#and then while Larry is having a crisis she goes ‘hell’ and then goes off to try and get in touch with Karen to get in touch with Erellise
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Violet Adventures, part 5 (I checked this time): The Way Home. I forgot to post this yesterday.
Area Zero music continues to fuck severely.
I opted to use the Meowscarada team, which didn’t get a lot of direct play in battles. Meowscarada, Glimmora, Ceruledge, Pawmot, Espathra, and Tinkaton. They’re underleveled, but I figure hey, I want to see them in action a bit more, and I’ll need multiple well-leveled picks for the den disaster upcoming.
I did spend a bit of time leveling, the end result of which was a pretty clean win. Glimmora counters Iron Moth, Meowscarada answered Iron Thorns, and Pawmot handled like literally everything else, the little champion. We ended on Espathra, who had to finish off Iron Hands, but not before my Calm Mind sweep was interrupted by a fucking 10% paralysis rate. Espathra literally cannot catch a break. Thankfully, it never once got full paralyzed, so it managed to just boost speed while Roosting, letting the Poison from Gimmora’s Toxic Spikes do its job until finishing off Iron Valiant by still being faster. They really should never have nerfed the speed reduction of paralysis. I’m sorry, just make it less likely to not act but keep the quartered speed, it’s so much better that way.
With that out of the way, we’re on to the gym rematches and the complete dex. I opted for a search of Palafin first, in case it was there, and to know what to build up if it was. Then I couldn’t find one after searching like half the map, because most raids were still 3*. So I decided then to go clear the gym reamatches before aiming for dens. Quaquaval team, you’re back up.
Vs. Kofu
I don’t respect Kofu, so he dies first. His Veluza has crit moves, so it’s very scary during setup, but Dudunsparce has little trouble maintaining and passes to Brambleghast, who learns Power Whip after the first KO, and just sweeps like nothing. GG EZ.
Vs. Grusha
Grusha has a lead that scares Dudunsparce because special damage, so we opt to lead Garganacl. Who does maybe half. After a brief moment of astonished horror, Garganacl drops, is revived by Rabsca as it Revival Blessing’s it, and then Tailwind peters out. Rabsca gets the second KO of its life. Just before Cetitan starts going. I do switch to Mabosstiff for a debuff, but Mabostiff loses. But Dudunsparce full boosts and passes to Quaquaval. I revive the team before finishing the job just for EXP sake, then sweep.
Vs. Katy
Actually the scariest fight so far. Dudunsparce gets bopped really hard by Lokix, so we had to run. We lose Quaquaval too, because Lunge drops attack, ruining what little Baton Pass ability we had. Eventually, we do find our footing, but only with Garganacl coming in and managing to wait it out through Spidops. Once full boosted, all of her team is physical, and much like Geeta, Garganacl can just fit on a physical team forever. So crisis averted, but we lost like half the team to this.
Vs. Tulip
She leads Farigiraf, who Dudunsparce sets up on all day. Pass to Mabosstiff, sweep. Easier than Kofu.
Vs. Larry
Larry, as the only one left I have decided type advantage over, goes next. Quaquaval learned Close Combat. He leads Oinkologne, which is news to me. I thought it was Komala. It knows Body Slam, which is my own personal hell. The first two attacks don’t paralyze, so I let myself get optimistic, and try to keep up my pressure thanks to Roost and the defense boosts off Coil. But, knowing he’s spamming a move with paralysis, I don’t feel like having a potential sweep lost to cheese. After a mild heart attack of three consecutive inactions and a crit that nearly kills me before the pass, we throw to Brambleghast. This is, of course, sub-optimal. But at +4 attack, Power Whip should handle things okay, right? And sure, Braviary is a hiccup because it resists Power Whip, but otherwise, clean sweep. Harder than Kofu just because of the paralysis being so disruptive even to the potential sweeper, but nothing too bad.
Vs. Brassius
I was worried about Brassius, because Quaquaval is weak to his attacks, and the whole Grass-type thing isn’t a great matchup for my team broadly. I also didn’t know what he led with, but feared sleep and Dudunsparce getting bopped. Turns out, I am right to be afraid. His lead is Lilligant. I get in an Agility while it set Light Screen, then attempt something dangerous. The forbidden Rabsca Sweep. Lilligant Hyper Beams it in the face. It deals less than half. Still, should’ve stuck it out and tries a pass to Mabosstiff for Ice Fang instead. Light Screen wears off just in time, as Bug Buzz is not a 2HKO on Tsareena with it up. It’s only after this point I remember Terastallizing is real, and do that, taking out Arboliva easily. Sudowoodo shifts to Grass, and what should have been the end is stopped short by Sturdy. It’s basically over, but the Rabsca sweep is denied.
Vs. Iono
Iono, the most powerful gym leader, is one I saved for last so I had some more levels under my belt. I decide to try Dudunsparce. It’s fine, right? IT IS NOT FINE. Double Agility isn’t even enough to bypass its speed, and it got a boost from that Wind Power effect. The only consolation I have is that I do tank a Hurricane, and pass to Garganacl, who cannot be paralyzed by Discharge thanks to its ability, and aim to set up Iron Defense/Body Press sweep on Bellibolt. Who...knows Reflect. Iono. Girl. Come on. It also knows Thunder. Which deals as much as I’m able to recover, so a crit would likely KO. It also never misses. Ever. And apparently doesn’t even bother resetting Reflect, so it hits all five thunder, the last getting an Electromorphosis boost and killing me instantly. Fucking...insane, girl. Then Thunder fires again. That is six. I counted. So I look it up. Thunder has 10 PP. Go fucking figure. Rabsca revives Dudunsparce in case we have an opportunity for a sweep, but Earth Powers Bellibolt away. Electrode then has Electric Terrain. Someone. Please. Help me. It’s going bad, lads. Rabsca tanks hits and KOs Electrode and puts Luxray at critical, but there’s still Mismagius, the scariest of all threats, to deal with. Dudunsparce gets an Agility in, but Luxray drops, and there is effectively no way we manage Mismagius that well. If it knows Charge Beam again, I’m going to be so bothered. Unfortunately, one Agility isn’t enough and it kills me. I decide to be really, really fucking stupid for a minute, and go to Quaquaval, professional failure. It is at this point I learn that she does, in fact, have Charge Beam. Fortunately, plan successful, Quaquaval took that hit and got an Aqua Step in, and is now faster. Victory achieved, though man if Quaquaval had been slower that would’ve been a sweep.
Vs. Ryme
Being a double battle, Ryme will either be super hard or super easy. The answer, it turns out, is super easy. Play Rough takes out Mabosstiff, but otherwise clean sweeping with Garganacl (Rocky Helmet/Salt Cure passive damage) and Baton Passing to Quaquaval. Nothing major.
As a brief intermission from fights, the talk with Geeta about the leaders. Apparently, her responses are scripted for each possible response. I found no variation in any answer for any leader on any question she asked. Which is a little sad, since it ruins the mystery a bit and doesn’t tell much about her. Because man, I was having a ball after telling her Tulip was the easiest and getting a “I’d have to agree,’ then saying Ryme left the biggest impression and getting “Of course you’d say Ryme.” Like that should be personality building but it’s all the same answer for all questions so there’s just nothing to it. So I’m dropping this entire discussion as trivial. With that, on to the Academy Ace Tournament. Levels are 61-62.
Vs. Arven
As I understand it, PP doesn’t refresh? I don’t know that but I’m working under that assumption. For the outset, Dudunsparce gets luckier than anyone has ever been, dodging six 30% paralysis shots. I am very proud of her. I pass to Brambleghast to avoid catastrophe, and begin the sweep with Power Whip. We beat him so badly I almost start to feel bad, before pushing that empathy down and Power Whipping his dog back to the Poke-hospital.
Vs. Jacq
PP does refresh. His Arcanine knows Close Combat. And it crit. So that’s fun. While it involves eating another Close Combat, I opt for Garganacl, who should be faster post-Agility and has Rocky Helmet. More importantly, Iron Defense and Recover. Predictably, his last PP is a crit on me, but I anticipated this garbage and Recovered so we survived. Without Close Combat, its Play Rough bounces off for like 13 damage. Fuck you, mutt. This is for making me play like a human. At +4 defense and +2 speed, this should be the end. Instead, this fucker has Mudsdale. Is this his actual team, or am I being counterpicked? I boost again and Body Slam his horse back to plinko. Lurantis is just as dead. Slowbro is a problem, and I am now thoroughly convinced I’m being counterpicked. Salt Cure has good passive damage against Water types, and this idiot uses Light Screen as if that will save him. Sadly, it lives the Body Press anyway, and we get hit with Surf, nearly taking Garganacl out. Swallot is next, and like...come on. Another Body Press resist? There is no way this isn’t intentional against this team. I’m looking this up. No, apparently this is just his team. His fucking Farigiraf is also Psychic Tera. I swear to god, this asshole is directly counterpicking Gargancl. It didn’t even work. Garganacl crushed his stupid giraffe beneath its hulking salt body.
Vs. Dendra
Oh fuck I forgot she was in the first rotation, I thought it was three rounds and I was on to Geeta. Obviously, Dudunsparce does not do well here, and has to pass just an agility. Fighting is also, like, the worst possible type for me to have to deal with. So, I do the only thing I can think of. Rabsca. Psychic/Bug is a good resist, barring sudden Dark moves. Agility puts it ahead of what should be her entire team. Should. Yeah, turns out Hawlucha is still faster. X-Scissor doesn’t severely threaten though. This goes well enough, until Medicham. I make a risky play, hoping its move is strong against Psychic, and Tera Bug. Bug Buzz narrowly fails to KO, and its move is...Ice Punch. Panicked over nothing, I suppose. Sadly, Hariyama tanks the Psychic, and Rabsca Sweep is denied once more.
Vs. Geeta
I beat your ass once, I can do it again. Unfortunately, Espathra has Opportunist and I can’t switch my lead right away. So I have to manually pivot to Mabosstiff. Geeta’s Espathra uses Reflect, but we manage to crit through it somehow and get the KO anyway. A much, much easier opening than the first attempt. Gogoat buffs itself with Bulk Up, but by now I have an in. Rabsca Bug Buzz finishes it just fine, with Play Rough dealing less than half. Kingambit, as it turns out, is faster than Rabsca, which creates some problems. I throw in Quaquaval to answer it, because I am unconfident in a Dudunsparce boost. Veluza one-shots Quaquaval, but is slower than Brambleghast, who takes it out no issue. Avalugg comes in, and now? Now it’s go time. It takes two turns for it to finish Brambleghast, so I get up a Leech Seed to help keep Dudunsparce alive during the sweep, and a layer of Spikes for safety. Avalugg’s Body Press is insane damage, and if it crits I’m dead, but thankfully it swaps to Avalanche for the surprise crit that always happens to me. 4% of the time is all the time for my foes. Not willing to risk more than I need to, I stop at +3 Coil and +2 speed. Rocky Helmet + Leech Seed finishes Avalugg, and we get to see if Agility Garganacl can truly outspeed Glimmora. Survey says: yes, thank god. I was so worried about doing this whole tournament over. But, Geeta defeated.
We then return to our regularly scheduled Raid Hunt. I clear a bunch, because some final evolutions I needed started showing up, and then the 6* raid appears. In my quest through this second run...I find Palafin. I think to myself, this is it. We’re done. But then I check my dex, and find out I don’t have Braviary listed. But I definitely have Hisuian Braviary! It even is listed as a Braviary in the search feature! Which means Galarian Slowking will not check off Slowking from my dex. So I am at 399 species, and need to go back in to find one more from these random 5* raids.
Kill me.
