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redjaybathood · 2 years

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No Tim AU, Steph filling his narrative role/roles.

1) so, first of all, I feel like Steph wouldn't approach Bruce Wayne, even if she knew his identity. She wouldn't take it upon herself to make sure a grieving man doesn't kill someone or himself. For that reason, I don't hc that she would have approached Batman to save him from darkness or whatever.

She has an objective: put Cluemaster where he belongs.

So it could go one of these ways: either Batman sees her and decides to help her like he did with Jason. But he's not in the mood for that, right? He would have rather tried to scare her away.

Or she would have tried to strike a deal with him to partner to take down Cluemaster. Also not very likely - why don't go to Huntress then, at least she is not going Batshit?

No, let's assume they met on the job and Steph was the one helping Bruce out. So he can't go all "it's too dangerous for you" - without her he would be toast! Whereas she was fine all along.

I think I would want them to have some degree of animosity. Like. Bruce subconsciously angry at her for saving him. Yes, bc low-key suicidal, but also bc anger is often stemming from fear. And Bruce is getting major flashbacks to Jason.

And Steph is not very happy with him either! He's her childhood hero, right. But he's also a douche towards her. For no reason. And, like. Robin's gone but it's not like it's the first time. She doesn't think he's dead, necessarily. She might have say something about Robin leaving him because he's an asshole.

2) So, like. They are enemies at first. But then Steph does find out about what happened to Robin - let's say Joker auctions Robin's skull (put it earlier in the timeline but not too early). And she investigates what happened to Robin - by the way, that's how she finds out Bruce's identity - and, just. This explains so much. So much.

Meanwhile, Bruce sees more of Steph in action - and her home life. He understands that she needs this, and that she genuinely tries to do good. And while she does put herself in danger, she is in no less danger without a suit. What really can protect her, however, is better training, better armour, and... A partner who has his shit together. So Bruce gets his shit together.

There's a very touching scene where they apologize to each other. Bruce is the one who offers partnership.

(this also makes it easier for me to digest: it's not Robin taking upon himself to fix Batman, it's Batman taking responsibility to fix himself so he can protect a child, which is how it should be; I dunno, maybe it's how it really happened in canon? I don't read much of Tim's Robin run but Lonely place of dying and some others, really put out the opposite vibe)

3) Based on this, Batman doesn't badmouth Jason. Doesn't try to "you're just like Jason, you will end up like him". He's like: I know why you're doing this. And I know you want to do good. But that's what killed Jason. You need to be careful.

4) Does Steph end up pregnant here as well? I dunno. This storyline is a mixed bag for me. I would say, yes? But she gets an abortion instead of carrying to term and giving it up for adoption. Both Crystal and Bruce are her support system. When Crystal says it's not her fault, it's good but she's her mom, right? That's what she's supposed to say. But I want Bruce to say it as well. And maybe beat Dean up.

5) Steph also trains with Huntress, Oracle, Black Canary, and Nightwing. Nightwing reacts negatively at first but comes around when he gets to know her better. I don't have a good grip on Azrael, though, so I don't know what their dynamic would look like, though.

Anyway. Dick is the one who passes Steph Robin suit, maybe on the anniversary of Jason's death. Because he wants Robin to live and give Gotham kids someone to look up to, and she fits the bill to a T. And he's sure Jason would think the same.

6) You can use "Robin's parent finds out that Robin is Robin and blackmails them into quitting" with Cluemaster. But he doesn't necessarily finds out Bruce's identity, just threatens to expose Steph. Maybe he even does it anyway, to Black Mask, during War Games, which didn't start because of the meeting Steph called. Like. There was a meeting. And there was a shoot-out. But she's not involved.

Look, the meeting was Franz Ferdinand assassination. The war would have happened regardless.

If you absolutely need to make Jason a bad guy who doesn't care about the collateral damage, you bring him back early - here. He's the one who organized meeting. And he knew the consequences and made that choice consciously. You can even make him the winner of these Battle Royal by killing Black Mask (saving Steph in the process) and taking over his empire.

But I think it's enough for Black Mask to be the guy behind the curtain. Although I do think that Bruce getting paranoid someone leaked/used his plan would be a thing here. And I would still want to use Jason to kill Black Mask in the end, save Stephanie, and take over the city. He just got back too late to stop this from happening entirely. And he uses it to drive his point: see what happens when you don't kill the killers? They kill kids in schools and kindergartens! He almost kill another one of your Robins, don't you care?

And Steph is like. Very mixed feelings about this. Because it was a mistake on her part to let Black Mask go. She almost got killed. And yes, the gang war was orchestrated by Sionis and so many civilians died! However. Jason basically becomes new Sionis now. His hands are not too bloody yet. But you can't ethically run a criminal empire. You can't ethically run a business empire in the US, more or less. (Well, you can, but most giants are not, in fact, doing this) So this basically cements her further attitude towards the issue of killing. Like: it's a maybe on killing but a hard no on becoming a criminal herself.

7) so, as we need Arthur to sell Steph out to Black Mask, he dies - is killed - later. Maybe right after the War games. And Steph is the one with the best motive. However, Steph herself suspects that it's Batman trying to protect her.

It's Red Hood (at this point he did not reveal his identity yet; he genuinely thinks he did the right thing here, though, and he not as much frames Batman as he... Play acts Batman going over the line to protect his Robin, because that's what he would have wanted to. With this, the gestalt is closed for him - good thing, because Joker here died off screen in the midst of War Games - Jason bagged him in Los Angeles, and that's why he was too late to Gotham. Which he also blames himself. So he kills Cluemaster while wearing Batman suit to get closure and moves on. So for a long time nobody knows his real identity although it's hinted often that he's someone we seen before.

8) Yes, I've said before that you can't run a criminal empire ethically. However, Red Hood does a decent enough job. Think Orpheus but large scale and organized crime. The philosophy behind it is the same.

So here's the question Steph faces: she does opposes what Red Hood does, but can she take responsibility for everything that would happen after she takes him out (throws him in prison)? Because it would end up another war for territory.

But mostly, I want Red Hood to become kinda background character. Like, everything eventually leads to him but he avoids any direct confrontation, and he never goes out to make their lives harder. They even could cooperate on some cases.

It all comes to face with the Court of Owls arc where Steph is going to be directly Targeted. And Red Hood too, although differently. Court wants Steph to become a Talon. Court wants Red Hood dead. D E A D. Because he threatens, blackmails, kills, or run out of town the corrupt officials and politicians, to do his bidding. Some of these people work for Court, some of them are the Court.

The only way out of this is to just. Take the court out. Steph and Red Hood work together on this. Red Hood suggest gathering them in one place and blowing them up. Steph instead challenges him to use the evidence of corruption and other crimes he gathered on all of them to put them in jail. But this would damage Red Hood operations severely and he would be a target number one for police as well, after the Court is arrested. She says she doesn't think he would do it, he's too selfish for that despite his grandstanding. And he says, okay. Let's do it.

Joke on Steph, because when Red Hood turns himself in, while he doesn't do it under his real name, but Bruce and the others recognize him. Only they can't do anything because he's promptly swept into protective custody. There's an attempt on his life at some point, though, so he escapes, but that's later. He becomes an Outlaw.

Anyway. The case of Court of Owls showed citizens that Gotham had serious need for reforms, re-elections, and systematic changes. And they demand it. And they get some of it, it's an uphill battle.

So... If you eliminate homelessness, create enough jobs with a living wage, you eradicate like half of the reasons people do crime. It still going to be there, but it won't be as prominent.

You can get more storylines about corporate greed, about landlords who sabotage free or affordable housing projects, about voting fraud... Something like this, something based in consequences of what happened previously.

9) by the time Damian shows up, Gotham didn't magically fix itself, but it's on the way there. Less gang activity, for one. Still, there's work to do, because some crime are not economical in nature.

Steph gives Damian the mantle when she sees that the kid needs it. Needs someone to tell him: hey. I know you're capable of doing good. I believe in you. Your parents, grandparents, whoever, don't define you, their expectations don't matter. Take this suit if you, yourself, want it. And Damian does.

Bruce dies, right? And Cass becomes Batman, Steph becomes Batgirl, Damian becomes Robin.

10) At some point in the future, when Dick loses his memories, Steph becomes Nightwing so Bludhaven had its protector while he's getting better.

Although, as there's no Court of Owls anymore and no Joker, it goes easier for Dick to recover. But maybe he takes that opportunity to go to Titans, mentor the new generation of heroes, he's good at that. So there's two Nightwings. Look, if DC can have two Robins (ugh) at the same time for like. Ten years. Why not two Nightwings?

That's my thoughts on that. Not exactly what you asked but the bed I could do.

#asks game #that's a bit more than five but #Stephanie Brown

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brn1029 · 9 months

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Time for your Rock Report

Steve Miller recently shared "Mama Church (A Cappella)," one of eight previously unreleased songs featured on J50: The Evolution of The Joker, a new box set honoring The Joker's 50th anniversary while chronicling the artistic journey that led to its creation. "Mama Church (A Cappella)" was recorded on a 4-track in a hotel room on April 21, 1972. J50: The Evolution of The Joker arrives via Sailor/Capitol/UMe on 2xCD, 3xLP + 7", as well as digital download and all DSPs and streaming services on Friday. The vinyl version includes a limited-edition lithograph and an exclusive reproduction of a vintage The Joker iron-on. Pre-orders are available now. Curated by Miller himself, J50 dives deep into the creative process of writing and assembling The Joker and amplifies its enduring magic by chronologically placing the original album tracks alongside 27 previously unreleased recordings from Miller's personal archive, including songwriting tapes made by Miller on his TEAC 4-track in hotel rooms on the road and at live performances, plus studio outtakes and rehearsals. The box set also includes six audio commentary tracks from Miller and exclusive liner notes from both Miller and legendary journalist Anthony DeCurtis. An official J50: The Evolution of The Joker trailer is streaming now at YouTube.

The Jimmy Buffett Estate has released three new songs from the late musician's forthcoming album, Equal Strain on All Parts. "Bubbles Up," "Like My Dog" and "My Gummie Just Kicked In" are available now digitally. The legendary singer-songwriter, known for his song "Margaritaville" along with his laid-back island style, passed away on September 1. He was 76. Buffett, who signed to Sun Records before his death, will have his final album, Equal Strain on All Parts, released later this year on November 3. The title is inspired by Buffett's grandfather's description of a good nap. The record, co-produced by longtime Coral Reefers, Michael Utley and Mac McAnally, features well-known friends, including Paul McCartney, Emmylou Harris, Lennie Gallant, Angelique Kidjo, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. "I was very happy to have played on one of his latest songs called 'My [Gummie] Just Kicked In'. We had a real fun session and he played me some of his new songs. One, in particular, I loved was the song, 'Bubbles Up.' And I told him that not only was the song great but the vocal was probably the best I've heard him sing ever," McCartney shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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bleepblopbloop56 · 5 years

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The Murder in the Dressing Room

Chapter 4: Puzzle Peices

Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, ao3

Warnings; blood, death, language, bit of crying, nothing too bad yet

As ALWAYS with this fic the wonderdul lovley beautiful person @pathos-logical did all the editing and 90% of the work. Go love her

((HI I FORGOT TO POST THIS YESTERDAY SO ITS ONE DAY LATE AND IM S O R R Y ))

One more thing before we get started, butnif yall ever wanna come into my askbox and just yell at me about this im so fuckin down for that! Or DM me and yell? Oh it gives me life.

((Reblogs with comments are very very VERY appreciated by the way))

-----

Officers swarmed the apartment just as they had swarmed the theater only days before. Roman was now being shoved into the spotlight by the press, and worse, being deemed suspect number one by every detective on the case. Well… almost every detective.

"Victim showed obvious signs of a struggle," Remy started, and Logan thought back to the bruise on Roman's stomach, the one his fingertips had grazed over not long ago. He should say something. He didn't. "'Valuable' belongings, if you could call them that, are all in place, and his wallet still has cash, plus one expired credit card. It doesn't look like a robbery," Remy drawled on, circling the body like he belonged with the vultures lining up outside. "And based on… this-" he leaned down and lifted the mask off Remus, exposing his features- "it looks like you were right about our murderer."

Not only was Remus's corpse adorned with a gold theater mask like the one that Thomas had been left with, it seemed a Joker-esque frown had been carved into Remus' mouth

"It doesn't make sense. I mean, an upper class actor from the nice part of town, and an unemployed man from the bad… What's the relation?" Logan voiced his thoughts, trying to push down the sick feeling that arose upon seeing a photo of Remus and Roman as children covered in the splattered blood.

"Logan, you know the the relation…" Remus said quietly, eyes softening even as his voice hardened. "You really think it's a random coincidence that Roman moved to town and then both of his roommates were found dead by Roman?” His tone was harsh, but Logan could hear the underlying message. You’re not stupid, Logan, don't do this. Logan shook his head and stepped out into the hallway.

"Roman was with me all night," he admitted. "He has an alibi."

"Unless he fucking killed this guy and then went out and got you tipsy," Remy argued, but his eyes looked more pleading than accusatory. Logan's stomach twisted, and it took effort not to visibly wince.

"You didn't see him when he found Remus," Logan said flatly. He had heard the scream all the way from the car. When he ran in, Roman had backed himself into a wall, screaming and crying harder than Logan had ever seen anyone cry. Breathing exercises could only go so far when you were five feet away from a dead body…

Logan had been forced to cover Roman's eyes and drag him out of the place to get him to calm down, and even then he'd shaken like a leaf until the ambulance showed up and he'd been treated for shock.

"Logan I think you're too close to the case." Remy gently placed a hand on Logan's shoulder, but Logan jerked it away.

"How do you know Roman is a suspect and not a victim?" he snapped. "What evidence do you have that says he murdered these people? People he loved and was close to? Why would he wear Remus' clothing because it was too emotionally taxing to move his clothes out of Thomas' house? Why would he leave the bodies and evidence out lying around instead of disposing of them? This is a direct attack towards him, not by him, Remy." Logan was distantly aware his ranting was earning him more than a few confused stares by some of the other officers, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Someone is out there killing people, and you're accusing an innocent victim based on one piece of evidence." Logan walked out of the building, leaving Remy alone at the scene before he could point out that that one piece was all they had.

_____

"Alright, first of all!" Remy slammed open the door of Logan's office, where Logan had been poring over case files for the past hour. "You don't just do that, okay? You don't just fuckin leave a scene like that and make me hitch a fuckin UBER back, okay? Do you know how sketchy that sounded?" Remy slammed his coffee down and threw off his satchel. "Hey bitch, come pick me up at this crime scene swarming with investigators, sorry my partner dumped my ass and took the car!" He demonstrated talking to the driver over his phone before dropping his hands and staring at Logan with his patented "are you fucking kidding me" face.

"I apologize, Remington," Logan said tiredly. He set down his pen to give the appearance of giving Remy his full attention, but his mind was a hundred miles away.

"Don't fucking 'Remington' me!" was what Logan got for his efforts. He might have been Logan's inferior, but he sure as hell didn't act like it. "Listen, I get it. You're in love with your ex, who could be a murderer for all we know, and you're super pissed at me for telling you you're being unprofessional for the first time in your life. But that doesn't excuse any of this shit, alright?" Dropping all pretense, Logan dropped his head onto the desk, ready for Remy to shut the fuck up and get out of his office.

"People. Are. Fucking. Dying. Logan," he growled, voice getting louder with each word. "So how bout you get off your ass and get your shit together!"

There was a beat of silence.

"Okay that's it, I'm done, end of rant." Remy dropped into the chair, going from furious to calm so suddenly it felt like he'd flipped a switch

"Are you finished?" Logan deadpanned, rubbing his temple. Remy sucked on his straw, nodding silently and kicking his legs up in Logan's desk. Logan took a deep breath, straightening up and picking up his pen again. "Good. Now can we get to work?"

______

When Logan picked up Patton from daycare, it took everything in his power not to start sobbing. His baby was here, safe in his arms and alive. His profession wasn't one that exactly supported having kids, and it definitely wasn't one that made it easy to drop off his kid to a stranger and say "here, watch this while I'm gone."

Patton, for his part, didn't notice anything was wrong at first and just enjoyed the extra snuggle time with his dad. Instead of laying Patton down in the baby bed like he usually did for nap time at home, Logan had set him down in his own bed next to him, just wanting to hold Patton as close as possible.

"Dada?" Patton didn't know many words, but he knew that one well, and it was Logan's favorite. Despite everything, he smiled on reflex, but his expression turned to one of alarm when Patton's bottom lip started to quiver. Patton pressed his little hands into Logan's cheeks, and with a start, Logan realized he'd been crying.

"No- I'm alright, Patton, Dada's alright, please don't cry," he shushed. He sat up slightly and bouncing Patton on his lap in an attempt to calm him down. When Patton's face began to screw up, he said again, slightly more desperately, "Shhh, look, Dada's fine-" But Patton wasn't stupid. He began to wail loudly, upset not only that he missing nap time but that his dad was crying.

"Is everything okay in here?" Virgil asked, poking his head into the bedroom at the commotion. He was met with the sight of a bawling Patton and a completely overwhelmed Logan looking like he was heading the same way. Virgil wasted no time in walking in and taking Patton from Logan.

"You need a break, man," Virgil said over the crying. His eyes lit up as he was struck by an idea. "Hey, why don't you call your brother? Patton loves that doctor dude."

Logan shoved his head in his hands, trying to keep his breathing even. For a second he wanted to insist he was fine, he could handle this- but then he flinched when Patton's cries got even louder, and he could only sigh and nod.

Doctor Emile Picani had always loved children. He’d always wanted kids of his own, but the one man he loved more than anything had passed away right after their second anniversary. Emile still wore his ring. So when his phone rang and he was met with his brother practically begging him to take Patton for a few days, he was more than happy to oblige. He was at the house the very next day to take Patton away for him.

"Thank you so much for doing this," Logan sighed, handing over the baby to Emile. Patton bounced and smiled at him, happily wrapping his arms around him the best he could. The night before, Logan had sat down Patton and explained he'd be going to have a playdate with Uncle Emile for a few days. He wasn't entirely certain Patton had understood any of it, but he looked happy enough in his uncle's arms.

Logan gave Patton a small kiss on the forehead before Emile left, straightening out his bright yellow sunflower dress in Emile's hands. (Patton had picked it out himself in the store, and who was Logan to say no to him?)

"Bye bye!" Patton waved enthusiastically, smiling at Logan as he got strapped into his carseat.

"I love you, Patton," he smiled back, trying to pull up genuine cheer for him. He knew that sending Patton away for a day or two would be good for Logan, would let him grieve and mourn in private, but god was it hard sending his baby away.

Virgil was waiting for him when he dragged himself away from the car and back into the apartment.

"How ya holdin' up?" he asked gently, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Logan collapsed forward into his shoulder, despite the considerable height difference. It was sloppy and unprofessional, but it was also long overdue.

"Hey, hey, hey- dude, it's okay," Virgil tried, running a hand through Logan's hair. Logan's glasses were stabbing at Virgil's shoulder through his pajama shirt, and Logan had to be uncomfortable too. But Virgil wasn't going to mention that now. He just stayed standing as his friend heaved and sobbed, clutching at his shirt and desperately looking for comfort.

It was in moments like these that Virgil remembered Logan really was still just a kid. He might be a detective and act all mature and have a kid, but he was still just twenty-seven. He didn't really have his life together yet- because who the hell did in their twenties? And he had just lost his best friend, and now was the first time he'd let himself honestly cry.

"Logan, it's okay," Virgil tried again when Logan's sobs had quieted to sniffles. But he only got a soft "Is it?" in return.

----

The murder in the dressing room taglist:

@cataclysm-al @theteenagetrickster @intrurality-fusion @katie-the-noble-fangirl @whizzie72 @grayson-22 @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing @winterwonderland7669 @missieluvsmurder @sign-from-god-complex @dragonindigo245 @angryfanboyscreaming @ninja-wizard101 @sombraookami @crystalistrappedintheinternet @imtooaromanticforthis @why-should-i-tell-youu2 @dragon-hair @satanblessi @spookilyfingergunsoutofexistence @skruffy901 @selectivereality @nonbeenary-enbee @imbasicallyshakespear @cats-vetal-miking-vomit @incoherentfangirl @oofmood

#thomas sanders #sander sides #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #remy sanders #logince #murder mention #death mention #the murder in the dressing room #tmitdr

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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DC FanDome: Schedule, Date, Time, and How to Watch

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Fans hoping for major DC news in lieu of an actual San Diego Comic-Con are definitely going to get just that at DC FanDome, a digital event designed to be watched at home like a real con.

Originally set up as one epic night of panels and reveals, DC announced that it will be splitting FanDome into two separate and distinct events: Hall of Heroes, which will be held in late August, and WatchVerse in mid-September.

The August date still holds most of the big-ticket items. It’s billed by DC as “an epic world designed personally by Jim Lee featuring special programming, panels and exclusive reveals from a wide variety of films, TV series, games, comics and more.” Functionally, it’s the Hall H of FanDome.

This DC FanDome trailer gives fans a good glimpse at what they can expect from the event:

Here’s everything else you need to know about DC FanDome:

DC FanDome Date and Time

The first DC FanDome event, Hall of Heroes, kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 1 pm ET. Sign up to watch here!

DC FanDome Schedule

Here’s a rundown of all the panels happening during DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes. The panel descriptions below are courtesy of DC. All times are ET:

1:00 PM – Wonder Woman 1984 Panel

“Wonder Woman 1984 stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal, and director/co-writer/producer Patty Jenkins join forces with Brazilian hosts Érico Borgo and Aline Diniz to celebrate the fans in a big way. They will answer questions from fans from all over the world, talk fan art and cosplay, and reveal an all-new sneak peek at the upcoming film — plus a few more surprises!”

1:25 PM – WB Games Montreal Announcement

“Gamers! You won’t want to miss this first look at an exciting new game, and Q&A with its developers.”

1:45 PM – The Sandman Universe: Enter the Dreaming Panel

“Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs, G. Willow Wilson and Michael Sheen discuss the legacy of The Sandman comic book series and how it has been expanded with new stories, adapted into new mediums, and enthralled audiences around the world.”

2:15 PM – Multiverse 101 Panel

“Get schooled in this engaging refresher course on the creation of the Multiverse with DC Chief Creative Officer/Publisher Jim Lee, Warner Bros. Pictures President of DC-Based Film Production Walter Hamada, and Berlanti Productions founder/DCTV mega-producer Greg Berlanti.”

2:40 PM – Flash Movie Panel

“This 101-style conversation with The Flash filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, star Ezra Miller and screenwriter Christina Hodson will give fans a speedy rundown on the first-ever Flash feature film.”

2:50 PM – Beyond Batman Short

“The Batman of Swinging Sixties culture clashes with the Batman of the far-flung future when Batman Beyond and his mentor, Old Bruce Wayne, intercept a broadcast of the 1966 Batman TV show!”

2:55 PM – The Suicide Squad Panel

“What else would you expect from The Suicide Squad but the ultimate elimination game? First up, writer/director James Gunn takes on fan questions, then brings out Task Force X for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred Squad Showdown that tests every team member’s Squad knowledge — and survival skills!”

3:40 PM – BAWSE Females of Color within the DCU Panel

“What’s a BAWSE? Find out here as some of the hottest actresses across DC television and film sit down with celebrity DJ D-Nice and Grammy-winning singer/actress Estelle to discuss how they use their confidence and vulnerability to navigate their careers in Hollywood. Panelists include Meagan Good (SHAZAM!), Javicia Leslie (Batwoman), Candice Patton (The Flash), Tala Ashe (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Nafessa Williams and Chantal Thuy (Black Lightning), and Anna Diop and Damaris Lewis (Titans). Catch the entire full-length conversation at McDuffie’s Dakota in the DC WatchVerse.”

4:00 PM – Legacy of the Bat Panel

“Calling all Batman fans! Don’t miss this discussion on the wide scope of the Batman universe, including the Batman Family of characters. Key talent from comics, TV, and games will provide insight into the world of Caped Crusader.”

4:30 PM – Joker: Put on a Happy Face

“Featuring interviews with filmmakers and industry legends, discover the origins and evolution of The Joker, and learn why the Clown Prince of Crime is universally hailed as the greatest comic book Super-Villain of all time.”

4:45 PM – Surprise DC Comics Panel

TBA

5:10 PM – I’m Batman: The Voices Behind the Cowl Panel

“Everyone has their favorite Batman. But for audiences around the world, their favorite Batman has a local sound. It’s time to meet the voices behind the cowl. Hear what it’s like to be one of the many global vocal actors portraying the Dark Knight when the Super Dubbers, who lend their talents to the Caped Crusader on screens big and small all over the world, come together for the first time ever.”

5:30 PM – The Snyder Cut of Justice League Panel

“Zack Snyder fields questions from fans and a few surprise guests as he discusses his eagerly awaited upcoming cut of the 2017 feature film and the movement that made it happen.”

5:54 PM – The Flash TV Panel

“Executive producer Eric Wallace joins cast members Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Nicolet, Kayla Compton, and Brandon McKnight to discuss all things Flash with Entertainment Weekly’s Chancellor Agard. Team Flash will break down both parts of season six and look ahead at what is to come with an exclusive trailer for season seven. Fans will also get a look at the exclusive black-and-white noir episode ‘Kiss Kiss Breach Breach,’ which will be available on The Flash season six Blu-ray and DVD on August 25.”

6:10 PM – Black Adam Panel

“Star of the first-ever Black Adam feature film Dwayne Johnson sets the stage for the story and tone of the new movie with a fans-first Q&A…and a few surprises.”

6:30 PM – CNN Heroes: Real Life Heroes in the Age of the Coronavirus

“While DC features iconic fictional Super Heroes recognized around the world, CNN Heroes shines a light on real-life, everyday people making a difference in their communities. Now, as the global Covid-19 pandemic has turned all of our worlds upside down, CNN’s Anderson Cooper introduces you to the frontline workers, advocates, neighbors, and friendly strangers who are coming together to help us through this crisis.”

6:50 PM – Titans TV Panel

“’Titans are back, b*tches!’ That phrase kicked off an explosive second season of Titans that culminated with the long-awaited emergence of Nightwing as their leader and the tragic death of one of their own. And as a new mysterious threat looms, season three promises to be the biggest yet! Join executive producer Greg Walker and series stars Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, Ryan Potter, Conor Leslie, Curran Walters, Joshua Orpin, Damaris Lewis, with Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly for a preview of the new season as well as a discussion on the ‘Fan Favorite Moments’ of the first two seasons.”

7:05 PM – Aquaman Panel

“Aquaman director James Wan and King Orm himself, Patrick Wilson, take a deep dive into the world of Atlantis that Wan created, revealing their favorite behind-the-scenes moments from the largest DC movie ever!”

7:15 PM – “Ask Harley Quinn”

“She has gone toe-to-toe with Batman and the Justice League, and taken down The Joker and the toughest villains of Gotham City, but at DC FanDome, Harley Quinn faces her toughest challenge yet — answering burning questions from DC’s biggest fans in her own tell it as it is, no-BS style. If you love the Harley Quinn animated series, this is one you cannot f—king miss!”

7:20 PM – Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary Celebration Panel

“As an Amazon and a god, Wonder Woman is truly timeless. So, it’s hard to believe she’s turning 80! Join Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot, along with a very special guest, as they reflect on the character’s influence on them personally, and look forward to the 2021 celebrations!”

7:25 – Tomorrow’s Superheroes with Jim Lee

“DC Chief Creative Officer/Publisher Jim Lee joins Bing Chen, founder of the global non-profit collective Gold House, to discuss the important contributions of Asian artists and writers in comics and comic book–inspired entertainment.”

7:40 PM – SHAZAM! Panel

“Zac Levi and the cast can’t tell you s#&t! Sworn to secrecy on the new script for their upcoming movie, Zac and a few of his SHAZAM! castmates talk with the Philippines’ #1 DC fan, Gino Quillamor, about what the next movie might be about, while commenting on everything from panels to the other Zack’s cut — and even have a few surprise guests drop in!”

8:10 PM – Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Panel

“Will Arnett hosts the highly anticipated video game reveal from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the Batman: Arkham franchise.”

8:30 PM – The Batman Panel

“The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves joins host and self-professed fangirl Aisha Tyler for a discussion of the upcoming film…with a surprise (or two) for the fans!”

You can check out the full DC FanDome schedule here.

DC FanDome Live Stream

While DC FanDome is free for all to enjoy, you will need to create an account on DCFanDome.com in order to watch the event. You’ll then be able to access each panel via the DC FanDome program scheduler.

Following the conclusion of The Batman panel at the end of Hall of Heroes, the Fandome schedule will then cycle back through two more times, giving you three shots to watch in a 24-hour period.

DC FanDome: WatchVerse Date and Time

DC will host a second, on-demand FanDome event called WatchVerse on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 pm ET. While viewers will be able to access all content in any order they please, the event will only be available for 24 hours.

This event will include the previously announced panel on the expansion of “DC’s Watchmen Universe” discussion with Damon Lindelof and Tom King talking Rorschach, a Joker War panel with Batman writer James Tynion IV and Batgirl scribe Cecil Castellucci, a Three Jokers panel with Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, a panel on John Ridley’s exciting upcoming The Other History of the DC Universe, and more.

The post DC FanDome: Schedule, Date, Time, and How to Watch appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/34jSTev

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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gokinjeespot · 4 years

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off the rack #1298

Monday, January 27, 2020

It's the Year of the Rat man. I hope it's a happy one for you and yours. I had the pleasure of spending time with the newest member of the Jee Gang toting baby Ashton around while he took in the happy chaos at our Chinese New Year gathering yesterday. His wonder at the world makes it a happier place.

Conan Serpent War #4 - Jim Zub (writer) Ig Guara & Vanesa R. Del Rey (art) Frank D'Armata & Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This bizarre adventure teaming up Conan, Solomon Kane, Agnes and Moon Knight concludes with the demon Wyrm chopped up into fish food. This story won't matter to anyone other than fans of those four heroes but it sure was fun to read.

Batman #87 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I'm happy Catwoman and Cheshire are in this story. I love how Guillem March draws women. There are a lot of players in Gotham City right now so please pay attention as the mystery unfolds.

Once & Future #6 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Dan Mora (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). That's two fantasy stories that ends with the death of a serpent. Must be a common theme this week. One of the bad guys gets away and the story of Duncan and his Granny will continue. I don't know if I'll read the next arc since this one didn't conclude very well. I felt that Zombie King Arthur was defeated too easily.

Detective Comics #1019 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Scott Godlewski (art) David Baron (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). And so the winter solstice passes and the mystery of the Nordic cult ends. I'm glad this story about a creature from the nether regions was short.

Atlantis Attacks #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Ario Anindito (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I picked this off the rack to read because I wanted to see what Namor was up to these days. He's back being the angry ruler of Atlantis pissed off at the air breathers. This time he's mad at all of the Agents of Atlas. That Jimmy Woo sure hangs out with the weirdest heroes of the Marvel U. If you're a fan of all those Agents you'll want to add this 5-issue mini to your subscriptions.

Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2 - James Tynion IV (writer) Steve Epting & Javier Fernandez (art) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Cool. It looks like Lex Luthor is going to be the one to save the world this time. I like who he's asking for help. I'll give you a hint: har.

The Amazing Spider-Man #38 - Nick Spencer (writer) Iban Coello (art) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Here's the latest twist to the life of Peter Parker: J. Jonah Jameson is helping Spider-Man now instead of vilifying the hero. Jonah is also working for a new media firm and the old fogey does not like what he sees. We're back to the Chameleon storyline where Peter and his spy sister Theresa are trying to get back all the S.H.I.E.L.D. tech that was stolen. All the dangling plot threads are starting to get annoying.

Superman #19 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Joe Prado, Danny Miki, Julio Ferreira & Oclair Albert (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop after Superman's big secret identity reveal. All of his Earthly super villains haven't taken advantage of the news so let's head out into space shall we? This is where Mongul attacks the new United Planets. The Superman versus Mongul fights have been epic and this new one won't disappoint.

Fantastic Four #18 - Dan Slott (writer) Paco Medina, Francesco Manna & Carlos Magno (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Now I get the point of this "Point of Origin" story. When Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben launched all those years ago, the Overseer of the planet Spyre saw a threat to his perfect planet and shot cosmic rays at the ship to kill the FF. We know how that went off the rails. So now we have the Fantastic Four returning to Spyre and basically screwing up the whole planet like the Overseer foresaw. Hey, you don't mess with Destiny. I wonder why Reed is so pissed off in the next issue teaser.

Batman Superman #6 - Joshua Williamson (writer) David Marquez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) John J. Hill (letters). Well that was a whole lot of yakkity-yak. This issue takes place before Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1. Batman and Superman find Wonder Woman to tell her the bad news that Donna Troy has been infected by the Batman Who Laughs. Then they continue to try and find a cure for the infected. The issue ends with a surprise appearance of two super villains making the next issue a "must read" for me.

Marauders #6 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Matteo Lolli & Mario Del Pennino (art) Erick Arciniega & Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Kitty (call her Kate) saves the day but is sunk in the end. I've been ambivalent about reading this title of political intrigue and this issue made up my mind to bench this book. The subject matter is mature but the dialogue is juvenile so I'm outta here.

Kill Lock #2 - Livio Ramondelli (story & art) Tom B. Long (letters). The search for the key to disable the Kill Lock continues. I care about the plight of these four condemned droids.

The Old Guard: Force Multiplied #2 - Greg Rucka (writer) Leandro Fernandez (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). The team goes to rescue victims of human traffickers and get a surprise when they open the container. This book will blow you away.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 - Al Ewing (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Call him Racoon, Rocket Racoon. Rocket's gone from looking like road kill in the last story arc to quite the fashion plate in this new run. And his guns have gotten a lot smaller. The team is recovering from the Universal Church of Truth massacre but their respite is short lived. Zeus and his Greek gods have returned and they're all evil now. You can tell because they're dressed in black. Nova asks the Guardians for help but only Starlord, Rocket, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell/Captain Marvel join the fray. I like that Marvel Boy is back and when the mission goes FUBAR, a surprise ally makes an appearance. The art alone makes this worth picking up off the rack.

Basketful of Heads #4 - Joe Hill (writer) Leomacs (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Poor June, she keeps meeting up with bad men. You can't blame a girl for defending herself. Now there are two heads in the basket. Basket head number three just introduced himself. This is just too weirdly fun.

Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula #1 - Frank Tieri (writer) Angel Unzueta (modern day art) Stefano Landini (flashback art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is the last of the one-shots leading into the 5-issue Ravencroft mini. It's going to have lots of Marvel heroes and villains if this issue is any indication. In the first few pages alone we have Man Wolf, Misty Knight, Mr. Fantastic, the Falcon, Power Man and Iron fist and the Winter Soldier who introduces the flashback where Captain America fights with Dracula. When we return to the present, new inmates are being incarcerated into the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminal Insane. I could only identify Mr. Hyde but I didn't recognise the others. The consultant hired to work with these inmates was a surprise and may entice you to pick up Ravencroft #1 when it hits the racks on January 29. Imagine if the Joker were hired to work at Arkham Asylum.

Wonder Woman #750 - I read all 9 stories in this $9.99 US anniversary issue to see where Princess Diana was at right now. Nothing much has changed since I stopped reading her book regularly so I won't be picking up #751. I've read other comic books aimed at young female readers, the Unstoppable Wasp is a good example, but this one doesn't spark a renewed interest in me to follow Wonder Woman's adventures.

Birds of Prey 100-Page Giant #1 - Now this is more like it. There are 3 new stories and 3 reprints that I've not read before so it's a great value at $4.99 US. The core team of Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress are joined by Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman, all fabulous females ready for action. Almost makes me want to see the Birds of Prey movie that hits theatres Friday, February 7.

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camillemontespan · 5 years

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the abc of love [drake and camille]

For those who wish to know more about Dramille (yes that’s their couple name which I’ve just made up on the spot, come at me!)

@cora-nova thanks for creating these amazing questions, I enjoyed filling them out!

TAG LIST IN CASE YOU WANT TO READ AND MAYBE DO YOURSELVES FOR YOUR OTPS:

@sirbeepsalot @pug-bitch @jovialyouthmusic @katedrakeohd @drakesensworld @notoriouscs @moonlightgem7 @ifyouseekheart

1. A - ANNIVERSARIES

They always celebrate their relationship anniversary. They do the same thing each year - sit in front of the fire out on the terrace and make smores. It’s simple but it’s cute and it suits them perfectly.

2. B - BELIEFS

Camille likes to think there is something after death. Drake is the opposite- he doesn’t believe in God and he thinks that once you’re dead, you’re dead.

Camille says she doesn’t believe in star signs but she will still sneak a peak in the horoscope section of magazines, you know, just in case.

3. C - COLLECTABLES

Drake has kept the receipt of their first dinner date together. He also has an album on his phone which are just photos he has taken of Camille. He looks at it whenever he misses her or just wants to feel warm and fuzzy.

Camille got into scrapbooking, thanks to Maxwell. She keeps photos, receipts, restaurant napkins, theatre tickets... everything they have done, she will keep a memento of.

