and the Crusade discover that Jake isn’t just immune to the power-neutralizer, his biology actively fights against it, making him that much more of a threat to the current world order.

Dick wakes up in the Titan’s secret headquarters, surrounded by Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, (Kid) Flash, and Lois Lane(?), who is a Blue Lantern now. It’s not the sweetest of reunions, with there still being a lot of bad blood between Dick and the Titans, who are outlaws under the new system Dick ushered in. But, even if nothing else, they can agree on rescuing Jake – especially after their man on the inside reveals that Jake can possibly reverse everything.

And here’s where this story goes full X-Men. We got the ad-hoc family with interpersonal conflicts, the one mutant who can cure everything, the government oppressors; the whole shebang, really. Honestly, I never got into the X-Men, nor the Titans, but a good template’s a good template; and this story’s pulling it off, even if it’s really dropped the ball on some of the more resonant themes of systemic persecution in favor of more of a rescue the POW vibe.

  Black Panther #167

Shuri retrieves Dr. Franklin from a maximum security prison, legally, and brings him to Wakanda to continue their investigation into Klaw’s return. While he’s busy with that, Shuri leads T’Challa into the Djalia to learn more about Wakanda’s mythic history and the Originators. What he learns disturbs him. The Wakandans were not the native people of their land, and they did not take it peacefully.

Oofa-Doofa. This may be the heaviest reveal of Coates run so far, but one that plays directly to his strengths. Wakanda was built on genocide, their gods made as literal weapons against the native Originators. And now T’Challa, who has already recently made so many decisions to make his country – the most powerful in the world – more democratic; has to decide what to do after confronting his country’s original sin.

Basically, if you haven’t read Coates’ Case for Reparations, I suggest you do before the next issue.

  Snotgirl #8

It’s the boy’s issue!

Sunny wakes up from a weird dream where Charlene gives birth to a green puppy, and goes to meet Ashley at the sports club before he marries Meg. While the two attempt to bond over Squash, Ash tells Sunny that he’d like to bang Lottie before he marries Meg, which really gets under Sunny’s skin.

After Squash, Virgil, who’s up to something accidently walks in on the two in the locker room and gets all hot and bothered.

Ash and Sunny continue to the showers, and Ash will not shut up about sex and girls and how much he wants to bang Lottie. It’s really gross, and even Sunny wonders if he can keep up this hang-out much longer.

Meanwhile, Lottie is bored and alone, and makes it worse by texting her friends randomly; and when she runs out of those, she texts Detective John Cho – who instantly responds because he’s also thirsty for Lottie.

Later, John happens to join Sunny and Ash in the sauna, where he reveals that he’s been friends with Sunny since they were kids. Ash asks everyone about their kinks, because he’s gross as heck, and John reveals he also has a thing for girls with green hair. At this, Sunny finally loses his cool and gets into a short fight with Ash, at least until their towels fall off and it gets too weird.

Getting home, Sunny finally checks his texts.

This issue is just as meandering as usual, but the change in perspective is nice. We’re finally in the head of someone sane as opposed to Lottie’s addled narcissism. The issue is also a great look into the phenomena of “locker room talk,” in that it frames that sort of behavior as just as bad and gross even in a locker room. And to his credit, Sunny eventually does stand up for his girls instead of letting boys be boys.

AND OH BOY IS THIS ISSUE HOMO AF. Just…all the sweaty muscle boys talking about their “zords”!

Comic Reviews 11/22/17 Doomsday Clock #1 We open in Watchmen’s New York, on November 22nd, 1992; which is 25 years to the day before this comic’s release, and also the week that Superman #75 - the Death of Superman - was released.

[ezatluba]

'One Of A Kind' Collection Of Animal Eyeballs Aids Research On Vision Problems

July 2, 2017

Eyes come in all sizes. These belong to a domestic cat (from left), an owl and an octopus. The Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin has 56,000 specimens in its collection — including 6,000 from more exotic species.

From left: Andyworks, Ralf Hettler, vicmicallef/iStockPhoto

There is a little room at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that is filled with the eyeballs of animals — everything from the duck-billed platypus to the two-toed sloth to the boa constrictor.

"We think we're the largest collection of animal eyeballs," says Dick Dubielzig, who founded the Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin in 1983, but he admits that this is hard to prove. "Maybe we should go to the Guinness people and see if they have an answer to that."

If there's a bigger collection out there, though, he has never heard of it. And every day, the mail brings about 20 more specimens to the lab. "About two-thirds of what we get are globes," Dubielzig says. "That means the whole eyeball."

The collection now has more than 56,000 eye specimens. Most are from dogs, cats and horses — sent in by vets who wanted help diagnosing eye disease. But the lab also has about 6,000 specimens from more exotic species.

A few days ago, for example, a couple of okapi eyes showed up, courtesy of the Bronx Zoo in New York. Dubielzig says it was the first time the lab had gotten eyes from this strange-looking relative of the giraffe.

"We pretty much have any kind of an animal you can think of — any kind of a mammal you could think of," he says.

Pathologist Gillian Shaw retrieves glass slides that hold carefully cataloged sections of eye tissue from the Wisconsin lab archive.

Courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison

Pathologist Gillian Shaw put on gloves and picked up one of the okapi eyeballs, which looked like a wet, gray hunk of ragged flesh about the size of a golf ball.

"I think this animal had sudden blindness or something, yeah?" she asked a colleague, who consulted the submission form that came with the eyes. Shaw then used a razor blade to slice the top off the eyeball, so she could peer down at the vitreous, a gel-like substance that helps the eye maintain a round shape, and the lens.

"I don't see anything grossly wrong, or obviously wrong," Shaw mused, "though I admit this is the first okapi eye I have seen myself."

When eyeballs like these arrive, she and her colleagues take photos and embed the eye in paraffin wax to preserve it.

Preserved samples fill blue boxes that are stacked up against the walls of this lab, and thin sections of eyeballs are put on the microscope slides that fill cabinet drawers. It's all carefully organized. So if you're a scientist who wants to study the architecture of the eye — or eye disease or anything eye-related — this is the place for you.

"This is a resource that's unlike anything else in the world. It's a one of a kind," says Ivan Schwab, an ophthalmologist at the University of California, Davis, and the author of a book called Evolution's Witness: How Eyes Evolved.

Shaw inspects one half of a dog's diseased eye that was submitted to the lab for analysis. She found evidence of extensive bleeding inside the eyeball and a detached retina — likely caused by chronic high blood pressure.

