#( dynamics ) iris & richard.

[layla-keating]

Are you sure about that? — I’m sure about you. Whatever happens next... we’ll do it together.

THE FLASH Season 9, Episode 1: Wednesday Ever After

[quinnsethics]

iris tag drop.

[voraciousvore]

Giganterra (Chapter 48)

Prologue/ TOC | Previous (47) | Next (49)

Content Warning: NSFW/18+! Non-con sex/ sexual themes, safe soft vore

Word Count: 2.2k

------ Chapter 48: Reckoning ------

Candy’s life got worse, if that was even possible. King Richard had been sadistic and abusive before, when using the poor woman to satiate his own selfish desires, but the loss of one of his favorites left him cranky and irascible. Without Millie to placate the beast, his dark rage was unleashed.  

He took out his anger on Candy, becoming significantly rougher and nastier whenever he handled her. Sometimes he would hurt her badly, only to restore her with the healing potion so he wouldn’t completely destroy his favorite toy. He blamed her for Millie’s successful escape and threatened to kill or torture her on a daily basis. Candy was terrified that one day he would snap and slaughter her for real, and she’d be powerless to stop him. Whenever he ate her, she feared he wouldn’t let her out. Without Millie as a buffer, she was with the king at all times, a torture in itself. She didn’t dare to try another escape attempt again. 

One day, he was in a particularly foul mood, and nothing Candy did would make him feel better. He desired Millie. He craved her positive praise, which Candy was too gloomy to provide; her desperate groveling and bootlicking, which Candy was too proud to put her full effort into; and above all, her frail little body on his tongue, with her fantastic vanilla flavor. Candy was delicious, with her caramel sweetness, but he was hyper-fixated on what he couldn’t have. He tossed Candy from hand to hand, scowling petulantly. 

“Bring me an ice cream sundae!” he demanded of his personal attendant. 

“Right away, sire!” The giant servant rushed to the kitchen, not wanting to displease the vicious king when he was in such a vile temper. “The king requires an ice cream sundae!” he announced to the kitchen staff, who scrambled to obey. 

Chef Cruor grabbed a chilled bowl from the cabinet with the runic frost stones, along with tubs of ice cream. He scooped several different flavors into the bowl and topped them with nuts and sprinkles. Any food that the king demanded had to be garnished with live humans, so he went over to the glass tanks to check his options. Lately, the king had been devouring humans in far greater numbers in Millie’s absence, so there were only four humans left that hadn’t already been consumed that evening for dinner: Jackie, Eren, Iris, and Addison. 

The chef selected Jackie, Iris, and Eren, leaving Addison behind. He winced when he glanced down at her. Since the first time he served her up in King Ivan’s dish, he’d been pressured to feed her to the royals several more times. She never verbally protested the treatment, but she always returned with a puffy face streaked with tears. Yet, she clung to him with a desperation that filled him with execrable guilt. He would almost prefer if she cursed at him, bit him, and spat on his hand, like Eren did. That way, he could harden his heart and dismiss her feelings. He felt like an abusive monster, controlling her and harming her in this toxic dynamic they had developed, but he didn’t know what else he could do. 

He plopped Jackie and Iris on opposite sides of the sundae, and squished Eren up to her chin in ice cream in the center so that she couldn’t escape. She snapped at his skin with her teeth but couldn’t break through his callouses. He buried her in whipped cream to mute her offensive epithets and poured chocolate sauce on the other two girls. The last step was a drop of magic serum for each one. 

“Cruor!” Hearing his name, the chef turned around, only to get rapped on his knobby knuckles with a big wooden spoon by Bucky. 

“Ouch! What was that for?” 

“I don’t know what game you’re trying to play, but you missed one,” Bucky chastised, pointing a fat finger towards Addison. “Throw her in!” 

Cruor swallowed, his prominent Adam’s apple bobbing in his pale throat as he stumbled over to her tank. While Bucky watched, Cruor opened the lid, snaked his hand inside, and curled his fingers around her. His entrails flip-flopped when she willingly tucked herself into the embrace of his digits, without resisting or saying a word. He held her up, opened his hand, and looked down at her. She sat obediently in his palm, staring at him with both distress and resigned understanding. Her eyes shined with excessive moisture. 

“What are you waiting for? Quit stalling!” Bucky admonished. Cruor didn’t move from his spot. His legs had turned to stone. His heart was throbbing enough to make him feel lightheaded. She didn’t deserve this abominable fate. She was too sweet, too fragile, too forgiving for her own good; she was special, like a shining star from the heavens. He couldn’t allow her to be eaten again. He couldn’t have a hand in her suffering. He just couldn’t do it any longer. 

“No,” he mumbled. 

“Huh?” Bucky frowned, his face darkening a few shades. 

Cruor could hardly believe the protest emanating from his lips. “No,” he repeated, louder and firmer this time. 

Bucky stormed over. “Excuse me?” He crossed his gigantic arms, tapping the mixing spoon on his substantial side rolls. “That isn’t an option, Cruor.” 

Cruor narrowed his eyes, mind racing. His hands started to sweat, and he gritted his teeth. He knew what he would have to do, and he didn’t like the idea at all. “What do you want from me, Bucky?” he asked. With a deliberate motion, he placed Addison back into the safety of her enclosure. “For you, everything has a price. What do I have to pay? To keep her untouched?” 

“Oh?” Bucky cocked a bushy brow, his eyes gleaming. “I see you speak my language.” He prowled forward in an aggressive advance, backing Cruor into a corner. “You know what I like.” 

Cruor shrank back and ran a clammy hand through his stringy hair. His shoulder blades scraped against the cool stone bricks. “Um... yes.” He gulped. 

“Would you be willing?” Bucky pressed, leaning in close enough for Cruor to get a whiff of his rotten breath. His bulging gut compressed against Cruor’s thinner midsection. “Would you replace Chef Gore, and be my fat piggy? Let me stuff you full of pasta to bursting, and fatten you up into a nice round shape? You know I like bigger men.” 

Cruor felt like throwing up at the suggestion, but forced down his revulsion. He had to do this to protect Addison. There was no viable alternative that didn’t involve major risk of death. “Yeah,” he gagged.  

“Will you let me grope you and grind on you while you’re working? Drag you into the closet whenever I please? Shove live humans up inside you?” 

Cruor grimaced. “Ugh...” For Addison. “F... f... fine...” 

Bucky leered down at him with a mouthful of crooked yellow teeth. “Fantastic!” he bellowed, clapping his subordinate on the shoulder. “Finish making that sundae and I’ll whip up a big steaming pot of fettuccine alfredo! I hope you’ve got a healthy appetite!” He strolled away, swinging his arms and whistling.  

Cruor, nauseous to his core, returned to the counter and recollected the two humans who had attempted to flee while unsupervised. Iris, listless as always, hadn’t budged from her perch; she merely sank lower into a divot formed by her body heat in the melting ice cream. Jackie didn’t make it very far, since she had wasted precious time trying and failing to convince her immobile friend to join her. Eren hoofed it an impressive distance with cold feet coated in slippery liquid, but ended up losing her balance and skating on the slick countertop right into Cruor’s waiting hand. He ignored her attacks and curses, poked her back into the ice cream, and topped the sundae with a bright red cherry before sending it off to the king’s quarters.  

King Richard’s manservant, flanked by Chester, found the crabby giant sprawled out naked on his bedspread, with Candy riding his huge erect dick. “Ah, dessert!” he bellowed, sitting up and snatching the bowl out of the servant’s hands. He waved the servant away and licked his lips, leering down at the bowl with gleaming eyes and teeth. He waited with impatience as Chester performed his duty and proved the food wasn't poisoned. 

Chester bowed and turned to leave. “Hold on, Chester,” Hardon said, stopping the man in his tracks. 

“Yes, Your Majesty?” 

“Any sign of Millie?” He took a bite of ice cream, terrorizing Jackie with his spoon by swiping it through the frozen confection dangerously close to her body. 

Chester bit his lip. “N-no, sire,” he lied. “I’ve searched the castle grounds and surrounding countryside high and low, with no sign of her. The rain washed away her scent. I fear a wild animal may have picked her off.” 

The king grunted. “Hmph. Figures.” He pierced Chester through with his pale eyes. “You know, any other man in your position would have been executed for your failure. You understand that, yes?” 

“Yes, sire.” 

“But I know you are a man of loyalty and refined taste. I’ve always counted on you, and you don’t disappoint me. You’ve captured plenty of runaways in the past. So I suppose I’ll let it go, and cease the daily lashes.” 

“Thank you for your clemency, sire,” Chester sighed in relief, bowing his head. His back was killing him. He was fortunate to have access to healing potion, but getting his skin shredded every day was beginning to wear on him. 

“Just know, Chester. If you fail me again, I may not be so lenient.” His expression darkened. He popped the cherry into his maw and burst it between his teeth, flicking away the stem. Red juice dribbled down his chin.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”  

Chester stood awkwardly beside the bed with his hands folded, since he had yet to be excused, as the king chowed down on his sundae. He dug Eren out of her ice cream burial, amused by her fruitless kicking and screaming as he dangled her upside-down by her leg. He flicked her high up in the air, making her yelp, and caught her in his mouth before gulping her down with delight. He hummed to himself as he scooped up Jackie and slurped her off his spoon. He swished her around in his cheeks, sighing in contentment as he swallowed her.  

“Ah, delicious!” He rubbed his bare paunch with satisfaction. He grabbed Candy off his throbbing dick and shoved her up against his hairy, twitching belly with a grin. “Can you hear their screams, Candy? That gurgling as my stomach works to digest?” 

Even from his elevated vantage point, Chester could see a shudder run through the tiny woman. “Yes,” she squeaked in horror. 

“That might be you soon, if you don’t put your whole body into pleasuring me!” he warned. He tossed her back to his groin, and she scrambled to hump his shaft with her entire being, fueled by pure adrenaline. 

The king returned to his sundae. He prodded Iris with his spoon, going so far as to press her down into the ice cream with the curved end, and frowned when he failed to get a meaningful rise out of her. “What’s wrong with you, human?” he questioned harshly as he pinched her between his fingers and lifted her up to his face. Iris didn’t give any indication that she heard him or cared. 

The giant gave her a big lick. “Tasteless,” he spat, shaking her with disgust. “The only thing she’s good for now is to grind her up into sausage. Or maybe dog food.” He played with her limp body in his hands, thinking hard. 

“Chester.” The royal food taster straightened. “I’ve been quite hard on you, haven’t I?” 

“Um...” Chester didn’t know how to respond without committing a potential blunder. 

“Here. Take this. She’s yours to eat.”  

Chester gawked as the woman, sticky with ice cream, was thrust into his hands. “Huh?!” 

“A small reward for you. Enjoy her and begone.” He flicked his wrist in a dismissive gesture. “Oh, and take this bowl with you.” Chester scrambled to get a hold on the bowl without dropping the human. 

“Oh, thank you, sire! Thank you very much!” he praised, clumsily backing out the door. Hardon ignored Chester and focused on Candy, gripping his cock in his hand. Chester raced to the kitchen and plunked the bowl on the counter in front of Cruor, who was busy washing dishes. The chef curled his lip with irritation. 

Chester pondered to himself before hurrying to one of the cupboards and stealing the chocolate syrup. His mouth watered in eager anticipation for the special treat he was about to partake in. He skipped over to the food closet, sequestered himself in privacy, and sat down in his usual spot with his back against the shelf. 

He was going to enjoy this. 

Chapter 49

Tag List: @yummynomms @maybeiamdownbad @tinycoded360

[fantastic4]

valeria giving a tour of the FF’s villains be like: “this is doctor doom. he’s the fantastic four’s greatest nemesis who has tried to kill us many times. he’s also my bestie godfather. my dad was best man at his wedding. I’m booked to get ice cream with him this weekend. he’s cool.” and the people listening just have to accept that

[amwritesitall]

Assigning the Sarahs Imaginary Authors Perfumes

Niche content from yours truly. I did spend a lot of time contemplating this though. Also, the "notes" and "when to wear" section is from imaginary authors website

Masterlist

Billie Dean Howard

Fragrance Name: Whispered Myths

Notes: Natural Cambodian Oud, Cantaloupe, Cedarwood, Muskdana, Honey, Salvaged Shipwreck

When to Wear: This is a classic scent with deep historic undertones. It is long-lasting, bold, and artful. Wear it with reverence and appreciate your dynamic place in this big, crazy world.

