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I'm going to do something a bit different and take a close look at two major works from the DC Universe: Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier, and James Robinson and Paul Smith's The Golden Age. If you're playing along at home, the texts I'm using are The Absolute New Frontier from 2006 and The Golden Age trade paperback from 1995.
First a bit of personal context: I didn't enjoy The New Frontier when it first came out, serialized in six quite expensive installments. I loved Cooke's art, I loved the use of some of the more obscure DC war characters, and I loved the characterization of the Martian Manhunter, but the narrative didn't work for me when read in small monthly doses back in 2004. I had read all of the full-length work Cooke had done up until 2004, and none of it had disappointed me at all. But The New Frontier seemed to read more like a tour through the 1950s and 1960s than an actual story. It wasn't until the final issue that I really understood what Cooke was leading up to, but then it was over, and I didn't have the time or the inclination to dig out the back issues and read the whole thing in one sitting. Even when I got the two-volume trade paperback collection a couple of years ago (in an eBay lot of trade paperbacks I bought off of none other than comic book scholar George Khoury), I still didn't bother to read it. To paraphrase Hemingway's Frederic Henry, we don't do the things we want to do.
So I never actually read the entire text of The New Frontier until this past winter, when I was able to sit down with the luxurious Absolute edition and dive into Cooke's illustrated world. I enjoyed it immensely, enough that I wanted to reread it again this summer, which is what I have just done, and now I want to talk about it. But I don't want to talk about it in isolation, and I'm interested in the connection between texts, so I'll also talk about its logical precursor: The Golden Age.
Like The New Frontier, Robinson and Smith's The Golden Age deals with the era between the 1940s and the 1960s. The era in which the comic book Golden Age grew into the comic book Silver Age. The era in which America was undergoing its own transformation, moving from threats abroad to suspicion at home. And just as I had difficulty enjoying The New Frontier as a serialized comic, I couldn't appreciate The Golden Age in that manner either. I only bought the first two issues, actually, back in the early 1990s, and then I lost interest, vaguely thinking that I might buy it as a collected edition some day (even though collections were not guaranteed the way they are today). I did buy it when the trade paperback was released, and because I had never finished it originally, I read the collection immediately. And I liked it. But I thought it was deeply flawed.
I reread The Golden Age yesterday, after thinking about it in regards to The New Frontier. It's not a surprising connection, after all. Cooke himself claims The Golden Age as an inspiration for his own work. But my memory of The Golden Age was a bit hazy, and I recalled it being a much more cynical view of the territory than what Cooke achieved in The New Frontier. My recall was pretty accurate--Robinson and Smith present a quite cynical view of the late Golden Age America.
Now that I've read both works back-to-back, I'm interested in exploring what each says about super-heroes, what each says about America, and how each achieves its (very different) effects. These are the kinds of things I'll be looking at over the next few days.
James Robinson's use of History in The Golden Age
One of the things that strikes me about both The New Frontier and The Golden Age is the way the creators weave American history into their stories. On the surface, such a technique might not be surprising, especially considering that both tales take place in the past. And while it may be true that a so-called "historical novel" or "period film" would be amiss to neglect the details of history which fit its setting, the same isn't always true for comics.
In comics, stories set in the past tend to take place in some vague memory of the past, without any apparent intent in locking the stories into a particular date or era. Take the typical origin stories, or "Year One" stories which DC Comics' creators have retold again and again. In such a story, whether it be Miller and Mazzuchelli's take on Batman, or Waid, Augustyn, and Kitson's take on the Justice League, the setting lacks a distinct time stamp. The characters are younger, true, but the setting lacks specific period detail. The reason for this isn't at all surprising, because locking the characters' past into a specific date would require some major explanations about their ages in the present. Had Miller time-stamped the date on Batman: Year One, and included captions saying "May 3rd, 1980," or whatever, then that might have worked for a few years, but even if we assume that Batman was only 23 when he took inspiration from that window-smashing flying rodent, according to that temporal continuity, he'd be 50 years old in the current stories. And he's clearly not.
So we expect stories set in the past to avoid any kind of specific references to contemporary history, at least in comics. A recent jarring exception to that can be found in Diggle and Jock's newly released Green Arrow: Year One, in which a young Oliver Queen references the "Kevin Costner" Robin Hood. That means Queen must have become Green Arrow sometime in the mid-1990s, which might explain his age today (if he was 22 in 1992, he'd be 37 today, which might be right), but it also implies that his son Connor must only be a teenager today, and he's clearly older than that. Perhaps the reference will work better 10 years from now when the Kevin Costner reference will become part of the vague historical past, but right now it seems too current to make sense.
Anyway, the other MAJOR exception to the rule of not using historical references in comics is the case of stories set during World War II. Even comic books written at the time of WWII regularly included time-stamp references in a way that later comics tended to avoid. Yes, since then, Superman has met Kennedy, and you might see analogues of Bill Clinton or George W. in a story or two, but in the 1940s heroes came face to face with major historical figures (contemporaries to them) on an almost daily basis. Here's FDR! Here's Superman grabbing Hitler on a cover! Here's Tojo! Here's Hawkman enlisting in the army to fight overseas! Etc. Such close ties between "comic book reality" and real-life events never matched the heights of the WWII comics.
And that's why later writers, Roy Thomas MOST prominently among them (he practically invented the whole idea of historical nostalgia super-hero comics), felt compelled to weave actual historical events into the retelling of stories from the WWII era. Thomas's Invaders for Marvel and his All-Star Squadron for DC playfully fit the timeline of actual US history into the fictional timeline of the past super-heroes. In his letter columns, Thomas would often explain (or justify, for the more contentious fans) how the chronology worked.
But, other than WWII era-stories, most comic book stories that take place in the past (unless they are time travel stories, which have their own rules) DO NOT USE SPECIFIC HISTORICAL REFERENCES. It's weird to imagine novels or films avoiding such references—they would surely be criticized for it—but in comics, it's commonplace.
So, in the case of both The New Frontier and The Golden Age, you have two rather significant violations of that standard "rule." And both of which seem deeply indebted to the type of approach Roy Thomas favored so much.
Let's take The Golden Age first, since it was published a decade before Cooke's work. The Golden Age seems like a logical off-shoot of Thomas's All-Star Squadron. It features many of the same characters, and Johnny Quick, a relatively obscure DC character from the past, would certainly not have been a suitable narrator for the story without the characterization Thomas provided in years of All-Star Squadron stories. James Robinson is clearly building on the foundation Thomas created. So, it's not surprising that he would, like Thomas, blend US history into his story. Yet Robinson's approach differs in two distinct ways: (1) He doesn't seem interested in the exact historical details and how they fit into his timeline—he seems more interested in the general sense of historical forces of the time, and (2) Unlike Thomas, who was writing out of a Golden and Silver Age optimism and a belief in the American Dream, Robinson was writing from a post-Watchmen perspective, as a foreign-born writer, who could play with the cynical expectations of the time.
Thus, Robinson gives us coke-sniffing "super-heroes," corruption, brutality, and sex in a tale which features the "pure" heroes of the DC Golden Age of comics. Robinson's approach is not to use specific elements of McCarthyism or the Red Scare (even though those ideas are referenced at least once), but to use the general sense of paranoia and panic, the cynical manipulation of the public for personal gain, and the looming threat of the bomb.
Ultimately, however, Robinson uses all of this as a backdrop for a traditional super-hero romp. The coke-sniffing "super-hero" turns out to be Hitler in disguise!!! (Well, actually the brain of Hitler in the body of a former kid sidekick—talk about a symbol of corruption!) And the hero-turned-power-hungry-politician in the form of the patriotic Mr. America turns out to be old JSA villain the Ultra-Humanite, who knows a thing or two about brain transplants. So, in the end, it's just a classic Golden Age story about punching Hitler and defeating an evil genius.
But it's Robinson's historical subtext which makes the story resonate. It's his use of those undercurrents of paranoia and despair which make these formerly perfect heroes of the past seem flawed and human. His story starts dark and becomes darker but, by the end, Robinson's veil of cynicism falls away, and he reveals himself to be a humanist, if not an optimist. His reverence for these Golden Age characters would not let them be truly corrupted—it had to be evil masterminds and Hitler all along.
And that, perhaps, is one of the failures of The Golden Age. The shock of the initial chapters is just a ruse, and as low as these characters seem to sink, everything can be explained by pseudo-science and comic book logic.
It's just another Justice Society of America story, ultimately, but it's a good one. And Robinson's use of the undercurrents from that era of history make it work, even if it never transcends its roots.
The New Frontier and Camelot
While The Golden Age used the historical subtext to evoke currents of paranoia and doom in a super-hero story, The New Frontier approaches history with a different agenda. As Ultimate Matt pointed out in response to yesterday's post, The Golden Age is labeled an "Elseworlds" title, which not only grants it an exemption from DC continuity, but it allows more freedom for the creators to take the characters and setting in a fresh direction.
The New Frontier, however, is not labeled as an "Elseworlds." And yet, it strays far more from the currently accepted version of continuity than The Golden Age does. The key word there is "accepted." Darwyn Cooke, in his annotations, states that he approached The New Frontier with a set of rules:

The timeline is real and covers 1945 to 1960. Silver Age characters appear at the time DC started publishing them.
Retcons haven't happened yet.
No New Frontier retcons could contradict original continuity—they had to complement existing continuity or show a fresh point of view.
When the story ended, everything had to be as it was when the JLA debuted in Brave and the Bold #28.
Snapper Carr does not exist.

In other words, you should be able to pull out your original comics from that era (or the Archive editions) and read them concurrently with The New Frontier and nothing Cooke does should contradict what happens in those old comics.
The problem with the continuity is that the comics from that era didn't have any continuity. It was never explained how a character could be on the moon in one issue of his own comic, and under the ocean in the same month in his Justice League adventure. All Golden and Silver Age DC continuity is a retcon. So what Cooke did was create his own continuity—he made his own sense out of the various adventures as they were originally published, although the bulk of the book deals with the time between major events. Just like The Golden Age, The New Frontier is about filling in the gaps.
While James Robinson filled the pre-Silver Age gap with an almost allegorical tale of Cold War paranoia and corruption, Darwyn Cooke fills the gap with a sense of wonder and idealism, and he uses his attitude toward history to solidify that tone.
Cooke's approach takes three strands: (1) The Right Stuff-inspired history of that era, embodied by the test pilots and early astronauts, (2) The early promise of the Kennedy administration, and (3) The strange DC comics history as seen in the stories published during that time. Cooke uses the first two strands to illuminate the latter. He puts the Silver Age ascension into perspective as part of a generation of hope and achievement. He shows that the formation of the Justice League was not a random incident, but part of a larger historical movement which led (in our reality) to things like the Peace Corps and Apollo 11.
Cooke ties together such disparate elements as The War that Time Forgot, The Challengers of the Unknown, Dr. Seuss, and all of the characters who would join the initial incarnation of the JLA into a single narrative. And although it takes quite a while before the villain emerges and the heroes band together, the narrative is structured around the real historical forces that would have shaped the creation of these characters. John Broome doesn't wax poetically about the symbolism of Hal Jordan's career as a test pilot in the original Green Lantern run from the Silver Age, but Cooke takes the fact that he was a test pilot and places him in the actual context of such a man. He even includes a scene where the young Jordan meets Chuck Yeager.
That's quite a different approach to history than we saw in The Golden Age, which covers a very similar time frame.
Although Cooke didn't intend (according to his "rules") to change any of the original stories, his interpretation of "fresh point of view" allows him to add things which would have been more historically true even if they weren't addressed in the comics of the time. For example, he not only changes Wonder Woman into an almost plump, hawkish, zestful character (to signify her Greek origins and Amazon heritage), but he creates an entirely new character to illuminate the civil rights struggle of the time. Since he had no black DC characters to draw upon, he created a Silver Age analogue to Steel, the black Superman ally. The Silver Age Steel, unlike his modern equivalent, isn't a technological marvel. Instead, this earlier incarnation of John Henry suffers at the hands of the KKK before taking vengeance, and ultimately dying when he's betrayed by an uncaring white America (symbolized by a blonde little girl, who points out his location to his pursuers). John Henry never meets the Justice League or teams up with any heroes. His death doesn't affect them at all, really, since they didn't know him. But Cooke includes a scene where Edward R. Murrow mourns the fallen hero and laments the state of the country, bringing an actual historical personage into the DC story.
The civil rights subplot, although powerful, is overwhelmed by the exceeding optimism of the other plot threads. Cooke's America, as full of conflict as it might have been, is one of scientific progress and movement toward a brighter future. His villain, ultimately revealed to be Dinosaur Island itself (a sentient being who has unleashed monster after monster), is even more absurd than the Hitler-brain-transplant nemesis in The Golden Age, but because Cooke accentuates the fun and spectacle of the super-heroes (and, to be clear, his emphasis is on the men and women in the costumes, and the risks they take for their heroism), the absurdity of the villain doesn't detract from the story.
Both The Golden Age and The New Frontier end with similar images (the first appearance of the Justice League banded together) and similar sentiments (hope for the future), but where James Robinson built that hope out of the wreckage of the 1940s, Darwyn Cooke builds it out of the dreams of the men and women who sacrificed for the promise of tomorrow.
Both books end with optimism for comic books and optimism for our country, but they took starkly different approaches to get there.
The Unstoppable Force of Progress: Characterization in The New Frontier
Since both The New Frontier and The Golden Age re imagine comic book chronology through one part actual US history, one part comic book history, and one part imagination, it's not surprising to find both Cooke and Robinson taking liberties with the characterization of these pre-Silver Age heroes. Both creators ask the question asked by any creator attempting to retell stories from the past: Okay, this is how they were portrayed, but what were the characters who did these things REALLY like?
I'll start by looking at The New Frontier. Cooke doesn't focus his story on one dominant point of view the way Robinson does (with Johnny Quick), but he tells his story through a few central characters:
Rick Flagg: Leader of the WWII-era Suicide Squad (and presumably the father, or grandfather, of the Ostrander-penned incarnation). Cooke presents him as a tough guy cliché. He's a Hemingway hero—he does what needs to be done and doesn't whine about it or waver in his determination. In Act III of the narrative, his position in the story is replaced by the similarly-characterized King Faraday, who also does what needs to be done, although he seems to have more internal conflict than Flagg. Faraday is a spy, after all, not a soldier. But both characters represent a government which has the best interests of the country in mind. If they hurt a few individuals along the way, that's a necessary sacrifice for the good of the many.
Hal Jordan: The man who would be Green Lantern is NOT portrayed as a cocky rocket jock, as he usually is in contemporary interpretations. Cooke turns his lack of fear into a self-destructive streak stemming from his face-to-face act of self-defense in Korea. In Cooke's universe, Jordan doesn't immediately become a hero just because an alien handed him a ring. It takes time for Jordan to learn that he deserves to be a hero, and that's a large part of what The New Frontier is about. He doesn't reveal himself in Green Lantern costume until AFTER he risks his life to save the world working as a pilot. The two-page "hero shot" of the characters walking towards camera (a la The Right Stuff) shows some costumed heroes, but Jordan is wearing a flight suit. Cooke seems to be showing that he needed to prove himself TO himself before he could accept his new identity, but his reluctance to use the power of the ring leads to Nathaniel Adam's death. (Adam is later reborn as Captain Atom in the comics, but that doesn't happen in this story, and as far as Jordan should be concerned, Adam is dead.) Cooke doesn't provide Jordan with any time for remorse, though, since he needs to use his ring to kick alien butt. The ring, by the way, is also shown as a symbol of destructive energy. When Jordan first uses it, he cannot control it, and it causes great damage. Cooke, then, seems to indicate that the ring might symbolize nuclear energy, and the subtext would be that Jordan's hesitance to use it led to another hero's death. Ultimately, Jordan is Cooke's symbol of the Kennedy era: conflicted, yet determined to bring forth a positive future—harnessing great powers for the good of the nation (and the world).
John Jones, the Manhunter from Mars: Jones says, "...this is a world where good and evil struggle in all levels of existence. I want to be a force for good." That's a simplistic view of humanity, but it's one seemingly shared by Cooke throughout this work. Good and evil may not be easily discernible on the surface, and Cooke gives us the threatening-looking John Henry (with a hangman's hood) as a hero and a little blonde girl as a villain, but the line between good and evil is absolute (and, in fact, John Jones assumes the role of a film-noirish detective so he can find the evil beneath the surface appearance of the world). Jones defines this ethical stance for the reader, and it represents the code of Golden and Silver Age comic books, which lacked anything but absolutes. Even though Cooke might try to provide some not-so-subtle shades of gray (Jordan as a murderer, Wonder Woman as feminist avenger, an undercurrent of xenophobia), his view of history seems to echo the simplicity of the comic book stories of the era. Individuals may not have always done the right things at all times, but it was an era of progress, and good triumphed over evil. The subtext could also indicate that governmental order triumphed over chaotic nature, with the unified heroes, under the leadership of the US government, destroying a threat that wasn't so much malicious as it was animalistic.
Even though Cooke's characterization of some of these characters, Hal Jordan in particular, might not match traditional representations of these individuals, I think it works in the context of the story. The characters serve the story and add a few layers to the text, but it's primarily a historical action spectacle, a celebration of progress over stagnation, and Cooke's characterization unifies the text. I don't think his characters have many hidden depths, but I think their lack of depth matches a story which is primarily about the grand force of history.
As one final observation: Cooke is actually better at small character moments with the minor characters than he is at developing convincing lead characters. The death of Johnny Cloud, Jimmy Olsen's eagerness, the sassiness of Carol Ferris, and several other character bits show Cooke's facility on the small scale, even if his epic narrative doesn't provide the opportunity for subtle nuances with the major characters.
Characterization in The Golden Age: Dragging Heroes to Earth
While Cooke ignores anyone else's retroactive continuity to graft archetypal personalities onto the early Silver Age heroes in The New Frontier, Robinson takes characters straight out of Roy Thomas's All-Star Squadron (like Johnny Quick on the left here) and Young All-Stars and sends them on a dark journey into the 1950s. Robinson does not re imagine these characters drastically, although he seems to do so with Mr. America (but that's part of his narrative ruse). Instead, he takes their established characterization and expands upon it by adding seeds of self-doubt, paranoia, and despair as the characters face a world in which the villains are not as easily identified as they once were. Robinson misdirects the reader at first by pretending to adopt a simplified Watchmen approach, pretending that he's showing what these characters would have been like without costumed villains to fight or gangsters to punch, when, in truth, he's simply changed the nature of the evil to something more covert and less easy to spot. (Which might seem Watchmen-esque as well, except Alan Moore showed us that the heroes were the villains in that story, and here, Robinson ultimately reveals that secret villains with brain-transplant powers were behind the whole thing from the beginning.)
Here's a quick rundown of the central characters in The Golden Age:
Johnny Chambers, a.k.a Johnny Quick: Johnny not only provides the book-ends to the story but, as a documentary filmmaker, he provides the exposition which sets up the story context. One of the things Robinson does NOT do well here, by the way, is clearly distinguish between narrative voice (provided through white, rectangular caption boxes), and newsreel voice over (also provided by white, rectangular caption boxes), although perhaps the colorist was supposed to use different color cues for each and didn't. The CHARACTERS who narrate, like Johnny Chambers, each have their own style of caption—Johnny's are rounded and blue, as you can see in the image. Actually, it's not that it's so difficult to identify the narrative voice, it's just that there is an omniscient narrator who pops up every once in a while for no good reason, and tells us things about the story sometimes, while other times he sounds like he's trying to give us character thoughts but not really: the highly subjective "fingers...fumbling...focusing...trying to..." immediately follows the objective "a photographer lurks among the rubble." The photographer is the one who's fingers are supposedly fumbling as he tries to snap the photo, so why does the caption sound like a bad Batman internal monologue? This really has nothing to do with Johnny Chambers, but I just wanted to point out this major flaw in the narration throughout. With so many characters (Johnny being one) actually providing narration through captions, why does Robinson add an omniscient narrator also? It's jarring and ineffective. It's like he took the strategies of Watchmen with the multiple points of view, and then spliced the conventional narrator on top of it. It just doesn't work.
But a few more things about Johnny: He smokes, and he wears glasses. He still has his powers, but even though they would help him in his day job, he doesn't use them. And he's incredibly suspicious, which is the characteristic that makes him the character the reader most identifies with. He's also lost the woman he loves because he works too hard, although he gets her back in the end. In short, he's a slightly older (although he actually seems to get younger as the story progresses, perhaps symbolizing his return to heroic stature), slightly more sullen, slightly more flawed version of the character we saw in the comics produced in the 1980s (even though those stories were set in the 1940s). He refers to his costumed self as "That Jerk!" at the beginning of the story, but ends on a hopeful note as he describes a "new age...fresh and clear and bright...as sterling silver!" He's never really a cynic, but his pessimism and self-loathing turns to optimism in the end (even quickly dismissing the threat of McCarthyism to look ahead to the glowing future of super-heroics).
Paul Kirk, a.k.a Manhunter: If we play out the James-Robinson-is-trying-to-do-Watchmen-but-not-as-well game a bit more, we could say that if Johnny Chambers is the Dan Dreiberg analogue (the low-self-esteem voice of reason and calm) then Paul Kirk is clearly the Rorschach character. He's the crazy one who will surely upset the apple cart, yet isn't that what has to happen in order to get to the truth? That's his role, anyway. Unlike Rorschach (in his insane way), Kirk doesn't have a methodical approach to uncovering the truth. In fact, he's tormented by the truth, which lies buried beneath mind implants, exploding into awareness only through a series of horrible dreams. He seems deeply disturbed because of the War, but he's actually deeply disturbed because of the secrets he knows. He's another character, like Johnny, who seems to become more youthful and vibrant in the final Act, when he is able to unleash his demons through old-fashioned fisticuffs. Unlike Johnny, though, he visibly suffers for a long time before he reaches the point of action. Here's a sample of his internal monologue from one of his many tortured dreams: "Save the eagle. Save it. Save—n...no...nooooohhhh!!" Then he wakes up and thinks, "Still afraid." That's about the extent of his characterization. He's tormented, fearful, and knows he should be better than that. And, "save the eagle?" Geez, I wonder what in the world that could possibly mean in a book about corruption within the American government. Clearly, even though this book is directed at an older audience than the original Golden Age tales, Robinson keeps his symbolism quite simplistic.
Tex Thompson, a.k.a. Mr. America, and Daniel Dunbar, a.k.a. Dan the Dyna-Mite: These are the two characters most radically changed from their Golden Age counterparts. Mr. America was a whip-wielding patriotic hero and Dan was a kid sidekick who later, under Roy Thomas's writerly guidance, became one of the lead characters in Young All-Stars. In Robinson's story, Mr. America becomes a corrupt politician who seeks power by any means necessary, and Dan the Dyna-Mite becomes America's beloved Dynaman, the only active costumed crime fighter of the time. And he snorts coke. And he's evil.
Neither of these two characters have internal monologues via captions for the reader, because that would give away the twist. Tex Thompson is not really who he seems, for he has the brain of the evil Ultra-Humanite (who has in previous stories adopted the forms of a gigantic white gorilla and a hot ex-starlet, among others). And Daniel Dunbar, who has fallen so far from grace in our eyes (a former teen sidekick with a drug problem whoring around) actually has the BRAIN OF ADOLF HITLER!
So there's not much to say about the characterization here, since these are two evil characters in the most simplistic way. What is interesting, though, is that (a) Robinson chooses one character, Thompson, who seems vaguely sleazy to modern readers anyway, what with that whip and the mustache, and when he's shown to be corrupt, we can buy into it, falling into Robinson's trap of thinking that it's just a regular dude becoming corrupted by power; and (b) Robinson's use of the pure and innocent Dunbar is also a good choice, because it is not only shocking to see him corrupted so extremely (before the truth of the brain-swap is revealed), but it's a nod to cultural expectations about former child stars, who, by the 1990s, were expected to grow up and become criminals or drug addicts or worse, at least by our tabloid-fascinated society.
Like a director who makes his film better through excellent casting, Robinson uses the right two ex-heroes in the apparent role of the villains. His bait-and-switch works, although I was personally disappointed that the threat turned out to be external (evil villains) and not the corruption of these characters from within.
Robinson uses other characters to show the corruption of innocence and loss of the heroic dream. Robotman, so noble in Roy Thomas's All-Star Squadron, has lost any humanity by the time of this story—he's pure machine, while Alan Scott, Green Lantern is conflicted about his duty as a business leader and law-abiding citizen and his passion for ring-slinging and butt-kicking. Hourman is shown to be addicted to his Miraclo pills, while the man once known as the Tarantula is an egoist with writer's block. Ted Knight, Starman, who Robinson would go on to write with great depth and sensitivity in the ongoing series about Jack Knight, is a mad genius who is trying to put the pieces of this shattered world together through science.
I should add here that Robinson, unlike Cooke, isn't drawing from the original sources as the basis for his story. He's adapting his characterizations from the work done during contemporary comics, as Roy Thomas provided retroactive characterization (and explanations) for the WWII-era heroes. Robinson is building on the layers which Roy Thomas built upon the layers which Gardner Fox (among others) built.
Overall, Robinson does provide a sense of disillusionment in his characterizations in this story, even if his narrative technique is sometimes sloppy or inconsistent. Cooke tried to add a bit of humanity to iconic characters in his work, but he was mostly interested in the icons of the era. Robinson drags his characters down into the muck and then builds them back up again, hoping to show how their inner humanity wins out (with all of its flaws) in the face of systematic adversity. Cooke's characters inhabit the skies, the stars. Robinson's characters live on the ground.
So, the final verdict, after looking at The Golden Age and The New Frontier for a week: Not much different than my initial assessment after reading them both last weekend. The Golden Age is flawed because of its inconsistent narrative point of view and it's cheap, brain-swapping revelations. Robinson and Smith capture the disillusionment and paranoia of the time quite well, but it all amounts to nothing except a superhero slug fest in the end. It's 80% of a great work, and 20% of stuff that doesn't quite fit (including the optimistic ending, which seems unearned). As part of a larger, genre-wide trend to make super-heroes more "realistic," violent, and depressing, I'm not a huge fan of its influence.
The New Frontier is flawed, but it's a flawed masterpiece, and I can imagine revisiting the story many times in the future (and I can't say the same about The Golden Age). Cooke tries to include too much in the narrative, and the main threat of Monster Island isn't presented as well as it needs to be, but the book contains dozens of amazing sequences, and it features sharp, engaging characters who flash in and out of the story. The speed of the narrative demands that the book be read quickly, and it works best when read this way, not because it allows the reader to gloss over the weak parts of the story, but because The New Frontier is an overture, and can be best appreciated when all of its notes are heard in rapid sequence. I didn't love it when it first came out, in the completely inappropriate floppy installments, but I loved it after reading the Absolute version a week ago, and I love it just as much after studying it closely all week.
As one final thought: Both The Golden Age and The New Frontier tap so deeply into comic book lore, and I am so deeply embedded in it myself, that I wonder if either of these works has any merit for a "civilian" reader. And I wonder if, perhaps, the darker, more "realistic" tone would be appealing to a non-comics fan, more so, perhaps, than the wide-eyed optimism (tinged with bits of darkness) seen in Cooke's work. Or would the non-comics fan find both stories completely useless and without merit? Are both works examples of the snake swallowing its own tail? I've already been swallowed by the snake of comic book geekery, so I can't answer that one.