"It's the Taj Mahal of ocular specimens," Schwab says.

And the collection even has a very special human eye. One of the reasons Dubielzig got so interested in eyes is that one of his own gave him very poor vision, starting in childhood. It turned out he had an exceedingly rare eye disease, and his eye was later surgically removed — he added it to Wisconsin collection.

"What I say is that you're not really an eye pathologist unless you have your own eye in your eye collection," Dubielzig jokes.

Sometimes researchers ask the lab to help them figure out whether a species even has an eye and, if so, where it is.

"We tried to find the blue glaucus eye," recalls Shaw, with a laugh. "We were not successful finding the blue glaucus eye. It's a strange little rubbery thing, from the ocean."

Leandro Teixeira, the lab's current director, says he has been collaborating with colleagues who have been studying the effect of the Zika virus on the developing eyes of laboratory animals.

He opens up a small black case to show off teeny tiny eyes from dragonflies, spiders and a squid. Then he pulls out some plastic bags filled with fluid and the big gray eyes of elephant seals. "So these are very large eyes," he notes.

But he would like to get specimens that are even bigger. Teixeira says that a colleague recently told him that he had somehow gotten ahold of a well-preserved eye from a blue whale. "I'm excited about that eye," says Teixeira.

The one Dubielzig really wants is an eye from a giant squid, which has the biggest eye of any living animal — it's the size of a dinner plate.

"But there are no intact specimens of giant squid eyes, only rotten specimens that have been beached," he says.

He also needs eyes from the echidna, or spiny anteater, and some of the bigger whales. So if you've got any, you know where to send them.

[secret-engima]

Are you telling me that Glaucus is dealing with LC “MINE! MINE! MINE, ALL MINE!” on the personal level the first time? ... Ardyn, son of “Mors” meets Glaucus, the son of “Mors”? By which I mean, Nox verse meets Trap verse?

*wheezes softly* Ngl I’ve been sitting on this for a while solely because it’s too good. But- yes. Glaucus is absolutely dealing with the LC “MINE” instinct and he hates that he has it now.

AS FOR THE CROSSOVER-

-The standoff is tense at first. Because for once it’s not Nox and his uncle popping into another world but Glaucus and his Retinue tripping into Nox verse. Nox eyes this unfamiliar LC with a strange expression while Glaucus has a minor (not-so-minor) heart attack over what to him is CLEARLY an adult Noctis with a very Chancellor-looking Ardyn lurking behind him looking fascinated and far more dangerous than his own soft-spoken ex-Accursed (the main difference is in the clothes, as well as posture, since Glaucus’s Ardyn never gained his signature Hobo Chancellor look that this one still has).

-Then the Adult Noctis steps forward and holds out a hand, “Nox Izunia Caelum,” he says serenely, unaware of the newest heart attack he’s given Glaucus.

-“....Glaucus Lucis Caelum,” he manages in a vaguely strangled voice as he accepts the handshake.

-So thankfully for Nox and his uncle’s cover, it’s just the two of them who meet Glaucus and co long enough to do some explaining. Nox is able to pick up that Glaucus is actually time-tweaked Cor, though he doesn’t say as much while Glaucus’s group is there, but he implies it in a way that Glaucus Gets It. Glaucus isn’t too happy to learn there’s another time-travel verse, but this one with Nox and Ardyn doing the time-hopping and not Cor-Glaucus.

-So. Some things get explained and others heavily implied and the group (minus Glaucus who knows the time-travel bit) learns that Nox is Regis’s oops kid and that Ardyn is thought to be Mors oops kid (”No sense confusing things with all the greats attached to the uncle, yes?” N!Ardyn says with a too-sharp smile that makes Glaucus’s Ardyn a little uneasy). Thus, when Nox and Ardyn lead the group back to civilization to wait out the hop and N!Regis after a minor heart attack over their arrival, when the group is introduced and N!Clarus comments, “So you, Ardyn, and Regis are all half-brothers?” Glaucus doesn’t even blink in his response.

-“Mors got around,” Glaucus says neutrally, and his Ardyn rolls with it for the sake of this counterpart who’s magic bristles faintly with fear of being found out and rejected.

-Glaucus and his motley group are given a suite to stay in (Besithia gets a LOT of wary looks, which honestly makes him preen because yesss he is a dangerous scientist yesss) and Nox and his Ardyn come to hang out some. N!Titus of course tends to drop in on his idiot and so he meets younger!Titus (N!Ardyn coos over Smol Titus, N!Titus is a suffer alongside his younger counterpart).

-Glaucus absolutely gets into a spar with Nox. And then later with N!Ardyn. Everyone in the Nox verse is surprised when Glaucus’s Ardyn politely refuses to join in because ... non-fighty Ardyn??

-Honestly a lot of Nox verse characters are unnerved by Glaucus’s Ardyn because while the snark IS still there it’s nowhere near as honed and sharp as N!Ardyn’s. And he also isn’t as ... jagged around the edges. They wonder what happened for him to be so different, then they look at Glaucus, and Regis wonders with an ache if things would have been better if there had been a Glaucus in this world too.

-The glaives are enamored with Smol!Captain. He’s so Smol! And Angry! And Fighty! Captain you were-

-N!Titus “finish that sentence with ‘adorable’ and you’re all going to be cleaning every floor of the Citadel with a soap buckets and a toothbrush. And you’ll have to share the toothbrush.”

-The glaives wisely do not finish that sentence. XD

-Eventually, Glaucus and his group all wander back to their world, and Nox and N!Ardyn breathe a sigh of relief that their secret won’t be accidentally revealed by another Ardyn.

[secret-engima]

Random Titus HCs for Future’s Blurry Verse

-Smol Murder Child.

-Quickly becomes the Tol Murder Child because he was always on the Tol side but now with Glaucus and Ardyn stuffing him full of good food (with Besithia chipping in surprisingly, even if his dietary rants borderline nature documentary tone on the “care and keeping of angry adolescent homo sapiens”), he shoots up in height like crazy.

-Was never more smug than the day his latest growth spurt made him taller than Glaucus. GLORIES in being the tallest person in the room just about wherever he goes.

-Rabidly dedicated to Glaucus and Co. Even Besithia, for all they fight and snark like the worst kind of siblings.

-Ardyn is the Team Mom. Titus is Ardyn’s Team Mom since no one else is going to do it with regularity.

-Proudly proclaimed himself Ardyn’s Shield.

-Ardyn choked on his spit.

