Betwixt and Between

Stephanie Brown | Your Time Now

shobogan — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 23:18:27 GMT

shobogan — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 20:36:24 GMT

First, I finished Just Another Kid. It's an AU in which Steph befriends Jason when he's Robin.

Second, I finished two vids! My Little Phoenix is about Jean Grey during the Phoenix Saga; I Was Here is a tribute to all the X-Men (and X-students) who've died over the years.

Third, new furniture feels even nicer when you bought if yourself.

Fourth, financial aid is a pain in the ass.

Fic: Wolverine and the X-Men

shobogan — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 19:04:53 GMT

I finished Wolverine and the X-Men, and I felt like writing a coda of sorts.

They collect the shards.

Just the two of them; the others offered, but Scott was determined to do as much of it as he could. He was never good at saying no to Jean, though, and she rarely accepted it when he did.

They're almost done when Jean stills, hand hovering on one of the last bits of diamond, glinting in the moonlight.

Scott doesn't need to ask what's wrong; when she's this close, she can feel his emotions as easily as her own.

"It's almost like I can still feel her." She hadn't known Emma long, wasn't even sure what was real and what was a lie. But she had a sense of the woman; pride, will, arrogance, courage.

Power. She was almost as strong as Charles, probably.

"It's not your fault." Scott doesn't need their connection, really, to know what she feels. Jean shakes her head, scooping up the shard and turning it in her fingers.

"She died to save me. To save both of us." She'd loved Scott. When Jean had first felt it, she'd been furious - it was just insult to injury. Now...

She hears Scott stand, and closes her eyes as he kneels next to her, rests a hand on her shoulder.

"It was her choice." But there's no certainty to the words; he's trying to convince himself and failing. She wants to soothe the guilt away, but how can he believe her while she blames herself?

"I - " But she stops. She opens her eyes, and stares at the glint in her palm.

"Jean?"

"Shh." Her brow furrows as her mind opens.

Emma was powerful. Almost as powerful as Charles.

"I'm really not sure what you're hoping to accomplish, Jean."

Shards of diamond lay on one of the lab's long steel tables, shining in the harsh white light. Jean is standing in front of them, facing one of her oldest friends.

Hank really should look silly, in that lab coat, but it suits him.

"I think Emma's still here. Her consciousness, I mean. Her...her spirit." The sense has only gotten stronger, over the past few days. Hank, however, looks completely unconvinced. Jean raises a hand to stall any protestations.

"If I'm wrong, we waste some time. But if I'm right..." Hank just looks at her, for a moment, before sighing. She grins.

"You want me to reassemble her." He glances at the table. "You realise she's in a thousand pieces?"

"If anyone can do it, you can."

Hank can't help but smile back at her. "Flattery, Ms. Grey? Very low."

"But it's working, right?"

"Brilliantly, yes."

It takes Hank a few days to finish, painstakingly layering them until they resemble a human body. Completely anatomically correct, of course. Jean has no idea how he got them to stick together, and she doesn't ask; she's had enough technobabble to last her a few lifetimes.

The important thing is that he did it, and she kisses him on the cheek before facing her challenge.

They haven't told the others. She doesn't want to get Scott's hopes up; even if she's right, she has no idea if she can do this.

Jean takes a deep breath, placing her hands above the makeshift body and closing her eyes. She clears her mind, searches for the core of power within her.

She doesn't expect to find fire there.

At first, she shies away; this is everything they wanted to stop, everything Emma died for. But it feels different, this time; softer, calmer. The different between a warming fireplace and a raging inferno.

Slowly, carefully, Jean burrows deeper into herself. She doesn't hear Hank's ragged gasp, but she can feel the sudden alarm.

"It's all right." Her voice is strangely resonant. "I'm in control."

And it's true. The power she feels bends completely to her will; it feels like an extension of her own abilities. Like a part of her.

"Are you sure, Jean?" She's rarely heard him so worried. Slowly, she shakes her head, and then she leaves his concern behind. She is nothing but heat and will.

She can feel it; the spark of life, the blaze of death. Their power is hers, and she will be their guardian. She will ignite the world and burn away what doesn't work.

She is Jean. She is Phoenix. She is life and fire incarnate.

Jean opens her eyes, and sees flames licking at her hands. She's floating a few feet from the ground, and she sees herself through Hank's eyes; her own are blazing gold, her hair raising from her head like a plume of fire.

She can feel the diamond, feel every molecule that shapes it, and it writhes beneath her fingers. Her mind blazes bright, and lights a path.

Come home.

She can see thoughts gather and twist, spinning shadows of eyes and hands. Slowly, they sink into the glittering diamond.

Slowly, Emma Frost opens her eyes.

Jean smiles, and the fire fades.

"Welcome home."

shobogan — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:55:56 GMT

LOOK WHAT I GOT :D

I’ve been wanting a New X-Men Jean for a long time, because that’s the first actual comic I read with her in it, and that’s the first time I fell in love. (I had fond memories of the Jean from the animated series, but I was so young, they were pretty vague.)

I have a lot of issues with Morrison, with the run itself (when they get Loeb to come in and clean up your mess, that’s saying something) - but his Jean? She was amazing. He hit the exact right balance between compassionate and fierce, determined and stubborn, understanding and petty. She was a hero, yes, but also a human being.

