Plot Type: Mini Plot
The Gotham Antiquities Commission's centennial anniversary auction contains an item of considerable interest to multiple parties, and a perfect storm circulates around efforts to get at it.
This is a plot that interconnects a bunch of personal character stories to one big climax involving the Liber Consecratus, an ancient tome said to have been penned by Saint Honorius himself.
MAJOR PLAYERS
Zatanna Zatara - On her own for the first time in her life, and tangled up in the mystery of her missing father, the young magician finds herself back in the land of her birth, pursuing the only lead she has left to an antiquities store in Chinatown. Recognizing her lack of experience and expertise in investigations, she decides to turn to…
Jessica Jones - Caustic but capable, information from her teenaged client leads them both to a crime scene and later the morgue, where the dead antiquities purveyor tells them that Giovanni Zatara wanted information about a book called the Liber Consecratus, said to have been penned by St. Honorious himself. It is scheduled to be put up for auction during the Gotham Antiquities Commission's centennial gala, sponsored by the Wayne Foundation among others. After sending Jessica to Gotham, Zatanna on her way home encounters…
The Winter Soldier - Programmed to be one of the deadliest men on earth, a job where his prey fires back a last Hail Mary bullet winds up with him shot and bleeding behind a dumpster, picked up by a Good Samaritan magician who heals him with her magic. Emergency repairs that need to be made on his metal arm bring him to the doorstep of…
Dr. Jane Foster - Obsessed with her work, she returns home one day to find her house broken into by the Winter Soldier, a Cold War legend and ghost story in the annals of SHIELD history. Fearful for her life — and enthralled by the unprecedented technology in his prosthetic — she repairs his arm to prepare the Winter Soldier for his next mission - one Gottfried Muller, a person of interest to HYDRA, the pursuit of whom takes him to Gotham City, home of…
Tim Drake - Bored in Physics class, he later meets a new student, Zatanna Zatara, who he discovers shares a history with his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne, the very person Zatanna intends to see regarding an invitation to the GAC's centennial. As his alter-ego, Red Robin, he later rescues Zatanna from Michael Kazinsky, a serial killer who has been sacrificing young women to please Mammon, the Demon Prince of Excess. Meanwhile…
Azalea Kingston - One of Gotham City's newest vigilantes runs afoul of the Winter Soldier as he targets a mild-mannered Commission member who was visiting the local college campus, and the encounter leaves her broken and bloody: but resolute. The demonic presence in her soul lures Zatanna Zatara to where she fell, healing her injuries and unwittingly finding out a few more bits of information about the Winter Soldier, who in turn clashes with…
Batman - Gotham's most infamous personality shares the same body as its favorite son, who encounters the Winter Soldier as he attacks yet another member of the GAC's board. With some quick forensics work and two days' time, he shuts down the Winter Soldier's supply chain in Gotham; then, as Bruce Wayne, he later gets reacquainted with Zatanna Zatara, the daughter of his old friend and teacher, Giovanni Zatara, who he discovers is missing. Armed with information collected from both of his personalities and convinced that there is a bigger mystery afoot, he later runs into…
John Constantine - Another old friend of Giovanni Zatara, and Zatanna's former flame, he has traveled to the United States on an unrelated piece of business, roused by strange stirrings occurring in South America. A newspaper article on Michael Kazinsky's serial murders and the citation of Zatanna's name brings him to Gotham, where he later discovers that Mammon has been pulling strings there and that Giovanni is missing. He later forges a blood pact with the Winter Soldier: John will deliver Muller and in exchange, the Winter Soldier will deliver the Liber Consecratus to him and keep it away from Zatanna's hands. Unbeknownst to him, however…
Peggy Carter - A woman out of time, and with her own separate encounter with the Winter Soldier fresh in her memory, she later decides to inform the one person who would be the most affected by the possibility of Bucky Barnes' return from the dead. During a chance meeting aboard the Triskelion, she reaches out to…
Steve Rogers - The First Avenger, his struggles to adjust in the modern world have reached a new complication, unsure whether Bucky Barnes is actually alive or that there is a doppleganger on the loose. As he attempts to search for the ghost of his best friend, information comes to him through Zatanna Zatara and Jessica Jones, who manage to piece together enough evidence to infer a connection between him and the Winter Soldier, and convince him to be present at the GAC centennial event.
