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#king's writing
blastedking · 27 days
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Universe: Stargazer I - Chapter 12: Zargothrax V (Warrior)
Oh nou all those evil evil chaos wizards pfff
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distort-opia · 2 years
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Selina is my favourite DC character and I still can't explain why Tom King's version of her BOTHERS me. Can't put my finger on it. I appreciate him giving me more of her, I won't lie... I just wish she was... a bit different...
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...Mayhaps the dialogue is a part of it?
[sigh] I have a complicated relationship with King's writing. He's got concepts I find very interesting, and he clearly puts a lot of thought into his stories, which I've had a lot of fun analyzing. But his execution leaves to be desired more often than not. Wish he had a better editor, who could catch the fact he makes most characters sound too similar... both in internal narration and in the dialogue of multiple characters, King has a favorite pattern that goes "I establish this fact exists. I exist, I manifest, I come into being." Statement X, then repetition of it with various rephrasing, exactly like in the panel above. Once you notice it, it becomes quite grating. Then there's the overuse of poetry excerpts or songs for "deep" reasons, which again, an editor could've toned down a bit, but alas.
With King's portrayal of Selina, you can tell he wants to write a Smart Independent Woman Who Needs No Man. He wants her to come across as Feminist and Empowered, but he doesn't quite know how to do this kind of character justice; how to show it, and not tell it. He makes Selina say stuff like the above, proclaim that she doesn't want to let men control her or tame her, but he doesn't really manage to explore that in more depth through her actions. Or, he veers into the extreme with showing it, like with Selina fighting and jumping around on rooftops while obviously far along in her pregnancy, or her chopping up Joker's corpse into bits and then decorating a Christmas tree with it (examples from Batman/Catwoman, like the panel above). Obviously this is just my personal opinion, but I hope this helps in figuring out what bothers you about Selina's portrayal.
Tbh, I have similar problems with King's depiction of Bruce, and many other characters he writes. In his stories, characters are often the vehicles of a concept; furniture in a room. They don't manage to feel like separate real people, but rather cogs in the machine that is the narrative. Which is why they can come across as hollow, and when you read their dialogue you hear the writer, rather than them... if that makes any sense.
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kookoofufu · 3 months
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I love Oda but man is INSANE for not making the timeskip more relevant to the straw hats outside of power ups
Brook: Literally a rockstar??? There should have been a running gag where people ask Brook for his autograph at every island they visit! It would be so funny if some villains were starstruck fans trying to keep it together during a fight!
Sanji: It would have been great if the newkama recipes came up more than once. There could have been a gag where Sanji stops in the middle of a battle to literally cook a power up for the crew. Imagine this man dicing onions in Onigashima, force-feeding Zoro a stew during his fight with King
Robin: She worked under Dragon for two years, met Sabo and Koala and maybe Ivankov, she probably knows the Army's entire plan to take down the gov and yet it never comes up! Does she know about Kuma? Nika? The five elders? Does she secretly communicate with the Rev Army????
Zoro: I love the idea of Perona teaching Zoro about fashion. It wouldn't have plot relevance but imagine him busting out some fashion tips out of nowhere every so often.
I'd love to hear more ideas, the missed opportunities here haunt me.
Edit: link to ongoing collection of headcanons since some people only see the first four ideas
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rustchild · 6 months
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desperately craving weird surrealist arthurania. Knights with no faces wandering through the mists. Seams between Christian and pre-Christian Britain gaping like open wounds. Beafts and visions. Maybe a monk. Maybe the monk is gay
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zylev-blog · 6 days
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Danny: Hell didn’t want me when I died, and heaven cast me out. So now I’m stuck in between on this little place called Earth. Sometimes I like to think it’s my own personal hell, but who am I to judge?
Tim, who was on day 5 of being awake: have you tried to fight god?
Danny: oh, I did, and I won. But the bastard is manipulative and decided that I wasn’t allowed in heaven because of pure spite.
Tim: interesting. Do you still want to fight gods?
Danny: depends. Me and Hades are under a truce, and Zeus kicked me out of Olympus. Sometimes I thought about fighting with Wonder Woman to get a rise from Zeus, but Hippolyta told me I wouldn’t be invited for dinner if I messed with her daughter, sooo….
