#…actually. i made this to be DC but it could totally work with any other hero media too

[stars-obsession-pit]

If anyone saw this for a moment earlier when i accidentally hit post, no you didn’t

The Ultimate Enemy ends a bit differently. Though Danny does still overcome his evil future self, Dan leaves him with a few parting gifts for his trouble.

Danny is thrown into another universe, and his obsession is distorted. Where it once was Protection, now all it is is Violence. One last-ditch attempt by Dan to make Danny into a monster like him.

However, Danny’s human mind is still intact. So despite feeling the perpetual urge from his ghost half, he can keep it in check. Somewhat.

But not entirely.

So he becomes a Rogue. He doesn’t like it, but what else can he do? He needs to do something.

Of course, he does his best to minimize real harm, to focus his attacks on those that deserve it - the polluting factories, the corrupt businessmen, and all others that exploit people. He tries to eke out as much nourishment for his core as he can from the engagements, especially the fights against the heroes that come to stop him.

But it’s not enough. He still knows he’s causing harm and hates every second of it, even as his obsession sings at being fed.

The heroes notice. How could they not? A powerful, young, villain who clearly doesn’t want to be doing what they’re doing but seemingly can’t stop? There must be something else going on. Some force pushing him to do this.

And they’re going to save him from it.

[elizabethemerald]

Summoning the Cat

DP X DC prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien-2

Danny attempts to summon his sister via a ghostly spell circle as a prank but instead keeps accidentally summoning the bat boys of Gotham instead. He even accidentally summons Bat-cow instead when he tries to summon Cujo. Annoyed and confused, Danny disconnects the summoning quickly each time. Finally, when Plasmius takes an attack a little too far, Danny attempts to summon his mom to snap some sense into him. Instead of summoning Maddie Fenton he summons Selina Kyle who had a lost a child that was hers and Bruce’s when the child was baby. Turns out Danny is a SelinaxBruce baby. 4812 words

***

Selina Kyle, known in certain small circles as the infamous thief Catwoman lept from one building to another. She landed in a neat roll that was almost completely silent. From there it was but the work of a moment to crack open the sky light and lower herself down into the apartment below her. Now usually she would enter her apartment through either the front door if she was out of costume or through the balcony door if she was. Of course, this wasn’t Her apartment. 

Some rich tool, regular attendee of both the galas hosted by the Waynes and the Iceberg Lounge owned by Penguin. The owner was a gambler, a sleazeball and utterly corrupt. More than all that though, he was a braggart. He made the great misfortune of bragging at one of the Wayne’s Galas about illegally importing a rare Egyptian statuette. The statuette, predating the pyramids, was beyond priceless. Not that Selina planned to sell it. It was just something far too pretty to gather dust in some prick’s private display when it could be in her own display instead. 

She bypassed the security almost effortlessly. She didn’t even need to break a sweat as she broke in, stole the precious cat statue (and numerous other valuables, no sense wasting an opportunity after all) then broke out and retreated to the neighboring tower. She was just about ready to gloat over her victory when she felt a presence join her on the roof. She dodged on instinct as a batarang whizzed past her head. 

“Catwoman, that doesn’t belong to you.” A gruff voice said from the direction the bat shaped blade had come from. 

“Well it does now, handsome.” She replied far sweeter as she turned to face Batman. 

He emerged from the shadows, his customary glare firmly affixed to his face. She smiled at him and playfully adjusted the zipper on her skin tight suit. Despite all of his iron will power he still couldn’t help a glance at her generous cleavage. 

“Mom?”

Her eyebrows pulled down in confusion and she glanced around the rooftop. Batman strode toward her, his usual imposing figure ruined by the fact that she had seen him completely naked and that she wasn’t paying attention to his attempts at intimidating her. 

“Catwoman, you need to return what you’ve stolen. And come in for questioning about the missing diamonds from Starlabs.” 

“Mom! I need you!”

She whirled around. There was a tugging sensation on her heart as she heard those words she had desperately wanted to hear for so long. Fifteen years had passed since she had last had hope of actually hearing someone call her that. 

“Selina? What-?”

“Can it Bats.” Selina snapped as she tried to follow the tugging on her heart, but she couldn’t find any source for the voice. 

Green mist began seeping out from around her feet, forming a circle on the rooftop and the tugging grew stronger. The mist was rising up and obscuring everything around her. She could only barely make out Bruce’s growing look of concern. 

“Mom! He’s going to kill me!”

“Alan?!” Selina all but shrieked the name of the boy that had been taken from her. (Name borrowed from BatCat Spectre on AO3, Check it out!)

“Selina!” Bruce shouted just as the toxic green mist fully filled her vision and the tugging sensation grew to encompass her entire body. In the seconds she had she adjusted her costume for combat and bared the claws built into her gloves. If Alan was calling her for help, he would find her ready and willing. 

“Mom, please hurry!” The voice that had sounded distant and distorted suddenly grew close and clear as the mist began to vanish from her sight. 

Selina spun on her heel quickly taking in the boy cowering in the corner wearing an oversized NASA hoodie and the vampire? that was standing over his huddled form. Years of thieving and going toe to toe with the Bats had left Selina with incredible instincts and she used them now as she reacted. She raked her claws across the figure that towered over her son multiple times, drawing blood across his back, chest and face. She didn’t know if the sedative laced in her claws would affect this kind of creature, but the slash certainly got its attention. 

The being immediately spun, faster than any human could move to grab her around the throat. She dug her claws into his hand and wrist, digging for his tendons even as she was lifted off her feet with one hand. 

“Ah. The infamous Catwoman. This is who you summon for help? And here I thought you were calling your mother. You know very well, Little Badger, that Maddie has better things to do than come to your rescue.” The vampire said, seemingly unaffected by her ripping his hand to ribbons. “But I must thank you for delivering her. When I overshadow her I will have the best thief in the world under my control.” 

Through her fading vision she could see his eyes glowing with a red light and could feel some strange force pressing down on her mind, even as she went through all the exercises Bruce had taught in how to resist mind control. 

“You don’t get to touch her!” The same young voice that had called for her before shouted out. 

Then her vision was once again filled with overwhelming, toxic green light. She fell to the ground released from the hold on her throat and the pressure on her mind disappeared in the same instant. She gasped for air then stood and braced herself for combat. 

“Oh, Ancients! I’m so sorry!” The boy, who looked so much like Bruce cried as he jumped to her side to make sure she was alright. 

Selina looked around for their assailant but all she could see was a smoking hole dug through the building. She couldn’t help but let her eyes widen at the clear power Alan possessed. 

“I was trying to summon my mom to come and help me, but for some reason you came instead. It’s like when I tried to summon my sister and I kept getting all the different bat boys from Gotham. Like I got Nightwing and Red Robin. I even got a cow once when I tried to summon my pet!” 

The boy kept talking at a rapid pace as he checked her for injuries. If it weren’t for having been around Dick when he was Robin she might have been able to understand Alan as he was speaking. Selina felt a chill around her neck that eased the pain in her throat. Something in his words stuck out to her. 

“Did you try to summon your sister or your sibling?”  She asked, looking over the boy curiously. 

Warning bells were ringing in her head as she examined him. He was far too thin and for how tall she and Bruce were he should be much taller at fifteen, almost sixteen. He had dark bags under his eyes and cuts on his face. When he came to her side he moved with a noticeable limp, and he held one of his arms awkwardly close to his body. 

“Uh. Sibling I think. Ghost Speak applies more weight to title than gender. Wait, why are we discussing summing semantics when Plasmius is still out there?”

“Plasmius?” Selina growled the name out even as her mind was racing at his words. 

He had tried to summon his sibling and had gotten Dick and Tim. He tried to summon his pet and had gotten Bruce’s pet. He had tried to summon his mother and he got her. She  mentally preened as the thought occurred to her. Whatever summoning ritual he had used clearly knew he was her family. But she still had the current problem to deal with before she could celebrate finding her son. 

“Yeah Plasmius. Vlad Plasmius, floating vampire wanna-be, with the terrible dress code of someone who slept through the last century even though I know he was born in the eighties at the latest. He’s way more angry than he usually is but he’s obsessed with my mom, er, my uh, adopted mom. So I thought she would snap him out of it. Now come on, I need to break the ritual connection and send you back before you get hurt again.” 

Alan dragged her back towards the glowing green sigil on the ground, but Selina dug her heels in and stopped him. He looked past her, desperation on his face, but he must have hit this Plasmius harder than he thought because he still wasn’t back. 

“Alan, you called for help. Do you really think you’re going to just send me away?”

“Wait, Alan? Why are you calling me-? Never mind. I promise I can handle him myself. He’s never beaten me before no matter how close it’s gotten and I’m sure I can handle him now even as angry and nuts as he is now.”

“Absolutely not! I lost you fourteen years ago, I’m not going to turn my back on you now!” 

The poor boy seemed frozen by her declaration. He had stopped trying to pull her towards the sigil, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. Worst to her was the anguish on his face and the tears starting to shine in his eyes. What was wrong with Alan’s life that he had never had someone to protect him before. 

“Now, tell me how to fight this guy, and quickly!”

He looked at her for another second, seemingly trying to read her very soul before he nodded. He stepped back from her and a blinding ring of light covered his body. Selina panicked for a moment before the flash of light vanished and Alan reappeared. He was floating, and all of the color had been bleached from his appearance other than his previously blue eyes turning a bright toxic green, but she could still tell that he was her Alan, just like she had been able to tell from the moment she set eyes on him. 

“Ok. I didn’t want to show you my powers, but I can’t risk you getting hurt because I’m not doing my best.” He quickly floated over to a backpack in the corner and dug something out and tossed it to her. “Put that on! It will protect you from getting overshadowed. Er, humans call it getting possessed.” 

Selina briefly examined what she now saw was a quite frankly hideous bracelet. This is exactly the type of trap someone who had never been bossed around by Batman would fall into, just slip on the bracelet that is said to protect you from mind control and immediately open yourself to actual mind control. Bruce would never put the bracelet on without a hundred questions. It was exactly the type of trap Selina was going to jump into. She had to trust the feeling in her heart and the look in Alan’s eyes that he wasn’t going to hurt her. She snapped the bracelet around her wrist. 

“Oh perfect.” Alan was visibly relaxed seeing her protected, and he immediately stood back up and grabbed her hand to examine her claws. “So Vlad Plasmius is a ghost. He can phase through materials and turn invisible. If he disappears be careful but he should still be visible on thermal vision as a warm patch. He has a flame core. Your weapons and armor aren’t going to do anything, you only got those early attacks off because he was surprised.” 

Alan examined her claws for a moment then nodded to himself a smirk on his face. Another chill spread across her hands, even colder than what she had felt on her neck. Ice formed around each of her fingers and spread up her wrist to her elbow. Her usual claws were now covered with massive talons that were supported all the way down to bracers that formed on each wrist. Selina couldn’t help but feel proud at Alan’s clear skill with his powers. She wasn’t sure where or how he had gotten powers, but now wasn’t the time to ask. 

“Phantom!!!” A voice growled from the smoking hole in the wall. Alan turned to look, fear clear on his face before he returned to examining the rest of her body suit. Ice continued to flow from his hands in blue waves until almost every part of her was covered. “Phfffffffaaaaannntooommm!!!”

The lingering call seemed to be coming from every direction. Catwoman looked down at herself and was even more impressed at the ice armor her son had crafted for her. The ice was still light enough that her usual, very acrobatic, combat style wouldn’t be affected, yet covered her with leg and shin guards, arm guards and pauldrons and a flowing almost mech like armor on her torso. 

“Daniel! This is enough. You just need to listen to me and do what I say!” Plasmius shouted. 

Selina flexed her claws then darted to the side of the hole just before a pair of glowing red eyes shone into the room they were in. She looked over at Alan and now saw him standing almost fearlessly as his enemy entered the room. 

“I heard dear Maddie and that oaf, Jack had you down in their lab recently!” Selina decided to let Plasmius monologue as she navigated directly behind him. “And yet you’re still loyal to them and not to me!” 

Alan, Selina guessed he was known as Daniel here, grimaced at Plasmius’ words and she scowled, furious at him taking that tone with her son. She crouched, ready to pounce, waiting for the perfect moment. 

“Maybe all you need to learn your true place is to spend some time in my lab. I could do it too, fill jars with your organs and blood and leave you to rot on my lab table, just like your parents did!” 

Selina’s horrified shriek was the only warning Plasmius had before her claws were in his back and her weight was bearing him down to the floor. She rent his back as she pummeled him with her knees. Plasmius tried to buck her off but Alan, or Daniel grappled with him from the front. The ice on her claws and on her knee pads allowed her to tear into him. She tried to ignore the green that now covered her claws. She and Alan fought side by side keeping Plasmius on his toes and unable to use his more significant powers. 

Plasmius blasted Selina back and fired another blast at Alan. Selina shrugged the blast off with her armor, but cried out as she watched her son fall. A metallic cylinder flew through the air having been knocked from Alan’s grasp by the Plasmius. Selina caught the cylinder out of the air, a brief glance told her it was some kind of mechanical… thermos? 

“Mom! Use it!” Alan’s desperate cry snapped her back to reality even as Plasmius slammed into her son. Selina had not mourned her son for the past fourteen years for him to get hurt on her watch. It only took a moment for her to figure out the “ON” switch for the thermos and she aimed it at the man attacking her son. With a scream of rage and a flash of light he was sucked into the thermos and Selina was left alone with her son. She immediately fell to her knees at his side where she could see he was holding a burn at his side. 

“Alan? Or do you prefer Daniel?” She asked, trying to keep her voice soft and gentle. 

“Uh, Danny actually.” He said with a smile that could have been from her own high school yearbook. “Though, Alan… might not be so bad, eventually.” 

“Ok, Danny, are you ok? Do we need to get to a hospital?” 

“No!” His shout startled her, but she didn’t let herself pull back from his side. “I can’t go to a hospital, they’ll turn me in, they’ll tear me apart.” 

His voice fell away in a broken whine and she immediately curled her body around his, holding him tight. He started to shiver against her and she could feel sobs start to rack his too tiny body. 

“That will never happen again, do you hear me? You were taken from me when you were a baby and I thought you were dead. But you managed to find me, you’re so smart, so clever, you found me and I’m here now and I-”

Her words cut off as a green mist began to again swirl around her. Danny looked at her with sad eyes. 

“I’m exhausted. I can’t maintain the connection anymore.” He hesitated, looking away from her for a moment, before he looked back at her with an earnestness that startled her. “Are you really my mom? My birth mom?” 

“I am.” Selina spoke with more confidence than truth, but she didn’t care about truth, or DNA checks or anything the Bat would insist on. She felt it in her heart. This was her baby. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” The mist was swirling around her faster and faster, she did everything she could to stay focused on Danny’s face. “I’ll find you. I promise you, I’ll find you!” 

