#young Snyder returns

[i-didnt-do-1t]

The one where Snyder and Davey have a conversation

It’s one of those weird days where Davey isn’t selling with Jack and papers are actually still being bought, although he knows it definitely has something to do with the picture on the front page, a mangled body pushed onto railway tracks, rather than his own selling ability.

He’d stared at it earlier,the picture, thought about how much more gruesome it would’ve looked if they could print newspapers in colour and felt a little sick but kept his mouth shut because Elmer seemed thrilled about it, as did the others on his behalf. Because as true as he’s learnt the phrase ‘headlines don’t sell papes, newsies sell papes’ is, the headline certainly helps- and he said as much to Jack once.

David had bought 30 because despite the headline he’s still self-aware enough to know that selling isn’t his forte, but he’s down to six already and it’s only been a couple of hours. To the surprise of everyone, but mostly him, for the first time in his life he’s on track to win a bet against Race, something he’s arguably unreasonably proud off.

A young man, maybe early twenties, turns his way as he thinks it in some kind of turn of luck, and Davey hoists his papers up again.

“Body Found on Tracks. Police Investigate.” He makes eye contact. “Paper for you sir?”

The man smiles a little at that, an uncomfortable thing that makes David’s skin crawl suddenly because of it’s familiarity from somewhere he can’t place. Except he can’t pull back his arm either and withdraw the offer because instead of reaching for the paper the man has grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward so hard he stumbles and drops the rest of them. He can hear his heart beat in his ears but tries to tamper down the rising panic so he can at least hear what he has to say because maybe there’s some kind of explanation or something he’s missing or-

“David Jacobs isn’t it?” The man says, and it’s the sound of his voice that makes it click. He’d heard it once, yelling threats at one Jack Kelly as he chased them through the back alleys of Manhattan before they were able to hide out in Medda’s theatre.

“Snyder.” He breathes, and the grip on his wrist seems to tighten.

“Or Warden, if you prefer.” Snyder answers and David tries to pull away from him but he’s strong, stronger than Davey, not like it’s hard feat but one that makes him wish he had taken Blink up on the offer of teaching him how to throw a solid punch. “I was waiting for an opportunity to meet the friend of the great Jack Kelly.” He spits the name.

“I’m flattered.” David says and instantly regrets it because he knows that he runs his mouth when he feels threatened and it’s really a habit he needs to stop because it has hardly ever ended well for him.

Except despite waiting for the hit Snyder doesn’t lash out, barely even reacts aside from digging his fingers in a little harder and David is sure he’ll have crescent shaped bruises on his wrist later that he’ll have to try and explain away to his ma.

Assuming he makes it home.

And the thought is unbidden and terrifying but he remembers watching from a distance as Crutchie got dragged away, there one second and gone the next; remembers how Jack had sat one night on David’s roof, silent and vague until he had told Davey about the ultimatum that Pulitzer had presented to him.

“I see why Kelly is friends with you. Birds of a feather.”

“William Turner.” David says automatically, and Snyder grins.

“You’re a smart boy Jacobs,” and there’s something condescending in the way he speaks, as if he isn’t only a few years older than them. “No wonder you were coined the brains behind the strike.”

“You should be in jail.” And David knows justice is a joke in New York City, he had watched Splasher get a billy club to the face for asking a bull for help and knows that the rules are different for people with money and connections, both of which Snyder keeps snared in his web.

“But I’m not. So what do you and your friends do next?”

David takes a breath, tries to pull his arm away again but his grip is iron. “The refuge has been closed-

“New building, new office.” Snyder interrupts, “they found nothing to charge me on and while it’s terrible that the old one had such bad infrastructure that they had to demolish it, this new one won’t have any of those issues.”

David stares, and tastes bile in the back of his throat. “What? That’s not why the closed it. It was- the conditions inside and your abuses-“

“What abuses?” Snyder asks, and raises an eyebrow. “What conditions? Have you ever been in there?”

“Jack-“

“The liar? The boy that sold you and your friends out?”

“He’s not the only person-“

“He’s a criminal and escaped convict who almost had all of you sent into my care. Who ran off while that boy on crutches was subject to the Delanceys.” He pauses, smiles a little. “Those two are brutal aren’t they? It’s almost concerning to see how satisfied they seem after hurting someone.”

And David can’t help the pit in his stomach, because the words almost seem like a threat and so far David has seen the aftermath of the Delancey’s but not been subject to it, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before he says something that makes Morris launch himself his way but he doesn’t want them to appear like attack dogs flocking Snyder at each side.

“Hired on your behalf.” David says, jaw clenching and unclenching at the memory of Crutchie’s yell that he can’t quite shake away.

“You think I hired them? You can’t blame me for something Pulitzer paid for.”

“You worked with him.”

“If you think I care about the old man then maybe you’re not as smart as you seem. He was a means to an end.”

“And the end is getting Jack?”

“The end is getting criminals of the street.”

“Kids, you mean.”

“One and the same, aren’t they.” He says, and then he lets David’s wrist go and in the same movement reaches forward to straighten his collar despite David’s step back upon finally being able to pull away.

Then he leans down, picks up one of the papers from the ground before folding it and tucking it under his arm.

“Tell Kelly I said hello.” He says casually, as if David doesn’t have his fingerprints bruised into his skin. “Nice to finally meet you.”

And then he’s gone, another grey suit in the crowd of business men and David feels like he can’t breathe, has to shake out the arm he had been holding to get rid of the feeling of his fingers on his wrist, the skin already starting to turn blue.

-

He’s halfway back to the lodging house when he realises he’s left his papers on the street, having run from the square before Snyder came back with the Delancey’s on leashes, or maybe a pair of brass knuckles of his own.

[mensfactory]

1912 Simplex 50 HP Toy-Tonneau

In 1911, William P. Snyder Jr. ordered his 50 HP from J.M. Quinby & Co., the New Jersey–based coachbuilder and body maker for Simplex automobiles. Replying to his inquiry on June 26, the coachbuilder wrote, “We propose to furnish you with the latest model 129 inch wheel base, 50 H.P. Simplex Chassis, equipped with a Bosch dual system and four volt battery, Solar Eclipse headlights, oil side and tail lamps, Presto Lite tank and Chassis work, less the rear fenders for the sum of Forty-nine Hundred and Sixty ($4,960.00) Dollars and to be delivered three weeks or as much sooner as possible.”

Snyder specified a shorter 124-inch, 50 HP chassis with a Runabout, two-seat body and folding canvas top, painted in Munich Lake with a medium red chassis, and maroon leather. He also added his monogram to the coachwork. Soon after Chassis No. 799 was delivered, it was crashed by its young owner, and, at his father’s insistence, returned to Quinby to be fitted with more conservative bodywork that might encourage more disciplined driving.

The car on offer still wears body No. 3038, the Toy-Tonneau coachwork fitted in 1912. The Simplex was passed down to Snyder’s son in 1940, and eventually passed down to the latest generation in 2011. 

Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company.

[themissinghand]

Dr Stone: Young and Free

Requested by: @yumiko0987

Summary: In which Stanley and Xeno meets a Walking Encyclopedia that can stand side-by-side with them. Or a duo becomes a trio, and the puzzle pieces fit together.

Or Stanley falls in deep.

Pairing: Stanley Snyder x Female! Reader!

Note: Takes place in Xeno and Stanley's childhood, way before the petrification happened. Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Spoilers for the characters, but no plot. For anime watchers, don't search up Xeno or Stanley if you don't want to be spoiled!

Stanley has always been smart. 

Top of the class in both academics and physical capability, he was the perfect kid that everyone praised. 

Rather than feeling burdened by his excellence, he was proud of his work and proud of himself for his own accomplishments. 

So when the new semester of school came, Stanley continued to work hard as he’d always been. 

“I’m handing back the test.”

Everyone always watches the teacher to see who he’s going to return the first test to. After all, the first one to get it back is always the highest scorer. 

So of course, Stanley anticipates getting his test back first. 

“Xeno.” 

Stanley immediately turned around in shock, it was someone he never saw in his class before. For the first time, his name wasn’t called first, and someone else got a higher score than him.

“Stanley.” 

When Stanley got his test back, he swore to work harder to be the best once more. 

“Xeno.”

“Xeno.”

“Xeno.”

Is that guy Einstein? What the hell?! 

No matter what Stanley did, Xeno was always one step ahead. 

Sure he was superior in gym class (Xeno couldn’t even compare) but was Xeno’s head made of books? How is he able to get a perfect score on every test? 

He had to be cheating. There’s no way! 

“Xeno and Stanley.” 

But Stanley didn’t feel the same satisfaction as before. 

Damn! 

“Looks like both of us got a perfect score, Stanley. How elegant.” Also, why does he speak like he’s an old man? 

Stanley approached Xeno, curiosity burning in his eyes. 

"Hey, Xeno," he started, standing before him, "How do you do it? How do you know so much about everything?"

Xeno blinked then smiled, recognizing Stanley's genuine curiosity. 

"I've always had an insatiable thirst for knowledge," he confessed, and Stanley’s already wondering what ‘insatiable’ means. 

"But for me, it's about understanding the world around us. There’s so many unsolved mysteries and things that we as humans don’t understand. I just want to explore it all…isn’t it exciting? To find the answers to the questions that even scientists can’t solve?"

That when Stanley realized that Xeno wasn’t someone like him, no, he was much better than Stanley. Xeno was looking far far into the future, somewhere that Stanley cannot even imagine. 

It’s childish and stupid now that Stanley thought of it, while he was competing with Xeno, Xeno had much bigger plans. 

Ha. Stanley couldn’t help but admit it, Xeno is smart, much smarter than he will ever be.

Even so, Stanley couldn’t help but stick to him because he was curious to see where Xeno is going to be in the future, and he wanted to be beside him to see it.

“Stanley, look!” 

“Run you idiot!” Stanley had to pull Xeno out from the explosives’ range not once, but three times.

“How elegant, if only we could use the lab…” 

“Come on, let’s break in.” Stanley suggests, and although they were caught in the end, it was most definitely worth it seeing the science teacher get dosed with eggs and vinegar. 

Days become weeks and weeks become years. Now both were in their high school years where they truly became inseparable.

While Xeno remained at the top of every class, Stanley still had him beat in any physical activity. They never felt jealous of the other (okay, sometimes), but they worked as a duo for everything, from experiments to learning about the unknown, and to pranking others for revenge. It was a great time. 

One day, a foreign student joined the class in the middle of a semester.

“Hello, my name is (Y/N), and I hope to get along with everyone.” 

(Y/N) definitely stood out with her foreign looks and her Japanese background. Despite her differences, she easily fit in with everyone, in fact, she was captivating the entire school with her intelligence and charm. 

Not only was she hard working, kind, and social, she had no issues in trying out new things, or even introducing her culture to them. 

As well, for the first time, another person stood side by side with Xeno in the STEM competition. 

“How elegant. It’s a pleasure to another smart and curious individual, (Y/N).” She smiled and shook the extended hand. 

“Pleasure’s all mine Dr. Xeno.” She jokes lightly, gaining an amused laugh from Xeno, “It’s nice to finally meet the famous Einstein-reincarnate. 

Seeing both of them on stage, Stanley was suddenly reminded that he was not part of that picture. 

