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popculturebuffet · 1 year ago

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Mutant Month: The 2021 Hellfire Gala: The X-Men Conquer Mars: Comissioned by WeirdKev27

Hello all you happy mutants and welcome to our big finale to Mutant Month! Over this month we've taken a look at the X-Men's first apperance in animation, one of their greatest stories ever and the debut of one of the greatest x-men period, so it's only fit to end this monumental mutanty month with some fireworks: We're taking a look at the first annual Hellfire Gala, aka one of the x-men stories I brought up the most for some time: that time the x-men colonized mars, now known as planet Arakko.

For those of you who like Kev, who comissioned this, stopped for a second from scrolling and went

Allow me to present you with the grand tale of how Mutantkind terraformed an entire planet as a one two punch of solving a massive looming diplomatic crisis... and using it as the big main event of their version of the met gala. Your invitation is on the table, so take it with me, get your flowers pinned on so you can go through the gate, and join the party under the cut. Afterparty on Arakko bitches.

Well, How Did We Get Here?

So to get to the Hellfire Gala I have to get into the krakoan era of x-men, an era tha'ts reaching it's twilight but is still ongoing and has been one of my favorites in comics.

This era of X-History comes after a fairly bleak time in x-men comics: See in the mid 2010's, Marvel tried outright dismantling the x-men. Since the MCU didn't have the rights to them, Marvel was trying hard to not give Fox any more ammo, forgetting they still got mech money out of the x-men existing. They also just outright canceled fantastic four. Because who needs the founding family of the marvel universe if we can't merch the hell out of them amirite?

So despite the X-Men having JUST WARDED OFF EXTINCTION a few years ago, post secret wars they decided to push the Inhumans , anothe rgroup of superpowered beings they'd already set up clevery and uniquely as their own thing last era without stepping on the x-men's toes, as the new x-men and to shoe out the old.

What followed.. is one of the dumbest things i've seen in all of comics. So to push the Inhumans.. they decided the best way was to make the cloud of terrigen mist that created new inhumans... TOXIC TO MUTANTS. So that the Inhumans were casually allowing a toxic murder cloud to kill tons of people.. just to keep more of them existing.

I.. cannot find the words for how tonedeaf, short sighted and just plain moronic this was. You can't just.. kill one group to make another group popular. Queen didn't consume the beating hearts of all four beetles to become awesome. They just were. And the inhumans books.. were GOOD. Charles Soule was doing an utterly fantastic job on them and continued to for the entire run. You didn't need this shit. Instead it sunk the inhumans so that the followup, Royal, by one of my favorite writers in all of comics Al Ewing, got cut short and the inhumans were then mostly killed and those left put into exile. Except Lockjaw. Everyone loves a giant teleporting dog monster. He could stay.

Afterwords while Disney didn't have the rights back YET, Marvel realized they couldn't just magically flimflam fans and tried a half hearted attempt at boosting the x-men: They returned to sorta prominence.. but the new runs weren't given a huge push in the marvel universe as whole. We got the underrated classics X-Men Blue and Iceman, the former finishing up Cullen Bunn's awesome magneto trilogy and the latter redefining Bobby now he was an out and proud gay man, but the other flagship book at the time, yes there were two, x-men gold had a great status quo (Kitty Pryde as Xavier's School headmistress and x-men leader, and the institute now being located in central park), but was given to Mark Guggenhiem instead of a more compitent hand, resulting in a series long rehash of better stories... and one actually GOOD story mixed in.

It was clear while Marvel was willing to use the x-men again, they needed to actually use their whole ass. Enter Jonathan Hickman. For those not familiar with him

Jonathan Hickman is one of the best writer's in comics, and has had storied runs on all three of Marvel's biggest teams, all having a major impact and all really dang good, with a knack for longterm plotting, high sci fi concepts and quotable as hell lines and arc phrases. Hickman left marvel after Secret Wars 2015, his grand finale to his avengers run and intended as an end to his time at marvel so he could move on to new horizons, planning to give the compettition a ring. And while sadly that meant we didn't get what would've been likely THE definitive teen titans run, though i'm sure we'll get it some day as DC would be nuts not to let him do it, Marvel simply had an offer too tempting for him to pass up: Run the X-Men.

Something I never knew before his interviews for this era.. is that while Jonathan Hickman liked marvel... he never really read most of their comics before his runs. When he did Fantastic Four and Avengers, he studied heavily. Granted it shows how good a writer he is that it dosen't show and he clearly gained an apprceation for both. It's also a NEEDED reminder for comic book writers: YOU CAN JUST RESEARCH SOMETHING YOU DON'T KNOW. I know it sounds obvious but plenty of writers , Brian Micheal Bendis in paticular, don't seem to understand that.

For X-Men though, they were his intro into comics, the books he picked up as a kid. The playset he always wanted but during his first run at marvel the timing just never synched up. So Hickman gathered a crack team of writers and took an approach I feel most lines in comics should follow: he set up a writer's room, allowing the writers of all the books to bounce ideas off each other, which made the books better, and approach that's stuck even after he left and will hopefully.

The results of all this hard work? House of X and Powers of X, a set of two interconnected mini series that serve as essentially one big mini series setting up a brave new world for mutantkind. Hickman used the various attempted genocides on the x-men as a backdrop, including the m-pox, and another one that took place in the crappy uncanny x-men run between series that i'll no doubt have inflicted on me one day. And more importantly the fact that Mankind and most other heroes had done the bare minimum to help if that.

So the X-Men decided to once again start their own country. Except unlike previous attempts, they made an effort to become a global power, to play the game of nations. In this case they created plants that helped stave off diseases like althimerz, and leveraged them in exchange for acceptance a nation. Xavier had given up on his dream and instead had a new one: suing for peace.

If that sounds divisive.. that was the intent. That you get why the x-men are doing this, but also see that this has a real danger of them loosing their way and making shadier decisions... not helped by them offering amnesty to ALL mutants including past foes. Exploring the complexities of this is what makes this era so fantastic: the x-men are hoarding world changing advancments.. but after the world spat on them for so long while good men did nothing half the time, you can't blame them. As Cyclops expertly puts it in the first issue.

And yet many have issues with how dogmatic the ruling body of Krakoa, the quiet council is being, the shady decisions, the backdoor deals. It's a mixed blessing: Mutankind has home, saftey, wants for nothing.. but is the price tag worth it?

They also have one other thing, a secret to the world at this point: Resurrection. For years, in part thanks to seeming non mutant ally revealed to be secret mutant Moria Mactaggert, long story, and her longgame planning, Xavier had worked out a plan to cure death. It was both a way to raise the stakes.. and to just as importantly undo a LOT of crappy shock deaths for mutantkind, to bring back characters who'd been dead for DECADES and no one simply had gotten around to them. Death was over, mutantkind was truly immortal.

The process is also unique, using the five, five mutants working in concert, turning the non viable eggs made by goldballs, now dubbing himself egg, into viable clone bodies using a combination of reality warping from former foe proteus, life giving powers from elixer to make them viable, time from tempus to speed them up, and the boosting powers of Hope, the mutant messiah, to make this all possible.

So as a result, any mutant come back, mutants now had freedom and fancy organic warp gates, and a homeland on Krakoa, a mutant who as once an island that walked like a man but was now the benevloent home of all mutantkind.

So your probably wondering how all this somehow esclated FURTHER. Well that's a lot as the Hellfire Gala is the result of a few ongoing story beats all rolled together in a delicous tortilla.

The first is the gala itself. The Hellfire Club was normally the x-men's foes, a group of rich assholes who used their secret society to try and conquer the world through BUISNESSS! and other persuits. And also often wore bondage gear because Chris Claremont is not shy about his fetishes.

For Krakoa though, they became the Hellfire Trading Company. Emma Frost, teacher, x-man and 100% that bitch, had built up a huge fortune again during the meantime and was convinced by Magneto and Xavier to invest it in the children. It's a consitent thing: While Emma can be cold, has a sarcastic tounge bar none, she's always cared about the future of their species and always been protective of young mutants.

So Emma , in addition to a seat of the table, runs the BUISNESS side of things, and thus the inner circle of the hellfire trading company became the large shipping end for mutantkind. They buy the drugs, they light the fire, they are Humankind's main suplier. While other parts of krakoa focus on the growing of the life saving drugs, Emma's the one who markets and ships it, with two others to help: Kitty Pryde, her former enemy turned close friend who as head of the Marauders, lead a pirate crew of x-men to save mutants trapped in countries who didn't go for Krakoa's deal and do drug shipments, while Sebastian Shaw, king of the assholes and enemy of emmas, was given the job of smuggling. He also tried to Kill kitty suprising no one. And Emma and Kitty responded by beating the piss out of him and leaving him in a wheelchair for a while, suprising even less.

Emma being her usual extra self, decided the best way to show off their power as a nation, their wealth and what they could offer.. was a giant ass party with friend and foe alike invited. So threaded throughout the first year and a half of the marauders was Emma's plans for the Gala, with her having Magneto buy an island to host it on. It's such a character rich thing: buying a whole ass island to throw a giant party that's one part diplomatic work and one part "go fuck yourself racist assholes". It's Emma Frost.

The second part leading to all of this was a myth arc that spread through the first year of the comic. One of Mutantkind's most dreaded foes, Apocalypse.. willingly joined them and was given a sympathetic backstory: turns out his "survivial of the fittiest schtick" was because his wife had to send Krakoa's other half, Arrako, into the gates of hell to save the world, taking their children, his original four horseman, because of course Apocalypse has four horseman have you seen the man? He's not subtle.

So he inacted a plan to bring Arrako back, leading to the event X of Swords, where Arrako, taken by the demons they were fighting the amenth, planned to invade earth. Thankfully they pissed off Saturynyne, omniversal magistreix and registered asshole who turned it into a tournament arc: ten swordsman from each side, winner takes all.

Naturally this contest ran by a manevloent schemer from beyond dimensions and against demons had consequences: one of the mutants on our side, Gorgon, died, Doug Ramsey got married, and yes that was indeed a match, and storm killed the embodiment of death. Normal x-men stuff. I really don't have time to go over it all as it's 22 issues long. Not hyperbole. It's a decent if entirely bloated event.

The climax is what's important: the rules got broke, and while Xavier and Magneto's plan was to do nothing and hope it works out, sacrifcing the mutants they had trapped there, Cyclops and Jean grey said

Especially since their son Cable, a cool teen at the time, was in danger. So Cyclops gathered every mutant he could... aka PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE ON KRAKOA NOT ON THE QUIET COUNCIL to storm the gates, leading to an epic battle, and the freeing of Apocalpyse's wife genisis and his remaning kids. Apocalypse decided to have a family road trip across amenth as part of the deal, but in trade the x-men got Arakko back.

The problem was.. Arakko had just spent the last centuries fighting demons and living to eat, murder and conquest. So while Krakoa doubling size was a good thing on paper, as was the new mutants added, in practice it set off a massive political powder keg, with the Arakko mutants gleefully ransacking nearbye areas and refusing to not conquer. While the x-men were fine to inheret the earth once humanity burned itself out, the Arakko didn't want to wait. They needed somewhere to go.

So that dear friends and readers brings us to the gala itself a massive crossover event.. but a unique one. Every issue of every x-book intersected wtih the party of the summer, but only the four we're covering today were the big takeaway points. It was a fun crossover too, a way for all the books to intersect, while leaving the core trim enough to let someone just wanting the big takeaways to only have to pick up 4 books that month. I MIGHT do the rest another day but honestly besides saving kev a lot of money.. it just made more sense to just do the core storyline, to do the part you all came here for, and maybe do the other issues some other day. Thankfully future gala's are much smaller for next year and beyond.

So let's mosey on over shall we as the festivties begin.

Mauraders #24: The party kicks off naturally with Mauraders, the Hellfirecentric book. We open with Kitty, Sebastian and Emma all awaiting the guests. Emma is wearing one of three outfits she has for the night and all of mutantkind is wearing their finest.

Okay Kitty's wearing her finest, emma just has a giant cur cape with an x cut out, because her brand and what not, and a giant head piece that says NOTICE HOW RICH I AM, and Sebstian Shaw is dressed as some sort of war grandpa, wearing a suit LESS fancy than what he usually wears, but weirldy bedecked in tassles, with a fur cape and supervillian eyepatch. I mean the last part's on brand for him but all together it's just fucking weird even by the standards of this gala, held off the coast of two giant monsters.

So as Emma waits security, done by X-Force Krakoa's black ops division, lets in our first guests , fitting them with flowers so they can pass through the krakoan gates for the gala and any afterparties. The Krakoan Gates are giant flowery gates world wide that allow mutantkind to pass through them.. except kitty pryde due to how her powers work: since she goes THROUGH barriers, the thing kinda futzes out with her.