The green mist filled her vision and for just a moment she could feel skinny arms wrap tightly around her before the sensation faded along with the mist. Far too soon she was back on a rooftop in Gotham, breathing in the smog, still holding a thermos filled with someone who had threatened to disembowel her son. Selina threw her head back and howled her grief and rage at the sky that Danny wasn’t here any longer. She pulled the cowl of her costume off her head so she could dash tears from her eyes. 

“Selina? What happened?” Bruce’s gruff voice made her whirl around and he almost got a face full of ice covered claws. 

“Take me to the cave.” She stood on slightly shaky legs, clutching Danny’s enemy to her chest. 

“Catwoman, you’re not acting like yourself.” He tried to stonewall her, but she was not having it. Danny was out there, exhausted, injured and was being abused by the people who should have loved him. 

“Take me to the cave Bruce!” Selina snapped at him, already moving towards where he had parked the Batmobile. “And get your little listeners on the line, our son is out there, alive but in an abusive situation and I won’t allow him to get hurt any more.” 

The ride back to the Batcave was spent with Bruce mostly in a paranoid and sullen silence. She didn’t care. She just didn’t care. She loved Bruce, he was one of the most important people in her life, but their son, the baby they had made together, was even more important to her. Instead she spent the ride filling in Oracle with everything she knew. 

“His name is Danny, short for Daniel. His adoptive parents are named Jack and Maddie. They own a lab. A lab they held my son prisoner in.” Her voice broke and Batman almost drove off the road. Selina took a moment to gather herself, fiddling idly with the bracelet Danny had given her to keep her safe. Surprisingly it was still with her and the icy armor she was wearing wasn’t melting at all. The cold from the armor didn’t even feel uncomfortable. “He has wavy black hair, Bruce’s eyes, and my jaw. He’s about 5’3”, interested in NASA.” She leaned over to grab Bruce’s arm. “He’s too skinny, our kitten is too skinny.” 

The Batmobile thundered into the Batcave where to Bruce’s surprise most of the rest of his kids were waiting. Alan’s siblings in another life. The knowing look they sent her made her think that Oracle must have been keeping the rest of them updated as she spoke. Red Robin was typing away at the Batcomputer while Robin leaned over his shoulder looking at the screen. Signal was probably still in bed. The two Batgirls, Black Bat and Spoiler leaned casually against each other nearby.  Selina was surprised Nightwing wasn’t here. He, Red Hood and Oracle were the only ones who had really known that Alan had existed, much less that he had been taken from her and Bruce. 

Selina struggled with the armor Danny had made for her for a few minutes while Red Robin and Oracle searched for anyone who matched the description she had given in their systems. Eventually Cass and Steph joined her to help her shed the armor. They were both curious about it even as they helped her out of it. They, like her, ignored Bruce trying to integrate her about what she went through and check her for known mind control elements. It’s Cassandra who notices the bracelet on her wrist, something she would normally not be caught dead in. She examines it then lifts her eyebrows in surprise. She twists Selina’s wrist so she can see the bracelet where a logo is placed. 

“Fenton… Works. Fentonworks. Fentonworks!” Selina cheers as she reads the name out loud. Surely that could help them find Danny. “Search Fentonworks!”

There is a flurry of typing after her announcement both from Red Robin and from Oracle over the coms. It only takes a few more minutes of keys clacking, the noise grating against her already frayed nerves for Tim to cheer. She is at his side in a moment, looking at a hideously designed website for Fentonworks. Were these people incapable of actual aesthetically pleasing designs? The heavily modulated voice of Oracle began reading out information and coordinates of a city called Amity Park. 

They were getting more and more information, images flying across the screen of the Batcomputer. The Drs. Fenton. Their research and experiments on Ecto-entities. Their children, one biological Jasmine Fenton, one adopted true age and name unknown, renamed as Daniel Fenton. His social media was pulled up, where it was clear he went by Danny, his close friends Samantha and Tucker. More and more information, but Selina was staring at the picture of Danny like a man in a desert staring at an oasis. That was her boy. That was her son. He had called her for help, she had told him, promised him that she would find him again and she had. 

Suddenly the screen went dark. From the cries of anger and annoyance from the two boys it was clear it was not because of them. She looked over and saw Bruce near the power button for the screen, his cowl pulled back so she could see the suspicion in his eyes. 

“Selina, you’re not acting like yourself.” He said slowly, calmly. As if he were talking to a wild animal. “I think it would be best if you lied down, and I can call Martian Manhunter to check your mind. Our son vanished fourteen years ago. Survival rates for kidnapped children are miniscule for that length of time. Also our son couldn’t be a meta, neither of us have the meta gene. This person is manipulating your emotions. Probably to extract information from you.” 

Selina couldn’t help a sneer crossing her face. She regretted taking off her ice claws and armor. She would like to see how well the new attachments fared against the armor Batman wore. 

“You can be a paranoid bastard all you want. I’m taking one of your planes to Amity Park tonight.” 

Bruce tapped at something on his wrist computer. Her sneer curled up into a snarl, presumably he had just locked the planes. How dare he treat her like one of his Robins that he could just ground whenever he wanted to. Especially when their son was trapped in another state, injured and exhausted. 

“No.” Bruce’s curt answer cut into Selina’s already thin patience. She was about to start screaming when another voice cut in. 

“It may not be up to your decision any more, father.” Robin said, looking closely at his own wrist computer. “It looks like Richard rendezvoused with Todd at the secondary Batplane immediately after finding out about this person. As soon as they had coordinates they took off.” 

Bruce turned the monitor back on to reveal one of the locator beacons from one of the other Batplanes already leaving Gotham airspace. 

“Oracle. Shut the plane down remotely.” 

There is a long moment of silence of the coms before Oracle hesitantly rejoins the conversation. 

“I’m not going to do that.” Bruce looks like he wants to angrily reply but he is cut off as Barbara continues. “Catwoman knows enough about the risks of mind control to know when she’s being influenced. If there’s even a chance that there’s a child trapped in an abusive situation like she described, blood relative or not, meta or not, that child deserves to be freed from that situation. Red Hood and Nightwing are capable. They can retrieve the boy on their own.” 

Jason’s own modulated voice came through the coms next. 

“Don’t worry B, I’m here to restrain Dickiebird’s murderous impulses. We’re going to rescue our little brother, we’ll bring him home, Selina.” 

Selina walked up to the computer and pressed the com button there. 

“Be careful boys. His adoptive parents aren’t good people.” She hesitates, the desire so strong to tell them to make the Fentons pay, in blood if necessary. But she can’t do that. She can’t ask them to go against their code for her. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.” 

“Understood, Selina.” Dick’s voice came through next. There was none of his usual cheer in his voice. “We’re switching to stealth mode now that we’re away from Gotham. We’ll be radio silent until either we have him safe and secure or something goes badly.”

Red Robin responds to the sign off. Selina can’t hear any more. She paces. Alfred convinces her to change into her civilian attire. She even showers on his recommendation. Then she’s back pacing the floor of the Batcave, her hair still damp. Red Robin eventually retires for some much needed sleep. Cassandra and Stephanie fall asleep cuddled together in their civies in the cave. Bruce the miserable, paranoid bastard just watches her. Every turn of her pacing she has to look at him. He’s still glaring at her, still thinking she’s been brainwashed or some such nonsense. 

Hours pass. 

Long hours of pacing. Long hours of flight over the midwest towards Amity Park. Long hours where Danny is hopefully safe and resting from his fight with Plasmius. Long hours where she could only pace and hold the thermos that held Danny’s enemy. The man who wanted to cut her baby open. 

The passing hours strained every last iota of her self restraint. She wanted to slap Bruce and scream at him for his pigheadedness. She wanted to let Plasmius free and shred him to pieces under her claws. She wanted to pull up the flight data for the Batplane and track it across the country, even though that would be useless while it was in stealth mode. 

Finally, just have dawn had broken, when Selina herself was starting to feel a little broken there came a crackle on the coms before a voice joined them. 

“Nightwing to Batcave, come in Batcave.” Dick’s voice came in loud and clear, startling both of the Batgirls awake. Selina immediately dashed to the computer, pressing the com button herself. 

“We can hear you, Nightwing. Do you have him?” Selina couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice even if she tried. 

“Red Hood and I recovered one Daniel James Fenton, born Alan Thomas Kyle.” Selina could have jumped for joy, even as she wanted to laugh at his subtle dig at Bruce. The actual last name on Alan’s original birth certificate was Wayne. “We’ve also managed to recover his adopted sister, Jasmine, he wouldn’t leave Amity Park without her.” 

Selina could feel the tension from the night draining out of her and she collapsed into the computer chair in front of the Bat computer. Bruce stepped up to the consol next. 

“What of their parents?” He growled the question out. There was another long silence. Far longer than previous silences before Red Hood’s modulated voice came through the comms. 

“They’ll live.” A brief pause then, “Though I did burn down their house. Both of the children insisted and I needed to destroy something after everything we saw.” 

“They’ve been in a rough place for who even knows how many years. We’re going to bring the Batplane into the cave, have Agent A on stand-by.” Dick also hesitated for a moment. “Selina, we’re bringing him home.” 

Selina could almost sob in relief. 

This was not my intention to write something this long. I just hope you enjoy. If you like my writing, hang around! I’m going to be sharing some fully original pieces at the end of the month. 

@memecow1, @andaspoonfulofangst-whoops , @colornotes23, @theamazingfox , @spectralstardustandphantomnights , @alcorbearson , @talafairy , @hnymp , @ironicvixen , @dangnoodles, @satoshy12 , @suppengott, @samgirl98 , @skulld3mort-1fan , 

That’s a lot of tags. Hopefully this works. And don’t forget to share!

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Miraculous Ladybug

Open My Eyes by buggachat

Adrien smiles as he eats breakfast with Nathalie, smiles as he walks through the halls of his new lycée, smiles as people stop him on the street and tell him time and time again what a "hero" his father was.

(Adrien wishes he could've been a hero, too. He should've been. Maybe then his father would still be alive.)

(But he's surviving. Everyone may be treating him as though he were made of glass, but he can still go through the motions, he can prove them wrong, he can still smile.)

“And you’re… happy,” Marinette spoke carefully, a nervous tilt to her voice, “... right?”

(Adrien has some things to find out.)

DC

the good, the bad, and the power hungry by konan_konan

dim trake ☑ @timdrakeceo・8hr if one more person tweets about #superlex unironically im gonna end it all 391K Views | 200 Retweets | 13 Quote Tweets | 22.1K Likes

j-son of a bitch ☑ @jsntdd・8hr ↳ replying to @timdrakeceo hurr durr these are the consequences of ur actions bitch 201K Views | 109 Retweets | 4 Quote Tweets | 18.4K Likes

or: lex luthor makes bad choices. and then, so does everyone else.

call me cute and feed me sugar by suzukiblu

Tim Drake had absolutely no intentions of ever becoming anyone's sugar daddy when he met Superboy.

This would have worked out better for him if Superboy had ever had an actual legal identity or an actual legal guardian or just . . . literally anything whatsoever in life. Ever. At all.

Just a bank account, even.

how big, how blue, how beautiful by merils

Kon-El is not good with medical settings. One could even say he's quite bad with them. How bad, exactly?

Well, let's put it this way: Very few things in the world can make him scream for Superman to save him.

(Superman will save him. That's what family's for, right?)

Clone Wars

The Kenobi Chronicles by WobblyCat

General Kenobi isn't actually dead. Someone should really tell that to his troopers, though.

Or: The clones under General Kenobi's command have a groupchat dedicated to him. Cody wishes his subordinates weren't so fucking stupid.

SVSSS

Shen Yuan's Forced Shen Qingqiu Redemption Arc by SpicyReyes

The System's OOC function won't unlock all at once - instead, character traits have to be added individually, through quests. This leads to Shen Qingqiu having to jump through endless hoops just to complete enough side quests to unlock the ability to be a decent person - all while avoiding the effects it has on those around him. If only the cheapskate System wouldn't keep changing the cost of point values - he needs to know what the hell Yue Qingyuan told the others about him that makes them all look so sad when he does manage to be nice! He's breaking his back here, can't we just appreciate his work?!

second-hand alibis by nex_et_nox

"All right. I’m in Proud Immortal Demon Way," he says, once he's had a chance to compose himself again. He sits back up, tossing his stupidly long hair back over his shoulders where it belongs; he is totally calm and ready to grill the System for more information.  "Who am I supposed to be?" Please please please don't let it be someone who Bingge violently murders. Though given the fact that he's a man in PIDW, his chances are already skewed, and not in his favor. Ugh. [Bound Role: Shen Yuan, Rogue Cultivator. Weapon: the sword Heng Li. Starting B-points: 100.]

or: Shen Yuan transmigrates as a rogue cultivator, one completely unconnected to any canon characters or events. Right, System? Right?

[hanasnx]

diff anon but what fandoms did you meet your close moots through? i don’t know if that counts as indy lore

that counts! more under the cut. i wanted to talk about all my mutuals

@its-clockwork-princess one of my best, oldest, and dearest friends. years and years of friendship, roleplay, fanfiction, writing. every time i see a duo on screen or in any media my first thought is always her and my second thought is always “us.” we went through a thousand different fandoms and i can’t remember our first but we definitely bonded heavily over fandoms like marvel, dc, and fnaf at the very early stages of our friendship. her dad was actually dating my mom for a long time, which gave us plenty of time together. literally cant even summarize everything we’ve gone through together, everything we’ve built, seriously been friends for a decade and i plan on staying that way for the rest of my life. i cant imagine my life without her, how bleak and colorless it would’ve been. i’m honored to know such a generous and kind person, and someone who helped shape me into who i am today. a love truly unconditional.

@ohgodmyeyes loved his takes on anakin, thought he was so real and so down to earth even though he could stand to be more egotistical considering how talented he is. i think about a certain post he made about anakin -> vader's dick literally once a day. i'm not even exaggerating at all when i say it was my roman empire. in just that small amount of time i was taught his quiet confidence, his exquisite way with words, and his unapologetic thought process. i maintain a distance from him because i'm playing the long game and from what i've seen on his personal posts i feel like he might be overwhelmed if i come on too strong, as i often do. but that doesn't stop me from grinning every time i see him in my notifs and i get to think, "this message was approved by ohgodmyeyes." very proudly.

@somuchfrstardust we talked in the comment section of anakin edits on tiktok i feel like and then i was like "hey wanna be friends" and we haven't talked in a while but that's totally cool, that's just how i am. i still consider them my friend i think they're a rly cool person.

@banakinbabygirl was one of the first anakin/hayden blogs i followed, i love how they write smut. it's a very emotional way of writing, very heavy on the descriptions and realistic reactions that drew me in and kept me there.

@starmanskywalker is one of my favorite writers in general. anything on her masterlist is an instant recommendation from me, instant like, instant reblog, instant indy review. i'm such a jealous person in general but the way i feel about alanis' writing is beyond jealousy. it's admiration, it's fondness, it's awe. i don’t feel envious i feel fulfilled. i was very proud to become her mutual, her friend, be on a first name basis with her, and write fanfiction with her. we have a collab we've been working on for a while but because we're both so busy and it's such a big project it takes a lot of time and a lot of love, but i'm still so excited for the day it's finished and can be published.