Lana Winters

Fragrance Name: Slow Explosions

Notes: Saffron, Rose Absolute, Leather, Apple, Benzoin, Cashmeran, Arpora Night Market

When to Wear: With pops of rose and hits of saffron, this scent explodes on the skin and awakens the senses. Every inhale will open you up to the idea of escape, push you to take risks, and embolden you to get truly lost. Let us know how it goes.

Cordelia Goode

Fragrance Name: Saint Julip

Notes: Sweet Mint, Tangerine, Southern Magnolia, Bourbon, Grisalva, Sugarcube

When to Wear: When the weight of the world seems too much to bear, a prayer to Saint Julep will not only soothe, it will give you the aplomb to keep marching forward.

Bette and Dot

Fragrance Name: Yesterday Haze

Notes: Fig, Iris, Cream, Tonka, Tree Bark, Walnut Bitters, Orchard Dust

When to Wear: The seductive, dreamlike quality of this scent works like a magnet. Use it liberally during the day and, as it lingers into night, watch as those around you are lured into your sphere.

Sally McKenna

Fragrance Name: A City on Fire

Notes: Cade oil, Spikenard, Cardamom, Clearwood, Dark Berries, Labdanum, Burnt Match

When to Wear: The refined smoke accord makes this an austere and luxurious scent for evenings on the town, whether with a special someone or alone and looking for trouble.

Audrey Tindall

Fragrance Name: Sundrunk

Notes: Neroli, Rhubarb, Honeysuckle, Rose Water, Orange Zest, First Kiss

When to Wear: The obvious choice is to plunge into this scent at the peak of summer, allowing the cool citrus to wash your worries away. Less obvious is to douse yourself in the darker months, letting your skin soak up the sun and radiate it outward when it matters most.

Ally Mayfair-Richards

Fragrance Name: Fox in the Flowerbed

Notes: Jasmine, Tulips, Frankincense, Wildflower Honey, Pink Peppercorns, Silver Thistle, Alpine Air

When to Wear: Wearing this floral wonder will amplify the beauty in everything. It’s a versatile scent, doubling as a mood-lifter during the day and bringing an ethereal elegance to nights out. Don't be led astray by the name, there is nothing animalic or off-putting about this scent.

Wilhemina Venable

Fragrance Name: O, Unknown!

Notes: Black Tea, Lapsang Souchong Tincture, Orris Butter, Kyoto Moss, Musk Balsam, Sandalwood, ???

When to Wear: At the risk of sounding bleak, this night could be your last. Splash on O, Unknown! and plunge forth into prosperity and joy. Repeat as often as you are able.

Mildred Ratched

Fragrance Name: Every Storm a Serenade

Notes: Danish Spruce, Eucalyptus, Vetiver, Calone, Ambergris, Baltic Sea Mist

When to Wear: Don’t be detoured by perceptions of ambergris, this is an everyday scent for those with discriminating taste.

Harriet Hayes

Fragrance Name: Memoirs of a Trespasser

Notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Guaiacwood, Myrrh, Benzoin Resin, Ambrette Seeds, Oak Barrels

When to Wear: A true adventure scent, wear Memoirs of a Trespasser when traveling, and again when you’re back home to conjure comforting memories.

Alice Macray

Fragrance Name: Telegrama

Notes: Talc, Lavender Absolute, Black Pepper, Teak, Amyris, Vanilla Powder, Fresh Linens

When to Wear: Inspired by a vintage first-class experience, this plush scent has the ability to turn even the most ordinary day into something dignified and memorable. Indulge often.

[englishgiraffe]

My Love For The Eighth Doctor Books

Disclaimer: This essay is awfully long, the structure is terrible, and it probably shouldn’t have been over 4000 words, but hopefully, you’ll enjoy my insight of the Eighth Doctor Books.

Introduction

Trying to create a character around a brand new Doctor is tricky and Paul McGann’s incarnation is perhaps the biggest example for this. After 1996, he never had a TV appearance to fully flesh out the Eighth Doctor and remember: Big Finish didn’t use the Eighth Doctor until 2001. So writers in 1997 had a difficult task, especially when the Virgin Books lost the rights to the DW IP and were back in the BBC’s rights. Some Virgin New Adventure writers like Kate Orman, Justin Richards, Paul Leonard had come to write for the EDA’s, but new talent had to come in as well. They all had to intricately look at like, what, 40 minutes of McGann’s screentime in the TV Movie, half of which was the Doctor trying to figure himself out from amnesia and the other half is him being thrust into the plot without any way to truly develop his character. So… yeah, I actually can’t blame the writers finding their feet, at least with the VNA’s developing the 7th Doctor, he had 12 stories. Also, trying to pick up from the massive popularity of the VNA’s, and oh my God, I feel so bad for the writers. But, there could be a slither of a chance, maybe the magic they could have brought from the VNA’s can be replicated again. So, did it work? Hell yeah, it did!... just not under the guise of Uncle Terry Dicks. Just…screw everything about The Eight Doctors, it’s the worst possible starting point. But after that blip, yeah, it’s my favourite era of the Doctor Who IP, bar none.

Exciting Ideas

I’ll start off listing the sci-fi elements first before getting into character work. Much like the VNA’s, perhaps even more so, the EDA’s are not afraid to bring bold, extravagant ideas that TV Who could never do, perhaps not even what Big Finish could do, because of the novel format that allows descriptions and characters to fully grow. The Books are able to describe how a planet looks, feels, sounds, even down to taste so effortlessly, and a part of it is how unique, so bizarre, so beautiful these planets are, so… intimate. Could Doctor Who ever do planets like Albert (a planet entirely made out of Grimm’s fairy tales), Hitchemus (a colony world thriving on music and inhabited by intelligent tigers), The Crooked World (much like the Land of Fiction, except all the inhabitants and settings are cartoon-based). Not even Big Finish pulls off such weird and surreal settings and that’s because of the prose style allowing time and dedication to flesh out the multiple planets, without feeling clunky in its description and dialogue, which could plague early BF stories at times. But it’s not just the variety in the settings that make it great, there are also fascinating new ways to tell these stories with different formats. Narratives can be told in a Pulp Fiction-esque, out of order style (The Last Resort), told backwards (Festival of Death), books where the Doctor is barely in it but his presence is booming (Sleep of Reason), books told from the first person POV (The Turing Test, Frontier Worlds, Banquo Legacy), a narrative told from a non-fiction documentary perspective (Adventuress of Henrietta Street), a narrative told in a essay format (History 101), and that’s only a handful of the formats. There’s multiple pastiches and parodies; Trading Futures does Doctor Who crossed with James Bond harder than the Pertwee era, The Tomorrow Windows replicates Douglas Adams’ style down to a T, The Crooked World is basically Doctor Who crossed with Hanna Barbara Cartoons and many more. God, everything is so unique and wacky in this book range.

The Tone and Theming

As for the Books’ tone, it’s certainly interesting. In the VNA’s, because a lot of new talent, and a lack of the BBC reigning things in as well as major inspiration from 90s cyberpunk media such as Judge Dredd, a lot of the books, especially in its first half, were extremely grimdark and gratuitous in order to show shock value for its audience (Timewryn Genesys had Ace sexually assaulted and The Doctor told her to just shrug it off and claim that it was part of the times they’re in and Warlock had unconsented bestiality and detailed animal murder). It was too far in my eyes, despite me saying that DW can be more than a franchise that is just whirling around in a magic police box. However, in the EDA’s, yes there is more sexual content, swearing like bastard, bitch and shit is still a thing, and there can be gory violence. But here’s where the EDA’s success at compared to VNA’s; it attempts to earn it’s adult elements. With the VNA’s, the grimdark nature was so constant to the point of normalisation, with hardly any degree of wonder or wit, especially from its regulars (thank God for Bernice Summerfield bringing some happiness at least). It does address and deconstruct the grimdark nature near the end, but God, even as a depressing cynical man, the likes of Blood Heat, Parasite, Warlock were just too dour for me to truly enjoy. But here, there is moderation and it feels contextual to the overall story. It enhances the story, not pollute it. The Spanish Civil War of 1936 (History 101) is written maturely and handles its mature themes in a thoughtful manner, Suicide and Depression is handled with sensitivity and intimacy (The Sleep of Reason), and when gratituous violence is used, it is detailed certainly but never glamorised and often times extremely terrifying instead of gore for the sake of gore (Eater of Wasps). Hell, even the most comical story, The Crooked World, has introspective themes of free will, the concept of death, existentialism and the value of a soul. But, it’s not all bleak, as said, The Crooked World is perhaps the most comical story since The Romans, anything involved with Iris Wildthyme as well as being weird abstract, is just laugh-out-loud hilarious, Jonathan Morris’ The Tomorrow Windows is pure Douglas Adams wacky humour, and Lance Parkin’s Trading Futures is majorly inspired by Roger Moore James Bond movies. The way the Books tackle true adult themes like Morality, Honour, Sexuality, Gender, Trauma, Redemption, the Philosophy of Nature and Identity, whilst being imaginative, humorous and endearing is… just poignant and beautiful.

 The Regulars-Sam Jones

So… the regulars. Well, I’ll save the main two (The Eighth Doctor and Fitz) for last, because they will be the longest. So starting with Sam Jones (and yes, they do the ‘Smith and Jones’ shtick about a decade prior to Series 3), and off the bat, she’s easily the weakest EDA Companion and a bit of a inconsistency. She often suffered from writers who wanted to write her as the worst extremes of ‘Vegetarian Political Activist’, who constantly bitches and moans towards everything without any proper tact. And I don’t mind characters who don’t believe in tact, Cordelia from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel is one of my favourite characters, but when Sam gives her opinions on everything in a pessimistic attitude without a degree of optimism… yeah my enthusiasm starts to drain really quickly. Doesn’t help that she’ll flip-flop between being a lovesick puppydog for 8, cynical activist or just… woman. But I will say that when she’s written under the likes of Kate Orman/Jonathan Blum, Paul Leonard and Paul Magrs, I absolutely love her character. She’s perceptive yet bright, naïve but willing to grow, cynical but willing to bring in entertainment. And I will say that her backstory is a fascinating deconstruction of the ‘Perfect Companion’ trope that Moffat loved to overemphasise. She had been manipulated, used as a pawn and twisted by the Doctor (although this is accidental) from the events of the TV Movie, and the real/correct one is just a junkie that couldn’t wait to stick a Heroin needle if it was given in front of her. It’s tragic, especially considering that when The Doctor fixes all his companions’ timeline much later down the line, Correct Sam becomes the correct version and it’s revealed that this version never travelled with the Doctor and died of an overdose, despite Fitz knowing her experiences they had together. I also love her exit story in Interference, she had become more enjoyable near the end and the story is able to show her resources. Unfortunately, the inconsistency up until Fitz joins just left me too much having a cold taste in my mouth for me to love her.

The Regulars-Compassion

Next up, the human-TARDIS hybrid and Ice Cold Queen, Compassion. This is a character that I definitely appreciated way more after a first reading. The first time, I thought Compassion was too cold and aloof but on a reread, while she’s never going to be high on my list for favourite companions and I find her the hardest to analyse, I find that she works great as a hard-edged character, her dynamic with The Doctor and Fitz remind me a lot of 2/Jamie/Zoe, only if Zoe was way more upfront about her intelligence and rudeness. Her dynamic with Fitz as well is interesting as at first, they clearly despise each other for their clashing personalities and find each other untrustworthy but overtime, Compassion learns to enjoy Fitz’s goofiness and even learns to apologise. She can be destructive and violent with no emotion put behind it. That said, she becomes a more interesting character once she becomes the first Human-TARDIS hybrid, with the Doctor and Fitz forced to rely on her, but because of her cold hubris and after The Doctor forces a Randomiser thus violating her body, Compassion can become terrifying to The Doctor and Fitz. She does get brilliant material in The Banquo Legacy as well, with her possessing one person and her personality conflicting with the possessed person’s. And she has a decent farewell as well. Overall, I enjoy Compassion, it’s just really hard to analyse her considering that she only has 12 stories with the combination of perhaps a too subtle character arc.

