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toulousewayne · 1 year

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Orphan: Bat of Hong Kong

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This is a concept for a live action film for Cassandra Cain. This film is inspired by the style of an 80’s martial art action film. This film would be made to be on HBO Max.

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Synopsis:Cassandra Cain is skilled martial artist, but above all she is fighter. She had spent her life entire fighting. For freedom, to be seen, be understood. Now she must be all those things in order to stop three deadly assassins from taken destroying Hong Kong.

Runtime:1 Hour, 55 Minutes

Rating:PG-13

Release: December 8,2028

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Cast:

Cassandra Cain…………Ashley Liao

Lady Shiva………………..Arden Cho

KGBeast………………Charlie Hunnam

Cheshire……………Lana Condor

David Cain…………….Brian Tee

Cameos:

Red Robin/Tim Drake…….Dallas Liu

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Concept Art:All artwork belongs to the original creator‼️‼️‼️

Black Bat “Starter” Suit:

KGBeast:

Cheshire:

Red Robin Suit:

Orphan Suit:

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Plot:

Cassandra Cain hasn’t been in Gotham for three years. She’s been the unofficial Bat of Hong Kong. We see her in a apartment with news clippings about Hong King’s new shadowy protector.

Cass beings training and we see flashbacks to when she first arrived in HK to train with her mother to regain her ability to read body language. But Shiva put Cass through the ringer.

She ends up breaking the punching bag. She begins to take a break when she worlds around to a dark corner of the apartment. And shiva sets out the shadows. She smirks and tells her daughter it’s been to long. Cass tells her to leave.

Shiva and Cass start fighting but Shiva beats her quickly. She tells her she’s holding back. She tells Cass that there are three deadly assassins and she will have to kill them, in order to stop them. She vanishes leaving a tired Cass alone.

The next afternoon Cass wakes up and starts preparing for that nights patrol. She checks her computer and the police scanner to find there’s a break in at the Bank of China Tower.

She arrives at is meet by KGBeast. She quickly saves the few remaining hostages before taken on him. The two have a slightly drawn out fight because Cass as been fighting and not using her natural skills. After a moment she regroups her mind and body and formulates a plan to defeat him.

After doing so she finds a walkie talkie and it’s Shiva on the other line. She tells Black Bat that it took her to long to home in on his skills. She tells her the next two assassins are not going to go down so easily. She tells her to keep the walkie close by her. Black Bat leaves the tower before the police arrive.

Cass is on the rooftops of nearby buildings and she leaps out the way of three shurikens. She turns to see Cheshire before her who tells her that she impressed, but her fight will end here.

Cheshire and Black Bat battle along the rooftops of Hong Kong, with weapons, smoke bombs, perfect evades, and hand to hand combat.

After a certain point Black Bat gets Cheshire into position where she hits her pressure points. Cheshire collapses on the rooftop and taunts and lashes at her for her lack of brutality. And Black Bat tells her she will never take another life not even her’s.

Cass returns to her apartment and is exhausted from the previous assassins. And in a moment of where her guard is down for a second she is stabbed with a syringe in her neck. Before she can react the medication acts faster than her and she collapses with everything going to black.

When she wakes up she tied to a metal chair in some sort of factory. She is still drowsy but her senses are returning to here and she hears the sounds of slow heavy footsteps before a deep voice fills the silent room.

David Cain waltz into the light. Cass isn’t surprised in the slightest. He tells her after her and the Bats put him into Prison he had thought long and hard about he failed her as a father and mentor. “I should have made you more obedient.” He hiss at her.

He tells Cass that he plans to right his wrongs and by doing that he’s going to undo all that brainwash Batman and his family forced into her and make her his daughter again.

Meanwhile a few goons are outside patrolling with rifles and one by one their taken out silently but swiftly.

Cass tries to free herself but the restraint tightened by her father. A goon rushes in and tells David they are been taken out. He takes a pistol and points at Cass and warns her that if she tries anything she’s as good as dead. And follows the goon and locks the room she’s in. Acting fast she stops a rusted knife on a nearby table and shimmy’s the chair closer to it.

Meanwhile David Cain and his hired mercenaries are walking through the warehouse looking for the intruders. Two smoke bombs drop in front of them and David leaps out the way. Within seconds the smoke clears and the few men with David are beaten, knocked out and disarmed. He starts firing in the rafters and the figure grapples to another one. A red and gold bird shaped shrunken disarms his gun out his hand and the figure drops down.

He walks into the light and it’s Red Robin. “Where’s my sister?” David chuckles. “If you want my daughter, you’ll have to kill me little bird.” He takes out a hunting knife and charges Tim.

Cass is able to free herself and quickly looks for her father who is about to kill Tim. She approaches them and she quickly kicks the knife out of his hand. She then fights David Cain one on one and it’s brutal. Red Robin recovers and assist Black Bat.

Once Cain is defeated Cass and Tim watch from across the street as David Cain is taken into custody. She turns and asks Tim what he’s doing here. He tells her he was looking for Bruce.

Cass knows that Tim isn’t on speaking terms with Dick since Dick became the new Batman and Damian replaced him as Robin. Cass asks him does he truly believe that Bruce is alive and he tells her he feels it. It’s what led him here. Cass hugs him and tells him to be careful and if he needs her she’ll find him. Before she leaves Tim gives her a package. He said Barbara asked him to give it to her. And with that Red Robin grapples away from the docks leaving Cass to her own thoughts.

The last Scene is Cass in her new suit on top of a roof top over looking Hong Kong. Shiva appears and congratulates her on her success and tells her she’s ready to join her to which Cass declines. Shiva is hurt but not surprised she tells Cassandra there will always be a place for her with her. And Shiva leaves without another word. Cass over looks the city as the sun begins to rise and it fades to black.

Post Credit Scene:

A set of green vines are growing and flowers are blooming with the walls of a security prison. A hand waves and several other strong vines disarm and kill two guards. Poison Ivy wakes up to the third one and kisses him, he dies quickly from his poison. She chuckles to herself until she has several vines and roots tear off a set of metal doors and there’s site Harley placing Go Fish with her stuffed Beaver. “Hey Red you came to rescue me!” She cheers, Ivy chuckles and tells her it’s time to go home. To Gotham City.

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kudosmyhero · 7 months

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Robin #5: The Dark

Read Date: February 18, 2023 Cover Date: May 1991 ● Writer: Chuck Dixon ● Penciler: Tom Lyle ● Inker: Bob Smith ● Colorist: Adrienne Roy ● Letterer: Tim Harkins ● Editor: Dennis O'Neil ◦ Dan Raspler ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● moon is STILL full even though days have passed. who needs lunar accuracy when you have aesthetic, I guess ● the columns in Dorrance's building are very cool

● Dorrance is gonna be pissed that his guards are shooting up that clock of his ● damn, Robin is handy with that sling ● aww, RIP Clyde ● is that Bruce in disguise? ● and Tim's back in Gotham to officially start his career as Robin. (look how happy Batman looks) Yay!

● 👏👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: Robin, Clyde Rawlins and Lady Shiva stake out the Dorrance Building in Hong Kong. Clyde's hunger for revenge forces him to depart from the others and he begins to make his way into the skyscraper's front lobby. Robin has reviewed all of the building's security measures, and sneaks in from the basement levels. He disables the security systems allowing Clyde and Lady Shiva to continue without interference.

Clyde eventually tracks King Snake down and faces off with him in a trophy room. King Snake is in his element however and easily outfights Rawlins. He describes how he made Clyde's wife scream before he killed her. He kicks Rawlins in the back, snapping his spine, before wheeling around to deliver a fatal chop to his neck.

Robin meanwhile, makes his way towards the clock tower room where King Snake's men have planted the plague virus. King Snake's chief lieutenant, Bobbo, sees Robin on the catwalk and opens fire on him. Robin uses his sling and fires a screw into the chamber of Bobbo's gun. The gun backfires and resulting explosion kills Bobbo.

Robin then makes his way to the trophy room where he finds Clyde's dead body. King Snake emerges and the two begin fighting. Robin remains silent, so as to keep what little edge he has against a blind opponent. Despite his blindness, King Snake manages to beat Robin back with several brutal kicks. Robin knows that he has little chance of defeating King Snake in the dark, and uses his fighting staff to create a whistling sound to distract his opponent. While King Snake is disoriented, Robin kicks him through the window.

Lady Shiva finally emerges from the shadows and finds King Snake hanging on a ledge over a fifty-floor drop. Robin refuses to finish Dorrance for Shiva, and races back to the clock tower room to secure the plague. As he leaves, he hears King Snake's screams as he falls to his apparent death.

The Hong Kong authorities are called in and the virus is safely contained. Robin meets Henri Ducard who informs him that King Snake sent a cargo vessel filled with laundered money to Gotham City. He had intended on establishing a new headquarters there after destroying Hong Kong.

Robin returns to Gotham City and stops King Snake's shipment of money. He also encounters Lynx, who now possesses only one eye – punishment for her failure to kill him. Robin lets Lynx and the rest of the Ghost Dragons go. He reunites with his mentor, Batman, and the two swing off into the night.

(https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Robin_Vol_1_5)

Fan Art: Batman and Robins by J-Skipper

Accompanying Podcast: ● Robin: Everyone Loves the Drake - episode 15

#dc #lady shiva (sandra wu-san)#robin #robin (tim drake)#podcast - everyone loves the drake #comics #king snake (edmund dorrance)#batman #batman (bruce wayne)#fanart #comic books #fan art #podcast recommendation #dc comics

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flying-nightwing · 2 years

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Did I write that correctly? I don’t feel like I did. Anyway.

First and foremost, I want to wish you all formally a happy new year, even though it doesn’t feel like we’ve got a whole lot to celebrate about. 2021 has been a weird one for me and for you as well I’ll assume, and we don’t even wanna speculate too much about 2022 right? Right. So I’ll say this instead: may your year be what YOU make it to be. Take care of yourselves, and much love to you!

With that being said, let’s hop right into the hot stuff yeah? In an effort to make this year a bit more predictable, I’ve gathered a list of writing projects that I plan on posting during the next few months. Here we go!

Jan. 10, 2022

Main focus/next in line

Crown of Gold (Jason Todd x f!reader x Roy Harper)*

-> A sequel trilogy to Throne of Blood

The state of the realm is deteriorating quickly as tensions rise between neighboring kingdoms. The situation has reached a critical point between war and peace, awaiting the final push to tilt one way or another. Unlikely alliances are made in the face of uncertainty, forcing Jason to return at the beginning, where it all started:

Family.

Ginger's Wonders [TITLE STILL TBD] (Roy Harper x f!reader)*

-> A sequel to Winter's Wonders

Day 2 stuck in the cabin comes by and the blizzard shows no sign of stopping. You and Roy find... activities to occupy yourselves.

WIP/in process of building

Dark Horizons - a Pirate AU

Still working on the summary and pairing

Life Lesson Not Learned (batsis!reader)

-> A sequel to Life Lesson

The Deer is back, and it wants revenge. Too bad it didn't learn anything from its previous brutal defeat at the hands of the batkids.

Operation Solarstorm (Dick Grayson x reader)

Not yet outlined but I'm thinking about it

-> Act V: Ever After (Tim Drake x Reader)

-> Sequel to WAP (Bruce Wayne x f!reader)*

-> Sequel to Scorpion (Dick Grayson x Reader)

-> Sparrow rewrite*

-> One shot where Jason gets his older woman that is NOT Talia or Dinah or Babs and Bruce gets a hard reality check

-> Another Jason fic, hurt/comfort pushed to its extreme this time, that you WILL hate me for

List is subject to expansion

* 18+/NSFW

Now, note that despite my best intentions, some projects can take longer than my own estimated or might not be release in extreme cases. I am a full time master deegree student so my priority will always be my tasks for my classes, thank you for your understanding!

Thank you again for all of your support, it's very much appreciated and know I love all of you a lot for sticking with me!

#jason todd x reader #dick grayson x reader #tim drake x reader #roy harper x reader #bruce wayne x reader

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armageddon-generation · 5 years

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Batwoman Could’ve Been the PERFECT Batfamily Show

After Gotham ended so recently, Batwoman should've positioned itself as the Ying to that show's Yang by focusing on Batman's allies instead of his enemies.

The 'Bruce disappears hook is a brilliant way to do this

Kate is our audience entry point into this world

ORACLE + GORDON

Barbra Gordon has already been paralysed via The Killing Joke, and hasn't yet become Oracle - she's still recovering

Comissioner Gordon took an early retirement after his daughter was paralysed, which is why Kate's Dad's private security force the Crows runs the streets

Batwoman and the series' events inspire him to return and reclaim Gotham for the Law by the end of season 1

TIM DRAKE + WE ARE ROBIN

Robin disappeared with Batman, so we can introduce the We Are Robin gang. At the beginning of the season they're just criminals, but after Kate defeats their ringleader she shows them a better outlet for their rage, and inspires them. Duke Thomas (future Signal) is among them

Once the we Are Robins are established Tim Drake returns to Gotham. Kate is surprised - few people outside of Gotham know there have been multiple Robins. This way we can explain the different versions to people not in the know

Just like after Bruce was sent back in time in the comics, Tim has gone travelling the world as Red Robin, searching for him. Tim heard about the Robins causing civil unrest and is concerned about them marring Robin's good name.

