twist of fate

we were lucky we ever got to be heroes at all. just once would have been an utter privilege. we were damn lucky we got to spend our whole lives being heroes. now we're getting to be those people again, one last time. and we're going to savor every second of it.

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justicealwaysprevails‌:

The board meeting had not gone as expected. There was a lot on Bruce’s mind as he took the elevator to the lobby where he knew Kent would be waiting just outside, smoking his third or fourth cigarette. He knew his peculiarities just as well as he knew those of the other members of the league. He made it his business to know. And so he was hardly surprised to be met with a remark about his punctuality. “What is it you needed to discuss so urgently?”

“We have a problem,” he said, snubbing his cigarette out and tossing the butt in a nearby trash can. “I’ve caught wind of some news from another dimension I’ve been monitoring. Their path has followed the trajectory of this earth quite closely, and it does not bode well.” Kent gestured. “Wherever you’d like to go, this conversation would be better held in private.” 

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savetheinnocent‌:

karen wasn’t that type of journalist, or reporter. karen cared about the truth, she wanted to make sure that people’s deepest secrets remained that. at least, for the good ones. goodness, even when she thinks about that, she wondered what it meant to be good. for her, moral goodness was something that should have been upheld but she learned long ago that these cities didn’t care about morality. morality was bullshit, because people did bad things in order for justice. it was an ever-confusing concept to her, but she knew that in the end, her gut feeling would guide her. it was the one thing she could rely on in the world. “oh, i’m sorry. i’m just stopping by, checking out the area. i’m pretty new in town, so i just want to make sure i get to know people here.” though, she had already signed up to go to events around town, check out the chamber of commerce of star city, and just get acquianted with business and the people of the town so she can maybe get more details about the people’s sentiments about what is going on. she gave him a smile, before extending her hand. “i’m karen page.”

“yes, well, this is the hospital,” he replied. “star city general.” it was the main hospital, centrally located in the city and once-famous for research, though the recent overload of patients from the city’s general shenanigans and the stigma around their placement in star city was enough to flush out the donor money that used to be coming in to fuel that research. kent still had his lab, but it was one of the few left—and he rarely had the time to get any research done. he reached a hand out to shake. “kent nelson.” no journalist had ever looked up the name before. he wondered what would be found in the archives—perhaps some news photo in 1947 had him in the background. for a moment, he wished he had given a false name, but it was too late now, so he let that thought go.

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mostpopularmagi‌:

Zach fought down a dramatic huff, the guy could at least try and look a little impressed. A few years ago this would’ve taken a lot more effort, now between his own skill and June’s coaching he could pull it off easily and maintain it with almost no drain in stamina. “Oh I’m sorry,” he deadpanned, “Would you prefer I have the fire turn into little people and run through a chorus of river dance for you?” he asked, flexing his fingers and the corresponding flame flickering a tad more actively in response to his annoyance.

“It doesn’t look real,” he replied. He looked up at Zach. “Have you seen a real fire?” he asked, not in a rude way—though his deadpan in its own way was rude enough. He straightened again. “Try it again. Picture a real fire.” Kent knew for sure that the darkness, the center of the ball, it was all wrong. Darkness in any aesthetic portion of magic was a signifier of something dark within, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Zach was a bad person. It was a matter of how he chose to use those abilities. Perhaps Kent could steer him onto a better path.

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@savetheinnocent liked for a starter!!

Kent didn’t trust reporters. They were too willing to sell out people’s secrets. In his experience, reporters were not people he could tell anything to genuinely, they were not people who he could speak to openly. Everything he said would be recorded and catalogued and something about that experience was unnerving to Kent. He didn’t like anyone else using his words, even if they attributed him. It felt strange. He recognized the young woman as a reporter immediately and he blinked once at her from over the desk at the nurse’s station. “Can I help you?” 