Damn.

To think he would feel like this during such a happy occasion for Xeno…

“This is Stanley, my best friend who has helped me with my experiments, and someone I could not imagine without.” When Xeno introduced him to (Y/N) with such respect, Stanley’s self-depreciation seemed to melt away. 

Stanley should feel ashamed of himself really. 

That’s right, Xeno never thought of him as someone under him, but as his equal.

“Nice to meet you Stanley.” (Y/N) reached out her hand with a polite smile, and when he shook her hand, she continued, “It’s a pleasure to meet the Football King at school.” 

“Wha-” Stanley initially cringed, but felt embarrassed when Xeno chuckled and looked at him with a look of amusement. 

“Well, Dr. (Y/N) isn’t incorrect at all. Isn’t that right, Football King?�� Stanley twitched a brow at the name. While they aren’t wrong, it sounded way too corny.  

“Ha…to think I’m getting bullied by the Einstein-reincarnate and the Walking Encyclopedia. This world is coming to an end.” 

When both of them laughed at his jab, Stanley was both surprised and relieved. 

Sure, his Football King title was going to be a thing, but so is Einstein-reincarnate and Walking Encyclopedia. 

(For a long long time)

After their conversation since the STEM competition, (Y/N) easily joined their group as the “third wheeler” as she would say often. 

Her addition to the team was so natural that it felt like she was there the entire time. She was like another Xeno, but at least her explanations sounded like English most of the time.

Of course, there were times where she would scream in Japanese out of anger, but that’s all Xeno’s fault. 

Stanley’s just making sure everyone is alive. 

It was really fun with another person in the group. 

Xeno seemed more energetic with another intellectual mind by his side, and Stanley felt more included in the conversation as she patiently explained everything in simpler terms. 

Through the ups and downs, of pranks and achievements, they stayed together as a group.

Just like that, a duo became a trio.

Before they knew it, they became roommates that lived under one roof.

“Hey Stan the man, I need you for a second.” 

“(Y/N), it’s literally 12am, what the hell?” Stanley was rudely pulled out of bed one night after his final championship football games. It was a long and competitive game but he and his team managed to win. 

As the quarterback on the team, he naturally played a big part in the victory, and he is currently not alive enough to deal with his best friends’ shenanigans. 

“C’mon, trust me, you don’t want to miss this.” (Y/N) dragged him down the stairs, though almost falling due to his weight. 

“I sure can.” Stanley yawned, “This better be quick.” 

“Yea yea, I got it, Football King.” 

When bright lights blinded him in the kitchen, Stanley got hit with a bunch of balloons and cheers. 

“Look who’s here, Mister Football King!” 

“Who says you can sleep by yourself you asshole!” 

“What the f-” A large glass of beer was shoved into his face. 

“If it weren’t for our Football King here, we wouldn’t have clutched at the end, cheers to our King!” 

It took a moment for Stanley to process everything, but when he finally came to be, his world erupted with bright colourful lights, loud cheers, head bumps, high fives, and alcohol splattering all over him. 

“Hey, if it wasn’t for the Walking Encyclopedia to suggest this, we wouldn’t be able to break in so easily with Einstein’s traps everywhere!” 

(Y/N) simply grinned smugly, whereas Xeno rolled his eyes (but Xeno was smiling regardless). 

“Hey, whoever drinks the most shots gets $500!” (Y/N) started and it riled up all the guys, including Stanley. 

The next thing they knew everyone was absolutely wasted including Xeno, who somehow got drunk from drinking very little. 

“I didn’t know you drink this much. Damn.” Stanley winced from his pounding headache as he lay on the countertop. Across from him was (Y/N) who was doing the same. 

Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was all over the place, making her seem like a crazy cat lady. 

“Call it a tie? Half half?” While Stanley wanted to win due to his competitive nature, he knew that he would die if he drank any more. 

“Fine.” She laughed as her eyes became dazed. 

“Hehe, you’re one of us okay~?” She drowsily said, then put one hand on his head to touch his hair. 

Stanley was surprised at her sudden bold move, as (Y/N) is not one to hug or touch so carelessly. She would always wait for them to initiate the gesture before she would return them. 

But perhaps she is as drunk as him, and both didn’t care about anything in the world, so he let her play with his hair.

“Pretty…” She whispered, and Stanley felt embarrassment rush to his cheeks, especially if she complimented him looking like that. 

“You know…you’re one of us right?” She pushes his forehead slightly, making him roll back a bit. 

“Just because Xeno is Einstein, and just because I’m good at some things~ You are crazy smart too, and you can play football~ To me, you’re the best!”

She gave him a thumbs up before she giggles stupidly. 

“So don’t look at us like some lost puppy m’kay? Xeno loves you! And I like you very very much.”

Stanley’s mind is running at a million miles per hour, was this a confession? Who knew (Y/N) was so open and careless when she was drunk!?

Then she put a finger to his lips and winked. 

“It’s a secret okay?”

Before she could say anything, she fell asleep, leaving Stanley alone to process what the heck just happened. 

But, he doesn’t dislike this feeling, after all, he was familiar with it.

Since the moment their duo became a trio, he had always respected and admired her for her patience. She always made sure he was included in their talks, and made sure to make Xeno try out some of the things that Stanley liked to do. 

She was like a connecting puzzle piece, something that bridged the gap that Xeno and Stanley had.

“Idiot.” He poked her forehead with a drunk smile, and hoped that when they wake up tomorrow, they would remember. 

The next morning, when it smelled like vomit and smelly socks, he woke up facing (Y/N) who was sleeping peacefully beside him. 

Remembering last night, his face flushed in embarrassment, and he quickly hid his face in case his team mates saw him. 

“Oh Stan, I can see that you’re awake.” Stanley slowly turned to face the smirking Xeno freaking Houston Wingfield who sat on the stool like he knew everything. 

“So?” Xeno took a sip from his mug with a smug expression. At this point, Stanley knew there was no point in hiding. 

“Shut up. Pass me water.” Stanley stood up, noticing that some of his teammates left, but some were still knocked out. 

Xeno obeyed, his expression unchanging, as if waiting for him to say something. 

“Fine. You win.” Stanley gives Xeno $250 grumpily, and the other takes it without any hesitation. 

“I told you, she would confess first. Scientifically speaking, (Y/N) is more bold and-” 

“Whatever.” 

Xeno still had a look on his face, as if he’s saying “really?”.

“So Stanley, my dear friend, when is it going to be official? I cannot bear to see this crush of yours last for eons.” 

“Shut up, I’ll confess soon.” Stanley looks away with his arms soon. His eyes soon naturally went to the sleeping girl on the floor. 

Stanley let out a laugh and shook his head before walking over to her. He knelt down and covered her with one of his jackets and sighed. 

“What am I going to do with you? Let’s hope you remember what you said, Walking Encyclopedia.” 

When (Y/N) woke up, let’s just say that she had a pleasant surprise, but was it really? 

When she remembers everything, and needless to say, maybe she had run out of patience too. 

And Xeno? 

He suddenly became the third wheeler that (Y/N) always joked about. 

[nightmarebeforenewsiesau]

Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams...

Far away, in a small sheltered town in the middle of a forest, walks the dead, the unusual, the strange. The monsters, demons and ghouls, those who were outcasted by society, all a ragged group with a young but spirited leader- a skeleton, with half his face rotted away and a passion for the wild west, named Jack. Jack loved his town... but he one day grew tired of living in the horrible conditions he was in. One day, he decided to go on a stroll with Les, his young ghost friend, only to discover a strange sight: a circle of doors, mounted in trees, hidden deep in the forest. He found a wonderful, prosperous town behind one of them, with a rumored legend of a leader- a Mr. Pulitzer, the king of the world, as he was referred to. Jack wanted nothing but for the tired, tortured souls of his village to be safe and comfortable somewhere. So he returned excitedly with news of this new town, and introduced the idea that the monsters and the residents of the prosperous town could live side by side. But the residents of his own town didn't think it possible, and instead vowed to take over the other town instead. Jack, swept up in his need to care for everyone, agreed.

Only one monster refused to help- a young ragdoll, made as a helper for his father, named David. David and Jack were quite close, and Jack often helped to sew him up when he got damaged. But Jack wouldn't listen to David's voice of reason, even after David had horrible reoccurring nightmares of what could happen if Jack carried out his plan.

Jack gave out jobs to the townsfolk- Mush and Blink were in charge of crafting weapons. Race, Albert, and Spot, three mischievous residents from just outside the town who carried out hits for their anonymous employer, were taken with kidnapping Mr. Pulitzer, which they did gracefully. Crutchie and Specs were told to prepare first aid supplies for potential injuries, and Buttons and Finch were made to use the supplies for stitching up injuries. Everyone had a role but David, who refused to play part in it.

Eventually the day came. While Jack was out and about trying to take the town by force, and Spralbert were nabbing Pulitzer from his office, Jack came across someone he didn't expect to see on the battlefield- his young brother, Michael, who he assumed was dead. Michael died in the struggle for the town, trying with his dying breath to protect his home.

David, in a last-ditch effort to fix what Jack had done, followed Race, Spot, and Albert to their boss's lair, and was trapped in there accidentally. That's when he stepped out- a horrifying, commanding figure with a burlap sack over his head, wielding a whip. He tied David and Pulitzer up, keeping them hostage as bait to get Jack to his lair- apparently his plan all along by having Spot, Race, and Albert preform hits for him. He introduced himself as Warren Snyder and told David that Jack was a dangerous fugitive who needed to be captured.

After the death of Michael, Jack vowed to level the town to the ground, trying to airstrike it. He was shot down by two residents- Oscar and Morris- and the non-decomposed half of his face got blown off, leaving him completely as a skeleton. Pieces of him were scattered and everyone assumes him to be dead.

Les painstakingly put Jack back together for hours, and upon waking up Jack realizes what a mess he's made of things, noticing that he lost one of his dear friends- one of the townsfolk- in the fight due to them trying to save him. He laments for a while by the remains of his friend, until he is told that David was captured. He runs to save him, only for Warden Snyder to spring on him at the last minute and try to capture him. Jack grabs both Pulitzer and David and manages to get them out, emerging several minutes later himself harmed but okay.

Together, the town mourns the loss of the townsperson who died in the battle, and Race, Spot and Albert apologize and are welcomed back, along with Katherine, the town's newest addition. Pulitzer, although annoyed, sees that the town is in need and gifts them money, on the condition that they NEVER bother him again and somehow barricade the door in the forest, which Jack agrees to and does with a heavy heart.

-

Below is the group photo of the townsfolk, Katherine, and Michael. As well as some Javid, because Davey in a dress needs some representation as it's integral to the plot, not in the story but in our hearts.

[tornrose24]

Was just thinking of ‘Why is it so hard for viewers to accept the Beast turning human in Beauty and the Beast versus how viewers had an easier time accepting Scratch turning human in The Ghost and Molly McGee?’ Besides the whole preference thing of course.

I think there were only a few glimpses to Beast’s human form and by the time the transformation happened, some people were too used to him being a beast. In Scratch’s case, we saw his body/Todd popping around Brighton on occasion, and it was long enough for us to get used to him while also noticing the resemblance. He didn’t show up that much, but it was enough to catch the viewer’s attention, especially right before the concept of wraiths came into play.