I know so much more about her now, about her history and struggles and evolution, and it only makes me appreciate Morrison’s take more.

I’m still mad about how and why she died, but I don’t really him for that - and her last moment were reaching out to someone, trying to comfort an enemy. That makes me happy. That’s Jean, through and through.

1x01: Hindsight Part 1

shobogan — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:09:17 GMT

I'm rewatching Wolverine and the X-Men because I never really finished it and it was fun. (Netflix has all of the X-Men it's awesome.) I figured I might as well offer my thoughts, so rambling and caps ahead.

Starting off with a bang, so to speak, was an interesting choice. One the one hand, it grabs the viewer immediately, and makes them want to know WTF happened. On the other...I think it makes things a bit difficult if you're not familiar with the X-Men already. You don't know what, exactly, these people have just lost - Charles, Jean, the school, the team. There's a nice sense of camaraderie and closeness in the glimpse we get, though.

It's a good enough way to have Wolverine start out on his own, too. And while "saving a little girl from a burning wreck" is a bit cliché, I really liked said girl - Erika - and how she interacted with Logan. (And it was pretty cool to have an interracial family.)

I kind of hope we see her in Charles' future as a human ally to the mutants. I'm glad we're already seeing sympathetic people, even though the neighbours' reactions ranged from hesitant to hostile. Someone calls the Mutant Response Division, who basically seem to be legalised mutant hunters. (I'm not sure what everyone's getting arrested for, exactly, since mutant registration hasn't passed yet.)

Of course Wolverine ends up having to save them, which is when he goes back to the burned out husk of the Institute to get Beast's help.

I really like his characterisation; I think it hits all the right notes, and balances them well. He's a shrewd scholar with a playful sense of humour, and while he'd rather not fight you he can and will toss you into a wall.

Logan, meanwhile, is balanced pretty well too. It's clear he still thinks more with his claws than anything else, which will be touched on a lot as the series goes on and he tries to be a leader. He can be both compassionate and callous, heroic and ruthless. And, of course, he's a hothead.

Together, they stage a rescue - just in time to save Erika from being tortured, of course. (Her dad already was, and he was a complete badass about it. Seriously I love this family.)

They rescue the mutants as well, which leads to some awesome cameos.

None of them join the team, though. I like to think they're living in a flat somewhere, fighting crime.

Wolverine gets the family home, and says goodbye to Erika.

Back at the mansion, Logan and Hank discuss just how bad things are getting. "We both know what's going on, Hank. There's a war coming." So, naturally, it's time to bring back the X-Men.

Now they just have to find them.

shobogan — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:03:13 GMT

Don't mind me, I'm just experimenting with a plot bunny.

Lots of swearing, because Jason.

He's never liked cops, really. If they ever gave a damn about Crime Alley, it was usually for the wrong reasons. Nowadays, they're just a nuisance.

But he doesn't go out of his way to hurt them, and he'll lend a hand if it won't fuck things up. The good ones, they're trying to protect their city too, even if they're doing it ass-backwards.

Some of them even thank him.

Like this one. She's a rookie, probably just got her uniform a few months ago. He doesn't know what the hell she's doing here all by herself.

She wasn't doing too bad, though, before he stepped in. She was surrounded - one of the gangs he really needs to take in fucking hand - but she moved fast, smart. Like she's been fighting a whole lot longer than her - what, year of training? Fuck if he knows any more.

But she could only last so long on her own with her gun kicked out of her hand, he decided to lend a hand. Some of them just ran off when he landed beside her, which feels pretty great. She didn't miss a beat, though, falling into step with him like he was wearing the same badge.

Then all of them were gone or down, and she smiled. Smiled in a way that made his chest ache, and he had no idea why.

And she has dimples. Fucking dimples.

"Thanks." It's not sarcastic, either, or even wary. She crouches down and pulls our her cuffs and doesn't even seem to care that he's looming over her.

"Yeah, sure." Smooth, Hood. Terror of the fucking night.

He drops down, too, pulling out his zip ties.

"So you do capture some of them alive." He glances up, and she's smirking at him.

"I have some fucking standards, okay." The guy he's sitting on right now, he's barely even legal. Probably got caught up in this shit because it was the only way he felt safe. Jason remembers that temptation; who knows if he could have kept resisting it, if -

He yanks hard on the line, and ignores the muffled curse.

"Good to know." She doesn't sound surprised, which shouldn't feel as nice as it does. He's tired of being written off as a monster.

"I guess you're not gonna help me lug these thugs back to the station, huh?" She sounds so casual about it. He gives her a flat look before he remembers he has a helmet on.

"I'll pass."

She grins and shakes her head, dark hair whipping across her chin. "I'd vouch for you."

"Yeah, I bet you word is fucking gold, rookie." Some of them might listen, might look the other way after he saved one of theirs. He doesn't know how many wouldn't, know, and he's not stupid enough to take that risk.

She just shrugs, standing up and scanning the shadows for her weapon.

He sees it first, and he should really just take it, just in case. But he doesn't, and the next moment she's training it on the ground.

"Okay, boys, time to march."

