#((Cass is trying not to read too much into it but she DEFINITELY is xD))

[astral-athame]

"Hey! I saw this, and I thought of you! I mean, I hope you like it," Jayn says with a sweet smile. She holds out a necklace with a rock salt crystal that seems to have the colors of the lesbian pride flag mixed together in a swirl. She seems completely oblivious to the fact that she's offering her friend a gay gift.

@dhampiravidi

Cassia had spent a lot of time debating her sexuality. Putting labels on things was hard, after all, especially when you weren't entirely sure any of them fit you quite right. But that meant, too, that Cass was very, very, aware of the colors used in a number of different pride flags. This, of course, was no exception.

In fact, the moment that her eyes fell upon the crystal of the necklace Jayn was offering her, she recognized the colors. Red. Oranges. Pinks. A strip of white. It was swirled, yes, but the colors were unmistakable. Well, at least to her. But did Jayn realize what those colors meant? Did she know what she offering to Cassia right now? And did it mean something?

Cass paused, took the necklace, ran her fingers along the metal chain. She paused to hold the crystal in the palm of her hand, looking down at it. Was Jayn doing this intentionally? Or did she not know what it meant? Should she ask?

"I love it," She said honestly, her thumb stroking over the crystal, unable to keep a smile from her face. Well, whether or not the choice of color was intentional, she really did love it. It was beautiful. Maybe she'd mention the colors to Jayn soon, see if the other girl knew what she'd given her. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the kind gift. "Would you help me put it on?" She asked. As of late, Caleb had been clasping most of her necklaces for her. She could do it herself, of course, but she liked the way his fingers ghosted against her skin, how he'd smooth his hands against her back or wrap his arms around her when he was finished. She wondered if she'd get that same excited buzz if it was Jayn's fingers against her skin. She had a feeling that she would.

[laufire]

12, 15, 26

12. longest fic you read this year.

If we go by individual fics, A Bat and a Reporter Break Into a Warehouse by HMSLusitania, which isn't exactly long at all lol (6k). I'm Timkon neutral but it put the idea of a Tim & Lois teamup in my head and that's an absolute wonder.

If we count series, definitely yours :P, though I'm still not caught up 😔

15. favourite headcanon of the year.

Answered here and here but for you I obviously must mention all my future career-related headcanons lmao. Just to list some, since I haven't post about them on main that much:

Jason is obviously the character I've thought most about lol (shocker). I tend to prefer giving him STEM-related careers, especially related to the medical field, while also letting him indulge in his more artistic side in other ways (my future doctor Jason is also a cello player, my biochem student Jason acts in a theatre group, etc.). But in one WIP he's actually an up-and-coming playwright in the Gotham theatre scene xD, while also doing a lot of tech stuff on the hero side of things.

Dick becomes an emergency operator in one of my WIPs (after he's hit with the disability stick via acquired hemophilia, Because).

Cass I like to picture as a dance teacher for kids, in an ~informal way. This is how she and her future Robin, aka the new earth!Duke Thomas that exists in my head, meet :P

Medical field for Steph too!!! I do love the idea of her becoming a doctor, or a nurse (like in Convergence: Batgirl), but I also like her as an EMT.

With Tim I've found some inspiration in his Arkham Knight version, who works as a teacher. Except I make him work in a university instead, because it's more interesting to me. In the young justice tv verse I reimagined him as an archeologist working on becoming a professor for Gotham U, and in another WIP he dropped the corporate world and became a photojournalist (he and Vicki Vale are bitter rivals), and he gives occasional guest lectures.

I saw a post a while ago about Damian channelling his artistic side into making weapons -real ones for the superhero side, but also becoming quite a name in making props for Hollywood films. I love it lol.

DUKE IS GONNA GET HIS MATH PHD, JUST YOU WATCH. And yes, he still writes poetry <3

Mia is the non-bat character I've thought most about on this front, also unsurprising lol. I bestow upon her the dubious honour of one of my degrees, political science xD. I like the idea of her being inspired by Oliver's stint as Star City's mayor, trying to make a different, etc. Though I'm of two minds: in one WIP she continues down that root, getting involved in grassroot politics (and also some... not at all legal vigilante-related actions on the side lol); in another, she gets burn out and after a while, decides to go back to study and becomes a physical therapist, often helping out in anti-trafficking organizations as a fitness instructor too.

26. best song you listened to this year.

"No Death" by Mirel Wagner and "In Every Dream Home A Heartache" by Roxy Music are the ones that left the biggest impression.

[impyssadobsessions]

So far from what I’ve read from your DPxDC fanfictions I’m in love. Danny would just thrive so much having other supers/vigilantes to bounce off of.

BUTT it got me thinking… What about Dani? She doesn’t have the ghost crown tying her to Amity Park nor is she responsible for any ghost containment. If she’s really stabilized she can go wherever she wants in the world. Heck if she’s feeling drained she could take a dunk in a Lazarus Pit for all we know. Plus she’s got the black hair blue eyes too. AND a very good reason not to trust rich men wanting to adopt kids.

Danny would become top tier hero if he had other heroes to rely on >w< He already has the powers and from experience knows that life is in his hands, plus natural leader. I thought a lot about Dani's dynamic in DC crossover. There is a lot you can do with her, plus it be easier for her to run into heroes because she's roaming around. Also think it be fun if someone did a story of Catwoman semi-adopting Dani.. She be so proud of her little thief. XD I can see them both jiving well together. Meet while stealing =w= With the bats in particular, can see her wandering into Gotham and running into them. If she gives any of them a time of day its because one of them reminds her of Danny, so that little bit of security... (Which wouldn't be Bruce because Batman scary XD) Tim or Dick more likely.. or even Jason because he has that ghostly feel. Anyways Dani I see as a loner mischievous type, she's still fresh to the world so she doesn't have strong morals. I think Batman would actually be really good for her to grow, plus Batman actually has experience with kids that act like her. Once he overcomes her trust issues with billionaires of course. Dani also I don't see as the heroic type, anti-hero at best. She just rather be free and have fun, so I can see her running around as robin just for funs but decide heroing isn't for her. Her getting excited about doing normal things until she realize they're boring like school XDD. Can see Cass being a good mentor/older figure for her too. Dani would wreck havoc at galas.. and Bruce couldn't prove a thing. =w=' Kek. But like I said I see Bruce being a good figure for Dani because of his experience with the other kids.. and having strong morals. Which encourages Dani to start revaluating her own morale and what she is or isn't ok with. What crosses the line for her. Idk if her and B ever be close but she definitely would love all her family members and fight for them in a heartbeat. Ooo can also see if Batman doesn't know about Danny yet... Dani probably confusing the heck out of them.. when she mentions Danny.. because Dani is her name XD... but also them finding out about her "cuz". In DC crossover I see like Danny being good for Bruce's growth more than his own and Bruce being better for Dani's growth. Because Danny isn't like the other kids he's adopted.. despite looking and acting similar. He KNOWS the dangers, he knows how bad a screw up can change everything. He's half-dead, so he's very well aware that death is a possibilty. So Bruce would have to change his approach if he ever want to get close to/mentor Danny. Kek sorry for long post. I had the Dani thing explained better in my head, but anyways. Dani is perfect to use for a dp x dc especially for the bats. Tim bringing over Kon... Connner? ......k or c? ANYWAYS brings him over and she can relate to another clone. If going off from what I have written from my own fanfic.. can see Dani existing makes Danny and Bruce argue.. because Bruce like why haven't you told me and leaving her alone like that was irresponsible. Danny like WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM ME BRUCE?! I'm 16, she doesn't have a cellphone, and the only place that ISNT safe for her is my home town. Well until now.. AND WE HAVE A VENDETTA AGAINST BILLIONAIRES! Why would I tell someone I'm still trying to learn to trust?! Plus I like to make sure she's ok with it before telling you. Because its HER LIFE that's at risk. Anyways Danielle has so much potential. She just hyper little op demon. Chaotic little girl. ..again sorry for the long thing XD

[talkfantasytome]

I hope I'm doing this right! But this is my official ask request to Azriels and a Hormonal Gwyn's reaction to the fact that she's going to have a baby and that they are taking all the candy! 🥺🥺❤

Definitely done right! Though there's no real wrong way. 😄 💕

"Actually, about that, there was something we wanted to tell you two." Cassian reached over and took Nesta's delicate hand, his own all but swallowing hers up.

Part One

I actually struggled with this more than I thought I would...ideas were flowing last night, and then they all felt stupid this morning. And I don't love my ending, but I needed something...but, anyway, I think the middle has at least some fluffy adorableness. XD

I took some (small) liberties with the candy thing. 👀

Handing the plush, pale blue blanket to Gwyn, Azriel placed a soft kiss on her temple. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, mom," Gwyn teased, spreading the blanket across her and Nesta's legs as they sat on the couch, discussing the latest Sellyn Drake book they'd both read.