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Operation: Banished Honor is live!
Halo Infinite's latest content update brings with it new features, new customization rewards in a free Operation Pass, sandbox tuning adjustments, additional Forge palettes, and more.
Let’s get you the full debrief on all the new content.

OVERVIEW

UPDATE OVERVIEW: Catch up on our latest community livestream for an overview of what’s coming when Operation: Banished Honor arrives.
THE EXCHANGE: Take a deep dive into the new shop where customization items from the past return and can be purchased with free Spartan Points.
SANDBOX OVERVIEW: Get the full debrief on the latest sandbox balance changes and mode updates coming in Operation: Banished Honor.
FORGE OVERVIEW: Explore the new Flood and Alien World-themed object palettes coming to Forge, alongside additional updates.
CUSTOMIZATION: Feast your eyes on the Banished-themed armor coming with a free new Operation Pass and further customization updates.

OPERATION: BANISHED HONOR

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Join the Banished. In Operation: Banished Honor, liberate yourself through the teachings of Atriox and claim your spoils.
Operation: Banished Honor runs from April 30 to June 4 and features a free Operation Pass containing 20 tiers of customization rewards and Spartan Points.
Progress your Operation Pass with Match XP and Challenge completions, and unlock new armor, a new visor and emblem, and Spartan Points to spend in the Exchange.
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Additional premium options for the Operation Pass include:

500 credits will make the Operation Pass durable (it will not expire), offers bonus XP during the Operation’s live window, an extra Challenge slot while your pass is equipped, and comes with an exclusive customization item.
2,000 credits instantly unlocks all 20 tiers of the Operation Pass at purchase and includes the exclusive bonus customization item.

Upgrade to the Premium Pass to obtain the Fuego Flame armor coating and strike fear into the hearts of all who would oppose you.
Halo Infinite image of the Banished Honor Premium Pass switcher ^{^[Imgur]}

NOTE: The Banished Honor trailer and promotional images depict the Datacore Administrator visor as a reward in this Operation Pass. The Datacore Administrator visor is part of the Facing Firewall bundle while the free Banished Honor Operation Pass includes the Essence Decompilation visor.

Halo Infinite image of the Essence Decompilation visor from the Banished Honor Operation Pass ^{^[Imgur]}

THE EXCHANGE

Halo Infinite screenshot of The Exchange ^{^[Imgur]}
Missed out on previous customization rewards? Enter The Exchange.
The Exchange is a brand-new shop rotating each Operation which contains free content from the past that players may have originally missed out on (along with some new items as well). This includes rewards that were originally tied to Halo Infinite's free Event tracks, special limited-time login bonuses, past Twitch drops, and partner promotional items.
Items are purchased with Spartan Points—a free currency that is earned through three primary ways:

Completing your first Daily Challenge will award 250 SP (rather than XP).
Completing the weekly Ultimate Reward will award 1,000 SP (instead of a misc. customization item).
Operations Reward tracks will offer up to 15,000 SP (replacing misc. other rewards).

Halo Infinite screenshot of The Exchange ^{^[Imgur]}
When The Exchange refreshes, items will not be "going away," removing the chance to get them—they will still be available to purchase with Spartan Points through the customization menus (much like bundles once they have rotated out of the Shop).
We’ll be keeping a close eye on community feedback and in-game metrics, so please share your thoughts once you have a chance to try out the Exchange!
For a more detailed breakdown, head over to our Exchange Overview blog.

FORGE UPDATES

This Halo Infinite update brings with it some new toys for you to play with in Forge.
NEW FORGE PALETTE: FLOOD
New Forge Palette: Flood
Halo Infinite screenshot of Oasis with Flood objects over it ^{^[Imgur]}
The parasite has come to Forge...
The Flood palette contains over 100 new objects that will help Forgers to transform their maps into festering hives, enabling players to recreate places from the past (this’ll pair quite nicely with the Covenant object palette for, say, a Flood-infested High Charity) or wholly new locations that have become twisted blightlands.
NEW FORGE PALETTE: ALIEN WORLD
New Forge Palette: Alien World
Halo Infinite image of Alien World palette items for Forge ^{^[Imgur]}
The galaxy is a vast place filled with worlds of alien wonder and beauty.
With the Alien World object palette, composed of over 150 new objects, players can enhance the visual diversity of their maps’ environments with distinctly alien-themed plants, trees, flowers, and even ancient stone structures.
ADDITIONAL UPDATES
Alongside these new palettes, Forge has also received some additional updates to enhance scripting and object options.
For a closer look at these additional elements, check out our Forge blog.

SANDBOX UPDATES

Halo Infinite screenshot of a Spartan after firing an overcharged Plasma Pistol ^{^[Imgur]}
Halo Infinite's sandbox is getting some tuning updates based on community feedback and overall player usage.
PLASMA PISTOL
The return of the king! We've heard your feedback, desiring the Plasma Pistol's ability to temporarily EMP ( “Oh, you mean an emp!” ) vehicles with its overcharged bolt, and we are giving you just that.

Restored EMP functionality on vehicles.
MK50 SIDEKICK

We know the rapid-fire functionality feels great and is core to the identity of the weapon, but we wanted to address player feedback on the time-to-kill when on the receiving end of a Sidekick encounter.

Rounds per second decreased 6.6 >> 5.6
S7 SNIPER

A common theme in feedback from the community has been that the sniper's ready-up time after being picked up felt a tad too lengthy. To help the sniper feel snappier, we wanted to address this by decreasing its ready-up time. We hope this will allow for more sniper highlights that we can’t wait to watch.

Ready initial playback speed scale 1 >> 1.2 (shorter ready-up time).

Halo Infinite screenshot of a Spartan in Banished-themed armor ^{^[Imgur]}
CINDERSHOT
The Cindershot is a fun and powerful weapon to use, but we acknowledge it can be frustrating to be redirected by the impulse of the explosion. To eliminate that frustration and address player feedback, we eliminated the gravity effect that would pull players around and slightly reduced the rate of fire. We hope this will improve both sides of the combat experience while still maintaining the Cindershot's effectiveness as a power weapon.

Remove inverted impulse effect.
Rounds per second decreased 1.33 >> 1.1
GRAVITY HAMMER

We felt the range in which the Gravity Hammer can fully eliminate an enemy was too far, so we wanted to address this in the slightest of ways.

Slight decrease of elimination range.
Radius low 1.25 >> 1.75
Radius high 2 >> 2.5
SPIKE GRENADE

Spike Grenades have been underperforming in the core gameplay loop, and we felt a change in detonation behavior may improve its viability. The first step we took was to ensure the Spike Grenade reached its intended target by preventing its detonation midair. Additionally, once the Spike Grenade does reach its intended target it will detonate more quickly—similar to other grenades in the sandbox.

Detonation timer starts changed from immediately >> when at rest.
Timer decreased (low & high) 1.8 >> 1.2 seconds.

BTB HEAVIES

Halo Infinite image of BTB Heavies showing a Scorpion and Wraith firing ^{^[Imgur]}
Back in February, the Big Team Battle playlist was refreshed with some amazing new community maps. After that update, many asked to see those maps expand to other BTB offerings, and we're pleased to confirm that the next time you see BTB Heavies (later this Operation), the map pool will have increased as we’re adding all the BTB refresh maps! You’ll be able to experience:

Expect more chaos thanks to increased vehicular carnage and heavy weapon spawns.
Additionally, the fan-favorite One Flag CTF mode has been added to Heavies so you’ll be able to play tug of war while you try to capture the flag.
The fun will arrive during Operation: Banished Honor so get those reflexes primed and ready to jump into the fray!

WAYPOINT CHRONICLE: THE THIRD LIFE

Spartans have often been thought of as incorruptible symbols of virtue, but that’s just the official story. Some names are known as examples of Spartans having gone rogue, pledging themselves to a variety of causes, and one former-Spartan in particular finds herself on a new path altogether...
Set in the immediate aftermath of the Hunt the Truth audio drama, our next Waypoint Chronicle drops out of slipspace next week where it will be available here on Halo Waypoint, as a free downloadable PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.

STILL TO COME...

Halo Infinite image of three Spartans clad in customization content from upcoming Operations ^{^[Imgur]}
This update is just the beginning, there’s still more to come on the horizon—further Operations and the highly anticipated Match Composer functionality are on the way.
OPERATION: TENRAI IV JUNE 4-JULY 2
Tenrai will return with new customization rewards in a free Operation Pass, a Tenrai-themed refresh of the Exchange, and new Shop bundles.
OPERATION: SPARTAN SURPLUS JULY 2-30
New Mark IV-themed armor pieces are accompanied by an Exchange refresh full of tactical gear from the past and more!
MATCH COMPOSER
Play what you want, whenever you want! Jump into matchmaking and choose your preferred modes to customize your online experience with Halo Infinite's new Match Composer functionality.

SHOP

Halo Infinite image of the Paths to Dominance bundle ^{^[Imgur]}
Head to the Shop and you will find the Path to Dominance bundle, which contains:

Tormenter helmet
Tormenter's Kneepads
Tormenter's Mantle shoulders
Victory Crest chest attachment
Crimson Compliment wrist attachment
Fearless Glyphs armor coating
Agitator helmet
Shock-Treated visor
Segmented Pauldron shoulders
Agitator Heartplate chest attachment
Agitator Belt hip gear
Sharp Bracer wrist attachment
Kneecapper kneepads
Carrion River armor coating
Merciless Cutthroat M293 Bandit weapon model
Cruel Treatment weapon coating
Paths to Dominance Mythic Effects set

And if you're looking for even more Banished goodness keep your eyes open for the Renegade bundle, dropping later this operation.

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING

Today’s update delivers many updates and fixes that the team have been working on to improve the Halo Infinite experience. Head over to the Halo Support site to check out the full list of patch notes.
Run into a bug, glitch, or other unexpected issue? Submit a ticket and notify the team on the Halo Support site.
You can submit tickets on a wide range of topics that include reports of Audio Issues, Crashes, Game Save Corruption, Report a Player, General Bug Reports, and more.
That’s all for this launch blog, so boot up your Xbox or Steam and get ready to jump into Operation: Banished Honor.
Head into Forge and check out what you can build with the new object palettes; get to grips with the new weapon tuning updates and shut down some vehicles with the plasma pistol’s EMP; start earning some Spartan Points by jumping into matchmaking, and then head to the Exchange to further deck out your Spartan and player ID!
Hunt well, and may you be paid in sport and spoils for the glory of the Banished.

PRESS KIT

Download the Operation: Banished Honor press kit here!
Operation: Banished Honor Press Kit
Halo Infinite screenshot of a Spartan in Banished-themed armor ^{^[Imgur]}
This post was made by a script written and maintained by the Halo mod team to automatically post blogs from Halo Waypoint. If you notice any issues with the text output or think this was posted by mistake, please message the mods.

Izuku Midoriya adjusted his tie once again as he waited at the arranged meeting point. His outfit significantly smarter than the kind of casual wear he normally wore, a black shirt under a dark green jacket with matching trousers along with black and red shoes on his feet.
He had been waiting for the person he was meeting for nearly half an hour now and had been nervous long before then. What if he was too early? Too late? What if this was a trick? What if-
Izuku heard the sound of something landing behind him and the boy turned to look at who it was. Stood there, her wings folding up into storage and wearing a dark red dress over her mostly white and black body-
“What? Think I was going to stand you up or something?”
“Not for a moment…”
-was the most beautiful woman ever built.
“…V.”
XXXXX Then XXXXX
Izuku felt worthless. It had been another terrible day at Aldera like usual, but this time Kacchan, for Izuku’s birthday, had chosen to give him some particularly nasty explosions as a present. Izuku knew he likely wouldn’t be able to cover up the wounds this time and was wondering what to say to his mother right before the air split apart in front of him.
A massive black orb appeared out of nowhere, wind blowing everywhere around it and forcing Izuku to shield his eyes before several bodies fell out of the orb, that same orb vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Cautiously, Izuku looked at the roughly three-dozen people that had fallen through. All of them appeared to have unnaturally pale bodies as well as some sort of black visor over their eyes, their skin looking segmented and artificial as if-
“Are you robots!?”
A purple haired robot spoke first. “Holy f&£k! A human!“
XXXXX Now XXXXX
“You know I could download all of these and view them all twenty times each before any one of these finishes playing.” V said as the silver-haired drone and the green-haired human stood in the cinema foyer.
“I know, but mom said that seeing a movie with friends is better than watching one on your own. I mean, we’ve watched films with N, Uzi and the others together.”
V contemplated Izuku’s words for a moment. “Okay then squirt. What movie should we watch?” Izuku looked up at the overhead screen showing what movies were on before V interrupted him. “And no, we are not watching ‘An All Might Tale: Edition 23’.”
“Yeah, the last seven editions haven’t been very good either.” Izuku said. “They over-speculated over what he did during his recovery five years ago and the makers of Edition 19 got sued for implying that he-“
V put a finger over Izuku’s mouth a smirk on her own face. “Focus Izuku.” V said before lowering her hand.
Izuku looked at the screen again before smiling. “How about Star Wars Episode 49: The Second Revengence of C-3PO?” Both Izuku and V looked at each other for a moment before they broke out in laughter, the two needing to support each other as they laughed for a good amount of time, regardless of what the people around them thought.
XXXXX Then XXXXX
It had been two months since the surviving residents of Copper-9 has been taken under U.A’s protection (the HPSC had proven disturbingly eager to ‘study’ the alien robots), the older drones being given jobs while the younger ones would be taken on as students in the new year. One particular future student was currently helping to train Nedzu’s new personal student.
Izuku grunted as he was slammed into the ground, quickly pulling himself up in full expectation of a follow-up attack. One that didn’t come as Izuku’s pig-tailed attacker looked on with her hands pressed against her hips. “Honestly brat, most people would have learnt to avoid taking a hit like that by now.” J said, a digital frown on her face. “Now we’re going to try this again and if you don’t dodge, I promise it’s going to hurt.” J then spread her wings and dashed forward, Izuku’s eyes widening as the disassembly drone rushed him, no time to jump out of the way.
Before Izuku could be struck however, a white and black blur struck J, forcing her to the ground before impact. “What the heck was that for!” J shouted at the offending party.
“Izuku has his private tutoring with Nezu in half an hour.” V said. “Do you want to be the one to explain why Izuku needed to go to Recovery Girl first?”
J was about to respond before she rolled her eyes. “Fine.” The female drone groaned before walking off.
“Er, you didn’t need to do that.” Izuku said. “I mean, I’ve taken harder blows than that before.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to.” V said, looking away from Izuku. “That said, next training session…” V then turned to look at Izuku, a wide, vicious smile on her face. “It’ll be my turn to train you.”
XXXXX Now XXXXX
V and Izuku exited the cinema laughing. “That was so bad!” V laughed. “I thought movies were supposed to be well-made. I could literally see the backdrop falling apart in one scene.” The two then broke out into laughter again before Izuku spoke up. “I don’t think the staff appreciated you throwing popcorn at the screen.”
“Well, what was I going to do with it? Eat it?” That broke the duo out into more laughter as they walked away. “You know Izuku, I haven’t been to that beach that was used as a dump since Nezu had all the scrap gathered and melted down for parts. Want to check it out?”
XXXXX Then XXXXX
“Expelled, the lot of you are expelled.” Shota Aizawa said to the students in question, namely N, V, J, Uzi, Izuku and dozen others that had tried to defend most, if not all of them them, the brown-haired girl, the pink-skinned girl with horns and the tall girl with the long ponytail in particular looking on in shock at their teacher’s dismissive attitude.
“There are so many things wrong with that, I don’t know where to begin.” A voice said from nearby and everyone turned to see another robot approaching, one that resembled an older male with a moustache, more importantly, next to that robot was a being of interminable species. “Oh wait, yes I do-“ Aizawa was about to interrupt but Nezu lifted a paw up. “Don’t. I heard you declare most of this class expelled. Why?”
“This is a hero school. This isn’t a place for toys or someone who would be a liability in the field at best. The others should have known better than to try and defend them.”
“I can assure you, Izuku Midoriya would be no liability.” Nezu said, lifting his paw up to stop Aizawa from trying to interrupt. “I am fully aware he is quirkless. That was one of the first things I learnt about Midoriya before making him my personal student.”
“Told ya.” V couldn’t help but say over her shoulder to the four boys that were the only ones not to defend Izuku (or the drones), the glasses wearing boy and the ball-headed one looking as if their whole view on life had been challenged, the two-tone haired boy looking as disinterested as he did at the start of the tests and Exploding Idiot having a face that only a mother could love looking like it had swallowed a skinned lemon.
“Of course, had you bothered reading the files I had sent all the faculty staff, the files labelled ‘Priority, must read’, you would know that. And if you had bothered turning up to staff meetings or even reading any of the files I had sent you over the past few months, not only would you be aware of the circumstances regarding students V, J, N and Uzi, but you would also know that thanks to your actions last year nearly ruining this school’s reputation, you had been demoted to teaching assistant. So imagine my surprise when I heard from 1-A’s actual homeroom teacher that her class was missing.”
“What are you talking about, I’m the homeroom teacher.” Aizawa interrupted.
“No, I am.” A voice said from the man-robot only for Aizawa to realise the voice came from someone behind the robot. At which point something detached itself from the robot’s back and landed on the ground. “Hello 1-A.” A fleshy blob with a single purple eye said. “I’m Nori Doorm-“
“WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!”
“OH GOD, WHAT THE F@£K?!”
“MOM?!”
Several eyes then turned to look at Uzi who could only groan. “Ugh, bite me.”
XXXXX Now XXXXX
“Still can’t believe how much better this place looks now.” Izuku said as he as V watched the ocean lap across the sand of Dagobah Beach. Now vacant of the junk that had filled it for so long, the sandy shoreline has been largely restored to its former beauty.
“Yeah, too bad I can’t walk on it.” V groused as she wiped the sand dust off her legs, her lack of proper feet having prevented her from keeping upright on the sand and only Izuku’s quick save had kept V from face planting the beach. “Should have known better.”
“Don’t be like that V.” Izuku said. “The nights only just started. There’re other places we can go.” V almost blushed for a moment before smiling. “Oh yeah? Like where Izu?”
XXXXX Then XXXXX
After the debacle that had been the battle trials where Bakugou had damn nearly brought a skyscraper down on himself, Iida, V and Izuku in an attempt to kill the latter, and All Might barely arriving in time to keep V from attacking the berserker (and that had ended with Bakugou bumped down to gen ed, forced to undergo sessions with Hound Dog and knocked out by Midnight due to his rage), everyone had expected an easier lesson at the USJ. They were wrong. But they were not the only ones expecting things to go the way they wanted.
Case in point, a gang of villains had ambushed them in the USJ but before the apparent leader could finish talking, he was attacked. Now his body was held suspended in the air by a purple symbol.
And his head laid several feet away. The symbol disappearing and allowing the fresh corpse to drop. “Okay you b@&£@rds.” Nori Doorman said as her blob-like form skittled across the floor, solver-held and bloodied pickaxe suspended overhead as J and V stood next to her, faces displaying an X each and weapons deployed in place of their hands. “Who’s next?”
XXXXX Now XXXXX
“Okay, I’ll admit it, this isn’t a bad place to go.” V said as she and Izuku walked through a nearby park. Streetlights alongside paths allowed the two to see where they were going (Izuku more so than V) through the largely vacant park. “Though to be fair, I’ve not seen a lot of parks to compare.” For a moment, Izuku thought V wasn’t enjoying herself. Was he being a bad date? Was he- “Don’t go there.” V said suddenly, Izuku realising he had said that out loud. V then blushed slightly as she looked away. “I’ve… never been on a date before so this is… nice.” The drone then looked at Izuku. “But you do not let J and Uzi know that.”
“Hey look, it’s Deku!” Izuku froze up at those words and he turned to see a group of familiar people making their way out of the darkness. All of said people being his former Aldera classmates. “How’s it going Deku? Been living the high life at U.A while the rest of us had to put up with being expelled from our high schools?”
“Hey look, it’s one of those robots we’ve heard about.” Another of the group said as they surrounded Izuku and V. “Deku’s so pathetic he can’t get a date with a real person!”
“Hah, that’s just like Deku.” Another said who went to shove the boy only for a synthetic-white arm to lash out and grab hold of the offending boy. “Hey let go.”
“So, you claim to have heard of me, do you?” V said calmly before turning her head to look at the group one by one. “If that’s true.” V’s expression then turned vicious. “Then you know quirk laws don’t apply to me!” V then deployed her claw-hand with her free arm, the implication clear as most of the group backed away, V releasing the one she had hold of.
“Tch. Let’s go.” The group’s leader said. “Deku can keep his toy.” The group then slinked away, V watching them very carefully as they did. Once they were far enough, V turned to her date. “Come on, I’ve got an idea.” Before Izuku could say anything, V grabbed hold of Izuku, spread her wings and hauled him into the sky.
XXXXX Then XXXXX
The sports festival had been a disaster. It had gone fine until the third event, where Izuku was forced to break his own leg by that purple-haired f@&ker (while V had been happy to curb-stomp him, Nezu would be having words with Aizawa for overturning his disqualification), J had lost both her legs to Todoroki’s ice and Katsuki had attacked N after N had removed him from the ring. The fact that V and Uzi were the ones to make to the final had just fanned the flames and by the next day, U.A’s competence had been called into question.
And yet, that was preferable to what V was dealing with now. A maniacal murderer who had tried to kill Izuku for the crime of daring to try and be a hero. The Hero Killer crossed blades with V again and again, she forced him back. The madman spat words at her again but V didn’t care. All that mattered to her right now was keeping him away from Izuku. As the Hero Killer charged again, V deployed one of her rifles and fired, forcing Stain to change direction before V charged him, slamming her blade against his…
SLICE
And deploying her other blade again in time to decapitate the Hero Killer. Retracting her weapons, V made her way back over to Izuku, wounded and still unable to move. “He, he was mine.” The armoured teen nearby groaned, V in turn rolling her eyes as she dealt with more immediate concerns.
XXXXX Now XXXXX
Izuku couldn’t help but feel a little frightened as V soared upward, holding Izuku under his arms as she did. For a moment, Izuku looked down and help his stomach drop as the city retreated beneath him. Without warning, his view was obstructed by fog, no cloud, before becoming clear again before V spun the two of them around with a laugh. Izuku cried out before the spin stopped and the two levelled out. “Calm down Izuku. You know I won’t drop you.” V said, those words doing enough to calm the boy down as he took in his surroundings. The city was still visible but the sky above was far clearer than he would ever see it from the ground and he couldn’t help but stare in wonder.
“Thought you might like this.” V said as the flyer carried her passenger through the night sky. As they carried on, the two took in the beautiful view in silence, awed by the night’s wonder as they enjoyed each other’s company…
XXXXX Then XXXXX
Nori had made it very clear following her daughter’s kidnapping from the camp, along with Izuku, that there was going to be nothing stopping All For One from dying that day. What she didn’t know was that the one thing she, or any of the drones, hadn’t wanted to leave Copper-9 had been hiding in Uzi all this time and had made use of a Nomu’s cybernetic quirk to attain a new body for itself.
“Get snuck up on.” The monotonous voice of Cyn declared from the Nomu, a null sphere engulfing the area that All Might had just vacated. He knew full well how dangerous those things were after All For One had wrongfully believed it wouldn’t hurt him, the now-dead villain reduced to mush. Several heroes, along with N, V, J and Nori danced around the Absolute Solver’s attacks one after the other, some failing and losing their lives in the process.
The battle was hard but between Cyn’s refusal to die and the Nomu’s quirks, it couldn’t have been any less. But by the time the fight was over, the monster that had destroyed Copper-9 and so many lives was finally dead and gone, as were several heroes and a sizeable part of the city.
Yet even then, as V saw Izuku and Uzi make their way over, the disassembly drone could only feel relief that it was finally over…
XXXXX Now XXXXX
Izuku landed feet first on the ground as V let go of him just a foot off the ground, allowing her to land gracefully before retracting her wings. “That was amazing.” Izuku said. “Just how much can you carry by yourself? Are you able to carry more than one person?” Any further questions were cut off when V presses her mouth against Izuku’s, shocking him into silence before V pulled back. “How about we just enjoy this moment while we can?” The dress-clad drone said before pulling Izuku in for another kiss.
XXXXX Then XXXXX
V watched from afar as the white-haired girl sat on Izuku’s lap kept reaching for N’s tail, the sole male disassembly drove playfully pulling it out of her reach every now and then. V was beginning to question if Izuku had a ‘doom magnet’ quirk given that their internship with Ryukyu had started with the two of them rescuing a fleeing child and arresting her abuser who turned out to be a yakuza boss.
Then there was ‘Sir’ Nighteye who had threatened to have V dismantled and Izuku blacklisted if they didn’t have ‘Overhaul’s’ arrest overturned and the child, Eri, returned to him. V had to try very hard not to gut the man there and then. Eventually, the yakuza broken out Overhaul and they had the balls to actually attack U.A in an attempt to retrieve Eri. An attempt that not only resulted in half the yakuza dead, including Overhaul, but Nighteye trying to blame Izuku for the attack. This had been the last straw for All Might, whose relationship with his former sidekick was already heavily strained, and the man successfully encouraged the HPSC to have Nighteye’s license revoked. Last V heard of the control freak, Nezu had driven him from the country.
Her thoughts were broken when she heard Eri calling for her, the child having plodded over to V during the latter’s ruminations. “Excuse me. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure kid, why not?” V said.
Eri tensed for a moment. “Mister N says that Deku is like a dad with me. Does that mean you’re like a mommy with me?”
V would deny that it took seven attempts to reboot herself and she would rip the head off anyone who said otherwise.
XXXXX Now XXXXX
Izuku and V were engaged in happy conversation as the two made their way to Izuku’s home. Stopping their conversation to say goodbye, Izuku found his attention drawn to a note on the door. “Huh, mom’s had to go into work. She won’t be back until late tomorrow.”
“Well then.” V said, hand on her hip. “Mind if I keep you company a little longer?” Izuku smiled at V before opening the door and holding his hand out. “Don’t see why not.” With a smirk of her own, V followed Izuku into his home. Has anyone been watching, they would have seen the drone press her mouth against Izuku’s once again as the door closed before wrapping her arms around his head…
XXXXX Then XXXXX
It was over.
Tensions between U.A and the HPSC had reached tipping point and the corrupt government body had tried to kidnap all of the worker drones from out of the school, earning the ire of the WHA in the process. In a blatant attempt at a power-grab, the Japanese HPSC allied with the Meta Liberation Army in direct opposition to both the government and the WHA, effectively starting a war.
It had been short, but brutal and several U.A students and former alumni had chosen to side against the school. Including Bakugou Katsuki who had actively tried to murder Eri solely for the fact she saw Izuku as a father.
As Izuku managed U.A’s forces, it had fallen to Eri’s adoptive mother to defend her. Bakugou had mocked V, belittled her and Izuku and somehow, despite everything, believed that he was still destined to be the world’s greatest hero. Such beliefs, that he was undefeatable and unmatched by anyone, were so firmly ingrained into his mind that even when V shoved one of her broken blades through his chest, Bakugou refused to believe that could be beaten, his delusion ranting only ending when the berserker finally collapsed and died.
Once she was sure Eri was safe, leaving her with Uzi knowing full well the teenage worker drone wouldn’t hesitate to murder anyone who threatened the child, V extended her wings and headed for where she knew Izuku was stationed. Her robotic heart stopped for a moment when she saw Shota Aizawa and Shinso Hitoshi, the two just as treacherous as Bakugou had been. A moment’s observation however showed that the two of them were restrained, Nori nearby and keeping a close eye on them. “Idiots tried to jump Izuku while he directed everyone. From what I’ve heard, that one,” Nori pointed her trademark weapon at Shinso. “-Used his quirk to make a good number of his ex-classmates kill themselves. For someone who kept using the villainous quirk’ excuse, he sure did a s£&t job of helping his case.”
“Is Izuku okay?” V asked the drone-turned-solver parasite, Nori rolling her single eye before pointing at the nearby door, V not even hesitating to kick it open.
“V?” Izuku said, stood over the table, several small pieces and papers over it. “Is everything okay?” V simply smiled before walking towards Izuku and hugging him. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
XXXXX A Few Days Later XXXXX
Inko hadn’t been expecting her phone to ring at that point of the day, especially during work and she hadn’t been expecting Izuku to be calling her. He’d just had a date with V just under a week ago. Perhaps she’d asked him out for another date and in his excitement, her son had called her. Not wanting to ignore her son, Inko answered the phone. “Hello, Izuku?”
…
“What do you mean you have a quirk?”
…
“It lets you WHAT with robots!?”
…
“Wait, how did you find that out?”
XXXXX Years Later XXXXX
“Bye Daddy, love you.” A teenage girl said as she left for her first day at U.A, robotic wings extending from her mostly organic body. The girl looked into the sky, electric yellow eyes darting back and forward before leaping into the air, her bio-technological nature giving her enough strength to jump several metres before flapping her wing, Izuku watching as his second child flew towards U.A.
“She’s going to enjoy it there.” A voice said from behind Izuku and the pro hero turned to see the love of his life. Said love had been modified over the years, notably taller with slightly thinner hips as well as longer hair, reaching to the base of her spine. “Think she’ll make friends?” V Midoriya asked her husband.
“Yeah.” Izuku said, recalling that Eri had made plenty of friends on her first day before pulling his wife into an embrace. “I think she will.” For a moment the two held their embrace, recalling how lucky they were to have a loving partner and just how much they did love each other and their children.
END