@xstarkillerx is so much more than a person i met on the internet. truly one of my best friends, and i can’t imagine not having him in my life. there’s so much i can say that i have actually already said on this blog before. donnie has a way with seeing the world i just love to hear about. i’ll ask his opinions and experiences on everything simply to hear what he, specifically, has to say about it. when we have conversations inhibitions are left at the door for the both of us instead of just me. i feel skinless, muscle-less, body-less with donnie. an entity obsessed with him on discord as we write novels to each other, sonnets about how we view the world and its fictions. donnie is my bread and butter, and i’m so glad i found him and stalked him and forced him to be my friend and now he’s reliant on me just like i want.

@weixuldo such a sweet person and very understanding of me and my boundaries. i first found wei’s blog through their fanart of darth vader which i loved so much i sent every single one of their posts to my best friend who i mentioned at the beginning of this post. i still go back to look at those works every so often to brush up on my love for them. such a talented artist i’m very happy i’m worthy of a follow back, and that we enjoy each other’s content.

@mcondance i met through hobie brown back in june 2022. i loved how they kept luring me to their page by mentioning me and my hobie works they kept reading, i swear they were using my vanity as bait and it worked. they are, genuinely, so fucking funny. i only have friends that are funny don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about jupie that when i’m talking about them to other people, that person is like “omg jupie is so funny.” like. jupie just transcends my sense of humor to other people’s. they’re funny to the masses. i’m very bad at texting, but jupie is a person i try to reach out to so they know i’m virtually loving on them. they like the attention. another writer i’m so pleased to be mutuals with when they’re so skilled at the part of writing i always feel like i’m most wooden at. the side of smut writing that takes feeling and sensation and even an edge of genuine horniness, jupie is so good at translating that onto a page.

@murdrdocs is another mutual i gained from the height of the hobie brown era and i believe i saw her content through jupie’s page. now we don’t get to talk too much but that doesn’t mean i don’t think she’s not a super cool person. i don’t read much, but the things i do get to read specifically on icarus’ page make me very proud to be her mutual. not only is she an accomplished and gorgeous writer, but her blog designs are always envy-inducing. she shifts her aesthetics so seamlessly—even tho i know how changing a theme can be draining and time-consuming—and it’s always easy on the eyes. her navigation is especially creative and i’ll never forget her newspaper clipping themed announcement for last kinktober.

@princessbrunette another writer i’m constantly in awe of. i met her through her anakin works, and invited myself onto her kinktober taglist when she was still a relatively new blog that’s how much i was instantly attracted to her work. her style is so distinct and so refined, i can overlook non canon work because hers is just that good. she’s also very funny, and has a gifted silver tongue. i’m always impressed with how she’s able to paint a picture in her pieces using nothing but the most concise and visualizing words. it’s not often that i watch something because a friend watched it, but i watched obx for her so i could still enjoy her work that’s how much i love it. our universes we create in our dms are so special to me.

@empiresheir was someone i met through their anakin one-shot about order 66 which i’ve reblogged several times and it’ll never be enough. it was such a good piece i gave live updates to my best friend who was reading it too. i sent those screenshots to her orc cos she deserved to know what i had to say. she was also an essential help when i was writing my kinktober project, kind enough to read my pieces and give me line by line feedback just like i like so i wouldn’t go crazy from lack of attention on pieces i couldn’t post til october. not only another talented and powerful writer (capable of dropping my jaw at how insanely good she is at wording things), but such a sweet person to talk to. and though she’s not active in the fandom anymore i think of her fondly and i hope she’s having such a good time with baldur’s gate.

@darthvvder had a collection of anakin drabbles that i found on wattpad of all places and i was amazed at what i read. thoroughly impressed by the physical reactions her works were eliciting in me. got me to care about smut tropes i hadn’t cared about before simply bcos she was so good at writing them. i posted about a line that gripped me and she commented that it was her, i followed and the rest is history.

@jarebare99 is my boyfriend :) he gets an honorary mention. i wrote him an entire book of poetry and my thoughts on him so he can read that if he’s feeling left out from everyone getting paragraphs. i met him in irl not through a fandom but idc.

@ddejavvu was someone i’d see in my notifications including my inbox every so often and she was very recognizable. i really can’t remember how us being mutuals happened? i’d like to say i somehow discovered she wrote and wrote well and once i began noticing i consistently liked her content then i followed and lo and behold she was following me too. mei is very respectful of my space and i like that she texts me without expecting an answer back bcos i like to read her updates and don’t always know what to say. i have some of her inbox messages i gatekeep and i go back and read them every so often and think about how diabolical it would be if i answered them and floored the world, but i have yet to be ready to share the genius.

@anakincentric technically through anakin. even though we don’t talk much bcos both of us have really similar no-contact ways that doesn’t mean i don’t think she’s real sweet. i like when she pops in, drops a banger, and then peaces out. like a disney cameo appearance.

@harrisonbrainrot i wanna say han/indiana. i feel like i was already following his blog because i got to read some of his stuff when i was in a han mood and was like, “yea, this guy gets it.” and then when we reconnected in the comments of someone else’s post, i told him i was a big fan which was true, and then wham bam thank you ma’am mutuals. i have no idea if he knew who i was before or if he was following me, but he’s cool asf. not only is he hot and chill, he’s also really kind with me about not texting. a very generous soul who let me use his crunchyroll to watch jjk out of the goodness of his heart, which i am kissing him for. one of the rare writer’s on here who’s unapologetic in the shit they say, which i always admire and prioritize in who i choose to follow. love his han characterization, so when he’s reblogged a han work of mine, i believe it’s been christened by the harrison ford pope.

@anitheus tagging this blog bcos it’s what i followed first but i also follow her other account @silxani because i love her art style. i love how she draws anakin every time. her spider-sam fanart, and her nsfw anakin works are my favorite, as well as the fanart she made of us for my birthday. gorgeous art style i could look at all day, and i like her personality when we text.

@ivysangel i wanna say it was dc comics but i can’t remember the character, might’ve been jason todd. she came for the dc, and stayed for the other stuff including my general tomfoolery. she flatters me with kind words about how i’ve influenced her, which always makes me soft. we have a lot in common, which is always so much fun to compare, and i love that she watched batman beyond when i recommended it even though i wasn’t expecting her to a) do it and b) love it. she’s aware and respectful of my boundaries when it comes to sharing my ideas which i appreciate, and i love seeing her in my inbox. we haven’t had enough time together for me to nail down everything i like about her, but i will.

@loveliestlovelygirl eloise caught me by surprise bcos it’s not often i get instantly hooked, or at least it hasn’t been that way for a while. i haven’t been in an anakin mood for a while, but i still reblog her works instantly so i can get to it later because i know i’ll like it even though i haven’t read it. idk much about her, but her theme makes me bonkers jealous. it’s so beautiful. like her chapter HTML for her fallen angel au makes me drool.

@psuedosis newest mutual. her reaction towards me made me instantly endeared, and i loved her jet works. some zuko pieces as well! hit at the right time bcos i just finished atla animated. very excited to get to know her more.

boom. indy lore and extensive thoughts on tumblr mutuals.

[buymeanewlaptopty]

Dos X Batman crossover

So Tim Drake is planning on exploding Ras al ghuls base. And after many sleepless nights (as usual) gets in his sleep-deprived brain, the brilliant idea to summon the God of explosions. Cause why not? It would be way quicker and more efficient than to get all the explosives himself. Young Justice being the enablers they are just support him, cause Tim is the smartest Robin, he was trained by Batman, surely he knows whats up and what are the chances even that actually works??

And they do some summoning ritual from a Sus book Tim found on his travels (when Bruce was stuck in the time stream). And tbh Tim is mostly doing it for sht and kicks but THAN

BAM the summoning is actually working. There is a bit of panic (lots) but then the one who appears is a lil girl. Younger than all of them it seems. Can't be more than 14/15. And she's just like 'sup' (shikako is starstruck cause WHAT??? IS THAT RED ROBIN?? THE BEST ROBIN ??? AND IS THAT YOUNG JUSTICE?? WHAT IN THE WORLD??), cause she's a ninja and she can keep her cool under any weird circumstances and to be fair getting summoned isn't all that surprising with her track record.

The hero team explain that they summoned her. And shikako asks how (assuming she speaks English even though it's been a lifetime ago)? And they show this ritual where Tim made some adjustments to summon the God of explosions (which was basically a seal that Shikako will decode later). Shikako says on instinct/autopilot that she isn't a goddess. She is a bit mortified cause omgomgomg she can never let this be known to Sasuke or Kakashi or Anyone really. She would never hear the end of it.

They talk some more and Shikako asks why they need explosions and Tim explains his situation. And shikako is completely on board like hell yes let's fk up the creepy stalker. And she shows she can make explosions with a touch. And they go on and basically egg Ras base with explosions and its a great time.

After that Shikako stays for a while cause it takes time to find her home dimension and decode the summoning ritual. She is the closest with Red Robin cause he's her(mine) favourite Robin. And they can totally geek out over her seals and technology and differences in their worlds and all that. They both have that single minded drive where they just get lost in their research. And shikako would totally explain her seals to Tim and he could like give suggestions.

Once they didn't come out of their research drive for 3 days, it would have been longer if Superboy didn't drag them out of the room for some food that wasn't caffeine or soldier bars (or whatever I forgot the name)

In the end she leaves but she lets them know that if they ever need her for whatever reason they can summon her again.

~

Afterwards when Tim summons her again and explains the problem. Shikako is like I have just the thing and she has this very weird and very convoluted plan.

But it works.

And they realize that explosions isn't the only thing she can do.

So they begin to call her for other things to and shikako always has a (convoluted) plan that usually works (and if if doesn't then she has a plan that will)

And she can also heal??? So like an on call healer which is great!

But when shikako goes on a mission or isn't available she will let it know through a message (somehow, via seal or via interdimensional technology or maybe a combination)

Sometimes the summons are just to catch up.

And just imagine how the Bats would react. Like there is some seemingly impossible problem/villain and Tim be like 'I know a god' and just summons Shikako from his instant-summon-seal and there Shikako is in all her glory, in her pjs with her blanket still on.

And just has all contingency plans ready for all situations.

Batman has the adoption papers ready and filled by the end of the crisis. But shikako already has a lovely family🤣 so she rejects the offer.

I NEED MORE SHIKAKO DC CROSSOVERS😭😭

Anyways lemme know what u think

[schraubd]

A Purely Federated U.S. "State" of Territoria?

This is one of those thoughts I had in the shower that might not go anywhere, but I wanted to run with it a bit. As many of you know, one of my pet issues is statehood for all American territorial possessions. Not just DC statehood, but statehood for Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa -- the whole shebang. I'm actually a bit of a hardliner on this in that I don't think the territories should have the option of remaining territories -- either statehood or independence. There's no justification, in a modern democracy, for there to be territorial possessions permanently under the domain of a sovereign but lacking full democratic rights and representation in that sovereign. One problem with my vision is that many of the territories in question are quite small -- much smaller than any current state. Leaving aside Puerto Rico, which is somewhat of a special case, the largest American territory by population is Guam, with a little over 150,000 residents. By comparison, the smallest U.S. state is Wyoming, with a population of approximately 578,000. Now, in theory I have no problem with a little state-packing of territories with trivial populations (that's in part how we got two Dakotas). But it's also the case that if you add all the non-Puerto Rico U.S. territories together, the population totals close to 340,000 -- still considerably smaller than Wyoming, but not absurdly so. If the only objection to territorial statehood is population, I don't think that objection holds to the combined state of "Territoria". Of course, it might seem absurd to combine into one state the U.S. Virgin Islands (in the Caribbean) with Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands, and American Samoa (half a world away in the Pacific Ocean). Hell, even Guam and American Samoa, despite both being "Pacific Island Territories", are more than 3,600 miles apart. How would "state" government even work in that context? But that made me wonder -- is there any problem with a "state" deciding to organize itself on a completely federated level -- total autonomy for each traditional "territory", with no or virtually no power in the "state" legislature? Could there be a "state" of Territoria which exists only to have a Representative and two Senators, but which otherwise is an empty shell comprising the actually active and empowered "local" governments of the constituent territories? I don't claim this is a miracle drug solution. For starters, it would end the distinctive (albeit non-voting delegate) representation of each individual territory. Especially given that Guam would comprise almost 45% of the population of "Territoria" on its own, I can certainly imagine the other territories crying foul at that. And as I said, I don't actually have a problem with the "pure" state-packing play of giving the U.S. Virgin Islands and its 87,000 denizens full statehood on its own. But it's an interesting thought, no -- the concept of a "state" that exists only as a vector for national representation, but otherwise makes no claims to be the governing body for its constituent territories? I at least find it a bit intriguing, if only as a thought experiment that might open other doors. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/BY1upnb

[finniestoncrane]

Hello hello!!

Big congrats on 2k 👏 you totally deserve it!! I've been reading your fics since I got into DC a couple months ago and I'm still coming back for more with whatever you write <33

Request: I'm ready to buy my tickets for me (fem!reader) and my date (Maximus (Fallout)). I would like front row seats for a sci-fi movie, please, and thank you. As for the snack box, may I have a soda 🥤, a donut 🍩, and ranch 🟢?

(Praise Kink / "I think I love you" / Feeling safe enough to fall asleep in each others' arms)

Thank you!! Much appreciated <3

omg thank you ;-; i'm so glad there's crossover between so many of us lmao 💚🩷 cw: fluff mostly, but fuck if that sweet boy doesn't need some praise and kindness and a handjob 🔞minors dni🔞 send a request • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie2k (to follow or to block)

There wasn't really any better way to thank Maximus for what he'd done for you. His training had made him strong, capable, but his humanity made him a protector, your protector. And so many times he had put himself in danger to keep you safe. It only felt right that you finally paid him back.

And what better time than now, when you had been sent on a supply run to a nearby settlement, opting to stay the night at the inn and leave in the morning. Tasks complete, walls and roof to take the burden off of him in terms of protection. It really wouldn't ever get better.

It took him a moment to consider your offer, and despite the supposed risk of his cock exploding, he had agreed to let you touch it. And then, when you hand was stroking his shaft so delicately, he had cupped his own hand over it, working the pace, smiling wide as you brought him closer to his orgasm.

This was your way of thanking him, but you had more for him. Words, kindness. Giving him something no one else could, or would.

"You're my hero, Max... so strong, and so brave..."

As your fist pumped at his cock, he clung to the bed below you both, smiling as your words filled his heart.

"Y-yeah?"

"Of course you are! You're amazing... so good, you're my knight in shining power armour, even if you're only an aspirant like me in name."

You could tell he was nervous through the orgasm, his belief in Brotherhood gossip enough to make him worried that he might actually explode, but as the last of his cum dripped over your fingers, he settled back into the bed with a smile.

"I think I love you..."