Azriel chuckled as he made his way back into the kitchen where Cassian was preparing a crudité.

"Whatever happened to nachos and wings?"

Cassian froze for a moment, his hands paused mid air as they sprinkled cherry tomatoes around the dish. "Uh…you know, trying to be healthy. It's good for Gwyn."

"I doubt she'll touch that," Az sighed, shaking his head. "I can barely get her to eat a proper dinner these days."

"Tell me about it," Cassian muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Picking up the dish, Cassian flashed Az a weird smile and walked out into the living room as Az grabbed the bowl of Reese's, Kit Kats, and Crunch bars and followed. They set both out on the table, the girls each reaching for the chocolate immediately.

Az sat in the arm chair to the couch's left as Cassian took the one to its right, both sitting closer to their respective partners who were spread out enough to show they didn't feel like squishing all four on the couch.

Looking at the spread, Gwyn scrunched her face, making Az smile to himself, fairly certain he knew what she was about to say.

"I thought we were watching football."

"We are," Cassian replied while Az turned the TV on and flipped to the right channel.

"Then where's my junk food?" Gwyn pouted.

Nesta sighed softly. "Cassian doesn't like to serve that stuff anymore. Says I'm eating too much chocolate, I have to balance it." She leaned forward and grabbed a carrot stick, dipping it into the Ranch.

"At least he seems to be succeeding," Az chuckled, earning him a glare from Gwyn. He simply grinned back and then turned to face the TV as the game began.

It was a fairly standard Sunday. They watched football, joked, laughed, and ate. Nesta and Gwyn even managed to get Cassian to agree to order a pizza, not that either girl ate much of it. They both spent most of the afternoon shoveling the chocolate into their mouths, and it was starting to get on Az's nerves.

Not Gwyn, of course. He'd put the chocolate out for her.

But Nesta…Nesta knew Gwyn was pregnant, dealing with these cravings. And yet there she sat, eating just as much as Gwyn was, which only meant Az would have to go out and get more sooner. Especially since they never brought their leftover candy.

He was doing his best not to say anything. Tapping a finger incessantly on the arm of his chair, his right leg shaking to a similar beat, but with each piece she ate he grew more agitated until he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Will you stop eating Gwyn's candy?!" he all but shouted during the fourth quarter of the game, his teeth grinding together as he leveled a glare at Nesta.

She stilled, a half-eaten Reese's at her lips and her blue-grey eyes wide with shock as Gwyn gasped out an, "Az!"

"What?" he replied. "You can barely keep anything else down, as crazy as that seems, and you sure as hell don't want to eat anything else. Is it so insane to ask our friends to leave the chocolate for the pregnant woman?"

He looked over at them, Cassian and Nesta meeting each other's eyes meaningfully. Nesta nodded to Cassian, who let out a deep sigh. "Actually, about that, there was something we wanted to tell you two." Cassian reached over and took Nesta's delicate hand, his own all but swallowing hers up.

Gwyn pivoted to look at them expectantly, her cheeks a bit flushed. Az realized that may have been from feeling embarrassed by his outburst, which had him mentally chastising himself. Not that he didn't feel justified in his request, but he hated making Gwyn feel bad in any way.

He paused the TV as Cassian flicked his eyes back to Nesta, who gave him a soft smile before turning to face Az and Gwyn.

"I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

The shriek sliced through the air like a knife through soft butter, causing Az to startle when the shrill sound hit his ears. But Gwyn wasn't fazed by the effect she had. Not as she practically tackled Nesta to the couch.

"You're pregnant?!"

"I am," Nesta laughed, hugging her friend back.

"That's so amazing!" Gwyn exclaimed. "We're going to be mothers! Together!" Cassian cleared his throat, as if to remind Gwyn she and Nesta weren't the expecting parents of the same child. "Oh, you know what I meant!" She flashed a narrowed gaze at Cassian before returning to Nesta. "This is going to make it so much better! We can do all the pregnancy things together, support each other through it, we could even have a combined baby shower. Oh! And our kids will be the same age!"

Gwyn's voice began to break, which meant tears were already lining the eyes Az couldn't see. He was moving before he even thought about it, slipping onto the couch next to her and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I'm fine!" Gwyn cried in protest, though she didn't actually attempt to move out of Az's arms.

Nesta only chuckled, taking Gwyn's hands in hers as water began to pool in her own eyes. "It wasn't planned, but I'm so excited we get to do this together."

Rolling his eyes, Cassian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I didn't realize Gwyn was the father."

"Oh, hush you."

Gwyn huffed out a small, wet laugh. "Don't worry, Cass. We all know the part you played."

"It seemed someone needed a reminder."

Throwing him a smirk over her shoulder, Nesta shot back, "Definitely. You're quite forgettable."

With a growl, Cassian was moving, lifting Nesta up as he took her seat before placing her on his lap as Nesta giggled.

Azriel simply watched as Gwyn beamed at their friends, reveling in the beauty of her smile. The way her eyes light up, how her nose would scrunch slightly, pushing some of her freckles together. Gods, she was gorgeous. He could only imagine how beautiful their child would be, and he couldn't help but hope they took after her completely.

"But, seriously, this is absolutely amazing," Gwyn continued, all eyes on her as Cassian rested his chin on Nesta's shoulder. "We're going to get to do it all together, and at the end of it we'll have our babies! And they'll only be, what…a few weeks apart?"

Nesta paused, staring off into the distance as she seemed to work something out in her brain. "Most likely. Maybe a month? According to the doctor, I'm most likely about ten to eleven weeks. A bit early to be telling people, we know, but…well…Az forced our hand." She leveled an amused look at him.

Az offered her a cocky grin back. "My true plan." The entire group laughed softly at his joke.

"That's so perfect! I'm at fourteen now, but considering due dates are just guesses, who knows what could happen! If I'm late and you're early, they could even have the same birthday!" Gwyn was all but hopping in her seat, even as tears continued to line her eyes.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves with that," Nesta mused. "Either way, they'll grow up together. Which will be nice, since Feyre and Rhys moved a state away for his job and Elain and Lucien don't seem to have any plans to move back home from Canada. I'm glad our little girl will have some form of family her own age."

"Girl? How do you know that already?" Gwyn asked in shock.

Nesta leaned back against Cassian as she placed one hand over her stomach. "I don't, technically. I just…have a feeling."

"Ah." Gwyn nodded in understanding. "I get that. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a boy."

Cassian's smile fell slightly, his eyes darting to Gwyn's stomach and darkening slightly. "Well, you tell him to keep his paws off my daughter."

"Stop it!" Nesta huffed, slapping him softly on the shoulder. "Save the overprotective, territorial male thing for when she's older and can actually fight against it."

"Never gonna happen," Az teased. His own smile had become impossibly wide as he listened to his fiancé and friends talk. Though nothing could beat the feeling he'd had when Gwyn told him she was pregnant, this definitely added to the excitement. There was something so right about Nesta and Gwyn being pregnant together, about Cassian and him having children so close in age.

"So…" Cassian started, prolonging the word, "since we're all so excited, and will be sharing so much, any chance you'll let us take home some of that candy hoard you're clearly hiding somewhere?"

Azriel's face flattened instantaneously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mmhmm, so it's just a coincidence the store is sold out of all of Gwyn's favorites? Which happen to be Nesta's, too."

"Must be. They are popular."

Cassian groaned as Gwyn laughed softly, resting a hand on Az's thigh. "We can give you a bag or two to hold you over until the store restocks." Az opened his mouth to argue, but Gwyn stopped him with a look. "And we promise not to buy out the entire store. Should we need to buy more…pretty sure we'll be giving some of this out for Halloween next year."

"Not at the rate you're going through it," Az muttered, earning him a light slap from Gwyn.

"Thank you, Gwyn." Gwyn gave Cassian a soft nod in recognition as she leaned back against Azriel.

Nesta leaned forward and grabbed another Reese's. "Well…now that's settled…can we please get back to the game?! I can feel my phone buzzing like crazy and I will not let my sisters spoil this for me!"

The entire room erupted in laughter. Cassian pressed a soft kiss to Nesta's neck as Gwyn tucked herself into the nook of Azriel's arm.

"Silly us," Az chuckled. "We should know not to try and keep an Archeron from her football."

@live-the-fangirl-life @generalnesta @secretlovelybeauty @nestaisgod @julemmaes @live-the-fangirl-life @boredserpent @autumnbabylon @angelic-voice-1997 @moodymelanist @sv0430 @confusedfandomslut @gwynrielsupremacy @katekatpattywack @moonstoneriver77 @deedz-thrillerkilller16 @swankii-art-teacher @lemonade-coolattas @whoreforgwynriel @emily-gsh @my-fan-side @champanheandluxxury

Let me know if you'd like to be added to my Nessian, Gwynriel, or general/all tag list!