Tim, pulling out his phone: cool, cool, so his name is darkseid, and he’s an asshole
Danny: say no more
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freedomanddisorder · 2 months
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MEETING THE PARENTS
Constantine was freaking out in the watchtower meeting room. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that your kids are dating a Denizen of the Infinite Realms?!”
“What is a Denizen of the Infinite Realms?” “Do you mean Ellie? She’s a sweet girl.” Both Batman and Superman spoke at the same time.
“Ellie? Is that her name or her Name?” Constantine asked, leaning forward.
“That…you just said the same thing twice.” Flash said in confusion.
“No. A name is what you call someone. In the Infinite Realms spirits Name is significant. It has Power.”
“That reminds me of my grandma’s old stories about fairies and Fae folk.” Green Lantern leaned back in his seat. “All that ‘giving your true name’ stuff
“Your grandma told you stories about fairies?” Flash raised an eyebrow.
“She was a hippy.” He shrugged. His cheeks just faintly pink.
“Are these beings Fae?” Flash turned back to Constantine.
“They are both Fae and Spirits. Sorta. The word is interchangeable depending on the specific being you are referring to.” Zatanna said. “For example, Banshees are a type of fae that originate from spirits or ghosts. Banshees can be apart of the Infinite Realms. The Realms are the bridge between our reality and any ‘fae realm’ that exists.” John looked exhausted, despite his leg bouncing agitatedly under the table.
“Can we refocus?” Wonder Woman interrupted. “Constantine. What are the Infinite Realms?”
“It’s the glue that both connects and divides the different plans of reality.”
“You’re talking multiverse.” Green Lantern said looking more alert.
“Not just the Multiverse, mate. Everything and Everyone who dies in Any planet, galaxy, or Universe must pass through the Infinite Realms to reach their afterlife. Which all exist under the command of the Ancient High King.”
“Hades?” Wonder Woman asked.
“Saint Peter?” Green Lantern asked.
“Or the Devil?” Flash guessed.
Constantine shook his head again. “No. All of those beings hold Dominion over a single kind of afterlife. Think of them like Lords to a King.”
“Who is the High King?” Batman had his hands posed to record the information on a monitor.
“Well, it used to be The Tyrant King. Pariah Dark, The Imperator of Fear. The Father of Despair. The Great Conqueror of the Dead, Undying, and Never Born. During the height of his rule there was a gathering of Seven Ancients who with all of their power were only able to bind him to sleep. A sleep that lasted for centuries. Unfortunately, he woke up and began to take vengeance on the whole realm. Until another spirit rose up to challenge him. A single Ancient who defeated Pariah Dark in single combat and with his victory, claimed the Throne of the Infinite Realms.” Constantine said all of this in a bored tone. Like he was retelling the drama of a soap opera he watched a hundred times.
“So the Last King was a Tyrant. What about the new guy?” Superman asked curiously.
“All I know are his Epitaphs. The Great Ancient of Balance. The Patriarch of the Wilds. Eminence of Justice. The High King Phantom.” Constantine gruffed.
“When did the transfer of power happen?” Batman asked.
“Time isn’t the same between here and the Infinite. To us it was less than five years ago. In the Infinite it could have been centuries or even millennia ago.” Zatanna shrugged. “Don’t get too strung up on timelines. The Infinite Realm exists outside of typical timelines.”
Superman shrugged. “Well, Ellie wants us to meet her parents. And Three Denizens of the Infinite Realms want to meet Robin and Superboy. Along with Batman and Superman.”
“Four.” Batman corrected.
Green Lantern looked confused. “Four?”
“Yeah. Ellie, her Dad, her Mom, and her Pops.” Superman nodded as he remembered the specifics of what Superboy had said.
Flash took a sip of a mango smoothie he hadn’t had a second ago. “Are her parents divorced?” He asked around the straw.
Green Lantern smirked nonchalantly. “‘Can spirits divorce?’ Sounds like a joke start up.”
Superman shrugged nonchalantly, “They’re a polycule. She’s got two dads and a mom according to the boys.”
“Oh.”
Constantine flicked open his pack of smokes and put one between his lips. Leaving it unlit at Batman’s glare, “Don’t expect a traditional relationship dynamic from the Infinite Realms, Mate.”
Batman tapped relentlessly on, “What are the Denizens of the Infinite Realms like?”