Our inaugral guests are naturally earth's mighteiest heroes, the avengers, consiting at the time of the Captain America (Steve Rogers), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Thor (Odinson), She Hulk, Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) and Blade. yes THAT blade. It's honestly a good roster I liked a lot, bringing things back to the classics while adding a few weird touches like Blade and Robbie. The run itself.. was hit and miss, paticuarlly having She Hulk as a regular hulk instead of her usual self, despite the previous run of her solo having finally gotten her out of that state.. for no clear reason really. It was just bad. Thankfully those dark times are over and the tv show's only made sure that won't be happening again. Tony flies in on his own, not trusting the tech and you know.. being kind of an asshole he has to make a bit "NOTICE ME EVERYONE" entrance. Also boarding are the world's greatest heroes, the Fantastic Four, along with their children Franklin and Valerea and The Thing's wife Alicia Masters. Things are a bit rockier between these groups so gather up people as it's time for EVEN MORE EXPOSITION

So since his introduction Franklin had been a mutant.. and since he and the team as a whole had come back in Dan Slott's run, his power had been shorting out. Krakoa, wanting to both help him and naturally add another powerful mutant to the pile, reached out, and unsuprisingly fighting insured between both sides, Reed Richards pulled a Richards and disabled his son's ablility to use the gates, Franklin ran away, ended up with Doctor Doom, and both sides settled things long enough to stop it. IT's a story I will likely cover some day and ended on a positve note: Franklin would alternate between both the baxter buildling and krakoa, while Xavier, not pleased reed had the kind of tech he did, erased the gate supression tech from his brain and told him to his face he'd done it, to tell reed "never again"

So naturally FF writer Dan Slott's reaction to this promising, engaging new status quo was to say "fuck it" and retcon that franklin just MADE HIMSELF into a mutant with his powers, once they were gone he wasn't one, and Xavier basically told him go the fuck away. It is one of the dumbest, most waasteful, egotistical, selfish moves i've seen in comics, doing this simply because you had to share idaes and plans with someone else. At the time of this writing it hasn't been undone, but I woudln't be suprised if current writer Ryan North or future writers undid this or at the very least found a good angle for it.

For now we do at least get this page.

I assume it was a smart, well thought out intellectual GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU OLD MAN. Also while i'll defend the cerebro helmet, I love the look and while the usual version wht the black jumpsuit is plain, it works for the story that's being told... this version is just.. what Iam I even looking at. The extra uncessary packs on his helmet, the gold and green, and then he has the fucking gall to say that to Franklin. I do like him bonding with Kitty, who the mini established was tight with the kind after the 80's era crossover where a younger frankllin talked a younger kitty out of unaliving herself. Another series to add to the pile.

So the party kicks off with a concert from Rhapsody, a forgotten mutant who sadly died during he one apperance in the first peter David Run of x-factor who can make people see things via music. By linking her up to some telepaths, the conert allows everyone present to participate.. except Doom whose naturally being a mopey pants about things. DOOM IS ALWAYS A MOPEY PANTS FOR HE IS DOOM!

The party then goes into full swing and we get some nice moments. ben, upon seeing a bunch of the marauders and an aim guy playing dice on a boat chastizes them.. for not telling him

While Cap and Doom have a stare down watched by celebrity guests Run the Jewels, two of my faviorite rappers in existance as a duo, Killer Mike and E-LP

Before Cap can close his eyes and count to fuck, Emma steps in to stop them, with Doom incensed at mutantkind for considering themselves superior, pot meet kettle, but we get a rare doom laugh , an da great joke when Emma, insiting the mutants haven't claimed earth..

So the party moves on. We get some specific plot beats for Mauraders itself i'll gloss over, some reunions of old friends as Northstar and Vindicator catch up, and Cap talking to his old aqunatince Henry Peter Gyrinch. For those who haven't heard of this douche... good. But since I brought him up Henry was Marvel Comics token asshole beurcrat: he was first introduced making the avengers job harder, tried to bring them to court over Scarlet Witch wanting to you know, leave, as is her right, was the head of the anti mutant witch hunts of the 80s, has joined several sense, and tried to deport all aliens on earth during Dark Reign. In short no one likes him, he's working with Orchis, the big bads of this era, surprising no one, and everyone everywhere celebrated when he died a few months after this. He's there to compare Krakoa to latveria and call steve an optimist for.. not assuming the Mutants are evil.

We also get one of the greatest scenes in comics as Emma oggles caps and plans to see america's ass up close.. only to read that she reminds him of his mother telepathically, horrifying her. Note that Cap's next solo run.. fully confirms that despite this, she STILL went for it and he was fine with it, his current girlfriend Sharon Carter being fine if he steps out as their apart for months at a time. It's cool. And yes folks, Cap has a mommy kink. And that is awesome.

We then get a nice scene of Emma gathering her staff including Jumbo Carnation, a mutant designer introduced to die during New X-Men and brought back here to do most of the fashions for this event, and Somilier, an expert mutant chef to thank them all.

Cue the fireworks.. which we'll get to shortly, but we see the reactions of everyone: All the bigots in attendence are rattled, as is Doctor Strange, who understandably needs to duck out to figure out what the hell this means, and Tony, who congradulates Cyclops on solving one problem.. but warns him he might of made an even bigger mess. But this being steve rogers he also ends his stern warning on "I just hope you know what you people are doing". He's worreid sure, they just conquered mars and knows what the backlash will be.. but he also is aware they likely know what their doing and as always has faith in the best in people.

Onto X-Men

X-Men #21

While the Hellfire Gala kicked off and continued a lot of exciting bits of the Krakoan Era it also marked a major ending: The final issue of Jonathan Hickman's ongoing X-Men title, with the previous one having set up his proper exit with Inferno later that year.

Hickman's X-Men was the flagship title for the books, a series of one to two issue stories that set up the world of Krakoa and showed off how this nation worked.

And naturally for the viewpoint character, Hickman picked the very first x-man and one of mutantkind's finest, Cyclops. Scotty needed the rub. Since AvX a chunk of X-Books had demonized him as some form of boogie man. While his killing of Charles xavier was shocking.. it was also while he was posssed by the phoenix force, and thus not in full control of his actions. Most characters.. blamed him for it anyway despite there being no logic and treated him as Magneto JR for the crimes of... saving mutants from racists trying to attack them and doing what he was doing. This was compounded by the aformentioned M-Pox era, which killed him off after he FINALLY got everyone's accpetance back.. and once again treated him like a villian for... destroying a cloud of terrgin mist that was killing his people.

He then got brought back from the dead after his teenage counterpart brought from the future, long story that.. but was plopped into that awful uncanny run.

Scotty needed a break, so thankfully Hickman took a special intrest in scott. It helped that with Xavier back and back allegedly doing the right thing, Scott could take a night off of being the leader of all of mutantkind and just enjoy having his dead wife back, a son that's not older with him and presumably regular threesomes with wolverine, who not only is ALSO dating Jean during this era, but lived in Scotts house on the moon. Also , Scott had a house on the moon.

With Hickman leaving though, Scott needed a new direction and Hickman set it up for him on his way out in the aftermath of x of swords. Scott, who was the leader of Krakoa's great captains (their security and people authorized to form a team for whatever threats face this sacred land), and Jean , who was on the quiet council rulling Krakoa, were both utterly fed up with the council's bullshits, from refusing to resurrect Scott's ex wives or any clones period, to sketchy rulings like the one in X of Swords. The two decided there had to be something outside them and that Krakoa still needed heroes.

See while the book was called x-men, Hickman cleverly got away with not actually having a formal team for his tenure. Scott and Jean stepped down to change that, founding a new team. The premise was genius: the team would last for one year in and out of universe, a tour of duty, and be picked entirely by Krakoa itself at the gala.

As a sweet bonus to this already great concept, Marvel left some of the voting up to real life: while most of the team was picked by incoming writer Gerry Duggan, the last member was left up to the fans, a tradition that carried onto the next to galas. In this case Polaris, longtime x-man, twice time x-factor leader, and daughter of magneto won.

We open issue 24 with a followup to something from House and Powers of X: During the mini when building Krakoa Xavier and Magneto approached Namor, prince of the deep, to join the nation. He refused as he had a powerful empire thanks.. and once again refuses when they approach him at the party. They control an island. he controls 75 of the oceans. Call him when you have something more to offer. This plot thread.. never really went anywhere, as Namor turned himself in at the end of Jason Aaron's run on avengers and Atlantis was a non factor by the time the latest gala ended in a bloodbath. We do get this outfit for my boy magneto

Unlike Charles who.. I sitll don't get what he's going for, Erik pulls it off. It also begs the question WHY charles wore his big ass helmet to the party. Max had a WAY cooler helemet that matched his outfit and went with a bitching top hat chuck, what's your excuse.

We then get right to the point: the X-Men vote. And how it's done.. is endlessly cool. Jean telepahtically reaches out to every mutant everywhere.. and the vote happens. The Human Torch is a bit confused... partly because he's not sure how his rap went down

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But mostly because he dosen't know what the heck their doing. Dr. Strange fills him in.

It's a truly awesome way to do it too: it not only left a nice hook for the series, as each person's pitch is shown over the course of Duggan's first year on the title, it's just a neat concept and way to do it. As for who made the cut...

This is such a cool page. I love it dearly. It helps the x-men picked for duty all got great gala outfits, from Rogues which resembles her first uniform, to Shrio's dope as hell suit and wearing his sunfire mask because why wouldn't you if your mask was that sweet, to synch's techincolor suit it's awesome.

So a breakdown of this roster for those less familiar with the x-men. Besides Cyclops, Jean and Rogue, who shoudlnt' need an intro, we have Wolverine, Laura Kinney, also known as X-23, wolverin'es female clone and certified badass, Sunfire, an arrogant frenemy of the x-men's with fire powers and a proud japanese heritage, the aformentioned polaris and Synch, a member of generation x, the 90's class of teenage x-men, recently ressurected after spending a thousand years in a vault. Long story. It's a stellar roster and while Duggan's first year on the book was rocky, it can't be denied this was a great choice for his first for the most part. My only gripe is a lack of diversity, with only two members of the team who aren't white. Otherwise it's a good selection.

So after this we get two pages of Sinsiter being a gossipy bitch before we get to the ending of this issue, a truly amazing scene with a bit of meta flare. A tad cheesy.. but the kind of cheese I like.

So after another cameo by Patton Oswalt, as seen by RTJ the gala had a lot of real life celbreity cameos thrown in, all approved by the people themselves, Kevin Fiege, head of marvel asks Scott a simple question

Is it a tad cheesy to have the head of marvel literally ask a character whose key to their next big franchise his story? Yes.. but I can't help but love it. It's just a fun way to have Cyclops give his story and given marvel comics actually exists in universe, it's not a stretch to say some form of the mcu does either, simply running on the same "offical authorized story" deal they have with most heroes, changing it up for ones whose id's aren't public.

Due to image limits and not wanting to overdue it, the speech stretches over two full pages, i'll have to due with quoting it. But it's one of my faviorite moments of this era so far, and it gets to the heart of who scott summers is NOW.. and just who he is.

"I was blind. Blind to how the world worked...and then I met a man who taught me to see—see how things really were. I loved him for it. And because I loved him—because I believed in him...and, in a way, worshipped him—I claimed things that he had faith in as my own. He called it his dream. It was a good one. But the world, you see—the waking world—were we all live...it is a killer of dreams. A destroyer of things you believe in. So when I grew older, I realized it was foolish to...deify him. Honestly, it's unfair to expect that kind of perfection from anyone. After all, we're all flawed and imperfect... There is no real difference between any of us. No matter how much we believe the lie that there is. You see, he wasn't a savior. He was just a man—a mutant—like me. And his dreams—which still make me smile to this day—are no more valid than anyone else's. Including mine. So what's my story? I'm a dreamer. I'm an X-Man."

Scott is the guy who belviies in Xavier's dream more than the man himself, and while he sidestepped it for a while, as the world wore him down.. he never truly gave up on it.. and he'll never stop fighting for it. So as Scott walks off Emma cues the fireworks.

Planet Size X-Men

So before I get into this one , some context: When this issue happened.. what the fireworks were.. was a suprise. It was kept deathly secret and the reactions seen in marauders were a tease the x-men had done something MASSIVE. While for our purposes here you know the twist I just wanted the context for readers that the x-men colonizing a whole damn planet.. was a massive well done suprise. IT's something this era does well: it hides spoilers VERY well and even when some info has to come out via solicits, it does a great job not telling us everything.

So we open the issue with the reveal of what their doing: The narration is a flashback to someone talking to Forge, the x-men's resident inventor, about IF what their about to do before our eyes is possible. And to start they need a ton of iron, and to plunge it into the planet, then get it nice and hot.

The first part.. is easy given the master of magnet is around and we get a lovely shot of Magneto hauling a giant meteor. This issue's done by Duggan with art by Pepe Laraz, who also did art for House of X and is a phenominal artist, so he not suprisingly knocks it out of the park here. Using the metal they open the planet and as forge puts it "perform open heart surgery" using a team of Hope and Vulcan, Scott Summer's youngest brother who has energy powers> They get it bubbly, Max stirs the sauce with his powers.. and next up is Iceman, who proudly announces himself to the party, whose all viewing this telepathically thanks to Emma Frost

We then flash back to a few days ago. Magneto TRIES to talk some sense into Iscaa the unbeaten, annoyed at the Arakkil shenanigans I mentioned before, but she's unmoved. As long as their of this planet, they'll act as they have and conquer. This likely gave Max the idea.

And his timing for it isn't bad as the Hellfire Trading Company have another problem: their suplies for the lifesaving drugs are running out. The X-Men were doing most of their production in the savage land, a land where dinosaurs never died out, but the super science golden girls stole most of it, so they REALLY need a new place for production. Mags asks to borrow Emma's spaceship.. and prepares his pitch.