[hiccanna-tidbits]

New anon here. Are there CGI crossover ships you like other than the ones you talked about before; like not so popular ships? Also beside kris/anna, are there more canon ships that you consider NOTPS?

Sure, I’ve got a handful of other ships!!!

I really love Felix x Calhoun from Wreck It Ralph--Hero’s Cuties I think is the ship name??? Was bummed we didn’t get to see more of them in the sequel :( And I also think Fred x Honey Lemon and Wasabi x Gogo from Big Hero Six are pretty adorable, but I like TadaHoney and HoneyGogo a lot too. Honey Lemon is just supper shippable I guess??? OH and it’s not Disney/Dreamworks BUT I also ship Coraline x Wybie from Coraline and Norman x Neil from Paranorman. AND this is kind of a random one but I would kinda dig Moana x Te Fiti if not for the awkward size diff??? Like Moana straight did a power walk to this woman everyone else just saw as a lava monster singing a soothing song and being like “I know you’re not a monster, this isn’t who you really are babe <3″ and did the FOREHEAD TOUCH while Te Fiti was still a lava monster??? To get through to her??? Dare I say SAPPHIC VIBES lowkey???

Fun fact: Once I thought up this whole long fanfic idea where Te Fiti started out as a girl in Mo’s village who was her best friend before ascending to become a nature goddess and later getting corrupted into a lava goddess. And then later on Mo largely goes on the journey to restore the heart of Te Fiti to save her girlfriend from being a lava monster and it’s </3 ANYWAYS I never followed through with that idea and I don’t have anywhere near the drive to actually write that story but I planned it in excrutiating detail anyways XD

In terms of other crossover ships, I can kind of see Tadelsa or Relsa...which is ironic, given how overshipped I think Elsa is in general and how picky I think she would be with men XD But for whatever reason Tadashi and Ralph seem like guys she might vibe with??? Definitely platonically, even if it never developed into a romantic thing.

AlsO I’ve found that in certain contexts, Flynn x Astrid or Flynn x Tooth can actually work...oddly well as “Pair the Spares” types of ships??? Like they’re not my go-tos and I wouldn’t really give them much thought otherwise, but if their dynamic is written a certain way in fanfics or fanvids, it’s like...kinda cute??? Still would rather Felsa and Sweet Tooth if given the choice, but if that ain’t an option, these aren’t bad alternatives.

And there’s some ships that I’m kinda like “Oh!!!! That’d be cute!!!” but I can’t really get into it too much because I already OTP one or both of them with someone else, you know? Like that’s kind of how I am with Mavis x Rapunzel and Anna x Cassandra (saw a moodboard for this one and honestly loved the idea--Anna is 1000% Cass’s type!). But I’m always Team Jackunzel and Team Hiccanna at the end of the day, so...*shrugs*

As for canon NoTPs...the only one I can immediately think of would be like...H/anna (Hans & Anna), I guess??? I mean, he exploited her naivite, used her to try and get power, and then tried to murder her sister, so that’s a no from me, dawg XD But that barely counts as a canon ship, I guess. STILL a more interesting relationship than Krist/anna though lmao--if I had to read a fanfic of one, H/anna definitely makes for a more complex and interesting story, even if the ship itself is toxic af lol. Other than that I don’t really NoTP any other canon ships--I’m pretty all right with most of them, or just kinda indifferent at worst.

Thank you for the ask!!!

[lysical]

I was introduced to a lot of the Batfamily via the Morrison run. How screwed up is my perception of them? Comics are an effing minefield of characterization—I know, I’m a Hank Pym fan because I ran into him first in one of his highly rare likeable periods. Any tips/recs? It feels like everywhere I go the characters aren’t the “real” ones, and idk where to find these “real” ones. (This goes for Tim too, although you seem understandably down on him lately & might not want to talk Drake anymore

It does vary by character, actually. There are some fundamental things he does that are a bit out of there, and other things that are just plain offensive, but he’s not the absolute worst to come in on, as damned by faint praise as that is. 

Long post ahead

Bruce: Morrison and I fundamentally see the character very differently. He sort of subscribes to some ideas about Bruce as Batman that I just don’t like re: emotions, life, family. He uses a lot of allegories and devices in his work and the depth is there, I just don’t agree with what he was doing and had to say about Batman on a fundamental level. Post-Crisis Bruce is a bit all over the place. A lot of different writers got their hands on him and the dark and gritty post-Jason transformation of the character was intense and permanent. Because of this, coming into Morrison doesn’t really hurt you that much--especially since for a lot of it he’s functionally dead. Maybe check out some runs like Hush (more emphasis on the family), Dark Victory (some young Dick Grayson), Batman: Year One (say what you want about Miller, but it’s a decent book and the atmosphere and art are great for an introduction to the modern character), and then hop over to some of Bruce’s team books. Sometimes characters get distilled well over in their team books compared to their solos (especially since the Bat Department is...weird at times). Maybe check out Superman/Batman, the old team up from the early 2000s. For Bruce it’s just best to cast a wide net and read a variety. JLA: Tower of Babel is a good one to see Batman and the wider superhero community in conflict, which brings in a lot of Batman’s negative aspects in a way that was decently balanced and didn’t villainize him via narrative even as the characters might have felt that way about him (Young Justice certainly did XD), but I havent’ read it in a long time so ymmv. 

Dick: One of the few characters that didn’t get that bad a hand by Morrison, or too much of a characterization shift (his character shift had happened during the Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson period, although the latter more than the former). Unlike new 52 onwards, while he was softened a little to pair effectively with Damian, it wasn’t too much as we saw at times later and how fandom kind of tends to portray them (’Shut the hell up, Damian’ comes to mind). The Dickbats run was a nice change and development for Dick, a natural progression. The things that were sort of tweaked to create conflict with that transition (Dick not wanting Batman, some characterization behind that) were pre-Morrision, during Battle for the Cowl and the setup to Morrison, so while they follow on from that they’re mostly absent from the run. For the modern Robin Dick stories, go for Teen Titans: Year One, Dark Victory, Batman: Year Three, a couple of the other year ones are decent, although some incorporate those characterization shifts, but that’s comics. I’d go back to New Teen Titans (starts in Pre-Crisis, goes into Post, but the book doesn’t have a huge change due to the crisis and it’s just a really good run, deserving of being the benemoth during that time period that it was) to get the best of Dick on a team, then maybe check out Prodigal (follows on from Knightfall, Dick’s first run as Batman), skip Nightwing: Year One (it’s got tiny amounts of Dick and Jason bonding but Dixon ripped everything else about Dick’s early Nightwing period to shreds). From there, depends if you want his solo or his team stuff, he’s a pretty easy character to follow. I like to start chronologically with him because then you see the shifts happen as he falls back under control of the bat-books, and his solo and team stuff have some interesting contrasts (I lean towards his team stuff generally because Dick has always been about that for me, rather than running solo). 

Babs: Birds of Prey is her essential stuff, I don’t think Morrison really did that much with her but my memories of it all are a bit vague now. I’d personally take anything when she’s romantically involved with Dick with a grain of salt, that relationship was a bit of a disaster and they both do terrible things to each other (I believe the one responsible for it all is Devin again but it’s been a while since i visited that train wreck) and there’s some victim-blaming that happens that’s not so good. I prefer Oracle having a bit of distance from the Batfam, as she’s just surpassed being someone who is under Batman’s authority and is just crucial to the entire operation of the superhero community in general, so Bird s of Prey. 

Jason: Hnng. Here’s where Morrison really just decided to throw away established DC continuity and try his hand at a bunch of crap that fell completely flat. Just toss it and purge, tbh. Winick got Jason back late in the run but it was too late for that. Maybe there are tiny aspects of characterization that aren’t bad (Pride and Prejudice) but Morrison misunderstood Jason on a much more fundamental level. Also the red hair was probably some attempt to make a witty visual pun and add ‘depth’ but there are so many problems with it. Continuity-wise it makes so sense with how pre-crisis and post- worked, particularly for Jason, and additionally Morrison is realllllly wishy-washy with his ‘EVERYTHING IS CANON’ stuff that it rings false, plus in Pre-Crisis he was like...blonde I don’t understand. The implications of Jason being forced to dye his hair are absolutely disgusting for Bruce and go back into that fundamental problem I have with how Morrison sees Bruce. Jason, Post-resurrection suffers a lot of DC writers not knowing what to do and unloading a lot of DC’s baggage and some unconscious, problematic tropes onto him. Read his Post-Crisis origin (Batman 408 on, there’s the origin and some issues after set up by his original Post-Crisis writer Max Collins) and maybe all his Post-Crisis, pre-Death stuff since there’s honestly not a lot and it’s fairly obvious when Starlin starts pushing for his death. For post-resurrection, Under the Red Hood, Lost Days (it goes off the rails at the end, so I only half rec it honestly), Outsiders 44 and 45, Countdown (but only if you’re skipping the plot and just reading the Jason (&Donna &Kyle) bits, it’s one of the most even-handed treatments he actually gets in Post-Crisis but the book is otherwise terrible). Then just go straight to RHatO Rebirth. 

