Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Post ZH Legion: Volume 5 - What Makes Us Special (August 26, 2023)

Okay I'm diving in!

- you are really digging up the obscure heroes here! The only ones I know are Frostbite and Maya, and even that is just second-hand - love me some underdogs!

- I like the continuation of Imra having to adjust to losing her powers...it makes so much sense that she would have difficulty adjusting, having telepathy from birth must make it so second nature even when you're not consciously using it for communication/mind-reading all the time

- I also liked Cos just naturally taking on the leadership role...I know that's been his thing since 5YL but the reboot was the first time that I feel like he really earned it

- I honestly noped out of the whole Harvest storyline in the comics because it was so 90s EXTREEEEEEEEEME storytelling, and Brett Booth's art makes my eyes bleed; but his little interlude here actually makes him a super interesting antagonist, good work IB!

- OMG WHITE FEATHER! Dumb Bunny better be here somewhere

- DUMB BUNNY!!!

- it looks like the whole Inferior 5 are here...I feel like this is gonna be their redemption, just like with the 5YL Subs

- I like the Legionnaires being concerned about Superboy and Firestorm surviving for history's sake, that's some classic time traveller stuff!

- Inferno!!

- Sun Girl is another one I haven't heard of before! Deborah Morgna, huh? Interesting...

- Wonder Woman looking after Garth was heartwarming and in character

- JLA to the rescue! I am liking Dr Light's position on this team, it's a shame she's hardly ever used to her potential in the comics

- I actually love that Harvest was so easily dealt with, it's what he deserves!

- Brainy being the one to give sage advice on not stressing about your awful family members was a nice touch

...well, if this don't just sound like the start of an annual team-up

This was thoroughly enjoyable, IB - well worth waiting for!

I am looking forward to the tryouts, and Garth and Imra's wedding!

Raz, Harbi, you both are so sweet - thank you

IB, hi there, will write my thoughts as I go through your story;

Big named characters being targets makes sense - if you want to make a name for yourself you need to beat those 'higher' on the list.

Firestorm still having flaming hair while the rest of his abilities are neutralised? Does this mean that the physical properties of a captive stays the same?

No idea who Aura is but it makes sense that some of the group of kidnapped kids will know of each other.

Bit worrying that despite being held for a while Rokk hasn't been able to find out anything.

Interesting watching Imra deal with losing her telepathy - it's something she probably uses without consciously trying. Though Rokk's natural charismatic optimism is a treat to read, and Imra realising it was sweet. She's smart enough to realise how useful that skill is in these circumstances.

"Why, it was almost as if this "Cosmic Boy" came from another, more enlightened time!" - well, the C universe has been pretty grim over the last few years so that's a valid point really

Harvest setting the groups against each other - nasty! Still, a bit od action is always appreciated

White Feather? From the Inferior Five? Excellent!

Rokk's faith in the camp mates when he can't contact them tells us a lot about his character. Nce that he reminds himself of the times he's suceeded as a way to keep his spirits up.

White Feather having a fear of his bow giving him splinters was funny. Nice work between firstorm and him, using flaming arrows to scare away the attacks is clever.

Oh, who is the 'prisoner' that she knows Connor already?

Merryman, yay, it is the Inferior Five, wonder how the Blimp is coping without being able to fly?

Inferno - fab, she's always fun, so long as she doesn't like murder anyone of course...

Making signs so anyone approaching knows they are safe so long as they are peaceful is clever, nice way to hopefully avoid any misunderstanding. And sandy not being keen on returning to the 31st century is unexpected, though she is volatile so who knows what's going on in her head?

Clever to think about puting the camp in a siege, No food ot water will drive people to do crazy things. This is looking increasing dangerous, though hopefully the camp has some reserves.

No idea who Sun Girl is but I assume she's related to Dirk? Ah, just read your note, fair enough

Garth getting emotional around Wonder woman was sweet.

Dr Light approving of Jazmin's idea - high praise indeed! Good characterisation of her as she's usually quite two dimensional.

"I've seen enough movies to know that the non-powered one just might get in the way." Nice to challenge these tropes IB

The camp running out of supplies - or even just being aware that they are limited, will bring out the worst of people's natures - we are selfish beasts at heart, I suppose, when it comes to survival. still, It's nice that Rokk giving one of his legendary speeches will helped placate those that are scared.

Glad that Supes paid attention and didn't go rushing in, and Jaz providing the gap in the shield that allowed the heat vision/ light blast to reach the target was nice teamwork.

The last sentence is unfinished here IB - cut n paste missed a bit - don't you hate it when it does that?

Wonder Woman took out Harvest very quickly, and with lassoe around him the team will soon have e info they need, nice!

Quick thinking of Firestorm before they get charged. Interesting, Shimmer's transmutation against Firestorm - wonder who would win?

