#superheroic fisticuffs

[supersmoshers]

Tommy Bowe AKA The Bartender

collected, cutting, and, well, cunty, plus the best mixologist around, Tommy Bowe's got the gift of hydrokinesis, which he uses to run a fairly successful bar for metahumans. The rule? No fighting in The Bartender's bar. The result? It's become the best spot for discussions between kingpins of villainy, crooked cops, and marksmen for hire. Despite this, Tommy himself is willing to listen to any point of view, as long as they're paying. Regardless of the bar's reputation, it's also welcome to civilians and heroes. It's just that Heroes are a lot less likely to abide by his rules of amnesty. That doesn't hinder the bar's popularity though, so it's not uncommon to see someone like [REDACTED] getting a drink right next to the villain of the week. As long as they save the fisticuffs for after their drinks, Tommy's willing to let it slide. He's the number one person to go to for information in the city, as he basically hears all within his walls. He might seem like an easy target, but if you bring nonsense into his establishment, he'll make you swiftly meet his bouncer (which is his nickname for the bottom shelf stuff he'll flick his wrist and hit you with). You can find him minding his business, discussing the latest in fashion, and partaking in his real illicit dealings, which is acquiring Pokémon cards before their official release dates. Hey, everyone's got hobbies!

Powers: Hydrokinesis / Liquid Manipulation Alignment: Unaligned

[moodboard 10 of 16 for my Smosh Superhero au!]

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers #322: The Crossing Line Part 4: BOMBS AWAY!

September, 1990

ESCALATION!

One wonders what's left to escalate. Peace Corpse started shooting hostages. The Avenging People Flight stormed the sub and took them out. The last two terrorists are wired into some nukes. I guess the Atlanteans might escalate the situation.

Anyway, that was very nearly a recap so lets cover the rest.

Last times on Avengers: Russian terrorist group Peace Corpse hijacked British nuclear submarine, the Waterwind. The British government called the American government called Stingray and off they went to find a sub.

Russian superhero group the People's Protectorate were also trying to find the sub and wound up squabbling with the Avengers. Their fighting was too close to the ruins of Atlantis so the Atlanteans got involved too. So the Avengers and Protectorate combined forces to kick Atlantean ass.

In the ruckus, the Waterwind got damaged and the terrorists fled to Newfoundland for repairs. The heroes showed up, Captain America got hostage Stingray shot, and then Alpha Flight showed up.

They let Peace Corpse berth for repairs and then put together a plan to storm the sub and that brings us back to paragraph one.

Atlantis Attacks?

No

NO!

I can't go back! I won't go back!

Okay, we're at the seeming end of the terrorist sub hijacking plot, given that there's just two dudes left. But only on part 4 out of 6 so I guess the Atlanteans are here to muddle things up so the plot lasts longer.

The superheroes leap to the correct conclusion that the Atlanteans are here to mess with the sub and leap into action against them.

Quasar puts a light net around Tyrak, lightly boasting that he was able to handle Tyrak back when they were underwater so maybe back off.

Perun goes to fight Orka. He's our resident Thor-expy and Orka fought Thor once. It just makes sense.

Orka: "You wish to pit your puny surface might against that of Orka?" Perun: "Aye, blubber-laden one!" Orka: "So be it! Orka is tired of talk!" Perun: "And I am offended by your breath, you bulbous buffoon! Be silent and accept the punishment at hand!"

Some good smack talk here.

Crimson Dynamo and Guardian team up to zap the Atlanteans jetskis, to keep them from the Waterwind and the civilian evacuation.

Meanwhile, Sersi, Shaman, and Fantasma keep at the evacuation efforts. Moving people away from the Waterwind in case it explodes and moving them to the Port Au Port Bay on the other end of the island.

Shaman uses the teleportation spells from his mystic pouch. Fantasma uses her magic to hide the evacuation effort from the Atlanteans. And Sersi uses her abilities to telekinesis civilians out of harm's way.

Tyrak OH YEAHS out of Quasar's light net.

Quasar tells Tyrak that he was actually going easy on him so Tyrak grabs him by the cape and slams him into the jetski.

Geez, Quasar. Banter better.

Guardian goes to help Quasar, leaving Puck to fight the rank and file Atlanteans. And Crimson Dynamo tackles U-Man, generating heat from his armor to dehydrate and weaken the Atlantean.

Meanwhile, Orka breaks the ship he and Perun are fighting on to force the fight into the water for a home-field advantage. Where he promptly starts kicking the shit out of Perun.

Box is in the water in submersible mode and spots this. He grabs Orka from behind and hits him with enough electricity to knock him out. Although it also drains the Box armor of the rest of its power.