Tim and Kate clash over the Robins' chaotic, violent modus oprendi - Tim enforces a philosophy of Robin as the light to Batman's dark - promoting positivity, not violence. A loose adaptation of the Robin War storyline follows where Duke Thomas emerges as the Robins' leader and rallies them to be more controlled and less violent

Tim leaves after this mini-arc, satisfied Gotham is in good hands. He also teaches Kate more about the detective side of Batman - he isn't just a blunt instrument. Tim will be our primary link to the 'Bruce's location' mystery throughout the series

NIGHTWING

Dick arrives in Gotham on a case from Bludhaven. Kate thinks he's abandoned Gotham - he should've taken up the mantle while Bruce was gone.

Explore Dick's troubled history with Bruce (not to F**k Batman levels), how Babs being Batgirl caused him to quit, and the one-two punch of Jason Todd's death and Barbra's paralysis only validated his getting out while he could

Tender scenes between Dick and Babs alluding to thier teenage crushes on each other.

As a cop, Dick hates the Crows being on Gotham's streets and more actively conflicts with Kate's father, driving up the tension between them and Batwoman

RED HOOD

This arc would be like a finale-style thing

Jason Todd returns and starts assassinating criminals with the ambition of 'controlling' crime. Kate is a soldier, more brutal than Bruce, so she has greater sympathy for Jay's methods

Jay is after the Joker. Like in The Dark Knight Returns, the Joker has 'retired' to Arkham since Batman left - he got bored pretty quickly. This arc introduces him properly after a few teases earlier in the series.

Jay learns of Barbra's paralysis (which happened after he died) - even then Bruce wouldn't kill him. A scene where Jason visits Babs (little brother/big sister dynamic).

Both Dick and Tim return for this arc, losing their shit over the Joker. Kate's reaction to the Joker is much like Terry McGuiness's in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. She doesn't get why everyone is so scared of this stupid clown.

Tim is the one who figures out how Jason was resurrected; just like in the Red robin comic he's been travelling through the world of assassins and knows about the Lazarus Pit.

I think doing the Red Hood arc without Bruce - the main target of Jason's anger - is super interesting. Most people share his anger at Bruce for disappearing.

It also lets us dig deep into the inter-Robin dynamics - Jason hates Dick because he always had to live up to him (do that thing in the comics where Jay had to dye his red hair black to 'look like Robin')

Jay hates Tim for replacing him, for being proof Bruce didn't learn his lesson, for Bruce treating Tim better, the way he should've treated Jason

Kate is instrumental to this arc because, being outside all the drama, she has objectivity. She forces Dick and Tim to get their heads out of their asses and talk to Jason, forces them to confront the problem.

Instead of taking the Joker to Bruce as he does in the Under the Red Hood movie, Jason takes Joker to Babs, who has suffered the most because of him. Confronted with the man who 'ruined' her life, Babs proves bigger and stronger than him. She refuses to kill him. Unlike Jason, she's moving on and growing past her trauma, not looking for revenge.

Joker (being the Joker) turns the tables on Jay and has him at his mercy. Kate swoops in and, like Terry in Return of the Joker, messes with the Joker's head by refusing to take him seriously. The Joker is distracted, screaming about Kate not being Batman, and Babs gets to knock him the fuck out.

Jason escapes, but not before dropping a clue connecting Bruce's disappearance to the League of Assassins

I know the showrunners admitted they have no clue where Bruce is yet, so in my version he's off on some quest with Ras Al Guhl. In the time since he's been gone he's married Talia and had a kid. no-one in Gotham knows this yet.

VILLAINS

We can explore how Batman’s absence has had a strange effect on Gotham's villains - many have gone into states of hibernation similar to the Joker.

Two Face gets his dark Knight Returns plotline where the attempt to repair his face,

Mr Freeze has a similar ‘cure’ story a la Batman Beyond

Clayface (as in the Rebirth run of Detective Comics) is trying to go straight - using his shape-shifting gift to make a name for himself in the movie business. He thinks he's finally been accepted, but people are just sucking up to him because of his talent - the reality of their disgust threatens to push him back over the edge

Without Batman there to fight her, Poison Ivy has pretty much taken over Gotham's main park space, but a kind of stalemate has been reached - she won't attack the city as long as the city doesn't move against her plants.

Kate's central dilemma is navigating these unusual waters - she toys with the idea of putting Ivy behind bars and we get an episode of her exploring the micro-climate of the transformed Park. Kate's disturbance makes Ivy threaten the city, and she has to stretch her underused negotiation muscles to talk her down.

I like the idea of Ivy as an ambivalent character, not good or evil. She'll do whatever she wants. Also she and Kate would have killer sexual chemistry.

Harley. Exploring Harley in such a strongly feminist show would be fascinating. Joker has closed off, given himself up. Harley is forced to fend without him, and finds an antihero niche with the Gotham City Sirens (hi, Ivy!)

With Bruce's disappearance, Wayne enterprises is designing revolutionary new weapons for the Crows. It's revealed that they’re using the Riddler to design these. After Batman disappeared it was presumed Nygma went through therapy and was moved away from Gotham - in fact he's here.

This plot point is inspired by the New 52's Zero Year arc. Kate discovers the foul play when the Crow's systems go haywire because of a virus Nygma planted, sending Gotham into a blackout and giving the Riddler control of its municipal systems

Kate finds Nygma and exposes Wayne Enterprises' corruption, but in the process Riddler escapes.

Similar to Ivy, Kate's appearance excites the Riddler and he reactivates his Saw-like trap rooms across the city. Kate has a different, much blunter way of solving puzzles that frustrates him, used to Bruce's genius-level intellect.

This raises the question - is Batwoman a liability to the city?

BATGIRL(S)/BIRDS OF PREY

With Riddler's re-emergence triggers the appearance of Spoiler. In the comics Stephanie Brown is Cluemaster's daughter, but no-one really gives a shit about him. The benefit of a decade-plus old Batman means his rogues gallery can easily have kids - Stephanie had her name changed in witness protection.

Steph helps Kate beat the Riddler in collaboration with Bab's hacking skills. Kate sees potential in Spoiler and sends her to Babs to be trained.

As Batwoman's appearance reawakens super-crime in Gotham, the Crows get desperate. They hire world- renowned assassin David Cain to start taking out targets

Intro Cassandra Cain.

Cass + Steph + Babs are this series' version of the Birds of Prey

Babs teaches Cass sign-language to communicate. Steal her friendship with Clayface from the Rebirth Detective Comics - Clayface leaves the movie business again because it was unhealthy, and is trying to do good

Everyone is very protective of Cass and determined she won't fight

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maurianasravenholdt · 4 years

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A Reflection on Birthdays

Birthdays were the hardest.

Almost immediately after Bruce turned eighteen (eighteen years and 6 days) he left. There was little fanfare, a sparsely packed rucksack, and a hasty goodbye. And then Alfred was alone, standing in the gleaming manor kitchen, feeling utterly lost.

Not that he didn’t have purpose without Bruce. He was quite able to find fulfillment by himself, thank you very much. With the Master of the Manor gone, it was the perfect opportunity to leave, to travel, to bask in a Caribbean sun with a beautiful and witty lady friend.

But he couldn't work up the courage to go.

At first, it was reasonable. Master Bruce could return any day, after all. He would be heartbroken to come home to an empty house. But as days stretched on into weeks and months with no word, Alfred slowly tried to accept that Bruce, his son (if he were honest with his heart) was not returning any time soon. May never return.

So he left. Travelled in a daze. Back to London, across Europe. He told himself it was high time he relaxed. A lie, of course. Because everywhere he went he couldn’t stop scanning the crowds for a familiar face. His boy, just barely a man. He never appeared.

Eleven months passed. Then nearly twelve, and Alfred found himself drawn, slowly but surely, back to that grand old house. He told himself it was necessary to check in. Make sure the caretakers he left in his stead had followed instructions. Assure himself that his topiary had not overgrown.

Another lie.

Part of him longed for Bruce to come home for his 19th birthday. A special return. An acknowledgment of the family bond Alfred prayed they still shared. But the day came and went just like any other. Alfred felt foolish for even hoping. He tossed the carefully made cake into the garbage, and sadly put the candles away.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he fixed his attention on the ceiling, taking a deep breath before putting a kettle onto an empty stove burner and lighting it.

He took his beaker of tea to the sitting room, planning on distracting himself with a good book, when a small piece of paper sticking out of the mail slot caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, he found it to be a postcard - a stunning scene of the Kusatsu hot springs in Japan. The message on the back was messy, and partially obscured by postage, but Alfred could make it out anyway.

“Doing well. Talk soon. Bruce.”

Alfred tucked the postcard into his pocket and smiled.

Read more on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112140

Birthdays were the hardest.

Richard Grayson was the most luminous spirit Alfred had ever encountered. Even after the murder of the boy’s parents, his brutalization at the hands of the residents at the Youth Detention Center, and the uprooting of his entire life, there was undeniable brightness inside him. An unquenchable fire that only reminded him of Master Bruce as a child because he was the absolute opposite. Any concerns Alfred had about Master Richard donning the Robin mantle vanished when he saw how simply joyful it made his young charge.

One morning, however, a few months after Master Bruce had taken the boy in, that gleaming essence seemed entirely gone. The boy sat, looking empty, staring at his untouched breakfast plate. Alfred took to one knee beside him and met the boy’s terribly lonely gaze.

“Master Richard, are you quite alright?”

At first the young one only shook his head. Then tears tipped over onto his cheeks. He scrunched his face tightly, trying and failing to force them back. Alfred watched and gently cupped the side of the boy’s face.

“Today is…” Dick began, “Today was...”

He took a heaving breath, steadying himself before continuing in a small voice.

“Today was my mom’s birthday. Or is. I’m not…”

He began crying in earnest. Heavy, grief stricken sobs weighed him down, and Alfred cradled him against his shoulder. All Alfred could do was hold him and stroke a calming hand down his back. When Dick’s wails had diminished to quiet sniffles, Alfred steadied him upright, holding his arms firmly, but with care.

“What was her favourite kind of cake,” Alfred asked with a small, careful smile.

“I don’t…” his breath hitched, like he might begin crying again, “I don’t know. We only ever had brownies ‘cause they were easy and I could help.” He wiped at his eyes hard with the heels of his palms, and Alfred produced a linen handkerchief from his pocket.

“Then,” Alfred said as he got to his feet and held out his hand to the boy, “let us make some brownies, shall we? Because someone as special as your mother deserves to be remembered in celebration.”

Tentatively, Dick nodded and smiled, then took Alfred’s hand, and they went to the kitchen together.

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Birthdays were the hardest.

If Master Richard was a sun, Master Jason was a supernova. All chaos and blinding fire. And gone in what seemed like an instant. The black hole left in his wake threatened to drag Master Bruce in and crush him. The haunted man that flew back from Ethiopia with a casket was not the same Bruce who left the manor just days before.

Master Jason had been headstrong, brilliant…

But the inescapable truth disembarked at Gotham International Airport.

Jason was dead.

The months that followed were dark. Bruce retreated deeper and deeper into his misery. When Master Richard learned of the tragedy and came to pull his mentor back to the light, it ended badly. Bruce struck him, and forced him from his home, intent on beating his rage-soaked anguish alone.

Alfred’s own grief had been eclipsed. Pushed into the shadows in order to keep Bruce from madness. But as the days slipped by, Alfred found himself staring at the calendar - one of the days had been circled in bright red, with a smiley face hovering over the words, “MY BIRTHDAY!!” His first instinct was to take the calendar down and dispose of it. If Master Bruce saw the barely legible scrawl that was Jason’s handwriting, it would only make matters worse.

He hesitated.

No, he concluded. Jason’s birthday would not be relegated to the dustbin because Master Bruce couldn’t cope with the truth that Master Jason had lived. He was loved, and he deserved to have his special day remembered.

Carefully, Alfred cut the calendar apart, saving the decorated square. He pulled out a photo album - his project to document Master Jason’s life with them so that, perhaps one day, Bruce may be able to look back on that time with fondness, not rage. He tucked the scrap of paper into a photo sleeve and captioned it, “Master Jason, excited for his 16th birthday.”

Then he slowly closed the album and cried.

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Birthdays were the hardest

The addition of Timothy Drake to their growing ’family’ was a singularly peculiar one, in large part due to the fact that Master Timothy still had a family of his own. Master Richard had lost his parents, and was subsequently lost, himself, in a savage system, Master Jason was long without a family, and had survived alone in homelessness and poverty. Master Timothy was, however, something of a next door neighbor. Ostensibly untouched by the cruelty that life could bring.

One particularly warm day in July, Alfred found Tim absorbed in his work in the dreadfully damp cave. “I trust you had a rather special day yesterday,” Alfred said as he placed a plate with small sandwiches on it next to the boy.

Without looking away from the computer, Timothy asked, “hm? Why’s that?”

“Birthdays do come but once a year, young master,” Alfred replied with a smile.

Tim rolled his chair back from the desk and looked at Alfred, confused, before recognition read in his features, “Oh. I guess it was my birthday.”

He shrugged, then returned his attention to the readout on the monitor in front of him.

“Your parents didn’t celebrate with you,” Alfred asked, incredulous.

“Nah. They're in Switzerland, I think? Somewhere in Europe for sure. Birthdays just aren't that big of a deal.”