Hey everyone! I’m back with part 2 of my DCU plan! As we shift focus from the origins of the league and the rise of the Legion of Doom, we instead look at the world post-Justice Day, with the acceptance of metahumans and the rise of people who want to do good!
Quick detail to add, imagine that in my part one post, Cyborg was in the first Justice League movie. This part mentions him having been in that movie but I forgot to include him in the act 1 layout. So just look past that and we’ll be fine!
And for those of you wondering, here is the new order for act 2:

Cyborg Season 1 (tv show)
Superman: Bizarre (film)
Batman: The Hush Conspiracy (film)
Wonder Woman: God of War (film)
The Flash: Gorilla War (film)
Teen Titans (film)
Batgirl Season 1 (tv show)
The Brave and the Bold (film)
Aquaman: Blood Ties (film)
Nightwing: Agent Grayson (film)
Suicide Squad: Task Force X (film)
Green Lantern: Red War (film) 21: Justice League: Invasion (film) 22: Shazam: Rise of the Gods (film)

Without further ado, I present to you: act 2!
Cyborg Season 1 (TV Show)
Protagonist: Cyborg Antagonist: T. O. Morrow, Red Volcano, Red Inferno, Red Torpedo Side Characters: Silas Stone, Red Tornado, Sarah Charles Cameo Characters: The Flash, Professor Ivo
Overall Plot: After finally coming to terms with who he is, and assisting the Justice League in their fight against the Legion of Doom, Cyborg feels comfortable with his new title as a hero and defender of peace. But when a new cyber-criminal hacks into the S.T.A.R. Labs network and hijacks it AND Cyborg for personal gain, he questions just how lost his humanity may be in his new metallic skin. But he is not the only one questioning themselves, as when one of T. O. Morrow’s robots goes rogue, will Cyborg be able to help it find the humanity it craves?
Episode 1 Plot: Cyborg returns to S.T.A.R. Labs to tell his father what he’s done, and in the process, he helps uncover a devastating cyber attack on the network.
Episode 2 Plot: Finding himself hacked, Cyborg races to fix himself before too many of S.T.A.R. Labs’s secrets, as well as his own, are leaked to the cyber-criminal.
Episode 3 Plot: After releasing himself from the “Tomorrow Hack,” Cyborg tracks down the hacker’s signal, only to be met with a dead end... and a trio of deadly robots that are looking to finish the criminal’s job.
Episode 4 Plot: After the attack, Cyborg locates the runaway from the robot group, Red Tornado, who has become self-aware and wishes to find humanity. Meanwhile, Silas, Sarah, and Morrow try to restore the lost and corrupted data at S.T.A.R. Labs, only to be met with a virus that is building itself within their lab.
Episode 5 Plot: As Cyborg is easing Red Tornado into a life of humanity, the robot notices an act of danger and decides to follow Cyborg’s lead to become a hero. Meanwhile, back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Red Volcano has built himself up and enslaved the lab crew, demanding that they steal all of the information they can before he brings the building down on them.
Episode 6 Plot: It’s the season finale, and a race against time—literally! Revealed to be the mastermind and traitor behind the cyber attack, T. O. Morrow finishes his work to create his time machine, and he is not leaving witnesses behind. Cyborg and Red Tornado must hurry to the Labs and defeat T. O. Morrow and his robots, before it is too late for everyone!
Setting: Central City
Mid-Credits Scene: Following being defeated and betrayed by his robots, T. O. Morrow is arrested while a mysterious figure monologues about his failure. This figure is revealed to be Professor Ivo, who believes that his new “Amazo Project” can succeed where Morrow failed.
Superman: Bizarre (Film)
Protagonists: Superman Antagonists: Lex Luthor, Bizarro Side Characters: Lois Lane, John and Martha Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Supergirl Cameo Character: Superboy
Plot: After showing bravery against the Legion of Doom’s attack on what is now known as “Justice Day,” Superman and other Metahumans have become accepted in the general public as the brave heroes they are. However, Lex Luthor is not ready to let his grudge die just yet. Behind prison walls, he activates a plan called “Project Cadmus,” and unleashes a bizarre clone on Superman. But when the clone begins to show sorrow for his actions, it causes Superman to sympathize with it, and show it that there can be humanity in its soul.
Setting: Metropolis
Mid-Credits Scene: Following the original clone’s failure, Cadmus dejects Lex Luthor from their organization and focuses on starting over on the clone process. They say that they are mixing the DNA of both Superman and Luthor this time, and this is when we get our first teasing glance at Superboy.
Batman: The Hush Conspiracy (Film)
Protagonists: Batman Antagonists: Hush, Joker, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Killer Croc, Scarecrow Side Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Catwoman, Nightwing, Commissioner Gordon, Lucious Fox, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon Cameo Characters: Superman, Lois Lane, Batgirl, Zatanna, Bane
Plot: Following the death of Jason Todd in “Justice League: Unite”, Batman has committed to working mostly alone in Gotham, and much more brutally at that. But when a new criminal mastermind comes out from the shadows, Batman must prove himself against a gauntlet of his greatest foes if he wishes to keep his city intact. But how can he keep even himself intact after Jason’s death, especially when Hush begins targeting Bruce’s closest allies. Perhaps it is time for a new kid to don the mask of Robin...
Setting: Gotham City, Briefly Metropolis, Briefly Blüdhaven
Mid-Credits Scene: Upon Hush’s defeat, the city celebrates the victory of Batman and his new Robin, all the while a mysterious man watches the celebration from afar. This man is revealed to be Bane, who is plotting a takeover of Gotham City now that the Batman has been weakened. But he still feels the time is not right, and shall wait until Batman can be properly broken.
Post-Credits Scene: After watching Batman and the new Robin save the day once again and stop the Arkham riot, Barbara tells her father she is going out to study at the library. In truth, she climbs to the rooftops and dons her new identity as Batgirl, prepared to help Batman in his crusade against crime.
Wonder Woman: God of War (Film)
Protagonist: Wonder Woman Antagonists: Ares, Doctor Psycho Side Characters: Hippolyta, Donna Troy, Phillipus Cameo Characters: Circe, Kent Nelson
Plot: After her heroic actions on Justice Day, Diana returns to Paradise Island in hopes of being allowed back in. But when she returns to her home to find it in ruins, she learns of the return of the banished god Ares, and his plot to bring the mortal and immortal realms to war. Wonder Woman now makes it her duty to stop Ares and save everyone, along with the help of a powerful girl who looks a shocking amount like her.
Settings: Paradise Island, Metropolis
Mid-Credits Scene: After Ares has fallen, an ancient evil awakens from her sleep far away. Circe is revealed to be awake and on a course for Paradise Island, to bring the gods to their knees once and for all.
Post-Credits Scene: Following his brief assistance in ensuring the world is saved, Doctor Fate senses the presence of a new threat emerging, and mentions that he will need to assemble a team to stop it.
The Flash: Gorilla War (Film)
Protagonists: The Flash, Kid Flash Antagonist: Gorilla Grodd Side Characters: Iris West, David Singh, Henry Allen, Rudy West, Solovar Cameo Characters: Reverse Flash, Nightwing
Plot: About a couple months into training his nephew Wally, Barry is thrown for a ride when a nation of super-intelligent gorillas invade Central City and start an uprising. Following the gorillas, Barry learns of their leader Grodd, who has overthrown the old kind Solovar and declared war on all of humanity. Barry must now put Wally’s training on hold while the speedsters try their best to stop the uprising, before all of earth is lost to the gorillas.
Settings: Central City, Gorilla City
Mid-Credits Scene: During a nightmare, Barry begins to see a figure zooming in a yellow blur, who he remembers as the thing that killed his mom. He tries to chase it, but wakes up before he can catch it. He mentions to Iris that he feels closer to catching the figure every time, and that soon, he can find out what really happened to his mother.
Post-Credits Scene: After their battle with Grodd, Barry tells Wally that he isn’t in the best position to be training him. He decides instead to leave Wally with Nightwing, who says that he is organizing his own hero team to train teenage heroes like Wally to become the best they can be. Wally happily accepts, and we get a look at the rest of the Teen Titans team.
Teen Titans (Film)
Protagonists: Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Donna Troy, Kid Flash Antagonists: H.I.V.E. (Leaders: H.I.V.E. Mistress, Damien Darhk, Adeline Kane), H.I.V.E. Five (Gizmo, Jinx, Mammoth, Psimon, Ravager [Grant Wilson]) Side Characters: (Basically none other than H.I.V.E. soldiers) Cameo Characters: Deathstroke, Spyral
Plot: Following in the footsteps of the new, inspiring Justice League, Nightwing has decided to form his own team designed to train young heroes to be the best they can be! But after a group called the H.I.V.E. attacks with their own group of newly-trained supervillains, the Titans must prove themselves as the true heroes of the future, before any innocent lives can be thrown in danger.
Setting: San Francisco
Mid-Credits Scene: Deathstroke is meeting with the H.I.V.E., who have told him about his son’s death. Enraged, he asks for a chance at revenge on the Titans, to which H.I.V.E. offers his son’s contract for him to take up. Deathstroke accepts.
Post-Credits Scene: Nightwing is on a rooftop back in Blüdhaven, monitoring his city, when a mysterious person approaches him from the shadows. The figure says they are a part of an organization called “Spyral,” who claim they need his help for a mission of utmost importance. They reveal they know his real name, and tell him they need his help to bring down the new mayor of Blüdhaven: Blockbuster.
Batgirl Season 1 (TV Show)
Protagonist: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) Antagonists: James Gordon Jr., Scarecrow, Killer Moth, the Sons of Joker Side Characters: Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Francine Charles, Alfred Pennyworth, Huntress Cameo Characters: Nightwing, Joker
Overall Plot: Barbara Gordon is only a couple weeks into her new career as Batgirl, and it has not been easy. Between the street thugs, masked criminals, and psychopaths of Gotham City, she hasn’t been able to catch a break. But when a familiar face from her past returns to destroy her life, Barbara must prove that she has what it takes to be Batgirl of Gotham.
Episode 1 Plot: Barbara finally has a chance to prove herself when a mercenary-for-hire calling himself “Killer Moth” puts innocents in danger to get to the Batman. But will the Dark Knight agree to Batgirl’s presence, or will he still let past failures dictate his judgement?
Episode 2 Plot: To test her on the field, Batman tasks Batgirl with scoping out an arms deal taking place at the docks. But when a new vigilante calling herself the Huntress interferes because of a personal vendetta, Batgirl’s priorities and focus begin to shift. Meanwhile, Barbara’s long-hospitalized brother, James Gordon Jr., returns to Gotham City, promising his family he has changed for the better. But can he really be trusted?
Episode 3 Plot: Batgirl’s training is put on hold as Batman demands her help in stopping the Scarecrow, who has been plotting to cripple the city since his disappearance during the Arkham riot. But when Scarecrow reveals that he might have ties to Barbara’s “newly healed” brother, she begins to question if she can really trust those closest to her.
Episode 4 Plot: As her family and trust are thrown into question, Barbara launches her own private investigation to find out just what her brother has been up to while he’s been in “mental recovery.” But she can’t do it alone, and so enlists the help of the Huntress to aid her investigation, not knowing it will lead them both into the crosshairs of danger.
Episode 5 Plot: Finding themselves trapped by a cult following the Joker’s footsteps, Batgirl and Huntress have to battle their way out of a madhouse if they want to earn their freedom. But they aren’t alone, as Nightwing has been hot on the group’s trail for Batman, and has come to help the others escape by any means necessary.
Episode 6 Plot: In the season finale, Batgirl races to find her brother before he can cause any more harm to the people around him. But when the psychopath has taken their father hostage and Barbara’s roommate hostage, Batgirl must decide what kind of hero she wants to be, and what kind she needs to be to keep her city and loved ones safe.
Setting: Gotham City
Mid-Credits Scene: After her brother has been brought to justice, Batgirl is met by the Huntress once more, who reminisces on how well they’ve worked together so far. She asks if she would like to work closely in the future, perhaps start their own team, to which Batgirl agrees, hinting at the Birds of Prey.
Post-Credits Scene: The Joker pays a visit to the makeshift labyrinth the Sons of Joker created in his honor, disrespecting the place and the cult. However, he learns about the existence of Batgirl while he is there, getting irritated that another sidekick has joined his “game” with Batman, and addressing that he needs to do something about it.
The Brave and the Bold (Film)
Protagonists: Green Arrow, Black Canary Antagonists: Malcolm Merlyn, Lady Shiva Side Characters: both characters’ side characters (sorry for being lazy, I’m just not up to date with the Green Arrow and Black Canary mythos and NO, I did not watch Arrow) Cameo Characters: Ra’s Al Ghul, Cheshire, Batgirl, Huntress
Plot: Star City is a lively and generous city during the day, made better by improvements from its #1 company: Queen Industries. But by night, it becomes a gold mine for crime of all sorts, crime only the vigilantes of the city are brave enough to stand up to. Green Arrow and Black Canary have met almost a year ago, and have made names for themselves as Star City’s beacons of hope, and defenders of peace. But how much good do they really stand for? It is a question that must be asked when the League of Assassins make their mark on the city, seeking to bring down everything Oliver Queen has stood for.
Setting: Star City
Mid-Credits Scene: Ra’s Al Ghul has observed Merlyn and Shiva’s failure, and deems them unfit to be part of the League of Assassins any longer. He then turns to the shadows, where he addresses to his new “star pupil” that it is her time to shine, revealing Cheshire to be the next to attack Star City.
Post-Credits Scene: While alone in a warehouse, Black Canary calls out for the person or people who helped her navigate through the League of Assassins’ base, who hadn’t revealed their identities yet. The people reveal themselves as Batgirl and Huntress, who say they have admired Black Canary’s heroism and want to recruit her into their new team. Canary asks what it is called, to which Batgirl tells her “the Birds of Prey.”
Aquaman: Blood Ties (Film)
Protagonists: Aquaman, Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) Antagonists: Black Manta, King Shark Side Characters: Mira, Atlantians Cameo Characters: Amanda Waller, Rick Flag
Plot: It has been almost three years since Justice Day, and Arthur Curry finally sees peace in his life. He is the king of Atlantis, his wife and him have had a child, and relations with the surface world may be steadily increasing. However, this peace is short-lived, as Black Manta has finally returned, looking to finally enact his revenge on Aquaman. However, things are different this time around, as Arthur is not the only one who has established a family. Manta’s estranged son, Jackson Hyde, has returned to his life, and Manta intends to use his family all he can to bring down Aquaman’s.
Setting: Atlantis
Mid-Credits Scene: Following his mindless assistance in Black Manta’s plans, King Shark was found on the surface world and arrested by the government. He is approached by Amanda Waller, who offers him his freedom to return to the sea, if he works for her. He thoughtlessly agrees, and is thus knocked unconscious and brought to Belle Reve until he can come in handy.
Nightwing: Agent Grayson (Film)
Protagonist: Nightwing Antagonists: Blockbuster, Spyral, H.I.V.E. Side Characters: Nightwing characters, Julia Pennyworth Cameo Characters: Batgirl, Red X
Plot: Nightwing is no more. For the past few weeks, he has been working for the covert organization Spyral as Agent Grayson, investigating the new mayor of Blüdhaven so that he may be brought to justice. But when his search leads him right back to Spyral, and the organization they are secretly working under, Grayson questions where he has aligned himself, and if he has what it takes to clean his city of evil for good.
Setting: Blüdhaven
Mid-Credits Scene: Following Dick’s death, a public memorial is held for the vigilante at Gotham, Blüdhaven, and San Francisco. But from the shadows, a mysterious figure revealed to be Red X watches, preparing himself for action now that Nightwing is dead.
Suicide Squad: Task Force X (Film)
Protagonists: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Killer Frost, Rick Flag Antagonists: Amazo, Professor Ivo Side Characters: Amanda Waller, ARGUS team Cameo Characters: New Members?, Lockup (bomb fodder)
Plot: The day has come. After months of making phone calls, requesting favors, and convincing the government for backing, Amanda Waller’s “Task Force X” initiative is a go. And their first mission? Infiltrating Ivo Industries to stop Professor Ivo’s mysterious “Amazo Project.” But will this ragtag team of criminals be able to complete their mission? Or will they end up being worthy of their nickname “the Suicide Squad?”
Setting: Bell Reve, Central City
Mid-Credits Scene: Amanda Waller is speaking with a government official, who claims her task force is cruel and threatens to shut it down. Waller threatens the official with worse, at which point he asks her how much longer the task force will remain operational. She says she predicts it could come in handy in the near future, as she opens a folder containing information on various other possible criminals to join the squad.
Green Lantern: Red War (Film)
Protagonist: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) Antagonists: Atrocitus, Red Lantern Corps Side Characters: Star Sapphire, John Stewart, Green Lantern Corps, Guardians, Star Sapphire Corps, Blue Lantern Corps Cameo Characters: Justice Leaguers, Brainiac, Black Hand
Plot: Following his bravery against the Sinestro Corps and tales of his involvement in Earth’s “Justice Day,” Hal Jordan is deemed a hero by the Green Lantern Corps, with a ceremony held in his honor. But after the dreaded Red Lantern Corps attacks, Hal finds himself at the lead of another war, this time against a dangerous foe unlike any he has encountered before. Now, teaming up with new allies and old, Hal must do what it takes to save the galaxy once again, lest it be conquered by rage.
Setting: Oa, Ysmault, Coast City, other Lantern planets
Mid-Credits Scene: Back at Oa, Hal is once again celebrated for his heroism at war, along with his partner Jon Stewart. However, the Guardians discuss in private a new, concerning matter. They say that the prophecy they have been dreading is coming true, and that they must act fast. One guardian proves their theory is true, as he shows a holographic recording of a Black Lantern ring shooting through space, and heading for Earth.
Post-Credits Scene: Hal is monitoring the galaxy with Jon when they get a high-energy reading nearby. Neither can find it, until Jon points attention to a large ship right behind him. A large ship, shaped like a skull, with purple energy emitting from it.
Justice League: Invasion (Film)
Protagonists: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado Antagonists: Brainiac, Doomsday Side Characters: Lois Lane, the Kents, Jimmy Olsen, Robin (Tim Drake), Batgirl, Titans, others Cameo Characters: Darkseid, Steel
Plot: Actions have consequences, and with a rise in power, there will always be those who want to take said power. Brainiac, a distant relic from the remains of Krypton, has made his way to Earth to collect the planet for his own ever-growing intelligence. It is now up to the ever-expanding Justice League to stop Brainiac and bring his quest for eternal knowledge to an end. But will the League be able to defeat such a brain? Or will Krypton’s past prove too much for its sole survivor and his team?
Setting: Metropolis, Brainiac’s Ship, briefly other cities
Mid-Credits Scene: Metropolis, in great disarray, makes a public service announcement declaring the invasion over, but also reporting the tragic death of Superman. As the news announces a public funeral for the Man of Steel, a man watching the news at home stands up and heads to his workshop. He finishes construction on his own metal suit, hammer, and gadgets, donning the gear and revealing himself as Steel, the new defender of Metropolis now that Superman is gone.
Post-Credits Scene: In his war room, Darkseid is preparing an attack on Earth, calculating counter measures for the new heroes of the planet. He is interrupted by his servant Desaad, who brings him the news that Superman is dead. Darkseid smirks as he prepares his ships, declaring that Apokalips is going to war with earth.
Shazam: Rise of the Gods (Film)
Protagonist: Shazam Antagonist: Black Adam Side Characters: Shazam family, Wizard Shazam Cameo Characters: Wonder Woman, Mr. Mind
Plot: In the midst of Superman’s death, the world has been rocked and in need of a new symbol of hope. One such kid finding himself lost in this new, dark day is Billy Batson, who for a few months has secretly been the superhero Shazam, having gotten his powers from the wizard by the same name. Billy’s journey has been rough, but he has gotten a sturdy grip on his powers. That is, until the Wizard’s original champion returns, and seeks revenge on his old mentor and everything he has built. Billy must now work to save his city and the family he has come to know and love from Black Adam, proving himself as worthy of being Shazam.
Setting: Fawcett City, Rock of Eternity
Mid-Credits Scene: After his brutal battle against Black Adam, Shazam is flying through the city when he is approached by Wonder Woman. She says she admired his bravery against Black Adam, and says they could use more heroes like him in the world now. She gives him an invite to the Justice League as a part-time member, an offer Shazam happily accepts.
Post-Credits Scene: (Gonna be honest, it’s late and I’m lazy, so just picture that scene at the end of the DCEU’s Shazam with Mr. Mind, but replace Sivana with Black Adam)