Tim: Ignore new 52 and Rebirth entirely. Red Robin is a book a lot of Tim fans really like but I personally think it’s bad in general and also don’t like what the writer does with Tim, but ymmv. Tim’s origin is also pretty weak and his initial mini and series aren’t that great at establishing him as a proper character outside ‘this kid is Robin pls like him we want to get away from the controversy of the last one’ so it’s hard to connect with him there without nostalgia glasses. By Knightfall (1994ish) on, that’s where he’s more of a character himself, and his stuff from about then through to the early 2000s is the best (before Geoff Johns got him in Teen Titans and Didio started doing Things, which basically led us to today to be honest). Personally, I think Tim functions best in a team, there are aspects of what his writers do in his solo where they just...missed the implications and it kind of grates on me. His stand out book imo is Young Justice (the og comic not the cartoon which only shares the name and nothing else tbh). 

Steph: Another who actually got treated decently well during the Morrison-era, as opposed to the crap she was dealt earlier during her time as Robin and War Games. Steph’s Batgirl run is something I definitely recommend, and her stuff with Dick and Damian in Morrison’s era is contemporary with that. Her origin is actually really good and compelling, so I’d dig into that (TEC 647, i think, is her first appearance). She kind of just revolves around Tim during his run and their relationship is kind of...there are implications there that are a bit cringe. Her stuff with Cass on the other hand is really enjoyable so I’d recommend those. Her brief Robin run is decent if melancholy considering what we know happens, and I wouldn’t touch War Games with a ten foot pole. 

Cass: Shafted from the mid-2000s on, tbh. She got a bit blessed with a solid creative team to start her off in her Batgirl run, it attempts some pretty deep and interesting explorations of her character that while not perfectly executed are still really good comics. I’d just read her No Man’s Land stuff, follow her book and stuff with Steph and pretty much just ditch out when One Year Later hits. Her Black Bat outfit is cool and there is some retroactive backpedalling by DC to justify shafting her but it’s all Morrison era anyway so you might be familiar already. 

Damian: Morrison created him and he took a lot of liberties with that backstory which unfortunately have had a lasting impact for Talia, which is frustrating. As Damian’s creator, what you see is what you get. Morrison didn’t want him to be likeable and he also didn’t really want him to be permanent (ties in again to how Morrison sees Bruce and family tbh), other writers gave Damian development later, but despite being around for over a decade now, there is still a lot of push and pull between writers about his characterization and development. It’s unfortunate but there’s a noticeable lack of consistency with Damian and his development that is frustrating to read. Probably read Tomasi’s stuff if you want Damian’s softened, developed arc and avoid other stuff. I’m not the best for Damian because most of his stuff is during the new 52 which I wasn’t around for and am picking through only occasionally. 

Hope this helps. 

[sermacsteph]

Yeah, cos Estelle’s mount didn’t change in the starting cut scene of Trespasser even though I had it set to one of the harts and it makes me sad. Though that reminds me I did manage to get a screenshot of what Cole says about Solas towards the end of trespasser :D

I didn’t know they were even a thing until I played botw XD I think the last tower I did was the one in Akalla region... took me forever and in the end I think I did the climb a different way then you were supposed to cos I couldn’t think how to evade the flying guardians XD yeah, less of those wizards would be great!

Yeah, I can imagine. I think I remember watching some of Boomberang but yeah most of the time it was just the stuff on BBC. We had access to few channels via sky but we were restricted in what we could watch. Yeah, I did enjoy Tom and Jerry and Scooby Doo :3 (though i have mixed feelings about the Scooby Doo movie)

Yup! I now dread any time I come up with art ideas that are set in Skyhold XD I get that and nerves could be part of it, I know I can be the same when doing commissions especially if I don’t know the customer that well (I remember doing a book cover for an anthology of work from my creative writing course, it took months to complete and because there was a lot of pressure to get stuff right I was just so done with it by the end

Yeah, cos in the Descent you dont fight the titan itself just the heart. I hated the fight in the Descent and personally would hate it if other dwarves were there to fight you too but thats just me XD yeah, I definitely think it’ll be more prominent in the wild by the time of da4 and not like dai where there were just pockets of it in certain areas

Same its one of the reasons I try to get high approval with her because she’s a lot more softer and less grating :3 I actually have her in my party atm cos I found out about the Red Jenny caches you can find if shes in your party and tbh her banter with Dorian and Cass has been amusing XD (though having a most ranged party means my ass gets kicked a lot xD). Same tbh, I guess its something we won’t really know until da4 or if they release more stories like those in Tevinter Nights. I have a feeling the sentinel elves at the temple were probably descended from willing servants of mythal (from what Ive read of the codexes after drinking the well, it certainly seems like its what they wanted). I don’t think I’ve heard of Felassan? (or I might have had completely forgotten XD)

Yup and by the time comapanions tell you to use your mark you end up prolonging the fight just so that the mark can finish its cooldown time and by that point Im extremely low on potions! Hmm, I get the feeling what the Viddasala was up to wasn’t sanctioned by those in Por Vollen (at least its the impression I got from the epilogue slides but I could be wrong) yeah, think it was definitely the case in da2

Yeah, you never know whether your coming or going with  the rules :/ yup, luckily it got confirmed that since Im in the office to help with my mental health ect, my manager is fine with me going in as long as i’m comfortable which is something. But yeah, really not looking forward to this month :/

Same, cos I only watched a friend play it so am very much looking forward to exploring it myself :3

So after my xbox foiled my attempts to re-play Origins, I'm forcing myself to learn how to play on the laptop. I cant play for too long as my hands cramp up easily and begin to hurt, so I've been doing two hr stints after work

My warden is a warrior this playthrough (i normally play as a mage) and I've just reached the part with the ogre in the tower - this is gonna be interesting since I've yet to get the hang of combat. (I figured out how tactics work so that's a start)

[helenpowers]

Erm...favorite light-hearted and comedic books to recommend? You should listen to the song "Candy Store" from Heathers the Musical and "Just Around the Corner" from The Addams Family (musical), 'cause I love them! Any advice on writing a romantic relationship for the first time, and how to make a friendship completely platonic with no wiggle room if possible? Top 5 pet peeves? xD

Oh my goodness, there is so much to go through here. Thank you. Also, I’m sorry that this took so long to post. The wifi stopped working on my bus for a while. 

My favorite lighthearted books to recommend are usually Rainbow Rowell books - in particular, Attachments and Fangirl are both lighthearted and funny. Magnolia by Kristi Cook is a really good one too. If you like stuff that’s fluffy, but has like no real substance then the first three books in the Selection series by Kiera Cass are quite good. 

I’m trying to listen to the songs right now, but spotify keeps cutting them off. I’m part way through Candy Store and LOVING IT. I’ve been meaning to listen to this soundtrack for a while, and this is just making me want to listen to it more. 

I will definitely listen to Just Around the Corner as well (and I’ll shoot you a cheeky message once I have so that we can talk about it ;) )

Writing romantic relationships for the first time is always going to be tough. I would highly, highly recommend reading some books with good romantic plots or subplots - familiarize yourself  with ways that it has been done successfully. Of course, this isn’t meant to be so that you can copy what has already been written, but you can learn so much just from reading those books. Personally Rainbow Rowell books have always had some of my favorite romances, so I can’t recommend her enough. 

Other tips for writing romance? Think about what you find romantic. What do other people find romantic? Use those things to your advantage. Taking your time to let the relationship grow is also a good thing. Leave lots of time for flirting and bantering. They don’t have to fall in love right away. They don’t have to become obsessed with each other (in fact, it’s probably better if they don’t, unless it is important for the plot). 

As for writing platonic relationships with leaving no wiggle room? It’s going to be basically impossible. No matter how hard you try to make it known that a relationship is completely platonic, there are always going to be people who read further into it or ship it. With that, you just have to remember that people will see whatever they see, and that’s fine. For example, in my novel Scarlett, almost everyone who has read it ships Scarlett with her friend Derek (at least a little bit) even though it is stressed over and over again that they are just friends. Like, even my editor was asking me if they were going to end up being a thing at all. It was funny, but they have great chemistry so I can understand why people see it, and why people want it to happen. Derek is precious.