And Jaz freezing the attacking force is such a great application of her abilities - why fight when you don't need to?

"See, she does have a heart," haha, yeah, nice.

The after-party was fun, and of course a lot of Legionnaires would want to join in, How often do they get the chance to spend quality time with the Justice League? Hope this leads to the odd team-up as it's been a fun excursion.

"your ancestors', or descendants', actions are beyond your own control." - if there's one person who knows this it's Vrainy, good bit of charactisation there.

Sweet that Sandy wanted to say goodbye to her friend - an unexpected bit of depth for her.

Somehow I think - or at least hope - that this isn't the last bit of time travel that the team will see.

Wow, I've caught up already. So, IB this was fun, you're really good at your character development, bringin out believable nuances in otherwise flat characters.

Looking forward to more, more and more - and hoping it won't be another six months!

Raz, Harbi, thanks tons for your R&R - I will go through and give a proper response later, for now I skimmed through and this caught my eye -





whhops and mega thanks Harbi! I was actually editing that bit on my phone in bed, I was mulling through something and wanted to fix it - which I did, except it left a typo, haha! fixed now, thanks tons!

ok now I have the time to give your responses the attention they deserve I'm too lazy to quote so please bear with my bullet points

Raz:

- I do like giving obscure heroes their time in the limelight though this was also out of practicality, if the area had been full of Robin or even Beast Boy level types, we'd have heard about it sooner I did have fun (and some trouble) searching for suitably obscure types with enough personality to work with, lol!

- I am super glad you found this Harvest interesting, I agree I did NOT like his actual comics storyline, and was hoping to end it a bit better. Glad it worked for you!

- The Inferior Five were so not planned, but I realized that Firestorm's flaming head could be useful... and I was searching for DC archers not tied to the Green Arrow family... and out popped White Feather! it was too good to pass up, especially as I read the Inferior Five's origin and their Subs team up - so I was already a big fan! I hope I used them well enough!

- also pleased you like how Diana and Kimiyo both were used. Yeah, Kimiyo's science-y smarts are often underplayed and one reason I love Diana so much, she's a warrior but also a leader full of heart

- totally agree that Reboot Cos earned his leader rep, he had a tough job at the beginning eh!

- and glad you approve of nasty Harvest being taken down so fast. he was so vile and nasty in the comics that I really enjoyed giving him some comeuppance

- and glad you liked the Brainy reference to his ancestors

- ... and I enjoyed writing the League so much I would certainly love to have them pop in from time to time

Harbi:

- yup, actually the "physical properties of a captive" bit was something I had to write in - as I was drafting my outline I realized, OK I have Firestorm along, but do I want to deal with the whole "actually, he is two guys in one body blah blah..." and I think in the comics we had a bunch of captives Titans with obvious physical "mutations" (like Wildfire) who remained that way. So whew! I killed two birds with one stone there... and I just hand-waved it away with future tech

- yeah, I didn't want to leave this part too boring, so I needed a good old siege/fight scene

- glad you liked Cosmic Boy's speeches, I loved that about Reboot Cos - he'd make speeches that never seemed too trite or fluffy, but had a good amount of substance! and agree re the faith in his team! now that I think about it, it must have started during his sports career...

- yes! another Inferior Five fan! I ran out of space to write the Blimp in, but he was definitely there too

- yeah, I haven't read much about Sun Girl, but Deathstroke once said she was a great manipulator - so she seemed like the type who would think of something nasty and effective, like a siege

- glad you're liking Kimiyo's portrayal here. indeed, she's demanding but fair...

- and yeah, when I thought about it, this Garth and Imra have been through so much it makes sense Garth would be more than a bit worried

- oh that would have been nice, Firestorm vs. Shimmer transmuting! but alas indeed, I thought I had dragged this out long enough so some clever teamwork and power applications saved the day

- I did enjoy writing this so much that I will probably have a team-up again at some point and if I were a Legionnaire I'd do my best to get in on this mission too

- re Sandy, yeah, I forced myself to read her mini and saying a quick bye seemed apt!

- also re Sandy not wanting to return to the 30th century, we will get more into that later but a lot of her reaction was more: she didn't like that people would assume she wanted to return

- and glad you liked the Brainy reference to his ancestors

- and thank you, thank you tons for your kind words re the characterization!


thanks again both! more to come soon-ish for sure, I've already started drafting the Imra/Garth wedding bit will definitely not wait too long this time!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Metropolis, 31st century Earth, a few decades from now...


Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy

********************************************************

"Happy 50th anniversary, my little lightning bug," Imra Ardeen telepathically sent as she kissed her husband, Garth Ranzz. Garth passionately returned the kiss, then stopped with a laugh. "No fair, you can talk AND kiss at the same time!" He laughed as Imra play-swatted at his arm. Then his face softened. "I love you, my little pink ponytail."