-Glaucus just laughed and then dryly asked why Titus wasn’t HIS Shield, to which Titus said that one, Glaucus didn’t need any help in a fight, and two, since when couldn’t Titus be BOTH their Shields?

-Ardyn flinched at that because THANKS FOR THE TRAUMA GILGAMESH and anyway Glaucus will probably pick up an OC for his Shield at some point anyway so it will be a moot point.

-Will Throw Hands with literally anything. Only reason he didn’t run off to Throw Hands with Gilgamesh on Ardyn’s behalf is because Ardyn and Glaucus make a point to NEVER MENTION that Gilgamesh is still around after telling Titus and Besithia Ardyn’s backstory.

-Guess what happens when they meet the Chocobros 1.0 and Clarus and Regis mention the Tempering Grounds within earshot of both Murder Children.

-Gilgamesh is MORE THAN A LITTLE AMUSED at the sight of Glaucus busting into the Tempering Grounds right in the middle of the Climactic Battle, already cussing out the two winded, frazzled, very humbled Murder Children for this stunt. He doesn’t even protest Glaucus taking them home even though they technically “lost” the fight by leaving with Glaucus.

-btw Gilgamesh now is missing an arm (again, same one as last time too, funny) and has a deep rend in the back of his armor. He’s impressed by how well the two hyper competitive murder children worked together in a pinch.

-Titus and Cor get along like two Really Aloof cats that you THINK should hate each other and fight all the time but instead like to lurk in a corner together and brood over their respective idiots adults.

-Are still hyper competitive.

-Do not stick them on the same battlefield if you want the other side to have any survivors.

-When not brooding together, Titus and Cor play wrestle (and by play wrestle I mean try to kill each other without Glaucus noticing, so basically everything but broken bones and stabbing implements are allowed).

-Titus is basically Cor’s older, taller, crabbier twin sib.

-Somehow Titus is the Braincell when they run off together. Probably because he’s used to momming Ardyn. Titus is not thrilled to discover this but it does nothing to stop them from running off and Doing The Things anyway.

-Titus will forever hold his greater height over Cor’s head (literally and pun intendedly).

-Cor has taken to spring boarding off Titus’s back during battle.

-Tank DPS and Rogue DPS, that’s Titus and Cor in a fight, basically.

-Both Cor and Titus look up to Glaucus. A Lot. Glaucus is a Despair™.

-Titus thinks Regis is weird.

-Then again his measuring stick for LC behavior is Ardyn and Glaucus so it’s no wonder he thinks Regis is weird.

-Likes pushing Clarus’s buttons. It’s fun.

-Think’s Weskham is the best thing since sliced bread. Mostly because Weskham can successfully Mom Ardyn, which gives Titus a much needed break.

-Calls Cid “Gramps”.

-Cid does not appreciate this nickname.

-Not sure if he’s gonna be Captain of the Kingsglaive or not, but I know he WILL meet the the glaives and end up riding herd more than once.

-Titus is a Regret™.

-He takes back everything he ever did to stress out the adults in his life.

-Glaucus stop laughing and HELP. THE ULRIC IS DOING A DUMB AGAIN.

-Adores Noctis and Prompto with every fiber of his being. Every. Fiber. Will Throw Hands for them against anything.

-Is Very Not Sure how to handle the day Cindy gets a Massive Crush on him.

-Help how does one deal with one’s pseudo-niece stuttering and blushing in his presence all the time. Help.

-Cor, who has been dealing with crushes from just about every prepubescent human being ever since he was 15: Pretend you’ve never had an ounce of social awareness in your entire life. If you ignore it hard enough, maybe it will go away.

-I cannot emphasize the sibling vibes between Titus and Cor enough. These two are Murder Children who are united in their Murder Child-ness. They have the same deadpan sense of humor and are the only person who can get away with cussing out or nicknaming the other.

-Titus calls Cor twerp.

-It took YEARS for Cor to stop trying to stab Titus whenever he did that.

-Only stopped because he was tired to Titus tucking all of the knives into his armiger and not giving them back.

-Cor, in retaliation, calls Titus a VARIETY of things, the mildest of which is Beanpole and Pickpocket.

-Titus has no need to come up with multiple nicknames in retaliation since “Twerp” gets a reaction every time.

-Everyone picture the faces of the new Crownsguard recruits the day Titus visits and announces his presence with an amused, “Hello, Twerp.” And their MARSHAL, the FAMED IMMORTAL (Titus is called the Undying, which is basically the same thing but mass media needed a way to differentiate between them btw) twitches violently and flings a knife at the newcomer who just entered on instinct. Titus just catches the knife and tucks it away, inciting a garbled, wordless growl from Cor. Just.

-The Marshal. The famed Immortal. Their BOSS.

-And this guy who walked in just called him Twerp and lived to tell the tale.

-Then they realize this is Titus Drautos, the Undying, and figure ... yeah if anyone can get away with it it’s Titus.

[secret-engima]

alyss-spazz-penedo

If. If she's Iggy's MOM, does that mean him and Prompto are raised as siblings/cousins? Megara brings Iggy along when she has to Braincell "Uncle Verstael" bc she's not leaving a baby alone at home and unfortunately Science(TM) waits for nothing, least of all common sense. On Prompto's side, Glaucus was NOT prepared when Besithia whipped up a baby for him and has only a passing idea how to parent, so those first few months especially were full of panicked back-and-forth

alyss-spazz-penedo

with the only baby-worthy member or his Retinue, and chibi!Ignis was a great help in babysitting lil Prompto. Later, when Prompto comes to visit Science Dad, he and Ignis also get to hang out and stuff.

alyss-spazz-penedo

....wait, if she's the mom, who's the DAD? Bc for Ignis to take his mother's name, presumably the father isn't in the picture or they never got married. Or is also... named... Scientia? (If the dad is LITERALLY ANY MEMBER OF GLAUCUS' RETINUE, I might die of laughter. Or secondhand embarrassment.)

Me: .... well considering I really like the idea of her being Iggy’s mom let’s roll with this hypothesis. XDD.