"Everyone does after the first time. See how you feel in the morning."

You were trying to remain nonchalant, but as you curled up beside him, ready to sleep thoroughly in security and warmth and silence for the first time in forever, you really hoped he'd feel the same when you woke up.

[verosvault]

🚨SPOILERS FOR FANTASY HIGH JUNIOR YEAR EPISODE 7🚨

Dimension20 "Fantasy High Junior Year"

Episode 7 "Stress Tested"

Timestamp: 00:36:06

Video Length: 4min. & 43sec.

Adaine gets a job at Basrar's! 😆😀

Brennan: "Who else knows what their DC 5, their first focus and priority's gonna be?"

Siobhan: "I'm gonna go job because up until now my academics are pretty good. So I can focus..."

Brennan: "You are not in danger of expulsion."

Siobhan: "Exactly. So, I can have one week where I dip a little bit."

Brennan: "Hell yeah."

Siobhan: "If I have to."

Brennan: "Let's see what the roll is."

Siobhan: "Omg, I thought that was a one. It's not. It's a seven. But plus four, which is an 11. Oy-yi-yi."

Brennan: "And what skill are you rolling for that?"

Siobhan: "Investigation."

Brennan: "Cool."

Murph: "You do have a bardic."

Ally: "The DC's five though, right? Didn't you totally pass 'cause you picked it for your first one?"

Brennan: "Yes, you did. So this-"

Siobhan: "I did, but I still, I need to get to 'well off' to not roll with disadvantage for my Academics. And 'well off' is a 25."

Lou: "What did you get?"

Siobhan: "11."

Murph: "Oh, okay. Yeah."

Siobhan: "I mean, I basically can only get a 25 if I crit because all of these skills, I don't have anything good in."

Brennan: "But you do have Bardic and if you want to re-roll." *tempts stress token and rattles the box* 😭✋

Emily: "Well, what about Divination rolls? I would think, especially with investigation."

Siobhan: "Well I- I rolled my Divination rolls."

Emily: "Oh, Okay."

Siobhan: "I used one. And the other one is also not very good."

Emily: "Okay."

Siobhan: "So, um..."

Ally: "Are you gonna re-roll or are you gonna add Bardic to that?"

Siobhan: "I mean, maybe I will use my Divination roll. So that brings me up to a 15. And then, I'll-"

Emily: "Can I also give you Bardic? So that your-"

Brennan: "I think we're gonna only allow one Bardic per."

Siobhan: "I'll use my Fabian bardic to see if I can-"

Lou: "It's a d8 now."

Siobhan: "Ooh!"

Siobhan: "Let's see if I can get it up to 20 at least."

Brennan: "Cool."

Siobhan: *rolls* "Nah."

Adaine to Fabian: "But thank you anyway. I appreciate your friendship."

Fabian: "Hey, you can always come by an get an espresso."

Adaine: "Thank you."

Ally: "You made a dollar."

Brennan: "Adaine, go ahead and roll two d10 and you get that many silver pieces."

Siobhan: "Okay."

Brennan: "As you do so, let me ask you. There are a couple different job opportunities. Part-time counseling at the student center. There's some other part-time work around. But you do see there's a job listing for a server at Basrar's."

Siobhan: "I mean, I'll do that. If I work at Basrar's can I get advantage on Popularity?"

Ally: "Ooooohhh."

Brennan: "We're actually gonna cut over and see this little scene. So, it's the first week of school. Like, I guess you head out. Basrar's is not too far from Mordred Manor. How do you like- what's going through Adaine's mind as you walk off to apply for a job at Basrar's?"

Siobhan: "I mean, I feel pretty good about it because me and Bastard already have a great relationship. I also have that thing of like, I really enjoy going to Basrar's. And so I'm like, 'So working there will also be great.'"

Brennan: "Yeah."

Siobhan: "So I think I'm going in very optimistic."

Brennan: "Basrar looks at you and says,"

Basrar: "Adaine, the Elven Oracle."

Adaine: "Hi!"

Basrar: "It is wonderful to see you."

Adaine: "Oh yeah, you don't have to- you can just call me Adaine. Actually I was wondering, I saw you had a part-time job available and I would really love to..."

Siobhan: "I just hand over my résumé, which is 'Elven Oracle' and then 'one week of working at Oodles of Strudel.'"

Basrar: "And do you have any references from Oodles of Strudel?"

Adaine: "Unfortunately, the entire mall was destroyed in a cosmic incident."

Basrar: "No email address or?"

Ally & Lou laughing 😂😂🤣🤣💀💀

Adaine: "No, unfortunately. No, and I actually- I was gonna say I could give you a reference for the Elven Oracle, but I actually don't know. I guess my sister. Yeah, I could- yeah, she's an elf."

Basrar: "Great. I'll give her a call right now." *waiting to hear the number*

Adaine: "Yeah. Great."

Basrar: "I don't have her phone number."

Adaine: "Oh. Yeah." *gives the number to Basrar*

Brennan: "He punches it in. You see him over in the corner."

Basrar: "Mmhmm. This is Basrar of Basrar's Soda Fountain calling for an application for a job for one Adaine Abernant. Just wanted to hear any reviews as her work of the Elven Oracle. Mmhmm." *continuous nodding*

Siobhan: "I start texting Aelwyn."

Adaine's text to Aelwyn: "What the **** are you talking about? What are you doing? Don't ruin this for me. I'm so broke."

Brennan: "You hit Send. A winky face comes back and he goes,"

Basrar: "Ha ha, a bit. Yes, very funny. Good. Yes, yes, yes."

Brennan: "You see he hangs up and says,"

Basrar: "Great, you can start working right away."

Adaine: "Oh, amazing. Thank you. Amazing."

Brennan: "All he has to do is summon ice cream. So it's an easy gig for him. It's just you carry it. He's like,"

Basrar: "Some of the ice creams have gotten very complicated and are hard to carry."

Brennan: "And there's like huge tureens and sundaes and boats of stuff."

Siobhan: "I'm so good at carrying things because I have a Mage Hand. So I'm doing a regular carry, but then my Mage Hand is also carrying three ice creams also."

Brennan: "Hell yeah."

[willow-springpaw592]

My thoughts on the newest main story quests, some positive and some...slightly on the fence:

First of all, I like that Linda is shown to actually have a backbone and will snap back at people if they insult her. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but for a while it seemed like she was just the token intelligent one of the group who never got into conflicts. So I really liked seeing her stand up for herself this time against the dark riders!

I like how the druids can send messages via runestones to each other in times of crisis. It's something I never would've thought of, and although the way the runestones just grow out of the ground could seem silly and nonsensical in a way for some, I personally really like it!

Also, the magnetising void! It was so cool! I wonder what past Soul Rider performed it with Concorde? I would say Elizabeth, but that just seems too obvious. I love that we got to see a more dangerous side to the magic of the Sun Circle, and I really hope that this is something they will continue with for the rest of the Circles. Maybe for the Moon Circle, Linda could be able to cast dangerous illusions to confuse the dark riders? Or send visions that can drive people mad? It's probably too 'evil' for the Soul Rider circles, but I think it would be cool to see the dark side of the Keepers' magical abilities.

Now, onto the bombing of Dark Core Headquarters. I find it really difficult to believe that DC was never actually drilling any oil. They couldn't have partnered with GED forever, could they've? How could they have made money otherwise? At some point in history they must have drilled for oil, and then stopped for some reason. Maybe to put all their money into the equipment to build the Hadal gate (which btw confirms that Garnoks prison is indeed super deep under the sea, and not in some untouched corner of Pandoria) Anyways, I really hope this is not SSEs attempt at portraying DC as somewhat redeemable with 'oh no they actually weren't polluting the island at all, they were doing nothing wrong!', nevermind the fact that they are working towards releasing Garnok, who has made it very clear by now in regards to his plans for the island.

Well whatever, moving on from that, Erissa! Finally! I was hoping she'd have some lines of dialogue, but I did love her cartwheel/flip coming out of the portal. It's nice to see that Mr Sands is back in action again after not being present in the story for damn, what 5, 6 years now?! I though he and the Dark Riders would've been a bit more annoyed about the oil rig's destruction, so I guess the Soul Riders have got their war crime charges dropped for now at least.

Now for the obligatory Darko mention. With every new release of the main story, I get increasingly more worried about what SSE is planning on doing with him now. He should've been in the ending of this quest, yet he wasn't, and there's been absolutely zero mentions of him ever since the saving Anne quests from other characters, even though he was probably a massive source of trauma for Anne if he was the one who guarded her prison cell, and she seemed to have a very deep hatred of him going off of her mentions of him at past seasonal events. I can't find my screenshot of her one at Midsummer but she said something along the lines of, "What do you think happened to Darko? He had better still be alive. I won't let him take away my chance for revenge." Yes I know, I remembered one line of dialogue at an event years ago, can you tell I'm obsessed yet? I want to say that they're planning something big with him and the Nightmare Institute, but I've got this horrible feeling that they'll either reveal he's dead( even though the soul riding missions are proof that he isn't) or they'll just totally write him out of the story from now on because they've got the new Dark Rider models now, so they can do more with them. I know most people hate him, but I think he has the potential to be a really interesting irredeemable mad scientist type character, so I really hope they haven't given up on him yet. I'm probably being really over dramatic right now XD, but he's been my no.1 character hyperfixation since 2018 so that's my excuse lol.

I really didn't think this would be so long but to summarise: Anne and Linda are badass, I want Avalon to deck someone across the face, and I want Darko to make his dramatic appearance again someday :''(

Well, goodnight! Please share your own opinions with me if you'd like, I'd love to know everyone else's thoughts!

[novankenn]

I'd love to see the gun-con post where the quartet get approached by a republic commando, who after seeing them talk to the imperial army presents them with... A dc-17m blaster rifle with ALL the attachments.

I want to say off the bat... I am sorry it took so long for me to complete your ask. To anyone else who has sent me an ask/suggestion, I still have it, I don't delete them... I just haven't had the inspiration to work with it.

/======/

"Jaune Gets A Gun AU - Day 3" Republic Commandos (Star Wars) w/ Special Guest, the Master Chief!

Inspired by @howlingday's RU-JA-GUN-CON

Republic Commando #1: You there.

Everyone: Who?

RC#1: The blond one.

Jaune: The name is Jaune Arc. Can I help you?

RC#2: We saw you speaking to those Imperial Scum, the other day. We just want to confirm that you are not considering joining their ranks.

All the Girls: HE IS NOT!

RC#1: Good. You made the smart choice. Now we are also aware you are looking for a ranged option for your kit, may we introduce you to...

Ruby/Tiny Tina: A DC-17M blaster rifle?

RC#3: Correct. The best modular weapon system ever created. Totally customizable for whatever your mission needs are.

John-117: You don't say.

Jaune: That's pretty... neat, actually.

RC#1: It is a complete weapons kit, featuring a Blaster Rifle. It is a rapid fire weapon perfect for close to mid-range engagements.

Ruby: With a fully charged power clip, it has sixty shots.

RC#3: Then we have the sniper configuration. It features a twin zoom electromagnetic scope. Perfect for mid to long-range engagements.

Tiny Tina: 10x and 20x, though you only get five shots with per power pack.

RC#2: And there is my personal favourite... the Anti-Armour Grenade Launcher. While the grenades have to be one at a time, the explosives detonate on impact and have a large enough blast radius that they can be used to break enemy formations.

RC#1: So what do you think? Interested?

Jaune: I am, but would I carry all the attachments? I mean, that would be a fair bit of extra baggage for me to lug around.

RC#1: Ideally, you would customize it to the mission specs prior to disembarking.

Jaune: (Turning to his friends) What do you...

Imperial Officer: Republic Scum! This world is under Imperial jurisdiction!

EVERYONE: WHAT!?!?!?

IO: You heard me! This world is under the protection of the Galactic Empire!

John-117: (Looks at Cortana) Is that true?

Cortana: No, it is not. That statement is completely false.

RC#1: Imperial Dogs!

Master Chief read the room in seconds, and was in motion before the first blaster bolts could even fly. In an impressive feat of strength, he scooped Jaune, Ruby, Pyrrha, Tiny Tina, Jinx and Emerald up and out of the line of fire.

John-117: Stay down!

Blaster bolts flew about wildly, missing pretty much everything and everyone. In fact, the only thing that was suffering any serious damage were the walls, as the bolts from both sides scored and blackened them.

Jaune: There are really not hitting much for the amount of shooting they are doing.

Ruby: I don't understand. Both these groups are powerhouses...

Emerald: I think it's the helmets.

Pyrrha: Didn't the last group of the white armoured guys complain about the helmets?

Tiny Tina: They did.

A loud crack of metal hitting tiles echoed about, followed by both the Republic and the Imperial Forces suddenly being suspended in midair.

Ozpin: Gentleman...

ISTs/RCs: Crap-baskets

Ruby: Swear Jar!

Ozpin: It has come to my attention that someone has been making false statements about whose jurisdiction Remnant falls under. I was coming to correct the issue and what do I find? A full-blown firefight with in a civilian attended event.

ISTs/RCs: They started it!

Ozpin: Not to mention, if it had not been for the Master Chief, my students would have been in serious danger...

ISTs/RCs: Um... we're sorry?

Ozpin: That may be the case, however I think reparations should be made. Glynda?

Glynda: Detention with Professor Port. One week.

ISTs/RCs: ...

Ozpin: They are all yours, Professor Goodwitch.

Everyone watched wide-eyed and with a slight shiver as Professor Goodwitch turned on her heels and marched off, the combined members of the Republic Commandos and Imperial Storm Troopers floating behind her.

Ozpin: I would like to thank you for taking care of my students.

John-117: My pleasure. Seem like good kids.

Ozpin: For the most part, they are. Is there anything I can do to repay you for your actions?

John-117: I'm looking for someone. Goes by the name of Banshee-44, he might be selling counterfeit USMC weapons.

Ozpin: I see. That is a serious accusation, which I find slightly disturbing as Mr Banshee-44 has always been an upstanding vendor for these events.

Joh-117: That's why this is an investigation.

Ozpin: Understood. I believe his booth was moved towards the east entrance. If I remember correctly, he's situated next to the Nerf stall.

Jaune: There are Nerf guns at a firearms' convention? How does that work?

Ozpin: Mr Arc, you can not have a respectable Gun Convention without Nerf products being represented. You know what they say...

Tiny Tina/Ruby/Jinx: It's NERF or NOTHING!

Ozpin: Quite right. I will leave you to enjoy the rest of your day.

John-117: Well, it has been a pleasure, but we have work to do.

Everyone waved to Cortana and Master Chief as they walked away.

Pyrrha: He was nice...

Ruby: And tall!

Pyrrha: Yes, that too.

Emerald: So, where to now? Do we go for lunch or check out some more booths?

Jinx: OH! OH! OH! OH! Over there!

Tiny Tina: DEFINITELY over there!