Imra made a show of patting her well-coiffed hair, worn loose and elaborately styled with tiny replicas of Saturn. "After 50 years, we should have come up with a nickname that fits all occasions."

Garth's eyes twinkled. "I'll put that on my to-do list, after: enjoying our anniversary party, AND the honeymoon after."

Imra laughed. "After all this time, though, nothing can compare to our actual wedding!"

"I still remember it like it was yesterday," Garth grinned. "Of course, I did just watch it yesterday..." He fished out a small, gray, circular disk and offered it to Imra. "Jancel helped me make this."

Imra's eyes widened. "Is that... A memory disk?"

"Surprise. I know telepaths relive memories differently, so Jancel I went out to friends and family and had them share their memories of..." Before Garth could finish, Imra had kissed him full on the lips.

"I think you realize how much I like it," Imra telepathically sent. "We have enough time, why don't we..."

"Yes," Garth sent back. His felt his mind open, as his wife put the disk to her forehead and drank the memories in.

*********************************************

Legion World, 31st century Earth, today

"Thanks!" Jancel Ardeen telepathically sent, barely glancing at her startled Kwai guide as ran through the Threshold chamber. "Sprock, Sprock, Sprock!" she thought to herself as she accessed the directions her sister Imra had planted in her mind. Turn right at the hallway, past the toilets and the giant Venusian Scarletbird plant...

... after running what felt like a dozen kliks, Jancel came to a halt in front of the Allon banquet room. Steeling herself, she burst through the doors. "I'm sorry I'm late!" she stammered, as dozens of eyes turned to her. She recognized her soon-to-be brother-in-law Garth frown at her, while Mekt Ranzz turned dismissively away. Several others shot disapproving glares at her.

"If you would come over here, Jancel," Marla Latham ushered her to one side. "We were just rehearsing the wedding party entrance; you can slot yourself in at your spot."

Jancel stammered as she searched for Imra. But she didn't have to; a telepathic harangue entered her mind. "I can't believe you're late!" Imra yelled. "And after I pressed Garth to let you be co-maid of honor alongside Ayla!"

"Imra, I can expl-"

"No! I know we're not close, Jancel, but you're still my sister! If you're going to be like this during the real wedding-"

Jancel felt her face turn beet red. Imra had spent most of her childhood in the Titan Institute, so they had not really grown up together... but she definitely had their father's temper. And if she was just like their father, she knew she'd have to wait until Imra cooled down before stating her piece, unless...

"Imra. Let Jancel say her piece," their mother sent. Ah, mom was the one person who could calm their father down...

Taking the opportunity, Jancel slipped in. "I'm sorry, Imra, I really am. I'm only late because I was trying to use the Titanet* to see if any emergencies would pop up on your wedding day, and I had to do it now as my admin request hadn't been approved yet, and I had to get my Naltorian partner to discreetly do it, and this is the only time Chief Adept is away so we could do so undetected, and.... I just wanted to make sure nothing bad would happen on your wedding you know? After all the years I spent being mean to you growing up, I thought this was the most special wedding gift I could give, one that nobody else really could, and... and of course I won't be late to your real wedding, how could I? You're my only sister..."

Her stomach twisted for a second. Then, Jancel could feel the guilt and understanding radiating from her sister, and the pride from her mother.

"Oh Jancel, I'm so sorry..."

"You're nervous, I get it," Jancel replied, mentally consoling Imra and sending her a hug.

"We'll hug in proper later," Imra beamed.

Before Jancel could react, Marla Latham tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Jancel?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jancel shook her head, stemming her telepathy so she could react. She was nowhere near as talented as her prodigious sister, who could focus on multiple telepathic conversations and switch back to using her ears in a flash.

"Let's take a break after this, Marla," Imra said verbally this time. She gave Jancel a warm, and slightly guilty, smile as she addressed the party. "Jancel just came from a Titanet shift, part of which she used to see if any warning signs would pop up on our day. For a telepath, being connected to the Titanet can be pretty taxing."

Jancel saw Garth smile sheepishly, while the handsome Mekt gave her an approving nod. Several other party members murmured approvingly, and even Marla Latham's smile softened. "Okay, after we finish this round, we will pause. If you please, Miss Jancel?"

Jancel beamed as she stepped in beside Ayla, who winked at her. Settling into place, she marched along the aisle, satisfied that she had taken a big step forward in making nice with her sister.

********************************************************

Imra's eyes popped open. "Wow, I really gave Jancel a tongue-lashing..."

"It happens," Garth soothed her. "You were under a lot of stress, after all." He poured her a glass of her favorite kono punch. "And you more than made up for it."

"Especially at her own wedding," Imra took the glass with a smile. "Though I always feel like I can do more... but Jancel's memory helps show me I'm on the right track..."

