Arle : Remember, Schezo. Girls aren't supposed to be the only ones that knows driving a little too well.

Schezo : Oh don't be ridiculous, you know driving a vehicle could be a little too dangerous to think that all I have are my passports and work visas, plus, my driver's license is right here. Too much from England to drive, no wait. Japan. Who knew driving in San Francisco is much cooler than walking in the woods in Japan. Rulue has never able in the woods barefooted all the time and plus she always drive a vehicle with her feet that is simply a logical explanation, that is until she accidentally stepped on a lego.

Arle : And that considered to be an "Ouch".

Schezo : Right. So that is why I am literally driving this thing. Cause this time, I don't drive with my drive, I can drive with them doing the chauffer.`

Arle : It's "Chauffeur", you're doing it as the way of a driver. Rulue was once a barefooted Chauffeur that literally drives a vehicle with her feet in the past before she accidentally stepped on a lego when I was a little girl.

Schezo : Right.

Arle : So when does it take some to drive this thing with magical gloves?

Schezo : No hands. Totally logic.

Arle : No BJs, no doing dirty stuff car, no nothing. Just friendly driving.

"later..."

Schezo : You know, this driving experience kicking up good. (looks at Arle sleeping)

Rulue : You know, Schezo. Ever since I was barefooted, I always looked upon about my feet being the chauffeur into the world of chauffeuring before I changed clothes. These babies have been steering on the wheel for over a year now. Did a little experience on the no brainer.

Satan : So it's up to you that is going to drive with your hands. Rulue's the best driver that drives a vehicle with her feet. Oh yeah, I remember. It was only a year ago.

*flashback*

Rulue : So what do you think of these guys. Does these look good on chauffeuring a vehicle? (wiggles her toes)) After all I am the biggest chauffeur there is!

Arle : Uhh, what? They look good and you sure this is a good one for your health?

Rulue : Trust me, fellas. It's a good idea to be the coolest chauffeur and I even won a chauffeuring contest for being the best Chauffeur there is! And just because I'm barefooted, doesn't mean that I have to be driving a vehicle with my feet all the time! So grow up, guys! I do not like get my feet hurt or stubbed by any means necessarily to my lovely powerful soles that drives as the greatest Chauffeur in the world! *POKE!* YEOW!! I stand corrected! That's it! I'm going footwear tomorrow.

*flashback ends*

Rulue : Oh yeah, I was a barefooted chauffeur, I used to walk around barefoot that is earthing before I stepped on a lego by accident. So that's all in my head, can't say how great driving is.

Schezo : Sure you would! As long as the world of Monogatari knows, we all come to sudden fruition that having a good friendly reunion is-

*BAM+CRASH!*

Arle : (moaning) What happened?

Schezo : Ah, man. I can't believe we almost took a dark turn or something?

Satan : I feel constipated not remembering about what happened on you were driving? Say isn't that the G.U.N Truck from over a year ago!?

Rulue : I think so.

Schezo : Ah, spit! Now look what they've done! They've totaled my ride and now we can't seem to be driving anymore. Well, this is a wasted opportunity thanks to SEGA's stupid shenanigans. Come on, let's just walk in town since nobody realizes that we're floating in the air.

Arle : You think so, schezo? That's because we are floating in the air and I do believe that we made a fatal blow after the truck crashed into us by accident.

Schezo : Huh? (realizes that he and the others became ghosts) What in the---Oh, man! That ain't right!

Satan : You just had to be Chauffeur didn't you? We all died thanks to the shenanigans that the company did for us.

Schezo : Well, basically, I'm the best chauffeur there is. Hey, Robot dressed as a Reaper. When can we go back to be reviving in the spirit world or in the afterlife to be reincarnated.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Not for long it isn't.

Schezo : Oh my...

Rulue : Smooth driving, Weegee!

Satan : It only took us to realize how bad driving can be, we only struck a fatable to be dead like this. So this is on you pal.

