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superfam · 1 year

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THE SUPERMAN STARTER READING LIST

SO – you want to read Superman comics, but you’re intimidated by the near-century of history this character has. Or, you’ve read a few comics with him, but you want to go back to the basics to understand his character and the mythology surrounding him. There are so many continuities, origin stories, and standalones – where do you start? Well…

[Image ID: a cropped edit of the Superman ‘78 #3 variant cover by Lee Weeks, showing Lois Lane sitting on the letters of the Daily Planet globe, and Clark flying above her in his Superman costume, reaching out to take her hand. Hand-written next to them is: "THE SUPERMAN STARTER READING LIST", and hand-written in the bottom right corner is: "by MYTHIC / superfam.tumblr.com". End ID.]

This list isn’t intended to be a full, comprehensive guide to Superman’s decades of history, but a curated taster of Clark Kent in the comics medium. It aims to show you a variety of interpretations from different authors of different contexts, but with the broad goal of helping newcomers understand the heart of the character. Not every comic is able to sum up all aspects of Superman, and some could be argued to miss certain points, but each one has been selected for this list for the goal of conveying the history and breadth of his interpretations.

It’s intended to be accessible to both long-dedicated comics fans and people who are new to the DC universe, or even the medium as a whole. As such, new fans are welcome to enjoy each story as a standalone interpretation.

Please understand that this list is built from my own experience with the character, and I don’t claim it to be better or worse than any other – it’s just one way to approach his history. Essentially, I’m attempting to create the sort of list I wish I had access to when first reading Superman comics. I highly encourage the reader to form their own interpretations of each work.

With all that out of the way, please enjoy!

[Image ID: An edit of Gary Frank's artwork from Superman: Secret Origin. A slightly battered Clark in his Superman outfit embraces Jimmy with his right arm and Lois with his left. All three are smiling. The background, which depicts a disaster scene and a defeated Lex Luthor chained to a building, is covered in a translucent blue overlay. Hand-written next to Clark is: "ORIGINS". End ID.]

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1-6 (2009-2010) Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Just a couple years before the 2011 reboot of the DC Universe, a new definitive origin story was created for a Superman post-Infinite Crisis (a major event which had changed the status quo of the multiverse).

Secret Origin is only six issues long, and a great, efficient introduction to Clark Kent and Superman. It focuses on telling Clark’s origins from his own perspective, as a hero but also simply as a person. It also does a good job of setting up important supporting characters including Lois, Jimmy, Perry, and Lex.

SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT #1-12 (2003-2004) Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu & Gerry Alanguilan

Though replaced by Secret Origin only a few years later, Birthright was written as the definitive origin story to overwrite Byrne’s 1986 reboot of the character. It was intended to bring Superman into the new century, and be more consistent with his modern interpretations. It is also influenced by the popularity of the TV series Smallville.

Birthright is longer and covers aspects of the Superman mythos in further depth, including dynamics between Clark, Lex, and the city of Metropolis, kryptonite, and Krypton in general. Due to its extended length, it also covers more on Clark’s relationship with his powers and heritage.

I highly recommend reading both modern preboot origins to experience different interpretations with different influences and intentions, even only a few years apart.

[Image ID: An edit of Tim Sale's artwork from Superman: For All Seasons. On the right, Clark lies on his bed, looking to the left with a wistful expression and with a hand on his dog curled up next to him. The background, which is his cluttered bedroom in Smallville, is overlaid with translucent grey. Hand-written to the left of Clark is: "INTROSPECTION". End ID.]

SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN #1-3 (2019) Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru

This standalone story is set in 1946, and primarily draws upon the Golden and Silver Ages as inspiration. It’s an adaptation of an episode of The Adventures of Superman radio series, “The Clan of the Fiery Cross”, which famously dealt a major hit to the KKK’s operations in America by influencing public perceptions.