However, again, I recommend looking into your own life, and how you act with your friends. I can guarantee that those interactions (or those kinds of interactions, at least) will come across just as genuine written down as they do in reality. Don’t shy away from making friends affectionate with each other just because you don’t want people to read them romantically. If they have a friendship that would be super affectionate, let them be affectionate.

Top 5 pet peeves. Are we talking just in writing/literature, or in life? I think I might do a combination of the two.

1. insta-love. Books with insta-love were great when I was like thirteen and I could completely suspend my disbelief and just gobble it up for all that it was. However, as I’ve gotten older, it’s become more and more annoying for me. I think this is a pretty common feeling now, as well (or at least it is in the booktube community).

2. I have a problem with things being super dirty. Things can be messy, I can handle messy, but when things start to get dirty, it really stresses me out. 

3. I hate when people talk down to me for any reason, but especially when it’s over something that I know I’m knowledgeable in. Sometimes it would be nice if people would sit back, take a breath, and actually listen to what is being said to them. A big part of this comes from the fact that I worked at McDonalds for three years, and let me tell you, the customers just do not respect you at all, let alone your job or what you have to say. 

4. I’ve realized lately that I am starting to get really tired of the super badass lady trope in young adult books. Not because badass ladies aren’t awesome, they are. I love myself some badass ladies. But I hate that for a girl to be badass, she has to lose her femininity. I want to see more badass ladies who kick butt while wearing dresses and makeup. You don’t have to be a dress hating, makeup hating, completely independent lady to be badass, and I think that is actually a super harmful idea to perpetuate. 

5. This is going to sound super strange and specific, but I really, really, really hate when books don’t use quotation marks to show that someone is talking. I had to read a book for one of my literature courses in University that did this, and it drove me up the wall. It’s practically impossible to tell when someone is talking or just thinking to themselves, and it’s also a lot harder to tell people apart when they are speaking. I don’t understand why this is a thing in some books. Please, please just use quotation marks.

And I think that’s everything! thank you so much for the ask. This kept me super busy for a while. Feel free to send more questions if you would like!

[writtenbykaichu-a]

So Ky, you've been here for awhile, right? Tell us some of your favorite threads you've done with any of your muses, and anything you're hoping to do in the near future

Ohhhhh golly GEEEEEZ I wasn’t expecting a question for ME that made me smile omg!

Even though I suck at choices. I assume you mean across all my blogs because this blog is pretty young? If you want just this one feel free to come back and boop me, haha.

Geepers lemmie think here! It’s fun to reminisce. I may try to do this by character (assuming they’ve HAD a thread I love) for my sanity, so this may (read: will) get long!

Ash Ketchum. BOYO we’ve had a loooong run. Technically Sylvia’s is even longer but we started off in Group and I snagged him as SOON as the person playing him hit their time limit cause I hated their portrayal THAT MUCH. I wasn’t even sure if I could handle him cause I played all rockets at the time but I figured no way I was worse than them. 😂 Surprise people loved me. Okay so that was me BRAGGING now let’s talk about me on Indie. ASH KETCHUM’S all time favorite thread from his original run on @gotta-ketchumall​ to here... honestly given I can’t remember much of anything about my original runs I’m gonna have to give it to Trip @shootie​ and Burnt Leaves. Still in Progress. ;3

Jesus God Emma had a thread on her old blog @detective-essentia​ with... wait... which... hold on. ... ... ... BACK! You can turn off the music now. (Or not you know do you.) Okay so it was the person I thought. My giiiirl Emmi. Looker, @theagentlooker​! We had this thread that started as dash commentary; Emma was upset about the prospect of a sibling when she barely gets to see Looker as it is. This turned into actual real conversation about their relationship, it was very emotional there was crying on both ends and it sparked actual effort on Looker’s part to spend more time with Emma and call her more often. ;w; This is the last post if you wanna do that ish.

Harley @cacturnefortheworse​ has had a fuckton of great threads in all honesty. It’s hard to pick a favorite so I’m going to do two. I really loved the thread where he and Ingo, @blacksubmas​, were in the rain together and had to reconcile after the mess that was that contest. And I am very proud of one of my more recent threads with @shootie​ where he FINALLY got through to him about gender identity. Kid--i mean full grown man sorry--has a ways to go obviously but he’s finally ready to listen and learn thank Harley Arceus.

For Iris @dragon-spirited​, hands down, the thread when she punched Shamus @firewarriorshamus​ in the face and proceeded to lose their gym battle. It went unfinished but it was still glorious.

My personal favorite with Izzy @theluckyraichu​ I think has to be her thread with N @inversion-formula​, best summarized as “this human is nice, talks to pokemon, and not only claims that he doesn’t catch pokemon but he can help me find my old trainer too???? too good to be true not buying it this isn’t real life.”

My favorite of Jamie’s @sickle-shock​‘s threads is probably his thread with Surge @galvonizedpatriot, (whom i apparently cannot tag,) which is a Gym battle. Didn’t get very far but I love this interaction very much.

May’s @stageonmay​ most recent gut wrenching interaction with her sister May (called Maple in twin-verse) @watterlogged​ is probably my favorite omg. Basically May admits she has a crush on @rubrendan​, whom she knows Maple doesn’t like, and while Maple tries to be supportive (and doesn’t hide how she really feels very well) May can tell Maple doesn’t like it so May very firmly insists that she’ll get over it for Maple’s sake.

I honestly thirst over Mewtwo’s @clonedtorule​ in this case thread with @distcrtions (LET ME TAG CASS TUMBLR YOU WHORE... this honestly isn’t fair to whores I’m sorry). I even tagged it so you can read it! Basically Mewtwo was going around destroying labs (not just Rocket’s but evil labs in general) and Cyrus showed up to see what the fuck and it was a bad time for him. Honestly Cas hmu let’s revive this shit.

@inversion-formula​ gets yet another shoutout because my current favorite for Paul is N annoying the fuck out of Paul by following him persistently and insisting on talking to the Pokemon that are released at the time because Paul refuses to talk about his treatment of Fraxure. Paul refuses to acknowledge N’s ability by the way.

Proton, @cutthroatblackcoat​, had a thread with @attitxde​ while he was on his original blog, @knifepointexecutive​, and to avoid listing a bunch of ours, I think maybe Dren and I might agree it’s been our favorite? It’s the Whiskey thread in the Arranged Marriage verse we had, which has actually been archived and can be read here!

Sylvia, currently at @scientifiquederoquette​ and originally at @runaway-heiress​, had a thread with another Rocket OC, Ghost @shadyxdealings​ where they both got drunk off their asses, bitched about their abusers, and then eventually fell asleep on each other and... I loved it.

My definite favorite for Touko @atwhatcost​ is her thread with Cheren @blackmambacheren​ where they TOTALLY just watched The Lion King and NOTHING ELSE. ...okay I came back to this cause it implies they went all they way. They didn’t omg lmao they didn’t even get past making out but damn Touko tried. xD

X @xneverlies​ was admittedly haaaaaard to choose a favorite for because I love all of his threads SO MUCH most of the time. But his favorite goes to a very brief thread with Petrel @poisoncraft​ in which they had their first kiss but Petrel, realizing X was uncomfortable, brought it to a quick halt. Exceeeeept X took that the wrong way, assumed Petrel was going to out him, had a panic attack, yelled lots of revealing things and ran. Sparked a lot of character development. Good thread.

And... I believe that’s all. You may notice some charas didn’t get a shoutout. I have some threads I maybe liked in some cases but not enough to write a paragraph about. I still very much enjoy these characters though. Some of them haven’t even had a chance to write much if at all so there’s that.

ON TO YOUR SECOND QUESTION FINALLY! Another bullet point list for you but more of a brainstorm ^^

I want someone to wreck Proton’s shit. How many times do I have to ask for this???

I’d like to write in Melanie’s teenager verse. Literally. At all.

Jamie needs threads as a Gym Trainer. For that matter I need to redo his verses and theme.

Misty’s battle with @mezasepkmnmaster​.

Just shippy shit with Misty in general but I’m looking at you @pxkemonmaster​.

LET TIERNO AND TREVOR KISS. (hi @hispokedex​!)

I want Ariana (@executiveariana​) and Venus to interact more, even outside of our ongoing thread.

I want Melanie to interact with Executives more at ANY age.

Speaking of, @poisoncraft​ and @atknifepoint​ still owe me that uncle-esque relationship.

I want a Mentor relationship with Mirror!Ash and Ash. Seriously. Make it happen.

Hopefully @couldbemine​ and I can finish the Olympicshipping re-proposal soon so we can move it here so we can move on to wedding planning * w *

I want more movement on the calling-out-Proton arc

X-PROTON-PETREL OT3

LET. EMMA. MEET. GLADION.