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Nightly character brain
#still figuring out that au and#after they get settled where they are lucky is just. fucking tired of the bs between the boys.#Geryon tells her that he can only see it ending with one of them dead and she punches him and leaves for a week#and as soon as shes back she goes to Larry like ‘do you know the bs your boyfriend is plotting?’ and ‘you have to be the one to talk him out#of it Bc if I try it’s not gonna go well’#and then while Larry is having a crisis she goes ‘hell’ and then goes off to try and get in touch with Karen to get in touch with Erellise#which doesn’t work but she does end up getting kinda close with Karen over time. but they don’t end up even as close as in canon Bc Sairena#feels like she’s not doing enough#over the years she kinda pulls back from the boys because. both of them feel like it’s a lost cause and she’s only willing to spend so many#years watching them fall into this sort of mutual destruction#and when she stops hearing from Larry she goes to Karen first and when she just gets a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ she shows up at G’s door next and he says#he’s not heard anything either but they both know he’s lying. or maybe she just wouldn’t believe him even if it was the truth.#she hears something fall off some shelf and break when she slams the door and she does her best to disappear for a while. Karen lends her a#but of help in just. putting distance between her and all of everything there.#she might end up in the same team as raelin and ash and them and this time she’s much better at glaring when the resident Sallow tells her#she looks like shit. and when erin disappears and takes memories with her lucky is entirely too aware of the lack of someone there. she’s#never done great on her own for too long and it’s been too long since Lawrence passed and Karen tells her vague things about people she cant#remember and it makes her skin itch and by the time aelia and ash get a new team she’s ditched the company entirely#when g comes across Larry again he has the news sent to her. which. takes a while. and by the time she makes her way there Larry’s returned#the favor and she isn’t sure what part of it exactly makes her nauseous- talking to the skeleton of a friend from her home-reality or losing#the other friend or the fact that it’s gone both ways now or any other thing but she sticks around for a while. long enough to see him after#Sean gives his like... flesh back. she also sticks around for a bit after he takes off- he’s got a good family and she wants to give him a#bit of space before she goes after him#anyway I’ve been typing for like half an hour now and also this is where the train of thought stops so#elysur#character rambles#au#sairena locke#lawrence nighy#geryon amnes
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Something changed after Jan 2014. Harry changed. Jeff more in the picture. Enter Kendall still hanging by. Minimal Larry interaction. Something happened. Harry's entire look and persona changed. I always thought it was the time that Harry matured and wasn't naive or wide eyed anymore.. More closed off before cameras. Maybe Larry also had some fights, obviously like any couple. What are your thoughts about it??
ok 2014. I've been meaning to make a masterpost about this so thanks for the question.
So 2014 was the Where We Are tour, and the boys were all severely overworked and it SHOWS. Niall lost weight, Louis and Harry both look starved, and Zayn is horrifyingly skinny.
They look on the verge of passing out during this entire interview especially Harry and Zayn.
Zayn was ~rumored to be~ struggling with a drug problem and anorexia during this time, and dealing with his own range of drama but I'll keep this on Harry/Larry.
Obviously an easy explaination for the decreased Larry interaction is that they were broken up. And its very possible they are/were an on again/off again couple and 2014 could have been an "off" period but 2014 is also when
Harry got the anchor corresponding with Louis' rope (January)
Harry gets the heart (February) and Louis gets the arrow (March)
The christ-the-redeemer trip where Harry and Louis are heard kissing in the bread van and this picture is taken where they seem like theyre holding hands (May)
Harry goes to Jay's wedding (July) and holds onto the wedding bracelet all the guests had for the rest of the year, even after it broke.
Louis gets the dagger (November).
Harry sings "Night Changes" directly at Louis during both the Graham Norton Show and the Royal Variety Show (December).
There are a lot of little things/speculation in between but these are the big things I think definitely prove they were still more or less "together" throughout the year. The months we saw virtually no Larry interaction at all were from end of May to End of October, with the major exception being Harry publicly attending Louis' mom's wedding.
It kind of seems like the wedding was a big deal to management (even though I don't think the fandom saw it as proof of anything as much as they were happy to see it happen). But it kind of seems like Louis and Harry had to pay the price for this one because there was a big eleanor presence in the month or so leading up to it whereas before she was barely seen all year apart from one publicized ski trip in February before WWA kicked off. But from the 1st of June until Jay's wedding on the 20th of July, she and Louis were papped twice in paris and once in portugal, she went to 5 or so concerts, she was spotted leaving his hotel twice, she was spotted eating lunch with Louis and Lottie, Louis attended her graduation, Louis took her out for her birthday, and *drumroll please* it was announced Eleanor would be Jay's maid of honor (she was actually just a bridesmaid so they played that one up for the media).
They also brought Paige back breifly in the days leading up to and after the wedding with her posting pics of herself in Harry's clothes on instagram, them attending a party together, them going out to lunch with jeff and the mirror reporting they were dating again.
Meanwhile apart from the stunting, the fandom as a whole was FREAKING TF OUT over the video that was "leaked" at the end of May of Louis and Zayn smoking weed (coincidendally two days after the European leg of WWA had started) and we were being bombarded with articles about bad boy Louis and Zayn, and how perfect 🥰 harry 👼🏼 was 😱 totally 😵 offended 👎🏼 and 😤 against 🙅🏻♂️ Louis 😖 and Zayn's 👿 drug addict 🤢 ways 😒.
This wasn't the first time we saw articles about Louis and Harry no longer being friends, but this was definitely a new angle that started to separate Harry and Louis because of an actual reason and it was the beginning of Harry's image being separated from the other boys.
As far as Kendall goes, Hendall seems to have wrapped up in Februrary and then she disappeared for the rest of the year in typical Harry-stunt fashion. Nothing strange there. And when he did hang out with her Jeff was always there. Harry's most prominent "relationship" in 2014 was actually Nadine which didn't even start until December.
Jeff and Harry were definitely attatched at the hip right from the beginning of January for sure. It's not unlike Harry to be like this with new friends though, and he was the same way with Grimmy during the years before.
Jeff is a special case too becuase he's very connected in the industry so I think Harry felt safe with him and it might have comforted Harry to have someone like that he could trust looking out for him. I think Jeff was maybe helping him navigate his way around the utter PR nightmare that was his public image too. He certainly had a lot less "womanizing" stunts in 2014. Jeff might have even been talking to him about taking a break from the band, since 2014 is supposedly when Harry suggested hiatus.
As far as Harry's "look" goes he's literally been changing it every single year. 2010-2011 was baggy pants abercrombie and jack wills. 2011-2012 was the blazers and bowties and the fetus harry hair. 2013 was take me home/fratboy harry. headscarf harry was 2013-2014 until he started wearing those fedoras, then that was his look for a while as his hair grew out and he started wearing the unbuttoned shirts and took on a more hipster/rockstar aesthetic. then he started with the floral shirts and the skin tight jeans leading up to the floral suits and it went from there. Like I said it's never been weird for Harry to completely change his look in a whim. We literally have grandpa harry now.
His persona changed too but really it's not that strange considering he was entering is 20s, 2013 had been hell for him and Louis, he was so overworked that he was probably getting burnt out on the positive side of his life (making music and performing) and starting to resent the negative side of it even more.
As far as being more closed off in interviews, he was probably sick of them since they all ask the same questions and there wasn't much he could say that he hadn't already said. At this point if he'd been in a relationship with Louis for four years then he wouldn't have many anecdotes or side interests that didnt involve Louis or their private life on some level so he might not have had much to talk about. Try to avoid saying "my boyfriend" when you're talking about your life after you've been together for years and years, it's not easy. And he obviously learned the hard way that every thing he says on camera will follow him forever so I think he forced himself to stay quiet rather than risk letting something slip.
In my opinion, overall things weren't really that odd during most of 2014 until november/december when they started Four promo. They were touring most of the year so their lives were pretty out of the spotlight apart from the occasional stunting and Harry hanging out with Jeff in his free time. The changes we saw were typical of someone his position.
I think there were some power struggles behind the scenes based off their little rebellions during WWA ("i have a secret", refusing to deny larry twice when asked directly if there were rumors they wanted to clear up) and 2014 is when RBB started (though i think it was just for fun at the time). Jeff might have been encouraging Harry to stand up for himself against his management or at least teaching him that he didn't have to take everything lying down and he did actually have some leverage.
Jeff also might even have been priming him to go solo and if Louis and the boys suspected Harry was being eyeballed for a solo break out there might have been some tension and I'm sure Louis at least thought that's what was going on. But I don't think it's something they would have broken up over considering at the end of the day Louis has always been supportive of Harry.
I will say that 2015 was one crisis after another though and i think at the end of 2014 we saw that ball start rolling because all the boys looked strung out for the majority of Four promo and Harry was kind of being rebellious as far as maintaining his hetero image with comments like "not that important" and "dont knock it til you try it".
Anyways thats my thoughts on it. I am intoerested to know what you think changed though ?
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Deadshot
“They're wrong. If I wanted to be dead, I would be. I don't want to die. I just don't care if I do.” - Deadshot
Real Name: Floyd Lawton
Gender: Male
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 202 lbs (92 kg)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Abilities:
Marksmanship
Enhanced Senses
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)
Weaponry
Bilingualism
Equipment:
Wrist-mounted guns
Universe:
Earth-One
New Earth
Citizenship: American
Base of Operations: Gotham City
Parents:
George Lawton; father
Genevieve Lawton; mother
Marital Status: Divorced (Susan Lawton; wife)
Occupation:
Assassin
Mercenary
First Appearance: Batman #59 (June, 1950)
Abilities
Marksmanship: Deadshot is said to "never miss."
Enhanced Senses: It's implied that Deadshot possesses senses far beyond a normal human being.
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)
Weaponry
Bilingualism: Floyd Lawton is bilingual. He learned to speak Russian as a youth, and also claims to have been a card-carrying communist.
Equipment
Wrist-mounted guns: Deadshot has a wrist-mounted gun on each arm. They fire magnum bullets when he presses a trigger button on his palm. They also contain a grappling hook that allows him to swing across buildings.
Personality
In his psychological profile, Marnie Herrs says that Floyd Lawton has strong self-destructive urges. Herrs believes that he is looking for a way to die, and he hopes the Suicide Squad will provide one. Despite this, she says there is another side of him that wants to be well and does not know how. Captain Boomerang asks why he chooses to live in a prison cell, and Deadshot replies that "a bed's a bed." He has described himself as similar to Rick Flag, and states that they are both "lone wolves" who "don't fit in the pack." Herrs asks him about his sexual relationships, and he says that he exclusively visits prostitutes. He prefers sex to be simple like a business transaction, and hates figuring out what women want in relationships.
Floyd Lawton has told Marnie Herrs that life means nothing to him. His brother was the only person he ever cared about. He claims to have felt nothing, no guilt or remorse, when he killed his brother. He says the only life anybody really cares about is their own, and he does not even care about that. In his own words, he is "killing time, waiting to die." He tells Marnie that evil is real, and the only way to cure some people is with a bullet to the head. When his son was killed and he murdered the people responsible, he described this as a necessary action to protect his reputation. This was accompanied by an emotional outburst. Marnie Herrs accused him of being unable to admit his feelings because he could not deal with his own anger and grief.
History
Floyd Lawton is Deadshot, known as the world's deadliest marksman. His weapons of choice are two guns mounted on each wrist. He began his career as a vigilante in Gotham City, but he later became a highly-priced assassin and mercenary. He has been a core member of the Secret Six and the Suicide Squad.
