#Barry will fight Bruce for Danny

[dcxdpdabbles]

DCxDP Fanfic idea: Wrong Number

Bruce prides himself in keeping all of his networks secured. If he didn't make it himself, he had the funds and connections to get him the best working on his systems.

He had backup plans in case the systems were ever hacked, of course, but he had yet to encounter a cyber attack that wasn't beaten away by his firewalls or his team.

Babs and Tim were far more feral when booting out unwanted guests. The level of protection was also transferred to his other systems that weren't Batman-related, just to make sure the connection between Bruce and Batman was never made.

That's why he never really checks his personal phone's caller ID, not the one he gave out as Brucie Wayne, but the one Bruce used for his real life without any masks- civilian or vigilante. The only ones who had the number- and the access- were his children and Alfred.

Not even the Justice League- those who were aware of his identity- knew of this number.

Bruce is in the middle of typing up a report for the next Wayne Board meeting when his personal phone rings. He figures it's Dick giving him a call to update him on his drive home or maybe Jason, as his son was planning on going to college.

"Go for Papa Bruce," He says, knowing his kids hate his phone greeting and doing it deliberately to spite them.

There is a long pause where he can't help but smirk thinking his child is either rolling their eyes or cringing too hard to properly speak. Eventually, a voice cracks over the speaker.

"Hello. I'm selling cookies to raise money for my own star. Would like to buy a box from me?" says a boy, not one he has taken in. The voice is young maybe not even double digits yet. Bruce is alarmed.

"Who are you?! How did you get this number?" He demands, yanking his phone to his face and seeing, with a chill, a phone number out of state.

His system had been compromised. By a child. By accident.

"My name is Danny!" The boy chirps. "I sell cookies. Like the Girl Scouts, but I'm a boy, and I don't scout."

"That's rather fantastic, lad. What kind of cookies are you selling?" Bruce asks to keep the boy on the line while sending an email blast to the others. It's a string of numbers that are code for compromise so they all know to close any communication channel until it's safe to get back on.

"Chocolate chip. Mint Slim. Oatmeal and peanut butter. I made them myself!"

Right. Bruce hooks up his phone, tracing the call. The signal bounces off the call, swinging up to a salute and falling back down to earth. In seconds he has the boy's location. It pings in a small town right outside of Star City.

He sends Barry a private message. His friend is already on the way to the location. He'll get the boy in a few seconds.

"How much for a box of chocolate chips? Those are my favorite." Bruce tells the boy, voice whimsical as his Brucie persona demands.

In an unsure tone, the boy pauses, then whispers, "I don't know. No one ever let me get this far."

"How about twenty for a box of dozen? I'll buy five boxes for each of my kids that live at him," Bruce tells him, and the boy gasps.

"That could buy me one whole night in a hotel!"

Bruce's insides freeze. What did he mean-

"Hey! No! Let go!" Danny suddenly screams. Bruce's heart launches- he hates it when kids get hurt, especially those that sound like Danny- until Barry's voice comes over the speaker.

"I got him, Mr. Wayne. Thank you for alerting the Justice League Hotline." That's code for This is not a threat to you Batman and Bruce allows himself to relax just a little.

"Narc!" The boy shouts, outraged, before the call drops. Barry is likely taking over the situation, which means Bruce can leave it in his capable hands.

After reassuring his kids that he is fine and that they are all safe, he suits up and meets the Flash in the Watch Tower. There, he learns that Danny is only seven years old and has been living on the streets for a while.

The boy had been surviving by baking some cookies to sell on the side of the street- where did he bake them? The boy would not say- until he got the bright idea to try to sell through phone calls like he had seen on TV.

He punched in random numbers at the community center phone and gave his pitch about a star, thinking people would be more willing to buy from him if he had an excellent reason.

Barry had left him with CPS, but he looked devastated about that. It turned out that Danny was a meta and had likely been kicked out of his home once it was found out based on what he said of his parents.

Bruce felt he should assure Barry that Danny was fine and look into his placement to help settle his more sensitive teammate's nerves.

He was unhappy that Danny was not in a good placement; there were far too many reports from a concerned neighbor to make him think it was a safe place. Given the fact that placement had a lot of meta kids that "fell through the cracks," Bruce worried he had just stumbled across a trafficking ring.

He would sick Barry and Jason on them. Just to ensure they wouldn't see the light of day again.

Still, that did not fix his mistake with Danny, the little cookie seller.

Bruce hacked into the system to move Danny. He thought about where he would move the young child but ultimately had him in Wayne Manor.

Just until he could confirm that he would be safe. He certainly didn't think about the adorable little boy who called him with his heart in his hand and got sent to a terrible place for three weeks because of Bruce.

Danny arrived at Wayne Manor with a happy little bounce and a chipper outlook on life than Bruce was expecting. "If it isn't Mr. Narc!"

God, he going to adopt the boy, isn't he?

(Danny has been thrown into a different universe, aged down to a child. He survived by overshadowing people into letting him spend the night baking cookies.

He was thrown into a somewhat typical home, but the nosy neighbor down the street took far too much notice of his overshadowing, and now he was being moved again.

Maybe he can terrorize Mr. Narc now instead? )

#dcxdpdabbles #dc x dp crossover #Danny de-age #Dimension travel #Crack #Basically He overshaowed people and everyone lost their minds about it #Barry will fight Bruce for Danny #Danny will make it his life goal to be Bruce's life hell

[satoshy12]

Medic Danny + DC

Danny doesn't to Phantom , as it would stand out that while Fenton is gone Phantom is at same place. And he doesn't want to fight.

While on a vacation in the States, Danny utilized his ghost ice to freeze his parents' portal, ensuring the safety of Amity Park during his absence. Just to make sure Amity Park is okay while he is gone.

With the help of Wulf's teachings, he traveled around the world using a portal, eliminating the need for a plane or expensive travel costs.

However, his travels were interrupted by the constant need to provide first aid to injured individuals in cities such as Gotham, Metropolis, Star City, Coast City, and Detroit.

Danny had to perform first aid on many people while visiting the cities.

He could say he had helped more than 200 people already. He stopped to count after helping so many people that it kind of happen so many times while the summer vacation. But was happy to be able to help them all.

Upon returning to the border of Amity Park using his portal, Danny discovered that the entire town was at peace, as the ghosts had stopped causing trouble.

As he returned home, he noticed the whole town was doing a Ba Sing Se.

Although his parents were irritated with their frozen portal, Amity Park was happier. And while his parents were angry and didn't give up trying to melt the ice. Amity Park was happier, and Danny could use his own portal to visit the zone. So he left the portal and lab on ghost ice.

However, when Danny suddenly vanished, people began to search for the small but skilled first-aid provider.

+++

After Danny was suddenly out of the radar, people noticed and started to search for the tiny, thin boy.

The people who had met Danny were really distressed by the amount of first-aid skill he possessed. It spoke of experience that someone so young shouldn't have.

Amanda Waller was pretty interested in him. After all, the boy had helped her and her daughter when they almost became casualties of a Superman vs. Brainiac fight. So she called her agents to search for the boy.

JL meeting

Green Arrow called DIBS on him, and he would sponsor him for the future when he wants to study.

Bruce himself said the same as he noticed they all talked about the same boy. Superman wanted to thank Danny because he saved many lives while Kal was busy fighting against Brainiac.

Flash only met him once, and because of how fast Barry was, he just brought the wounded to the hospital because it was much faster.

The few heroes who didn't meet him listened to them argue.

Having no idea that few villains who Danny helped too, as civilians were having a similar moment.

#danny fenton #danny phantom #dp #dcau #dc #dc comics #batman #dc x dp #dp x dc #dp + dc #Superman #Brainiac #lex luthor #justice league #bruce wayne #green arrow #amanda waller #Wulf #Amity park goes ba sing se #Medical Danny #Gotham #Metropolis #Detroit #Star city #Coast city #Flash #villains #Ghost ice #Portal #Happy amity park

[nelkcats]

Death Spy

Danny spent way too much time watching spy movies, that's a fact. And probably the main reason why he dubbed himself "the spy for the dead", even though he wasn't actually doing spy work at all.

The ghosts of the Infinite Realms are eternal, but some of them are still young (in the sense that not much time has happened since their death) and miss their families. Clearly they can't visit without alerting anyone, so they go to the one ghost that usually swings between the realm of the living and the dead.

So, Danny started doing favors, watching lives, giving some gifts, sometimes even talking to his "targets", depending on what the ghost wanted. Even if the ghost wasn't from the same planet.

Danny had snuck into the Watchtower so many times to check on Bruce, Barry, Clark, and others that he'd lost count. He wondered if it would be easier to announce his presence but they probably wouldn't appreciate it.

On one of those occasions two ghosts asked him to check "Jason Todd" (his grandmother had many questions and his mother was not far behind); the halfa had been so distracted while exploring Red Hood warehouse that he forgot to activate his invisibility and before realizing, Danny was in the middle of a gang fight and everyone was pointing their guns at him, which felt strangely like home.

He smiled and sheepishly waved at the Crime Lord, which didn't know whether to shoot him or get him out of harm's way. Jason had noticed that the boy was hanging around, but he didn't think he would be suicidal. He sighed with resignation, if the boy survived he would probably have to interrogate him, or worse, protect him from the rival gang.

#dpxdc #Danny thinks he's an spy #he's not #but invisibility works for him #He's doing favors actually #checking on people that is still alive #and the ghosts missed #Martha Wayne asks a lot #but Danny usually accepts cause she always give him cookies #dp x dc #dc x dp #Not all the ghosts believe in his service #but most of them do and it works #Jason is worried about him #deadonmain #Danny will survive the guns anyway #he escaped all the JL but not a single crime lord #he was distracted

[itshype]

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, Godhood (DC x DP)

What’s the best way to cover up a secret when Danny can’t lie very well? Make an even more elaborate lie – but one that tugs on the heartstrings! My DC x DP Previous Works: Space Lover Danny, Kingmaker Danny, Service Animal Cujo, Danny yoinks Connor, Ghost Bruce HC + Ghost Jason HC

So, Danny's government just made his existence illegal. Which is rude and very othering and mean. In canon, Danny sort of slides around this but hey, this should be a pretty upsetting incident.

So, Vlad immediately switches his attitude (because your girl loves redeemed Vladdie!), and the two work together for weeks to try and minimise any chances of either of them getting caught. Danny is really feeling the whole “Only two of their kind” when his president declared open season on Danny (I don’t care if this isn’t how laws work in America. I’m not American I don’t care for foreign legal accuracy).

And so, weeks later, they’re actually together in ghost form with Extended Team Phantom (Tucker, Sam, Jazz and Valerie) trying to figure out their best way forward because if Vlad openly opposes these laws as Mayor too publicly the GIW might start looking at him way too closely and everything would unravel. They really can’t pretend that revealing the possibility of a human/ghost hybrid wouldn’t put events around whichever of them hadn’t been caught under a brand-new light.

Valerie is there pretending not to be emotionally invested in her boss’ and Danny’s welfare while reading a book and occasionally leaping in with “Devil’s Advocate” comments of how the Fenton parents and GIW might respond to some of their ideas.

Then the Justice League show up. Now there’s a whole law (please see Navigate any storm for my HC about the JLA’s relationship with the anti-ecto acts) they're obligated to step in. Now, I’ve been pretty uniform with who I’m including in these notfics so for a change, here we get Wonder Woman, Barry Allen’s Flash, Supergirl and I think Jason Todd but dressed up as Batman (Bruce got a booboo on his ickle frontal lobe and is out for the count, Flash and Supergirl are here because I loved their dynamic in all crossovers in the DCTV universe PRE-crisis).

Here we have the perfect storm of well read (Diana and Jason) but kind of gullible and not-as-paranoid as Batman (Flash and Supergirl, Jason is definitely suspicious but would defer to an expert like Wonder Woman in the right scenario).

Diana has shown up ready to fight, Hestia’s lasso glowing in her hands, and Team Phantom is sharp – they’re well trained and smart, but they can’t really compete against superhumans like the JLA. Diana demands that they all surrender and relinquish control over their human sycophants before being taken into custody for violation of the anti-ecto acts and performing actions of war on civilians or whatever other legal stuff she knows about.

The two halfas are floating and green so denying any knowledge would be bad. Vlad steps forward to try and babble on to buy Danny time and he scrambles for an escape. He doesn’t see a way out, but what he does see is the book that Valerie was reading. Percy Jackson. He looks back at Wonder Woman. Back at the book. Back at the Daughter of Zeus.

“Cousin! It’s so great you came to visit us at last!”

That at least gets Wonder Woman to pause. She asks what he’s talking about. Then “Batman” says not to let the ghost confuse them. He’s glaring at the vampiric ghost who seems to be trying to protect the smaller one. Vlad has legs, Danny has his little tail form.

Danny lets out the fakest laugh you’ve ever heard. He explains that ‘of course’ they weren’t ghosts. They were superpowered beings. Superpowered beings are protected by metahuman law.

“Batman” points out that they both look a lot like ghosts. Danny’s mind is scrambling for the right names. He finds them.

“Oh, I am actually the son of Melinoe, goddess of ghosts.” Daughter of Persephone, would make him Diana’s first cousin, once removed. Totally fit in with his power set plus she was a really obscure goddess who wasn’t very well known or documented, and therefore he could make up stuff about his ‘mother’ if he so chose.

“And who’s the vampire?” Barry asks, though Jazz, at least can tell that everyone is way less on-guard.

“I am…” There’s a very long pause. “His Father. Deimos. God of Dread. Son of Aphrodite and Ares!” Danny wants to smack him.

Okay, great, Vlad just ‘yes, and’ed Danny from being a demigod to the both of them being full-blown gods in their own right. Sure.

“Yes! I am Phantom…”

Jazz cuts him off to say that his name was Phántasma [φάντασμα] and of course the locals just anglicized it to Phantom from the original Ancient Greek. Danny agrees and goes onto explain how he was a pretty new god – y’know, comparatively – and these were some nice humans who were all considering becoming his priestesses and priest. Sam ducks in to explain how Phantom – sorry, Phantasma, was the god of ghosts finally relinquishing hold on their forms and surrendering to the afterlife. Something chill and small, nothing that would necessitate him getting involved with human affairs and no abilities that would mean any extra attention from the Justice League.

Diana starts to cry, she thought she was all alone in the world and right here was her cousin. All along she had family in the realm of men, family who had been so excited to meet her yet who had not reached out. Unfortunately, Danny made a mistake. Melinoe isn’t Hades and Persephone’s daughter. She’s Zeus and Persephone’s daughter. Diana connects the dots and in a single instant stops crying.

“A baby brother!” She reaches forward to squish Danny’s face.

Jazz takes great offense at that. Danny is her brother (though she can’t admit that). Danny’s at closest, Diana’s half nephew – but since he’s her half nephew on BOTH sides she’s willing to concede him as her full nephew.  Diana argues that since her Dad is Danny’s grandfather and great-grandfather plus great uncle, their ichor is close enough that he’s basically her full brother. Ironic as Deimos would actually be closer to being her half-brother. Vlad is a creepy old vampire though, not an adorable teen superhero.

Tucker makes up a very elaborate story about being too insecure to reach out before now. He requests Phantasm’s blessing to convey this story to Wonder Woman so that Danny doesn’t have to say anything.

Valerie gets out a notebook to try and map out this fictional family tree while googling all the deities’ names she doesn’t already recognise. It makes her thankful it is only fictional. Phantasma’s family tree looks more like a Christmas wreath. “Batman” is also trying to figure out the most appropriate relationship between Phantasma and Diana in his HUD.

This is when everyone has made their biggest mistake, not paying attention to Vlad for more than a minute. This is a problem he is thrilled to remedy. His chest swells and he starts to prattle on about how hard it’s been for him as a single father since his beloved Melinoe died in the God War (Wonder Woman’s cinematic canon prequel). Of course, Supergirl asks how they survived, and they say some very broad things about sheltering in the afterlife where Ares could not reach them, as gods are most powerful in their own domain.

Disregarding the fact that if this all were true, Danny would be about 100 years older than her, Diana acknowledges that a child without a mother must struggle and offers to help Danny whenever necessary. If he wanted to, he could come live with her in DC and meet all her superhero friends to help guide him.

They’re scrambling for a reason as to why Danny would turn down this offer. Vlad speaks first. He explains that since his mother’s death, Danny has overtaken her domain as the god of all ghosts and, while Phantom is very clearly not a ghost, he couldn’t possibly leave all his subjects. Especially since the stupid GIW keep attacking father and son. Vlad says that honestly, the US government should be glad that they haven’t smote them, the GIW and everyone else who would challenge them.

Diana is horrified. Ghosts are revolting scum, and her two new family members are full-blooded gods who shine with otherworldly power and definitely not the glow of ectoplasm.

Whenever any of the other superheroes (who are more clear-headed at this time) try and ask any probing questions either:

Danny insists that a mere mortal wouldn’t understand the scope of his abilities

Tucker yells at them for daring to question “Phantasma’s” great authority

Sam insists that she would hate to be told the answer, that everything her god does is for her to decode. She asks what they think the symbolism of Danny robbing a bank could be.

She offers to get them in touch with the president and he could make them both special advisors to the GIW – the JLA had only been called in due to how much trouble the agency were having and bringing two gods in would be a quick way to get the entire situation ship shape.

The flash gets in touch with Phantasma’s high priestess next week, he reassures everyone that the ‘misunderstanding’ is all cleared up. Danny’s officially the CEO of the guys in white.

Hope everyone enjoyed. Masterpost coming soon.

((Dan as Hades???))

Here's "Phantasma's" family tree - simplified

#dc x dp #dp x dc #danny phantom #danny fenton #justice league #not fic #mine #batman #tucker foley #the JLA #teen titans #titans #not!fic #vlad masters #vlad plasmius #redeemed vlad #sam manson #valerie gray #jazz fenton #percy jackson #greek gods #greek mythology #deimos #melinoe #jason todd #red hood #supergirl #kara danvers #barry allen #the flash

[aethertetsuya]

DP x DC Ideas/Rant

I just wanna throw ideas for fic plots. Im so much over the "Bad Fenton Parents" and "Vivisection" for Danny. It's been proven that if Danny's secret got out, his parents would love him anyway. Anyway. Here are some ideas and / or prompts. Credit and tag me if you are inspired.

Ideas 💡

(Each bullet is a separate idea)

Fentons go into the witness protection program until the JL gets the GIW down. They are stationed in the watch tower since the US has extradition treaties with most countries but not in space or with the JL.

Danny is Bruce's uncle, who helped raise him after his parents' death. Bruce and Alfred know his past and Vlad thas the inspiration behind batman. If it can scare Danny, who is the King of Ghost, then it should scare criminals too. Right?

Danny is the son of Barry Allen (Flash)and Diana Prince (WonderWoman). Maddie is an Amazonian who was charged of keeping Danny safe.

Damian is rescued by the Fentons during a mission gone wrong and decides to adopt-block Bruce by setting Danny up with one of his siblings. (Dick, Jason, Tim -you chose). Too bad Damian didn't account for all 3 brothers developing a crush and fighting over Danny. (But he can only end up with one)

Jon Kent and Danny Fenton were childhood buddies (sweethearts) who met at Space Camp (Kansas and Illinois are just 1 state apart). They made a promise to be there for each other one night under the stars (even carved their initials on a tree) they kept in touch and had summer visits. They discover each others identity during Class reunion episode (Lois was sent to cover and Interview Vlad Masters). Jon knows Danny's heartrate to the milliseconds, so he connects the two easily (it helps that Danny shouts "Going Ghost"). Damian gets jealous/annoyed that Jon's attention is elsewhere when they hangout (he is his first friend, so he doesn't know how to act/boundaries, so he decides to investigate which draws the attention of Bruce) Bruce then decides to ask Clark about this Danny person and Clark is is just all smiles and says he's a great kid and that he (Clark) has got Amity covered. (Apparently, he's been training Jon and Danny, his future son-in-law) Danny is an easy guy who trusts the Kents. Mainly because he witnessed how they heavily critiqued Jack and Maddie's Ghost papers for being biased and taught him and Jazz the most effective way to fight sentient food.

Danny is the oldest blood wayne son. During Bruce's college days, he helped out Jack and Maddie to have Danny. Jack can't have kids anymore due to ectoplasmic radiation (let's face it he is much more lose on lab safety than Maddie) Danny knows the truth from a young age but still treats Jack as his Dad. Bruce becomes the Distant Uncle (Batman and Wayne company keeps him tied). Despite this, he and alfred never missed Danny's Birthday. Every year, he goes to pain staking lengths to lose his kids for a day to go to Amity. Imagine everyones surprise when one day they came back after an extended mission, and Bruce rushed to get dressed to the nines and open a hidden zeta tube (only he and Alfred know) with a stucky note from Alfred which says "I'll reserve you a seat, Master Bruce". The Bat fam only has time for one question "Bruce/Father! What is going on" to which Bruce responds "Its Danny's 25th Birthday" and he's gone. The Bat fam is in shock. Who is this Danny they have never heard of. The Zeta tube is locked out that even oracle cant access or trace its destination. Dick, Steph, Cass, Duke all discuss the potential new brother, Damian, and Jason are fuming, Tim is working with Oracle.

If any decides or is inspired to expand or write with these ideas. All I ask is to be tagged and credited.

#dp x dc #danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #justice league #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #damien wayne #dick grayson #jon kent #wonder woman #flashfam #barry allen #diana of themiscyra #lois and clark #lois lane

[gilbirda]

The mystery of the giggling cape

For DPxDC Week!

Day 3: Eldritch Entities

[Read on AO3]

---

There was a giggle in the Justice League meeting room, but Batman didn’t stop talking. He did make a movement inside his cape, and the giggle stopped. Since it didn’t happen again, the others decided to ignore it - Bats was weird and he never explained anything that didn’t concern a mission, so why bother?

Except it happened again, about five minutes later. The giggling was so loud that they couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Superman cleared his throat, and Batman stopped talking.

“Yes? Any questions?”

Supes did that smile when he wanted to pry into B’s private business but didn’t want him to go nuclear. “Do you hear the giggling?”

It was a trick question, of course. Everyone could hear it, and it came from inside Batman’s cape, but he wanted to give the man the option to explain at his own pace.