Hey everyone! I’m back with part 2 of my DCU plan! As we shift focus from the origins of the league and the rise of the Legion of Doom, we instead look at the world post-Justice Day, with the acceptance of metahumans and the rise of people who want to do good!
Quick detail to add, imagine that in my part one post, Cyborg was in the first Justice League movie. This part mentions him having been in that movie but I forgot to include him in the act 1 layout. So just look past that and we’ll be fine!
And for those of you wondering, here is the new order for act 2:

Cyborg Season 1 (tv show)
Superman: Bizarre (film)
Batman: The Hush Conspiracy (film)
Wonder Woman: God of War (film)
The Flash: Gorilla War (film)
Teen Titans (film)
Batgirl Season 1 (tv show)
The Brave and the Bold (film)
Aquaman: Blood Ties (film)
Nightwing: Agent Grayson (film)
Suicide Squad: Task Force X (film)
Green Lantern: Red War (film) 21: Justice League: Invasion (film) 22: Shazam: Rise of the Gods (film)

Without further ado, I present to you: act 2!
Cyborg Season 1 (TV Show)
Protagonist: Cyborg Antagonist: T. O. Morrow, Red Volcano, Red Inferno, Red Torpedo Side Characters: Silas Stone, Red Tornado, Sarah Charles Cameo Characters: The Flash, Professor Ivo
Overall Plot: After finally coming to terms with who he is, and assisting the Justice League in their fight against the Legion of Doom, Cyborg feels comfortable with his new title as a hero and defender of peace. But when a new cyber-criminal hacks into the S.T.A.R. Labs network and hijacks it AND Cyborg for personal gain, he questions just how lost his humanity may be in his new metallic skin. But he is not the only one questioning themselves, as when one of T. O. Morrow’s robots goes rogue, will Cyborg be able to help it find the humanity it craves?
Episode 1 Plot: Cyborg returns to S.T.A.R. Labs to tell his father what he’s done, and in the process, he helps uncover a devastating cyber attack on the network.
Episode 2 Plot: Finding himself hacked, Cyborg races to fix himself before too many of S.T.A.R. Labs’s secrets, as well as his own, are leaked to the cyber-criminal.
Episode 3 Plot: After releasing himself from the “Tomorrow Hack,” Cyborg tracks down the hacker’s signal, only to be met with a dead end... and a trio of deadly robots that are looking to finish the criminal’s job.
Episode 4 Plot: After the attack, Cyborg locates the runaway from the robot group, Red Tornado, who has become self-aware and wishes to find humanity. Meanwhile, Silas, Sarah, and Morrow try to restore the lost and corrupted data at S.T.A.R. Labs, only to be met with a virus that is building itself within their lab.
Episode 5 Plot: As Cyborg is easing Red Tornado into a life of humanity, the robot notices an act of danger and decides to follow Cyborg’s lead to become a hero. Meanwhile, back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Red Volcano has built himself up and enslaved the lab crew, demanding that they steal all of the information they can before he brings the building down on them.
Episode 6 Plot: It’s the season finale, and a race against time—literally! Revealed to be the mastermind and traitor behind the cyber attack, T. O. Morrow finishes his work to create his time machine, and he is not leaving witnesses behind. Cyborg and Red Tornado must hurry to the Labs and defeat T. O. Morrow and his robots, before it is too late for everyone!
Setting: Central City
Mid-Credits Scene: Following being defeated and betrayed by his robots, T. O. Morrow is arrested while a mysterious figure monologues about his failure. This figure is revealed to be Professor Ivo, who believes that his new “Amazo Project” can succeed where Morrow failed.
Superman: Bizarre (Film)
Protagonists: Superman Antagonists: Lex Luthor, Bizarro Side Characters: Lois Lane, John and Martha Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Supergirl Cameo Character: Superboy
Plot: After showing bravery against the Legion of Doom’s attack on what is now known as “Justice Day,” Superman and other Metahumans have become accepted in the general public as the brave heroes they are. However, Lex Luthor is not ready to let his grudge die just yet. Behind prison walls, he activates a plan called “Project Cadmus,” and unleashes a bizarre clone on Superman. But when the clone begins to show sorrow for his actions, it causes Superman to sympathize with it, and show it that there can be humanity in its soul.
Setting: Metropolis
Mid-Credits Scene: Following the original clone’s failure, Cadmus dejects Lex Luthor from their organization and focuses on starting over on the clone process. They say that they are mixing the DNA of both Superman and Luthor this time, and this is when we get our first teasing glance at Superboy.
Batman: The Hush Conspiracy (Film)
Protagonists: Batman Antagonists: Hush, Joker, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Killer Croc, Scarecrow Side Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Catwoman, Nightwing, Commissioner Gordon, Lucious Fox, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon Cameo Characters: Superman, Lois Lane, Batgirl, Zatanna, Bane
Plot: Following the death of Jason Todd in “Justice League: Unite”, Batman has committed to working mostly alone in Gotham, and much more brutally at that. But when a new criminal mastermind comes out from the shadows, Batman must prove himself against a gauntlet of his greatest foes if he wishes to keep his city intact. But how can he keep even himself intact after Jason’s death, especially when Hush begins targeting Bruce’s closest allies. Perhaps it is time for a new kid to don the mask of Robin...
Setting: Gotham City, Briefly Metropolis, Briefly Blüdhaven
Mid-Credits Scene: Upon Hush’s defeat, the city celebrates the victory of Batman and his new Robin, all the while a mysterious man watches the celebration from afar. This man is revealed to be Bane, who is plotting a takeover of Gotham City now that the Batman has been weakened. But he still feels the time is not right, and shall wait until Batman can be properly broken.
Post-Credits Scene: After watching Batman and the new Robin save the day once again and stop the Arkham riot, Barbara tells her father she is going out to study at the library. In truth, she climbs to the rooftops and dons her new identity as Batgirl, prepared to help Batman in his crusade against crime.
Wonder Woman: God of War (Film)
Protagonist: Wonder Woman Antagonists: Ares, Doctor Psycho Side Characters: Hippolyta, Donna Troy, Phillipus Cameo Characters: Circe, Kent Nelson
Plot: After her heroic actions on Justice Day, Diana returns to Paradise Island in hopes of being allowed back in. But when she returns to her home to find it in ruins, she learns of the return of the banished god Ares, and his plot to bring the mortal and immortal realms to war. Wonder Woman now makes it her duty to stop Ares and save everyone, along with the help of a powerful girl who looks a shocking amount like her.
Settings: Paradise Island, Metropolis
Mid-Credits Scene: After Ares has fallen, an ancient evil awakens from her sleep far away. Circe is revealed to be awake and on a course for Paradise Island, to bring the gods to their knees once and for all.
Post-Credits Scene: Following his brief assistance in ensuring the world is saved, Doctor Fate senses the presence of a new threat emerging, and mentions that he will need to assemble a team to stop it.
The Flash: Gorilla War (Film)
Protagonists: The Flash, Kid Flash Antagonist: Gorilla Grodd Side Characters: Iris West, David Singh, Henry Allen, Rudy West, Solovar Cameo Characters: Reverse Flash, Nightwing
Plot: About a couple months into training his nephew Wally, Barry is thrown for a ride when a nation of super-intelligent gorillas invade Central City and start an uprising. Following the gorillas, Barry learns of their leader Grodd, who has overthrown the old kind Solovar and declared war on all of humanity. Barry must now put Wally’s training on hold while the speedsters try their best to stop the uprising, before all of earth is lost to the gorillas.
Settings: Central City, Gorilla City
Mid-Credits Scene: During a nightmare, Barry begins to see a figure zooming in a yellow blur, who he remembers as the thing that killed his mom. He tries to chase it, but wakes up before he can catch it. He mentions to Iris that he feels closer to catching the figure every time, and that soon, he can find out what really happened to his mother.
Post-Credits Scene: After their battle with Grodd, Barry tells Wally that he isn’t in the best position to be training him. He decides instead to leave Wally with Nightwing, who says that he is organizing his own hero team to train teenage heroes like Wally to become the best they can be. Wally happily accepts, and we get a look at the rest of the Teen Titans team.
Teen Titans (Film)
Protagonists: Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Donna Troy, Kid Flash Antagonists: H.I.V.E. (Leaders: H.I.V.E. Mistress, Damien Darhk, Adeline Kane), H.I.V.E. Five (Gizmo, Jinx, Mammoth, Psimon, Ravager [Grant Wilson]) Side Characters: (Basically none other than H.I.V.E. soldiers) Cameo Characters: Deathstroke, Spyral
Plot: Following in the footsteps of the new, inspiring Justice League, Nightwing has decided to form his own team designed to train young heroes to be the best they can be! But after a group called the H.I.V.E. attacks with their own group of newly-trained supervillains, the Titans must prove themselves as the true heroes of the future, before any innocent lives can be thrown in danger.
Setting: San Francisco
Mid-Credits Scene: Deathstroke is meeting with the H.I.V.E., who have told him about his son’s death. Enraged, he asks for a chance at revenge on the Titans, to which H.I.V.E. offers his son’s contract for him to take up. Deathstroke accepts.
Post-Credits Scene: Nightwing is on a rooftop back in Blüdhaven, monitoring his city, when a mysterious person approaches him from the shadows. The figure says they are a part of an organization called “Spyral,” who claim they need his help for a mission of utmost importance. They reveal they know his real name, and tell him they need his help to bring down the new mayor of Blüdhaven: Blockbuster.
Batgirl Season 1 (TV Show)
Protagonist: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) Antagonists: James Gordon Jr., Scarecrow, Killer Moth, the Sons of Joker Side Characters: Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Francine Charles, Alfred Pennyworth, Huntress Cameo Characters: Nightwing, Joker
Overall Plot: Barbara Gordon is only a couple weeks into her new career as Batgirl, and it has not been easy. Between the street thugs, masked criminals, and psychopaths of Gotham City, she hasn’t been able to catch a break. But when a familiar face from her past returns to destroy her life, Barbara must prove that she has what it takes to be Batgirl of Gotham.
Episode 1 Plot: Barbara finally has a chance to prove herself when a mercenary-for-hire calling himself “Killer Moth” puts innocents in danger to get to the Batman. But will the Dark Knight agree to Batgirl’s presence, or will he still let past failures dictate his judgement?
Episode 2 Plot: To test her on the field, Batman tasks Batgirl with scoping out an arms deal taking place at the docks. But when a new vigilante calling herself the Huntress interferes because of a personal vendetta, Batgirl’s priorities and focus begin to shift. Meanwhile, Barbara’s long-hospitalized brother, James Gordon Jr., returns to Gotham City, promising his family he has changed for the better. But can he really be trusted?
Episode 3 Plot: Batgirl’s training is put on hold as Batman demands her help in stopping the Scarecrow, who has been plotting to cripple the city since his disappearance during the Arkham riot. But when Scarecrow reveals that he might have ties to Barbara’s “newly healed” brother, she begins to question if she can really trust those closest to her.
Episode 4 Plot: As her family and trust are thrown into question, Barbara launches her own private investigation to find out just what her brother has been up to while he’s been in “mental recovery.” But she can’t do it alone, and so enlists the help of the Huntress to aid her investigation, not knowing it will lead them both into the crosshairs of danger.
Episode 5 Plot: Finding themselves trapped by a cult following the Joker’s footsteps, Batgirl and Huntress have to battle their way out of a madhouse if they want to earn their freedom. But they aren’t alone, as Nightwing has been hot on the group’s trail for Batman, and has come to help the others escape by any means necessary.
Episode 6 Plot: In the season finale, Batgirl races to find her brother before he can cause any more harm to the people around him. But when the psychopath has taken their father hostage and Barbara’s roommate hostage, Batgirl must decide what kind of hero she wants to be, and what kind she needs to be to keep her city and loved ones safe.
Setting: Gotham City
Mid-Credits Scene: After her brother has been brought to justice, Batgirl is met by the Huntress once more, who reminisces on how well they’ve worked together so far. She asks if she would like to work closely in the future, perhaps start their own team, to which Batgirl agrees, hinting at the Birds of Prey.
Post-Credits Scene: The Joker pays a visit to the makeshift labyrinth the Sons of Joker created in his honor, disrespecting the place and the cult. However, he learns about the existence of Batgirl while he is there, getting irritated that another sidekick has joined his “game” with Batman, and addressing that he needs to do something about it.
The Brave and the Bold (Film)
Protagonists: Green Arrow, Black Canary Antagonists: Malcolm Merlyn, Lady Shiva Side Characters: both characters’ side characters (sorry for being lazy, I’m just not up to date with the Green Arrow and Black Canary mythos and NO, I did not watch Arrow) Cameo Characters: Ra’s Al Ghul, Cheshire, Batgirl, Huntress
Plot: Star City is a lively and generous city during the day, made better by improvements from its #1 company: Queen Industries. But by night, it becomes a gold mine for crime of all sorts, crime only the vigilantes of the city are brave enough to stand up to. Green Arrow and Black Canary have met almost a year ago, and have made names for themselves as Star City’s beacons of hope, and defenders of peace. But how much good do they really stand for? It is a question that must be asked when the League of Assassins make their mark on the city, seeking to bring down everything Oliver Queen has stood for.
Setting: Star City
Mid-Credits Scene: Ra’s Al Ghul has observed Merlyn and Shiva’s failure, and deems them unfit to be part of the League of Assassins any longer. He then turns to the shadows, where he addresses to his new “star pupil” that it is her time to shine, revealing Cheshire to be the next to attack Star City.
Post-Credits Scene: While alone in a warehouse, Black Canary calls out for the person or people who helped her navigate through the League of Assassins’ base, who hadn’t revealed their identities yet. The people reveal themselves as Batgirl and Huntress, who say they have admired Black Canary’s heroism and want to recruit her into their new team. Canary asks what it is called, to which Batgirl tells her “the Birds of Prey.”
Aquaman: Blood Ties (Film)
Protagonists: Aquaman, Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) Antagonists: Black Manta, King Shark Side Characters: Mira, Atlantians Cameo Characters: Amanda Waller, Rick Flag
Plot: It has been almost three years since Justice Day, and Arthur Curry finally sees peace in his life. He is the king of Atlantis, his wife and him have had a child, and relations with the surface world may be steadily increasing. However, this peace is short-lived, as Black Manta has finally returned, looking to finally enact his revenge on Aquaman. However, things are different this time around, as Arthur is not the only one who has established a family. Manta’s estranged son, Jackson Hyde, has returned to his life, and Manta intends to use his family all he can to bring down Aquaman’s.
Setting: Atlantis
Mid-Credits Scene: Following his mindless assistance in Black Manta’s plans, King Shark was found on the surface world and arrested by the government. He is approached by Amanda Waller, who offers him his freedom to return to the sea, if he works for her. He thoughtlessly agrees, and is thus knocked unconscious and brought to Belle Reve until he can come in handy.
Nightwing: Agent Grayson (Film)
Protagonist: Nightwing Antagonists: Blockbuster, Spyral, H.I.V.E. Side Characters: Nightwing characters, Julia Pennyworth Cameo Characters: Batgirl, Red X
Plot: Nightwing is no more. For the past few weeks, he has been working for the covert organization Spyral as Agent Grayson, investigating the new mayor of Blüdhaven so that he may be brought to justice. But when his search leads him right back to Spyral, and the organization they are secretly working under, Grayson questions where he has aligned himself, and if he has what it takes to clean his city of evil for good.
Setting: Blüdhaven
Mid-Credits Scene: Following Dick’s death, a public memorial is held for the vigilante at Gotham, Blüdhaven, and San Francisco. But from the shadows, a mysterious figure revealed to be Red X watches, preparing himself for action now that Nightwing is dead.
Suicide Squad: Task Force X (Film)
Protagonists: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Killer Frost, Rick Flag Antagonists: Amazo, Professor Ivo Side Characters: Amanda Waller, ARGUS team Cameo Characters: New Members?, Lockup (bomb fodder)
Plot: The day has come. After months of making phone calls, requesting favors, and convincing the government for backing, Amanda Waller’s “Task Force X” initiative is a go. And their first mission? Infiltrating Ivo Industries to stop Professor Ivo’s mysterious “Amazo Project.” But will this ragtag team of criminals be able to complete their mission? Or will they end up being worthy of their nickname “the Suicide Squad?”
Setting: Bell Reve, Central City
Mid-Credits Scene: Amanda Waller is speaking with a government official, who claims her task force is cruel and threatens to shut it down. Waller threatens the official with worse, at which point he asks her how much longer the task force will remain operational. She says she predicts it could come in handy in the near future, as she opens a folder containing information on various other possible criminals to join the squad.
Green Lantern: Red War (Film)
Protagonist: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) Antagonists: Atrocitus, Red Lantern Corps Side Characters: Star Sapphire, John Stewart, Green Lantern Corps, Guardians, Star Sapphire Corps, Blue Lantern Corps Cameo Characters: Justice Leaguers, Brainiac, Black Hand
Plot: Following his bravery against the Sinestro Corps and tales of his involvement in Earth’s “Justice Day,” Hal Jordan is deemed a hero by the Green Lantern Corps, with a ceremony held in his honor. But after the dreaded Red Lantern Corps attacks, Hal finds himself at the lead of another war, this time against a dangerous foe unlike any he has encountered before. Now, teaming up with new allies and old, Hal must do what it takes to save the galaxy once again, lest it be conquered by rage.
Setting: Oa, Ysmault, Coast City, other Lantern planets
Mid-Credits Scene: Back at Oa, Hal is once again celebrated for his heroism at war, along with his partner Jon Stewart. However, the Guardians discuss in private a new, concerning matter. They say that the prophecy they have been dreading is coming true, and that they must act fast. One guardian proves their theory is true, as he shows a holographic recording of a Black Lantern ring shooting through space, and heading for Earth.
Post-Credits Scene: Hal is monitoring the galaxy with Jon when they get a high-energy reading nearby. Neither can find it, until Jon points attention to a large ship right behind him. A large ship, shaped like a skull, with purple energy emitting from it.
Justice League: Invasion (Film)
Protagonists: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado Antagonists: Brainiac, Doomsday Side Characters: Lois Lane, the Kents, Jimmy Olsen, Robin (Tim Drake), Batgirl, Titans, others Cameo Characters: Darkseid, Steel
Plot: Actions have consequences, and with a rise in power, there will always be those who want to take said power. Brainiac, a distant relic from the remains of Krypton, has made his way to Earth to collect the planet for his own ever-growing intelligence. It is now up to the ever-expanding Justice League to stop Brainiac and bring his quest for eternal knowledge to an end. But will the League be able to defeat such a brain? Or will Krypton’s past prove too much for its sole survivor and his team?
Setting: Metropolis, Brainiac’s Ship, briefly other cities
Mid-Credits Scene: Metropolis, in great disarray, makes a public service announcement declaring the invasion over, but also reporting the tragic death of Superman. As the news announces a public funeral for the Man of Steel, a man watching the news at home stands up and heads to his workshop. He finishes construction on his own metal suit, hammer, and gadgets, donning the gear and revealing himself as Steel, the new defender of Metropolis now that Superman is gone.
Post-Credits Scene: In his war room, Darkseid is preparing an attack on Earth, calculating counter measures for the new heroes of the planet. He is interrupted by his servant Desaad, who brings him the news that Superman is dead. Darkseid smirks as he prepares his ships, declaring that Apokalips is going to war with earth.
Shazam: Rise of the Gods (Film)
Protagonist: Shazam Antagonist: Black Adam Side Characters: Shazam family, Wizard Shazam Cameo Characters: Wonder Woman, Mr. Mind
Plot: In the midst of Superman’s death, the world has been rocked and in need of a new symbol of hope. One such kid finding himself lost in this new, dark day is Billy Batson, who for a few months has secretly been the superhero Shazam, having gotten his powers from the wizard by the same name. Billy’s journey has been rough, but he has gotten a sturdy grip on his powers. That is, until the Wizard’s original champion returns, and seeks revenge on his old mentor and everything he has built. Billy must now work to save his city and the family he has come to know and love from Black Adam, proving himself as worthy of being Shazam.
Setting: Fawcett City, Rock of Eternity
Mid-Credits Scene: After his brutal battle against Black Adam, Shazam is flying through the city when he is approached by Wonder Woman. She says she admired his bravery against Black Adam, and says they could use more heroes like him in the world now. She gives him an invite to the Justice League as a part-time member, an offer Shazam happily accepts.
Post-Credits Scene: (Gonna be honest, it’s late and I’m lazy, so just picture that scene at the end of the DCEU’s Shazam with Mr. Mind, but replace Sivana with Black Adam)

Hey everyone! I’m back with part 2 of my DCU plan! As we shift focus from the origins of the league and the rise of the Legion of Doom, we instead look at the world post-Justice Day, with the acceptance of metahumans and the rise of people who want to do good!
Quick detail to add, imagine that in my part one post, Cyborg was in the first Justice League movie. This part mentions him having been in that movie but I forgot to include him in the act 1 layout. So just look past that and we’ll be fine!
And for those of you wondering, here is the new order for act 2:

Cyborg Season 1 (tv show)
Superman: Bizarre (film)
Batman: The Hush Conspiracy (film)
Wonder Woman: God of War (film)
The Flash: Gorilla War (film)
Teen Titans (film)
Batgirl Season 1 (tv show)
The Brave and the Bold (film)
Aquaman: Blood Ties (film)
Nightwing: Agent Grayson (film)
Suicide Squad: Task Force X (film)
Green Lantern: Red War (film) 21: Justice League: Invasion (film) 22: Shazam: Rise of the Gods (film)