... Yes, yes they WOULD. Actually Megara does not have bby Iggy when she is unceremoniously recruited, since Iggy is only two years older than Noct and she’s recruited at some point before Regis’s canonical road trip. But she DOES have bby Iggy eventually and two year old Iggy is thrilled to watch over tiny bby Prompto with his Mama while Glaucus has a Crisis in the corner. Glaucus is so, SO grateful for Megara’s presence in his life after Prompto happens because on one hand YAY PROMPTO LIVES on the other I HAVE A BABY WHAT DO I DO WITH IT. Megara, who has lived with these clowns for years by this point, doesn’t even bat an eye at the fact that Besithia MADE A BABY and that Glaucus has insta adopted him and is just like “this is your feeding schedule this is your optimal sleep schedule this is how you change a diaper thi-” While Ardyn coos in the background because he adores kids with every fiber of his blackened soul.

Also this means Ignis is also a tiny Mad Science bby, because Obviously Ignis, as a little prodigy that he is, is going to take an interest in anything that interests his bby cousin Prompto and science is a challenge to him. He’s not as much of a science nerd as Prompto, especially not after he’s introduced to bby Noctis and his brain kicks fully over into Mom Mode but he definitely knows enough to get by and chime in when Prompto goes on a tangent.

I have yet to decide who the dad is. If the dad is not a one-night stand, then the dad either takes his wife’s name (because mafia boss wife trumps patriarchy) or-

And hear me out.

Besithia is the dad.

NOT IN THE WAY YOU THINK.

But like- think of the glorious chaos, of Glaucus’s MELTDOWN if, while he’s off somewhere doing his saving the world business and it’s just Megara and Besithia and suddenly Besithia’s lab time is interrupted with Scientia coming in and going, “I want a baby.”

And Besithia very, very slowly sets down his lab tools and ....

Stares at her.

In a quiet befuddled sort of way that indicates he thinks he misheard her but cannot for the life of him come up with an alternate version of what she might have really said.

And she crosses her arms and repeats, “I want. A baby. Of my own.”

Besithia squints, because they’ve known each other for years at this point and he KNOWS she knows Glaucus’s rules on the Cloning Of Human Beings and that she is also not interested in any of the group sexually because they’re basically all her pet idiots, “...I’m fairly certain there are websites for that,” Besithia says slowly.

And the queen of the underworld rolls her eyes, “I do not want to spend the next two or three years dating a male who may or may not work out as a husband, not with the complications of my ‘job’. Nor do I feel like risking a one-night stand or fling, especially not with the people who know of my work.”

Besithia continues to squint, but there is an idea sparking in his eyes, a glimmer of understanding for what she wants, “I can’t clone babies. It’s against the Rules.”

“No, but I am a perfectly functional woman and there are known, legal medical procedures for this. I’m just coming to you rather than a hospital because I don’t want news to get out to the underworld. I’d rather they run themselves in circles trying to figure out who the father is. It will keep them busy.”

Besithia fully turns around in his swivel chair and props his chin on his hands, “If Glaucus finds out about this, you’re taking the blame.”

“Agreed.”

“And I’m going to need time to get the equipment and an adequate male sample.”

“Understood.”

Besithia nods slowly, an manic look blooming that would have disturbed her years ago but now is just normal to her mind, “Any preferences on the donor’s appearance?”

“I like green eyes.”

“Noted.”

And so she wanders off and Besithia gets equipment and bribes someone at a proper hospital for the things he needs and by the time Glaucus checks in from wherever he’s been, Megara is in like- her second trimester and the underworld is losing its mind trying to figure out who the dad is (because if the dad is Glaucus then they are all screwed and they know it). And Glaucus stiffens, mentally checks his calendar, then slowly relaxes because ah yes, Ignis. Then a moment later he’s confused, because who’s the father?

And Megara looks perfectly calm and blasé as she answers, “I don’t know, ask Besithia, he’s the one who picked out the sample. Though it was my idea so don’t be too upset with him.”

And far away in another part of the city Besithia gets a chill up his spine and swears he can already hear Glaucus screeching his name.

That doesn’t stop him from accidentally creating bby Prompto 2 years later but hey.

[secret-engima]

alyss-spazz-penedo

hey, @secret-engima​, hear me out: what if GILGAMESH became Glaucus' Shield? Like, after the two Murder Brats jumped into the Tempering Grounds and Glaucus has to fish them out, the man takes a moment to chew GIL out for endangering children like that, he SAW that last swing and it was aimed unacceptably close to a vital area, what even is he doing STILL haunting the damn Tempering Grounds anyway when the next worthwhile opponent won't be for literal decades (ie. Gladio)

alyss-spazz-penedo

So Gil is clubbed over the head with the idea that he doesn't actually have to follow 200 years of habit and, like. Ardyn's moved on, is living a life, and Gil KNOWS what's coming and that there's no value to holding his post, killing off idiots, once these people leave bc Cor was the only worthwhile opponent for literal decades. He can... he can take a VACATION.

alyss-spazz-penedo

....He has no idea what to do with a vacation, so he falls back on EVEN OLDER HABITS and is like well let's play Shield for a LC then. And maybe, MAYBE he'd pick Ardyn, but there's just. So much history there. That wouldn't... that wouldn't WORK, it would hurt them both just to try.

alyss-spazz-penedo

Which leaves just one LC available (arguably, bc Titus would absolutely fight him for the position but the brat's too young still. Maybe in a few years). And, Gilgamesh KNOWS what's up with Glaucus-once-Cor-Leonis, might be the only person in the world who DOES know, and that's//

alyss-spazz-penedo

*and that's... that's something I think Glaucus might really need. Just. Someone to help him remember who he WAS,

alyss-spazz-penedo

(Also, the thought of Ardyn and Gil wandering around being terrible at self-care and utter bemused by the world amuses me. Also Besithia would probably be an Utter Scientific Glee)

Me: *deep breath*

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

BUCKLE UP RAMBLE FICLET INBOUND.

-It starts after the Murder Children are idiots and Glaucus has to come rescue them. Titus and Cor have never been more humbled, confused, and terrified than watching Glaucus snark at a 2k year old potential eldritch abomination and GET AWAY WITH IT. Glaucus actually makes Gilgamesh shuffle in shame when he lectures about how close he came to actually HURTING two of Glaucus’s kids. How dare.

-Then Glaucus takes a long, hard look at Gil and abruptly tells him to take a vacation. It’s not like the world is gonna end if he leaves the Tempering Grounds for a decade or so (Titus and Cor are a Fear™, don’t tell the monster to LEAVE it’s hideout and roam the world Glaucus!!). Gil stares at Glaucus in a stunned silence, Glaucus grunts and walks away, lecturing the two murder children.

-Gil thinks ... long and hard on Glaucus’s words.