Instead, he held his gaze and with a completely steady heartbeat said: “No.”

Someone snorted.

“Okay.” Clark didn’t want to fight. For real. “Do you, or do you not, have a child in the cape?”

“I do not.”

There was more giggling, child’s laughter, from inside the cape.

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose. “Is that a new Robin? You know that-”

“No, it isn’t.” Batman flinched, realizing too late that by saying that he was admitting there was a child in his cape. “It’s nothing. Let’s continue.”

Something moved in the cape, making the man tense. He hummed for a moment, and whoever was inside hummed back, the sound slightly high pitched, but not quite a kid’s voice.

The situation was starting to turn from adorable to suspicious.

“Bruce?”

Batman glared at Diana. He may have revealed his identity willingly, but still didn’t like that people used his civilian name while he was on the suit.

“It’s nothing.”

“That didn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to me.” Green Arrow, who didn’t fear death, leaned in. “Batsy, if you brought an unknown to the Watchtower we have to know. It’s the rules.”

“Rules you created.” Barry said, munching on some jerky. He flinched when Batman glared at him. “Just sayin’”

Batman sighed, finally putting down the tablet he had in his hands and opening the cape. They couldn’t see much, the fabric was as dark inside as it was outside.

“You can come out, they won’t hurt you.” He said in a soft voice, the one he reserved for children, confirming that he had a child in there.

Two glowing eyes materialized in the darkness, but no child stepped out from the cape.

“Hello, little one.” Superman stood up and approached slowly, trying to appear as harmless as he could. He knew he was big and scary, even if he was a hero.

He didn’t get a response, but more of that humming. Now that the cape was open, they could hear some layers to the voice; the high pitched child’s voice, but a deeper and richer voice as well, and behind both, a sound like static on the radio.

“My name is Clark,” he tried again. The eyes closed with more humming. Batman jumped.

“He says his name is Danny.”

Why can’t he speak on his own? Some of the present Leaguers thought.

“Danny is… we found him,” Bruce’s face, even hidden under the cowl, turned dark. “He was not fine. Hasn’t been for a while. But he was curious and wanted to come with me. Apparently, he likes the stars.”

At the mention of the stars, the child, or whatever that was in the cape, got excited. It chirped, purred and moved around in the shadows.

“We can take a break and give him a tour,” Diana approached as well, excited at the idea of teaching a child. She didn’t miss Bruce’s vagueness explaining who Danny was, though, but interrogation could wait.

“Danny would like that, except…”

Bruce opened the cape more, revealing a vast darkness even under the strong lights inside the Watchtower. It wasn’t natural darkness, or a normal shadow - what they saw inside his cape was a wall of pure nothingness that reflected no light.

And it was watching them.

Two eyes opened in the darkness, but they weren’t close or at the same height.

“Danny has taken refuge inside the cape, his form too weak to maintain humanoid shape.”

The darkness giggled with that layered voice, the eyes moving around in the lining of Batman’s cape to look at all of them.

“He says hello.”

Superman looked at his friend. “But he didn’t say anything?”

Batman nodded. “He has limited telepathy abilities as long as you are close. He can communicate concepts, ideas, and some words, but it makes him tired if he tries to speak.”

“Can I have a look?” J’onn stood up but didn’t approach, his eyes fixed on the black mass that inhabited Batman’s cape.

Danny seemed to like it, because they heard more of that creepy purring. More eyes opened too, these new ones fixed on the martian with an intensity that the league member held without difficulty.

“He likes you.”

J’onn nodded, taking that as a yes, and approached.

He extended a hand towards the darkness, checking with Batman if it was okay, and when he nodded he let his hand touch-

Memories. Emotions. Voices.

J’onn closed his eyes, trying to make sense of everything he was getting from this unknown entity.

Danny’s memories were fuzzy, but had more detail than what you would expect from a child’s mind. Also he didn’t have a hold on them as the memories came and went, the emotions tied to those vivid and raw.

Danny was not a child, and even scarier, he had been once human.

He had suffered. Somehow, sometime in his childhood, he had been hurt so badly and for so long that his mind and body were irreversibly transformed. It wasn’t innocence what made him act like a child, but a mental block that kept all the pain at bay to give him time to recuperate from what has been done to him.

J’onn quietly and carefully withdrew from his mind, no need to change it if he was protecting himself just fine, and looked at his colleague.

“Did you know-”

“Yes.”

Batman’s jaw was locked in place.

The martian nodded. “I hope justice has been served.”

“It will be.” The threat floated in the air for a few seconds.

The others looked at the exchange with different degrees of confusion, but if they wanted to discuss more serious things, they knew it would have to wait.

“So.” Diana clapped her hands, a soft smile on her lips. “About that tour…”

Danny chirped, excited, and an answering smile with sharp teeth manifested from the darkness.

---

Back to the Main Archive

Back to Danny Phantom Archive

Do you like my stuff? Buy me a Ko-fi!

#dpxdc #dp x dc #dc #dp crossovers #DP/DC WEEK 2022 #justice league #batman

[torscrawls]

Crowning Achievement of Unintentional Misdirection

Chapter 2 of “Danny accidentally makes the JL believe that the new ghost king is using him and that his sister is in on it” Words: 2 780 You can read the whole thing on AO3!

  True to his word, when the day came a portal tore itself into existence in Danny's usual spot in the Watchtower half an hour before the time for the coronation.

 Barry—who had insisted on joining them when he heard where they were going, saying something about “proving to everyone that ghosts aren’t real”—jumped in surprise at its sudden appearance. Bruce simply sucked in a quiet breath and straightened up, eyes fixed on the portal and the being that didn’t waste any time before stepping through.

 He had expected a guard of some sort, a butler, a monster, a beast—at the very least a ghost of some kind— but instead they got what looked to be an ordinary young woman with auburn hair, a green fancy dress, and a serious expression.

 She couldn’t be their escort… right?

 The young woman stopped in front of them and looked the three of them over one after the other with startlingly calculating eyes. She raised an immaculate eyebrow and asked, “Is that what you’re wearing?”

 Bruce blinked.

 He didn’t want to admit it, but he really wasn’t used to people being faced with Batman for the first time and not being at least slightly intimidated. This woman gave away absolutely nothing, and Bruce felt suddenly decidedly wrong-footed.

 "Who are you?" Barry asked in his hero costume topped with a bright yellow bow tie in a futile attempt to make it seem more festive and proper. Not that Bruce himself was much better in his black tie that was barely visible over his Batman-suit. Constantine was wearing his usual trench coat and hadn’t even attempted to dress up for the coronation. Bruce had made the strategic decision not to fight the other man about it, not wanting to invite the barrage of criticism of his own fashion choices that would no doubt follow if he did.

 The woman heaved a sigh, still not even slightly affected by being in the presence of three Justice League members—or two heroes in full costume and one grumpy man in a trench coat—before she crossed her arms over the shiny fabric of her dress that was, no doubt, a perfect fit for the occasion. “I guess I’ll take that as a yes. I’m Jasmine, but call me Jazz.” It wasn’t a suggestion. "I’m Phantom's sister."

#dp #danny phantom #dp x dc #danny phantom x dc #phic #my writing #jazz just wants to make sure danny's new teammates are good for him #she is sadly too much like her brother in that she is also way more terrifying than she realizes

[bzedan]

[Main image description: A redraw of a scene from Bee and Puppycat, with Jon holding up Garfield, a happy look on Jon's face. Garfield's back is to the viewer and he is wearing a teal jacket with a purple collar and big pink shoulder bows. The back of the jacket reads "2024 January" across two ribbon banners, with a picture of Pooky the bear's face between the ribbons.]

Short playlist for one of those long-feeling months. The description I put on the playlist was "aiming for a decent start" and that's the vibe. We got this! Chase and I have been talking about why Nick Lutsko's music always seems to hit for us, beyond him being very good at working skeletons into things and also using puppets, and it has come down to a specific realist-pessimism in tone that does not deny hope or optimism.

Related media to some of the songs:

This month's playlist cover is inspired by the video for 'cliché - revisited' by mxmtoon, which features Bee and Puppycat themselves.

'Swinging On A Star' is featured (as sung by Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello) in the 1991 film Hudson Hawk, which is a charming film if one for a very specific audience.

"Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" is one of two Black Mirror episodes I've seen and I remain forever fond of it, probably due to the particular approach to the Nine Inch Nails covers.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston is a great doc, available on Archive dot org. His music has been threaded through a lot of my adult life.

Anyway here's a link to January's playlist on Spotify, with the track list below the cut.

And embedded if you like that:

'Love Shack' - The B-52's

'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' - Joseph C. Phaze

'The Leftovers (Main Title Theme)' - Max Richter

'Santanico's Fight Club' - Robert Rodriguez

'Time After Time' - Samantha Crain

'Enjoy The Silence' - Dead On A Sunday

'フロム天国 ' - RIM feat. EMA

'through the chimney' - demon gummies

'Hello Rainbow Road' - Kimiko Glenn

'(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang - Remastered 2006' - Heaven 17

'Robrash' - TR/ST

'cliché - revisited' - mxmtoon

'Walcott' - Vampire Weekend

'All I Want Is You' - Barry Louis Polisar

'Windy - Remastered Version' - The Association

'Tried And True' - Ween

'SENSITIVE' - MOTHICA

'Running up That Hill (Middle English)' - The_miracle_aligner

'Lightning's Girl' - Nancy Sinatra

'Neon Moon' - Brooks & Dunn

'Fresh Blood' - Eels

'Lovely Head' - Goldfrapp

'Rice' - Young Fathers

'Swinging On A Star - Single Version' - Bing Crosby

'On A Roll' - Ashley O

'Baby's On Fire - 2004 Digital Remaster' - Brian Eno

'Your Motion Says' - Arthur Russell

'Nothing To Declare' - MGMT

'All Night Long (All Night) - Single Version' - Lionel Richie

'Land Of Plenty' - OMC

'Buffalo Stance' - Neneh Cherry

'Virtual Insanity - Remastered' - Jamiroquai

'Software' - Nick Lutsko

'Halah' - Mazzy Star

'Wicked Game' - Widowspeak

'Phantom Birds' - Matt Berry

'Big Flame (Is Gonna Break My Heart in Two)' - Doris Wilson

'Big Time' - Angel Olsen

'Devil Town' - Daniel Johnston

''71: I Think I'll Make Another World' - The Magnetic Fields

#meche crossposts #playlists #meche makes playlists #Spotify

[ao3feed-superbat]

Taxes After Death

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/CO8D5zm by Amy_Hearts In an unfortunate set of circumstances Lyla died. That wasn’t really a big deal, the big deal was that her soul got kidnapped leading to her having to fight a literal demon to not get eaten. The even bigger deal is when she finds herself completely overworked even after death. When a summons allows her to escape from work she decides to make the most out of her situation. Even if that means playing the part of a mysterious demon princess that unnerves the Justice League. Lyla is going to haunt the Watchtower for as long as she can and not even Batman is going to get her to go back to do paperwork. Words: 8672, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Original Female Character(s), Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman), Arthur Curry (DCU), J'onn J'onzz, Barry Allen, Oliver Queen, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), John Constantine Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: Pre-Relationship, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Good Parent Bruce Wayne, the justice league doesn't know how to deal with her, Constantine is so Done, Summoning, Demon Summoning, Protective Batfamily (DCU), bruce constantly updating his files, Main Character Is a Little Shit, escaping work, haunting the watchtower, Mentioned Danny Fenton read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/CO8D5zm

#ao3feed #superbat #world's finest #Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne #Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent

[gothamandamity]

I wanted to try my hand at meme reactions to chapter 10 of Change In Management by @void-writing. Except that I couldn’t decide which reactions image to use so everything is text-based and at most meme-adjacant.

Spoilers under cut.

----

Danny to his friends and family: You can’t come to me with Gotham, it’s too dangerous!! You could get hurt!

Bruce to Dick: So what if I’d go out while still injured from a bullet wound? That’s me! You need to be safe!!

*Jazz, Tucker, Sam, and the Batfamily looking at the camera like in The Office*

----

*unofficial flashback*

Danny’s unconsciousness as Gotham’s new City Spirit: Alright, I gave a power to each member of the family who are the most active in vigilantism. That should keep them safer. What else could I do-

*Nightwing / Dick gets shot*

Danny:

Danny: Nope, not going to happen. *gives superhealing to Dick and maybe every other Batfamily member*

----

Sam: Dora gave me a mace.

Jazz: Could I get a halberd then?

Valerie, in spirit: What about me?! Give me a crossbow, I’m better at ranged weapons than Jazz.

Jazz: Hey!!

----

Danny: I can’t let carry the Bats the burden alone when I have powers.

Bats: *have been using their powers - boons from Danny - for the last days in Gotham, and Danny doesn’t know that*

the same Bats: *don’t show their new powers when they properly meet Danny / their new City Spirit for the first time*

----

Various local superheroes and vigilantes trying to protect Danny & Co. and keep out of the fight against Freeze.

Danny & Co., competent: Excuse me? Let me do my thing!

----

*Jazz and Danny bickering about Jazz using ranged weapons*

Batman: Aah, the feeling of nostalgia.

----

Superman: *about Sam* Great, another kid with the spirit of a Robin.

Spirit ! Robin: *cackling as he lays waste to the attackers in Spirit Gotham*

*offscreen: Jazz, Tucker, and Danny undoing Freeze’s plot*

----

Danny: I can’t show any more of my powers, my ice made Freeze fixate on me!!

*moves faster than Superman to grab Sam so they can teleport to safety, in front of Superman*

----

Superman: *blinks* *later in the Batcave* Batman, I’ve maybe found another power of our mysterious young meta-friend.

Batman: And what is it?

Superman: I tried to stop them from teleporting away but he grabbed his friend first- And I didn’t see him move.

Batman: ...

Nightwing: ... So, Danny might also be a speedster- Bruce?! Why are you so pale???

Batman: *sweats because of the vague snippet of memory he got from Danny and thinks about Barry*

Batman: We should introduce Danny to Flash if both of them approve.

----

Batman: *gets the urge to hug Flash because he’s happy he’s still with them*

#dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #change in management after-reaction

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: The Flash

Oh how the DCEU has had its ups and many downs. Each character for the most part has taken a turn in the spotlight and now we finally get a solo film for our favorite scarlet speedster and it was as fun and exciting as I hoped it would be. The excellent opening sequence sets the sometimes quirkie and hilarious tone of the film that is very reminiscent of Back to the Future. I was especially surprised by the emotional depth the film carried for not only the titular character, but the supporting characters as well. If you know The Flash's history through comics, animation or the excellent CW series, don't worry. This film follows a familiar plot point, but takes a fresh approach to it. The consistent pacing of this multiversal adventure was great and I loved when it actually slowed down to deliver the thematic elements of choice and living with your past. Not all the characters worked but the ones that do, steal the film and get you excited to see how they react as the story progressed.

Ezra Miller came off more as Wally West humor and personality wise in earlier films but in this film, he finally plants his feet firmly in the role of Barry. Ezra takes Barry on the familiar emotional rollercoaster of his origin story and it was fun to see a fresh take. I loved his balanced amount of humor and heart in many great moments with his father Henry, portrayed by the wonderful Ron Livingston. The chemistry between them really hammered home the motivation and emotional turmoil of Barry's decisions. Ezra does double duty as Barry deals with a younger alternate version of himself and it was a great mirror for him to look into. Their interactions made older Barry more mature and centered. Ben Affleck reprises his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman and I enjoyed the mentor nature of their friendship the most in this film. It carries over from both Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's versions of the Justice League film so well and it was great to see Ben again. The great Michael Keaton returns as the 1989 Bruce Wayne / Batman and he hasn't skipped a beat. He has evolved the character in a fascinating way and I liked what he became. It answers the question that many have had. What would retired Bruce Wayne / Batman be like? When you finally see him move and fight in his new batsuit, he shines and is as badass as you remember. I couldn't get enough of him and I loved that he acknowledges his mortality in many great scenes. Sasha Calle was fierce, strong and a massive standout as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. I loved the much darker and violent take on the character as we get to see a more stoic version of the character through her intense eyes. There is so much more to mine out of that character and it is a shame that we will never get to see her interact with Henry Cavill's Superman. Now the one person that stole my heart as the emotional core of the film, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen. I loved every second we got of her and especially the grocery store scene. It is the emotional peak of the film and both her and Ezra delivered in spades.

The score by Benjamin Wallfisch was good and kept the sense of speed and tension alive during the many action sequences and the emotional core alive in the more tender scenes. It was great to once again hear Danny Elfman’s iconic Batman theme and I loved Benjamin’s use of it. I did have a bit of a problem with the pacing in some scenes. The pacing of the film was great as it moves at a brisk pace as expected, but I would've loved for it to slow down for a few more seconds toward the last 20 minutes of the film. You could almost feel the amount of fat that was trimmed off the film in some scenes. Visually the film was stunning and of course most will comment on the CGI in the film. Some of it was really cartoony in the still shots, but it worked the best while in Barry's speed vision. The cameos all are amazing and one in particular made my heart flutter with joy as I know the late filmmaker Jon Schnepp would've approved and loved as well. This was a quick paced and action packed story that featured an emotional core that shines bright over the impressive visuals. There is a fun end credit scene that conitnues that connectivity that Barry has with the rest DCEU. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

#the flash #ezra miller #ben affleck #sasha calle #Michael Keaton #ron livingston #maribel verdú #michael shannon #dc

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

billy batson and the phantom

by halfagone (milkywxy)

When a video goes viral of a teenager, who looks strikingly like the superhero known as Captain Marvel, having lightning powers and fighting shadowy enemies, it results in a lot of rumors, theories, and worst of all, conspiracies, that the teen might be the Captain's illegitimate or secret son. Billy Batson, the person underneath the Captain Marvel transformation and a teenager at the tender age of fourteen-years-old knows there is literally no way that this teenager could be his child. Nonetheless, Superman encourages Captain Marvel to help aide in the search for the teenager in order to find out the true happenings of that night in the woods. Billy goes along with it, fearing that if he pushes too hard, he might reveal his secret identity and most of all, his true age, to the Justice League.

Besides, how hard could it be to find one teenager?

Billy really should have taken his own experiences to heart because as it turns it, the answer to that question is: very hard.

Words: 1681, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Justice League - All Media Types, Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Gen

Characters: Billy Batson, Danny Fenton, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman), Victor Stone, Barry Allen, Arthur Curry (DCU), Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance

Relationships: Billy Batson & Danny Fenton

Additional Tags: Accidental Brother Aquisition, BAMF Danny, BAMF Billy Batson, Billy Batson is Captain Marvel | Shazam, Danny Fenton & Billy Batson Friendship, Secret Identity, OP Danny Fenton, Shenanigans

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/40359087

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #the cape crusader #gotham #dc universe #ao3 #ao3feed

[my-km-me]

My Book Ships

+ = romantic, & = platonic

MCU Killmonger fanart on the left. Artist: https://twitter.com/MorryEvans

MCU T’Challa fanart on the right. Artist: https://twitter.com/lu_____u.

Acacia

Hamish + Corinn

Akata Witch

Anatov & Chichi

Orlu + Sunny

[Orlu + Sunny] & [Sasha + darker-skinned Chichi]

OTP: Sasha + darker-skinned Chichi

Americanah

Obinze + darker-skinned Kosi

OTP: Curt + darker-skinned Ifemelu

Ship Mates: Curt + Ifemelu, Obinze + Kosi

Annals of the Western Shore

Orrec + Gry

OTP: Canoc + Melle

Ship Mates: Canoc + Melle, Orrec + Gry

Animorphs

[Jake + Cassie] & [Tobias + Rachel]

OTP: Jake + Cassie

Tobias + Rachel

Archie comics

Alan + Josie

Alexander + Melody

aroace Jughead

Chuck + Nancy

Dilton + Danni

Harvey + Sabrina

Jason + Betty

OTP: Archie + Valerie

Reggie + Betty

Veronica + Betty

Ship Mates #1: Archie + Valerie, Veronica + Betty, Reggie + Midge, Alan + Josie, Alexander + Melody, George + Cheryl, Dilton + Danni, Chuck + Nancy, and Harvey + Sabrina

Ship Mates #2: Archie + Valerie, {[Reggie + Betty, Moose + Midge] or [Jason + Betty, Reggie + Midge]}, Dilton + Veronica, George + Cheryl, Alan + Josie, Alexander + Melody, Chuck + Nancy, and Harvey + Sabrina

 Beaststars

Bill + Pina

Gosha + Toki

Juno + Haru 

Legoshi & Gosha

Legoshi + Louis

OTP: male Yafya/Yahya + male Gosha

Ship Mates: Yafya/Yahya + Gosha, Legoshi + Louis, Juno + Haru, Bill + Pina, Shiela + Els, Tao + Kibi, and Kai + Dom

Gijinkas

NBPOC 

Alpacas: Latinos

Bill: Japanese 

Dom: gay Indian 

Gohin: Chinese

Gosha: Southeast Asian

Juno: brunette biracial Japanese and European 

Kibi: Japanese of Latino decent 

Legoshi: Japanese

Louis: Brown Asian, skin is same color as his deer version's fur

Melon's father: Japanese 

Ogma: Brown Asian, skin is same color as his deer version's fur 

Others/the rest: Japanese

Pina: Inuit

Riz: Japanese

Tao: Indian

Toki: Japanese

Yafya/Yahya: Indian, skin is same color as his horse version's fur

Black

Agata: male, Skin tone very dark like his manga lion version's fur. Headcanon: Agata defeats Melon, not Legoshi. Melon being dominating in the fight but Agata won defensively and intellectually (Subversion of typical "prey" vs. predator).

Cheetah characters

Haru: albino, Siddi-Japanese

Jaguar characters

Kai: skin is same color as his mongoose version's fur

Lion characters

Mizuchi: vitligo, Siddi-Japanese

Melon: Medium brown-skinned male. Biracial version of fanart on left.