For that matter Let Emma have a romantic relationship. Or let her also meet someone who can gently show her that sex CAN be for fun and that someone should pleasure HER for once.

CHOO CHOOOOO EVERYBODY BOARD THE DOMINO TWINVERSE TRAIIIIIIIN (hi @agent-009​!)

Someone just feed my botiqueshipping soul. Or just interact with Shauna in general.

Idk I probably have more ideas but I’ve just been discovered as awake and I’m exhausted WOW.

[1moreff-creator]

DR:OS Chapter 1 Part 3 First Impressions

Wow… more DROS :O

You know the deal, first reactions, don't expect anything too coherent, etc etc. Very excited! Especially since I'm predicting the chapter to end on the body discovery, or at least shortly after it. Not only do I feel like the party coming up is probably when the murder's gonna happen, the CW for Deadly Life​​ are up, so. I could be wrong though! Let's see!

Content Warning for Deadly Life. 

I'm like three paragraphs in, but I'm already enjoying the changes of Jeff being there and Antonia and Cass continuing to beef with each other. I just really like these characters lol.

“Grace: I’m surprised you don’t seem to be hungover, Noah?

Noah: Oh, that doesn’t happen with me. Pretty cool.” Bro what. How much do these talents do.

“Antonia: Cassidy is just being a little paranoid, that’s all. Don’t mind her.

Cass: …

Vivi: Uhhh, okay…? Are we just gonna pretend that nothing’s happening here, or?

Antonia: I don’t know, Cassidy, do you have anything you’d like to tell us?” Why do they hate each other so much??? Love 'em.

“Paris: Cass and Antonia are at each other’s throats all the time now because they both think the other is the mastermind~” Oh Antonia actually thinks Cass is the mm? I kinda missed that, or I forgot something from last week. I thought she was just being petty but I guess this makes a bit more sense.

“Kennedy: Please. If it’s that obvious, it has to be the wrong answer.

Antonia: I wouldn’t say Cassidy is being “obvious.” I simply trust my extensive experience with determining when someone is lying.

Cass: Antonia just admitted that she deals with lies all the time. Sometimes the reason why someone is the frontrunner is because they’re perfect for the job.” Love Kennedy keeping up the Tumblr theorizing logic, and Cass and Antonia hating each other means more Antonia content for me so I'm just happy :)

“Robert: …Alrighty! Well, I’m glad we’ve talked this over…” We really haven't but thanks for trying to keep things positive, Robert, appreciate ya'.

“Cass: I will figure out your secrets.

Antonia: Of course you will, darling.” :D No further commentary.

[Paris FTE Start] Wooo, FTE! And Paris, too, I really like her! We're probably not gonna get many more FTEs this chapter (in fact I'm sorta expecting this to be the last one), so let's enjoy this while it lasts :')

“Ellis: Your makeup’s looking great. How is it that you’re such a knockout both in and out of it?

Paris: Aw, thanks babe! Appearances are everything, after all~” Alright damn. Classic Ellis opening with a pickup line, and Paris, what?

“For the first time in a while, I’m actually flustered from someone pulling me close. It’s not exactly a romantic attraction, though… it’s more from the sheer energy she holds as she anchors her hand on my shoulder.” Someone got Ellis! Admittedly, not by flirting so much as by being weird about gossip, but counts xD

“Paris: You should have Antonia tell you how she got into dealing someday. It’s an interesting story.

Ellis: Oh, have you been spending a lot of time with Antonia since we got here?

Paris: I spend time with everyone, hon! I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to talk to someone as intriguing as yourself in more depth.

Ellis: Hey, give me some credit! Maybe I was trying to keep my intrigue up on purpose…” Ooh, well I'm always glad to hear about Antonia, and of course Paris spends a lot of time with the others. Also Ellis, who was playing an icebreaker game just the night before, implying they wanted to keep up the intrigue is funny.

“I wasn’t, but that’s not important.” And this, dear readers, is why we read slightly ahead of whatever we're commenting on in this kind of post xD

“Ellis: You’ve definitely done your research.

Paris: Totes! If you want to hear some real research, though, I know Cass and Kennedy both do a lot on their own time.” I mean we kinda knew this, but I'm liking how much we're referencing other characters here, really justifies the whole Ultimate Gossip thing.

“Paris: Hmm. It is true, it’s a bother that I can’t check on any of my beloved followers… 

Ellis: Do you know stuff about all of them, too?

Paris: I hear what they say. But that’s about all I can do, isn’t it?

Ellis: Of course.” ‘I hear what they say’ strikes me as a weird way to respond to that question. Might be nothing, but it does make me wonder if maybe she knows more about them than she's letting on… not that I know how that could be relevant to the killing game lol. 

“Paris leaves me in the Common Room, a little stunned. She truly is a master of social techniques–every time I tried to dig for info about her, she dodged, and threw the question right back at me. Looking back, it seems like we were just talking in circles for fifteen minutes before she ran off to her “prior commitments.” With who? And doing what?

In the end, I agree with my immediate assessment: I don’t want to get on Paris’ bad side. She’s dangerous… though I never said I didn’t like dangerous women.” Yeah, she's someone to look out for, isn't she? Kinda curious to see just how far this stuff can go.

“As I sit on the couch, I notice Aidan and Davis approaching the Movie Theater.” Davis with Aidan again, wonder if he prefers Aidan's company given the whole "not attracted to him” deal. Then again, the straight guys and Vivi also wouldn't be attracted to him, so Aidan's not necessarily unique in that regard.

“[The Movie Theater bulletin board] reads, “MOTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT: TBA.”” Oh yea, motives! Kinda forgot they were a thing lol.

“Aidan: Someone was already planning a murder, from what we can tell. Even with that, is it still taking too long? And if it’s meant to rush us, why isn’t there an actual release date…?” Oh yeah the poison lol. Yeah, bit of a weird situation, huh?

“Aidan: It just doesn’t make any sense.

Kennedy: Not if you think about it so simply!

Kennedy and Vivi come up from the stairs, joining us outside the Movie Theater.” Kennedy and Vivi! :D Just in time to annoy Aidan, fantastic!

“Vivi: [Kennedy]’s been itching for something new to look at for a while now…” Love the image of Vivi just hanging around Kennedy and watching the guy descend into madness from lack of intel lol.

“Kennedy: Maybe the mastermind knows someone’s going to kill soon. It could be setup for the next murder, if they think no one else would go for it just because of the killing game. Or, maybe the mastermind wants to create multiple killers at the same time! There’s a regulation about it. Or–” Kennedy kinda cooks with these theories, they're always a blast lol.

“Aidan: Jesus, will you shut up already?

Vivi: Hey, there were good ideas in there!” You know I'm really glad I asked for that Vivi & Kennedy Bonus Scene because they're a very fun duo. Maybe I'll send in Aidan & Kennedy if there's Bonus Scenes voting post CH1, it's funny how much they beef lol.

“Ellis: Why would someone try to kill if the person running the game is already setting up shop for once you’re dead and buried?

Kennedy: Because even if the mastermind knows that they’re setting up for the next murder, they think that we think it’s for this murder, so they think we think that the motive is a threat to us now, which might make us more likely to kill!” I had to read that like three times to figure out what the hell Kennedy was trying to say damn. They are very hard to follow it's fantastic.

“Vivi: Wait! What if the motive’s up now because the first murder already happened?” There are… not a lot of pages left so I’m worried Vivi might actually be right. I do find it interesting she's the one to bring it up, though, given how hellbent she was that no one was gonna die in the Prologue. Wonder why that is.

“Somewhat surprisingly, everyone’s okay.” Okay, no, we're chilling… for now. 

“Big oversight from the killing game planning community. They should fire those guys and hire some new maniacs to the board.” You gotta love characters criticizing the bad guys for sucking at torturing them lol.

“Paris: OMG Tay, I’ve been wanting to talk to you ever since your talent show performance! It was so good!

Taylor: You think so…?” Taylor's just the most popular person around it's actually kinda funny. Everyone loves them and they don't know how to handle it lol.

“Taylor: Oh, well… if you ever wanted to perform together, I’m sure we could.

Harper: You two would certainly make for an interesting duo.” Yay friendship! :D

[The entire rest of that conversation] Oh hey they actually are going to be besties, let's go! I kinda love that dynamic so that's awesome.

“In the dark of my room, I pull out my e-Handbook, hovering over the chat function.” It's cool that this thingy keeps being brought up, I think it's pretty interesting.

“Antonia: …Apologies for disturbing all your thoughts, but… has anyone seen Cassidy this morning?” Well, that's… concerning. I could see someone targeting them to frame Antonia, but surely Cass is just skipping to avoid said Dealer, right?...