-In the end decides it’s a moot point because when he was first cursed to this place he did try to leave a few times but he couldn’t. His curse wouldn’t let him. Pity though ... a vacation had sounded ... nice.

-That’s right around the time Ifrit shows up.

-Now, Ifrit doesn’t like humans, even after giving Glaucus his Blessing for the time-travel thing. He tolerates a few of them, even finds Glaucus and his group funny, but on the whole doesn’t like them. Know what he does like? Screwing over Bahamut. And when Glaucus mentioned Gilgamesh’s curse situation within Ifrit’s earshot (ie said it aloud at all because Ifrit tends to watch them from afar like his only tolerated cable tv channel), Ifrit got IDEAS.

-So Gilgamesh is in his Tempering Grounds, minding his own business and being broody bored when there’s a rush of fire and Ifrit the Infernian is standing there looking ... cunning.

-“Mortal.” Ifrit intones.

-“Not really,” Gilgamesh snarks because he’s a walking suit of armor cursed to live until the Chosen King comes, what’s Ifrit gonna do? Curse him again?

-Ifrit just grins “How would you like to change that?”

-Excuse him?

-Anyway after much smug talking from the Infernian, much sarcasm from Gilgamesh, and some severe bending of the rules of curses with a little shapeshifting magic thrown in for flavor, Gilgamesh kinda- blinks and finds himself outside the Tempering Grounds. In the sunlight.

-For the first time in 2k years.

-Yeah there might have been a panic attack or three. Especially because he now had lungs with which to HAVE a panic attack again. Ifrit had granted him a human form (one-armed and with a scar on his back just like the missing arm of his armor and the rend Titus had made) which technically Ifrit shouldn’t have been able to, except apparently he can just this once because he’s not bothering to use a human disguise and he was GOOD at this kind of magic while the rest of the Astrals were too busy being holier than thou to bother learning human-friendly enchantments.

-Gilgamesh sets off into the wilds, quickly figures out he has forgotten how to maintain an eating or sleeping schedule and he’s probably gonna go into a coma or something if he travels alone. So with a dry smile (that feels so good he HAS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AGAIN. WOOT.) he sets off for where he can feel the magic of the time-traveling Sword.

-A week-ish after Ifrit shows up, so maybe 2-3 weeks after the Murder Children do their thing, Glaucus is having some “me time” out in the forest (happily murdering things to bring back to camp later without having a nattering crowd on his heels, he loves his idiots and Regis’s group, but sometimes they’re ... a bit much) when all the hairs on his neck prickle. He looks up and sees two red eyes glowing faintly in the shadows.

-The figure steps out wordlessly, hand away from his sword. One arm is missing and the man stands at a massive 7′6″, his eyes are a dark red that glints in the low lightning, his shaggy brown hair is pulled back into half-tail to keep it out of his face, which has scars on the right side from some old fight.

-Glaucus lowers his sword, but doesn’t ease from his stance, “I didn’t know you could look human, Gil,” he says almost flippantly.

-“Had a little help from your pet Astrals,” Gilgamesh retorts, his smile tugging at his scars. His posture is relaxed and non-threatening and almost ... uncertain. Like he isn’t sure what to say or how Glaucus will react.

-Glaucus just looks at him thoughtfully before snorting, “My gang of idiots is not the best place for a vacation.”

-Gilgamesh is blunt and open, “I’ve forgotten how to sleep when the moon rises, when to eat so I won’t pass out. I cannot die until the Chosen King comes into his own, but it is still unpleasant. I also...” he hesitates, “I do not remember how to function without a purpose. To fight. To guard the Grounds. To await the Last Shield. Without them ... I am lost.”

-“So you came to me.”

-“You are the only Lucis Caelum without a Shield.”

-Glaucus sneers “A Sword doesn’t need a Shield,” he scoffs, “and isn’t Ardyn more your speed?”

-Gilgamesh winces, “I have made my apologies,” and hadn’t that been a dramafest when Glaucus dragged the newly purified Ardyn to the Tempering Grounds for Gilgamesh to apologize to him, “but we will never stand united as a Shield and a King. I have broken his trust once, he does not give it a second time. Not in the way he would need for me to be his Shield. Besides,” and now Gilgamesh smiles ruefully, “For all his bite, the young Drautos is more a Shield than the Little Lion will ever be.”

-Glaucus flinches at the far off memory, of promising to be Regis’s second Shield, of protecting him no matter what only to fail. But Gilgamesh did not mean the words as an insult and the man makes a point. For all his recklessness and snark and fury, Titus is protective. His instinct is to kill on behalf of something rather than just to feel the adrenaline in his veins. He is protective of Ardyn, and Ardyn listens to the boy. Glaucus sheaths his sword and flexes his hands, “I don’t know how to have a Shield,” he admits softly, “you know I’m not ... natural.” Not a natural LC, not a born one, a time-traveler added to the line for the sake of the future and nothing more.

-“Neither am I,” Gilgamesh shrugs, “it is nothing to be ashamed of. You have the instincts to forge a Shield Bond imprinted in your very magic. I will swear fealty, and you will command me.”

-“Doesn’t that take trust?” Glaucus points out, “You’ve tried to kill me once before, and I know what you did to Ardyn.”

-A pause. A weighted reply of, “it takes trust. The trust that I will fight by your side and be strong enough to watch your back, that I will voice my opposition but obey your every command. The trust that there is no secret you can hold that will turn me away from you.” The last part is meaningful, pointed.

-They stand there in the increasing gloom of dusk for a long time. A former Leonine Sword and a Cursed Shield.

-Then Glaucus laughs, rough and wild and bloody. His eyes spark silver-bright as his magic reaches out and angrily, possessively tangles around Gilgamesh. It carves away the old, tattered, withered bond he once held with Somnus, a blade cutting away a rotted limb, then coils into place. A silent demand for loyalty, a silent acceptance of all Gilgamesh is and has done. Gilgamesh kneels and swears fealty to a new king, a old lion with glittering claws, and in the quiet of twilight, Glaucus names him Gildas, Gilgamesh’s old name from before he was the Mystic’s Shield, his current name of blood and trials and terror, both cast aside in favor of the new one. A new start.

-Gildas rises and follows Glaucus back to camp.

-While the rest of the groups stare in surprise at the massive, one-armed giant of a man Glaucus comes back with, Ardyn stills. Gildas and Ardyn stare at each other for some time, long enough for Titus to bristle protectively, not quite recognizing Gildas as the unarmored and once-more human Gilgamesh. Then Ardyn smiles, sad and understanding and ... forgiving, and pats the Haven in welcome, “Come, friend, introduce yourself to us and enjoy a meal.”