Melon's mother

Shiela: medium brown to dark-skinned

Other: Jack: blond white American 

Ships

aroace Kai

Bill + Els

Bill + Pina

Gosha + Toki

Haru & Mizuchi 

Ibuki & Louis

Jack + Shiela

Juno + Haru

Legoshi & Gohin

Legoshi & Gosha

Legoshi + Haru 

Legoshi & Jack

Legoshi + Louis

Ogma & Louis

OTP: Melon + power bottom Agata

Riz + Pina

Yafya/Yahya + Gosha

Ship Mates: Melon + Agata, Legoshi + Louis, Yafya/Yahya + Gosha, Juno + Haru, Jack + Shiela, {Bill + Pina or [Bill + Els, Riz + Pina]}, and Tao + Kibi

Billy Bat

Tony + Diane

Bleach

OTP: Ichigo + Rukia

Renji + Rukia

Ulquiorra + Orihime

Bone

Lucius + Gran'ma Ben

Cardcaptor Sakura

OTP: Syaoran + Sakura

Sakura + Tomoyo

Dawn

Jdahya + Lilith

Joseph + Lilith

OTP: Nikanj + Lilith

Ship Mates #1: Nikanj + Lilith, Jdahya & Lilith, and Jdahya + Kahguyaht

Ship Mates #2: Jdahya + Lilith, Dichaan + Nikanj + Ahajas

DC

Ahura Mazda + Nubia

Arthur Curry + Mera 

Barry Allen + Iris West

Bruce Wayne & Ace the Bathound

Bruce Wayne & Diana Prince & Clark Kent

Cassandra Cain & Onyx Adams

Clark Kent + Bruce Wayne

Clark Kent + Diana Prince + Bruce Wayne

Clark Kent & Krypto the Superdog

Clark Kent + Lois Lane

David Hyde & Kaldur

Diana Prince & Nubia

Dick Grayson + Jason Todd 

Dick Grayson + Koriand'r

Dick Grayson + Roy Harper

Dick Grayson + Wily Wendi

Duke Thomas & Cassandra Cain

Ebon (male) + power bottom male Virgil Hawkins

Elijah Snow + Anaykah

Grace Choi + Anissa Pierce

Hal Jordan + Barry Allen

Hal Jordan + Oliver Queen

Hal Jordan + Sinestro

[Hippolyta + Philippus] & [Diana & Nubia]

Jason Todd + Dick Grayson

Jason Todd + Onyx Adams

Jimmy Olsen + Lucy Lane

John Stewart + Katma Tui

Joker + Rebecca Brown

Jonathan Kent Jr. + Damian Wayne

Jonathan Crane + Becky Albright 

Kyle Rayner + Donna Troy

Lex Luthor + Amanda Waller

Lex Luthor + Natasha Irons

Malcolm Duncan + Karen Beecher

Oliver Queen + Dinah Lance

Oliver Queen & Onyx Adams

OTP: Bruce Wayne + Selina Kyle

Pamela Isley + Bella Garten

Pamela Isley + Harleen Quinzel

Renée Monotoya + Barbara Kean

Roman Sionis + Lady Marabunta

Roy Harper & Lian Harper

Scott Free + Big Barda

Stephanie Brown + Cassandra Cain 

Talia Al Ghul & Damian Wayne

[Talia Al Ghul & Damian Wayne] & Ra's Al Ghul

Terry McGinnis + Maxine Gibson

Tim Drake + Tamara Fox

Victor Fries + Nora Fries 

Victor Stone + Sarah Simmons

Ship Mates #1: Ebon + Virgil, Terry + Dana, Bruce + Selina, Dick + Jason, Kara + Babs, Tim + Tam, Steph + Cassie, Jonathan Kent Jr. + Damian, Joker + Rebecca, Jonathan C. + Becky, Victor F. + Nora, Poison Ivy + Harley Quinn, Renée + Barbara K., Clark + Lois, Lex + Natasha, Jimmy + Lucy, John H. Irons + Lana, Hippolyta + Philippus, Diana + Artemis, Ahura + Nubia, Kyle + Donna, Hal + Barry, John + Katma, Grace + Anissa, Victor S. + Sarah, Mal + Karen, Scott + Barda, and Ollie + Dinah

Batman ship mates: Bruce + Selina, Dick + Jason, Luke + Babs, Tim + Tam, Steph + Cassie, Jonathan Kent Jr. + Damian, Joker + Rebecca, Jonathan C. + Becky, Victor F. + Nora, Poison Ivy + Harley Quinn, Renée + Barbara K., and Terry + Dana

Superman ship mates: Clark + Lois, Lex + [Natasha or Amanda], Jimmy + Lucy, John H. Irons + Lana, and Jon Jr. + Damian Wayne

Wonder Woman ship mates: Hippolyta + Philippus, Diana + Artemis, Ahura + Nubia, and Kyle + Donna

Dorohedo

Fujita + Ebisu

OTP: Kaiman + Nikaido/male Devil Nikaido + Kaiman

Shin + Noi

Ship Mates: Kaiman + Nikaido, Devil Nikaido + Kaiman, Shin + Noi, and Fujita + Ebisu

Dreamblood

Hanani + darker-skinned Mni-inh 

OTP: Nijiri (brown Egyptian) + power bottom Ehiru (darker-skinned Nubian), both fit males 

Ship Mates: Nijiri (brown Egyptian) + Ehiru (darker-skinned Nubian), Hanani + Mni-inh

Earthsea trilogy

Ged + Tenar

For Better or For Worse

6/13/07 guy kissed Shawna-Marie + Shawna-Marie

Anthony + Elizabeth

John + Elly

Michael & Elizabeth

OTP: Michael + Deanna

Ship Mates: 6/13/07 guy kissed Shawna-Marie + Shawna-Marie, [John + Elly] & [Michael & Elizabeth] & aroace April, Michael + Deanna, and Anthony + Elizabeth

Fullmetal Alchemist

Ed & Al 

OTP: Ed + Roy

Roy + Riza

Garfield

Jon + Liz

OTP: Garfield + Arlene

Ship Mates: Garfield + Arlene, Jon + Liz

Glory Field

aroace Luvenia

Elijah + Goldie

Joshua + darker-skinned Neela

[Lem + darker-skinned Lizzy] & Joshua

Luvenia & Malcolm

Malcolm + Jenn

OTP: Lem + darker-skinned Lizzy

Tommy + darker-skinned Jennie

OBHLF #1: [Lem + Lizzy] & Joshua, Joshua + Neela, Moses + Saran, Elijah + Goldie, Tommy + Jennie, and Malcolm + Jenn

OBHLF #2: Yero + Sarah, Moses + Saran, Joshua + Neela, Richard + Lizzy, Yero Jr. + Lois, Elijah + Goldie, Abby + Mary, Richard Jr. + Harriet, Robert + Virginia, Fletcher + Gloria, Tommy + Jennie, Charles + Cecilia, and Malcolm + Jenn

Godzilla

male Shinomura + Godzilla 

Greek mythology

Ares + Aphrodite

Hades + Persephone

OTP: Perseus + medium brown to dark-skinned Black Andromeda 

Ship Mates: Perseus + medium brown to dark-skinned Black Andromeda, Hades + Persephone, and Ares + Aphrodite

Half of a Yellow Sun

OTP: Richard + Kainene

Richard + Olana

Harry Potter

Headcanon:

Albus Severus Potter/Ruby Remus (Potter) Potter: second child of Harry and Ginny; messy red hair, baby-faced, freckles, and hazel eyes. Ruby is derived off Rubious. Slytherin with secondary Gryffindor traits. Patronus: python, pet: cat. Godparents: Ron and Hermione. Jealous of Ted for being more close to his brother James than he can ever be.

Amare Night (Prashanth) Prashanth-Weasley: dark-skinned Black-passing biracial, toned pureblood male; high cheek bones, long 4c natural hair, human features in everything except his panther ears, tail, and maybe eyes (dark eyes regardless). Ravenclaw, with secondary Slytherin traits. Stoic masculinity, exotic. Excels in defensive and medical magic, and rarely been successfully pranked. Fred II would mock him with pet names like "kitten/kitty", "Amour/A-mine", "Sir Ice-olate", "perfect Pras/(if angered) perfect prat". Prefect. Patronus: jaguar, pets: crows

Angelina Tiana (Johnson) Weasley: resembles Tiana Benjamin, with braids. Patronus: lioness, pet: cat

Astoria Garden (Greengrass) Malfoy: fair-skinned, beautiful Romani, dark brown hair, emerald eyes. Pureblood Slytherin with secondary Hufflepuff traits. Patronus: butterfly, pet: cat

Audrey Esther Weasley: average-looking Eurocentic Jewish, curly-haired brunette, brown eyes. Ravenclaw. Patronus: octopus, pet: barn owl

Blaise Giovanni Zabini: very attractive, fair to caramel-colored biracial, toned male; with shoulder-length curly-haired auburn hair and stone cold, dark eyes. Hot, toned, curly-haired ginger Sicilian father with dark eyes, and Black mother; both divorced. Patronus: male medusa naga, pet: owl. Had a crush on "the worm head girl" instead of Ginny.

Cedric II/Muchen Potter: Cho Chang's attractive half-Chinese, half-white son. Gryffindor seeker. James would always badger him for a date. Patronus: dragon, pet: owl. Godmother: Marietta

Delphi Cross (Riddle) Potter: Voldemort's and Nagini's beautiful snake granddaughter. Just like his father before him, Voldemort didn't raise his son. Their existence was kept hidden. Delphi has her grandfather's (and father's) eyes. (Voldemort can transform into white python snake with red eyes. Nagini was never human.) Delphi's animagus is a female version of Tom Riddle. Slytherin seeker (would've been Gryffindor if she didn't protest). Patronus: python, pet: none

Dominique Marie Weasley: long-haired blond, blue eyes, freckles, veela-looking. Gryffindor. Patronus: swan, pet: dragon

Fred (II) Robin Weasley: hot alpha male, fit, medium brown-skinned with medium-length natural 3c auburn hair, freckles, and brown eyes. Gryffindor, with secondary Ravenclaw traits. His close friends are Black monoracials. Would've been prefect if he didn't abuse his power. His rival was Pras (Amare); but despite how harsh they can be with each other, he's highly protective of Amare (examples: when both were 11, he physically beat a 4th year who called Amare "swarth", and at 14 he crucio'd a 7th year guy who asked Amare out); and always invited Pras to his home for summer. Never been successfully pranked. Animagus and patronus: lion, pet: owl. Godparents: Lee Jordan and Katie Bell

Godric Gryffindor: Black male, resembles Idris Elba

Graham Gautier Montague: muscular brunette. Resembles Carlo from Godfather film. Controlling. Patronus: French bulldog, pet: Eagle Owl

Hannah Shortcake (Abbott) Longbottom: based on her movie actress. Incredibly sweet person. Patronus: pig, pet: golden toad

Helga Hufflepuff: Wolf instead of Badger as iconic animal. Eurocentic Jewish, blonde curly hair, big beautiful woman

Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley: fair-skinned biracial

Hugo Darcy Granger-Weasley: bushy brunette, blue eyes, baby-faced, freckles. Gryffindor, with secondary Ravenclaw traits. He eventually fell in love with and married Viktor's and Lavender's Gryffindor biracial daughter (has her father's facial features, natural hair, same year as him, and dainty and ladylike). He has homoerotic vitriolic friendship with her year older brother (tanned version of Viktor, natural hair, strict gentleman). Patronus: platypus, pet: cat. Godparents: Harry and Ginny

James Sirius Potter: resembles male version of Ginny, only with glasses and green eyes. Wears crop tops out uniform. Gryffindor, with secondary Slytherin traits. Patronus: fox, pet: owl. Godparents: Ron and Hermione

Katie (Bell) Jordan: resembles her movie actress. Patronus: cow, pet: owl

Katie Holly/Holly Spring (Wood) Jordan: Oliver's and Penelope's Gryffindor blonde daughter, brown eyes. Patronus: bee, pet: owl. Godparents: Lee and Katie

Lavender Azalea (Brown) Krum: resembles her Black actress. Patronus: bunny, pet: cat

Lee Mike Jordan: resembles his movie actor. Patronus: parrot, pet: owl

Lily Luna/Lily Artie (Potter) Scamander: Final child of Harry and Ginny. Artie is derived off of Arthur. Straight jet black hair, brown eyes. Quidditch Keeper. Patronus: donkey, pet: toad. Godparents: Ron and Hermione

Lorcan Ronan Scamander and Lysander Helios Scamander: Both Ravenclaw. One of them is Quidditch chaser. Patronuses: wolf-dog and axolotl, pets: owl and cat. Godparents: Harry and Ginny

Louis Alain Weasley: Ugly-hot, Wolfish-looking, long gray-haired, bushy eyebrows and sideburns, deep blue eyes, freckles. Has a homoerotic friendship with his vampire Romani best friend (looks like male version of Fang from Final Fantasy XIII, troubled personality). After school, he fell in love with an Irish Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw. Patronus: unicorn, pet: bat (much to his mother’s chagrin). Godfather: Charlie

Lucy Francine Weasley: squib, average-looking Eurocentic Jewish, curly-haired brunette, brown eyes, wears glasses. Intellectual, would've been Ravenclaw. Became an attorney for wizards, much to her parents' pride. In her adult years, she eventually fell in love with and married a handsome Slavic muggle cop with dark medium-length hair, thin mustache, and brown eyes. He's not afraid to stand up for justice, including corrupt cops and wizards. Guardian: George, pet: cat

Michael Corner: NBPOC Indian

Molly Ann (Weasley) Wood: average-looking Eurocentic Jew, curly-haired brunette, brown eyes, chubby. Eventually fell in love with and married Oliver's and Penelope's Ravenclaw son, very sweet relationship. Gryffindor. Patronus: giraffe, pet: cat. Guardian: George 

Mr. Granger + Mrs. Granger: Paul Thornley Granger + Noma (Dumezweni) Granger respectively. They resembles Cursed Child's first actors who played Ron and Hermione. They banter a lot.

Mr. Prashanth + Mrs. Prashanth: Slytherin Black Ethiopian father and Slytherin Indian mother Amare, human features in everything except their cat ears, tail, and maybe eyes. Both dark-skinned and conservative. Mr. Prashanth is jaguar neko and his patronus is hyena. Mrs. Prashanth is panther neko and her patronus is cobra. 

Oliver Bark Wood: his movie actor. Patronus: flying squirrel, pet: owl

Penelope Marina (Clearwater) Wood: resembles her movie actress. Patronus: orca, pet: cat

Percival II/Lance Pine Wood: Oliver's and Penelope's son, blond hair, brown eyes. Patronus: woodpecker, pet: owl. Ravenclaw keeper. Godparents: Lee and Katie

Rolf Newt Scamander: NBPOC Indian, Hufflepuff. Patronus: bull, pet: cat

Rose Jane (Granger-Weasley) Malfoy: bushy auburn-colored hair, brown eyes, freckles. Nicer version of Hermione. Ravenclaw, with secondary Gryffindor traits. Patronus: beaver, pet: owl. Godparents: Harry and Ginny

Rowena Ravenclaw: beautiful brown-skinned Romani, straight black hair 

Roxanne Angel (Weasley) Montague: hot, light-skinned, 3c natural brunette, brown eyes; Gryffindor, with secondary Slytherin traits. Quidditch chaser. Prankster. Patronus: Impala, pet: owl. Godparents: Lee and Katie. Her lover (Graham's Slytherin blond son) has a foemance relationship with her goofy best friend, Lee's and Katie's Gryffindor son. 

Salazar Slytherin: Nordic, pale-skinned, blond hair, blue eyes

Scorpius Taran Malfoy: dark hair with silvery blond streaks and gray eyes, fanon Draco's personality. Hufflepuff, with secondary Slytherin traits. Patronus: mongoose, pet: cat. Godfather: Graham

Seamus Cillian Finnigan: looks nothing like his movie actor, baby-faced. Patronus: Golden Retriever, pet: owl

Ted Moon Lupin: multi-colored hair, brown eyes. Resembles Leon from Resident Evil. Gryffindor, with secondary Hufflepuff traits. Patronus: chameleon, pet: owl

Victoire Belle (Weasley) Lupin: long haired violet redhead, blue eyes, veela-looking, freckles. Hufflepuff. Patronus: peacock, pet: cat. Godfather: Charlie

Albus Potter & Scorpius Malfoy ho-yay

Albus Potter & [Scorpius Malfoy + Rose Granger-Weasley]

aroace Charlie Weasley

aroace Dominique Weasley 

Arthur Weasley + Molly Weasley I

Arthur Weasley & Lucy Weasley

Bill Weasley + Fleur Delacour

[Bill Weasley + Fleur Weasley] & Victoire & Dominique & Louis 

Blaise Zabini + Amare Prashanth

Cedric Diggory + Cho Chang

Cedric Diggory + Seamus Finnigan

Charlie Weasley & Dominique Weasley

Charlie Weasley & Norberta 

Dean Thomas + Luna Lovegood

Draco Malfoy + Astoria Greengrass

[Draco Malfoy + Astoria Malfoy] & Scorpius Malfoy

Fred Weasley I + Hermione Granger

Fred Weasley II + power bottom Amare Prashanth

George Weasley + Angelina Johnson

Ginny Weasley + Luna Lovegood

Graham Montague + Angelina Johnson

Harry Potter + crush on Cedric Diggory

[Harry Potter + Ginny Potter] & [Ted & James II] & Albus II & Lily II

Harry Potter + Ginny Weasley

Harry Potter & Hermione Granger

Harry Potter & Rubeus Hagrid

Harry Potter & [Ron Weasley + Hermione Granger]

Harry Potter & Ted Lupin

James Potter I + Lily Evans

James Potter I + Severus Snape

James Potter II + Cedric II

James Potter II + crush on Ted Lupin

Lee Jordan + Katie Bell

Lorcan Scamander + Lily Potter II

Lucius Malfoy + Hermione Granger

Lucius Malfoy + Narcissa Black

[Lucius Malfoy + Narcissa Malfoy] & Draco Malfoy

Lysander Scamander + Lily Potter II

Molly Weasley I & Molly Weasley II

Mr. Granger + Mrs. Granger

[Mr. Granger + Mrs. Granger] & Hermione Granger

Neville Longbottom + Hannah Abbott

One Big Happy Weasley Family 

OT3: [Sirius + James I] & Remus

OT4: [George Weasley + Angelina Weasley] & Fred II & Roxanne

OT5: [Mr. Granger + Mrs. Granger] & Hermione & Rose & Hugo

OTP: Voldemort/Tom Riddle Jr. + Nagini

Past Blaise Zabini vs. Amare Prashanth, foemance mainly from Blaise

Past Fred Weasley II vs. Amare, foemance mainly from Fred Weasley II

Percival Weasley + Audrey Weasley

[Percival Weasley + Audrey Weasley] & Molly Weasley II & Lucy Weasley

Percival Wood + Lucy Weasley

Percival Wood + Molly Weasley II

Regulus Black + Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin + Nymphadora Tonks 

[Rolf Scamander + Luna Scamander] & [Lorcan & Lysander]

Ron Weasley + crush on Viktor Krum

Ron Weasley + Hermione Granger

[Ron Weasley + Hermione Granger-Weasley] & Rose & Hugo

Scorpius Malfoy + Rose Granger-Weasley

Severus Snape + Lily Potter I

Sirius Black + James Potter I

Ted Lupin & James Potter II

Ted Lupin + Victoire Weasley

Tom Riddle Jr. + Harry Potter

OBHWF #1: Arthur + Molly, Bill + Fleur, Percy + Audrey, George + Angelina, Harry & [Ron + Hermione], Harry + Ginny, Mr. Johnson + Mrs. Johnson, James + Lily, Mr. Granger + Mrs. Granger, Remus + Tonks, Ted + Victoire, Percy II + [Molly II or Lucy], Oliver + Penelope, Albus II & [Scorpius + Rose], Draco + Astoria, Lucius + Narcissa, James II + Cedric II, Rolf + Luna, Lorcan/Lysander + Lily II, and other relationships (platonic) in this family 

OBHWF #2: Arthur + Molly, Bill + Fleur, Percy + Audrey, George + Angelina, Harry & [Ron + Hermione], Harry + Ginny, Ted + Victoire, Mr. Johnson + Mrs. Johnson, Paul + Noma, James + Lily, Remus + Tonks, Louis + his wife, Oliver's and Penelope's son + Molly II, Lucy's husband + Lucy, Oliver + Penelope, Lee's and Katie's son + Holly, Lee + Katie, Fred II + Amare, Mr. Prashanth + Mrs. Prashanth, Graham's son + Roxanne, Ruby & [Scorpius + Rose], Ruby + Delphi, Draco + Astoria, Lucius + Narcissa, Hugo + Viktor's and Lavender's daughter, Viktor + Lavender, James II + Cho's son, Voldemort/Tom Riddle Jr. + Nagini, Rolf + Luna, Newt + Tina, Lorcan + Lily II, Lysander + Neville's and Hannah's chubby Hufflepuff daughter, and other relationships (platonic) in this family 

Ship Mates #3: Fred II + Amare, George + Angelina, Fred I + Hermione, Harry & Hermione, Harry + Ginny, Lee + Katie, Lee's and Katie's son + Roxanne, Dean + Luna, Cedric + Seamus, Tom Riddle Jr. + Nagini, and Draco + Astoria

Ship Mates #4: Blaise + Amare, Harry + Draco, Harry & Hermione, Fred + Hermione, George + Alicia, Lee + Katie, Graham + Angelina, Ginny + Luna, and Tom Riddle Jr. + Nagini

Ship Mates #5: Mr. Paul Granger + Mrs. Noma Granger, [Sirius + James] & Remus, Regulus + Remus, Severus + Lily, [Harry + Hermione] & Ron, Ron + Draco, and Ginny + Luna

Ship Mates #6: Mr. Paul Granger + Mrs. Noma Granger, James + Severus, James & [Sirius + Remus], Lucius + Narcissa, Tom Riddle Jr. & Nagini, Tom Riddle Jr. + Harry, Harry & [Ron + Hermione], and Draco + Astoria

If Beale Street Could Talk 

Fonny + Tish 

Inheritance

OTP: albino Itempas + Bluish-black Nahadoth, both fit males

Sieh + Deka

Ship Mates: Itempas + Nahadoth, Sieh + Deka

Inuyasha

Kikyo & her serpents

Koga + Kagome

Kohaku + Rin

Miroku + Sango

OTP: Inuyasha + Kikyo

Sesshomaru + Kagura

IT

Headcanon look for the losers are their 90s movie counterparts, save for Bill and Bev (their kid counterparts are passable, save for lack of red hair)