4. D - DRINKS & FOOD

Drake does most of the cooking, which is surprising to some people - they only see him when he is mocking the tiny finger food at court. When he cooks, he prepares hearty meals that are meant to be feasted on.

Camille likes white wine. She also loves Espresso Martinis, which are perfect for a night out because it gets you drunk and keeps you awake at the same time. Drake thinks cocktails are unnecessary but if Camille asks him to join in, he will. He will always choose a Manhattan (unless he is at brunch and has a mimosa. More on that later).

They both love going to this seafood restaurant that is right by the harbour in Cordonia’s Old Town. The fish is caught that day and they will both sit outside, looking out at the harbour, eating grilled fish and drinking white wine (Drake will actually drink white wine if he is having fish, and red wine if he is having steak).

Camille’s comfort food is mac n cheese as it reminds her of home.

5. E - EXERCISE

Camille enjoys barre class, Pilates and spinning. Drake prefers just sweating it out in the gym, but if it’s a sunny day, he will hike up the mountains. He feels free when he is high up, away from civilisation.

They both watch NFL. Camille supports the Giants, Drake obviously supports the Texans. They host Superbowl at their house every year, which is always fun as they get really into it, with bets and hotdogs and whiskey. Hana and Maxwell don’t understand the rules, Liam is too busy checking his work emails and Olivia gets bored but they enjoy the entertainment.

6. F - FIRST

Their first dance was at a ball in court and both wanted the other but couldn’t do anything about it. For Drake, that first dance was torture as he held her close, wishing he could kiss her.

Their first kiss was over a bottle of whiskey. Drake remembers Camille tasting of whiskey and watermelon lip balm.

Their first time together was, again, after drinking whiskey. Drake had taken her back to her room to sleep off the whiskey but before she could go, he couldn’t help himself and kissed her. One thing led to another..

7. G - GOLD

They both don’t care for wealth or material possessions. Camille was working class and got her first job aged 14 to help her grandmother with the rent, food shopping, bills. She views money as a way to survive; not to flash the cash and spend on designer items or cars.

Drake’s most prized possession is his grandmother’s engagement ring, which he proposed to Camille with. To him, it is priceless.

8. H - HOME

Camille’s parents died when she was five from a drug overdose. Camille was adopted by her grandmother, Gisele. They lived in a small house in the outskirts of New York. Camille is part French on her grandmother’s side - they are descendants of Madame de Montespan, mistress of Louis XIV. Gisele always talked about it - Camille doesn’t as she thinks nobody would believe her, plus she doesn’t like to brag.

Drake visited the ranch in Texas every summer and it’s a place where he feels happiest.

9. I - ISSUES

Camille isn’t keen on Kiara (Kinky Kiara). They sometimes argue when Drake starts thinking that he doesn’t deserve this life, which Camille always takes great pains to tell him he does.

10. J - JOLLY JOKER

Drake loves humour when comedians say the very thing they shouldn’t. Anything that’s controversial, Drake likes.

Camille is incredibly ticklish and Drake knows it. Drake takes advantage of this all the time.

11. K - KIDS

Camille loves babies and gets broody easily. Since she lost her parents so young, she has always wanted babies and a home to create.

When they had Lily, Drake was over protective from the start. He would watch over her while she slept, scared she would stop breathing.

Camille is very hands on and loves Lily with every fibre of her being. This child will never feel lonely or lost.

12. L - LOOK

Camille will wear Prada, Gucci and Chanel when she is on Duchess duty. When she is off duty, she likes to wear Anthropologie and The Kooples. She takes skincare seriously, and has the wrinkle free skin to prove it, and her favourite perfume is Gabrielle by Chanel - her mother was called Gabrielle, so the perfume holds a special meaning to her.

Drake relies on the old faithful - denim shirt and jeans. But, when he suits up for court events, he really suits up. Armani suits. His favourite perfume is Bleu de Chanel, which smells woody and masculine.

13. M - MEDIA

Drake doesn’t like social media as he doesn’t see the point in it. Who cares what you ate for dinner? Why are people taking photos of their dinners?

They both have Netflix. Drake likes Stranger Things (he fancies Nancy). Camille loves Queer Eye (can you believe?!)

14. N - NETWORK

Their core group consists of Liam, Maxwell, Hana and Olivia. They don’t like Madeleine but will tolerate her if she is around. Camille is the people person of the relationship; she sparkles and knows all the right anecdotes. Bertrand taught her well.

15. O - OBLIGATIONS

Camille focuses more on Duchess duties. She hosts an open house every Thursday from 1-4, a tradition that was abandoned more than 200 years ago but which she has brought back. It means the citizens of Valtoria can visit the estate and speak to her in person regarding any issues they have. Drake deals with things around the estate such as land conservation.

16. P - PAMPERING

Camille goes to the spa with Hana and Olivia once a month. Drake likes the plunge pool.

Drake makes Camille breakfast in bed every Sunday. It is their couple time. They will sip coffee, eat waffles with nutella and bananas and read their papers. Sometimes, if he is feeling fun, he will make them mimosas (Hana introduced him to mimosas and he was ashamed to really like it).

17. Q - QUESTIONS

They are both private about their personal life as they don’t court attention. They share everything - Camille had to teach Drake to trust her with his secrets. It was another wall which she broke down.

18. R - ROUTINE

They both get up at 8am to have breakfast on their balcony. Camille attends meetings and Drake talks to landowners. They both have a meeting together for one hour in which they discuss their duties, progress etc but after that, they talk about normal things. They have dinner together every evening and they don’t talk about work.

19. S - SENSUALITY

They both love sex. They are both passionate and like to focus on the other. Drake is very generous and gives all of himself to her. They aren’t crazy in the bedroom but they have handcuffs and have used hot wax before. The balcony is one of their favourite places to have sex. Camille likes to be dominated over; any time he picks her up against a wall, she loves it.

20. T - TOGETHER

They are such a cosy couple. They are always touching; whether its kissing or holding hands, they find a way to touch. Olivia says they are sickening.

21. U - UPS & DOWNS

For Drake, he only needs Camille and their daughter to be happy.

He likes the simple things. He loves whiskey, the outdoors, the smell of wood burning in a fire. Texas. Endless summers in Texas. He loves the scent of Camille’s hair - coconut- and her watermelon lipbalm when she kisses him.

Camille loves Drake and Lily. She adores their dog, Maxwell, named after their friend of course, and she loves New York.

Camille is the eternal optimist while Drake can be very pessimistic.

22. V - VACATION

They enjoy hiking up the mountains and city breaks. Rome was a particular favourite of theirs as they wandered round the city unnoticed, getting drunk on wine and overeating on pizza and pasta.

23. W - WEDDING

They married at the Walker ranch at sunset. Camille had planned most of it and had kept the location secret from Drake until she was forced to tell him (basically when the invitations were ready to be posted). He got quite emotional and had to have a moment alone. So much joy.

They spent their wedding night by the lake at the ranch. It was really warm outside and they hadn’t wanted to be cooped up indoors. Drake found pillows and blankets and they consummated their marriage by the lake.

24. X - EXs

Drake has slept around but has no ex-girlfriends. He didn’t think any girl deserved to be ‘saddled’ with him so he made sure he was distant and aloof. It didn’t work; the ladies loved it, wanting the chance to ‘help him’. He didn’t like many of the girls at court anyway as they were too spoiled or giggly or annoying.

Camille had a boyfriend when she was 7 years old called Patrick which lasted one day. When she was 16, she had a boyfriend called James who she was with for two years.

25. Y - YELLING

Camille gets emotional. Drake is rational. This swaps around when Drake is drunk; if they fight when they’ve been drinking, he shouts. Camille will treat him like a child, which only annoys him more.

They fight when Drake relies too much on whiskey to cloud his negative thoughts.

Camille is fantastic at the silent treatment.

26. Z - ZOOM

They were made for each other. Drake can now die a happy man having been with her and Camille finally feels safe and loved and wanted. They are best friends wrapped up as lovers.

#coranovawrites #the abc of love #drake walker x mc #cora-nova

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morebedsidebooks · 5 years

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Beginnings: Poison Ivy

Before I get into the meat of this post, as part of my goal to tackle my backlist I’ll also be aiming to review books published before 2019 every Thursday. Last year for my reading challenge I did a French Fridays and that worked well. I’ve been doing a Throw Back Thursday post irregularly but, I’m aiming for better consistency this year. (If your looking for more backlist reviews on twitter @Bookcrushin has the #BookRewind meme every Thursday too.) So…

What villain or hero usually has a happy origin story? But since Poison Ivy is one of my favourite characters from American superhero comics, her debut and origin stories are the BEST BEGINNING for this week’s Beat the Backlist Challenge prompt I can think of.

Poison Ivy came onto the scene in the summer of 1966 debuting in Batman #181 “Beware of Poison Ivy”. Created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff with inking by Joe Giella, inspiration for her character can be credited to Bettie Page and the 19th century short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne “Rappaccini's Daughter” (which incidentally has its own sources). It is also worth noting Poison Ivy a veiled hit song about STDs from 1959 performed by The Coasters was covered extensively in the 60s, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs even beating the Beatles on record charts with their rendition. (A new cover by Meshell Ndegeocello was further used in the 1997 Batman & Robin live-action movie.)

It’s a pretty simple debut, Ivy is such a successful criminal she hasn’t been getting credit. So, she decides to start attracting attention and show up her female criminal rivals. Bruce Wayne is intrigued by her and she likewise finds him and his Bat persona (though she doesn’t know Batman’s identity) attractive too. Basically no one but, Robin can not fawn over her (though some other ladies catch his eye) even if Batman does eventually win the day.

Moving onto 1978 in the World's Finest #251-252 A Kiss of Death Three Times” (Penciller: Ric Estrada, Inker: Jack Abel, Colorist: Mario Sen, Letterer: John Simek) and "A Poison of the Heart" (Penciller: Jack Abel, Inker: Vince Colletta, Colorist: Izzy Goldstien, Letter: Milton Snappin) written by Gerry Conway, Ivy tangling with Wonder Woman reveals a bit more of Ivy’s background, poisoned by a college professor she was in love with. Since Ivy is killing people as a hired assassin and even tries to have Wonder Woman kill her own boyfriend Steve, the Amazonian princess is not empathetic. In fact, she uses the knowledge against Ivy to the green queen’s apparent death. Diana is another of my favourite characters from DC Comics though and it’s cool to see them together in a story.

So, it was probably another decade and Neil Gaiman who can be credited with revising and more broadly giving shape to Pamela Lillian Isley for the modern age. In both Black Orchid and Secret Origins #36, "Pavane" (the latter Art: Mark Buckingham, Colorist: Nansi Hoolahan, Letterer: Agustin Mas) Isley is frightening and at the same time inescapable as one sees the very deep damage betrayal can wreak.

Into the 90s Batman Legends of the Dark Night #42 &43 “Hothouse” (John Francis Moore, Art: P. Craig Russell, Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski, Letterer: Bill Pearson) continues sophistication of Pamela’s character as Batman finds himself fixated with her once again, eventually traveling to her hometown of Seattle to talk to a college classmate. It has some memorably stylized scenes and references to Victorian poetry.

Shadow of the Bat Annual #3 Year One: “Poison Ivy” (Alan Grant, Penciller: Brian Apthorp, Colorist: Linda Medley, Inker: Stan Woch, Letterer Ken Lopez) has one of my least favourite covers (sorry Brian Stelfreeze). In her early criminal career Poison Ivy is also quite misandrist (though she also gives the advice women aren’t worth it either) but, it does however touch on her differing natures and asks is she truly bad or, badly sick.

At times it would seem Pamela would have something of a live and let live attitude but, the human world doesn’t let her or the environment she has become kin to do that. She’s a survivor bent on reckoning in the 1997 Batman Poison Ivy comic (John Francis Moore, Penciller: Brian Apthorp, Inker: Stan Woch, Colorist: Patricia Mulvihill, Letterer: Todd Klein) released to coincide with the live-action Batman and Robin movie. Bonus poetry too since Moore is the writer again.

In 2007 Countdown #37 in addition to featuring Poison Ivy in the plot gave a two-page summation of her history to that point.

Joker’s Asylum: Poison Ivy “Deflowered!” (J.T. Krul, Art: Guillem March, Letterer: Rob Leigh) in 2008 with the Joker narrating Ivy’s history (who listens to him though, probably better to read with reservations) stress her strong connection to the green after being experimented on. The “gift” has her eventually going after real estate developers in really gruesome ways because of the tormented cries and pain from the plants as she gains awareness and control over her powers.

This decade Pamela’s origins have been revised a bit again Detective Comics #23.1 Poison Ivy “The Green Kingdom” (Derek Fridolfs, Art: Javier Pina, Letterer: Taylor Esposito) and Secret Origins #10 “Green Savior” (Christy Marx, Art: Stjepan Šejić, Letterer: John J. Hill) telling much the same story of an abusive childhood, her mother’s murder, revenge and ecological motivations.

I personally favour “Green Savior”. My father was an agriculturalist and farmer so Ivy going against a big agritech company (whose name is disguised a tiny bit) using nasty herbicide and suing a local farmer just makes me happy. Doesn’t hurt Šejić is one of my favourite artists either.

From pin-up model inspired seductress to eco-crusader over 50 years of comics envisioning how Poison Ivy began is quite a trip, a nice revisit to start off my year.

Batman Arkham: Poison Ivy from DC Comics a collection for her 50th anniversary in 2016 contains: Batman #181 "Beware of -- Poison Ivy!" (June 1966), World's Finest #251-252 “A Kiss of Death Three Times” & "A Poison of the Heart", Secret Origins #36, "Pavane", Batman Legends of the Dark Night #42 &43 “Hothouse”, Shadow of the Bat Annual #3 Year One: “Poison Ivy”, Batman Poison Ivy 1997, Joker’s Asylum: Poison Ivy “Deflowered!”, and Detective Comics #23.1 Poison Ivy “The Green Kingdom” among other chapters

Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean, lettered by Todd Klein has been collected in several editions from Vertigo

Countdown #37 “The Origin of Poison Ivy” written by Scott Beatty, Art: Stéphane Roux, Letterer: Rob Clark Jr. published by DC Comics in August 2007

Secret Origins #10 “Green Savior” written by Christy Marx, Art: Stjepan Šejić, Letterer: John J. Hill published by DC Comics in April 2015

#comics #poison ivy #origin stories #tbt books #beat the backlist

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haruki-ya · 6 years

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A Place to Crash (And Burn)

Summary: Kai and Kaneda yell at each other a little bit and cry over cry baby Tetsuo. There’s lots more to it than that, but like kinda a lot....so read on if you truly dare.

A/N: REPOSTING this cause fuck it y not I ain’t ever gonna be fully happy with anything I write and I must come to terms with that by EMBRACING the ART of IMPERFECTION. She a thicc one tbh, close to 7,000 words wow (do u see why i said read on if u dare), but from a new character perspective that I was hesitant to try writing in and have @fridge-04 and @totallylegitakirafic to thank for so hey! thank you ! I think my attempt turned out all right! also totallylegit, can you spy with your little eye the Makiko reference? lol enjoy my LOVES <3

Kai couldn’t really say the loud knocking on his door at one in the morning woke him up because he had already been awake, lying in bed in the dark thinking about things of the past.

It had been a rough week, a sleepless week. One spent mourning a death that others celebrated. One spent missing a friend who others considered an enemy. Kai doesn't think there will be any closure for the surviving townspeople any time soon, even three years after the great fall of Neo Tokyo.

Most of their homes are still in shambles and they like to be angry anyway. Kai will admit it’s a more fulfilling emotion than hopelessness.

Kai waits a minute before rolling out of bed. There are only a handful of people who would come knocking on his door at this hour, but that means they’re familiar enough to know he likes to end his night early to start his day earlier. So whoever this is must not care or must know that he’s not sleeping. Or it’s an important matter, but that’s pretty unlikely.

As Kai stumbles through the dark of his loft towards the door, tripping over stray clothes and a stack of old newspapers, he hears voices from the outside. Kei’s annoyed tone rings out strong.

“...come on, I can’t entertain this behavior tonight. I’ve got to meet up with Chiyoko soon, you know that Kaneda.” There’s a mumbled response that Kai doesn’t catch, probably from Kaneda, as he opens the door to a sight that he isn’t really surprised to see.

Kei is dressed in cool, neutral tones and struggling to hold up the swaying form of Kaneda, who reeks of booze and cigarette smoke under her arm, obviously more fucked up than he’s been in a while. Her face is steely with annoyance under the brim of her cap, but when her eyes meet his there is a poorly concealed concern that makes Kai sigh suddenly and drop his shoulders. There’s also a badly hidden plea for help.

“Hello Kai. I really hate to ask this, but can you look after him for a while?”

“Uh…what?” Is the most eloquent response Kai can manage. Kaneda’s stilted voice cuts in before Kai can properly respond, but to be fair he doesn't even really know what to say.

“M’fine Kei, I don’t needa be babysat by a kid.” And that kinda stings, cause hello to you too asshole, and he’s younger than Kaneda sure, but he usually acts more mature than his childish ass and the digs at his age have been few and far in between since Yamagata passed...since the Capsules fell apart. Kai only manages to be annoyed by the comment.

Kei swats Kaneda over the head and pushes him against the wall next to Kai’s door, anger bursting across her face. Kaneda rubs at his head and tries to straighten to his full height and glare at Kei, but his gaze is unfocused and more squinted in what Kai would assume is pain than anger. Kai narrows his eyes at them and stifles a yawn suddenly behind his hand, unimpressed with their familiar antics. If they came all the way here to bother him, they're off to a good start.

“Cut it out Kaneda! I’ve had it with your bullshit attitude this week. I know things are tough for you right now, but that’s no excuse to treat your friends like garbage just to make yourself feel better!” Kei turns on Kai before Kaneda gears up to answer and ignores whatever he mumbles under his breath. It sounds suspiciously like “bitch” to Kai and now he kinda understands Kei's anger. He’s never stooped so low as to glare so fiercely at her while saying that. Kai is becoming more and more confused.

“I need to meet Chiyoko and the others, an emergency meetings been called. Some cultists have been gathering around the old stadium and rumor has it they’re planning something there during daylight. I can’t be dragging his drunk weight with me, he’ll only slow me down and annoy me to death before we’d arrive.” Kaneda snorts and pushes up from the wall and brushes past Kai into his dark apartment, cursing when he trips over something that clatters loudly. Kei’s eyes don’t leave his face, but the sharpness of her gaze wavers.

This is gonna be fun.