 The Regulars- Anji Kapoor

Now onto Anji Kapoor. If it isn’t for another companion that I’ll mention later, then Anji is certainly a close second in my rankings of 8th Doctor companions. And I also say with high praise that the 8th Doctor, Fitz Kreiner and Anji Kapoor team is my definitive TARDIS team… ever. You wouldn’t get that impression with her first story, as she has the trappings of an RTD Companion that you can pretty much guess a mile off. Stale relationship, life is going nowhere, working class, dead end job, jeez, I heard it all with Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Clara, Bill. The fact that she works in the stock market, an occupation I swear 98% of the population can barely figure out, and I felt like I was never going to like Anji. But Dang… Dang!!! The biggest glow-up happens in her very next story, and it practically sticks until her exit. I always felt that companions inbetween that period of Leela (arguably Tegan) and Anji never really basked in the pure absurdity of what world they were travelling in and never really gave any thought. The combination of new experiences around the universe and her haunting memories of her dead boyfriend was a lot to take in for her, to the point that she never really moved on (in Earthworld, she keeps writing emails to Dave, despite him being dead, and in Hope, she gives the secrets of the TARDIS over to the inhabitants on the exchange that they clone her boyfriend). She fell from grace multiple times, but with the Doctor and Fitz’s help, she was able to pick herself back up before spiralling down. What I love about Anji is despite her caring for The Doctor, she’s very distrustful to him because of his calculating and alien nature and both conflict with each other, their arguments almost feel too real. Anji often considers the options and is usually independent with her financial skills and intelligence. Over the 25 Books she’s in, she has become consistently enjoyable and a delight to read. Witty, clever, full of instinct, and humane, I did feel a proper sense of loss when she left.

The Regulars- Trix Macmillan

On the last companion, Trix Macmillan. She’s probably have the least amount of books in comparison to other EDA Companions (Sam had 25, Fitz had 51, Compassion has 12 and Anji had 25), with her only having 9 Books. Certainly not a lot of time to flesh out her character in comparison, but somehow the writers did it. What I love about Trix and what makes her a stark contrast to the first EDA Companion, Sam, is that Trix doesn’t want to be popular or well-liked. She’s logical, calculating, often devious, and often pretty tactless. She’s the kind of person who would steal a dead person’s identity and money. She treats The Doctor and Fitz not as friends, only acquaintances. But not just that, she can be (intentionally) a walking contradiction. Much like a showbiz actress, depending on what environment, time and crowd she’s working with, she’ll immediately change her personality. To the point that Trix doesn’t even know her true personality, and she is scared that she wants to know what she used to be. She likes being anyone but herself, wanting to become inconspicuous around the Doctor. Her relationship with the Doctor is interesting as well, he is judgemental towards her hobby as a conwoman, believing that she’s only with him and Fitz because she’ll steal whatever she can get. But as time goes on, he learns about her contradictory personality (most likely relates because of his own contradictory personality), and sees her, the real her. And despite her trying to detach herself from The Doctor, she slowly, but surely, opens herself more to The Doctor and Fitz, to the point that she feels hurt when The Doctor accuses her. Even with the short runtime, I found her relationship with Fitz to be really touching, and shows that Fitz’s open loyalty works in tandem with Trix’s cold secrecy. We don’t get much information about her past, but in a way I enjoy the lack of answers, whether she’s just a conartist or perhaps a chameleonic alien, what her relationship was like with her father. And maybe that’s the point, with her shape-shifting and unpredictable personality, she’s meant to be an enigma. At the very least, with 9 books, she had become a fascinating character that was wonderful to read and analyse.

The Regulars-Fitzgerald Kreiner

Now, my favourite companion in all of Doctor Who media, Fitz Kreiner. Better than the likes of Jamie, Donna, Sarah Jane, Ace and Evelyn. Before with Sam and The Doctor, the books were of varying quality, but as soon as he was introduced, even with a bit of a terrible debut story, he brought such humour that made the story just about bearable. He’s a bit of a goofball with some addiction for cigarettes and alcohol, but he starts becoming one of the most complex and special characters in the franchise. He begins as a bit of a James Bond-esque ‘Lady’s Man’, often trying to flirt and womanise, but by his third Book, Revolution Man, the development truly begins. He gets kidnapped, tortured and brainwashed under the influence of alien drugs and forced into shooting a man, with the Doctor forced to finish the job off for Fitz. He’s obviously going to have lasting effects that will damage him in the long run. But Damn, it doesn’t stop there, Interference leaves him in the absolute gutter with him being trapped in a membrane for 600 years, and resents the Doctor for failing to rescue him, and joins up to 8’s longlives enemy, Faction Paradox, and is converted to be a monster, becoming Father Kreiner. And it’s tragic, given his PTSD shown from Revolution Man. But that Fitz is gone, and what stays with the Doctor until the end is a clone of him, with full memories and everything. So thankfully, the loveable oaf never truly went away and only gets better from here. Much like how the 2nd Doctor was perfect for Jamie, or how Ian and Barbara are integral for the 1st Doctor, Fitz is ideal for 8. During the period with Compassion, he wants to prove that he’s the real Fitz, but can’t, because he isn’t. He may have the OG Fitz’s memories, but he can’t dream and thinks that some memories are missing. Even some aspects of his personality are different, like his skills of hiding and blending in easier. He may be a doofus, and hard to catch on certain things, but much like Jamie, he’s street-smart, and is able to spot simple situations that The Doctor wouldn’t give a second notice because of his desire for over-complicated situations. Even with him not being as bright, he’s able to hold off on his own from the Doctor, as in Trading Futures, he’s able to defeat Time Lord-wannabe Space Rhinos (no, not those kind of Space Rhinos) on his own without any of the Doctor’s help or knowledge by impersonating the Doctor, even willing to sacrifice himself. He’s the flame behind the EDA’s for me, the one who is willing to sacrifice everything he has to save whoever he considers family, and the bond that the Doctor and Fitz have together is inspired. He is fiercely loyal to the Doctor, even when he is kept in the dark. They both have a connection towards each other, like a mix between 2/Jamie and early 8/Charley, with Fitz even willing to hold the heavy memories of what 8 did to Gallifrey, even when The Doctor threatens to break every bone in Fitz’s body.  He was the best friend that 8 could ever have, I loved their kindred relationship and it was totally worth it having Fitz for 51 Books to become such a developed character. My favourite companion, bar none.

The Regulars-The Eighth Doctor

And now, finally the Eighth Doctor. Before, I used to cite the Eighth Doctor from Big Finish as the definitive incarnation. And don’t get me wrong, I still love him in the Charley, Lucie and even the Doom Coalition era. He has brilliant gravitas in showing intelligence (arguably the most intelligence since the 4th Doctor), dry morbid humour, the right amount of patronising, and enthusiasm, often excelled by McGann’s excellent performance and Shakespearean voice. But, as time goes on, the era becomes more… how do I say… schizophrenic and uneven. Big Finish sort of starts off creating arcs for 8, but then… sort of wander off and never pick up on arcs they’ve created, like the 800 year maroon in Orbis, the angst in Dark Eyes, then finally culminating with Moffat’s Night of the Doctor, not picking up on his hatred for the Daleks after Lucie Miller’s death, and making him too naïve to the Time War, making it as if his journey from BF didn’t even matter.

Then came my experiences with the books. And discarding the first novel, The Eight Doctors, and jumping straight to Vampire Science, Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman immediately gave 8 more nuance than 75% of 8th Doctor material in BF. I should preface by saying this as well: despite my grievances from the Virgin New Adventures, I still think that the character of 7, Time’s Champion and its character work are still crucial to the EDA’s and how it conflicts/supplements 8’s character. 8 is no longer Death’s pet, stuck to the chains of fate, but much like 7, in the eyes of others, he is simultaneously whimsical, dangerous and manipulative, albeit more flawed than 7. When 7 manipulates, it’s more out of logic, thinking about the bigger scope, while with 8, it’s out of passion and love. He often uses his good looks and often childlike grin as a front to scheme, as evidenced in Genocide. But unlike the 7th Doctor, it’s never constant to the point of predictability, and sometimes, even his manipulation messes up due to his conflict with his passion and childlike personality. I’d argue that 8 is the most anti-hero incarnation of all the Doctors, even more than the 7th Doctor, often obliviously selfish, privileged and at times very toxic and callous. He often doesn’t let other people in on his schemes (him faking his own death to his companions in The Banquo Legacy), often clings onto people out of fear of losing them (Sam in Interference), pulls strings for his selfish needs (uses Alan Turing’s sexuality as blackmail to make Turing help him help aliens but on the basis that the Doctor just escapes Earth in The Turing Test), puts others on the brink of death (orders a possessed wasp-human hybrid to kill one of his closest patients to test if his true personality is still there in Eater of Wasps), often be cold-blooded and violent (throws a medic against the wall head-first and then stuffs him in a cupboard in Vanishing Point). In the second half of the Book range, he had lost his memory from his battle and destruction/erasure of Gallifrey, but here’s why this memory erasure works as opposed to other ones, like in Big Finish. For Big Finish 90% of the time it’s used, it’s often to create false tension. At times, it’s fine, but when it’s used constantly to pad out the runtime, my enthusiasm starts to wane out quickly. But Justin Richards as Book Script Editor brings something interesting. For the first time, the Doctor isn’t bitching about where his memory is, but rather, he’s a mirrored version of the 1st Doctor (my second favourite incarnation): full of rage, irritative, deceptive, arrogant and willing to fill his hands full of blood. The difference is there is no Ian or Barbara to hold him back, to make him grow, 8 must be the one to grow and develop himself, he has to make the work into becoming The Doctor. That’s another reason why I adore the 8/Fitz/Anji team so much; they are all broken, damaged people with flaws, and call each other out. But they are also a trio of friendship, love, can bring unity towards each other and most importantly, feel like a family, in fact probably the most family-like team since arguably 2/Jamie/Victoria or even since 1/Ian/Barbara/Vicki. 8/Fitz/Anji have truly descended into tough times (Fitz especially), but this team shows that you can pull yourself back from the depths of hell when you have the right support going for you.

Writers like Lance Parkin, Paul Leonard, Lloyd Rose, Kate Orman, Steve Lyons, Mags L Halliday, Martin Day, Lawrence Miles live and breathe the 8th Doctor, a true Bryon Romantic, poetic and literal with words. He’s a diplomat, rather than a conqueror. He may be brutal, manipulative, and cold-blooded, but it’s equally mirrored with empathy, mischievous humour akin to the 2nd Doctor, and a lust for the unpredictability of humanity. Yet unlike how Modern Big Finish and Moffat’s Night of the Doctor made 8 into an ineffectual pacifist buffoon, Book 8 is certainly an optimist, but he’s also a realist. In Reckless Engineering, he was given the choice between saving the correct timeline in the universe but at the cost of his friends or let the universe collapse… he actually chooses the universe. It’s a shocking moment (especially for Fitz, considering how long he’s been with the Doctor), but even he knows that, but has a responsibility to save the right reality. And with some introspection, nearing the end, he realises that, because there’s a gorgeous insight in The Sleep of Reason, about focusing too much on the bigger picture and the few things is equally as important. To see 8’s goals come to fruition, he brings it to himself that his mission of helping even just one individual can be seen as the greatest thing in the universe. He doesn’t want to remember the events of Gallifrey near the end because at the end of the day, he’s a man who strives for the present and future, not the past. He may not be a good person, he may not be right sometimes, and he may not have a happily ever after with destroying Evil for good, but he’ll still keep going on just to make a difference. That’s why I adore the ambiguous ending to The Gallifrey Chronicles, we never get a confirmation as to whether the Doctor survives his plan against the Vore, we never get what his plan is supposed to be and whatever happens after the battle (besides a song from Fitz closing off the book). I prefer Doctor Who to have an ambiguous non-conclusive ending than what Marc Platt did for Lungbarrow or Colin Meek for Death Comes to Time. This version of Eight has now become the definitive incarnation of The Doctor for me, I adore this character so much.