"That you are," Garth smiled. "Want to dive into another one?"

"Let's look at one from your side of the family..."

********************************************************

Ayla Ranzz strode purposely through the halls of Legion World, casually darting in between staff and cadets alike. Today was her twin brother's wedding, and she was going to do everything in her power to make it perfect.

"Did you suddenly develop super-speed overnight?" Reep Daggle's head loomed in front of her. Ayla flicked his nose with her finger. "Not now, Cham. I'm going to meet Mekt and walking with him to the chapel" Her eyes briefly followed Reep's stretched neck to his body, which was purposefully striding hard to catch up to her. "Nice suit, by the way."

"Thanks, I shapeshifted it myself," Reep said wryly. "Though I should probably change to match you a bit better." He subtly shifted the color to a dark blue, so it more closely matched the light blue Ayla wore now - the same color that her - and Live Wire's - Legion uniforms were.

Without breaking stride, Ayla gave Reep a thumbs-up. "Wow, not even Zoe could have done it better. Now hurry up, or you'll be without a date to..." Ayla cut off as she rounded a corner.

Mekt looked like a lightning beast frozen in a Khundian battlewagon's laser targeting. Though he was dressed in an immaculate blue suit, and his long white hair tied neatly in a ponytail, tears streaked down his face.

And across him, a purple-skinned woman with white hair pointed a blaster at him.

"I knew you'd be here, you murderous squaj," the woman said through gritted teeth. "You killed my father all those years ago on Bisbe**. He was a good man, and now it's payback time!"

Ayla's hands began to crackle with electricity, while Reep's form began to shift.

"W-w-wait!" Mekt held out his hands. "D-do-don't hurt her, Ayla!"

"Mekt, what are you-" Ayla began.

"Don't try to trick me!" The woman yelled.

"I-I-I'm not!" Mekt pleaded, holding his hands parallel to the ground. "I think about the people I killed every day, and I really am sorry - sorry I killed them, and sorry for the ones left behind to suffer." He dropped to his knees.

"I wish... I wish I could bring them back, but I can't." He stretched a hand out. "Ever since I got treated I... I know how wrong I was. I am sorry... I am really sorry..."

The woman seemed stunned, and lowered her blaster. She stared with hatred at Mekt. Then, without warning, she kicked him hard in the side.

"Hey-!" Ayla began.

"Don't worry," the woman said. She handed the blaster to Ayla. "It's fake... I just wanted to see this worm grovel. But he's just a pathetic shell now... and at least I have the satisfaction of knowing he is suffering." Without even a backwards glance, she started walking away.

Reep took the blaster and examined it quickly. "It IS fake," he said. "I think we can let her go."

"I don't want her to get into trouble," Mekt was shaking on the floor. "I hurt her enough already..."

"Maybe we can send her and her family a gift after all this," Ayla said gently as she knelt beside Mekt. "I think you did the right thing, apologizing to her like that."

"I shouldn't have said yes to Garth," Mekt sobbed. "What will people think, Live Wire with his murderer brother Lightning Lord as one of his Best Men?"

"Oh Mekt," Ayla stroked Mekt's hair. "You were sick. That wasn't your fault. You're getting better now." She moved his head so he looked into her eyes. "You can say sorry in your speech. You can start doing things to help others. But today, you're going to do your best for your brother, while he marries the love of his life. Okay?"

Wiping his tears, Mekt sat up. His lips twisted into a faint smile. "Okay... Sister."

Ayla stood up, and reached a hand out to Mekt. He took it, pulling himself up. "I think I need a tissue," he sniffled.

Reep raised his hands. "Don't look at me... I can shapeshift into one, but your snot will still be on me!"

Ayla smacked him on the arm, even as she laughed. "Ewwwww, Reep, just ewwwww." Taking Cham's hand in her left, and Mekt's hand in her right, Ayla dragged them both down the hallway.


********************************************************

Garth's eyes snapped open. "Ayla told me about this, but perceiving it is so... different." He grabbed a glass for himself, but this time he poured in some pluberry wine. Taking a sip, he shook his head. "Siblings! Can't live with them, can't live without them."

Imra ruffled his hair. "We love all our siblings."

Garth nodded. "Mekt did his best... sent that woman's kids to some of the top universities in the UP, even. Helped families of other victims too... I'm proud of him."

"And he knows that," Imra held Garth's hand.

Garth took another sip. "Ready for the next one," he said as he clutched Imra's hand tighter.

********************************************************
IB's notes:

1) The Titanet (introduced in Legion Worlds 3) was a device that harnessed the telepathic abilities of multiple Titanians to allow for long-range, interplanetary communications. Dreamer explored connecting her Naltorian precognition to it, to see if it could be used as an early warning system for the UP (Legion 19). In various parts of my fic, I expanded the idea to include several Naltorians joining Titanians in training to combine their abilities to detect threats and immediately warn the areas affected.