Without further ado, I present to you: act 2!
Cyborg Season 1 (TV Show)
Protagonist: Cyborg Antagonist: T. O. Morrow, Red Volcano, Red Inferno, Red Torpedo Side Characters: Silas Stone, Red Tornado, Sarah Charles Cameo Characters: The Flash, Professor Ivo
Overall Plot: After finally coming to terms with who he is, and assisting the Justice League in their fight against the Legion of Doom, Cyborg feels comfortable with his new title as a hero and defender of peace. But when a new cyber-criminal hacks into the S.T.A.R. Labs network and hijacks it AND Cyborg for personal gain, he questions just how lost his humanity may be in his new metallic skin. But he is not the only one questioning themselves, as when one of T. O. Morrow’s robots goes rogue, will Cyborg be able to help it find the humanity it craves?
Episode 1 Plot: Cyborg returns to S.T.A.R. Labs to tell his father what he’s done, and in the process, he helps uncover a devastating cyber attack on the network.
Episode 2 Plot: Finding himself hacked, Cyborg races to fix himself before too many of S.T.A.R. Labs’s secrets, as well as his own, are leaked to the cyber-criminal.
Episode 3 Plot: After releasing himself from the “Tomorrow Hack,” Cyborg tracks down the hacker’s signal, only to be met with a dead end... and a trio of deadly robots that are looking to finish the criminal’s job.
Episode 4 Plot: After the attack, Cyborg locates the runaway from the robot group, Red Tornado, who has become self-aware and wishes to find humanity. Meanwhile, Silas, Sarah, and Morrow try to restore the lost and corrupted data at S.T.A.R. Labs, only to be met with a virus that is building itself within their lab.
Episode 5 Plot: As Cyborg is easing Red Tornado into a life of humanity, the robot notices an act of danger and decides to follow Cyborg’s lead to become a hero. Meanwhile, back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Red Volcano has built himself up and enslaved the lab crew, demanding that they steal all of the information they can before he brings the building down on them.
Episode 6 Plot: It’s the season finale, and a race against time—literally! Revealed to be the mastermind and traitor behind the cyber attack, T. O. Morrow finishes his work to create his time machine, and he is not leaving witnesses behind. Cyborg and Red Tornado must hurry to the Labs and defeat T. O. Morrow and his robots, before it is too late for everyone!
Setting: Central City
Mid-Credits Scene: Following being defeated and betrayed by his robots, T. O. Morrow is arrested while a mysterious figure monologues about his failure. This figure is revealed to be Professor Ivo, who believes that his new “Amazo Project” can succeed where Morrow failed.
Superman: Bizarre (Film)
Protagonists: Superman Antagonists: Lex Luthor, Bizarro Side Characters: Lois Lane, John and Martha Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Supergirl Cameo Character: Superboy
Plot: After showing bravery against the Legion of Doom’s attack on what is now known as “Justice Day,” Superman and other Metahumans have become accepted in the general public as the brave heroes they are. However, Lex Luthor is not ready to let his grudge die just yet. Behind prison walls, he activates a plan called “Project Cadmus,” and unleashes a bizarre clone on Superman. But when the clone begins to show sorrow for his actions, it causes Superman to sympathize with it, and show it that there can be humanity in its soul.
Setting: Metropolis
Mid-Credits Scene: Following the original clone’s failure, Cadmus dejects Lex Luthor from their organization and focuses on starting over on the clone process. They say that they are mixing the DNA of both Superman and Luthor this time, and this is when we get our first teasing glance at Superboy.
Batman: The Hush Conspiracy (Film)
Protagonists: Batman Antagonists: Hush, Joker, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Killer Croc, Scarecrow Side Characters: Alfred Pennyworth, Catwoman, Nightwing, Commissioner Gordon, Lucious Fox, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon Cameo Characters: Superman, Lois Lane, Batgirl, Zatanna, Bane
Plot: Following the death of Jason Todd in “Justice League: Unite”, Batman has committed to working mostly alone in Gotham, and much more brutally at that. But when a new criminal mastermind comes out from the shadows, Batman must prove himself against a gauntlet of his greatest foes if he wishes to keep his city intact. But how can he keep even himself intact after Jason’s death, especially when Hush begins targeting Bruce’s closest allies. Perhaps it is time for a new kid to don the mask of Robin...
Setting: Gotham City, Briefly Metropolis, Briefly Blüdhaven
Mid-Credits Scene: Upon Hush’s defeat, the city celebrates the victory of Batman and his new Robin, all the while a mysterious man watches the celebration from afar. This man is revealed to be Bane, who is plotting a takeover of Gotham City now that the Batman has been weakened. But he still feels the time is not right, and shall wait until Batman can be properly broken.
Post-Credits Scene: After watching Batman and the new Robin save the day once again and stop the Arkham riot, Barbara tells her father she is going out to study at the library. In truth, she climbs to the rooftops and dons her new identity as Batgirl, prepared to help Batman in his crusade against crime.
Wonder Woman: God of War (Film)
Protagonist: Wonder Woman Antagonists: Ares, Doctor Psycho Side Characters: Hippolyta, Donna Troy, Phillipus Cameo Characters: Circe, Kent Nelson
Plot: After her heroic actions on Justice Day, Diana returns to Paradise Island in hopes of being allowed back in. But when she returns to her home to find it in ruins, she learns of the return of the banished god Ares, and his plot to bring the mortal and immortal realms to war. Wonder Woman now makes it her duty to stop Ares and save everyone, along with the help of a powerful girl who looks a shocking amount like her.
Settings: Paradise Island, Metropolis
Mid-Credits Scene: After Ares has fallen, an ancient evil awakens from her sleep far away. Circe is revealed to be awake and on a course for Paradise Island, to bring the gods to their knees once and for all.
Post-Credits Scene: Following his brief assistance in ensuring the world is saved, Doctor Fate senses the presence of a new threat emerging, and mentions that he will need to assemble a team to stop it.
The Flash: Gorilla War (Film)
Protagonists: The Flash, Kid Flash Antagonist: Gorilla Grodd Side Characters: Iris West, David Singh, Henry Allen, Rudy West, Solovar Cameo Characters: Reverse Flash, Nightwing
Plot: About a couple months into training his nephew Wally, Barry is thrown for a ride when a nation of super-intelligent gorillas invade Central City and start an uprising. Following the gorillas, Barry learns of their leader Grodd, who has overthrown the old kind Solovar and declared war on all of humanity. Barry must now put Wally’s training on hold while the speedsters try their best to stop the uprising, before all of earth is lost to the gorillas.
Settings: Central City, Gorilla City
Mid-Credits Scene: During a nightmare, Barry begins to see a figure zooming in a yellow blur, who he remembers as the thing that killed his mom. He tries to chase it, but wakes up before he can catch it. He mentions to Iris that he feels closer to catching the figure every time, and that soon, he can find out what really happened to his mother.
Post-Credits Scene: After their battle with Grodd, Barry tells Wally that he isn’t in the best position to be training him. He decides instead to leave Wally with Nightwing, who says that he is organizing his own hero team to train teenage heroes like Wally to become the best they can be. Wally happily accepts, and we get a look at the rest of the Teen Titans team.
Teen Titans (Film)
Protagonists: Nightwing, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Donna Troy, Kid Flash Antagonists: H.I.V.E. (Leaders: H.I.V.E. Mistress, Damien Darhk, Adeline Kane), H.I.V.E. Five (Gizmo, Jinx, Mammoth, Psimon, Ravager [Grant Wilson]) Side Characters: (Basically none other than H.I.V.E. soldiers) Cameo Characters: Deathstroke, Spyral
Plot: Following in the footsteps of the new, inspiring Justice League, Nightwing has decided to form his own team designed to train young heroes to be the best they can be! But after a group called the H.I.V.E. attacks with their own group of newly-trained supervillains, the Titans must prove themselves as the true heroes of the future, before any innocent lives can be thrown in danger.
Setting: San Francisco
Mid-Credits Scene: Deathstroke is meeting with the H.I.V.E., who have told him about his son’s death. Enraged, he asks for a chance at revenge on the Titans, to which H.I.V.E. offers his son’s contract for him to take up. Deathstroke accepts.
Post-Credits Scene: Nightwing is on a rooftop back in Blüdhaven, monitoring his city, when a mysterious person approaches him from the shadows. The figure says they are a part of an organization called “Spyral,” who claim they need his help for a mission of utmost importance. They reveal they know his real name, and tell him they need his help to bring down the new mayor of Blüdhaven: Blockbuster.
Batgirl Season 1 (TV Show)
Protagonist: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) Antagonists: James Gordon Jr., Scarecrow, Killer Moth, the Sons of Joker Side Characters: Batman, Commissioner Gordon, Francine Charles, Alfred Pennyworth, Huntress Cameo Characters: Nightwing, Joker
Overall Plot: Barbara Gordon is only a couple weeks into her new career as Batgirl, and it has not been easy. Between the street thugs, masked criminals, and psychopaths of Gotham City, she hasn’t been able to catch a break. But when a familiar face from her past returns to destroy her life, Barbara must prove that she has what it takes to be Batgirl of Gotham.
Episode 1 Plot: Barbara finally has a chance to prove herself when a mercenary-for-hire calling himself “Killer Moth” puts innocents in danger to get to the Batman. But will the Dark Knight agree to Batgirl’s presence, or will he still let past failures dictate his judgement?
Episode 2 Plot: To test her on the field, Batman tasks Batgirl with scoping out an arms deal taking place at the docks. But when a new vigilante calling herself the Huntress interferes because of a personal vendetta, Batgirl’s priorities and focus begin to shift. Meanwhile, Barbara’s long-hospitalized brother, James Gordon Jr., returns to Gotham City, promising his family he has changed for the better. But can he really be trusted?
Episode 3 Plot: Batgirl’s training is put on hold as Batman demands her help in stopping the Scarecrow, who has been plotting to cripple the city since his disappearance during the Arkham riot. But when Scarecrow reveals that he might have ties to Barbara’s “newly healed” brother, she begins to question if she can really trust those closest to her.
Episode 4 Plot: As her family and trust are thrown into question, Barbara launches her own private investigation to find out just what her brother has been up to while he’s been in “mental recovery.” But she can’t do it alone, and so enlists the help of the Huntress to aid her investigation, not knowing it will lead them both into the crosshairs of danger.
Episode 5 Plot: Finding themselves trapped by a cult following the Joker’s footsteps, Batgirl and Huntress have to battle their way out of a madhouse if they want to earn their freedom. But they aren’t alone, as Nightwing has been hot on the group’s trail for Batman, and has come to help the others escape by any means necessary.
Episode 6 Plot: In the season finale, Batgirl races to find her brother before he can cause any more harm to the people around him. But when the psychopath has taken their father hostage and Barbara’s roommate hostage, Batgirl must decide what kind of hero she wants to be, and what kind she needs to be to keep her city and loved ones safe.
Setting: Gotham City
Mid-Credits Scene: After her brother has been brought to justice, Batgirl is met by the Huntress once more, who reminisces on how well they’ve worked together so far. She asks if she would like to work closely in the future, perhaps start their own team, to which Batgirl agrees, hinting at the Birds of Prey.
Post-Credits Scene: The Joker pays a visit to the makeshift labyrinth the Sons of Joker created in his honor, disrespecting the place and the cult. However, he learns about the existence of Batgirl while he is there, getting irritated that another sidekick has joined his “game” with Batman, and addressing that he needs to do something about it.
The Brave and the Bold (Film)
Protagonists: Green Arrow, Black Canary Antagonists: Malcolm Merlyn, Lady Shiva Side Characters: both characters’ side characters (sorry for being lazy, I’m just not up to date with the Green Arrow and Black Canary mythos and NO, I did not watch Arrow) Cameo Characters: Ra’s Al Ghul, Cheshire, Batgirl, Huntress
Plot: Star City is a lively and generous city during the day, made better by improvements from its #1 company: Queen Industries. But by night, it becomes a gold mine for crime of all sorts, crime only the vigilantes of the city are brave enough to stand up to. Green Arrow and Black Canary have met almost a year ago, and have made names for themselves as Star City’s beacons of hope, and defenders of peace. But how much good do they really stand for? It is a question that must be asked when the League of Assassins make their mark on the city, seeking to bring down everything Oliver Queen has stood for.
Setting: Star City
Mid-Credits Scene: Ra’s Al Ghul has observed Merlyn and Shiva’s failure, and deems them unfit to be part of the League of Assassins any longer. He then turns to the shadows, where he addresses to his new “star pupil” that it is her time to shine, revealing Cheshire to be the next to attack Star City.
Post-Credits Scene: While alone in a warehouse, Black Canary calls out for the person or people who helped her navigate through the League of Assassins’ base, who hadn’t revealed their identities yet. The people reveal themselves as Batgirl and Huntress, who say they have admired Black Canary’s heroism and want to recruit her into their new team. Canary asks what it is called, to which Batgirl tells her “the Birds of Prey.”
Aquaman: Blood Ties (Film)
Protagonists: Aquaman, Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) Antagonists: Black Manta, King Shark Side Characters: Mira, Atlantians Cameo Characters: Amanda Waller, Rick Flag
Plot: It has been almost three years since Justice Day, and Arthur Curry finally sees peace in his life. He is the king of Atlantis, his wife and him have had a child, and relations with the surface world may be steadily increasing. However, this peace is short-lived, as Black Manta has finally returned, looking to finally enact his revenge on Aquaman. However, things are different this time around, as Arthur is not the only one who has established a family. Manta’s estranged son, Jackson Hyde, has returned to his life, and Manta intends to use his family all he can to bring down Aquaman’s.
Setting: Atlantis
Mid-Credits Scene: Following his mindless assistance in Black Manta’s plans, King Shark was found on the surface world and arrested by the government. He is approached by Amanda Waller, who offers him his freedom to return to the sea, if he works for her. He thoughtlessly agrees, and is thus knocked unconscious and brought to Belle Reve until he can come in handy.
Nightwing: Agent Grayson (Film)
Protagonist: Nightwing Antagonists: Blockbuster, Spyral, H.I.V.E. Side Characters: Nightwing characters, Julia Pennyworth Cameo Characters: Batgirl, Red X
Plot: Nightwing is no more. For the past few weeks, he has been working for the covert organization Spyral as Agent Grayson, investigating the new mayor of Blüdhaven so that he may be brought to justice. But when his search leads him right back to Spyral, and the organization they are secretly working under, Grayson questions where he has aligned himself, and if he has what it takes to clean his city of evil for good.
Setting: Blüdhaven
Mid-Credits Scene: Following Dick’s death, a public memorial is held for the vigilante at Gotham, Blüdhaven, and San Francisco. But from the shadows, a mysterious figure revealed to be Red X watches, preparing himself for action now that Nightwing is dead.
Suicide Squad: Task Force X (Film)
Protagonists: Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Killer Frost, Rick Flag Antagonists: Amazo, Professor Ivo Side Characters: Amanda Waller, ARGUS team Cameo Characters: New Members?, Lockup (bomb fodder)
Plot: The day has come. After months of making phone calls, requesting favors, and convincing the government for backing, Amanda Waller’s “Task Force X” initiative is a go. And their first mission? Infiltrating Ivo Industries to stop Professor Ivo’s mysterious “Amazo Project.” But will this ragtag team of criminals be able to complete their mission? Or will they end up being worthy of their nickname “the Suicide Squad?”
Setting: Bell Reve, Central City
Mid-Credits Scene: Amanda Waller is speaking with a government official, who claims her task force is cruel and threatens to shut it down. Waller threatens the official with worse, at which point he asks her how much longer the task force will remain operational. She says she predicts it could come in handy in the near future, as she opens a folder containing information on various other possible criminals to join the squad.
Green Lantern: Red War (Film)
Protagonist: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) Antagonists: Atrocitus, Red Lantern Corps Side Characters: Star Sapphire, John Stewart, Green Lantern Corps, Guardians, Star Sapphire Corps, Blue Lantern Corps Cameo Characters: Justice Leaguers, Brainiac, Black Hand
Plot: Following his bravery against the Sinestro Corps and tales of his involvement in Earth’s “Justice Day,” Hal Jordan is deemed a hero by the Green Lantern Corps, with a ceremony held in his honor. But after the dreaded Red Lantern Corps attacks, Hal finds himself at the lead of another war, this time against a dangerous foe unlike any he has encountered before. Now, teaming up with new allies and old, Hal must do what it takes to save the galaxy once again, lest it be conquered by rage.
Setting: Oa, Ysmault, Coast City, other Lantern planets
Mid-Credits Scene: Back at Oa, Hal is once again celebrated for his heroism at war, along with his partner Jon Stewart. However, the Guardians discuss in private a new, concerning matter. They say that the prophecy they have been dreading is coming true, and that they must act fast. One guardian proves their theory is true, as he shows a holographic recording of a Black Lantern ring shooting through space, and heading for Earth.
Post-Credits Scene: Hal is monitoring the galaxy with Jon when they get a high-energy reading nearby. Neither can find it, until Jon points attention to a large ship right behind him. A large ship, shaped like a skull, with purple energy emitting from it.
Justice League: Invasion (Film)
Protagonists: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado Antagonists: Brainiac, Doomsday Side Characters: Lois Lane, the Kents, Jimmy Olsen, Robin (Tim Drake), Batgirl, Titans, others Cameo Characters: Darkseid, Steel
Plot: Actions have consequences, and with a rise in power, there will always be those who want to take said power. Brainiac, a distant relic from the remains of Krypton, has made his way to Earth to collect the planet for his own ever-growing intelligence. It is now up to the ever-expanding Justice League to stop Brainiac and bring his quest for eternal knowledge to an end. But will the League be able to defeat such a brain? Or will Krypton’s past prove too much for its sole survivor and his team?
Setting: Metropolis, Brainiac’s Ship, briefly other cities
Mid-Credits Scene: Metropolis, in great disarray, makes a public service announcement declaring the invasion over, but also reporting the tragic death of Superman. As the news announces a public funeral for the Man of Steel, a man watching the news at home stands up and heads to his workshop. He finishes construction on his own metal suit, hammer, and gadgets, donning the gear and revealing himself as Steel, the new defender of Metropolis now that Superman is gone.
Post-Credits Scene: In his war room, Darkseid is preparing an attack on Earth, calculating counter measures for the new heroes of the planet. He is interrupted by his servant Desaad, who brings him the news that Superman is dead. Darkseid smirks as he prepares his ships, declaring that Apokalips is going to war with earth.
Shazam: Rise of the Gods (Film)
Protagonist: Shazam Antagonist: Black Adam Side Characters: Shazam family, Wizard Shazam Cameo Characters: Wonder Woman, Mr. Mind
Plot: In the midst of Superman’s death, the world has been rocked and in need of a new symbol of hope. One such kid finding himself lost in this new, dark day is Billy Batson, who for a few months has secretly been the superhero Shazam, having gotten his powers from the wizard by the same name. Billy’s journey has been rough, but he has gotten a sturdy grip on his powers. That is, until the Wizard’s original champion returns, and seeks revenge on his old mentor and everything he has built. Billy must now work to save his city and the family he has come to know and love from Black Adam, proving himself as worthy of being Shazam.
Setting: Fawcett City, Rock of Eternity
Mid-Credits Scene: After his brutal battle against Black Adam, Shazam is flying through the city when he is approached by Wonder Woman. She says she admired his bravery against Black Adam, and says they could use more heroes like him in the world now. She gives him an invite to the Justice League as a part-time member, an offer Shazam happily accepts.
Post-Credits Scene: (Gonna be honest, it’s late and I’m lazy, so just picture that scene at the end of the DCEU’s Shazam with Mr. Mind, but replace Sivana with Black Adam)

Once I heard that this had like 6 seconds worth of AI art in it I rushed to my nearest theater to buy a ticket and have an artist starve to death, because that’s clearly how this all works.
I actually really enjoyed this. It’s not every day that you get a plain interesting movie playing in theaters that gets more interesting the more you pay attention and think about it.
This was was hyped up like crazy online like every other indie horror that gets released every few months until a clip of the girl talking came out and it having AI shit. But to be fair the girl is very young and is Australian in real life. People complain that she has "tiktok voice", so it's possible she literally learned the American accent through shit like that or the dialect coach gave zero suggestions. They might have never had one on such a low budget.
I honestly don’t care about AI generated stuff being in movies as long as it’s implemented well. It’s like bad CGI, unless it’s really noticeable I couldn’t care less. It’s become incredibly apparent to me that anybody who publicly states their disapproval of AI art is just being performative at this point. It has nothing to do with intellectual property theft, it’s just virtue signaling because it’s the popular take to say that AI art is “not actual art”, therefore it doesn’t belong in any artistic creation.
Actual issues I’ve had with the film was how it wasn’t really subtle at points, and told rather than showed. The exposition dump at the beginning in particular was shit. It tells you way too much and it makes it too obvious that the host was apart of a cult who traded his soul for fame. I would strongly advocate everyone skip the first five minutes even if it means missing out on Ironside’s narration because it honestly elevates the film. The entire opening flashback feels like it was inserted after the fact because every detail in it is covered more organically over the rest of the movie.
What I liked about the film was how it totally nailed the 70s aesthetics and vibe of a talk show during that timeframe. It really did a great job of building up the tone and atmosphere. All great horror’s work by pretty much showing the viewers the tools they will be working with leaving the audience with some anticipation on the worst case scenarios that could happen.
This build up all culminates in the ending with two back to back sequences that are pretty good from a technical standpoint (hypnosis sequence and the play like stage movements feels like something out of a Wes Anderson film). But when you think about it from a writing standpoint it’s immensely stupid and the ending basically uses the same trick which results in a pretty disappointing climax.
The possessed girl/demon was fascinated watching the hypnotist using his pocket watch for his demonstration, and learned from it. Later when all hell broke loose it used the exact same spinning symbol to hypnotise the main host. All the hallucinations were hypnosis with the demon messing with him, which is why when he came to holding the girls dead body he was repeating the same phrase used earlier to snap the hypnotised co-host out of hypnosis. He had been part of the secret society. He had made a pact to be the most watched/infamous host. The demon gave him exactly what he'd wished for, unfortunately not in the way he'd wished, murdering a young girl live on camera, re-enacting the memory of him killing his wife.
The movie definitely broke its own rules at the end by doing this. We’re supposed to be watching recovered lost footage of the incident that aired on TV, but then it cuts to a hallucination of the host and then cuts to it being filmed in the same live-TV style as the rest of the movie. If it’s a proper found footage horror then the audience shouldn’t be able to see any of that. And I don’t know why it cuts from widescreen hallucinations to live TV hallucinations. I guess that we the viewers were supposed to be under the hypnosis, like in the wannabe James Randi shtick with the worms. But that doesn’t explain the widescreen hallucinations, where the host flashes back to moments of his talk show and the movie drops the live TV style.
If you're making found footage movie or similar, you should maintain the presentation all the time. You can't drop your guard to throw some "cool" things at the audience, like implying to me that I was under the hypnosis and I imagined seeing the worms coming out of the guy's gut, come on. It felt like a slap in the face.
Besides the tone, I also liked the amount of characterization given to the cast.
Jack Delroy is a classic example of a monkey’s paw story where his pursuit for fame led to him to ruin. It seemed pretty clear to me that he didn’t plan on losing his wife when he made the deal, and was also using this show as a way of finding some sort of closure with losing his wife in addition to increasing his ratings. The few times he loses his cool you can tell he needs to believe that there's something more to the world to keep his sanity because without that possibility he'd be a blubbering wreck. It also helps that he’s portrayed by David Dastmalchian, who’s a great actor who has been in a lot of supporting roles but never in a main role. He definitely nailed what he was given and I look forward to what he stars in next.
His wife’s soul was trying to warn him not to mess around with this stuff when the first medium guy died. Her soul appears and is consoling him right when the demons face appears for a single frame in order to comfort him. Like I said I don’t think the vision Jack Delroy saw was actually her, but more so a hallucination by the devil tricking him into killing the girl so he would live in infamy.
The sidekick is a guy who disagrees with the direction the host has gone in, but is ultimately no different than him as he still chose to continue working with him despite his conscience.
The psychologist claims to be a noble person not wanting to see the possessed girl exploited, but at the same time brings her on a show to be exploited.
The skeptic guy isn’t someone who actually cares about pursuing the truth, and just grifts the entire movie to avoid acknowledging the obvious so he can keep his money. Great depiction of a fedora tipping redditor who claims to be all for the “truth” only to lose all credibility by refusing to acknowledge reality. Also very fitting that when confronted he immediately pledges servitude to the devil and thinks material wealth will save him.
The spirit medium at the start is a classic example of a conman who lies to people who have lost loved ones, but faces karma when he does actually become possessed.
The producer is also a sort of tempting satanic figure who exploits the hosts grief and tells him his dead wife would want him to go through with the occult stuff when he becomes hesitant about it. He knows it was wrong, but went ahead anyway because he was greedy and desperate for ratings.
The possessed girl doesn’t really have a character, and is more so a stand-in for people who get dragged into the limelight when they are best just being left alone and helped. Had any of the characters actually done the right thing then most of them wouldn’t have died, and that’s very much intentional commentary on the film’s part.
Overall it feels like an Adult Swim skit stretched out to feature length. And I don’t mean that as an insult as a lot of them are quality stuff. It spins a lot of plates and dabbles in a lot of areas but never really uses any of them to their full potential. Some of them, like the guy in the skeleton costume, basically don't get used at all.
While it wasn’t a masterpiece and had its problems, I’m glad this movie exists and I think that if this level of creativity were the norm filmmaking would be in a much better place than it is currently. This was made on a $2,000,000 budget, and I think if it was given a bit more it could’ve been a 9/10. 6/10

Quirk Name: Emoji
Type: Emitter
User: Jante KamoBaki
Alias: Emote Former Status: Vigilante (ended at the Hosu arc) Current Status: UA student (1st year)
Description:
The user of this quirk is capable of manifesting and utilizing Emoji's they are familiar with and causing one of 3 variety of effects:
• Manifestation: Some Emoticons such as those of plants, objects or food can be manifested to a physical form to use for a variety of effects. Though it should be noted that though food is filling and nutritional it's only as good as the user has experienced it. (Compatible with categories 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Object emoji's can disappear if sufficient damage is dealt to them, though this varies depending on the object.
• Affliction: These types of emojis are used to create varieties of effect on an opponent or target. (Ex. 💩 emoji gives someone diarrhea, 💕 emoji will make someone in love with the user or a target to the point of mind control, being hit with 🥶 emoji will freeze, 🤮 will make someone barf, 💪 will increase strength, etc). Some emoticons such as flags and animals will alter the target's personality, such flags altering one's speech to mimic perceived native customs of said country or animals making a person act like said animal without physically transforming them ( Compatible categories 1, 2, 4 & 7). The user can even combine these emojis to create certain effects, such as 😳💨 which causes a target to fart which then causes the target to be embarrassed. The user can also stack the same emoji to get a stronger effect.
• Transformation: Some Emoticons such as the animal and object ones can allow the user or their target to take on form depending on which emoji they were hit with. For example with animals, the use or target would be either a hybrid form or complete animal form with abilities related to the emoji character, this also works with certain people's emojis such as career-based emojis like the police officer. This can also work with certain objects emoji's such as 🧊🔥⛄ allowing the user a super-form, similar to Mario, based on what emoji they use. Though they can only access transformation forms one at a time, the user can counter this weakness by placing emoji’s or emoji combos on objects so that they can be used later. But this can also be used to deter or incapacitate certain foes ( Compatible with categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The user can even combine emoji to give people certain powers: - 🌬️🌋 = Lava breathe - 👁️🫥 = X-ray vision -🏃💨 = super speed
Furthermore, the user is immune to their emojis being used against them and can lay them down to use as a touch-activated trap. It's also worth noting that erasure can't erase traps or the effects of the emojis. Another worthy note is that this quirk can create solid emoticon disks that can be used in advance (but they disappear after an hour). When these emojis are used on targets with no emotion (such as inorganic material) the emotional energy acts as a concussive blast.
Emoji categories: 1. Emotions 2. People & Body 3. Nature and animals 4. Travel and Locations 5. Objects 6. Food and Drink 7. Symbols
• Weakness:
-Overuse of this ability by the user can cause extreme mood shifts, and is the same risk if used on a victim more than once. -Overuse of this ability can lead to emotional exhaustion that will affect the user physically and mentally.
-Combining different Emojis drain stamina faster the most limit being three emojis used at the same time.
-The effects of this quirk by themselves can last up to 3 hours.

Emojis placed down as a trap will disappear after 1 hour. Transformation emoji forms can only be used one at a time.