Conclusion

To me, The Eighth Doctor Books, especially in the second half, truly encapsulates everything that I love about the franchise: superb prose, introspective themes, emotional moments, pushing the boundaries of what Doctor Who could truly do but never accomplish. The writers made something special, and made the range one of the most suspenseful, sombre, intimate, and beautiful pieces of fiction I’ve ever experienced. I love them, and to me, they are my Doctor Who.

[irispublishersengineeringscience]

Iris Publishers - Global Journal of Engineering Sciences (GJES)

Data-Driven Business Opportunity Decision Making Using Markov Chain Model

Authored   by   T Abiram

Abstract

Business opportunity assessment with an information driven method may not be a simple or direct procedure. The accomplishment of the business opportunity is dependent upon outer market factors, including economic situations for businesspeople when all is said in done and administrative systems influencing access to customer and work markets and fund. The business visionary may have a constrained or no influence over such outer conditions. In this way, the data stream important to finish up the monetary standpoint of the market (positive or negative) for the business opportunity may not be accessible (i.e., the market data might be defective). Besides, the “genuine market” possibly shrouded when that data isn’t noticeable. This undertaking intends to build up an algorithmic information examination method for business visionaries to break down inadequate information from outer market factors for a speculation portfolio under the information driven point of view of enterprise. The ideal speculation portfolio adjusts the exchange off between expected returns and market data and is furtherly directed by the businessperson’s hazard inclination and operational deficiencies. The proposed somewhat watched Markov choice procedure (POMDP) model sets up a probabilistic connection between a noticeable and the shrouded advertise process by means of the business visionary’s venture portfolio. At that point the model recognizes a probabilistic data measure to evaluate the association between the perceptible and undetectable procedure to all the more likely comprehend the condition of the market for the business opportunity. With the probabilistic data measure, the business visionary at that point could develop and test new speculation portfolios that are most appropriate for the market concerning businessperson hazard inclination and operational deficiencies.

Keywords: Business opportunity evaluation; Decision making under uncertainty; Partially observed Markov decision process

Introduction

The term businessperson is utilized to allude to the organizer of the new business, or the individual who began the new market where there was none previously. The individual does innovative activities that lead to the development of another firm. The business visionary is somebody who represents considerable authority in assuming liability for and settling on vital choices about the item, the nature of the association, its area, the requirement for capital, and different assets. A businessperson is somebody who can distinguish a need in the market, give an item or administration to address that issue, and, in that procedure, win a benefit.

The word businessperson showed up in the French language sometime before the development of the idea of pioneering capacity. Richard Cantillon recognized a businessperson’s one of a kind hazard bearing component in the mid-eighteenth century. John Stuart Mill promoted the term business visionary in his 1884 book, Principles of Political Economy. Definitions from the universe of financial aspects vary from those in the realm of the board. There are contrasts among businesspeople, and administrators’ enterprise is a method of dealing with that includes seeking after circumstance regardless of the assets at present controlled. Business visionaries recognize opportunity, gather required assets, execute a sensible activity plan, and reap the prize in a hopeful, adaptable way.’ According to them, a Capitalist was one who accepted the hazard or vulnerability, while a businessperson got and composed creation variables to make esteem.

The term business visionary, which means somebody who spent significant time in sorting out business exercises. Understanding the nature and wellsprings of vulnerability that underlie enterprising dynamic has been an essential focal point of business enterprise inquire about. The imbuement of information investigation methods (i.e., reviewing, changing, and demonstrating information to help dynamic) and advances (e.g., information examination) in business has produced better approaches for managing vulnerability. For instance, the steady progression of “enormous information” obtained through web-based life applications (e.g., Twitter) has been dissected to conquer opportunity-related weaknesses in social insurance. A developing number of financial speculators have utilized computerized information investigation methods to assess business ventures. We allude to the pattern of information driven methods and innovations in forming exercises of the pioneering procedure (i.e., opportunity acknowledgment, advancement, and assessment) as “information driven business.”

In any case, business opportunity assessment with an information driven strategy may not be a simple or direct procedure. The accomplishment of the business opportunity is dependent upon outside market factors, including economic situations for businesspeople all in all and administrative systems influencing access to customer and work markets and fund. The businessperson may have a constrained or no power over such outer conditions. In this manner, the data stream important to finish up the monetary standpoint of the market—positive or negative - for the business opportunity may not be accessible (i.e., the market data might be defective). Besides, the “genuine market” perhaps concealed when that data isn’t noticeable. For instance, in the growing clean vitality market of Turkey, the administration’s blended signals on a feed-in-tax (an administration arrangement component meant to quicken interest in clean vitality) made it hard for business visionaries to confront the lack of assets to assess the possibilities of the chance. As the information driven viewpoint of business enterprise recommends a powerful innovative procedure, we build up an algorithmic information examination method for the business visionaries to process fragmented information and uncover the shrouded idea of the market over a specific period. Eminently, every episode of an operational deficiency in our model perceives an alternate level of effect on the business visionary’s assessment of the condition of the market for the business opportunity (i.e., to what degree the market underpins the business opportunity). The businessperson’s individual hazard inclination further conservatives the level of that sway. Our findings expand the writing on pioneering dynamic and information driven enterprise by looking at how the business visionary’s hazard inclination and operational deficiencies shape the business visionary’s chance related assessments and choices in a dynamic and persistently developing condition. As indicated by our numerical outcomes, the business visionary may pick a speculation portfolio, subject to his/ her degrees of money and hazard inclination, that would permit a hazard supporting or market- controlling technique instead of looking for just high anticipated returns. Practically speaking, our POMDP-based model gives business visionaries and supervisors an algorithmic information examination procedure to utilize bits of knowledge from information investigation for assessing the engaging quality of a business opportunity.

Literature Survey

This writing audit portrays how our examination adds to the writing on pioneering dynamic (especially for assessing a business opportunity), operational enterprise, information driven viewpoint of enterprise, and ideal portfolio interest in incompletely watched Markov chains.

Opportunity assessment is the center of pioneering dynamic. Enterprise researchers have broadly explored how businesspeople settle on circumstance assessment choices dependent on singular variables (e.g., comprehension and desires) joined with outside elements (e.g., valuation of the market) (see Shepherd et al. (2015); Short et al. (2010) for surveys). Mc Kelvey et al. McKelvey et al. [1] broke down the businessperson’s ability to follow up on an open door notwithstanding questionable ecological conditions. They found that accelerations in vulnerability diminished the business visionary’s craving to serve [2]. Businesspeople must oversee enterprising danger, objectivity, and significant levels of trouble about business sectors in assessing openings Brown et al. (2001); Miller (2007); Wu & Knott [3]. Practically speaking, chance inclined business visionaries are encouraged to create methodologies to support unfriendly results Busenitz (1999); Forzani and Mullins (2000). Our emphasis is on assessing the condition of the market for a business opportunity (outside elements, e.g., financial, political, social, and administrative) in view of a blend of business visionary’s hazard.

In the assessment stage, business visionaries work under significant vulnerability about the genuine estimation of a chance, and data is expected to evaluate that esteem. This issue in operational business examine by calling for procedures and frameworks to viably catch and use data coming about because of the investigation of potential chances and to improve business visionaries’ capacity to refine those potential chances and to follow up on ensuing potential chances. Our paper adds to this writing hole by building up a powerful information driven Markov process for enterprising exercises to assess the market estimation of a perceived possibility while representing the business visionary’s hazard inclination and operational deficiencies [4-7].

Proposed System and Implementation

Our model has empowered us to analyze another technique for assessing a shrouded showcase process, a few suppositions, restrictions, and related augmentations to this exploration should be recognized. To begin with, our key suppositions present inborn confinements on our model. For instance, despite the fact that our presumption about an exogenous and free change in the valuation of speculations doesn’t really change our bits of knowledge, the unwinding of this suspicion could prompt increasingly significant bits of knowledge into the market. Second, a DP takes into account nonlinearity, way reliance, and unusualness. These properties are significant, accepting that a Markov model is a nearby portrayal of dynamic in true enterprising settings.

In our model the market won’t uncover its state legitimately, however, gives related data by means of another procedure detectable by the business visionary. Models of this sort, where the irregular market condition is spoken to by a Markov chain however the condition of this Markov chain can’t be watched legitimately (another procedure can give incomplete data about the state), are designated “somewhat watched Markov choice procedure” (POMDP). Our POMDP model sets up a probabilistic connection between a detectable and the shrouded showcase process by means of the business visionary’s speculation portfolio. We at that point build up an advancing probabilistic data measure, described by the business visionary’s speculation portfolio, to evaluate the association between the recognizable and concealed procedure. We show how the probabilistic data measure examines flawed information about outside elements and thus, encourages the business visionary to comprehend the exchange off between higher expected returns and market data. We further look at numerically how the business visionary’s hazard inclination and deficiencies of two of the 4Rs (i.e., inside imperatives) may influence the key exchange off [8-11]. As the information driven point of view of enterprise recommends a unique pioneering process, we build up an algorithmic information investigation procedure for the businesspeople to process flawed information and uncover the concealed idea of the market over a specific timeframe. Outstandingly, every episode of an operational deficiency in our model perceives an alternate level of effect on the business visionary’s assessment of the condition of the market for the business opportunity (i.e., to what degree the market bolsters the business opportunity). The level of that effect is additionally directed by the business visionary’s individual hazard inclination. Our findings expand the writing on pioneering dynamic and information driven business by analyzing how the businessperson’s hazard inclination and operational deficiencies shape the businessperson’s chance related assessments and choices in a dynamic and persistently advancing condition. As indicated by our numerical outcomes, the businessperson may pick a speculation portfolio, subject to his/ her degrees of money and hazard inclination, that would permit a hazard supporting or market-controlling technique instead of looking for just high anticipated returns. By and by, our POMDPbased model furnishes business visionaries and supervisors with an algorithmic information examination strategy to utilize bits of knowledge from information investigation for assessing the engaging quality of a business opportunity

Conclusion

Attributable to Markovian adjustment of the POMDP model, the discoveries of our dynamic model are more practical than standard static models. Though one can infer a shut structure answer for explicit probabilistic estimates utilizing a POMDP, shut structure systematic articulations can’t be acquired for certain cases, for example, circumstances where the speculation dollar sum decides the degree of Information gain. In this manner, we build up a calculation that numerically copies the POMDP-based model. We offer a few bits of knowledge from our numerical investigation because of our subsequent research question on the effect of the business person’s inside elements on the exchange off between expected returns and market data: Rather than seeking after the most noteworthy due returns, an information driven business person may pick flawless data, hazard supporting, or market controlling speculations dependent on business visionary money level and hazard inclination in expanding the endeavor’s possibilities. For instance, when the deficiency of guidelines or the businessperson’s hazard avoidance makes a higher hazard presentation, the business visionary might be progressively effective settling on a hazard supporting speculation choice to relieve that introduction. Specifically, to extend shows that the information driven leader confronted with enterprising vulnerabilities may be increasingly effective by planning a speculation portfolio specifically custom fitted to a noticeable Markovian market and afterward breaking down continuous and defective information for dynamic. In that capacity, the business visionary’s resourcefulness, powered by the accessibility of information and diagnostic models, can assume a pivotal job in relieving market vulnerabilities.

Future Work

Despite the fact that our model has empowered us to painstakingly inspect another strategy to assess a shrouded showcase process, a few suspicions, confinements, and related augmentations to be recognized, powerful programming considers nonlinearity, way reliance, and unusualness. These properties are basic expecting that a Markov model is a nearby portrayal of dynamic in true enterprising settings. Specifically, a dynamic POMDP model could empower the business visionary to utilize his/her financial assets with a speculation portfolio, to process information, and to all the more likely comprehend, evaluate, and advance the conceivable market sway.

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[12freddofrogs]

An episode of my ideal Batfamily TV Show

Over the past few weeks I’ve been writing about how I’d make a Batfamily show. It got somewhat longer than I expected. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the dotpoint writing style, but at this point I’ve invested far too much effort not to start posting.