2) LSH 73. Garth had been arrested, mistaken for Mekt. This officer realized Garth was Garth, and was intending to help him... and Mekt electrocuted him to break Garth out of jail.

This is really sweet, IB! Nice to know that Garth and Imra have a long life together ahead of them, and them looking back on their big day is a nice framing mechanism!

I like writing Mekt as a bad guy too much to have him reform yet, but I do like reading stories where he's rehabilitated....I feel like it fits into the generally optimistic vibe of the Legion's future

Thanks raz I was reflecting on my own recent wedding and thought of the looking back bit as a great framing mechanism. Garth and Imra have more than earned their happy ending

Re Mekt, part of me was sad to lose such a great villain, but DNA started it so I ran with it. It IS nice to see some bad guys reform - though there won’t be too many of them in this reality

WooHoo! More stuff! The Search for Cosmic Boy lives, and they find him! (unlike in the threeboot! )

This was a great unintended birthday present, Ibby! Sorry it took me a week to get to the read, but worth the wait.

Great read - and I had the same thought about Wildfire!

Harvest seems to be very compelling - a villain from the far future! I love it.

And the uprising begins...

I'm not familiar with these Inferior Five characters (or the Fearsome Five, for that matter). I like how you're bringing these folks to life.

Aha! Inferno!! What is her deal about returning back home?

Cos as Pep Talk lad is always welcome!!

I like how this is kind of giving off a Lord of the Flies vibe with the two groups competing for resources.

Great unintended consequence here - the powers are back, but for EVERYONE.

Sandy drinks Blue Moon - I knew I didn't like her for a reason!

At least the universe didn't explode when Dirk and Sandy met! LOL

This was a fun read, Ibby! Can't wait for more!!

glad the timing re your birthday worked well, GL and thanks for the support! Better late than never

I am so glad Legion Lost 2 gave me precedent re the obvious physical mutations bit with Wildfire, lol!

Re Blue Moon, I feel a tad bad - it was the first beer I had immediately after landing in the USA on my very first visit, almost 20 years ago... lol!

thanks for the compliments re bringing unknown characters to life

yeah, early Reboot Cos did those Pep Talks so well, they should come back from time to time!

lol at that Dirk/Sandy meet up, it HAD to happen I'm super glad Sandy exists - most of my characters are so darned nice, it's good to have someone a but meaner and volatile to shake things up a bit. and she is WAY nastier than Triad Purple for example

I apologize on behalf of the US.


Or Apparition

I prefer Blue Moon to… gasp… Budweiser

But of course!

Somehow I totally missed the first wedding entry! This is so rad!

Love the fifty years in the future view back, as well as Jancel. I always wished they would have done a little more with her.

I thought the Mekt incident was where things were going to go sideways, but I guess not.

Glad you like the framing device too! I love the idea that Garth and Imra have a long long happy marriage ahead of em

Lol, I’m just gonna say a lot is happening at that wedding

Yeah, Jancel was underused for sure..

More so soon IB? It feels like X-mas

This iis really sweet, the 50th anniversary for Garth and Imra and their reminiscing over the big day, and using a 'memory disc' so they can experience their guests memories is a very clver way to show it. I guess we know there's a happy ending - Garth and Imra are still together 50 years later, though I wonder what you'll reveal?

Jancel is Imra's reboot sister, yes?

Haha, should have read the next paragraph before writing that

Of course, reboot Mekt was on his way to redemption, that's nice - hopefully by 31st C there'll be a focus on rehabilitation rather than revenge within the justice system. And good to see Marla Lantham too.

Jancel being late as she was checking for potential problems was really sweet, bless her! We can only hope she was accurate and didn't miss anything...

Wonder what Imra means as she says "I'm on the right track"? What are your plans for the next 50 years of their relationship IB? I take it you're implying she has calmed down considerably.

Ayla's nerves show as she rushes throgh to meet Mekt, understandably.

Mekt's character, with his stutter and grief is a 180 degree turn from the 'classic' Mekt we know and despise.

It's not the best time for him to ne facing the consequences of his previous actions. The gun being a fake was a surprise, I expected a more physical confrontation. though the woman was surprisingly cold - "I just wanted to see this worm grovel. But he's just a pathetic shell now... and at least I have the satisfaction of knowing he is suffering." - I guess she's hurting too.

Eww! indeed, a snotty Chameleon wouldn't be a good look for the wedding holos

So, Mekt stayed sane then if he sent the woman's kids to a top university? Nice to slip that n there IB, a hopeful future for him.

Well, that was aa fun read, and it's nice toread something positive. Looking forward to more, more and so much more!