• Age: 17
• Nationality: American - Japanese (His Mother was African and his Father was Japanese, he was born in Japan)
•Ethnicity: African
• Personality: Despite his upbringing and rugged appearance, he's actually a very kind and gentle soul. He’s also someone who is very good at reading the emotions of others, and has very keen instincts to identify signs of bullying and inner turmoil. He is also very philosophical and believes that despite the law being needed for structure, its lack of adaptation to social issues are what makes him feel the need to break it. He believes that while the hero system does its job, it creates a bystander effect that leads its citizens to not only overlook certain issues because they're sure a Hero will handle it, but also creates an over reliance on heroes and stereotyping people based on their quirk is or if they don't have a quirk. He believes that people take heroes for Gods, and while they're deserving of respect, it leads them to have an extremely irrational view on them that also creates a danger to themselves because they think they’re entitled to a Hero showing up every time they have a problem. While being a Vigilante, most of his work was just exposing mistreated people and children then informing the police, and even though he fought some villains and occasionally escaped heroes there was little property damage. Even when caught he believes that what he had done was the right thing, and was more than willing to face jail time. However, despite his collected demeanor, he always tries to keep his emotions in check, often leading him to bottle up his emotions and hiding the scars his parents left on him. This led to him having developed a journal to help him express and write down all of his thoughts.
Quote to the Police and Aizawa: “You wanna know why I became a vigilante, it's simple. You say the law should be followed, but guess what the law can't do everything and it sure as heck doesn't make everyone protected. I’ve seen a good number of people turn to crime not because they wanted to, but because no one, not even the law, would help them. But I also can't get it out of my head how many times the criminals have manipulated the law to their advantage. Though we need the structure of law, we also need people to be more active in the community. I can't count how many times I've seen people bully others just for their Quirk or not having it, and I can't count how many times someone could have helped others or spoke out but remained silent and hoped that a hero would take care of it. I was tired of being a bystander and people saying ‘just let the heroes handle it’. I'm willing to take jail time or whatever punishment you give me just know one thing I don't regret a single thing I did.”
Back story: (P.s during this time he only had access to the Affliction aspect of his quirk and could only manipulate emotions) After his parents died at the age of 6, Jante was adopted into a negligent and abusive household. Jante faced many waves of mental and physical abuse, all stemming from his quirk and how indifferent he was, with the parents specializing in the mental more than physical. Despite this Jante was actually grateful for what his foster parents put him through as it taught him not only to grow and develop himself faster, while also improving his mental fortitude and planning. Most times when his parents went out he took time to train both his quirk and physical body to the limit. Since he was four, Jante always aspired to be a hero and after meeting someone at the park, Jante was inspired to develop his powers, mind and body to the fullest. When he was soon close to graduating middle school, he had an idea for how to get his foster parents to pay to sign him up for UA, saying that when he becomes a hero he promises can make life easier for them. While they were skeptical of the idea, they added the condition that if he were to fail or be expelled, he'd be out on his keister. Accepting this condition, he then sought out to prepare for the exam. When the exam came and passed, the results he got were expected: an excellent score in his written exam. He was soon placed in Class 1-A where he met his future class and teacher. While at first taken back by how Mr. Aizawa carried himself, he nevertheless respected the teacher and did his best when said teacher declared they we having a quirk assessment test. His greatest shock came when after his quirk assessment test, his class was declared as having zero potential. Despite protest proclaiming that expelling them on the first day was irrational, unfair, and unbecoming of a teacher, Aizawa explains that he was given authority to run his class how he wants and that the world isn't some comic where everything goes how you want it. Despite this Jante begrudgingly accepted his teacher's position but not before leaving him with a few words.
Quote to Aizawa: “You say we have zero potential and you can expel me if you want, but know this, I’m going to be a hero no matter who says I can't. I also know about your friend, I know that you care that we don't end up like him, but know and remember this: even barren land can come to bear fruit, if one puts in the effort”.
After being beaten and kicked out by his Foster family, Jante gathered all of his money and rented a hotel room for a couple of nights. After getting off from work, he went to the public library and did some research on his quirk and some opportunities when he came across an article featuring the Vigilante, Knuckle Duster. Despite the article painting him in a bad light Jante found himself drawn to the vigilante and after gaining enough money he sought to the vigilante’s territory. Though it took some time he eventually found Knuckle duster and convinced him to train him by figuring out his relationship with Sky Crawler. Since then he has discovered the other aspects and applications of his emojis.
Heros with a grudge against him from his Vigilante days: Endeavor (High): A hypnosis emoji that made him fight his sidekick after being turned into a bull. 😵‍💫🐂
Mt Lady (recent but hughy): - An actually unwanted incident involving him giving her while in her giant for explosive liquid diarrhea.💩💥💧(He was desperate after over using his quirk and just grabbed random emojis.)
Uwabami(mild): A fart emoji prank on one of her modeling gigs.
Mirko (moderate): A love emoji that made her act mushy towards him.
Kamui Woods: Turning him into a snowman.
Midnight: turning her into a baby and then putting her to sleep ( the embarrassing part came when she pooped her pants and someone had to reluctantly change her). 🚼😴
Eraserhead (Mild): Turning him into a cat.🐈
Death Arms(moderate): Making him act like a cat.
Best Jeanist: Burned jeans and throw-up emojis.
Vote: Below on Your Opinions on my quirk
View Poll

To create action plans that can bring together people from both poles (let's think of them as "Team North" and "Team South"), especially regarding something as critical as taking care of our planet, we need to consider who needs to be involved (stakeholders) and what steps we should take. Let’s simplify this like we're explaining it to a 5-year-old:

Team North’s Action Plan: Planting Trees

Who's Involved?

Kids and Families: They are like the superheroes who plant the seeds.
Teachers: They are like the wise owls who teach us why trees are important.
Local Leaders: They are like the captains of the ship, guiding where and how we plant.

Steps to Take:

Learning Time: First, we all gather around, and the wise owls (teachers) tell us stories about how trees are like the Earth's lungs—they help us breathe by cleaning the air.
Gathering Tools: Next, we get our superhero gear ready—shovels for digging, gloves for our hands, and lots of seeds that will grow into big, strong trees.
Planting Day: We choose a day when the sun is smiling but not too hot. Everyone, including the captains (local leaders), comes to help. We dig little homes in the ground and tuck the seeds in, covering them with dirt gently.
Watering and Watching: After planting, we make sure our tree babies get enough water. Every week, we visit them, tell them stories, and watch them grow!

Team South’s Action Plan: Cleaning the Beach

Who's Involved?

Kids and Families: The treasure hunters looking for trash instead of gold.
Community Helpers: Like the guardians of the beach, they help organize the hunt.
Local Businesses: They provide snacks and water for the treasure hunters because saving the planet is hard work!

Steps to Take:

Treasure Hunt Planning: The guardians (community helpers) make a map showing where the most trash is hidden, like a treasure map, but for cleaning up.
Gathering Tools: Each treasure hunter gets a magic sack (reusable trash bags) and gloves to protect their hands from the icky trash.
Beach Day Adventure: On the chosen day, everyone comes to the beach. The guardians explain how each piece of trash we find and remove is like saving a fish or a bird.
Celebration Time: After the beach is all clean, we celebrate with a picnic. The local businesses who provided snacks tell us thank you because we've made the beach beautiful again.

Stakeholders Explained Simply:

Kids and Families: Just like you, they're the main heroes of our story, using their energy and love for the planet to make a difference.
Teachers/Community Helpers: They're like guides on a quest, teaching us why we should care and how we can help.
Local Leaders/Businesses: They're the supporters, providing what we need and helping organize our adventure.

By creating these action plans, we're like a team of planet protectors from both poles, doing our part to make the Earth a happier, healthier place for everyone. Whether we're planting trees or cleaning beaches, every little bit helps!
Remember, it's all about teamwork, and everyone has a special role to play, just like in a superhero team.

Team Forest’s Action Plan: Saving Water

Who's Involved?

Kids: Water Wizards who learn and practice magic spells to save water.
Families: The support crew that helps the Water Wizards remember their spells.
Schools: The magic schools where Wizards learn new water-saving tricks.

Steps to Take:

Magic Lessons: First, our Water Wizards gather in their magic schools (schools) where wise wizards (teachers) share ancient scrolls (handouts) on water-saving spells (tips like turning off the tap while brushing teeth).
Spell Practice: At home, the Water Wizards practice their spells, supported by their crew (families). They might put a bucket in the shower to catch extra water for plants or fix a leaky faucet with the help of an adult.
Water Festival: Once a month, the Wizards show off their water-saving achievements at a festival, where they share their best spells with friends and learn new ones.
Award of the Crystal Droplet: Wizards who save the most water get the Crystal Droplet award, a shiny, pretend crystal that symbolizes their hard work and dedication to saving water.

Team City’s Action Plan: Becoming Recycling Heroes

Who's Involved?

Kids: The Recycling Heroes, on a mission to save the world one recyclable at a time.
Families: The Hero Support Squad, offering backup and transportation for recyclables.
Local Recycling Centers: The Hero Bases, where all the recyclables are brought to be turned into something new.

Steps to Take:

Hero Training: The Recycling Heroes attend a training session (maybe a class or a family meeting) to learn what items can be recycled and how to clean them. They get a superhero cape (a fun, homemade cape) for joining the team.
Mission Maps: Each Hero is given a map (a list) of recyclables to find in their home—like paper, plastic, and cans.
Collection Day Adventures: Armed with their superhero capes and recyclable maps, the Heroes and their Squad (families) go on missions (collect recyclables) around the house and neighborhood.
Hero Parade to the Base: On collection day, all the Heroes parade their recyclables to the Hero Bases (recycling centers) to see their treasures turned into new things.
Hero Celebration: After delivering their recyclables, the Heroes celebrate with a party, where they get recognized for their hard work and learn about the new things their recyclables will become.

Simplified Roles:

Kids: The main characters of our story, whether they're Water Wizards saving every drop or Recycling Heroes turning trash into treasure.
Families: The ever-supportive sidekicks, helping our young heroes remember their missions and achieve their goals.
Schools/Local Centers: The places where heroes learn their crafts and bring their collected goods to make a difference.

Through these fun and engaging plans, kids learn the importance of environmental stewardship, developing habits that contribute to a healthier planet while feeling like the heroes of their own story.

Henry the Truck is not just a mere vehicle, but a symbol of resilience, perseverance, and wisdom. Through his adventures and encounters with different people, Henry has gained a unique perspective on life that he shares with others through his witty and insightful quotes. In this collection of 35 Henry the Truck quotes about life, we explore some of his most memorable and thought-provoking musings on the human experience. You will hear a lot of mentions of Denny, so we will explain.

Who is Denny Duvall?

Denny DuVall is Henry the Trucks owner (sidekick) and a long-time resident of Borrego Springs, California, with a rich history in the town dating back to the 1930s. He is the author of the book “That’s My Story and I’m Stickin’ To It,” which is a delightful collection of whimsical short stories about life in Borrego Springs. The book is a compilation of articles previously published in the Borrego Sun Newspaper between 2013 and 2018, offering a unique perspective on the town’s history and evolution

Wisdom from the Beloved Borrego Springs Vehicle: Henry

I may be vintage, but I still got the horsepower to impress!
Who says old trucks can’t learn new tricks? Check out my upgraded engine!
Life’s a highway, and I’ve been cruising it since 1950!
A little rust adds character, don’t you think?
I may have some miles on me, but I’ve still got plenty left in the tank!
You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy me, and that’s pretty close!
My paint job might be old, but my adventures are always new!
Denny and I have been through more relationships than oil changes!
I’m not just a truck, I’m a loyal friend on life’s bumpy road.
Denny tried to teach me about finances, but I still prefer horsepower!
A truck’s life is measured in miles, memories, and motor oil.
I’ve got more stories than a library on wheels!
I may have started in 1950, but my adventures are timeless.
They say laughter is the best medicine, but I think a good road trip comes close!
Out of all the trucks in the world, I’m the one Denny chose to ride into the sunset with!
I’ve got four wheels and a heart full of adventure!
My engine may be old, but it still purrs like a kitten!
I may be rusty, but my memories with Denny are as shiny as ever!
From California to South Carolina, my tires have seen it all!
I’ve been Denny’s trusty sidekick for decades, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Age is just a number when you’ve got the spirit of adventure!
I may be an old truck, but I’m still turning heads!
I’m the truck that keeps on truckin’!
From family life to road trips, I’ve carried Denny and his memories for years!
I’ve seen more of America than most people, and I’ve loved every mile of it!
I’m Henry the Truck, and I’ve got a PhD in life lessons!
Laughter, forgiveness, success, friends & family: the recipe for a great life.
Denny’s got 99 problems, but this truck ain’t one!
If laughter is the best medicine, we’re the healthiest duo on the road!
Man and machine, souls intertwined: that’s me and Denny!
When life throws you a curve, steer into it and enjoy the ride!
Hit the brakes on negativity, and accelerate into happiness!
We’re fueled by adventure, and our tank is never empty!
Denny might forget why he looks at pretty women, but he never forgets to care for me!
Our bond is stronger than rust, and our adventures never end!
Keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and heart full of laughter!
In life, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. Let’s enjoy it together!
Wishing you green lights, full tanks, and smooth roads on your journey!
May your speedometer always underestimate your miles and your heart be full!
A truck’s wisdom: brake easy, signal before turning, and enjoy the ride!
No relationship advice from Denny, but his truck wisdom is top-notch!
The best things in life are laughter, love, and long drives with Denny.
We’re more than just a man and his truck; we’re a lifelong adventure!
As we roll down life’s highway, we cherish the beauty in everything we see.
When Denny and I hit the road, we create memories that last a lifetime.
May your journey be filled with joy, and your destination full of love.
Man, machine, and miles of memories: that’s what makes us special.
The Great Spirit guides us on our adventures, and we’re grateful for every mile!
Here’s to many more roads to travel, and beautiful places yet to see!
Life’s a journey, and we’re enjoying every bump, turn, and stretch of open road.

Henry the Truck’s words of wisdom and humor resonate with us in a way that is both relatable and inspiring. His perspective on life serves as a reminder to embrace the journey, appreciate the simple things, and never give up in the face of adversity. We hope these 35 Henry the Truck quotes about life have brought you joy, laughter, and a renewed appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the world around us.

Part 1, Chapter 0
Cast

Part 2, Chapter 2

The tunnel continues downward, though the blood-red (and probably – hopefully – just rusty) water has stopped dripping down on their heads. The floor is still damp and squishy, though. The Dancing Lights blink out of existence, and after but a moment they return, swooping up to around ten feet up in the air. Something catches an eye, some movement above. The lights inch higher, and everyone can see a dark furry wave, swaying in some slight breeze. “Bats,” Dillium says unnecessarily. Novos calls upon all his limited experience with the zero bats he’s ever seen to determine that they are, indeed, bats. Zander ponders whether they are vampire bats, but since nobody can see their little vampire teeth, they give up on that. Suddenly, the damp and squishy floor makes sense as they realize they are standing ankle deep in bat droppings. As a group, they decide to explore another pathway.
Returning to the large boulder at the top of a steep tunnel, the group once again bickers about whether to roll the stone down now, wait until something is chasing them, or wait until someone rolls the stone down on top of them. Rolling the stone down now wins, and Zander and Arthur put their shoulders into it to roll it down the hill. With an echoing crash that fills the cavern, the mysteriously spherical boulder bounces out of sight, crashing into walls and running over anything it its way. The bats don’t like the sudden noise at all, and as a flock, they drop down off the ceiling and fly around like… well like bats flying around a cave. They don’t attack, though, so the party follows the boulder down the tunnel. Somewhere along the way, they spot a relatively flat spot, and see that the boulder has run over an old camping site. The remains of a campfire, the bones of some meal, and a few leftover sticks are all that remain, but they are all decidedly squished by the boulder’s passing.
Further down the tunnel, they see the boulder has come to a rest in the middle of the path. To their right is a large set of naturally occurring stairs, each step perhaps five feet tall. Passing by that, and squeezing past the boulder, the group winds down a slightly inclined path, not terribly straight, but not nearly as twisted as some of the tunnels above. Several hundred feet along, the tunnel opens out to the remains of some long-lost village. Novos identifies some of the markings and runes as being goblinoid, perhaps orcish, and several skeletons of vaguely goblinoid size lie around. The crumbling remains of bedrolls, cooking utensils, colorful or interesting pebbles, and a few sticks and such are littered around, while a large tent-like frame holds some place of honor in front of a communal fire pit. The leather tent itself lies shredded and dusty from age. Arthur is examining what appears to be a rockfall, perhaps covering up some other exit from the campsite when Zander feels something swoosh past his head from the ceiling. Dumbfounded, he stairs at what appears to be a rocky stalactite squirming around at his feet. Others aren’t so flat-footed, and several stabs with daggers and swords cut the creature. Still, it’s Zander’s mithril sword [1] that finishes off the beast. Assuming a few extra pokes never hurt, he pokes it again to make sure it’s dead. It is.
Felicity has grown bored with the investigation and starts off down the remaining open tunnel. Dutifully the rest of the party joins her. Another thirty or forty feet along, a leathery cape-like creature drops down upon her, smothering her and squeezing her arms to her side. Novos, ever alert, fires an arrow through the party, hitting the creature square in the … outside. The arrow, still carrying a huge amount of momentum, continues on through the outer layers, into the inner layers…. Wait. The inner layers are Felicity. While the single arrow was all that was needed to dispatch the creature, Flea has a heavy leathery thing on her, and an arrow in her. In the wan light, Novos considers carrying the carcass back to town to be turned into a leathery garment, until he looks at it. With a shudder, he kicks it off to the side. At the same time, Felicity shudders as Zander pulls the arrow out and Dillium dilly-dallies around until she selects the proper healing spell. “That’s it. I’m going in the back from now on,” Felicity says. Novos interjects that he was in the back, and she sternly tells him, “Not any more.”
A much more careful group continues on down the path as it steadily closes up. A breeze becomes more noticeable, and finally the tunnel comes to an end. There is a crack in the tunnel, and darkness beyond. Novos volunteers to look through the crack to see what is beyond. Bravely sticking his head through the hole, he realizes that humans don’t see in the dark. Elves are better at it, so Dillium pokes her head through the crack, and realizes that she is looking at what appears to be a darkened portion of the city crypts. [2]
Reporting back to the group, the party relaxes for a few moments while they decide a course of action. Obviously, this tunnel leads to the crypts and therefor traverses a sizeable chunk of the area under the city, but fortunately, the city crypts are the exact opposite direction from the Stragg properties, as Arthur points out with some previously unrecognized authority. Realizing they must explore the remainder of the tunnel complex, they troop back up the tunnel, past the leathery creature, past the remains of the long-forgotten village, past the boulder, and then they arrive at the giant steps. A quick look reveals that they are not cut, but rather natural formations. They scramble up, with the strong guys boosting up the weaker party members until they reach a platform of sorts. The Dancing Lights show that the ledge looks out over the red stalagmites [3], and many of the bats have returned to their roosts above. There is nothing else of interest, so they clamber back down and in a few minutes, are stood on the ground under the balcony formation they just left.
The main tunnel, guano on the floor and all, is a slight incline leading down to a crevasse. This gaping cleft in the rock is partially hidden by an escaping whispy cloud, like steam but cooler. Suddenly cautious, Zander gingerly steps across the couple of feet of gap. Seeing nothing dangerous, Arthur goes next. Novos decides to cartwheel down the slope and leap over the gaping chasm with a double backflip. Which he does. The ladies take a much more sensible approach and simply step across. There are no evil effects at all that any one can tell. None at all.
This tunnel is shorter than the previous one, quickly ending in a wide cavern with a vaulted ceiling and a more or less level floor. The remains of a campsite lay against one wall, with a large pile of sticks and leaves across from it. A leathery cloak appears to be hung on a peg on the wall. Novos decides to go up and hang up his cloak for some reason, so he is the first to be startled when the leathery cloak takes wing and flies around, missing him with some particularly gnashy teeth. A soul-shattering moan erupts from the creature, and Novos runs around to hide behind Dillium and Felicity. A rather more stout Arhtur and Zander team up to slash with their swords, until it looks like the creature multiplies into four creatures. Dillium readies a spell, but before she can cast it, Zander slays the beast. As it falls to the floor, the remaining multiples vanish.
A few minutes later, it is Arthur who, while poking around at the leaves and twigs startles something into motion. He smacks it with his sword as any good paladin does, followed by Zander and Novos. Felicity is peering at the campsite on the other side of the cavern and completely misses what comes next. His baleful eyes open, the creature peers deeply into Novos’ soul, rooting him to the ground and turning his brain to mush. Oh, and he uses some razor sharp teeth to chow down on Novos’ arm. Dillium, as she comes over to provide healing support, notices with a gasp that Novos’ feet appear to be turning to stone! Fortunately, Zander and Arthur have long swords, and between the two of them, they dispatch the creature. Novos shakes off the stupor and his feet return to normal.
Felicity notes that the camp has been long abandoned, with corroded cooking utensils, an ancient moldy pack filled with crumbled gear and rusty weapons. A pile of bones lies sloppily dropped against the wall of the cavern, and the smell of acrid water dripping down the wall and into a crack in the floor completes the scene. There appears to be nothing of value, but the team takes a few moments to regroup and determine their next actions. One faction is all for going home, while Arthur points out that there is still one more area they hadn’t explored—a cave opening that appears to look down over a small underground stream. Arguing that they can’t return to Father Leton until they know that all the threats are exterminated, he convinces everyone else to go down the last tunnel. They trudge up the path, cross over the completely safe gaping chasm and through the perfectly fine mist, squish through the layers of guano, and climb gingerly partway up the slippery red slope filled with needle sharp stalagmites to get to an opening they only glanced through previously. Tying off one end of the rope around a particularly sturdy stalagmite, they climb down from a sort of balcony overlooking an idyllic stream below. The climb isn’t long, and nobody wonders about the water or the stout bridge crossing over it. They continue thirty or forty feet down a wide tunnel until the notice that the tunnel has become a corridor. The walls have been cut smooth, and the floor laid flat and regular. A few more steps brings them to a completely stone-carved room. Braziers are set on stands in each of the four corners. A summoning circle is carved into the floor, though nobody can figure out what sort of summoning it is for. Arthur and Dillium both note the profane markings painted on the wall. Absolutely everyone resists the urge to fill up the carvings in the floor with blood and recite ancient words of power. Instead, Novos pulls out a totally useless non-rock carving tool and tries to destroy the floor carvings. With predictable results. Saner heads simply identify that they must report this to Father Leton, as probably the last remaining threat to be found down here.
A much longer discussion leads the party to decide to exit through the tunnel and room that was in the process of being carved out (and the scene of the mass murder they committed). There are steps leading up and out, and indeed the surviving workers and guards used those wooden stairs to escape and exit through some unknown entrance above. With a new cast of Dancing Lights the party goes back down the tunnel, across the oddly stout bridge over the remarkably clear water, climbs up the rope left dangling to the bloody (rusty) water dripping needle-sharp stalagmites, through the first campsite, the barricades, and twenty minutes of twisty-turny uppy-downy tunnel to the large cave that the workmen were turning into a civilized room. Now a barricade has been erected, and several dozen armed men with crossbows and swords are milling about. Somehow, despite the magical light and two heavily armored men making no attempt to be quiet, absolutely nobody sees or hears the party. Almost as if they, collectively, critically failed a fairly simple passive perception check.
The party decides not to murder anyone else, and they return down the twisty… you get the idea. They make their way to the giant cavern they started in, climb up the slippery slope to the church crypts, and exit through the hole in the wall. They seek out Mother Celetine, the middle-aged halfling priestess that has been keeping the temple running as Father Leton ages. Explaining to her what they found and enduring her exasperated sighs and irritated glares as they describe what is effectively in the basement, she tells the group that she will meet with Father Leton and discuss the matter, but in all likelihood it will still require the duke to return and settle the matter of access once and for all.
With that, the party returns to their various homes and cells to bathe, clean, meditate, pray, and spend many hours cleaning armor. (Well, Zander doesn’t, but he does make sure Pocky does do a good job, correcting him when he leaves spots and misses the insides.) As it turns out dripping rusty water on steel armor isn’t particularly good for the armor.
***
Several of the members of the group are at the Kinbrace Adventurers’ Guild, a large and airy building in the Docklands district. Located near all the important things an adventurer might need – an excellent metalsmith, a tack and harness shop, a spice and rare seasoning shop, and an expensive tavern – the Guild is regularly operated by an white-haired elderly lady named Ben that has all the appearances of having a black-and-white cat and a yellow tweety bird. The rumor is that she was a quite accomplished ranger in her younger days, and she genuinely seems to enjoy the company of the rough adventurers that pass through this frontier city. For a variety of reasons that mostly stem from howling winds and frigid temperatures during the long winter season, there is no “notice board” the way there are in many other cities. Instead, notices are posted (neatly!) inside the Adventurers’ Guild.
Zander is inside perusing the postings one afternoon. He’s meant to meet Dillium, Novos, Felicity, Dalton, and Arthur for dinner, but money is getting tight and the team haven’t had a paying job in a couple of months. On one wall, along with the Wanted posters that show the best drawings of the assassin as best as Felicity can remember [4], missing persons, and other various criminals and ne’er-do-wells, is an interesting find:

The Adventurers’ Guild of Kinbrace is pleased to announce the Adventurers of the Month
The Dragon Force
This very month, The Dragon Force:
Slew 42 vile orcs, 21 of their vicious mounts, and 12 goblin spell slingers
Destroyed a skeleton army and defeated its wicked lich master
Rescued Olaf Jonasson from the clutches of an evil witch
Rounded up 11 of Greg the Garlic Farmer's sheep what had run amuck
And they are therefore awarded The Adventuring Company of the Month (and 100 G)

“That’s funny,” muses Zander. “I remember the sheep, and something about orcs, but I don’t remember an evil witch.” Dillium, Novos, and Arthur enter the guildhall. “Look guys, there’s some other group that has the same name as us!”
A tall, leggy blonde girl, no more than sixteen or so, approaches. She’s wearing armor, and carries herself as if she knows how to use her sword. “So, are you coming to our ceremony? We’re the Adventuring Company of the Month!” She gives Zander a quick up-and-down glance, then sneers. “You would do well to see how professionals work.”
For some reason this gets Dillium’s back up. “I’ll have you know we are a professional company!”
“Whatevs, grandma,” the blonde replies, grasping at least that elves are generally far older than they look.
“We have a One Hundred Percent Success Rate ™” Novos says as if the math didn't have to be tortured pretty badly to get to that number.
“So what, we have a TWO Hundred Percent Success Rate,” is the reply. “(We had to rescue Olaf twice because the witch came and kidnapped him again.)”
Novos butts in. “Look, WE are Dragon Force, not you guys. We have a charter!” He nudges Zander who pulls out the company charter that for some reason he conveniently keeps on him at all times. “See!?” he says as Zander holds it up for her inspection.
Meanwhile, across the room, Arthur looks on with only a touch of amusement. A dwarf paladin stands next to him. “Brother,” the dwarf acknowledges with a nod.
“Brother,” Arthur greets him in return. He carefully notes the holy symbol embossed boldly on the dwarf’s shield, and while he recognizes it to be a dwarven god, he doesn’t recognize which one. When he asks, the dwarf, in few words, says that his god is one of gold and gems, and all the riches beneath the surface. Arthur simply nods, and notes the holy symbol worn by the young blonde. He recognizes it to be a rather evil god of greed, selfishness, and corruption. Arthur casts an icy stare in her direction, but since she’s across the room, and a teenager, she doesn’t notice and probably wouldn't care.
Several others in the guildhall are beginning to take notice, including a tall brunette in much better armor, and her sidekick, a buxom short creature with long ears. Novos takes note that she’s wearing a lot of disguise makeup, though it isn’t perfect.
“Yeah, so what, that’s from Impiltur, and,” as her voice drips sarcasm in a way that only a self-righteous teen can manage, “We are in Damara. So your charter is invalid. Ours is from Damara, so ours is legal. You’ll have to change your company’s name!” she concludes triumphantly.
“Yeah but ours is older,” Novos retorts, getting drawn in to the petty argument.
“We waited all night to get our charter, and we were the second ones to get an official Damaran charter, so unless your company is Barbie and the Dolls, ours is legal, and yours is not.”
“Look here, ours is perfectly legal,” Dillium responds.
“We paid good gold for it,” Zander adds.
The girl lets out a “humph” of derision and flounces over to the desk to speak with Ben. Getting what appears to be a satisfactory answer, she returns triumphant. “Your charter is invalid, and ours is not. Suck it, losers!” she adds with an ugly grin.
Zander, Novos and Dillium rush over to the counter to demand answers. Ben looks at them and says that the laws of Impiltur apply only in Impiltur, “like that silly law that says you can’t eat with a fork in your left hand,” and you can’t expect for the laws to be the same in Damara. But, she adds, it isn’t a big deal. “There is no requirement to have a charter at all in Damara, actually.” She goes on to explain that some of the high nobles in the kingdom have been advocating for the Queen to require expensive charters for outside companies, mostly because Soravia hires more mercenaries than all the rest of the provinces put together, and doing so would surely hurt the Duke of Soravia much more than any of the others. Plus, of course, there will be the money coming into the purse, which several of the barons have ample experience skimming. “You can have one or not as you like,” Ben concludes. She gets serious, and it is immediately apparent she speaks from experience. “The duke won’t care and nobody will ask you for it. Change your name if you like, or keep it. The charter isn’t what makes your company, it’s the bond you share with each other that makes your company.” Then her face returns to the “kindly old grandmother” and she offers everyone some biscuits.