The story follows Clark as well as siblings Roberta and Tommy, two Chinese-American kids who have recently moved to the Metropolis suburbs, as they uncover and fight a local chapter of the KKK. The story explores themes of immigrant identity and self-acceptance in Clark and the kids’ narratives – it presents important concepts from Superman’s history, straight from the heart of his character, in a really effective way.

SUPERMAN: FOR ALL SEASONS #1-4 (1998) Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

This miniseries has four issues, each corresponding to a season and narrated by an important person in Clark’s life (in order: Jonathan ‘Pa’ Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang). Tim Sale’s beautifully detailed and expressive art captures the complex emotions drawn out by having your life touched by Clark Kent, which works really well with the personal, confessional style of the narration. It’s a very intimate work.

It’s a great insight into both the triumphs and very personal struggles of Clark through the inner voices of some of the most important people in his life, and captures what makes his character work really well.

FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING (SUPERMAN (1939) ANNUAL #11) (1985) Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

This is a single-issue annual from right before the DC universe was rebooted, and (unsurprisingly for Moore) explores some philosophical and ideological questions regarding the Man of Steel. On his ‘birthday’, Superman falls prey to an alien organism called The Black Mercy, which feeds on its victims while keeping them complacent with vivid hallucinations of their greatest desires. Clark hallucinates a still-living Krypton, which he is a part of – but perhaps not everything is perfect.

SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC (ACTION COMICS #866-870) (2008) Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Before retelling Superman’s beginnings in Secret Origin, Johns and Frank collaborated on this story arc which massively changes the status quo, partially by reintroducing a variety of pre-Crisis concepts including the original Brainiac and the bottled city Kandor. If you liked Secret Origin, you’ll probably like this one.

As this is our first story arc rather than self-contained story, it has more references to the ongoing continuity but is still easy enough to understand without that context. This story also prominently features Kara Zor-El as Supergirl and expands on some cosmic lore and Krypton in general.

SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY #1-6 (2019-2020) Tom King & Andy Kubert

This is an accessible, self-contained exploration of the extent of Superman’s moral fibre, following Clark as he attempts to save a single girl who was abducted from Earth and taken into space. It’s quite abstract at points with the questions it asks about themes of compassion and commitment, which I think is conveyed particularly well in the panelling and artwork.

[Image ID: An edit of Frank Quitely's artwork from All Star Superman. Clark in his Superman outfit is flying with his arms outstretched. The top half of his face is cut off. The background is an abstract depiction of the heart of the sun, and has been overlaid with a translucent orange. Handwritten beneath Clark is: "INTERPRETING AND RE-INTERPRETING". End ID.]

THE K-METAL FROM KRYPTON (drafted 1940, restored 2004-2011) Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster Studio

The K-Metal from Krypton is an unpublished and unfinished comic from 1940, written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel, and drafted by the studio of the other Superman creator, Joe Shuster. After being lost for decades, the story has slowly been recovered and restored by Superman fans.

Though this one is much more unconventional than the other items on the list, I think it’s extremely important to Superman’s history and generally understanding him as a character. It comes from a time when creative control of their character was being taken from Siegel and Shuster, and though it is unknown why this story was unpublished, that’s a major point of context to keep in mind.

This draft sets up the predecessor to kryptonite in the Superman comics – “K-Metal” – and also contains a scene where Clark reveals his identity to Lois, and they agree to be partners in helping others. This is a major departure from the status quo of Clark keeping his secret from Lois as she tries to uncover it, which would continue for the rest of the Golden and Silver Ages.

The restoration effort can be read online: http://theages.superman.nu/k-metal/splash.php

THE MAN OF STEEL #1-6 (1986) John Byrne & Dick Giordano

This limited series is the immediate post-Crisis origin story and reinvention of Superman. It wasn’t put in the Origins section because I think from a modern perspective it shouldn’t be an introduction to Clark, but rather something you read to understand the history of his character.

It originated major changes in the Superman mythology, some of which have become instilled in it (such as Lex Luthor and Lois Lane’s modern characterisations), and others which have been forgotten or discarded.