Hi Harbi, thanks as always for the read and review and your thorough commentary

I am a sucker for happy romantic endings, and I drew inspiration from my own recent developments I feel like Garth and Imra have been through so much, they will definitely still be together 50 years from now not without bumps, as their sibling issues have shown

And I do like a bit of hope, so Mekt will likely continue on the path to rehab - mainly because DNA have shown him doing that. I'll need to find some other good villains to make up for that... though there is Magno's brother, so...

yeah, I was trying to think about how I would have that woman react. I thought it would be too neat to have her suddenly forgive Mekt, so I went for a bit of contempt. I also think it was a nice opportunity to show Mekt's progress, with him not retaliating.

glad you liked it, Harbi definitely more to come soon - I've changed my ways re months-long gaps!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Metropolis, 31st century Earth, a few decades from now...


Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy

********************************************************

Imra telepathically sifted through the memory disk. "Oh, THIS is a good one!" As soon as she began sharing it, a big smile spread across Garth's face...

********************************************************

Jazmin Cullen put the finishing touches on Rokk Krinn's bowtie. She stepped back, admiring her handiwork - it was perched just so in the middle of his light fuchsia suit. "You're definitely ready for anything - whether it's addressing the Kwai Matriarch or giving a speech at your best friend's wedding!"

"You mean friends', plural, right?" Rokk smiled. "We did found the Legion together; and though Tinya and Lu joined pretty quickly, we three were alone for a while..."

"I know," Jazmin said, suppressing a note of weariness in her voice. Before Rokk could pick up on it, she made a show of inspecting her earrings. She had traded in her usual large gold hoop earrings for a slightly smaller pair of gleaming platinum - transmuted by Element Lass so that a small impurity give the color a pinkish hue. "It's nice that we are on Imra's side of the party; I think pink suits me more than blue does."

"You look like the most stunning sentient this side of the universe," Rokk leaned in for a kiss.

"Oh now, only a smack on the cheek, you're not ruining my lipstick," Jazmin laughed. As Rokk kissed her, she fingered her flight ring absently. "I hope I don't look too gorgeous; everyone knows one should not upstage the bride."

Rokk tilted his head slightly. "Jazmin, is something wrong?"

"No, no." Jazmin said, almost too hastily. Then she sighed. "Ah, nobody could ever hide something from the Legion's very perceptive first leader eh?" She smoothed her dress to buy some time, then exhaled. "It's just... I often feel like Imra, more so than Garth, just kind of tolerates me, you know? You three ARE the founders, you three were tight, while I'm relatively newer. " She glanced at Rokk, and was pleased he didn't open his mouth yet - he WAS a good listener. "And I know I've earned my stripes, but... I... when we had the elections * after fighting Ra's al Ghul, Wildfire and Shikari let slip that they'd overheard Imra and Ayla... less than enthusiastic... about my election. Ayla's since come around, but I always have the impression that Imra is so aloof around me."

"What makes you think that?" Rokk asked quietly.

"Oh, I don't know..." Jazmin fidgeted with her carnation-silver belt. "She always seems to slightly avert eye contact whenever we talk, and she often sits far away from me during leadership meetings, and she didn't ask me personally to be one of her bridesmaids... she invited me through you, and there was just something about her behavior when we had the bachelorette party, and..."

Rokk took her hand. "There does seem to be a lot going on," he squeezed. "Do you want to... talk to her about it?"

"Oh, no!" Jazmin jerked her head up. "No, certainly not today! The ceremony's in two hours! No, maybe after their honeymoon. But let's not make a bigger deal about it, okay?"

"Okay," Rokk squeezed again. "But I know you both - if you do get to talking, I know you'll do it in a mature way."

"Thanks," Jazmin squeezed back. "Okay... we should get going."

They flew through the hallways of Legion World, nodding to staff and cadets, until they reached the chapel. Garth was there, his bright blue suit streaked with golden-yellow lightning bolts in a pattern that mimicked his Legion uniform. And Imra, with her long blonde hair done elaborately, and a floor-length light pink gown that followed her as she walked.

Rokk made a mock salute. "Best Man Boy and Bridesmaid Girl, reporting for duty!"

Garth made a show of rolling his eyes. "Those are some of the worst code names ever."

"Jokes later," Imra wagged a finger. "Come on, places, everyone."

Jazmin did her best to smile warmly. "I'm sure everything will go smoothly, Imra."

"No small thanks to you," Imra said. This time, she looked Jazmin directly in the eyes. "Really, thank you. I know you took special care to juggle the duty rosters so all our Active teammates could attend the main ceremony... Not easy, with a team our size."

"A leader's job is never done," Jazmin said lightly. "All four of us know that."

"True," Imra said. "But I mean it, thank you for going to so much trouble." Imra looked down for a bit, then up. "It's Titan tradition for the bride to have a last drink with her closest friends after the ceremony... only the closest. I've asked Ayla and Jancel and my mother of course... would you join us, Jazmin?"