Origins
Floyd Lawton grew up as a member of the idle rich. His father George Lawton made money in real estate, and his mother Genevieve Pitt belonged to a family of wealthy bankers. His brother Edward Lawton was a golden child, described as the opposite of Floyd. Both parents doted on Edward while treating Floyd poorly, but Floyd still grew up idolizing his older brother. George was unfaithful and cruel to Genevieve, so she asked her sons to kill their father. Eddie locked Floyd in the boathouse when Floyd tried to warn his father. Floyd broke out and grabbed his hunting rifle. Eddie had already shot their father in the second-floor library, paralyzing George for life, and was preparing to kill him. Floyd climbed a tree and aimed to disarm his brother, but a branch snapped and he shot Eddie between the eyes. He killed the brother he loved to save the father he hated. This incident was covered up to avoid dishonoring the family name. George denied Genevieve a divorce and forced her to live alone on a small stipend.
Some time after that, Lawton sought the training of the professional assassin David Cain, who instructed Lawton and taught him his marksmanship abilities.
The Man Who Replaced Batman
Floyd Lawton moved to Gotham City where he started living as a millionaire playboy. Wearing a domino mask, top hat, and tuxedo, he became the gun-toting vigilante Deadshot. Deadshot worked closely with Commissioner Gordon during Batman's absence. He became popular enough that they build a "Deadshot Signal" to replace the Bat-Signal. Batman investigated Deadshot and found that he was in cahoots with criminals to distract police from more serious crimes. During the final confrontation, Deadshot is unable to kill Batman as the Dark Knight had tampered his weapons. Like this, Lawton was arrested and sent to prison.
Strange Apparitions
Years later, Deadshot broke out of prison after becoming a hardened convict, who no longer cared about hurting innocent bystanders. He blamed Batman for ruining his life and tried to kill him using a new red suit with wrist-mounted guns. Their battle took them to a convention hall where Batman defeated Deadshot on top of a Giant Typewriter.
A short time later, Rupert Thorne broke Deadshot out of prison and hired him to assassinate Bruce Wayne, who he believed was Batman. The Human Target was hired to pose as Bruce Wayne while Batman fought Deadshot. When Deadshot saw them together, he tried to kill both of them, but the Human Target took him down. This proved to Thorne and a suspicious Vicki Vale that Bruce was not Batman.
Later, Batman visited Deadshot in prison for information on Thorne and broke him out when he learned the corrupt warden wanted them both dead. Deadshot was held prisoner in the Batcave, blindfolded so he does not know its location. Much later, Deadshot was hired to kill Julia Remarque as part of a plot with Syrian terrorists. Deadshot and the whole terrorist organization was defeated by Batman with help from Julia and Alfred Pennyworth.
Deadshot is seen as a member of the super-villain army during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he is defeated by the Creeper. Batman later receives a note that says "Know your foes," so he uses the Batcomputer to educate Jason Todd on many villains including Deadshot. Ra's al Ghul releases every super-villain in Gotham's prison and Arkham Asylum on Batman's first anniversary. Deadshot helps the Joker take over GCPD Headquarters, but Batman stops them and Talia al Ghul takes down Deadshot.
Legends
Deadshot is arrested by The Flash while pulling a robbery in Manhattan. Amanda Waller sends Bronze Tiger and Rick Flag to visit him in Riker's Island, offering him a pardon if he will come to work with Task Force X. Deadshot is placed as a member of the new Suicide Squad, and he kills their target Brimstone at Mount Rushmore with an experimental laser rifle. He does not leave when the others are released after this mission. Waller asks Deadshot to assassinate Captain Boomerang when Boomerang threatens to reveal the Suicide Squad to the public. Rick Flag knocks Deadshot's rifle out of the way, and has Enchantress solve the problem non-lethally.
Suicide Squad
Deadshot decides to stay with the Suicide Squad for personal reasons, living out of Belle Reve prison in Louisiana. His psychologist Marnie Herrs suggests that he joined the team because of a personal death wish. Their next mission is attacking the Jihad in Qurac. Deadshot is supposed to neutralize Manticore, and he kills Manticore by shooting him in the face point blank. When Belle Reve is attacked by the Female Furies, Deadshot refuses to help and says that security was not part of his deal. He impersonates the racist vigilante William Hell to discredit him at a white power rally. They are later sent to arrest Firestorm. Deadshot is not allowed to kill, but he nearly murders Blue Beetle out of anger before Rick Flag knocks him unconscious. His ability to speak Russian is useful when they are sent to kidnap Zoya Trigorin in Moscow. Enchantress goes on a rampage, and he is forced to take her down with a non-lethal shot. This leads to a shootout with the Russian army. In their battle against the People's Heroes, Deadshot fights Molotov using random projectiles because he does not have a gun. Enchantress tries to kill the defenseless Deadshot in revenge, but Boomerang knocks her out. In one of their therapy sessions, Deadshot accuses Marnie Herrs of not caring about her patients and she slaps him in the face. He kisses her, then leaves and tells her it did not happen. Warden Economos sends the Squad to kill Manhunters during Millennium. They battle androids in the swamp until Boomerang and Deadshot are both out of ammo, but they manage to survive the encounter. The Squad does not receive credit for this victory. Deadshot has to fight his oldest enemy when Batman infiltrates Belle Reve. Batman is able to knock Deadshot out, but later says that he knows Deadshot is pulling his shots for Waller.
Rick Flag disobeys Waller and takes the Suicide Squad to rescue Nemesis in Moscow. Waller angrily has Justice League International sent to stop them. Batman tells Deadshot not to waste his time by pulling shots again, and Deadshot angrily relents. Mister Miracle tries to fight Deadshot, but Deadshot wins and holds him at gunpoint. The teams stop fighting, and Bronze Tiger has to hit Deadshot to stop him from executing Mister Miracle. His gun goes off, but nobody is sure if this was intentional. In his next therapy session with Marnie Herrs, Deadshot reveals that he has an ex-wife and son. He decides to stop seeing Marnie for therapy because of the sexual tension between them. Nightshade takes everyone to a mission in the Land of the Nightshades, and they are captured by Incubus. Incubus is bonded to Nightshade's brother Larry Eden, so Deadshot ends the fight by shooting Larry in the head. They are next trapped in the Zero Zone, and Deadshot fights Zone creatures until Shade the Changing Man helps them get home. The Jihad returns and Deadshot is sent to neutralize their speedster Jaculi, so he shoots her in the kneecap. Jaculi tells him to kill her or she will come back for him, and Deadshot replies "I believe you" then kills her.
Beginnings
Deadshot begins taking more suicide missions, and he eliminates the last member of the gang he used to run with. He is sent undercover to kill a crimelord named El Jefe, and he slaughters a plane full of gangsters then falls out as it crashes. Black Orchid rescues him. His ex-wife Susan Lawton asks him for help, and Deadshot decides to take a leave of absence from the Suicide Squad. Marnie Herrs takes a leave of absence to follow him for answers about his past. Susan tells Deadshot that their son Edward was kidnapped. Deadshot tracks down his old associates, who are holding his son until he completes an old contract. He refuses to negotiate, and tortures these men to get the location of his son. Deadshot goes on a rampage killing everyone involved with the kidnapping of his son, including the expert sniper Pantha. Edward is trusted to a pedophile named Wes Anselm, who rapes him and accidentally kills him. Deadshot arrives too late and executes Anselm. This leads him to the real mastermind, his mother Genevieve Pitt. Deadshot's mother wanted him to kill his father George Lawton, completing the "contract" that lead to the death of Deadshot's brother. Marnie Herrs convinces Deadshot not to kill his mother, and instead, he cripples her the same way his father is crippled. In the aftermath, Marnie encourages Floyd to come back to therapy, but Floyd insists there is no cure for what he is.
Final Round
The Suicide Squad was blackmailed by Derek Tolliver and Senator Cray, so Rick Flag decided to assassinate both of them. Flag was unaware that Amanda Waller had already dealt with this situation privately. Waller realized what he was planning, and sent the entire Suicide Squad to stop Rick Flag from killing Senator Cray "by whatever means necessary." Simon LaGrieve insisted that Deadshot was not mentally fit to go on this mission after the death of his son, but Waller ignored him. Deadshot finds Rick Flag at the Lincoln Memorial, where Flag is holding Cray at gunpoint. He stops Rick Flag by killing the senator himself, following his orders to the letter. Then he whispers to himself "Ed. I killed the old man this time. Did just like ma told me." The police arrive and Flag tries to take Deadshot away. Deadshot, with tears streaming down his face, says that he will take care of the police and threatens to shoot Flag if he does not run. There is a shootout on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and Deadshot is hit with many bullets, but he manages to survive. In the hospital later, Waller is furious that Deadshot killed Cray, and Deadshot replies that her orders should have been more clear. Waller later has stress hallucinations about sending Deadshot on a mission in his unstable condition.
The Phoenix Gambit
Lawton's uniform was stolen by an airport employee, who used it to commit many crimes and murders. Lawton was forced to kill the man with a bullet to the head. The shooting of his own "image" affected him greatly. For a while, he did not even fix the hole in his own uniform. While the suit had been lost, Lawton had threatened to kill his teammate Captain Boomerang, who he felt had been responsible due to drinking and missing their plane.
Some time before his last mission for the Suicide Squad, Count Vertigo asked him if he would kill him if asked. Deadshot agreed to consider it and reminded Vertigo with some regularity. After their final mission on Diabloverde, the two went off to a secluded area for the decision. Vertigo declined, a decision Deadshot accepted with no argument.
Suicidal Tendencies
Kobra pays Deadshot one million dollars to assassinate Deathstroke and Peacemaker. Deadshot attacks them in Switzerland, but they defeat him and explain that he was Kobra's next target. Peacemaker hires Deadshot for the price of one million and one dollars. He works with them and takes revenge by shooting Kobra, but Kobra survives and Deadshot is captured by Gennifer Deveraux. Kobra tries to brainwash Deadshot, and uses him as bait to capture Deathstroke and Peacemaker. Deadshot breaks free and distracts Kobra while the others escape. He kills Gennifer and they are able to destroy Kobra's base with help from Doctor Light and Katana. Deathstroke is later framed for treason, and Sarge Steel sends Bronze Tiger and Deadshot to bring him in. Deadshot is able to capture Deathstroke by shooting several rounds into his chest while he is distracted by Bronze Tiger. He is later hired again to help Deathstroke find nuclear weapons stockpiled by Crimelord. Deadshot visits Vatican City to assassinate the Pope, but Wonder Woman stops him and takes him into custody.
Amanda Waller puts a new Suicide Squad together, to destroy the Silicon Dragons in Hawaii. Deadshot is forced to fight Knockout when he recruits her. They travel to the underwater base of the cartel with Superboy. He battles Stinger, who is supposed to be his equal, but Knockout pulls him away before they can test who is better. Captain Boomerang is revealed to be working for Lady Dragon, so Deadshot tries to kill him. Deadshot shoots Captain Boomerang in both his hands while he is holding onto a ledge. Superboy rescues Boomerang, but Deadshot still crippled his ability to throw. They blow up the facility and escape.
Killer Elite
The demon Neron releases every villain in Belle Reve, and takes many including Deadshot to Hell. Deadshot is one of the villains to accept Neron's offer, making a literal deal with the devil. He begins working with the assassins Bolt, Chiller, Deadline, and Merlyn as a group called the Killer Elite. They are promised the power to kill their enemies if they spread mayhem for Neron. Each member is told to commit their dream assassination, and Deadshot chooses to blow up a classroom of kindergarten students. He views this as a poetic statement to demonstrate the meaninglessness of life. Obsidian blocks the bullets with his body, and pulls Deadshot into his shadow realm. Obsidian tries to tell Deadshot that they are not so different, and their inner pain comes from the same place. Deadshot continues lashing out violently, so Obsidian knocks him out. The Killer Elite are later seen trying to eliminate the Body Doubles, who they view as competition. Deadshot betrays his team and pretends to get knocked out because he is secretly involved with Carmen Leno.