Arle : You just had it coming, didn't you?

Schezo : You're right. I'm just a minor with no passion for a swordsman as hero in a world. Can't say how much being a swords guy costs.

Arle : I know, I feel your loss dude.

Amitie (as a Boo) : Hey, guys! Look, I'm a ghost now! AND I'M HERE TO HAUNT FOR YOUR LIVES, FOREVER!

Arle : Yeah, I'm definitely not buying that.

Amitie : (frowns)

Arle : Oh well, what the heck. You ready to go haunt some kids today.

All : [cheering]

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Uhh, no. You're all gonna be at my castle for a quite sometime.

Arle : Darn it! Also, could you put her in that Pyramid that the mad scientist occupies, I think she belongs in that place like someone who has his face.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Of course. (to Amitie) Sorry, young ma'am. Looks like I'm taking you to the Pyramid where the King of Ghosts resides.

Amitie : Oh, darn it all! Welp, at least State Farm is there.

Schezo : Dafuq's a State Farm?

*imaginary scenario ends*

Schezo : And that's why accidents in the car always happen when it comes to driving safety lessons. So f**k you, state farm!

Arle : At least, you got some insurance to prove it.

(iris out)

"CHAUFFEURING IN THE CAR IS NOT AN ACCIDENT."

ch 1: first day of no contact

My relationship-turned-situationship officially ended this past Monday. I don't really know how to describe everything tumbling around in my brain and my chest right now, but I do know that it just feels painfully different. Oddly unreal, like waking up from a dream and realizing that all of it was fiction.

(This post is going to be really long, just because I'm the kind of person who can't tell a coherent story without a series of spinoffs and setups and backgrounds.)

I was with him for all of our senior year of high school. I have a playlist in my Spotify that I started when I realized how much I liked him. And the caption acknowledged that this relationship was going to hurt. I knew it then; we got so close so fast, and I couldn't picture a life where we ended peacefully and stayed lightly floating in each others' lives as friends or anything similar. We were each others' first loves, and had a deep connection that wouldn't break unless it was broken.

It feels so painfully simplistic to summarize it all on a blog post. In a handful of paragraphs. Because a relationship that lasts nearly a year, and a connection that lingers still, is difficult to summarize. It's hard to pick out the notes that are the best, or the worst, or the most relevant. So bear with me as I stumble through this.

We did most things together. We played the same sports, and trained often; he helped me to grow into my position. It's hard to think of where I am now in my sport without thinking of the hours we spent together practicing. Without picturing how he coached me, pushed me, but laughed with me in between, rolling around on the turf or cracking jokes to throw each other off. The things we didn't share, we still did together; he made sweet efforts to learn more about art, one of my favorite pastimes. He'd teach me about gaming, and about his favorite types of hats. We shared music together, made playlists of both of our favorite songs for car rides on Saturdays. We both got our licenses when we were together, being late bloomers. He lived a bit of a distance, and driving to his house helped me learn the places north, south, east and west of my home. I learned the towns that were equidistant from the both of us, learned more about the corners of my state. Now that I'm far away, he's synonymous with home. Which makes things difficult, as you can imagine.

He's deeply ingrained into all the crevices of my life still. We formed a close attachment. I know it was probably unhealthy, but it's just the fact of what it was. We texted all the time, saw each other as often as possible. We were both the affectionate type, always wanting to be holding hands or close together in some shape. He was clingier than me, though. I don't want to consider that this was obsession instead of love. I truly believe it was both. We fell hard, and easily, and maybe too much.

He treated me beautifully, poetically. No shortage of compliments, of gifts or flowers. My friends gushed about how sweet we were, how happy they were for me. I'd been painfully single for the past 17 years before, so this was glimmering and new. I didn't know an existence outside of being single. I had been a hopeless romantic with loneliness ingrained in my brain, staying up late and listening to songs about yearning and love. It felt unreal to have a boyfriend all of the sudden, almost easily, so quickly. I felt ready; I had gained a lot of confidence that spring, had gathered up nerve and learned a bit about talking to boys. But there was a lot I didn't know.