“Uh… so your first thought was to dump him on me? ” Kai's response is more of a statement than a question really. He's still kind of lost to this whole situation. It’s been a while since he’s seen Kaneda or Kei, though they’re practically a package deal now a days, and while he is glad to see them, always, part of him also feels bitter for being left out of their orbit for this long and suddenly be expected to so easily be pulled right back into it.

Ever since the distance started growing between Kai and Kaneda, and subsequently Kei too, he's dedicated more and more of his time to volunteering around the city doing odd jobs for people: moving rubble, cleaning up trash, helping deliver food. He does it in the hopes that maybe his dedicated efforts as one will equal out to the prior three. Kai hangs out at a friend of Joker’s shop in his spare time too and does his best to learn from the mechanic, but much of the slang Joker and his pals use still goes over his head. His habit of journaling and note taking has helped greatly though, a by product of an overactive brain and an inability to keep details oriented. Kaneda could probably benefit from that too.

Kaneda and Kei used to volunteer with him, used to stay over all the time and help at the local shelter down the block from Kai’s apartment, but when the power was restored to all the remaining blacked out city blocks and a semblance of order returned to the city, Kei’s Rebel group was quick to get in touch and reignite their cause. Kei didn’t really ask Kaneda to join her, or become what many call her right hand man, but he rose to the occasion better than anyone could have expected. Kai never got a formal invitation to join their ragtag team of rebels either, but he would have politely declined any how. He’s had enough action for a lifetime thank you very much, and he knows he wouldn't have filled any shoes as well as Kaneda could. No surprise there. He's not really bitter about it.

Kaneda is hard to pin down these days, becoming more of a myth than a real man, but where Kei is he’s not far off. She got him involved with many of the old resistance outposts that double as relief shelters, not quite done with their original purpose. As Kei said, there are still people praying to the dead and gone “Lord Akira”. They’re desperate enough to believe that someone with the power to take so much away, to cause so much devastation, can just as easily bring it all back.

If only it were that easy.

They’re relatively harmless, just a scattered group of vagabonds looking for some kind of purpose in this fucked up place, but sometimes they get a little too close to things they shouldn't. Sometimes they wind up in possession of objects that three years ago were dangerous in the wrong hands, fatal in the right ones. The remaining resistance members, as well as the spirited youth who join the cause daily, have taken it upon themselves to squash any and all attempts to get too close to something that can’t simply be reburied in rubble. The emergency meeting must be important.

Today is the third anniversary of Tetsuo’s death after all and cults tend to believe in the religious power of symbolic resurgence.

Kei’s face softens as a light pours out suddenly from somewhere behind him, and her eyes follows suit as they both listen to Kaneda rifle around his fridge, probably looking for more booze. His attitude makes sense now that he's put two and two together, and Kai sighs again, sadly this time. He feels bad all of a sudden for being difficult.

“I’m sorry to come here like this Kai, with him, after we haven’t properly visited in a while...but I think it would be good for him to spend some time with an old friend. Maybe talk about whatever is making him want to drink himself unconscious with someone who can...better understand.”

Kai tries for a smile and it sort of works, despite feeling a little stiff on his face. He feel’s like there’s something else Kei isn’t telling him, another shoe that’s waiting to be dropped. There always is with these two.

Kei’s eyes narrow as the light from the fridge slowly shrinks and Kaneda moves onto his cupboards, opening and closing them a little too loudly for the time of night. Good think this floor of the building is mostly abandoned.

“I don’t trust him alone right now.” She says lowly, and there it is. Kai can’t really blame her and also can't turn either of them away even if he wanted to so he sighs, again, and braces himself against the doorway.

“Yeah, I understand Kei, last year was pretty rough too. We got him through it though, and we, eh...I'll do it again. We always look out for each other after all.” Kei looks relieved by his words but far from consoled. Kaneda trips again in his apartment but looks to have stumbled into a lamp as a minute later light spills out behind him once again. It highlights the conflict on Kei’s face.

“Thank you. I’ll be back sometime in the early afternoon. I owe you one Kai.” He shakes his head at that and sends her a smile.

“No you don’t. He’d do the same for me if he had to. Be safe out there Kei and kick some Akiraist ass for us. ” Kei smiles softly and puts a hand on his shoulder for a moment before turning and walking briskly down the hallway, gone from his sight in just four paces. Leaving him alone with a moody drunk in his apartment.

Right, he should check in on that.

Kai closes the door and takes a moment to brace himself before he turns around into the living room, finds Kaneda sprawled on the futon, one leg hanging off the back, an arm over his eyes. His boots are kicked off haphazardly by the lamp and his jacket a makeshift pillow under his head. His other hand holds a bottle of liquor Kai didn’t even know he had. Leave it to Kaneda to sniff out any hidden spirits.

“Hey. Welcome. Make yourself at home, please I insist.” Kai intones dryly and settles into a sitting position on the floor, back against his makeshift coffee table. Kaneda grunts in reply.

“Long time no see Kaneda. I thought you said you weren’t gonna be a stranger?” Kaneda makes another noncommittal sound before throwing his arm from his face to take a swig of, what is that, aged whiskey? Why does Kai even have that?

“That’s gross, dude. How much have you had to drink today?” Kaneda’s reply is wet and rough.

“Not enough.” And Kai sighs. It had been pretty much the same last year.

The previous anniversary, Kai had met up with Kaneda by chance at some back alley bar downtown. They shared a drink or two (or three) before Kai had managed to coax Kaneda outside for a walk, after letting the numbing buzz of booze kick in of course. While Kai counted that as a win, Kaneda had been plastered at two in the afternoon and adamant against parting with the bottle of brandy he snatched from behind the counter when the barkeep turned his back.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t so successful in coaxing Kaneda to leave the bottle behind.

Any other day, he wouldn't have minded indulging in their old ways of competitive drinking, but something about the idea left a bad taste in his mouth that day. Whether from the memory of vomit or just the thought of who would always be seated by his side for drinking competitions, Kai can't say.

They exchanged laughs and jokes for a while, aimlessly walked through the poorly reconstructed streets before they wandered along the memorial wall of pictures pinned up in the wake of so many deaths.

An unprecedented amount.

Kai had felt nostalgic all day, a heavy feeling that sat in his gut and curbed his smiles a little, and wasn't really bothered to wind up there. His mother had always taught him to pay his respects to the dead anyhow so Kai once again talked Kaneda into a walk, this time along the memorial wall where there was nothing to look at but smiling faces frozen in happiness, endless notes displaying declarations of love and everlasting peace. Vases of flowers, new and old, lined the base of the wall along with a few stuffed animals and makeshift shrines. He had idly thought about how nice it would be to stumble upon the picture he left of him, Kaneda and Yamagata a year prior. That would be something nice to smile about.

The memorial stretched on for what felt like miles, but Kai walked the whole length of it regardless, nodding respectfully to those who passed him by, not noticing Kaneda’s growing silence or the way he had started to slow down in front of Kai. It was easy to get lost in the sea of faces. He had figured Kaneda was simply being contemplative, and well, Kai wasn't wholly wrong.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he ran into Kaneda’s back and almost knocked over a vase full of wilted flowers trying to stay balanced.

“Let’s make a toast. To those who aren’t here today to drink with us.”

Kaneda’s voice had been rough, almost choked, but Kai couldn’t see his face when he laughed a sour note, when he overturned his bottle of brandy carelessly onto the vase Kai almost broke with it’s sad, dying flowers. They still had meaning, a purpose though, something more grand than being doused in shitty booze.

A significance in their decay.

“A toast to all those sorry bastards who died for nothin’.”

A meaning still in death.

Kai had stood frozen for a moment, not really comprehending what he was seeing, what he was hearing. Looked from the growing puddle of liquor at their feet, to the back of Kaneda’s loud jacket as he suddenly jolted into movement and tucked into an alley off to their left. Kai didn’t move until the now empty bottle Kaneda had been holding smashed into the alley wall, breaking into shards of glimmering glass that crunched loudly under his feet. Kai startled and felt something unpleasant bubble hot under his skin, coil tight in his gut.

It was rage.

“What the fuck!” Kai had run after Kaneda when the cold disbelief drained from his body and the hot fury replaced it. He noticed, a little too late, the stagger to Kaneda’s step, the sluggishness in his pace. The tell tale signs of someone too far gone to care about their actions.

When Kai reached Kaneda, he had damn near tackled him in the back alley, furious and emboldened by his blatant disrespect, at being ignored, at the pain and anger that had been stewing within Kai for a little bit too long, released by the stupidity of Kaneda’s actions. He had thought that childishness was behind them.

“Kaneda! What the fuck was that? How could you be so disrespectful?” His voice had felt shrill in his ears, anger fueling the boldness in his words. Kaneda staggered under the weight of Kai’s body, but did not tip over. Only turned to glance at Kai over his shoulder before attempting to shrug off his hold and continue on but Kai held tight.

“Hey asshole! Stop ignoring me. What's your problem?” Kaneda’s shoulders had tensed at that and he spun suddenly on his feet, almost making himself and Kai topple over. His face was a mess of emotions and his breath reeked of brandy. Kaneda had always been taller than him, but now he absolutely towered over Kai, who recoiled slightly in disgust, slightly in discomfort.

“My problem? All those dead people. My problem? Knowing who killed em. My problem? Playin a part in it!” Kai hadn’t seen Kaneda like that in a while, that angry and upset, that ready to pick a fight instead of end one. The snarl on his face was pure malice and his eyes burned with regret, glassy and shining with unshed tears that Kaneda wouldn't let himself cry. Kai was suddenly at a loss for words as Kaneda continued, looking right through him.

“Fuck! All those dead people. All the destruction. All by the hands of a fuckin power crazy kid, God...what’s my problem? Hah, what isn't my problem.” Kaneda’s voice dropped in volume, trailed off into a mumble as he turned and started walking away from Kai, who stood frozen in the middle of the alley. What had that been? Where the hell had that outburst come from?

“Kaneda…” Kai didn’t know what to say, didn’t know where to start dissecting that obvious cry for help. Not even in their first few weeks after the explosion had Kaneda been so volatile and bothered. Not noticeably.

“Kai."

Kaneda’s voice rung out loudly in response a moment later, fell hollow on his ears. Kaneda shoved his hands in his pockets, and paused for one moment longer, before continuing on. “Sorry for scaring ya. Don’t follow me. And don’t worry either. M’gonna be just fine.”

And Kai really didn’t know what else to do but listen and believe as Kaneda disappeared out the mouth of the alley. He wasn’t sure he would want to follow him anyway with the unpredictability of liquor fueled sadness up his sleeve. Kai went back to the memorial after a long moment of consideration and did his best to clean up the puddle of alcohol Kaneda left behind.

It was the least he could do.

The next day, Kaneda hadn’t really acted any differently than normal. Aside from complaining about a headache and sporting some new bruises on his knuckles that Kai didn’t dare to question him about, he was relatively the same happy go lucky, good natured guy he had always been. Kai was relieved, but couldn’t help but think that wouldn’t be the last time he saw that side of Kaneda.

He’s sad to know that he was right.

“I heard from Tanaka that you’ve started your own kiddy care center at the Old Town base camp.” Kai does his best to try and lighten the mood, both for his sake and Kaneda’s. Get their minds off the pressing matter, the elephant in the room. Small talk, he’s relatively good at that.

“I gotta say, I’m not surprised. You always have been the big brother type.” Kaneda snorts a little at that, and glances at him out of the corner of his eye. There’s a faint smile on his dry lips.

“Yeah...m’not always so good at the ‘let’s-get-down-to-business’ and stay on the topic of business thing. Annoys the hell outta Kei as you know, but I help where I can and they’re good kids.” Kai smiles and opens his mouth to make a dig about Kaneda goin' soft on him when he’s cut off as Kaneda keeps talking.

“There’s a kid there that reminds me of Tets...when he was younger. Real shy, real sweet. Got lots of hidden anger. Her mom died in a building collapse a few weeks back and I was the one who found her afterwards...she’s got no one else. She’s all alone now.”

Kai’s words get stuck in his throat, and he swallows hard around the lump they’ve formed there. Kaneda takes another swig of alcohol, and Kai watches as a drop slips out his mouth and through the stubble on his chin, along the column of his throat. It glimmers in the light and catches on his adams apple that bobs with long gulps. Kai's throat burns just watching.

“How long are you going to blame yourself?” The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them, but he doesn’t regret saying them. It’s a question that’s been on Kai’s mind for a while now, one that’s probably lingering somewhere in the back of Kaneda’s own. His mouth barrels on before his mind can stop him.

“It wasn’t your fault. We did all we could for him Kaneda. You know that right?” Kai isn’t really expecting an answer, or if anything a response in the quiet, subdued tone Kaneda uses. His arm is back to shielding his eyes.

“No, I don’t think we did.”

“Well, I think you’re stupid for believing that. And I think it's disrespectful to Tetsuo to say that too.” And maybe he regrets saying that a little bit, but Kai has recently become less and less afraid to say what’s on his mind. Less and less afraid to express himself and assert his opinion. Kaneda doesn’t look impressed though, by the piercing glare he suddenly sends Kai’s way, arm resting on his forehead now.

“And I think you don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin bout Kai. Now shaddup, I came here to crash not to do couch therapy.” Kai usually isn’t so quick to rile, so quick to rise to the bait, but he’s played this game of intimidation one too many times to simply back down. To simply let Kaneda have the last word here. The topic is too important to brush under the rug any longer.

“You didn’t come here to crash, you were brought here before you crashed. Which is what you’re doing! Crashing! And burning too by the looks of it! Kei didn’t trust you enough to leave you alone, and I don’t blame her. You’re acting like a dumb reckless baby.” And that really ruffles Kaneda’s feathers the wrong way. He shoots up like a jackknife, eyes furious and focused.

“What the fuck do you know about anything, huh? What do you know about Tetsuo? You never really liked him anyway, you and Yama always thought he was a lost cause or some shit. Who are you to suddenly tell me what I did and didn’t do for ‘im? Fuck that! Fuck you!” But Kai’s still not backing down. In fact, he stands up so he’s looking down on Kaneda, a position he’s rarely been in even after growing a few inches over the years.

It doesn’t feel as good as he thought it would.

“No Kaneda, fuck you! You can’t keep acting like what happened is your problem and yours alone. Like you’re the only one who has a right to be sad, to mourn. I miss him. I feel bad for him. I feel bad for what happened because of him. And I feel bad about what happened to him, but Kaneda, we did our damn best to help him! To help the whole town! What point is there in wallowing in the past when it’s behind us? You know? What point is there in blaming yourself for his death when it wasn’t your fault!”

Kai pauses for a minute and his chest is heaving. Kaneda is looking at him with wide eyes, clouded with an emotion Kai can’t really decipher. He pushes on and hopes Kaneda will hear him.

“Everything that happened three years ago to the day, Kaneda, it was out of your control. Not your fault. There were bigger forces at work the whole time, strings being pulled and moves being made that we couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Not your fault! What is your fault is letting your sad, self deprecating emotions turn you bitter and unapproachable to your friends. It’s your fault for letting that anger and pain tear you apart and for letting it tear apart your friends too. I love you Kaneda, you’re my brother, you’re family and it sucks to see you so down right now but look around you man….you’re not the only one in pain. You’re living in a town trapped in anger and sadness, how much more do you want to keep contributing to that?”

After a long moment of silence between them, of intense unbroken eye contact, Kai turns away from Kaneda and heads towards the kitchen. He said his two cents, and if Kaneda is going to stonewall him and ignore what he has to say again, fine. So be it. He's dealt with that before. But Kai, unlike Kaneda, isn’t okay with holding onto those negative emotions until they tear him apart. He learned the consequences of that lesson a long time ago with his mother.

He fills up a cup with tap water and hears Kaneda clear his throat once, twice. “Kai…” Kaneda’s voice calls weakly to him from the living room, sounding worn and older than it is. “Did I ever tell you how I met Tetsuo?” He hasn’t .

“You haven’t.” He takes a big drink and waits a beat before making his way back towards the living room. Kaneda is still sitting up, but his head is cradled in his hands, shoulders slumped in defeat. Kai sits this time with his back against the futon, shoulder flush with Kaneda’s leg. Kai can feel a tremor run under Kaneda’s skin.

“We were kids when we met in some shitty school orphanage. He came a week or so after I did and I guess I didn’t really notice him at first, or care bout him. But one day...I saw some kids giving him a hard time. Pushing him around, laughing at him, calling him names. They stole his only toy and laughed when he cried. Real jerks those kids. The worst part though was how he didn’t even fight back. Just let em knock him around and push his buttons.” Kai listens in silence, gaze fixed on the glass in his hands.

Is it half empty or half full?

“I didn’t understand why he just let it happen until I saw his face, cause I sure as hell wouldn’t have let those jerks have their fun with me when I first showed up but...He looked so hopeless. He was such a sad kid, Kai, like...all his anger and all his pride, swap that with sadness and insecurity. I’m sure you saw it, he was shit at hiding his true feelings despite how tough he always acted...so childish.

“And I don’t know, I just...got so angry, seeing how little he cared to stand up for himself and how the kids just jumped on that weakness like a pack a wild dogs. I kicked their collective asses and got Tetsuo’s toy back for him. Took him under my wing after that and then we were Kaneda and Tetsuo, rulers of the playground…Kaneda and Tetsuo, founders of the Capsules. Kaneda and Tetsuo, brothers till the end...somethin in me just always wanted to protect him, cause he was so bad at doin it himself. I told him as much and he was glad for it at first, started to resent my help as we grew up though. I think he felt I was looking down on him or somethin', but I just...couldn’t help but want to protect that stupid, sad, reckless kid I always saw in him, crying all alone on the playground. Lookin like he needed help but not knowing how to ask.”

Kai still keeps quiet. Some part of him had always thought Kaneda and Tetsuo were actually brothers, or maybe cousins at the least despite not really looking alike. Their kinship and familiarity stemmed into something deeper than just friends, a fierce affection that Kaneda expressed in overzealous jokes and jibes, that Tetsuo showed in tolerant indignation and annoyance. Kai only understands it now, having a similar relationship himself with Kaneda. And he can kind of understand too where Tetsuo’s anger came from.

Kaneda is a great guy. Goofy, sure, carefree, considerably, but he is fiercely loyal and more clever than anyone gives him credit for. A natural born leader with his charisma, he’s always been destined for great things despite preferring to pop pills and joke around.

That’s where some of the anger comes into play.

Someone like Kaneda, someone who naturally exudes confidence and a strong presence, who makes standing up for himself look natural and effortless, he’s the kinda person Kai would be jealous of if he didn’t admire him so much, if he wasn’t lucky enough to call him family. Tetsuo always had a hard time being open, holding connections. Trusting that kindness wasn’t fueled by pity, and jokes weren’t sincere. Kai can imagine very well how hard it might have been feeling perpetually trapped in someone's else’s shadow, especially one as large as Kaneda's.