Zatanna hesitated, “They are...It’s hard to explain. They are emotions, obsessions, ideals, even aspects of reality given physical form. Like…gods who don’t need worship to increase their power and influence. Some are technically ghosts; the reflected personalities of former mortals from different realities, but that’s more irregular than what you might expect.” She winced at the withering stare she felt coming from Batman at her vague explanation.
Wonder Woman turned to Superman “So, what about Ellie? What kind of girl is she?”
Constantine spoke up before Superman could start, “More importantly, what kind of spirit is she?”
“Superboy said she was something called a Mirror-Born but he didn’t know what that meant.” Superman admitted. “I didn’t know either when he asked me.”
“A mirror-born? What is that?” Zatanna looked over at Constantine in confusion.
The British man shook his head, “I have no bloody idea, love. I’ve never heard of the phrase. But spirits and Others tend to be a mix of extremely literal and annoying obtuse with their terminology.” Constantine chewed on the unlit cigarette in his mouth thoughtfully. “Mirror…mirror…a reflection… A likeness. An afterimage maybe?” Constantine began to mutter to himself as he scribbled on a scrap of paper from his coat. “I’ll look up some things at the house later. Maybe see what I can dig up.”
Wonder Woman then took the lead. “In the meantime, let us discuss the logistics of meeting with these Infinite Realm Denizens.”
Zatanna took over the meeting. “Thankfully, the barrier dividing us from the Infinite Realm is hard to transverse. Natural portals are the main way they come over. Natural portals are random and dissipate quickly. Some can track and anticipate the portals appearance and cross over temporarily.”
“This ‘Ellie’ is probably a weaker but clever spirit who figured out how to access this world with some degree of certainty.” Constantine flicked the chewed up cigarette away and pulled out a new one. “But don’t underestimate her. ‘Weaker’ does not mean weak. Infinite Realms beings thrive on battle. Fighting is their main form of communication.”
“Fighting?” Batman grunted, fingers pausing in their typing.
“Everything from play fighting, friendly sparing, to actual ‘trying to end your existence’ fighting. These beings love fighting so much it’s practically coded into them.” Zatanna shrugged. “It’s as common to them as shaking hands is to us.”
“So, her parents will likely want to spar. To gauge Robin and Superboys’ worthiness for their child.” Constantine sighed. “Like a Fae version of the shovel talk. Heads or tails on if they actually try to bury them though.”
“Probably best to have the meeting here on the Watchtower or somewhere similarly isolated than on earth. Safer.” Superman glanced out of the watchtower windows. “Probably not here though.”
Wonder Woman nodded, “Noted. Should there be others included in the meeting?”
“Yes. I’d say so. Obviously, the boy, Superman, and Batman. Constantine and myself.” Zatanna listed out the individuals, counting on her fingers.
“Pass.” Constantine grunted.
Zatanna glared up at him. “No passing. If we need to restrain them, both of us might be needed. Should we invite Captain Marvel too?”
The Laughing Magician pulled out another cigarette.
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zuzu-draws · 4 months
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Just a pair of friendly sorcerers out on a stroll~
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deadsetobsessions · 2 months
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Danny laid across his throne, legs planted across the left arm of the ornate chair and back pressed uncomfortably against the right.
"Listen," Danny started, letting his head flop to the side as he glared at a hovering Observant. "This meeting has wasted enough of my time. You all have been arguing for hours and that's without Clockwork slowing things down."
"Your Majesty, this is a matter of great importance. Belial means to overthrow and rule my-our world!"
"I am distinctly aware aware of that," Ancients, Danny couldn't wait to go home and rid himself of the formal speech he'd had to adopt in order to be taken seriously. Well, as seriously as he cared to be taken when sprawled across his throne instead of sitting on it intimidatingly or something. He slowly placed his gaze on the suddenly still demon sitting across from him. "Yet you've proposed fifteen different plans that were all unviable for whatever reasons you've cooked up. Your conclusion is that I must step in. Does your world not have heroes to take care of it?"
The demon- another lord of hell from this Belial’s universe- fell silent.
“Ah. But if they do, they would also take care of you.”
“No- no, that’s not-”
Danny allowed his voice to drop to the artic freeze he knew his core was capable of. "I opened these these doors to allow all of you to present me with reasonable concerns regarding your own universes and realms. What is not on the table for discussion is your petty politics. Do you think I am unaware of your intentions in tattling to me? That I do not know you are trying to use me to further your own position?"