I don't want to think of past-me as dumb, or naive, though it's hard not to toss myself into the box of "stupid." I grew up outwardly feminist, aggressively independent. Miss I-don't-need-a-man. But I ached for one anyways.

I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about men. I didn't trust them, but I hoped I would stumble upon one like those in the books I devoured, in the stories I wrote. I was a painfully awkward-looking middle schooler and early high schooler. This was a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that I hadn't gotten social media until freshman year, and hadn't been plagued by that ever-present, pressurized influence. But a curse in that I felt so undesired. I hadn't ever received much attention from boys, except for maybe in early elementary school, when they were sweeter. As I got older, and got more and more impatient, I wondered if any man would ever love me like I wanted. If any teenage boy would really be looking for something deeper than a body.

I'm grateful for my inexperience, but there was a lot I didn't know. Things seemed so easily black and white to me. If he betrays your trust, just leave. If he hurts you, cut him off. It seemed so obviously simple. But the truth is, you don't really understand the complexity of pain from someone you love, until it personally inflicts you. Just like you don't completely get a breakup until you're knee-deep in an involved relationship, and start to realize the weight of losing them.

Backtracking, sorry. I went a solid bit deeper into my past than I planned to there, but I feel like it's worth spilling out right now. Where was I?

Past-me. She was gaining her confidence the summer we met, and this new thing really, truly excited her. It was confusing, sure. She and her friend had planned to have rosters, to make it a summer of lighthearted fun and no true commitments. To gain some experience, play around, but in ways that weren't too damaging to the psyche. She was looking to meet boys, but not really to attach to one, to stick to him like glue. But that's what happened. I can remember easily the first time we met up, made joking conversation. It's fresh in my mind, the evening we first held hands on a "date" (the quotations because my best friend was third-wheeling us). I remember our first kiss in my basement, our first make-out in his car. But I remember the first time I cried over him, too.

He was sweet, and his devotion seemed so pure. I still believe it was true, just too young, a bit misguided. And despite his inexperience, he wasn't as sweetly innocent as I expected. For me, I grew up painfully, blissfully ignorant to p*rn, to any of the things immature boys partake in to show off their manhood to one another. I was starkly against anything sexualized, anything objectifying. I remember hating the way female superheroes looked in comics. The men had their bulging muscles, their power coming from strength. The women were painted like two-dimensional fantasies. It pained me.

(A quick disclaimer. There's nothing wrong with being sexy. I totally think women have the right to dress in their own way, to do what's empowering for them in whatever form that may be. But I hate seeing that the role models for young girls vary so vastly from those for young boys. It's so, so upsetting that women are constantly shown that their value comes from their body, their capacity as an object. I could talk for hours about that, but this is already long as hell so I'll keep moving on.)

Being against this sexualization, I was aware of misogyny, of the ways the patriarchy twisted and pulled women to fit in boxes. But there was still so, so much I was ignorant of. So when he mentioned in passing that he'd watched a lot of p*rn, I didn't really know how to react. I naively assumed he had stopped when we got together, but later I realized this probably wasn't true. I asked him, and got the painful answer I was expecting. It drove like a knife, and that's when the hurt truly began.

He stopped, but he didn't even understand why it bothered me. I can't get over that, honestly. It felt so... demeaning, so humiliating, to have to explain something that felt so intrinsically painful, and so obvious. I can't explain it right, but him not understanding just felt so ignorantly wrong. And he might have stopped watching, but he kept liking on Instagram. P*rn stars, bikini pictures of his friends from school. His name had to be under hundreds. And it made me wonder what else he was up to behind my back. I had to ask him to stop again. How could he not know? After I told him how the p*rn made me feel so inadequate? Did he think I was stupid, and wouldn't find out?