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Plot Logs
December 31, 2016: Mortal Instruments Finale: And All the King's Men
The Gotham Antiquities Commission's centennial celebration kicks off the New Year, and all the players have gathered on the stage. Some threads are resolved, while others are just getting started.
(permalink: log:5038 | tags: agent_carter batman captain_america daredevil dr._jane_foster hawkeye_mcu himmel jessica_jones matthew_murdock mortal_instruments nadryv red_robin six spider-man starlord the_dark_devil the_winter_soldier vexed zatanna_zatara | posted: 02 Jan 2017 09:11)
December 31, 2016: Recovery Mode
After his discussion with Giovanni Zatara, John Constantine wastes no time seeking out Zatanna Zatara, and not just to update her on her father's status, and the two manage to make amends that run the risk of further complications later. As usual.
(permalink: log:5034 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 01 Jan 2017 10:44)
December 31, 2016: Concessions
As John Constantine intends to spend NYE alone at a pier, a token in his pocket draws out the last person he expects to hear from.
(permalink: log:5032 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments vexed | posted: 01 Jan 2017 03:34)
December 30, 2016: Vega
The Winter Soldier brings Jane some photographs given him by Zatanna, in the hopes of unraveling what they mean. It doesn't go well— but he finds something else he needs to get his mission done.
(permalink: log:5046 | tags: dr._jane_foster mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier | posted: 04 Jan 2017 03:43)
December 30, 2016: Impossible
Kitty, Peter and Jessica find out more about each other and try to figure out why the Asgardians gave the gem holding Kitty to Peter Quill. Peter and Kitty do not get along.
(permalink: log:5035 | tags: jessica_jones mortal_instruments shadowcat starlord | posted: 01 Jan 2017 19:45)
December 30, 2016: Plan of Attack
Peggy and Steve discuss more in depth about a plan to recover Bucky.
(permalink: log:5033 | tags: agent_carter captain_america mortal_instruments nadryv | posted: 01 Jan 2017 07:13)
December 30, 2016: Bugs
Returning to John Constantine's Brooklyn bunker, a realization causes Zatanna to make another discovery: Everyone has been invading her privacy.
(permalink: log:5029 | tags: mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 31 Dec 2016 21:08)
December 30, 2016: Too Close to Home
The constant attempts of Muller's agent to breach Zatanna's mystical defenses catches the attention of one Peter Parker, and the urgency of the situation forces them to have several months' worth of conversations in a day.
(permalink: log:5028 | tags: mortal_instruments spider-man zatanna_zatara | posted: 31 Dec 2016 11:01)
December 29, 2016: To Pick Up or Let Go
Zatanna visits Az after receiving a text from her; too exhausted from the travails of the week to resist any filters she may have, she ends up telling her where Bucky Barnes might be and rejects Azalea's implied confession.
(permalink: log:5031 | tags: mortal_instruments the_dark_devil zatanna_zatara | posted: 01 Jan 2017 01:04)
December 29, 2016: A Bloody Good Start
After a few days examining the artifact that Peter Quill has stashed in her house, Zatanna Zatara uses it to send Thor's and Peter's physical forms into Muller's labyrinth of nightmares in another effort to rescue Jessica Jones.
(permalink: log:5022 | tags: jessica_jones mortal_instruments s_c shadowcat starlord thor zatanna_zatara | posted: 30 Dec 2016 08:58)
December 29, 2016: CPR For the Soul
Reeling from her devastating encounter with John Constantine, Zatanna Zatara deliberately seeks out the Winter Soldier, but what starts out as an ill-advised foray into self-destruction yields some very surprising outcomes.