(So I know this ask, and even the continuation of this series/AU has been on a long hiatus... my apologies, I had gotten caught up in some other works. I'm a little unsure about this offering, and I do hope you all enjoy it. Thank you to @sergeant-jaune for the ask, and I hope I did the ask justice.)

[discocandles]

Jason Todd, but he's not around the batfamily very often, bc i can.

It's not unusual for Jason to just kind of be gone for anything bat-esque for a while. Sure he'll still be in Gotham doing some crime fighting, but just not make many appearances in Wayne Manor/the Batcave.

And it's not out of sheer spite, surprisingly enough. its bc after being a crime lord then quitting to be an anti-hero, he came to the realization that being Red Hood couldn't be the only thing he was using his life for. he would end up like Bruce, only using a civilian identity when he absolutely had to. But Jason Todd was legally dead, so he wouldn't ever have to be a civilian, but at the cost of losing himself to a vigilante identity. I don't believe Jason would want to take that risk.

So he makes a fake identity so he can live in a (shaky) routine as a civilian. He still goes by Jason, given its a common enough name. but he changes his last name to Devoss, as it has the same meaning as todd but is of Dutch decent rather than english, bc I'm the kind of nerd that still wants names to mean the same thing even it's not the point whatsoever, so Jason is too. Plus its better than most of the name changes DC has done.

Anyway. Jason's "routine". The only reason it could be considered a routine is bc he typically goes to the same places. he drops by the same coffee shop at least three times a week, frequents the same gym, and visits the library about once a week. he's in the bare minnimum of consistency & sticks to it.

Despite being given enough money from Bruce to count as a solid income, Jason still lives in walking distance of Crime Alley. the landlords there don't care who you are so long as you pay rent, bc who wants to live near Crime Alley? barely anyone. Later he gets a job, which actually cements his routine. he works as a chef in a chain restaurant, and he's so good at it, it's like hes being petty about it.

Actually, being petty is the most common thread most of the people who know Jason Devoss as an aquaintance have. He's petty about entitled customers who start screaming in at his regular coffee stop, if someone he tends to work out with has a cheating partner and the assholeperson has a hole in thier can of mace and their knife is suddenly dull(neccessities in Gotham), Jason has no clue how someone could manage that. Absolutely none.

Ok, back to Jason getting a job. So like I said earlier, Jason gets a job as a line cook, bc they really dont keep people from the job unless you're actively supposed to be in Arkham(exemptions can be made for blackgate). Which is why having a civilian identity is helpful, bc being both legally dead and spending some time as a mob boss probably wouldn't jive with any hiring manager ever. But he's able to make himself a normal part of the scenery, and makes the most effective closing shift, totally not be he has patrol that he's already late for. He begins to have to switch between taking orders and making food.

And this is how he ends up meeting Bernard, bc they have to work together to figure out what Tim would want. Jason realizes that this isn't some other kid named Tim he thinks "oh this is going to be rich." bc no one in the family has been to his work so far since he started working in the front of house, and he hasn't mentioned it to them.

So Tim walks in, and sees his bf, then he sees Jason, who just says "Oh, you must be Bernard's boyfriend. Nice to meet you." Smiling like he's never done anything remotely wrong in his whole life. Now Tim is questioning everything and can only repond with something akin to "Mhmm yup. Nice to meet you too." & is on edge for the rest of the date, bc his brother is being paid to watch his date, and will interrupt them for refills or other nonsense when he was beginning to forget Jason was there.

Bonus points if it's before Tim introduces Bernard to the family.

The batfamily knows where he is, and he knows they know. No one who has met Batman once can have him be unaware of their whole family tree, of course he knows where his son is. Jason will sometimes get visits, most often from Duke, be despite the fact that Crime Alley is mostly terrible, the sunset view is pretty dang good.

Duke will just be sitting on his couch when he gets home, like "you wanted to talk?" to which he and Jason will simply chat. and jason will often give critiques to Duke's technique.

The other common visitor is steph, but that's most ofting in the form of her ding dong ditching him,

-

[ursie]

genuine question: if devin wrote dick as romani in a hurtful way, why does fandom seem so intent to keeping him romani while decrying the writer that made him romani in the first place? like, if it came from such racist/hurtful archetypes then why cling to it so much? (in contrast, i've seen people say that headcanoning tim as asian is bad because of sterotypes, which is why i don't understand the difference.) i barely read past the 80s comics i grew up with, i just read a ton of fandom arguments and the contrast between "dick IS romani" vs "tim ISN'T asian" is like. i don't understand it? i know fandom isn't a monolith but there are trends overall. idk, i figured you seemed like a "safe" person to ask this question in good faith. hope it doesn't upset you! thanks for taking the time to read and/or answer this. <3

Ok so the thing is bad rep is worse than no rep-yes but erasure is worse too so the solution isn’t to erase but to fix it and there has been genuine effort in canon and by Romani people in the fandom to address Dicks rep. While it’s undeniably rooted in some stereotypes there’s also no denying how important Dicks character is. He’s undeniably the most popular Roma character of all time and that’s an issue when people won’t acknowledge he’s Roma. He’s multifaceted and smart and brave and complicated and undeniably good ect these are really good characteristics for any character let alone one to represent any group of people. The best thing dc could do is either hire Roma writers (or Roma editors/sensitivity readers/ect) they need Roma people in the workroom not less Roma characters in comics. Because at the end of the day If we wait for perfect rep before we acknowledge it we’re not going to get it and that goes for any marginalized identity. People cannot know other’s peoples lived experience-which is why we need to push for our voices in the room. Almost all the diverse characters in comics nowadays started as stereotypes and were stereotypes til someone said no and chose to do the work so they could write them better or at least try-that’s what needs to be done. I think it’s funny (and this isn’t at you) that with Dick given his importance given his cultural influence people push for erasure due to some writing flaws when that’s not and never been the case canon or fanon for other characters I mean have you read early black panther? It’s not good. I think people need to reflect if they actually have an issue with how he’s written or if they not only don’t want to view him as Roma but don’t want to put in their own work of looking past the stereotypes either. Also tbh while you’ll see people tote that Roma people don’t like his rep (which I’m not saying there’s none who don’t) the posts that are most commonly referenced are by non Romani people (and one is by a total freak so yeah). In current canon Dick is probably about 1/4th “ethnically” Roma (though that hardly matters he’s Roma hes roma like. Roma is a race he’s just not white) but also in preboot, dick's father was a kalderash-american rom, dick also spoke lovari dialect in preboot. as of post flashpoint, dick's mom is an american roma but her vitsa is not confirmed, so i just like to hc john was kalderash and mary was lovara personally 🥰 like again the best thing dc can do is actually talk about the Graysons, Mary’s family, ect and make them human. Make them more than stereotypes. Actually talk about his culture and his family and his people-not just brush it under a rug until they reference it for diversity points later

As for your other question/point to me the difference between hcing a character as a different race vs like Dick is the push to view white characters as non white instead of actually making fan content of canon non white characters? Like it’s almost a white guilt thing w Tim (this is not at fans of color) but like you want to feel good about stanning characters of color but you also. Don’t actually stan a character of color (like Tim or Jason for instance) so you just hc them as non white (and yes often stereotypically) instead of like reading a single comic w Duke in it. Like racebending is fine and I think it’s good but when done by white fans it’s often actually done to like justify their distance from actual canon characters of color. Like I’m glad you think Tim’s Asian but you still won’t draw fanart of the batfam w Duke in it in 2022 yknow? You still prioritize Jason over Cass but you think he’s Latine, you hc Steph as ambiguously brown but you still characterize Damian in a racist manner, ect. Does that make sense I’m not actually sure I’m explaining well. Oh and in the case you specified Dick is canonically non white wheras Tim isn’t-and it should be noted that white isn’t the baseline-While no one’s saying writers had any intentions he was never stated to be white before-him being “retconned” as Roma isn’t really fair or true he was simply revealed to be so as again white cannot be treated as the inherent norm (nor should heterosexuality and being cisgender or able bodied) I’m not saying you’re wrong but I think it’s important not to think about that kind of stuff in those terms if that makes sense. I hope I cleared this up. I certainly tried and should you have any more questions my inbox/dms are open

Edit : adding on an important response from @royharper : the bottom line is that people who aren't roma should not be speaking on his identity as a rom because they have no idea what roma identity fully entails. i've seen people claim "he's not culturally connected, therefore he can't be roma" or "he can be white and roma, he's not a person of color" when neither of these things are true. for one, while devin is inconsistent in her writing, dick is shown to be raised within the culture as far back as her titans run in the late 90's, in which he is shown to be speaking romanes with his father in a dream sequence that is heavily implied to be a flashback of sorts, and as well lian states that dick can speak romanes when discussing the various languages that her dad, aunts, and uncles can speak. language /is/ culture for us, it's not something that any outsider can just learn super easily. it was really strange that she retconned this herself by the time gotham knights was written a few years later through the character yoska, who attempts to speak romanes with dick and finds that he can't understand him, however using this, along with the orientalist stereotypes devin tried to impose on both dick and yoska when writing about roma identity, as an excuse to say that dick is not "really a rom" is racist. outsiders do not understand the nuances of roma identity enough to make that judgement, and no, wikipedia is not an accurate source for information about roma. touching on the idea that roma can be white, this is a misconception. while outsiders may be folded into the community by marriage or adoption, this is not very common because we don't tend to marry or adopt outside of our communities. furthermore, roma is not an ethnicity. roma is our race. our ethnicities are our clans. there are roma with pale skin, there are even roma that appear white, but they are still racially roma and are still subject to racial discrimination. in response to the idea that there is an outpouring of roma fans who don't want dick to be roma at all, this simply isn't true. that rumor was originally started by someone who was outed as a racefaker, and is perpetuated by white fans who seek to weaponize this perspective to justify their whitewashing and racism. i've known more roma who were, while still critical of devin's orientalism/antiromanyism, ecstatic to have a roma comic character who actually speaks the language, as in comparison to doctor doom and the maximoff twins, who are arguably just as popular, who do not speak romanes in comics, or have only spoken one or two words of the language. dick is important in terms of representation for this fact alone. i can't fathom the amount of people who are not roma who think that just because roma characters are often subject to stereotypical writing that it's somehow better to simply erase their racial identity all together rather than doing their own research to avoid stereotypes when portraying the characters and pushing for these companies to start hiring roma creatives as we do with /every other character of color because not a SINGLE character of color in comics history has been entirely free of racist, stereotypical writing or of colorism and whitewashing in official artwork/. and yet you don't see people pushing for other characters of color to be made white. it's really very telling to me. and just for the record, since i know this is for some reason a popular talking point, dick's race was not retconned after devin initially wrote him as roma. his race has been referenced across numerous other comics written by other writers over the years, most notably tim seeley in his run of nightwing rebirth. while i have issues with seeley's characterization of dick, and he tends to sexualize him just as much if not more than devin imo, dick's racial identity plays a big role in the raptor arc. stop acting like devin was the only writer to ever write dick as a rom and that it was never seen or heard of again in canon after she stopped working on nightwing.

[glapplebloom]

Like if Hasbro decided I get to be in control.

Okay, brief history for those who missed my reviews: IDW held the rights to both Transformers and My Little Pony. For 8 issues in total they crossed over the two properties twice while teasing a third time that sadly never came to be. So what would be my plan for this? Well, it is going to be much bigger than the previous crossover. MUCH bigger.

Comic #1

It will be a year later. The Autobots and Decepticons are currently on the verge of breaking out into war again. But they are holding it off as the promised reunion of Ponies and Transformers is coming. It will be a combination of ideals: a Cultural Exchange to highlight the best of both worlds, a Swap Meet for any one side to get items the others have. And a Friendly Competition open to all racers.

But behind the scenes, the Quintesson were setting up their own things. They captured a Transformer who was in both crossovers (not doing a specific one) and found out as much as they could. But during their studies, they find out about another world. One that looks like the Transformers’ Earth but full of Humanoid Equestrians. This led them to discover that there are more worlds.

So when it was time to Open the Space Bridge to begin this exchange, that’s when the Quintesson made their move. The Ponies, seeing their new friends in trouble, go to help but the Judge Quintesson eventually takes control of the Space Bridge. And in a bright flash everything goes white. When vision returned, it was a twisted world that seemed to combine Cybertron with Equestria and some other landmarks recognizable to fans but not them.

In this world, the Quintesson are in charge and they want to use the Ponies' Magic to take control of Cybertron and the Rest of the Universe. But they wonder, which universe should they take over. And that’s when we see that it's not just a crossover with G4 Ponies and G1 Transformers: It's a crossover with every Generation of Ponies and Transformers.

The Tie In Comics

And here is where my big thing is, there will be three sets of comics 4 issues each. Each one features two stories each. The first one is like the original: Ponies and Transformers interacting with each other in various ways. Ponies and Transformers fighting together against another pair or against each other. Stuff like that. And as you figured, the other two series will focus solely on Transformers and Pony Crossovers with each other.

You can have stuff like Movie Prime facing Animated Optimus. All the Starscreams try to unite to take over their various Megatrons only to fight among themselves. Knockout horrified of the Transformers who share his name, Basically this set of series are for those solely interested in seeing the Transformers in this crossover.

And on the pony side, you can have the Equestria Girls version actually meet their Pony counterparts. You can see the G1 Ponies interact with G5. Izzy and Pinkie Pie uniting to cause their own kind of mayhem. Callbacks to the G1/G4 Crossover. Maybe even the Elseworld Stories from the Show and Comics interacting like Chrysalis' Army taking on Nightmare Moon.

The Final Issue...

And like DC’s Armageddon 2001, the thing trying it up are two issues of its own. Just as the Quintesson decided to take them all, all the sides decided to unite to attack them. Basically an all out brawl between all the Transformers and Ponies Vs the Quintessons forces, which includes the minions from those elseworlds as they have taken over their leaders. 

Eventually the heroes trump and the Quintessons are sent to a place beyond time. Seeing how well the two sides work together, Megatron and Optimus Prime finally settled their beef and agreed to full peace. Everyone says goodbye to each other and to hopefully prevent something from this from happening again, they decide to ensure the Space Bridge can never be used for inter-dimensional travel.

But regardless of that, they feel that one day they will meet each other again in friendlier terms. They all leave learning that Friendship Truly is the Right of All Sentient Beings.

And that’s basically how I would do a third crossover. Of course, this will likely be a nightmare to do but that’s what these Twist of Fates are for, a nice what if.

[discowingneckline]

revel in our unrest

Summary: "Dick? You good, man?"

Dick was, in fact, not good. Fuck, this was totally an opening for him to do what he and Dr. Kim talked about him doing: the ever-dreaded boundary setting. He could totally do this.

In which Dick Grayson has had enough of his friends playing into his promiscuous reputation, and he stands his ground and sets some boundaries with them.