I remember feeling so horribly lost. It was late fall. I didn't want to cut it off with him, to choke a relationship that felt so new still, so beautiful. I was hoping he would make it up, and I'd get over it. But I didn't. My trust just crumbled from there on out. Slowly, but painfully. I was wishing it would just go away. Wishing that all the gorgeous, blonde women with their hourglass bodies and blue eyes would stop haunting me, stop creeping into the mirror, stop ripping me open and squeezing out jealousy and hate.

As time went on, things that never bothered me before, began to loom larger and larger. My heart would race. I would shake and get cold when the memories of getting hurt so horribly poked back into my mind. I felt like there were always other women. In his following list. On TV and computer screens, better than me, more beautiful, more perfect and easily accessible. It was so incredibly confusing. I felt like my best friend had lied to me, cheated me, betrayed me. I was never his only one. He hurt me badly, just as he promised not to on the first night that we said "I love you."

He made the changes. But not enough. Too little, too late. And if he would die for me, he should have deleted them all, all at once. But he didn't. I had to ask to unfollow an ex-crush, to unfollow the women he doesn't know, who don't know he exist. They might not have been p*rn stars, but every single girl started to make me insecure. Even the sweetest of his friends, the ones I adored, became triggers for bad memories. I wished I was them. I wished I was her, whoever she was in the moment.

I held that pain for months on months as it grew. I had too many moments of realization. Too many times when it dawned on me that this was never going to go away. But I couldn't let go. There was too much we had planned. Too much love still. I couldn't cut it off now. Maybe it would just go away. Maybe if I prayed hard enough, God would just make the anxiety disappear.

As time went on, I lashed out at him more and more. How could you. Just tell me why. How do you not understand. You hurt me so badly. My anger got worse, more frequent. Never physical, but my words shot to kill. My pain was a double-edged sword. Bursting out never made me feel better, only more confused.

Reliving it now feels like it was just yesterday. It's ripping me apart, honestly, because I really don't know how to get closure from this. I don't know how to make the good and bad of him work together in my mind. I have no idea how to reconcile this anguish. I want so badly for him to have loved me like he said. But it's so hard to believe when he couldn't protect me from his own shots, time after time. It's tearing me open to feel so confused, so unsure. I don't know how to make sense of it, to understand.

He was my best friend. But I wasn't the same anymore. I was losing my happiness, a slave to the recurring waves of stress, the bouts of anger, the indescribable hurt. We ended things at the close of July.

I felt like I was dying, honestly. He did too. But we stayed in touch, and reconnected for the last couple weeks of the summer. I'm leaving anyways, I said. We might as well enjoy the last bit of summer in each others' presence, to ease this pain. That's no way to finish our last summer of high school.

But the half-relationship that resulted just hurt us both more. We both were in pain, dealing with the change that college brought, plus the horrific feelings of being attached with no way of ever being the same. So this past Monday, we cut it off. It was sudden. It came with one of my outbursts, and it felt so random, so awful. I felt like the good of our relationship warranted a better ending than that, something more bittersweet than just plain sour. I reached back out again on Tuesday, which was a mistake.

It felt like a drug withdrawal, as if my Catholic-school goody-two-shoes self has ever experienced anything like that. But I guessed that had to be what it felt like. He was cold. Distant. Short texts as I poured out long messages about how I was really, truly struggling. It was so unlike him, so jarring. That energetic, sweet affection was gone. And for once, the reliant boy I knew was so easily moving beyond me, so quickly dead-set on self improvement and letting go. I really didn't understand how to deal with it. It felt nightmarish, unreal. His ease of detachment cut deep, made me question if he still held our memories close, if he even cared. I can't fully describe that eating, ripping feeling, but it left me sobbing in a handicap bathroom stall, calling my mom, hundreds of miles from home.