“Aidan: Shouldn’t you be worried about getting murdered or something…? Someone probably just died.” Bro can I ask for a little bit of optimism? I guess not given the talent, but y'know xp

“Harper: It’s a fair point. Perhaps we should split into groups of three. That seems like a safe number, and it… divides evenly…” Oh wait, we're actually doing this? I was kinda expecting Cass to respond in chat. Oh oh guys, she might actually be dead.

“Vanessa, having moved some of the furniture around, discovers a large, metal box, about the size of a mini fridge.” What…?

“Ellis: Just say “open sesame” and it should open right up.” Pfft. Appreciate you alleviating the tension, I'm actually very nervous. 

“We continue to look the box over, trying to figure out some way that it might open. Then, we hear a quiet beep, and it swings open naturally.

The scent is our first sign that something is wrong. Vanessa, who was nearest to the box, frantically crawls backwards, putting more distance between it and herself.

Inside… is a torso.” I'm fucking sorry??? It's Chapter 1 and they're already dismembering people???? AAAAH-!

“Vanessa: What the fuck?!

Antonia: O-oh… oh my…

Ellis: Hh… wh… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Yeah sounds like appropriate reactions.

“Though I already suspected it, as the rest of our group joins us, it’s clear as day that the victim must be Cassidy Torres, the Ultimate Agent.” Well, while everyone is undergoing severe trauma, now that we have explicit confirmation of the victim, it's time to tally up some points in the guessing game!

I predicted Cass as the CH2 killer, so I get 1 Chapter point and 2 Role points (and in case you don't remember, getting points is bad). I'm pretty happy with that, given Cass’ role was a complete toss up for me, and I did manage to predict she'd go relatively early. I feel bad for accirax, who I'm pretty sure got the maximum amount of points possible here by guessing Cass as the mastermind (7 points ouch), sad times. The only other game I have available for comparison is Jonas', and while they got the role right, they'd guessed Cass would die in CH5, meaning four points there. Somehow I appear to be in the lead out of the three guessing game boards for now, which is probably not gonna last very long but you know.

Speaking of this game, I'm also probably guaranteed one chapter point from Vanessa now (plus some kind of point from the actual CH2 killer), because as a first impression, both she and Antonia are probably safe! The BDA rule in this fangan specifically says "three spotless” for the announcement, so unless there's some weird pre-discovery by a random other spotless, Ellis, Vanessa and Antonia can't be the blackened. Hell yeah.

Speaking of, though, I probably also got the CH1 killer wrong in the game.

“Noah is half-carrying Robert, who seems like he’s barely conscious at the moment.”

My bad if this is going to be a canon note or truth bullet, but for now:

Personal Non-Canon Note: Robert's Quesianess. Robert was barely conscious at the sight of Cass’ body, implying he couldn't have been the one to dismember them. 

I'm pretty shocked Cass was the one to die, actually. To quote myself from the last First Impressions post:

“I’m loving all the Antonia content this episode, but is it me or are we getting a lot of Cass? I’m starting to get worried for their safety. Considering what she said in the Bonus Scenes, I kinda doubt she’d go too early, but who knows.”

I'll give myself some credit for noticing Cass was getting a lot of content and wondering if that would mean she was gonna die, but as I said, I really wasn't thinking she'd go so early. I guess I overestimated how important her plans for the outside (don't remember their exact wording oops) would end up being. 

But it's not like I dislike the choice! Cass did in fact get a few good scenes in, and their beef with Antonia, while short-lived, was very fun to watch. Very curious if this is all we'll get from her from now on, or if the secrets Antonia said Cass was keeping will end up being relevant later. Given first victims can often end up haunting the narrative a fair bit, I wouldn't discount the possibility.

Anyways, I'm talking a whole lot for someone who hasn't even started the Investigation, huh? Let's see what we can figure out in the short time this Part has left! 

“Jeff: Thanks or whatever, but you see, I’d actually really rather not be here, so…” Yeah, Jeff wants out out by now, huh?

“Monoquin: The second thing is a piece of information that you’ll gain: the Monoquin File.” Ooh, one of these! You know, it's actually been a while since I've seen a fangan use something like this, I wonder what they'll be like.

“Aidan: Isn’t that unfair to the blackened?” Nice job not looking suspicious in the slightest Aidan, no one could possibly think you might be the killer after saying this! xD

“Monoquin: In every Monoquin File, there will be one lie.” Oh that's hilarious and incredible, I love it. I know Monokuma files in canon were also customized to hide information the blackened wanted hidden, but actually putting lies in the files is much more interesting. Can't wait to see how this gets used!

Note Obtained: Monoquin File Lies

It's been a while since we've gotten an actual canon note, lovely!

“But, this is what I wanted, right? I mean, not this, exactly– I would’ve been fine if whoever it was did use that poison, especially if it meant a slow and painless death. But, still… a murder happened, and I’m not the victim or the killer. That’s how it should go for the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? This is just one step of many to be the one sole survivor at the very end.

So… chill, Ellis. Clearly this is some kind of great tragedy, but it was also inevitable. I’ll pay my respects, do my best to lend a hand in solving the case, and then go on with my daily life.” Well, Ellis’ "plan” seems to be holding up! Fun :)

Also interesting that Ellis was wishing for a "slow and painless” death as opposed to the more common “fast and painless”. I guess, though, if it's painless, it's better to wish for a slow death so the person has more time. 

Which leaves us with murder theories! Though, obviously, we have next to no information. In terms of what happened to Cass, we only know she died at some point in the night (they were spotted at dinner the night before, after all), that the killer dismembered her, and that said killer left Cass’ torso in a metal box that opens… through some mechanism. It wasn't a box that was common knowledge, though.

An interesting point is the location, maybe. Here's the map of the fourth floor:

Cass’ room is there, which is decently notable. It's very possible the killer killed Cass in her own room, or perhaps in the killer's own room if it's on the fourth floor, as it would be weird for someone as paranoid as Cass to stray too far from her room during nighttime. Not too solid, though. There's the question of why dismembering her would be important, but that's impossible to know without more information. Hiding bodies isn't too important in this kind of killing game, but I guess there could be something about the torso itself that the killer didn't want the cast to know. Or maybe they wanted to delay the discovery? Again, impossible to know for now. 

There's also the matter of the poison, which I doubt is unrelated. I have two early theories: either Cass was poisoned, and the killer dismembered them after their death; or Cass herself was the one who requested the poison, she invited someone to her room to kill them with it, but the person decided to kill Cass before she could try. Kinda find the first one more likely, especially because the "other stuff” that got requested alongside the poison could be the implements necessary to dismember and transport the corpse, but again, could be totally off.

Speaking of, the method of transport is an interesting question-

Okay give me a moment. While I was writing this, I pulled up Part 1 to see if anyone had requested anything notable for the talent show, and I saw the Chapter title along the way. While I'd already read it, I didn't realize until that point…

“Piece It Together"????? Venus???? That's- wow. I just- That's kinda fucked up… I love it I just can't believe you did that holy hell.

Back on track though. I couldn't find any notable request in the talent show, aside from possibly the wrapping paper Grace used, which could have technically been employed to hide the body parts during transport. Because of course it's the Clockmaker I find evidence about. Did you know their room is right next to Cass', too? xD

I jest, I don't really think Grace did it. For now, I can really only say what people I don't think it was. I already explained Robert (because he's too queasy), Ellis, Antonia and Vanessa (because BDA), but aside from that… you can stop counting lol. No one else really acted too unsuspiciously, though Kennedy requesting the search and Harper talking about the groups of three (ideal number for BDA stuff) might count for some loss of suspicion points? Then again, there is this part of Harper's line:

“Harper: That seems like a safe number, and it… divides evenly…” Make no mistake, this is an insane reach, but given the chapter title situation, I don't think it's impossible that Harper's slight hesitation right before ve says "divides evenly” could indicate that ve knows Cass got dismembered, aka ve's the blackened. The idea would be that ve's kinda disgusted by what ve's done, so ve regrets the word choice mid sentence. Of course, though, it's far more likely that ve hesitates just because ve's more used to the group being sixteen people, so the number three evenly dividing the group is an unfortunate reminder that they're missing one person. I don't really think Harper's too likely as the blackened, even though there is some setup for it with the fact ve's becoming restless in the game and the fact ver room is also on the fourth floor. 

If I have to go for a read right now, though… well, Kennedy and Vivi had a positive interaction with Cass, and Vivi in particular would have the knowledge and experience to properly dismember a body. Not that I know whether or not there is such a thing as necessary knowledge and experience to do that, but there is a limit to the things I'm willing to google for these posts. Either could have maybe convinced Cass to be alone with them to discuss mastermind business, and both are on the fourth floor, but that's kinda it. On the other hand, Noah and Grace have both gotten a decent bit of screen time, are also on the fourth floor, and Grace in particular has the whole "hates wasting time” thing as a possible motive.