Word Count: 7866

Rating: M (Mature)

Pairing: Gen

Warnings: Past Rape/Non-Con, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-Con, Victim Blaming, Slut Shaming, Non-Consensual Groping, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Abusive Relationship (referenced/implied)

Other Tags: Hurt No Comfort, Bittersweet Ending

A/N: I have no idea how tumblr works, so have fun, I guess. I also have an AO3 account where I post things with the same username. Um, I'm just as inconsistent with characters as DC is. This will be getting a follow up in late May/early June as requested by some users on AO3. OH! And this is posted because it's been sitting in my drafts for over a year, but also because April is sexual assault awareness month!

Once again, Dick and the others were waiting for Wally to show up. Dick was leaning back into the booth seat, tossing back as much beer as he could without downing it all in one go. He didn’t want to have to get up just yet to get another. There was some loud techno-pop kind of remix playing, and the others were catching up about their civilian lives while Dick thought back to his most recent conversation with his therapist.

They’d met once-a-month now instead of the bi-weekly, weekly, or twice-a-week appointments. It had started months after Tarantula—or rather after Dick had come to the decision that he wasn’t going to get better if he didn’t get help because he had tried and failed spectacularly. 

Dr. Kim hadn’t been his first therapist, he'd seen another before her. Before her, he had been Dr. Pace, who he had seen for a session two weeks after he’d left Tarantula, but Dick had been scared and ashamed, and he hadn’t gone back for his next session.

He had been sitting to the right of Dr. Kim in a blue armchair, preferring that to the small and comfortable couch across from her. He had put the little fluffy pillow on his lap, pulling at the strands of fabric attached to them as he had worked up what to say. Dr. Kim waited patiently, her notes and pen resting as she looked at her shoes; she never stared him down, and it was an action that made everything less anxiety-inducing. 

Dick had pulled his attention from the pillow, looking at Dr. Kim as he had said, “There’s a get-together with the Titans and Young Justice team, I was invited.”

He’d told her a lot of things: his parent’s murder, being brought in by Bruce Wayne, about being a vigilante, the teams and heroes he’s worked with, the villains and horrible people he’s fought and won and lost to, the other members of his family, and the rapes. It’d been a hard decision to come to, letting Dr. Kim in on the know, but if Dick was going to come and try to figure everything out and how to cope, then he didn’t see the point in lying—if anything, it’d diminish what happened to him. Instead of telling her what happened with Blockbuster and then Tarantula, he’d have to explain away what actually occurred (especially with how televised Blockbuster had been). 

Dr. Kim had kept her comforting presence as he’d told her, not showing any sort of reaction Dick could have taken as being judgmental. She’d learned early on that he was hyper aware of people’s reactions to everything, and then had adjusted herself around him accordingly. Dick had known this anyway—after all, he’d been trained under Bruce’s wing. She had then tilted her head just barely to the side. 

“Invited? D’you think you’ll go?” Dr. Kim had asked, her voice light and inquisitive. 

Dick had shrugged his shoulders, parting his lips to respond before shutting them back up. He hadn’t decided at that point. It had been Kori who invited him, but she invited everyone so he hadn’t taken that as anything. Soon after that though, his phone had been blown up with texts from Donna and Wally talking about it, and he started feeling guilty for thinking about not going. He hadn’t seen them outside of their brief team-ups or saves in costume in months, and the one time he’d be able to see them and everyone else and not be stopping crime or saving the planet would be the party. “Donna and Wally want me to go.” 

He was content to let that just be his answer to block out his own feelings about it, but Dr. Kim raised her eyebrow, challenging his response. Dick huffed, feeling his frustration start to bubble up. He’d always had a temper, and it often came out when he didn’t get what he wanted. “I don’t know,” Dick admitted, poking and prodding at the pillow again and trying to release some of his pent-up energy. “I don’t really want to see some people who’ll be there. They haven’t changed at all, not with me at least.”

“Do you feel like you have to go? For Donna and Wally?”

“Sort of, but it isn’t just them. Everyone expects me to go; I’m the social butterfly, the friendly, forgiving hero.” Dick had said that last part bitterly, spitting the words like if he didn’t just then they’d burn him. 

“Is that what they expect of you? That you’re always friendly and forgiving?” She had already known about this part—the expectations and whatnot because they were inescapable in his life. Dick hadn’t felt the need to answer then, but Dr. Kim’s eyes had been soft and filled to the brim with an understanding that made something in Dick crack. 

“Yeah,” he responded, looking away from Dr. Kim yet again. “But I’m not always nice, everyone knows that, but whenever I’m upset or angry and no one else is, then I become a joke.”

“They don’t respect or acknowledge your feelings that contradicted what they wanted you to feel, and that made you feel like you weren’t important or that you could rely on them as your friends.” Dr. Kim had written something down in her notes then, before asking him another question: “Did you ever have a conversation with them about how they made you feel?”

Dick had shook his head. “I mean, no, not really? But it’s not like I laughed and joked with them, they could see I didn’t find it funny.” He also would try playing it off and changing the subject, and that worked on occasion, but not often enough, which just left Dick feeling hurt when he should be feeling content at the very least. That’s what he was worried about really, was getting hurt again when he should be having a good time.

And like she could read his mind, Dr. Kim had spoken up again, “And that happened a lot? Are you afraid that anytime you’re with them, that you’ll be brushed off and laughed at?” 

Dick had sat there, picking at the pillow, biting the inside of his cheek while he avoided answering the question, but that was an answer in and of itself. He knew that, Dr. Kim knew that, and the two had been enveloped in a thickening silence. He had hated the invisible wall that was being built, it had made him squirm in his seat and speak up again. “Yeah, I don’t know if they actually like me or if they just like the idea of what I’m supposed to be. I just want to be me and have people like me for who I am and respect me for who I am.”

“You don’t let a lot of people in. From our other talks, you bring up that you’ve been a leader, that you’re the oldest of your siblings…and you don’t want to tell Bruce or any of the other older heroes because you don’t want to be rejected or hurt again like what’s happened with your teammates, and you don’t want them to think you’re weak or poison,” Dr. Kim had started, getting a sympathetic look on her face. It had made Dick anxious for what else she had to say. “Dick, it’s okay to be vulnerable with people and let them in, and you don’t have to spill every dark and gritty thing you’ve been through, but keeping people at arm’s length because you’re scared you’ll get hurt will only keep you from making those kinds of connections you want.”

“I know, I just…it’s just hard.”

“Do you miss those people—the ones you can’t be yourself comfortably with?”

“Yeah, we all used to be really close, and we’re still close; we all just have more responsibilities, and life got busy, and then stuff happened, and we all just drifted a bit,” Dick had explained, shaking his head. It was all true; they’d gotten older, got a day job, and some had started families, making it all the harder to see each other. They all still talked on the phone when they could, met up outside of their night jobs when they could, and that was just the way of getting older. 

And Dick still wanted to be friends with some of his former teammates, they were good people, but he didn’t want to be “friendly” teased about his looks, flexibility, or sex life. Sometimes, he didn’t mind it, like when he’d be practicing, but it’s less of practice and more like breathing and flying and performing, but when he was just trying to exist? When all he wanted was to hang out and have a fun time with his friends? Yeah, that wasn’t nice.

“And I mean, I like people—I like lots of different kinds of people,” Dick had added, “And it sucks that they don’t get that I don’t like their comments about me, and we get along otherwise. They care about me, I know they do, and I care about them and their lives. I just…” He had huffed, shrugging his shoulders and taking a new, big interest in the snake plant by the window. 

Adonis, the club Kori had set up the little reunion at, was the typical, run-of-the-mill club in Jump City. There were different social levels to it, one for the average Joe, another for celebrities, and another for the club’s private investors and the secret little club. They were on the first level, the main one, really, with all the people who were just trying to have a fun time on a Friday night.

They had a corner booth table, off the side of one large dance floor and near the main bar. Dick sat next to Donna, with the latter being on the inside of the seating and next to Victor, Garfield and Raven. Roy was sitting across from Dick with space next to him for someone else to sit and next to him was Kori. Wally had yet to show up still, but it was common knowledge that all the speedsters were late to everything. There were some rounds of drinks at the table, though Roy’s was dry being both the designated driver and being very cautious around this kind of stuff. 

Dick himself had a Heineken that he was taking a swig of every-so-often. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t a huge fan of alcohol, and when he did drink it was normally a few beers with friends and not fruity drinks.

“Hey, guys, sorry I’m late!” came a familiar voice. Dick turned his head from staring at his drink to looking at his best friend. Wally was in a red shirt with a blue jean jacket on top, and he had pants almost as tight as Dick’s. There wasn’t really a moment of hesitation from Dick standing up and giving Wally an one-armed hug. The two parted quickly, and Dick sat back down where he’d been while Wally took a seat next to Roy. Wally looked around the table, leaning back into the booth. “What’d I miss? What were you guys talking about?” 

“Nothing important, dude,” Garfield started, “Just catchin’ up. Roy was just about to tell us how Lian’s doing.”

“Yeah, man, how’s the kid?” Victor asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Roy smiled a bit, “She’s doing good. Little squeaker just started learning to skateboard. Got one for her birthday. You ever have to chase down a kid to get her to put her helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads on? More work than a drug bust.”

“Who ended up on babysitting duty?” Wally asked.

“Ollie and Dinah,” he answered. “ Lian likes spending time with them, and they spoil her rotten. Last time I picked her up, Ollie had pink and purple sparkle glue in his hair.” And that got some laughs out of everyone. Dick could imagine that well, the last time he saw Lian—God, that’d be well over a year ago—she was very adamant about what her Uncle Dick was supposed to say at her superhero tea-picnic party. 

“It’s great to hear,” Donna said. “Kori, Raven, let’s go dance and let the boys do their own thing. It’s been too long since I last saw you both.”

“If I have to,” Raven replied monotone. She had a small smile on her face though, so Dick assumed she couldn’t be too put off by the idea.

“Yes, please,” Kori exclaimed, then she looked at the rest of them, “if you would…”

Wally, Roy, Garfield, and Dick all got out of the booth, letting them out to go off to dance. 

“Don’t have too much fun without us!” Garfield called out to Donna, Kori, and Raven as they walked off. The guys sat back down where they had been, leaving the spaces the girls sat at free. Roy and Wally were talking back and forth, and Victor started talking to Garfield about some new tech he was coming up with.

It was the perfect time for Dick to go and get himself another drink, seeing as his just emptied. “I’ll be right back,” he said, scooting out of the booth and standing back up once again. “Need anything from the bar?” The four other men all said something along the lines of no, and so Dick left them to their own devices.

The walk to the bar wasn’t that long in reality, but it felt like several minutes with all the maneuvering he had to do around groups and the occasional stumbling shitfaced patrons. There were a few open seats at the end, and instead of sitting down at the seat, he stood to the side of one furthest away from any other people. 

There was a man bartending with a woman, though it had been the man who had seen him. The bartender made a few drinks for a couple of women down the bar, flashing them a couple of amused smiles and nodding along to whatever they were talking about. After, the man came down to Dick.

“What can I get for you tonight?” the bartender asked smoothly, hands resting on the edge of the counter as he waited for Dick to answer. For all intents and purposes, he was just about to—

“Hiya, handsome,” a honeyed voice cooed, turning Dick’s attention away from trying to order. The voice belonged to a young woman, with blonde hair in pretty curls and a clip holding some of it back. Her make-up was intricate and flattering to her pale complexion and brown eyes, and it went well with the tight red dress she wore that gripped at her skin. She leaned forward a bit, angling herself towards him. “You here alone or d’ya got some friends around?”

Dick blinked, keeping a firm grip on the cash in his hand. He didn’t want to answer, all he wanted was to get a drink and go back to seeing everyone, but maybe the girl would back off if she saw Donna or Kori, not that there was anything there to see, but… “With friends,” he said, looking over in the direction of the group.

He totally forgot that both Donna and Kori had gone off to dance together, but Raven was back in the booth. Raven was leaning her head on Beast Boy, having apparently barely been out dancing before coming back and listening as Wally was explaining something with lots of hand motions and jerky movements. Victor looked halfway intrigued and somewhat amused, and Roy had his eyebrows raised, but Roy wasn’t paying attention to Wally, he was looking straight at him. Raven and Garfield caught on, and followed Roy’s sight to him. 

The woman gave the group a little excited wave, before looking back up at Dick with her head tilted to the side. “I’m Brittany, ya got a name, baby?” 

“I do,” Dick said, furrowing his eyebrows and looking back at the bartender who was waiting on him. “Can I get another Heineken, please?” 

Dick slid the cash he had over, and the bartender picked it up, though just as the man was about to go and get what he ordered, Brittany interrupted, “Can I get another Piña Colada, please? And can you put it on my tab?”

“Sure thing,” the bartender said, walking down a bit to get their drinks. Brittany turned her head to look back at Dick.

“C’mon, you don’t gotta be all Mr. Mysterious with me,” she teased, stirring her almost empty drink lightly with a straw. Brittany gazed at him through her eyelashes. “Here, I’ll guess: hm, Tyler?” She must’ve seen something on his face or taken his lack of answer as her being wrong, because Brittany continued on, “Josh? Mason?”

“Dick.”

“D’ya live ‘round here, Dick?” Brittany moved a hand off her drink and onto Dick’s. The motion of her finger’s brushing over his hand made him slightly tense up and his stomach churn. He moved his hand back a bit, trying to shake her off and signal that he wasn’t cool with any of this, but her hand followed and stayed on his. His body tensed up more, and he squirmed a bit to try and loosen up. 

Touch was finicky for him now; he was most comfortable with initiating it first, and for the people close to him, he was okay with them touching him as long as he knew it was coming on most days. He didn’t like being touched without seeing it coming, and he definitely didn’t like when people touched him without his consent.

“Not really,” he replied, hoping to keep this conversation short. He gave her a tight-lipped smile, trying to ease his own discomfort. Hopefully, she’d take the hint and back off; he really didn’t want any of this while trying to hang out with his friends. Maybe if he moved his hand back some more…

“S’okay, I’ve gotta place a couple blocks down—it’s got a nice bed, but a girl gets lonely, y’know?” Before Dick could respond, the bartender set his beer down in front of him and gave Brittany hers. He gave a stiff nod to the bartender as thanks, and started to move back from the counter. 

Now that he wasn’t waiting on his drink, it should be easy to just brush Brittany off and sit back down with his old team. Key word: should. Despite Dick being dubbed The Boy Hostage, and the countless times he’s escaped after being tied up, he quickly realized that it still wouldn’t be very easy to brush Brittany off. He took maybe five steps before he had to stop. She skipped ahead a few steps before spinning to face him directly. When he moved to the side to go past her, Brittany simply moved in front of him to block him. 

“C’mon,” she whined, tilting her head to her side and acting coy, “Don’t leave me hangin’ for realsies. I’m sure ya friends won’t mind if you and me go back to mine.” At that, she turned to look over her shoulder and at his friends, and he followed her gaze, seeing Roy and Gar grinning at his plight. Great.