I also think there was the matter of the voice. Robby Benson went low as the Beast and then used his natural voice as the Prince, but that’s also jarring if you are too used to the low voice and don’t hear the other voice anytime beforehand (unless you count ‘Something there’). Meanwhile, Dana Snyder used a low monotone voice as Todd to make it hard to confirm that he is absolutely Scratch, and when the big reveal happens, they show Todd singing with Scratch’s voice long before the transformation/return to life happens, so that we can be able to accept these two are one and the same once Scratch does become human again.

Also, Scratch might have gotten additional points because a lot of us expected his living/human form to look a specific way since he looked like he could have been a middle aged adult. Long before the reveal, no one was expecting him to be some young, handsome man or ‘ideal human!Bill Cypher according to Tumblr.’ So it was almost no surprise that his actual human form looks the way it does, which was close to what a lot of us assumed.

[doomerpatrol]

2024 Comic Log with Overall Ratings

Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui [5/5]: incredibly funny, charming, full of interesting worldbuilding and compelling characters, some strong themes of entropy and consumption/desire and connection/ecology

Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison [5/5]: a darkly creative challenge to the Ubermensch masculinism that dominates comics

The Flash by Mark Waid [4/5]: breezily readable exploration of a character that I think has ebbs and flows, but generally features atypically fun time-travel plots and a great cast

The Flash by Grant Morrison & Mark Millar [4/5]: a solid continuation of Waid's themes and priorities that pushes Flash to his absolute limits

Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon [2/5]: tries to be mutant assimilationist, but can't even do that fucking correctly

X-23 by Craig Kyle & Chris Yost [3/5]: perfectly fine, a little hacky in its treatment of motherhood, but a nice and heartfelt contemporary take on the Wolverine: Weapon X story

JLA by Grant Morrison [5/5]: incredible, maybe Morrison's best ongoing achievement

Seven Soldiers by Grant Morrison [3/5]: very cool idea that doesn't really stick the landing but has a lot of bright spots and fabulous art

Batman: No Man's Land by Greg Rucka (and others) [3/5]: a crossover that features some of the best Batman stories and characterization, and also some of the worst; very much carried by the strength of its premise, best realized by Greg Rucka's stories

Animal Man by Grant Morrison [4/5]: features some of the best single issues I've ever read

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison [5/5]: needs to be read. beautiful.

Grant Morrison's Batman Epic (includes: Batman, Final Crisis, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, Batman Incorporated) [5/5]: despite having some questionable character decisions and being dense in a way that can be tiring, I love how it redeems Bruce from one of his worst periods and pulls together his values and history cohesively while injecting some great new ideas and consistent motifs - the idea of a hole at the center of everything, the constant imagery of spirals and recurrence, really stuck with me over time.

Action Comics by Grant Morrison [2/5]: frenetic, but very obviously shows Morrison straining against The New 52 reboot, and doesn't live up to its initial promise of a young Superman of the people, and ends on a sour note that seems to reflect Morrison's justified disillusionment with the industry

Detective Comics by Greg Rucka [3/5]: carried by the lovely monochromatic artwork, sets up some interesting ideas like Bruce's bodyguard but ultimately gets cannibalized by crossovers (coincidentally when the best art disappears)

Wolverine by Greg Rucka [4/5]: features Logan in lone wanderer mode, with some awkward threads that don't really go anywhere but also don't trip up the rest of the story too badly

Catwoman by Ed Brubaker [4/5]: peters out in the last third, but the first two are holistically great noir fiction, and have amazing illustrations

Hawkeye by Matt Fraction [5/5]: beautiful artwork by David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth paired with a compelling, clinically criss-cross structure both in paneling and serialization. astonishing that this book works as well as it does considering its protagonist is 1) typically boring and 2) a huge fuck-up

Punisher / Franken-Castle by Rick Remender [2/5]: fails to live up to its premise because Brian Michael Bendis had dibs on all the important characters, so it just throws everything out the window and does some random shit for a bit

Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb [3/5]: perfectly fine blockbuster action-mystery with an eyeroll main antagonist

Detective Comics by Scott Snyder [3/5]: starts out strong, finishes super weak. I am pretty uninterested in hackneyed evil-since-childhood villains (see also: Hush), and I find the cynicism which runs through all its plots really poorly executed

Venom by Rick Remender [2/5]: fails to live up to its premise by trying to be a Peter Parker book (and also, briefly and inexplicably, a Ghost Rider book)

Black Widow by Marjorie Liu [4/5]: really gorgeous artwork from Daniel Acuna. I think the plot is a little convoluted and underbaked, but its spy-thriller antics were still quite enjoyable to read, and it has some surprisingly strong emotional beats for a character I'm not super-invested in

Birds of Prey by Gail Simone [4/5]: good cheesy fun with great character writing, though a rushed (and largely unnecessary) final act

Batman: Face the Face by James Robinson [3/5]: a "One Year Later" storyline that has some nice Bruce/Tim moments, but its main Two-Face plot is empty calories

Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four Epic (includes Dark Reign: Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four, FF [Future Foundation]) [5/5]: another series where, even though I can find it overwhelmingly dense or breakneck in pacing, its thematic payoff is so triumphant that I admire it a lot anyway; probably my second favorite FF run, full of fun sci-fi concepts, moving character beats, and creative changes to the team's structure like the Future Foundation

Superman: Up, Up, and Away by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns [5/5]: compared to Face to Face - the other big "One Year Later" return - it's literally no contest; incredibly charming, great art, thematic cohesion

[whoreviewswho]

A Finely Tuned Response - Frontios, 1984

An analysis of Doctor Who of the early to mid 1980s is, somewhat inevitably, an examination of wasted potential and this is a particularly pertinent point to consider when embarking on a critical look at Frontios. To some extent, Frontios is business as usual for the Peter Davison era. Along with The Awakening, it stands-out for being one of only two stories in the season that is not carrying the weight of an enormous event. It is four episodes long, features a typical Doctor Who monster, slots itself effortlessly into the action-packed militaristic flavour of the Davison era and repurposes the trappings of past base-under-siege serials for good measure. This is probably why it gets such little attention from the fandom on the whole; Frontios is a story conceived to slip under the radar.

But I think that Frontios does anything but be unnoticeable. It is screaming to be noticed because I think that this story, more than any other of the Davison era, is the story of untapped potential. Frontios takes everything that we know about the Davison era, every aspect of it that was working, and offers us a glimpse into an alternate reality where everything else also works just a little bit better still. This is thanks to former script editor Christopher H. Bidmead, one of a handful of writers who could comfortably stake the claim of one of the most underrated in the series' history. Bidmead script edited the show from 1980-1981, the entirety of season eighteen, and is notable for following through with John Nathan-Turner's intention to shift the style of storytelling in Doctor Who away from the high-concept, camp adventure series of the previous regime toward more serious-minded stories that had a basis in real-world science. In Bidmead's own words, "[Doctor Who] exemplified for young viewers the power of scientific thinking to solve problems. Science stretched into fantastic future shapes, yes, but the show had a serious social purpose. It must never be silly, never be mere magic....we tried to build our stories on solid, if fancifully extended, scientific ideas." 

It is worth stating the obvious here; this philosophy returns the show to its 1963 roots of being educational as well as entertaining. The result of Bidmead and JNT's collaboration was a run of seven stories that had an entirely unique flavour for the franchise. Stories that were rich in theme and subtext, revelling in the unknown possibilities of bleeding edge theories. Take Warrior's Gate, for example. Taking place in the theoretical zero point between positive and negative space, that serial watches like a surreal, poetic and atmospheric novel that meditates on I-Ching philosophy, exploring notions of action, free-will and entropy. Warrior's Gate is a dense and thoughtful production whose characters and setting all interlink to form a greater thematic whole. A bit over twelve months later, Doctor Who was broadcasting stories like Earthshock. 

That sounds a little bit more disingenuous than perhaps it should because Earthshock is not a bad story in and of itself but it is a very different story. The tumultuous production of Warrior's Gate and the overall difficulties of Bidmead's position lead to his resignation at the end of season eighteen. The post would eventually be filled by Eric Saward whose conception of what made for a good Doctor Who story wildly contrasted with Bidmead's. Earthshock proved to be the template, the definitive statement for what his ambitions were with Doctor Who; a thrilling, action-packed adventure with a confident blend of character drama and sci-fi serial antics. To use a low-hanging and easy shorthand example, if Bidmead's Doctor Who could be compared to say a Christopher Nolan film then Saward is somewhat of a Zack Snyder.

But this brings us back to the accusation of wasted potential because I would argue that the Fifth Doctor's era is marked by inconsistency more than it is by abject failure. I find it rather interesting that both JNT/Bidmead Who and JNT/Saward Who make a concerted effort to return the programme to something resembling the original conception of the show but in polar opposite ways. In the latter case, it was a more superficial attempt with the turn back toward an ensemble cast and the attempt at tighter stitching from one serial to the next. Most episodes of the Davison era connect in some direct way to the previous one, even if that connection usually little more than a couple of lines at the top of the episode addressing something from the previous one. 

The approach that JNT and Saward were aiming for in these three years together, that of an explosive science-fiction soap-opera, is a perfectly valid take on the programme. It was even an effective one on occasion. The problems with Saward's tenure as script-editor are myriad and deserving of dissecting in a piece more dedicated to him but suffice it to say that what Frontios accomplishes is a case of a serial coming together in spite of its circumstances instead of coming out of them. When Bidmead was invited back as a freelancer for Davison’s third, and final, season, he incidentally offered a tantalising glimpse into the era that might have been if he had stuck around with the show. If nothing else, he reaffirms one thing; wildly creative and conceptual science-fiction stories can work hand-in-hand with serialised, evolving character drama.

In contrast to what one might expect, Frontios can perhaps best be described as Bidmead’s most traditional Doctor Who story. Saward invited him to contribute a pitch for a serial in season twenty-one but on the condition that he was to craft something in the mould of a traditional Doctor-Who-monster-plot. As Bidmead recalled in a 1988 interview for Doctor Who Magazine; "Eric Saward phoned me up and asked me to do ‘Frontios’. They wanted the monster element, which was a struggle because I always hated ‘Doctor Who’ monsters – partly because they tend to look cheap and mainly because they are so limited on dialogue. Dialogue is so important in a low budget show – it creates the whole effect". In so far as being a typical monster story for Doctor Who, the broad strokes of Frontios appear to offer little in the way of innovation. Our trio unexpectedly find themselves among colony of humans in the far future only to quickly discover that an unknown, alien threat is causing colonists to disappear into the planet itself. On one level, perhaps this is disappointing for the staunch season eighteen fans (god forbid those nerds ever out themselves) that Bidmead’s final effort on-screen is such traditional fare but, make no mistake, this is Bidmead all over. Where else would one find a story that revels so much in making the setting a character unto itself, or an active threat in this case. There is an almost primal irrational fear underpinning the horror of Frontios which is that of the Earth dropping from beneath you, consuming you without a trace. It is a great idea and legitimately terrifying at a conceptual level. Frontios is the last hope for humanity, the final place that they can run to and this here is the horror at the end of human existence; what comes for us all when there is nowhere left to run?