"Your Majesty, I-" The demon growled out, fear slowly coating its expression.
"It no longer amuses me. You think that I am young and easy to manipulate." Danny froze the demon to its chair. It tried to break free, but Danny isn't the High King of the Infinite Realms for nothing. "Bring to me a miserable problem like this ever again, one that could be easily solved if you used even a smidgen of your intelligence, and you will find exactly how I tore Pariah Dark from his throne."
Not that Danny knew how he did it either, he just did it.
"Yes, Your Majesty. My-my apologies."
The room is dead (Danny patted himself on the back for the pun) silent. Some of the Ancients looked bored, like Clockwork who knew Danny would never hurt them, but everyone else looked close to crying. He held eye contact with the demon until it looked away.
When Danny settled back into the throne and allowed his ice to dissipate, the room let out a collective sigh of relief.
"The next item on the agenda is another demon, by the name of Trigon." Clockwork announced, the large piece of paper comically huge next to his currently toddler-like body.
"Another?"
He flicked an amused look at the previous demon, who kept his trap firmly shut.
"He is attempting to take over multiple worlds in an attempt to conquer the universe. I had thought you would be interested in this one, Your Majesty, as he plans to begin with Earth 135."
Danny stilled. That was his Earth. His haunt.
"Does he know of the Realms?"
"Vaguely, I believe."
"Then he should know the rules. I will wait to see if my Earth's heroes are capable to step to the task."
Danny would be a hypocrite if he doesn’t let the heroes of his Earth try first, even if he is one of those heroes.
"Of course," Clockwork grinned at him, fully aware of the shit Danny's about to stir back home. Ah, the wonders of being able to influence the time stream. Perhaps the young Ghost King will finally get some friends, and maybe get those pesky speedsters to stop making his jobs so hard. Cujo yipped at Danny as the King begrudgingly moved onto the next topic.
——
Raven shuddered as she watched the footage of her "brothers" laughing while steering their human "meatbags" around. She turned back to the giant circle of donated blood and herb filled candles.
“This is a nuclear option, don’t you think?” Green Arrow mumbled, clearly not against it by the half hearted way he’d said it. The Star City billionaire nursed his cracked ribs.
“No,” she floated over to where Zatanna and Constantine kneeled, trying to see if they needed help with the inscriptions. “Trigon is coming soon, and my brothers will no doubt find their way here in a moment. We are out of time.”
“Yeah. Plus, we don’t want Raven to be turned into a portal.” Garfield piped up, switching animal forms rapidly.
“No one dies.” Red Robin muttered. His wrist computer was open, monitoring the surroundings of the open field they found themselves uneasily occupying. Batman grunted in affirmation, eyeing the tree line. Every hero except the magical ones were on look out, preparing themselves for one more battle against the two demons that were trying to take Raven and force her into becoming a portal.
“Hey guys, we might want to hurrythisupbecausethey’re kind of close!” Impulse slammed into the room.
“Done.” Zatanna got up, motioning for everyone to step back. In Superman’s case, he floated back.
“Too bad you won’t get to use it,” a voice drawled, dripping with malice and the screams of a thousand souls.
“Come now, little sister. Why fight fate? Be grateful father has deigned to spare you. If not for your dirty blood being useful, you would be dead, little sister. Give up, before our patience runs out alongside the lives of your little pets.” Another, mocking, voice gleefully rumbled.
Raven would rather gouge out her own heart than to claim these two as any type of family.
“You won’t touch them.” Raven snarled, powers rising even as the marks on her body burned a painful red.
“Buy us some time!”
With that, the group of beaten and battered heroes rose to clash against just two demons, for a chance to save their world.
——
The Circle crackled. Danny felt a tug on his core. He followed the thread of the summoning. Oh. It was his haunt. Earth 135. Hm. It tasted of blood. Desperation? A hint of anticipation. Oh, an overload of fear. Could use some more hope, but Danny understood that it was rather hard to season these kinds of summonings with hope.
“Stop.” Danny commanded, straightening in his chair.
“Sire, we have more-”
“There is an issue with my haunt,” with that, he followed the summons.
——
“Ugh,” was the first thing everybody on the frozen battlefield heard. The demons had smacked away many of the heroes, but they all turned as one when the circle lit up a bright green. “Why do you people always use blood? I’m dead, I don’t need any more iron!”