Box's pilot, Madison Jeffries, is forced to abandon armor underwater and rely on Perun to drag him to the surface.

Perun: "I thank you for your help... and I will hit you very hard later for interfering in the only decent fray I'd had in months!" Box: "Fair-nuff."

Hah, you're fun, Perun.

He just wants a good dust-up. A good scrap. A rousing round of fisticuffs.

Meanwhile, inside the Waterwind.

Captain America, Red Guardian, Vision, and Vostok. Illyich Prokvitch and Strokov. All sitting together in the missile room, having a casual chat.

Such light topics as "Why are you doing this, Illyich Prokvitch?"

And Red Guardian dramatically revealing his true identity to Prokvitch.

He's not just a "weak-willed glasnost lover." He's Josef Petkus, the son of Prokvitch's best pal. And Prokvitch was Josef's sponsor and military academy instructor.

Red Guardian: "Tell me now that I am not the product of what you have made me!" Prokvitch: "And I am the product of what the world has made me! I am a soldier, Josef, a warrior! And the only way left for Mother Russia is to unite the nations of this world in a mutual goal -- war!"

This fuckin' Metal Gear-esque villain gives a little monologue about how the world is in decline and how the world will be good for the economy. And while he's talking, Vision and Vostok start fussing with the wires connecting the two terrorists to the missile controls.

Strokov: "Get away from wires, robots! NOW!! See, Prokvitch -- see what they do while you prattle your ideology away -- we must act now!" Vision: "Sir, my companion and I are synthezoids, not robots, as you claim."

That doesn't seem like the primary thing in the exchange, Vision.

Red Guardian re-rails the conversation, asking Prokvitch if he really believes a global nuclear war is really the best idea.

Prokvitch: "I believe no choice is left but to try, Josef!"

THERE SEEMS LIKE THERE COULD BE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS TO TRY

Red Guardian: "What about Anna and your children, Illyich? What about my mother and sister? What happens to them?" Prokvitch: "Do not seek to distract me further!"

Prokvitch is trying to talk the economy. Don't distract him with stuff like human lives!

Also, Strokov keeps yelling at Vision and Vostok, warning them that if either him or Prokvitch is injured or killed or if they fool around with the controls, the nuclear warheads will explode.

Vision and Vostok move back over to Captain America's side of the room and tell him that they could disconnect the cybernetic link between the two terrorists and the nuclear arsenal if given enough time.

Since the terrorists could detonate at the speed of thought if they give the proper codes, Captain America decides the best idea is to wait for the right moment and then sever the link before they can react.

Meanwhile, outside, apparently the fight against the Atlanteans has been going on for hours?? Two hours and change, specifically.

That's what Shaman is saying. He's been teleporting people the whole time and he's getting tired.

Guardian and Puck are still fighting mooks. And Quasar is still fighting Tyrak. Perun sees Quasar struggling and just goes 'my fight now'

Quasar leaves Puck to go check on Crimson Dynamo.

The red-armored iron foe has U-Man in a full nelson. He complains that he's had him in a full nelson for three hours and that the Atlantean is super stinky when he's sweaty (what? did we lose another hour? time is warped and space is bendable...)

Guardian asks how Crimson Dynamo's power reserves are. Whether he has enough in his tank to finish the fight.

Dynamo isn't sure so Guardian just yoinks U-Man out of his hands and... just... stops existing??

What a weird day.

Meanwhile, Quasar has gotten fed up with fighting Tyrak for however many hours we're up to.

Quasar: "I've been holding back, Tyrak -- both out of sympathy to your plight and respect for my principles! But you haven't appreciated one and ridiculed the other! So the kid gloves are OFF!!"

And then Quasar just instantly kicks Tyrak's ass.

Although, Tyrak isn't really ready to call it quits yet. He's kinda got his heart set on someone dying from this.

Meanwhile, inside the sub, Red Guardian continues to try to appeal to Prokvitch's emotions, reminding him that family members exist and would hate living through a nuclear war.

And Prokvitch is wavering! The appeals are working their way under his skin!

Exceptttttt also happening is that Vision and Vostok have disconnected the relays between the terrorists and the nukes and gave both shield heroes the signal to clonk the bad guys in the heads.

The day is saved, surely.

Exceptttt...

Prokvitch: "Ughhh... What have you idiots done?! By severing the ties you have automatically activated the fail-safe!!" Captain America: "fail-safe?"

Damn but is Captain America making bad judgement calls today. He lets himself get distracted fighting Russians and Atlanteans instead of addressing the hijacked submarine. He misreads the hostage situation so badly that he gets Stingray shot. And now he gets Canada blown up.