I skipped class for a walk-in therapy appointment. I could barely ask the lady at the desk to see someone without choking on my sobs. The therapist I did see was incredibly sweet. I poured out everything again, as I'd been to the mental health center a week before to schedule long-term therapy. But that appointment wasn't for another week, and I couldn't wait. She was helpful and kind, and told me everything I'm going through is awful, but it's normal. Told me to seek out things that felt comforting, to be easy on myself and let myself grieve. And to lean heavily on my support system.

Once I had gathered myself enough, I was oddly motivated. I searched Tiktok for healing advice. I texted friends from home, tried to make plans with people. Over-exaggerated the things I was supposed to be doing to feel better. I got advice from one influencer about making a list of affirmations to return to when I had the urge to stalk him, or text him, or anything similar. She had some great advice about reforming habits, changing them to be beneficial rather than breaking him. Her Instagram is @shelbysacco5.

I'm trying to pour everything into bettering myself and moving on. And as I learn, I'll share more and more about this process here. I'm just finding it incredibly difficult to make sense of our relationship. And incredibly hard to let go, when I really don't want to. But I'll try my best to believe this is leading me to more happiness and a better future. If you made it this far in, thank you! I know I have a tendency to ramble. But I appreciate anyone listening, even if it's just this blank page.

I'll wrap this first chapter up now. If you're going through something similar and need an ear, please, please shoot me a message or an ask. I know I talk a lot, but I love to listen too. And if you have any advice for this, anything is welcome and appreciated.

A 🍁

Gone North

(Story Post)

Nathan was nervous to be away from his kids. It was the first time since their birth that he had ever gone overnight without them. He trusted Korsgaard to take good care of them, but leaving them at his house was very difficult. It made him question his decision to leave them behind, but he really didn't know yet if he wanted Kent in their lives. The easiest part of the trip was the flight. It was two hours up to Thunder Bay, and while Dax used the time to take a nap, Nathan just stared out the window as the Canadian landscapes went by. He wanted to nap too, but he was nervous, and keeping his eyes closed just made his mind race. When they touched down, he was exhausted.