The next day Cap and Cyclops talk at westchester, with Cyclops assuring Cap there's a solution to the arakko problem, which gets him to come to the gala. Max pitches his plan to the quiet council and it's a rare unanmous "YES".

Cut to the morning of the gala and while Mags has a lot of the pieces he needs.. he needs more. So he first goes to Jamie Braddock, brother of Bestsy (Formerly Psylocke now Captain Britan) and Brian (also Captain Britan), and half mad reality warper, who Mags convinces to help out. He also goes to Arakko and their own council happens to have three Omega Level Mutants (Mutants with no upper limit to their powers, something firmly defined in this era after being vauge for years on end), who fit the bill: Lacuta the Knower, Sobunar of the Depths, and Xilo the first defender of this broken land.

Back in present day Sobunar goes first: Sobunar contains an ENTIRE ocean within them, so they simply donate a little water and have jamie expand it into an ocean. Storm captalizes on this, using her powers to the strongest they've ever been to give the planet weather, giving the dead red planet wind for the first time.

Next up is Xilo, who.. tears off his head and combines with the land.. he's also a caterpillar. Because why not. With Elixer's help he restores life leaving the next step for the final member of our trio, Lacuta. Her power.. is knowing the precise location of everything. So using her , Jean Grey and exodus, a centuries old telepath bar NONE, shove the ENTIRETY of arakko through the external gate, a magical super krakoan gate, to mars.

WIth that Arakko is on here.. and Arakko itself, which like krakoa is alive, sighs happily at it's first bloodless victory in a long while. A diplomatic area is set up as is a memorial to honor those who could not make it

The downside of the review format is I really can't show you just how awe inspiring all this is. I do have images an dcan show you some of it but the compression here and how much this issue makes use of the full page makes it impossible to translate. It's why while my reviews are good on their own merit, they'll never be a subsitute for the media in question.

So after this Arakko needs it's own SWORD station. SWORD was once the space verison of SHIELD, but with SHIELD ending and Earth's own space branch, alpha flight, being laughably ineffective, former SWORD head Abigail brand went to mutantkind fo ra space program, resulting in their revivail. And since they need a base here, Jean and Quinten Quire, professional loveable scamp, implant the idea of one in his mind. Jean says she's making him pregnant with it.. and soon regrets her word choice

I... didn't doctor any of this. All of this actually happened. Jean Grey made a man pregnant with a space station. That's canon. That's part of this landmark in x-history. God bless you X-Slack, one and all.

Elixer has one last idea.. and this time it's just transmitted to prevent more of .. that... so Jamie gladly obliges, creating port promethus, a massive hub for all the space ships a comin. With that all of Krakoa is welcomed to..

With that we get some data pages, a bold announcment proclaming this the captial of our solar system, a person in the goverment reporting, and nasa being disapointed by mutantkind just anexing the planet but hoping they can visit.

And before we move on to the direct ramifications in story.. let's talk about those fireworks shall we? The Terraforming of Mars into Planet Arakko.. is one of the biggest, genius and insane swings i've seen in a comic. It's all perfectly built up too: from the beginning of this era i'ts been built up how much power omega mutants have, how much stronger krakoa can be it's ties to space via the shiar and brood. And over in SWORD, which had recently launched and will close out today's look at the gala, they subtly laid the seeds: SWORD had been further pushing the idea of a "mutant circuit", i.e. using a group of mutants in concert to do a task, the first being of course the five and SWORD having a circuit in it's first issue bring a super metal from beyond time and space. The idea of seeing just what mutants could do with their powers and a whole nation had been seeded... it's here it sprouts. In what's implied to be an hour at most, with the world watching, mutantkind terraformed a dead planet. While both terriotires had different goverments the fact remained mutantkind now had a PLANET.

It's also nice in that even if Krakoa as a nation tumbles into history... this is something that really CAN'T be easily undone: Mutantkind created a new planet stuffed with mutants, where alien dignitaries have visited, and that humankind will NEVER forget happened. Even if it all collapsed the sheer scope of it is something that can't help but have impact. It's the kind of status quo shift you could ONLY pull off in this era, with these characters, at this time, a perfect allinging of the planets... to let another be reborn.

It also has a lot of nice fallout that's still being felt: A whole book would end up dedicated to this new concept, X-Men Red, which is one of the best of this era and one of the best x-books period, and it's not even over yet. We'll likely look at that next year, or at least part of it, but the idea of this warbased society grappling with peace is fascinating as is humanity grappling with loosing one of it's biggest pieces of the sky. There's so much that's been done with this concept, so much more to do and it's one of my faviorite in the x-men's long history of awesome ideas and was brought about stunningly, with the issue being one long showstopper. They hyped the hell out of this one moment.. and man oh man did they deliver. All that's left.. is the afterparty.

S.W.O.R.D. #7

SWORD opens with Captain america, standing alone reflecting his thoughts. This opening is one of th emain reasons I wanted sword as part of this: this scene helpfully frames what happened from a human perspective, by showing how the best of us grapples with what just happened. And also DOOM, who'd tell you he was but you know DOOM. Cap decides to humor him this once and share his thoughts.. mostly because Victor points out they are both faces of their nations and the weird irony of that tickles our hero a bit. The speech that follows.. is gorgeous, showing that SWORD, and future x-men red, writer Al Ewing, one of my personal faviorite writers, REALLY gets cap. I mean he really gets pretty much any character he rights but still.

Cap relates the story of his waking up from the ice. How soon after.. he felt hopless, a shocking thing to hear from Captain I Can Do This All Day, but understandable: Everything he knew and loved was gone and he'd missed decades. Tony gave him hope by showing the moon landing, showing how much humanity achieved.. but got quiet when Steve asked where the colonies were... what had come NEXT. It's a sad statment on the fact we just kinda.. gave up on space after realizing it was too expensive to exploit.

I belivie in a better tommorow is a cap line up there with classics like "I'm loyal to nothing except the dream" and "No you move", and this scene is expertly done: it shows the two sided coin: Steve is well aware humanity kind of gave up on mars and other planets aside from mapping them, but still wishes they'd worked together.. instead of their next iteration swooping in and taking it all. It's the lovely double edged sword of this all: The Mutants had every right to do this: they had the power, the technology and the need. But it still means they took it for themselves and only themselves.

So while Cap muses about this and Doom heads off to do Doom stuff, we cut to SWORD"s station the Peak where director Abigail Brand, who nick fury wishes he could be, is explaning the situation to a council of galactic ambassadors from very marvel races and factions. Notable faces include Orbis Stellaris, who'd become VERY important soon enough, a guy named Riitho representing the interglactic empire of wakanda, a real thing that exists, long story I don't quite know to be honest, Smasher, former avenger, wife of x-man and former avenger Cannonball, and representive for longtime x-men space buddies the shiar, paibok the power skrull representing the kree skrull alliance and three of the guardians of the galaxy: Star Lord represnting his in comics half home of spartax, Noh Varr aka marvel boy represtning the Utopian Kree and Richard Rider , the man called nova representing earth. Ewing adopted Richie who'd come back from the dead but hadn't got a lot to do, making him a focal point of his run on Guardians and then bringing him over to X-Men Red after that.

Richie in paticular is nettled they didn't tell anyone, and while Frenzy, part of SWORD's security, points out he was kinda busy with guardains stuff.. he still has a point: While Krakoa coudln't afford to tell EVERYONE or someone would've tried to stop them, and they DID need this space... they didn't tell ANYONE they were doing this.

The rest of the delegates are ambivalent: For humanity , mutantkind terraforming a whole planet is a big whoop. And while the SPEED is impressive, terraforming a planet is pretty standard procedure for the empires present.

Thankfully Mutankind brought Abigail brand to the negotating table: she's lived in space her whole life, knows it better than earth, and her whole reason for restarting sword is that she's sick of earth being so ambiviliant and reactionary: they've been invaded COUNTLESS times.. yet the heroes wait. In the previously reviewed epilogue to empire/gay wedding of the century, she quit Alpha Flight entirley because head at the time Carol Danvers.. didn't think to consult her or anyone abotu the crisis and instead cried avengers assemble.

So she decides to take a page from the krakoan book with some space flair: like Krakoa, Arakko won't be recognized without something to give and since the healing plants aren't really a huge get, she has something more: Mysterium,. the metal they plucked from the white hot center of the omniverse.

It's a COOL as hell call back: why did they plunder time and space.. not because they could. .but to get the sol system a foot in the galactic door. See at the time of this run, something running out of Ewing's guardians run as Al ewing tends to use every book he writes to follow up on others, Ewing had the clever idea of the galactic community being in a pretty crappy place: after so many wars, sieges, and attempted conquests, they were battered and the economy suffered. Mysterium... is the answer. Expensive, as seen here super useful for space travel and recovery after all the nonsense the unvierse has been put through.. and a perfect Bribe. Abigail is upfront about it too: as I said this is the same as Krakoa using the drugs and Abby says that outright: a new currency to help the unvierse recover.. in exchange for recognition. Abby's logic is also flawless here: Earth.. has a ton of nations, their all squabbling and generally can't agree on how to treat their own people much less aliens. Arakko is one goverment and thus allows them to simply negotiate with them instead.

Naturally though for a confrence like this.. someone has to ask...

I said he had doom stuff to do.... I didn't say said stuff wasn't in this issue did I? Doom demands to know: who speaks for sol. Given how Victor is, tyranicall and very personality based, he demands an audience with it's rule: who is it's king. Who is it's monarch. And naturally for this story... the answer is badass as hell. It's also the answer every X-Men fan predicted, but it's no less awesome

It's a perfect choice: Storm really hadn't done much in this era up to this point... but in interviews HIckman and others constantly said they had more plans for her and "great stuff coming up". This is the payoff: Storm is once again a queen... and a perfect fit. She's peaceful enough to lead the arakkil in a new direction.. but she's still storm. It's part of what makes Orroro such a great character: she can be gentle, kind and fair.. but god help you if you think you can win a fight with her. And given Roro now has to deal with both a planet of warmongers AND various galactic empires ready to try to exploit this, not to mention eventually Abigail herself trying to exploit this for her own ends, a LOT of people are going to need god's help.

This conversation continues into the next issue, but for our story, the end is not on the grand new red planet.. but back on Krakoa. Magneto is quitely having a drink to himself.. and has a guest.

So one last bit of backstory for this run, for the non comic guys in the audience, hi kevin and such: In the comics Wanda, during a mental breakdown after being manpulated by her own brother, depowered all but 200 of mutantkind. Give or take obviously because comics, but still most were left powerless thanks to her. Wanda DID do her best to atone once she returned much later, helping restore mutantkind.. but instead of undrestanding she wasn't in her right headspace, no one thought "hey let's get her a threapist instead of try to kill her".. no really that was the storyline. Bendis I swear.

Anyway, instead Mutantkind turned her into the boogeyman

Yes a bogeyman, "The PRetender" as it was later revealed she wasn't a mutant because marvel didn't have rights to them at the time. And while I do wish this era had turned her back into one.. the directoin they went was clever.. and this scene is part of it. Wanda comes to her once thought to be bio dad: she skipped the party because well.. she knows what they say and the pretender can't sit at the throne.

Magneto's response? one of the best moment's in the characters history and clear proof of why Ewing was given the character for X-Men Red not long after

It's a heartbreaking well done speech.. and honestly an angle for helping undo the hasty unparenting of Magneto I never considered: Keeping Wanda not a mutant.. but having Magnus still consider her his child. Have him realize after buildling paradise.. that he'd been a pretty crappy father to her, even if he turned out not to be his dad, how he wasn't much better to his biological daughter Lorna. and That even if she's seen as the pretender.. that Wanda is his kid and deserves better. It's also a nice aseop: that you don't NEED to be biologically related ot be family. She's his daughter. End of dicussion. And he will fix this

The how ended up being convoluted, but did result in Wanda going from the pretender, to the redeemer by setting up the waiting room, a way to bring back mutants who didn't have an imprint in cerebro. It's a touching end to this story.. I mean granted the story ACTUALLY ends with magneto suspected of her murder, but it'ts not where we're ending

The Hellfire Gala is one of my faviorite comics events. IT's a unique take on one: instead of a big fight or a big crisis.. it's just a party. It still has all the gravitas and after effects: Wanda's very temporary death leading to her excellent new era under Steve Orlando, the start of Magneto's character arc for X-Men red, a whole new setting with vast ramifications, a new team, and lots of other smaller setups. It's no suprise they did it again the next two years. It's a story packed with both the fun breezy character moment's you'd expect like Emma discovering steve's mommy kink or RTJ getting ready to watch doom fight steve all day, or gambling time, and the big stuff needed to justify it being an event, all organically threaded from here.

We'll no doubt return to krakoa and I already have plans to return to the x-men next year. For now though... we've reached the end of x-men month. As we enter spooky season.. thank you for reading, my x-men.

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chowtrolls · 2 years ago

Text

Decommissioned

Google Docs Link. The Handler is not mine.

The process for answering one of Handler’s calls has always been, frankly, tedious. Lockjaw’s pager goes off, giving him a time and a number. At the given time, he calls that given number from a payphone outside his apartment. The voice is always a little different- he had realized by now that the Handler used a voice changing device to remain anonymous. Probably for the best, in his opinion.