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mostpopularmagi‌:

“I’m a damn theatrical expert, just look at my last few years worth of reviews.” he deadpanned, rolling his eyes a little, “And who cares how good it looks I did what you asked.” Summon a fireball, basic spell craft. He heaved a great sigh before raising a hand, “llaB fo erif.” he cast, an eruption of flame bursting into life in the palm of his hand. The blaze was a tad off colour, a warm orange at the centre but the tips darker, wisps of black coming into it. “There, you asked for fire and you got fire. How many ways are there to even do this?” he asked with a frown.  

Kent folded his arms behind his back, listening to Zach with an entirely unamused expression on his features. He wanted to figure out what it was about this magic that felt off, like it was shifting some sort of cosmic balance, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. Kent knew he had grown paranoid in the years he had spent alone, holed up in the Tower of Fate, and he knew that this could very well be just his paranoia acting up, but it felt like something deeper. He leaned forward and examined the flame. “Is this all?” 

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onehellofalawyer‌:

“Now now,” Foggy shook a finger back and forth, “Everyone has a sense of humour,” if Foggy could get Matt chuckling every now and then he was certain he could get a smirk or two outta Kent, making other people happy was kinda his thing. Foggy stuck his nose in the air and tried to give off an air of faux-superiority, “That may be true, but I am a lawyer good sir and bullshitting that I know more than I should is kinda a special skill of mine.” he assured the other with a smirk.  

“Perhaps mine is too subtle to notice,” Kent replied dryly. Kent raised an eyebrow at Foggy, tilting his head to the side just a little bit, the hint of a smile curving at the corner of his lip for just a moment. “It is too bad that I have a very keen sense for bullshit,” he replied. “You won’t be able to get much past me, Foggy.” 

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goldenelixxir‌:

@fctes

When it came down to it, he didn’t care why he was there. He didn’t care what baggage he was bringing in, what chip he had on his shoulders, nothing. As long as he planned to stick to the do no harm bit of being a doctor, Josh was just really, really fucking glad. The very second Kent had said he was a surgeon part of him had wanted to just cry with relief.

“I really hope you’re serious about this, because if you change your mind now…” he didn’t know what the rest of that sentence was and didn’t want to have to figure it out. Normally he gave people a warning that working in the clinic wasn’t glamorous and it usually wasn’t fun, but he wasn’t going to do it that time. He planned to say absolutely nothing to make Kent even start second guessing his offer to help.

Once Kent had heard about the underground clinic, it only made sense for him to transfer the under-the-table medical assistance he provided to that place, which had better resources and a need for someone with the advanced medical training and experience that Kent possessed. Something about this city reminded Kent of a war zone—and he had plenty of experience in that area. 

“I am always serious,” he replied. “Why would I change my mind?” Kent looked around the clinic, opening up cabinets and checking the supplies. “Do you have any sort of filing or charting system?” he asked, looking back up at Josh. “Even if we don’t include names, it will be useful to have some medical information written down if I’m going to be treating people here.” 

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queen-of-atlantis‌:

Mera listened openly and with unabashed curiosity. She was limited in her knowledge of Kent’s powers, but his explanation gave her hope. Nodding, she gave him a faint smile. “I am honored to have you stand with us. No information you can give us would ever be too little. I hope you understand that.” 

Kent knew that the Justice League was languishing in the absence of a strong following and committed heroes. Everything was turning upside down in this city and it seemed that the resolve of said heroes had also gone sideways. Kent had no such issues. He was going to fight until the bitter end. “I know,” he replied evenly, nodding once. “It may not always be consequential, but I do not enjoy leaving you in the dark and I will work to minimize that behavior.” 

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rulerxofxatlantis‌:

“Your belief is irrelevant. I do not care how many universes show you a different ruler of the sea.” Namor had nothing to prove to a near stranger, regardless of what cosmic wisdom he felt like he possessed. “My mother was Princess Fen. Atlantis is my birthright, and I have fought for my throne.” The only respect and approval he required was that of his people. “It is no business of yours.”

Kent tilted his head. “You’re very keen on defending yourself,” he replied. There was no real tonality to his voice, just the light curiosity of someone from the outside looking in. “I suppose I just assumed a more even temperament. If this is how your universe is meant to proceed, I’m not in any position to stop it or change its course.”