“See, baby,” Brittany said, bringing her free hand up to stroke his arm. He didn’t bother to move this time, too caught up in his friends teasing him up ahead. She moved closer to him so their bodies were ever so slightly touching. Dick couldn’t tell if he was hearing his heartbeat or if it was hers. Does this place have air conditioning? They should turn it on because he can hardly even brea—and he needs to keep his eyes on his friends and not at her (though did he even really want to be there, too?) Brittany playfully pouted, moving her arm to poke at his cheek. “Get outta ya head, baby. Me and you could have lotsa fun, whaddya say?” 

Apparently, Dick didn’t respond to her touch or words quick enough for her taste, because she tilted his head a little bit and kissed the side of his jaw. He was jolted from his thoughts and he looked at Brittany briefly before looking up and at the walls for some sign for the men’s restroom. God, he’s going to puke. 

“Uh, no thanks I’m just…gonna, um.” Dick gulped, his eyes darting back and forth between her and wherever the fuck the restroom was. Why was it so hard to find a bathroom in a fucking club? And was it raining outside, he could have sworn he heard rain, but that wasn’t on the forecast for tonight because he checked. Dick kept looking for a few more seconds before giving up. If he could make it back to his friends, then Dick could force himself to calm the fuck down and everything would be fine. 

And then there was a hand squeezing his ass.

Everything was not fine, everything was going to shit. It was going to happen again and how pathetic was he if he was just going to let it happen again. He just needs a second to think and a second to calm down. And the woman was saying something, but God she didn’t even look like anything anymore, and he used his hand to force hers off. Dick feigned moving to the left, and as she moved to block him again, he moved to the right and started swiftly making his way back to the table his friends were occupying. 

She was calling out to him, saying some sort of nonsense he couldn’t make out. And Dick didn’t turn back to see if she was following him, he didn’t want to know. Not too long once he started his way back to the table he was sitting back down. Donna and Kori had come back from dancing not a moment after he arrived, and they squished him towards the wall side of their booth.

Dick barely had time to get comfortable where he sat before the interrogation and teasing started. Unsurprisingly, it was Gar who started it, even the comedian even after all these years. 

“Who’s the pretty lady you were talking to?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Roy hummed in agreement, nodding his head at Dick.

“Yeah, man, be brave and bold, and spill,” Wally chimed in.

When Dick glanced over to Kori, he saw her posture shift. Their relationship didn’t end on too horrible of terms in the very end—clearly not, if they could stand to not only trust each other in the field, but also spend time together outside in civvies. The topic of lovers and relationships, however, had mostly been off the table for discussion. Kori definitely didn’t want to hear whatever he had to say about when they were still active members of the Teen Titans, and she definitely didn’t need to know about the whole fiasco with Barbara and how he severely fucked that up. Dick didn’t want to hear about what Kori had been up to, not that he didn’t want her to be happy or disapproved of any short-lived flings, but he still cared a lot about her and got caught up on all the what ifs. Like, would they have had a kid by now had they stayed together? Would Lian have had a cousin to play with?

He spun his beer around a few times before gulping some down. It did no good thinking about all the what-ifs, and that was something he knew before he started therapy. Dick shrugged, looking back over to Garfield. “Not much to say,” Dick replied, spinning the beer around again but the other way. “I’m not here to hook-up with anyone.”

“That’s new,” Roy snorted, putting his arm on the table and tapping his fingers a bit. Dick’s lips twitched down just barely, but he didn’t realize fast enough to stop before the other’s noticed.

“Hey, man, we’re just messin’ with you,” Victor added.

“Yeah, nothin’ wrong with givin’ into your nature,” Garfield said. Yeah, because sleeping with every man, woman, and adult person was totally Dick’s nature and not something people came up with on their own. 

He’d thought back to when he was glued to his bed, stuck in his thoughts for days just there. The whole womanizer thing started at one of the richy-rich Bristol galas when Bruce wasn’t Bruce but Brucie, and Dick’s own persona was charming and people-pleasing. People commented on how handsome he was getting, making their predictions of how he’d turn out in a couple more years. He’d get all the ladies in Gotham, following in his mentor’s footsteps, surely, they’d say. Yeah right, it figured the people who’d tease him like that would later get tied up and left to be arrested from the company they kept. 

“I wasn’t interested,” Dick ended up saying, “I came here to catch up with you guys; it’s been too long.”

“Not for lack of trying. You’ve been off in Blüdhaven and keeping busy with your night job,” Donna pointed out, taking a sip of whatever it was she had gotten. He knew she didn’t mean it in a condescending way, but it still stung a bit. He took another drink to hide his hurt. 

“We mean no offense, Dick,” Kori continued for Donna, seeing right through Dick. “It can be hard, juggling it all.”

“I can understand the masochist appeal of running yourself to the bone,” Raven jumped in still as monotone as always.

Dick shrugged again, looking away from them and to the DJ. He veered them off from digging into him enough, maybe he’d be able to convince someone to go out and dance a bit with him. Just enough until they end up going back to Titans Tower to crash. His mouth started running before he could think about just what to say, “That’s kinda why I’m here, isn’t it? To have fun? Someone dance with me. Donna? Wally?”

A few of them gave him a look he didn’t bother to decipher, but they relented nonetheless and they were off.

———

They made it back to Titans Tower sometime around 2:30am after the club closed for the night. Dick had several beers and some water throughout the night; not enough to really forget much of anything, and not too much that he had any trouble walking and talking. If he had been out on his own, he definitely wouldn’t have gone to a club. Dick would’ve settled for Noonan’s, got shitfaced, maybe gotten into a fight, and had gone home to wallow before realizing that it would be the main topic of his next session with Dr. Kim.

Instead of everyone splitting up to go sleep in their old rooms, Kori offered up the idea for them to have a sleepover in one of the old lounge rooms they frequented years ago. There wasn’t much room left for Dick to go against this, not without everyone getting on his case about him wanting to go off on his own. 

He ended up settling into one of the couches, picking up one of the pillows and holding on his lap to poke and prod at. It gave him something to do that wasn’t bouncing his leg or tapping his fingers. Garfield and Kori had run off to one of the kitchens to make some popcorn and grab other snacks after Gar said they should have a movie-marathon, and Wally had been hot on their heels to finally get some food to eat.

“Speedster’s gotta eat, man,” Wally had said, jumping off from where he was next to Dick. 

Donna had gone off next, wanting to get something to drink for the movie and to go with the popcorn and snacks. Roy and Victor stayed on the opposite sides of another couch, with Victor turning the TV on and scrolling through the different streaming services to find a good, easy nostalgic movie to watch. Raven appeared through the doors just then too after she’d separated from the group to grab a black blanket and pillow from her old room. 

There was a groove that they got back into once they got back into the tower, and while the current Teen Titans team members were still in the tower, they’d very easily offered to stay out of a couple of rooms for them to hang out at. Though, a few of them had peeked into the security cameras for a few seconds to get another look at them. Not super surprising; it was increasingly rare that the original team all got back together and for a non-world-threatening event at that. 

That’s all to say everyone doing their own thing before they start a movie marathon was great for Dick. He could take some time to wind down from the night and loosen up enough to actually participate and be present with his friends. Something he should’ve been able to do in the first place, at least more than he’d given them. 

He picked at one corner of the pillow, tugging at the thread that held it all together. Admittedly, he probably should’ve showered before he got back; most of them should’ve, but the other’s hadn’t really wanted to stop catching up just to shower. They’d just do it once they woke up later that morning. He wasn’t too sweaty, but he felt gross. His skin didn’t feel like his own, and if he got the chance to scrub himself down a bit—or maybe a lot—then he would definitely feel better. The logical part of his mind told him this was because of the woman from the club and it was an internal problem he would be having, but the illogical part of his mind told him he was disgusting and that he could never be clean. 

It was his fault, wasn’t it? Somewhere in their conversation Dick must’ve made a mistake and led the girl on. Dick knew he was attractive; it’s all he’s been told his whole life. He also knew that people liked him, like a lot. That was fine, he liked people too for the most part. It was just like with Miriam and Cat. 

But those weren’t his fault. He knew they weren’t. He’d talked enough with Dr. Kim about it that he knew there wasn’t anything he could’ve done. One disguised herself as his girlfriend, the other took advantage while he was in shock. Jesus, Cat was a whole thing, and he still can’t believe it took him so long to get away from her after. But that wasn’t his fault either, because Cat wanted to hurt him and she could, so she did. Dick didn’t tell her to, therefore it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t his—

Dick picked at the thread a bit harder, staring at it hard and like it was the source of all his suffering. Maybe it was. Maybe he made it so. Dick bit the inside of his cheek and picked at the pillow again. He’s fine. He’s doing great even. This isn’t the end of the world. He could get through these things like he always had. Though, maybe he should reach out to Dr. Kim about having another session next week just in case. That’s a problem for tomorrow, he didn’t need anyone coming in and looking over his shoulder or someone asking him who he was texting.

He could imagine what’d happen. Someone would tease him, asking if he was talking to some girl or something. A few others might join in and complain that Dick never tells them anything, which is both fair and also not. Kori would get uncomfortable again, Raven would take some amusement from both Kori and Dick’s discomfort. Then Donna would get worried, and it would just be a mess.

Dick picked at the pillow more, but this time the thread started to fray. He inhaled sharply, moving his fingers to a different part of the pillow so he didn’t completely ruin it. Somehow, he managed to not notice the others coming back. Kori stood in front of Dick, holding two bowls of popcorn, one big and one small. Dick laid the pillow face down so it was flat on his lap.

“It has M&Ms in it. You still like them, right, Dick?” Kori asked, handing the smaller bowl to him. Figures as much; Dick’s appetite was that of a bird.

“Yeah, thanks, Kori,” he replied back, giving her a small smile. She smiled back and left to go sit in between Raven and Roy.

Then, seemingly coming from nowhere, Wally crashed down into the spot beside him, leaning into Dick and propping his popcorn bowl in between his legs. He looked at Dick’s bowl, then said, “Still have great taste, I see.” 

Wally shoveled a handful of his popcorn into his mouth as Donna plopped down beside him with her own bowl and a water bottle.  “Jeez, Wally, save some for the movie,” she teased, kicking his foot so he’d move his leg over just a bit more. He did, and Donna curled up beside him, pulling a red blanket off the back of the couch and onto her legs. 

“Man, c’mon! Anything but Twilight!” Victor groaned, throwing his head back against the couch. 

“What’s wrong with Twilight, dude?” Garfield complained. He gestured to the TV with the remote. “There’s romance, hot girls who could kill you, vampires! Do those mean nothing to you? Donna, back me up here!”

“It is a classic.”

“Thank you! See, man, we have to watch it,” he argued. 

“I think we should watch Top Gun,” Roy said, a bag of chips crinkling in his lap as he pulled some out.

“Hell yeah! See, someone here has taste.” Victor pointed over to Roy with a grin spread on his face. 

Garfield threw his head back this time, so fast that Dick was sure any other person might’ve gotten a concussion from it. “Blah, blah, blah! Who cares about American propaganda movies? Rae, back me up!” 

“Vampires are gothic,” Raven said, curled up in her black blanket, “but I like seeing people fall for propaganda.”

“What?” Gar exclaimed, looking at Raven with the most betrayed look he could muster. Dick snorted and rolled his eyes. He could eat popcorn just by watching everyone go back and forth.

“I vote Twilight,” Wally said, raising a hand up. His mouth was so full it took Dick a second to figure out what exactly he was saying.

“What about you, Kori? What’s your vote?” Roy asked.

Kori shrugged, “Won’t we watch both of them? Does it really matter which we watch first?” That got her several groans, and another little laugh out of Dick. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that meant it was down to him to decide what comes first.

“Dick, my dude, you’ve gotta pick Twilight,” Garfield pleaded. He put his hands together in a praying motion, the remote sandwiched in between. “Please.”

“Why would he want to watch that? He doesn’t want to watch a bunch of hot adult actors play weird, vampire adults and teenagers. One of the actors looks like Bruce when he was an emo teenager,” Roy argued.

Dick didn’t really care what they were going to watch, really. Anything would prove to be a good distraction, and he’d readily welcome it. He opened his mouth to say as much, but Garfield beat him to the punch.

“Uh, what do you mean? He totally would!”

Okay, not super fun having people speak for you, but he could just clear the air and say he doesn’t care, then Garfield could argue it out some more with Roy and Victor until he inevitably lost.

“Over a classic action movie?”

“Uh, yeah? Who doesn’t want to watch hot vampire chicks be angsty on screen, man? One of them is even a redhead!” 

And there’s that. 

“Redhead? Dude, Victoria shows up in New Moon! Get your shit straight!”

Dick struggled to finish chewing and swallowing some popcorn he had tossed into his mouth just a second before. He was reminded of how gross he felt just then, and he shifted in his seat, jostling Wally a bit. Wally turned his head away from where Roy and Garfield were going back and forth and at him.

Dick tried to keep his body relaxed, though he was failing miserably, and Wally’s eyebrows furrowed at him.

“Dick? You good, man?”

Dick was, in fact, not good. He tensed up more. Fuck, this was totally an opening for him to do what he and Dr. Kim talked about him doing: the ever-dreaded boundary setting. He could totally do this. His friends out of everyone would understand this. Kori and him already had their own different boundaries they had to make together in their friendship after they broke up. This would go fine, and they’ll respect what he has to say. He can totally do this, and no, he was not psyching himself out at all. 

“Can you guys stop?” he blurted out. In hindsight, it was funny seeing everyone shut up and just stare at him, but in the moment it felt like he had done something horribly wrong, and suddenly he felt like he should’ve never said anything.

Donna frowned, and sat more upright. “Dick…”

Dick shook his head. He totally could do this, just had to set a boundary and they could move on, and Dick would vote Twilight because it was infinitely funnier than Top Gun and God knew he could use some humor from whatever the fuck tha drama was trying to be. 

“No, really. Just stop. Stop making jokes about whatever you think my type is,” Dick started. He set his popcorn bowl onto the end table to his side. “I don’t think they’re funny.”

“C’mon, man, you totally have a thing for redheads. Kori, Wally, Barbara…two’s a coincidence, three’s a pattern,” Gar pointed out. 

“Yeah,” Roy chimed in. “Not a joke if it’s true.”

“That’s not the point. I don’t want you guys making jokes about that part of my life. Tonight at Adonis? Totally not cool. I don’t just sleep around with anyone, it’s not exactly my thing,” Dick responded, frowning more. He didn’t want to have to keep defending himself over this. Dick shook his head again, scoffing, “Is it that big of a deal that I don’t want you guys doing it?”

“What so bad about the ladies and guys lovin’ you?” Victor asked. “You used to be all for the attention.”

“It’s not a bad thing to admit to wanting flings and one-night-stands, Dick,” Kori added, tilting her head to the side and frowning back at Dick. “It’s quite normal on Earth from what I’ve gathered myself.”

“Again, not the point. It’s just not something I’m into, and I’d really appreciate it if you guys just won’t make those jokes anymore,” he repeated. Dick turned his head away from them and to the TV for a second. “Can we just watch Twilight or something?”

“No way, seriously, what gives?” Roy asked, crossing his arms. He looked fed up with Dick, and Dick could feel himself starting to get annoyed right back at him.