However, the one that worries me the most is actually Paris. She was noticeably silent during the original Cass and Antonia confrontation, and she's the one who brought it up, which could certainly be a strategy to frame Antonia by making it seem like she has a reasonable motive. She also more or less has an established motive with her fans, and could have potentially arranged a meeting with Cass either for mastermind gossip or the whole "Paris Pairs” brand she brought up earlier. Befriending Taylor so suddenly could have been a strategy to get an ally during the trial, and her symbol of teacups could kinda be connected to poison aside from the more immediately obvious "spill the tea” connection. Of course, that last point is only important if Cass was actually poisoned…

… And I just remembered that Paris specifically danced to "Toxic” in the talent show. In the chapter someone requested poison out of the Customer Service Desk. Oh god she might actually be a lot more suspicious than I thought she was. Oh oh.

-

Well… that sure was a thing! Really exciting body discovery, can't believe we have a dismemberment in chapter 1 already, damn. Also cool because Antonia and Vanessa don't seem to be the killer, which is great! And now I'm extremely worried about Paris’ survival, which is not so great, I like that one! Then again, I like all of these guys, so I'll get sad no matter who the blackened is.

As for Cass themselves, I'll mourn the loss, though I think it's very possible we still haven't heard the last of them. The secrets and lies Antonia caught still haven't been revealed, after all. 

In any case, hope you enjoyed reading, and look forward to next week, when we'll probably get just enough information for me to go truly insane over the murder method! See ya'!

Canon Notes:

Staff Members

Customer Service Desk

Monoquin’s Hands

Killing Game Explanation

Monoquin File Lies

Personal Notes:

Clockmaker’s Intuition

Kennedy’s Spiked Rings

CSD Request List

Noah’s Earbuds

Robert's Queasiness

[talkfantasytome]

nessian prompt: nesta adopts a pet bird and cassian finds out that the bird is monogamous so he adopts the same kind of bird to "send nesta a message"

Nonnie, stop. I LOVE this! I got so excited the minute it came in, but I had to focus on my 500 Followers celebration first. XD This is just too precious though.

Before this, the only breed I knew to mate for life was swans. My initial research got me nervous, since most others are also large, dangerous, and or endangered bird breeds. LUCKILY, there is one type of bird that is semi-common as a pet. (Not that Nesta nor Cassian wouldn't want to own a bald eagle but, you know...😂)

Nesta adopts a lovebird. Cassian decides to do the same, in the hopes it might make Nesta finally see what's right in front of her.

Warnings: Innuendo | Word Count: 1,056 | Read on AO3 | Masterlist

a/n: This may shock you, but I am not a bird expert. I used information I found easily online. Please don't come at me if I get something wrong. Blame the interwebs. Thank you.

And look at me go with a proper drabble. 👀

"Isn't she precious?!"

Gwyn and Emerie were on either side of Nesta, the three crouching down to look at some bird Nesta had just adopted.

"She's so pretty," Gwyn sighed. "What's her name?"

"Anne," Nesta answered happily, straightening up a bit. "With those rosy cheeks and shrill chirps, she reminded me of Anne of Green Gables."

Emerie chuckled beside her. "Oh, that's perfect."

Cassian scowled from where he sat on the couch, arms crossed over his chest. As much as he enjoyed the view of Nesta's back, he far preferred her front, especially if it meant her focus was on him. That's what he liked best. But it was always so hard to get her attention. He didn't need the added competition.

"You look like a child," Azriel teased, his body shaking slightly with laughter.

Cassian rolled his eyes, letting out a loud breath. "Pretty sure I stopped looking like a child when I was about fourteen."

"Cass-"

"So, what type of bird is she?" Cassian asked loudly, ignoring Az and pulling Nesta's attention to him as he uncrossed his arms and stood. If she was going to be all-eyes for the bird, then so would he.

Nesta smiled softly as she answered, "She's a peach-faced lovebird."

Cassian couldn't help but smirk at that. "A lovebird…really?"

"Yes. Why?" Her eyes grew stony, her tone flattening.

"Trying to tell me something, Nes?"

She let out a scoff. "Caught me. Because clearly I was only thinking of you when I got my bird."

"Aren't you always?" He flashed her a half-smile, ignoring the groans coming from Gwyn and Emerie as they joined Az on the couches.

"Only in your dreams, Cassian." She shook her head softly and then followed her friends, sitting next to Emerie as they started The Black Panther, their next movie in the group's watch of the MCU.

"Cassian, what the hell is that?" Nesta asked, her voice stern.

He followed her gaze to see she was staring at the new cage standing in the corner of his living room.

"My new bird." He grinned over at her as her eyes narrowed.

"I can see it's a bird. Looks an awful lot like mine."

Cassian looked at the bird in the cage, his head tilted slightly as he clicked his beak. "Oh, he does, doesn't he?" Cassian sighed, pretending he hadn't noticed.

Of course, he definitely had. That was the entire point. After meeting Nesta's bird a few weeks earlier, Cassian found himself researching the breed that night. Apparently lovebirds were aptly named, being one of the few types of birds that mate for life. And, even within that group they were special, because while most would move on if they lost their mate, the lovebird would pine for them, growing erratic and depressed.

Something Cassian could easily understand. He was no stranger to pining, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Why would you get a lovebird?"

"Why not? They're beautiful birds, and he seemed to like me at the store," Cassian replied, offering a nonchalant shrug. And to send you a message, since nothing else seems to work. He was glad he kept that tidbit inside his mind. He doubted Nesta would respond well to it.

She rolled her eyes, walking over to the bird and leaning over to look at it closely. "What's his name?"

"Gilbert."

She snapped up, her back completely straight as she turned on him. "Gilbert?"

"Yeah. After…er…my grandfather."

"You never knew your grandfather," she argued, crossing her arms. He wished she wouldn't do that. It always pushed up her breasts and made it a thousand times harder for Cassian to keep his eyes from flicking down to them.

Cassian let out a low chuckle. "Doesn't mean I can't name my bird after him. Why? Do you have a problem with the name?" He smirked down at her, taking a step closer.

"No." The word was breathy, her eyes darting away from him. As if she were trying to hide something she knew he'd find if she held his gaze.

He took another step toward her. "You sure about that, Nes?"

Finally, she brought her eyes back to his, her blue-grey stare icy and completely entracing. "It's just oddly coincidental."

"And why's that?"

"I think you know why, Cassian."

He couldn't help but smile at the sound of his name on her lips. It was his favorite song. One he wished he could play on repeat, knowing he'd never tire of it. "We should bring our birds together sometime. Give them a playdate."

"A playdate?" she repeated.

"Yeah, a playdate." His smirk widened into a full smile as he took one last step so that their chests brushed against the other's with each breath. "Give them a chance to socialize with another bird. And while they do, maybe you and I can play, too?"

Her breathing hitched and Cassian felt his heart stop. It wasn't the first time he'd elicited a reaction like that from Nesta, one of the few hints she'd reveal that told him he wasn't entirely off base. Still, every time he caught one of those clues it took his breath away. He felt so close. But Nesta was an expert at pushing him back to an arm's distance.

"Well, it may not be the worst idea to bring them together," she admitted stiffly. "Lovebirds don't like to be alone, and it could help keep them happy, to let them have a friend."

His smile became impossibly wider, and Cassian knew his eyes were likely sparkling with the swelling he felt in his heart. Even if Nesta did only talk about the birds. "How about I bring Gilbert over to meet Anne tomorrow? Say…around six?"

"Only if you bring dinner with you."

Cassian was about to respond when he heard his front door slam shut, the sound making Nesta jump back from him before Az, Gwyn, and Emerie walked into the room.

They started the movie quickly, everyone excited that they'd reached Infinity War and were getting close to the end of the series. But Cassian wasn't paying attention, his mind racing with ideas about the next night. It may not be a real date, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste.

If you'd like to be added to my Nessian tag list, let me know! 😄

@live-the-fangirl-life @generalnesta @secretlovelybeauty @nestaisgod @julemmaes @boredserpent @autumnbabylon @angelic-voice-1997 @moodymelanist @sv0430 @confusedfandomslut @gwynrielsupremacy @katekatpattywack @moonstoneriver77 @deedz-thrillerkilller16 @swankii-art-teacher @lemonade-coolattas @whoreforgwynriel @emily-gsh @my-fan-side @champanheandluxxury @sayosdreams @simpingfornestaarcheron @perseusannabeth @clemidansleschoux @meher-sumedha @labetenoir