(permalink: log:5020 | tags: mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier zatanna_zatara | posted: 30 Dec 2016 04:56)
December 29, 2016: Boiler Room
Cutscene - Azalea Kingston loses what remains of the stalling effort to save her soul, and wallows in the aftermath of a meeting that was both success and failure.
(permalink: log:5019 | tags: mortal_instruments the_dark_devil | posted: 30 Dec 2016 00:59)
December 29, 2016: Almost
John regroups in the aftermath of a devastating confrontation with Zatanna Zatara.
(permalink: log:5018 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments vexed | posted: 29 Dec 2016 23:15)
December 28, 2016: Say Something
After visiting Benji Raymond's offices in New York, Zatanna returns to the Brooklyn bunker to find a baffled, angry John waiting for her, culminating in a disastrous confrontation.
(permalink: log:5017 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 29 Dec 2016 11:32)
December 28, 2016: Full Measure
Seeing as Muller clearly didn't die properly, the Winter Soldier tracks John down again to have a bit of a conversation about that.
(permalink: log:5014 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments the_winter_soldier | posted: 29 Dec 2016 02:19)
December 27, 2016: The Pitfalls of Proactivity
Cutscene - after a few days in the relative safety of John Constantine's bunker in Brooklyn, Zatanna decides to do some poking around of her own.
(permalink: log:5013 | tags: mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 29 Dec 2016 01:56)
December 27, 2016: Batquisition
The Batman has some questions for John Constantine, who has yet to emerge from the aftershocks of his misadventures on Christmas Eve.
(permalink: log:5007 | tags: batman john_constantine mortal_instruments | posted: 28 Dec 2016 09:15)
December 27, 2016: Shattered Mirror
Bucky Barnes goes church and finds a whole lot of soul-searching he wasn't looking for.
(permalink: log:5003 | tags: mortal_instruments nadryv the_dark_devil the_winter_soldier | posted: 28 Dec 2016 03:11)
December 26, 2016: Flustered
Peggy accidentally walks in on a lecture of Jane's. The conversation takes a turn when Jane asks Peggy how she got the bruises on her neck.
(permalink: log:5012 | tags: agent_carter dr._jane_foster mortal_instruments nadryv | posted: 28 Dec 2016 23:39)
December 26, 2016: Death of the Empusa
The Empusa accidentally pulled into this plane of reality by a serial killer's summoning circle is finally cornered and swiftly destroyed by some of the most famous (and infamous) personalities in the Northeastern United States…along with an innocent construction site.
(permalink: log:5000 | tags: captain_america dr._jane_foster fairchild john_constantine mortal_instruments spider-man starlord superman the_winter_soldier | posted: 27 Dec 2016 08:04)
December 25, 2016: Altair
Jane executes a new script without proper unit-testing. Someone shows up to help her with the result, ostensibly because she is a valued potential asset, but the act of saving her triggers something else entirely.
(permalink: log:5025 | tags: dr._jane_foster mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier | posted: 30 Dec 2016 22:30)
December 25, 2016: The Most Unlikely Rescuer
Still reeling from the disastrous astral journey with John Constantine and after finding out Gottfried Muller has trapped Jessica Jones in a metaphysical labyrinth of horrors borne from the scars of any enterprising intruder's psyche, Zatanna turns to the one person who she knows won't bring too much baggage into the rift. And then she meets a couple of Norse gods. In other words, it's just another Tuesday.
(permalink: log:5015 | tags: mortal_instruments sif starlord thor zatanna_zatara | posted: 29 Dec 2016 06:39)
December 24, 2016: Promises To Keep
After her visit to Wayne Manor, Zatanna confronts John Constantine about his mysterious text, which leads them into thorny emotional territory and an astral labyrinth of nightmares.
(permalink: log:5006 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 28 Dec 2016 05:21)
December 24, 2016: That Lone Reason to Stay
At the wake of receiving a worrisome text from John Constantine, Zatanna Zatara pays Bruce Wayne a visit to drop off his and Alfred's Christmas gifts, spurred by the growing awareness that she is running on borrowed time.