This is an extract from Chapter/Season One, aka the ‘Dick is Robin’ era. Specifically the ‘Dick is seventeen and starting to chafe under Bruce’s leadership, beginning to plan a move to Bludhaven’ era. The formatting doesn’t quite translate to tumblr, but the full chapter is available on AO3. Please check it out - other episodes include the time Batgirl accidentally told the internet Batman’s breath smells like pepperoni, has to frantically make sure he never finds out; a full-length flashback episode that draws paralles between how Dick met Bruce and how growing up changed their dynamics; Dick trying to work out the best way to invite Babs to prom; and a glimpse into what the general perspective of Bats are when Gotham City puts on a play about them. Lots of Batfamily fluff, and in the coming weeks another five seasons/chapters will be added to play around with character dynamics for everyone.

Season One, Episode Thirteen - Birdcage

One episode revolves around Dick Grayson, the billionaire ward of Bruce Wayne, getting kidnapped.

 Bruce is going frantic.

 He can’t even leave because he has a dozen police with him at all times. It’s clearly killing him that Batman can’t go.

Batgirl on the case, though.

Bruce is trying to whisper tips about the detective work into his phone without letting Detective Montoya see him. Batgirl grumbles that she knows what she’s doing.

Dick, meanwhile, is very bored.

He’s tied up on a chair, trying to entertain himself by untangling the knots. Whenever the kidnappers glance at him, he goes still again, not letting them realise his hands are free.

He makes it into a game, waving and pulling faces whenever they look away.

They don’t catch him at this, but when moving him to a new location, they put a blindfold on.

Naturally, Dick takes this off as part of his game. Just slightly, only barely enough that he can peek.

 It has the added bonus of letting him see the kidnapper’s faces once they remove their ski-masks.

Less of a bonus when one of them comes over and sees the hint of Dick’s iris peeking through a gap.

The one that finds it curses violently, and tries to pull it back to where it should be.

“Just take the whole thing off; it’s not worth it if he’s already seen our faces.”

The kidnappers call Bruce.

He’s sitting in the police precinct, waiting impatiently and frustrated that he can’t do anything.

 When he realises who it is he waves over Gordon, putting it on speaker phone.

 “I’m here. Where’s Dick — is he okay?” Bruce asks, an odd mix of frantic and controlled.

 “He’s fine. Have you got our money?”

  Gordon cuts in. “We want proof of life, first.”

  “Alright, fine.”

 Back in the warehouse, the phone is jammed to Dick’s ear. “Hi, Bruce.”

 “Dick! Are you okay? Have they hurt you?”

 “I’m fine.” Dick glares at the kidnappers.

“For the time being,” the lead kidnapper corrects, taking the phone back. “Have you got our money, Mr Wayne?”

  “Yes, yes,” Bruce’s voice comes over the phone. “I’ll send it through now, just don’t hurt Dick.”

 The kidnappers wait until their laptop announces that money has been paid into the account. The one sitting on the laptop nods at the one with the phone, while the third waits in the corner.

  “Well, it looks like that’s all come through,” the lead kidnapper says. “Which means I’m actually really sorry about this, Mr. Wayne.”

  Dick immediately stiffens. The boredom vanishes from his face.

 “See, if all had gone according to the plan, we would have handed him over now. But unfortunately, someone put the blindfold on him wrong, and he saw our faces.”

 Dick’s eyes widen as the man takes out a gun and hefts it at him. “Wait—”

 “Please understand, this is just protocol.”

The scene switches back to the precinct as a gunshot echoes.

 BANG!

“No!” Bruce jumps to his feet, so hard that he nearly overturns the table. 

Gordon goes white, and the rest of the police listening in look alarmed.

The phone keeps playing, sound of something crashing, a fight going on off-screen.

Shot changes back to the warehouse.

A bullet is embedded in the wall.

Dick is standing in the middle of three unconscious men, breathing heavily. “Please understand, this was just protocol,” he mutters venomously.

 He picks up the gun, unloading it before placing it safely on the table. Then he turns around to focus on the squawking phone.

  “Richard, are you there?”

  “Dick, Dick, talk to me!”

  “What is happening?”

 He almost takes it, before he pulls back, glances at the unconscious men around him.

Bruce at the precinct is still looking sick before a new voice hits the speakerphone.

 “Batman, the phone’s still going.” The voice sounds muffled, as if whoever’s speaking is halfway across the room. “Could you maybe get it… nope, heaven forbid you ever talk to anyone. Fine, I’ll do it.” The voice clears up as the phone is picked up. “Heya, this is Robin. Yes, that Robin. Don’t worry, Grayson’s safe.”

  Bruce lets out a long slow breath, and needs to clutch at the desk to remain standing. Colour begins to return to his face.

 Gordon takes the phone. “Hi, Robin. Gordon here. Can we talk to Richard?”

  Camera changes back to Dick, holding the phone.

 “Heya, Commish!” ‘Robin’ says it cheerier than would be natural, his voice slightly higher than usual. “Sure thing, just give me a second. The kid’s, um, throwing up. But you know the first attempted murder’s always the hardest.”

  “No rush,” Gordon says in the precinct, checking with his eyes to see if Bruce is okay with that. Bruce nods. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Nothing special, really,” Robin says, grimacing despite his cheery tone. “Batman and I tracked down these guys, and right on time. Stepped in before it could get ugly. We’ll leave them tied up for you at the scene.”

  He reaches for his belt, realises he’s not wearing it, and goes for the rope that had attached him to the chair.

  “Okay. Where are you?” Gordon’s voice is mildly scratchy — the signal isn’t great.

 The question makes Dick freeze. He glances at the window, and can only see that they’re several storeys above the ground.

 The shot changes back to the station as ‘Robin’ stumbles for an answer. “We are… hold on, one second I’m talking … just a minute… okay, fine, here.” There’s a stumble of movement as if the phone was being passed from hand to hand, and then a new voice comes on.

  “Bruce?” The ‘Dick Grayson’ voice is quieter than ‘Robin’, soft and very shaken and not as high pitched. “Are you there?”

 “I’m here, Dickie,” Bruce says immediately. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m — I’m fine. Robin and Batman got here just in time.” Dick’s voice hesitates. In the warehouse, he’s struggling to tie up one of the men who’s semi-conscious. “Robin was so cool when he broke in, he just took the guy out like that!”

In the precinct, Bruce can’t help but roll his eyes. But he’s smiling nonetheless.

Dick moves onto tying up next kidnapper, holding the phone at arm’s length. “You weren’t too bad yourself with that flip out of the way, kid,” he says as Robin. “Where did you learn to do that?”

 Switches back to ‘Dick’. “The circus.’

 ‘Robin’: “Well, nothing beats Bat training, but that was pretty cool.”

Batgirl bursts in through the window.

 She lands on the ground in a perfect spring, and then pauses to notice the unconscious men.

“Di—”

  Dick shakes his head frantically, striking one hand across his throat. “Hey, Batgirl!” he says gleefully, his voice contrasting with his expression. “Sorry, I can’t talk right now. I’m on the phone with the Commish, talking about how me and Batman saved Grayson.”

“Right.” Batgirl nods once, relaxing against the wall. “Sorry I’m late.”

“No sweat. Batman and Robin are capable of doing this ourselves.” He winces when Batgirl raises an eyebrow. “Sorry Commish, gotta go, we’ll drop the Grayson kid off for you on the ground.”

He hangs up.

“ ‘Batman and Robin are capable of doing this ourselves’?”

“I know, I know, don’t mock me.” Dick rubs his hand over his forehead. “It was the first thing I thought of.”

They decide Batgirl should deliver Dick back to safety.

Batgirl takes the phone back, texts an address to the precinct, and hangs up.

They finish locking up the criminals, and then wait at the window until they see a patrol car approaching.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Batgirl opens the window and holds out her arms to Dick.

“What – what are you doing?”

 “Well, you can’t exactly swing down yourself, Boy Wonder.”

“Oh. Right.”

Dick is awkward about pressing himself so close into Batgirl, wrapping his arms around her neck securely. “Is this okay? Am I hurting you?”

Batgirl doesn’t even answer, just wraps one arm around his back and then other to her grappling hook.

 They swing out the window. Dick gasps and clutches tighter without entirely meaning to.

They land behind the police car.

“Wow, that is terrifying when it’s not your line,” Dick whispers in her ear.

“Go on.” Batgirl pushes him forward to the police rushing towards them.

Dick obligingly untangles himself from her and sprints towards them, collapsing theatrically to whimper when he reaches the patrol.

Bruce arrives later in Gordon’s car.

Dick is sitting in the patrol vehicle, a shock blanket draped around his shoulders when he sees his guardian.

He jumps up and runs forward, hugging Bruce.

Bruce hugs him back.

Later, they’re driving back home.

It’s the first time the two have been alone since Dick got kidnapped.

“In all honesty. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m fine,” Dick says dismissively. There’s no sign of the fact he’d been crying moments before he got into the seat.

“Good. I’m glad.” Bruce hesitates. “I was… worried, when I heard that gun go off.”

“Didn’t think I could handle it?” Dick challenges.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Dick’s jaw tenses, but he relaxes into the chair, finally safe. “Yeah. I know.”

Full Fic Available on AO3.

[collectorscorner]

CC Blogger - New Arrivals @ Collectors Corner : Wednesday - 8/22/18 Complete list of items shipping to the stores, some items may be limited in availability. If you see anything you want to purchase on the list and are not a subscription member at Collectors Corner, just contact us and let us know if you want an item held at the stores. email - collectorscornermd@comcast.net Subscription Membership & Free Membership Card : Collectors Corner’s No Obligation (FREE) Membership Card or FREE (In Store) & ONLINE Subscription Membership saves you 10% Off ALL Bagged & Boarded Comic Book Back Issues, Board Games, Graphic Novels, Manga & Special Orders. Plus Never miss a comic again! Computerized and organized + you can add and cancel titles on your subscription list from home on your own time, or in the store when you pick up your comics at : Maryland’s Coolest Stores! 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[indiemags]

What is Indie?

Indiecon 2018 - Indie nations

Oliver Gehrs – DUMMY  “Being independent means being free.”

Jana Al Obeidyine – a Dance Mag  “Indie is being true to yourself despite the adversity.”

Davide Cazarro – NANG Magazine  “A sprawling and layered term, an opportunity, an aspiration, a promise… a chimera?”

Mike Koedinger – Maison Moderne/Paperjam  “It’s primarily about freedom of expression, and less a matter of size.”

Sissel Hansen – Startup Guide  “Indie means trying new things, being unconventional and sticking to your own vision.”

Meg Miller– Eye on Design  “Free to be experimental, thoughtful, and dynamic with the contents of your publication, in pursuit of making something valuable and considered above all else.”

Iris Lee– ArtQpie Library  “Small scale but big impact.”

Laurel Schwulst – Beautiful Company  “I think it's short for independent.”

Monika Szewczyk – South as State of Mind  “Quote from The Life of Brian: ‘We are all indie-vidiuals’, defined by our alliances.”

Florian Mecklenburg & Karoline Buurman – NXS  “Being independent from any safe and proven formats and aesthetics.”

Indiecon 2017 - Indie first

Justinien Tribillon – Migrant Journal  “Being independent means highlighting stories and showing perspectives that are not bound to financial interests or sensationalist requirements.”

Ryan Fitzgibbon – hello mr.  “Indie means finding your motivation in challenging the status quo.”

Steve Watson – Stack  “Indie is unstoppable.”

Jeremy Leslie – magCulture  “Indie is anything you dream.”

Ibrahim Nehme – Outpost  “Indie is disconnecting from the system to find freedom.”

Stefanie Lohhaus – Missy  “Passionate, content-driven journalism. Avantgarde. Taking Risks both content and layout-wise. Being radical.”

Megan Le Masurier – University of Sydney  “Indie is the desire for a Utopian space, creating what is missing.”

Nelson Ng – LOST  “Indie is about having a strong belief in something.”

Yaonyou Yuan Di “Indie is without any interruption.”

Rose Nordin – OOMK “Indie is in line with D.I.Y – making projects happen with little resources and with a lot of personal investment.”

Kati Krause – ANXY  “’Indie’ is a carte blanche for radical creativity, for making magazines that verge on art. It means trying out subject matters and storytelling that readers didn’t even know they were interested in. It means forging audiences rather than following them.”

Besa Luci – Kosorvo 2.0  “Indie means being self-aware and self-critical.”