The CIA recruits a new Suicide Squad to hunt down Hawk and Dove, under the authority of Loren Freitag. Deadshot has a stand-off with Hawk's father Colonel Martens, and Dove takes Deadshot down from behind. He gets into a sniper duel with Vigilante, and defeats her, but surrenders himself rather than murder a government agent.
Brainwave invites Deadshot to become a member of the new Secret Society of Super-Villains. This is revealed to be a sting operation by the JLA, and every member is arrested. Deadshot is seen imprisoned in Belle Reve when the JLA deal with a super-villain riot. Two-Face hires Deadshot to kill Batman, and Deadshot shoots Batman in the back so he falls off a building. Batman hunts Deadshot down, and Deadshot suggests they duel like the old west. Batman is quicker on the draw and he breaks Deadshot's jaw with a batarang.
Deadshot returns to Gotham when he is hired to kill the mob boss Lew Moxon. Moxon hires Zeiss as his bodyguard. Batman hunts Deadshot down, but Deadshot shoots the batline and escapes. Moxon is under heavy guard, so Deadshot manipulates Batman to get Moxon into the open. He slaps Moxon's daughter Mallory to the ground, and shoots Moxon in the spine. Moxon is paralyzed from the waist down. Batman arrives and Deadshot is forced to escape before he can finish the kill. He is next seen in the audience at a superhero fight organized by Roulette.
The Joker is told he is dying, so he infects an army of super-villains with Joker Venom including Deadshot. The Killer Elite are sent to attack Iron Heights. Deadline, Deadshot, and Merlyn kill a large number of guards until they are driven back by Gregory Wolfe. Deadshot uses the venom to infect his old teammate Captain Boomerang. The Flash takes Deadshot down with a punch to the face. This is the Killer Elite's last mission.
General Rock's Suicide Squad
Deadshot is recruited by General Rock to become a member of his new Suicide Squad, which is developed in the aftermath of Our Worlds at War. There are several other new members that he works closely with such as Blackstarr, Havana, Killer Frost, Major Disaster, Modem, and Reactron. They operate under the authority of President Luthor. This team was ultimately unsuccessful and they were disbanded.
War Games
The Penguin hires Deadshot as a bodyguard when every gang leader in Gotham is invited to a summit. This turns into a shootout, and Deadshot kills several men including Junior Galante while Penguin escapes. They meet Orpheus, and Deadshot catches up with his old friend Onyx. Hush and Prometheus subdue Deadshot when they assault the Penguin. Tarantula disarms Deadshot and defeats him in physical combat when she invades the Iceberg Lounge.
Deadshot was part of a community of assassins who congregate on the Injustice Gang satellite. He is the one who tells this group that Doctor Light was mind-wiped, while they are hanging out and playing Risk. Deadshot, Merlyn, and Monocle are attacked by the Justice League. Green Lantern traps Deadshot in an energy construct, and Deadshot shoots a ricochet bullet that slices his own neck. This is a ruse to make him drop the construct, and Deadshot blinds the invulnerable hero by shooting him in the face. Despite this clever trick, he is captured by Superman. These villains are prosecuted by Kate Spencer in court, but they avoid prison thanks to Deadshot's government connections.
Urban Renewal
Deadshot discovered he had a daughter, Zoe, who was being raised in a crime-filled area of Star City by her mother, Michelle Torres. Lawton decided to do right by this daughter and embarked on a lethal war on the local gangs that plague the area. The series ends with Deadshot faking his death, having realized a normal life is not for him, but having mostly cleared up the area and having convinced Green Arrow to patrol it more regularly.
Secret Six
The Secret Six were banded together by a mysterious, shrouded character named Mockingbird who offered a major reward for committing to the team and a severe punishment for not accepting membership. Deadshot was offered the reward of ruling North America; his punishment was to be the destruction of the neighborhood of his daughter and her mother. At the end of the mini-series, a stalemate was reached and Deadshot's status remains roughly unchanged from the end of his second mini-series. He remains a part of The Secret Six and was shown having reached a grudging friendship with another member, Catman. His share of the payment for the Six's mercenary work is stated to be sent in its entirety to his daughter and her mother. After the Six disbanded, Knockout commented in passing that he had returned to the Suicide Squad.
Salvation Run
Deadshot and the Suicide Squad were assigned in rounding up supervillains for removal from Earth to a supposedly peaceful planet known as Cygnus 4019 as part of Project Salvation. The group has encountered Pied Piper and Trickster several times, and each time failed to capture them. Deadshot made a solo effort to capture them, but the pair again eluded him. Much later, Deadshot traced and attacks Piper and Trickster on a train outside of the Rocky Mountains. Given that the supervillains are aware of Project Salvation Deadshot apparently kills The Trickster leaving Pied Piper on his own. In Salvation Run #2 Deadshot and along with Bane were tricked and sent off to the prison planet along with the last batch of criminals. Before being sent to Salvation, Rick Flag Jr. stated to him as the Boom Tube closed that he ca not have people like him on Earth. Deadshot vowed that if he ever returned to Earth, he would take his revenge on Rick. After helping fight off the Parademon invasion he managed to escape with the surviving villains in the teleporter.
Unhinged
The Secret Six are later reunited with a new lineup including Bane, Catman, Jeanette, Rag Doll, and Scandal. Their first mission is trying to recover a "Get Out of Hell Free" card forged by the demon Neron, which is held by the vigilante Tarantula. This puts them into conflict with the mysterious villain Junior, who sends an army of super-villains to kill them. Tarantula sacrifices herself to kill Junior.
Fun Facts
Floyd Lawton is known to have been friends with William Heller growing up.
Deadshot is lactose intolerant.
Deadshot's wrist-guns are inspired by the real life "Sleeve Guns" manufactured during WWII by the British Army's Station IX.
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SURPRISE IT’S UPDATE TIME! It’s so bizarre being writing this at the same time Larry is because there’s like this weird overlap, we’re like ships passing in the night he’s finally caught up to my time and now is about to pass me.
Anyway, there’s some lovely art in here and a reference to a blog that actually exists, @ask-potoo-firestar. Art belongs to @lavendersongs, thank you for your amazing contribution to the Warrior Cats fandom and for giving me permission to include references to it in this fanfic.
Beep.
Larry curls up deeper under his blankets.
Beep.
He covers his head with his pillow.
Beep.
Fine, he’ll crawl out of his nest and see what had happened, maybe Nick was in trouble again, that Godot guy seemed to have a grudge against him for something.
u ok?
Only Nick texts like that.
haven’t seen u in few days
u alive?
Larry almost fires something back before thinking better of it, Nick had far too many people around him die to joke about that.
Yeah I’m fine, and you usually don’t see me for awhile.
yeah but u had a rough time
Larry hesitates before deciding to just call Nick. The phone rings a few times before Nick answers.
“Hey Larry,” he greets him, Larry can hear voices in the background, he thinks one is Maya, the other is young and high so probably Pearl.
“Hey Nick,” Larry runs a hand over his jaw, aw gross he’d ended up with that scraggly beard, he never looked good with that, he needed to go shave, “you in a crisis?”
“No?” Nick has the gall to sound offended, “I do not only call you during crisises!”
“Mmm might wanna check you phone bill there Nicky Boy,” Larry teases him, his voice is rough, he should haul himself out of bed and start putting himself back together.
“You want to talk about having a crisis you sound like you’ve been on a bender,” Nick fires back, Larry frowned and groused at him.
“Don’t be an ass Nick, I’ve been taking a week off, chilling and relaxing before I remake myself! You called while I’m still in the cocoon man!”
“That metaphor started strong but you took it somewhere very weird,” Nick replies, Larry laughs roughly.
“Alright, alright, you’re the one who texted me,” Larry points out, wrapping his blanket around him like a cloak to hide his shame from the world and stay warm from the chillier October day. He crossed to his laptop to open his resume, he’d need to update it and he might as well do that while chatting with Nick rather than sit around feeling shitty about it.
He chats with Nick, and Maya and Pearl when they demand a chance to chat with him. He interrogate Nick, or tries, but he doesn’t know what’s up with Godot either, other than he’s got one hell of a caffeine addiction, came out of nowhere and claims to be from hell.
Given half the stories Larry’s heard about Nick’s cases he’s tempted to believe it.
“Maybe you ought to have an exorcism performed,” he teases, he’s on speaker phone now and he’s sure they can hear him typing away as he adds his latest job to the long master list of jobs he’s held, “Maya, Pearl, can you do that?”
“I’d have to exorcise the entire Prosocution’s office!” Maya bemoans, Larry grins as she outlines everything she’d need to do to Nick.
“Maybe you should, it sounds like it has a few too many demons over there even before this guy,” Larry muses, saving his resume and opening Fanfiction.net. His stomach drops and his jokes trail off. There’s several messages from XxWolfDragonxX. Shit, he’d just dropped off the map after talking to the guy daily.
He immediately types a response, assuring the guy some stuff just came up, he got fired from work, etc. but he’s doing alright. He misses a question Nick asked him until he repeats his name.
“Larry.”
“Sorry, what?” He tosses the message to WolfDragon off, his friend is probably off work it’s well after six for him.
“I asked what were you typing?”
Larry glances at his messages and then at his minimized programs. “My resume.”
He refreshed FF.net and got a message from WolfDragon.
Man it’s fine, life happens! It’s just good to hear from you again. I’m sorry for all the shit that keeps happening to you.
Again I’m so sorry, and yeah, it’s just been that kind of year.
Do you have a discord? I have something to show you but I don’t think ff.net will send it.
Oh? Uh yeah actually, one second let me find my ID number.
It takes him longer than he should be tosses the information to Wolfdragon. After a moment he gets a friend request on Discord, from a XxWolfDrgonxX surprising absolutely no one. The avatar is a gray anime wolf with yellow eyes snarling, which also doesn’t surprise Larry though he wonders where it’s from.
However he’s still on the phone with Nick, so he accepts it and turns away from the computer, “so what are you all up to asides from calling me?” He hears Pearl giggle and Maya’s voice in the background, they’re moving away, “how are they Nick?”
“They’re good,” Nick sounds happy and Larry can’t help but hurt even as he’s happy for him.
“We’re probably going to do a few things today before they have to head back,” Nick’s chair creaks audibly, “do you have plans for Halloween?”
“Uh, not really?”
“Do you want to come over to the office and hand out candy with me?”
“People come to your office for candy?”
“Surprisingly yes,” Nick sounds equally baffled by this fact, “so, are you in?”
“Do you want me to bring anything?” Larry asks, glancing at his Discord occasionally, where he can see WolfDragon typing. “Beer, Soda, popcorn and terrible horror movies?”
“Popcorn and let’s go with lighthearted movies,” Nick suggests, and Larry wonders if Pearl will be there. He’ll bring soda then, just in case. That or Nick’s gotten to be more of a scaredy-cat since their last Halloween movie festival.
“Have you seen that one cartoon thing that everyone raves about?” Larry’s seen so much art for it for Inktober so he needs to actually sit down and watch the show obviously is what that means.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, I’ll find it, it’s some kids show but everyone who’s seen it loved it,” Larry sends a quick message to WolfDragon while Nick talks.
You sure are dedicated to your brand.
It’s who I am
Furry.
WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS THAT?!?
That’s Potoo Firestar you fool
I want to hate it but I’m laughing too hard, it’s amazing.
“Larry are you okay?” Nick asks, and Larry can’t answer, he’s wheezing at the damn Potoo Firestar, he cannot believe WolfDragon got his discord just to send him this, and that it’s somehow made him feel so much better.
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he wheezes, and clicks the link that WolfDragon sends him to this person’s blog, “just saw something funny.”
He hops off the phone with Nick promising to see him on Halloween and bring candy and popcorn and the cartoon he’s seen everyone drawing if he could just remember the name.
He spends the next hour teasing WolfDragon on Discord for his avatar and username, all the while scrolling through this blog, which WolfDragon has dubbed “the only pure Warrior Cats blog”.