"You sure don't sound like you almost died five minutes ago." Yeah, what he shouldn't do is chit chat with an armed cop.

But all he gets is another shrug, as the two men struggle to their feet. "Why dwell, right?"

Why dwell, right?

He doesn't know why the words make his heart race a little faster, but he decides it's annoying, and his next words are sharp.

"It was stupid as shit, going here by yourself."

The gangbangers don't seem to mind being ignored, probably because she's got her gun back and all of his are in hand's reach.

"Yeah, it was." Her smile is rueful, this time. "But some things you've gotta do on your own."

Jason realises that sounds like complete bullshit, when you hear someone else say it.

But it's not his problem, so he just steps back and lets her take her prize.

"Try not to get attacked on the way home."

"Oh, yeah, like you won't be shadowing me the whole time."

He almost fucking sputters. "The fuck makes you so special?"

"Nothing, really, but you didn't have to save me, and you don't seem like the kind of guy who does shit halfway."

That sounds way too logical for this entire situation.

"Yeah, well. Just remember who you're talking too, all right?"

"Red Hood. Terror of the underworld. Got it." And then she holds out her free hand.

"I'm Rena."

shobogan — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:41:50 GMT

Taken from prof_pangaea. I am taking a leaf out of his book and ignoring the rules.

1. You can ONLY answer 'Yes' or 'No'

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone asks in comments.

3. Flisters may ask you expand on ONLY ONE of your yes no answers each.

See? I'm a fucking rebel.

Kissed any one of your Dreamwidth/LiveJournal friends? - Nope.

Been arrested? - No.

Kissed someone you didn't like? - Well i liked them at the time.

Slept in until 5 PM? - Yes, when i was sicks

Fallen asleep at work/school? - Yep.

Held a snake? - God I wish. I got to pet a boa constrictor once though.

Ran a red light? - I don't drive.

Been suspended from school? - No.

Experienced love at first sight? - I'm pretty sure infatuation is as good as you're going to get with that.

Totalled your car in an accident? - See above.

Been fired from a job? - No.

Fired somebody? - No.

Sung karaoke? - Yes!

Pointed a gun at someone? - no

Did something you told yourself you wouldn't? - OF COURSE NOT

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? - Yes. Pepsi hurts.

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? - Oh yes,

Kissed in the rain? - No.

Had a close brush with death (your own)? - Not so far, fortunately.

Saw someone die? - Yes.

Thrown a glass of wine in someone's face - No.

Played Spin-the-Bottle? - No.

Smoked a cigar? - No.

Sat on a rooftop? - Yes.

Smuggled something into another country? - No.

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? - Yep.

Broken a bone? - Twice.

Skipped school? - Only if I felt like shit.

Eaten a bug? - No.

Sleepwalked? - Once, when I was a kid. I ended up upstairs in my grandma's house.

Walked on a moonlit beach? - No.

Ridden a motorcycle? - No.

Dumped someone? - No.

Forgotten your anniversary? - Yes. My memory sucks, okay.

Lied to avoid a ticket? - No.

Ridden in a helicopter? - I wish.

Shaved your head? - Mostly. I still have my bangs.

Blacked out from drinking? - I don't drink.,

Played a prank on someone? - Oh yes.

Hit a home run? - No.

Felt like killing someone? - I plead the fifth.

Cross-dressed? - ...I suppose technically I'm cross-dressing all the time?

Been falling-down drunk? - See above.

Made your girlfriend/boyfriend/paramour cry? - Not so far as I know.

Eaten snake? - No! D:

Had sex outdoors? - No.

Marched/Protested? - No. I'd like to, but it wouldn't work out very well.

Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? - No.

Puked on an amusement ride? - No. I did freak out once, though, and they stopped the ride. (Salt and pepper shaker, it was called. Never again.)

Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? - Yes.

Been in a band? - No. :c

Knitted? - Not yet.

Been on TV? - No.

Acted in a theatre? - No.

Shot a gun? - No.

Skinny-dipped? - No.

Given someone stitches? - No.

Eaten a whole habanero pepper? - No.

Ridden a surfboard? - No.

Drunk straight from a liquor bottle? - See above again.

Had surgery? - Twice.

Streaked? - No, unless you count dashing through the house after I forgot to take cothes into the bathroom.

Been taken by ambulance to a hospital? - Not so far.

Tripped on mushrooms? - No, but I am intrigued.

Passed out when NOT drinking? - I've come close, but no.

Peed on a bush? - No.

Donated blood? - Not yet.

Grabbed electric fence? - No.

Eaten alligator meat? - No!

Eaten cheesecake? - My dad makes the best cheese cake.

Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? - If I had kids I would call it a taxi fare.

Killed an animal when NOT hunting? - No. I don't even kill bugs, I pick them up and put them outside. (...Except spiders.)

Peed your pants in public? - No.

Snuck into a movie without paying? - Yep.

Written graffiti? - No.

Still love someone you shouldn't? - Yes.

Think about the future? - Often.

Been in handcuffs? - No. :(

Sleep on a certain side of the bed? - Yes.