Joachim Baldauf – VORN  “Real Indie for me is non-capitalistic. Not focused on money, but spirit.”

Steve Anglesey – The New European  “Indie is the Second Annual Report album by Throbbing Gristle (1977) – self-written, self-recorded, self-performed using self-built equipment, self-published because no major would have dared; created for no-one but the artists, yet manage to inspire and connect a network of individuals.”

Heike Grebin – Troppo-Automated “Limitations make you creative – hopefully.”

Andreas Trogisch – Troppo-Automated “You get the idea and you do it.”

Timo Rychert – Troppo-Automated “The moment you find out what Indie is, it stops being Indie.”

Sara Schurmann – VICE / F Mag “For me magazines are „indie“, when the editorial team developed the idea independently and not on behalf of a client. Which doesn’t mean you can’t work with or for publishing houses.”

Susanne Eigenmann – Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft  “Indie is authentically, surprising and likeable.”

Teresa Bücker – Edition F  “Indie is about being stronger together.”

Indhira Rojas – ANXY  “Indie is creative freedom, freedom to invent and make things on your terms and follow that vision. It's taking the risk to pursue your ideas outside of traditional frameworks, and in that process finding your own path.”

Indiecon 2016 - Indienet Pioneer Communities

Danny Miller – Weapons of Reason  “I don’t have a definitive answer for this.”

Ricarda Messner – Flaneur  “Doing whatever you want to do.”

Agnese Kleina – Benji Knewman  “Inventing your own universe and rules.”

Joachim Baldauf – Vorn  “Real Indie for me is non-capitalistic. Not focused on money, but spirit.”

Steven Watson – Stack  “Indie is unstoppable.”

Fabian Weiß “Indie is doing what you like and listening to your heart.”

Sebastian Pranz – Froh  “Indie is creating alternative public spheres!”

Penny Martin – The Gentlewoman  “A lifetime membership of the London Library and a taxi account.”

Rosetta Mills – The Lifted Brow  “Making a thing you love with good people, for good people who will love it.”

Jeff Taylor – Courier “Today’s ‘indie’ crews have found multiple models that help them launch titles for far less money than before, and in the process, are creating a wave of fresh, unique titles.”

Veronica Ditting – The Gentlewoman  “Indie is an outspoken and personal voice.”

Sam Cooney – The Lifted Brow  “Indie is making meaning rather than money.”

Fabian Ebeling – Die Epilog  “Doing (almost) whatever you want.”

Klaus Neuburg – Froh  “Doing it anyway.”

Timo Durst – PFDFNDR “Indie is intrinsic.”

Max Weinland – PFDFNDR “Indie is autocracy.”

Richard O’Mahony – The Gentlewoman  “The opportunity of a lifetime.”

Sebastian Zimmerhackl – Selam X  “Through the wall.”

Michael Hopp – Hopp und Frenz  “Indie is print without regrets.”

Nelson Ng – Lost  “Indie is about having a strong belief in something.”

Indiecon 2015 - Indie forever

Philipp Köster – 11 Freunde  “Indie ist: Sich selbst ausbeuten, statt sich von anderen ausbeuten zu lassen.“

Ryan Fitzgibbon – Hello Mr.  “Finding motivation in the attempt to prove everyone wrong.”

Jeremy Leslie – Magculture  “Complete Control.”

Kai Brach – Offscreen  “Being able to decide today what the magazine will look like tomorrow, without asking anyone for permission.”

Ole Jendis – Impulse  “Indie jetzt gründen – der wahrscheinlich verrückteste und beste Zeitpunkt zugleich.“

Tristan Rodgers – MC1R  “The freedom to do everything you like to do and having it under your own control.”

Mathias Zeiske – Edit  “Getting to choose the people you depend on.”

Anke Eberhardt – CUT  “(i)nspiring, (n)iche dedicated, (d)eadline heavy, (i)nsane, (e)xceptional”

Julia Kahl – Slanted  “Independently created and published publications.”

Jan Spading – zmyk  “Sich unabhängig entscheiden zu können, von wem oder was man als Magazinmacher abhängig sein muss und will.“

Steven Gregor – Gym Class Mag  “Indie is a frame of mind. It’s an intention… a voice different from the norm. Indie is risk. It’s Shia LaBeouf’s rattail, not Kim Kardashian’s butt. Indie has nothing to do with fancy paper, typefaces or printing techniques. And it most certainly has nothing to do with small business models.”

Mads Pankow – Die Epilog  “To us indie means independent from the market, trying to make a magazine that reflects a unique point of view, without thinking about the target audience. Only if you keep straight to your own perspective you will find an audience which appreciates it.”

Dolf Hermannstädter – Trust  “Overrated.”

Ibrahim Nehme – The Outpost  “Indie is a blueprint of the world you want to live in – made with no budget.”

Juliane Schiemenz – Reportagen  “… wenn du Sachen anders machen kannst als die anderen – und davon trotzdem deine Miete bezahlen. // - und davon trotzdem deine Miete bezahlst. // wenn du Sachen anders machst als die anderen - und davon trotzdem deine Miete bezahlen kannst.“

Daniel Beskos – mairisch Verlag  “Working with people you like on magazines and books that are well done and worth being published."

Alexander Scholz – HOLO “A trade-off: the joy of answering to no one, the horrors of bearing all the risk.”

Chris Köver – Missy  “Wenn die Sache wichtiger ist als das Geld, das man damit verdient.“

Sebastian Pranz – Froh  “Indie is creating alternative public spheres!”

Indiecon 2014 - Was ist indie

Gabriele Fischer – brand eins  “Wenn die Idee stärker ist, als die Vernunft.“

Steve Watson – stack  ”Publishing because it matters, not because it pays.”

Kai Brach – Offscreen  “Etablierte Weisheiten über Bord zu werfen.“

Stephan Busse – dpv  “Zu machen, worauf man Lust hat - und dann erst die Erwartungen anderer zu erfüllen.“

Ale Dumbsky – READ “Indie ist ein dreichsnkliges Dreieck. Idiotie, Verantwortung, Romantik.”

Nikolaus Förster – Impulse  “Wenn die Lust auf Freiheit einen überwältigt - und sich auszahlt.“

Oliver Gehrs – Dummy  “Wenn man Themen bringen kann, die Anzeigenkunden meiden.“

Josephine Götz – Päng!  “Anzeigen zu verkaufen, während die Mitbewohner nebenan Sex haben.“

Michael Hopp – H&F “Wenn es mit uns selbst zu tun hat - und damit mit anderen.“

Ole Jendis – Impulse  “Mit den eigenen Ideen Leser zu begeistern und an sich zu binden.“

Fabian Knöbel – Analog Sonntag  “Indie-Projekte sind do-it-Projekte mit offenem Ausgang.“

Kati Krause – All Seasons Mag  “Indie ist Mut dazu, nicht von jedem verstanden zu werden.“

Volker Lilienthal – IJK “Immer wieder Pionierarbeit mit Kraft und Fantasie.“

Katarzyna Mol-Wolf – Emotion  “Indie ist authentisch, immer ein bisschen Rock'n Roll und nachhaltig erfolgreich.“

Horst Moser – Cut  “Indie c'est moi.”

Dirk Mönkenmöller – The Weekender  “Machen zu können, was man will.“

Boris Rosenkranz – NDR  “Indie ist das Gegenteil von Langeweile.“

Andreas Volleritsch – Neubau Design  “Indie ist immer mit Liebe und Leidenschaft gemacht.“

Marc Winkelmann – enorm “Indie ist Selbstverwirklichung durch Selbstausbeutung.“

Oliver Wurm - 547490 “Machen, zweifeln, sorgen, durchziehen, freuen. In der Reihenfolge.“

=== The Independent Magazine Festival is a project by Die Brueder Publishing. Indiecon 2018 online: www.indienations.de, instagram.com/indiemags, facebook.com/indiemags, twitter.com/indiemags

[ao3feed-trc]

Family Matter's

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2FhpClv

by Wilson101

Being pregnant again was not on Vicki Vale's agenda, not when she's raising five boys and has to take care of her sister's children that she bas to take care of. Trying to keep the pregnancy from the father of her child, Bruce Wayne, wont be easy when she has to interview him at a charity event. But when she throw ups on Jack Ryder's shoes while in mid conversation, there's not much left to hiding it now. Vicki then suddenly find's herself living in Wayne Manor with the kids and learning along the way what it truly means to be a family, oh and visits from alternate reality characters does not help.

Words: 1539, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Family Matters Series

Fandoms: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Suite Life on Deck, Marvel (Comics), Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater, Wizards of Waverly Place

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Vicki Vale, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Colin Wilkes, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Thomas Wayne Jr., Rochelle Wayne, John Blake, Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Alexandra DeWitt, Hippolyta Trevor, Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul, Julie Madison, Julia Pennyworth, Natalia Knight, Kate Spencer, Justice League (DCU), Clark Kent, John Stewart, Shayera Hol, Diana (Wonder Woman), Carter Hall, Shiera Hall, Katar Hol, Hector Hall, Daniel Hall, Todd Rice, Kent Nelson, Kent Nelson Jr., Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, Michael Carter, Rip Hunter, Don Hall, Hank Hall, J'onn J'onzz, Ted Kord, Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Pete Ross, Zatanna Zatara, Giovanni "John" Zatara, Zachary Zatara, Artemis Crock, Roy Harper, Jade Nguyen, Ra's al Ghul, James "Jimmy" Olsen, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Donna Troy, Bart Allen, Jaime Reyes, Greta Hayes, Anita Fite, Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, Original Child Character(s), Lian Harper, Iris West II, Jai West, James Gordon Jr., Cerdian (DCU), Maya Ducard, Chris Kent, Christopher Kent, Jonathan Kent, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Ramsey Robinson, Cullen Row, Robert Long, Robert Queen II, Jonathan Sullivan-Queen, William Clayton, Lara Lane-Kent, Olivia Queen, Jason White, Bruce Kent, Cir-El, Zod, Jimmy Kent, Helena Kyle, Thomas Grayson, John Grayson II, Athanasia al Ghul, Terry Long, Lucius Fox, Luke Fox, Tam Fox, Tiffany Fox, Sarah Essen, Arthur Curry Jr., Terry McGinnis, Matt McGinnis, Mary McGinnis, Warren McGinnis, Rex Stewart, Dana Tan, Melanie Walker, Thomas Wayne, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Kent, Michelle Carter, Daniel Carter (DCU), Rose Levin, Rani (DCU), Joshua Jackam, Kirk Langstrom, Becky Langstrom, Francine Langstrom, Aaron Langstrom, Courtney Whitmore, Helena Wayne, Kara In-Ze, Kara Zor-El, Querl Dox, Helena Bertinelli, Vic Sage, Jay Garrick, Joan Garrick, Robert Queen, Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy Merlyn, Darryl Frye, Henry Allen, Damon Matthews, Billy Batson, Freddie Freeman, Mary Batson, Kate Kane, Katherine Kane, Jacob Kane, Gabe Sullivan, Moira Sullivan, Catherine Hamilton Kane, Bette Kane, Kathy Kane, Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Thompkins, Ibn al Xu'ffasch, Mar'i Grayson, Steve Trevor, Steve Trevor Jr., Stephanie Trevor, Garfield Logan, Rachel Roth, Don Allen, Dawn Allen, Olivier LeBeau, Megan Summers, Scotty Summers (Mutant X), Alex Summers, Rebecca LeBeau, Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Maggie Sawyer, Jamie Sawyer (DCU), Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, Reed Richards, Susan Storm (Fantastic Four), Clint Barton, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Lorna Dane, Paige Guthrie, Sam Guthrie, Billy Kaplan, Tommy Shepherd, Teddy Altman, David Richards, Nate Gray, Jonathan Richards, Johnny Storm, Rachel Summers, Charles Summers, Annie Parker, Kitty Pryde, Logan (X-Men), Scott Summers, Hope Summers, Jamie Madrox, Ben Reilly, Kaine (Spider-Man), May "Mayday" Parker, James Proudstar, Rikki Barnes, James Rogers, Henry Pym Jr., Hank Pym, Peter Pryde, Bobby Drake, Meredith Pryde, Peter Quill, Luna Maximoff, Katie Summers, Lance (Voltron), Lance Hunter, Keith (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt, Matt Murdock, Hunk (Voltron), Andros Stark, Rhodey Stark, Arno Stark, Howard Stark, Howard Stark Sr., Ginny Stark, Natasha Stark, Graydon Creed, Gregory Stark, Mary Jane Watson, Helen Blackthorn, Aline Penhallow, Andrew Blackthorn, Eleanor Blackthorn, Gwen Stacy, Julian Blackthorn, Tiberius Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Max Lightwood-Bane, Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Max Lightwood, Robert Lightwood, Maryse Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Clary Fray, Jocelyn Fairchild, Luke Garroway, Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern | Sebastian Verlac, Ruby Summers, Celeste Cuckoo, Esme Cuckoo, Mindee Cuckoo, Phoebe Cuckoo, Sophie Cuckoo, Warren Worthington III, Liz Allan, Normie Osborn, Callum Barton, Cooper Barton, Nicole Barton, Lila Barton, Lewis Barton, Nathaniel Pietro Barton, Laura Barton, Scott Howard, Scott Lang, Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski, Todd Howard (Teen Wolf Movies), Barney Barton, Bruce Wayne Jr., Bruce Banner, James "Bucky" Barnes, Jimmy Novak, Claire Novak, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Francis Barton, Cassie Lang, Daniel Drake, Richard Gansey III, Brian Braddock, Meggan Puceanu, Elizabeth Braddock, Blue Sargent, Eddie Brock, Carol Danvers, Joe Danvers Jr., Brian Falsworth, Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton, Kenneth Crichton, Roger Aubrey, Robert Frank, Madeline Joyce, Elaine Grey, John Grey, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Sara Grey, Nathan Summers, Jeb Guthrie, Darcy Lewis, Douglas Ramsey, James MacDonald Hudson, Heather MacNeil Hudson, Jack Jameson, Owen Mercer, John Jameson, Rick Jones, Julian Keller, Laura Kinney, Ben Morse, Miguel O'Hara, Gabriel O'Hara, Betty Ross, Mary Richards, Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, Noah Czerny, Barbara Wilson, Barbara Kean, Lori Luthor, Lena Luthor, Lex Luthor, Alexander Luthor (Earth-3), Tess Mercer, Lucas Luthor, Julian Luthor, Richard White, Max Trueblood, Jerry Russo, Theresa Russo, Justin Russo, Alex Russo, Max Russo, Harper Finkle, Harper Row, Mason Greyback, Juliet van Heusen, Maddie Fitzpatrick, Zack Martin, Cody Martin, Bailey Pickett, Maya Bennett, Woody Fink, Marion Moseby