Timothy’s face and posture contradicted his blasè statement. He looked defeated, and his shoulders slumped. Alfred felt something tighten in his chest, an emotion between anger and sadness he couldn’t quite place. The boy’s parents had abandoned him. On his birthday. A milestone Alfred had come to cherish for each of his charges, and one he had learned to never take for granted.

He feigned aloof disinterest and let Tim return to his case without further comment. Once out of sight, he rushed upstairs and set to work.

On any other day, he would have bristled at the mere mention of a boxed mix cake, but time was of the essence. So he pulled out a brightly colored package that touted the “chocolatey-est” formula and whipped it together, then popped it into cupcake molds (they bake and cool faster, after all), slid them into the oven, and waited. He hoped they would be finished in time.

Making the icing was a simple matter, accomplished while the small cakes cooled on a rack. At last, and perhaps a little too soon, he piped the vanilla frosting on top in an intricate swirl, dusted the cupcakes with sprinkles, and headed back down to the cave with candles in hand.

Tim hadn’t moved.

“You’ll find, young master, that birthdays matter a great deal in this household, and will not be forgotten.” Alfred placed a candle in the center of one of the cupcakes and lit it. “Happy Birthday, Master Timothy. You will make a wish.”

Tentatively, Tim blew out the candle and accepted the cupcake, then went back to his work. Alfred sighed and turned to head back up to the manor. He couldn’t force the boy to see the importance of small things like this. He would have to come to it on his own.

“Hey Alfred,” Tim called before he’d gotten too far away.

“Yes, Master Timothy?”

A small sniffle betrayed the boy, and he quietly said, “Thank you. It means a lot.”

With a smile, Alfred replied, “You are quite welcome.”

—————

Birthdays were the hardest

Alfred wasn’t proud to admit it, but he struggled to find fondness for Damian Wayne the same way he had for his other charges. The boy brought with him an unpalatable arrogance and he practically reeked of unrestrained violence. Present in him was none of Bruce’s sense of justice; no light or fire like Dick and Jason had carried. Nor any of the deep curiosity that followed Master Timothy.

In short, the Damian Wayne that had quite suddenly arrived at the manor was cruel.

Alfred barely had any time to adjust before another tragedy befell their family. Master Bruce was gone. And Dick was left wearing shoes he never wanted to fill.

Master Richard tried. He worked diligently, every day, to show Damian that the world was not a bleak landscape to conquer. Did everything in his power to teach him that family did not mean pain and relentless training. Even as the man Alfred was so very proud of struggled with his own twin griefs - the loss of another father and the loss of the autonomy he held so dear - Master Richard showed Damian unconditional love. As time went on, however, Alfred began to fear that Bruce’s youngest son was a lost cause.

But life continues, even in the absence of loved ones. February’s frigid air had set upon the manor, and Alfred made his rounds winterizing the grand old home, drawing the heavy curtains over the leaded windows in lesser used rooms to hold the line against drafts. He was somewhat surprised to find Damian in the library, sitting on the floor in front of the fire with photo albums stacked up around him. For a moment, Alfred feared the boy might burn the precious momentos, but there was something approaching tenderness in the way he flipped through the pages, pausing on each one to survey the pictures.

“I can hear you watching me, Pennyworth,” Damian said without looking up.

“Indeed,” Alfred replied without elaboration. He was in no mood to go rounds with the boy, and even the simplest conversations with him often ended in an argument. So he held his tongue and set to his task.

“Richard suggested I use some of my free time to study the other half of my lineage, and sent me here.” Damian lifted one of the albums, an old one from Bruce’s childhood. “Father was an unattractive baby.”

“All babies are unattractive, Master Damian,” Alfred said tiredly. “It’s part of their charm.”

“I was unaware today was Father’s birthday.”

The statement was quiet. Alfred almost missed it over the crackling of the logs in the fireplace. Damian’s voice lacked all of the pomposity that had become integral to his speech. He sounded every bit the child he was, and warm fondness tugged at Alfred’s heart.

“That it is,” Alfred confirmed as he walked to Damian’s side. With hesitation, he put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Perhaps we should celebrate it. Richard has been overly sentimental lately, and the display may help him regain what little emotional mastery he typically possesses.” The haughtiness was back in Damian’s statement, but Alfred could finally see it for what it was - a crumbling shield disguising a small, frightened boy.

Deciding to play along with the pretense, Alfred sighed. “Yes, Master Richard is often known for deep sentimentality. Though I personally find it to be one of his greatest strengths. Regardless, I agree, a celebration is in order.

With a final, curt nod, Damian gathered the photo albums together and carried them back to their home in an old wooden trunk. Together, he and Alfred walked down the hall - not hand in hand, but at least side by side.

“What was Father’s preferred confection?” Damian asked as they entered the gleaming kitchen.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Alfred lied, “but perhaps you can help me make brownies.”

Damian shrugged, “that would be acceptable.”

And though it was a day saturated in grief, Alfred couldn’t help but feel a genuine smile blossom on his face as he showed his grandson, hand over hand, how to make something sweet together.

Perhaps this was a birthday that wouldn't be quite so hard, after all.

Find it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112140

#Alfred Pennyworth #dick grayson #Bruce wayne #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Fanfiction #AO3 #I did a thing #And i kinda like it

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n0irrrr · 5 years

Text

FLower Curse | 7

[levi x male!reader x erwin] this work will have vomiting, heavy angst and death. the reader suffers from the hanakahi disease. summary: you loved him. he didn’t. everything goes downhill when suddenly, you cough a petal when you think of him.

s i x

Seeing everyone was getting ready with their gear made you anxious. You wanted to go with them— to protect your squad. Sadly, strong orders form the commander made you stay in the barracks.

Surprisingly, you decided to join breakfast this morning. Even if your appetite didn't exist, you sat down with your squad and talked to them until it was time to go.

"You should rest, Squad Leader! You really look sick today..." Tim said, looking worried, "are you taking any medication?"

Letting out an empty laugh, you tried your best to wear a nice smile. "Of course! When you return, I will be better. Your Leader isn't going to be defeated by a stupid cold."

"But it has been one week and you are still sick..." Trisha said, playing with her fingers, "I don't mean to say you look bad but..."

The white haired male, Simon, crossed his arms and frowned. "You look like shit, Leader." The statement made Trisha and Tim look at him in an attempt to stop his comments, but the young male didn't care. "What? It's the truth. You are skinnier, paler, and you have get into fights with the commander and the corporal, and Petra too."

"You don't have to recall all of that, Simon. Our leader is stressed enough of... these conflicts, you don't have to make him more worried." A blond woman interfered, glaring at Simon with her greenish eyes. "We have to comfort him like a good friend would do, no made things worse."

"I'm just stating the truth— come on Elizabeth, you saw how angry he was with Petra yesterday. That throw must have hurt, too." Simon muttered to not grab any attention to the topic of conversation. Sadly, his voice got louder, "You should have seen her after—"

"Stop! This is not helping at all!" Elizabeth slightly raised her voice just to interrupt Simon, which she gladly did, hearing his voice getting louder. "You don't say all of that like it's nothing to our leader! Apologize!"

And just an argument began. You were thankful the mess hall was loud this morning— if it weren't, they would have heard all of what your comrades were saying. Just the table besides you caught attention of your soldiers getting railed up, but they quick dismiss it when they saw your glare.

Tim and Trisha tried to calm them down, but their sweet and low voices didn't made trough. Elizabeth was over protecting with you, and Simon was brutally honest. These two didn't match that well, but their differences were forgotten once they were in battle. But of course, the two could talk normally in one moment and in a second they could be fighting, just like now.

"Alright, that's enough. You both calm down and sit down; everyone is watching you making a fool of yourselves." You finally ordered, rubbing your temples. A headache overcome you, maybe for not eating well yesterday and today— your bad mood was getting through.

Thankfully, the two took the order and sat down, silently glaring at each other.

"Simon is right. I'm not in my best shape right now and..." you passed a hand through your hair, sighing, "I've been in a bad mood, as you could have heard, or even seen."

There was a minute of silence, until Tim broke it with an unsure look. He didn't know if he was alright to ask this, but he did anyway, "Leader... are you sure is just a cold? I mean— I'm not saying you are hiding something or anything, but..."

"Are you saying Squad Leader [Name] is hiding something from us? Something as important as his health?" Trisha asked, muttering to herself.

And just by that, another discussion overcome the topic. But you quickly ended it by the truth— just like yesterday, you decided that the best thing to do was being honest with everyone. Well, just a little honest.

"It's not a cold." You stated, looking at your squad members, which they quickly shut their mouths. Muttering, you proceed, "we... don't know what it is exactly, and I don't know when it will go away."

"What do you mean?" Simon frowned, looking confused, "are you implying that you have an illness? And you hide it from us?" "I did." The soldiers looked at you with wide eyes at your response, Elizabeth, Tim and Trisha looked surprised and taken aback, Simon frowned, looking away. "I didn't know what it was at first... and I still don't exactly know."

"You... don't know?" Simon asked.

"No, we don't know."

"What are the symptoms?" Elizabeth quietly asked.

"I just... throw up a lot and it's hard to breathe." You decided that was the best thing to say—it wasn't exactly a lie, right?

"And no doctors know anything?"

"Nope. No luck." Seeing their faces made you worried— there were just minutes to leave, and they couldn't just go with worrying about something else. They had to stay focused in the expedition, so you quickly tried to fix the mood. "But hey! Erwin and I heard about a doctor in Wall Maria that could help me, maybe we can go after the expedition, come on, don't look at me like that."

Trisha was the first to look at you with spark in her eyes; she was hoping you were telling the truth— after all, they care about you. "A-Are you sure? Do you think he will help you?"

"Are you not telling lies? After all, you just hide an illness from us for one week." Simon bitterly said, averting your gaze. He was hurt, just like everyone else— they were your soldiers under your command, your comrades; your friends.

Ouch. But it was the truth— you fucked up. "I'm sorry; I owe you all an apology for lying to you. But I'm telling the truth; Erwin and I have our hope on that doctor."

Tim tried to light the mood, "That's good, right?! Maybe, maybe we can go with you when we got back!" He smiled.

Trisha quickly joined his joy, "Exactly! We will go when we return, Leader! That's a promise."

You laughed, feeling something warm in your chest. Knowing they cared about you, even when you lied to them, made you feel good. Looking at Elizabeth and Simon, who were still not saying anything, you asked, "could you two forgive me?"

Simon meet your gaze and sighed, "Of course, Leader. Yes, you lied to us, but right now what is important is your health, right? So don't worry."

"Exactly. Yes— we are hurt, but what comes first is your health, Leader. So don't smash your head on your desk for what we think. We care about you." Elizabeth stated, smiling at you.

You felt as if a ton of bricks lifted up from your shoulders— and you just laughed with all your heart. "You guys are the best. You better don't do anything stupid in the expedition, you hear me?" Your squad just laughed, "Of course, Leader..." they said in unison, making you laugh.

"Where are you going to be placed? And who is in charge? Tell me!"

"Calm down, Leader!" Trisha said, raising her hands, "we will be placed in the right flank along with James."

You sighed, feeling relief— Yeah, they will be safe. The right flank usually doesn't encounter that much of a problem. Yes, yes,, they will be safe and sound.

"You know how I hate to break the mood, Leader, but," Simon said, approaching you and muttering, "won't you apologize to Petra? You know, she is hurt, even if she doesn't want to show it..."

Sighing, you knew he was right— what you did was wrong. This morning you thought to apologize to her already, but thanks to everyone coming and leaving like flash you couldn't. Or maybe, you just were making up excuses.

"I will apologize to her after the expedition." You stated, giving a quick look to Levi's table— which you quickly averted when you saw the ravenette looking at you.

"Everyone! It's time."

"That's our que! We have to go, see ya, Leader!" Trisha said, leaving with Tim.

"We will go to that doctor after returning, alright?" Elizabeth stated, before leaving the mess hall.

"Yep, what she said. See ya, cap."

And after that, they all left, along with everyone else. You were alone in the mess hall, looking deeply in thought. Somehow, you didn't notice someone staying— the hand slamming the table made you jump, looking right at the ravenette.

"Levi! The fuck!" you cried out, holding your chest.

"Oi. We will talk after the expedition. No hiding." He said, looking straight at you. You just sighed at replied,

"Yeah, yeah... No more lies..." The reply seemed to satisfy him, because he was already leaving with a smirk. You stopped him before he did, saying, "Hey! If you can... can you make sure they—"

"I'm absolutely sure they can handle themselves just fine. Aren't they your soldiers, [Name]?" He said, furrowing a brow. The question made you laugh— made you feel dumb to be worried about your soldiers being in danger. They know what to do and not do— they will return.

"Of course..."

The ravenette looked at you for more seconds before leaving. You were alone with your thoughts now.

Yes. You will apologize to Petra— she is your friend, you didn't have to snap at her like that.

You will talk to Levi and explain the curse. You will go with your squad to Wall Maria, to go for the doctor. You will apologize to Erwin. You will. Everything will work. ________________________________________ You never felt so bored before— was this how it felt when you were left behind? You felt like shit. The barracks were in absolute silence. You didn't know how much time were you all alone in your office. One hour? Two? How much does an expedition last? Were you outside the walls that long? Never felt like it. You wanted them to come back already, you wanted to be with your squad and protect them here.