One major thing is the great effort this origin made to make Clark American over being Kryptonian… Byrne has expressed great distaste of portrayals of Superman which emphasise his immigrant identity, and that should be kept in mind while critically reading this work.

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1-12 (2005-2008) Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely

Arguably the most critically acclaimed Superman comic, this has been saved for late in the list as I believe it’s enhanced with more context of and experience with Clark. This is a series which explores the nature of storytelling and legacy, which was created with the aim of creating a timeless Superman story.

When Superman learns he will soon die, what does he reflect on? What does he change? This is heavily inspired by, and is a love letter to, Silver Age Superman.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? (SUPERMAN #423 & ACTION COMICS #583) (1986) Alan Moore, Curt Swan & George Pérez

Written in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this is another story about Superman ‘dying’, and is essentially a great mediation on and send-off to the Silver Age incarnation of the character. It refers to itself as an “imaginary” story, and can be seen as one concrete ending for this version of Clark Kent and the rest of the Superman characters, in a medium with few.

It can be found in a collection with For the Man Who Has Everything.

SUPERMAN: RED AND BLUE #1-6 (2021) Various

To finish off our starter reading list, let’s move from Superman’s end to his future. This is an anthology of short stories from various authors and artists, exploring a spread of visions of the Man of Tomorrow.

I think it’s an appropriate end for this starter exploration of Clark Kent’s many interpretations! As with all anthologies, it has its ups and downs in quality, but as a whole I truly believe it captures the heart of this character.

Thank you for reading all this way. I really hope this reading list helps you delve into the character of Superman and inspires you to read further beyond what I’ve suggested here.

Most of all, I hope it helps at least some people grow to love Clark Kent as much as I have.

A PDF version of this reading list is available here.

#it is finally here #my stupid 1600 word reading list #if you requested suggestions then this is your fault lmao #i put all my love of clark into this #i hope its useful #and feel free to send asks with any questions i will be happy to expand #took a long time to edit my ramblings down to this stage lmao #original #reading list #supers #kal #my writing #clark kent #superman #dc #dc reading list #superman reading list #the superman starter reading list

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bankholdup · 1 year

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saw this post about how eddie had a rough childhood and might have trouble accepting love and a relationship. i was also thinking about a past relationship i was in and how much you can break your own heart wanting and pining over things that someone else could never give, so here have some angst.

Part Two | Part Three | read it on ao3

Part One:

Steve is a hopeless romantic, he knows this- has always known this. That's why he serial dates women, hoping to find someone that lights that fire within him, makes him feel whole and wanted and alive.

Maybe he's going out with the wrong girls. Maybe he's not asking the right questions. He never really figures out why it doesn't work out with any of them.

Something about Eddie Munson- yes, Eddie Munson- pulls Steve in. He feels like an enigma, like he knows everything about him and nothing at the same time. Wants to know everything about him, wants to spend every minute he can with him. Eddie is witty, he's funny, he's passionate. He's touchy and clingy in the best way, satiating some touch-starved craving that Steve didn't even realize he had until Eddie became a fixture in his friend group and life.

He gets that tight chest, butterfly, kind of anxious feeling around Eddie and now Steve knows, knows with every fiber of his being that he wants Eddie to be his boyfriend. He doesn't want to use the old Harrington charm, he just wants Eddie to want him as himself.

Steve starts first by being doting. It's Eddie’s birthday and they're all hanging out at Steve's place to celebrate. He sits Eddie down in the most comfortable chair in the living room with everyone, doesn't even let him get up, bring him beer and food and cake and his presents. He wants to show Eddie that he loves him and wants to take care of him. He continues it over the next few weeks, buying Eddie's favorite candy to sneak into the theater, bringing by his gas station order before hanging out or when he knows he'll run into him.

As time passes, Steve feels sick with how much he wants Eddie. He thinks about Eddie cuddling him in his bed, holding his hand, putting his arm around his waist- just being with him and loving him with all his heart. He wants Eddie to love like him back so much it makes his stomach hurt. So when he finally gets the courage to ask Eddie out, and Eddie rejects him. Saying something about how Steve and him wouldn't work out, and that Eddie isn't into dating. Steve's stomach falls straight through the ground as he tries to recover from the devastation.

#original post i linked was eddie and reader but i'm applying it to steddie #might edit and expand on this to upload onto ao3 #dixon.fic #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie angst #st4 #steddie drabble #steddie ficlet

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viyojo · 1 year

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✨🎓🎉

#v #splatoon #this is technically a wip since I have a few more sketches #but I wanted to get the original idea out at least #if you see this soon after posting then I'm probably at gradution myself!#my art #edit: link is to the expanded art <3

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ingoodjesst · 1 year

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for himeno, on many levels, "it's a pain in the ass when your partner dies."

for a long time, she has stood still in her grief and trauma, even as life moves on around her.

then she meets aki.

after aki tells himeno about sticking gum on the woman who hit her, she stares wide-eyed at him; as she blinks, the stoplight in the background changes from red to green.

in the following pair of shots, aki explains that she shouldn't just sit back and take this treatment. the camera pans on his closeup but not hers; he's in motion, but not her.

then it sinks in. aki's "easy revenge" has given her permission to stop cradling her pain for a moment, to care about herself, to move on just a little - it's given her permission to smile again.

#chainsaw man #csm analysis #himeno #himeno chainsaw man #aki hayakawa #csm episode 6 #made these gifs awhile ago but wanted 2 expand on my original analysis. love it when making gifs makes me see shit i wouldn't have otherwis #GOD i just think their relationship is handled so well by the anime and these flashbacks go hard #my metas #csm gif #gif /#akimeno #akihime #my jessays #edited 3/10/23 to update minor phrasing #himeno analysis

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carnivalcarriondiscarded · 8 months

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Wait are writing a fic for your au cause im like down to clown with that?

ehhhhhh not really, unless by some miracle genuine writing motivation/inspiration hits, which is about as rare as a lightning strike these days!

sometimes i jot down scenes or conversations & post unedited snippets, but i haven't written a full fic or oneshot in.... since February! but hey! chances are low but never zero

#HAS IT REALLY BEEN AROUND 7 MONTHS??? DAMN TIME FLIES. IT ROCKETS. IT ZOOMS AT LIGHTSPEED #like there's stuff i Want to write #like the decapitation fic & the laughingstock fic & stuff for aus.....#but geez. man. Fuck....#my writing skills have atrophied and so has my Brain!#though i am going to be proceeding to the final stage of my Big Move next month so....#maybe once all this bullshit is over ill be in a space where i Can write #(and also respond to my friends which is killing me inside but this aint about that)#bc i am down to clown as well! but the clown in me is actually a jester. and that jester is jingling miserably across the floor #rambles from the bog #the tension between me & writing/editing a full fic is thick enough to cut with a knife #but yeah i had it good for a couple years there!#i was writing at Least a fic a month! my ao3 has 53 works of batman fanfiction (in varying degrees of quality) wowee!#*loosely batman. mostly his kids. w/ some yj or supers sprinkled in for Flavor...#but Anyway i would looooove to spice things up #And Post Puppet Fic. maybe some moomin....#or even original works! or flight rising! idk! i wanna expand my inventory!#once again guiltily looking at all of my dc wips. sigh

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tha-wrecka-stow · 10 days

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The Original & The Expanded Edition

#The Original & The Expanded Edition Series #soul and r&b #soul #r&b #rnb #r&b/soul #1980s #80s #prince #prince rogers nelson #1999 #gif

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basilwayward · 8 months

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if there's no one, no one out there?

[nov. 7, 2022]

#was thinking about my chem poetry for probably obvious reasons. realized i never posted this version of this piece?#edited/expanded from an older shorter version that is still on the blog if u were curious #yeah i had something going on last fall but like who didn't #words #poetry #original #mcr #my chemical romance #suicide tw

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hiemaldesirae · 4 months

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worlds worst man(?) gets himself a moss child

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anxiouscryptidpartner · 11 months

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I forgot to put this on here the other day but it's

Wrath Time

We need to dismantle the system and, failing that, expand the US Supreme Court, which I'm linking a petition for below.

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triple1st · 5 months

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A COUPLE OF NOTES & EXPANDED CANON ON : ROMANA'S BACKSTORY + ASCENSION TO THE SEAT OF LORD PRESIDENT .

the gallifreyan chapterhouse to which romana belongs is somewhat unclear, while the gallifrey audio series (a primary source which informs several key events within romana’s life & how i characterize her) unanimously agrees that she is from the house of heartshaven, it maintains a relation with house (of) dvora, romana openly referring to herself as : “ the inheritor of the house of dvora & the custodian of the house of everston . ” certain gallifreyans in the expanded universe also retain their chapterhouse in their full name, such as quences . leela was also given a gallifreyan name containing her husband andred's chapterhouse, who belonged to the house of redlooms in the novels, later retconned to the house of deeptree in the audio series . as such & in keeping with the history of house dvora throughout faction paradox, i've combined romana’s houses of origin into a single backstory .

romanadvoratrelundar was loomed as one of 20 cousins of house dvora, the house of devouring hounds, one of the oldest newblood houses of the prydonian chapter (newblood, essentially, refers to gallifreyans loomed utilizing an updated version of the universal biodata imprint which all looms on gallifrey draw from in order to weave new gallifreyans . they possess a secondary heart & better control of their regeneration, something romana displays expertly in destiny of the daleks . every couple of centuries, this universal biodata imprint is updated with new genetic information drawn from the matrix as a way to replicate the natural evolutionary process undergone by every other living species, as all gallifreyans are sterile & thus any natural process is forcibly recreated mechanically using rassilon’s gift of technology) . house dvora was among the most prideful & powerful chapterhouses in the prydonian academy . it had, for generations now, ruthlessly & efficiently trained its 'children' for the roles of high office within the capitol . it was infamous for the steel & ice present within the hearts of its members, a result of their upbringing . impenetrable ironic & sharp around the edges, all of house dvora’s cousins strove to achieve great things, obtain the unimaginable power granted by gallifrey’s highest office all to make house dvora & their kithriarch proud .

romana was no different, not at first, she was loomed in the generation following morbius, the last successor of house dvora who went on to become lord president of the high council of time lords, only a few years into his presidency . she shined brightly among her cousins, commanding, beautiful, smart, endless potential following in her path . romana was considered by the house kithriarch (the head of the household, its caretaker, responsible for the social well-being of each family member) to be dvora’s finest, the only cousin of twenty who would bring great pride to the house & become everything it wanted of her . however, romana never felt the pride house dvora took in her . much like her cousins, she was kept under strict expectations, monitored by her mechanical caretakers, pushed to her limits by the voices trapped within the walls of the house, whispering of the great legacy of her ancestors & their disappointment should she ever disobey . house dvora’s treatment would only worsen when romana showed a streak of compassion for her fellow cousins, helping them out on one of many brain-buffing (teaching, essentially) exercises . such things are unbecoming of members of house dvora . like all gallifreyans, they are taught the values of selfishness, to seek only their own interests first & to curb those interests in relation to the house itself . romana’s behavior was considered a malfunction of the house loom, an error of birth & something the house kithriarch would take personal responsibility to fix .

fortunately, he never got the chace, as this coincided with the imperator crisis, lord president morbius showing his true nature, putting gallifrey on a warpath with the rest of the universe & overthrowing its anti-interventionist policy . upon his defeat by the alliance formed by the high council & his subsequent trial & execution by the sisterhood of karn, house dvora would devour itself in shame . shame to have produced such a warmongering tyrant, shame to have brought disaster & ruin to gallifrey, shame to have had its name tarnished by one of its star pupils . romana, along with any surviving cousins who were not present within the walls of their house as it collapsed in on itself, were taken by the prydonian chapter castellan & dispersed among other surviving chapterhouses . she became a foundling of the house of heartshaven, one of 35 cousins, & her memories of house dvora were lost when her brain-buffing was readjusted for her new home . heartshaven was a lesser known house whose members became archivists, officials of more mundane offices, keepers of the matrix & even chancellery guards . she spent a total of fifty years within the walls of heartshaven, only twenty or so within dvora, still the brightest star among her cousins, with her only surviving memories of house dvora being of the cold breeze that passed through its halls, bitting into her skin, knowing it was the house itself trying to make her feel small . the harsh voice of its kithriarch, the thunder & fury that followed it, the house slamming doors in its wake . heartshaven, by comparison, was infinitely warmer . a candle-lit fire, minuscule & never quite enough on its own, but much greater by contrast . it was through heartshaven that romana later found work as an archivist in the bureau of ancient records, a library within the capitol which kept volumes of gallifreyan history dating back to the dark times .

the legacy of house dvora would follow romana into the prydonian academy & into the early days of her presidency . the reputation of dvora’s cousins as cold & untouchable landing her the nickname of 'the ice maiden' (probably less gendered in the original gallifreyan language, given that in the expanded universe gallifreyans are generally portrayed to be either genderless or ambiguous) . she would try disprove these notions, rebel against them, befriend her classmates, sartia among them whom romana considered her best friend only to realize sartia's hatred for her upon being reunited during her travels with the doctor . she found that the time lord academy itself encouraged her to curb her compassion, fend only for herself as to survive as the sole victor among its pupils . it would only be upon her travels with the doctor that romana’s compassion & care would be allowed to bloom, gifted another perspective beyond that of rigid gallifreyan socialization . it was a perspective she would later want to impart upon her fellow time lords, wanting them to see the universe as she does, not just coldly observe but to covet & care for all that which gallifrey deems beneath itself & why when she returned to her home planet, romana found herself a seat on the high council & ascended to the office of lord president . though she would never admit it, having travelled with the doctor certainly helped her political prospects, given he left the presidency vacant on multiple occasions despite the time lords insisting upon it . through assassination plots, bids for immortality & one brief stint in office the doctor was unwilling to fulfill his duties, he proved he could never be trusted . who better then than a time lord that had been his travelling companion ?

her enemies in the high council, however, insisted upon romana's inheritance as an argument against her inauguration . that the malfunction in the breeding engines that led to morbius' ascendancy meant all of house dvora's children were tainted & to allow any one of its survivors his power would be tantamount to suicide . though other more conservative elements within the capitol considered the prospect of romana's presidency a return to form, despite the risk that morbius' legacy lives on within her . he understood the power gallifrey held over the universe . at every step of the electoral process romana stressed that she was more of heartshaven than dvora, that everything house dvora represented died when the house sunk into the ground in shame & anguish & that she was defined by her adoptive house more than anything . it's what she wanted to believe, of course, that she was no tyrant & nothing of morbius survived through her or any other of dvora's lost children, but it was never the imperator romana should have feared . morbius lived on through history, through his cult & its adherents, pandora was erased from time itself & she would come to define the first term of romana's presidency, plunging gallifrey into a second civil war .

#* ◦ ❝ « 𝘰𝘰𝘤 . the poster's crusade .#* ◦ ❝ « 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯 . ancient records .#a repost from my old multi lightly edited & expanded upon #i feel like this is somewhat of an inaccessible read if you're not as familiar with gallifrey's VNA/EDA lore as i am #which i'm very sorry about i tried my best to explain some of these terms but i can't really pause every few seconds #to explain everything #it'd ruin the pacing #gallifrey is a fucked up very alien society to ours & it's honestly tragic how the new series ignores it #the untempered schism is my number one enemy #anyway i could also recap the pandora arc of the gallifrey audios too if i really wanted but no you're gonna go listen to gallifrey #i'm not asking you i am threatening you #i've said it on the original post but it's interesting how romana's time as a companion barely defines her #she has spent more time as lord president than she ever did travelling with the doctor #she was a dalek captive for longer

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