The pager had given him fifteen minutes. By the time Lockjaw actually looked at the pager, he had five. He scrambled to find a notebook and pen, nearly dropped it all thrice, and forgot to unlock the door twice before trying to open it. Meanwhile, Rumble had yet to finish her breakfast. She watched him with an amused expression.

He made it to the payphone twenty seconds late. It took another twenty to properly enter the number. He set the phone on top of the phone box and nervously tapped the pen on his notebook. He could hear the receiver just fine from a distance, thanks to his improved hearing. And typically, Handler didn’t want him to respond, so he didn’t need to hold it close.

He wasn’t…afraid of the Handler. If anything, there was a moderate healthy respect for the anonymous individual. So far, Handler hadn’t done anything to really warrant any concern from the blueblood. But…there was a level of professionalism to uphold. And the annoyance was ever clear when they answered the phone.

“You’re late.”

“Elevator broke.” The lie rolled off easily. Though Lockjaw’s voicebox had said it so softly, he wondered if they even heard at all.

“Whatever.” Apparently, they had. “Do you still have the girl?”

Lockjaw stopped his nervous tapping instantly. Panic began to bubble in his chest, though he remained silent. They weren’t supposed to talk about her. That was the agreement. A little extra came his way to cover her costs, and he would take on more jobs to pay for that. Handler knew- or so he thought- how protective he was over her. His silent thinking was interrupted once more by Handler’s robotic voice.

“Yes or no, Lockjaw. Do you still have the girl?”

“...Yes. We had agr-”

He was once again interrupted, this time by a sigh that wasn’t fully caught by the voice changer on the call.

“Of course you do. You’ve just made this so complicated, now. Listen- do you know who she is?”

“...She is Rumble?”

“No, that’s what you call her, idiot. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Imperial Deepbite. Real nasty guy. She’s his descendant.”

“...Okay?” Confused, Lockjaw scanned the world outside the phone booth, as if it held any clues why he should be concerned. He had met the man once, during his own Fleet time. Though he remembered very little, he recalled the man as a giant. Tall, girthy, with an all-knowing gleam in his eyes. He was intimidating, to be blunt.

“The descendant that went missing. The descendant he wanted to replace him. He’s looking for her. And you have her. And I have a job for you, a hit on Deepbite.”

“You want me…to take out a major Fleet official?” That seemed impossible. Sure, Lockjaw was experienced and had an impressive number of successful hits under his belt, but none of them had been a fuchsia. And none of them were important high-ranking officials. The assassination of a major high-ranking official would just draw an unwanted amount of attention. Not to mention the impossible task of killing a fuchsia- especially one of that man’s size.

“You don’t have a choice, really.”

“Can you not find someone else?” He sincerely doubted the Handler only had one pawn under their grasp. Surely they had someone more experienced in handling such high-profile targets.

“Well, that’s the thing. I heard from the grapevine that he’s been looking...for you.”

Lockjaw’s blood ran cold.

“My hands are quite tied, you see. And, as surprising as it may be, there are trolls above even myself. I may be the all powerful, all knowing being in your life, but consider that there are even scarier all powerful, all knowing beings in my life.”

“What makes you think I can get rid of the Imperial Deepbite?”

“Because the other option is, he finds you. From what my sources tell me, he already knows where you’re residing. He’s scheduled to land in Mordamere for two weeks to restock, then he’s coming to Alternia. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t realize who she was a long time ago.”

“....She’s just a kid.”

“And you’re just a decommissioned killing machine. You have two options here; you kill Deepbite, or Deepbite kills you.”

click.

#ghost.art #rome falls arc #lockjaw #rumble

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another-dr-another · 8 months ago

Note

throws a rock at tsurugi. get up and sing boy . what am i paying u for ???? stop being on the floor.

Maeda, narrating - I guess…

Maeda - …If I don’t agree with Hatano, I should say so, right?

~*~

Hatano - We should just move on… this is a waste of time.

Tsurugi - …

//Tsurugi shifts his weight-

Maeda - I think we’re going too far with things.

Maeda - Irregardless of anyone’s motivations, we’re in a situation right now where we need to be looking at all the possibilities of what could have happened, right?

Maeda - Any alternative account will help… getting something new to consider could lead to a breakthrough!

Maeda - And if we need to be more conscious of how we see people, then we’ll work on that.

Hatano - …

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - …Okay. Gimme a second to think- but I promise, I’m working! Just- two minutes.

Maeda - …Yeah?

//Maeda turns to Tsurugi, and sees that he’s shifted to the edge of his podium- specifically, he’s as far to the right as he can be. Uehara has stepped completely to the left, so, despite the fact they haven’t left their podiums, there isn’t an inch of space between them.

Tsurugi - Yeah.

Maeda - …

Maeda - Y’know, if it takes Uehara to get Tsurugi to speak, that’s fine. I just wish I didn’t get into that debate with Hatano, then. Kinda pointless.

Maeda - Whatever. Always a reason for everything.

Hatano, seething - …

Maeda - Oh, fuck me, man…

//Maeda looks at Hatano, waiting for her to make her move.

Hatano - …

Maeda - …

Ōtori - …

Tomori - …Hatano?

//Slowly, a smile starts to shake across Hatano’s face.

Hatano - …Whatever.

//Tears slip out of her eyes.

Hatano - It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.

Hatano - None of you cared about her the way I do. You don’t even care when she’s dead.

Hatano - It’s like she never mattered to any of you!

Hatano - Maeda didn’t do anything last night, Tsurugi never did anything-

//…The pressure that started to build dissipates.

Hatano - …And, just…

Hatano - None of you care. No one’s mad, no one’s upset.

Hatano - …I don’t care- it isn’t worth it.

Hatano - How could I? There’s no reason to… it was always me and Iranami, and now it’s just me… of course no one’s going to change.

Hatano - …I can’t believe it. If I don’t have…

Hatano - …

Hatano - …She only ever had me- even in death, I’m the only one who’s thinking about her.

Maeda - …

Maeda - But… that’s not true, is it?

//Because heavy in the air is that sickening agent. The opposite of adrenaline, in-haled in and never gone again. Settled into every student’s bones, tension and lockjaw, and stiff as a board. Light as a feather? Stiff as a board.

Maeda - There’s nothing anyone can do…

//It’s disappointing. It’s a let-down. It’s a rejection of everything they were supposed to be. Stronger than God. But crumbling, so easily? So frail… slight. It should have been impressive. There should have been a recoil. A bounce back, a return to glory. Couldn’t you do the impossible?

Maeda - Everyone is scared… all stressed, and afraid.

//Supposed to be so much more. Run and jump and toss and throw and touch the sky, soar through the air, cement yourself and stay steady. Stand strong, stand tall, in the face of adversity, and anguish. And when the pain is too much to bear, carry it again, carry until… until it starves?

Maeda - …Is it because of their love, that they remain still?

//Because their hands were so sweet. Everything so soft. A full faith in the self… in the ability to be more than. If more than yourself is your service for others, then isn’t that true? To have utter confidence in your ability to be for those around you. Were you wrong to feel so foreign?

Maeda - Love for Hatano, love for Iranami… a passion for their classmate, concern over the well-being…

//Of course, though, it isn’t about you. That was the point. You’re incomparable. On the slide between the divine and the living, you’re… well. May they feel all the same. May the pain become so familiar. The anesthesia feeling of stillness.

Maeda - Is it the fear of mistake that leads to inaction? Wasn’t inaction the crime?

//If terror becomes synonymous with love… shouldn’t paralysis be holy? It isn’t, of course. Dirty and wrong. But it’s everywhere? It’s everyone. It’s the fear of being burned. The iron-hot labor. A weight you’d hold, but would you be wrong?

Maeda - …

//Everyone should learn. There’s no such thing as “helping” others. It’s all selfish.

Maeda - There’s no way to help Hatano… there’s no way to make the situation better.

//You can’t be forgiven.

//No one says anything.

Hatano - …

Hatano - I hope you all have someone dear to you. Someone you’re closer to, than you’re closer with anyone else with.

Hatano - And, I hope they get murdered.

Hatano - Not so you can understand how I feel. I don’t care about that. Who cares- I’m not gonna look for your support anymore.

Hatano - I just want you all to experience it, and remember this, and know that you deserve to feel the way you do when it happens.

Hatano - Iranami didn’t deserve to get murdered. But, for everyone else… I think that’d be too painless of an ending…

Maeda - …

Taira - …

Tsurugi - Uhm…

Tsurugi - …This is kind of the problem.

Maeda - …

//He waits for Hatano to react- but… she’s done. No acknowledgement of what Tsurugi’s said, no change in expression…

Hatano - …

//…She’s truly tapped out.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …I think, uh…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - There’s me, Uehara, Maeda, Taira, Ōtori, Kobashikawa, Maki, and Tomori.

Tsurugi - Maki was asleep, and so was Tomori. Uehara, Kobashikawa, and Ōtori were in the dining hall…

Tsurugi - But, for an illogical situation, doesn’t it mean the obvious suspects are unlikely?

Tsurugi - Going off that, there’s the fact Maeda heard something, and I did the autopsy, which makes us both suspicious- and those who are suspicious, we’re ruling out.

Tsurugi - Effectively, only leaving Taira…?

Taira - …

Taira - Would you say that my actions during the investigation make me suspicious enough?

Tsurugi - Mhm… so, it probably wasn’t Taira either.

Ōtori - …So… what?

Ōtori - What- we don’t have a single suspect-

Ōtori - I mean, not even that… it couldn’t have been anyone, because we’re all suspicious?

Tsurugi - No…

Tsurugi - We’re still looking at it too…

Tsurugi - Like we’re following a process?

Tsurugi - Iranami died in the dining hall, and we don’t know how it happened, so we need to work that out, so we can figure out who the blackened is…

Maki - …

Maki - Should we be going over the timeline again?

Tsurugi - Mmm… think about it-

Tsurugi - What evidence could I have that you all don’t?

Tsurugi - I told you everything that I found in the autopsy-

Tsurugi - Oh! There was something I noticed, that I saw a while ago, which… I guess no one else did? Or it’s just not coming to mind…

Tsurugi - This case answers a question I’ve had for awhile, I think…

Uehara - …I don’t think you’re making sense.

Tsurugi - SORRY sorry…

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - This case is weird. There’s something about the details of this case that’s weird.

Tsurugi - I’ve been in my dorm, Uehara’s dorm, the kitchen, and the dining hall.

Tsurugi - I didn’t go anywhere else- so, the thing I picked up on, you all should be able to as well.

Tomori - …I thought you’d just explain this one-

Tsurugi - But this bit’s IMPORTANT!

Tsurugi - I know I need to stop worrying about your abilities for murder-solving, but-

Tsurugi - This isn’t even really about the murder! This one’s about the school itself- it’s about your ability to investigate!

Kobashikawa - …

Kobashikawa - Was there something weird about the dining hall?

Tsurugi - Yes!

Maeda - …What?

Maeda - …The dining hall? It’s… just a normal room…

Tsurugi - But it’s not.

Tsurugi - Something’s weird in there… and I really think that once you see that, you’ll see what happened last night.

Tsurugi - …God, I hope so.

Taira - …

Maeda - …What’s off about it?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - Okay.

Tsurugi - Let’s list off everything we saw in there- when you walked in this morning, Maeda!

Maeda - Uh-

Maeda - …Fine. There was…

//He glances at Hatano- but immediately looks away.

Maeda - …The body…

Maeda - …

Maeda - I mean- and the blood, too? That’s all we really found…

Tsurugi - No. I don’t mean what was different about it this morning- when you walked in, what was in the dining hall?

Maeda - …?

Tsurugi - …What was Iranami sitting at?

Maeda - Oh-

Maeda - There’s tables, uh… eight of them. When you walk in, there’s… two in front of you, four long ones, then two shorter ones at the opposite end. Iranami was at one of the short tables, across from the door.

Maeda - There’s the door to the kitchen, and a half wall between the kitchen and the dining hall… it has- shutters, I guess? That were drawn, but typically aren’t.

Maeda - …Does the kitchen matter?

Tsurugi - …

//He hums.

Tsurugi - You don’t have to list everything off that’s in there, but I guess it helps prove my point.

Maeda - …

Maeda - The kitchen is just, like… everything you’d find in a regular kitchen, but three times the quantity- more refrigerators, more sinks… ovens, and stoves, and tons of cabinets and cupboards.

Maeda - …Yeah?

Tsurugi - Mhm…

Maeda - …What else?- Oh.

Maeda - One of the walls is all glass, except for a set of double doors. It’s to the right of the door, when you’re coming in from the hallway.

Maeda - Because it’s all glass, it’s covered in barriers… mostly metal, once you’re a few meters up-

Maeda - But before that, it’s all cement- to seal off the doors more, maybe…

Tsurugi - Yeah…

Maeda - …

Maeda - Uh- there’s the speaker we hear Monokuma through? Then, you can see some of the exposed rafters and stuff in the ceiling… but I don’t know a lot about architecture.

Maeda - …I almost said archaeology.

Tsurugi - …Yeah.

Maeda - …

Maeda - E-everyone, you’re free to step in… what else am I missing?...

Tsurugi - …You aren’t missing anything. That’s the point… there’s something weird that’s missing in the dining hall.

Maeda - …Something missing?