Kaneda sniffs suddenly and shakes his head within the cradle of his hands, rakes his fingers through his hair a few times before laughing wetly.

“Stupid Tetsuo, always causing me problems. Always leaving me to clean up after him even beyond the grave.” And Kai kinda cracks a smile at that one, glances up at Kaneda and blanches at what he sees. From his spot on the floor, he has a perfect view of Kaneda’s wrecked face.

There’s an impression of a smile on his lips, twisted into more of a grimace than anything. His eyes shine with tears that drip onto the floor like a waterfall, like rain in the desert after years of a brutal drought. He laughs again, or tries to, but it turns into a bitter sob that knocks him back into the futon with a sound of defeat.

Kai would normally jump up to offer comfort and words of reassurance at the sight of a friend in pain, but he’s sensed this coming for a long time now. Kei must have too. While surprising, it’s also completely expected and Kai knows that Kaneda is the type who needs to ride it out, needs to get to the bottom of his well of untapped emotions to move on from them. So he politely looks away as Kaneda proceeds to lose his usually cool composure and sits in silence as his heart aches for his friend.

For his friends.

“Fuck, I hate him Kai. I fuckin hate him. What a piece of work, a dumb fuckin asshole! I hope he’s rolling over in his grave right now, hope he hears me talking shit bout him from the great beyond. Because he's the worst ! A dumb, selfish, egotistical maniac! God, I’ll be living with his reckless messes for the rest of my life and he just got a free pass. Got a goddamn one way ticket far away from this shit circus of a town that he fucked halfway to hell. Left it all behind like it was the easiest thing, like it all meant nothing. What a jerk!” Kaneda is in near hysterics thanks to the combined liquor and outpouring of repressed emotions, caught between a mix of yelling, laughing, and crying. A truly impressive feat, if Kai says so himself.

“All those night we stayed up late talkin’ about how we were gonna change the world, how we were gonna, fuck, fix this broken town not-not break it beyond repair! In the end there wasn’t even a we anymore, not even an us. Just a -just him. Just Tetsuo. All that mattered to him in the end was his stupid, dumb self. Pathetic, he never even liked himself, that’s why I was there!”

Kai hands him his glass of water silently after Kaneda’s rant reaches an intermission and he downs it in three gulps. Takes a minute, thankfully, to dry his eyes and get control over his breathing. Kai just sits next to Kaneda and leans a little more heavily against his leg. Thinks about how weird it is to hear Kaneda sound so torn over someone leaving him behind for once. Kaneda’s scratchy voice speaks softly by his head.

“Fuck that... fuck him. Stupid cry baby bastard, can’t believe I had an ungrateful brat like that as my friend…but fuck, I still miss him sometimes Kai. Sometimes...sometimes I wan’t him back.” Kai sighs for what feels like the millionth time that night, but it’s equal parts sadness and equal parts relief. The air around them feels different suddenly, somber now instead of stifled.

Kai get’s where Kaneda is coming from, maybe not fully but well enough. He didn’t know a lot about Tetsuo before he became a wrecking ball to the town, didn't know much beyond what Kaneda would tell him or what Tetsuo himself would let slip when he was too drunk to know any better. He knows that Tetsuo was never all bad though, never quite the type Yamagata pegged him as either despite the shit he did, even to Yamagata himself.

Tetsuo too was a victim to something greater than himself, to a power larger than the confines of his earthly body. It’s taken a while to forgive his friends indiscretions and while Kai will never forget them, he thinks it’s past time to really start healing from them.

“So do I Kaneda.” Kai whispers the admission softly, almost hesitant to feel the things he does for a friend he too sometimes thinks he failed. “I know we never got along as well as the two of you, but I cared about him all the same and sometimes I wish things had gone differently. But what happened, happened, and I think he’s in a better place now, and us, we’re making the best out of what we’ve got...which, might I remind your stubborn ass, is each other.”

Kai picks himself up off the ground and plops down on the futon next to Kaneda, feeling a fatigue wash over him and settle bone deep. Kaneda radiates heat like a furnace and kinda smells bad, but his eyes are dry now, albeit puffy and red. His gaze is far away, stuck somewhere in the past, but he nods his head idly in response to Kai’s statement because they both know it's true. That sentiment has been the core of the Capsules since day one, ‘look out for our own, take care of our own: we’re all we’ve got’.

Always. No doubt about it.

“You look like you’ve got pink eye.” He says instead of just about anything else he probably should say, once again to lighten the mood, and Kaneda’s lips twitch before blooming into a wry smile.

“Well yea, I did just cry my heart out to you.” Kai can’t fight a smile either.

“Yup, just like a dumb reckless baby. No wonder the two of you got along so well, you weren’t so different after all. ” And Kaneda finally laughs something that doesn’t sound horribly bitter and sad.

They spend most of the night catching up and retelling stories about their childhood days, reveling in the golden light of the past. The usual hesitance to mention Tetsuo’s name is gone from their mouths, and they freely talk about all the stupid shit they did together, all the drunken times they had, all the recklessly childish things they honestly don’t know how they got away with. Kaneda maybe cries again once or twice, but Kai joins in and it’s a free for all of feelings, a cathartic visit for the both of them.

They collapse the futon and fall asleep right around the time the sun rises, and Kai doesn’t wake up on his own for once. The weight of another body settling on the futon jolts him into consciousness and he’s only slightly confused at the shy smile Kei sends him as she slips off her shoes and sets her coat on the floor. It’s a sight that’s very familiar to him despite having spent months alone in this apartment and he automatically scoots over some to make more room for Kei.

“You didn’t answer when I knocked, so I decided to let myself in.” Kai nods at her answer because it sounds plausible enough and he’s had worse people break into his apartment before. She stretches before lying down next to Kai, making him feel like a sardine squeezed in tightly between Kaneda’s back and Kei’s side. Kaneda snores suddenly and mumbles something in his sleep that sounds like “udon” to him and Kei rolls her eyes as Kai stifles a yawn, still closer to being asleep than awake.

“How did the meetin' go?” Kei hums to acknowledge she heard him before closing her eyes and sighing out her nose. She doesn’t respond for a long moment, but he doesn’t press it.

“Let’s talk about it later. Maybe over dinner?” Kai nods slowly. It must be the afternoon already if the light peeking in from the still closed curtains is any indication. Kei did say she would return around mid day. With the way she’s melting into the futon aside him, and Kaneda is snoring lightly on the other side of him, Kai imagines they won’t be moving until dinner time anyway.

“Sounds good....I can make udon ramen.” Kei hums again, and out of his peripheral he can see a slow smile spread on her face.

“Kaneda’s been talking about your ramen for months...I really am sorry we haven't been around lately.” If Kai weren’t so tired he would shrug, but his eyelids are getting heavier by the minute. If Kaneda is like a furnace, Kei is like a burning star, hotter than the sun. He’s starting to feel okay with being a sardine between these two.

“No worries. It was nice to catch up. Think we both needed to get some things off our chests anyway.”

Kai can hear the smile in Kei’s voice as she says softly, “Thank you, Kai. You’re really an amazing friend.”

Kai smiles back even though she’s probably not looking and responds, “Yeah, I am pretty great aren’t I?”

Kei’s pealing laughter (and Kaneda’s quiet snore of agreement) is the last thing he remembers hearing before falling back asleep.

#akira #heavy word vomit ughhh #i ain't even worried bout it #akira fanfic #my writing #kaisuke (akira)#kai (akira)#kaneda shotaro #kei (akira)

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shittyfandomwritings · 6 years

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Too Good To Be True - Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: You live in a reality where Jason Todd and his family only exists in comics. In other words, you’re real - and he’s not. Until one day, when you actually meet him.

Warnings: slight angst, maybe a bit of OOC Jason, torture, death

Note: i may be considering a pt 2

Word Count: 2k

“Y/N!”

You jolt awake, sliding off your chair and onto your bedroom floor. Groaning, you prop yourself up on one sarm, holding your head with the other, as you look up at your roommate, Aria.

Aria’s eyes sweep the room, her eyebrows furrowing disapprovingly at the state of your bedroom: clothes are thrown over your chair, your dresser and on your bed, food wrappers litter the floor, a dirty coffee-stained cup sits on your desk, while comic books are piled on every surface in the room - your desk, your bed, your drawers, even the floor.

She leans against the doorway. “What time did you sleep last night?”

You rub your head sheepishly. “Uh… 5?”

Aria shakes her head, and holds out a hand to you. “You have to stop staying up so late. It’s a Saturday.”

“Uh, that’s exactly why I stay up so late. There’s no work tomorrow.” You accept her hand.

“Comics aren’t worth sleep,” she scolds. You gasp at this, but she continues chewing you out. “You can’t keep up this lifestyle just for an obsession with a fictional family.”

You are too tired to argue with her, so you just block out her reprimands and take a seat at the breakfast bar as she prepares lunch.

“They’re not just fiction,” you mutter to yourself once you’re sure she’s not listening. “They’re my life.”

All day, every day, you go through the exact same thing: you reading comic books or fanfiction, and people telling you that you’re a mature adult who shouldn’t spend so much time on “childish” works of fiction and obsessing over a fictional character. You’re sick and tired of it, because you’re a grown adult who can do whatever the hell you want to do.

It hurts that you’ll never be able to really know Jason Todd and his family in real life, since - well, since they’re not real. And, in the grand scheme of things, just because you know basically everything there is to know about him, it doesn’t matter, because he doesn’t exist.

You try not to think about it, but with more and more people reminding you every single day about your existence and his non-existence, it’s getting harder to forget and ignore the cold truth.

But whatever. Comic books are apart of your identity. It’s the thing that makes you special, makes you stand out, makes you that stereotypical comic book nerd.

And you wouldn’t change it for the world.

You get through the day groggily with your daily dose of fanfiction, chips, coffee, and comics. At night, you do what you always do - stay up reading until you eventually fall asleep.

You drift off into sleep, but no sooner than 2 minutes later, you wake up again. Stumbling over to the window (which you normally wouldn’t do, but you feel more energised, which is very strange; usually you would be too lethargic to even get up upon waking), you open the blinds to see that the sun is shining brightly.

Looks like it’s another day on this painful planet.

Walking out of the room, you notice that your vision is oddly bright, like someone put an instagram filter over your eyes and sources of light become too bright and make your eyes go out of focus, but you dismiss it. Perhaps it’s just your eyes playing tricks on you.

“Aria?” You call out. “Are you here?”

No one answers you, leading you to assume that she went for a run, but she has left you a sandwich, so that’s good. After eating breakfast, you change into thicker clothing and head downtown to the library to borrow some comics, even though you have a lot of unread books at home.

Okay, yeah, that’s basically what you do every day, but it doesn’t get boring.

You step into the cozy library that seems more like a small cafe with books and dim, aesthetically pleasing lighting, and nod at the librarian, who smiles back. You don’t know her name, but she did allow you to slip in to borrow some books after closing hours, so you sort of respect her in a way.

You make a beeline for the comics section and start to select certain favourite issues. You’ve already read 90% of the comics section, so now you basically just reread them over and over again. Sometimes it gets boring, but you’re too broke to buy new issues.

While browsing, you flip through some pages of Red Hood and The Outlaws #2, but to your shock and horror, the pages are completely blank.

The book starts to dissolve in your hands, and you step back clumsily. What did you just do? What the hell is going on?

You back up and stumble into a hard chest, whirling around to see -

Holy shit.

Is that Jason fucking Todd?

You open your mouth to speak, to say something, but nothing comes out, so you end up gaping at him like a fish.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, you finally find it in yourself to speak, albeit stutteringly and stammeringly. “I - uh, you, I mean - sorry.” Your cheeks turn embarrassingly red. “For - bumping into you. I mean.”

A small smile appears on his lips. “It’s fine.”

Another awkward silence passes before you voice the question you were dying to ask. “So, uh, I’m Y/N L/N. What’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m Jason. Jason Todd.”

Your heart stops and you choke on air. You freak out internally. Mini Y/Ns are running around screaming “HOLY FUCK” over and over again, and Jason has to wave his hand in front of your face to catch your attention.

Yeah, you’re pretty sure your whole face is a tomato right now.

Over the period of 2 hours, you guys get past the awkwardness and get more comfortable with each other, and really hit it off. He’s funnier than you could have ever imagined, definitely more handsome, but maybe just as charming. You pretend not to know everything there is to know about this man, and he doesn’t seem to suspect a thing.

At the end of the day, Jason and you walk out of the library (after half an hour of the librarian shushing you two and glaring), hand in hand. You feel like you’re floating on a cloud. This is your dream, come true.

The next two months are even better. You learn something new about him every day, and it’s genuinely new - the comics never got this personal. You constantly feel like you’re in a dream. Everything is so perfect, and it’s honestly too good to be true… but it is.

Isn’t it?

You begin to notice strange occurrences in your daily life. For one, you haven’t seen Aria ever since you met Jason. It’s like she’s been completely wiped off the grid. You have no idea where she is, what she’s doing… You’re getting worried. There has to be something wrong.

Two days into the third month you’ve known Jason, he asks you to be his girlfriend. Practically bursting at the seams with excitement, you kiss him, and well, damn, he’s a better kisser than you could’ve ever imagined.

Halfway into the second month of your relationship, he tells you that he’s a vigilante, and you pretend to be shocked. But your worry is definitely the most genuine it’s ever been.

Jason insists on teaching you basic self-defence, and you oblige. It’s not the best idea, because every session ends up in making out, but it turns out to be especially handy… when you get kidnapped by the Joker, on his death anniversary.

This is the most hurt you’ve ever felt in your lifetime. Your ribs throb continually, waves of excruciating pain rolling over you.

“I deeply apologise for the inconvenience, but a little birdie told me that another bird holds you dear to his heart.” The Joker grins down at you, flashing sharp yellow teeth, madness dancing in his eyes as he brandishes a crowbar. “So here’s hoping your death will rip him apart!”

He swings the crowbar at you again, causing blood to dribble from your mouth. “How was that? Feel good?” He cackles insanely.

You tilt your chin up as much as you can, give him a defiant look, and spit blood at him. You miss, but it’s the thought that counts.

He scowls, hitting you again. It definitely hurts but you prefer his scowl over his laugh. You allow yourself this small victory, before your eyes start to get heavy.

“Oh yes! I almost forgot.” The madman takes out a small piece of paper and a pen out of his bloody purple suit, and scribbles something on it, then shows it to you. It reads, “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, JASON!”

He places the note beside your head. Even more blood collects in your mouth, and you begin to drift into unconsciousness. He swings the crowbar once again, and you are gone.

The last thing you see is the glass ceiling shattering, and 3 costumed figures dropping out. The last thing you taste is the blood in your mouth. The last thing you smell is the stench of your blood.

The last thing you hear is Jason’s anguished yell.

And you wake.

Clutching at your ribs, you pant. You are blood-free, in your bedroom, and in your pyjamas. Not a bloody body in an abandoned warehouse. There is no trace of The Joker, Jason, Tim or Dick. Confusion overtakes you.

Then it hits you, the truth that deep down you’ve known or at least suspected, the truth that you’ve rejected and tried to forget about.

Everything was just a dream. That’s all it was. Your dream was just a dream, always has been. You feel like screaming. It was just way too good to be true, wasn’t it?

The door opens, and Aria pokes her head into your room. “You look terrible,” she points out. “Bad dream?”

You run your fingers through your hair, and tears spring to your eyes as you think about how real Jason felt. “Sort of,” you mutter.

***

It’s been two weeks, and you don’t feel that much better. You already hated the Joker, but now you can’t stand to see his face. Sometimes you miss Jason, a little bit.

Okay, you miss Jason a lot, and all the time. You just can’t stop thinking about him.

It’s even affecting your daily habits of comic book reading. You can’t read anything to do with Jason or the Batfam without feeling this pang in your chest.

Honestly, you’re getting sick of missing him. He’s a fictional character, for God’s sake! You aren’t saying that you thought you had a chance before, but ever since that dream, you actually know what it feels like to be loved by Jason Todd, and it hurts that you’ll never feel it again.

Maybe whatever deity above who gave you that dream wants you to just dream it, and then get over it, like it was a treat that you miss but eventually forget about. But it didn’t work that way. Not for you.

So you continue with your daily life, with week after week of boring normality.

It’s a normal day. You’re just walking to the library, and boom - you just smack right into someone’s chest. You back up and open your mouth to apologise when a white streak in the stranger’s hair catches your eye.

It can’t be. Could it?

He does look exactly like Jason Todd. But that can’t be, it’s just a coincidence, because Jason isn’t real, right?

Gaping, you clear your throat and manage to stammer out an apology, and a “I - I’m Y/N.”

He chuckles and says, “It’s fine. I’m Jason, by the way.”

And you swear you nearly faint.

requests are open!

request for a pt 2 if you want ;)

#jason todd x reader #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd fanfic #red hood x reader #red hood fanfic #dc x reader #dc fanfic #i write #my writing #mine

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kenjkats · 6 years

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HEYY because I have no self-restraint JakeXMC for numbers 1-23, 38, And 41? THANKS LOVE!!♥️

YOOOO ES3 ON THE HORIZON I AM HYPED FOR MY MANS JAKE THANKS FOR THE ASK

LOL I GET IT THO it’s JAKE. MCKENZIE. Who has the restraint???

Note: Using F!MC and default name Taylor. And these get specific so I might use personality/backstory HCs especially for MC

1. How do they fall asleep? Wake up? Any daily rituals?

They’re quite cuddly. Even if they didn’t go to sleep in each other’s arms they often wake up to find that Taylor is resting against Jake’s shoulder and he has that arm wrapped around her. Waking up varies, either very lazy mornings filled with groaning and “five more minutes”, one of them stretching and smacking the other in the face. Or, groping each other half asleep that devolves into sex. I don’t make the rules.

2. How’s their team work? Do they share well?

GREAT. They got through a bunch of hellish life and death situations on La Huerta, their daily team work is a piece of cake. Although they argue over whose turn it is to do a certain chore.

3. Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?

VERY OPEN. Jake McKenzie doesn’t give A F*CK. If he wants to kiss Taylor, he’s gonna kiss Taylor. And she doesn’t mind at alllll. A big lesson from the island is you gotta live in the here and now and say you love the ones you love when you can. Everyone hates them a little for it. Lots of eye rolling and groaning and, “Seriously? Do you have to do that HERE?”

4. First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?

Not love, but they were attracted to each other right away. Taylor saw this pilot sleeping in the cockpit with his feet up and thought he was lazy, snarky, but cute. Jake definitely noticed her when he laid eyes on her, masking it with jokes and nicknames, of course.