A boy
Raven’s eldest brother let out a hideous rumble. “You fools tried to summon the king, and you got a dead boy. And now, you’ve doomed another.”
Constantine looked resigned, and regretful. “I am so, so sorry,” he whispered. It was just a kid. John might be a lot of things, but even he found summoning dead kids for demons to devour was just a step too far. “Shite, we got the wrong fucking-”
“Hey, man, that’s rude,��� the boy snapped back, waving John off.
“Brother, kill the whelp.”
“I vote on not killing the whelp. Not killing at all, really,” the boy stepped out of the massive blood circle, wrinkling his nose at the drying stains.
“This is not one of your pesky democracies, fool.”
In response, the demons lunged at him, ignoring the screams of the surrounding heroes as they shoved their human arms through the boy’s stomach.
“So,” the boy continues, “I heard your dad was after my haunt?”
“Your haunt, whelp? This earth shall be his! And through him, ours!” Raven slammed against the demons with her power, shadows enlarging and tossing them away from the unharmed… ghost boy?
“Is it?”
——
Wow, these demons are so rude. Normally, it’d be a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy halls of his throne room. But since they’re attacking his haunt…
“Thanks. You’re… Raven, right?”
Raven nodded, arms outstretched in concentration as she held her brothers back.
“You have to go. We’re- we’re sorry you got pulled into this, but it’s not safe here.”
“Eh. It’s cool. You don’t have to do that anymore, by the way.” Danny stepped forward once more, green skin shifting and gliding as everything about him sharpened. He flew at the demons piloting the human shells, catching them around the necks and dragging the demons out of their stolen bodies. The threw them even further away as he floated in the air, a beacon of green and white. Raven thought it looked like hope.
“My name is Phantom, the High King of the Infinite Realms,” let it be known that Danny always had an eye for dramatic entrances. He shifted into something more off, more eldritch, more kingly. The crown flared to life above his head. “You have invaded my haunt. You have challenged me. What do you plead?”
“You’re not-” they said.
“Wrong answer,” Danny flew at them once more, body contorting into something undeniably terrorizing, his maw unhinging and crunching down on the demons with a sound that made the present heroes cringe.
“Ugh,” Danny grunted, turning back and floating peacefully to the group of heroes- Tucker and Sam would be so stoked he met Wonder Woman and Batman!- and chewed rapidly. He shifted back into his normal form. “Eating demons always leaves me with indigestion. And their bones get everywhere up in my teeth!” Danny pulled out a giant femur looking bone from his mouth, despite it not logically fitting in there.
“Right. No eating demons, solid life advice.” Red Robin said.
“Right? So, you’re Raven! It’s nice to meet you! Think you can summon your dear ol’ dad for me?”
“But we summoned you to stop Trigon, not help him come here.” Superman said, frowning.
“One! That summoning circle is wack. Those things you piled up as offerings? Mid. Also, if you thought you could control me with those terribly written spells, you’re dead wrong. And yes, I am making puns about death.” Danny jabs an aggressive finger towards the shabby circle.
“Have you considered that maybe not every being that can be summoned wants a shit ton of useless blood? Like what if I wanted food? And two, how am I supposed to beat up Trigon if he’s still stuck in the prison realm?”
“I have a cup of coffee,” Nightwing offered. “Kid Flash could probably get you food, right?”
“Yep, surethinganythingyouwantyourMajesty.”
“You wouldn’t catch me alive accepting food from a speedster. You people fuck up the timelines so much,” Danny grumbled, crunching on the last of Raven’s brothers. Raven thought she should probably sit down.
“But you’re dead.” Batman said, something about his voice catching the sharp attention of his protégés who all started making cutting motions at him.
“Fair,” Danny pointed at him, grinning. “I’ll take two pizza and Nightwing’s coffee as payment for taking care of your little demon overlord problem. Raven, summon your dad.”
——
Didn’t much like the characterization of this piece but it’s been in my drafts for a while and I needed it out
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peachiexparfait · 3 months
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DC X DP Prompt Idea:
Constantine summons the Ghost King.
Danny, who's shifting through forms trying to find one where he'll heal fast since he's injured, is a little pissed at getting summoned now of all times.