Unfortunately, a painful feeling in your chest began to extend itself in your throat, and you knew exactly what it was. You just tensed and throw it all out, meeting with the colorful flowers. You thought you were finished after five flowers, but the feeling of something stuck in your throat made you gag.

It felt like glass coming out from your throat; it hurt. It hurt a lot. You hardly coughed, holding your throat to bear the pain— your eyes were teary, saliva was dripping from your mouth— the fucking flower just didn't want to come out.

Finally, after it seemed like hours, you had to take the flower out of your mouth with your hand— you could feel ripping it from something inside your chest.

The flower came out with a big root. Bigger than the others, at least. There was a lot of blood with it, too. Along with the petals and flowers that came out before this one. Fuck, this doesn't look good.

Throwing the flower to the floor, you tried to catch your breath— your throat was sore and hurt like hell. You could feel something inside your chest, not letting you breath properly. Calming your nerves, you thought the best thing was to get water and then go outside to get some air— yes, that was what you were going to do.

xxxxxxx After drinking some water, you went to the stables, where the horses were kept— and when you came in, you left a sigh of relief when you saw your horse, Nora, all alone.

"Hello, girl. They left you behind too?" Approaching her, you pet her nose, only to get licked by her. "Don't worry, I'm going to stay with you, alright? We both will wait for them here."

You placed a box near her, you sat down and talked to her. Just letting out about all of what was happening lately.

"But, you know, I think I will get better. After they return I'm going to look for Timothy with my squad, and we will know if I can get cured." Hearing her snort, you laughed, "Aw, I wish I could take you with me... but I don't think I can. Will come straight at you with the news, tho!"

Nora quickly began to move, pointing with her noise at the stable's door.

"What, girl? Are they already back?" Paying attention, you could hear the horses, some voices... "Thank you, Nora! Will come back after I see the doctor!" You exclaimed, leaving the stable— you were happy they were back already. There was already sunset, why did they had to take so long?

Whatever! You will find Tim, Trisha, Elizabeth and Simon, but first you will apologize to Petra.

But the state they were in made your heart ache. Your chest tightened— why did they look so grim? Why many of them were injured? What happened? You were sure in the last expeditions there wasn’t anything this bad— yes, you don’t came back joyful but like this…?

Instantly, you approached them, they could see your worried face, and by the looks of them, they didn’t want to tell you something. Where was James? Where was your squad?

“H-Hey! Where is my squad? Tim, Trisha, Elizabeth. Simoon...?" You tried to ask a soldier who just passed you, ashamed, You grunted, going with one of the recent cadets— Kirchstein. "You!"

The boy instantly turned at your direction, sweating when he spotted you. "Squad Leader [Name]..." he could only mutter. Was he going to be the poor bastard who had to tell you the bad news? Fuck.

"Do you know where is my squad? I don't see them." You said, looking at all the soldiers to spot your friends, but no luck.

"It wich flank where they?" Please don't say right flank, don't, don't...

"In the right flank, with James. I don't see him either..."

The blond you didn't spot at first, Armin, who was beside Jean, tensed along with him. They stayed quiet for some seconds, before Jean had the courage to tell you the situation.

"The right flank was completely wiped out, Squad Leader." He gulped, fearing what your reaction could be, "there were no survivors in the right flank."

You felt as something broke. Like a glass shattering on the floor in a million pieces— something you couldn't describe in one word. Something hollow, dark, cold.

The cadets really didn't know what to do, so them both just apologized. Before they could leave, you asked one more thing. "Where's is Levi's squad?"

This time, Armin answered you without looking at you in the eyes. "They are... dead too, Leader..."

"Just... Just how?! A flank wiped out?! Levi's squad?! What happened!?"

"Squad Leader— We—!"

"[Name]." You heard someone call for you— a deep voice. Turning around, you spotted Erwin who was standing there, looking at you with an expression you couldn't decipher. "Come with me." He softly ordered, trying to not get you all hot headed, but sadly, that didn't work at all.

You were furious. You should have been there with them! "They are dead, Erwin!" you cried out, scaring the two cadets who were there by your sudden loud voice. "They are gone forever! I should have been there! I should have, but I didn't, I didn't, I didn't!" you repeatedly said, approaching Erwin and punching him on the chest with your fists wich he only could took.

"[Name], please—"

"No! Shut up! If I was there, I could have protected them! Damn you, Erwin! Why, why, why!" You desperately said, tears coming down. "They are gone... Elizabeth, Tim, Simon, Trisha... We promised..."

"We will go together."

Erwin knew even if you would have been there with them, nothing could have been different. Your current situation wouldn't have let you work things out. He had to said the hard truth, even if it hurt you. "Stop acting like a child, [Name]. Nothing would have been different."

"Stop! And? I should have been with them... I should have..." You muttered the last part, not finishing what he already knew you were going to say.

He sighed and took your wrist, "come with me and stop shouting. Just, calm down until we are at my office, alright?" He gently ordered, looking at you with that soft expression he often showed you. You just eventually gave in, crying and taken by the hand like a child.

--------------

When the door was shut, you instantly cried harder, grabbing Erwin by his jacket and hiding your face on his chest. He wrapped his arms around you, caressing your hair. Softly muttering things on your ear, he tried his best to comfort you, but you were broken beyond repair. "I— I can't see them again!" you sobbed, "I couldn't a—apologize t-to Petra! I'm — I'm so sorry!"

He could feel his heart hurt hearing you so broken. Why were you apologizing? "[Name], don't say that. Nobody knew what would have happened, is not your fault. Nothing is your fault."

Crying louder, you just sobbed, saying things Erwin couldn't understand by your sobs. So he just hold you, trying to fix the pieces of the broken glass. You two stayed like that for what seemed hours, until you calmed down and rested your head on Erwin's chest.

"Are you better?" He gently asked, kissing your head with caring. The answer he got was a grunt and loud sniffing, before you broke the hold —that he didn't want to broke at all— and wiped your face with your hands.

"How— How is Levi taking it?" You asked, looking at the floor. You wondered how he was feeling now; maybe just like you.

"He's holding it. Petra's father... talked to him when we returned." He closed his eyes, "Levi is furious, but he knows the feeling too well, [Name]. But that doesn't make it easier..." "But... an entire flank was wiped out. How is that possible?"

Erwin sighed, going to his desk and sitting down. He began to explain what happened to you— the abnormal, or intelligent titan they encounter, how they tried to capture it and failed... You wanted to kill whoever that person inside the titan was— the person who killed your comrades.

"I'm going to see Levi." You stated, but before you could leave, Erwin took your wrist, making you stop.

"[Name], I don't think this would be a good time."

"I have to see him, Erwin. I have to. We have to talk right now." You had to— you could feel something covering your throath slowly. The bad news only made your insides worse— it was harder to breathe.

"But [Name]—"

You interrupting him by freeing your wrist, and said, "We will just talk. Just talk..." and then, you left, leaving him alone in his office.

______________

"Come in."

You slowly opened the door, seeing his miserable state he tried to cover. When he saw you, his expression changed to a grimmest one.

"Funny how now you come to me, [Name]." He bitterly said. Was he trying to joke around?

Nevertheless, you tried to hold yourself together. "I'm sorry for what happened..." You didn't want to say it out loud— you didn't even want to think of it.

He just hummed, closing his eyes. "Me too." Was the only thing he said, before everything fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"About what is happening to me—"

"I seriously don't want to hear you right now, [Name]."

Your heart sinked at the sudden statement — yes, you knew he was hurt, bu so were you! You had to tell him the truth, he had to hear it. "No— but, hear me out, Levi, because I love you I—"

"Stop talking." He interrupted you, standing up, looking at you in bitter. "Get this straight: I will never love you, [Name]. And you know why is that?"

Ouch. That hurt. A lot. That hurt, it hurt, it hurtithurtithurtithurt—

"Because the one I always loved is dead."

Right. He never loved you. What was there to talk about? Why were you trying? You knew this was over the first time you threw up that petal.

You were wrong. Nobody could have helped you wake up from this stupid love trance. So foolish. This was it— you couldn't breathe. Something was not letting you breathe— you had to get out. out out out out out.

You just let the tears flow and flew— straight at your office. You tried to grasp for air, but you couldn't. Your lungs were full with something. You needed help. You were on the floor, trying to rip off your shirt.

Help me. Help me help help helpgelpplessepleaseplaeplasleslap

"[Name], I saw you—" You heard Erwin? coming in, and when he saw the state you were in, he shout and order to a soldier who was walking near, and in a matter of seconds he went to your side. "What is happening, [Name]?!"

You tried to mutter something, "I—I can't breathe..." you felt as if your jacket was suffocating you, "j-jacket..."

He understand you immediately, taking off your jacket, making you slightly better. You could breathe just a little, but you were feeling something growing inside. Slowly taking your lungs, reclaming them...

"You are going to be alright, [Name]. Don't fall asleep, alright? Hange will come and help you." What was there to help? It was too late. Too late.

You painfully smiled at him, tears dripping from your face. You raised your hand and touched his cheek, making him frown and grit his teeth, "thank you... for staying... with me."

He took your hand with his, "don't. Don't say that, [Name]. You will live, don't say anything else."

You just smiled, looking at the ceiling. You could feel how he carried you and laid you on something soft— the couch in your office?

When Erwin turn his head to place you somewhere comfortable, he spotted the flowers laying on the floor. He saw the flower with roots. He didn't want to say it out loud, but he feared of what would happend.

Quickly after that, he heard frantically steps approaching you, instantly opening the door and revealing Hange with her assistant, Moblit. Both of them had worried expressions, and they looked frightened too.

Hange approached you, examinating the problem. Erwin stayed near you, always watching over you. Hange tried everything she could with the help of Moblit, but nothing was working.

"I have nothing else! Nothing is working, Erwin!" She desperately said, looking terrified. "Nothing!" Moblit tried to solve the tension, but he was worried too about what was currently happening. You look at the woman and smiled at her. You take her hand and squished it with the strenght you had left.

"Don't worry, Hange..." You saw her tears flow, looking desperate, you look at Moblit who was at the verge of tears, "don't you worry either, Moblit." He just averted your gaze. You let go of her hand, and looked at the ceiling again, mumbling to yourself, "who is the unluckiest of them all...?" you let out a painful laugh, "it's [Name]..."

A tensed silence overcome after that. You were barely breathing, but you were still alive. But you will be gone soon.

Someone opened the door while talking, "Oi, [Name], I'm sorry I–" but quickly stopped himself when he saw the situation in front of him. "What the fuck is happening?"

Nobody answered. Everyone stayed in silence, not daring to say a word.

"I asked something! Answer!" He desperately shouted, looking at your weak form on the couch. You were so pale, your eyes were glossy... he wanted answers! "Someone answer me!"

"[Name] is dying." Erwin stated, looking coldly at him.

"Why?! He was fine just minutes ago! What happened?!"

Moblit left the room, and Hange was sitting down on a chair near the couch, covering her face with her hand. Erwin was at your side.

"Because he has an illness no one knew about but us."

"Nobody told me shit!? What the fuck?!" He quickly approached your form, trying to talk to you, but Erwin hold him. "Erwin, tell me what is happening is happening to him!"

The blond just glared, "He is like this because he loves you."

The ravenette just dumbfounding looked at the taller man, "Oi, eyebrows, stop joking around and tell me the fucking truth!" he took Erwin by the collar, but before anything could happend you talked.

"He... is telling the truth, Levi." Your voice was getting lower by the minute.

"What kind of bullshit is that?"

"I was trying to tell you... earlier," when you said that, he averted your gaze, ashamed. "I have something that makes me throw up flowers... Hanahaki curse."

"That's not possible, how can I believe that...?" This time Hange interfered, with her red eyes looking at Levi. "It's the truth. Because he loves you, and you don't love him back, something just... bloomed inside his lungs. We didn't believe it at first but now... we do."

Levi stared at you with widening eyes. He couldn't believe the situation; but his friends wouldn't lie like that, right? No, they wouldn't. He just looked at you, and said,

"I'm sorry..." He frowned, holding the tears. Was he going to lose you too? Because he hurt you? He hated himself. He regretted what he said.

You just sweetly smiled at took his hand, "no... need. Not your fault, hmn?" you let out a chuckle, "nobody's fault..."

He kneeled at your side, caressing your cheek. He was unable to cry— even if he hardly wanted to. He muttered his apologies over and over, until you didn't smile anymore.

Finally... You could see them again. Tim, Trisha, Elizabeth, Simon, Petra, Ed, Oulo, Gunther... your comrades smiling at you. Welcoming you. Everything was blurry.

"See you..." you said, before giving your last breath.

Nobody said anything.

Levi was still holding your hand, muttering his apologies.

Hange was crying, trying to hold back her sobs.

Everyone was busy with their feelings, that they didn't notice Erwin coughing, covering his mouth.

Erwin wasn't surprised when he spotted a white petal on his palm.

e n d.

epilogue

#shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #aot #snk #male reader #reader insert #levi x male! reader #erwin x male! reader #male!reader #vomiting #death #hanahaki disease #angst #unrequited love

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ljones41 · 5 years

Text

"MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" (2019) Review

"MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" (2019) Review Last year, Sony Pictures had announced its intentions to add a fourth entry to the MEN IN BLACK" movie franchise. I have to be honest. I did not receive the news with any real enthusiasm. And my feelings had failed to change when I learned the identities of the movie's two main stars.

"MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" only shared a few similarities to the franchise's past three films. One of the co-stars proved to be Emma Thompson, who had returned for her second appearance in the franchise as Q, the MIB agency's director. The agency's Manhattan office also appeared in the film. And the MIB agents were up against another deadly alien trying to conquer Earth. Otherwise, there were major differences in this fourth film. Instead of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" starred Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who had been co-stars in the 2017 Marvel film, "THOR: RAGNAROK". Most of the "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" locations were set outside of the U.S. in London, Marrakesh, Naples and Paris. The last difference featured the circumstances surrounding the recruitment of Tessa Thompson's character into the agency. Unlike Will Smith's Agent J, Thompson's character had become aware of the Men in Black agency years before she joined it. The biggest difference between this film and the previous three movies involved a potential threat within the internal affairs of the Men in Black. In 1996 Brooklyn, a young girl named Molly Wright witnesses her parents being neuralysed by Men in Black agents, while she helps an alien escape. Twenty years later, Agents H and High T of the MiB London office travel to Paris to stop an invasion of the Hive – a parasitic race who invade planets by merging with the DNA of the conquered species – at the Eiffel Tower using a wormhole included in the original migration to Earth. After being rejected from the F.B.I. and the C.I.A., due to her "delusions" regarding alien life, Molly tracks down an alien landing and follows MiB agents to their New York City headquarters. Caught entering the agency, Molly makes an impression on the agency's director, Agent O and becomes probationary agent status as "Agent M". She is eventually assigned to the London branch. Agent M's new supervisor is High T, who has become head of the London office. The latter assigns her to become Agent H's new partner, who has developed a God complex, unconcerned with his duties and only keeping his job due to High T covering for him. Both M and H are assigned to guard a royal alien named Vungus the Ugly, during the latter's visit to Earth. A pair of alien twins manage to fatally injure Vungus. The latter gives M a strange crystal before he dies. And the agents of the London office realizes that a MiB agent may have betrayed Vungus to the alien assassins. Due to his lackadaisical behavior, H has become the main suspect. However, this does not last long and M eventually becomes tagged as the agency's traitor. M and H take matters into their hands and decide to conduct their own investigation - an act that leads them to become fugitives from the Men in Black agency. Following the release of "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL", many critics and fans of the franchise had rained criticism and scorn upon it. Needless to say, the movie proved to be a box office failure, despite making a small profit. It is considered to be the worst film in the franchise. While many blamed the movie's narrative; the majority of the film's negative press seemed to stem from the fact that the movie had not been directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who was responsible for the franchise's first three films. And there were a handful of disgruntled fans who seemed to resent the presence of Tessa Thompson as one of the film's leads, due to her gender. How do I feel about all of this? I do have a few problems with "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL". One, this movie is not funny. What I meant is . . . it lacked the twisted and sardonic humor of Barry Sonnenfeld. If I have to be more specific, the film's humor barely generated any real laughs from me. I merely found myself feeling amused by some of the more comic moments. My second problem with "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" was Agent H's fate near the end of the movie. I did not like it. Considering his age and recent mental condition, I thought he was unnecessarily rewarded for his actions in stopping the main villain. My final problem with the film is basically minor. "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" featured the character of Agent O from the 2012 film, "MEN IN BLACK 3". To me, this was an indication that "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" was a continuation of the previous three films. If so, I thought screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway could have hinted on the fates of Agents J and K from the first three movies. What happened to them? Despite my complaints about the film, I did not dislike "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL". In fact, I enjoyed it very much. And this was due to certain aspects of the film. One, I found some of the movie's special effects rather impressive, thanks to the visual effects team, Stuart Dryburgh's cinematography and Thomas Brown's art direction team. I was especially impressed by those scenes featuring Vungus' death in London, H, M and Pawny's escape from Marrakesh and especially their final showdown against the Big Bad at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Another aspect of "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL" that I enjoyed was its cast. Personally, I thought it was first-rate. The movie benefitted from a solid supporting cast that included Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois (aka Les Twins), who did an excellent job of conveying the silent, yet physical menace of the shape-shifting aliens known as "the Twins"; Tim Blaney, who returned to voice Frank the Pug; Kayvan Novak, who voiced the royal alien Vungus the Ugly; and Spencer Wilding. I found Rafe Spall's portrayal of Agent C of the UK branch rather sardonic, yet entertaining. Emma Thompson was excellent as usual as the Men in Black director, Agent O. Rebecca Ferguson gave an eccentric, yet funny performance as an alien intergalactic arms dealer and H's ex-girlfriend Riza Stavros. Liam Neeson's portrayal of High T, the head of the MIB UK branch, struck as equally off-beat and funny. And I felt that Kumail Nanjiani gave the best voice performance of all as Pawny, the small alien warrior that Agents M and H befriend. And of course, we have the movie's two leads - Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Many crtics had been impressed by their screen dynamic in the Marvel film, "THOR: RAGNAROK". This led the producers of this film to cast them together as Agents H and M. And they did not fail. Thompson did a wonderful job as the uber observant and clever Molly Wright, who becomes the agency's newest recruit, Agent M. Hemsworth did an equally fantastic job in portraying Agent H, one of the agency's best agents who seemed to be suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following his and Agent High T's defeat of the Hive, three years earlier. Not only did the two leads gave great performances, they also proved that their on-screen dynamic had not dimmed one bit. If I must be brutally honest, I was more impressed by their screen chemistry in this film than I was in "THOR: RAGNAROK". I realize that many people may not agree with me on this next topic. But if there is one thing that truly impressed me about "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL", it was the screenplay written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. I found it very original for a movie from the MEN IN BLACK movie franchise. The previous three movies usually introduced the Big Bad either in the opening scene or not long after the opening. I cannot say the same for this film. Both Marcum and Holloway had not only created a mystery surrounding the Big Bad, they also included a possible traitor or mole within the Men in Black agency that might be assisting the main villain. Now this might be normal in a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie or some other spy thriller. But in a MEN IN BLACK film? For the first time, this franchise had created a combination of a science-fiction movie and an espionage flick. It is a pity that many critics and film goers could not appreciate this. Perhaps it would have been easier if the film had followed the franchise's usual formula. In the end, I realized that I would not waste my time lamenting on the box office failure of "MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL". It was not the first box office bomb that I ended up enjoying. And I doubt that it will be the last. Although I found the film's humor rather lukewarm - worthy more of a small chuckle instead of a belly laugh - I cannot deny that I truly enjoyed the film's narrative, along with the exciting action sequences and the talented cast led by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, thanks to director F. Gary Gray. Many others may have been disappointed by this film. But I was not.

#men in black #men in black franchise #men in black international #f. gary gray #chris hemsworth #tessa thompson #liam neeson #rafe spall #emma thompson #rebecca ferguson #kumail nanjiani #laurent and larry bourgeois #les twins

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bleedgotham · 5 years

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under the red hood.

shortly after the events of “war games” and just before “war crimes”, jason todd reappears in gotham city as the red hood. he hijacks a shipment of kryptonite from black mask, and in the midst of a battle with batman, nightwing and mr. freeze, red hood gives them the kryptonite back, and tells them he has gotten what he truly wanted: a “lay of the land”. shortly afterward, red hood finds the joker (driven out of gotham by hush) and beats him with a crowbar just as joker had beaten jason. despite the violence of the beating, jason spares joker, intending to use him later against batman.

red hood assumes control over several gangs in gotham city and starts a one-man war against black mask's criminal empire. overall, he strives to take over gotham's gangs, control their activities, and to kill joker in revenge for his own death. in his new role as gotham's most powerful crime lord, he repeatedly comes to blows with batman and several of his allies. a robin mask is found in the batmobile, which never belonged to dick or tim, but is of the style that todd wore as robin, suggesting that he'd been stalking batman. after their encounter in the cemetery, batman becomes obsessed with the possibility of resurrection from the dead, secretly aware that it was really jason he fought, and seeks advice from allies such as superman and green arrow, both of whom have died and returned to life.

around this time, batman discovers that the empty coffin buried at jason's gravesite is a replica of what he bought. nevertheless, batman keeps jason's robin costume in its memorial display case in the batcave. when alfred pennyworth asks if he wants the costume removed, batman replies that the return of todd doesn't change anything at all.

acting on his obsession with tim drake, todd breaks into titans tower to confront the third robin, thus revealing the truth of their encounter at the cemetery to his successor. having learned that tim occasionally defeat the joker by himself, jason seeks to best him in combat. wearing his own redesigned robin costume, todd quickly immobilizes the other teen titans and strikes drake down in the tower's hall of fallen titans. furious that no memorial statue was made for him (despite his short tenure as a titan), he demands that drake tell him if he is really as good as todd has been told. drake says “yes” and passes out. as he leaves, he tears the 'r' emblem from drake's chest, though he later admits that drake has talent. todd is also left wondering if perhaps he would have been a better robin and better person had he have had a life like drake's and friends like the titans.

todd eventually kidnaps and holds joker hostage, luring batman to crime alley, the site of their first meeting. despite their now-antagonistic relationship, batman desperately wants to help todd, and intends to atone for his own failures. todd asks batman why he has not avenged his death by killing joker, a psychopath who has murdered countless people and crippled one of their best friends, arguing that batman should have done it “because he took me away from you”. batman admits that he has often fantasized about taking the joker somewhere private to torture for weeks before finally killing the maniac, but says that he refuses to go to that place. todd then offers batman an ultimatum: he will kill joker unless batman kills todd first. holding joker at gunpoint, he throws a pistol to batman and begins to count to three while standing behind joker, leaving batman with only a headshot if he wants to stop todd pulling the trigger. at the last moment, batman throws a batarang at todd, which bounces off a pipe and sinks into his neck causing him to drop his gun. joker takes advantage of the situation, detonating nearby explosives that engulf the platform and send them plunging into the bay.

dctv titans.

introduced as batman's current sidekick following dick grayson's departure, he is given the character's post-crisis on infinite earths backstory as a troubled young man who became the new robin after attempting to steal the batmobile's tires. when members of dick's former circus troupe are murdered by nick zucco, who blames dick for his father's death, jason and dick team up to apprehend nick. tensions later surface between the two robins when jason brutalizes a group of police officers, citing a hatred for the police due to frequent beatings they gave him. after returning to gotham. he is sought out by hank hall and dawn granger when rachel roth telepathically informs dawn that she needs jason's help.

#* arcs .

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anemoiarp · 5 years

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Hey guys! So here on Anemoia, we will be allowing character histories and personalities from the three primary canon comic timelines (new earth, prime earth, and rebirth), with any amount of in-mixing from those or any other DC adaptations. For example, if you wanted to play Bruce Wayne from New Earth but preferred the way rebirth handled a specific event or facet of his personality, you’d be more than free to add that to your characterization! The same concept goes for DCAU/DCEU/etc timelines, or other adaptations. Anemoia is meant to be a mixing of canons, so we definitely encourage making characters your own!

Because we won’t solely be following any one single canon timeline from the comics for the site’s history, we’ve written our own timeline specific to the Anemoia universe. These are the only solid, unalterable events in our universe, so they’re pretty important! As such, our TIMELINE will be the first site preview and can be found under the cut! Enjoy, and feel free to send a message if you have any questions about specific events!

** Lastly, this timeline will largely remain the same but it IS subject to minor changes by staff before the site is actually open.

334BC Vandal Savage, under the name Alexander the Great, begins a series of campaigns that lead to him conquering the Persian Empire.

45BC Under the name Julius Caesar, Vandal Savage wins the Great Roman Civil War assuming total control of the government.

1200S Vandal Savage begins a successful campaign across Asia and Eastern Europe, creating the Mongol Empire under the name Ghenghis Khan.

1400S Ruling Wallachia three separate times, Vandal Savage, under the name of Vlad III Dracul becomes a national hero and considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history. He ultimately goes on to inspire stories of Dracula

1888 Vandal Savage murders at least 5 women in London, England becoming known as Jack the Ripper. This is the last public persona Vandal Savage takes, deciding to work from the shadows from then on out.

1918 Diana Prince arrives in the world of men.

1961 Justice Society is formed.

1979 Jonathan and Martha Kent find and adopt a young Clark Kent.

1995 John Constantine (19) attempts to save a young girl from a demon, ultimately failing and Astra Louge is dragged to hell by the demon Nergal.

1997 Bruce Wayne (23) becomes the Batman.

1998 Reverend Richard Jiwe is murdered by his half brother General Maksai in order to claim the Tantu Totem.

1999 Jefferson Pierce (24) returns to Southside, Metropolis. Finding it overridden by crime, he takes on the mantle of Black Lightning.

2000 Alec Holland (25) is transformed into Swamp Thing after the explosion of his lab releases a bio-restorative chemical he had been working on into the Louisiana swamp.

2000 Dick Grayson (8) is taken in by Bruce Wayne after the death of his parents. He becomes the first Robin and works closely with Batman.