5. Nicknames? Pet names? Any in-jokes?

6. Any tasks that are always left to one person?

They kinda settled into the routine of Taylor cooking and Jake doing dishes. Some sort of similar agreement goes for most of their other chores.

7. What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?

They love each other’s little quirks, but what annoys them both is that the other has the tendency to cut the other off for their sake. Taylor not telling Jake or the gang about some dangers (that she could talk about without messing up time) just to protect them. Jake trying to make her go when Lundgren was after them. Stuff like that. They wish the other would let them just be there for them cause they’re supposed to be a team, but the need to protect the other gets in the way.

8. What do they like best about their partner?

Taylor loves Jake’s hair (she runs her fingers through it a lot because it’s surprisingly soft), and the smirk he gives her a lot. Let’s not forget the beautiful blue eyes that like to wander over her body.

Jake loves her smile. He tries to hide it most of the time, but it makes him melt. And the way she smells. When they’re lying next to each other at the end of the day and he takes in her scent he feels happy and safe, because to him she smells like home.

9. Do they discuss big issues? Religion? Marriage? Children? Death?

Yes but they’re both a little awkward about it and there’s a lot of beating around the bush. But they eventually do, especially when a situation forces them to. Jake makes sure to insert a lot of jokes and puns to deflect the awkwardness of any conflicting opinions. Although they surprise each other with their very similar views anyway.

10. Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?

Taylor drives. Jake actually only knows how to work planes. Go figure. Taylor cooks most of the time except for when Jake is in the mood to barbecue or grill things outside. Jake does a lot of the handiwork around the house. Cleaning is split, with they heavy-duty outdoor stuff taken care by Jake (he likes it because you do those less often than say, sweeping lol). Taylor pays the bills. They hate the public XD

11. Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?

They do! They usually have a thing with the gang then sneak off to have some private time drinking together, lying in a hammock cuddling, or… things.

Their favorites are New Years and their anniversary. Add to that the anniversary of Jake’s name being cleared, letting him move back to the states so they can live together.

They also celebrate the anniversary of when they all returned home. It’s a special holiday only they celebrate. Lots of feels and good times on that day.

12. Is there a wedding? What was the proposal like? Any kind of honeymoon?

THERE IS. It was on the island. Their relationship never went along the normal progression anyway. Everything just happened quickly. Jake proposed one day after all the mess on La Huerta. They were still on the island, but everything was more lax. They could afford to party, relax, and figure out how to get home in peace.

Jake and Taylor were sitting quietly on the beach, talking about how great it felt to be free from all the weird stuff. And Jake is staring at her as she talks about home. He never thought about getting married, but he wasn’t stupid, either. He saw very clearly how lucky he was, how he wanted her and only her, and just asked then and there. Why wait?

It was a lovely little ceremony officiated by the Vaanti, with a feast of course and Raj getting everyone drunk. They saved the honeymoon for when they got back home, and had it on a regular island getaway without time magic nonsense.

13. What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?

They’re very chill. They like to lay around the house, or go for walks and hikes outside. Occasionally they do go for an adrenaline rush: surfing, jetskiing, diving, Jake flying them around, that kind of stuff.

14. Anything they both dread?

An angry Michelle, Zahra, Estela, and worst of all Grace lol

They can handle anything else, really.

15. How adventurous are they?

Very. They’re that type of couple that likes to go on mountain hikes and would try anything that gave you a big adrenaline rush.

16. Do they keep secrets? Lie? Cheat?

Nope. By the time they get back from La Huerta they’re pretty much open to each other all the way. There are times though when they feel the need to hide something from the other when they feel like it would keep the other safer or it was unnecessary to worry them about it, but these things usually come out if they need to.

17. What would make them break up? Would it be permanent?

If they can’t keep up with adjustments in each other’s lives. I mean Taylor would be adjusting to the new life of being an adult: finding a job, getting used to paying bills, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Jake on the other hand has to get used to being back in the states, and could have trouble adjusting into the quiet normalcy of everyday life.

I could see Taylor hang on even if they had trouble keeping up with each other on top of these life changes, but Jake would be the type of guy who might ask to cool off if he feels like he’s being a burden or hindrance in her new life.

Probably not permanent. Taylor is stubborn and would keep coming back.

18. What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?

They feel a little awkward at first readjusting to life back in the normal world and going on actual dates that didn’t involve simultaneously running away from prehistoric predators. But when they do adjust, they hang out a lot.

Jake shows her around his hometown, and they like to take little trips together and he shows her all the places he’s been with his old plane Delilah. They like going to bars together, or camping, or just hanging out at one of their houses or in the backyard, lounging around, talking, and drinking or eating. When they get a little bored of the quiet, they like to go hiking, or to the beach and do fun activities like jetski races ofc.

I HC that Taylor doesn’t really have a home in the US like she thinks, so when they go back they move in together right away. They maybe date for about a year before Jake cuts the BS and asks her to marry him lol. They were never the couple to take things slow anyway. They were sure of each other from the start.

Ofc they need breaks from each other. Everyone needs alone time. Taylor likes to go out with the girls: Michelle and Estela especially, while Jake likes to have alone time in his hammock or watch a game with Craig, Zahra, and Sean.

19. What do they fight about? What are their arguments like? How do they make up?

They fought quite a bit when they were adjusting to a normal life and living together. Not having to worry about surviving attacks and starvation lets you notice the annoying things a little more. They argue about bad habits and chores, but nothing too big. Their arguments are just a few annoyed words, then one of them, usually Jake, walks off before they lose their temper and say something they don’t mean.

They make up by just approaching the other and hugging them, mumbling an apology. Always a lot of make up kissing/sex lol

20. What does their home look like? Their room?

Simple, but homey. These two could live on a shack on the beach and decorate it with a bunch of souvenirs from their travels, which is basically how they decorate their actual home. Nothing fancy. Same with their room.

21. Do they share any interests or hobbies?

Yes! I imagine they love watching sports and support Sean in his career. They also love outdoors-y type activities. Jake shares his enthusiasm for flying, and tries teach Taylor how to fly his new little plane. Taylor introduces Jake to a bunch of her favorite TV series.

22. Does their work ever interfere with the relationship?

In the way of time maybe. They feel frustrated when they’re trying to get into a routine. Taylor is a fresh grad trying to settle into her first job and she’s kept busy quite a lot. Jake on the other hand doesn’t have too many options after serving his country. He goes back to being a pilot and is away a lot.

23. How do they hug? Kiss? Tease? Flirt? Comfort?

Jake often does the side hug, draping one arm around Taylor to pull her in then kiss her on the forehead. Taylor likes wrapping her arms around his waist when he does this and buries her face in his chest.

Their kissing always leads to things. They can’t help it, they enjoy the feel of each other too much and if they are alone, they will take advantage lol.

Flirting is shameless. Doesn’t matter when or where, even in serious life and death planning mode with the gang, Jake especially will find a way to pull out a flirty joke or pull her into a kiss. You miss all the shots you don’t take, is one of his life mottos.

They comfort each other with light-hearted jokes, words, and light touches or lingering hugs. Like when Taylor found Jake’s idol. She hugs him for comfort and he returns it, asking her what’s wrong and reassuring her. Or like in the tent before they went after Rourke and Jake poured his heart out to her about Mike. She was there for him and reassured him, making sure he knew she was there for him.

38. What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?

Insatiable, really. They just go at it whenever they can and wherever they can, you saw them on La Huerta lol EVEN IN THE CAVE XDD

So they’re really hungry and rough about it, especially in the beginning, but then they also have that side where they’re softer, slower, and are more gentle - usually in quieter moments and later on when they fall hard for each other.

They won’t do anything too crazy, but they do like to mix it up now and then (cough tying each other up is canon cough). Hmm stuff with food, blindfolding, doing it in non-bed places, stuff like that. Jake loves LOVES watching her though, it’s a simple thing is a huge turn on for him. Like he’ll watch her as she moves on against him or he rocks against her, drinking in the way her face looks, how her hair is splayed over the sheets - all of it. Drives him crazy.

41. Are they party-goers? What are they like when they’re drunk? Does it happen often?

Yes but in that relaxed way. Like, they’ll go to a party, but are the ones sitting around and just drinking in their own little group. Jake isn’t drunk too often. The man’s threshold is HIGH. But when he is, he gets kind of sleepy and is extra touchy with Taylor. He also either laughs more or gets a little miffed with people around him who make fun of him cause he looks so drunk. Like Craig will crack a joke and Jake tries to push him a little, but he misses and just ends up sitting on the floor. Idk XDD

Taylor is drunk more often. She tries to drink the same stuff Jake does, but usually can’t keep up. She’s a happy drunk, prone to dancing, yelling, and lots of giggling around her friends. She’ll also drape her arms around Jake a lot, kissing him all over his cheek and ruffling his hair, still giggling.

Send me a ship and some numbers and I’ll give you HCs (limited, see this link for ships I do!)

#jake mckenzie #jake x mc #playchoices #endless summer #hc #hc request #jake hc #request #all you gotta do is ask darling #detailed otp meme #thanks for coming to my ted talk

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angelkurenai · 7 years

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Oh boy now I really need to update my masterlist! One month and a half and I’ve written so much that it can equal to three months while I was at school! But oh there is more coming, enjoy these while I write more!

Also, links for masterlist here:

Stories Masterlist 1# Stories Masterlist 2#

My imagines are a little bit shorter stories, not just gifs, and there are a couple mini-series too!

Imagines Masterlist #1 Imagines Masterlist #2

Picture Perfect - Dean Winchester x Reader x Sam Winchester

Part 8 l Part 9 l Part 10 l Part 11 l Part 12

Lie to Me - Dean Winchester x Reader (x Sam Winchester, x Jensen Ackles - French Mistake AU)

Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6 l Part 7 l Part 8 l Part 9

Cool dad - Dean Winchester x Reader

One-shot

A Winchester’s Legacy - Dean Winchester x Reader

Part 1 l Part 2

My Immortal - Loki x Reader

One-shot

Papa Winchester - Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader

One-shot

Is this the Sequel? - Jensen Ackles x Reader (x Henry Cavill)

One-shot

Dean Winchester x Reader

Imagine opening the door to find Jared and Jensen on your door posing as FBI agents. Only it isn’t actually them.

Imagine being in a secret relationship with your father’s best friend, Dean Winchester. (Part 2)

Imagine doctor Dean Winchester flirting with you while coming to check up on you on the hospital.

Imagine your neighbor, Dean Winchester, getting jealous when he sees a guy leave your house in the morning when your parents are gone on a trip. (Part 1)

Imagine your neighbor, Dean Winchester, implying there are more things he can to you than the boy you had over a few days ago. And going into detail. (Part 2)

Imagine changing in your room while your neighbor, Dean Winchester, is watching from his own window. (Part 3)

Imagine going for a swim in a bikini to tease your neighbor, Dean Winchester, who has been doing the same all day. (Part 4)

Imagine demon!Dean beating a guy up to death because he touched you and he got jealous. (Part 1)

Imagine demon!Dean beating a guy up to death because he touched you and he got jealous. (Part 2)

Imagine Dean trying to find excuses to spend more time with you because he is scared to confess that he has feelings for you.

Imagine Dean having feelings for you and not approving of your boyfriend because he is jealous.

Imagine meeting Dean at a bar and hooking up, although you both want to know each other more. Only you find out the next day that he is your new teacher. (Part 2)

Imagine accidentally killing Lisa but later making a deal to bring her back. Dean was in the beginning furious with you but then feels guilty and devastated because he lost you. (Part 3)

Sam Winchester x Reader

Imagine going to see the new IT movie with Sam and ending up holding his hand because he is scared.

Actors x Reader

Imagine being Misha’s sister and getting married to Jensen.

Imagine being nervous to find out you have a bed scene with your best friend, and crush, Tom in your new movie because you know he can make it all very realistic.

Imagine Misha loving to talk about you,his wife, in interviews.

Imagine taking an interview from the cast of Supernatural and Jensen can’t help but get distracted by you because he finds you attractive.

Imagine being in a secret relationship with Jensen Ackles and him flirting with you when he comes to your work.

Imagine taking Jeffrey to meet your parents for the first time and being nervous because of the age gap between you.

Imagine people assuming you and Jared are a couple so he gets asked about you a lot in interviews, which makes him shy because he has feelings for you.

Imagine Jared letting it slip that you’ve been together for very long during an interview.

Imagine skyping with Jensen on your anniversary and him having a unique surprise for you.

Imagine being Jensen's younger sister and falling in love with Jeffrey when you visit him on set.

Imagine getting married with Jensen in secret and going on your honeymoon.

Imagine being in a secret relationship with Jensen, who is older than you, and your father, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, walking in on the two of you doing it.

Imagine telling your husband, Jensen, you are pregnant but want to keep it a secret for some time. He gets so happy he goes out drinking to celebrate it but he ends up making a video about it, spilling more things that just your pregnancy.

Imagine being a teacher and meeting Tom Hiddleston, who flirts with you, when he brings two of your students at school.

Imagine Jensen rambling about you on interviews without realizing it, because he has feelings for you.

Imagine working in a bookstore and Tom Hiddleston coming every day for books. Unknown to you is that he’s more interested to you than the books and proves it to you by flirting and giving you his number.

Imagine Bill letting it slip that you are dating during an interview.

Imagine Bill talking about how nervous he was during your first meeting and letting it slip he has a crush on you during an interview.

Imagine the fans celebrating your anniversary with Jensen with tweets and your father, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, doesn’t miss the chance to join in.

Imagine Jensen showing to Misha and the fans what you, his fiance, love most in him.

Imagine Brendon letting it slip you, his wife, are pregnant with your first child during an interview.

Other Characters

Imagine being a hero but Joker getting obsessed with you and trying to seduce you. Resulting in killing a man who disrespects you to prove his point.

Imagine Loki actually being worried for your well-being when you get in the arena to fight.

Imagine Loki smiling when he sees you smile or hears you laugh without realizing it.

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the-cryptographer · 7 years

Photo

My tiny yugioh shrine - before and after pics. The Jounouchi figure still up top, holding a chain and ready to shank you with a scapegoat~ But I thought I’d zoom in so we could see my BEAUTIFUL NEW ISHTAR SIBS CLEARFILE INSTEAD~

I thought my shrine was getting a little too shippy. And especially a little too shippy in the absence of Mai. WHERE IS ALL THE KUJAKU MAI MERCHANDISE?! i need it pls, thx. But, anyhow~ I bought the Ishtar clearfile off of auction. And I thought it might be an old one, but on the back is actually a logo for the 20th anniversary of ygo, last year in 2016. And they weren’t even really in the movie, so now I’m wondering maybe there is also the chance of some recent Mai merchandise out there, hmm, so she will properly be represented in my collection >3>

But yeah, this is just by the exit to my room so i can stop by before i leave for the day and, offer coins or pieces of fruit or whatever and pray at my card game based alter, and maybe then Jounouchi’s good luck will rub off on me a little~

...

And there’s also a gore version of the shrine, but I usually keep that picture in the back so visitors don’t think i’m a creep. i guess i’ll put this picture in the front if i ever decide to host ritualistic demon summonings in my room or smthn~

(Both prints are from toxicosis by the way.)

Doujinshi are in another location. And I was only going to talk about my stupid ygo bookshelf shrine thing today, but then my doujin shipment came in and I decided FUCK IT i will brag about my crippling lack of impulse control cool swag all at once if i want to... Under the cut-

@battymarionette

If you remember this one~

tdah~ Basically it seems like a Kaiba Corp has put out a game, some kind of ridiculous fantasy RPG where Atem is some kind of Ron the Death Eater villain and Jou may or may not be the princess or smthn. And Mokuba invites Jounouchi over to play it or playtest it or something of that nature. Which seems like as good a premise as any for this kind of thing. And it’s got all the cute platonic Joukuba vibes which is a plus~

But yeah, Jounouchi goes over to Mokuba’s place, has some kind of fight with Seto, and some kind of conversation with Atem, and Mokuba’s kind of confused or upset about something, and then Jou gets all cute and announces that he and Kaiba are dating~ which i’m pretty sure Seto didn’t want Mokuba knowing about or whatever~

But, see, now I’m making this doujin sound sweet when, to be really blunt, i didn’t like it. At some point Seto slaps Jounouchi across the face for something.

I guess I shouldn’t pass judgement when I can’t even read the moon runes that explain why this has happened, but- no. (I’m trying to articulate. It’s not that I think Jou and Seto are incapable of being violent with one another (jfc how hypocritical would it be of me) but there’s something about the whys and the hows~? in my mind, Seto doesn’t gets hands on with that kind of thing unless it’s landing a measured martial arts blow in self defense, or lashing out from a place of extreme vulnerability - the kind that involves him being five seconds away from curling up in a ball of self-protection. So... Seto being collected and composed and instigating violence on Jounouchi’s triggers all my ‘no’ responses. And I also doubt Jounouchi would take that kind of thing without complaint, unless he was actually raving or spiraling and it was, like, a calm-the-fuck-down slap. I think he would definitely retaliate with shouting and intimidation, if not a physical blow. With Jounouchi it’s a little harder for me to define what would prompt physical violence, partly because i think his idea of what violence is is narrower than mine, and doesn’t include things like grabbing somebody’s jacket collar and shaking them around. But, hmm, I think by the time he’s through canon he doesn’t exactly break out the fistcuffs lightly.)

The point was that this doujin made it to the top of my shit list very fast. And I was concerned because, see, I had been avoiding buying KaiJou (in that order) doujins because most of them kind of do this thing to me and completely miss the glass cannon type of volatile fragility I see as being kind of central to Kaiba’s character. But then I caved and ordered a whole bunch. But, actually, I was pleasantly surprised by the other couple of ones I bought, so maybe the curse has finally lifted~ I liked this one in particular-

But, tbh, it also knew the way into my heart~

The way into my heart is Wheeler siblings :x

@rainstormcolors

First of all, I got POLARIS and it was good!

I don’t know what to share about it other than that because it was mostly porn. But I felt like it was kind of sweet and sentimental and Kaiba and Atem going on silly dates at the beginning with gorgeous background details. Also they sit on the throne together at the end and look very in love teehee~

But, yes, thank you for reccing~ I enjoyed a lot~!

BUT- !!! More importantly this finally came in the mail!

To answer your question, it’s a normal rivalshipping anthology. 112 pages, comics and fic~ Exciting things happen like Yuugi and Kaiba playing twister~

And in another story they’re out travelling and having punishment games of some sort and Yuugi gets a beard painted on his face~

AND HIS MOM OMG!! I love when odd characters cameo in my doujins. I think you can tell~

But, no, I lied- I addition to the anthology I got all this other stuff too~

I don’t know. There’s a set of tiny playing cards you have to disentangle. Some have exciting images.