Ben + Bev

Bill (male) + Mike

OTP: Richie + Eddie

Ship Mates: [Bill + Mike] & [Richie + Eddie] & [Ben + Bev] & Stan, Stan + Patty

Kindred

OTP: Kevin + Dana

Rufus + Alice

Rufus + Dana

Ship Mates: [Kevin or Rufus] + Dana, Isaac + Alice, and Luke + Carrie

Kulipari

Arabanoo + Coorah

aroace Jir 

Darel & Coorah

Darel & Gee

OTP: male Burnu + male Darel

Pigo (male) + male Darel

Ponto + Gee

Sergu + Yabber

Stinger + Tipi

Tarantula male OC + male Apari

Ship Mates #1: Burnu + Darel, Ponto + Gee, Arabanoo + Coorah, Apari + Acala, Sergu + Yabber, and Stinger + Tipi

Ship Mates #2: Stinger + Tipi, Pigo + Darel, Burnu + Dingo, Ponto + Gee, Arabanoo + Coorah, Apari + Acala, and Sergu + Yabber 

Ship Mates #3: Tarantula male OC + Apari, Sergu + Yabber, Burnu + Dingo, Arabanoo + Coorah, and Ponto + Gee (and Darel + Quoba, and Stinger + Tipi)

Like Water For Chocolate

Pedro + Tita

Ship Mates: Jose’s [father + medium brown to dark skinned mother], Jose + Elena, Juan + Gertrudis, Pedro + Tita, and Alex + Esperanza

Love and Rockets

Hopey + Maggie

OTP: El Diablo Blanco + Danita Lincoln

Ship Mates: Hopey + Maggie, El Diablo Blanco + Danita

Marvel comics

Aamir Khan + Tyesha Khan

[Aamir Khan + Tyesha Khan] & Malik Khan

Adrian Toomes & Tiana Toomes

America Chavez + Kate Bishop

Ayo + Aneka

Balder + Sarah Rogers

Billy Kaplan + Teddy Altman

Bruno + Kamala Khan

Bucky Barnes + Natasha Romanoff

Burnum + Kadee

[Burnum + Kadee] & Bishop

Carnage (male) + Miles Morales

Clint Barton + Bobbi Morse

Clint Barton + Natasha Romanoff

Danielle Cage + Lucy Rand

Danny Rand + Misty Knight

[Danny Rand + Misty Knight] & Lucy Rand

Erik Lehnsherr + Charles Xavier

[Forge + Ororo Munroe] & Naze Munroe & Orora Munroe

Hulk + Betty Ross

J. Jonah Jameson Jr. + Marla Madison

J. Jonah Jameson Sr. + May Parker

Johnny Storm + Janet van Dyne

Kamala Khan & Robbie Reyes

Ken Mack + Jennifer Takeda

Khan family: [Yusuf + Muneeba] & Kamala & [Aamir + Tyesha] & Malik

Kymera Udaku & her panther

[Logan + Ororo Munroe] & Kendall

Logan's and Jean Grey's redhead son + Kymera Udaku

Logan's and Jean Grey's redhead son + Sh'ri Udaku

Loki + Leah

Lucas Bishop + Cal'syee

Lucy Rand + Danielle Cage

Luke Cage + Jessica Jones

[Luke Cage + Jessica Jones] & Danielle Cage

Lunella & Devil Dinosaur

Miles Morales vs. Carnage, foemance only from Carnage 

Miles Morales + Tiana Toomes

N’Jadaka II (albino or vitiligo version of Michael B. Jordan) + Azari (or N’Jadaka II looks like man in left art by https://twitter.com/MorryEvans); both masculine males 

Namor + Susan Storm

Namor's and Susan Storm's son + Kymera Udaku

Namor's and Susan Storm's son + Sh'ri Udaku

Nightcrawler + Ororo Munroe

Olivier LeBeau + Becka Munroe

Otto Octavius + Emma Hernandez

Otto Octavius + May Parker

OTP: Logan + Ororo Munroe

Past Azari vs. anti-hero N’Jadaka II, foemance mainly from N’Jadaka II (albino or vitiligo version of Michael B. Jordan; N’Jadaka II looks like man in left art by https://twitter.com/MorryEvans)

Peter Parker + Mary Jane 

Peter Parker & Miles Morales & Wade Wilson

Peter Parker vs. Venom

Peter Parker vs. Venom vs. Carnage

[Peter Parker &/vs. Venom] vs. Carnage 

Peter Parker + Wade Wilson

Reed Richards + Susan Storm

Reed Richards' and Susan Storm's son + Kymera Udaku

Reed Richards' and Susan Storm's son + Sh'ri Udaku

Remy LeBeau + Anna Marie

Remy LeBeau + Ororo Munroe

[Remy LeBeau + Ororo Munroe] & Medea LeBeau

Remy LeBeau's and Anna Marie's auburn haired son + Kymera Udaku

Remy LeBeau's and Anna Marie's auburn haired son + Sh'ri Udaku

Salamander + Medea

Sam Wilson + Leila Taylor

Sauron + Ororo Munroe

Sauron II + Kymera Udaku

Sauron II + Sh'ri Udaku

Scott Summers + Jean Grey

Scott Summers' and Emma Frost's blond haired son + Kymera Udaku

Scott Summers' and Emma Frost's blond haired son + Sh'ri Udaku

Shuri Udaku + Riri Williams

[Steve Rogers + Anna Marie] & Sarah Rogers 

Steve Rogers + Clint Barton

Steve Rogers + Natasha Romanoff

Steve Rogers + Sharon Carter

Steve Rogers + Tony Stark

Steve Rogers' and Natasha Romanoff's redhead son + Kymera Udaku

Steve Rogers' and Natasha Romanoff's redhead son + Sh'ri Udaku

T’Challa Udaku & Avengers, especially Steve Rogers and Tony Stark

T’Challa Udaku + Monica Lynne

[T’Challa + Monica Lynne] & Faida

Tommy Shephard + David Alleyne

Venom + Carnage

Venom &/vs. Carnage

Venom vs. Carnage

Venom + Peter Parker

Victor von Doom's and Susan Storm's son + Kymera Udaku

Victor von Doom's and Susan Storm's son + Sh'ri Udaku

Vincent van Doom + Kendall Logan

Vision + Wanda Maximoff

Yusuf Khan + Muneeba Khan

[Yusuf Khan + Muneeba Khan] & Kamala Khan

Avengers ship mates #1: [Avengers: Tony Stark, Thor, Henry Pym, Janet van Dyne, Hulk, Steve Rogers, T’Challa Udaku, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, and Vision], Avengers & each other in general, {[Steve + Clint, Tony + Rhodey] or [Steve + Tony, Clint + Bucky]}, Thor + Sif, Hank + Jan, Hulk + Betty, N’Jadaka (Michael B. Jordan) + T’Challa (power bottom), and Vision + Wanda

Avengers ship mates #2: [Avengers: Tony Stark, Thor, Henry Pym, Janet van Dyne, Hulk, Steve Rogers, T’Challa Udaku, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, and Vision], Avengers & each other in general, Steve & Tony, Thor + Sif, Hank + Jan, Hulk + Betty, Steve &/vs. Clint, Steve + Sharon, T’Challa + Monica L., Clint + Bobbi, Bucky + Natasha, Vision + Wanda, and {Other timelines: [N’Jadaka (Michael B. Jordan) + power bottom T’Challa], or [N’Jadaka II + Azari, and Past Azari vs. dom N’Jadaka II foemance]}

Black Love ship mates: T’Challa + Monica L., Killmonger + Madam Slay, {Other timelines: N’Jadaka (Michael B. Jordan) + T’Challa (power bottom), or [N’Jadaka II + Azari, and Past Azari vs. dom N’Jadaka II foemance]} Shuri + Riri, Ayo + Aneka, and Sam Wilson + Leila

Cage-Rand Family: Danny + Misty, Luke + Jessica, and Lucy + Danielle/Danielle + Lucy

Captain Marvel ship mates: Bruno + Kamala, Kamala & [Aamir + Tyesha] & [Yusuf + Muneeba], Kamala & Nakia, and Zoe + Nakia

Spidey Family #1: [Peter + Wade] & Miles Morales, Miles + Tiana, Harry + Gwen, {[Jameson I + May, Jameson II + Marla, Otto + Emma Hernandez] or Otto + May}, and Adrian + Doris

Spidey Family #2: Peter + Felicia, Miles + Tiana, Peter vs. dom Venom foemance, Miles Morales vs. dom Carnage foemance, [Peter & Miles] vs. [Venom vs. Carnage], Harry + Gwen, {[Jameson I + May, Jameson II + Marla, Otto + Emma Hernandez] or Otto + May}, and Adrian + Doris

Spidey Family #3: Carnage + Miles Morales, Peter & Miles, Venom &/vs. Carnage, Venom + Peter, Norman + Gwen, and {[Otto + Emma Hernandez, Jameson I + May, Jameson II + Marla] or Otto + May}

Spidey Family #4: Norman + Peter, Carnage + Miles Morales, Venom vs. Carnage, Venom + Eddie, Harry + Gwen, and {[Otto + Emma Hernandez, Jameson I + May, Jameson II + Marla] or Otto + May}

X-Men ship mates #1: Wolverine + Storm, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, Cyclops + Jean Grey, Gambit + Rogue, Colossus + Kitty, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #2: Nightcrawler + Storm, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, Wolverine + Jean Grey, Cyclops + Emma Frost, Gambit + Rogue, Colossus + Kitty, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #3: Gambit + Storm, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, {[Wolverine + Nightcrawler, Cyclops + Jean Grey] or [Wolverine + Jean Grey, Cyclops + Emma Frost]}, Colossus + Kitty, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #4: Wolverine + Storm, Vincent van Doom + Kendall Logan, Balder + Sarah Rogers, Steve Rogers + Rogue, Thor + Amora, Clint Barton + Jennifer Walters, Johnny Storm + Janet van Dyne, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #5: Gambit + Storm, Salamander + Medea, Wolverine + Kitty, Cyclops + Jean Grey, Colossus + Polaris, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #6: Olivier LeBeau + Becka Munroe, Rico Richards + [Sati or Sophie von Doom], Gambit + Rogue, Reed Richards + Sue, Colossus + Polaris, Cyclops + Emma Frost, Wolverine + Jean Grey, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #7: Sauron + Storm, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, {[Wolverine + Nightcrawler, Cyclops + Jean Grey] or [Wolverine + Jean Grey, Cyclops + Emma Frost]}, Gambit + Rogue, Colossus + Kitty, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

X-Men ship mates #8: Emma Frost + Storm, Magneto + Prof. Xavier, Wolverine + Nightcrawler, Cyclops + Jean Grey, Gambit + Rogue, Colossus + Kitty, Bishop + Deathbird, and Burnum + Kadee (and Dani + Rahne, Sam + Kindra, and Doug + Bei)

Young Avengers ship mates: [America Chavez + Kate] & [Tommy + David] & [Billy + Teddy] & Teen Loki, Teen Loki + Leah, and Mettle + Hazmat

Mega Man, Archie comics

Albert Wily & [Wily sons & each other in general]

Bass Wily &/vs. Albert Wily

Bass Wily & Treble

Blues Light &/vs. Rock Light

Blues Light + Rock Light

Blues Light & Tempo LaLinde

Gilbert Stern & Roslyn Krantz

Gilbert Stern + Roslyn Krantz

[Mikhail Cossack & Kalinka Cossack] & [Mikhail's sons & each other]

One Big Happy Light-Wily-Cossack Family

OT3: [Rock Light & Roll Light] & Thomas Light

OTP: Blues Light &/vs. Thomas Light

Pharaoh Man (brown male) + dark Black Nubian-themed male robot OC; both equally masculine and sized 

{[Rock Light & Roll Light & Thomas Light & (X Light &) Rush] & [Thomas' other creations & each other]} & Auto

Rock Light & Rush

[Rock Light & X Light] & Thomas Light

Thomas Light + Albert Wily

[Zero Wily &/vs. Bass Wily] &/vs. Albert Wily

Zero Wily + X Light

OBHLWCF: Past Thomas + Albert, Zero + X, Thomas & Mikhail, Albert vs. Mikhail, Snake Man + Toad Man, Rock & Rush, Bass & Treble, Thomas &/vs. Blues, Albert &/vs. Bass, Thomas & Rock, Albert & Shadow Man, Mikhail & Pharaoh Man, Thomas & Roll, Mikhail & Kalinka, Noele & Tempo, Roll & Kalinka & Tempo, Thomas + Noele, Blues & Tempo, (Thomas & [Rock & X], Albert &/vs. [Zero &/vs. Bass], Mikhail & [Roll & Axl],) Pharaoh Man + OC, and rest of the platonic ships within this family  (especially Thomas' other creations & each other, Wily's other sons & each other, and Mikhail's sons & each other)

Parable of the Sorrow

Don Casey + Alexandra

Harry + Joanne

OTP: Bankole + darker-skinned Lauren

Rev. Olimina + Cory

Travis + Natividad

Ship Mates: Bankole + Lauren, Rev. Olimina + Cory, Travis + Natividad, Harry + Joanne, and Don Casey + Alexandra

Patternist

Doro + darker-skinned Anyanwu

Purple Hibiscus

Amadi + darker-skinned Kambili

Rockman Gigamix manga

Albert Wily & [Wily sons (save Forte) & each other], including his honorary one Shadow Man 

Blues Light & Tango

Forte Wily &/vs. Albert Wily

Forte Wily & Gospel

Freeze Man + Ice Man

[Mikhail Cossack & Kalinka Cossack] & [Mikhail's sons & each other, especially Skull Man Cossack & Ring Man Cossack] in general

Mikhail Cossack &/vs. Skull Man Cossack

One Big Happy Light-Wily-Cossack Family 

OT3: [Rock Light & Roll Light] & Thomas Light

OTP: Shadow Man + Blues Light

Pharaoh Man (brown male) + dark Black Nubian male robot OC; both equally masculine and sized

{[Rock Light & Roll Light & Thomas Light (& X Light) & Rush] & [Thomas' other creations (save Blues Light) & each other]} & Auto

Rock Light & Rush

Roll Light + Kalinka Cossack 

Snake Man Light-Wily + Toad Man Cossack

Thomas Light + Albert Wily

OBHLWCF: Shadow Man + Blues, Roll + Kalinka, Snake Man + Toad Man, Thomas + Albert, Thomas & Mikhail, Albert vs. Mikhail, Thomas & [Rock & Roll], Albert & Shadow Man, Mikhail & Kalinka, Thomas &/vs. Blues, Albert &/vs. Forte, Mikhail &/vs. Skull Man, Rock & Rush, Forte & Gospel, Freeze Man + Ice Man, Pharaoh Man + OC, and rest of platonic ships within this family (especially Thomas' other creations & each other, Wily's other sons & each other, and Mikhail's sons & each other)

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Edward + medium brown to dark-skinned Deborah

Paul-Edward + medium brown to dark-skinned Caroline

Ship Mates: Edward + Deborah, Paul-Edward + Caroline, David + Mary, and Jeremy + Stacey

Rurouni Kenshin

Enishi + Kaoru

Kenshin + Tomoe

OTP: Kenshin + Kaoru

Saito + Sanosuke

Sailor Moon

Amara + Bunny

Artemis + Luna

[Darien + Bunny] & Rini 

Hotaru + Rini

OTP: Darien + Bunny

Pegasus + Rini

Rei + Minako

Seiya + Usagi 

Setsuna & Rini

Silverwing

Griffin + Luna

OTP: male Goth + male Shade

Shade + Marina

Zotz (male) + male Goth

Zotz (male) + [male Goth + male Shade]

Zotz (male) + male Shade

Ship Mates #1: Goth + Shade, Chinook + Marina 

Ship Mates #2: Zotz + Goth, Chinook + Shade, and Ariel + Marina

Sonic the Hedgehog

Archie Comics

Amadeus + Rosemary

Argyle + Lara-Su

aroace Rotor

Blaze + Cream

Blaze & Silver

Bunnie & Tails

Charmy + Saffron

Demo + Belle

Espio + Nicole

Geoffrey (male) + male Elias

Ivo + Thunderbolt

Ivo + Witchcart

Jacques + Melody

Jules + Bernie

Knuckles + Julie-Su

[Knuckles + Julie-Su] & Lara-Su

Maximillian + Alicia

Mina + Nicole

OT4: [Antoine + Bunnie] & [Jacques & Belle]

OTP: Antoine + Bunnie

Razor + Coral

Remington + Komi-Ko

Sally & Elias

Sally + Nicole

Scourge + Fiona

Shadow + Rouge

Shard + Nicole

Silver + Gold

Snively + Regina

Sonic + Amy

Sonic + Blaze

Sonic + Bunnie

Sonic + Sally

[Sonic + Sally] & [Antoine + Bunnie]

[Sonic + Sally] & Manik & Sonia

Tails + Mina

[Tails + Mina] & Melody & Skye

Wynmacher + Lara-Le

Ship Mates #1: Antoine + Bunnie, Geoffrey + Elias, Sally & Elias, Sonic + Sally, Tails + Mina, Knuckles + Julie-Su, Vector + Vanilla, Argyle + Lara-Su, Jacques + Melody, Demo + Belle, Skye + Sonia, Espio + Nicole, Charmy + Saffron, Honey + Amy, Scourge + Fiona, Shadow + Rouge, Blaze & Silver, Blaze + Cream, Silver + Gold, Amadeus + Rosemary, and Razor + Coral

Ship Mates #2: Antoine + Bunnie, Geoffrey + Elias, Sally & Elias, Sally + Nicole, {[Sonic + Amy, Blaze + Cream] or Sonic + Blaze}, Blaze & Silver, Blaze + Cream, Silver + Gold, Tails + Honey, Knuckles + Julie-Su, Scourge + Fiona, Shadow + Rouge, Amadeus + Rosemary, and Razor + Coral

IDW comics

E-123 Omega + Cream

Gemerl + Cream

Kit (male) + male Tails

Mr. Tinker & Belle the Tinkerer

OTP: male Dr. Starline + male Dr. Robotnik

Sonic + Amy

Sonic + Blaze

Surge + Amy

Surge & Kit

Tangle + Whisper

Vector + Espio

[Vector + Espio] & Charmy

Vector + Vanilla

[Vector + Vanilla] & Cream

Ship Mates: Starline + Robotnik, Sonic & Tails, Sonic + Blaze, Kit + Tails, Surge & Kit, Surge + Amy, Tangle + Whisper, Gemerl + Cream, and Vector + Vanilla

Spawn

Angela + Anahita

OTP: male Spawn + Wanda

Spawn & Cyan

Spawn & Granny

[Spawn (male) + Wanda] & Cyan

Ship Mates: Spawn + Wanda, Angela + Anahita

Speech Sounds

Obsidian + darker-skinned Rye

Star Wars Legends/Expanded Universe

Ahsoka + Kaeden

Anakin Skywalker + Padme Amidala 

Anakin Solo + Tahiri Veila

aroace Yoda

Bail Organa + Breha Organa

Ben Skywalker + Vestara Khai

Han Solo + Leia Organa

Jacen Solo + Ben Skywalker

Jacen Solo & Jaina Solo

Jacen Solo + Tenel Ka Djo

Jagged Fel + Jaina Solo

Jagged Fel + Jaina Solo + Zekk

Jariah Syn + Ahnah Rawk

Kol Skywalker + Morrigan Corde

Luke Skywalker + Brakiss

Luke Skywalker & Leia Organa

Luke Skywalker + Leia Organa (Splinter of the Mind's Eye and comics pre-Return of the Jedi)

Luke Skywalker + Mara Jade

Luke Skywalker & Obi-wan Kenobi

Nat Skywalker + Droo Rawk

OTP: male Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader + male Obi-wan Kenobi 

Owen Skywalker + Beru Skywalker

R2D2 & C3PO

R2D2 + C3PO

Wedge Antilles + Tycho Celchu

Wynn Dorvan + Raynar Thul

Zekk + Taryn Zel

Ship Mates #1: Anakin I + Obi-wan, Ahsoka + Kaeden, and Jacen + Ben

Ship Mates #2: male Maul + male Obi-wan, Ahsoka + Kaeden, Anakin I + Padme, R2D2 + C3PO, Owen + Beru, Bail + Breha, Luke & Leia, Han + Leia, Luke + Mara, Jacen & Jaina, Jacen + Tenel, Jagged + Jaina, Anakin II + Tahiri, Ben + Vestara, Wynn + Raynar, Nat + Droo, Jariah + Ahnah, Kol + Morrigan, Wedge + Tycho, and Zekk + Taryn

Headcanon

Ahnah Renée Organa-Solo: daughter of Kylo and Ebony. Arboris is her godfather and master.

Ania Maggie Syn: daughter of Jariah and Ahnah. Her second cousin is her master. Her godfather is Micah.

Arboris Calrissian: Lando's and Mahogany's son. Force user (mudblood). Ahnah's and Skeeto's godfather, Ahnah's master.

Dagger Gerrera: daughter of Saw and Steela (not siblings)

Davin Jacen Fel II: Jagged's and Jaina's first child. Guardian of Marasiah

DEX376: Calrissian family's sentient giant spider robot that looks similar to Metagross from Pokémon. Won by Lando through a bet. His protects the Calrissian family and (mostly) obey their orders.

Ebony (Calrissian) Organa-Solo: Lando's and Mahogany's very pretty daughter. Medium-length natural hair

Fango Fett: male, Jango's hot, very fit, medium brown-skinned vitiligo, Black-passing biracial bastard half-brother. Long, straight hair; fangs with gold incisions. One of the best Jedi assassins, anti-villain, through extreme amount of training has the ability to resist direct force powers. Very masculine, with dark sense of humor. He's indifferent about his brother and nephew (vice versa), due to having a tumultuous relationship with Jango since their father cheated on Jango's mother with his own. Revenge is only for his honor. After losing to him half the time, he has hate-crush on Mace Windu; especially wanting to bite him (and only him).

Fel family: half of them are force sensitive. Jagged is not a force user.