Relationships: Vicki Vale/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Original Female Character(s), Damian Wayne/Colin Wilkes

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV First Person, POV Second Person, POV Third Person, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Dad Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Protective Bruce Wayne, Children, Newborn Children, Adopted Children, Protective Older Brothers, Brothers, Big Brothers, Step-Brothers, Little Brothers, Blood Brothers, Bat Brothers, Brotherhood, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Brotherly Bonding, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Big Brother Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Sisters, Big Sisters, Little Sisters, Sister-Sister Relationship, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Dysfunctional Family, Bat Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Male-Female Friendship, Female Friendship, Male Friendship, Developing Friendships, Epic Friendship, Long-Distance Friendship, Established Relationship, Developing Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Relationship(s), Long-Distance Relationship, Platonic Relationships, Father-Son Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Childhood, Parent/Child Incest, Childbirth, Child Neglect, Child Abandonment, Families of Choice, Extended Families, Unconventional Families, Fluff and Smut, Mild Smut, My First Work in This Fandom, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, Past Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Past Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne, Past Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Past Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Resurrected Jason Todd, POV Bruce Wayne, Aged-Up Character(s), Crossovers & Fandom Fusions

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2FhpClv

[fantastic4]

obsessed with the doom valeria uncle niece dynamic

like yes he is the most feared dictator in the world. but will he take his goddaughter (who is also his nemesis' daughter) to the local parlor to get ice cream? you bet he would and he'd do it again

[ao3feed-timdrake]

Family Matter's

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2oOgM7G

by Wilson101

Being pregnant again was not on Vicki Vale's agenda, not when she's raising five boys and has to take care of her sister's children that she bas to take care of. Trying to keep the pregnancy from the father of her child, Bruce Wayne, wont be easy when she has to interview him at a charity event. But when she throw ups on Jack Ryder's shoes while in mid conversation, there's not much left to hiding it now. Vicki then suddenly find's herself living in Wayne Manor with the kids and learning along the way what it truly means to be a family, oh and visits from alternate reality characters does not help.

Words: 1539, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Family Matters Series

Fandoms: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Suite Life on Deck, Marvel (Comics), Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater, Wizards of Waverly Place

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Vicki Vale, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Colin Wilkes, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Thomas Wayne Jr., Rochelle Wayne, John Blake, Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Alexandra DeWitt, Hippolyta Trevor, Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul, Julie Madison, Julia Pennyworth, Natalia Knight, Kate Spencer, Justice League (DCU), Clark Kent, John Stewart, Shayera Hol, Diana (Wonder Woman), Carter Hall, Shiera Hall, Katar Hol, Hector Hall, Daniel Hall, Todd Rice, Kent Nelson, Kent Nelson Jr., Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, Michael Carter, Rip Hunter, Don Hall, Hank Hall, J'onn J'onzz, Ted Kord, Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Pete Ross, Zatanna Zatara, Giovanni "John" Zatara, Zachary Zatara, Artemis Crock, Roy Harper, Jade Nguyen, Ra's al Ghul, James "Jimmy" Olsen, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Donna Troy, Bart Allen, Jaime Reyes, Greta Hayes, Anita Fite, Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, Original Child Character(s), Lian Harper, Iris West II, Jai West, James Gordon Jr., Cerdian (DCU), Maya Ducard, Chris Kent, Christopher Kent, Jonathan Kent, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Ramsey Robinson, Cullen Row, Robert Long, Robert Queen II, Jonathan Sullivan-Queen, William Clayton, Lara Lane-Kent, Olivia Queen, Jason White, Bruce Kent, Cir-El, Zod, Jimmy Kent, Helena Kyle, Thomas Grayson, John Grayson II, Athanasia al Ghul, Terry Long, Lucius Fox, Luke Fox, Tam Fox, Tiffany Fox, Sarah Essen, Arthur Curry Jr., Terry McGinnis, Matt McGinnis, Mary McGinnis, Warren McGinnis, Rex Stewart, Dana Tan, Melanie Walker, Thomas Wayne, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Kent, Michelle Carter, Daniel Carter (DCU), Rose Levin, Rani (DCU), Joshua Jackam, Kirk Langstrom, Becky Langstrom, Francine Langstrom, Aaron Langstrom, Courtney Whitmore, Helena Wayne, Kara In-Ze, Kara Zor-El, Querl Dox, Helena Bertinelli, Vic Sage, Jay Garrick, Joan Garrick, Robert Queen, Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy Merlyn, Darryl Frye, Henry Allen, Damon Matthews, Billy Batson, Freddie Freeman, Mary Batson, Kate Kane, Katherine Kane, Jacob Kane, Gabe Sullivan, Moira Sullivan, Catherine Hamilton Kane, Bette Kane, Kathy Kane, Alfred Pennyworth, Leslie Thompkins, Ibn al Xu'ffasch, Mar'i Grayson, Steve Trevor, Steve Trevor Jr., Stephanie Trevor, Garfield Logan, Rachel Roth, Don Allen, Dawn Allen, Olivier LeBeau, Megan Summers, Scotty Summers (Mutant X), Alex Summers, Rebecca LeBeau, Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Maggie Sawyer, Jamie Sawyer (DCU), Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Wade Wilson, Reed Richards, Susan Storm (Fantastic Four), Clint Barton, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Lorna Dane, Paige Guthrie, Sam Guthrie, Billy Kaplan, Tommy Shepherd, Teddy Altman, David Richards, Nate Gray, Jonathan Richards, Johnny Storm, Rachel Summers, Charles Summers, Annie Parker, Kitty Pryde, Logan (X-Men), Scott Summers, Hope Summers, Jamie Madrox, Ben Reilly, Kaine (Spider-Man), May "Mayday" Parker, James Proudstar, Rikki Barnes, James Rogers, Henry Pym Jr., Hank Pym, Peter Pryde, Bobby Drake, Meredith Pryde, Peter Quill, Luna Maximoff, Katie Summers, Lance (Voltron), Lance Hunter, Keith (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt, Matt Murdock, Hunk (Voltron), Andros Stark, Rhodey Stark, Arno Stark, Howard Stark, Howard Stark Sr., Ginny Stark, Natasha Stark, Graydon Creed, Gregory Stark, Mary Jane Watson, Helen Blackthorn, Aline Penhallow, Andrew Blackthorn, Eleanor Blackthorn, Gwen Stacy, Julian Blackthorn, Tiberius Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Max Lightwood-Bane, Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Max Lightwood, Robert Lightwood, Maryse Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Clary Fray, Jocelyn Fairchild, Luke Garroway, Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern | Sebastian Verlac, Ruby Summers, Celeste Cuckoo, Esme Cuckoo, Mindee Cuckoo, Phoebe Cuckoo, Sophie Cuckoo, Warren Worthington III, Liz Allan, Normie Osborn, Callum Barton, Cooper Barton, Nicole Barton, Lila Barton, Lewis Barton, Nathaniel Pietro Barton, Laura Barton, Scott Howard, Scott Lang, Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski, Todd Howard (Teen Wolf Movies), Barney Barton, Bruce Wayne Jr., Bruce Banner, James "Bucky" Barnes, Jimmy Novak, Claire Novak, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Francis Barton, Cassie Lang, Daniel Drake, Richard Gansey III, Brian Braddock, Meggan Puceanu, Elizabeth Braddock, Blue Sargent, Eddie Brock, Carol Danvers, Joe Danvers Jr., Brian Falsworth, Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton, Kenneth Crichton, Roger Aubrey, Robert Frank, Madeline Joyce, Elaine Grey, John Grey, Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Sara Grey, Nathan Summers, Jeb Guthrie, Darcy Lewis, Douglas Ramsey, James MacDonald Hudson, Heather MacNeil Hudson, Jack Jameson, Owen Mercer, John Jameson, Rick Jones, Julian Keller, Laura Kinney, Ben Morse, Miguel O'Hara, Gabriel O'Hara, Betty Ross, Mary Richards, Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, Noah Czerny, Barbara Wilson, Barbara Kean, Lori Luthor, Lena Luthor, Lex Luthor, Alexander Luthor (Earth-3), Tess Mercer, Lucas Luthor, Julian Luthor, Richard White, Max Trueblood, Jerry Russo, Theresa Russo, Justin Russo, Alex Russo, Max Russo, Harper Finkle, Harper Row, Mason Greyback, Juliet van Heusen, Maddie Fitzpatrick, Zack Martin, Cody Martin, Bailey Pickett, Maya Bennett, Woody Fink, Marion Moseby

Relationships: Vicki Vale/Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson/Original Female Character(s), Damian Wayne/Colin Wilkes

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV First Person, POV Second Person, POV Third Person, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Dad Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Protective Bruce Wayne, Children, Newborn Children, Adopted Children, Protective Older Brothers, Brothers, Big Brothers, Step-Brothers, Little Brothers, Blood Brothers, Bat Brothers, Brotherhood, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Brotherly Bonding, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Big Brother Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Sisters, Big Sisters, Little Sisters, Sister-Sister Relationship, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Dysfunctional Family, Bat Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Male-Female Friendship, Female Friendship, Male Friendship, Developing Friendships, Epic Friendship, Long-Distance Friendship, Established Relationship, Developing Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Relationship(s), Long-Distance Relationship, Platonic Relationships, Father-Son Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Childhood, Parent/Child Incest, Childbirth, Child Neglect, Child Abandonment, Families of Choice, Extended Families, Unconventional Families, Fluff and Smut, Mild Smut, My First Work in This Fandom, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, Past Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Past Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne, Past Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Past Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Resurrected Jason Todd, POV Bruce Wayne, Aged-Up Character(s), Crossovers & Fandom Fusions

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2oOgM7G

[thebraxiatelcollection]