(permalink: log:5001 | tags: batman mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 27 Dec 2016 12:48)
December 24, 2016: Magic, Murder
Following up on a prior arrangement, the Winter Soldier brings John an item for tracking their mutual target. Following a brief divining ritual in John's new flat, they set out to square matters with Muller himself. The Winter Soldier does what he does best, Muller dies, John Constantine finds himself faced with a change of plans. …and then Muller comes back to life.
(permalink: log:4996 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments the_winter_soldier | posted: 25 Dec 2016 05:45)
December 23, 2016: Turning The Corner
The Dark Devil wakes in the Batcave after suffering an injury at the hands of The Winter Soldier, and Batman confronts her with the truth of her situation.
(permalink: log:4998 | tags: batman mortal_instruments the_dark_devil | posted: 27 Dec 2016 03:39)
December 22, 2016: Deneb
Having found a tracker hidden in his metal arm, the Winter Soldier beelines to interrogate the one woman he knows has been working on it all this time— but finds it harder to put her to the question than he expects.
(permalink: log:5023 | tags: dr._jane_foster mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier | posted: 30 Dec 2016 11:10)
December 22, 2016: Winter Solstice: Longest Night
Batman follows the tracker implanted in Winter's Arm. Read in parallel with Winter Solstice.
(permalink: log:4997 | tags: batman cutscenes mortal_instruments winter_soldier | posted: 26 Dec 2016 03:32)
December 22, 2016: To Take the Good with the Bad
Zatanna Zatara gets an unexpected housecall from one Chas Chandler, John Constantine's best friend.
(permalink: log:4989 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 23 Dec 2016 01:09)
December 21, 2016: Winter Solstice
NPCs run by Jane Foster. The Winter Soldier is forced to report failure to his HYDRA handlers for the first time in decades. But the longest night of the year holds some surprises.
(permalink: log:4983 | tags: mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier | posted: 22 Dec 2016 06:16)
December 20, 2016: One Thing at a Time
Zatanna finds Azalea a place to stay, in the most unlikely building in town.
(permalink: log:4991 | tags: mortal_instruments the_dark_devil zatanna_zatara | posted: 23 Dec 2016 06:42)
December 20, 2016: Piss On Clarke's Third
John, hunting the demon accidentally loosed by Kazinsky's ritual rehearsal, manages to get an innocent bystander involved. They drive the demon off in a most unusual way. There are arguments about science versus magic, and in the end, John makes a terrible mistake.
(permalink: log:4985 | tags: dr._jane_foster john_constantine mortal_instruments | posted: 22 Dec 2016 07:31)
December 19, 2016: Thought and Memory
The Winter Soldier homes in on his target: a man he has been pursuing for some time, who he suspects holds the key to finding Gottfried Muller. Others are on his tail, however, with mixed motives for why they wish to catch up with him…
(permalink: log:4980 | tags: batman mortal_instruments nadryv the_dark_devil the_winter_soldier | posted: 21 Dec 2016 00:31)
December 19, 2016: Desires of a Murdered God
Called to Azalea's apartment in the dead of night, Zatanna Zatara discovers that it isn't just Mammon that wants her soul.
(permalink: log:4979 | tags: mortal_instruments the_dark_devil zatanna_zatara | posted: 20 Dec 2016 00:03)
December 18, 2016: Brothers Out of Time
Steve Rogers and James Barnes meet again, after over seventy years, as Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Everyone is sad.
(permalink: log:4988 | tags: captain_america mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier | posted: 22 Dec 2016 17:56)
December 18, 2016: That Which is Mine
Jessica Jones may be trapped in her own nightmare, but she's not going to take it lying down for long.
(permalink: log:4975 | tags: jessica_jones mortal_instruments | posted: 18 Dec 2016 20:10)
December 17, 2016: Schrödinger's Guide to Friendship and Dating
Steve and Peggy go to Arlington Cemetery to place wreaths on graves of the fallen. They stop in front of James Buchanan Barnes' gravestone and talk about Bucky, The Winter Soldier and their previous choices.