Han Solo: Guardian of Arboris, Ben, and Ebony

Ikrit: Kylo's jedi master

Jacen Bail Organa-Solo: Ben's master

Jaina Breha Organa-Solo: Allana's master and guardian

Jewish-coded: Padme, Luke, Leia, Han, Jacen, Jaina, Kylo, Daisy, Davin II, and Roan

Kaeden: feminine-looking black girlfriend/wife of Ahsoka. She has more femininity than Ahsoka.

Kylo Lando Organa-Solo: Anakin Solo, with different name. He died when Ebony was pregnant with their twin children, Ahnah and Skeeto.

Lando Calrissian I: not robosexual. Han's former lover and amicable ex 

Leia Shmi Organa-Solo: Leia is a squib. Guardian of her nephew, Ben. 

Luke Obi Skywalker: Guardian of Jacen, Jaina, and Kylo. Rey's master

Mace Samuel Windu: Bluish-black skinned male, toned, high cheek bones, panther ears, panther tail, and aquiline nose. Wears white shawl as color contrast. Intellectual anti-hero. Stoic demeanor, emotional eyes that only the sharpest could read (ex: Fango and Yoda). He deals with being the most disliked while simultaneously most respected. He doesn't allow himself to be vulnerable in ways even Obi-wan and Yoda find extreme.

Mahogany "Maggie" Diana (Ross) Calrissian: Resembles Diana Ross. Kept wife, diva with a heart-of-gold. Only her husband calls her "Maggie".

Mara Jade Skywalker: Guardian of Jacen, Jaina, and Kylo. Jacen's master

Mark Jade Skywalker: Kol with a different name, son of Ben and Vestara; Tahiri's apprentice

Micah: son of Ikrit and his pre-op transmasc passing mate. Force user

Nat Rawk Skywalker: son of Ben and Vestara, Rey's apprentice, Cade's master and godfather

Padme Natalie (Amidala) Skywalker: Never died until Leia was toddler. Went hiding since then. Obi-wan aided her and her kids in their escape.

Qui-Gon Jinn: Advisor to Amidala Royal family and guardian of Padme. Not master of Obi-wan and near age as him. True phantom menace (Maul is red herring), after he joined Doku (long as Amidala family remains safe).

Roan Kylo Fel: Jagged's and Jaina's final child. Wynssa is his guardian and master.

Saw Cee Gerrera: Fell in love with and eventually married Steela (not related). He looks nothing like his live action movie nor Rebels selves.

Shmi Mary Skywalker: Sole raiser of Anakin. Obi-wan picked Anakin up at 16. The father of Anakin (not Palpatine in any way) sold them into slavery. (Anakin would later murder his father and his father's family in revenge.)

Skeeto Kylo Organa-Solo: son of Kylo and Ebony. Arboris' godson

Tahiri Viela (Kryze) Kenobi-Skywalker: Caedus' apprentice, Mark's master

aroace Allana Harmony Organa-Solo

aroace Yoda

Ahnah Organa-Solo & [Skeeto + Micah/Micah + Skeeto]

Ahsoka + Kaeden

Ahsoka & [Saw + Steela (not related)]

Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka

Anakin Skywalker + Padme Amidala

Arboris Calrissian & Ahnah Organa-Solo

[Arboris Calrissian + Dagger Calrissian] & their son

Arboris Calrissian + Dagger Gerrera

[Arboris Calrissian's and Dagger Calrissian's son + Tendra Calrissian] & Lando Calrissian II

Arboris Calrissian's and Dagger Calrissian's son + Tendra Risant

Bail Organa + Breha Organa

[Bail Organa + Breha Organa] & Leia Organa

Ben Skywalker + Vestara Khai

[Ben Skywalker + Vestara Skywalker] & Nat & Mark Jade

Cade Skywalker + Delilah Blue

[Cade Skywalker + Delilah Blue] & their future son(s)

Chewbacca + Malla

[Chewbacca + Malla] & Lumpy 

Count Doku + Qui Gon Jinn

Ebony Calrissian + crush on Jacen Organa-Solo 

Ebony Calrissian & DEX376

Ebony Organa-Solo & [Ahnah Organa-Solo & Skeeto Organa-Solo]

Fango Fett + power bottom Mace Windu, both males

Han Solo & Arboris Calrissian

Han Solo + Lando Calrissian 

Han Solo + Leia Organa

[Han Solo + Leia Organa-Solo] & Allana Organa-Solo

[Han Solo + Leia Organa-Solo] & [Jacen & Jaina] & Kylo

[Ikrit + Ikrit's transmasc cat mate] & Micah

Jacen Organa-Solo + Ben Skywalker

Jacen Organa-Solo + bi-curious crush on Arboris Calrissian

Jacen Organa-Solo & Jaina Organa-Solo

Jacen Organa-Solo + Tenel Ka Djo

[Jacen Organa-Solo + Tenel Ka Djo] & Allana Organa-Solo

[Jagged Fel + Jaina Fel] & Davin Fel II & Roan Fel 

Jagged Fel + Jaina Organa-Solo

Jaina Organa-Solo & Allana Organa-Solo

Jaina Organa-Solo vs. Darth Caedus

Jaina Organa-Solo & [Jacen Organa-Solo + Tenel]

{Jaina Organa-Solo & [Jacen Organa-Solo + Tenel]} & Lumpy

Jariah Syn + Ahnah Organa-Solo

[Jariah Syn + Ahnah Organa-Solo] & Ania Syn 

Kylo Organa-Solo + Ebony Calrissian

[Kylo Organa-Solo + Ebony Calrissian] & Ikrit

Lando Calrissian & Han's and Leia's children

[Lando Calrissian + Mahogany Calrissian] & Arboris & [Ebony & DEX376]

Lando Calrissian + Mahogany Ross

Leia Organa-Solo & Ebony Calrissian

Luke Skywalker &/vs. Anakin Skywalker

Luke Skywalker & [Han Solo + Leia Organa]

{Luke Skywalker & [Han Solo + Leia Organa]} & Lando Calrissian

Luke Skywalker & Leia Organa-Solo

Luke Skywalker + Mara Jade

[Luke Skywalker + Mara Jade Skywalker] & Ben Skywalker

Mark Jade Skywalker + Morrigan Corde

[Mark Jade Skywalker + Morrigan Corde] & Cade Skywalker

Maul + power bottom Obi-wan Kenobi, both males

Micah + Skeeto Organa-Solo

Obi-wan Kenobi & Padme Amidala

Obi-wan Kenobi & Yoda

Omad Kaeg + Tahiri Veila

One Big Happy Skywalker Family

OT3: [male Anakin Skywalker + male Obi-wan Kenobi] & Luke

OTP: male Anakin Skywalker + male power bottom Obi-wan Kenobi

Owen Lars + Beru Lars

Padme Amidala & [Bail Organa + Breha Organa]

Padme Skywalker & Leia Organa

Past Anakin + Padme

Past Lux + Ahsoka

Past Lux + Steela

Past Mace Windu vs. Fango Fett, foemance mainly from Fango Fett

Past Obi-wan + Satine

Qui Gon Jinn & Padme Amidala

Qui Gon Jinn & Padme Amidala & Jar Jar Binks

R2D2 & C3PO

R2D2 + C3PO

Roan Fel + Elliah Fel

[Roan Fel + Elliah Fel] & Marasiah Fel

Saw Gerrera + Steela Gerrera, no relation

[Saw Gerrera + Steela Gerrera, no relation] & Dagger Gerrera 

Shmi Skywalker & Anakin Skywalker

Skeeto Organa-Solo + Micah

Soontir Fel + Syal Antilles

Wedge Antilles + Tycho Celchu

Wynn Dorvan + Raynar Thul

Zekk + crush on Jagged Fel

Zekk + crush on Jaina Organa-Solo

Zekk + Taryn Zel

Ship Mates #1: OBHSF: R2D2 + C3PO, {[Anakin + Obi-wan, Past Anakin + Padme] or [Anakin & Obi-wan, Maul + Obi-wan, Anakin + Padme]}, Owen + Beru, Bail + Breha, Saw + Steela (no relation), Wedge + Tycho, Soontir + Syal, Past Han + Lando, {Luke & [Han + Leia]} & Lando, Lando + Mahogany, Luke + Mara, Chewie + Malla, Jacen &/vs. Jaina, Jacen + Tenel, Jagged + Jaina, Arboris + Dagger, Kylo + Ebony, Ikrit + Ikrit's cat mate, Omad + Tahiri, Mark + Morrigan, Skeeto + Micah/Micah + Skeeto, Jariah + Ahnah, Arboris's and Dagger's son + Tendra, Roan + Elliah, Cade + Delilah, and other relationships ships (platonic) in this family; Others: Count Doku + Qui Gon Jinn, Ahsoka + Kaeden, Fango + Mace, and Zekk + Taryn 

Ship Mates #2: {[Anakin + Padme] & Obi-wan, Maul + Obi-wan} or {[Anakin + Obi-wan] & Ahsoka, Ahsoka + Kaeden}, Luke & [Han + Leia], Luke + Mara, Jaina & [Jacen + Tenel], Jagged + Jaina, [Kylo + Ebony] & Ikrit, and Ikrit + Ikrit's cat mate

Ship Mates #3: Ahsoka + Kaeden, Fango + Mace, {Anakin + Obi-wan or [Maul + Obi-wan, Anakin + Padme]}, Anakin &/vs. Luke, Luke + Leia, Past Han + Lando, Han + Katya, Lando + Mahogany, Jacen &/vs. Jaina, Jacen + Ben, Jagged + Jaina, Kylo + Ebony, Ikrit + Ikrit's cat mate, Omad + Tahiri, Saw + Steela (no relation), Arboris + Dagger, Jariah + Ahnah, and Wedge + Tycho

The Book of Phoenix

Dartise + darker-skinned HeLa

The Boondocks

Huey Freeman + Jazmine DuBois

Huey Freeman &/vs. Riley Freeman

OTP: male Huey Freeman + male Michael Caesar 

Riley Freeman (male) + male Michael Caesar 

Ship Mates: Huey + Jazmine, Riley + Michael, and Huey & Michael

The Chronicles of Narnia 

aroace Aslan

Bree + Hwin

Caspian + Peter

Digory + Polly

Eustace + Jill

OTP: Edmund + Lucy

Peter & Lucy

Shasta + Aravis

Tirian + Jewel

Ship Mates: Peter & Lucy, Caspian + Peter, Edmund + Lucy, Eustace + Jill, Digory + Polly, [Shasta + Aravis] & [Bree + Hwin], and Tirian + Jewel

The City We Became

Manny (resembles Jay-Z) + darker-skinned Primary (face resembles Nas); both males 

The Color Purple

Shug + darker-skinned Celie

The Dark Tower

Incubus (male) + Susannah

OTP: Eddie + Susannah

Roland + Cuthbert

Roland + Susan

Roland & [Eddie + Susannah]

Ship Mates: Roland & [Eddie + Susannah], Roland + [Cuthbert or Susan]

The Hainish Cycle

OTP: reddish-brown Black Estraven + night-colored Black Genly, both fit males 

Shevek + Takver

Ship Mates: Estraven + Genly, Shevek + Takver

The Jungle Book

Kaa & Mowgli

Headcanon

Kaa is female. 

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and Nag killed each others' mate, and became more obsessed with each other since.

Gajjini is the leader of the elephant tribe.

Akela & [Rama + Raksha]

aroace Akela

aroace Baloo

[Bagheera & Baloo] & Mowgli

Hathi + Gajjini

Mowgli & Kaa

Mowgli vs. Shere Khan

Mungo + Kaa

OTP: male Rikki-Tikki-Tavi + male Nag

Rama + Raksha

[Rama + Raksha] & Mowgli

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi vs. Nag foemance

Shere Khan + Bagheera

Shere Khan vs. Bagheera foemance

Shere Khan & Kaa het-yay, children

Shere Khan &/vs. Kaa het-yay, adults

Tabaqui + one-sided friendship and crush for Shere Khan

Tabaqui vs. [Bagheera and Kaa], one-sided jealousy from Tabaqui

Ship Mates: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi + Nag, Shere Khan &/vs. Kaa het-yay, Shere Khan + Bagheera, Mungo + Kaa, Rama + Raksha, and Hathi + Gajjini

The Lord of the Rings

Aragorn + Boromir

Aragorn & [male Legolas + male Gimli]

Celeborn + Galadriel

Faramir + Eowyn

Frodo + Sam

Gimli & Galadriel 

OTP: male Legolas + male Gimli

Ship Mates: Aragorn & [Legolas + Gimli], Aragorn + Boromir, Faramir + Eowyn, Frodo + Sam, and Celeborn + Galadriel

The Shadow Speaker

Dikeogu + darker-skinned Ejii 

W. I. T. C. H.

Caleb + Cornelia

Caleb + Elyon

Eric + Hay Lin

Irma + Cornelia

Martin + Irma

Matt + Will 

OTP: Nigel + Taranee

Peter + Cornelia

Ship Mates #1: Will & [Irma + Cornelia] & Taranee & Hay Lin, Matt + Will, Nigel + Taranee, Caleb + Elyon, Eric + Hay Lin, and Cedric + Orube

Ship Mates #2: Will & Irma & Taranee & Cornelia & Hay Lin, Matt + Will, Martin + Irma, Nigel + Taranee, {[Peter + Cornelia, Caleb + Elyon] or Caleb + Cornelia}, Eric + Hay Lin, and Cedric + Orube

Who Fears Death

Mwita + Onyesonwu

Wicked

Elphaba + Galinda

OTP: Fiyero (NBPOC Indian) + Elphaba

Yoruba African mythology, headcanon looks by James C. Lewis

Aganju + Yemoja

Babalu Aye + power bottom Oxosi, both males 

Orunmila + power bottom Oxosi, both males

OTP: Obatala + Oya

Oya + Osun

Sango + Oba

Sango + power bottom Oxosi, both males

Ship Mates #1: Orunmila + Oxosi, [Obatala + Oya or Oya + Osun], Aganju + Yemoja, and Sango + Oba

Ship Mates #2: Sango + Oxosi, Obatala + Oya, Aganju + Yemoja, and Oba + Osun

Ship Mates #3: Babalu Aye + Oxosi, [Obatala + Oya or Oya + Osun], Aganju + Yemoja, and Sango + Oba

Yu-Gi-Oh, original manga continuity

Jounouchi + Hiroto

OTP: Yuugi/Yami Yuugi + Anzu

[Yuugi/Yami Yuugi + Anzu] & [Jounouchi + Hiroto]

P. S.: My gay ships are preferably either cisgenders or post-op transsexuals.

#books #chimamanda ngozi adiche #dc #neil gaiman #Harry Potter #marvel #N. K. Jemisin #Octavia E. Butler #spawn #The Boondocks #lord of the rings #beaststars #kulipari #silverwing #naoki urusawa #ursula k. le guin #nnedi okorafor #stephen king #star wars #Mega Man #sonic the hedgehog #dorohedoro #archie #animorphs #w. i. t. c. h. #gijinkas #mythology #The Chronicles of Narnia #the jungle book

[grigori77]

Movies of 2021 - My Pre-Summer Favourites (Part 2)

The Top Ten:

10.  ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE – one of the undisputable highlights of the Winter-Spring period has to be the long-awaited, much vaunted redressing of a balance that’s been a particular thorn in the side of DC cinematic fans for over three years now – the completion and restoration of the true, unadulterated original director’s cut of the painfully abortive DCEU team-up movie that was absolutely butchered when Joss Whedon took over from original director Zack Snyder and then heavily rewrote and largely reshot the whole thing.  It was a somewhat painful experience to view in cinemas back in 2017 – sure, there were bits that worked, but most of it didn’t and it wasn’t like the underrated Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, which improves immensely on subsequent viewings (especially in the three hour-long director’s cut).  No, Whedon’s film was a MESS.  Needless to say fans were up in arms, and once word got out that the finished film was not at all what Snyder originally intended, a vocal, forceful online campaign began to restore what quickly became known as the Snyder Cut.  Thank the gods that Warner Bros listened to them, ultimately taking advantage of the intriguing alternative possibilities provided by their streaming service HBO Max to allow Snyder to present his fully reinstated creation in its entirety.  The only remaining question, of course, is simply … is it actually any good? Well it’s certainly much more like BVS:DOG than Whedon’s film ever was, and there’s no denying that, much like the rest of Snyder’s oeuvre, this is a proper marmite movie – there are gonna people who hate it no matter what, but the faithful, the fans, or simply those who are willing to open their minds are going to find much to enjoy here. The damage has been thoroughly patched, most of the elements that didn’t work in the theatrical release having been swapped out or reworked so that now they pay off BEAUTIFULLY.  This time the quest of Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to bring the first iteration of the Justice League together – half-Atlantean superhuman Arthur Curry/the Aquaman (Jason Momoa), lightning-powered speedster Barry Allan/the Flash (Fantastic Beasts’ Ezra Miller) and cybernetically-rebuilt genius Victor Stone/Cyborg (relative newcomer Ray Fisher) – not only feels organic, but NECESSARY, as does their desperate scheme to use one of the three alien Mother Boxes (no longer just shiny McGuffins but now genuinely well-realised technological forces that threaten cataclysm as much as they provide opportunity for miracles) to bring Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill) back from the dead, especially given the far more compelling threat of this version’s collection of villains.  Ciaran Hinds’ mocapped monstrosity Steppenwolf is a far more palpable and interesting big bad this time round, given a more intricate backstory that also ties in a far greater ultimate mega-villain that would have become the DCEU’s Thanos had Snyder had his way to begin with – Darkseid (Ray Porter), tyrannical ruler of Apokolips and one of the most powerful and hated beings in the Universe, who could have ushered the DCEU’s now aborted New Gods storyline to the big screen.  The newer members of the League receive far more screen-time and vastly improved backstory too, Miller’s Flash getting a far more pro-active role in the storyline AND the action which also thankfully cuts away a lot of the clumsiness the character had in the Whedon version without sacrificing any of the nerdy sass that nonetheless made him such a joy, while the connective tissue that ties Momoa’s Aquaman into his own subsequent standalone movie feels much stronger here, and his connection with his fellow League members feels less perfunctory too, but it’s Fisher’s Cyborg who TRULY reaps the benefits here, regaining a whole new key subplot and storyline that ties into a genuinely powerful tragic origin story, as well as a far more complicated and ultimately rewarding relationship with his scientist father, Silas Stone (the great Joe Morton).  It’s also really nice to see Superman handled with the kind of skill we’d expect from the same director who did such a great job (fight me if you disagree) of bringing the character to life in two previous big screen instalments, as well as erasing the memory of that godawful digital moustache removal … similarly, it’s nice to see the new and returning supporting cast get more to do this time, from Morton and the ever-excellent J.K. Simmonds as fan favourite Gotham PD Commissioner Jim Gordon to Connie Nielsen as Diana’s mother, Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira and another unapologetic scene-stealing turn from Jeremy Irons as Batman’s faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth. Sure, it’s not a perfect movie – the unusual visual ratio takes some getting used to, while there’s A LOT of story to unpack here, and at a gargantuan FOUR HOURS there are times when the pacing somewhat lags, not to mention an overabundance of drawn-out endings (including a flash-forward to a potential apocalyptic future that, while evocative, smacks somewhat of overeager fan-service) that would put Lord of the Rings’ The Return of the King to shame, but original writer Chris Terrio’s reconstituted script is rich enough that there’s plenty to reward the more committed viewer, and the storytelling and character development is a powerful thing, while the action sequences are robust and thrilling (even if Snyder does keep falling back on his over-reliance on slow motion that seems to alienate some viewers), and the new score from Tom Holkenborg (who co-composed on BVS:DOJ) feels a far more natural successor than Danny Elfman’s theatrical compositions.  The end result is no more likely to win fresh converts than Man of Steel or Batman Vs Superman, but it certainly stands up far better to a critical eye this time round, and feels like a far more natural progression for the saga too.  Ultimately it’s more of an interesting tangential adventure given that Warner Bros seem to be stubbornly sticking to their original plans for the ongoing DCEU, but I can’t help hoping that they might have a change of heart in the future given just how much better the final product is than any of us had any right to expect …

9.  SYNCHRONIC – writer-director duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are something of a creative phenomenon in the science-fiction and fantasy indie cinema scene, crafting films that ensnare the senses and engage the brain like few others.  Subtly insidious conspiracy horror debut Resolution is a sneaky little chiller, while deeply original body horror Spring (the film that first got me into them) is weird, unsettling and surprisingly touching, but it was breakthrough sleeper hit The Endless, a nightmarish time-looping cosmic horror that thoroughly screws with your head, that really put them on the map.  Needless to say it’s led them to greater opportunities heading into the future, and this is their first film to really reap the benefits, particularly by snaring a couple of genuine stars for its lead roles.  Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are paramedics working the night shift in New Orleans, which puts them on the frontlines when a new drug hits the streets, a dangerous concoction known as Synchronic that causes its users to experience weird localised fractures in time that frequently lead to some pretty outlandish deaths in adults, while teenage users often disappear entirely.  As the situation worsens, the pair’s professional and personal relationships become increasingly strained, compounded by the fact that Steve is concealing his recent diagnosis of terminal cancer, before things come to a head when Dennis’ teenage daughter Brianna (Into the Badlands’ Ally Ioannides) vanishes under suspicious circumstances, and it becomes clear to Steve that she’s become unstuck in time … this is as mind-bendingly off-the-wall and spectacularly inventive as we’ve come to expect from Benson and Moorhead, another fantastically original slice of weirdness that benefits enormously from their exquisitely obsessive attention to detail and characteristically unsettling atmosphere of building dread, while their character development is second to none, benefitting their top-notch cast no end.  Mackie is typically excellent, bringing compelling vulnerability to the role that makes it easy to root for him as he gets further out of his depth in this twisted temporal labyrinth, while Dornan invests Dennis with a painfully human fallibility, and Ioannides does a lot with very little real screen time in her key role as ill-fated Brianna.  The time-bending sequences are suitably disorienting and disturbing, utilising pleasingly subtle use of visual effects to further mess with your head, and the overall mechanics of the drug and its effects are fiendishly crafted, while the directors tighten the screw of slowburn tension throughout, building to a suitably offbeat ending that’s as devastating as anything we’ve seen from them so far.  Altogether this is another winning slice of genre-busting weirdness from a filmmaking duo who deserve continued success in the future, and I for one will be watching eagerly.