It doesn’t take long for him to agree though he does have a few questions.
So I miss all the discourse but I also miss blogs like this?
Listen man, some people are still stuck in the can cats be gay discourse?
Seriously?
Yeah, like sure the Erins just made a mistake making some tortoiseshell cats toms. OR they made several trans icons.
I can’t believe Tigerstar was transphobic.
Firestar made the first call out post
“OP is literally a Transphobe and murderer but go off I guess.”
Scourge: *goes the fuck off *
Listen, he wear dog teeth on his collar he can do what he likes, I’m not gonna be the guy to try and stop him.
Oh you do know they made Scourge and Firestar half-brothers right?
THEY WHAT
Yeah they have the same Dad
Oh shit I’d heard that theory but I thought it was just a fan theory
Nah they confirmed it. Also Tallstar was super gay for him
Like canonly gay or the fandom has shipping goggles glued on
Like so canonly gay that the publisher calls them good friends
What?
One of the authors says Tallstar’s heart always belonged to his Jake, but the publishers say they’re just good friends
What’s better than this, guys being dudes.
You’d probably like Tallstar’s Revenge actually, there’s a lot of your fic in it
Seriously?
Yeah man, like leaving the Clans to discover yourself the themes of forgiveness and parents and family there’s a lot of good stuff in there
I guess I’ll have to read it then.
Yeah, that blog I linked you even did fanart of Jake and Tallstar
Oh my god.
Did you find it?
Not yet, but I’m looking.
FOUND IT!
THAT’S IT
Okay that is gay.
Much like my fic.
Now I gotta man.
He did just lose his job but Larry’s got some money saved from his last paycheck and the commissions. What the hell. He makes a note to buy Tallstar’s Revenge next time he’s at the book store, and gets up.
Thanks for this.
Of course!
Is this the best way to contact you, or should I howl out the window?
Haha
FF.net or Discord works I’ll probably review your fics on FF.net still but we can chat here
Larry grins and tells him he hopes he has a good evening. He needs to clean himself up and try and rejoin society.
He showers, shaves, and pulls himself together. He also draws Wolf as a Potoo and sends that back to WolfDragon which is obviously loved, if the fact he turns his avatar into it was any indication.
-
Larry spends Halloween crashing on Nick’s couch, Maya and Nick fighting over candy while he snags some and occasionally slips a piece or two to Pearl. The kid’s clever and smiles shyly at him every time he does so.
They do settle down to watch the cartoon though Maya grumbles at points about how she wanted to watch the Steel Samurai Halloween Special.
They enjoy Over the Garden Wall though, even if it sends the girls diving to hide behind Nick at one point from the Beast. He lets Nick comfort, while he cleans up some of the trash into the popcorn bowl which he sets to the side, making sure it will not be grabbed by mistake by someone hurrying to give candy to trick-or-treaters.
He’s honestly astonished at the number that turn up at the office, until Nick says he thinks Mia used to hand the candy out, which makes sense. It’s tradition now. And Nick must’ve gotten paid because he’s got the good candy and he’s letting kids take handfuls.
He doesn’t touch that stuff only the bag Nick bought for them to share and the stuff he traded Pearl for because she didn’t like nuts in her candy. Said they got stuck in her teeth which Larry felt was a valid reason to not like them.
He tells himself that means they have protein as he pops a handful in his mouth. While Nick’s busy with some teens at the door and Maya’s tucking Pearl in on the couch he sends a message to WolfDragon.
Happy Halloween.
Technically it’s November, and I didn’t grow up in America
Spoilsport.
WHY ARE YOU AWAKE?
Work
Work can suck my dick, it’s what- oh
It’s six in the morning
You’re going to work
Yup
Listen, I don’t need your sass
It’s not sass I just woke up Writer boy
Don’t you sass Wolfman
Tell me you at least watched terrible werewolf movies in my honor
I did not.
Watched kids cartoons instead.
Warrior Cats Authors
There was an actual child in the room!
Ah what’s being introduced to fear at a young age?
Trauma I believe, and the kid’s had enough of that
You’re a good guy you know that, don’t let people tell you otherwise
“Texting a girlfriend?” Maya’s teasing voice made him jump, she wasn’t peering over his shoulder yet but she might’ve been. She might’ve seen the teasing and… no, she was looking at his face.
“Nah, just a friend,” he shoves his phone back into his pocket, she and Nick are both staring at him intensely now, he’s not sure why but they are.
He swears he sees Nick counting to three but he’s not sure why that happens either. He and Maya share a look, and Larry feels himself tense more.
He looks to Nick, whose eyes pierce him as he looks at Larry, “I thought you said you were taking a break from dating.”
“I am!” Larry insists, careful to keep his voice low, glancing to Pearl because however much they want to interrogate him he knows they’ll kill him if he wakes her.
Nick and Maya look confused again but it’s not his fault they can’t accept that he’s just friends with some people. He’s not even into guys anyway!
He shakes his head and grins at them, “glad to hear you think I have that much game though Nick.”
Maya smothers a laugh, while the edge flows out of Nick’s eyes and a smile takes its place, “you keep getting girls to date you somehow.”
“It’s that I have an artist’s soul,” Larry pulls himself up and rests his hand over his chest, grinning at the two of them.
“I went to art school too you know,” Nick points out, relaxing and smiling.
“And who taught you all those tricks for backgrounds?” Larry fires back, he’s always been the better artist for backgrounds and forms, Nick just had more practice with human anatomy. Nick huffs and shakes his head.
“I showed you how to draw men’s jawlines, ‘cause you only paid attention when the model was female-”
“Nick I’ve accepted my heterosexuality and horndog ways will be my downfall,” he fires back which obviously takes his friend by surprise, Maya too, “hey, I can have some self-awareness you know.” He glances over at Maya, “Nick, Edgey and I are allowed the common sense of one person but we have to share and Edgey came back and took it all from Nick.”
“Excuse me?” Nick looks so genuinely offended and Larry laughs, shoulders shaking.
“You took some back, TSA wouldn’t let him take it all with him.”
Maya’s grinning and apparently not taking sides as he and Nick begin to playfully jab at each other about who has more common sense, and it’s nice to be able to talk about Edgey again without Nick’s anger, to have him laugh as he talks and recounts stories from elementary school to Maya is worth the few bits of his dirty laundry that Nick airs.
They end up on the other couch, Maya curled up on Nick’s one side, Larry on the other; with jackets draped over themselves as make shift blankets.
“Larry?”
“Yeah Nick?”
“Who were you texting earlier,” Nick’s not judgmental now but he is obviously curious, maybe hoping that in his exhaustion Larry will let something slip.
And he does.
“He’s a guy I met online, we talk about like books and stuff. You wouldn’t understand, you nerdy lawyer.”
Nick laughs softly as Larry slumps against him, “that so?”
“It is,” Larry lays his head back against Nick’s shoulder, “very so.”
-
They wake up in various states of aching and trying to hide it, all of them trying to deny they’re getting old while Pearl buzzes around the office. Larry wonders briefly if she’s gotten into the Halloween candy for breakfast.
He checks his phone and there’s a few messages from WolfDragon.
You still there?
Don’t eat too much candy, aren’t you doing NaNoWriMo this year?
Larry only barely manages not to curse in front of Pearl as he realizes that he’s going to have to write his first 1667 words with one hell of a crick in his neck.
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im just gonna give my dangan ronpa v3 thoughts so far so we can laugh at them when they all fucking die
SPOILERS UP TO: I’ve gotten to the first murder, haven’t started the trial yet. Only 1 dead.
my fave is gonta i fucking love gonta hes a buff baby bug boy and i love him. anyone who loves bugs is a gentleman in my eyes: 1000000 points
[sadly at this point things are not looking good for Gonta with the evidence I have (an open door that can only fit a ball through....and a shotput ball murder weapon.) but knowing dangan ronpa this HAS TO BE A RED HERRING RIGHT. RIGTH????]
keebo is also fantastic, absolutely wonderful robot, and im really sorry i offended him by mentioning roombas or something last month: 1000 points
I also really love Angie. She’s adorable but also i like the weird route they went for an Ultimate Artist. being one of those fuckign FanganRonpa RP people, whenever someone does a SHSL artist its like....art. but they were just like “nah she’s gonna be into that religion from Cats Cradle or some shit”: 100 points
Kaito is great. i mostly just call him purple larry buttz. he’s hoenstly the only one here acting like a normal human being. Hope he doesn’t die (he probably will) 99 points
Ryoma is also great. I screamed when I heard his voice. He killed a man with tennis. He speaks serious truths. I hope he redeems the small cartoon guys with goofy eyes genre that Teruteru wrecked havoc in. 199 points
Korekiyo and Kokichi sure are gonna be THOSE characters, huh. the thing i really enjoy THOSE characters because they’re such wild cards. wtf are they gonna do. they’re suspicious and wanna see the world burn but that’s what makes these games fun and they’re probably not gonna kill/die til late game or at least one of them won’t. My bets on Kokichi lasting longer. 180 points to split between them
RIP RANTARO. I really liked him but I was honestly so bewildered and confused by him the whole time that i didnt know what to think. FOR CHRIST SAKE his profile has “Likes: Extraterritorial Rights”
WHAT THE FUCK.
My biggest regret is thinking “Oh they won’t kill off the Ultimate ??? right away so I won’t hang out with him yet”. sigh. 95 points???
Kaede is a cute protag. She’s got a bit more quirkly-dangan flavor than Naegi and Hajime even though I love both of them (actually having a talent can help with that...though I kinda miss Hajime’s snark). Also I like how they show her motivational speeches working....and then slowly falling apart as everything goes to hell. 88 points
Shuichi is also cute. give this boy some self confidence 85 points + 5 more to give him some self confidence
something bad’s definitely gonna happen to one of these lil friends
Himiko’s existence sends me into a crisis. how does magic work in dangan ronpa. its not established, does it even exist???? i feel like we’re not supposed to know, and that’s the entire sick joke. For gundam we knew he was probably full of BS but... also the personality they chose for her adds to the audience frustration that we will just NEVER KNOW how magic works, but...idk i’m not digging it yet. maybe im just extra wary of character made to look really young bc of the creeps :/ :/ 60 points
Kirumi. I feel there’s no way a maid character won’t be a total badass. So far im just concerned for her health. 75 points but with great point investment potential
Maki well she’s not what i expected. also her title is a fucking mouthful. she could’ve been Ultimate Nanny. or Ultimate Babysitter. Ultimate Guardian even? but that’s dangan ronpa i suppose. She’s intriguing, just haven’t seen enough of her yet. I smell tragic backstory. 70 points
Tsumigi ah finally. a cosplayer. I like her so far. yup. 88 points
Tenko. Well. yeah. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yeah really not liking her. Like i can laugh at myself being a “””tumblr sjw””” and all, and laugh at the “degenerate male jokes”; and i wont even go into the feminist and lesbian jokes. but. can she not harass Himiko; like they just gotta have a creep character. its been a while since i played the intros, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as I vaguely remember....but i remember it just not sitting right with me. But idk in the end I still kinda liked Teruteru and Souda in SDR2 despite them bein creeps for various reasons so maybe i can still turn around on Tenko if she isn’t just the same flat joke every time i see her. 5 points but potentially redeemable?
And finally we have Miu. At first i was very afraid seeing as she’s WEARING LITERAL BONDAGE GEAR and seems to be our main dirty joke character. But I’ve warmed up to her. She’s clearly one of the more useful characters but the fact she’s so fuckign hard to deal with was interesting. Also certain interactions with her have been intriguing, there’s clearly something goin on with her. I’m still conflicted but I’ve decided I want to like her and I hope the writing keeps helping me out with that. 77 points (lucky numbers!!)