They grabbed food in the airport before a government van came around to pick them up. The APID rep assigned to assist them, Agent Hanover, had landed the day before to make sure Kent was available. Apparently, he wasn't able to talk to the bear man because he always chased the agents away and then he'd retreat into the bush. Because of this, he wasn't aware that Nathan was visiting but at the very least, they knew he hadn’t attempted to leave the area. It was still some driving to do to get to Kent's new home. They were driven out of the city onto a wooded road deep into nature. Nathan was reminded of the ravine behind his house where Kent used to hide, but of course this northern Ontarian forest was plenty more natural and wild. They were pretty much going off the grid. Dax could tell how nervous Nathan was from the way he couldn't sit properly in his chair. He squirmed and sighed and bounced his leg. Dax didn't like seeing him like this, and he took up Nathan's hand, giving it a little squeeze. “We will get there soon,” Dax assured. “You have to relax.” Nathan shook his head. “I can't… I’m just picturing his stupid face, and it makes me so angry…” “Kent?” Dax asked. “Yeah.” Dax sighed. “I imagine there's things you'd like to say to him. Do you want to practice?” “No,” Nathan said. “I feel like the first thing I'll do is punch him in the face.” Dax chuckled and took a sip of his drink. “No, you won't…” “You think I don't have it in me?” Nathan asked. “Wait until you see him. He should still have the big scar I left him.” “A scar?” Dax frowned. “What'd you do?” “I woke up at his place once, and I freaked out because I didn't know where I was or who he was, and he had those dumbass ‘macho man’ hunting trophies on the walls, so I took down a rack of antlers and slashed him up,” Nathan said. “Last time I saw him, he had a big gash down his whole face.” “Oh, okay… But that's sort of self-defence,” Dax said. “I doubt you'd just choose violence as soon as you see someone in a controlled environment.” Nathan huffed. “I don't know what I'll do… He brings out the worst in me. He's such an asshole.” “Well, I have to take your word for now, but I guess I'll see when we get there,” Dax said. “I will ask you to try not to hit him unprovoked. If he's going to help you, you need to have a good rapport.” “His whole dumb face provokes me,” Nathan sneered. Dax sighed. “Nathan, relax. I know this is uncomfortable for you. You're away from your kids, whom you've never been away from before since the beginning of their life, to go see their father you thought was dead and you've never gotten along with. It's a lot. But it's all going to work out.” “You don't know that.” “I do, because we're going to make sure it does,” Dax said. Nathan hung his head. “I don't even know if I'm ready to do this...” “You are. I have your back.” Nathan sighed and looked back up at Dax. “I'm glad you get to meet him, at least. So, you can understand where I'm coming from.” Dax shrugged and chuckled. “Maybe if all goes well, we’ll all get along and become a big beasty throuple.” Nathan cringed. “Don't even joke about that... Kent’s probably homophobic for all we know...” “He fucked you, a man, pregnant.” “Yeah. When he thought I was a girl!” “Fair point. Bet my cheekbones could turn him though,” Dax joked. Nathan chuckled. “You haven't even met him yet and you're joking about turning him gay for a throuple?” “Well, it's making you laugh,” Dax smiled. “That's all I wanted.” Nathan smirked. “Okay, chill out... Meet him first.” “I will.” Asphalt turned to gravel and gravel then turned to dirt. The driver slowed down. The dirt road was warped from puddles and large rocks so they went slowly onward a few minutes. Finally, they stopped. They could only see trees through the side windows, and the road out the back, but their agent got out first and told them to wait. Dax placed his hand on Nathan's knee. “Are you ready?” “To see a dead man?” Nathan frowned. “No.” At that moment, a shotgun blast rang out in the air and they jumped. “What the fu—" Nathan was cut off as Dax covered his mouth. “Shh, quiet...” Dax whispered. “We have to be cautious.” Nathan bit his hand in annoyance. “Don’t hush me!” The backdoors of the van were thrust open, and Agent Hanover stood there, gun casually in hand waving them out. “Come on. You're good.” “What the hell happened?” Nathan demanded. “Did you shoot someone?!” “Naw, he shot at me,” Hanover said brushing it off. “We're all cool though.” “You let him have a gun?” Dax asked. “Hunting rifle,” the agent explained. “He got licensed. Not much we can do about that.” “So, he has a rifle on him right now?” Dax asked. “Yeah. I asked him not to point it at anyone, though,” Hanover said. “Can you at least put your gun away?” Nathan asked. “Oh, sorry.” Hanover holstered his firearm. “Sometimes I forget it’s out.” “Do I need to explain how terrifying that sounds?” Dax asked. “No, no. I get it.” Nathan got up the courage and stepped outside the van. Around the front, there was a clearing in the bush and a small rustic cottage sat right in the middle. A body of water could be seen down a hill beyond—a pond or a a small lake maybe—and a small creek ran past the house. Right in front of the house, rifle held across his chest and his eyes wide staring at Nathan, was none other than Kent. Kent looked completely stunned. “Nate?” Nathan just stood staring at him, not at all sure how to react. Even though everyone told him Kent was alive, it still felt like he was seeing a ghost. Nathan's body moved on its own, and a moment later, he had closed the gap between them and had his arms wrapped around the bear man's broad torso. He started to tear up and just clung to him like his life depended on it. Kent was shocked but he put his rifle down and put his arms around Nathan too. “...You're actually here.” Nathan sobbed. “You're not dead...” “No… No, I'm not.”

Batman and The Outsiders # 1 **SPOILERS**

Lesser Gods part 1

Recap and Review

This issue begins in Los Angeles. A Father (Gabriel) and Daughter (Sofia) are driving along a highway. Sofia is listening to her headphones to the annoyance of her Dad. He tells her to play music in the car but she tells him she prefers the headphones. He promptly reminds her that he is her Father and asks her to take the headphones off. She complies.