8.  WITHOUT REMORSE – I’m a big fan of Tom Clancy, to me he was one of the ultimate escapist thriller writers, and whenever a new adaptation of one of his novels comes along I’m always front of the line to check it out.  The Hunt For Red October is one of my favourite screen thrillers OF ALL TIME, while my very favourite Clancy adaptation EVER, the Jack Ryan TV series, is, in my opinion, one of the very best Original shows that Amazon have ever done.  But up until now my VERY FAVOURITE Clancy creation, John Clark, has always remained in the background or simply absent entirely, putting in an appearance as a supporting character in only two of the movies, tantalising me with his presence but never more than a teaser.  Well that’s all over now – after languishing in development hell since the mid-90s, the long-awaited adaptation of my favourite Clancy novel, the origin story of the top CIA black ops operative, has finally arrived, as well as a direct spin-off from distributor Amazon’s own Jack Ryan series.  Michael B. Jordan plays John Kelly (basically Clark before he gained his more famous cover identity), a lethally efficient, highly decorated Navy SEAL whose life is turned upside down when a highly classified operation experiences deadly blowback as half of his team is assassinated in retaliation, while Kelly barely survives an attack in which his heavily pregnant wife is killed.  With the higher-ups unwilling the muddy the waters while scrambling to control the damage, Kelly, driven by rage and grief, takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a violent personal crusade against the Russian operatives responsible, but as he digs deeper with the help of his former commanding officer, Lt. Commander Karen Greer (Queen & Slim’s Jodie Turner-Smith), and mid-level CIA hotshot Robert Ritter (Jamie Bell), it becomes clear that there’s a far more insidious conspiracy at work here … in the past the Clancy adaptations we’ve seen tend to be pretty tightly reined-in affairs, going for a PG-13 polish that maintains the intellectual fireworks but still tries to keep the violence clean and relatively family-friendly, but this was never going to be the case here – Clark has always been Jack Ryan’s dark shadow, Clancy’s righteous man without the moral restraint, and a PG-13 take never would have worked, so going for an unfettered R-rating is the right choice.  Jordan’s Kelly/Clark is a blood-soaked force of nature, a feral dog let off the leash, bringing a brutal ferocity to the action that does the literary source proud, tempered by a wounded vulnerability that helps us to sympathise with the broken but still very human man behind the killer; Turner-Smith, meanwhile, regularly matches him in the physical stakes, jumping into the action with enthusiasm and looking damn fine doing it, but she also brings tight control and an air of pragmatic military professionalism that makes it easy to believe in her not only as an accomplished leader of fighting men but also as the daughter of Admiral Jim Greer, while Bell is arrogant and abrasive but ultimately still a good man as Ritter; Guy Pearce, meanwhile, brings his usual gravitas and quietly measured charisma to proceedings as US Secretary of Defence Thomas Clay, and Lauren London makes a suitably strong impression during her brief screen time to make her absence keenly felt as Kelly’s wife Pam. The action is intense, explosive and spectacularly executed, culminating in a particularly impressive drawn-out battle through a Russian apartment complex, while the labyrinthine plot is intricately crafted and unfolds with taut precision, but then the screenplay was co-written by Taylor Sheridan, who here reteams with Sicario 2 director Stefano Sollida, who’s also already proven to be a seasoned hand at this kind of thing, and the result is a tense, knuckle-whitening suspense thriller that pays magnificent tribute to the most compelling creation of one of the best authors in the genre.  Amazon have signed up for more with already greenlit sequel Rainbow Six, and with this directly tied in with the Jack Ryan TV series too I can’t help holding out hope we just might get to see Jordan’s Clark backing John Krasinski’s Ryan up in the future …

7.  RAYA & THE LAST DRAGON – with UK cinemas still closed I’ve had to live with seeing ALL the big stuff on my frustratingly small screen at home, but at least there’s been plenty of choice with so many of the big studios electing to either sell some of their languishing big projects to online vendors or simply release on their own streaming services.  Thank the gods, then, for the House of Mouse following Warner Bros’ example and releasing their big stuff on Disney+ at the same time in those theatres that have reopened – this was one movie I was PARTICULARLY looking forward to, and if I’d had to wait and hope for the scheduled UK reopening to occur in mid-May I might have gone a little crazy watching everyone else lose it over something I still hadn’t seen.  That said, it WOULD HAVE been worth the wait – coming across sort-of a bit like Disney’s long overdue response to Dreamworks’ AWESOME Kung Fu Panda franchise, this is a spellbinding adventure in a beautifully thought-out fantasy world heavily inspired by Southeast Asia and its rich, diverse cultures, bursting with red hot martial arts action and exotic Eastern mysticism and brought to life by a uniformly strong voice cast dominated by actors of Asian descent.  It’s got a cracking premise, too – 500 years ago, the land of Kumandra was torn apart when a terrible supernatural force known as the Druun very nearly wiped out all life, only stopped by the sacrifice of the last dragons, who poured all their power and lifeforce into a mystical gem.  But when the gem is broken and the pieces divided between the warring nations of Fang, Heart, Spine, Tail and Talon, the Druun return, prompting Raya (Star Wars’ Kelly Marie Tran), the fugitive princess of Heart, to embark on a quest to reunite the gem pieces and revive the legendary dragon Sisu in a desperate bid to vanquish the Druun once and for all.  Moana director Don Hall teams up with Blindspotting helmer Carlos Lopez Estrada (making his debut in the big chair for Disney after helping develop Frozen), bringing to life a thoroughly inspired screenplay co-written by Crazy Rich Asians’ Adele Kim which is full to bursting with magnificent world-building, beautifully crafted characters and thrilling action, as well as the Disney prerequisites of playful humour and tons of heart and soul.  Tran makes Raya an feisty and engaging heroine, tough, stubborn and a seriously kickass fighter, but with true warmth and compassion too, while Gemma Chan is icy cool but deep down ultimately kind of sweet as her bitter rival, Fang princess Namaari, and there’s strong support from Benedict Wong and Good Boys’ Izaac Wang as hard-but-soft Spine warrior Tong and youthful but charismatic Tail shrimp-boat captain Boun, two of the warm-hearted found family that Raya gathers on her travels.  The true scene-stealer, however, is the always entertaining Awkwafina, bringing Sisu to life in wholly unexpected but thoroughly charming and utterly adorable fashion, a goofy, sassy and sweet-natured bundle of fun who grabs all the best laughs but also unswervingly champions the film’s core messages of peace, unity and acceptance in all things, something which Raya needs a lot of convincing to take to heart.  Visually stunning, endlessly inventive, consistently thrilling and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, this is another solid gold winner once again proving that Disney can do this kind of stuff in their sleep, but it’s always most interesting when they really make the effort to create something truly special, and that’s just what they’ve done here.  As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the studio’s finest animated features in a good long while, and thoroughly deserving of your praise and attention …

6.  THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES – so what piece of animation, you might be asking, could POSSIBLY have won over Raya as my animated feature of the year so far? After all, it would have to be something TRULY special … but then, remember Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?  Back in 2018, that blew me away SO MUCH that it very nearly became my top animated feature of THE PAST DECADE (only JUST losing out, ultimately, to Dreamworks’ unstoppable How to Train Your Dragon trilogy).  When I heard its creators, the irrepressible double act of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs), were going to be following that up with this anarchic screwball comedy adventure, I was VERY EXCITED INDEED, a fervour which was barely blunted when its release was, inevitably, indefinitely delayed thanks to the global pandemic, so when it finally released at the tail end of the Winter-Spring season I POUNCED. Thankfully my faith was thoroughly rewarded – this is an absolute riot from start to finish, a genuine cinematic gem I look forward to going back to for repeated viewings in the near future, just to soak up the awesomeness – it’s hilarious to a precision-crafted degree, brilliantly thought-out and SPECTACULARLY well-written by acclaimed Gravity Falls writer-director Mike Rianda (who also helms here), injecting the whole film with a gleefully unpredictable, irrepressibly irreverent streak of pure chaotic genius that makes it a affectionately endearing and utterly irresistible joyride from bonkers start to adorable finish.  The central premise is pretty much as simple as the title suggests, the utterly dysfunctional family in question – father Rick (Danny McBride), born outdoorsman and utter technophobe, mother Linda (Maya Rudolph), much put-upon but unflappable even in the face of Armageddon, daughter Katie (Broad City co-creator Abbi Jacobson), tech-obsessed and growing increasingly estranged from her dad, and son Aaron (Rianda himself), a thoroughly ODD dinosaur nerd – become the world’s only hope after naïve tech mogul Mark Bowman (Eric Andre), founder of PAL Labs, inadvertently sets off a robot uprising.  Cue a wild ride comedy of errors of EPIC proportions … this is just about the most fun I’ve had with a movie so far this year, an absolute riot throughout, but there’s far more to it than just a pile of big belly laughs, with the Mitchells all proving to be a lovable bunch of misfits who inspire just as much deep, heartfelt affection as they learn from their mistakes and finally overcome their differences, becoming a better, more loving family in the process, McBride and Jacobson particularly shining as they make our hearts swell and put a big lump in our throat even while they make us titter and guffaw, while the film has a fantastic larger than (virtual) life villain in PAL (Olivia Colman), the virtual assistant turned megalomaniacal machine intelligence spearheading this technological revolution.  Much like its Spider-Man-shaped predecessor, this is also an absolutely STUNNING film, visually arresting and spectacularly inventive and bursting with neat ideas and some truly beautiful stylistic flair, frequently becoming a genuine work of cinematic art that’s as much a feast for the eyes as it is the intellect and, of course, the soul.  Altogether then, this is definitely the year’s most downright GORGEOUS film so far, as well as UNDENIABLY its most FUN.  Lord and Miller really have done it again.

5.  P.G. PSYCHO GOREMAN – the year’s current undeniable top guilty pleasure has to be this fantastic weird, thoroughly over-the-top and completely OUT THERE black comedy cosmic horror that doesn’t so much riff on the works of HP Lovecraft as throw them in a blender, douse them with maple syrup and cayenne pepper and then hurl the sloppy results to the four winds.  On paper it sounds like a family-friendly cutesy comedy take on Call of Cthulu et al, but trust me, this sure ain’t one for the kids – the latest indie horror offering from Steven Kostanski, co-creator of the likes of Manborg, Father’s Day and The Void, this is one of the weirdest movies I’ve seen in years, but it’s also one of the most gleefully funny, playing itself entirely for yucks (frequently LITERALLY).  Mimi (Nita Josee-Hanna) and Luke (Owen Myre) are a two small-town Canadian kids who dig a big hole of their backyard, accidentally releasing the Arch-Duke of Nightmares (Matthew Ninaber and the voice of Steven Vlahos), an ancient, god-tier alien killing machine who’s been imprisoned for aeons in order to protect the universe from his brutal crusade of death and destruction.  To their parents’ dismay, Mimi decides to keep him, renaming him Psycho Goreman (or “P.G.” for short) and attempting to curb his superpowered murderous impulses so she can have a new playmate. But the monster’s original captors, the Templars of the Planetary Alliance, have learned of his escape, sending their most powerful warrior, Pandora (Kristen McCulloch), to destroy him once and for all.  Yup, this movie is just as loony tunes as it sounds – Kostanski injects the film with copious amounts of his own outlandish, OTT splatterpunk extremity, bringing us a riotous cavalcade of bizarrely twisted creatures and mutations (brought to life through some deliciously disgusting prosthetic effects work) and a series of wonderfully off-kilter (not to mention frequently off-COLOUR) darkly comic skits and escapades, while the sense of humour is pretty bonkers but also generously littered with nuggets of genuine sharply observed genius.  The cast, although made up almost entirely of unknowns, is thoroughly game, and the kids particularly impress, especially Josee-Hanna, who plays Mimi like a flamboyant, mercurial miniature psychopath whose zinger-delivery is clipped, precise and downright hilarious throughout.  There are messages of love conquering all and the power of family, both born and made, buried somewhere in there too, but ultimately this is just 90 minutes of wonderful weirdness that’s sure to melt your brain but still leave you with a big dumb green when it’s all over.  Which is all we really want from a movie like this, right?

4.  SPACE SWEEPERS – all throughout the pandemic and the interminable lockdowns, Netflix have been a consistent blessing to those of us who’ve been craving the kind of big budget blockbusters we have (largely) been unable to get at the cinema.  Some of my top movies of 2020 were Netflix Originals, and they’ve continued the trend into 2021, having dropped some choice cuts on us over the past four months, with some REALLY impressive offerings still to come as we head into the summer season (roll on, Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead!).  In the meantime, my current Netflix favourite of the year so far is this phenomenal milestone of Korean cinema, lauded as the country’s first space blockbuster, which certainly went big instead of going home. Writer-director Jo Sung-hee (A Werewolf Boy, Phantom Detective) delivers big budget thrills and spills with a bombastic science-fiction adventure cast in the classic Star Wars mould, where action, emotion and fun characters count for more than an admittedly simplistic but still admirably archetypical and evocative plot – it’s 2092, and the Earth has become a toxic wasteland ruined by overpopulation and pollution, leading the wealthy to move into palatial orbital habitats in preparation for the impending colonisation of Mars, while the poor and downtrodden are packed into rotting ghetto satellites facing an uncertain future left behind to fend for themselves, and the UTS Corporation jealously guard the borders between rich and poor, presided over by seemingly benevolent but ultimately cruel sociopathic genius CEO James Sullivan (Richard Armitage).  Eking out a living in-between are the space sweepers, freelance spaceship crews who risk life and limb by cleaning up dangerous space debris to prevent it from damaging satellites and orbital structures.  The film focuses on the crew of sweeper vessel Victory, a ragtag quartet clearly inspired by the “heroes” of Cowboy Bebop – Captain Jang (The Handmaiden’s Kim Tae-ri), a hard-drinking ex-pirate with a mean streak and a dark past, ace pilot Kim Tae-ho (The Battleship Island’s Song Joong-ki), a former child-soldier with a particularly tragic backstory, mechanic Tiger Park (The Outlaws’ Jin Seon-Kyu), a gangster from Earth living in exile in orbit, and Bubs (a genuinely flawless mocapped performance from A Taxi Driver’s Yoo Hae-jin), a surplus military robot slumming it as a harpooner so she can earn enough for gender confirmation.  They’re a fascinating bunch, a mercenary band who never think past their next paycheque, but there’s enough good in them that when redemption comes knocking – in the form of Kang Kot-nim (newcomer Park Ye-rin), a revolutionary prototype android in the form of a little girl who may hold the key to bio-technological ecological salvation – they find themselves answering the call in spite of their misgivings.  The four leads are exceptional (as is their young charge), while Armitage makes for a cracking villain, delivering subtle, restrained menace by the bucketload every time he’s onscreen, and there’s excellent support from a fascinating multinational cast who perform in a refreshingly broad variety of languages. Jo delivers spectacularly on the action front, wrangling a blistering series of adrenaline-fuelled and explosive set-pieces that rival anything George Lucas or JJ Abrams have sprung on us this century, while the visual effects are nothing short of astounding, bringing this colourful, eclectic and dangerous universe to vibrant, terrifying life; indeed, the world-building here is exceptional, creating an environment you’ll feel sorely tempted to live in despite the pitfalls.  Best of all, though, there’s tons of heart and soul, the fantastic found family dynamic at the story’s heart winning us over at every turn. Ultimately, while you might come for the thrills and spectacle, you’ll stay for these wonderful, adorable characters and their compelling tale.  An undeniable triumph.

3.  JUDAS & THE BLACK MESSIAH – I’m a little fascinated by the Black Panther Party, I find them to be one of the most intriguing elements of Black History in America, but outside of documentaries I’ve never really seen a feature film that’s truly done the movement justice, at least until now.  It’s become a major talking point of the Awards Season, and it’s easy to see why – director Shaka King is a protégé of Spike Lee, and together with up-and-coming co-screenwriter Wil Berson he’s captured the fire and fervour of the Party and their firebrand struggle for racial liberation through force of arms, as well as a compelling portrait of one of their most important figures, Fred Hampton, the Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the BPP and a powerful political activist who could have become the next Martin Luther King or Malcolm X.  Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya is magnificent in the role, effortlessly holding your attention in every scene with his laconic ease and deceptively friendly manner, barely hinting at the zealous fire blazing beneath the surface, but the film’s true focus is the man who brought him down, William O’Neal, a fellow Panther and FBI informant placed in the Chapter to infiltrate the movement and find a way for the US Government to bring down what they believed to be one of the country’s greatest internal threats.  Lakeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Knives Out) delivers a suitably complex performance as O’Neal, perfectly embodying a very clever but also very desperate man walking a constant tightrope to maintain his cover in some decidedly wary company, but there’s never any real sense that he’s playing the villain, Stanfield largely garnering sympathy from the viewer as we’re shamelessly made to root for him, especially once he starts falling for the very ideals he’s trying to subvert – it’s a true star-making performance, and he even holds his own playing opposite Kaluuya himself.  The rest of the cast are equally impressive, Dominique Fishback (Project Power, The Deuce) particularly holding our attention as Hampton’s fiancée and fellow Panther Akua Njeri, as does Jesse Plemmons as O’Neal’s idealistic but sympathetic FBI handler Roy Mitchell, while Martin Sheen is the film’s nominal villain in a chillingly potent turn as J. Edgar Hoover.  This is an intense and thrilling film, powered by a tense atmosphere of pregnant urgency and righteous fury, but while there are a few grittily realistic set pieces, the majority of the fireworks on display are performance based, the cast giving their all and King wrestling a potent and emotionally resonant, inescapably timely history lesson that informs without ever slipping into preachy exposition, leaving an unshakable impression long after the credits have rolled.  This doesn’t just earn all the award-winning kudos it gained, it deserved A LOT MORE recognition that it got, and if this were a purely critical rundown list I’d have to put it in the top spot.  As it is I’m monumentally enamoured of this film, and I can’t sing its praises enough …

2.  RUN, HIDE, FIGHT – the biggest surprise hit for me so far this year was this wicked little indie suspense thriller from writer-director Kyle Rankin (Night of the Living Deb), which snuck in under the radar but is garnering an impressive reputation as a future cult sleeper hit.  Critics have been less kind, but the subject matter is a pretty thorny issue, and if handled the wrong way it could have been in very poor taste indeed.  Thankfully Rankin has crafted a corker here, initially taking time to set the scene and welcome the players before throwing us headfirst into an unbelievably tense but also unsettlingly believable situation – a small town American high school becomes the setting for a fraught siege when a quartet of disturbed students take several of their classmates hostage at gunpoint, creating a social media storm in the process as they encourage the capture of the crisis on phone cameras. While the local police gather outside, the shooters discover another threat from within the school throwing spanners in the works – Zoe Hull (Alexa & Katie’s Isabel May), a seemingly nondescript girl who happens to be the daughter of former marine scout sniper Todd (Thomas Jane).  She’s wound pretty tight after the harrowing death of her mother to cancer, fuelled by grief and conditioned by her father’s training, so she’s determined to get her friends and classmates out of this nightmare, no matter what.  Okay, so the premise reads like Die Hard in a school, but this is a very different beast, played for gritty realism and shot with unshowy cinema-verité simplicity, Rankin cranking up the tension beautifully but refusing to play to his audience any more than strictly necessary, drip-feeding the thrills to maximum effect but delivering some harrowing action nonetheless.  The cast are top-notch too, Jane delivering a typically subtle, nuanced turn while Treat Williams is likeably stoic as world-weary but dependable local Sherriff Tarsey, Rhada Mitchell intrigues as the matter-of-fact phantom of Zoe’s mum, Jennifer, that she’s concocted to help her through her mourning, Olly Sholotan is sweetly geeky as her best friend Lewis, and Eli Brown raises genuine goosebumps as an all-too-real teen psychopath in the role of terrorist ringleader Tristan Voy.  The real beating heart and driving force of the film, though, is May, intense, barely restrained and all but vibrating with wounded fury, perfectly believable as the diminutive high school John McClane who defies expectations to become a genuine force to be reckoned with, as far as I’m concerned one of this year’s TOP female protagonists.  Altogether this is a cracking little thriller, a precision-crafted little action gem that nonetheless raises some troubling questions and treats its subject matter with utmost care and respect, a film that’s destined for major cult classic status, and I can’t recommend it enough.

1.  NOBODY – do you love the John Wick movies but you just wish they took themselves a bit less seriously?  Well fear not, because Derek Kolstad has delivered fantastically on that score, the JW screenwriter mashing his original idea up with the basic premise of the Taken movies (former government spook/assassin turned unassuming family man is forced out of retirement and shit gets seriously trashed as a result) and injecting a big dollop of gallows humour.  This time he’s teamed up with Ilya Naishuller, the stone-cold lunatic who directed the deliriously insane but also thoroughly brilliant Hardcore Henry, and the results are absolutely unbeatable, a pitch perfect jet black action comedy bursting with neat ideas, wonderfully offbeat characters and ingenious plot twists.  Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk is perfect casting as Hutch Mansell, the aforementioned ex-“Auditor”, a CIA hitman who grew weary of the lifestyle and quit to find some semblance of normality with his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), with whom he’s had two kids.  Ultimately, he seems to have “overcompensated”, and his life has stagnated, Hutch following a autopiloted day-to-day routine that’s left him increasingly unfulfilled … then fate intervenes and a series of impulsive choices see him falling back on his old ways while defending a young woman from drunken thugs on a late night bus ride.  Problem is, said lowlifes work for the Russian Mob, specifically Yulian Kuznetsov (Leviathan’s Aleksei Serebryakov), a Bratva boss charged with guarding the Obshak, who must exact brutal vengeance in order to save face. Cue much bloody violence and entertaining chaos … Kolstad can do this sort of thing in his sleep, but his writing married with Naishuller’s singularly BONKERS vision means that the anarchy is dialled right up to eleven, while the gleefully dark sense of humour shot through makes the occasional surreality and bitingly satirical observation on offer all the more exquisite.  Odenkirk is a low-key joy throughout, initially emasculated and pathetic but becoming more comfortable in his skin as he reconnects with his old self, while Serebryakov hams things up spectacularly, chewing the scenery with aplomb; Nielsen, meanwhile, brings her characteristic restrained classiness to proceedings, Christopher Lloyd and the RZA are clearly having the time of their lives as, respectively, Hutch’s retired FBI agent father David and fellow ex-spook half-brother Harry, and there’s a wonderfully game cameo from the incomparable Colin Salmon as Hutch’s former handler, the Barber.  Altogether then, this is the perfect marriage of two fantastic worlds – an action-packed thrill ride as explosively impressive as John Wick, but also a wickedly subversive laugh riot every bit as blissfully inventive as Hardcore Henry, and undeniably THE BEST MOVIE I’ve seen so far this year.  Sure, there’s some pretty heavyweight stuff set to (FINALLY) come out later this year, but this really will take some beating …

#movies 2021 #zack snyder's justice league #synchronic #synchronic movie #without remorse #raya and the last dragon #the mitchells vs the machines #pg psycho goreman #psycho goreman #space sweepers #judas and the black messiah #run hide fight #nobody #nobody movie

[aethertetsuya]

Okay. The DP x DC rabbit hole is a deep one but I need the following rare (UR) fic category or pairs:

- Jon Lane Kent/Danny Fenton.