When the summing circle is lit up, the Justice League finds themselves staring at the shifting form of the Ghost King. They see a normal looking teenage boy one second, the hulking form of some beast another. Eventually Danny shifts into... a bat.
A little embarrassing, considering there are a bunch of adults staring at him. But they're dressed up in weird costumes so they don't get to judge.
When Danny finishes shifting there's a moment of silence as everyone begins to register just what happened.
Then Danny flies out of the circle, and out of the room, shrieking and causing a stir up as the freakishly dressed adults start yelling and cursing while trying to catch him.
"Make sure he doesn't get away, Robin's here." Batman commands.
"What's that got to do with anything, Spooks?" Green Lanters asks, nearly bumping into a wall trying to catch the shrieking bat.
"The Robin that likes animals and takes in any that he comes across," Constantine says as they lose the bat who cuts a corner.
"Oh, right. That Robin."
That Robin indeed, who's arms are full of a tiny, now silent bat staring at them when they find them.
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dr3c0mix · 3 months
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OK HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME O-
Yandere knight thats all stoic and stuff but is very open about loving royal!reader
Like this bitch will scold you for leaving his side for 5 minutes, you need to stay near him! Not wander around carelessly!
Hes brutal and ruthless but you bring out that spark of kindness in him
Yan CEO is back on the table, either secretary darling who he denies all feelings for even though he shows a l o t of favoritism towards them or rival ceo darling who he wants to hate but THEYRE SOooOO hOt!!!
Yan emperor and concubine reader? Idk whether i should make him utterly bratty an whiny or zesty✨ like its either “please please please marry me i promise ill give you anything you want plea-“ or the embodiment of the word tease
Yan villain OH MY GOD HES SO SKBDWBJDSNJSB BUT LIKE idk if i want the reader to be a villain as well or a superhero
OHMYGOD ALSO yandere gang x reader where darling finds themself somehow saving a gang of thugs and they instantly fall for them and want to make them their boss, they are on their hands and knees to serve you! You can rule half of the city with them!! Theyre kinda dumb but theyre very very sweet
Also thinking of making a multi yan fic with a neko reader just because <3
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existentialterror · 4 months
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Hypothetical question:
There is a book that is 200 pages long. If you read the entire book, you will 100% get a neurodegenerative disease and die in 1-5 years. Everybody knows this. There are studies. Every reputable organization, even very pro-free-speech ones, are like "no this specific book WILL literally kill you."
There are no consequences to reading the first page of the book. There are studies. The only risk is that you might be interested enough that you'd like to read the rest (especially if you didn't know about the effect.)
(More details: The effects of reading past Page 1 are hotly debated - you do need to read all 200 pages to get the disease, but some kind of compulsion kicks in over time and makes you much more inclined to finish the book. Reading to page 10 is a little dangerous, reading to page 50 or past is very dangerous, but it's kind of unclear how much. The compulsion is NOT measurably present from the first page.)
Every government has banned this book, but it's pretty easy to find copies online or (with a bit more work) in person. By all accounts, the writing is quite beautiful. It is even easier to find copies of the first page, since everyone agrees it's not dangerous.
(this is curiosity / idle research for a fiction project)
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blastedking · 3 months
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Universe: Stargazer I - Chapter 04: Proletius I
Introducing the B Plot and The Place! <3
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distort-opia · 1 year
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You said you didn’t enjoy Tom King’s writing, especially his take on the Joker. Most Batjokes fans avoided it because of BatCat, and personally I find his dialogue abysmal. But, what are some of your valid criticisms?
Hi! I've criticized aspects of King's writing before, when I was asked about his portrayal of Selina. You can read those discussions here, and here. As you will find though... I'm pointing out flaws but also admitting that I find his writing compelling. Because it's not quite accurate to say I don't enjoy King's writing at all. It's because I'm a masochist, and some of his stories turn me into Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the conspiracy meme. (Here's me writing a whole-ass essay on just one issue he wrote.)
The thing is, King has stuff to say. The concepts he wants to convey can be deeply compelling. When it comes to his Batman run, I Am Suicide, Cold Days and Knightmares are some of my favorite arcs when it comes to Bruce characterization... but I will also admit there's much to be desired in execution. King often falls into the trap that in my head is named after Moffat-- trying to seem deep, without actually delivering on the foreshadowing and ideas introduced. (Can you tell I'm a Doctor Who and Sherlock BBC survivor.) Also a lot like Moffat, King can be great at telling short self-contained stories, rather than long ones that spawn multiple narrative threads and a large cast. Most of the time secondary characters suffer dearly under King's pen. They become an extension of the protagonist and lose individuality; speech patterns bleed into each other, behaviors become interchangeable. King could benefit so much from an editor who actually ensured that the dialogue doesn't feel so repetitive and choppy, and that the voices of the characters feel distinct. It'd help a lot with making it less grating.
But leaving that aside (and other more story-specific criticisms I have)... at the end of the day, to me it feels like King cares-- something that sadly doesn't apply to a lot of writers at DC. He's got many flaws as a writer, but at least to me, it's clear that Bruce Wayne means something to him. He demonstrates a deep understanding of the character on more than one occasion, which redeems him in my eyes at least partially. Even when it comes to Joker, I dislike some of the writing, not all of it. Joker in Batman (2016) #48-49 is very interesting, and the "I need him to stop me" speech is beautiful. To be honest, I think I dislike the way Mikel Janin draws Joker more, and sadly I've come to associate his art with King's Batman stuff.
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ghostbsuter · 6 months
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"Excuse me?" Jazz's voice echoes in the meeting room in space. She gains the attention of the heroes immediately and sees them tensing up in at her appearance.
Behind her, he swirling green portal is open, waiting for her to return.
A blond, coat wearing man, curses upon seeing her and gives a half bow. "Princess Jasmine," he speaks up, eye twitching.
"What brings you here?"
At the greeting and reveal of her title, few others fall into bows, the lady at the head of the table, wonder woman?, gives her a smile.
Her eyes pin the green skinned man to his seat, who in return tilts his head at her.
"My brothers birthday is soon," she focuses on the man again. "I'm simply here for a present."
The man tenses, another curse slipping. "Ah– king phantom, right? I wasn't aware his birthday would be so soon."
Jazz ignores him, calmly walking to the Martian and placing a picture of Mars before him.
"The tales of your people have brought much interest to my brother. He became a big fan." She tells, sharing her intentions at his light poking.
"I ask for a signature, it would make his day."
Martian Manhunter, alien hero, and once upon a time, a father even smiles. He's delighted yet feeling a deep-rooted sadness. The tales of his people continue to spread in the afterlife, it seems.
Jazz leaves quickly after, not before giving Diana a number, they are cousins after all.
Danny will love her present.
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I have a very rough idea in my head that I don't think I can clearly articulate beyond "And that concludes tonight's reports on German air forc—WHAT'S THIS? IT'S KING ARTHUR WITH A STEEL CHAIR"
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So one of those batfam interferes with a cult ritual where the cult is offering/sacrificing a bride to the King of the Dead to gain his favor but something happens and a batkid ends up in the ritual circle instead stories BUT make it funny
BATFAM AFTER A TIRELESS WEEK OF FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET JASON (Jason? idk we'll go with Jason for this blub) BACK
THE ROOM FLOODS WITH LIGHT AND JASON IS REVEALED IN THE CIRCLE
Jason: ah! What the hell guys?!
Nightwing: we brought you home- what are you wearing
Jason, in beach clothes holding a ectoplasm icee in one hand and his sunglasses in the other while being noticeably tanner and with a giant gemstone ring on his finger: clothes. Why the hell did you guys bring me back?! I was enjoying my vacation
Robin: vacation? You were abducted by a supernatural force for the purposes of a forced marriage to a monstrous entity.
Red Robin: who was it by the way? Hades? Satan?
Jason: Danny.
Jason: *takes loud sip of icee*
Jason: my fiancé's name is Danny but his "ruling name" or whatever is High King Phantom. He's the ghost king.
Batman: that is a more obscure diety than we expected. Did you discover how to break the marriage contract?
Jason: break the marriage contract? Why would I want to do that?!
Robin: because you were abducted.
Jason: yeah but then he cured my pit rage and he's a absolute sweetheart and funny. Now send me back. This is why none of you were invited to my bachelor party which you so rudely kidnapped me from
Batman: no.
Jason: no? Im getting married in two days and none of you are blowing this for me. Send me back or I wont give you any favors once I become queen or consort or whatever I'll be. Let me live out my shitty romance novel dreams
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