Jazmin nearly dropped her purse. "Oh, I would love to, Imra." She let a smile creep across her face. "And thank you for asking me to be one of the few..."

"You're with our best friend, Rokk," Imra touched Jazmin lightly on the arm. For someone like Imra who was usually so reticent against all but the closest friends, this touch seemed like a bear hug! "And we've been through so much together... and you've done a lot for us. It's the least I can do."

"Imra, Garth, I need you here!" Marla Latham called. Garth and Imra both waved, leaving Rokk and Jazmin behind. She turned to him. "You didn't..."

"I didn't SAY anything to her. And I wasn't thinking anything telepathically," Rokk grinned. "Besides, you know that Imra doesn't pry. Maybe she's just, I don't know, maybe she's just opening up and reaching out on her own accord?"

"Well, wherever this came from, I'm honored," Jazmin smiled. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."


********************************************************

"You must have been really mean to her," Garth teased Imra as the memory ended.

Imra laughed. "I remember that election. It was... I was still mourning you, and so was Ayla. We could have been nicer."

"So, did Rokk clue you off or..."

"No, he didn't," Imra smiled faintly. "Though I did pick up a sense of... reluctance... and discomfort... from Jazmin, and, well... Ayla and I had been talking about her before I asked Rokk to invite her to the bridal party." Imra paused. "Ayla said we had been wrong about her, and I thought I should do more to reach out." Garth reached out to hug her. "I know reaching out isn't always easy for you..."

"You're definitely the more outgoing one between us," Imra smiled. "You know, not long after that Jazmin opened up to me. That's why this memory isn't a surprise."

"Hey, the best friendships don't always start smoothly," Garth stroked Imra's hand. "Remember Dyrk? I used to resent him for having the same powers as Rokk."**

"You never did tell him that, did you?" Imra teased. "I don't think he has a clue until now!"

"Give me a break," Garth laughed. "You know I'm not hat good with talking about my feelings... and besides, that was for like the first nano of my time knowing Dyrk!"

"Fine, fine," Imra conceded with a laugh, even as she touched the memory disk. "Ah, you will love this next one..."

************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) Legion 10. Saturn Girl and Spark were more than a little surprised and unsupportive of Kid Quantum being elected leader, saying she was too new and the team needed a founder as leader. Kid Quantum would win Spark over in Legion 15, during Live Wire's memorial; but she and Saturn Girl never really had a moment. They were also in Legion Lost together, so that adds to the "we've been through so much together" bit.

2) Legionnaires 43, and a smattering thereafter until Legionnaires 55. Live Wire was doubtful of Magno at first, as he didn't want it to seem like they were replacing Cosmic Boy (who was stuck in the 20th century at the time). Magno would eventually win Live Wire over by saving his life (Legionnaires 48), which paved the way for a much stronger friendship - Live Wire would be one of Magno's top supporters and friends when Magno was getting over the loss of his powers (Legionnaires 53, 55; LSH 100).

Rokk/Jaz is great - love her confidence! But her reticence towards Imra is perfect too - not only for what was in The Legion book, but also for the fact that I always perceive Imra as aloof just by her nature, so it would be natural for people to think of her as such and get the wrong idea about her - whether its true or not.

I'm really enjoying this.

Thanks GL, glad you like it - and it speaks a lot about both Imra and Jaz. And Rokk too for that matter

I like reading these mature little exchanges, it was nice picking up on Imra and Ayla's reaction to Kid Q's election and running with it in a way that turned out so well for everyone!

I remember Garth being weird about Magno when he joined too, that was also a good callback!

...and for the record, Budweiser is basically water but I drink PBR when I am in the US so what do I know haha

thanks, raz Garth and Imra have had their immature, not-communicating moments before in canon, and I figure after a) Garth dying and coming back, and b) all the @)(#_!@)( they went through after, and c) after 50 years of marriage - they will have gotten better about communicating

glad the callbacks and developments of all these little canon moments are ringing true!

as for beer.... I'm a stout/porter type of guy, but even compared to other lighter beers Budweiser is bleargh!!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Metropolis, 31st century Earth, a few decades from now...


Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy

********************************************************

Dyrk Magz cheerfully whistled as he entered the chapel with his date, Jenni Ognats. Dressed in the colors of the groom's side, Dyrk accented his suit with thin strips of golden-yellow metal. Jenni, true to her speedster nature, had a more formal version of her normal uniform boots and her shorts.

"I'm so glad Garth and Imra let everyone in the wedding party have personalized outfits, as long as they stuck to the color scheme," Jenni couldn't help jogging in place; these days, she was better able to stop from speaking too fast when excited, but that excitement than manifested through super-speed fidgeting.