- Barry Allen adopts Danny Fenton.

-Star Labs and Wayne Enterprise fight over Danny for internship.

-Danny Fenton is Bruce Wayne's mentor

- Prompt : "Dick, Jason, Tim tries to flirt with Danny only to be blocked by Damien because he wants Danny to end up with Jon. Oblivious Danny. There is a betting pool amongst the JL, JLD, YJ and TT. There are team (camps) meetings and boards with pins and threads (like those for conspiracy)

Heck lets throw in the villains too. Hey dont know the heroes civi identities just ships the heroes. Its one chaoric world.

While in the Ghost zone. CW holds a viewing party on all the chaos. Danny's rogue gallery are all there."

Tag me folks if you find or write fics on this topic. Helps brighten up my day

#dp x dc #danny fenton #justice league #batman #dead on main #brain dead #double dead #jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #dc x dp #danny phantom #damien wayne

[aion-rsa]

Zack Snyder’s Justice League vs. the Whedon Cut: What are the Differences?

https://ift.tt/38SVA8s

This article contains Zack Snyder’s Justice League spoilers.

Whether you love or hate his style, there is no denying Zack Snyder is an original. From 300 to Watchmen, and Man of Steel to Justice League, his characters often hover above the screen as much as occupy it. They’re mythic figures who’ve stepped off a Botticelli canvas, or at least Frank Miller comic book panels, and they’re imbued with such a sense of scale from their director that the aesthetic is nigh impossible to duplicate. That is only clearer now thanks to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a restored four-hour edit of Snyder’s original vision for the DC superhero movie team-up and their universe at large.

Admittedly, you’ve seen the movie’s tale before, back when Warner Bros. released a truncated, heavily reshot version into theaters in 2017. But that two-hour theatrical cut of Justice League, assembled by director Joss Whedon, really is a night and day different film. It shares many of the same scenes and story beats, but it lacks Snyder’s singular grandiosity and tonal consistency.

Comparing all the significant changes between the two versions—which we’ll hereby distinguish as the “Snyder Cut” and “Whedon Cut”—creates a fascinating juxtaposition of the different choices filmmakers can make with similar material, as well as the drastically disparate visions the directors had for these six superheroes and the larger DC Extended Universe. So join us as we contrast all the major changes (and by and large improvements) made by Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

The Opening

One of the most surprising changes made by the Snyder Cut comes immediately. Back when the ostensible Whedon Cut of Justice League opened in theaters, one thing many assumed was unchanged from Snyder’s vision was the opening credits. With imagery clearly filmed by the director—including unused footage from the Superman funeral sequence in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—the downbeat credits were edited to Singrid’s rendition of “Everybody Knows,” a cover of a song from one of Snyder’s favorite musicians, Lenoard Cohen. I’m also fairly certain only Snyder would film a homeless man with a cardboard sign saying “I tried” in a superhero movie (the destitute figure may still appear in the Snyder Cut in an overhead shot when Cyborg is later surveying the bleakness of the world).

Indeed, quite a bit of the Whedon Cut’s opening credits scenes are used elsewhere in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, including breathtaking imagery of the Superman symbol draped in black over London’s Tower Bridge. But the new edit foregoes a traditional opening credits sequence for a more restrained montage that returns to the climax of Batman v Superman, and to the moment when Henry Cavill‘s Superman dies. In pained slow-motion, we again experience the moment of Doomsday’s spike piercing Superman’s heart and see how his scream reverberates throughout the world.

The Snyder Cut is more directly linked to the previous movie with Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, complete with hair, hearing Superman’s cries from deep in the bowels of the Kryptonian ship. Meanwhile the echoes of Clark’s anguish reverberate all the way past Zeus’ magical cloak to Themyscira where the Amazons (rather impressively) have an entire army guarding the Mother Box they obtained 5,000 years ago. When the Mother Box hears Kal-El’s death rattle, it begins to crack, drawing a terrified Amazonian closer to its new glowing light.

And finally, we end with the cries being heard by Cyborg. It is on the image of a hunched over Ray Fisher that Snyder chooses to include his “directed by” title card, indicating a strong sense of solidarity with the character and the actor who plays him after Cyborg was largely sidelined in the Whedon Cut. Clearly this is going to be a different movie.

Batman

Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne remains the focal point, at least in terms of leadership, of both the Snyder and Whedon cuts of the film. But right down to how they’re introduced, these are subtly diverging interpretations of the character. In the Whedon Cut, Batman has the first scene of the movie that isn’t shot on an iPhone. It gets Affleck in costume immediately and features archetypal Gotham City imagery as Batman uses a criminal as bait for a Parademon, an alien from the planet Apokolips that Batman is already familiar with. He’s so aware of these creatures that Batman ignores the thief spelling out the subtext of Justice League’s first act: With Superman dead, where does that leave us?

By contrast, you intrinsically feel that absence in the Snyder Cut. Whereas Whedon and WB got Batman in the costume faster for a tongue-in-cheek action sequence with screaming crooks and flying aliens, Zack Snyder’s Justice League ignores the Batsuit for a clean two hours. Instead, it opens with Bruce Wayne already “north” in a remote part of Europe near the arctic. We get the impression he’s been traveling for weeks on a horse and over mountains, sporting a bushy beard as he reaches the fishing village Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) has provided supplies to.

The scene where Batman meets Aquaman is more or less the same, but tonally Snyder evokes a funereal quality by letting the scene breathe in Bruce’s desperation instead of Arthur’s flippancy. And rather than Bruce noticing an inserted mural of Mother Boxes being what upsets Arthur, it’s Bruce pulling a trick from Momoa’s on screen wife on Game of Thrones which sets Aquaman off: he reveals after his hosts have made fools of themselves that he too can speak Icelandic. (There is also no longer a joke where Bruce says, “I hear you can talk to fish.”)

This somber opening is strikingly different and a vast improvement (see the Aquaman section for more). After Arthur rebuffs Bruce’s request to team-up, Bruce’s defeated return trip home is also subtly changed. For starters, we see his journey to his private jet where Alfred is waiting. In the Whedon Cut, the pair’s conversation after Bruce has shaved is a reshot sequence with some admittedly amusing character-building dialogue, like Alfred saying, “I miss the days when one’s biggest concern was exploding wind-up penguins.” The Snyder Cut’s version is more expository and ominous. As neither has seen a Parademon yet in this version, Alfred doubts whether Bruce needs to build a team based on the ravings of a now incarcerated and visibly insane Lex Luthor. Batman says he isn’t just doing this based on Luthor.

“I made a promise to him on his grave,” Bruce broods about the Kryptonian alien he hounded to near death in the last movie.

The next time we see Bruce Wayne is in a scene that appeared in the Whedon Cut, if slightly different. It’s when Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince breaks into his “building” with million-dollar security. However, the Whedon Cut led viewers to believe this airplane hangar-like space was the Batcave (even though it visually looks quite different). The Snyder Cut confirms it is a decrepit warehouse near the docks in Gotham harbor. Gone also is the cheeky line, “Yeah, it looked expensive,” from Diana when Bruce mentions the cost of his security equipment.

Read more

Movies

Ben Affleck Talks Working with Matt Damon Again in The Last Duel

By David Crow

Movies

Ben Affleck Returns as Batman for The Flash Movie

By Mike Cecchini

In this off-site Batcave area, it’s also established by Alfred that he and Bruce Wayne have built new gauntlets that absorb energy (they come in especially handy later when they save Bruce from Superman’s heat ray vision).

The first time the gauntlets are used occurs when Batman leads a nascent Justice League beneath the tunnels of Striker Island in Gotham harbor. Up until that point, most of Affleck’s scenes remain the same, even if they breathe or are edited slightly differently. Batman recruits Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) to join the Justice League while talking about competitive ice dancing, and looks positively exhausted when Barry sees the Bat-Signal. The early Commissioner Gordon scenes are also the same, albeit now without composer Danny Elfman’s Batman theme from 1989.

In the tunnels, Batman’s scenes diverge again though. There is more of the misterioso act when Victor Stone (Cyborg) says, “I heard about you. Didn’t think you were real.” The Dark Knight answers, “I’m real when it’s useful.” Additionally, Batman doesn’t really mentor the Flash in this sequence or in any other going forward. Gone is the Flash admitting he’s terrified at seeing Steppenwolf and Bruce advising he “save one” person and will then know what he needs to do.

Instead, the Flash says, “I guess that’s the bad guy” in the Snyder Cut, and Batman stoically responds, “Good guess.” Bruce also drops his sense of humor, losing some solid bits like “Sorry guys, I didn’t bring a sword” when the Knightcrawler starts shooting up Parademons. Now he simply says, “My turn.”

However, Bruce remains the stoic team leader, harnessing a steadier team dynamic. There are no insert shots of Commissioner Gordon telling Batman it’s good to see he’s playing well with others after the Striker Island fight, and rather than berate Wonder Woman and his team members into bringing Superman back from the dead, Bruce and the rest come to the same conclusion, silently.

During the sequence where Cyborg reveals the Mother Box can bring Superman back from the dead, no one says Kal-El’s name out loud. The Flash even asks, “Is everyone thinking it or am I going to have to say it?” The camera pans around the table and lands on Bruce, who is watching Cyborg’s projected image of Superman’s cape. It’s a nice moment for Affleck, who looks much more alert in this version than the Whedon Cut. The dialogue in the Snyder Cut can often be perfunctory and expository, but the vast four-hour running time leaves room for the actors to indulge in quiet moments. The only person who doubts the idea is Alfred who in another scene warns Bruce, “If you can’t bring down a charging bull, then don’t wave the red flag.”

Batman counters, “I’m operating on complete faith now.” Quite the about face from the last movie.

The team otherwise staying on the same page, even after the Superman fiasco (more on that below), is a stark difference with the Whedon Cut. Here Bruce invites the team into the Batcave proper after they lose all three Mother Boxes, with teammates regrouping; in the Whedon Cut there is a strained attempt to create tension. Particularly between Bruce and Diana….

Wonder Woman

Gal Gadot has spoken in the past about how she was unhappy with the Justice League reshoots. While still not knowing the full details of what occurred behind the scenes, Zack Snyder’s Justice League makes apparent why she’d be disappointed with the direction of her added scenes.

To be fair, Wonder Woman is still objectified to a certain degree in the Snyder Cut. Her non-warrior attire still revolves around several low-cut dresses, and there is still a (much more understated) flirtation between Diana and Bruce. In an early scene of her and Bruce discussing their prospective teammates in front of a computer—with an awkward stab at humor where she coaxes out of Bruce that Arthur said no—there’s a moment where their hands trip over the mouse at the same time, like they’re in a teenage rom-com. Similarly, when Barry and Victor are digging up Clark Kent’s grave, Barry asks Victor if he thinks Wonder Woman would “be into younger guys.” Victor dismisses the thirstiness by saying, “Barry, she’s 5,000 years old. Every guy’s a younger guy.”

But these moments are few and far between. In the Whedon Cut, they’re constant with Alfred teasing Bruce about Batman inviting Wonder Woman to a candlelit team-up dinner, and a gross gag where Flash saves Wonder Woman during the Striker Island fight but then awkwardly lands on top of her body and gets flustered. Perhaps most frustratingly though, her character arc is reduced to a lot of flirting with Bruce, and coming to see he is right when he chastises her for “still being hung up” on Steve Trevor. She then helps him undress from his armor and shares a drink with him, like co-workers with a forced “will they or won’t they” chemistry.

All of that is gone in the Snyder Cut, which instead focuses on presenting Wonder Woman as the most ferocious and noble of the film’s six superheroes.

Her first scene is much the same as in the Whedon Cut, although it’s another film school-ready example for what a difference post-production makes. We see a group of eco-terrorists take a school group hostage, and Wonder Woman stops them. But in the Whedon Cut, the scene is nimble and brightly colored with a tongue-in-cheek quality, right down to the way Elfman uses an orchestra to play Hans Zimmer’s previously electric “Wonder Woman” theme. In the Snyder Cut, the sequence lasts nearly eight minutes in a desaturated, gray color scheme. The sadism with which the terrorists want to kill their hostages is belabored, and Junkie XL uses a fearsome version of Zimmer’s Wonder Woman theme while introducing one of his own, which relies on a haunting choral harmony.

In the new cut, Wonder Woman not only throws the bomb through the roof but jumps with it to make sure it explodes faar above the skyline. And when she returns, her power move to stop the head terrorist from killing the school children is to obliterate him into dust, with his hat blowing out the window and before the faces of shocked and unnerved London police officers. Meanwhile Wonder Woman then turns around after slaughtering this man (plus another terrorist who’s head she smashes into a wall) to rather jarringly smile at the school children. She leans down before one girl to say, “You can be whatever you want to be.” It’s actually sweeter than her saying “[I’m] a believer,” but I’m not sure it works given the new tone of the scene.

The next time we see Diana is a longer version of the scene where she discovers her mother has fired a burning arrow into the Temple of the Amazons in Greece. Snyder actually uses an impressive long one-take shot where Diana remains in focus, cleaning a statue at the Louvre, while her co-workers stay out of focus and needle her with questions. It’s a genuinely dryly funny, restrained moment, unique for this genre.

There is also an all-new scene of Diana going to Greece and retrieving the arrow from the temple. It’s one of the better additions that feels like a pseudo-Indiana Jones scene of Diana using the arrow to unlock a hidden chamber beneath the ruins, and then descending with a torch. Below she discovers a spooky room filled with spooky murals containing even spookier images of Mother Boxes and war… and a godlike monster DC fans will recognize as Darkseid.

Diana’s narration of what these images tell her is also different (more on that in the Darkseid section), with no lakeside chat with Bruce. Rather than using romantic imagery, Snyder favors to-the-point storytelling between colleagues as Diana tells Bruce in his new Batplane that the Age of Heroes defeated Darkseid. That age is over.

Read more

Movies

How Wonder Woman 1984 Treats Its Villains Sets the Movie Apart

By Rosie Fletcher

Movies

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Why Wonder Woman and the Amazons Have a New Theme

By David Crow

While Bruce is recruiting Barry, Diana has a nice scene with Alfred about making tea before Victor Stone summons her by hacking the Bat-computer. She has no idea who he is in this scene (as opposed to having seen him earlier in the Whedon Cut), and there is no conversation where she convinces him to meet her. Instead, he designates location, summoning her. Their next scene together is more or less the same as in the Whedon Cut.

Overall, Diana has few added scenes and is honestly one of the less developed characters in the Snyder Cut despite being one-half of the team’s leadership. So the inclination of giving her more to do than discover Darkseid/Steppenwolf’s backstory was a prudent one, but all it left her with was smiling longingly as Batman drives off in the Batmobile during the third act. Ugh.

The Amazons on the other hand…

The Amazons

While Wonder Woman’s scenes in the Snyder Cut largely remain the same, the Amazons are given subtle but fierce new texture in their few added moments.

The movie opens with the Amazons tirelessly on guard when the Mother Box awakens. The next time we see them, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) is arriving to inspect the phenomenon for a prolonged build-up to Steppenwolf’s attack. When one soldier tells their Queen maybe the box will go back to sleep, Hippolyta remarks, “Evil doesn’t sleep. It waits.”

Steppenwolf eventually attacks, leading to one of the best moments in the Snyder Cut. When he says his Parademons will feed off their fear, Hippolyta calls to her Amazons, “Daughters of Themyscira, show him your fear!” In a tribal yell matched by Junkie XL’s score, they chant back, “We have no fear!” Slaughter commences.

The battle is much bigger and more reliant on slow-motion, including shots of Hippolyta flipping off walls and hesitating to bury the other Amazonians alive. Yep, when she tells her sisters to seal the cave, it’s a death trap. The door collapses, and then the whole structure also falls into the sea. There is then A. Long. Beat. of Hippolyta thinking she’s killed Steppenwolf before he and his Parademons ascend from the sea to slaughter more of the Amazons.

The Amazonians’ defeat is largely the same, although there is now a long denouement, with the Amazons having a musical prayer that grieves their dead and brings magic to the arrow they’ll fire to warn Diana. The Amazons and Wonder Woman iconography are also much more heavily featured in flashbacks to Darkseid’s first attack on Earth 5,000 years ago. We get better shots of Zeus and Ares (David Thewlis from Wonder Woman), and Amazonian Venelia (Doutzen Kroes) being filmed like she’s one of Snyder’s 300 Spartans in the ancient war. But all of that is just background for…

Steppenwolf and Darkseid

Steppenwolf is one of the most dramatically improved characters in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Beyond more spikes being added to his armor (and his chin being slightly shrunken from its ridiculous size), the Ciarán Hinds-voiced baddie’s motivations are wholly different. In the Whedon Cut, he was a generic “conquer the world” supervillain who was defeated thousands of years ago on Earth by an alliance of men, Amazonians, and Atlanteans. He then returns and refers to his Mother Boxes as “mother.”

While he still chases magic boxes he wants to use to conquer the world in the Snyder Cut, he’s at least a little more nuanced and a lot more despairing toward the whole endeavor. Steppenwolf is revealed to be a meek middle management malcontent with dreams of coming home. As we eventually learn in dialogue exchanges over BvS’ weird molten metal intergalactic telecommunication technology, Steppenwolf is a pariah back home on the planet Apokolips. Long ago, he was party to a failed coup against comic book creator Jack Kirby’s ultimate space fascist, Darkseid (Ray Porter). Think Thanos before there was a Thanos.

“I fall before you,” Steppenwolf moans during his first conversation with Darkseid’s minion DeSaad (Peter Guinness). “Let me make a plea that I may come home after I take this world in [Darkseid’s] name.” But DeSaad will not hear it, saying Steppenwolf is basically on probation for helping an attempted coup against Darkseid millennia ago, even if Steppenwolf then changed sides and killed Darkseid’s other betrayers. Now Steppenwolf has a debt of a 150,000 worlds he must conquer in Darkseid’s name if he wishes to return home.

Basically, Steppenwolf is a putz. Hence he can be both menacing and pathetic when he first attacks the Amazons and remarks of them, with a hint of resigned boredom, “Defenders? Defenders have failed a hundred thousand worlds. They always fail.” And it’s with exhaustion he decides to create his home base on an irradiated scrap of Russian land because it’s toxic.

Read more

Comics

Jack Kirby: Comics’ Greatest Storyteller

By Rand Hoppe

Movies

Justice League: New Snyder Cut Steppenwolf Draws Internet Fire

By Kirsten Howard

Darkseid, by contrast, is introduced to be Emperor Palpatine meets Sauron. Aye, there’s a real Lord of the Rings level of ambition to Diana’s flashback to the Age of Heroes. Rather than Steppenwolf, it’s Darkseid who first steps foot on Earth, turning some of the soil into the scorched cursive hellscape that Kirby fans will be intimately familiar with. We also get a better look of his foes, including an alien Green Lantern whom Darkseid personally kills by cutting off his hand. The green ring flies away before the fiend can grab it.

The sequence is filmed to mirror the opening moments of The Fellowship of the Ring, with Darkseid’s defeat harkening back to the glorious day the people of Middle-earth were victorious. However, personally speaking, it doesn’t reach that height, with Darkseid coming off like more of an overpowered Orc who’s out-flexed by Ares. Yep, David Thewlis’ villain from Wonder Woman is revealed to be the guy who whoops Darkseid’s ass in the end, planting an axe in his shoulder blade and leading the Greatest Evil to be carried from the battlefield, screaming.

Much later in the movie, Darkseid is introduced properly when Steppenwolf reveals he’s learned Earth is home to the Anti-Life Equation. It’s a pretty vague secondary MacGuffin in the context of the Snyder Cut, although Steppenwolf says it would give Darkseid power over the multiverse—it’s unclear why Darkseid did not know it was on Earth when he lost to Ares and the band of heroes, or why he never could come back for it.

However, Darkseid then appears on the telecom with Steppenwolf, causing the Spiked One to take off his armor for the first time and show his bare flesh in fealty to his space dictator. Darkseid promises Steppenwolf he can come home once he’s taken Earth and brings Darkseid the Anti-Life Equation.

We also get a glimpse of how Darkseid plans to use it. Elsewhere in the movie, Cyborg has an inexplicable vision the moment right before a Mother Box is used to bring Superman back from the dead: It’s of an Armageddon much darker than the Knightmare scene in Batman v Superman. The sequence begins with the Amazons finally off Themyscira. They’re burning Wonder Woman in a funeral pyre after putting two coins on her eyes for the boatmen. Hippolyta cries.

Elsewhere in a montage, Superman grieves over the scorched body that can only be Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Darkseid appears to place a not-so-comforting hand on his shoulder. Later we see the ruins of the Hall of Justice that diehard Superfriends fans will recognize, with an evil Superman flying over it with heat ray eyes. Finally, we see Darkseid himself murder Aquaman with his own trident…

This appears to be an inevitable future of “the Snyder Verse.”

Aquaman

But that is not the destination of the current film. The Snyder Cut, after all, has to lay a lot of groundwork that’ll make us care about these characters in the here and now.

Aquaman is the first to get that treatment in his early scene with Bruce Wayne (detailed more above). The Whedon Cut includes Arthur Curry saying, “You’re out of your mind, Bruce Wayne” as he gets into freezing cold water to swim away. In the Snyder Cut, we don’t see him shoot off. Rather Arthur disappears quietly beneath bubbles between shots. Snyder’s desire to emphasize the godlike wonder of these characters is then underlined in neon when several villagers see him off by singing a worshipful Icelandic hymn in Aquaman’s honor.