Believe in love? - I am fairly sure love is a thing that exists, yes.

shobogan — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:03:51 GMT

I've updated my fic list!. (And by that I mean I copied the newer version from Dreamwidth.) The majority is probably still Doctor Who, but DC comes at a close second, followed by Harry Potter. There's also some Animorphs, Angel, and Homestuck, plus one fic for X-Men: First Class.

I also made one for my vids. DCU, X-Men: Evo, the X-Men movies, and Young Justice.

This place is feeling homey again! /tosses some pillows around, makes tea

Now to organise my tags...

Vid Master List

shobogan — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:46:44 GMT

DCU:

Overcome
Subject: Cassandra's journey.
Song: What I've Overcome by Fireflight
Time: 1:59

These Memories
Subject: Jason Todd in Under The Red Hood
Song: Remember by In This Moment
Time: 4:25

Marvel Comics

My Little Phoenix
Subject: Jean Grey
Song: My Little Phoenix by Tarja Turunen
Time: 1:09

I Was Here
Subject: Dead X-Men
Song: I Was Here by Beyonce
Time: 3:55

X-Men: Evolution:

the child forever gone
Subject: X-23
Song: The Heart I Once Had by Nightwish
Time: 3:57

One Girl Revolution
Subject: Jean Grey
Song: One Girl Revolution by Superchick
Time: 1:35

X-Men: First Class:

Damn Them All
Subject: Raven/Mystique
Song: Medusa by Heather Dale
Time:

so certain the journey
Subject: Erik/Charles, from XMFX to X1.
Song: Eric's Song by Vienna Teng
Time: 4:44

Young Justice:

Beauty of our Own
Subject: The YJ: Invasion girls
Song: So Beautiful by Superchick
Time: 1:58

Unbreakable
Subject: Artemis Crock
Song: Unbreakable by Fireflight
Time: 1:55

Run The World

shobogan — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:42:46 GMT

runs_the_world is a comm dedicated to comic book women. It's for discussion, scans, and fanworks.

shobogan — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:46:33 GMT

I know this journal is all musty and cob-webbed by now, but I've decided to bust out my feather-duster and give LJ another go. (Turns out it's a lot easier to work with on Chrome. Well, Comodo. It's like Chrome except ceiling Google isn't watching you sleep.)

So - hi, if anyone's still got this thing friended! I'll probably do crossposting with DW.

Hopefully I will remember that I've done this.

shobogan — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:20:32 GMT

Okay, so! I am officially moving to Dreamwidth, at Shobogan. I'll still try to keep up with LJ, but my primary journaling will take place at DW. If anyone else is there who wants to follow me, please do! :)

shobogan — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:57:29 GMT

Any advice for someone who can't comment on LJ at all?

At first I thought it was a problem with my internet connection - I've had a lot of fuckery lately, right now it's really bad, I'm getting Verizon soon - but...no. I just can't comment anywhere after the change. (Is this some ironic punishment for going back into shy lurker mode? Because I AM NOT LAUGHING, LIVEJOURNAL.)

I might just start using DW as my primary* (I'm Shobogan over there, too) but most...people and games and such are here, and I have - a lot of RP accounts.

*Okay, really my primary anything right now is Tumblr, which I'd also recommend as - not exactly a substitute, as it's really not the same, but a great way to share things and communicate with people. ...I should add that it is also frequently a pain in the ass.

Homestuck: Sometimes

shobogan — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:59:01 GMT

Title: Sometimes
Rating: IDK, it's just a character piece but there's a lot of cursing.
Characters: Sollux, with appearances from Aradia.
Warning: Deals with bipolar disorder.
Summary: Sometimes he thinks there's something wrong with him.

Sometimes he thinks there's something wrong with him.

It would be a relief, really. It would mean there are reasons he feels like this, reasons he can't control. It would mean it's okay that sometimes he can't just bring himself to fucking care and sometimes he cares so much he can't focus on a damned fucking thing. It would mean the blistering anger and devastating doubt aren't his fault. It would mean his thoughts aren't always objective.

But he's sure that's just him being weak again. He's sure other trolls deal with this shit, and he's just bad at it. And everything he believes about himself, well, why wouldn't it be true? He's not good enough and he's not worth it and that's that. Nothing he does it as good as it could be, and fuck knows why anyone bothers to hang around him.

For fuck's sake, he's moping instead of working on this game. The most important game he's ever worked on, according to Aradia.

TA: ii thought you diidn't want two 2ee me.
AA: n0
AA: i d0nt want y0u t0 see me
AA: thats different
TA: look iif you
TA: iif it look2 bad ii don't care okay.
AA: that isn’t
AA: why I c0ntacted you
TA: but
TA: okay. then why.
AA: d0 y0u remember the ruins
TA: of cour2e.
TA: do you 2tiill have your hat?
AA: pr0bably
TA: let me gue22. iit doe2nt matter.
AA: n0
AA: i f0und s0me c0de in the runes that im g0ing to send to y0u
TA: what for?
AA: t0 save the w0rld

They'd both been having visions of impending doom. He was used to Aradia being – optimistic, reassuring, in ways he could barely comprehend. She never quite mocked his nihilism, but she didn't have much time for it either.
And sometimes it made him think that, just maybe, not everything would turn out for the worst.
This time, though…it's not just that she agrees with him. They've seen similar things before, positive and negative. But this time – this time, there's no hope in her words.
Of course, there's no fear, either. There's not much of anything anymore and he knows it's his fault but it can be so frustrating.
He should be able to handle it better. He can't even stop brooding about their first conversation. It blasted itself into his thinkpan and it throbs every time he talks to her.