2001 Clark Kent (22) begins his superhero career officially -- newspapers and media beging calling him the Superman.

2001 Oliver Queen (20) is stranded on a desert island. When he returns home he becomes the Green Arrow.

2001 Ted Kord (21) becomes the second Blue Beetle, but does not inherit his mentor's ability to use the Scarab.

2003 Dinah Lance (18) becomes the second Black Canary, assuming her mother's mantle.

2003 Hal Jordan becomes the Green Lantern for sector 2814.

2004 Arthur Curry (23) becomes Aquaman.

2004 Donna Troy (13) becomes Wonder Girl.

2004 Roy Harper (14) becomes Speedy.

2004 Barbara Gordon (15) becomes the first Batgirl.

2005 Barry Allen (22) becomes The Flash.

2005 Guy Gardener receives a green lantern ring, becoming a backup lantern for sector 2814.

2006 Attempted invasion by Apokolips prompts the formation of the Justice League by Aquaman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman. They add to their ranks over the years.

2006 Wally West (15) becomes Kid Flash.

2006 Garth becomes (15) Aqualad.

2007 The Teen Titans are formed by Aqualad, Kid Flash, Robin, Speedy and Wonder Girl. Over the next few years, they add to their ranks.

2007 Due to a crippling accident, John Stewart is recruited to the Green Lantern Corps to replace Guy Gardener.

2009 Dick Grayson (17) assumes the new alias, Nightwing.

2010 Jason Todd (11) becomes the second Robin.

2011 Michael Jon Carter (29) travels back in time from the 25th century and using his knowledge of history, stages high publicity heroics.

2012 Barbara Gordon (23) is shot by The Joker. After recovering, and in spite of paralysis, she assumes the new alias, Oracle, and continues to aid others in the field.

2012 There is a lab accident in STAR labs while Silas Stone is investigating Apokoliptan technology. His son, Victor Stone (18) is caught in the blast and subsequently becomes Cyborg.

2013 Jason Todd (14) is killed by The Joker.

2013 Dick Grayson (21) moves to Bludhaven.

2013 Mari McCabe (25) returns to Zambesi, reclaiming the Tantu Totem from her uncle. Mari becomes Vixen.

2014 Tim Drake (13) becomes the third Robin.

2014 Doomsday crashlands on Earth and immediately begins a path of terror and destruction. When the Justice League is deployed to battle him, they fall in a matter of minutes. Eventually, Superman is able to defeat Doomsday, but not without sacrificing himself.

2014 Superman's body is taken from his mausoleum by Kryptonian technology, but not before Lex Luthor is able to obtain a sample of his DNA.

2014 Black Adam with a small team he assembled stages a military take over of the country Kahndaq, freeing it from the reign of a brutal dictator.

2014 Sue Dibny, wife of the Elongated Man (Ralph Dibny), is murdered, her body horribly burned.

2015 In the wake of Sue Dibny's death, Bruce Wayne begins work on project Brother MK I.

2015 Following Superman's death, four men claiming to be Superman emerges in Metropolis. The Eradicator, Cyborg Superman, Superboy and Steel -- all using the name Superman, some even sharing some of his memories.

2015 Mongul invades and subsequently destroys Coast City with a large spaceship, reducing the city and everyone in it to a giant crater.

2015 The real Superman reemerges from the kryptonian matrix which had been healing him, originally he returns with only a fraction of his powers.

2016 Possessed by the entity of fear, Parallax, Hal Jordan nearly destroys the Green Lantern corps, leaving those few survivors to salvage what has been lost.

2016 Kyle Rayner becomes the new Green Lantern after the fall of the corps, wielding one of the last green rings.

2016 Young Justice is formed by Impulse, Robin, Superboy, and Wonder Girl. They add to their ranks over the years.

2016 Anissa Pierce (18) and Jennifer Pierce (16) take up the superhero mantle like their father, calling themselves Thunder and Lightning.

2017 Jason Todd (18) returns to Gotham with the new alias, Red Hood.

2017 Stephanie Brown (17) becomes the fourth Robin for a short time. She eventually trains under Barbara Gordon to become the third Batgirl.

2017 Bludhaven is destroyed in a chemical attack known as "Chemo" and is quarantined.

2017 Having learned from his first defeat by the Justice League, Darkside employs agents to earth to destabilize Earth's power structure, he does this by trying to shake humanity's faith in their heroes. The most prominent of these agents is Glorious Godfrey, or G. Gordon Godfrey as he's known in his television personality.

2017 The United Nations creates Checkmate, a chartered metahuman monitoring force.

2017 Wally West takes up the mantle of The Flash, alongside Barry. Wallace West takes the title of Kid Flash.

2018 The first Observational Metahuman Activity Construct (OMAC) is officially created, with the intention to gather information on metahumans throughout the world -- both hero and villain.

2018 Young Justice renames itself ‘Legacy’ as they become increasingly stable and serious as a team. They earn a government sanction.

2018 Simon Baz (17) becomes a new Green Lantern for sector 2814.

2018 Children across the globe are being tested for the metahuman gene and many of them are going missing, sold into metahuman trafficking.

2018 Bruce Wayne is “killed” by Darkseid. Dick Grayson takes over the title of Batman.

2018 Damian Wayne (17) arrives in Gotham after Talia al Ghul reveals that he is Bruce Wayne's son. He’s mentored by Dick Grayson, and takes up the mantle of Robin. Tim Drake becomes Red Robin.

2019 Jessica Cruz (18) becomes the newest Green Lantern for sector 2814.

2019 Jaime Reyes (18) is found by the Scarab, becoming the third Blue Beetle.

2019 Bruce Wayne is returned to his proper place in time. Damian Wayne (18) creates a new branch of the Teen Titans separate from the Titans, primarily lead and mentored by old members of the original team.

#anemoiarp #site preview

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mightystargazer · 5 years

Text

2018 Readinglist

Drew Hayes Bloody Acquisitions

Drew Hayes The Fangs of Freelance Fred

Drew Hayes Second Hand Curses

Gregg Hurwitz The Rains

Gregg Hurwitz Last Chance

Dean Koontz Oddkins

David Timson Ghost Stories of an Antiquary

Kay Hooper Stealing Shadows

Kay Hooper Hiding In Shadows

Kay Hooper Out of Shadows

Kay Hooper Touching Evil

Kay Hooper Whisper of Evil

Kay Hooper Sense of Evil

Kay Hooper Hunting Fear

Kay Hooper Chill of Fear

Kay Hooper Sleeping with Fear

Kay Hooper Blood Dream

Kay Hooper Blood Sins

Kay Hooper Blood Ties

Kay Hooper Haven

Kay Hooper Hostage

Kay Hooper Haunted

Kay Hooper Fear the Dark

Kay Hooper Wait for Dark

Hunter Shea The Jersey Devil

Matt Haig The Humans

Terry Goodkind Nest

John G. Hartness Cold as Ice

John G. Hartness Into the Mystic

John Conroe God Touched

John Conroe Demon Driven

John Conroe Brutal Asset

John Conroe Black Frost

John Conroe Duel Nature

John Conroe Fallen Stars

John Conroe Executable

John Conroe Forced Ascent

John Conroe College Arcane

John Conroe God Hammer

John Conroe Rogues

John Conroe Snake Eyes

John Conroe Winterfall

Bentley Little The House

Terry Goodkind Nest

Stephen Blackmoore Dead Things

Stephen Blackmoore Broken Souls

Stephen Blackmoore Hungry Ghosts

Peter Cawdron Alien Space Tentacle Porn

A. American Hope

Dean Koonz Richochet Joe

Sarah Lyons Fleming Until the End of the World

Sarah Lyons Fleming So Long Lollipops

Sarah Lyons Fleming And After

Sarah Lyons Fleming All the Stars in the Sky

Robert Bevan Critical Failures V

Perrin Briar Genesis Flowers

Larry Correia The Adventures of Tom Stranger

Larry Correia A Murder of Manatees

J. R. Ward Covet

J. R. Ward Crave

J. R. Ward Envy

J. R. Ward Rapture

J. R. Ward Possession

J. R. Ward Immortal

Milo James Fowler Captain Bartholomew Quasar

James Smythe The Echo

Ian Tregillis The Mechanical

Ian Tregillis The Rising

Ian Tregillis The Liberation

Harvard Lampoon Bored of the Rings

Barry J. Hutchison Return of the Dead Guy

Mark Tufo Demon Fallout

Mark Tufo Defeat's Victory

Morgan Hobbes The Totally True Adventures of Gustav Gustavson

Barry J. Hutchison Dial D for Deadman

Christopher Moore Practical Demonkeeping

Christopher Moore Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Christopher Moore The Stupidest Angel