This was nowhere near as easy as Dick was hopefully wishing it would be. He couldn’t even say he was entirely surprised by that fact. Dick had burned a lot of bridges by being a—well—dick, but it was a two-way street, and he’d put a lot of effort in before to fix it. 

Dick’s eyebrows knitted tightly together, and he could help the scoff that erupted from his throat. “What’s so bad about me not wanting you to joke around about my sex life?” 

“You know what? Fuck you, Dick,” Roy retorted, shaking his head in disbelief. He pointed a finger at him, and went on to add, “You can’t say shit about that. What? Get mad that you cheat and can’t keep it in your pants? Grow the fuck up. Stop making everything about you.”

“Roy…” Kori started, but she was quickly interrupted.

“Newsflash, buddy. If you don’t want people to make jokes about your sex life, maybe don’t sleep with everything that walks,” Roy continued. 

“I’m not making it all about me. And for the record, I never cheated on Kori, and I don’t sleep around,” Dick retorted, gesturing around as he spoke. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and something about how everyone looked made his embarrassment worse. Wally’s eyes widened, and he slouched back into the couch. Donna leaned back finally after having sat straight up to try to intervene. Raven was silently watching while Victor and Garfield followed him and Roy like they were the entertainment now. Kori frowned at that, shaking her head.

“Dick—” 

“Seriously? You didn’t cheat on Kori? Does Mirage ring a bell at all? And for the record, you cheating isn’t new. Yeah, I know all about you cheating on Barbara with Tarantula. Who was better that time, Dick, huh, go on, share with the class!” Roy barked, shaking his head. Dick wondered if he was going this hard on him because of his thing he had sort of going on with Kori. He brushed that thought away.

Based on the others' expressions, Dick knew just how pitiful and disgusting he looked to them. It made Dick’s stomach churn, and he wanted to both beat the shit out of someone—anyone—and hide in his room and cry. Who even cares how that information got back to Roy? He certainly didn’t care because whoever he got the information from certainly hadn’t known what the fuck they were talking about. 

“That’s not fair—”

“Oh, not fair? I’m so sorry you can’t handle owning up to your fuck-ups. No one would be so pissed off about this if you'd just admit you’re a slut—” 

“Roy,” Donna interrupted, her tone had a bit of a warning to it. Dick silently thanked her for cutting in, but even that didn’t stop Roy’s frustrated and increasingly loud tirade.  

“—and now the one time we all can get together, you want to start shit and fuck everything up. Get a fucking grip—”

The only thing louder than Roy yelling at him was Dick’s heart that was beating against his chest with the amount of fear-mixed adrenaline Dick usually only got when he’d severely fucked up in the field. 

“I was raped,” Dick mustered out incredulously.

Those three words seemed to make everyone short circuit. Roy’s face twisted, confused; Kori’s as well. Victor and Garfield’s mouths dropped open a bit, and instead of looking at Roy, their eyes were glued to Dick. Raven stopped chewing her black licorice and stared at him. Donna had taken a shaky inhale as though she could believe what Dick had just said. That was fair enough; they usually would tell each other everything, but how could he tell her when he could only sometimes admit it to himself? Wally looked like he was going to cry, and he’d whispered out a dude sometime as Dick tried to calm down and think. 

He was grappling with what he could even say after this admission that would make them see how fucked the whole thing was. His face still felt hot, and Dick was sure if he didn’t get space soon, he’d break down in front of everybody. He started talking before the others could have a chance to try and gaslight him about it:

“I was raped more than once. It’s not my fault that Mirage used her power to look and talk exactly like Kori. And it’s also not my fault that I was in shock and said no, and Tarantula didn’t listen. It’s just not.”

Kori spoke up this time, “Dick, you still should’ve been able to tell the difference between me and an imposter.”

“That’s not fair! As much as he says that he is one of the best detectives in the world, he is still human, guys,” Wally started, shaking his head. “You’re telling me that if someone was pretending to be Dick well enough to fool everyone, that you’d be able to tell?” 

“Well—”

“Should Dick have asked whoever he was with a billion questions to make sure he was sleeping with them and not some piece of shit?”

“Wally,” Dick interrupted. He was back to picking at the pillow, though it was jerky enough that the others paid notice to how shitty he was feeling. “I said yes to my girlfriend, not to Mirage. I definitely said no to Catalina more than once. And while I didn’t say no to the other ones, they were the adults, not me. But that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have to get into what horrible crimes people committed against me for you guys to stop making jokes about all this stuff—”

Dick stood up from where he was sitting, and the pillow made a small thump sound when it hit the floor. He was so tense that he thought if he relaxed even a little he’d be sore for hours. Wally looked conflicted like he wanted to reach out to Dick and get him to sit back down but was too scared too; Donna looked just about the same. The rest of his old teammates were sitting there looking dumb, and it made Dick more angry:

“—I’m not going to just sit here and let you remind me about Mirage and everything else, or let you sit there and call me a slut, or whatever you come up with. And I shouldn’t have to sit here and listen to you blame me, because it’s not my fault!”

His breathing was choppy, almost a heaving sort of sound. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, and he was most definitely on the verge of tears because everything was getting kind of blurry. 

“Dick…” Donna said, moving her snacks and blanket to the side of her and standing up. 

“No.” Dick shook his head and took a step away from everyone. “No. I’m going back to Blüdhaven. I can’t…I can’t deal with this right now.” 

He made sure he had his phone, keys, and wallet on him before making his way to the doors of the lounge room. 

“Dude, don’t go,” Garfield tried to say. The others joined in, but there was no way he could stay tonight. In fact, he didn’t really want to see any of them for a few weeks. He wanted to stew away in his city, in his apartment until he’d gotten over the embarrassment and the humiliation of tonight.

“I’ll…I’ll catch you guys later. If you need help for a mission or something, let me know,” he responded, standing in the doorway. Just before he left, though, Dick looked back at them and opened his mouth like he was going to say something. Nothing came out though, and so Dick tapped the wall and left.

[thevindicativevordan]

Thoughts on James Gunn taking over DC films?

You are the first person to ask me about all the twists and turns related to DC of late. Disappointed in the rest of you, are my hot takes on the latest gossip not why you all keep coming back? Well let's jump in, first up a minor character I have more than a passing interest in: Superman.

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Five years, two major Superman projects meant to reboot the character, and... we end up right back with Cavill. Hamada's departure cleared the way for Cavill to return as the "main" Superman, with the help of the Rock of course. Between Jim Lee and the official DC Comics/Superman social media accounts welcoming Cavill back, and the trades putting out that WBD is eager to get another solo Superman film starring Cavill up and running, the Abrams/Coates project is all but dead already. No need for a new reboot if you're going to keep using the guy the previous regime planned on replacing, especially since they've passed on everything Abrams was working on thus far. Plus Hamada seems to have left on very bad terms, he didn't even take a production deal to smooth his exit, and he was the main backer for this project, I doubt Zaslav has any intention of greenlighting whatever Hamada projects in development that are left.

How do I feel? Well cautious would be the right word. I've made no secret of the fact that I thought Snyder sucked and I'd rate Cavill's acting as "wooden" at best. Perhaps with a new director and scriptwriter all the people who hail Cavill as the definitive post-Reeve Superman will finally get something they can point to in order to convince me, perhaps not, he did say For Tomorrow was his favorite Superman story - and if that's what he chooses to adapt with his second chance I fully expect him to crash and burn yet again. However he also mentioned wanting to fight Brainiac in old interviews, and his last pitch for a solo with MacQuarrie was rumored to essentially be Superman and the GLC teaming up to fight Brainiac. Lose the GLC and I'd be game, at this point all I want is an Aquaman tier Superman movie. Something fun that makes a billion and gets DC to greenlight more interesting Superman projects on the comics side (and maybe we could even get a video game too). Adapt Johns Brainiac arc which lets you use Sasha's Supergirl too, and I think it's possible to make a Superman movie that reviews well and crosses the billion dollar threshold at the box office.

My hunch is S&L will get to keep running until MoS2 is ready, which I predict will be in 2025. Two more seasons then for S&L, for a total of five, which isn't a bad run at all for the show. Maybe Hoechlin will even get to show up in a film adaption of CoIE if that ever happens, he deserves it without a doubt.

Oh and I guess the Rock wants to have a Black Adam vs. Superman fight. Look just use Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam as your foundation for that and it might be entertaining at least. I predict Black Adam's overall box office return to be around $500 million (maybe $600 million if it releases in China), enough to keep Johnson in the game but not enough to make him the center the way he wants. Not sure how that will affect things going forward but hey, the new DC head - or at least one of them - loves B and C-Listers, maybe that will work in the Rock's favor.

Gunn taking over is not a move I was expecting but it makes sense. He's a comics guy who has a good track record with adapting characters others would write off as worthless, and Safran is there to keep him in check so he doesn't run wild. If you're a fan of the B and C-Listers at DC this is great news, Gunn shares your affection and is a guy who actually reads modern comics. Just recently he gushed over Tom King's Strange Adventures mini, which might not be a good thing depending on your views regarding King, but it shows that he loves the source material and has respect for the actual creators who are making the comics. Upside for me is I think we will get a Bloodsport miniseries which makes me happy, and lots of comics creators were very happy at this news, which is an encouraging sign.

Regarding Superman specifically I'm not thrilled. Gunn does not seem to have any interest or affection for the character, it's hilarious the Snyder cultists hate Gunn so much because he and Snyder are of one mind when it comes to using Superman. Gunn too wanted to use a mind controlled evil Superman for The Suicide Squad, and that's hardly the kind of guy I want in the exec suites deciding which of the Superman scripts to go with for Cavill's second solo. No doubt that if Gunn had been calling the shots, he would've saved Batman: The Caped Crusader and sent My Adventures With Superman out to be shopped around, he's the type to greenlight Noonan's over Wonder Woman: The Animated Series, I'm not holding my breath on Gunn pivoting away from the overreliance on Batman. One point in his favor: given he wanted to make a Krypto movie (admittedly because he found Superman's dog more interesting than Superman himself) we're probably going to get League of Super-Pets 2, with the first movie being something I enjoyed and wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to. I think he's also friends with Grant Morrison, maybe he'll reach out to Morrison for advice regarding Supes which would be the best possible way this could play out.

Zaslav was said to not be planning on giving up all that much power per old reports. He wanted a Feige but didn't intend to let that Feige do as he pleased, Zaslav would still be involved. Given the Trinity were specifically called out as brands he wanted to grow separately from the DC brand as a whole, my hunch is Zaslav will continue to be hands on in anything involving the Trinity. Gunn will get more freedom with the rest of the DCU, but those three are going to need Zaslav's approval for anything major.

For better or for worse it seems WBD has found a new direction for itself, having tossed the old roadmap out. As we approach Superman's 85th I just pray the stuff I'm interested in survives and the new guys in charge are less shitty in their handling of the character than the old regime was.

[mcrcki]

Was that [KAYLEE BRYANT]? Oh no no, that was just [YLFA SNORGELSSON], a [CANON CHARACTER] from [DIMENSION 20’S NEVERAFTER]. They are [EIGHTEEN] years old, use [SHE/THEY], and [ARE] aware that they are not actually from Washington DC. Too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

how long has your character been here -

like maybe a week??? if that???? they kinda lost track of the days and have fully been sleeping in the park just trying to figure out what’s going on so, it could be three days, could be a week. idk

what is your character’s job -

a job????? they’re a mess of an eighteen year old, who was aged up from a pre-teen. they do not know what they’re going to do for work and probably wont for a while. she will most likely just idk steal things for a little bit? 

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom -

so, since i am still currently watching the campaign , they are going to be pulled from episode 5. they have gotten to the second story but i will be updating as i make it through the campaign

has any magic affected your character -

yeah, a fair bit, but not memory wise! beyond having aged up from being like eleven/twelve, they have also been made to look almost completely human. instead of their wolf like form, they are just a normal looking teenager, minus their eye being bloodshot. they are not vibing with looking like more human since they were starting to get used to the wolf side of them, so it’s just unlocked a completely different struggle for her

other notes -

hello , i should not be allowed to watch new media because i will absolutely want a character from it. especially when they are as iconic as my girl ylfa. anyways, imma ramble for a little, there will be some vague spoilers for neverafter until episode 5 so, just a heads up

ylfa snorgelsson is little red riding hood, and a little bit of the big bad wolf?? their nickname is ‘red’ , they would also accept red riding hood, little red, or just ylfa. no one calls them anything but ylfa or red, but they’d like it

total grandma girl - favorite games and gin rummy and bridge (normal kid games), loves oatmeal cookies, v much looks up to authority figures and wants to be A Good Kid

they are too feral and highkey messy to be a good kid, but they are trying. they slip up but they want to be useful, and good and brave. 

she does have constant “pink eye”, one eye is like always just looking rough 24/7 im so sorry. also sounds constantly congested. it’s just her voice, but that’s the best way to describe her voice???

(the pink eye is 100% from over exertion its not actually pink eye. it’s just from being young and small and raging to grow like three times her normal size!!!) 

otherwise v human looking,, no wolf paws or ears anymore. she wanted to be normal, but now they kinda miss it? definitely don’t know what to do with themselves now that they are not like obviously werewolf?

she has not gotten super mad / raged so she has not shifted to grow in size and get a more ? werewolf appearance , so look out for that if they ever get pissed

but if you know the story of red riding hood, you know the basics for ylfa, except for the fact that when they went home after finally leaving their grandmothers after she was killed, ylfa was distraught, and then their mother wouldn’t !! let !! her in the house !! 

there is a whole scene, where it’s p much alluded to the fact that ylfa killed her entire family, because when her mom finally let her in, her mom set a trap to let a silver dagger stab them !!!!! they were eleven !!!!!!!!

so ylfa did the whole “huff and puff” thing, and killed their whole family. 

they thought ylfa was dead and was the wolf trying to get in, but ylfa had a whole breakdown of like ?? if she was dead, where was her funeral?? why did they have such a nice sit down dinner if they thought she was dead????

pls someone just give this child a good family structure. 

that’s p much where the events of the campaign pick up, so ill update this as i watch and get more information and such

as of right now, they are here in dc, absolutely alone and don’t really know how they got here, how to get back, etc. they think that maybe?? they died during the fight they were going into, and this is a different story? that they’re in a different neverafter. 

important things to know : they are the bravest little girl in the world and will tank all damage for their party bc they’re the best thank u

connections :

✩ friends

pls be friends with them , they’re a total mess but are incredibly loyal and really just want to have?? another group of friends their age. they don’t really have that, and never have? 

also if you are an authority figure, they will probably hang around trying to get you to play card games with her

✩ roommate 

literally just someone to get her out of the middle of the park

like someone pls take a stray child home or something

✩ werewolf characters

hi pls show them being a wolf really is a good thing in the end 

✩ maybe a doctor

girl has fleas, pink eye, just a whole mess of wolfish issues, someone pls get them to a walk in or a vet