TA: ii2 it
TA: ii2 it really you?
TA: or iis thi2 2ome 2ick fucking joke of vri2ka'2?
AA: it's me
TA: how do ii know?
AA: y0ur very first game was ab0ut the d00med kingdoms of bees and crabs and y0u didn't like it when i called it cute
TA: oh god
TA: aradia
TA: ii
TA: ii am 2o 2orry ii diidnt know what ii wa2 doiing ii
TA: ii thought ii
AA: y0u didnt its fine
TA: what how could iit be FINE ii HURT you>
AA: yes but it d0esnt matter
TA: of cour2e it fuckiing matters
TA: ii can almost remember
TA: you looked
AA: d0nt w0rry ab0ut it
AA: just st0p thinking about it
AA: its in the past
TA: but ii cant ii
TA: youre my
AA: it d0esnt matter

He'd never heard her say that before. She'd never let him get away with saying it, that was for sure.

He's always known he didn't much, really, but –

Dammit, the game, fuckass.

His fingers fly across the keys, making the last adjustments. Soon he'll contact Terezi and make her Red Team's leader. Maybe this time he won't fail her.

And then it will start. Twelve fucked up kids will save the world.

He won't survive to the end, he knows.

He's not sure how he feels about that, really. His friends won't have to deal with his bullshit. He won't hear the dull shrieks of the dead. He won't ever feel too hollow to act or too hectic to think.

But he'll never get into a stupid argument with Karkat again. He'll never feel the smug satisfaction of crafting a deadly virus. He'll never finish another game just for the fun of it. He'll never play someone else's, or watch another movie, or read another book.

He'll never develop that new computer. He'll never fill his quadrants. He'll never grow up.

He'll never find out if there's more to life than feeling like this. He'll never make things right with Aradia, make things like they were.

AA: hey, ta!
TA: hey
AA: h0w are y0u feeling?
TA: oh, you know.
TA: 2ame a2 alway2.
AA: well we can't have that
TA: why not?
AA: because i want y0u to be happy!
TA: ii'm happy 2ometimes.
AA: when?
TA: when ii'm talking two you.
AA: y0u're so sweet, ta
AA: y0u don't give y0urself en0ugh credit
AA: y0u never did

It would take his impending death to realise there are some things he still enjoys. That there are some things he looks forward to despite everything. That some of Aradia's hope and will and love still exists, somewhere.

But he's still going to do it.

He's going to save his friends, and his world.

And maybe, just maybe, he's going to die happy.

shobogan — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:05:20 GMT

1. Second driving lesson today! A bit less nervous than I was yesterday, but...still nervous.

2. I dyed my hair black! Goes well with the Jason curls.

3. Welp. Glad I'm not getting Outlaws.

4. I really shouldn't have started playing Pokemon: Crystal again, I know I get sucked in for hours. My childhood, etc, etc.

5. I've got plans for my Heroines Fest fic in place, at least. Still want to read more NTT before I sit down and write the Barbara/Kory one. Still stuck on Just Another Kid.

6. I got to buy comics the other day! I bought three issues of Connor's Green Arrow run, the Green Arrow issue where Jason and Mia fight, the 1998 Holiday Special, and Captain America and the New Avengers.

shobogan — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:48:02 GMT

I've been taking driving lessons from my mom, but we've gotten enough money to pay for four hours from an actual instructor.

First two today.

It was...well, I feel a bit less anxious now that I've been on actual roads and not killed anything?

Kate Quotes

shobogan — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:25:37 GMT

"I prefer those cool bars that are hard to get into, but I can't get into them."
- Lonely Hearts

"Well, the answer is no, I don't need rescuing. I gave up on the knight in shining armor concept a while ago."
- Lonely Hearts

"Well, I'll tell you what: I can go where ever I want and ah, you can go to hell."
- Lonely Hearts

"Sure, that's actually on my to-do list for this week: walk into a serial killer's trap."
- Lonely Hearts

Kate: This guy could go to jail tomorrow, Angel, and still kill her in her dreams every night. I've put a few of these creeps away and the hardest thing is knowing that he's still winning. She's still afraid. He took this girl's power away and no one can get it back for her but her.
- I Fall to Pieces

"Hello everybody. Welcome to the end of an era. Now the old man would like us to believe he couldn't care less about all this attention and free booze. But I know him better than that. He put a lot of years in on the job, and he made a difference in a lot of lives. And now it's over. It's a huge deal, no matter what he says.

In fact I don't really know what he's going to do with himself. He forgot how to be anything but a cop a long time ago. And maybe, maybe that's why I became a cop too. After Mom died, you stopped, you know? It was like you couldn't stand the sight of me. Her face, her eyes looking up at you. But big girls don't cry, right? You said, gone's gone, and there's no use wallowing. Worms and dirt and nothing, forever. Not one word about a better place.

You couldn't even tell a scared little girl a beautiful lie! God, I wanted to drink with you. I wanted you to laugh once with me, the way you laughed with Jimmy here, or Frank.

My best friend Joanne, her Mom was soft, and she smelled like macaroni and cheese, and she'd pick me up on her lap and she'd rock me. She said she wanted to keep me for herself. That I was good and sweet. Everybody said I was. Do you realize that you’ve never told me that I'm pretty? Not once in my life?

Well, I can't anymore, Dad. I can't campaign for the office of your beloved daughter. You closed your heart after mom left us and that's it."
- Sense and Sensitivity

"Some of your more inconsiderate serial killers often fail to leave us any clues."
- Somnambulist

"Please. Now there's a word I imagine you heard quite a lot in your time. Please... no... don’t? Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need your help. I know what to do. Drive a stake right through the son of a bitch’s heart. And when that happens I suggest you don’t be there. Because the next time we meet I’ll do the same to you.
- Somnambulist

"So, do I call the coroner or hazardous materials?"
- The Prodigal

"Got to face those demons sometime, right?"
- The Prodigal

Kendrick: Kate. What are you doing here?
Kate: I'm a detective, Kendrick. See? I'm detecting.
-Five by Five

Kendrick: Come on, Kate. Everybody knows you've gone all Scully. Any time one of these weird cases crosses anyone's desk, you're always there. What's going on with you?
Kate: Scully's the skeptic.
-Five by Five

Kate: Why should I listen to anything you have to say? I despise you. You and everything you represent. And when I say 'represent' and 'thing'... I do mean your clients.
Lindsey: Well, be that as it may, I believe I have some information that will be of interest to you. Because -- while it is true we do differ on a great many issues -- we do have one thing in common.
Kate: Um, our bodies are both 80% water?
-Five by Five

"Did you think I would just forget about that? I don't forget anything."
-To Shanshu in L.A.

"The fact that while you're fighting your big battles of Good and Evil the innocent are the ones that get caught in the crossfire. Those are the ones that I care about. Like that man tonight, or like the real owners of that house if what you say is true. And those are the ones that I chalk up to your boss.
-Dear Boy

Angel: Hi. I thought you might want to know I took care of our little cop problem.
Kate: Crime reports from that precinct. Up until three months ago there was a murder every two weeks, a rape every two days, a robbery every hour and a half. And that's what we just gave back to the people of that community.
Angel: I can live with that.
Kate: You learn to live with a lot of things, don't you?
-Thin Dead Line

Kate: I'm very grateful. I never thought you'd come for me, but... I got cut a huge break and I believe... I don't know what I believe, but I have faith. I think maybe we're not alone in this.
ANGEL: Why?
KATE: Because I never invited you in.
-Epiphany

shobogan — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:54:23 GMT

Some awesome Steph quotes:

"To the Spoiler belongs the victory."
- Detective Comics 649

"So excuse me if I don't jump when you bark, Batman."
- Robin 16

"Do you have your own room in your glass house, Robin?"
- Robin 26

"Maybe Gotham needs a Spoiler. You and Batman handle all the crimes in the city. The suburbs don't have anybody."
- Robin 26

Robin: I told you to stay off the streets.
Spoiler: Guess I wasn't listening, huh?
- Robin 35

Crystal: Since when have you started watching crime shows?
Steph: How else am I ever gonna see Dad?
- Robin 45

"These folks don't need your protection. They have my protection for free."
- Robin 40

Batman: You almost sneaked up on me. Not many people can do that.
Spoiler: So I can count on you if I ever need a character reference.
- Robin 50

"Face it, Boy Wonder. You've got a case of the Stephs.
- Robin 54

"My next paper is going to be called: "My love-hate relationship with gravity"."
- Batgirl 20

"I know an overworked nurse who could use a million. But I know a children's hospital who could use it more.
- Batgirl 20

Batman: And look at his back. No evidence of any burn scar tissue. What does that tell us?
Spoiler: That he's better at dodging flames than you?
- Green Arrow 5

Batman: If I had any sense, I would have sent you packing with Alfred and Tim.
Spoiler: If you had any sense, you wouldn't be dressed like that.
- Green Arrow 5

"The Spoiler Signal! Okay, so it's a thirty dollar pager. But I painted it, see?"
- Robin 102

"You slibe-slubbing – WURB! (Apologies to any actual worms in the audience.)"
- Robin 102

"God, I never loved him. He gave me nothing to love. He was a mean, worthless disaster. But I always – well, at any given time, I've always believed one of two explanations – for my Dad. Always one or the other – "he's weak". Or "he's evil". These are my two seasons."
- Robin 111

"I remember the first time my father was arrested. I didn’t know how to hate most - Dad or the cops - or the whole damn world for letting it happen. When’s it going to stop, Cass? What’s it going to take to get people like the Penguin out of our lives? Out of her life?"
- Batgirl 53

"That monster almost killed me! He was killing you! He murdered to people today, and, like, a hundred other before today – and you blame me for trying to stop him? I don't get it, I really don't."
- Detective Comics 796

"I want to thank you for your friendship, Cassie. And I want you to know that whatever he says, I'm not going to give up."
- Batgirl 54