Tsurugi - Yeah- if you think about the school, it should be obvious what it is… it’s a feature that should be everywhere- but it isn’t in the dining hall, or the kitchen, for that matter.

Tsurugi - …It’s okay if no one gets it… but try?

Maki - …

Maki - Tsurugi.

Maki - Whatever happened… is it really that… severe?

Maki - It feels like we’re at the part where everything starts to become clear- but all the round-abouts are making it more confusing.

Maki - I’m not… it’s fine, I just want to confirm-

Maki - Are you truly that against just saying it?

Tsurugi - …

Tsurugi - I think… it’s easier, if you go through the logic yourself.

Maki - …Easier on us, as in, easier to accept your reasoning? Or easier to come to terms with?

Tsurugi - …

Maki - …

Maki - Okay.

Maeda - …

Tsurugi - …Thank you all for indulging me~...

~*~

Maeda, narrating - …Okay.

Maeda - There’s something I’m missing… well- something the dining hall’s missing, which I didn’t notice.

Maeda - …I really have no clue… I feel like it’s just escaping me.

Is it {something in the kitchen}? Could it {have to do with the tables}, or is it {something by the ceilings and walls}...

//Note: It’s multiple choice! Don’t need to answer what it is (unless you’d like to?!), just point out where the missing thing should be.

#dra #yuki maeda #kiyoka maki #kizuna tomori #ayame hatano #kinji uehara #haruhiko kobashikawa #akane taira #teruya ōtori #tsurugi kinjo #chapter 3 #deadly life 3 #deadly life

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recoveringdreamer · 9 months ago

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TIMING: current (just after champion fighter) LOCATION: the grit pit SUMMARY: felix deals with the aftermath of the devastating fight between lockjaw and razor. CONTENT: domestic abuse, emotional abuse

Someone dragged them back to the boiler room at some point. They weren’t sure who, couldn’t put a face to the tight grip bruising their skin or the voice growling in their ear. “If you shift right now, I’ll fill you with so much tranquilizer you’ll be out for a week. I’ll make sure you wake up in one of those fucking cages, you understand me? You’ll be begging for the fucking boiler room. We don’t need any more of you shifters’ shit tonight.”

They were only half aware of the words, their breath a quick and desperate thing. In their mind, it kept happening over and over and over again. Lockjaw’s teeth closing around Razor’s throat, the snap of something breaking, the blood arching as he was pulled away. In their mind, it flickered from Lockjaw and Razor to Wyatt and Samir, went back and forth between wild animals tearing each other apart and Felix’s friends talking in front of the boiler room.

They were still watching that fight, finished for a while now, but they were sitting at Samir’s kitchen table, too. They were confiding in someone for the first time in years, and he was smiling and telling them it was okay, telling them he was there for them. There was blood pooling in his mouth as he spoke, running down his chin. Jaws were locked tightly around his neck.

Or maybe they were cooking with Wyatt, were quietly telling him how they’d wound up in the Grit Pit while they piled food onto a plate and he cleaned Razor’s fur out from between his teeth. They were talking about Leo, and he was snapping his jaw shut around the throat of their mutual friend. There was blood on the floor. There was blood on Felix’s hands. There was always blood on Felix’s hands.

People had died in the Grit Pit before. Felix thought they might have even killed a few themself, though they’d never had the courage to confirm it for certain. It was a way of life here, a thing to accept. It was why Felix hadn’t really tried getting to know any of their fellow fighters before Samir and Wyatt. It was so much easier to close your eyes to the bloodstains on the floor of the ring when the blood belonged to strangers, so much easier to pretend someone had just gotten out when you stopped seeing them around if you didn’t have their number saved into your phone.

No one stayed with him in the boiler room. Felix hadn’t expected anyone to. Even if someone had, they knew it wouldn’t have been as a comforting presence. It would have been a show of force instead, a way of keeping them in line. Still… there was something unbearably lonely about the empty room now, even with Squonkella��s watery whimpers in the corner she’d made her own.

Felix’s hands shook as they paced the small space of the room. It only took them three steps to cross it in its entirety, and with the restless grief that had settled into their bones, it wasn’t enough. They needed to get out, needed to be anywhere but this terrible building where they were only permitted to be something besides themself. Trembling, they moved to the door, grabbing the knob and yanking it.

It didn’t open. They yanked again, meeting the same resistance. Another yank, more desperate, and then another and another. They pulled back with all their weight, practically hanging from the door, but it remained closed.

“Hey.” It was a quiet thing, hoarse. They must have screamed at some point, because their throat ached. They cleared it, trying again, louder this time. “Hey!” They pounded their hands against the metal door, palms stinging with the impact. “Hey, I need — I need out! Please, please, I think — I think you locked it, accidentally! I need out! Please!”

A heavy silence met them from the other side of the door. They shifted enough to access the jaguar’s enhanced hearing, but there wasn’t even a heartbeat on the other side of the door. They were alone, they realized. They’d probably been alone for a while now.

Pressing their back against the door, they slid down, pulling their knees up to their chest. “Please,” they repeated, quieter now and with no one to hear them. “Please let me out. Please. I need out.”

With no windows in the boiler room, it was impossible to know how much time passed. Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was hours. Maybe they sat there for days, just waiting for someone to open the door. It didn’t matter. Nothing really did.

Razor was dead. Lockjaw had killed him. Or Samir was dead, and Wyatt had killed him. Or Wyatt had killed Razor, or Lockjaw had killed Samir. Did any of it matter? The end result was the same.

So Felix, or Wildcat, or some thing in between sat in the boiler room against the door with their knees against their chest and fell apart.

The door unlocked, at some point. They heard the latch move, heard laughter just outside as people greeted one another in what must have been the early hours of operation for the Grit Pit. They didn’t move from their spot against the door, sat there with their knees pulled up to their chest, still. Someone pushed at the door from the other side, and Felix didn’t move. They pushed again, harder, until the force was enough to send the balam stumbling forward onto the floor.

“Christ,” a familiar voice scoffed as Leo shoved his way into the room, “what the fuck are you doing, sitting against the door like that?”

He was the last person Felix wanted to see. Their throat burned, their head ached. They scooted towards the mattress in the floor without standing, trying to put space between themself and their ex even in the impossibly small room. Leo, who had never been fond of allowing Felix much of anything in way of reprieve, didn’t allow this, either. He strode forward, pressing the toe of his boot against Felix’s thigh to keep them from moving.

“Hey,” they said harshly. “I’m fucking talking to you.”

“I – Sorry,” Felix said quietly. “I’m sorry. I just — I didn’t sleep last night, so I’m going to —”

“You’re going to get your ass up,” Leo finished for him, reaching down to grab Felix by the arm and yank them up. Felix was forced to his feet, stumbling a little. “The fuck do you think this is, a hotel? You want room service? You need to get ready for tonight.”

“I’m — Uh, I’m not on the — the schedule. For tonight.”

Leo rolled his eyes, yanking Felix towards the door despite the protests. “No, but Razor is. He was supposed to fight Eagle, and seeing as he’s dead as a fucking doornail and your buddy Lockjaw can’t be trusted to fight any headliners without snapping their necks, that means you’re picking up the slack.”

The harsh reminder of the previous night’s events hit hard, and Felix flinched as if they’d been delivered a physical blow. “I — Leo, I can’t. I’m not…”

Leo’s laugh was sharp as a blade, and it cut like one, too. “God, you really are stupid. What part of that sounded like a request, Fe?” His expression seemed to soften, but there was a mocking lurking beneath it. Reaching a hand up, he patted Felix on the cheek in a way that was far from comforting. “Look, this will be good for you. You can make some extra cash, do something about…” He trailed off, looking Felix up and down with a grimace. “I mean, you look like shit, babe.”

Because I’ve been living in a boiler room, they wanted to cry. Because I just watched my friend die, because you and your friends locked me in all night, because I don’t even have a shower in here. I look like shit because of you! But the words got caught in his throat, and he could only manage a nod.

Leo seemed to take it as acceptance, expression melting into a grin. “Good kitty,” he crooned, offering another pat on the cheek. Then, with a harsh shove, he moved Felix out into the hallway, yanking him towards the locker rooms. With each step, Felix felt heavier and heavier, but they weren’t permitted to collapse. Their hands weren’t allowed to shake, their breath couldn’t tremble. Felix had a job to do, and they weren’t allowed to say no.

Leo’s hand remained wrapped around their arm for the full length of that walk to the locker room. Later, the bruises left by his fingers would somehow sting more than the injuries sustained in the fight against Eagle. And that night, Felix would sit against the metal door in the boiler room and let the world fall apart all over again.

But first and foremost… they had to go to work.

#losing dogs #self para #wickedswriting

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fish-whisper · 8 months ago

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elephantsdaily · 1 year ago

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I Have Nothing to Say About Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman is a play, set in America, about America. Death of a Salesman is a play about a lot of things. I could write about those lots of things, but that's been done already. Whole forests have been mulched in service of cataloguing every mote of truth within Death of a Salesman, truths you understand even if you've never seen it. I have nothing to add. I have nothing to say about Death of a Salesman.

Death of a Salesman is old, but it used to be new. A play premiered one evening in 1949. People came into a theater to see a new thing and came out having seen Death of a Salesman. Critics, having seen a new play, reviewed this new play. Most of them liked it. Most gave it and Arthur Miller glowing reviews. How does one "review" Death of a Salesman? John Gassner thought it was killer. Bert Cardullo thinks it's mid. I have nothing to say about Death of a Salesman.

Death of a Salesman is a big target, like all works of sufficient notoriety. (Here include some negative reviews and opinions). But for all this tilting, there are no giants. There aren't even windmills. Arthur Miller is dead. We buy our bread at the store. Death of a Salesman exists beyond any one of us, and no critique will be sufficiently brutal to alter it. Death of a Salesman is immortal. Death of a Salesman is safe. Death of a Salesman does not hit back. Death of a Salesman neither has nor needs defenders. I have nothing to say about Death of a Salesman.

Death of a Salesman is not the greatest play ever written. It's not perfect. Do I lay claim to a piece of something by loving it? If it's good, am I good for loving? If it's bad, am I better for knowing so? I've never heard anyone say "Catcher in the Rye" is their favorite book. I'm told that loving "Catcher in the Rye" is a giant red flag. I've never heard anyone identify with Holden Caulfield. A lot of people... despise him. I have nothing to say about Death of a Salesman.

Death of a Salesman was written in a time and in a place. That time and that place are gone. Death of a Salesman is not. The language of the time and place that was of Death of a Salesman sounds a lot like the language of our time and place that is also of death of a salesman but it will not be "of" forever. Works continue whose of-ness are times and places far more alien than that of Willy Loman to us and they can with great pains be made interrogable but only just. Shakespeare is boring. Why do they talk like that? I have nothing to say about death of a salesman.

Death of a Salesman no longer exists. It can be contained in a room for a moment, but only just, and its hazy mass slipping away all the while. Death of a Salesman is not a play. Much like the great myriad whatevers before it it has become... truth. Upon seeing it for the first time, the men in the audience of Death of a Salesman became inconsolable, stricken lockjaw-like with sobbing fits that defied all medical intervention. Upon seeing death of a salesman for the first time, this did not happen. This is not factual. But it is true. I have nothing to say about Death of a Salesman

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lunarflare64 · 2 years ago

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"We're probably gonna call the dentist tomorrow because this pain this late in recovery is concerning" *pain completely disappears the next morning, along with pretty much every other post-surgery feeling, resulting in us completely forgetting we make this decision for two whole days*

.........guess we can't really complain? All we have to deal with at this point is the last of the lockjaw, which is also practically gone. If we can fit a burger in there we don't really need to keep trying. Wonder if this is how it feels to not have TMJ, we're so used to being made aware of our jaw's limit with a loud pop and a weird and sometimes painful sensation, not hitting that point is strange. Like straight up, its all we've ever known, our jaw has been popping out of place our whole life and we've learned to do so many weird things to avoid it, like grabbing our jaw when we yawn to stop it from going too far, and taking smaller bites of food to avoid unhinging like a snake to fit more food in there (not all of us have that level of self control though so it didn't always work)

#its kinda nice to not have to think about it. we still grab our jaw because we dont trust like that but having a hard limit is nice #we also kinda miss the tmj but we know that its REALLY bad - much like other forms joint dislocation you shouldnt ever play with it #party tricks are bad guys. if you have one then dont. just fuckin dont. no need to speed up the permanent damage that shit causes #so we will happily NOT test things to find out when the tmj is back

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parkerbombshell · 2 years ago

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#rules

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thefastestaround · 2 years ago

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The answer throws him off a bit. It wasn't her demands. It was that she was really willing to do this with him. Or at least that was what he assumed. And it wasn't like what she asked for was that difficult. It would probably do them good if they had their own space to get away to. But it wouldn't be like it was now. One of them couldn't just kick the other out or in his case, just run back to his own place.

He moved to grab the tablet, moving in a blur to try and organize it to what would work better. "We will also need at least two full bathrooms, you take far too long in the morning for me to wait. And I would like Luna to have her own room, not just a spare she stays in."

Things like talking about his daughter staying with them made everything scarier and all the more serious. But he had prepared for that. He wondered if she had even thought about living with him.

"Mister Dibbles also needs space." They could handle three pets. Sometimes four when Lockjaw was around. "That said, most of the reasonable choices for what we both want are houses." Sure, they could pay thousands of dollars for a family-sized apartment, but it seemed smarter to get a house. "Most also have offices if you need even more space."