(permalink: log:5026 | tags: agent_carter captain_america mortal_instruments nadryv | posted: 31 Dec 2016 01:20)
December 17, 2016: Mirrors and Shadows
Jessica Jones breaks into Gottfried Muller's suite at the Excelsior, but before she can pass on the information she finds, the man himself traps her in her worst nightmare.
(permalink: log:4973 | tags: jessica_jones mortal_instruments | posted: 18 Dec 2016 04:12)
December 17, 2016: House Hunting With Constantine
John's brief visit to the United States becomes more a permanent affair as complications arise. He decides it's long past time to trade up in living spaces.
(permalink: log:4972 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments vexed | posted: 17 Dec 2016 18:16)
December 17, 2016: Blood Drops
It seemed like another ordinary day in campus for Tim Drake and Zatanna Zatara, until a late night study session puts them in the path of some strange workings.
(permalink: log:4971 | tags: mortal_instruments red_robin zatanna_zatara | posted: 17 Dec 2016 08:10)
December 16, 2016: Like Seeing Double
In an effort to fill in some of the blanks in his ongoing gambit, John Constantine seeks out Jessica Jones.
(permalink: log:4970 | tags: jessica_jones john_constantine mortal_instruments | posted: 17 Dec 2016 01:49)
December 16, 2016: Contingency Plans
Cutscene: Gottfried Muller gets a visitor, which results in a very important late night chat.
(permalink: log:4968 | tags: mortal_instruments none | posted: 16 Dec 2016 20:10)
December 16, 2016: Skepticism for Sanity's Sake
Zatanna Zatara and Jessica Jones manage to track down Steve "Captain America" Rogers at his neighborhood gym to inform him about Bucky Barnes' most recent activities and whereabouts.
(permalink: log:4967 | tags: captain_america jessica_jones mortal_instruments nadryv zatanna_zatara | posted: 16 Dec 2016 04:39)
December 15, 2016: It's Probably Fine
An assassin and a warlock make a blood pact in the depths of a questionable dungeon. Probably nothing bad will come of this.
(permalink: log:4966 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments the_winter_soldier | posted: 16 Dec 2016 00:46)
December 15, 2016: Reminisce
Bruce Wayne returns home to find Zatanna Zatara visiting Alfred Pennyworth, who subsequently remembers her promise to the old butler and once more complicates everything with her unfailing kindness.
(permalink: log:4965 | tags: batman mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 15 Dec 2016 18:19)
December 14, 2016: A String of Lost Opportunities
John Constantine arranges to meet Zatanna at the Tin Roof Club to talk about his joint investigation with Batman, and the fact that Giovanni Zatara was in Gotham.
(permalink: log:4963 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 15 Dec 2016 06:15)
December 14, 2016: Andromeda
Dr. Jane Foster learns that much more about the odd soldier who has walked into her life.
(permalink: log:4992 | tags: dr._jane_foster mortal_instruments nadryv the_winter_soldier | posted: 23 Dec 2016 06:45)
December 14, 2016: The Ghosts of You and Me
Takes place before 'A String of Lost Opportunities', Detective Richard Grayson attends Gotham University's Criminal Justice class as its guest lecturer, and manages to reacquaint himself with a figure from his past.
(permalink: log:4986 | tags: mortal_instruments nightwing zatanna_zatara | posted: 22 Dec 2016 10:55)
December 14, 2016: Detectives, Detecting
While casing Michael Kazinsky's old apartment building, John gets a surprise visit from Gotham's most notorious personality, and the unlikely pair do a little bit of joint investigation.
(permalink: log:4962 | tags: batman john_constantine mortal_instruments | posted: 15 Dec 2016 02:17)
December 14, 2016: Shite Always Happens in Arkham
Fresh out of her confrontation with Batman, and keeping up with his distressing tendency to appear in the most inconvenient times, John Constantine manages to convince Zatanna to visit Michael Kazinsky in Arkham Asylum.
(permalink: log:4956 | tags: john_constantine mortal_instruments zatanna_zatara | posted: 13 Dec 2016 23:42)