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Do you think the theory that Rey's parents are Kura (Emilia Clarke's character) and Han Solo are true? That would mean they would have Han cheating on Leia while they were married....
Hi Anon,
First of all, I have enormous trouble believing Han would cheat on Leia. I can’t think they would do that on top of every other terrible thing they’ve already done to Han but....I may be optimistic.
The Han Solo I know wouldn’t. Let’s say that.
I also think it won’t happen because it would take way more explaining than I think the “braintrust” at LFL has in them - especially since the Han Solo movie will follow TLJ - unless they don’t tell us Rey’s parents in TLJ and if they don’t, I vote everyone gets on some buses and goes to give the LFL folks a taste of what these last two years have been like. Also, I really can’t see this saga, after the shit way TFA treated Han, caring if he’s her dad. Because Rian Johnson can tell me all day long about how Han’s “figurative ghost” hangs over TLJ and he can shove it. Bullshit. His idea of “hanging over” the movie is as a plot point so that Kylie Ron has a crisis of conscience or Chewie gets to destroy somethings and Leia can wear black. It’s not anything real, just a cheap sentiment, the way this whole trilogy has treated the OT characters - as cheap plot points. Watch them do it to Luke in TLJ.
I’ve read the opposite theory, that Kura (if that is her name) dies and since she’s “proto Leia” down to her white dress, Han picks up Leia as a substitute, which is just as awful. Way to FURTHER destroy the romance of Han and Leia, but I guess Larry Kasdan has never gotten over Harrison Ford coming up with “I know.”
If they go that way, I hope every fan of the OT characters abandons this franchise. Then again, if destroying Han and Leia and killing Han and probably destroying Luke too didn’t drive old fans away, I guess nothing will.
If I can go off on a tangent, I will NEVER understand a fandom who not only accepts the destruction of their favorite, iconic characters, they sign up for more! Call it “real and relatable” and scold anyone who says that it’s bullshit based on who those characters were at the end of Jedi by saying we don’t understand drama or don’t want conflict.
No, I want conflict and drama. I don’t want it at the expense of characters I love, who have come through hell and finally had happiness …
Bitch, you thought, says Abrams, Kasdan, Johnson and Kennedy.
If we’re being honest, I don’t want Han to be Rey’s father with Kura or Leia - because how goddamn cruel is this narrative already, let’s just add one more misery and have Han die before he knows Rey’s his daughter. Yeah, that’s heartwarming and “emotionally satisifying.”
I don’t want Rey to be Luke’s child either, because I honestly can’t see how in the world that is anything other than the final straw to drag Luke down into the dirt. Mr. Jedi Master leaves his child on Jakku or never knows he has one - just like dear old dad! He’s already basically told the two most important people in his life nothing as he flits off to exile and leaves a map with Lor San Random - who decides after SIX YEARS that maybe it’s a good idea to get the map to HIS SISTER.
When people ask why I don’t like new canon, that’s why.
And if Rey turns out to be Han’s with Girl from the Movie NO ONE WANTS, well, I would really hope that fans of the OT characters would tell Disney to stick it where the sun don’t shine…
Thanks, Anon!
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Podcasts that I’ve binged
I'm allowed to listen to podcasts at work, and for limited edition ones, I have a habit of waiting until the end, and binge-listening to the whole series in one day. The exception is Broken Harts, which is a current podcast, and is still being actively updated as new info is still coming out. But here are the limited edition podcasts that I’d recommend you check out:
Carruth - the backstory of the murder of a pregnant Cherica Adams by her boyfriend, Carolina Panthers' Rae Carruth. The media coverage as I remember it in 1999 focused mostly on domestic violence by NFL players, and the shock of the horrible tragedy that hit this brand-new franchise (expansion year - 1995.) Interesting notes from the podcast - Carruth was a name adopted in his teen years - it's his stepfather's name, Cherica's mother wanted to give her a unique name - it's a combination of Cher (her mom loved the Sonny & Cher show) and the Eureka vacuum, and that Cherica's son Chancellor is a fan of Steve Harvey's talk show. The Carruth Podcast interviewed Steve Harvey about his Rae Carruth jokes on The Kings of Comedy, which he no longer remembered.
Official description:
The "miracle" began Nov. 16, 1999, when Cherica Adams was shot four times in Charlotte, N.C. A hitman tried to murder Adams, the girlfriend of NFL star Rae Carruth, and their unborn son, Chancellor Lee. But the hitman failed. Now, a year-long investigation exposes stunning new details of the crime that shocked the sports world—and the impacts still being felt years later. Hosted by Charlotte Observer reporter Scott Fowler, who has covered this saga for 19 years.
Listen here Podbay, TuneIn, Sticher, and/or The Charlotte Observer
The Dream - a fascinating look into the world of direct selling (Mary Kay, Herbalife, etc.) Interesting note, 99% of direct sellers lose money, and there are over 200,000 direct sellers in the USA, compared to about 20,000 CVS and Walgreens COMBINED (for the most part, they are selling the same thing - makeup, lotion, and vitamins.) Also one direct seller for Christian based 31 (referencing Proverbs 31, of course) sold in poor areas rather than rich ones, because she took a seminar on how people spend money, and said lower income people are bad with money and are more likely to spend impulsively on shiny knick knacks that make them feel better.
Official description:
What if we told you that with zero experience and only a few hundred dollars down, this podcast could change your life? Well, we’d be lying. This season on The Dream, Jane Marie dives into the world of pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing, and all the other businesses that require their members to recruit their nearest and dearest in hopes of a commission. Join us as we trace the path of get-rich schemes from Jane’s roots in rural Michigan all the way to the White House.
Listen here:
The Dream, Podbay, and/or Stitcher
Believed - The horrifying case of Dr. Larry Nassar, who molested hundreds of young female gymnasts. Larry, as he was known, was the person who picked up Kerri Strug off the mat after her heroic vault that resulted in Team USA winning the team gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. Instead of working out of the high-profile Olympic Training Facility in Indianapolis, he stayed behind in Michigan working at Michigan State University and local high schools. Those institutions were so hell-bent on keeping the gold medalist doctor that they looked the other way.
Official description:
How did Larry Nassar, an Olympic gymnastics doctor, get away with abusing hundreds of women and girls for two decades? Believed is an inside look at how a team of women won a conviction in one of the largest serial sexual abuse cases in U.S. history. It's a story of survivors finding their power in a cultural moment when people are coming to understand how important that is. It's also an unnerving exploration of how even well-meaning adults can fail to believe.
Listen here:
NPR and/or Podbay
The Realness - a podcast about Prodigy of Mobb Deep. Prodigy died in 2017 after a lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia. While this podcast is his life story, it is also the story of America's healthcare and criminal justice systems, and how neither value Black lives.
Note: Havoc (the other half of Mobb Deep) declined to be interviewed.
Official description:
When the rapper Prodigy suffered a sickle cell crisis after a Las Vegas concert in 2017, his friends didn't think much of it at first: they were used to him getting sick. But a few days later, he died. The Realness goes behind Prodigy's music to reveal his lifelong struggle against his own body, and how that struggle informed his lyrics and fueled his success. The Realness by Only Human is produced by WNYC Studios, a listener-supported producer of leading podcasts including Radiolab, Snap Judgment, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy and On the Media.
Listen here:
YouTube, Podbay, WNYC, NPR, and/or ListenNotes
Atlanta Monster - I was incredibly curious about The Atlanta Child Murders. They happened from July 21, 1979- May 16, 1981, claiming the lives of over 30 young Black people. My parents lived in Decatur, Georgia from 1978-1982, and I was born there in November of 1981. My mom had (what, I, a child believed to be) EXTREME stranger-danger when I was growing up; she never mentioned the Atlanta Child Murders ever. Once I learned about them, it all made sense
Official description:
From the producers of Up and Vanished, Tenderfoot TV and HowStuffWorks present, ‘Atlanta Monster.’ This true crime podcast tells the story of one of the city’s darkest secrets, The Atlanta Child Murders. Nearly 40 years after these horrific crimes, many questions still remain. Host Payne Lindsey aims to find truth and provide closure, reexamining the disappearance and murder of over 25 African American children and young adults. Listen here:
Atlanta Monster, and/or Podbay - note this feed also shows the second season, on the Zodiac killer.
Broken Harts - the story of the Hart family, two white moms and their six adopted Black children who drove off of a cliff. This podcast goes into racism in the foster care system; the Harts had a history of abuse and were allowed to keep adopting children, while the Black biological children they adopted were taken from care because their legal guardian grandmother allowed their drug-addicted mother, who had no visitation rights, babysit her children (the kids were unharmed.) The case is still unfolding, so after every episode there is an addendum, usually when a body is found near the crash site or their hometown. What I found jarring - despite living in lily-white Woodland, Washington, none of the neighbors knew they had kids, meaning all six of them were being kept inside. This series still hasn't finished.
Official description:
Markis, Hannah, Devonte, Abigail, Jeremiah, and Sierra Hart—six beautiful black children, ranging in age from 12 to 19—were all adopted by Sarah and Jennifer Hart, both white. On Jen’s Facebook page, it looked as if they were the perfect blended family, even earning the nickname “Hart Tribe” from friends. Then, on March 26, 2018, the family’s GMC Yukon was found belly-up on the rocks below California’s Highway 1. The news of the murder-suicide shocked their friends and made national headlines, leaving many wondering what possibly led to the fatal crash. Could these lives have been saved? Broken Harts, a new podcast from Glamour and HowStuffWorks, investigates this question with more than 30 never-before-heard interviews. Cohosts and Glamour editors Justine Harman and Elisabeth Egan and reporter Lauren Smiley follow the family’s journey from South Dakota through Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington, and finally to that 100-foot cliff in California.
Listen here:
Stitcher, Glamour, iHeart Radio, and/or Podbay
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Season 2 Episode 6: ‘LONDON...What A Dump’ (and other stories)
Back at the saucer, the rebels attack one of the Robomen (oh I think it’s Noah from The Ark In Space again…didn’t he die already?) and Tyler and some other guy carry the Doctor off the robotising table. The rebels are freeing prisoners, and it’s chaos.
Outside, David, Babs, and Susan are crouching like bosses, and David beckons a balaclava-wearing Jenny over. Because Jenny is oldschool. He tells her to take the ladyfolk back to HQ, while he tries to get to the saucer alone. Jenny, obviously, protests, because this is idiotic, and tries to rally the other women by telling them their friends are in there. Which Babs didn’t know, because Susan was keeping it from her. BAD SUSAN. Pausing only to confirm her Space Daughter’s very uncool behaviour, Babs decides she can be an idiot, too, and launches herself towards the saucer. And because she is a Bamf and because the Bae is in trouble, Babs has to physically fight Susan off in order to do…whatever she’s about to do. Because she has no plan. But it matters not, for apparently Ian’s ‘BARBARAAAAAAA!!!’ reflex is reciprocated, which means that their mutual homing instinct will keep them from all harm, and anyway she has a Science Grenade.
The rebels are fighting tooth and nail, and lobbing smoky bombs all over the shop, and the prisoners (including the Doctor) are fleeing the saucer. I think I said this about the last episode, but this must have been bedlam to film. And the way it’s cut does give you this sense of a fast enough to be exciting/slow enough to be grim guerrilla battle, what with Daleks firing and people dying and smoke everywhere and Science Stink Bombs going off. Then this happens:
You may see your Space Bae across a crowded room.
OH MY PRECIOUS DARLINGS. The delighted, derpy look Babs throws Ian’s way before bowling another excellent overarm #likeagirl is gorgeous. Ian flees back inside the saucer as a Dalek glides past, and the rebels scatter and retreat.
Back on the saucer, it’s established that most of the rebels have either been captured or killed, and the survivors are being hunted down and murdered. Grim times. Ian, fortunately, has survived this purge by the simple expedient of hiding under the floor. I bet Ian is excellent at sardines.