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wndwmn‌:

Diana couldn’t be sure as to why she was experiencing nightmares again, after so long. She supposed it could be contributed due to stress, but that seemed like the easy explanation. There had to be something more to it - or perhaps she was just reaching. Diana had lifted her gaze from her lap to Kent when he spoke up, though she took pause as she looked him over. “What happens in them?”

Kent interlaced his fingers, his arms propped up on the arms of the chair he was sitting in as he observed Diana as a naturalist might observe an animal in the wild. He was carefully studying her, making sure to know exactly what to say to keep this conversation from veering into trauma. Kent didn’t have much interest in talking about his—but somehow, he felt a little bit more comfortable opening up with Diana. Maybe it was because she understood what he had experienced more keenly than most. “It rains. And I can hear the sound of boots in the mud.”

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@justicealwaysprevails liked for a starter!!

Kent took a deep drag of his cigarette, standing outside of Wayne Enterprises like some sort of statue as he waited for Bruce to appear. He sucked in air through his teeth, looking down at the ground when he heard the door open beside him. “You’re late,” he said, checking his watch. It couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes, but Kent was very precise about these things. He rarely waited anywhere for anyone because his innate knowledge of the universe allowed him to perfectly time things. It was a small thing, for sure, but he had gotten used to certain things. 

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@rulerxofxatlantis liked for a starter!

“I find it difficult to believe that you are a ruler,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “In other universes, the ruler of the sea is different.” Kent was just saying this in an offhanded manner, though he certainly didn’t think much of Namor. He struck Kent as far more bark than bite and that was something that he had always found insufferable in other people. Kent had the power to back up a quiet demeanor. If Namor had that power, he would do the same. 

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@wndwmn liked for a starter!

Kent leaned over against his knees, his elbows pressed against his legs as he looked down at his interlaced hands around his glass. It was just water—liquor didn’t do anything for him—so he swirled it lightly in the glass, pretending there was a hurricane over the bottom of the glass as he sat there silently. He finally looked up at Diana. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you were talking about. Nightmares.” he looked back down at his glass. “I’ve been getting them too.” 

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[ zacharzy2 @mostpopularmagi liked for a starter!!

Kent sighed as he watched Zach casting. “You’re certainly good at the theatrical, but perhaps could use some work on the practical.” He wasn’t going to sugarcoat things. Zach was talented in a raw sort of way—he needed to be honed, and frankly, his spellcasting struck him as a little odd. Later, Kent would be able to put a finger on it to know that it held all the traits of something much darker, but right then, it just seemed like an inkling of something being wrong. He figured it was technique, not intention. He sighed heavily once more. “Again.”

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like/reply to this for a starter!!

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justabamfaway‌:

“It is nice to meet you, Mr. Nelson.” Kurt nodded before sneaking a tiny glance out the window. “Oh boy, an extended period of nausea and dull body aches..” Kurt said sarcastically. “Zat is zee problem ven your entire appearance is a mutation in itself.” He chuckled dryly.

“Doctor,” he corrected lightly before taking another drag from his cigarette. “Yes, I can’t imagine the technology does anything good for you body,” he added, his neck craning slightly so he could look over his shoulder at the street below. “It strikes me as barbaric.” It wasn’t his first time seeing such technology, obviously, but it had never sat right with him.

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queen-of-atlantis‌:

Mera didn’t have complete understanding of the imitations of Kent’s power. She knew there had to be another way for him to contribute to their efforts, so she nodded and went to the kitchen. “And what can you do?” She asked, sliding a teapot onto the stove. Tea was something she’d grown fond of during her time on land. Bruce had purchased something called a keurig, but Mera preferred the teapot. She didn’t care much for electronics.

Kent paused, thoughtful for a moment as he tried to make sure what he was saying was going to end up being useful in the end. “I’m quite useful in fights,” he replied. “And if my order allows it, I will tell you what the most positive moves in given situations are from my knowledge of other dimensions.” He clasped his hands behind his back, standing with ramrod straight posture as he watched Mera. “I’m sorry to be so vague.”