-Gildas dips his head, submission and gratitude all in one, “I am Gildas,” he rumbles, “and-”

-Glaucus interrupts, a slight, possessive lion’s growl in his voice, “He is my Shield.”

-The camp erupts into chatter and questions and shouting save Ardyn, who just smiles sadly and shuffles over to make room for an old once-friend. They will never be what they once were, will never trust each other like they once did, but Ardyn has always been too forgiving of a soul when the scourge did not turn him bitter, and he knows that Gilgamesh has been trapped in the Tempering Grounds for two thousand years with only the voices of the dead to keep him company as he awaited the Chosen King, just as Ardyn was trapped for two thousand years with only the screaming of the daemons to break the silence. In Ardyn’s mind, Gilgamesh has been punished enough.

-Better to forgive and move on in this new time, than to hold onto grudges two thousand years gone.

[secret-engima]

Random Besithia-centric Future’s Blurry HCs

I’m having fun picturing the differences between Glaucus’s Besithia and canon Besithia like whoo-

-Does in fact develop moral fiber from repeated exposure to Ardyn and Glaucus and from Glaucus’s iron-tight rules on What To Not Do. Sure, it’s got a lot more grey area than most people’s, but it’s THERE and he does in fact follow it religiously. If something is over his little mental moral line he WILL NOT CROSS, even if his line is several yards farther back than most people’s so to speak.

-Is unaware he has moral fiber now for a while.

-Is extremely insulted the day he realizes that he just went on a professional ethics rant that would have made him the laughingstock of a Nif college. That this means he has MORALS that aren’t just following Glaucus’s rules for his own continued wellbeing.

-Stomps over to Glaucus, flops down like a spoiled child in the nearest chair and hisses “You- YOU. You have INFECTED ME.”

-Glaucus just blinks at him, vaguely bemused and concerned until Besithia flings his hands in the air and wails, “I HAVE MORALS NOW. I hate them. They get in the way of Science™ but I can’t ignore them anymore!” Then he gets up and stomps away leaving a wheezing from laughter Glaucus and a very confused Regis behind.

-Is ironically the Team Little Sibling despite Titus being Actually Younger. Why?

-He keeps wandering off and getting into trouble for Science™.

-Is 100% the type to do the Iroh quote of “delicious tea? Or deadly poison?” And then follow it up with “I must analyze in the lab” because he’s not looking for the tea he’s looking for something deadly to experiment with.

-Will go off and Poke the nearest Deadly Creature just to study and record the response.

-Titus is forever growling over the Science Idiot. They fight like cats and dogs but whenever Besithia goes to do something Dumb for Science™, Titus is right there on Glaucus’s heels to rescue him.

-Will go on science rants for hOURS. It’s actually the best way to keep him distracted/contained to one area and out of everyone’s hair.

-Ardyn still has zero idea what is coming out of Besithia’s mouth most of the time, but by the time Prompto is born, Ardyn has perfected the art of picking out the keywords in the rambles and then parroting them back when Besithia starts to wind down in an agreeably questioning tone that sets Besithia off again. So like, Besithia will be complaining on why the Vaccine No Worky yet, needing to vent over his frustrations, and Ardyn will wait until Besithia has stopped for a few seconds to breathe before parroting, “The gene sequencing?” and he may have no idea what that means but it seems to be important because off Besithia goes again for another hour.

-At this point baby Prompto’s earliest memory of his science dad is going to be all the Science Rambles that lull him to sleep.

-I’m having a hysterical time picturing G!Besithia and the others learning of the canon Besithia’s shenanigans SOMEHOW and G!Besithia is just.

-H O R R I F I E D.

-LIKE.

-He’s been studying the Starscourge for YEARS at this point with the express purpose of curing it, he’s seen all the nasty stuff it does and learned the Importance of Anti-Infection Protocols and YES, he’s always had a minor obsession with daemons, but Glaucus got to him early enough that the obsession turned away from “would like to make them and be one” to “would like to know them inside out so I can absolutely demolish them with a vaccine and prove how awesome I am”.

-And then he learns of another him that ... that thinks INFECTING MACHINERY is a good idea? THAT CLONING HUMANS AND MAKING THEM INTO MIASMA TO POWER MACHINES IS A GOOD PLAN???

-WHERE IS THIS TRAVESTY OF A SCIENTIST. LET BESITHIA SHOOT HIM.

-And while this is not gonna be canon, I am still picturing the moment of pure dysphoria Glaucus feels watching his Besithia rant about the stupidity of canon Besithia, about how there is no assured way of keeping the MT units from malfunctioning and turning on people, how no suit would be completely airtight as well as combat mobile so that means infection is LEAKING EVERYWHERE on a microscopic level, and also it’s so STUPID to go to all the resources and trouble of cloning humans only to infect them into miasma JUST USE MAGITEK CORES IT’S SO MUCH CHEAPER AND WON’T INFECT ALL YOUR SCIENTISTS AND CITIZENS AND PERSONNEL BY THE SIX WHAT WAS OTHER HIM THINKING-.

-Nobody tell this Besithia that canon Besithia wanted to turn HIMSELF into a magitek core. This Besithia may genuinely blow a gasket from screaming in impotent fury at the stupidity.

-*faint screaming in the distance as Besithia flees to the depths of his lab to swear without Prompto overhearing* IF YOU ARE A GIANT METAL PLAGUE WORM HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PERFORM MORE EXPERIMENTS. AND WHO IS GOING TO RUN MAINTENANCE ON YOUR GIANT, EXPENSIVE, HIGHLY PRONE TO MALFUNCTION WORM FORM. MORON.

-Is addicted to bad anime. Especially bad science fiction anime. Will happily spend hours mocking and nitpicking the science of the world-building until someone forgets to enforce his sleeping schedule and Glaucus shows up in the morning to find Besithia surrounded by about two dozen cans of Monster, electro-static hair, 2 AM bags under his eyes, cackling like a drunken lunatic over the Impossible Sci-Fi toy he’s just recreated.

-Has invented a lightsaber.

-Gave it to Titus as a birthday present after pulling five all-nighters post the Star Wars movie night that gave Besithia the idea. Glaucus was Not Happy™ that his Murder Child now had a LASER SWORD. Has since been forbidden to make another (still made one for Glaucus for his birthday too, but that was it, Cor was So. Jealous.).

-Has also come up with plans for a warp gate, but after Glaucus heard about this and the fact that failure of the warp gate would fracture the planet, has since been banned from finishing the project and all his notes were confiscated.

-Is very attached to his Idiots. No touchy. People who mess with his People tend to disappear. Glaucus would suspect scientific experimentation and abduction, but he oversaw the building of the lab and knows there is no secret room to put them.

-Still. Glaucus has his Suspicions™.

-Can, Has, and Will come up with all sorts of horrible ways to kill people who mess with His Idiots. Do not think he is a nice person to everyone. It’s only to his Idiots and their respective families/loved ones/lovable pests. Everyone else, as far as Besithia is concerned, can either leave him alone or Perish in some excruciating, science way.

-Is, in general, a really wacky mix between lovable science moron and deadly terrifying mad scientist. Depends on where you fall in his levels of attachment.

[totesmccoats]

Batman: Lost #1

A 78 year old Bruce Wayne reads his granddaughter a story from his adventures as Batman, the very first story: The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.

Except, this isn’t Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne was sent into prehistory, where he drew a bat on a wall in a cave, inspiring a tribe of followers.

But that’s not Bruce Wayne either. Bruce Wayne is Batman, and he is trapped in the Dark Multiverse, shown visions of the past, future, and alternate dimensions by the dark god Barbatos to break his psyche. Barbatos taunts Batman through these visions, telling of how Batman had summoned him from the Dark Multiverse, and how he had molded Bruce Wayne from the dawn of history to one day take up the mantle of the Bat and swing open the door for his conquering of the multiverse.

If you have the prerequisite knowledge to understand all the places in from the Batman mythos that this issue plays with and connects, then you will love this issue. Barbatos presents his unified theory of Batman as he drags Bruce deeper in deeper into his own stories, trapping him in inevitability. He breaks Batman by taking away his agency, his ability to prepare, his confidence in his own experience and memory. He confronts Batman with futility. And as readers, Snyder, Tynion, and Williamson take us on a whirlwind tour of Batman, from his beginnings to multiple possible ends.

The team of artists, Mahnke, Paquette, and Jimenez on pencils; Mendoza, Paquette, and Jimenez on inks; and Quintana, Fairbairn, and Sanchez on colors, give each iteration of this Batman story it’s own distinct look and feel, from the golden-age pulp noir throwback of the Case of the Chemical Syndicate, to the hyper digitally-effected detail of a possible future where Damien leads an army against his father. This book is gorgeous from cover to cover, as rewarding just to look at as it is to read.

  Mister Miracle #4

Orion decides to hold a trial for Scott, and appoints himself judge, jury, and executioner, to find out if he is an agent of Darkseid, possessed by the anti-life equation. It’s as much a kangaroo court as it seems, with Orion forcing Scott to answer only in “true” or “false,” but nevertheless, Orion may be onto something. As his questioning becomes more and more leading, he probes into Scott’s serious depression, including his suicide attempt, and posits that he may be feeling as he does because of the anti-life equation.

Honestly, part of me would hate it for a comic that seems to be so sympathetic to the mental plight of those affected with depression to explain it away as a side effect of an evil god armed with an magic equation that makes you hate yourself; but also, Darkseid and the anti-life equation have always been a metaphor for our darkest impulses and weaknesses. “Darkseid is” the part of you that hates yourself and others. “Darkseid is” what causes antisocial behavior. And that’s why the heroes can’t let him win. At the least, you can’t argue that making depression a dictator god who hates the concept of freedom itself is undercutting what it actually feels like to live with depression.

King continues his streak of making comics feel surreally domestic, this time with the simple addition of a veggie platter that Scott and Orion pick from during the trial; and the image of the new gods, in full costume, squeezed together on a couch in Scott and Barda’s living room. And Gerad’s use of repetitive panels in a rigid 9-panel grid masterfully builds suspense, and smart use of distortion effects to emphasize moments where things get particularly tense or revealing, is a masterclass in doing more with less. Despite taking place almost entirely within a living room, this issue of Mister Miracle may be the biggest turning-point in the story yet.

  Ragman #2

The demons – who call themselves the Ruah Tum’ah, Hebrew for “impure soul,” – capture Rory, and try to psychologically break him by pressing into his survivor’s guilt, so that they can claim the rags. But, with some help from the souls of his company, who are trapped in rags and who are the people that Rory feels guilty over surviving; he’s able to see past the ruah tum’ah’s illusions, and absorb them into the rags before they can hurt anymore people.

With the demons contained in his rags, Rory tries to interrogate them for information, but is told that doing so drains the power of the other souls trapped in the rags, which would mean losing his friends a second time – so he plans to get to the bottom of things using other methods.

This issue gives us a bit more explanation to what the rags are and how they work, and I always appreciate a story with some jewish mysticism in it; but the book’s biggest weakness continues to be a failure to tie in Rory’s PTSD with the rest of the story in any meaningful way, and also failing to give Rory much of a character outside of his trauma. Rory’s fighting outer demons, but so far his inner ones remain underdeveloped.

Miranda and De La Cruz are illustrating the heck outta this book, giving Ragman himself an interesting and creepy figure and ways of movement and fighting, but again, without a firm anchor for Rory as a character, none of it really coalesces.

  Wonder Woman #34

Wonder Woman finally meets her long-lost brother, Jason; who was raised in secret by Glaucus (who, wasn’t an Argonaut. Don’t know why this issue insists he was.) to protect him from Hera’s jealousy. He reveals to her that he also has powers, including flight; and the two fly off his boat to a small abandoned island for some sibling bonding time.

When discussing family resemblance, Wonder Woman mentions how she wishes she were taller, which, given that she’s supposed to be a like, over 6-foot Amazon, doesn’t exactly track. Also, I really hope I’m not the only one who thought their discussing seemed to be a little too flirty for brother and sister, because I really don’t want that sorta thing to be projection.

Regardless, at sundown, Jason reveals that he was just keeping Diana busy so that Grail could set up an ambush! Because surprise, Jason’s evil! He and Grail manage to overpower Wonder Woman, Grail pinning her with her sword, and Jason promising to kill her himself.

Feels like this issue spent way too much time spinning its wheels before it’s Jason’s heel-turn reveal. Like, this is the first time we’re meeting Jason; there’s no way that we can learn to care for him enough in the space of 2/3rds of an issue where him being evil would feel like a huge betrayal. Either spend more time building a relationship between him and Diana, or reveal that sooner, you know? Really not the sorta thing you can half-ass.