Richard Johnson Weekend at Vidu's

Brian Keene The Rising

Brian Keene City of the Dead

Daniel Fite The Zombie Chapters

Edward Zajac A Swift Kick in the Asteroids

Donald E. Westlake The Busy Body

Dean Koontz The Whispering Room

Christopher Moore Bloodsucking Fiends

Christopher Moore You Suck

Christopher Moore Bite Me

Sue Perkins Zoopedia

Anthology Zombies, The Recent Dead

Anthology Zombies, More Recent Dead

Brett J. Talley That Which Should Not Be

Christopher Moore A Dirty Job

Christopher Moore Secondhand Souls

Christopher Moore Coyote Blue

Al K. Line Hidden Spark

Al K. Line Dead Spark

Al K. Line Wild Spark

Kim Stanley Robinson Icehenge

Bentley Little The Mailman

Zach Bohannon Empty Bodies

James Peters Black Swan Planet

Peter Meredith The Edge of Hell

Peter Meredith The Edge of Temptation

Gerry Griffiths The Beasts of Stoneclad Mountain

Christopher Moore Fluke Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

C.G. Mosley The Island in the Mist

C.G. Mosley Monsters in the Mist

Russell James Cavern of the Damned

Mike Bockoven FantasticLand

Michael McBride Snowblind

Michael McBride The Killing Grounds

Kevin Hearne Scourged

E.F. Benson's Ghost Stories

Donnie Eichar Dead Mountain

Corey Taylor A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven

Viktor Zarkov Megatooth

Steven Bird Erebus

Robert Bevan 5d6 Caverns and Creatures

Richard Kadrey Suspect Zero

Keith C. Blackmore Mountain Man Prequel

Dave Jeffery Frostbite

Christopher Moore Fool

Christopher Moore The Serpent of Venice

Seth Shostak Confessions of an Alien Hunter

P. K. Hawkins Titanoboa

Matt Serafini Island Red

Christopher Moore Island of the Sequined Love Nun

Ambrose Ibsen Asylum

Ambrose Ibsen Forest

Ambrose Ibsen The Occupant

Lucas Pederson Leviathan Ghost Rig

Kara Cooney The Woman Who Would Be King

Jonathan Maberry Mars One

John J. Rust Reptilian

Greig Beck Beneath the Dark Ice

Greig Beck Dark Rising

Greig Beck This Green Hell

Greig Beck Black Mountain

Greig Beck Gorgon

Greig Beck Hammer of God

Greig Beck Kraken Rising

Michelle McNamara Ill Be Gone in the Dark

Stephen R Donaldson The Kings Justice

Jerry Dubs Imhotep

Christopher Moore Lamb The Gospel

Barry J. Hutchison Planet of the Japes´

Bentley Little The ignored

Marty Essen Time Is Irreverent

Thomas Tryon Harvest Home

Dean Koontz The Bone Farm

Dean Koontz The Crooked Staircase

Christopher Moore Sacre Bleu

Benjamin Wallace Junkers

Alex Laybourne Terror from the Deep

Christopher Golden Ararat

Alice Hoffman The Museum of Extraordinary Things

Jim Butcher Storm Front

Jim Butcher Fool Moon

Jim Butcher Grave Peril

Jim Butcher Summer Knight

Jim Butcher Death Masks

Jim Butcher Blood Rites

Jim Butcher Bombshells

Jim Butcher Proven Guilty

Jim Butcher White Night

Jim Butcher Small Favor

Jim Butcher Backup

Jim Butcher Turn Coat

Jim Butcher Changes

Jim Butcher Ghost Story

Jim Butcher Cold Days

Jim Butcher Shadowed Souls

Jim Butcher Skin Game

Jim Butcher White Night

Jim Butcher Working for Bigfoot

Stephen King The Outsider

The World of Lore Wicked Mortals

Hugh Howey I, Zombie

C. Gockel Archangel Down

C. Gockel Noa's Ark

C. Gockel Heretic

Anthology Aliens Bug Hunt

Shea Ernshaw The Wicked Deep

John F.D. Taff The Bell Witch

Adrienne Lecter Incubation

Adrienne Lecter Outbreak

Adrienne Lecter Escalation

Adrienne Lecter Extinction

Adrienne Lecter Resurgence

Adrienne Lecter Unity

Adrienne Lecter Affliction

Adrienne Lecter Catharsis

Barry J. Hutchison The Time Titan of Tomorrow

The Cabin at the End of the World

Chuck Wendig The Blue Blazes

Larry Correia Saints

Dirk Patton Voodoo Plague

Dirk Patton Crucifixion V Plague

John Connolly Every Dead Thing

John Connolly Dark Hollow

John Connolly The Killing Kind

John Connolly The White Road

John Connolly The Black Angel

John Connolly The Unquiet

John Connolly The Reapers

John Connolly The Lovers

John Connolly The Whisperers

John Connolly The Burning Soul

John Connolly The Wrath of Angels

John Connolly The Wolf In Winter

John Connolly A Song of Shadow

John Connolly A Time Of Torment

John Connolly A Game of Ghosts

Barry J. Hutchison The King of Space Must Die

Dave Itzkoff Robin

Greig Beck The Void

Jim Butcher Furies of Calderon

Jim Butcher Academs Fury

Jim Butcher Cursors Fury

Jim Butcher Captains Fury

Jim Butcher Princeps Fury

Jim Butcher First Lords Fury

Mark Tufo Etna Station

Bentley Little The Resort

Rebecca Roanhorse Trail of Lightning

Michael Rutger The Anomaly

Scott Smith The Ruins

Zach Bohannon Empty Bodies

Zach Bohannon Adaptation

Zach Bohannon Deliverance

Zach Bohannon Open Roads

Zach Bohannon Damnation

Zach Bohannon Revelation

Stevens, Marc First of my Kind, 2nd Edition

Peter Clines The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe

Nathan Hystad The Event

Michael Crichton Next

Graeme Reynolds High Moor

Graeme Reynolds Moonstruck

Jim C. Hines Janitors Of The Post Apocalypse

Thomas Sweterlitsch The Gone World

Michael McBride Subhuman

Jeremy Robinson The Others

Jeremy Bishop The Sentinel

James D. Prescott Extinction Code

Alan Dean Foster Relic

Bobby Adair Dusty's Diary

Adam Cesare The Con Season

Richard Kadrey Hollywood Dead

Margaret Atwood Angel Catbird

Bethany Blake Death by Chocolate Lab

Bethany Blake Dial Meow for Murder

Bethany Blake Pawprints & Predicaments

Jeff Strand The Haunted Forest Tour

Adam Cesare Tribesmen

Adrienne Lecter Exodus

Ted Dekker The Bride Collector

T.W. Piperbrook The Last Survivors

T.W. Piperbrook The Last Escape

T.W. Piperbrook The Last Humanity

T.W. Piperbrook The Last Command

T.W. Piperbrook The Last Refuge

T.W. Piperbrook The Last Conquest

T.W. Piperbrook The Ruins 1

T.W. Piperbrook The Ruins 2

T.W. Piperbrook The Ruins 3

T.W. Piperbrook The Ruins 4

T.W. Piperbrook Outage 1

T.W. Piperbrook Outage 2

T.W. Piperbrook Outage 3

T.W. Piperbrook The Reckoning

Bobby Adair Zero Day

Bobby Adair Infected

Bobby Adair Destroyer

Bobby Adair Dead Fire

Bobby Adair Torrent

Bobby Adair Bleed

Bobby Adair City of Stin

Bobby Adair Grind

Bobby Adair Sanctum

Tony Peak Signal

Steven Brust Good Guys

Stephen King & Bev Vincent Flight or Fright

Myke Cole Control Point

Myke Cole Fortress Frontier

Myke Cole Breach Zone

Graeme Reynolds Blood Moon

Michael Hodges The Invasive

Jeff Strand Dead Clown Barbecue

Echoes of Evil

Dean Koontz The Forbidden Door

James D. Prescott Extinction Countdown

Sam Sykes Humane Killer

Dan Simmons Summer of Night

Dan Simmons Children of the Night

Dan Simmons A Winter Haunting

Myke Cole Gemini Cell

Myke Cole Javelin Rain

Myke Cole Siege Line

Adam Cesare Video Night

Deborah Sheldon Devil Dragon

Peter Meredith Generation Z

Peter Meredith The Queen of the Dead

Peter Meredith The Queen of War

Tim Powers Alternate Routes

Richard Roberts I Did NOT Give That Spider Superhuman Intelligence!

Richard Roberts Please Dont Tell My Parents Im a Supervillain

Richard Roberts Please Don't Tell My Parents I Blew Up the Moon

Richard Roberts Please Don't Tell My Parents I've Got Henchmen

Richard Roberts Please Don't Tell My Parents I Have a Nemesis

Richard Roberts Please Don't Tell My Parents You Believe Her

Michael McDowell BlackWater

Hunter Shea Mail Order Massacres

Jeff Strand Dweller

Adam Cesare Zero Lives Remaining

Ezekiel Boone Zero Day

Ted Kosmatka Prophet of Bones

Steven L. Kent 100 Fathoms Below

Keith C. Blackmore The Missing Boatman

John Connolly Bad Men

Jeremy Robinson Forbidden Island

Chuck Wendig Under the Empyrean Sky

Chuck Wendig Blightborn

Chuck Wendig The Harvest

Shingles Audio Collection

Robert E. Howard The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard

Paul E. Cooley The Black

Paul E. Cooley Arrival

Paul E. Cooley Outbreak

M.R. Forbes Forgotten

M.R. Forbes Forsaken

M.R. Forbes Unforgiven

Jeremy Robinson Kronos

Jeff Strand I Have a Bad Feeling about This

Mark Tufo Whistlers

Mark Tufo Atlantis

Mark Tufo Convergence

Mark Tufo Valhalla

Laurie Forest The Black Witch

Simon R. Green

Simon R. Green Man with the Golden Torc

Simon R. Green Daemons are Forever

Simon R. Green The Spy Who Haunted Me

Simon R. Green From Hell With Love

Simon R. Green For Heaven's Eyes Only

Simon R. Green Live and Let Drood

Simon R. Green Casino Infernale

Simon R. Green Property of a Lady Faire

Simon R. Green From a Drood to a Kill

Simon R. Green Dr. DOA

Simon R. Green Moonbreaker

Simon R. Green Night Fall

Rob Dircks You're Going to Mars!

Stephen King Elevation

Drew Hayes Pears and Perils

Alma Katsu The Hunger

Hunter Shea One Size Eats All

Joseph Fink Alice Isn't Dead

Jonathan Mayberry Glimpse

Jack Ketchum Off Season

Jack Ketchum Offspring

Jack Ketchum The Woman

Chuck Wendig The Blue Blazes

Bobby Akart Yellowstone Hellfire

Bobby Akart Yellowstone Inferno

Laurie Forest wandfasted

Greig Beck Abyss

Barry J. Hutchison Dial D for Deadman

Barry J. Hutchison Dead Inside

Barry J. Hutchison Dead in the Water

#reading #list #readinglist #audiobooks #authors #books #2018

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sweetsmellosuccess · 6 years

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TIFF 2018: Day 3

Films: 4 Best Film of the Day: The Old Man & the Gun (pictured)

Gwen: This is no white-knuckle affair; it’s a red one. As in knuckles chapped and scraped until nearly bleeding. Wind plays a large atmospheric role in William McGregor’s unsettling drama, both as a constant background noise, and as a bleak visual metaphor for the pitiless sparseness of the land. Wales is shown to be both staggeringly beautiful, with its craggy mountains and rolling green hills, but also unwaveringly uninviting: You will not see a more overcast film this year. The story concerns a young woman (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), her kid sister; and her struggling mother (Maxine Peake), as they try to survive on their hardscrabble farm while Gwen’s father is out fighting in an unnamed war. As their farm gets more and more stricken by what seems like a curse — their sheep are slaughtered, their potatoes are fallow, and their horse breaks his leg — it slowly becomes clear that these are not supernatural forces at work, but rather the acts of a supremely callous and hateful capitalist, who’s after their land for his mind operation. The obvious comparison would be to Robert Egger’s deeply unnerving The Witch, but McGregor isn’t playing with devils and demonic curses, here, just the horror perpetrated by callous greed and disregard for humanity. The film’s unrelenting grimness could certainly be a deterrent for some audiences, but it does capture something both about the land, and the attitude of those who can survive it.

Donnybrook: As a longtime admirer of Jamie Bell (and not only because he was the voice of Tintin), I’m happy to see he’s branching out his roles and expanding his reach, as it were, I just wish he’d picked a better project than this grungy, exploitive action drama from Tim Sutton. Bell plays a dude named “Jarhead Earl,” a former Marine, and a dutiful fellow on the economic downswing, looking to make a pile of cash at the big midwestern, bare-knuckle brawl known as the “Brook.” With a wife (Dara Tiller), teetering on the edge of meth addiction, and two young kids, Earl stakes all his hope on the prospect of winning the Brook, and claiming the $100K prize. Meanwhile, many other unsavory characters flit about, including another vet-turned meth dealer, Angus (Frank Grillo), and his seriously deranged sister (Margaret Qualley), whose had to put up with years of her brother’s intense abuse and has had enough; and the local sheriff (James Badge Dale), who’s knee-deep in his own business with Angus, and is dirty as they come. The film is filed with flags, guns, fists, and blood, as well as a jacked sensibility that suggests a faint homage to Lynch, without any of his wit, creativity, or artistic merit. It is not intended as irony, to be sure, or if it is, no one informed the serious-as-death actors, who play this to the last drop of blood. It’s the kind of film where a tied and tortured middleman gets to have sex with a seriously beautiful woman, while still bound to a chair, and immediately after he reaches the highs of ecstasy, she tips him over and shoots him in the head.

The Old Man & the Gun: How would you follow up a film as utterly stunning as A Ghost Story, a powerhouse of a philosophical treatise on love, time, and human artistic legacy? Perhaps by approaching a similar topic from a vastly different direction. Based on a true story, David Lowery’s film follows the exploits of a man named Forest Tucker (Robert Redford), an elderly bank thief who simply cannot stop plying his trade. His approach, gentlemanly and smooth, matches the tone of the film’s opening two acts, as Forest hooks up with his two compadres (Danny Glover and Tom Waits), meets and woos a feisty widow (Sissy Spacek), and matches wits with the detective (Casey Affleck), whom he inadvertently humiliated during an earlier heist. By the film’s third act, however, as he gets closer to being caught, the film begins to take on a more melancholy air, as if sensing his mortality. He made a career out of springing himself from prisons (a series that gets lovingly highlighted near the end), but there is the sense he can’t escape his mortal prison, nor can he change spots and just settle down on a nice horse farm. A shot near the end, as the cops are sweeping in posits him as a kind of Don Quixote figure, sitting forlornly on his horse, looking down and defeated. Reportedly, this is Redford’s acting swansong, and if so, like Forest, he’s certainly going out on his own terms.

Halloween: Unofficially, there have been 700 bazillion sequels and remakes of John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher film classic, most of which have been derivative drivel, but with director David Gordon Green, working with longtime collaborator Danny McBride, you finally have a new vision for the venerable horror series. It’s been four decades – to the day – since Michael Myers terrorized a teenaged girl and murdered her friends. Since then, he has been locked up in an asylum, never uttering a word (the film smartly disavows all previous sequels). To the still-disturbed Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), however, the nightmare has never ended. Since surviving his original attack, she has dedicated her life to preparing for his eventual return, learning fighting/survival skills, fortifying her house, and arming herself to the teeth. This devotion to self-protection she imbued to her daughter (Judy Greer), and attempts to do so with her granddaughter (Andi Matichak), now the same age as Laurie was when she first met the Bogeyman. Things move along in typical Halloween fashion, with Michael escaping, donning the mask, and returning to Haddonfield to kill indiscriminately once again, only this time, he finds Laurie well-prepared and waiting for him. What ensues follows a similar pattern but with a major twist. In the film’s most exhilarating moments, the film gleefully twists and turns the tropes we have come to know so well – one such moment, setting up the film’s fiery climax, left the midnight TIFF audience laughing and cheering wildly – and morphs into, of all things, a feminist slasher flick. Naturally, the ending leaves things just ambiguous enough for another sequel (or six), but as a re-imagining of one of the seminal horror movies of the last 40 years, it’s got a lot of moxie. It might not have the actual scares of the original, but the film’s forward-thinking politics twist the butcher knife in very satisfying ways.

Tomorrow: A mix-and-match sort of day: In-between interviews, I’ll be checking out the militia-group thriller Standoff at Sparrow Creek; the harrowing sounding The Most Beautiful Couple; another Witch-like film in the horror/western The Wind, and, if I can stay awake, the brutal retelling of the Mumbai terrorist attack from 2008 in Hotel Mumbai.

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linuxgamenews · 2 years

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The Way of Wrath now available for Wishlisting

The Way of Wrath a new RPG game set in the early Bronze Age for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. All due to the creativity of developer Animmal. Gearing up for a release on Steam and GOG. Hooded Horse announced it will publish The Way of Wrath. Which is a innovative new RPG taking place during the Bronze Age. Since this is a time where the line between myth and history is hazy. After returning home following a brutal defeat at a war overseas. Now the player must rebuild a derelict fort and unify their people to survive the coming invasion. While players will explore a giant game world and secure resource sites. They will also gather allies and sabotage enemy camps in the 10 days preceding the enemy attack. Then experience a climatic siege finale where you can test all of your efforts and choices. The Way of Wrath also features a full character creation suite with playable origins. While offering a survival system involving hunting for supplies and building resource camps around the map. There is a deep diplomacy system where tribes can be an allie with or wage war against. Every NPC has a name and routine and their relationships and fates change. Doing so with each passing day based on the decisions the player makes. Creating a dynamic storyline where every choice counts. Check out the trailer below.

The Way of Wrath | Announcement Trailer

youtube

“We have put our hearts and souls into this project,” said Dato Kiknavelidze, CEO of developer Animmal. “We're very excited about this partnership as Hooded Horse has a very unique and developer-friendly approach. They are RPG and strategy gamers at heart, and we instantly clicked with their team.” “We’re proud to have The Way of Wrath as our first published RPG,” said Tim Bender, CEO of publisher Hooded Horse. “Its exciting mix of strategy and RPG is a perfect fit for our strategic focus. And we look forward to helping Animmal deliver a great game next year.” The Way of Wrath the new RPG game can be Wishlisted on Steam and GOG. Due to arrive on Linux, Mac, and Windows PC in 2022.

#the way of wrath #new rpg #bronze age #linux #gaming news #animmal #ubuntu #mac #windows #pc

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undertheinfluencerd · 3 years

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https://ift.tt/2WVkVMd #

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Some surprising MCU characters are coming together for a fighting tournament in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The second movie in Phase 4 of the MCU has expanded the worldbuilding of the franchise with Wenwu’s leadership of the Ten Rings throughout the centuries, the paradisiacal realm of Ta-Lo, and the underground perils of Macau’s fighting tournament. Taking place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the plot of Shang-Chi and its two post-credits scenes also give more feature some unexpected Marvel characters.

While most of the competitors in the tournament have signed up to survive rows of deadly fighters a la Mortal Kombat, Bloodsport, and Enter the Dragon, Shang-Chi only wants to find his sister Xialing. But since the titular hero becomes an internet sensation after fighting Razor Fist and his henchmen on a moving bus, Shang-Chi quickly becomes part of the main event. Before facing off against his sister and being ambushed by Wenwu and Death Dealer, Shang-Chi is able to witness other unlucky fighters putting their lives on the line.

Related: Every MCU Easter Egg In Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

Shang-Chi’s participation offers an exciting spectacle made even more thrilling by guest appearances from various unexpected MCU characters. The movie shows very little of the brutal, no-holds-barred event, but it does establish just how skilled Shang-Chi must be to be considered for the main battle, given how other participants are allowed to use their superpowers. Besides the sumo wrestler and the poor soul he crushes against the window while Shang-Chi enters the ring, here’s every character present in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings tournament.

In Marvel Comics, Shang-Chi spent his childhood and early adulthood improving his body and mastering multiple forms of Chinese martial arts at the behest of his father, Fu Manchu. Because of his isolation from society, all of Shang-Chi’s time was devoted to his training, thus allowing him to become Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu. With hand-to-hand combat skills that put him on par with Captain America himself, Shang-Chi is without question one of the most formidable fighters in the Marvel Universe, as proven by his victories over super-powered heroes like Wolverine and Spider-Man.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings incorporates the titular character’s comic book origin and martial arts prowess, albeit without the racist stereotype of Fu Manchu, fortunately. Instead, it’s Iron Man’s comic book archnemesis – Wenwu a.k.a. the Mandarin – who transforms him into a human weapon. The grueling training Shang-Chi is forced to go through during his childhood pays off when his defeat of Razor Fist earns him a spot in the tournament, raising the expectations of every fighter and spectator present. However, Shang-Chi’s skills aren’t enough to earn him a victory against his sister Xialing.

The biggest surprise appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Abomination. Played by Tim Roth in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, Emil Blonsky had been missing from the MCU ever since he was beaten into unconsciousness by the Green Goliath. For years, his whereabouts had been unknown. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the character, with many thinking that Marvel had abandoned one of the Hulk’s greatest enemies. The second Shang-Chi trailer then delivered a welcome surprise by teasing a cage fight between Abomination and Doctor Strange‘s Wong — a battle that, although still brief in the movie, teased an exciting future for both characters.

Related: Shang-Chi Confirms The MCU Timeline Is Completely Broken Post-Endgame

As promotional material for the movie had suggested, Abomination does have the upper hand over the sorcerer due to his sheer strength. But once Wong gets fed up, he shifts toward a more aggressive stance and uses a well-timed portal to hit Abomination with his own fist, knocking him out. The aftermath of the fight suggests that Wong and Abomination have developed a friendly bond after many similar battles, and the fact that Wong reprimands Abomination for getting too carried away suggests they arranged the results of the fight. The last fans see of this unlikely couple is Wong opening a portal to Blonsky’s maximum-security cell, which means that Abomination is only taking a break from his imprisonment during the events of the movie. It’s possible that he will be officially pardoned in She-Hulk, where Tim Roth is confirmed to return in a bigger role.

Abomination isn’t the only major MCU character who made a surprising cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. When Shang-Chi was filming, a photo that showed Benedict Wong (Wong) together with Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) was shared online. Indeed, Wong completely humiliated Abomination in the tournament, though he didn’t achieve it without receiving a couple of bruises himself. Wong seems to be helping Abomination receive a breath of fresh air once in a while, and as for why Wong is participating in an underground championship, it could be that he’s gathering money to maintain the Sanctum Sanctorum or to travel to wherever he’s going in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer.

Shang-Chi ends up signing up for the tournament while looking for his estranged sister Xialing, who happens to be the one in charge. Not only does she own the tournament but she also masters the art of one-on-one combat, which helps her defeat Shang-Chi without breaking a sweat. As Xialing later reveals, she built the tournament from the ground up out of spite, given that Wenwu doesn’t allow women to hold positions of power in the Ten Rings. Since the post-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings reveals that Xialing has taken over Wenwu as the leader of the Ten Rings, the future of Macau’s fighting tournament is unknown. Perhaps someone like Sharon Carter a.k.a. the Power Broker will take advantage of it to expand her empire, or perhaps Valentina Allegra de Fontaine or whoever she works for will keep it running so she can find more recruits for her new team of anti-heroes.

One of the first fighters Shang-Chi and Katy see when they’re introduced to Xialing’s underground fighting tournament is a Black Widow. Although it was always known that many girls had gone through the Red Room, the only Black Widow to have appeared onscreen until the end of the Infinity Saga had been Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. Taking place between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Black Widow featured Natasha breaking other Widows free from General Dreykov’s command. Without anyone to answer to, these highly skilled spies are bound to appear in the MCU more often. Life could be tough for them, as they don’t have a fairly regular civilian life like Melina Vostokoff, Yelena Belova, and Natasha Romanoff, so it’s reasonable to see one Black Widow competing in the fighting tournament, presumably to sustain herself.

Related: Why Shang-Chi’s Avengers Cameo Looks Different From Endgame

The Black Widow’s opponent in the low-rank fighting pits is a man with camo pants and a glowing body. The burning red glow that seeps through his bones is the exact same seen in the Extremis test subjects from Iron Man 3, where Aldrich Killian — who stole the “Mandarin” moniker from Wenwu and hired Trevor Slattery to imitate him — used Maya Hansen’s technology to enhance his healing factor and become extremely powerful. The Extremis soldier in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings doesn’t showcase the fire-breathing abilities usually seen in these characters, and he seems to be losing the fight against the Black Widow. Given that the Extremis-powered people seen in Iron Man 3 had the tendency to blow up in a cloud of fire, it’s likely that the virus has been stabilized, perhaps with the side effect of removing the fire-breathing skill. Nevertheless, the fact that Extremis still exists after the death of Aldrich Killian suggests that AIM may still be out there somewhere.

Next: How Marvel Retconned Its Iron Man 3 Mandarin Controversy

#marvel #avengers #marvelcomics #spiderman #mcu #ironman #comics #captainamerica #thor #avengersendgame #marvelstudios #xmen #dc #marveluniverse #art #cosplay #tomholland #hulk #disney #comicbooks #dccomics #peterparker #tonystark #blackwidow #marvellegends #endgame #deadpool #marvelcinematicuniverse #loki #bhfyp

The post Shang-Chi: Every Character In The Ten Rings Tournament appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

#entertainment, screenrant #tumblr #aesthetic #like #love #tumblrgirl #follow #instagram #photography #instagood #likeforlikes #s #likes #art #cute #o #girl #followforfollowback #a #tumblrboy #grunge #fashion #photooftheday #tiktok #l #photo #sad #k #frases #f #bhfyp

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llivsonn · 6 years

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The bats deal with a lot of shit. They’ve been through a lot, they’ve seen a lot, and they have had a lot of cause for anger. So, here’s a quick run down on the tempers of the bats:

Dick’s temper is the scariest.

It doesn’t come around often - at least, not in front of people - but when it does it’s deafening. He’s pretty thick skinned, and things don’t often get to him, but when he’s angry that all goes out the window. Suddenly it all comes out, every little thing that could have hurt him since his last outburst, and the end result is a messy, barely understandable blind rant, usually accompanied by a tear or two. After that, he’ll go off the map for a few days then pop back in to everyone’s lives like nothing happened. No one knows where he goes.

It terrifies all the bats, especially the younger ones, when he breaks like this. Dick is the calm one, the golden one, the steady one. They’re all on edge when he’s disappeared, and readily accept him back with no comment when he returns.

Steph’s temper is the ugliest.

It’s easily provoked, cause she has a habit of focussing the energy of embarrassment or guilt into anger. It’s how she deals. And when she’s angry, she’s horrible. She spits out insults like a machine, abuseing the bat ability to read others, going ruthlessly for their biggest insecurities with the sole intent to hurt them as much as she can. She points out their flaws, their hypocrisy, completely tears them down and destroys them and isn’t afraid to do it in front of a crowd. It’s pretty screwed up, but any guilt she may feel afterwards is instantly turned to anger: at herself, though. Luckily she can use that to go beat up some criminals.

She will take this anger out on the cause only, though. If she’s been having a horrible day, she won’t go home and take it out on Tim, or Cass, or even Bruce when he’s being a jackass. That’s the only saving grace.

Damian’s temper is the most volatile, but the most harmless.

Sure, it was different back when he was 10 years old, raised by assasins and with little regard for others. So when he got angry, he lashed out. He stabbed. He hit. He slashed. But now that’s all off the table - yes, even for Tim. And now...well, he doesn’t know what to do. He’s too young to fully understand how to translate anger into words, and he’s never been taught any other way to deal, but...now he can’t stab, y’know?

So while his anger is as easily agrivated as always, when he’s angry he just...sorta...fumes. Silently. A death glare, a few snide comments. But what else can he do? He can’t even take it out on the field; his fighting is at maximum violence already. Tim finds it hilarious.

Cass’ temper is the most violent.

She was never taught to deal with her stronger feelings as humans are expected to in society, to she treats anger the same way a small child might: with dark looks and physical violence. The difference between Cass and a small child, though, is that that she can do more than a few harmless punches...a LOT more. These outburst happen surprisingly often, seeing as she has the reputation as the zen bat.

This has all been tamed a whole lot since she got in with the bats. Bruce’s and Barbara’s influence especially have taught her to let out her violence on things other than people: a sharp punch to the wall when Steph won’t listen to her, or a few hours training when gcpd interfere where they shouldn’t.

The vicious removal of a bat symbol instead of a brutal attack.

Tim’s temper is the slowest.

Someone can say or do something horrible to him, and he won’t show that it’s affected him. They could apologise as much as they want, but he’ll insist his skin is thick. He’ll go on for days, weeks, months, until everyone else has forgotten about the incident in the first place. Then he’ll have a rough day, a dark day, where depression eats at him and he can’t find the will to even open his eyes and suddenly all of those moments are at the forefront of his mind. For a while he’ll just lie there, defeated, but after a few hours he’ll get angry; not necessarily at the person but at life in general. And then come the waterworks, snot and tears and balled up in his blankets hating himself and hating the world.

Only other bats and the rest of the core four have seen him like this, but they don’t stay for long. Even if they want to help, their presence is so humiliating to Tim that he literally forces them out the door. If anyone tries to bring it up later, they’ll only be met by uncomfortable laughter and the bat-ninja disappearing act.

Barbara’s temper is the coldest.

It’s been this way from a very young age. Any slight towards her will be met with a resolute cold shoulder, a silent treatment exept for crisp, business tones. A constantly judgmental, even disgusted leer on her face when she looks at the offender. It was scary when she was a child, terryfiying when she was Batgirl and absolutely chilling with her now as Oracle.

The degrees of this differ depending on the offence. A simple, colder tone is all that could be used on something innocuous and accidental. When she feels someone has really wronged her, though, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Jason’s temper is the most reckless.

Contrary to popular belief, he’s not the sort to face someone head on when they’ve angered him (unless it involves his siblings, but that’s a whole nother post). Instead, he likes to translate that anger in to his actions. It’s especially noticeable on the field: he’s more violent, he has less regard for his own life and less regard for the lives of the scum he faces. Off the field, too, it’s evident. He speaks meaner, more boldly. He bodes others, pokes at them, looks for a fight so that he has an excuse for violence.

Luckily, his family mostly knows when to spot this and avoid it. It confuses Duke to no end, though, and Damian’s a lose canon. The kid has a habit of falling in to Jason’s trap, and the following fight is sharp, bloody and dangerous.

Duke’s temper is the loudest.

This boy has always wanted his cause to be heard, and when he’s angry he wants *that* to be heard too. He wants the reason for it to be acknowledged by others, and he wants emotional support. Of course, he’s not entirely comfortable around the rest of the bats at this point, so he doesn’t often allow his anger to be seen by them. In the future, though, as he begins to see them as family...boy are they in for a ride. Luckily, his temper isn’t exactly volatile; once every two-three months at the most.

I’m not gonna get in to Bruce’s anger in this. It deserves a post of its own. I know I left a few out, but these lot are the ones I personally consider the core batfamily (minus Alfred), they’re the ones I’m most confident about and they’re the ones I’ll stick to. If anyone wants to add more characters or additional points, feel free to do so!

#batfam #bat family #dick grayson #nightwing #tim drake #red robin #damian wayne #robin #jason todd #red hood #stephanie brown #spoiler #batgirl #barbara gordon #oracle #cassandra cain #black bat #bat kids #batfam headcanons

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