This never would have happened while Monica Rambeau led the team.

I guess the Avengers are all dead now. From now on this book will be reprints of Avengers West Coast.

We're sticking with this story arc until it's done, so next week more The Crossing Line. But right now, more backup stories about the Avengers Support Crew!

A feel good series where they're tormented by their greatest failings.

This time, poor Peggy Carter, the Avengers' communications officer and aunt of Captain America's love interest Sharon Carter.

Peggy is all excited to try out the new communications and monitoring equipment that's been set up in the Avengers Subbasement.

She's so excited, she decides to check in on the Avengers' mission in Newfoundland (the A-plot) so she can also tell him how rad her new set-up is.

But instead of opening hailing frequencies, Peggy accidentally plays archival footage of Sharon Carter burning to death.

Which, apparently happened.

She and Peggy were given an assignment by SHIELD to infiltrate the National Force but Sharon was caught and brainwashed to set herself on fire.

So when Burning Sharon actually shows up in the communications room, she poses the question is it fair that she set herself on fire and died while Peggy escaped unscathed and now has a rad job with the Avengers? Didn't Peggy promise she'd keep Sharon out of trouble when she followed in her footsteps and joined SHIELD? Because if you ask Sharon, dying is definitely trouble!

Because of survivor's guilt, Peggy agrees that it really is unfair and that it should have happened to her instead, since Sharon had so much more life to live.

So Sharon tells her to join her in death, they hug, and Peggy catches on fire.

As you do?

Also, geez, that swastika. It was probably what Sharon happened to be wearing when she died. National Force was a neo-Nazi group organized by Doctor Faustus. But previous panels had Sharon too distant to see it clearly or facing the other way. It's just jarring to have it suddenly show up while she's hugging her aunt to death.

All these back-up stories are really downsizing the Avengers staff. Plus, the whole team just got nuclear exploded.

Follow @essential-avengers because. Like, reblog, comment, discuss, noun, whatever. Engage! The Borg, perhaps.

[lunaremy]

the shitposty mid 2000s incessantly long and also kinda bad r prelude story is becoming less shitposty and it shocks me

i have all these genuinely thematically pleasing scenes in mind (i.e the one where 2 teenagers start beating the shit out of each other because teen 2 threw haymakers at teen 1's brother for the sole reason of "hes annoying" and while teen 2 is right, you do not punch people like that) and its so. ouaugh???

this is like not gonna be a thing until very long in the future but it's occupying my brain so bad. I kinda want Pretty's death to take place during the prelude, because it would make her appearance in R1 more "bookends" like, yknow?

I just find it very amusing. Imagine being White on an intergalactic mission several lightyears away from your parents at the age of like 15/16 (if not younger than that) and you STILL have sibling rivalry with Black and Pretty despite everything that's going on around you. And then someone punches the shit out of Black. Despite both of you bickering over something stupid like who gets to ride the lava trolley first or whatever its IMMEDIATE fucking fury. He's been like that since he was born. Like bombs are NOT involved anymore it's just straight fisticuffs from now in. And it works because lo and behold your opponent is also a fisticuffs guy so it goes from "fantasy setting where a comic superhero with bombs and a child soldier from a mid-2000s anime series with no budget having a cool mid-series fight" to "two very distressed and troubled teenagers beating each other to death in a blockbuster parking lot" and its so. huh??????????? wha???????????

[mysjif]

villains advocating for the legalization of superheroes, talking about how heroes will talk with you, maybe tussle a little, banter. At worst, you end up in a cell with a concussion. Cops? They just start shooting. You rob one (just one!) bank at night, no victims, and they start a gunfight over it when it could've been settled with some good old-fashioned shit talk and fisticuffs.

[travsd]

The First Flash Film

The new theatrical feature The Flash opens at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre today, and we thought it worthwhile to pause briefly to consider the superhero character’s history — in brief. This DC hero was always one of my favorites — a sleek guy who runs really fast and vibrates. He’s far less about fisticuffs, much more about chases and rescues, just like many of the silent comedians I love. The…

[therobotmonster]

It's the times.

Marvel's archetypical mega-geniuses were largely products of the late 50s and 60s, and tended to be full-on adults. They were products of the atomic and jet age, and were born of the tropes of those times. Reed was always gray at the temples, Tony Stark was Howard Hughes, Bruce Banner was functionally working at Los Alamos and Henry Pym was doing mad scientist adventures before he even got a costume.

Marvel's sliding timescale has inched back some of the characters' ages to rather silly degrees, and by the time later characters started getting introduced, the stat-blocks of the manly men of science had to be matched, even if their tropes work.