She wants to snap at him, say something that will cut to the bone and scar; it's a trait meant to shelter her from... something. Darcy doesn't quite know, and isn't open enough to evaluating that part of herself and finding what lurks beneath the desire, what nasty little icky part of her drives her to be like that.

Instead, she reaches out for the tablet, flipping through options and spaces. Her nose twitches, the space between her eyebrows forms a dip, concentration evident on her face.

ㅤ"I want my own space."

ㅤㅤㅤIt's non-negotiable.

ㅤ"Which means we'll need three bedrooms, ㅤ for, like, if Luna ever visits."

A touchy subject, Darcy knows, but she wants to make sure it's clear she's optimistic on the relationship between Pietro and his sometimes-estranged daughter.

"If you think I'm getting rid of Tuna or Schnicklefritz, you're bonkers. ㅤㅤI'll get rid of you before I get rid of my dog or cat."

#dilffactory #v: quickzapped

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literaryslapshot · 3 years ago

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your fav smut prompt w jack harlow!!! pls i need!!!

"we fit so perfectly together"

blurb weekend, every weekend

contains: smut (18+ MINORS DNI), cuss words, kinky!jack, fem!reader

hi hi, this is my first ever piece for jack so i hope you enjoy!

"c'mon sweetheart, you can give me another one." he cooed, reaching his hand over to caress your cheek. he hovered over you, thick sweaty curls sticking to his forehead. his clear blue eyes scanned your body, how fucked out you looked, how you were lathered in a thin layer of sweat due to all of the intense activities you had been doing for the past couple of hours.

the night started off slow. he wanted to work you, drag as many orgasms out of you as he could. he started with his tongue, and he got three out of you that way. he would have liked to try for a fourth, but he didn't want lockjaw. he then started with his hands, rubbing on your heat and stuffing your hole full of his fingers. that gave you orgasms five and six.

"one more and we've got a new record babygirl," he encouraged. he held your hand with his free one, and lined himself up at your entrance with his other. slowly pushing his dick inside you, that alone was almost enough to push you over the edge.

"oh my godddd," you dragged out, attempting to roll over as your body was so overstimulated from the night you were having with jack. he started to move slowly, grabbing your chin making you open your eyes. he grinned and sped up his movements, "there she is, fuck baby, feel so fuckin' good around me," he moaned out, pressing a kiss to your plump lips.

your walls closed in around him, he knew you were close. he was too, fuck, he had to learn some serious self control tonight. he didn't want to cum without having even been inside you yet. jack kissed your cheeks, thrusting deeper and faster with each one he had.

"almost there mamas, fuck look at you, we fit so perfectly together- shit," he moaned. jack picked up your hips and somehow managed to get even deeper inside you. with a couple more hip thrusts from him you were done for, cumming for a seventh time in just one night. he finished inside of you too, gripping onto your hips so tightly that he was sure there was going to be a bruise in the morning.

you were so fucked out, you couldn't even think. he gently put your lower half back onto the bed, slowly pulling out. he quickly grabbed a towel and got it warm with water, coming over to clean at least the insides of your thighs for now. "how do you feel, babygirl?" he asked, carefully wiping your legs down with the towel.

at first you jumped, that specific area having been incredibly sensitive. he shushed you quietly, placing careful kisses along the areas he was tending to. "m' sorry, i'll make sure and put lotion there tomorrow."

after he cleaned himself up quickly he threw a pair of boxers on and brought you back some underwear and a hoodie that he helped you get into. he pulled you on top of him, continuing to give you tender and loving kisses. "you did so good for me baby, i'll be tasting you for days after this m' sure."

you hummed, wrapping your arms around him as he cuddled you closer. "and i'll be feeling you for days, too."

#j's writing #jack harlow #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow x reader #jack harlow smut

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chowtrolls · 2 years ago

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Derailed

Google Docs Link

You don’t ask questions. That isn’t part of the deal. You’re given a task, and you complete it. Then you get to return to your hive and live a month or so in peace, before you’re given the next task. You aren’t given details when the Handler calls. They give you a time, location, and sometimes a name. Rarely more.

Just before the sun sets, by the shipping docks. Veroix. Jadeblood. Carrying a grub.

It had been decades since you last saw a grub. Maybe some part of you had always been curious- nay, jealous? You had spent several nights yearning to be a different caste. Blue was noble, strong, hardy, and ultimately being a blueblood is what got you where you were now. You weren’t one to lament over the past. But you wished you had been a jadeblood. You doubted the Fleet would’ve come for you if you were a useful member of Alternian society. That thought doesn’t leave when you find the jadeblood named Veroix.

They were a little taller than you, but thin. Choppy hair, pale skin, and the same pale-eyed mutation you had. Younger, all smiles, but sweet. They offered a sheepish wave with one hand, the other resting on the grub sling wrapped around their chest. As you got closer, they held out a hand.

“Hi! You must be, uh…Lockjaw, right?” There was an air of unease around your name. You still shook their hand regardless.

“Veroix?” Your voice is robotic, sounding more like a sound bite than a voice. It does little to ease their worries. Their hand instinctively returns to cradling the grub.

They respond with a nod, then look up towards the sky. “...We need to get going.”

You don’t ask questions. That isn’t part of the job. You just follow. Your only task is to keep that grub safe. You walk alongside Veroix silently. That is, until the silence seems to eat the jade alive.

“Her name is Rumbles.” You catch them grinning down at the little grub from the corner of your eye. “We don’t give them real names- that’s the lusii’s job…but we need to call them something…she growls a lot, so we call her Rumbles.”

“Rumble.” You didn’t have the plural version of the word in your voice box. If you spoke more, you might have use for it, but as of current you didn’t mind your limited voice box.

“Close enough!” Veroix giggles. They continued their chatter as the two of you arrived to the train station. They told you about…life in the caverns, being with grubs, their job in the caverns, how trolls struggled with their name…and just about everything else. You actually enjoyed the conversation, even if you kept silent. Being talked at was better than ignored. Better than silence.

You were two of five on the train. That was surprising in and of itself, you didn’t expect so many. It was a small high-speed rail intended to take you to the city just outside of wherever you were meeting the mysterious lady you were handing the grub off to. There was a teal, minding her own business on her palmhusk, a goldblood reading a book, and a rather nervous-looking purpleblood. You were good at your job, meaning you had scoped out potential exits and threats by the time you found your seats. You noticed that Veroix had stopped talking. Their gaze was locked on the purpleblood, arms protectively hugging the grub.

The tealblood, you decided, must be some sort of student. She had a backpack, wore a university sweater, and looked exhausted. On the late train hive, probably. The goldblood was hardly a threat either, probably a graveyard shift worker just going hive. He didn’t even have a bag, just his book. From the eyes, you guessed some moderate-level psionics. The purple, however, was more concerning. He had a backpack he hugged close to his chest. He was bouncing his leg, watching outside the window. Occasionally he’d look directly at Veroix, at the bundle on their chest. Veroix inched closer to you. Their thigh pressed right up against yours in a pseudo-intimate display. The purple made eye contact with you, then quickly looked back out the window. He didn’t look at Veroix again.

You looked out the window as well. You had no idea how many stops away you were, simply waiting for Veroix to tell you it was time. Shortly after your stare down, Veroix rested their head on your shoulder. You froze. Minutes that felt like sweeps would fly by, and they began to snore. You must have a while to go before your stop.

You looked back out the window, watching the world fly by. This had been a considerably easy job. Even with the strange purple sitting several seats up, this was far from the hardest job you’ve been given. And, presumably, you’d just pass off the grub and return hive.

Two stops passed without a soul leaving. A third stop would fly by, only an olive who looked like they partied too hard stumbling on board. Another uneventful stop. Veroix was still asleep. You were beginning to grow bored. The purple stood up, heading to the back of the train car. You imagined, to use the restroom, so you thought nothing of it. The peaceful silence fell on the train car once more.

The thought of taking a nap crossed your mind, just seconds before the train car blew up. In your head, you thought about taking a nap…and the world went dark. You were surrounded by wreckage when you opened your eyes. You blink the confusion from your eyes, slowly sitting up. Part of a support pole had found its way through your thigh. A rare moment you were thankful for prosthetic limbs. You propped yourself up on a piece of rubble, glancing around your surroundings. Metal thrown here and there, the other train cars that had been derailed. Sparks from the tracks flying. A few small fires. Like a scene from a movie. The purple was nowhere to be seen. You could see the teal’s backpack, with the goldblood’s book nearby. They were, presumably, under something. You considered momentarily pulling them out. You didn’t have any medical training. It’d be no use. Your eyes fell upon the hungover olive, draped face-down over the dislodged bench they had been sitting on. A river of olive decorated the previously gray seats. Unfortunate.

You realized, in a brief moment of panic, that you didn’t see Veroix anywhere. You take a deep breath before yanking the pole from your thigh. Your prosthetic leg sparks around the hole. Handler wasn’t going to be happy about repairing that.

You use the pole to help you get up. You quickly find your prosthetic to be weaker, less stable, more of a giant pegleg than a working prosthetic now. You prop your weight against the pole and began to look around.

“Veroix-?” Your robotic voice is soft, deadpan. You call their name again, and again, and again- until you get a groan in response. You start to slowly hobble your way towards the sound. Step after slow unsteady step. That is, until they yell your name, voice sounding wet.

You found the jade propped up against what was once the wall of the train car. One arm limp beside them, the other frantically struggling to free the grub from its sling. You drop the pole and fall to your knees beside them. It's only when they move the sling that you see the shrapnel lodged in their abdomen.

The rest is a blur. Veroix shoved the grub into your arms. They looked panicked, terrified. Their voice was garbly and faint. Despite their clear terror, they told you to go. Take the grub and keep her safe. Their jade eyes got shifty and cloudy. They knew something you didn’t. In later sweeps, you’d reflect, and assume they had become a shifter. They told you to take the grub and leave so you wouldn’t become their first meal. But you left before they could tell you where to take the grub.

So you took her home.

You never had to yearn for a jade’s life after that. All you yearned for now was a cup of coffee, but you had to wait.

A disgruntled teenager stumbles from her sleeping block, stretching with a yawn. Long hair in a messy bun, wearing one of your hoodies again. Rumble had plenty of her own, but even now, preferred yours. She takes a seat at the small table.

“Eggs and toast?” Her pinkish oil slick fins perk up as you set a plate and mug in front of her. You simply nod in response. “Not even any sausage? You must not love me anymore.”

Finally, you fetch the coffee pot and sit across from her, “Need to get groceries.” Your voice is just as soft as the day you met her, reaching over the table to fill her cup, saving the rest for yourself.

“Maybe we can stop by the farmer’s market today?”

“Maybe.” You lean back in your seat. You can’t drink it around her. Removing parts of your mask made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t like to eat alone either.

“I wanna get some flowers for my block if we do.”

“That can be-”

Your pager goes off. You don’t finish. You both look at it rests, singing on the counter. Rumble sighs. She takes a small sip of her coffee.

“Can I finish eating before we go kill bad guys?”

“Hm. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day…”

“And I’m still growing!”

“I guess we have no choice, then.”

#lockjaw #rumble #drabbles #rome falls arc

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moonbeam-dragon · 2 years ago

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Positive Charge Part 14

Moonrise! Haha, I'm not dead, I'm just busy. Anyways this might be a long chapter but here we go. Tw: Cussing, angst, mention of injuries.

“I have found a way to kill Darkwing Duck, once and for all,” Negaduck said, slamming his hand down on the table. “Which is why I have gathered you all.”

The others shared glances at one another. Quackerjack carefully spoke up, “Uh, boss? This sounds pretty important. Shouldn’t Megavolt be here for this?”

Negaduck glared hard at Quackerjack. The short avian crossed his arms. “I’ll have you know that Megavolt was intentionally not invited. This plan requires him to remain oblivious to the details.”

The other three exchanged another concerned look. Why couldn’t Megavolt know?

“You see, I’ve noticed something interesting. Darkwing and Megavolt seem to have a truce in place. Or an agreement of some sort. And we can’t stand to keep that weak link. So we need to get rid of that,” he said, looking slowly at the others. He started pacing back and forth. “The skyscraper is the best view of the city, isn’t it? And to have the last thing you see be a sight like that. Well, I think I’d be rather kind to give him that privilege.”

___

“LP, maybe now isn’t the best time for you to move,” Drake said, looking up at his friend. “With the Fearsome Five being active again, I’ll need all the help I can get.”

“I told ya, Drake. I can’t put this off. I have responsibilities in Duckberg,” Launchpad said, putting more clothes in a box. “I’m sorry. But Della needs me with her, too. It’s not easy having a highschool kid, let alone three of them. Four if Webby counts.”

Drake sighed, looking away. He knew it was selfish to keep Launchpad to himself. He had his own family. The Mallards and the McDucks were two separate lives. Launchpad didn’t deserve to be spread thin over this. But he didn’t want to be without a sidekick again, or have to take care of Gosalyn by himself. She was a teenager now. Almost fifteen. But she was such a handful. He almost had that help back, but here he was, reeling from a breakup and having to tame a supvervillain.

Launchpad looked down at him, setting what he was doing down. “I hate to leave you alone, Drake. You know this. But you have to get over this sooner or later.”

“Launchpad, I ruined everything. I lost one of the people I care about the most, and just spurred on one of the most dangerous supervillains in the world,” Drake said, his walls leaking. “I- I can’t be alone again. I spent a decade alone and I’m not doing that again.”

“You’re not alone.” Launchpad picked up a picture frame and looked at it. It was a picture of them when Gosalyn was nine, sitting on Drake’s shoulders while Launchpad took the selfie. Drake looked irritated by the chaos, but still affectionate towards his little family. “You have Gosalyn, and Quiverwing Quack.”

“Oh-ho. No. She’s not coming out with me on a regular basis. She’s got school and, oh I don’t know, her life to worry about!” Drake said.

“Fine. Just Gosalyn. And I’ll still call. I’ll even visit with Della and the boys,” Launchpad offered.

Drake looked up at him. Launchpad was willing to give whatever he had. But he didn’t had everything Drake needed. He could accept that. Family dinners sounded fun. “Yeah. I think that’ll work. I guess I just need to get used to it.”

The pair smiled softly at one another, appreciating the quiet. They’d make this work. The heroes always came out on top, after all.

“Dad, LP! You need to come see this!” Gosalyn yelled from downstairs. Her voice was tense with worry. Drake and Launchpad ran down, seeing Gosalyn standing by the TV, holding the remote. She looked back at them with wide eyes. “Look what’s on the news.”

“This is Tom Lockjaw, coming to you with live news. Public Enemy Number One, the villain Negaduck, is currently at the top of the St. Canard skyscraper and hotel. We’re cutting to footage of the scene, where Negaduck is ready to make an announcement.

The screen flashed and changed to show Negaduck standing on top of the tower, the video revolved around him from a helicopter above. “Because of complications, we have to make cuts from our team. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, they say. So we made the decision to exterminate our weakest link, and let the public know!” Behind him, Liquidator, Quackerjack, and Bushroot stood in a line, looking solemn.

Drake felt all the blood drain from his face. “No…”

Liquidator splashed forward, throwing his arms to the side. “If there is anyone who has an objection to this execution, please act now, or forever hold your peace.” He looked directly at one of the helicopters and the camera zoomed in on him. “I’m looking at you, Darkwing Duck! Two save your long-time adversary, visit us now. To let him be drowned in the hotel’s pool, stand by.”

Gosalyn was tearing up, shaking her head. “No.. They can’t. They’re- They’re gonna kill him!” She looked back at Drake, silently asking what he would do. Launchpad rushed over to give the girl a hug, also using his larger body to shield her eyes from the TV.

“Where is he?” Drake asked, looking at the screen. He was the only member not on there. They must be keeping him somewhere in the hotel. Tom Lockjaw went on to explain how the hotel had been evacuated when the villains showed up, everyone either fleeing or being flushed out by water. Everyone else was accounted for. Some had minor injuries or had been mugged, but there were no casualties or anything that could lead to a casualty, that is, except for the threat against Megavolt.

Gosalyn was starting to cry now, hugging Launchpad tight. This sounded like Negaduck. She wished she could say he’d never, but he would. He was. Launchpad looked up at Drake, unsure of what to say. Drake had already made up his mind. “I’m going out there to get him,” he told them, walking across the living room and sitting in the chair.

“I’ll go with you,” Gosalyn said, trying to pull away from Launchpad. The man hugged her tighter. “Oh, no you’re not missy! You stay here. Your dad and I-”

“No.” Drake pointed a finger at them. “I need you to stay out of the way. Maybe I can get through to them. One man and they may not take is as a threat.” He looked at the screen again, not really listening. “I’ll call you if I need backup. But please, I can’t lose the only other two people I love.”

He used the statue and spun off to the tower. When he got there, he ran to the closet with his costume and pulled it on. He took enough care to make sure the mask was properly placed, but he didn’t bother with his hat for long. When he had his gas gun, chainsaw cuffs, and watch, he jumped on the Ratcatcher. He could be quick. He started up the bike and started down the bridge.

Darkwing thought as fast as he could. He had to get to the Fearsome Five. And negotiate. He had to negotiate with Negaduck. He could do that. Offer to have Megavolt arrested. Locked away for good. At least then he’d be alive. Then Darkwing could try and talk to him. He had to try.

___

“If this works out, boys, nobody will be able to stop us,” Negaduck said with a chuckle. “When he’s out of the picture, we’ll be more powerful than ever.”

Liquidator, Quackerjack, and Bushroot gave each other a glance before looking over the edge. This was indeed a great view of the city. Bushroot looked out at the hillside, where he could see trees and grass for a vast expanse. It was much more gorgeous than the city itself could ever be. He might soon have it under his protection. Liquidator looked down at the city, all its industries and factories. There were so many of those here. It was a profitable city, that was for sure. To have that under his control was to have several monopolies. Quackerjack looked out at the city. With all the roads and parks, this was the perfect playground. He could make children scream.. with laughter, of course. Once he got to be the boss of the game, he’d do just that.

And it would only cost the life of one man.

Quackerjack heard the rumming of an engine and ran to the edge to see. “Ooh, it’s playtime!!” He pointed down at Darkwing on his motorbike, racing for the skyscraper. The group joined him at the edge, looking down at the hero. Bushroot swallowed to coat his dry throat. Darkwing parked his motorbike, throwing his helmet in the seat and running into the building. They were high enough up, it would take ages to get to them.

Bushroot reached and wrapped a leafy hand around Quackerjack’s. This was a make or break situation. And despite all they’d done over the years, it still made Bushroot queasy. He had gotten used to it, but it never fated and never weakened. His heists hardly ever involved harm.

Quackerjack squeezed his hand back, grinning. “Just think, Reg. In days we could make St. Canard a forest playground. Won’t it be beautiful?” Bushroot nodded. That was their combined dream. He was going to make it work. The look on Quackerjack’s face as he anticipated it was lovely. Imagine when they pulled it off.

And it would only cost one man.

When Darkwing came out from the stairwell, he was holding his gas gun, carefully watching the villains. “No sudden movements, you fiends! Nobody needs to get hurt.”

“Aw, but that’s the best part,” Negaduck teased, pretending to wipe something off the shiny blade of his chainsaw.

Darkwing glared. “I’m not going to bother with the banter today. There’s no need to kill Megavolt. I’ll take him into custody and he’ll be in supervillain prison without you for once, how about that?”

Quackerjack began to cackle. “Oh, Darkwing! We can’t believe you played our little game again!” He pulled out Mr. Banana Brain. “Don’t you think he’d learn we make the rules by now?”

“Oh but would he, Woody?” the stuffed fruit replied.

“You make a great point. Some people never learn,” Quackerjack said with a tsk.

Darkwing’s gas gun dropped a little bit as he looked back up at the jester. “What do you mean? I’m ready to meet your demands.”

Liquidator put up one watery finger. “Ah, you see, all great corporations have to use some amount of false advertising!” He spread out his arms and glanced around. “Tell me, do you see Megavolt in binds, ready to be drowned?”

Darkwing’s eyes widened as he began to grasp what was going on.

“It’s sweet that you came to his rescue. And they call me a sap,” Bushroot said, crossing his arms. “Come on. You didn’t think we’d kill our own teammate, did you?”

Darkwing felt his face go completely pale. He begged what he was thinking wasn’t true. But Negaduck voiced it exactly.

“You fell into our trap, Darkwing. This is an execution, just not Megavolt’s.”

___

Mrgavolt wasn’t even at said execution. He hadn’t been informed of it. He was at his lighthouse, polishing each of his bulbs and muttering. “It’s more than that. He can’t just apologize his way out of this,” he said to one bulbs and he wiped its smudges away. “Our relationship was all a lie. He was trying to manipulate me.” He sighed as he listened her the bulb’s murmurs.

“I did love him. But he was trying to change me. I’m a villain. I can’t be with a hero. Especially not Darkwing Duck,” he explained. “We’ve been worst enemies for years. Since we graduated! Well, he did. I never exactly finished the term.”

He listened again to one of the bulbs sitting on his right, polished to a shine. He thought for a minute. “I have known Drake longer. Not sure how much longer. Since school. Maybe through highschool?” He listened again, nodding. “I guess we were sort of friends. But I don’t really remember much before the accident.” He looked down at the bulb as he finished removing a smudge. He set it down on a cushion, folding his arms and leaning back.

He glanced at another bulb as she suggested something to him and a small smile hinted at his lips. “I guess it’s possible he was trying to help. That’s what he tries to do. And he’s so good and foiling my schemes. Gah, I get sick of it.” He stood up and walked over to a lamp, blowing dust of the bulb. “Could he really care about me? Is it possible he wasn’t faking?” He turned the lamp off, giving him a rest. “If I wasn’t a villain, he wouldn’t have to foil me. Do I even want to fight him anymore?”

Before he could get an answer, Megavolt heard the TV. Oh right, that was on. He went over to turn them off as well, but all motion stopped when he saw his normal channel had been taken over by an urgent broadcast. “Police are doing all they can to stop others from intervening in the fight. They have orders not to let even Darkwing’s own sidekick or apprentice into the building.” Megavolt watched as the camera cut to Launchpad and Quiverwing Quack at the foot of the skyscraper, shaking their heads.

Quiverwing was demanding the police to move aside and let them help. Some officer was physically blocking her and trying to explain to them that the fight was dangerous. The camera suddenly cut to feed from above the tower, likely from a helicopter. The sound was muted by the spinning blades but the reporter could be heard. “The Fearsome Five, minus Megavolt, it seems, have made their advance. It isn’t clear how much longer Darkwing Duck will last.”

Megavolt’s jaw dropped open as he watched the feed. There was Darkwing, doing a flip over Quackerjack to avoid him and having to duck under a swing from Liquidator. “Holy shit.” Bushroot suddenly wrapped himin a vine, doing a flick and sending the hero spinning. Darkwing was stopped by Quackerjack’s gun, which shot out a dodgeball. The dodgeball hit him in the nose, knocking the hero back. Quackerjack started jumping up and down, cheering.

“It seems the Fearsome Five have tricked Darkwing Duck, taking advantage of his compassion. Threatening the life of Darkwing’s long-term adversary, the villains have lured him directly into a trap,” one of the reporters chipped in. “Their further plans if they capture him are unclear.”

“The question remains: where then, is Megavolt?” another reporter said before changing his topic. “I’m sorry, ‘compassion?’ Darkwing Duck has compassion?”

“Of course! We went to go save-”

“He was probably trying to-”

As the reporters, once again, started arguing about Darkwing Duck’s morals, Megavolt stared at the screen. Darkwing was getting pretty roughed up. And he was far outnumbered. Shouldn’t the Justice Ducks help him? But they weren’t letting Launchpad or that Quiverwing girl help. Why would they let Morgana or Gizmoduck?

Someone had to save him.

Megavolt clenched his fists, running to the room where he kept his bed and grabbing his costume. It was now or never. He quickly got dressed and ran out to where the Voltmobile was parked. He only took a few seconds to get in and get it started. Forgetting to put on his seatbelt, Megavolt put the car in high gear and started speeding down the street, avoiding pedestrians. Luckily, there weren’t many people or vehicles on the path he was taking. He didn’t care what traffic laws he was breaking. He’d broken so many other laws. This was nothing. What mattered now was getting to Darkwing before the rest of his team did too much damage.

___

Darkwing was finding it more and more difficult to hold his own. He’d attempted to call Launchpad for backup, but to no avail. He didn’t know what was keeping him up. Whatever it was, he hoped Launchpad was okay.

“R- Ready to give up, Negaduck?” he stammered, trying to be intimidating. It didn’t work normally, and it certainly didn’t do anything now. He was banged up and his vision was slightly out of focus. His gas gun was on the other side of the roof, and Bushroot was blocking it.

“It looks like you’re about ready to give up, Darkwing,” the villain replied, pulling out a knife and grinning. “Keep him there, kids. Papa wants to have a little fun.”

“Are you kidding? I could whack that little butterknife away without trying,” Darkwing insisted, holding up his hands in a karate defence.

Negaduck rolled his eyes, tossing the knife to the side, in Quackerjack’s direction. The jester was nearly hit by the blade, but Bushroot suddenly reached out his viney arm and yanked the other out of the way, holding him to his side.

“You’re right. That’s not a knife,” the short duck said in a mock-sweet voice. He instead revealed a machete that glimmered. “That’s a knife.”

Darkwing took advantage of the hole left by Quackerjack, jumping through and trying to run for it. It didn’t last long, as he suddenly slipped on a puddle, skidding for a moment and then flipping over his head. Liquidator rose up from the ground, smirking. “Liquidator Slip’n’Slide. Useful for keeping your enemies where you want them. May cause broken bones or concussions.”

Darkwing heard footsteps on the wet floor and then something pressed into his back. Something sharp. Nrgaduck made one swift motion, cutting shallowly into Darkwing’s skin. The hero cried out in pain and pulled himself up with one arm. As he tried to look behind him, Negaduck slashed again. Darkwing barely blocked the attack with his arm. His tricep was hit, hopefully not going as deep as he felt it did. He felt a sudden punch from the other side as Bushroot took a shot. A vine grabbed his collar and pulled him to a stand, then his feet dangled off the edge.