Missed in the argument is a recent notice:

Wanted: Hearty adventurers for monster hunting
An anonymous benefactor in Kinbrace seeks experienced adventurers to explore an underground cave system, slaying monsters and making it safe for continued civilian excavation.
Recently, while excavating a new wine cellar, a dozen workers were killed, their flesh melted from their bodies. Witnesses swear the monsters were covered in a black tar. They spoke the common tongue, but appeared to be deaf. The caves themselves are rumored to be haunted—or worse.
To apply, contact the Adventurers’ Guild.

Dillium
“Mother Dillium, a moment, if you would.” Celetine Gracewood is an underpriest in the church, dealing largely with administrative matters. An older halfling, her hair is going grey, but is pinned up in an efficient bun. She’s perhaps a little irritated that Dillium has already passed her in the church hierarcy, though she’s ‘just a slip of a girl.’ “A note came in from the cathedral yester-eve, assigning Curate Mar to your tutelage. Prioress Olcis believes that she would do well under your eye, in a way we have been unable to accomplish here.” (Olcis Mosswood is the gnome from the Cathedral in Helgabal [5].)
“Curate Mar? I don’t believe I’m familiar with him.”
“Her. Mar is the young underpriest who assisted Father Sellige at prayers this morning.”
Thinking back, Dillium recalls a dark-skinned young woman in the robes of a novice. “You mean, the one who corrected Father Sellige at the morning prayers?”
“The same. Father Leton was planning on assigning her to better herself at her letters and figures and to take her on as a clerk under his supervision, but perhaps getting out into the world more would be better for her.”
“She seemed pretty … well, fastidious doesn’t seem quite the right word, is it?”
“No,” Mother Celetine responds. “But she’s fastidious, as well. She can be… a handful.”
“I’ll pass, thanks. I have two handfuls as it is,” Dillium responds, thinking of the latest antics of her friends.
“It wasn’t really a request, Mother. You know how they get at the cathedral since…” She trails off, as everyone is quite aware of ‘how they get at the cathedral’ these days. “I’ll send her round to your rooms before Vespers.”
“Thank you, Celetine.” No, thank you Dillium thinks to herself.
Arthur
A young man knocks once on the door to the cell as Arthur conducts his morning meditation. “Aye?” he asks softly, recognizing that sounds carry here in the cloister. The man steps in and closes the door behind him. The small cell is sparse on a normal day, but having two men in the room makes it seem crowded. “Well met… “ Arthur checks the lad out, seeing sensible chain mail, an Aspirant’s tabard, a Holy Symbol of Torm (and another of Tyr), and does not dislike what he sees. “… Brother. What service can I perform for you this fine morn?”
“Brother Arthur, my name is Atticus Risor and I was directed to you. I wish to… Wait, I have a letter.” The lad fumbles around and produces a letter on thick parchment. It is sealed with the wax seal of the chapter house of Torm in Ostra, where Arthur grew up.
Opening the seal, Arthur scans the letter once, then goes back to read it again. He commits key parts to memory, then hands the letter back. “I see. Tell me, Brother Atticus, what causes you to wish to learn of Torm the True?”
The lad, suddenly animated, explains with the vigor of youth the vision he had of a triadic symbol. He drew it carefully on a scrap of leather, then took it to sages and temples seeking to understand its meaning. Finally, an old monk pulled out an ancient dusty tome and found the symbol inscribed on the pages. “It is a mostly lost order of knights from centuries ago [6]. The Triadic Knights sought to balance the best of the teachings of Tyr, Torm, and Ilmater. It’s a noble ideal, but hard to do. The sect as a unique entity died out some four centuries past, and only fragments remain.” He explained how the ancient knights would take training and gain wisdom from each of the three churches in turn, and would learn to temper the teachings of one with the teachings of the others.
The lad was advised to train at each of the temples, under the tutelage of senior theologians. Instead, he trained under the holy warriors of the temple of Tyr in Goliad. He then sought training from the chapter house in Ostra, who recommended that he should do field work—with Brother Arthur Corinthus.
“I have completed my initial training, and am ready to be named a Brother Initiate when you deem me ready. I have my own kit, and am ready to follow you as needed.”

End of Chapter 2

[1] For “services rendered” back in Chapter 23 [2] The ground is frozen solid in the winter time making normal burial impossible, and with the general lack of timber that can be used for cremation, crypts were adopted by many Damaran municipalities. Kinbrace’s city crypt dates back nearly three hundred years. [3] Part 2, Chapter 1 [4] Felicity Wyndham was assassinated in Chapter 32, and spent nearly a week dead. Still, she was the only person to see the actual face of the assassin as he stabbed her. [5] Part 1, Chapter 26 [6] Triadic Knights

Just when I thought I had gotten a handle on Diana Wynne Jones’s writing, she threw me another curveball at the beginning of Conrad’s Fate: first-person narration. This was somewhat shocking to me, because I had, by the time of starting Conrad, read seven of her books and four short stories, all of which use a third-person, storybook-style detachment for the expository narration. I previously have written about how Jones was masterful at mimicking the personality of her lead characters in her writing style, and yet it somehow never occurred to me that she might actually write a book directly from a character’s point of view.
Of course, to expect Diana Wynne Jones to do the same thing in the same way twice is as silly as anything, Jones herself having made very clear in the delightful “Carol Oneir’s Hundredth Dream” how little tolerance she has for talented writers who become complacent and are happy to produce the same thing over and over. Still, there’s a lot that rings familiar in Conrad’s Fate, particularly in its core themes of familial neglect, unrecognized talent, and the casual cruelty with which many adults regularly address children. But when these themes are explored so thoroughly, insightfully, and without a wasted word to be found, it’s hard to complain. In fact, Conrad’s Fate may be my favorite Diana Wynne Jones novel I’ve read since the first time I picked up Howl’s Moving Castle.
I enjoyed the storyline of this book more than any of the other Chrestomanci novels right from the beginning. Conrad and his strong-minded sister Anthea live with both their mother Franconia Tesdinic (née Grant), who, in spite of her careless treatment of those around her, has achieved modest success as a feminist writer; and their scheming Uncle Alfred, who runs a family bookshop. Neither of the adults cooks or cleans; when Anthea moves out to attend university, the family lives on cornflakes and mini quiches until Conrad can be bribed into learning how to cook. Jones also adds a prominent theme of religious trauma to this familiar, dysfunctional stew: Uncle Albert is insistent that Conrad has earned “bad karma” in a previous life and is going to die if it’s not rectified.
It’s easy to see this intentionally induced guilt as a parallel to the “original sin” idea that many branches of Christianity instill in children. And Jones refers several times throughout the book to explicitly religious imagery, comparing the Countess’s pretentious tea ceremony to a church service and characterizing the wretched Mr. Amos as follows:
He was like a prophet or a saint or something, hating us for being ungodly and thundering out of heaven at us.
As the case with Uncle Ralph in The Lives of Christopher Chant, a sharp reader will recognize Uncle Alfred’s “Evil Fate” talk as a transparent exercise of power over Conrad, but the boy himself, like most children who experience oppressively religious upbringings, never suspects. This was among the most interesting themes of the novel, and clearly Jones thought so too, naming the entire book in reference to it. She writes with authenticity of Conrad’s experience finding comfort in atheism:

…the truly nasty part was that each time [something bad happened to me] I thought, I deserve this! This is because of my crime in my past life. And I felt horribly guilty and sinful until the scrapes or the ankle or the cut had healed. Then I remembered Anthea saying she didn’t believe people had more than one life, and after that I would feel better.

I mentioned in my writeup on "Stealer of Souls" that Jones has a way of reminding me of childhood feelings that I never even realized I forgot. The passage above, particularly the last line, is exactly how the prospect of atheism comforted me as a child, long before I fully embraced it as an adult. I have read that Jones herself was an atheist, and I have no doubt of her personal experience after reading the above and similar passages in this book. On a somewhat related note, Conrad’s enjoyment of the Peter Jenkins books places him in a longer line of Jones protagonists who find their main comfort in literary escapism, mirroring Tonino’s love of reading and the Goddess’s obsession with the Millie books. (That the Goddess even takes Millie’s name when she relocates to Series Twelve shows us just how crucial this piece of escapism can be for a thoughtful, misunderstood child.)
Hints that the adults in the house aren't fully honest or forthright come early, with Daisy the shopgirl informing Conrad that the bookshop is “coining money” despite his uncle’s claims that he has nothing to spare to hire a cook. Missing the point that Alfred has been dishonest, Conrad instead uses this information to manipulate and bribe his uncle for toys and gifts. Later, when Conrad's mother basically kicks him out of the house, saying very directly “I wash my hands of you, Conrad,” he again seems to miss the appalling weight of these words, instead worrying about the logistics of moving. The only time he comes close to holding them accountable in this part of the book is his poignant, though rather blameless, mourning that “I could have done so many interesting things if I had the right education.” As a result, midway through the book, when Anthea and Christopher finally convince Conrad that his Uncle has been deceiving him, and Anthea engages their mother in an unpleasant phone call, Conrad is seriously disillusioned:

As Anthea hung the whirring receiver back on its rest, I had the hardest job in the world not to burst into tears. Tears pushed and welled at my eyes, and I had to stand rigid and stare at the shelves of books in front of me. They bulged and swam. I felt utterly let down and betrayed. Everyone had lied to me. By now I didn’t even know what the truth was.

Soon after that, Conrad becomes consciously aware of the extent to which he’s internalized this lie about himself:

I several times caught myself thinking that this must be my Evil Fate at work–in fact I kept thinking it and then realizing all over again that Uncle Alfred had probably invented it. It gave me a strange, hectic feeling at the back of my mind all day.

And, in a brutally realistic scene, Conrad sneaks into his home to find that Franconia and Alfred have all but rid the place of his and Anthea’s existence, Jones being careful to specify for us that this is not related to the world being changed, but rather Conrad’s mother’s lack of care. Jones, as usual, is simple, direct, and devastating in her language:

All my clothes were gone, and my model aircraft, and my books. I felt–well, hurt is the only word for it. Very, dreadfully hurt.

Jones has many scenes like this in her books, and she always writes the experience of parental disillusionment with painful honesty and clarity. Interestingly though, the most direct parallel in her works is to be found not in the Chrestomanci books, but in Howl’s Moving Castle. I was irresistibly reminded of the memorable chapter from the beginning of Howl’s in which Sophie is taken aback to learn from her sister Martha that the hat shop is “making a mint” and that her stepmother Fanny may actually be exploiting her by not paying her a wage.
Though Sophie later realizes she had taken too seriously what was actually just Martha ranting healthily about her mother, in Conrad’s Fate we have no such redemption. Alfred and Franconia (who funnily enough is also referred to as Fanny late in the book) make for a truly dreary pair of guardians. Jones frequently shows Franconia’s apparent feminist sensibilities to be only surface-level: Franconia refers to the responsibility of cooking for her children as an instance of “being exploited,” but inflicts the same expectation on her own daughter. (Meanwhile, Conrad uses the skill of cooking to leverage his place in the household, and later Christopher is viewed as somewhat inept and helpless in not being able to cook at all.) Despite supposedly valuing independent and intelligent women, Franconia’s response to Anthea being accepted into university is a simple but cutting “you’re not clever enough.” In a subtle touch highlighting the impressionability of children, her vaguely sexist repeated remark that Anthea is “sly” is subconsciously echoed by Conrad when he voices the same thought about Daisy the shopgirl.
Franconia is central to the final act of the book, revealing some key plot secrets. There’s even a funny scene with Anthea grudgingly admiring her brazen and unceremonious entry into the Stallery House banquet. But Jones ultimately holds Franconia accountable for the cruel indifference she shows her children in an emotional climax:

Gabriel de Witt took my photographs back from me and stood frowning down at them. “Yes, indeed,” he said at last. “Master Tesdinic here has an extraordinary degree of untrained magical talent. I would like”–he turned his frown on my mother–“to take the lad back with me to Series Twelve and make sure that he is properly taught.”
“Oh no!” Anthea said.
“I believe I must,” Gabriel de Witt said. He was still frowning at my mother. “I cannot think what you were doing, madam, neglecting to provide your son with proper tuition.”
My mother’s hair was down all over the place, like an unstuffed mattress. I could see she had no answer to Gabriel de Witt. So she said tragically, “Now all my family is to be taken from me!”
Gabriel de Witt straightened himself, looking grim and dour even for him. “That, madam,” he said, “is what tends to happen when one neglects people.”

In the end, Gabriel de Witt is the one to correct the mistakes of Alfred and Franconia and finally give Conrad the education he’s been quietly wishing for throughout the book. The importance of Franconia to the plot and to Conrad’s character, despite her absence for most of the book, is highlighted in particular by Conrad being forced to take her maiden name, Grant, as his alias during his stay at Stallery. In fact, Christopher Chant himself refers to Conrad only as “Grant” throughout the book, Jones finding an organic way to constantly remind us that simply moving out of the house doesn’t rid us of our mothers' presence and influence.
The character of the Countess further complicates a feminist discussion of the novel. We first learn of her in an appallingly sexist diatribe from gossipy Mrs. Potts, who suggests she “caught the old Count by kicking up her legs in a chorus line” and then “bothered and nagged him to death.” From this conversation we are inclined to see the Countess as an unfairly maligned woman who has been subjected to all of Stallchester’s small-minded judgment. But when the Countess herself enters the novel, it’s clear that she is another in a line of toxic female figures which populate many of Jones’s books:

If you looked at her quickly, this Countess, you thought she was the same age as the good-looking one, Lady Felice. She was just as blond and just as slender, and her dark lilac dress made her look pure and delicate, almost like a teenager’s. But when she moved, you saw she had studied for years and years how to move gracefully, and when she spoke, her face took on expressions that were terribly sweet, in a way that showed she had been studying expressions for years, too. After that, you saw that the delicate look was careful, careful, expert makeup.

(Side note: it’s very admirable writing that in this introduction Jones is able to foreshadow the fact that the Countess is just an actress pretending to be nobility, even suggesting the actress connection again when the members of the actors’ guild use their skills with makeup to make Millie look older.)
Jones’s husband has suggested that the Countess was inspired by Jones’s own mother, though variations of the character can be found in her other books as well. I thought particularly of Miss Angorian in Howl’s Moving Castle, the Last Governess in The Lives of Christopher Chant, Miss Hodge in Witch Week, and especially the devilish Duchess in The Magicians of Caprona. The Countess’s role as a smothering, overly-involved, manipulative mother positions her as a foil to the neglectful parenting approach of both Franconia Tesdinic and Miranda Chant. In another subtle touch, just as Franconia doesn’t have anything to do with talk of cooking despite supposedly placing value on women having skills, Felice at one point uses the subject of money to get the Countess to stop talking. Despite being immeasurably wealthy, the Countess haughtily reminds her daughter that she knows nothing about finance.
More to the point, these disparate, but equally ineffectual, parenting styles further cement the idea that “maternal” does not necessarily translate as a positive trait in Jones’s work. Later, we find out Millie has been held hostage by a witch, also portrayed as a wicked old woman who hides behind various motherly objects and behaviors:

“It may have been the witch keeping you in,” I said.
“Oh, it was,” she said. “I didn’t realize at first. She was sort of kind, and she had food cooked whatever kitchen I got to, and she kept hinting that she knew all about the way the buildings changed. She said she’d show me the way out when things were ready. Then she suddenly disappeared, and as soon as she was gone, I realized that it was that knitting of hers–she was sort of knitting me in, trying to take me over, I think. I had to spend a day undoing her knitting before I could get anywhere.”

Read it two or three times and you can see this passage is so marvelously nuanced and full of different meanings. It could read as a microcosm of an adult coming to terms with the influence their parents have had on them ("I had to spend a day undoing her knitting before I could get anywhere"), but it could also be read as a simple account of an evil witch working a spell. I love that the typically motherly image of “knitting” takes on a symbolic and ominous subtext here.
Most of the likable women in this book are young and beautiful, such as Anthea, who reminds me of other strong-minded sister characters such as Lettie in Howl’s and especially Rosa in Magicians (the latter in particular having a similar elopement subplot). Millie is an important exception, always described as having a slightly round and plain face, but behaving in ways that show her intelligence and kindness. Her interests and talents sometimes go against what’s expected of young girls, highlighted by her account of the school she escaped:

”It really was an awful place–awful girls, awful teachers–and the lessons were all things like dancing and deportment and embroidery and how to make conversation with an ambassador, and so on. I told Gabriel de Witt that I was miserable and not learning a thing, but he just thought I was being silly.”

I included the last sentence as an indication of how keenly aware Jones is that women's concerns are often dismissed as irrational while men are taken more seriously. That Millie experiences this at the hands of even a “good” character such as Gabriel is important and telling, and it’s even more important that Christopher, a male character whose masculinity is arguably tempered by feminine traits, didn’t doubt her for a second. A less prominent detail in the same vein is that Lady Felice’s grand ball to celebrate her coming-of-age (ostensibly her independence) had to be canceled in observance of the recent death of her father.
And speaking of talented women, in the end it’s the talented young actress Fay Marley who encourages Conrad in the tear-jerking final paragraph:

The King wants to see me tomorrow. I feel very nervous. But Fay Marley has promised to go with me at least as far as the door and hold my hand. She knows the King well, and she says she thinks he may want to make me a Special Investigator like Mr. Prendergast. “You notice things other people don’t see, darling,” she says. “Don’t worry so much. It’ll be all right, you’ll see.”

This ending is sneakily emotional, because it highlights the healing power that Conrad experiences as a result of being encouraged positively by a friend, contrasting to his uncle’s constant reminders that he was doomed to failure.
There are a few stray thoughts I want to talk about. The first is the character of Christopher Chant, who really comes into his own here as a fun and enjoyable sidekick character (though given our protagonist’s passive nature, it’s really Conrad who comes off as the sidekick). As usual, his maddeningly beautiful clothes, easy charm, and airy humor lighten the tone of the book quite a lot, and it was quite funny to read about him as an angsty teenager getting in an argument with his guardian and running away after a girl. But we peel back a little more of the detached vagueness here to recognize that he and Conrad have a quite moving friendship: during the section of the book in which Christopher is missing, Conrad tells a joke which is misinterpreted by a coworker; he then privately laments that Christopher would have understood the joke. I hope that we see more of the two of them together in the last book, though I somehow doubt it.
The next thing is the setting itself. It is quite bold to set the novel in more or less one location throughout, and Jones dedicates a lot of time to the look and feel of the mansion so we can feel as immersed as our leads. I don’t have much to remark on here, but I thought I should give her credit for keeping a single setting compelling and interesting throughout. I was fascinated by the scene in which Christopher and Conrad explore the cellar, going deep into the mansion’s basement to find a bizarre Freudian nightmare of buzzing computer screens and stock market numbers. I was delighted and felt that Jones was really tapping into her subconscious with this detail. There’s also a very light but amusing satire on the arbitrary social class systems at play in the mansion; Jones is at her funniest when the inquisition arrives to detain and question half the household:

There was a lot of noise in the entrance hall, where more policemen seemed to be marshaling gardeners, stablemen, and chauffeurs up the main stairs. Most of them were protesting that only Family were allowed to go up this way.

Finally, I always dedicate some space to Jones’s remarkable descriptions of magic. My favorite this time was Conrad’s summoning of an eerie familiar known as a Walker:

There was a sudden feeling of vast open distances. It was a very odd feeling, because the library was still all around us, close and warm and filled with the quiet, mildewy scent of books, but the distances were there, too. I could smell them. They brought a sharp, icy smell like the winds over frozen plains. Then I realized I could see the distance, too. Beyond the books, farther off than the edge of any world, there was a huge curving horizon, faintly lit by an icy sunrise, and winds that I couldn’t feel blew off it. I knew those were the winds of eternity. And real fear gripped me, nothing to do with any fear spell.

Jones is characteristically spare in her prose, giving us only as much detail as we need and leaving the proper amount of vagueness to delight or, in this case, chill us.
Also–did everyone catch Tacroy’s/Mordecai Roberts’s cameo as the unnamed “youngish man with a lot of light, curly hair and a brown skin” in the final chapter?
I took a more analytical approach to my write-up this time, because as I said before, Conrad’s Fate was my favorite book of the Chrestomanci series so far, and there were a lot of great themes to dig into. Thanks for bearing with me through this lengthy diatribe, and I am quite sad to report that I have only one of these books left to read! Next time, I’ll be back to offer my thoughts on The Pinhoe Egg.

I finished my non-themed hard mode card!* I decided to post these reviews in case anyone finds them helpful. I also decided to add sections reflecting on how well they fit the prompt and sometimes books/media that were somewhat similar (similar being really loosely defined, ymmv).
*I actually finished a while ago, I just wanted to post my ace/aro themed card wrap up first.
Title with a Title: The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis

Brief summary: A woman is in a religious order that forces her to be a sex worker and wants to get out, and a man searches for his soldier partner who might have betrayed him.
Review: It was entertaining enough, but I think the themes could have been handled better. I disliked most of the twists, I feel like they either were not nuanced or made some of the representation in the story worse. Also, most of the decisions made by the people in charge in these books make no sense when you think about it.
How well did it fit the prompt: It did, First Sister was a position in the religious hierarchy. Not much to say here.

Superheroes: Dreadnought by April Daniels

Closeted trans girl gets to magically transition as a side effect of getting superpowers.
I really liked the representation of being a trans girl in this one, and also the discussion of emotionally abusive parents and transphobia were really impactful. The superhero parts of the story were the least interesting parts for me, mostly because I’m not a superhero person.
Similar books: If you want a more queernorm take on queer teenage superheroes, Sidekick Squad by C.B. Lee is a great option! Book 2 has a trans teenage boy main character.
How well did it fit the prompt: It felt like a straightforward take on superheroes, which was actually pretty refreshing considering how many books I’ve read that try to subvert things and show that the heroes are really the bad guys.

Bottom of TBR: Kindred by Octavia Butler

1960s Black women gets time traveled back into 1815 slave plantation.
This wasn’t a fun read, but it was a really important one. I really liked how it depicted how feeling entitled to other human beings can really twist a person and cause them to do abhorrent things, I’ve read other books that depicts slave owners as basically evil psychopaths (which some undoubtably were), but I feel like most probably were similar to the slave owners in this book. In other words, the real antagonist felt more like the entire institution of slavery than any particular individual without letting individuals off the hook. It also depicted how slavery tore apart families and communities, which I knew about but never had shown to me in such a visceral way before.
Similar books: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs is a great supplemental read. It’s a first hand account of what it’s like to be an enslaved women, with a focus on how the author was constantly threatened with sexual assault by men in positions of power over her.
How well did it fit the prompt: I didn’t keep an organized by date TBR, but I’ve definitely been meaning to read something by Octavia Butler since I’ve started reading more adult fiction. I kept procrastinating on starting it though, which it was good to overcome.