AND OH TRICKSY FALSE CAMERA SHOTS, we go back immediately to an apparently lifeless Babs lying on a slab while an unseen woman sobs in the background. IS SHE DEADED? No, just out for the count. Phew. And she’s being tended by the brusque but supportive Jenny. As soon as she can speak, she’s badgering Tyler, but Jenny tells her ‘not now’, and a grimly exhausted Tyler informs Dortmun that his bombs were fucking useless. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE TESTED THEM, DORTMUN, YOU HUBRISTIC ASSHAT.
So all the rebels are probably dead, but Babs cares only about Ian and the Doctor, because of course. Tyler tells her they *nearly* got the old man out. Outraged Babs is outraged. Anyway, Tyler reckons they all need to get the hell out of London because they’ve attacked a Dalek saucer and revenge is surely a-brewing. Dortmun says they should stay and work on the bomb; Tyler points out he’ll only have ‘one man’ and ‘these two’ (thanks) to use it for him. Jenny agrees they need to scarper, but Babs worries what will happen if Susan comes back and doesn’t know where they are; Jenny says there are codes; Babs points out Susan doesn’t know them. Which leads me to ask where in fact Susan is and why Jenny (who was last with her) abandoned her in the fray. Bad parenting from everyone.
Tyler goes off to look for more survivors; Babs wants to go with him, but he tells her no because he wants to move about alone. Which is honest, to be fair. She reminds him to look for her fam, with increasing desperation.
Character development digression: this antsy, trigger-happy, hungry-for-action, would-do-anything-for-the-Space-Fam Babs we get to see in this serial makes so much sense when you think about it in terms of her character arc. The first season for Barbara was all about coming to terms with being a time traveller, and forging that post-Aztecs relationship with the Doctor. This season, we’ve not yet had a(n?) historical adventure, and of course the previous serial was one in which Babs (in the uncut, less stupid version of Planet of Giants, at least) had to come to terms with what it means to acknowledge something worth dying for in amongst the absurdity of being home, when home was made strange and dangerous. Now she’s back in London, but in a post-apolcalyptic, Dalek-filled future London, and it’s illuminating to see her juggling that capacity for action she discovered on Skaro the first time she donned a pair of Excellent Thal Trousers and that sense of being in the right place at the wrong time. Essentially she’s applying the Doctor’s ‘at least we can stop being carried away with the flood’ model of time travel from The Reign of Terror to her own future, but without that sense of overwhelming responsibility she gets when she’s in her own past. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen, so she can act, in a way, irresponsibly. Of course, Babs continues to have a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong, but there are times when being freed from the context in which those morals make sense makes her think less before she acts, especially where non-human-looking aliens are concerned (see her willingness to murder the mind-controlling snail brains in a previous Terry Nation script because they looked horrible). Which culminates in her shooting poor old Sandy in the next serial, much to Vicki’s chagrin, at which point she has to dial it back.
Anyway, Jenny is apparently willing to leave one of the cowering, shell-shocked rebels still at the base behind, and Dortmun is going to move to the other London base (across one of the bridges!) so he can keep working on the bomb. Babs says they’ll go with him. Then this happens:
‘You needn’t stay if you don’t want to,’ she adds coolly. BURN. Jenny, cowed by Barbara’s (selective) moral compass (I notice she didn’t object to leaving the shell-shocked guy to be killed by the Daleks when they inevitably revenge-attack the rebel base) decides she will join the running-across-London party. Babs asks Dortmun whether she thinks her Space Fam will be there; he replies breezily in the affirmative.
I love how Dortmun and Barbara both have their own kind of monomania, and how Jenny fits into this. I said before how you could read Jenny as a kind of potential future Barbara, which is to say a woman who has lost her family to the Daleks and who has channelled her remaining energies into survival-orientated badassery. And we know Babs is more than capable of living the Dalek-smashing life, and being excellent at it, but at what cost to her moral identity? I think Jenny and Barbara end up responding to one another so well because there’s some mutual recognition there.
Back on the saucer, the Dalek Supreme is ordering the fire-bombing of London. Yikes. The saucer flies over the city like a wobbly milk bottle top (beaut) accompanied by ‘[w]hatever Special Effects think a flying saucer sounds like’ (thanks, Infotext!).
Ian, apparently sensing that he is alone, crawls out of the his hidey-hole in the floor and bumps into Craddock!Roboman, who instantly tries to robotise him. With the help of the prisoner RoboCraddock is escorting, Ian gets the helmet off him and he sparks out. Ian and his new chum, whose name is Larry, instantly hit it off (said chum is heading to the mines to look for his brother and has stowed away), and they throw RoboCraddock out of the rubbish chute. They go back to hiding in the floor. Also Ian is adorable at meeting new people.
Meanwhile, Susan and David are running down a corridor thingie and dive behind a shrub. It’s not a million miles away from the French & Saunders LOTR spoof where Frodo evades the Nazgul by hiding behind a large twig.
They are being chased by a Dalek, who gives up on them, but then rather horribly murders someone offscreen as David buries Susan’s head in his biceps. Then a beautiful scene happens:
SUSAN: If only we could go to the ship and get away from here.
DAVID: Well, I couldn't go anyway.
SUSAN: David, David, perhaps you could. I could ask Grandfather. I'm sure he'd let you come. We could go to a place that had never even heard of Daleks.
DAVID: And what happens if there's something unpleasant in the new place?
SUSAN: We'll move on somewhere.
DAVID: No, Susan, that's not for me.
SUSAN: Why not?
DAVID: Look, things aren't made better by running away.
SUSAN: Well, it's suicide to stay here.
DAVID: This is my planet! I just can't run off and see what it's like on Venus!
SUSAN: I never felt there was any time or place that I belonged to. I've never had any real identity.
DAVID: One day you will. There will come a time when you're forced to stop travelling, and you'll arrive somewhere.
Pausing only to chuckle immoderately at the fact that this is essentially that scene from The Sound of Music where Revered Mother tells Maria she can’t use the convent to run away from her problems and that she has to go back and face them (which I suppose makes the Tardis the convent), HURRAH FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. (Also, Terry Nation I take my hat off to you for the incisive poetry of that last line—and you’ll arrive somewhere. Perfect analysis is perfect.) I still think she and David are wrong for each other in the long term, because it’s clear just how childish Susan still is from this exchange, and I still think it’s criminal that what happens to Susan is less a case of having ‘arrived somewhere’ than having been ‘forced to stop travelling’, but I love that we get to meet someone who is conscious of being invested in their time/place and who actually calls the Gallifreyans out on their ‘don’t get swept away with the flood’ attitude to life. (David may be patronising as hell, but it pains me to say he’s also right.) If Susan had then gone on for another couple of serials in which she could have dealt with being challenged like this and then had some proper barneys with her Grandfather, it would have been so much more satisfying. Susan is learning that home isn’t just about belonging and identity, it’s also about accepting responsibility. And it’s particularly galling that the Doctor, who makes the decision to ground Susan apparently for her own good, never learns that all-important lesson that every little Time Lord has to stop running one day.
Ermahgerd serxhual ternshern.
(Disclaimer: there is, as I have mentioned before, something beautiful in the Doctor’s ‘our lives are important’ philosophy, and I have waxed lyrical about it elsewhere, but there’s also the flip side of that philosophy which is what I’m dealing with above. And I am aware that we have just had that serial where, in its uncut and unstupid version, Babs and the Doctor decide to take a stand instead of running. In short, it’s nowhere near as simple a trajectory as I’m making out, but this is just one way of looking at it.)
Anyway, the sudden sexual tension that ensues is shattered by a noise, and Susan is back to being bossed about and told to hide as David bumps into a rebel called Baker…WHO IS DRAGGING THE DOCTOR ALONG! He’s groggy as hell, and Susan immediately begins cuddling him. Baker’s off to Cornwall alone because of reasons, and Susan says she has to stay in London. David gives Baker a hip flask (because booze will presumably help), and everyone wishes everyone else luck. Then Baker walks right into a Dalek patrol and is killed. Shit.
BUT ENOUGH OF THAT, FOR NOW IT IS TIME FOR BABS AND JENNY TO RUN ACROSS LONDON WITH A WHEELCHAIR WHILE DALEKS TRUNDLE ABOUT ALL OVER WESTMINSTER. THERE ARE NO WORDS FOR HOW AWESOME THIS ENTIRE SEQUENCE IS AND HOW MUCH I LOVE THE LOCATION SHOOTING IN THIS SERIAL SO HERE ARE SOME GIFS.
Also, enormous kudos to Jacqueline Hill and Ann Davies for doing all that sprinting at arse o’clock in the morning. Also, DRUMS.
So they arrive at the Transport Museum, and there are those fabulous ‘VETOED’ signs everywhere (seriously, find me a better post-apocalyptic London and I will be a monkey’s aunty) and Babs is quizzing Dortmun about various plot points. Basically, the bomb was meant to eat away the Dalekanium shells, but they’re not mining for Dalekanium, and nobody really know’s what they’re digging for, they just dig-dig-dig-a-dig-dig.
Jenny explains that the VETOED signs mean some of the resistance have moved off to the south coast, and that she doesn’t blame them, and that they were very lucky to get across London unseen.
Babs is making tea, because of course, and OH I retract everything I said about Babs being increasingly irresponsible because then this happens:
JENNY: We haven't got a chance in London, the way things are building up.
BARBARA: Well, what can we do? Where can we go? Anyway, what's the point in running away all the time?
JENNY: I'm not running, I'm surviving, that's all.
And this is what I meant when I said you could also read Jenny as a pre-Barbara Doctor as well as being a post-apocalyptic Babs. And Barbara, like David (and Ian, actually) is very much a ‘fight the world you’re in’ sort of character this week.
And OH this scene just gets better and better. Babs wishes the Doctor were here, and so does Dortmun, because of Science, and it transpires she’s been asking herself ‘what would the Doctor do?’ and has come to the conclusion that he would 100% go straight to where the trouble is head for the mine. I know she’s wrong because he’s recovering from his brush with robotisation, but boy does she know him well. Then Jenny pipes up and reveals her ignorance of the Rules of Doctor Who by suggesting that the Doctor may not in fact be alive (and upsets Babs in the process):
Well, he sort of does, narratively speaking. Dortmun, in a rare moment of sensitivity, sends Jenny outside to keep watch, and tells Babs that she’s not callous really, she’s just dealing with fighting the Daleks in her own way. Which is what I love about Jenny: she’s flawed, and it’s not gendered.
Anyhoo, Dortmun wants Babs to find the Doctor and give him his notes. Something is afoot, because he wants Babs to keep hold of them for him. Babs says she’s not leaving him, and he says they should head for the mine, and that she should ‘round up’ Jenny. Charming.
Clearly Babs and Jenny are having a heart to heart out there, because Dortmun has time to pick up his sticks and wheel himself offscreen. Enter Babs and Jenny, who wonder where he’s gone, hope he wouldn’t be so stupid as to go outside, and notice he’s left his notes behind.
Oh and he is that stupid. He’s wheeled himself outdoors and is yelling for the Daleks who face him across the rubble. He gets up, staggers forwards, and is exterminated as he lobs the new improved bomb…which still doesn’t seem to have worked.
Jenny freaks out and tries to run to him, but Babs pulls her back (apparently Jacqueline Hill assured Ann Davies she could go for broke because she would properly restrain her—thank you, special features!) and they hide, badly, behind a milk float.
Enter a Dalek, who, in a rare moment of comic relief, attempts to interrogate a headless dummy, calling it ‘subcultural’. Ouch.
*poke*
But seriously, how does the Dalek not spot them?