"So why stay? Why open yourself up to all the bad you tried to leave behind? "The only variable you can control is yourself." You can forget who you are, or you can be who you want to be. That's why you stay. You stay for a second chance."
- Batgirl 3

"Way to sell it, Dork Knight. Way to sell it."
- Batgirl 10

"You're the damsel in distress here. And I love me some clichés."
- Batgirl 13

Gage: I’m all out. What do ya got?
Batgirl: A utility belt full of crap and a positive outlook?
- Batgirl 13

Gage: Your boomerang.
Batgirl: Batarang.
Gage: You realise that sounds more ridiculous, right?
Batgirl: Ridiculously awesome.
- Batgirl 16

"Regardless of all the places I’ve been, and the places I’ve yet to go...right here...right now...this moment is mine."
- Batgirl 24

shobogan — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:34:16 GMT

Here are a few of my favourite Steph panels. And by 'a few', I mean about thirty of them.

Detective Comics 648

Robin 26

Robin 26

Robin 40

Robin 56

Robin 57

Robin

Batgirl 27

Batgirl 28

Batgirl 72

Teen Titans 13

Teen Titans 13

Detective Comics 796

Detective Comics 796

Detective Comics 796

Batgirl 53

Robin 127

Robin 102

Robin 174

Batgirl 1

Batgirl 9

Batgirl 10

Batgirl 13

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl

Batgirl 22

Batgirl 22

Batgirl 24

"Let Him Down!" Why I Love Lily

shobogan — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:51:37 GMT

There are a lot of reasons to love Lily. Here are a few.

I love Lily because she stuck up for her friends. It didn't matter if she was the only one doing it. It didn't matter if their tormentor was powerful or popular. She was powerful, too, and she had no compunctions about using that power to protect the people she cared about.

I love Lily because she was bold. She spoke her mind to both teachers and students, be they Head of House or the most popular in their year. She wasn't easily impressed and she was even less easily cowed.

I love Lily because she wasn't perfect. She loved her sister, but she snooped in her things. She snapped back with hurtful taunts when Petunia was cruel to her. She certainly wasn't above name-calling.

I love Lily because she wasn't afraid to confront her friends when she was angry with them, or afraid for them. She wasn't even afraid to lose them if they've hurt her too much, if they've pushed her too far. No one is obligated to stay friends with someone who has hurt them. Lily knew that, and she was better off for it.

I love Lily because she did give people second chances. She gave Severus a number of them, until he took one too many – because he was her friend, because she saw beyond his faults. She gave James a chance to prove he was more than an arrogant bully, that he could grow up and be a better man.

I love Lily because she was brave. It would have been easier for her to hide from a war that was so much more dangerous for people like her. Instead, she fought. She and James faced Voldemort three times.

I love Lily because she was compassionate. She felt for her sister. She defended Remus when she barely knew him. She was angry over people she didn't know being hurt. She cried all evening over the McKinnons.

I love Lily because of her sacrifice. Steadfast courage and powerful love in the face of certain death.

I love Lily because she was, I think, the best a Gryffindor could be.

shobogan — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:09:45 GMT

shobogan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:52:04 GMT

48 Kate icons!
Guest-starring Angel.
Warning: Some feature guns.

Feel free to take them if you like them! Credit is appreciated.

Icons: Stephanie, Spoiler, Robin

shobogan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:13:46 GMT

Feel free to use them if you like them! Credit is appreciated.

"Scully is the Skeptic": Why I Love Kate Lockley

shobogan — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:34:56 GMT

Kate had it rough from the start. She was set up as a potential love interest, and then became an antagonist.

Me, I loved her through all of it. I loved this sarcastic, pragmatic, courageous, passionate, determined woman through all of her strife and all of her bitterness.

Let me tell you why.

When we first meet Kate, she appears as a lonely, wry, vulnerable woman looking for someone to connect with. Aspects of this are sincere, and she really does connect with Angel. But the truth? The thing that made me fall in love with Kate?

Through their entire first meeting, she was playing him like a fiddle.

She knew exactly the type of women her killer was preying on, and she played the part to the hilt, seeing how Angel would react. She dismissed him as a suspect until she saw him standing over a dead body - and that's why she agreed to meet with him again.

Kate has good instincts, and she takes risks. In part, it's because she's always trying to prove herself - to a father who's so sparing with his affection and pride, to a career that's so dominated by men. In part, it's because she's so very dedicated to getting the job done. To catching killers and saving lives.

It's something she shares with Angel, albeit for very different reasons. She recognised that intense, abiding dedication in him; it's why she accepted him as a private detective. Kate doesn't trust easily, but she trusted him. She let him into her world, and she let him into her heart. He became one of the few people she'd really call a friend. I think she began to fall in love, a little bit, perhaps for the very first time. I think he did, too.

That's why it cut so deeply to realise who and what he really was.

It was bad enough to discover that monsters roamed the streets. To put the jagged pieces of grisly autopsy reports and bizarre witness statements together. To realise why so many cases went unsolved, and that they always would, and that there was nothing she could do about it.

But her friend was one of the monsters. One of the worst. He'd gloried in torture and murder for a century.

It was the harshest betrayal she'd felt since her father stopped looking her in the eyes.