Frontios is a story about people being where they shouldn’t which is about as clued-in to the central premise of Doctor Who as one could possibly be; the entire franchise is a story of things being where they shouldn't. I love the Doctor’s initial flat refusal to explore Frontios in any way because ��knowledge has its limits”. It is an interesting slice of lore, that never really gets picked up on again, that the Time Lords have a limited scope of the arc of history. Perhaps because pulling on this thread could lend too much credence to the theory that Time Lords are future human beings. After all, is there any particular reason why the Time Lords knowledge has a cut off point that coincides with the near end of humanity? It is an effective shorthand to illustrate the stakes at play here and set the scene for the audience but remains an oddly intriguing nugget of lore too. I would not be surprised if this story directly influenced Russell T Davies when he came to writing Utopia since that story also presents the Doctor as going further than ever before and having the immediate reaction of wanting to leave. In this case, I adore that as soon as the Doctor does land, he immediately launches into helping the humans despite what his rational mind has concluded. It is also a little bit weird that the Doctor’s behaviour ultimately leads to no consequences from the Time Lords. We are told repeatedly that he is forbidden to interfere here and that the time laws do not permit his actions. If Saward were a bit more on his ball, perhaps this could have been the inciting incident that puts the Doctor back on trial two seasons from now as opposed to just…well, nothing really. 

Bidmead does not write small scale stories. Even this one, which is relatively small fry in the narrative of this season, is as high stakes as actually destroying the TARDIS. Bidmead claims to have done this to give the Doctor no form of security, have him just as desperate and endangered as the humans. Everything is against the Doctor here which makes for a nice unintentional parallel to The Caves of Androzani (also penned by a former script editor) where the same can be said but he’s just a lot less lucky. What is frustrating is that the script makes really no attempt to explain exactly why or how the TARDIS is destroyed. The Gravis does not even know it is there. The Doctor does have one line about it toward the climax; "It's, er it's been spatially distributed to optimise the, er, the packing efficiency of, er, the real time envelope" which sounds dreadfully like he is making it up. Is he suggesting that the TARDIS folded in on itself in an effort to protect itself from the meteor strike? Or was the meteor strike actually supposed to have splintered it? Surely not that second thing since Tegan and Turlough found it to be largely closed off just moments after landing, I have no idea what is really going on here and have yet to find a clear answer in the text but it is a lovely way to visually illustrate the consequences of the Doctor going behind where he even feels he is permitted to travel.

If there is anything that significantly hurts Frontios then it is the production. While not necessarily cheap, the horrific cliffhanger to part three is realised about as well as it could be, this story is hampered by shoddy direction from Ron Jones and some generally poor design. A lot of the horror that ought to be here is nearly squandered by the way the thing is assembled and that is truly frustrating. There is some god awful acting attempting to ‘lift’ some rubble in episode one. How that made it to screen I will never know. In concept, the Tractators are a deeply disturbing villainous creature with their inhuman features and mental powers to ensnare any victim they choose no matter how hard they run. Their plot to chop up human beings to ensure their machinery works was so freaky that Steven Moffat likely stole it to be much scarier in 2006. Bidmead based the monsters on woodlice and, while that intention extended into the design, the Tractators are the textbook definition of a lumbering “Doctor Who monster”. Practically every moment of action they have in the entire story falls completely flat and the monsters are not even remotely scary. They just look like crap. Apparently Jones hired dancers as he imagined the Tractators to curl up like woodlice, something that Bidmead intended in the script. Visual effects designer Dave Harvard did not get this memo it seems. There is a distinct lack of menace and thrill displayed onscreen here despite what are, really, a perfectly strong set of scripts to work from. It is a real shame.

Thankfully, the production can deliver on Bidmead's well-developed supporting cast and he provides a compelling far-future colony for the TARDIS team to get entangled up with. Range is a much an endearing scientist figure to pair the Doctor up with as Plantagenet and Brazen make an irritating opposing force. It is a decidedly bleak vision of the future; a fascist, totalitarian state. In her analysis of the serial, Elizabeth Sandifer makes the suggestion that Bidmead’s more cerebral, world-building story is constantly under jeopardy by Eric Saward’s stock-standard military story, invading the scenes as an opposing force that tries to stop the story from happening. Whether Bidmead was deliberately poking at Saward's tendencies as a writer remains to be seen but it is a very fun read regardless. Bidmead has cited the 1982 Lebanon War as an influence on his scripts which, as of time of writing this article in March 2024, is an interesting situation to cite. The Lebanon War took place between June 6 1982 and June 5 1985 between the Israel Defence Forces and the Palestine Liberation Organisation. The inspiration from the war can certainly be identified in what Frontios would become though it would be absurd too suggest that the story is analogous for the conflict itself. Certainly, the broad strokes of the situation informed the plot but the most significant contribution was an aesthetic one with the serial's war-torn landscape that is clearly suffering from a near constant bombardment that has slowly increased in frequency and intensity over several decades. Indeed, as Range and the Doctor state;

RANGE: Captain Revere assumed that the barrage was some sort of softening up process. Heralding an invasion, he said. DOCTOR: Hmm, someone else thinks this is their territory.

Revere is half-right. Frontios is an invasion story; the humans are the invaders. This flavour of anti-colonial storytelling is not particularly new ground for Doctor Who to tread and would certainly continue to be well-walked although the allegory becomes a little bit murky in this case with the suggestion that the Tractators are not indigenous to Frontios either. Perhaps the situation of two invading forces staking claim to a land that rightfully belongs to neither was ripped straight from the headlines but the absence of a third party makes it a rather more simplistic and less challenging situation to depict. Again, the influence is purely aesthetic. Cutting edge political satire doesn’t seem to be something Bidmead is particularly interested in anyway, regardless of his effectiveness in writing it.

So, we can conclude that the Tractators are likely not indigenous from pretty early on in the story thanks to Turlough who is awarded one of his strongest roles in any story pos-Enlightenment. Following his failed plot to murder the Doctor, the shifty and morally ambiguous nature of Turlough became an aspect of his character that was largely cast aside. Turlough was introduced as an untrustworthy and selfish survivalist whose past life before exile on Earth were primed to make him a greatly compelling member of the TARDIS team moving forward. However, instead of gradually unravelling this mystery and pushing Turlough’s relationship with his “friends” to their furthest extent, the character spent most of his stories was just separated from the Doctor for about half of the runtime to simply complain and look a bit suss from time to time. A lot of potential character work seemed to be abandoned and relegated to these four scripts and his final story, Planet of Fire. This is yet another example of Saward's limits as a script editor and really the most damning one considering part of this period's mission statement was to be a quasi soap-opera.

After laying eyes on the Tractators, we see a new side to Turlough; pure, genuine fear. Our first glimpses at his origins are finally awarded to us when a race memory is unlocked within him that sees him recoil from the action in a catatonic state. He has a primal reaction to the creatures below the surface. Being the only person with knowledge of the monsters, he gradually pulls himself together and returns to help the Doctor. While not especially interesting an arc in itself, this is a rewarding series of events to put Turlough through if you have been following his story since Mawdryn Undead since it seems that only now he has truly embraced being a force for good with the Doctor and not just a traveller in it only for himself. This is all really solid stuff and Mark Strickson does a decent enough job with it. Turlough lamenting that nobody expects anything heroic of him is a really lovely character moment and this story marks a significant turning point for the character that comes too late. This is the kind of on-going melodrama that should have been present in this era the entire time and this particular development for Turlough needed to happen at, at the latest, the end of the last season. Not two stories before his departure. For his active role as a companion to be claimed eight stories into his run (effectively after twenty-eight episodes on the show) is ludicrous. Even more frustratingly, Turlough takes a backseat again in the next story leaving Planet of Fire to race his character to the finish line and it proves once more that the potential for greatness is all there but this was too little too late.

Tegan is the most sidelined of the three which is irritating not only because this would prove to be her penultimate appearance on the show but also because it officially becomes a pattern of the third story now to give her no kind of active role in narrative. The next serial would do that too though it could be argued by design which is a weak defence in the face of a whole season awarding her next to no material. Given where her character was set to go in Resurrection of the Daleks this and the nature of her departing the TARDIS, this would have been a great time to highlight the brutality of the Doctor’s travels and drop her in the midst of some truly awful acts. Long-form story was really not Eric Saward’s strongest skill. 

And then we have the Doctor. Three stories away from his own dramatic exit and finally he feels like he has fully come into his own. This is perhaps the most frustrating realisation to grapple with in regards to Bidmead’s leaving the show; the man knows how to write the Doctor. His take on the character sees the frustratingly underdeveloped Fifth Doctor in a fully authoritative role; barking out orders and opinions to whoever he pleases and commanding presence as much as he needs to. This is a character I would have loved to see for three seasons and it pains me that he is only really found here and in Androzani. At the heart of Frontios is a very simple story that about leadership in a decidedly anti-militaristic sort of way. The humans are being driven by the military but lacking in unity as their leadership in Brazen and Plantagenet is a self, arrogant and narrow-minded leadership that dismisses their scientists and the Doctor when he arrives. As we learn about the Tractators, their leadership is flawed too as the creatures are revealed to be naturally passive without the command, being enslaved, by the Gravis. So, we have the Doctor who is driven but understanding. He listens to the facts, he makes measured judgements and he considers the breadth of his actions. The Doctor is the shining example of good leadership in this colony. It is a very simple moral but who ever said that simplicity was a bad thing?

Sandifer made the acute observation in her Warrior's Gate article that "The Doctor that Bidmead wants are the Doctors that [David] Whitaker wrote for – the small and seemingly harmless men who skulked and observed and learned to understand the system before making a single decisive move within it. Not the Doctors of the 70s – big, starring leading men who were the centre of attention and whose charisma and likability drove the entire story". Here we have found ourselves with, frankly, the biggest victim of wasted potential in Peter Davison's run which, obviously is Peter Davison. It is well-documented that part of JNT's strategy in casting Davison was to provide a stark contrast to the scene-stealing Tom Baker. The Fifth Doctor was a less commanding and intrusive presence by design which is all well and good if your target is a more Whitaker-style take on the character. The problem is simply that they missed.

To this day, the Fifth Doctor comes under fire for being a bland incarnation but that is only half of the truth. What fans criticise as blandness is what I would sooner articulate as a lack of definition. The Fifth Doctor as a character was primarily defined by the things that he was not in comparison to the previous four actors instead of the things that he actually was. This Doctor was not old, he was not commanding, he was not infallible, he was not funny, he was not flippant, he was not cruel, he was not Tom Baker – he was not a lot of things and the things that he was varied greatly from one story to the next. Perhaps this is a little unfair since there was at least an intention of who the Fifth Doctor was supposed to be, even if it was not fully realised onscreen. It is at this point that I feel compelled to clarify also that Davison was not at all the problem here. He is an excellent actor who had very strong and compelling instincts of how to play the part, some of which he and JNT agreed on. In 1981, Davison conducted an interview with Radio Times where he made an attempt to outline his vision for the role;

"I’ll be a much younger Dr. Who, and I’ll be wearing a kind of Victorian cricketing outfit to accentuate my youth. I’d like my Doctor to be heroic and resourceful. I feel that, over the years, ‘Doctor Who’ has become less vital, no longer struggling for survival, depending on instant, miraculous solutions to problems. The suspense of ‘Now how’s he going to get out of this tight  corner?’ has been missing. I want to restore that. My Doctor will be flawed. He’ll have the best intentions and he will in the end win through, but he will not always act for the best. Sometimes, he’ll even endanger his companions. But I want him to have a sort of reckless innocence."