Back in the ruins, Susan is helping the Doctor to walk again, and talks about the numbness wearing off, which is sort of funny but not funny-ha-ha because of the whole ‘Billy suffered temporary paralysis when an extra dropped him earlier in the filming’ incident.
Anyway, the Doctor attempts to reassert his authority over the situation, telling Susan he essentially gives zero fucks about what David says because he’s in charge and they should go back to the Tardis. Susan disagrees. Then this happens:
DOCTOR: Do you question my authority, child?
SUSAN: No, Grandfather, it's not that at all. It's just that David says—
DOCTOR: You seem to place more reliance on that young man's word than mine, don't you?
SUSAN: Oh, Grandfather, it's not that. It's simply that he lives in this time. He understands the situation.
Urgh that Susan isn’t just sticking up for herself but rather substituting one man’s authority for another, but I do like that what seems to be bugging her most is the question of time, and respecting the authority of those who live in whatever happens to be the here and now. More conflict on this theme, please, and while we’re at it perhaps more of this in Doctor Who in general in order to combat the Doctor’s ongoing Gallifreyan Saviour complex (albeit one somewhat mitigated by Capaldi’s recent ‘I am an idiot’ epiphany).
But then something gorgeous happens: the Doctor listens to Susan. In a hilarious little buttering-up-the-grandfather-in-law scene, a breathless David arrives to inform them of Daleks being, well, everywhere, and asks the Doctor’s advice as ‘the senior member of the party’. I will never not appreciate how much William Hartnell relishes playing the Doctor when he’s being vain. The Doctor essentially tells David they should do exactly what Susan says David says they should do, but makes out like it’s his idea, and then makes a point of being faux gracious to David by saying it’s only a suggestion and David should think it out for himself. Susan’s face is a picture as she tells him she thinks that’s a very good idea, and humours him with a cuddle. Boy has she outgrown him. I live for this dynamic. Well done, everyone.
Meanwhile, Ian and his new chum Larry are having the chats underneath the floor tiles. Larry tells Ian his brother Phil reckons if they can find out what the Daleks are up to, they might be able to beat them, which Ian thinks makes sense. Larry’s brother also thinks the Daleks want the magnetic core of Earth. Which makes less sense.
Anyway, the Daleks have landed and are disembarking (WHEEEEEEE!) with the Robomen behind them, and Ian and Larry take the opportunity to get out of their hidey-hole. (Iffy camera shot is iffy.) Larry, who is the most cheery, adorable chappie ever, suggests they exit via the rubbish chute. Ian asks what’s out there; a gleeful Larry tells him he has no idea, and goes first. I love Larry.
Back in the outdoor ruiny bits, Susan reckons they ought to wait just five minutes more before moving, which is convenient, because some Robomen have just arrived…TO LAY A LARGE TICKING BOMB RIGHT BY THEM.
OH RUDDY CRIPES WILL THE GALLIFREYANS AND THEIR WOULD-BE NEW RECRUIT TO THE FAM BE EXPLODERATED? WHAT WILL BABS AND JENNY DO NOW? WILL IAN AND LARRY HAVE MADCAP ADVENTURES IN THE DALEK MINES? WILL THE SPACE FAM EVER BE REUNITED?
Summary (as applicable to this episode)
Does it pass the Bechdel test? With flying colours.
Is the gaze problematic? Nope.
Is/are the woman companion(s) dressed 'for the Dads'? Nope.
Save the girl or save the world? Whose decision is it? N/A.
Does a woman fall over/twist her ankle (whilst running from peril)? Nope. And there's a lot of running.
Does a woman wander off alone for the sole dramatic purpose of getting into trouble so she can be rescued later? Nope.
Is/are the woman companion(s) captured? Nope.
Does the Doctor/a man companion/any other man have to rescue the woman companion(s) from peril? Nope, this week the men still need rescuing.
Is a woman placed under threat of actual bodily harm? Well, there is a lot of fighting and running and everyone being in peril, but there are no women being gratuitously menaced this week.
Does a woman have to deal with a sexual predator? Nope.
Is/are the woman companion's/s' first/only reaction(s) to peril gratuitous screaming? No.
Does a woman faint at the sight of peril/horror or generally lose consciousness (discounting normal sleep)? Nope.
Does a woman companion go into hysterics over something reasonably minor? No. Though Susan does have to bury her face in David's biceps when she hears an extra being murdered by Daleks. Which isn't minor, but still, face-burying.
Is a woman 'spared' the ordeal of having to do/witness something unpleasant by a man who makes a decision on her behalf/keeps her deliberately ignorant? YES. And Susan is complicit, which infuriates me. Why on Earth didn't they tell Barbara that Ian and the Doctor were at the heliport? What did they think she was going to do? Have a fit of the vapours and find herself incapable of bowling overarm? Also Dortmun.
Does a woman suffer in silence (to further the plot)? Nope.
Does a man automatically disbelieve or belittle something a woman (companion) says happened to her? No, but there's plenty of general ridiculing of Susan from the Doctor when she dares to spout the views of a man other than him.
Does a man talk over a woman or talk about a woman as though she isn't there? Dortmun talks over Jenny when she starts talking about how the Doctor could well be dead.
Does the woman companion have to be calmed/comforted by the Doctor/a man companion/a man? Yup. Susan.
Is a woman the first/only person to be (most gratuitously) menaced by the episode's antagonist(s)? Nope.
Is a man shamed into doing/not doing something because the alternative is a woman doing/not doing something? A little bit when Tyler pours cold water on Dortmun's continued bomb-making plans.
Does the woman companion come up with a plan? Not strictly speaking, no.
Does the woman companion do something stupid/banal/weird which inspires a man to be a Man with a Plan? No.
Does a woman come up with a theory and is it ridiculed by the Doctor/a man? Not exactly, as Susan is in fact coming up with David's theory, but it is still ridiculed by the Doctor. This is all in the service of making it look like Susan's ready to fly the nest, and the Doctor is clearly meant to be in the wrong, but still, it's there.
Does a woman call the Doctor out on his bullshit? Yes. Susan. But then she fluffs him up.
Does a woman get to be a badass? And how.
Is the young, strong, straight, white male lead the person most often in control of the situation? Nope.
Is there past/future/alien sexism? Yup. David tells Jenny to take the women back to base while he goes to raid the saucer.
Does a 'present'-day character call anybody out on past/future/alien sexism? Jenny responds to all this nonsense by trying to rally Barbara and Susan by spilling the beans about who's imprisoned in the saucer.
Does an past/future/alien person have the hots for a woman companion and is it reciprocated? David and Susan have definite sexual tension.
Did a woman write/direct/produce this episode? No/No/Yes.
Verdict
God I love this episode. Those location shots. The Babs and Jenny Show. Guerrilla warfare. Character development chats. Ian, bless him, has very little to do and is mostly being cute making friends on flying saucers, and the Doctor is out for the count for a lot of the time, but Babs and Susan get a decent outing, and there's plenty of action to be had. I don't hate David quite as much this week, even though he has his moments of being a dick. His conversation with Susan in which she starts to rethink her Gallifreyan Saviour Complex is a highlight, even if it's just a thinly-veiled excuse to get them to make goo-goo eyes at each other. Next week I think may be the one with the truck, which is obviously one of my all-time favourite moments, so let's hope there's as much to chew over in the non-truck-related scenes as there was this week. Also, it's good to be back.
#Doctor Who#Classic Who#The Dalek Invasion of Earth#Day of Reckoning#Terry Nation#William Hartnell#First Doctor#One#Barbara Wright#Barbara#Babs#Bamfbara#Jacqueline Hill#Jenny#Ann Davies#Susan#Susan Foreman#Carole Ann Ford#Location Shoot#London#Daleks#BBC#TV Recaps#Sci-Fi#Feminism#Feminist#Blog#1964#My gifs#The Other Scarman
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GOOMBAY LAST NIGHT
The beginning of Fantasy Fest. Goombay, last night.
Been doing Goombay for at least 15 years. Never changes. Except it gets bigger. Longer, more stands, new restaurants. Band at end of Petronia more sophisticated. A Larry Smith presentation last night. Christine Cordone singing. Several accompanists.
Joni with me. An interesting woman. Former Sunoco executive. Sharp.
Met Joni for last night’s fun experience behind Bourbon Street. A drink. Listened to some music.
Prior to meeting Joni, stopped at 801. The customary Don’s Place crowd. A tradition has developed. A group goes together. Leaves by taxi from Don’s Place. Dropped off at 801. A couple of drinks.
I was early for my Joni meet. Stopped into 801 looking for my friends. As expected, they were there!
Joni and I walked Petronia to the big band stand at the end. I kept telling her to stop where ever and we would buy some stand food. She never took me up on the offer. I suspected she was not fond of the food either. Never has turned me on.
Therefore, we stopped into Blue Heaven. Sat in the restaurant part and enjoyed some food.
Joni lives on Petronia. Two hundred feet off Duval. Thought I was dropping her off. No, she was not ready yet. So it was off to Bourbon Street’s front bar.
I have never been to Bourbon Street late at night. A different experience.
The place was mad!
Lots of ladies. Dancing up a storm.
Employees walking around in black jock straps and black bow ties.
My back was to the bar. I turned around. One of the jock strap guys was dancing on the bar.
Strip joints have women dancing on the bar, stage, etc. wearing nothing. Mostly men in the audience, though a handful of women. Last night at Bourbon street similar, except lots of men and a handful of women.
Syracuse/Miami 3:30 this afternoon. ESPN. Syracuse 4-3, Miami 6-0. Miami a 17 point favorite.
Can Syracuse duplicate its victory over Clemson last week with a win over Miami this week?
The opioid crisis not being handled well. During the campaign, Trump labeled it a crisis. After the election, no crisis but he would deal with it. This past week, Trump returned to describing it is a crisis.
While he vacillates, Rome is burning! 142 a day dying in the U.S. from opioid overdosing.
The Comments section to this blog is active. Some strong political differences. I have mentioned armed masked mercenaries walking the streets of Puerto Rico two times this past week. No comment from anyone. Isn’t the issue worth discussing. I see it as San Juan today, New York, Los Angeles or Miami tomorrow.
Our country stranger by the day. What happened to the America of old? Dickinson, Texas an example.
Harvey did a number on Dickinson. Residents need money to rebuild and/or replace belongings. The application for funding is titled Harvey Repair Grant. Contains a strange clause. In order to qualify for the funds, one must sign a verification not to boycott Israel.
What the hell does Israel have to do with U.S. citizens obtaining money form its own government to get through the Harvey crisis?
The Verification reads as follows: VERIFICATION NOT TO BOYCOTT ISRAEL: By executing this agreement below, the applicant verifies that the applicant: (1) Does not boycott Israel; and (2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement.
The Verification is based on a recently passed Texas State law requiring contractors to so certify. Which by local hands has been extended to applicants themselves.
This pledge conditions Harvey relief. Requires the signed pledge not to boycott in order to get funding to rebuild.
Clearly violates the First Amendment.
No question Texas is a conservative state. Occasionally, far to the right. The Verification an example.
A further example also of the crazy people running our government. From the White House down to the Texas State Legislature to the Texas Governor who signed it into law.
Another day, no Irma and Me. I hate the waiting!
Enjoy your day!
GOOMBAY LAST NIGHT was originally published on Key West Lou
#801#Armed Masked Mercenaries#Blue Heaven#Bourbon Street#Dickinson#Facebook#Fantasy Fest#Goombay#Harvey Repair Grant#Hurricane Harvey#Irma and Me#Joni#Key West#Key West Lou#Key West Lou Blog Talk Radio#Key West Lou COMMENTARY#Key West Lou Live#Key West Lou Live Video#Larry smith and Christine Cordone#Pledge Not To Boycott Israel#Puerto Rico#Stacey#Syracuse/Miami#Texas#Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou
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