“Ooh! He looks like a piñata. Can I take a hit, boss?” Quackerjack said, swinging a baseball bat around. Negaduck looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. “Pretty please with a cherry bomb on top?”

Negaduck chuckled, apparently pleased with Quackerjack’s ass-kissing. “Go ahead. This is free entertainment!”

Quackerjack giggled, wrapping something around his eyes and holding up the bat. “Don’t make it easy for me, Bushy!”

Bushroot snickered, motioning for the vine to move up and down. “Okay, I’ll give you a challenge.”

And at that moment, Darkwing really couldn’t tell if they were a cute couple or not.

The worst part was that the news cameras were there, filming as Darkwing Duck, the masked mallard, the terror that flaps in the night, was swung around and smacked with a bat. He was sure he’d have broken bones after this. And a really squishy kidney.

At one point, Bushroot smirked, lowering the vines. “Jacky, try a headshot.”

Quackerjack stopped swinging, holding his bat out even with his knees. “Is this low enough? I wanna make sure this hits right on!”

Bushroot hummed, shaking his head. “I’ve got him pulled a little higher. But if he were on the ground, you’d be spot on!”

Darkwing huffed. “I’m not even that short! I’m at least to his hips!”

“He is twice as tall as you,” Bushroot snipped. “I wouldn’t try to justify that in any way.”

Liquidator splashed over, pointing, even thought Quackerjack was blindfolded. “A little higher, more to the left. Right there. Take it back and let ‘er rip!”

Quackerjack drew his bat back, as if preparing to hit a homerun. “Tell me when.”

“Hold on. Let him anticipate it!” Negaduck said, walking around Darkwing. He looked up at the hero and chuckled. “Pathetic. This is the hero of St. Canard. A piñata at our mercy.” He stared up at Darkwing, glowering. “What a softy. You really came over to try and save Megavolt. It’s so sweet my teeth are rotting and I just might puke.”

“Where is he? Where is Megavolt??” Darkwing insisted, trying for the last time to struggle with the vines. Nothing happened.

Negaduck laughed, turning and walking away. “Beats me Megavolt didn’t know about this. We couldn’t risk him spoiling the operation. But he’ll understand.” Darkwing groaned, letting his head drop. This was it. He’d never see him again. Or Launchpad. Or his precious Gosalyn. “Quackerjack, help this flapping terror go nighty-night.”

Darkwing braced himself for impact. Before he could, though, he heard a loud slam. Then a raspy voice spoke, “What the FUCK are you guys doing?”

Darkwing cautiously opened his eyes, then they went wide. Megavolt was standing by the stair door, glaring at the other villains. Drake was either extremely doomed, or saved. There was no in between.

“I’m sorry. Apparently I was supposed to be executed. Did I just forget or did you four not bother inviting me??” Megavolt said, walking quickly towards them.

Quackerjack was quick to drop his bat and ull off his blindfold. “Sparky! See, that’s what I said. But boss-”

Megavolt stamped his foot, sending a shock through the floor. The shock got to the vine suspending Darkwing, and he was dropped. “Watch it, Megavolt. You don’t want to get grounded. Do you?” Negaduck said with a smooth voice. “Sorry we didn’t invite you to the party. Tell ya what. We’ll let you make the final blow, as thanks for your cooperation.”

Megavolt took a moment to think about it, then he seemed to calm down. “Let me see him.” The others moved, leaving a path directly from the electric man to the beat-up hero. Megavolt walked over, looking down at Darkwing, who could barely prop himself up. Megavolt got down on one knee to be more at Darkwing’s level.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, his eyes softening.

Darkwing tried to pull himself up, and hissed at the pain it caused. “Yeah, I-”

Megavolt didn’t buy it. “I’ll get you out of here.” He stood up and faced the rest of the Fearsome Five, holding his hands up. “I don’t think this is going to work out,” he said bluntly, glaring at them. “I don’t think I want him dead.”

Negaduck’s face went pale as he stared at the man. “Maybe you fried one too many brain cells, Megavolt. Or maybe you’ve just gone soft.” Megavolt’s eyes narrowed. Negaduck continued. “Really, you let this guy get under your skin? I knew you were weak, but I hoped you had enough resolve to resist a goody-two-shoes like Dorkwing over here.”

“I’m not weak,” Megavolt argued firmly.

“I think you are. You know what else you are?” Negaduck said, walking closer. “A loser. You’d be nowhere without me. If it weren’t for my planning and organization, you all would be nobodies by now. You have me to thank for all you successful hiests. You have me to thank for all your best schemes.”

“I’m not a loser,” Megavolt said. “Maybe all those losses were just because I was on the wrong career path!” His hands started sparking. “As long as I can remember, I have had people like you telling me I’m insane, overzealous, mean, a loose bulb, and useless. And I’m fucking sick of it!” He sent a shock flying over Negaduck’s head. “The moment I have someone telling me I’m not a lost cause, that maybe I have some shred of decency in me, that I could be more than a villain, your’e telling me I’ve gone soft. Well fuck you! What do you know? Nothing!”

“Watch it, Megavolt. You-” Negaduck was cut off by a sudden bolt to the stomach. He doubled over, a dry whimper in his throat. Then Megavolt sent a larger blast, one that surrounded Negaduck and held him up in the air.

“Shut up! It’s my turn to talk!” Megavolt yelled. “I am done. I am done being one of your minions. I am done feeling worthless. I am done with being told I’m a weak loser. I am done being a disgrace to society. I’m going to do something useful with my life.” With that, he threw Negaduck to the side, into the concrete wall by the stairway door.

The other three just stared at him in utter shock. Nobody, really, nobody, had ever stood up to Negaduck that way before. They’d never struck him or yelled back at him.

Darkwing looked up at the electric rat in awe. He was really saving him. And standing up for himself. This was new… and kinda hot-

“Sparky-”

“Don’t call me Sparky!” Megavolt said, pointing at Quackerjack and sending a shock towards him. The jester jumped out of the way. “What are you three gonna do? Fight me?”

Liquidator moved in front of him, crossing his arms. “I suggest you be careful what you say and do. Our personal partnership could become null and void momentarily.” Quackerjack and Bushroot clung to one another. They’d never fought each other before. Not really. Sure, they bickered and had their disputes that would have fists flying. But never an actual fight with betrayal.

Megavolt put his hands up. “Look, I don’t want to fight you, Bud. Any of you.”

“And yet here you are, defending Dimwit Duck,” Quackerjack said with a pout. “Who’s it gonna be? Your best friends? Or him?”

Megavolt groaned. “I’d rather not choose. What if you guys joined me? Redemption opens up so many opportunities! You know that Morgana Macawbre? She’s out there living her best life. She got what she wanted and no one got hurt.”

“Are you kidding?” Bushroot said. “Morgana could have gone so much farther as a villain.”

Megavolt looked at Bushroot, directly in the eyes. “You know what I mean! You were trying to make the world a better place. With the way your experiment worked, you could have gotten another grant. You could have improved your study and made a positive impact. Now look at you. You went and killed somebody and lost that. Wouldn’t it be worth getting it back.”

Something flickered in Bushroot’s eyes. Something sensitive. Megavolt almost regretted it. He knew that was a sensitive spot. But it had to be done. Quackerjack noticed the look on his partner’s face and stepped closer to Megavolt. “Hey, you-”

“Quacky, you had so many options. You could have re-started your business, re-thought your plan in some way, found a business partner. Your mayhem and destruction only sullied your reputation. And hurt others,” Megavolt explained. “Not to mention that damn grudge against Whiffle Boy! And just so you know, I’m a fan of the game! I’ve played all the games, each and every level, and I even have a few of the collectible toys!”

Quackerjack looked taken aback more by the last statement than anything. “My own best friend? No wonder you switched sides. You’ve been brainwashed!”

Megavolt looked at Liquidator. “At least you’re the sane one! But your problem is that you know the difference between right and wrong. But you don’t care! You’re a heartless capitalist. I know the way you became the Liquidator wasn’t fair but you were a villain from the start!”

Darkwing pushed himself up on his knees, staring up at Megavolt. That was some tough love right there.

The three villains glared, clearly hurt by Megavolt’s truths. Quackerjack had something dark in his eyes, something truly dark and dangerous. Darkwing didn’t like it one bit. Megavolt held his arms up, staring at all of them. “You can’t tell me I’m wrong. Now let us go, and nobody gets hurt.”

“And if we decide to continue with our previous plan, what would be the penalty?” Liquidator asked, slowly flowing closer.

Charging his hands, Megavolt gave his cold answer, “Then, someone gets hurt.”

Liquidator took that as a challenge, speeding up and getting ready to drench the pair. Megavolt crosses his forearms and sent a strong pulse, blasting Liquidator with a purple shield of electricity. The water canine yelped at the sudden shockwave. It took him off guard and made his twitchy for a moment. Megavolt noticed and sent another, stronger shockwave, which burst his bubble, literally. Liquidator fell to a formless puddle on the floor. Megavolt turned to Quackerjack and Bushroot. “Don’t make me do that again.”

Quackerjack whipped out his mallet. “What is this?? Are you joining Darkwing Duck? Becoming a hero?”

Megavolt looked down at the other, smiling. He reached a hand and pulled the other to his feet. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“Then you leave me no choice,” Quackerjack muttered darkly. Megavolt braced himself as a mallet was brought down on him. He held his hands up, feeling the impact jolt his wrists. He rebounded with a shock and threw the mallet back.

Darkwing noticed and forced himself to keep moving. He ran across the rooftop, grabbing his gas gun and pointing at at Bushroot. “I’ll keep you occupied while they’re at it,” he said as though it were a generous offer.

Bushroot turned to face Darkwing, holding his hands up. “That’s fine by me.” He called on the dandelions that were somehow growing in the cracks of the roof, drawing them to a great height and strength.

Darkwing turned around, kicking at the plants. He didn’t like the way the dandelions seemed sharp to the touch. He yelped and jumped back. Dang, he was sore! Darkwing pulled out a canister of weed killer, struggling to load it at a few leaves started grabbing at him. “Woah! Not today, weeds!”

“You’re leaving us?? After all we’ve been through?” Quackerjack shouted, taking more swings at Megavolt’s head. “And you’re a fan of Wiffle Boy?!”

Megavolt sent a shock at his friend, giving him a furious look. “Seriously?! That’s what you’re mad about?”

“Yes! You lied to me! All of us. And now you’re gonna sell us out to Darkwing Duck!” Quackerjack pouted, slamming down his mallet. Then he gave up, dropping it and pulling out a boomerang. This would be more fun to play with.

Megavolt dodged as the boomerang was hurled at him. Did that thing have blades?? “Of course not! He already knows your guys’ hideouts. I don’t have anything to sell.” He ducked as the boomerang came back, barely missing him.

Quackerjack threw the boomerang again, tearing up. “If it weren’t for him, we’d have it all! We’d have the city and everything would be a dream come true! Darkwing always ruins it!”

“No, Quackerjack! If it weren’t for ourselves, we’d have it all. If you weren’t so stupid, maybe you’d see that!”

“Stupid? I’m sorry, you’re one to talk. You can’t remember our meetings half the time. You always forget to finish disarming security. You forget where you put your own traps. And you play Wiffle Boy!”

“This isn’t about Wiffle Boy!” Megavolt screamed, grabbing Quackerjack’s shoulders. “This is about right and wrong and me and you and I’m sick of you treating this like a joke!”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Quackerjack looked behind Megavolt’s head. Megavolt ducked, taking Quackerjack down with him.

Megavolt slammed Quackerjack on the ground, his hands already fizzing with sparks. Before they could keep arguing, Darkwing was yelling. “A little help, Meggy!” Megavolt looked over, seeing Darkwing wrapped up in a bunch of weeds, having finally loaded his gas gun but now unable to aim it. Megavolt suddenly blasted Quackerjack with just enough electricity to knock him out, opting to run and help his new ally.

Bushroot was allowing the plants to squeeze Darkwing tighter and tighter, not relenting. The leaves were itchy and probably causing rashes. Darkwing looked up at Megavolt, dropping his gun. “Just shoot them already.” Megavolt nodded, lunging for the gun and taking it into his own hands. He held it up at the dandelions. Darkwing interrupted. “You have to say it!”

“Say what?”

“The thing,” Darkwing said with a grin.

Megavolt smiled, putting his finger on the trigger. “Suck gas, evil-doers!” He pulled the trigger and the canister of weed-killer sprayed out, withering the plants right before his eyes. Darkwing tore the leaves to get out.

“No! My darlings, how could you??” Bushroot cried out, kneeling by the crumbled plants. He looked behind him. “Quackerjack, help me- Quackerjack!!” Bushroot quickly ran to his lover’s side, pulling him into his lap. Was he unconscious or dead??? “Megavolt, what did you do?”

As he turned around to talk to him, though, Bushroot sasw no Megavolt. Nor Darkwing Duck. He looked at Negaduck’s limp body meters away, at Liquidator’s puddle, and Quackerjack asleep in his arms. It was safe to say they’d lost. And Megavolt was escaping with Darkwing.

I’m ending it there because this was getting long and I need to play with my dog. Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter is coming out shortly. Farewell, best of luck, avoid roasted cabbages, don’t eat earwax, and look on the bright side of life!Moonset!

#darkvolt #megavolt #fearsome four #darkwing duck #elmo sputterspark #fearsome five #drake mallard #darkwing duck positive charge

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