This is not quite a description of who the Fifth Doctor is not but in terms of being a definitive statement on what he is it is still somewhat lacking. “Heroic and resourceful" are satisfactory descriptors and the suggestion that he has a “reckless innocence” seems to indicate that he is perhaps simply naive. To say that he is flawed is not particularly revealing without actually delving into what the flaws are but this is certainly a start. There is a blueprint here with which to construct a fully-realised character but the one that made it to screen oscillated wildly from seeming compelling to inoffensive to, yes, bland.

Given the revolving door of script-editors during season nineteen's production, it is perhaps not surprising that, despite having some strong stories on the whole, it was not a definitive opening statement for the Fifth Doctor. Castrovalva took the Doctor out of action for most of its runtime and then had him in the post-regenerative non-character state that left him open to hopefully be defined later on down the track. The larger part of season nineteen fails to define him particularly well with Four to Doomsday, Kinda and Black Orchid each shooting for the unassuming observer type but fail to give him any truly distinct character traits nor a particularly engaging role in the narrative. It shows a near complete misunderstanding of the Whitaker-style Doctor depicting him not as a mercurial learner but a passive observer. The Visitation and Time-Flight shift gears from this to am extent presenting something in the mould of Jon Pertwee's Doctor on paper. The former, however, leaves him still largely sidelined by its comedy supporting character and the latter makes the unfortunate misstep of being Time-Flight. 

The Fifth Doctor in season nineteen is a character whose role in the story is dictated by the narrative conventions of Doctor Who. His name is in the title, he is a heroic character therefore he will heroically save the day even if the plot could have happily rolled on much the same without his involvement at all. Black Orchid even takes this to the extreme when it, upon stumbling upon an opportunity for some drama when the Doctor comes under suspicion for murder, he gets away with it by taking the supporting cast into the TARDIS and going "See? I'm Doctor Who so I must be innocent". The only story to offer any glimmer of the characterisation and subversion that was promised is Earthshock but even that immature, emotionally unregulated character would never really come back onscreen.

Season twenty seems to bring little else to the table besides his being generally nice but a bit exasperated at times (and it is worth noting that the subpar quality of the scriptwriting in season twenty is what ensured Davison would not sign on beyond his three year contract). The Fifth Doctor's lack of authority too often came as a failing in the storytelling instead of a failing in the character. Take how he fails to command a scene with the Brigadier in Mawdryn Undead or the lack of interest anybody has in him during Warriors of the Deep. Snakedance is really the only serial that took this idea and ran when Christopher Bailey had to the good sense to present a realistic reaction to the Doctor showing up prophesying doom for all and made that escalation most of his role in the story. The problem hit its peak by the time The Five Doctors made it to screen which, of course, made an embarrassing show of what little characterisation the Fifth Doctor was awarded. Standing next to Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee would be difficult for anyone but the Fifth Doctor managed to make it seem impossible.

Part of the problem with the Doctor's lack of definition, of course, stemmed from the approach, or rather the production team's inability to scale the mountain that they had raised for themselves. Having a leading cast as big as four and small as three for all but one of his stories often left the Doctor struggling to command the narrative in any way. It became easy to lean on an archetypical idea of who 'the Doctor' is to make the stories work. This is symptomatic of the broader issue that this production team was not up to the task that they set themselves of introducing a larger cast for a soap-opera style. Darren Mooney, for the m0vie blog, articulated the issue well in his article “Doctor Who?” The Deconstructed Davison Doctor;

"[T]he Fifth Doctor’s era offered a weird funhouse mirror of the [soap-opera] genre. The companions were all given strong archetypal personalities that were designed to play off one another, but without any detail or humanity to round out those archetypes into characterisation. More than that, there was no real sense of progression or character development. None of the companions grew or evolved."

Consequently, this left the most valuable asset for character definition, his relationships to everybody else, severely under-utilised. Again, this was not Eric Saward's strength but, further to that, it was not even his interest. Saward often claimed that the aspect of Doctor Who that compelled him the most were the worlds and characters explored rather than our main ensemble. A perfectly fine stance but not a particularly good focus to take in the most serialised version of the show since it first began.

Something always worth considering when engaging in any form of art criticism is the relationship between artistic intention and audience interpretation. Obviously, the former informs the latter; an artistic work presents evidence and information that is collected and interpreted by the audience. There are a number of ways with which to use this relationship as the basis of a critique. One option is the focus primarily on intention; the artist means for the piece to accomplish X thing and I have assessed the evidence provided to form a conclusion as to why I think it is or is not successful in that endeavour. This option is only viable if that intention has been made clear in some context outside of the actual work itself. Another way to engage is to ignore intention entirely, the death of the author approach; I gathered evidence from the text and interpreted it in this way which I did or did not enjoy for X reasons. Generally speaking, I find that the most insightful and compelling criticism comes from a mixture of both approaches. I find it equally as valuable to glean the context of which the work is made and what the artist is intending to do as I do being able to allow the work to speak to me and take on a life of its own.

In the case of the character of the Doctor between 1982 and 1984, there is a lot to engage with here. As established above, the artistic intention of the Fifth Doctor was deeply confused and underdeveloped. So let us turn to an interpretive reading, the most popular one that has developed among fans over time which is that the story of the Fifth Doctor is tragedy. This reading suggests that this Doctor is a victim of a circumstance, a moral crusader and conventional hero who becomes worn down and killed by the cruel and ruthless universe around him. It is a really compelling take and there is a good amount of evidence to substantiate it. Earthshock is the earliest example where the Doctor’s role in the climax consists primarily of him failing to negotiate with the Cyber-Leader with no option left but to just murder him as he watches his young friend die in an act of heroism he inspired. Then we have Snakedance where his walking into the story doing his typical Doctor thing sees him vilified and antagonised for the larger part of the runtime. Season twenty-one is where the evidence really ramps up. Warriors of the Deep attempts a similar outcome to Earthshock with the Doctor’s lack of authority leading to him enabling a massacre. Frontios sees him literally drawn into a place he shouldn’t be despite his best intentions. Resurrection of the Daleks is such a clusterfuck that it causes Tegan to leave the Doctor altogether and then his simply being on Androzani places him squarely in the middle of events so devastating that everybody there except for Peri winds up dead.

As a reading on his era, this interpretation holds up very well. It is exactly the kind of character development that should have been the crux of Davison's time on the show and is the kind of thing suggested by the publicity and discussions of his character back in 1981. What makes it so frustrating is how much this was not really present in the artistic intent. Yes, the Fifth Doctor was fallible and one of his companions died but this was little more than an aesthetic choice for the larger part of the era. As Sandifer articulated perfectly in her Earthshock analysis;

"What we get [with Adric's death] isn’t drama. It’s the hollow shell of drama – a major character death, a silent credit sequence, a few minutes of horrified and morose main characters at the tail end of this and the start of Time-Flight, and then everybody – the audience included – moves on. It’s not one of the most dramatic sequences of the 1980s. It’s a cheap sham designed to look like drama. It’s a sequence designed to rile up controversy – the exact sort of death scene that would be created by an executive who believes that art should 'soothe, not distract'".

Earthshock was the most important story of the JNT/Saward administration and it makes it also emblematic of a number of things it fails to get right. Adric's death was wasted potential. If the overall arc of the Fifth Doctor's story is a man who has the best intentions but gets beaten down by everything around him, that needs to be in any way at the forefront of his character and his actions in the stories. Eric Saward thought it important to depict violence in a visceral and impactful way which serves the interpretation but was not a calculated move to develop an actual arc.

By the time season twenty-one came around, Davison had hit breaking point with the bland material and an actual character began to emerge. Beginning with this serial, his Doctor finally showed signs of some consistent characterisation. His Doctor had become snarkier and wittier, his occasional emotional outbursts in season nineteen filtering through as a genuine resentment for authority and pig-headedness. As Davison himself stated;

"Frontios was excellent, an extremely well-rounded script that got hold of the way I saw the part of the Doctor, and made his dialogue and actions fit in with this. I enjoyed it because there was really something there to latch onto in rehearsal and make your own. If you like, it had enough there without the actors having to try to embellish a weak storyline." 

Thus, this is why Frontios shines so brightly. With some stronger material to play as well in this story through to his final appearance, Davison gets the best chance of his era to actually act. The Doctor is no longer a passive afterthought in the narrative and the season gains a genuine momentum with escalation from one story to the next until the entire narrative structure of Doctor Who breaks down in The Caves of Androzani. Frontios marks the beginning of the Davison era finally starting to land on what really works. We have a Doctor that is genuinely compelling, a very compelling and unique companion in Turlough and a genuinely interesting story that nails the Eric Saward approach to thrilling, action-packed Doctor Who (if only really in the script than actually on-screen). Frontios is really spearheading this last leg of the Davison era and not by mistake.This is a highpoint of season twenty-one and, indeed, of all ‘80s Who. While this is probably Bidmead's weakest script technically (I'd probably watch this over Castrovalva), it demonstrates that old ideas done well still undeniably make for a story that is done really well but it is no surprise that this solid story is consistently overshadowed by the more obviously ambitious milestones of the Davison era. This is the story the Davison era needed but it is a story that just came too late to save it altogether.

A final word: I had no other place to mention this but the Doctor’s line about being a hat person is a little amusing at this point in his life since he hasn’t been seen wearing one for three stories now – he last donned it in The King’s Demons and won’t again until the story after this

[somedayonbroadway]

WOAH LOOK AT THAT GUESS WHO GAVE IN???? It couldn't possibly be me, could it? No never! Can you please do the Race and Jack whump thing?? I am going to cry, but it will be worth it. Angst away and enjoy yourself with it. Have a great day/night, darling! <3

Of course I can!

Part 1

Jack didn’t even bother tugging on the chains that held his wrists above his head at first. He was forced to stand barefoot on the cold cemented floor. They’d taken his clothes. He stood there in his boxers to ensure that even if he did manage to get out, he wouldn’t run away. The humiliation was just a bonus. Jack watched his baby brother willingly return to the cage in the corner. It was made of chain link. All that was inside of it was a mattress and a chain for the boy’s ankle, which he secured back onto his own leg.

The young man scowled as Snyder’s men left. He tried to keep the anger at the front of his mind so that the desperation and fear took a back seat. But when he saw how contented Race was to sit down in that cage and just stare up at Snyder like he’d hung the moon, Jack couldn’t help but try to fight.

The chains clanged as Jack let a growl rip from his throat. “You’re a monster, Spider, you know that?!” The old man turned and smirked at him but Jack didn’t let that stop him. “Brainwashing a kid?! For what?! Because I wanted out?!”

Snyder walked over to him and Jack tried to back away, only for his captor to grab his face with one hand, squishing his cheeks together as he sighed. “Oh, you foolish boy,” he whispered. “I let you go, what kind of guy does that make me?”

“Human,” Jack responded, barely able to talk with the strong grip the man had on him.

“You do have a mouth on you, kid. I’ll give you that,” Snyder laughed. “It’s a shame too, I thought you had real talent. Such a shame to waste you so soon…” Behind the man, Race crawled over to the barrier between him and the world. Jack glanced at him before Snyder forced his gaze back onto him. “We could’ve done so many great things together.”

“Fuck you,” Jack growled. The old man slapped him hard at that and Jack barely heard Race gasp before a punch hit him in the guy, knocking the air right out of him. He coughed and gasped for air.

“Enjoy these next few hours, Jackie… they very well could be your last,” Snyder said, patting Jack’s cheek before he headed for the door.

The heavy thing slammed shut, leaving Jack alone with his brother for what may be the very last time. He yanked on the chains, letting out a loud cry as he realized he was stuck. There was nothing he could pick the lock with, nowhere he could go and no way to save his brother.

Jack managed to catch his breath as he looked up at the cage his baby brother was in. The boy was staring at him. Just, watching. Jack just stared back at him for a moment before he managed to blink back the tears. “H-hey, hey, Racer-kid,” he whispered, trying to sound calm and normal. “Listen ta me, okay?” The boy didn’t respond to him. He looked confused and scared and Jack swallowed hard, just continuing. “This is not your fault. It’s mine, all of this is my fault, and one day, when you get free and you’re safe with a big family and the puppy you always wanted, I want you to remember how much I love you, okay? How I would do anything to be there with you, you remember that,” he pleaded.

The boy in front of him just let a few tears trail down his cheeks. He reached up to touch them like he wasn’t sure why he was crying. He looked back up at Jack who let out a breath, a long defeated breath.

He just wished his brother would talk to him one more time. Before it all came to an end.

[thevindicativevordan]

What would you like to see in Superman: Legacy? Do you think James Gunn is the right person to ''bring back'' Superman on big screens?

My top 10 wants:

Don't use Lex or Zod as the villain

(Credit to David Jamison for the art). Take a look at all these guys, this doesn't even cover all of the options, there's a whole bunch of them we've never seen on the big screen. Pick one of them, preferably someone on the smaller end of the power scale so we didn't repeat MoS starting Superman's career with the entire city being destroyed, and advertise that it's a villain we haven't seen before. Right now Lobo remains the most likely choice for Legacy, but if instead they're using him for Supergirl, I want Metallo or Parasite.

2. Don't make Clark stoic, morose, or navalgazing

After how boring Cavill's incarnation was, I'm ready for a Superman who is assertive and aggressive. He's young and eager to prove himself, or he should be. Let him show joy in using his powers, more scenes like Cavill's First Flight where Superman is clearly having a blast being himself after all the years of hiding. Let him talk shit to bad guys, after the last two guys were self-doubting Jesuses, I'm ready for the new Supes to be more cocksure. Yes we get that Superman can be a burden, but it can be a pleasure too. Remind the public of that side to him.

3. Draw on the animated Metropolises for inspiration design wise

The DCAU, the League of Super-Pets movie, the Tomorrowverse, they've all given us some great looking Metropolises. Look to them for inspiration in designing the DCU Metropolis. For all it's other failures, I thought Superman Returns had a cool looking Metropolis too with all the Art Deco architecture. It's totally possible to make a Metropolis feel like it's own character, same as Gotham, but it requires abandoning "realism".

4. Take inspiration from the Snyder fight scenes but reign in the collateral damage

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how I feel about the DCEU. Doesn't mean there aren't aspects of that which I think are worth building on. If there's one thing Snyder did right it's showing that Superman fights can be just as thrilling and visceral as Batman and Spider-Man. Only problem is that the level of destruction was way too over the top. Don't vaporize downtown Metropolis and you should be in the ballpark for what's acceptable. While you're at it, instead of destruction porn, why not make Superman be the one who comes away looking like hell? One thing I miss from the Raimi Spider-Man films is that Peter and his suit always got torn up by the end to show how tough the fights were. Do that to Superman instead of the city this time around. Give Superman black eyes, bruises, and bleeding cuts, I assure you that would be more impactful to the audience than seeing another CGI building explode.

5. Make a new Superman theme and costume

Trunks, no trunks, s-shield on the cape, solid red cape, Fleschier s-shield, classic shield, something new, I don't care. I'm pretty open to Superman's suit being changed, and in fact I don't necessarily want a "classic" Superman suit. My only big grievance with Cavill's suit was the washed out colors and needing a thicker belt around his waist, but otherwise I thought his was fine. I would love to see the Gleason designed Reborn suit serve as the inspiration for DCU Superman suit. I've seen some people ask for the Williams' theme to be used, and that's a hard no people. Use it as a shorthand for Superman in general, but every new film Superman needs their own theme, just like Batman and Spider-Man.

6. Give me the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto, and the more fantastical elements

If Krypto doesn't show up in Legacy, then we know he will be in Supergirl's film at least. Gunn naming All-Star Superman as a big influence should hopefully ensure we get these fantastical elements, especially since Gunn himself loves this kind of obscure memorabilia (he's the one who introduced the Infinity Stones into the MCU after all). Since we're jumping into a Superman who has already started his career, I want to see the Fortress of Solitude with the Intergalactic Zoo, and the Phantom Zone projector, and the Kryptonian war suit, and all the crazy trophies Superman collects over the course of his career. Superman Robots are a must.

7. Use Jimmy

I know you've read Fraction's Jimmy Olsen mini Gunn, don't let me down! Go with Jimmy as Clark's surrogate younger brother and demonstrate why the two of them are good friends. Jimmy is perfect as the sort of comic relief character who still has emotional depth that Gunn loves.

8. Either kill the Kents off or keep them sidelined for now

We've seen his Smallville upbringing and the Kents giving him advice countless times already. Kill them both off this go around or at the very least keep them sidelined. I'd rather see Clark treat Jimmy as his confidant over his parents for this incarnation.

9. Keep the shared universe at a distance

I don't want Legacy to end up like The Flash, where the main character is just a vehicle to take us along for a trip to see other DC properties. I don't want Batman or any of the other DC characters showing up. Ideally I would prefer none of them were even referenced at all, but I recognize that's delusional. Sure you can have people make a passing mention of the freak in Gotham or a speedster in Central City, or a green guy in Coast City, but nothing more than that please.

10. Get Lois right... but don't put her and Clark together at the start

After the DCEU completely rushed the pairing, I'd rather see a slow burn this time around. Pairing Clark at the start with someone else would certainly upset quite a few people, but it's what I would do. Have him and Lois be rivals/competitors at the start, he dates others at first as does she, but ultimately the two will of course get together. I would put Clark and Leslie together, that would make things interesting for when she becomes Livewire. For Lois if they're not doing Metallo in the Legacy, maybe have Corben pursue her while she fends him off? That would be good build up for Legacy 2. Just make sure the Clark and Lois actors have good chemistry together because the Cavill/Adams interactions were so painfully stiff.

[lesser-mook]

Superman: The Animated Series (Recommended)

I roasted this back in the day because of how tame his power level was, but this is a young Superman story done right.

This show tackles cool characters & concepts ranging from Mxy to Darkseid to the Legion of Superheroes.

And featuring a Kara (NOT Bore-El) surprisingly that doesn't piss me off with her very existence. Imagine my surprise to find out she's NOT miraculously Superman's Cousin who ALSO just happened to survive the explosion because Jor-EL just HAPPENED to have a brother who JUST HAPPENED to be a Scientist who HAPPENED to have exact same idea to Kara but for some reason not himself or his wife.

Fan-fic tier garbage. GARBAGE.

But Kara In-Ze decent, she's a good kid.

In fact, I wish Kara In-Ze was in that Superman Returns deleted scene when he went back to Krypton, and he finds her on Argo or something. Some of kind of payoff for that 5 years he was gone

Back to the show. Clark is a sassy, witty chad.

He's not some Him-bro purse puppy like someone else I know in recent memory I wish I could carve out of my skull. He's a vanilla dork big-brother (like Welling's take) who's underwhelming enough to sell the role but not overdoing it to point it's cartoonish & annoying.

He’s good at his job, both of them. And the more times he puts on the cape, the more the universe expands, the guy just attracts trouble and all he’s tryna do is the right thing.

I thought initially him not being overtly geeky would've defeated the illusion but in fact he's still so bland as a person compared to Superman he doesn't have to go out of his way to try not be suspicious, which now that i'm thinking about it would make him more suspicious.

And the sass carries over to Superman, this character (from here to JLU) cops attitude A LOT, it's funny see. A very human Superman with a wide range of emotions as he's in this Superhero career, yet stoic and collected and I love it.

Stubborn as an Ox at times, especially as he gets older & develops more of an ego. He's a leader, but not beyond all reason. A good guy, reliable, very human.

In fact, in a lot of ways, a Shonen protagonist with a hint of slice of life..

I like this guy.

Besides Smallville/ Superman/Superman & Lois/ hell even that Lois & Clark show was charming-

This is THE post-modern Superman, done right.

Honorable mention: 40's Fleischer Superman

I recommend TAS to JL & JLU, since it is technically one timeline (though JL S1 he was nerfed to shit), but it's all part of his story.

Top 3 favorite Lois Lanes of all time. 

The music is so peaceful, grandiose at the same time. The composer (Shirley Walker *Rest in peace*) did the tracks justice, she did her part to bring this project to life with a sound reminiscent of Williams work.

I really like the Retro-Futuristic aesthetic of Metropolis and various other set pieces compared to Gotham & Smallville, it genuinely looks like a city of the future. Reminds me of the Jetsons

Check out the making of Superman: The Animated Series, unlike a certain recent sloppy attempt at Superman with a certain "Lois-Chan" this take possesses so much care and thought & premeditated design.

The character writing has that old-school wit to it, it's mature. Well executed. Where most of the characters sound witty, snarky but professional it has the 40s - 1950s chemistry. Very solid. Vs these days where most characters are random, loud, quirky, talk too much and just annoying lol

As far as Superman lore goes, one of the few things they didn't put in there was Eradicator, Superboy, etc. This show COVERS a lot of the groundwork of Superman content. 3 Seasons+ of content- even Livewire is in here.

If I were to have a complaint (and no it's not Kara), it would be the pre-Singer/Snyder era of how his powers are presented and engineered into visual/sound format. I really like how Singer introduced Superman causing sonic-booms

-and how Zack translated his power into fights.

In TAS show it lacks the aesthetic, the punch/emphasis, he's strong but.... it doesn't lean into it enough for me at times.

Kind of like how My Hero Academia has the visuals down 10/10 but the SOUND EFFECTS are soooooo weak, just a punch of whooshes 24/7, it's so frustrating lol.

Again, It's very tame but while it's underwhelming, how he flies is sort of majestic, like he's gliding on the air, very angelic.

And he is young and the later installments pick it up eventually.

And as shown Supergirl represents some good feats too (And I am proud to say that because I actually like this version of Kara)

Surprisingly My Adventures with Lois-Chan tried to mix it up with the sfx & action, but even that show was lacking in so so so many areas, but I'm going to leave that alone for now.

Superman: TAS

grounded Superman version Zack should've did more homework on. Cavill deserved to act-adapt this Superman.