But she could have overcome it. Perhaps it had been explained to her, what had happened to make him change. She certainly began to realise that Angel was still a good detective, still trying to do good. She did her best to accept the new world she'd been thrown into.

Then, just as they were beginning to connect again, her father was murdered by the monsters.

Kate never dealt well with strong emotions. She was never taught how to cope with them. When her father faced loss, he drew into himself and never really came out. This was a maelstrom of grief and bitterness and helplessness and regret and hatred and she could barely breathe through it all.

She became obsessive in her hatred of demons. She shunned Angel's attempts at reconciliation; he was one of them, after all, and he didn't save her father, and everyone she loved died anyway.

She was still Kate. She had a sharp tongue and a brave heart and a great shot. But she was brittle and weary. She staggered on after being demoted, after facing the summoned corpses of dead cops, but being fired? Being wrenched from the only thing that meant anything anymore, the only thing she had? That was too much.

She didn't really expect Angel to save her. But he did, and when she came to him, she was grateful. She had faith again. She knew she had something to offer the world, and that she wasn't alone in it.

"If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."

She took that phrase with her, into the darkness, and she saved lives with it.

Because that's what Kate does. And I love her for it.

"Here comes...the Girl Wonder!" Why I Love Stephanie Brown

shobogan — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:39:54 GMT

Stephanie Brown is a character who's been disparaged and dismissed, both in and out of canon, since her inception in the early nineties.

She's been called incompetent and shallow.

She's been told she shouldn't be a hero.

I think this is bull, and I'm here to tell you why.

Stephanie was never obligated to be a vigilante. It wasn't something she was raised to do. It wasn't something she was encouraged to do. It was something she chose, because she refused to see her father succeed in his crimes. At first, she continued because she enjoyed the thrill of it, and seeing Robin - but then she realised that maybe she had the ability to do some real good.

"Maybe Gotham needs a Spoiler. You and Batman handle all the crimes in the city. The suburbs don't have anyone."

She didn't have any real training. She relied on what she'd learned in gymnastics class and her own instincts. She didn't have any advanced weaponry; she relied on her resourcefulness, using everything from bricks to snowballs.

And she survived - more than that, she saved lives. Including Robin's, a few times.

Still, she was told to stop. Repeatedly. Even when Batman acknowledged her skill and determination, he followed it with a reprimand.

At this point Stephanie has lived her entire life being told she wasn't good. She's not good enough to keep her mother clean, she's not good enough to have a father that loves her.

She'll be damned if she's not good enough to be a hero.

She kept going. She kept getting better. She got training from Dinah Lance, and then Cassandra Cain, who became her best friend. Eventually even Batman took her in - before callously casting her aside for no apparent reason.

At this point Dinah had stopped mentoring her, too. Cass was told to stop by Bruce.

Does she give up? Hell no.

And that's the thing about Steph. No matter what anyone says or does to her, she keeps going. Sure, she messes up, she falls down - but she picks herself up again and tries to make it right. She doesn't wallow in guilt or regret. She knows damn well what that can do to a person.

That's one of the reasons she made such a good Robin. Bruce needs someone who refuses to brood on the past, who will anchor him to the present.

He needs someone who looks for the good in everything. Who faces the darkness with a smile. Someone with determined cheer and unreserved passion.

That passion could take a dark turn, of course. Stephanie had a temper, and her morality was a bit laxer than the Bats'. She was ready to kill her father before Batman stepped in. She was ready to leave the Baffler to die before Robin saved him. She was ready to kill Zsasz to save Batman, to avenge all of the people he'd murdered.

It's that contrast I find so appealing, so fascinating. That ruthless rage and that genuine joy.

That's Stephanie's second most defining trait, I think: joyfulness, in the face of everything. She unabashedly enjoys being a vigilante. She faces the world, knowing full well the horrors it holds, with a smile on her face. She always tries to make the best out of everything it gives her. Sometimes it gets her down, but never for long.

She didn't even let death keep her down.

She came back from being tortured into a coma, and kept right on being a hero.

And then her best friend gave her a new symbol to wear.

When Stephanie was a little girl, she'd escape to the roof and gaze up at the stars, trying to catch a glimpse of Batman and Robin. Becoming Robin herself meant becoming part of a legend that gave her strength and hope as a child.

This time, she was given the Bat with no strings attached. No manipulation, no conditions, no double standards. She was given the Bat by someone she loved and she made it her own, with all of the fervour and delight she brings to everything in her life.

She fumbled. She failed, sometimes. But she kept trying, as she always has, and she did Cassandra proud.

Stephanie is a person who has every reason to be cynical, wary, aloof. Instead, she's a fervent optimist with an open heart. She makes Gotham a safer place - and more than that, a brighter one.

I love Stephanie Brown because she was as an average kid in grim circumstances who became a hero out of sheer, fierce determination.

I love Stephanie because she's funny and compassionate and sincere. I love Stephanie because she can be clumsy and awkward and blunt. I love Stephanie because sometimes she can be scary as hell. I love Stephanie because she bonded with Cass in a way no one else did, because she made fun of Bruce, because she made Tim laugh, because she opened Barbara's heart again.

I love Stephanie because if she can smile, so can I.