"I'll say, the Athramites sure were happy making designs for all of us," Dyrk laughed. He looked around: most of the wedding party was already there. So were, it seemed, most of the guests for this part of the ceremony...

"Ah, there's the groom and bride!" Dyrk and Jenni started walking towards Imra and Garth; though before they could reach the couple, Imra had waved and turned to speak to an arriving Micah Aven. Imra's old teacher looked regal, though he traded his normal dark-red cloak for a lighter fuchsia shade.

As Dyrk came up to Garth, he noticed a frown. "Hey, you feeling nervous there, Garth?" Dyrk asked.

"Oh, hey. A little bit," Garth was looking to the side. Dyrk followed his gaze towards Condo Arlik. His normally close-cropped hair longer and wavier than usual, their teammate was waving journalists into the chapel. The Legion support staff generally handled media relations, but as a former- and still occasional - journalist himself, Condo often volunteered to help out during such events.

"There are more reporters than I expected," Garth continued. "I mean, I do get that a Legion wedding does not happen often, but..."

"But nearly everyone in the UP does want to celebrate you, and with you," Dyrk smiled. Jenni nudged him gently, and Dyrk knew what she meant: don't be too optimistic and positive! Losing his powers* had taught him that sometimes, people needed to work through their negative emotions. "I get it, though; I know you would have had a much smaller wedding if you could have."

Garth looked at him with some gratitude. "Yeah, I just want to get married and party with my friends, then go off to the honeymoon, you know..." Garth gave a grin that Dyrk tried not to return with too big a wink; they had talked about some of the things Garth wanted to try, but that was their boys' locker room talk! "Is there anything we can do to help?" Dyrk changed the subject.

Garth glanced at his wrist mini-Omnicom. "It's almost time for the ceremony to begin, and some of us are still missing..."

"On it," Jenni mock-saluted. "I'll go find them for you." She dashed off without another word.

"I'll stay and give you some moral support," Dyrk smiled. "I won't be much help finding people, if Jenni's on the case." He thought for a moment, then pulled out a small box from his pocket. "I know there's a place for gifts over there, but I did want to show you this." He opened the box to reveal two matching disks, each half-pink and half-blue. "Karate Kid explained the significance to me - this is the ancient yin-yang symbol for two complementary halves. Like you and Imra." He took one and pulled the halves apart - then let go. The halves snapped back together. "Dr. Mollie recommended this metal to me, and I magnetized them for you. Even when the halves are apart, they will find each other. Just you you two."

"Wow, Dyrk..." Garth smiled. "This is nebular."

Jenni came rushing up before Dyrk could respond. "Found them - Zoe had been changing Tinya's outfit, and Candi was in line to be next, and the Athramite boss had thrown a small tantrum, but Marla smoothed it over and... hey! You gave the gift without me!"

"Sorry, Jenni," Dyrk rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to help distract Garth and..."

"It's okay," Jenni stuck her tongue out. "But I get to share it with Imra!"

Garth laughed. "I can pretend I haven't seen it, if that helps!"

The three of them chuckled as the other guests started filing in.

*************************************

"Dyrk and Jenni are so sweet, aren't they?" Imra laughed. "I wasn't there when Dyrk first joined**, so I didn't really get to know him until much later."

"He used to have such unbridled optimism" Garth laughed. "I thought Umbra would kill him before his first month with the team." He fingered the disk Dyrk and Jenni had given; he still wore it on his collar most days. "He's a really good role model for enduring what can't be changed... I am really glad he got his powers back, though.***"

"He's been a great teammate and friend, and he makes Jenni happy," Imra laughed. "Finally, after all her crushes, she finds someone who adores her back... speaking of one of her crushes..."

********************************************************

IB's notes:

1) Dyrk Magz (Magno) remarked to himself that, after losing his powers, he now understood why his - and his dad's - endless optimism could sometimes be grating. (L* 53)

2) Magno's entire canon Active Legion membership was during the team20/20 split (L* 43-52); the Team 20 Legionnaires only met him once then (L* 47 and LSH 91); after the team was fully reunited Dyrk returned as support staff on the Legion outpost.

3) Only in my fic! See volume 3

These are such great fan service!

Great to see Dyrk and Jenni - the gift is a really cool item; I'd though of something similar but in a different context to bring into my story, but not sure how. This however, is the perfect way to have this kind of a gift introduced! And I do need to figure out what to do with Dyrk myself, come to think of it....

So Garth wants to try new foods right? Right?

I'm hoping that Zoe alters Tinya's dress to be like Vi's at the club

I'm super happy to hear you like em GL! curious as to your gift and your plans with Dyrk I liked Dyrk so much I just had to have him repowered...

oh yes, Garth was hoping to try that new restaurant...

haha! this is a wedding, so plenty of opportunity for Zoe to embarrass someone by altering their clothes too much