Notably Jounouchi and Atem are the jokers, heh~

I still haven’t checked out the CD. This is a very rushed post where I don’t attempt to read things carefully or any of that~ But it comes with a manual with a bunch of character avatars - lots of expressions for Yuugi and Kaiba, as well as one avatar each for Jou, Anzu, baby Seto, Kisara, and BEWD. So I think it may be a visual novel of sorts. Undetermined~

So now you’ll know what you’re getting if you decide to order, in theory at least. I’m not sure because I bought this off the author’s BOOTH, so idk if the extra merchandise is limited in any manner or if toranoana only sends part of it(?)

ugh, let’s see.

I also got another anthology- a Yuugi-centric one.

It’s mostly rivalshipping, which I’d expect. rivalshipping is really popular in the jp fandom. but, tbh, i enjoyed the more odd ships more-

Like Juudai/Manjoume/Yuugi... Kaiba walks in on the Kohais basically crushing yuugi with love after this it’s so cute~

And Otogi/Yuugi. Ah~ I love the DDM chapters in the manga and how softly Otogi warms up to Yuugi~

A Duel Monsters themed art book I spent too much on~ I’m ashamed to say I don’t recognise a whole lot of the cards

but you’ll recognise Yubel, perhaps~

or the lady that Y!Bakura crossdresses as ;)

and there were quite a few dark magician girls and blue eyeses.

from another illustration book~

and i found a couple of apprenticeshipping doujins on BOOTH, but none of them wow-ed me really~

although I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how Mana inherited the Ring in manga canon. I feel like there are things to consider here. This picture struck me as a result.

Alright~ And now for my favourites~

OMG! A WHOLE DOUJIN ABOUT MALIK AND HIS SIBLINGS!!! I think this one was a predictable fave. I loved it so, sooo much. I was absolutely filled with quality Malik and Rishid moments.

EVERYONE IS SO CUTE!!

Malik and Rishid go biking and run into Mai which is very !!!

There are vacation photographs~

It looks like Malik tries to feed Ra a revival slime and gets eaten himself. I don’t know. But it was good. I’m so happy~ Ishtar family doujins. My life is complete. not really. i can’t die until i finish my fics.

Okay, but my other fave I didn’t see coming at all.

I don’t ship this! I shouted into the void. But nobody really believed her, not even herself. It’s too late for me. I’m just multiship trash. I will ship anything you put in front of me...

Okay, but the real reason I decided to get this was because of this preview panel. Of course I knew it was puzzlleship. But actually I love Mana and vaseshipping for reals. And this was so cute and the art was so pretty I thought- We might as well check the rest of it out~ (the idea of top!Yuugi didn’t hurt either...)

And then jackels happened~ And this kind of ethereal magic stuff~

There was some confusion I think with the cultural imagery in the doujin. Some of it looked vaguely Indic to my untrained eye but- I don’t know what to say, the art was so gorgeous and detailed.

And the smut was all facials and frot so obviously the doujin artist has my gd number, smh.

And Jou appeared near the end, looking amazing, and Jou is automatically about +50 points for any doujin.

I don’t know what to say. Very nice. Would recommend.

Also- just fyi- I do buy doujins for things that aren’t ygo. pls forgive my focus on my ygo obsession tho.

I’m really glad I stumbled across this in the hetalia tag~

And there’s a picture of Tifa being so bad at games at the golden saucer that Nanaki, who doesn’t even have opposable thumbs, can defeat her in PvP. Beautiful~

#doujinshi #Malik Ishtar #Mana #JouKai #prideship #rivalship #kuribohship #offership #nurseship #puzzleship #ygo gx #save me from this card game hell #cw: gore

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comixology · 7 years

Audio

In this podcast episode, Slim and Lou chat with Scott Snyder himself!

Primary topic this episode: Scott Snyder! Other topics include Scott following Image right from the beginning, copying Rob Liefeld up and down, getting a signed piece of art from Todd McFarlane on his 13th birthday, responding to and feeling less alone with comics, writing books that mean the most to you, creating from scratch at Image, catharsis while writing, Image’s unique release schedule, coming back to the horror genre, Jock is kind of a big deal okay, The Green Room, The VVitch, Jeff Lemire is pretty awesome, and what Scott’s reading!

Matt: Tia, we're back.

Tia: We are back.

Matt: Biggest show probably in podcast history.

Tia: For once, you're right.

Matt: It's the second time we've interviewed him, but we're here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Image Comics, with unarguably, an icon in the field. A.D. After Death is currently out, Severed from a previous run in Image. Wytches, which has been added to CU up until its most recent issues, welcome to the show Scott Snyder.

Scott: Thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate it. It's an honor to be back.

Matt: 25 years of Image, Scott, can you believe it?

Scott: I cannot believe it. I'm so proud to be a part of it in a tiny way. It really is like an incredible legacy.

Matt: What was your history with Image Comics? Did you make the jump over as a reader when it all began?

Scott: Oh completely. Completely. I was deep into the comics scene right at that time. I had a portfolio. I wanted to be a comic book artist. I copied Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, like all those guys. I mean Liefeld. I copied Liefeld up and down. I love that whole sort of stylistic flare that was there that felt like kind of the way I'd loved kind of Kirby stuff, where it felt exaggerated in different ways in Larsen and even in Jim's stuff, with that kind of realism. There was still this kind of almost over the top stone carved quality to the characters that was part of his style. It was just such a celebratory moment, artistically, where creators were taking their careers into their hands, but they also had such unique voices that it was a really thrilling thing to be involved in as a fan.

My dad and I would go to New York Comic Con at that time. We'd go over to the Penn Plaza Hotel, where it was just a bunch of guys with longboxes and I waited for Todd McFarlane on my 13th birthday, I remember, for 2 hours? 3 hours? And got a page from him. I told him it was my birthday. He signed it to me and drew me a Spidey on the back. I still have it right here in my office. It's Spidey 319. It's a great page and has him sneaking into Aunt May's house and taking off his costume. He's all bruised up, you know?

I was a huge fan of what they did both sort of ... As I've become part of the industry now, I think I have a much deeper appreciation of the bravery it took to make that move and the sort of doors that it had opened for all of us. My generation of writers and artists are benefiting from kind of the daring of that generation. Yeah, I was a big fan of what they were doing then, and an even bigger fan now.

Matt: Did you ever go up to Todd now, since then and be like "Hey, check out this thing that you drew me when I was 13?"

Scott: Oh yeah! Yeah, we were on a radio show together a couple of years ago. I knew I was going to be on it with him. It was in New York. I took a picture of the page and showed it to him. He was super kind. I've hung out with him a bunch of times since, because Capullo's was really good friends with him. Whenever we're all in town, we usually go out for lunch. I've been out with him a number of times. The first time I had seen him since I was 13 was that, on a show, and I showed him on my phone. Like I still have this page. It's framed in my office. “Thank you, because it meant a lot to me.” He was so kind. He gave it to me for like barely anything at the time. It was when my dad was like, "It's his birthday." He gave it to me for super cheap and drew on it and wrote, and drew me a full Spidey head and happy birthday." He's super kind.

Tia: I feel like the fact that you have had this experience and you know how important comics can be for people really comes through in all of your work. Wytches was actually my first book of yours that I ever read. There's so many things I have feelings about, because it's a horror book, but it's also just such a powerful emotional book about depression and about being brave. I remember a particular flashback scene where Sailor's yelling at her dad in the hospital about how he can't help her with her depression, because he's “not in the room. “

Scott: Yeah.

Tia: I was crying in public. I was actually on a plane, crying over this page. I really related to it. You feel like you're so alone in that. Then all of a sudden, this person, this person you have so much admiration for, like explains it perfectly. Other people read it and they respond to it in a positive way. It just makes you feel less alone. I don't know. Comics can be really powerful. I see that in not just in your creator owned work, but also in your Batman books and things like that. Are you able to just like separate feelings when you're writing? Is this just something that is in everything that you write?

Scott: Well thanks for saying that. I really appreciate it, by the way, Tia. The beauty of Image is they're almost like inverted sort of tasks writing for a place like DC and writing for Image, because the goal is always the same, which is to make stories that speak to things that you're concerned about, that keep you up at night or inspire you in those ways. When I teach, that's always sort of the golden rule, is that if it's not the books that would mean the most to you when you pick it up today, then don't write it. The kind of rules or the sort of format beg very different things of you.

At Image, essentially you're going in there with nobody invested in anything that you are bringing to the table. They don't know the mythology of your series. They don't know your characters. It's inherently really important to you and they know that, or you wouldn't be writing it. You have to get everybody else to sort of see that the world that you're creating and the characters that you're creating are something that they should take the time to believe in.

With The Big Two, they already care deeply about the characters and the whole world. You're trying to sort of show them that you care about these characters in a way that allows you to write to things that, again, sort of you find to be anxiety through yourself or anxieties in the air at that minute. They're really different muscles that you flex on either one, but I kind of find that the only times that I've taken time off from create your own, I got really depressed even though I loved the books that I was working on at DC. I didn't have any place to go where it was completely mine, where I knew all the rules and I could go anywhere I wanted. It was almost like a tree house. Without that, I realized pretty quickly that it's just not healthy for me creatively.

They're very different, but they almost have this kind of strange symbiotic relationship to each other for me where I enjoy going into the kind of box of Batman and that stuff, where there are rules that you have to sort of abide by, and also expectations on the character, and a kind of investment in the character that you're almost working against sometimes to get things in there that you care about or trying to sort of make a story that's personal. I love the way you're able to do it. I feel really grateful to DC for letting me sort of go so far afield sometimes to get points across.

But then with creator owned, you're trying to bring everybody in, because you, obviously, from go, already care about the stuff that you're writing about, because you're creating it from scratch. Somehow they work in a really interesting way for me, where at this particular moment, I'm working on After Death. Well I just finished it, but I was working on After Death for almost two years with Jeff Lemire. It's largely about a sort of a guy with a crippling fear of mortality, which he winds up being able to sidestep, because they create a cure for death, for aging, that he's a part of.

Having that and having All-Star Batman and then this kind of Batman story I've been working on with Greg Capullo on the side, which is sort of the other end of the comic spectrum entirely, where it's like “you'll never get away with this.” You know? Joker and world ending machines from grand stuff. Just the zaniest, craziest stuff over there. Then on this end, it's like prose and trying to sort of do the needlework of that.

That's what I really love is that's my happy place is sort of the elasticity of that, trying to have one thing. Always doing stuff that kind of challenges you in one way or another, where you're doing something in the superhero world that is ambitious or sort of outside your wheelhouse, and working with different people that you have or if you're working with somebody the same that you've worked with before, trying something really new, and then at Image, or create your own. Trying to do things, again, that sort of push you outside of your comfort zone.

I have a bunch of ideas for other series that are like, which is I have horror series in my head. I've sketched a couple to Image and they've been really nice about them. I'm sure I'll do them some day, but I want to do A.D. or do something like that, because I didn't know if I could. You know? Trying that, those are the writers that I admire the most and I look up to the most, I think, are the guys that, and the women that try things constantly that surprise you. I know I fall on my face sometimes, but I'd rather kind of zig-zag and try the things at the farther end of the spectrum and fail. I think there's a certain kind of story at this point both on Batman, like in super heroes and in create your own that I can do pretty easily, I think, just because I've done it so many times. You know? It's better to, for me at least, get out of your comfort zone, I guess.

Sorry that's sort of a corn maze answer to probably what was a simple question.

Tia: Perfectly all right. It sounds like this is the sort of thing that could be really exhausting or leave you feeling really raw. It sounds like you found a way to make it almost cathartic in a way.

Scott: Yeah. There are definitely times this year, where I've fallen down. I'm pretty open about, I think, at least I try to be. I don't usually talk when I'm having hard time and say I'm having a hard time, because of probably the most basic way. My family reads Twitter. My family reads, my parents, my extended family actually looks at that stuff. I never really air my, "Oh I'm having difficulty right now." I always worry that it's going to freak everybody out. I think people should, 100%, reach out when they're having trouble publicly.

Yes, the stretch in between those kinds of projects is really invigorating. I love it. My plans for next year is the same kind of thing, where I want to do the kind of series you wouldn't expect from me, and do another project, do a different kind of project that's smaller and more sort of more almost like comic-strippy.

At times, I have an idea for some, but trying to do these things that surprise you but at the same time understanding that at least twice in the process of writing After Death, I had a really difficult period, where I got really insecure and felt like I'm not good enough at this. “I'm not going to be able to pull this off. Nobody's going to care about this. This isn't any good. What are you doing? Why are you doing this? You should've played safe.” All of that.

The great thing about working with somebody like Jeff Lemire, who's literally my best friend, or one of my best friends, if not my best friend for the last seven years, is that he was always there to say, "Take a breath. I've seen you go through this before. Pick it up. Relax. Take some time and get back to it."

The fact that I'm so proud of the book. It's certainly an imperfect book. I'm sure I screwed lots of things up I don't see in it yet. The fact that I was able to complete something with my partner, my friend, that really gave me a tough time, because it looked right at stuff that I don't like looking at sometimes about myself and my own fears and how selfish and self involved they can be, and all that stuff, and how you disengage from the world sometimes over them, and all of that stuff. I'm really proud that I was able to make it with somebody who was like family to me. In that way, it means something special beyond just being a book I put on the shelf with art by Jeff Lemire.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is, in relation to what you're asking, the short answer is yeah, it's kind of like the best thing and the worst thing. You push yourself, and then I know myself long enough to know that sometimes regardless, a wheel falls off. I get into a sort of very self destructive mode. I can get depressed about it and worry and go through those things. Ultimately, I have good people, good friends around me. I'm still going to keep wanting to try those things.

Image certainly provides an incredible support system too. I got to give a lot credit there to Stephenson and everybody there, because A.D. changed forms a couple of times from being 100 pages to being almost 200 pages, and needing a little bit more time. They've always been incredibly supportive just about being really receptive to whatever form the book was going to take. They've been great about it. They're a wonderful place for creators in that regard too.

Matt: Yeah, After Death is a format that I'd never really thought about before. In fact, when new books come out from creators, I try to not read any previews. I just want to read it like the day it comes out, maybe outside of a like a two sentence pitch. I was totally shocked when there's a mixture of prose and art and kind of maybe what people are used to with monthly comic book storytelling.

It's obviously a great book too, but what I always appreciate from Image, and I'm interested to know from your standpoint, that Image has a very interesting release schedule. It's not twice a month or once a month. With certain creators and titles, you can kind of put out a few issues for a few months and then take a break, and then the trade comes out. It allows for a certain amount of flexibility for the creators, and most especially, the artist to kind of get their bearings in between. Is that something that you also see as a comfortable flexibility? Is it something you'd want to see other publishers adopt as well?

Scott: I wish it was the standard format, honestly. I love serialized comics. I love the idea of every month, you go in the store and getting my fix, but as a creator, it's much more ... It's a sort of format I wished DC and Marvel would adopt, just because it gives you time to refresh. It gives you time to sort of regroup. It gives you time to get people interested in what you're doing, because you have that break where the trade comes out. I love it. I understand the pitfalls of it too, which is like a perfect example, where taking a break, we both fell into projects, me and Jock. I think I can say it freely now: He got a job as the second costume designer on Star Wars Episode 8. He showed me a picture of Mark Hamill wearing the clothes he designed and all that stuff.

Matt: Oh my gosh!

Scott: It was like take as long as you need, dude. Just take as long as you need. Then I really got caught up in A.D. and went through a period where I was super focused on just trying to see if I can get past the middle point and really get the hardest stuff out of the way. There's a danger in it too in that way. I understand that, where we've taken much longer off on Wytches than I would've liked and he would've liked, but it's certainly more my fault than his, I would say. Now that we're back or we're coming back, I think the benefits of that format present themselves too, because the story picks up two years later. There's a lot of fun to that as well.

Tia: I have to say I'm really pumped for what I have come to call “sandwytches.”

Scott: Yeah, right!

Tia: I feel like it just makes it even more terrifying, because you just avoid the trees and you'll be fine. Apparently, not. I don't know. What about the horror genre keeps you kind of going back to that? I feel like you're obviously such a nice person. You're a very congenial sort of guy. Yet, you are able to create these books that are terrifying or heart wrenching. I don't know. Tell me what the draw is.

Scott: You know, it's funny. I don't know. When I was a kid, I just always loved horror. I don't know if it was like because I was anxious or because you just like seeing popular kids get slaughtered or whatever in the Friday the 13th series. I think as I've gotten older, I think the thing that I respond to, and I hope is what I was responding to when I was younger is the idea that to me, when horror is done well, it's really almost you facing down conflict in its purest form. When it's done well, the monster, the terrifying thing is an extension of the fears that you have about yourself, or the fears that you have about the world, kind of personified in this horrifying thing or in person or the killer or whatever it is.

That was why my favorite movie even as a little kid, I mean I remember vividly having rented a bunch of slaughter movies. I think I might have said this to you in the last podcast, but there was a video store where I grew up in 26th street and 3rd avenue, called the Video Stop. It only closed maybe five years ago too, which is incredible. They would deliver R-rated movies to your house, but you couldn't get them there. As a kid, if you have them delivered, you were fine, but you couldn't pick them up there.

All the kids in the neighborhood knew the secret and would have R-rated movies delivered, so we'd have these horror movie parties, whatever. I've seen all these slasher movies everyone wanted to see, like Sleepaway Camp 2, and all that kind of crazy stuff. One day, I rented Night of the Living Dead, like the original black and white. I was so disappointed that it was black and white. I was like, "This is going to suck." Then watching it, I watched it and it disturbed me. I had nightmares. It was really the first time I had ever seen a move that really got under my skin in a way that was above my head. Like I shouldn't have seen it.

The thing that I realized later is the reason that it was so powerful and it’s my favorite move, is that it's this small march of terror that says that the zombies are not the thing to be afraid of, that we're the thing to be afraid. That sense of hopelessness and the cruelty in the movie, where everybody dies, spoiler, but it came out in 1960 whatever, so if you haven't seen it, you've had plenty of time! That sense of no one making it out and all because of human error was so bleak that it really shook me.

I think afterwards, thinking back, the reason that I'm so attracted to horror as a genre is that when it's done well that way, you're up against a monster, so there's fun and there's bombast, but you're really up against the things that you're afraid to look at about the world or yourself.

Even in drama, if I'm writing Superman, for example, I try and write it like I would write a horror book, where this thing that he's up against, the villain, is a deconstruction of all the things that he takes safety in somehow. You take those things that are dear to him that he finds this is what makes me me. This is what makes me happy. You flip them and say, "This is what makes you weak. This is what makes you vulnerable. I'm coming for you." And that sense that whether it has monsters or blood or gore or whatever, you write for that thing that you think is at the heart of good horror, if that makes sense. You know?