Magical Realism: Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore

Two Latine, non-binary teens deal with being neurodivergant and start forming a friendship.
I really liked this one. It definitely focused on some perspectives I don’t typically see focused on (ADHD and dyslexic, Latine, non-binary), and it was delightfully intersectional (like how one of one character’s methods of handling their ADHD tied into their culture). It definitely felt more contemporary than what I’m used to, which was surprisingly refreshing.
Similar books: Cemetery Boys might work for a trans Latino story? I haven’t read that yet though. I’ve read The House of Rust as a different coming to age magical realism story, although it feels pretty different.
How well did it fit the prompt: Oddly. I think most magical realism books have the magical part be known to the wider world and unquestioned, but this magical realism element (a magical lake) was a secret between the two main characters. It definitely felt magical realism like to me, pulling from a common source of the few other Latino magical realism stories I know of, mostly because the fantastical elements worked off of more dream/symbolic logic than the more or less internally consistent rules of more typical fantasy books.

Young Adult; Siege of Rage and Ruin by Django Wexler

Two sisters with dangerous magic reunite after being separated and work on a rebellion in a city district under siege together.
This felt pretty anti-climatic to me. Probably because I hated everything about the way the emperor and the councilor dude was handled. It felt very “we just need to get rid of this one evil person who isn’t even the emperor” instead of focusing on systematic injustices, and the ending felt a bit deus ex machina for me. The audiobook wasn’t very good, which didn’t help. I really liked the first book in the series, which is why I was so disappointed. The 2nd one was worse, and I was hoping this one would turn the trend around, but it didn’t. I was also annoyed about the love triangle set up for the younger sister, but at least it didn’t end up going anywhere.
Similar books: Elemental Trilogy, The Beyonders, etc: There’s a lot of YA trilogies that nailed the landing for me much more than this one.
How well did it fit the prompt: It’s definitely YA that wasn’t too romance focused, which was my goal for this one. I mostly chose it because this is a YA series that I started when I was a teen primarily reading YA, and I wanted to see how it ended.

Mudane Jobs: The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul by Victoria Goddard

Political science professor who’s secretly a former adventurous rebel goes on a research mission and meets an old friend.
It was cool to see some things in the Lays of the Hearth-Fire series fleshed out from a different character’s perspective. Also, getting a little bit more information about what happened in between different events in The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun was really fun. Goddard is still great at handling interpersonal relationships in a way I find compelling, but Pali was no Kip (she came across like a bit of a jerk, especially knowing how much she ended up hurting a different character) which did lower my engagement a little. Also, Pali not realizing she was studying her friend the entire time…I can’t tell if that’s better or worse than Kip not realizing his favorite musician is his Radiancy.
How well did it fit the prompt: Well, political science professor isn’t a super normal job, but it exists in the real world, so I’m going to count it. It’s also at least tangentially related to parts of the plot, that counts, right? TBH, this square was giving me more trouble than I thought, so I decided not to overthink it.

Published in the 00s: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

Scientist gets lab specimens from sketchy sources and doesn’t take proper lab precautions. It doesn’t end well, predictably. With a bonus of being set in a weird city with lots of philosophical ramblings.
This book was pretty slow and not super interesting for me. I’ve learned I don’t really like gross books, and this is definitely deliberately trying to be gross. I also am not a philosophy person, so I feel like I didn’t appreciate much of what Miéville was trying to do with that. His prose felt a bit obnoxious to me? Like it would have been more impressive that he used a bunch of uncommon words if he didn’t repeat so many (I swear undulate must have been used at least 15 times). The slake moths didn’t scare me, and I would have appreciated the creative world building more if I cared about literally any character. I can see why other people like it, it's just not for me.
Similar books: New Crobizon is basically like Ankh Morpork in the City Watch Discworld books, but instead of humorous remarks on human nature you get gross weirdness and cynicism. It was also similar to The City and the City, the one other book by China Mieville that I’ve read but less focused on one issue and more weird.
How well did it fit the prompt: It was published in the correct time frame. I kind of wanted to pick a book that wasn’t on the best of list at all, but I also wanted to read this because I’ve seen people hype it up and I wanted to see if I would like a more fantasy book by Miéville more than The City and the City. I did not, I don’t think China Miéville is for me.

Angels/Demons: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

A Jewish angel and demon team up to find a lesbian that immigrated to America from a shtetl in Poland in about 1904.
This was pretty enjoyable. I liked the representation of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage and how well that tied into the time period and also the angel/demon elements. There’s also some fun queerness. The pacing could be a bit weird at times.
Similar books: Do I need to say it? Good Omens. I actually like this one a bit better though. The chavrusa dynamic between the characters was really cool. Being based off of Jewish stories instead of Christian ones felt more new and refreshing to me, and it also had more queer characters so it felt a bit less queer bait-y. I think some people liked the humor in Good Omens more than me or connected to those characters more, which is fair, but not the case for me.
How well did it fit the prompt: Very well. Not only did it fit the prompt exactly, it also did it in a non obvious way.

Short stories: Africa Risen: a New Era of Speculative Fiction edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight

An anthology of African and African diaspora SFF stories
Mixed bag in that I liked some stories more than others. It ended up feeling a bit too long so that some stories dragged. I also would have liked it if it listed the cultures the stories were based off of, some weren’t obvious until I looked up the author.
Similar books: I’m not a huge anthology person, Taaqtumi (Inuit horror anthology) is the only other one I’ve read recently. The introduction of Africa Risen mentions Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction, and Mojo: Conjure Stories, and a lot more, none of which I have read.
How well did it fit the prompt: It fit. I think short story anthologies can be a great way to learn about new authors. I think ones themed around race/culture are a great way to learn about these issues and find underrepresented authors whose style works for me, so I’m planning on reading more.

Horror: The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

A librarian adopts and abuses some children so they get arcane knowledge. Now they’re adults, he’s missing, and they are not handling it well.
It was interesting how the more horrific stuff in this book was treated so nonchalantly by the main characters. It was definitely an odd read, I just don’t know if it stuck with me.
Similar books: The Magnus Archives came the closest, especially in season 5? They feel like they have a sort of similar vibe to me.
How well did it fit the prompt: It definitely was more fantasy than a lot of other horror books, it didn’t feel like it used horror conventions much? I’ve learned that fiction books don’t really scare me, which is a con in that that’s what horror books are supposed to do, right? but a pro in that I don’t enjoy being scared, so I’ll probably read more horror books if they sound interesting now.

Self Published: The Last Fang of God by Ryan Kirk

A father and daughter in a Norse inspired setting go on a journey so that the girl can complete a ritual or else she dies.
This one felt pretty generic to me, and also the female lead was written exactly how an adult man views a stereotypical teenage girl. If you like quest/travel stories you might have better luck.
Similar media: Take father daughter dynamic important directly from a family/children’s movie and put it in a norse inspired setting and make it more violent. I’m not going to bother with specific examples.
How well did it fit the prompt: I was kind of hoping to find a book had even less ratings that was out for longer (I’ve read several books for my other card that fit that criteria), but I decided to pick one of the SPFBO finalists that fit the hard mode criteria and I could read via my library instead (Hoopla is very convenient). This book worked. Ironically, I also read a 2023 SPFBO contestant for my other card that got knocked out in the first round that I liked better.

Middle East: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Hunter girl and assassin boy go on a quest to find a MacGuffin.
Not my favorite. It’s the type of YA fantasy story that I find pretty frustrating: the main plot ostensibly is the adventure quest thing, but if it comes between that and the romance, the romance is the author’s priority every time. The romance is also the attraction fueled enemies to lovers type thing that my brain is too aro ace to understand but I think is a major reason why a lot of people like it? The male lead is such an edgelord he was impossible for me to take seriously. The female lead was super talented and skilled right up until the narrative needed her not to be. I’m not in the target audience for this one, and I probably should have DNFed.
(Not?) Similar books: The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia has the Middle East inspired world building (specifically Persian in this case). It is interested representing not just surface level details like foods, but also the way that distinctly different cultures in the area can come into conflict. Also, no romance, which is a plus for me.
How well did it fit the prompt: It’s definitely inspired by the Middle East, but I’m going to leave it to own voices reviews to tackle how well it was handled overall.

2023: Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

A grumpy Godkiller and a knight-turned-baker escort a girl and her small god to a city.
Not a bad, but it didn’t amaze me. For some reason, it just felt a bit too generic for me. Maybe it was the quest/traveling part? I also really wanted to know where the little god came from but they didn’t answer it in this book, which was disappointing. The girl also wasn’t the most realistic child character I’ve read. I did like the representation in it—especially the disability representation. I’m not disabled, so I’m not an expert in what makes for good representation, but it felt like the author was trying for once which is honestly pretty rare in mainstream fantasy books.
How well did it fit the prompt: It came out in 2023 and was a debut. I preferred my other card’s 2023 debut (The Meister of Decimen City).

Multiverse: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

A woman works for a company to collect data from other dimensions where she has died. Things aren’t quite what they seem.
I liked this book. I found the themes about class, race, abuse, and capitalism to be pretty interesting. I saw a lot of the twists coming, but they were still executed pretty well and the plot kept me engaged. However, the ending and the some of actions of the villain felt a bit unrealistic to me.
How well did it fit the prompt: It was indeed a multiverse. I wanted to read a book with a multiple dimensions type storyline because I chose a portal fantasy for my other card.

POC Author: Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi

Literary sci fi that explores white flight, gentrification, and racial prejudice in a near future sci fi setting.
I really liked the way this one explored it’s themes for the most part. It did a great job representing working class Black (and also Latino a bit) culture (according to own voices reviews I found). I haven’t seen these themes explored in any other book, so that was cool. That being said, there’s no way one nuclear plant melting down would cause the entire United States to basically collapse. Like it would be bad, but not that bad. Sorry, that broke my suspension of disbelief. It’s also a very 2020 book, because although these topics have been talked about for ages, you can really tell that it was informed by the author’s cynicism about what 2020s activism could accomplish. The ending was really abrupt.
Similar books: Ummm…The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor is a futuristic Black rage story. Although I think this one did a better job and is more grounded in reality where The Book of Phoenix is more mythic.
How well did it fit the prompt: very well, if a bit depressingly. It’s also a bit more near future than distant future, but hey, that counts.

Bookclub/readalong: The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

A guy who’s a justice (jury, judge, and executioner) and his apprentice try to solve a murder mystery.
I really felt nothing from this book. Like 0 connection to anything in it at all. IDK why. Maybe because the way it handled the justice system was so far removed to any real world commentary (at least, as far as I could tell), it felt kind of meaningless to me, it was more philosophical than practical? I will say that I was a bit annoyed at being constantly told how smart and amazing the female lead was, but she never shows it.
Similar books: The Shamer’s Chronicles series. It deals with shame instead of justice, but is a great nuanced take on how shame/guilt is important in the justice system but can also be misused. It is YA though.
How well did it fit the prompt: I did comment on the Goodreads book club post for it, so mission accomplished. I didn’t end up having too many good discussions on it (feeling nothing doesn’t inspire conversations), but it did get me in the habit of participating in book clubs more often, so that’s great. (Shoutout to Beyond Binaries for being a lot of fun!)

Novella: The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Mermaid descendants of the pregnant women tossed overboard slave ships deal (or don’t deal) with generational trauma.
I liked the themes, but could have used a more cohesive plot to make them blend in a bit more? It just felt a bit choppy to me. Either that or the book club discussion questions at the end of my copy really threw me off.
Similar ~~books~~ media: Bookish Realm has some great YouTube videos (short, long) on Black mermaids in fiction (there’s a bunch of cool history and culture there that I didn’t know about before). Also, obviously, listen to the clippings song The Deep and Drexciya if you want to follow the inspiration. Also, there’s a lot of other art inspired by Drexciya’s ideas if you want to fall down a rabbit hole.
How well did it fit the prompt: It was an interesting novella, but I think it felt a bit too choppy to me to really master the novella form imo. I was more interested in the ideas rather than the form.

Mythical Beasts: The Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon:

A gryphon warrior and a healetherapist/sex worker are friends in a war camp.
Honestly, this one had a bit too much slice of life parts and not enough action for me. I can like books that are slice of life, but this one had a bit too much of a romance focus for me. It also had a bit too much black and white morality where it seemed like it was letting one character off the hook for doing some messed up stuff because he’s just obviously a good guy.
How well did it fit the prompt: I wanted to read a griffon book, mission accomplished.

Elemental Magic: Fire Logic by Laurie J Marks

Lesbian wanderecultural ambassadowarrior of a genocided people participates in a rebellion with the help of a peaceful, magical blacksmith with a drug addiction.
A bit of a tough read at the time, but I liked it in general. The pacing should have felt more choppy than it did, and I liked the way the character relationships developed. Also, fun to read a queernorm book published in 2002. There was a bit of distance from the POVs though and certain themes I need to read the sequels on before I decide how I feel about them.
Similar books: It had some similar classic fantasy vibes to like, The Deed of Paksenarrion, but not the same idealized good versus evil fight. It’s a weird book that feels both old and new at the same time.
How well did it fit the prompt: Oddly. The elemental magic was more of a personality type thing with occasional non intuitive related magic powers (like intuition and visions for the ones with fire powers), rather than a straight forward, you control x element. But close enough for me.

Myths and Retellings: Deerskin by Robin McKinley

A retelling of Donkeyskin about a woman recovering from some really traumatic events (rape, incest, miscarriage).
Really beautifully written, and for the most part really sensitive. It did bother me a bit that the story criticized fairy-tale logic to explain how people dismissed the warning signs at the beginning, but leaned into it at the end to get the traditional happily ever after and magical healing. That being said, Ash and company are the best dogs.
Similar books: Tess of the Road also deals with recovery from trauma, but with a bit more of a recovering from purity culture and family expectations bend as well, with a messy, complicated teenage protagonist. On a completely different note, for my other card I read The Ice Princess’s Fair Illusion by Dove Cooper, which was also a retelling of a lesser known problematic fairytale, although it was a lot less dark.
How well did it fit the prompt: It was very recognizably a retelling, even if it did change a lot of the plot. I wanted to read a non-fantasy romance fairytale retelling story. There was some romance but that wasn't the focus.

Queernorm setting: Witch King by Martha Wells

A demon body snatcher with pain magic wakes up from a year long sleep and wants to figure out who betrayed him and why + flashbacks to the past.
This totally felt like a Martha Wells fantasy to me (very competent protagonist with trust issues and some found family elements? Yep, that's exactly what I'm looking for from her). It’s a lot less character focused than Murderbot and is more world building focused. I think some people were thrown off by the flashbacks interrupting the pacing. You also have to roll with the world building, not much gets explained.
Similar books: Any other Martha Wells backlog fantasy (I’ve read Wheel of the Infinite, City of Bones, and Books of the Raksura) (Not Murderbot)
How well did it fit the prompt: It was queernorm is a way that was surprisingly casual. Like there’s gay and lesbian relationships that were treated very normally. I also liked how no one’s gender was assumed by physical appearance alone (Kai used they/them pronouns for people until it was clear), which made sense considering how the demons work. I personally prefer the more aggressively queer mostly indie queernorm books that will make it incredibly obvious.

Coast or Island Setting: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

A boy starts learning to become a wizard in wizard school and must overcome hubris.
Not this book’s fault (it’s the original, or at least on older example), but it felt like I’ve already read too many of the plot beats in this already, so it didn’t feel new or that interesting. Even the magic system feels worn out to me now. Ged at least learned from his mistakes the first time, so that was nice.
Similar books: Any other book with a know-it-all child/teen male main character who needs to learn the perils of hubris. Actually, a little like the King Killer Chronicles in that sense, but more to the point and with Ged actually having a character arc, unlike Kvothe. The magic seemed similar to Eragon, but I imagine Eragon got it from this book.
How well did it fit the prompt: I mean, it fit perfectly based of the description of the prompt. I’ve heard that this book based off of Polynesian cultures and I was hoping for some more cultural elements to be represented, but besides the main character’s skin tone, I didn’t really see it. Admittedly, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rob Inglis, and his extremely British voice did not help.

Druids: Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott

A retelling of Boudica's life.
This book was really well written, but the combination of slow pacing and traumatic events made it really hard to get through. I don’t think I can handle a sequel, especially since I know how it’s going to end. I liked the attention to detail when it came to the setting, and the author’s love of nature (and horses) really came through. I also liked how surprisingly queer it was. I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but I still was.
Similar books: It reminded me a bit of Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin in that both are feminist retellings that felt like they stayed closer to the historical period. Also, there was a love of nature and a more mystical feeling to the fantasy elements of both. Lavinia was less dark though.
How well did it fit the prompt: I feel like this one was prioritizing being historical fiction first, retelling/tragedy second, and fantasy a distant third, especially because the fantasy elements blended smoothly into the culture of the Iceni tribe. It was cool to see what actual Celtic druids might have been like (not that they were called druids).

Featuring Robots: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Robot doll makes observations about the world, makes friends with a chronically ill girl (as she is assigned to), and worships the sun for some reason?
This book is a book about AIs—sorry AFs—written by someone who clearly has no clue how AIs actually work. Like Klara was written as an oddly stilted child with a bunch of quirky traits that no machine learning program would have (what on earth was up with the sun thing?). Also, the bond between Klara and Josie was pretty much unexamined, despite it being really messed up on a power balance and also codependence level. Even the themes about death and dying wasn’t dealt with enough focus or nuance for me, especially with the ending of Josie suddenly being healed. Also, the ending would have been so much cooler imo if it was ambiguous if Josie had been secretly replaced by an AF (new body + copy of Klara’s code) and was responding to the sun powering her up, or if the sun had actually healed Josie.
Similar books: Speak by Louisa Hall! AI dolls written by someone who at least somewhat understands the theory and history behind machine learning and chatbots. It handles its themes better on almost every level in my opinion.
How well did it fit the prompt: On a surface level? Klara is indeed a robot. Did Klara act like a robot? No. Maybe like a pop culture idea of what a robot is.

Sequel: The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells

A giant battle with creative uses of magic to close out a series.
It was a bit of a slow start, and some of the fighting was a bit tedious after so many pages, but hey, it did deliver everything I was expecting (creative uses of magic, very large battle) from this series’s finale.
Similar books: Basically like Cradle’s finale, but not quite so overpowered.
How well did it fit the prompt: Book 7 in a series isn’t bad. It’s nice to have closed the Mage Errant series out.

Stats and stuff:

Author gender: 40% Female, 32% Male, 16% Nonbinary, 8% Mixed
Author race/ethnicity: 32% People of color, 68% white or unknown
New to Me Authors: 68% new to me, 28% not new to me, 4% partially new to me
Series vs Standalones: 44% standalones, 56% in series (11/14 first book in series...I don't think I'll be continuing most of these series otherwise I'd be in trouble.)

If you actually made it through all of this, thanks for reading!

Fate thrusts Nathan Talem, a young half-orphan and Earth archivist, into a world on the edge of war. Armed only with magical potential and pop-culture wit, Nathan must embrace rapid growth to defend the realm that he comes to love, pushing him to risk everything. _ When young Archivist Nathan Talem, a half-orphan who's more at home with books and binge-watching than actual adventures, finds himself catapulted into another world on the brink of war, he can't help but think, "Well, this wasn't in the show notes." Suddenly living in a new world, his daydreams having become his daily routine, turns out to be not only about heroic quests that he expected.
Armed with nothing but a latent magical potential that's as unpredictable as a Game of Thrones season finale and a wit sharpened by too many late-night reads and movie marathons, Nathan is about to learn that the place this takes him to is somewhere he had hoped to never see again—school. There he has to deal with failing expectations and bullies in equal measure.
As Nathan dives into the complexities of this foreign land, the real challenge isn't just unlocking his magical abilities; it's navigating a web of political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and the hardest test of all: making friends. The deeper he gets entangled with the realm's larger game at play, the more he questions if being a 'Chosen One' is really more about forging his place in the narrative, rather than a true calling from fate.
But here's the kicker: This realm, with its odd mix of allies, enemies, and missed exams, offers Nathan something he's never truly had—a genuine sense of belonging. As he starts to care more about this place and its people, the stakes become personal. It's no longer just about figuring out his powers and finding a way back to Earth; it's about defending a home he never expected to find.
In a tale that weaves magic, mystery, and more pop-culture references than Nathan's DVR, "Nathan Talem and the Archivists Legacy" is the story of one young man's journey from obscurity to the center of a continent-spanning international conspiracy. With every challenge, Nathan will have to decide if he's ready to be the hero the script demands, or if he'll rewrite the story his way—hopefully, with fewer commercial breaks.
Join him as he navigates a path filled with danger, laughter, and the kind of epic friendships that would make even the toughest critic shed a tear. After all, in a world where magic and mayhem collide, it's Nathan's unique blend of humor and heart that might just save the day—or at least make for one hell of a blooper reel.
_
Content warnings: Potentially excessive pop-culture humor, some scenes might be disturbing and describe violence.
_
Type of Feedback & Timeline I am happy with any kind of feedback. But especially what do you like, what don't you like? Would you buy the book? Would you tell someone about this new series? If not, is there something you need that would change your mind?
Additionally, if you find parts that make no sense, any inconsistencies. Any character continuity issues.
I would need feedback within about 7-10 days, so before April 4th.
_
Short Extract
Nathan's pursuits, he now understood were driven by two things equally as unsettling. First the mystery of his mother and then the tumultuous world around him. Fiction and history were a lifeline in a reality that had shifted beneath humanity's feet. I happened ten years ago. He had just turned fourteen. The world was quite literally turned on his head.
It had been a rainy September 5th in 2019 when he woke up and witnessed, together with everyone on Earth, the existence of another world… and with it the existence of magic. Two dozen Portals had suddenly appeared across the planet. And it turned out, these Portal led to another world. These shimmering tears through reality were a revelation as wondrous to him as it was divisive to the world at large.
Feels like we're living in one of my comic books, Nathan often thought during that time, marveling at the magical items shown on TV or the other news that now trickled into their world, even though they were unreachable for a normal person. Nathan had no access to such means. Instead, he imagined what it must be like. I'd watch an 'Antiques Roadshow PBS - Magical Edition' every day.
As the world grappled with this new reality, a portal became the central point of control in that region. They were the gateways for wonders and riches. As you can imagine, they were basically a nexus for power. Magical items though prohibitively expensive and diminishing in potency over time, became symbols of power in this new era. They were marvels that few could afford, yet they represented the myriad of possibilities that lay beyond his boring world and inspired him, though reality wasn't as grand as imagination.
All portal areas were blocked off. Access had quickly become exceptionally limited to the extremely wealthy and powerful. The general public only got fragmented information of the other planet Mirath. And it was hard to disseminate fact from fantasy. It was a world that Nathan dreamed of, but resigned he would probably never see.
Sitting among the archives, Nathan thought to himself, as he was prone to do, when the portals appeared, it was kind of like the universe decided to skip the science fiction and go straight to the fantasy sequel. I half-expected a wizard to pop out and declare, 'You shall not pass!' Instead, we got magical billionaire tourism and an interdimensional iron curtain. Talk about anticlimactic.
Nathan's move to the outskirts of Auckland therefore was less a departure and more a continuation of his path that seemed destined to happen mostly in his head. He was drawn towards at least understanding the history and fiction of one world as an archivist. And Nathan had adjusted well to his new life amidst the stacks and scripts of the Auckland Archives.
Nathan caught himself daydreaming again, the book forgotten for the moment. "If only cracking these books open could lead me to another world," he sighed, half-joking, half-wistful. "Who knows? Maybe there's a Portal traveler out there looking for a sidekick. I've got references. Gandalf, Dumbledore..., all old mentors of mine. Also, I'm not picky."
With each page of the tome he was reading, Nathan delved deeper into the lore both known and imagined. The Archives, his new home, offered him an escape into the world's memories, as did his nightly television marathons into the world's imagination, but they also underscored his isolation.
Nathan's past was a book with missing pages, which left him with no close friends, though that was mostly his doing, ignoring most of what was not written in a book or running on PrimeFlix.
Despite the seeming impossibility for someone like Nathan to be able to use a Portal, Nathan's fascination remained. He hoped for the chance to explore not just the history of Earth but that of another world and a magical one at that. This seemed impossible though, given the tight grip powerful factions had on even the smallest one that sparsely dotted the globe.
These fascinating tears in the fabric of reality were under the strict control of powers that viewed them more as resources to be harnessed o risks to be contained than doorways to be explored. It really sucks. For someone like Nathan the chance to see beyond those controlled gateways was as likely as discovering a spell book in his local library.
His life, dedicated to the preservation of the past, was now filled with thoughts about a future with magic and exploration. Well, not my future, he thought resigned. It's never gonna happen, Nathan. He scolded his excursion towards the unachievable. It's more likely for Gandalf to knock on your door asking about Party Business.
And so, he went back to the tome he was working on.
What Nathan did not know, was that this day would change his life forever. The ripples of which would lead him onto a path of unravelling the secrets of a universe far broader and more fantastical than he would have ever expected. Fate, as it often does, had a peculiar sense of timing.

Symbols for the sidekick

Cats That Look Like Hitler

CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

OPERATION: BANISHED HONOR

THE EXCHANGE

FORGE UPDATES

SANDBOX UPDATES

BTB HEAVIES

WAYPOINT CHRONICLE: THE THIRD LIFE

STILL TO COME...

SHOP

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING

PRESS KIT

Team North’s Action Plan: Planting Trees

Team South’s Action Plan: Cleaning the Beach

Stakeholders Explained Simply:

Team Forest’s Action Plan: Saving Water

Team City’s Action Plan: Becoming Recycling Heroes

Simplified Roles:

Who is Denny Duvall?

Wisdom from the Beloved Borrego Springs Vehicle: Henry

Part 2, Chapter 2