They also were rarely created to be superheroes. Reed was, but the Fantastic Four were more pulp adventurers than superheroes. Most of Marvel's smartypants heavy-hitters came out of pulp sci-fi and monster concepts.

DC, as the place superheroes began, tended to have a lot more "pure" superhero concepts. You didn't have a lot of guys whose whole deal was "I'm a super-science adventurer in the vein of Doc Savage" or "I'm a Tom Swift type" over at DC, and the ones that were, like the Metal Men's Doc Magnus or the Challengers of the Unknown, didn't take off as much in the popular consciousness (and came from the 60s like Marvel's guys)

Instead, if a superhero had a science background, that was almost entirely to justify them making their superhero gadget of choice, like Hourman's pills, after which it was mostly fisticuffs over science. Super-science was a thing some heroes could just 'do', like Superman having access to Kyptonian science and Batman being Batman, but it wasn't a schtick for DC during its foundational days.

DC's biggest gadgeteer is arguably Blue Beetle, and he was purchased (and again, much later). DC had plenty of genius scientists, but they were badguys in the mold of Lex Luthor and the Ultra Humanite. DC's prominent super-science era all started with STAR Labs, and that was in the 70s.

Marvel's geniuses were all molded by Hank Pym, who started as a one-off character in a weird science story and went from adult Tom Swift to superhero over the course of 4 stories.

And DC's reboot-madness means that while a lot of their characters are old fashioned, none of them are any older than the last reboot. Barry wasn't played as a super-genius when introduced. He was a chemist in a police lab. The standards for what a standard chemist could pull off in a comic were just different in 1956, and by the 70s that compressed costume needed some explanation.

Honestly I think it’s so funny that in the Marvel universe, when someone’s really smart, they have like eight to twelve doctorates and they finished high school at age twelve.

And then over in the DC universe it’s like. This is Tim Drake. He’s a genius. He keeps cloning his loved ones. He dropped out of highschool. Over there is Barry Allen. He can reverse engineer a spaceship in less than a minute. He is such a good chemist he’s still going to be known as the best chemist in 4,000 years. He has a bachelor’s degree.

[kilowogcore]

I'm still a good hand-ta-hand fighter, but back in the 80s I'd just beat down baddies with my bare fisticuffs!

Learn how that helped my hero rep in my latest video, "The History of Kilowog Part 2: Lanterns on Earth," debutin' next week here on Facebook!

But why wait? Hero an' Superhero subscribers at my Buy Me A Coffee site can watch it today! Right now! Head ta' https://buymeacoffee.com/theevilwriter/the-history-kilowog-part-2-early-access! What 'r ya' waitin' fer?

[snupnalge]

you may remember a while back i discussed a weird game i remembered playing as a kid and posted the scant little bit of material i could find about it. well, i've managed to dig up something else!

this company made at LEAST one other game, much later on:

from what i can tell, the game seems to be a fire emblem/fft/old school xcom type turn-based tactical game. wish i could find like ANY gameplay footage.

i wasn't even able to find manual scans for this one, but i DID find decent scans of what appear to be cards from some kind of short-lived trading card series. fuckin' everybody was trying this marketing bit back then, since pokemon was raking in that card cash. check it out:

switching your characters between their secret identities and superhero costumes seems to have been a central mechanic, and these three stats are listed as "fisticuffs, superpowers and trickery" on the archived geocities page i found this stuff on. i'm gonna keep posting these in sets for a bit, and link em back to this post

edit: batch number two!

edit again: batch number three!

edit the third: batch number four!

edit iv: batch number five!

editte: batch number six!

edit: batch number seven!

[howlingday]

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang from best girl to ok, how do you ranked out rwby girls?

Out of these RWBY girls? Well, I'm gonna step on some toes, so let me just say that this is MY personal opinion. Please don't take this as a personal attack.

Ruby - Best Lead!

Ruby Rose is definitely up there in my favorite characters, and why not? She falls into the classic shonen jump hero type without making it feel like it's stale or repeating what the others do.

Also, her character is just the perfect blend of superhero on the rise, and kid thrown to the wolves coming back with the pack. She's innocent, but won't take shtuffing from anyone, or anything.

While it is true that her childish actions are counterintuitive to the good of all people, I still feel Ruby did what she thought was best., which perfectly demonstrates herself as a character. She's the young up-and-comer actually doing something while everyone else is either dying, selling out, or running away, which are not words in the SJ hero handbook. So, as far as I can tell, as a hero, Ruby is off to a solid start. Not perfect, but that's why she's there; to be better.