Tia: Savage.

Matt: Have you seen The Green Room? I watched that a few weeks ago and I felt like that was a very strange one.

Scott: I really liked that a lot. You're talking about the punk rock -

Matt: Yeah. Yeah. With neo nazis.

Scott: Yeah, dude, I loved that. It's that kind of stuff where it's like just those fears that you are almost primal. Where you take something ... It is. It's taking the thing that you find safety in and flipping it. Stephen King is just a genius at that. It's like your family dog or your car. You know? Your father in The Shining. Anything that's like hey, this is what makes me feel really at home. It's like, no, that thing is a murderous, terrible, frightening thing that's coming after you.

That movie, I thought, spoke to that in that way of like, that fun of like punk rock. We're rebellious. We're going here. We're doing this and that's the youth. The immortality of youth and that feeling of like you're invulnerable. Then it's like, no, you're not. You're going to get your hand chopped off in a door.

Matt: God, that scene was so horrifying.

Scott: I know. I know.

Matt: Also I think the other scene that kind of made me sit up and be like, okay, they're really doing it was when, and I don't think it's really a spoiler, but it's when the one guy, the girl, the guy's in like headlock, the one bad guy. The girl takes the knife and just runs it up his chest. Do you remember that scene?

Scott: Oh yeah, I remember. Yeah.

Matt: Oh my god. Man alive.

Scott: Yeah!

Tia: You're both such nice guys, and you're just the most blood thirsty nice guys.

Scott: Well the most brutal movie I've seen in years was this movie called Martyrs. That was the other night. I watched just month or so. I don't know if you've seen this.

Matt: No. Tell me.

Scott: Oh god. It's a French movie. It's way over the lines. Just prepare yourself for ... It's almost unwatchably brutal. It has this really terrifying sort of purpose. That's what I mean. You can go as horror, like gory and whatever you want, if it serves some kind of purpose in that way. Those films like that and those books. I was a huge Stephen King fan all through my youth. I still am, obviously. When you find somebody who earns the violence and the scares because they all speak to something. It's always invigorating, because it feels purposeful, like Night of the Living Dead and so on.

Tia: In other creatively spelled Wytch media, did you see the movie, The VVitch?

Scott: I did. I thought that was really well done. I liked The VVitch quite a bit. It has that constantly eerie, creepy dread sort of feel.

Tia: Maybe not so much with the slashing people with knives. I feel like that was, yeah, that was a creepy, uncomfortable feeling for the entire movie.

Scott: Yeah, just the loneliness, you know? That's the other thing I love about the ... I love when people are able to take things that are deeply ingrained in sort of the focal of the things that you grew up with. The myth of a witch or a werewolf or a vampire, those kinds of things, and make them new again for you now and speak to things that are scary right now. You know? I always love that, like what you're saying with Green Room or things like that, where you're finding movies or books that suddenly make something that you thought was sort of an enduring but recently gotten tired concept or trope into something really sort of immediate and urgent. I think with the news the way it is now I'm sure there will be a lot of that, a lot of like resurgence of classic monsters and brand new ways.

Matt: Yeah, seriously.

Tia: On the subject of that, I was just wondering when I was rereading Wytches before we talked to you, can you pledge people you've never met?

Scott: Yeah, you can. All you have to do is sort of ... You have to mark them though. You'd have to go to them and mark them.

Tia: Got you.

Scott: It's sort of like you use this tincture. You have to go to their place and do it, but you can pledge pretty much anyone. That was the thing. I mean it's definitely been a theme in a lot of stuff I'd done in a bunch of Batman, but also which is in other things, is the sides of yourself that you keep hidden from the world, the things you don't want people to see about yourself, the ugliness and those things.

In some ways, now it feels more potent than ever, not being explicitly ... My politics are pretty obvious. I'm on Twitter all the time about them, but not in a way that picks sides, but in a way that the acrimony and the discourse is so ugly. The things that people feel about each other behind closed doors that they don't say, those things seem to be driving a lot of conversation and a lot of action right now. I think there's a lot of energy, for me at least, writing the second arc of Wytches and all that stuff too, where you don't feel like you know your neighbor pretty well.

Matt: Last question and we'll let you go.

Scott: Sure.

Matt: The last question we usually ask folks what have you been reading? What would you recommend to people that are listening today?

Scott: Oh yeah. With Image, there's so many good things. I'm a big fan of Josh Williamson's Nailbiter, which I know is closing down, but I just caught up and just adore that series. That's great horror. Going back to what we were saying. If you're out there and want a good horror book.

I just picked up this new book. I've read the first two issues, because I got them early, but God Country by Danny Cates and Geoff Shaw, from Image. It's great. It's really good. It's this blend of heartfelt sort of family drama and larger than life mythology. It's really good. It takes place in the Texas plains. It's really, really good.

Paper Girls, I love. Brian is awesome. Cliff is awesome. They're old friends, so it's always great to see them do something invigorating. I caught up with that recently. I love the Batgirl team. I have to give a plug to Motor Crush as well.

Honestly, above all, Jeff Lemire has some amazing stuff coming out. He's got Royal City, which I read in its infancy a bunch of times. It's just a terrific, terrific series in the spirit of Essex County. It's got a slightly sort of magical realist feel in one way, but on the other hand, it's a really deep family drama. It's great. He's having a banner year.

The last thing I have to recommend too, from Image at least, is Curse Words by my buddy, Charles Soule and Ryan. Their stuff is so good. The series is funny and smart and really, really planned out. It's got huge plans, the way Letter 44 did. That's a great one too.

That's kind of like my Image roundup right now. I'm sure I'm missing or forgetting some stuff that I should say but -

Matt: It's a great list.

Scott: Then also, I'd have to plug from DC a little bit. I'm so proud of my buddy James Tynion with Detective right now. He's just murdering it. He's so good. He's my student a long time ago. Now I'm learning from him when I read his stuff. He's doing Detective is this team book with all the characters he's always wanted to write. It's just a great read for anybody that loves the bad family and kind of big soap operatic kind of narrative. There's a lot of good stuff going on, you know? I'm sure ... Apologies to anyone I left out. Ben Percy. He's a good friend too.

Overall, I don't know. I think it's a good time to be a comic fan. I know there's a lot of worry in the industry and all that about the direct market and the business. I hear about it a lot. DC and all that stuff too at Image. You can just hear conversations always around when you're doing stuff that has to do with planning of the line or teaching or that stuff that involves any of the publishing stuff. On a readership level, I don't know. I think it's still a pretty golden time to be a fan. I feel lucky.

Matt: Absolutely. We're all super lucky to be in it right now. The two issues that I have to quickly mention that were office favorites for the last two months were the two parter in Batman, with Batman and Catwoman on the rooftop.

Scott: Yeah. Yeah.

Matt: By Tom King. Was that Mitch? Mitch Gerards.

Tia: Yeah.

Scott: That's who I left out! Thank you, dude. When Tom who won 2016's Best Writer, in my head, like who is easily with vision, the Sheriff of Babylon in Omega Man and Batman, like the best writer of last year, I think Lemire's the best writer this year. Even though it's like a month in. I know what he has coming is why. I think he's going to take the crown this year. Yeah, man, that Tom, kudos. He's become like family as well. We're very, very close. I give him a ton of credit.

Tia: Well I'm just going to add to this list of spectacular books. A.D. After Death? I don't know if you guys have heard of it? It's by Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire. Also, you could check out all of Wytches on CU, which we have in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Image. I'm so glad I got to talk to you, Scott. Thank you so much.

Scott: No, it's a pleasure. I can't wait to do it again. Thanks for having me. Again, congratulations on everything to you guys too. ComiXology has just been awesome. Right before you called, I was catching up on all kinds of things through Suicide Squad. That's after all the stuff I have to read for work and enjoy all of comiXology on my kid's iPad. Thank you guys for doing everything, making it easy to enjoy the thing that we all like to enjoy.

Matt: Thank you very much, Scott! We'll talk soon.

Scott: You got it. Take care guys.

#Scott Snyder #Wytches #Image Comics #Jeff Lemire #A.D. After Death #horror #comics

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Iyane’s Top 10

December 31, 2019 12:00 PM EST

2019 had a lot of cool mecha related games, but a lot of other great games from other genres too. Here are my top 10 from this year.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

I assume anyone who clicked on this wishes to read me talking about myself and my Unneeded Opinions (one of my favorite sentences of 2019), so I’ll do just that. 2019 was another year that went by in a flash. I’ve reached my first anniversary writing on DualShockers in September, and I’ve been pretty busy overall. As such, there are multiple games on this list I actually didn’t finish yet.

There are many games released in 2019 that I was really hyped about but didn’t have the time to try out yet either, and I’d like to start by listing some of them:

We first have games I’d consider mainstream, such as Devil May Cry 5, Judgment (I actually bought it in Japanese) Astral Chain. Then you’ve got more niche things, like Daemon X Machina (I’m waiting just in case a PC port gets announced), the Grandia remasters, SaGa Scarlet Grace, and Friends of Mineral Town Remake.

Lastly, we’ve got some visual novel games: Berubara Gakuen, Gnosia (Japanese outlets hyped up this game in a similar fashion that what happened with Disco Elysium in the US and Europe), Ciconia Phase 1 (the thing I was actually hyped for the most in 2019), Eve Rebirth Terror (idem), and the Yu-No remake.

I’m on a quest to play everything that Hiroyuki Kanno wrote after getting my mind blown by Eve Burst Error. Yu-No is one of these things, but the character design in the remake is bland as hell. Ryou Nagi is a great artist, and you can see that with Heavy Object or Ar Tonelico, but for some reason, everything remake-related he touches turn into the blandest thing ever. The same thing happened for the newest Langrisser I&II remake; it’s like some huge conspiracy. As such, I’ll probably grab the Yu-No remake in Japanese, as that version includes a port of the original.

Anyway, that was just a small intro to show my tastes and what to expect in this ranking. Here are the games I’ve enjoyed the most in 2019, and note that it’s not only games released in 2019. Also, note that the top 5 are all pretty much my top 1.

10. Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Masterpiece 1995-2001

I suck at Virtual-On. But I love it, especially Oratorio Tangram, and being able to play it remastered on PS4 is nice. The only thing these ports of the three Virtual-On games sadly lack is local multiplayer split-screen. Virtual-On is the originator of Gundam Vs like games and all the anime 3D arena battlers of varying quality releasing each year, and it’s the best one there is.

Other games I considered for this position were Destiny Connect, Shenmue 3 (which I didn’t play myself and watched an online friend’s playthrough), and Zanki Zero (I was supposed to review that but ended up never finding the time to finish said review). I picked Virtual-On because it didn’t require me to write 2000 words to explain my mixed feelings about it.

9. Space Engineers

According to Steam, I’ve played 47 hours of Space Engineers with my online friends. I’m pretty sure at least 20 hours of that was us trying to figure out how the game works and being annoyed and how counter-intuitive many elements are. This includes reading wikis and only to realize it’s outdated info, looking for Uranium only to realize you can’t find any on planets, or trying to design vehicles, copying blueprints and recreating them block by block. And a lot of other dumb stuff.

Besides all these frustrations, Space Engineers is my favorite multiplayer game I’ve tried out this year and I’ve made some great memories with it, as an online friend streamed some of our adventures too. I’ve tried making the Senegalese flag with wind turbines (too long to explain): we managed a trip to a moon and putting the Algerian flag on it (a French joke too long to explain) and we did a MASK opening sequence parody with a vehicle parade.

8. Ocarina of Time Randomizer Version 5.0

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I actually put this on my list last year as well, but seeing that the game’s meta has changed since then, this is fine. Again, I don’t have the time to play this myself and enjoy watching races instead, This year, ZeldaSpeedRuns held the OoT Randomizer Season 2 tournament, which ended in June with the victory of Marco against WTHH.

Now, the Season 3 tournament bracket matches just started in early December, with the version 5.0 0f the mod, changing the meta. We’ve already got a surprising upset, with first tournament winner and 2nd qualifier ATZ losing against 31 qualifier Killerapp23. Getting into detail would take too long and be incomprehensible if you’re not already into OoT rando, so I’m just gonna say this is the most interesting esports thing to watch ever. And like I said last year, it’s incredibly fun.

7. Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

Wing Commander IV is one of the many games I’ve played in my childhood which left me with a huge impression. Along with things like Shenmue 1 & 2, this is one of the games I used to regularly quote until my high school years or so. I’ve finally got the time to rediscover the game this year. I didn’t end up replaying it myself though and watched a full playthrough of it. It was really interesting; I remembered many iconic scenes from the game and some characters, but I had no idea what the overall story was about anymore.

It’s surprising how anime space opera the story is, and I wouldn’t be surprised if something Japanese inspired the story. It all comes to Japan. This also made me realize, in a sense, that Wing Commander IV is pretty much one of the first visual novels I played and what made me enjoy well-written stories and choices. This is also what made me both love and hate draconian choices, multiple routes and characters’ deaths. I hate not being able to save characters.

6. Romancing SaGa 3 Remaster

Back in my childhood I tried playing Romancing SaGa 3, as it was among the various SNES roms I had at disposal. I quickly realized that it’s completely different than most RPGs and unlike many games in Japanese such as Super Robot Wars 4: I couldn’t trial and error my way through.

Around 18 years later, Romancing SaGa 2 Remaster comes out in 2017; it’s awesome, and a masterpiece. And then in 2019, Romancing SaGa 3 Remaster is finally out and it’s even more awesome. I’m currently in the final area of the game after playing as Sarah, because she has a fluffy afro ponytail. I just wish the game had a turbo button.

Tie-in 6. Persona 5 Royal

This is a tie-in as that’s an enhanced version of a really recent game, which was my 2016 favorite. I purposely played through Persona 5 only once, only maxing the coops and not doing much of the other side content, in case such an enhanced version ever released.

Even then, and even considering how much of a masterpiece that Persona 5 is, clearing such a long game again is annoying. Most of the new scenes I’ve seen so far, most notably Kasumi’s and Takuto’s scenes, are all incredibly nice though. The renewed dungeons and bosses’ designs are fun, and Joker is even more Lupin The Third-like with the wire hook, but there’s nothing groundbreaking either. I’m far from reaching the new part at the original’s ending, as I’m just about to reach the Hawaii part. Hopefully, it’ll be a nice ride.

The five games below are all my actual number one.

5. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

I’ve been waiting for 13 Sentinels since when it got announced in 2015. I could even say since 2013, as I hoped a game related to the Vanillaware Happy New Year 2013 Geroge Kamitani artwork above would come out someday. I had incredibly high expectations for it and none of it were betrayed as of now.

It’s awesome. It’s fully-voiced. It’s got giant robots. It’s the most beautiful (2D) game since forever. It’s like if an old Japanese adventure game got made with current technology. It’s a shame the game bombed in Japan. If you’re interested, I’ve written more about the game, and I’m recording myself translating the game as I’m playing through it.

4. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is amazing on all points. I’ve rarely had so much fun walking around and exploring a city in a game. I think what makes the game the most amazing is how it’s pretty much the culmination of the Ys series since it switched to the party system, and as if one of the first versions of the first Ys games were transposed to 3D. The verticality of the environments is used so well you can still feel lost despite having a map. Falcom might pretty much be one of the smallest, penniless studios in Japan despite its longevity; they still make the best action RPGs ever. What I’ve seen of the story so far is particularly amazing too, and Toshihiro Kondo is a good writer along with being a good company president.

I’m currently taking a break from the game after reaching what I guess is around 1/3 of it. I was so hyped I had to play it at launch, but I want to do all the other Ys games I didn’t do yet first, even if it’s absolutely not necessary to understand the story. I like being able to understand every single reference in a series like this. I’m the kind of person who wishes to know exactly how many times Kazuya and Heihachi threw each other out of a volcano/mountain.

3. Super Robot Wars T

I didn’t play Super Robot Wars V nor SRW X as they initially didn’t release on Switch. If we don’t count SRW OG Moon Dwellers, which was on my top ten 2018 list, SRW T is my first SRW game since the SRW Z3 finale on PS3 in April 2015. It’s pretty great, be it the story, its cast list, or the animations. Everything about it is nice. Having things like Cowboy Bebop, Gunbuster, Rayearth, Gun x Sword, and Captain Harlock together feels incredible. It’s extremely sad that Captain Harlock’s seiyuu Makio Inoue passed away right after he finally got in SRW.

A new OG anime directed by Obari and a new OG game would be nice. I’m happy the series seemingly won’t get a new game in 2020, so the development teams can take their time.

2. Fire Emblem Fuukasetsugetsu / Three Houses

This game has my favorite cast of characters in a Fire Emblem game, along with Fire Emblem Seisen no Keifu/Genealogy of the Holy War, and I could write a 1000 word article on every single character on this picture (if I was paid adequately for it). This is only one of the many reasons why I like this game. In a nutshell, I’d say I love the fact that I find it very innovative and yet similar to the other Fire Emblem games I’ve played and liked so far, and how it’s true for every aspect of the game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

1. Project Sakura Wars/ Shin Sakura Taisen

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This opening sequence has over 1.7 million views, and half of these are all me. While I’m not done with Shin Sakura Taisen yet, I fail to imagine how the game could even disappoint me so far, seeing how amazing it is. Before the game launched, I wasn’t concerned about the battle system change, but whether the new cast would be interesting or not. If there was a world Guinness record for most baseless worry of 2019, this would get it. This game got everything that makes Sakura Taisen so awesome. The strong female characters, the cool mecha, the great worldbuilding, the comedy. It’s a great new start in the series and I hope we’ll get more. I shared a few impressions on the game and just like 13 Sentinels, I’m recording myself playing the game, translating at the same time.

That’s it for my top ten.

If you’re wondering about my expectations for 2020, the game I’m looking forward to the most so far is the Seiken Densetsu 3 remake: Trials of Mana. Then we also have things like FF7R, Rune Factory 5, Space Channel 5 VR, Brigandine…I’m also eager to see KOF XV even if I won’t play it. Lastly, 2020 will also mark the tenth anniversary of the Pretty Series franchise. The Pretty Rhythm anime seasons and its King of Prism sequels were my favorite anime of the decade, so I’m looking forward to what Avex and Takara Tomy have in store for the anniversary, and if we might get some games other than arcade games out of it.

I’m planning to stay on DualShockers and keep writing about Japanese games in the new year. I don’t have the time nor the paycheck to cover every single news as fast as possible, but I always try to bring to the table as much info as I can, along with relevant translations and observations. Hoping you’ll keep reading us in 2020.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 31, 2019 12:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-iyanes-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-iyanes-top-10

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