  The Flash #34

Meena is back, and Barry and Wally are happy to have her, even if Wally is still having a hard time trusting people. But Meena’s return isn’t all good news; she tells Barry that the negative-speedforce is killing him from inside, but adds that if she can study it, she may be able to find a cure.

The three speedsters go to the demolition derby so Barry can let loose and create data about the negative-speedforce for Meena to collect; but quickly loses control over his powers and becomes to scared of the repercussions to continue. But despite Meena telling him that sometimes losing control is helpful, she did get all of the data she needs; and promptly reveals that she’s been working with Black Hole the entire time by ambushing the Flashes with a small army. And then she steals the negative-speedforce from Barry…which, despite giving her more power, might have also saved Barry, so…yay?

Meanwhile, the rest of the CCPD inform Kristen of the mysterious new crime boss moving in on Copperhead’s territory.

There’s honestly just not that much going on in this issue. I’m not even sure if Meena revealing that she’s with Black Hole is even a twist, because I’m pretty sure we knew that a few months ago. Same goes for the negative-speedforce negatively affecting Barry. And the Copperhead turf war. Really, the only thing of consequence this issue happens in the last couple of pages, and even then, it’s more a return to status quo than anything else. And yeah, now Barry considers Meena an enemy, but before this issue, he thought she was dead so…I mean, alive is still technically better, right? After how much I’ve enjoyed this series, this issue is really disappointing.

  Moon Knight #188

The new Moon Knight is off to an amazing start, and its first issue doesn’t even have Moon Knight in it. Instead, we follow Dr. Emmett, a psychologist at Ravencroft Asylum working on the case of a nameless man, Patient 86, a pyromaniac who burned his fellow army officers to death after they bullied and tortured him.

Emmett also has a preoccupation with Marc Spector, and believes that just as he was able to focus his multiple personalities through the symbol of Khonshu to become Moon Knight; 86 may benefit from a symbol to focus on, and chooses the Egyptian sun god, Amon-Ra. But she may have succeeded too much in duplicating Marc Spector’s circumstances.

This is one of the most novel approaches I’ve ever read for a first issue, but one that works incredibly; introducing new readers to the idea of Moon Knight by having his origin told by-proxy through the creation of a foil. Dr. Emmett doesn’t succeed in curing 86, only in creating a second Marc Spector. And by showing us what 86 becomes capable of, it hints as to the abilities and mindset of the Moon Knight that Bemis has yet to introduce.

It also helps that Bemis’ dialogue and narrative monologue are electric, lending Emmett an edge to her professionalism, and giving 86 a personality that gets colder as he identifies more with Ra.

Burrows’ art with Lopes’ colors reminds me a lot of Davis-Hunt’s work on Clean Room and Wild Storm, especially the way they illustrate burned skin, and red-haired women doctors. Sorry, too glib. The comparison is a compliment, and the issue looks great.

  Ms. Marvel #24

Ms. Marvel is able to push the runaway train onto a different track at the last second to prevent a collision, but she and Red Dagger remain unable to stop it on it’s briskly paced run through Jersey. And while they think of what to do about this slow emergency, Dagger notices that Ms. Marvel seems exhausted, and not just because she just lifted a train. He suggests that she take some time to take of herself instead of everyone else.

Ms. Marvel checks in on the engineer, who lets her know that they’ve made the news, which reminds Kamala that she’s no longer Jersey’s favorite hero. But, looking at the railroad map of Jersey also inspires her with an idea to stop the train; guiding it to a hill-heavy corridor and let gravity do all the work.

It’s a great plan, or it would be if Ms. Marvel had factored in the speed gained by the train going downhill before going back up. But she’s prepared for that – mostly.

Ms. Marvel, the character and the series, continues to feel a little lethargic this arc, with the high point of the issue being when she’s forced into reacting by the train accelerating as it goes downhill.

The other bright-side to the issue is Olortegui and Herring’s art. Dagger describes Jersey as magical, and though Ms. Marvel is hesitant to agree with him, the art in the book; which illustrates America’s armpit with a golden-hour glow, and at a scale both intimate in terms of showing small towns, and sublime as the train joggs through open expanses of forest.

  Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #26

I can’t believe that Ryan North and Erica Henderson have made me purchase a Jim Davis product of my own volition, with my own money. You monsters. And the first strip he illustrates is just the first Garfield strip, but with Galactus and Silver Surfer instead of Jon and Garfield! Vile.

Despite that, this is still a very fun issue, and I honestly hope becomes an annual thing. A bunch of bad-guys recently destroyed a library, so Squirrel Girl rounded up a bunch of her friends to contribute short comics to a zine she’s selling to fundraise for repairs. All but one of this issue’s ten stories are written by North; the other is written by Henderson, and each is illustrated by a different artist, ranging from, yes, Jim Davis, to Chip Zdarsky, Michael Cho, Anders Nilsen, and Rahzzah.

Each mini-comic is a burst of the same humor found in a typical issue, but from the perspective of this series’ unique take of characters from Spider-Man, Wolverine, Howard the Duck, and Galactus. There’s even a fake letter’s column, where Tony Stark and J. Jonah Jameson write in. It really is a treat, and a not completely cynical take on the resurgence of zine culture and small-press comics and stuff.

  Injection #15

The Spriggans have opened the Cold House wide open, using it as a portal to this world to slaughter as many people as possible, but Brigid has a plan to stop them. It’s not the smartest plan, but effective: drive back to the Cold House, hoping the car continues to act as a faraday cage protecting them from spriggan attacks, and then slap a construction vehicle into one of the Cold House stones to break it.

Unfortunately, once that problem is taken care of, another one emerges. Maria tells Brigid that Morel has cut off FPI, making everything she just did illegal, and making her an enemy of the state. She and Emma decide to run to Ireland together, but surely that won’t be the end of their adventures.

Barring the opening pages of the spriggans indiscriminately slaughtering people, this really could be the last ten minutes of a Doctor Who episode, with the final pages especially tipping Ellis’ hand. It’s an issue long mad dash implementation of a plan that was made up as the heroes go.

Bellaire owns this issue, coloring the climax of the book entirely in three colors: black, white, and a light blue that make it one of the most bold and striking comics of the week.

Comic Reviews 11/8/17 Batman: Lost #1 A 78 year old Bruce Wayne reads his granddaughter a story from his adventures as Batman, the very first story: The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.