[i-didnt-do-1t]

Day 16 of @ailesswhumptober

Drowning/hostile environment "I don't know how anyone could survive that."

cw. child abuse. religious imagery

Really don’t love this one at all but at least wanted to get something out

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oscar had become suspicious when Snyder had requested his presence at the rufuge's chapel, as opposed to his office. But he had went because when Snyder demanded something you listened. Beyond that, Morris had been gone for at least an hour now and a sick feeling settled in the pit of Oscar's stomach the way it always did when he went without Morris for too long.

Doing as Snyder asked and then hopefully finding out about Morris in return was reason enough to not put up a fuss as he was walked to the chapel through the refuge courtyard.

The candles had been lit along the sides of the chapel, illuminating the room in a soft, flickering glow. Up by the pulpit, beyond the rows of uncomfortable wooden pews, Snyder waited. Morris was stood next to him.

Thank fuck.

He didn't look hurt from here but Oscar sped up anyway, footsteps echoing of the high ceiling and stone walls.

"You wanted me, sir."

"I did. Can you guess why?"

Snyder's voice was light, like it was a game. And if it were Snyder's office he was called to Oscar would've been able to play along and make a guess. Snyder liked calling him up for a drink and a cigarette sometimes, aware of the fact there were only a few years between them; and Oscar was pretty sure Snyder liked him when he felt like he wanted someone to talk to. It was a lonliness oscar understood.

Other times it was for a punishment, something to warn him to behave.

And when it was neither of those, Oscar just assumed that it was Snyder’s own affinity for violence and control. And he could understand that, to a degree.

But this was different. It wasn't his office.

So Oscar felt nerves creeping up.

At least Morris didn't look hurt, he reminded himself.

"No, sir." His voice sounded to loud, for the quiet houses in the chapel. “Don't know why."

"Morris and I have been discussing some things, in fact, Morris why don't you tell him."

And Oscar's brows furrowed, his gaze jumping to scan Morris again instead. He looked, solemn, almost, head looking downward, eyes fixed in the carpeted floor.

"Just. You're a bastard, Os."

It was a name Oscar was used to hearing, but not from Morris, never from Morris. He sounded like their ma, that same lilt on the word from her Irish accent.

He swallowed, jaw hardening.

"Yeah."

"And the folks ain't never got you baptised, they couldn't. Da always said no one would do it."

And that was true too, but Oscar hated Morris saying it so casually, like him and Snyder talked about it, like Snyder knew.

"As you know Oscar, I'm a man of god." And that was all the confirmation Oscar needed to know they had been talking about it.

Been talking about him.

It was also bullshit coming from Snyder.

A man of god.

All those times he'd been in Snyder's office, a half glass of whiskey offered to help him loosen up, forced to sit there and listen to Snyder's rants and rambles just for the sake of him having someone to talk to, a decent chunk of them were about religion. Rants about how it was insane to believe in a God that provided no proof that he even existed, when Snyder was the one here and in control of the fates of hundreds of young boys. Had a direct influence on them. Could decide if they lived or died. Oscar had found himself staring at the crucifix on Snyder's wall throughout the conversation.

"And it just breaks my heart," Snyder continued, "that you were never even given a chance to enter God's kingdom. And while I'm not saying what Morris and I discussed will save you, it'll certainly help. Won't it Morris."

And Morris didn't answer out loud. But he nodded. And Oscar could feel his heart in the back of his throat.

"I truly don't know how anyone could survive that, getting by without being in Gods grace."

And Oscar knew Snyder well enough now, to recognise the slight smile in his voice. Morris must've missed it.

"Come here, Oscar."

The font filled with holy water was just behind them, and as Oscar approached he bit his tongue to stop himself from commenting on the fact that Snyder wasn't a priest, that he didn't have the power to do this in a way that meant anything. He knew Snyder held pride in strange ways, that it would get him beat bloody.

Oscar also didn't say that he had made peace with the fact that he was a bastard and wouldn't enter into the kingdom of heaven when he died, years ago.

As long as Mo got in, Oscar couldn't give a shit less what he ended up as.

And if that wasn't true then he would repeat it to himself till it didn't matter if it was true or not as long as it was what he believed.

Some part of him still felt sick though, and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because Morris had barely looked at him yet.

"Lean over, a baptism works differently for adults then it does children.”

Oscar neglected to remind Snyder he wasn’t even 18 yet. And he knew it was a bad idea to listen but Snyder had his cane on him and Oscar had been victim to it recently. the scarring on his back flamed up in a white hot phantom pain.

So he leant over the holy water, and for a split second saw his fathers face reflected back at him before there was a hand in his hair, pulling tight and painful on his scalp.

Wordlessly, his head was plunged into the water.

Oscar should've expected it. Fuck he should've taken a deeper breath.

But the panic wasn't helping and Snyder was always stronger than he looked, keeping him held under even when Oscar shoved against the font and could feel floods of holy water on the collar of his shirt and presumably all over Snyder's cuffs. Snyder was strong, even if it wasn't overt, Oscar had seen his forearms when his shirt sleeves were pushed up. so Oscar kicked out and pushed and shoved and stomped as hard as he could on Snyder's foot and for a second got a gasping breath of air-

Then his hands were pulled out from under him and his face cracked against the inside curved surface as he splashed back into the water, his arms pinned behind his back.

If Snyder's hands were still in his hair, it meant it could only be one other person.

His face throbbed, and whether he was dizzy with panic or lack of air he wasn't sure, but his struggling was failing and the edges of his vision were blurring to black and despite the thrashing and how much his lungs fucking hurt he couldn't get out. It felt claustrophobic.

Then he inhaled water.

He felt cold all over again. Thrashed harder despite how heavy his arms felt. despite the ways Morris's blunt and bitten fingernails dug into his wrists.

Snyder was talking he must've been, because Oscar could make out the tone of his voice but not the words, could barely hear him over the sloshing of water and the rush of blood in his ears. And the panic making it impossible to think.

Dark spots now.

Fuck.

He thrashed again but it was weak.

He needed to cough but he couldn't.

His lungs burned like his chest was going to explode.

Oscar hoped that if this was a baptism, maybe drowning wouldn't be so bad and he'd be greeted at the pearly gates.

He thought about Morris.

Then he didn't think anything.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, April 24

SNYDER: There're some things I can just smell. It's like a sixth sense. GILES: No, actually that would be one of the five. SNYDER: That Summers girl. I smell trouble. I smell expulsion, and just the faintest aroma of jail. GILES: Well, before you throw away the key, you might consider giving her the benefit of the doubt. She may surprise you. SNYDER: You really have faith in those kids, don't you? GILES: Yes, I do. SNYDER: Weird.

~~BtVS 2x01 “When She Was Bad”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Sweet Gesture (Willow, Xander, Oz, PG) by badly_knitted

Caught on Camera (Spike, Dawn, PG-13) by veronyxk84

[Chaptered Fiction]

My Sanctuary, Chapter 5/5 COMPLETE! (Angel/Wesley, T) by Enigmatist

The Witching Hour:, Chapter 7/25 (Willow/Tara, E) by TheLightdancer

Infinitely, Chapter 49/? (Willow/Tara, M) by Laragh

Buffy season 8, Chapter 3/22 (Buffy/Angel, not rated) by FreyStewart

In the Company of Witches and Slayers:, Chapter 16/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

[French language] Recommencer, Chapter 9/? (Buffy/Faith, M) by FridayQueen

hit rewind, Chapter 50/? (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

She's in Parties, Chapter 2/8 (Spike/Drusilla, E) by betweenfactandbreakfast

The Return of Lost Love, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Riley, T) by OliviaSalvatore

The Greatest Love of All, Chapter 2 (Buffy, G) by Aristocrat Writer

Stab in the back, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by MelG_2005

Under the Influence, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Hostile17-1996

The Tortured Slayer Department, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by BewitchedXx

Breaking Illusions, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Secret Obsession, Chapters 1-2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

A Ripple In Time, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Guitar Villain, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Love Lives Here, Chapter 53 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Old Fashioned Romance, Chapter 9 (Xander/Steve Rogers, Marvel xover, FR21) by calikocat

Blood and dust, Chapters 7-8 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

What the Drabble? Vol. 2, Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Breaking Illusions, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Love Lives Here, Chapter 53 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

The Young King Sings A Song For The Lover, The Leaver, The Lonely Alike (Maybe You're The Boy From My Dreams), Chapter 6 (Buffy/Faith, M) COMPLETE! by Slayerismsunrise

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: recently i started watching buffy and i wanted to make a little something (Buffy, worksafe) by theartintrying

Artwork: Dusk Spoilers (Buffy/Spike, slightly NSF for nudity and CW for blood) by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork: Coloring page of Fred Burkle in “Smile Time” (worksafe) by amazzyblaze

Artwork: Caras eu amo a buffy (Buffy, worksafe) by moskarosa

Artwork: Dead girl by the bar all dressed up (Spike/Drusilla, worksafe) by novivi

Gifset: All my mornings are Mondays. Stuck in an endless February. (Giles/Jenny, worksafe) by clumsycapitolunicorn

Artwork: ChiBangel: Earshot #1 (Buffy/Angel, G) by MamaBewear

[Reviews & Recaps]

S01E12 Prophecy Girl by she-saved-the-world-a-lot

Slayer: A Buffyverse Story by figurelifeflirt

PODCAST: HELLMOUTH HOMOS: A New Man by Fear Queers

PODCAST: Episode 53: The Freshman (w/ Katie Kaisershot) by Gym Was Cancelled

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: looking for a spike/angel fic requested by honeybearbee9

[Community Announcements]

[Multifandom] Signups Open! by fandom5k

[Fandom Discussions]

Xander was very annoying - more than usual - for the latter half of this season by theredpharaoah

[about undead characters stating that they “have no breath”] by monsterblogging

Buffy should’ve called Joyce in “Go Fish” by theredpharaoah

the last words Buffy Summers said to Willow before she went to face the Master by deus–auri

I think it’s really sweet in Once More with Feelings how Spike tries his best to get Buffy to leave before he breaks into song by conscious-overflow

One of the best visual jokes Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever did was put Spike in Riley’s clothes in Crush by toomanylizzes

The Dawn plotline by mybuffysittersavampireslayer

START OF S5 THOUGHTS by mybuffysittersavampireslayer

Wait, why did the Initiative set their soldiers up undercover as grad students? by nicnacsnonsense

but why only one slayer at a time? like it doesnt really make sense by gothhobbithoe

Not that I’m not glad for it, but why didn’t Riley just kill Spike in “Into the Woods”? by nicnacsnonsense

does Faith ever actually refer to Willow as “Red” in canon? In either Buffy or Angel? by coraniaid

i’m a season 6 liker but definitely its biggest flaw is the trio by fallingtowers

if i’m reading fanfic and the writer puts faith in a dress without a Very Good Reason [...] by beatriceeverytuesday

New to Buffy continued by ILLYRIAN

Old Buffy Board (1999-2004) The Bronze continued by multiple posters

Episode battle: 'Best' Scooby argument by Stoney, multiple posters

Which character storylines would you change? by xXagirlhasnonameXx

Episode 7x17 Buffy & Giles -What are your thoughts on this scene? Who do you side with? by Excellent-Durian-509

Why did the Watchers offer no support to the Slayer? by inconspicuous2012

What are some missed opportunities from the show in your opinion? by PhilosopherGeneral94

Snyder is one of the best "love to hate" characters by jdpm1991

Close Your Eyes: Mapping Buffy & Angel's Relationship Through Their Theme Song (Buffy/Angel, not rated) by Kean (abreathofsnowandashes)

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Join the editor team :)

[themissinghand]

The Missing Library: Stories made from stories

-> List of all imagines/fics on my blog

-> Will update this list every time I post

-> In the order of the name of the manhwa/anime/manga.

-> Mostly fluff and angst with comfort, x reader content

-> Enjoy! 💖

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Legend

| Fluffy ♥️ | Angst ♦️ | Dark/Mature ♠️ | Platonic ♣️ |

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Manhwa

Lookism

-> What Normal Life? You’re at J High! ♣️

Omniscient Reader Viewpoint

-> A Mother’s Burden ♦️ ♠️

-> Back with a Bang: The Demon King Returns! ♥️

-> Fool ♦️

-> Have You Seen My Werepuppy? ♥️

-> Lingering ♥️ ♣️

-> Lucky Star ♥️

-> Stars, Kisses, and Kkomas ♥️

-> You Should've Been Greedy ♦️ ♣️

S-Classes That I Raised

-> Heartstrings [1] [2] ♦️ ♥️

Solo Leveling

-> A Snapshot in Time ♥️

-> Little King, Big King ♥️

-> Little Meow Meow ^-^ ♥️

-> Mochi Cat ♥️

-> Sleepy Bois are Cute Too! ♥️

-> Tease ♥️ ♠️

-> With you, I am home ♥️

Trash of the Count's Family

-> Why him? Why not me? ♦️

-> Your name ♦️

Who Made Me a Princess

-> Beware of the Prince! ♠️

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Anime

Attack on Titan

-> Just A Sleepover Party ♥️ ♣️

Dr. Stone

-> Growing Up With Stanley Snyder ♥️

-> Painting With Two Hands ♥️

-> Smokey Kisses ♥️

-> Soldier's Resolve ♦️

-> "Who Did This to You?" ♠️

-> Young and Free ♥️

-> You're crazy like me, dumbass ♥️ ♣️

One Piece

-> Let Me Guide (Protect) You ♥️

-> Of Sweet Donuts and Fortune Cookies [1], [2], [3] ♥️

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Genshin Impact

-> Beneath His Gaze ♠️

-> Curiosity Blessed the Cat ♥️

-> Desktop Buddies ♥️

-> Oh Hydro Dragon, What is Your Wish? ♦️

-> Queen's Guard Dog [1], [2] ♠️

-> Thank You, Dear Furina ♥️

-> The Overworked God [1], [2] ♥️ ♦️

Thank you for your support~

[danman007]

Comic fans constantly argue if Batman kills then he wouldn't stop. They are saying he would be beyond the point of no return. No redemption.

An example of the nihilistic world view of comic book fandom:

That is hopelessness. No faith.

Zack is saying that there is hope for Batman after that; a chance for redemption. Faith. That is Batman's story in Batman v Superman. He is Man in his fallen state and isn't until he comes into contact and struggle with the Divine(Superman) that he begins to try and find salvation. In ZSJL he has a renewed sense of faith.

I'm reminded of this quote from film critic Titus Techera from his review of Zack Snyder's Justice League:

Nihilism is Snyder’s great adversary, and he wants to help the young save themselves from its nothingness.

[criticalbennifer]

Ben Affleck Is Batman, and Here’s Why That’s Perfect Casting

By:  Jacob Hall

August 23, 2023

By now, you've surely heard the news: Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in the still unofficially titled ‘Man of Steel 2,’ which will see Superman go toe-to-toe with the Caped Crusader.

The reaction was immediate and intense. For every fan who thought Affleck was a great choice, there was another who was ready to jump off a bridge. For every reasonable conversation about the casting, there was another that made reasonable people want to remove their ears upon hearing "Batfleck." Because that's how much people love Batman; he drives us all to bridge jumping.

However, the simple truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as multiple opinions on the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. There is only one solid fact: it's terrific. There's no one we'd rather see put on the cape, get behind the wheel of the Batmobile and chuck batarangs at criminals' heads.

You want a good reason? Here are a few..

He’s a Damn Good Looking Man

Look, let's get this one out of the way first: Ben Affleck is an extraordinarily good-looking man with a physique and face that seem like they were specifically crafted by nature for a superhero costume. More importantly, his looks are in line with our new Superman -- like Henry Cavill, Affleck is a man, not some generic, flavor-of-the-week pretty boy. They were never going to get an ugly brute to wear the cape and cowl (although 'The Dark Knight Returns' writer/artist Frank miller would probably prefer it that way), but at least they're casting the right kind of handsome. If you're attracted to Ben Affleck, it's only because you're a human being. (And let's be clear, we're not saying Christian Bale is an ugly brute.)

So, Let’s Talk About Daredevil 

The most common complaint from fans about Affleck's casting as Batman has been to dredge up the debacle that was 2003's 'Daredevil.' They ignore his two Oscars. They ignore 'Hollywoodland,' 'The Company Men,' 'The Town' and 'Argo.' They ignore the fact that he's a completely different man than he was back in his (shudder) "Bennifer" days. All some people can talk about is the fact that he once played a superhero in a terrible movie.

Yes, 'Daredevil' is stilted, boring movie that's somehow managed to age into an even more stilted and boring movie. Yes, Affleck isn't particularly good in it. But let's be honest with ourselves here: Affleck is the least of the film's problems. Can we talk about the lousy screenplay? Can we talk about Mark Steven Johnson's pedestrian direction? Can we talk about every single thing that's wrong with the movie (which will take all day)? Affleck is guilty of being involved in a production that was a clusterfrack from frame one -- of course, he was bad in it! Everyone was bad in it!

If you're going to use 'Daredevil' as a reason why Ben Affleck shouldn't play Batman, your argument is essentially "every actor whose given a poor performance or starred in a lousy movie can't play Batman." Follow that logic and no one plays Batman. Ever.

Aged Like a Fine Wine

A decade ago, Ben Affleck put on skintight leather to play the Marvel superhero Daredevil and the whole world rolled its eyes. What changed? It's quite simple, really. Time has been kind to Affleck. As he's aged, he's grown as an actor and artist, taking on more nuanced, challenging roles and proving himself to be one of the best directors working today. Affleck wears this experience in every film he's in now, appearing less like a cocky young star and more like a guy who's seen it all. It's easy to write off young Affleck -- he was likable but rarely compelling. But 41-year-old Affleck? He's aged into a true movie star, a man of genuine interest.

In the official press release, director Zack Snyder talks about Affleck being able to play both sides of Batman, the charming Bruce Wayne and the tough, vigilant Batman. Directing himself in 'The Town' and 'Argo,' he proved more than capable of playing complicated characters with dual identities, guys whose soft sides mask something far darker, tougher and more violent. Anyone who immediately writes off Affleck has not seen the films he's directed or, more specifically, the performances he's given in films he's directed.

Batman Can Smile, You Know

We liked Bale as Batman as much as the next fanboy, but it's time for a change. We know Bruce Wayne has a lot to be angry about, but that doesn't mean the Caped Crusader can't crack a grin now and then. Bale's stoic, humorless performance was typical for him, but Affleck is a very different kind of actor. He's a naturally funny and charming guy, a performer who can own the stage on 'Saturday Night Live.' Now, we're not saying Affleck should take the Adam West route with his Batman, but we are saying that Affleck can play a Batman who, you know, occasionally feels joy and has amusing things to say to Alfred. Batman can be dark without being mopey, so let Affleck do what he does best and lighten it up just a little bit.

One Classy Motherf———-er

Has any actor really captured Bruce Wayne? While Christian Bale and Michael Keaton made more-than-capable Batmen, their take on the millionaire playboy behind the mask was always a little, well, dull. Bruce was always the least interesting part of Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' trilogy. He was a cipher who occasionally pretended to be a loudmouth rich kid when he wasn't fighting crime. What about the Wayne of the comics? The well-liked philanthropist and social celebrity who acts as a figurehead for Gotham City by day before protecting it behind a mask at night? Affleck is perfect for this half of Batman's existence. Effortlessly classy, charming and suave, he resembles the Bruce Wayne we know and love, more so in everyday life than any actor who's put on the cowl before.

BONUS:  Holy Jawline, Batman!

When you're casting Batman, there's one thing more important than anything else. Sure, good looks, a superheroic physique and strong acting skills are a requirement, but they're all secondary at the end of the day. You see, there is one part of Batman that is more important than any other. If not chosen correctly, it's a tiny detail that could derail the entire film. We are, of course, talking about Batman's chin. If Batman has a bad chin, how the heck is he supposed to make that costume look cool at all? A bad chin and/or jawline will only make the whole thing look silly.

But, ladies and gentlemen, Ben Affleck has one helluva jawline. And that's all you need, really.

It’s funny to read all this and think of the Ben affleck from them and the Ben Affleck of right now (technically he was always this Ben but he and the people around him hid it really well)

[vspertilian]

i've been debating for a while if bruce lives in wayne manor or in the glass lakehouse depicted in batman vs superman. while this blog is no longer as married to bvs canon as it was in its previous incarnation, i do think that the lakehouse makes more sense for bruce for several reasons:

the foremost of which is that bruce simply doesn't need the space the manor provides any longer. at this point in bruce's life, most of the batkids are adults and living on their own with the exception of damian (who in all likelihood spends most of his time with dick rather than with bruce). therefore, it's pretty much just him and alfred. the manor would be a lot of effort to take care of with just the two of them living in it, and not really worth the amount of time it would require to be maintained.

the second reason is that the manor---aside from being haunted like i've previously mentioned---carries a lot of bittersweet memories for bruce, and we all know he tends to avoid that like the plague. i think being in the manor is emotionally painful for him after all these years. living in the lakehouse doesn't come with that issue.

thirdly, the manor is depicted as being derelict in bvs. snyder's lore states that the lakehouse was initially commissioned by thomas wayne as a gift for martha, but not built until bruce was 18 years old; at which point he abandoned the manor and left it to deteriorate. while i don't hold entirely to that lore, i do think that the manor was destroyed in a fire sometime between 2012-2013 when bruce had disappeared. while i haven't decided the exact cause of the fire (i'm leaning towards the court of owls), i think that bruce decided to abandon the manor upon his return.

fourth, the batcave (again, in snyder's lore) is not located directly under wayne manor. it is, however, located underneath the lakehouse. i simply like the location of the cave better, even if it's only because having an entire cave system located under your house is something a little kid definitely would have found out about and promptly told all his friends at school. the cave being located elsewhere and thus being discovered later in bruce's life makes more sense to me.

tldr: the lakehouse itself, in my canon, was a gift commissioned by thomas wayne for martha, in light of her mental health struggles. it was meant as a weekend getaway for the wayne family, not too far from the manor but still further away from gotham city itself. it was built when bruce was still young and largely used recreationally by the family prior to thomas and martha's deaths. bruce continued to have it maintained in their honor, but did not make it his full-time residence until after the manor was destroyed. he wanted to downsize and felt that the lakehouse's location and direct access to the cave was better suited to his current needs. he's been living there since 2013.