-“You’re thinking about your Mother. I know what day it is. I won’t tell you how to grieve, but Ana would want you to be happy, she always said—" Gabriel

The car suddenly hits a man standing in the middle of the road, but instead of killing the man, he crushes the car.

The man stands on top of the car and pulls Gabriel thru the windshield. He grabs his neck and you see a light escaping his eyes and mouth before he dies. Before Sofia can run, the man grabs Sofia by her neck.

-“Nothing from my touch. Strange. So scared. You don’t know what you are. Let me show you.”-Strange killer

The man proceeds to throw Sofia over the bypass and she slams into a gas tanker. The tanker explodes from impact and the scene ends with Sofia’s screaming face.

The issue switches to Gotham City. Signal and Orphan appear to be at the docks, taking cover from a mad man (Saint John) wielding a machine gun. Signal tells Orphan that he can rush Saint John but Orphan tells him to wait for Black Lightning. Duke does not respond well to this.

Suddenly Black Lightning appears, firing lightning at Saint John’s helmet, while Katana slices his gun with her sword. Black Lightning tells Katana to cover her eyes and he lights Saint John up.

With Saint John down, Black Lightning reprimands Signal for not waiting for him & Katana. Signal tells Black Lightning that he is not his Father and he’s not Batman.

-“Neither are you, Signal. That’s why I had to save your life. We have to work together. We’re a team.” – Black Lightning

Shamed, Signal walks away and tells everyone he will call GCPD. Katana asks Orphan if he is normally like this. She responds that he has been different since he was injured by Karma.

The scene switches once again to Kubrick Towers. Bruce is meeting Jefferson for a report.

-“Duke’s not right. Cassandra thinks this is recess. Katana will kill someone before this is over.” -Jefferson

Bruce tells Jefferson they are his team and to make them what he wants them to be. Jefferson questions if this is truly his team. At this point Jefferson and Bruce have a real conversation about Bruce’s real intentions with forming the Outsiders.

-“I need to solve some things. For myself. And they…need more from me than I can give.” – Bruce

On his way out, Bruce tells Jefferson he put the penthouse in his name.

We switch to what appears to be the Batcave. Batman is surveying the wreck from earlier in the issue. It’s confirmed that Gabriel is dead and Sofia is missing.

We move to an abandoned building that Tatsu is living in. She is trying to communicate with her husband’s soul inside her sword.

Tatsu tells Jefferson he is not as quiet as he thinks, and he comes out of the shadows. He tells her that he needs her wisdom. Tatsu tells him to pick up a sword. They spar while Jefferson asks Tatsu for her help.

-“Duke is punishing himself. Cassandra is a mystery I can’t solve. Help me with them.” – Jefferson

Jefferson tells Tatsu that he needs a partner. He wants her to challenge him. After he leaves, her husband’s soul speaks to her “Taaatttsssuuuuu”. She cries as she holds the sword.

Next, we see Cass and Duke riding her motorcycle. During the ride, Duke is only thinking about Karma and he cries out for Cass to stop. She asks Duke if he’s ok and he tells her he still sees Karma.

“It’s okay. When I sleep…I see my Dad.”-Cass

Cass tells him it’s okay to be afraid, and he yells that he is not afraid. Cass begins to apologize but their batwatches go off.

The Outsiders meet up with Batman on top of a building. He briefs them on The Ark Program. A consortium of billionaires wanted to create their own metahumans. Batman burned it down. The architects tried to kill all the test subject, and only the Ramos family survived. Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox set them up in a house in Los Angeles and Batman promised them they would stay safe. Batman informs the team that the Mother eventually died due to the experiments and Gabriel was just killed. Their task is to find Sofia and bring her to Gotham. At this, Batman grapples away.