Weiss - Great!

Weiss Schnee probably has the best character development in the entire show. She starts off as this bratty, know-it-all (not at all, not at all a know-it-all) princess type who thinks she can do whatever she wants. By the end of Volume 8, when she's returned home after running away, she's a friggin' diamond of a character. Perfectly made by both the heat and pressure of character conflict. Truly unbreakable.

Blake - She's... Okay?

Blake Belladonna is the intellectual of the group, which is something I can relate to.

However, it feels like she doesn't really add anything to the group, and her story feels like it's been fully played out. And it's... meh.

Her voice is also very... flat. Monotone voices just don't hit for me, I guess.

I will add, though, that Blake in Chibi is definitely up there for one of my favorites, since some of her best lines feel so real. Not worst girl ever, but not exactly up there on my favorites.

Yang - BEST GIRL! BEST GIRL! BEST GIRL!

Now, I'll start by saying Yang has her flaws. She's abrasive, too emotional, cocky, and has canonically committed sexual battery. All these things are not cool.

However,

YANG XIAO LONG IS THE BEST OF THE BEST, AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL!

She's the perfect older sibling character, which, as an older sibling myself, I take fucking seriously! She'll pester Ruby and tease her, but at the end of the day, she's ready to crack skulls for her.

And she can back it up! I'm a huge fisticuffs fan, so seeing a character in a world where you can use guns and swords to get the job done, it is SO SATISFYING watching this beautiful woman absolutely demolish her opponents with a punch!

And the puns! Oh, the puns! They're bad! They're cringey! They! Work! So! Well!

Add in the fact that her character growth is justifiably slow because she is the adult of the group (much as the others disagree), and I am done.

Yang Xiao Long is not my waifu. She is our daughter, and she's doing beautifully. You're doing great, baby!

[soleminisanction]

I’ve wanted to talk more about Steph’s run as Batgirl because I’m genuinely fascinated by it, but I keep starting and then abandoning posts because they inevitably spiral out of my control. In an attempt to illustrate my problem, allow me to wax poetic for a bit about a single line that has bugged me for years:

Context:

This page comes in the first issue. Steph is running around in Cass’s Batgirl costume and it keeps getting damaged, so she says…this.

And if you’re a more casual reader, you’re probably saying right now, “So what? It’s just a joke, a quip. It doesn’t mean anything. Why the hell is this post so long for something as small as that?”

In answer, I give you this:

Yeah. 

Stephanie Brown knows how to sew. Stephanie Brown specifically knows how to sew, fix and maintain superhero costumes. Because she makes her own. And it’s not like that’s some kind of deep cut; those panels are from a Secret Files and Origins story that Chuck Dixon (Steph’s creator) wrote, but all you really have to do is know Steph’s story and use some basic logic: she is literally a self-made superhero. Of course she makes her own costumes. Where else would she get them?

And I want to be clear here – this is a skill. One that Stephanie would have to cultivate and that she should be proud of. Costuming is hard enough when you’re trying to make something that’s just intended to be worn for a few hours at a convention a couple of times a year. Steph’s Spoiler gear is literally full-body, covering head-to-toe twice over, and built to stand up to regular rooftop parkour, motorcycling, fisticuffs, gunfights, knife fights, dips into Gotham Bay and the occasional fire. It’s almost certainly made out of thick, quality cloth and leather, both of which are hard to work with but vital if you’re creating something that’s designed to protect you.

She built that costume from scratch at least twice and maintained it, by herself, with no Bat support, financial or otherwise, for years. It is absolutely a skill and a credit to her as a character, not to mention foundational to her entire origin story and her whole independent “you can’t tell me what to do” attitude.

And this one line… takes that all away for the sake of a cheap, generic quip. 

What’s extra frustrating about this whole thing is that, in going with this lazy, cliche joke, they missed a golden opportunity to actually show her character.

Imagine if, instead of this page where we’re leering at her in the shower for no reason, we got a short scene in which Steph sits down at her sewing machine to fix the costume… and realizes that she only has purple cloth and thread. That would be a subtle symbolic moment for what's supposedly the central theme of this book, that Steph "just can't help" but be a bright and happy "burst of color" in contrast to the darkness of Gotham and the other Bats. 

She could then hesitate, wonder if maybe this is a sign, maybe she should just stop… and then persist anyway, filling in the gaps with “her” color (as if Babs and Helena didn’t wear it first but that’s another rant). That would establish her as stubborn, resourceful, tenacious, and someone who doesn’t let superficial appearances get in her way.

Plus, remember, this is Cass’s Batgirl costume, it already has a stitched-together aesthetic; she could make it work. And as a bonus, you’d get the interesting symbolism of it looking like her old Spoiler gear is trying to burst out from inside this costume that doesn’t quite fit her (because Cass is smaller than she is in a couple of different places) and, due to the placement of the cuts we see later on, it’d even be a neat visual transition between this temporary look and the one she wears as her permanent Batgirl gear.

But, no. All we got was a cliche quip and the implication that Stephanie cares more about Being Batgirl than she does her own safety, comfort or modesty.

But you know what really, really drives me nuts about this line? 

There is no way for us as readers to know whether it was an intentional change to Steph’s characterization or just a careless, thoughtless joke. 

The latter would be bad enough, as it implies that the people in charge of this character’s big spotlight starring role neither know nor care about the fundamental basics of who she is as a person and think that Batman handed her everything. But if it’s a deliberate change? That would imply a lot worse.

Because sewing, you see, is women’s work. In our dominant culture, it’s viewed as a feminine skill and a girly hobby. And our very special heroine simply can’t be shown to have girly interests or hobbies. That would make her… like other girls.

Even if that’s not a conscious mindset, I can see that being why the (entirely cisgender male) creativity team valued the skill so little they didn’t even think before tossing it aside for a joke. Frankly, given how the series goes on to treat both Steph and literally all of the women around her, I would not be surprised in the slightest.

But that’s a topic for another day. 

For now, I hope I've made my point. People are going to think I'm exaggerating when I say this but I really believe it’s true: the entire series is like this. If you read it in a vacuum and don't think about it, it seems perfectly functional, but the second you bring in outside context or start questioning things even a little, it all falls apart. And instead of drawing on Steph's established history and personality to make her a compelling and unique protagonist, it strips her down to nothing but shallow cliches to render her out as little more than a blank, generically quirky cipher for insecure people to project themselves onto.

It’s honestly depressing. 

[thebisexualdogdad]

I'm so happy you're writing for Kate bishop! bc 95% (if not more) are going to be female Reader and that annoys me..

Anyways, I would request a Enemies to Lovers sort of thing with Kate. Like, Reader belongs to any gang or got hired to go after her and Clint and at one point Kate has to fight Reader in hand to hand combat and has a knife. She tells him to not come closer or she'll hurt him but he just smirks and steps soo close to her while Kate gets nervous and trys to think of any way out

Sorry if this is too long. Thank you :)

Kate Bishop x Male!reader

● you're a member of the silver snake syndicate and you were ordered by your boss to take out the new hawkeye in town 

● after word spread from the tracksuits that Clint Barton had passed his mantle down to a girl named Kate Bishop every gang in New York wanted to be the one who could say they killed the young superhero 

● especially after hearing how she nearly took down the legendary Kingpin 

● you had a couple run ins with her just to test the waters 

● she may be a rookie but she had skills 

● you liked the way she fought 

● and it didn't hurt that she was so attractive too 

● sure you were supposed to kill her but that didn't mean you couldn't have some fun while doing so 

● the leader of your syndicate questioned why the hawkeye wasn't dead yet after a couple weeks

● "the job will get done but you know I like the chase"

● "fine, you can make her squirm but don't let someone get to her first or else it'll be your head" 

● Kate happened to be quite interested in you too

● and she may or may not have used her mom's company computer to find all your personal information including your social media 

● Yelena was busy on a job in Europe so she called Peter in to give her a helping hand 

● "he has a dog too, Lucky could have a friend"

● "you remember he's trying to kill you right?" 

● "I know but have you seen how hot he is?" 

● one night you attack Kate and Peter while they are surveying a warehouse your syndicate uses to store illegal firearms 

● Peter is out cold and you and Kate are in the middle of a fisticuffs in the alleyway

● her bow is nowhere to be seen as it was lost in the fight and you have your knife drawn

● "don't come any closer!" She yells at you

● you don't listen of course and keep approaching her 

● soon you're face to face and Kate gulps 

● "I don't want to kill you Kate… at least not yet… you intrigue me"

● "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that" 

● "because you feel the spark too don't you" 

● Kate's face is flushed, Clint would be so mad if he saw her right now being all hot and bothered because of a cute boy who was ordered to kill her

● you lean in and kiss her taking Kate by surprise 

● when you take a step back Kate is literally the "the woman was too stunned to speak" meme

● Kate hears Peter groaning and when she turns back to you you're gone 

● "please tell me I'm hallucinating because of a concussion and did not just see you kiss him" Peter mutters trying to get to his feet

● Kate helps him up and still can't find any words until she spots her bow peaking out from under a garbage can 

● "Oh look my bow" 

● "don't change the subject Kate, I will call Clint" 

● "no! I promise I won't date the super hot gang member" 

● whether Kate was actually going to keep that promise not even she knew 

[mar1netteday]

Why I like Marinette (True-InTha-Blue's) take

I am an adult who grew up in a generation that was very much pushing (to some degree) for 'girl power' . And that came in many. many forms. Kim Possible Sam Mansion Penny Proud Sabrina the Teenaged Witch Sandy Cheeks Spinelli And a whole bunch of shows that showed Tomboys, girls who knew kung fu or tried to break prior stereotypes. As a girl, I appreciated that.... of Sorts. You could kinda separate them into two main factions. Fashion and girl-related things or absolute disdain of fashion and girly things. And it is polarizing. There is nothing wrong with having those traits. But variety sometimes lacked. Here comes Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

She's clumsy, she is smart. She likes pink, she will rock out to metal. She loves boys, but is awkward at social conversations and has to prepare for them. Most of all, she doesn't really know what she is doing and kinda flying by the seat of her pants. She's pressured and while she puts on a front at times, you can see a lot of weakness inside that has nothing to do with passions or boys or whatnot. Just life being mean. And she is allowed to complain about it, she is allowed to be valid about it. It is unfair she was chosen out of the blue like that, it was unfair that she was made Guardian so suddenly. While having friends, her social interactions still get the way of her intent, and miscommunication happens. That speaks to me as a kid who struggled a lot with social communication and unfair stigmatization towards them. And it speaks to me as an adult. Guess what I am getting that is that Marinette's character is prioritized with 'Girl Power' but more so that she is a good person and an awesome superhero who is a girl. It is a part of her character but her identity isn't focused around it. You can be girly, you can tomboy, you can be all fisticuffs and then use your brain. You can be a stuttering mess who doesn't know how to people talk and still be going through life by decking it in the snoz with your awesomeness. That speaks to me. I love Marinette because she is openly loving and a hot mess but that doesn't deter her character or her ability as Ladybug. It is what makes her Ladybug. She is an ordinary girl. But she is an ordinary girl who was given the ability to do extraordinary things when her heart is in the right place. And there, is Ladybug. I hope both girls and boys who watch the show learn from her be it the appropriate age audience or those older. I think I would have benefitted more as a person if I grew up with Marinette as someone to look up to. As an adult, all I can do is help explain it.

That people are allowed to make mistakes in the messy world that is humanity and emotions. That kindness and pink isn't a weakness but neither is not making your gender the entirety of you. She fills a hole in my heart that yearned for something in my childhood. So thank you Miraculous Ladybug and show creators. You really have made a good character... and I have watched a lot of cartoons

[navybrat817]

Going off an earlier tag, I think if if Steve walked in on soldier boy doing bad things, there are two possible scenerios.

Scenerio One

If it was TFA or Ultron Steve, he'd try and reason with Soldier Boy. Try and remind him of all the good he could do in the world. He'd also tell him to quit smoking because it's a disgusting habit because that Steve is a good 'ol boy

Now, Soldier Boy is just gonna be all -

Then they'd fight, two gorgeous men using their shields and powers in some mighty fisticuffs until SB realizes all Steve really needs is to get dicked down - that'll help him loosen up *ahem* and it just so happens his dick is up *double ahem* to the job.

***

Scenerio Two

Now, if it was Nomad Steve - Lord have mercy!

Nomad is so over being patronized and has learned the power of a good fuck. He's up for anything and with anyone, and with Bucky being tended to elsewhere, he's just ready for a good fight that's gonna end up with him being balls deep inside Soldier Boy.

Now, I don't see SB giving in so easy at first, but when faced with the God that is this man

He's absolutely going to turn into a crazy cock-slut like the rest of us

Now, personally I'm rooting for Nomad because - fuck

But I may be convinced to sway the other way in an alternative universe.

Thoughts?

Lovely, I'm happy with both scenarios!

For the first, I can't help but think Bucky should be there, too. A little vulnerable after Steve rescued him and isn't going anywhere without him. Maybe Soldier Boy ends up inside Steve while Steve is inside Bucky. 🔥

God, can you imagine him as a Howling Commando?

The second, hehe. Soldier Boy running his mouth after being released in present time and Nomad having none of that. SB would put up a fight for sure and Steve would have fun taking him down.

"'Original superhero' my ass."

Maybe Nomad can attend Herogasm and fuck SB again. 🔥

Third scenario, no one gets dusted in IW and SB ends up spitroasted between our super soldiers. Again, he may put up a fight, but who doesn't want to be the meat in that sandwich? 😏

*SB to the super soldiers*

Love and thanks! ❤️

[wutwutsayspuffpuff]

Several months later I’m still salty over how Rage (Super Strength and Nearly Indestructible) was beaten into a coma so Spencer could set his stage for Secret Empire.

[everyonewasabird]

Brickclub 3.8.14 “In Which A Police Officer Gives A Lawyer Two Fisticuffs”

I first read this book when I was twelve or thirteen, and it confused me as to the meaning of “fisticuffs” for the next decade.

For the first time in this chapter we see Javert from the bourgeois point of view.

He’s deeply and fundamentally alarming, almost as much so as Thenardier--but that’s okay! It’s reassuring, really! He’s a violent and dangerous dog, but he’s OUR dog. We need a fierce guard dog with so many people like Thenardier about. He’s just there to protect us!

It’s funny, you can still ask people today which side of the police they grew up on. The divide is stark, and Hugo captures it well.

And gah, so many gritty superhero-type stories use this idea played straight--that there are so many monsters in the world, we need someone who’s nearly a monster himself to defend us from them. Enter: Javert.

Both Marius and Javert know the script. Javert doesn’t respect Marius--Marius doesn’t have THAT kind of social power--but Javert knows he’s one of the flock he protects. He gifts him loaded firearms (!!) because the police and the bourgeoisie just have this kind of deal with each other.

This chapter, again, is something of a test to the reader--DO you find it reassuring that this police officer Marius finds seems so fierce and abrupt and yet competent? Is this the cavalry, arriving to save the day? Is it a relief? How about when it’s revealed (though the reader surely is meant to have guessed) that it’s Javert himself?

I always find Javert’s characterization interesting here. He’s got a lot more showmanship and desire to sound badass than we’ve seen before. He has this kind of hardboiled detective confidence and repartee, winning games of wit against Marius and being impolite, because he can. There’s also a physicality to him we’ve never seen before--this warming his butt at the fireplace is hardly corrupt behavior per se, but it’s a lot more earthly and less priestly and absolute than his early appearances. He’s a lot less Brutus than the last time we saw him, and a lot more Vidocq.

We’ve talked before about whether that change happened at the death of Fantine, when he took a life that didn’t belong to him, out of spite. I still like that reading.

But I also think there’s a thing going on here where Javert gets to play differently to a different audience. He gets to act a bit of the badass (if shady and corrupt) superhero, because we’re in a bourgeois world right now, and that’s what the police are to the bourgeoisie.

[sebastianshaw]

“Let’s do this: I won’t teleport this time. Go ahead, do your best.” And he raises both hands in the air, showing his palms as way of a ‘promise’ gesture.

Do it Every fibre of Shaw's primal being urged him to take Wagner at his word. After all, he was one of the X-Men, and obsessed with swashbuckling fictional heroics. He'd surely keep his word like a real man. And if Shaw could only get a hold of him, it would be all over. . . But that was the challenge, wasn't it? As much as Shaw liked to think about it, the fact was that even without Wagner's powers, he'd be very hard for Shaw to actually grab. He was agile, swift, limber, excellent at acrobatics and leaping around. And Shaw knew. . .he was not. He was large and lumbering, faster than anyone ever expected but still no match for Nightcrawler's reflexes. And the fact was, probably a better fighter than Shaw. The X-Men were highly trained, they'd had no day jobs, and missions surely didn't happen every day, they'd had time to hone they skills. . .whereas Shaw, who had a business to run and preferred to do things hands-off anyway, had only used fisticuffs when cornered. And he wasn't bad at it. He could fight. But it was a far cry from what a constantly-training superhero was capable of, especially one so nimble as The Incredible Nightcrawler. It doesn't matter. You can do it. Just dive at the right time, find the right moment, you can grasp him, hold him fast, and then-- Then the blue devil would be pummeled to so much pulp. A tempting thought, agonizingly so. Shaw's practical mind struggled to fend it off, like a single shepherd beset by a pack of might wolves, armed only with a single staff of reason to beat back the beasts of desire. His body tilted forward, subtle but sinister, again like a big cat crouching, about to--- "No," he said. It was said aloud, but it was far more to himself than to Nightcrawler, "Not today, Mr. Wagner. And not on your terms. When my time comes, I will be the judge. Thank you, however, for your gracious opportunity. Most gentlemanly of you, I admit." It killed him, but, at the end of the day, he could wait, if it meant the satisfaction would come. . . which, here, he did not trust it would. Still, he wasn't lying when he said he found the offer to be gentlemanly. He'd give Wagner that, at least. @bothsidesofaquestion