Top 10 Big Finish Doctor Who stories that aren't in the Gallifrey range (I'm a jerk)

ask me my top 10/top 5 anything! 

well, you didn’t say not to include Benny so… ;D 

1. Bernice Summerfield; Death and the Daleks2. Iris Wildthyme; Sounds of Fear3. Cybermen series-especially the episode Fear.4. Spare Parts.3. Bernice Summerfield; Crystal of Cantus/Oh no it isn’t 4. The War Doctor range. I love the dynamic between the doctor and Ollistra. They were fantastic together and I miss having John Hurt as the doctor.5. Jago and Litefoot and Strax; the Haunting. Makes me laugh every damn time!6. 8th Doctor and Mary Shelley; the Silver Turk7. Companion Chronicles-Liz Shaw; Blue Tooth8. Theatre of War-Justin Richards9. Time in Office-Eddie Robson10. The Confessions of Dorian Gray; the spirits of christmas and series 3

[centerforhavening]

Happy 3Rd Anniversary to John Johnson on being a Certified Havening Techniques Practitioner. "The resources to affect change already exist within each of us!" is a useful Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) creed John G. Johnson believes, lives by and uses as a guide to create change that leads to wellbeing for his clients. John's always in search of technologies that can assist him in calling out the best, the already existing resilience in persons. And after witnessing a dynamic Havening Techniques® demonstration, John knew what he had to do...Today, in addition to being a licensed NLP Trainer and a screenwriter, he's now a certified Havening Techniquespractitioner. John's specialty is in getting to the root-cause of issues and then custom-designing strategies that lead to solutions for his clients, whether they are individuals for groups. Not only is Havening Techniques grounded in solid science, a powerful application, a transformative technology, it's also adaptive. These qualities appealed to John, which he takes advantage of when necessary, combining it with NLP, creative writing and Hypnosis. For example, John uses Havening Techniques with Martial artists wishing to improve their athletic performance and writers with a desire to enhance their creativity or get past so-called writer's block. John only studies with premier teachers and cutting-edge thought leaders in their respective fields, Drs. Ronald and Steve Ruden (Havening Techniques founders), Doug O'Brien, Michael Breen, Dr. Richard Bandler (NLP co-founder), John and Kathleen La-Valle, to name a few, because he only interested in "what works Goals: To introduce Havening to sunny and "irie" Jamaica and the Caribbean. Additional Areas of specialization: Sports Performance, Writer's Block, Creativity Enhancement, Phobia's, Debilitating Stress and Fears, Unwanted Behaviour's, Creative Resolutions, Personal Performance. #haveningtechniques #haveningtechniquespractioner #havening https://havening.org/directory/grid/view/details/14/437-John-Johnson https://www.instagram.com/p/CERO4PXlIVG/?igshid=14nkb2d10ovcr

[12freddofrogs]

An episode of my ideal Batman show...

This is an extract from chapter/season one, aka, the ‘Dick is Robin’ era. Specifically, the ‘Dick is seventeen and starting to chafe under Bruce’s leadership, beginning to plan a move to Bludhaven’ era. 

This post here is a complete ‘episode’, but I have written a full season. The bullet-points aren’t the best style for tumblr, so the full chapter is available on AO3 here.  Please check it out - other episodes include: the time Batgirl accidentally told the internet Batman’s breath smells like pepperoni, has to frantically make sure he never finds out; a full-length flashback episode that draws parallels between how Dick met Bruce and how their arguments have changed their dynamics; Dick trying to work out the best way to invite Babs to prom; and a glimpse into what the general perspective of Bats are when Gotham City puts on a play about them. Lots of Batfamily fluff, and in the coming weeks another five seasons/chapters will be added to play around with character dynamics for everyone.

Season One, Episode 13 - Birdcage

One episode revolves around Dick Grayson, the billionaire ward of Bruce Wayne, getting kidnapped.

o Bruce is going frantic.

He can’t even leave because he has a dozen police with him at all times. It’s clearly killing him that Batman can’t go.

Batgirl on the case, though.

Bruce is trying to whisper tips about the detective work into his phone without letting Detective Montoya see him. Batgirl grumbles that she knows what she’s doing.

Dick, meanwhile, is very bored.

He’s tied up on a chair, trying to entertain himself by untangling the knots. Whenever the kidnappers glance at him, he goes still again, not letting them realise his hands are free.

 He makes it into a game, waving and pulling faces whenever they look away.

Keep Reading

They don’t catch him at this, but when moving him to a new location, they put a blindfold on.

 Naturally, Dick takes this off as part of his game. Just slightly, only barely enough that he can peek.

It has the added bonus of letting him see the kidnapper’s faces once they remove their ski-masks.

 Less of a bonus when one of them comes over and sees the hint of Dick’s iris peeking through a gap.

 The one that finds it curses violently, and tries to pull it back to where it should be.

 “Just take the whole thing off; it’s not worth it if he’s already seen our faces.”

The kidnappers call Bruce.

 He’s sitting in the police precinct, waiting impatiently and frustrated that he can’t do anything.

 When he realises who it is he waves over Gordon, putting it on speaker phone. 

 “I’m here. Where’s Dick — is he okay?” Bruce asks, an odd mix of frantic and controlled.

“He’s fine. Have you got our money?”

Gordon cuts in. “We want proof of life, first.”

“Alright, fine.”

 Back in the warehouse, the phone is jammed to Dick’s ear. “Hi, Bruce.”

“Dick! Are you okay? Have they hurt you?”

 “I’m fine.” Dick glares at the kidnappers.

“For the time being,” the lead kidnapper corrects, taking the phone back. “Have you got our money, Mr Wayne?”

“Yes, yes,” Bruce’s voice comes over the phone. “I’ll send it through now, just don’t hurt Dick.”

 The kidnappers wait until their laptop announces that money has been paid into the account. The one sitting on the laptop nods at the one with the phone, while the third waits in the corner.

 “Well, it looks like that’s all come through,” the lead kidnapper says. “Which means I’m actually really sorry about this, Mr. Wayne.”

 Dick immediately stiffens. The boredom vanishes from his face.

 “See, if all had gone according to the plan, we would have handed him over now. But unfortunately, someone put the blindfold on him wrong, and he saw our faces.”

 Dick’s eyes widen as the man takes out a gun and hefts it at him. “Wait—”

“Please understand, this is just protocol.”

 The scene switches back to the precinct as a gunshot echoes.

 BANG!

 “No!” Bruce jumps to his feet, so hard that he nearly overturns the table.

 Gordon goes white, and the rest of the police listening in look alarmed.

 The phone keeps playing, sound of something crashing, a fight going on off-screen.

 Shot changes back to the warehouse.

 A bullet is embedded in the wall.

Dick is standing in the middle of three unconscious men, breathing heavily. “Please understand, this was just protocol,” he mutters venomously.

He picks up the gun, unloading it before placing it safely on the table. Then he turns around to focus on the squawking phone. 

“Richard, are you there?”

“Dick, Dick, talk to me!”

 “What is happening?”

 He almost takes it, before he pulls back, glances at the unconscious men around him.

Bruce at the precinct is still looking sick before a new voice hits the speakerphone.

 “Batman, the phone’s still going.” The voice sounds muffled, as if whoever’s speaking is halfway across the room. “Could you maybe get it… nope, heaven forbid you ever talk to anyone. Fine, I’ll do it.” The voice clears up as the phone is picked up. “Heya, this is Robin. Yes, that Robin. Don’t worry, Grayson’s safe.”

 Bruce lets out a long slow breath, and needs to clutch at the desk to remain standing. Colour begins to return to his face.

 Gordon takes the phone. “Hi, Robin. Gordon here. Can we talk to Richard?”

 Camera changes back to Dick, holding the phone.

 “Heya, Commish!” ‘Robin’ says it cheerier than would be natural, his voice slightly higher than usual. “Sure thing, just give me a second. The kid’s, um, throwing up. But you know the first attempted murder’s always the hardest.”

“No rush,” Gordon says in the precinct, checking with his eyes to see if Bruce is okay with that. Bruce nods. “Can you tell me what happened?”

 “Nothing special, really,” Robin says, grimacing despite his cheery tone. “Batman and I tracked down these guys, and right on time. Stepped in before it could get ugly. We’ll leave them tied up for you at the scene.”

 He reaches for his belt, realises he’s not wearing it, and goes for the rope that had attached him to the chair.

 “Okay. Where are you?” Gordon’s voice is mildly scratchy — the signal isn’t great.

 The question makes Dick freeze. He glances at the window, and can only see that they’re several storeys above the ground.

 The shot changes back to the station as ‘Robin’ stumbles for an answer. “We are… hold on, one second I’m talking … just a minute… okay, fine, here.” There’s a stumble of movement as if the phone was being passed from hand to hand, and then a new voice comes on.

 “Bruce?” The ‘Dick Grayson’ voice is quieter than ‘Robin’, soft and very shaken and not as high pitched. “Are you there?”

“I’m here, Dickie,” Bruce says immediately. “Are you okay?”

 “I’m — I’m fine. Robin and Batman got here just in time.” Dick’s voice hesitates. In the warehouse, he’s struggling to tie up one of the men who’s semi-conscious. “Robin was so cool when he broke in, he just took the guy out like that!”

 In the precinct, Bruce can’t help but roll his eyes. But he’s smiling nonetheless.

 Dick moves onto tying up next kidnapper, holding the phone at arm’s length. “You weren’t too bad yourself with that flip out of the way, kid,” he says as Robin. “Where did you learn to do that?”

 Switches back to ‘Dick’. “The circus.’

 ‘Robin’: “Well, nothing beats Bat training, but that was pretty cool.”

 Batgirl bursts in through the window.

 She lands on the ground in a perfect spring, and then pauses to notice the unconscious men.

 “Di—”

 Dick shakes his head frantically, striking one hand across his throat. “Hey, Batgirl!” he says gleefully, his voice contrasting with his expression. “Sorry, I can’t talk right now. I’m on the phone with the Commish, talking about how me and Batman saved Grayson.”

 “Right.” Batgirl nods once, relaxing against the wall. “Sorry I’m late.”

 “No sweat. Batman and Robin are capable of doing this ourselves.” He winces when Batgirl raises an eyebrow. “Sorry Commish, gotta go, we’ll drop the Grayson kid off for you on the ground.”

 He hangs up.

 “ ‘Batman and Robin are capable of doing this ourselves’?”

 “I know, I know, don’t mock me.” Dick rubs his hand over his forehead. “It was the first thing I thought of.”

 They decide Batgirl should deliver Dick back to safety.

 Batgirl takes the phone back, texts an address to the precinct, and hangs up.

 They finish locking up the criminals, and then wait at the window until they see a patrol car approaching.

  “Alright. Let’s go.” Batgirl opens the window and holds out her arms to Dick.

“What – what are you doing?”

 “Well, you can’t exactly swing down yourself, Boy Wonder.”

“Oh. Right.”

 Dick is awkward about pressing himself so close into Batgirl, wrapping his arms around her neck securely. “Is this okay? Am I hurting you?”

 Batgirl doesn’t even answer, just wraps one arm around his back and then other to her grappling hook.

They swing out the window. Dick gasps and clutches tighter without entirely meaning to.

 They land behind the police car.

“Wow, that is terrifying when it’s not your line,” Dick whispers in her ear.

 “Go on.” Batgirl pushes him forward to the police rushing towards them.

 Dick obligingly untangles himself from her and sprints towards them, collapsing theatrically to whimper when he reaches the patrol.

 Bruce arrives later in Gordon’s car.

 Dick is sitting in the patrol vehicle, a shock blanket draped around his shoulders when he sees his guardian.

 He jumps up and runs forward, hugging Bruce.

 Bruce hugs him back.

 Later, they’re driving back home.

 It’s the first time the two have been alone since Dick got kidnapped.

“In all honesty. Are you okay?”

 “Yeah, sure. I’m fine,” Dick says dismissively. There’s no sign of the fact he’d been crying moments before he got into the seat.

 “Good. I’m glad.” Bruce hesitates. “I was… worried, when I heard that gun go off.”

 “Didn’t think I could handle it?” Dick challenges.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Dick’s jaw tenses, but he relaxes into the chair, finally safe. “Yeah. I know.”