Right away, Black Lightning is distrustful of Batman and wants to decline the mission. In the end, Katana informs the team that they are taking the mission.

-“I don’t trust Batman. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter----is us trusting each other. Because I have a feeling we are own our own.”-Black Lightning

We go back to Sofia, and she is at the train station trying to keep a low profile and get out of Los Angeles. As she’s walking a man in the shadows grabs her from behind. He tells her that she will pull humanity from the ashes; and thru her a new age is born.

Review

I really enjoyed this comic. First off, the art work is AMAZING. Dexter Soy really took this comic book to the next level. The only thing that threw me off was Bruce looking like an older version of Jason. I had to do a double take for a moment. Speaaking of Jason, Gabriel's license plate was TODD JASON. Dexter did a great job.

I really enjoyed the development we’re getting with Duke. Duke had a very traumatic experience with Karma in Detective Comics, and it’s nice to see them addressing those issues.

I am also intrigued by Jefferson’s relationship with Duke and Tatsu. A part of me feels like Duke is pushing Jefferson away because he reminds him of his Father; or he feels that Jefferson is trying to take his Father’s place. He really has no other reason to be this combative. Jefferson is eventually going to break down Duke’s walls; and when he does, I think they will have an unbreakable bond.

Jefferson and Tatsu have a lot of chemistry and I would probably ship Jefferson with Tatsu if I knew the status of Anissa and Jennifer. If he hasn’t had them yet, then I wouldn’t ship them, but if he’s divorced from Lynn already, then it would be an interesting relationship to explore.

When Jefferson visited Tatsu, she told him that Cassandra was afraid of her future. I hope this is tied to Detective Comics 980 where Cass learned she was both Batgirl and adopted. Stephanie seems to have taken the news from Tec 980 well. She's not bitter that she was never Robin or Batgirl in this timeline. She is actually referring to herself as a Robin in Young Justice. Stephanie doesn't care what time line it happened in, a win is a win. Cass's situation is entirely different. While she can take the same approach with the Batgirl mantle, she can't do that with the adoption. That has to be something formally initiated by Bruce. I think there are a couple of things Cass could be afraid of: (1) Deep inside she is bad and they will get rid of her like they did Basil (2) She never reaches her full potential and does not become an official bat (she never wears the symbol) (3) She's never adopted again (if Bruce doesn't adopt her, what does that mean for their current relationship?). It could be something else entirely or a combination of 1-3. Hill has a lot of compelling directions he can go with Cass. A follow up from Tec 980 would be great.

Last, but certainly not least….Bruce Wayne. Honestly, Bruce came across as someone who really doesn’t care what the team is doing as long as they stay out of his hair and they’re alive. When Bruce met with Jefferson at Kubrick Towers, he confirmed my suspicions that he formed BatO and put Jefferson in charge so he could be Duke and Cassandra’s primary mentor. While it may seem messed up that he is not making time for them, I respect the honesty of the situation. Bruce’s life is crap right now. He’s trying to rebuild his relationship with Damian, he has no clue what to do with Jason and this Iceberg situation, Dick is Ric and at some point, he should realize that Tim is missing on Gemworld. Not to mention his Dad from another Universe is teaming up with his enemy and he’s still heartbroken over Selina. He’s stretched thin and has realized he doesn’t have the physical time or emotional availability to look after/mentor Duke and Cass. He’s giving them a better option in Jefferson. He even gave Jefferson a pent house for his troubles. I think Jefferson knew from the beginning why Bruce formed the team, which explains why he doesn’t trust him. They are laying the seeds of Batman eventually leaving the Outsiders and if that happens, I feel like this comic will be a great vehicle for Black Lightning to shine. I wouldn’t be surprised if they phased Batman out of the title once they have some consistent sales. It wouldn’t be anytime soon, but I wouldn’t mind BatO becoming The Outsiders.

This was a great issue with some great art. If you’re a fan of these characters I highly recommend you pick up this issue.