If the point is missed, after several minutes of crooning, one woman walks up to caress the sweater Aquaman took off and sniff it, savoring his undoubtedly godlike musk.

The sequence of Aquaman saving a crew from a shipwreck is almost exactly the same in the Snyder Cut, although there are no added jokes about him calling the captain “Ahab” in the bar. Additionally, there’s a really nice grace note of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “There is a Kingdom” playing when Aquaman goes to brood stoically before a raging storm. It’s exactly the same as in the Whedon Cut, but Whedon makes it generic blockbuster filler with a White Stripes song playing in the background. Snyder goes for a mournful, reflective tone that resembles the better elements of his version of Justice League.

Afterward Aquaman makes his first of two trips to Atlantis in the film—meeting Vulko (Willem Dafoe) in a scene that was entirely deleted. It turns out the effect of Atlalnteans only talking in air bubbles was always a Snyder affectation, although what was lost in the Whedon Cut (and eventual Aquaman movie) is that all the properly born Atlanteans speak with English accents. Dafoe’s Vulko is a bit hammier, seeming adjacent to Dafoe’s wonderful turn in The Lighthouse. But Amber Heard’s Mera speaking her lines in a purely Posh London accent after a whole movie of her using an American one in Aquaman is a real trip.

Read more

Movies

Creating the World of Aquaman

By Mike Cecchini

Comics

Aquaman: The End of an Era

By Marc Buxton

What brings Arthur back the second time is Steppenwolf diving below the waves for the Mother Box. He learns of its location (which is unexplained in the Whedon Cut) by torturing Atlanteans whom Parademons have dragged from the ocean, reading the water dwellers’ minds with some gruesome sci-fi spider robot.

Steppenwolf’s actual attack on Atlantis is much more coherent in the Snyder Cut. With action beats given time to pause, and Steppenwolf’s surprise appearance underwater less hilariously cringe-inducing. Mera also gets a cool moment where the villain has her pushed against the wall and says she can’t run away, “I wasn’t trying to,” she responds. Previously, we saw her use superpowers to suck water out of air pockets; now she uses it to suck the blood out of Steppenwolf’s face. He of course throws her back into the water and almost kills her if not for Arthur’s chivalrous, splash-page rescue of his future love interest.

Most of Aquaman’s subsequent scenes play out the same, although he is much less brutish and frat bro-y. There are at least three fewer “yeahs” and “alrights!,” and there is no scene of him sitting on Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, blurting out he’s scared and horny at the same time.

The Flash

Interestingly, the Flash is both the least developed of the superheroes in the Snyder Cut and also the most unchanged by Whedon. It appears that Ezra Miller’s seemingly improvised humor was the element of least importance to Snyder, and the most useful thing Snyder filmed for Whedon’s purposes.

Maybe that’s why the Flash’s first scene in the Snyder Cut does not occur until nearly 70 minutes into the film. It’s also a wholly different introduction scene to what we saw in the theatrical cut. In the restored sequence, Barry Allen is applying for a job as a dog groomer at a pet shop when the unnamed woman who just left—or as fans know her, Iris West (Kiersey Clemons)—is almost pancaked by a semi-truck. The driver, in a rather crude cliché, is a simpleton reaching for his food on the cab’s floor when he slams into Iris’ convertible.

Luckily, Barry sees it coming and slows things down for another somber needle drop on the soundtrack. The whole thing plays like a more wistful, alternative rock version to one of Quicksilver’s big scenes in the X-Men movies. In extreme slow-motion, Barry catches a hot dog from an exploding hot dog vendor, placing it in his pocket, and then catches Iris out of her shattered car. When time returns to normal, Iris realizes she was saved by this cute dork, who then rushes back in time for the pet shop owner to be unsure who broke her window in the blink of an eye. Barry’s feeding the hot dog to her canines.

Otherwise, by and large, the Flash’s scenes remain the same until near the end. Snyder has removed Whedon’s unfunny addition of Barry drawing glasses on the eyes of someone in line while waiting to see his dad at prison, but the Miller/Billy Crudup scene remains the same but longer. Bruce Wayne still breaks into Barry’s loft and tells Barry his superpower is that “I’m rich.”

In the Striker Island action sequence, rather than “save one,” the Flash leads an exodus of civilians to the surface. And when debris nearly falls on them, he creates a shield by running so fast he looks like lightning in the sky blocking the falling rubble. He also is wounded by a Parademon laser blast so sharp it leaves him bleeding from the side of his leg, temporarily hobbled.

The one significant change before the climax is Barry and Victor digging up Clark Kent’s grave. It’s a sincerely quiet moment that (Wonder Woman leering aside) is refreshingly earnest and hushed for a superhero movie.

“I could do this in a second,” Barry says. Victor responds, “Yeah.” The implication is they should take their time and give Superman the honor he deserves. After his body is exhumed and wrapped up, Barry says, “He was my hero.”

Cyborg

Of the main five heroes in Justice League, Cyborg turned out to be the most important by far. Whatever occurred behind the scenes between Whedon, the producers, and Fisher, the actor had reason to be frustrated simply because his character arc was removed. In its place, he was forced to say, “Booyah.”

The Snyder Cut restores Victor Stone/Cyborg’s importance from the opening credits onward. It begins by basking in what isn’t sad between Victor and his father Dr. Silas Stone (Joe Morton). Initially, we spend more time with Silas, as the father throws himself into his work at STAR Labs to better understand the Mother Boxes.

Eventually, Cyborg gets his own flashback to a time when he was more man than machine. Under an aching musical theme written by Junkie XL, it’s revealed Victor was a gifted genius (his dean even says so!) at Gotham University. Victor is so intelligent, while also being a football star, that he can get away with hacking into the school’s database and changing a friend’s grades.

We also meet his mother who defends her son’s kind heart from the dean in a sequence that’s intercut with his slow-motion football glory, plus a side of melancholy because daddy wasn’t there. Only mom shows up for the game. Afterward they argue in the car about whether Dad really cares about Victor. A car is then seen rushing (unsurprisingly) into frame, T-Boning their car.

The process of Victor becoming Cyborg is only hinted at in scenes through various other flashbacks. But we do see Silas being told his wife is dead and that he’ll soon have to let his son go, too. Hence the bad blood between the two nearly throughout the Snyder Cut’s whole four hours. When we see Silas come home to Victor at their apartment, the son will not even speak to his father. Instead he reluctantly agrees to listen to a recording his father left for him. On the tape, Silas tells his son that the fate of the entire world is now “in your hands, Vic.”

Thanks to the alien technology of the Mother Box used to resurrect Cyborg, Victor has superpowers, which we see him fumblingly try out by flying on his father’s Gotham rooftop. But that’s “just the tip of the tip” of the iceberg, according to Silas’ voiceover. Victor’s high-end computer body now gives him the ability to control the world’s nuclear arsenals and the world’s economy.

This is visualized in a CGI mind palace created in Cybrog’s digital brain. There Fisher gets to play Victor as whole, and without a red eye. Some of it is effective, like floating missiles above his head. Other bits are just ludicrous, like financial markets being personified by a CGI bear slapping a CGI bull. It’s… weird.

But there are nice elements too, like Victor choosing to use his superpowers to see folks suffering, and giving a struggling single mother $150,000 out of an ATM machine. Through it all, he remains hooded and lonely, catching glimpses of people staring at his glowing countenance. It’s why he destroys his father’s recording when Dad tries to stop talking about Cyborg’s powers and instead address Vic as a loving father.

What draws Victor out of his proverbial cave is of course his father being kidnapped by Parademons. He seeks Diana Prince’s counsel but ignores her when she says his powers are a gift—I did miss the line, “If these are gifts why am I always the one paying for them?” Still, as in the Whedon Cut, he shows up on GCPD’s rooftop to join the team.

The one big addition during all the fighting is that when Cyborg flies now, his famous comic book face armor that protects everything but his red eye is finally used on screen. Plus he gets to save his father. Silas is shocked his son came for him, but Victor only says, “You’re my father.” Nothing more needs to be said.

After the Striker Island fight, however, Victor again takes center stage when Aquaman accuses him of possibly being compromised by his alien tech body. Cyborg reveals in a visual flashback, which Victor walks through in his mind palace, that the Mother Box was acquired by the Allies during World War II, taken from the Nazis’ collection of occult goodies in 1944. For nearly a century, it sat undisturbed in the Department of Defense until his father Silas realized it was similar to the technology used by the Kryptonian ship in downtown Metropolis.

That’s how Silas discovered its power, and in a horrifying flashback, he uses it when he looks at his son’s body on a slab, Vic’s lower torso gone. When Silas uses the magic box on Victor, the son screams bloody murder.

It is Victor Stone who puts the pieces together for the nascent Justice League and gets the heroes to begin acting like a real team. He puts together for the others that the Mother Box can be used to bring Superman back from the dead, and projects an image of Big Boy Blue for everyone to see.

Vic leads the team into STAR Labs to do the deed. And when Silas sees his son, still not talking to him, walk by with Batman and other weirdos, Dad doesn’t call it in. In fact, Vic and Silas are why the heroes win in this version, because after the Superman resurrection is bolloxed up, and Steppenwolf arrives to retrieve the third Mother Box, rather than run away, Silas sacrifices himself by heating the box with a laser so hot, that Batman can conveniently track wherever it goes in the world.

One could argue Cyborg was the most crucial of the heroes in organizing a true team team. Well, him and the legacy of another…

Superman

One imagines Superman’s treatment by Snyder and screenwriter Chris Terrio in what we now call the Snyder Cut, and Batman v Superman before it, played a major role in Warners’ eventual lack of confidence in the filmmakers. The beginning of the Whedon Cut even starts by course correcting where Whedon might’ve thought Snyder went wrong. Hence the awkward smartphone video of Superman talking to some children with a big smile on his face (and mustache unconvincingly erased from it).

Honestly, though? The depiction of Superman in the Snyder Cut is at times quite heroic and sweet. Certainly sweeter than the abysmal “no one stays good forever in this world” line of dialogue from BvS. However, there are major caveats.

Someone who unequivocally benefits from the new version is Amy Adams’ Lois Lane. While she again has relatively little to do, the rare moments where she is on screen in the Snyder Cut count a hell of a lot more. For starters, there is a genuinely heartfelt sequence about grief—one that it’s fair to wonder if Snyder has added special emphasis to. We follow Lois as she begins her morning routine by getting out of bed, buying a cup of coffee, and going to spend an hour or so at Superman’s memorial in downtown Metropolis.

The soundtrack plays Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “Distant Sky,” and the scene bleeds a dignified sorrow as Lois unfurls her umbrella in the rain and walks up to Superman’s memorial to lay flowers. The cop she gives her morning coffee to asks Miss Lane if she ever skips a day, and she says there’s nowhere else she’d rather be. This is the transition to the Superman flag in London.

Afterward Lois goes nearly two hours before appearing again in the film, while Diane Lane’s Ma Kent (who is seen early in the picture leaving home) vanishes for well over that amount of time. It makes their reunion scene in Lois’ apartment feel awkward and obligatory after such a long pause, but the restored scene is still better than the “Clark told me you were the thirstiest girl he ever met” in the Whedon Cut. At least until the Ma Kent of this scene is pointlessly revealed to be Martian Manhunter. (Sigh.) It’s almost as bad a bit of forced world-building as future Barry Allen warning Batman about Lois Lane in BvS.

Meanwhile the League all comes to the idea of resurrecting Superman at the same time, and there are no second guesses other than Alfred’s skepticism. Thus begins a resurrection sequence where it’s genuinely affecting to hear Zimmer’s Superman theme again as Kal-El’s body is placed into the Kryptonian ships goo-room. Similarly, Snyder achieves another grace moment when Lois sees Superman flying in the sky right after his resurrection. Before this moment, Lois made the decision in bed that morning for this to be the last time she’d visit and grieve Superman’s death at the memorial. We’re also teased to the fact she keeps a pregnancy test on the nightstand. So she made her final trip to his memorial.

And on the same day, Superman came back.

Read more

Movies

Men of Steel: 11 Actors Who Have Played Superman

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Superman Reboot: Ta-Nehisi Coates Can Get Character Back to His Essence

By David Crow

Unfortunately, his return is much the same as it was in the Whedon Cut, with the gloomy gray cinematography and the outright sinister version of Superman who’s apparently forgotten his identity. In fact, he’s more menacing than the familiar footage of him smacking down Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Now he takes time to study his monument before still coldly attacking the other superheroes and using his heat ray vision to try and murder U.S. soldiers stationed by his memorial.

If not for the interference of Batman, Superman would’ve killed servicemen. For what it’s worth though, he tries to kill Batman too. Gone is the “do you bleed?” callback to the previou cut. Instead Superman uses his heat ray vision to try and cook Batman inside his own cowl—which is only stopped by Bruce’s special “energy absorption” gauntlets.

As with the Whedon Cut, Bruce’s death is prevented when Lois shows up, but now of her own volition, and she and Clark fly away to Smallville. And once there, Superman’s soul returns and we get nice Americana scenes of Clark Kent watching a butterfly land on his hand, and Lois joining him in the wheat field.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says of the engagement ring he planned to give her before his death, and which she keeps on her hand. Soon Ma Kent joins them and it’s a lovely moment of reconciliation with the women in his life. It’s also far more emotionally effective than the version of Lois apologizing to Clark for “not being strong” after he died in the Whedon Cut.

And yet… it’s compromised by the constant foreshadowing of another heel turn in Superman’s future. The Kryptonian ship keeps warning, pleading even, with Cyborg that there is “no turning back from this action” as he prepares to resurrect Superman. Only then does he have a vision of an evil Kal-El drifting over a smoldering Metropolis. This muddle created by these conflicting sensibilities—folksy domesticity versus foreboding doom—do not mesh. At all.

At the very least, Clark returns to the Kryptonian ship to find there was a black Superman suit hidden all along in the corner. Additionally, he hears both of his dads’ voices, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Pa Kent (Kevin Costner). Some of it is old audio about “they’ll join you in the sun” from Man of Steel. Some of it is new recordings, which don’t really make sense as both men are dead. But we hear Pa repeat, “Fly son” and Jor-El intone, “Love them as we loved you.”

Black-suited Superman then flies into the orbit, taking the same Christ pose he had in Man of Steel, visually suggesting the Lord is risen, hallelujah. Superman then flies to the Batcave and meets Alfred, who tells him where to go… for the end of things.

The Ending

It is the ending, when everyone comes together, where the Whedon Cut and Snyder Cut perhaps most definitively diverge. It’s still technically the same ending: the five main members of the League show up in a nondescript Russian town to fight Parademons. Superman returns at a desperate moment and they all prevent the Mother Boxes from becoming one ungodly MacGuffin that would destroy Earth, knocking Steppenwolf on his CG ass.

Yet how these elements are incorporated, and where they leave the DC Extended Universe, are like on different planes of existence. From the top, the gore level (as with the Striker Island fight) is just more extreme in the Snyder Cut. Batman shoots Parademons with his Batmobile and then later uses the aliens’ own plasma guns against them; Wonder Woman beheads and cripples more computer generated baddies than all the armies of Gondor combined. Even Aquaman’s trident tastes blood.

There is also a much stronger sense of teamwork in the Snyder Cut. Batman’s suicide play of driving headlong into carnage makes more sense in this version as he crashes his plane into one of Steppenwolf’s magical machines, which brings down a force field and lets the team enter beneath the villain’s dome. And instead of Wonder Woman coming alone to Batman’s rescue, the whole team fights alongside his Batmobile for a freeze frame worthy of a splash page. It really is bizarre that Whedon, who was so good at these kinds of images in his Avengers movies, took this one out.

Once inside Steppenwolf’s evil lair, things are also far more exciting. There are no civilians (or randomly shoehorned in Russian family) to save. But there are enormous stakes as Cyborg has to stop the Boxes by merging with them. In the process, he enters his proverbial mind palace to face the three boxes in the flesh, as they’ve turned into literal witch crones. At first they appear as his dead parents, promising mom is ready to be reunited with her “broken boy,” but it’s a ruse that torments Victor to an even greater degree.

Meanwhile Steppenwolf has opened a Boom Tube portal to Apokolips where Darkseid, DeSaad, and Granny Goodness are waiting to take over Earth and claim the Anti-Life Equation. It was always “save the world” stakes in both versions, but you actually feel them in the Snyder Cut, particularly since… the heroes fail.

In a development that maybe would’ve left a Flash solo movie with nowhere to go, Darkseid and Steppenwolf briefly win, the three Mother Boxes merging despite Cyborg’s best efforts. The world instantly begins being ripped apart by a CG blur which presumably will turn Earth into a hellscape. The Flash, who is further afield from the action and bleeding from a gruesome wound in the side of his stomach, knows he has only one choice: to run backwards in time fast enough to reverse the flow of time.

It’s a trick that is expected to play heavily in DC Films’ upcoming Flashpoint inspired film, and Barry executes it here to undo the heroes’ defeat. Running into a seeming tornado of blue computer generated lightning, Barry undoes the damage and gives Cyborg a little more time, with Superman’s help, to stop the boxes from combining.

The action prevents the world’s end and allows Aquaman to skewer Steppenwolf like a fish on a hook. In the Whedon Cut, Steppenwolf is slashed by Wonder Woman and unsatisfyingly undone by becoming so fearful that he triggers his Parademons’ scent, and they eat him alive. Essentially, it’s a dippy retread of The Lion King where Scar is devoured by his own hyenas.

While certainly more bloodthirsty, there’s no denying there’s a satisfaction in Aquaman stabbing Steppenwolf, Superman punching him, and finally Wonder Woman beheading him. That is justice for her fallen Amazonian sisters.

Afterward, the whole direction of the DCEU still pivots toward darkness in Snyder’s vision. The Boom Tube to Apokolips stays open long enough for Steppenwolf’s head to return home. Darkseid crushes it beneath his foot. He also accepts that, for whatever reason, they cannot reach Earth through the Boom Tubes due to this defeat. “We will do things the old way,” Darkseid hisses. He summons the armada to head to Earth, setting up a very different future for the DCEU.

Epilogue

Continuing on the divergent paths between the Whedon and Snyder Cuts, the epilogue of the latter (complete with a title card) essentially presents the road not taken in the DCEU. Many of the elements we saw in the Whedon Cut remain, such as Bruce and Diana opening up Wayne Manor to become the headquarters for the Justice League by building a table “with room for more;” we also see Barry tell his incarcerated Dad he got a job at the Central City crime lab; and of course there’s Superman’s beloved shirt rip.

However, there’s so much more added on by Snyder. Some of it is very intriguing, such as Diana taking the arrow from her mother and looking out at the horizon of the Aegean Sea by the Temple of the Amazons. The implication is she’s begun yearning to return home. Could this have once been the plot thread of Wonder Woman 2? Could it still become the plot thread of Wonder Woman 3?

The most effective element is, again, Cyborg as he reconstructs his father’s broken audio recording and hears Silas’ love as a “father twice over.” It’s bittersweet Victor never got to verbally reconcile with his papa, but just saying, “You’re my father” might’ve been enough.

Read more

Movies

Joker: 6 Actors Who Have Played the Clown Prince of Crime

By David Crow

Movies

The Dark Knight: Why Heath Ledger’s Joker is Still Scary Today

By David Crow

Yet the epilogue ultimately becomes a teaser for what Snyder’s original vision for a Justice League trilogy might’ve looked like. In the Whedon Cut, the sequence of Lex Luthor on a yacht with Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) comes as a post-credit sequence. In the Snyder Cut, it’s part of the body of the story. The build-up to Lex’s escape is longer, and once on the yacht he has no quippy joke about “forming a league of our own.” But he does tell Deathstroke that Batman’s secret identity is Bruce Wayne.

That captures Deathstroke’s attention and seems to set up potentially catastrophic events for Bruce’s future in Affleck’s now defunct The Batman movie. It also would appear to further set up the Legion of Doom Justice League sequel with Deathstroke and Luthor.

But that’s pittance compared to the far bigger stinger for the future. In one more “Knightmare,” and another vision of a future where Darkseid has turned Earth into a Mad Max apocalypse, we once more see Affleck’s Batman as a road warrior in a desert, this time with Amber Heard’s Mera, the Flash, Deathstroke, and Cyborg as his road trip buddies. Clearly Cyborg’s vision earlier in the film came to pass, with Mera swearing she’ll kill Darkseid in order to avenge Arthur.

The biggest bombshell here though is that this is where Jared Leto reprises his performance as the Joker. I wish I could say it was better than this grubby, grinning, awkward reshoot moment where he talks about giving the Batman a reach around. Bruce’s dialogue isn’t much better as he mumbles, “When I held Harley Quinn, and she was bleeding and dying, she begged me with her last breath that when I killed you—and make no mistake I will fucking kill you—that I do it slow.”

We’re a long way from Adam West, eh? The sequence ends with Evil Superman appearing with heat ray vision, coming to kill all of them. This clearly stands as a trailer for Justice League sequels that almost certainly will never be. It’s also a vision for the Justice League trilogy Snyder originally planned with Terrio that’s making its rounds across the internet. Part III was meant to be about Batman and the Flash in the ruins of a destroyed Earth traveling back in time so Batman could make sure that Lois Lane never died—sacrificing his life so Superman never turned to evil. Again.

I can’t say this scene adds a lot to this movie, any more than the final, final tease of Harry Lennix’s Martian Manhunter showing up one more random time to give Bruce Wayne a pat on the shoulder. He says your parents would be proud of you and that he wants to join his team. Affleck’s Bruce is strangely not perplexed by any of this and gives off a general “Cool story, bro” vibe.

Martian Manhunter travels into a future we will never see, setting up a sequel that has been abandoned. It’s a shame, but it is so brazenly, defiantly Snyder’s vision—and so far removed from the Whedon Cut’s goofy ending on Superman and Flash having a happy go lucky race to the Pacific—that one can at least give this to to the director: He did it his way. There’s something to be said about that.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post Zack Snyder’s Justice League vs. the Whedon Cut: What are the Differences? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3eTEkDF

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek