#Device malfunction

[absolutely-esme]

Monster!Tim Coraline AU Idea

This idea would not leave me alone.

It’s a cross between a meta!/magic!Tim au and a Coraline au.

Before I get into it, I feel like I should explain.  I was on a bit of an Eldritch!Batfamily and Cryptid!Batfamily kick.  Then I found a collection of supernatural Tim aus.  Then I stumbled across a Coraline au.  There’s probably also some inspiration in there from vampire au fics.

It didn’t really jell until the idea occurred to me of a scene where some frightened villain asks Tim “What kind of monster are you?” and Tim says “The hungry kind.”

...

The idea is that somewhere back along the way, Tim’s family tree includes some kind of supernatural creature which may or may not have been an eldritch entity.

The supernatural heritage allows Tim to acquire abilities from other entities he has defeated, and Gotham is absolutely full of the supernatural if you pay attention.

Of course, Tim’s power isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.  It actually comes packaged with some pretty nasty side effects.

One of those side effects is perpetual Hunger.  Tim is always Hungry.  There is no way to stop it.  He eats enough to stay healthy, but he still feels Hunger at all times.  Increasing his food intake will not help and will screw up his metabolism and cause him to need more for normal function.  If this was allowed to spiral out of control it could eventually reach a point where he was physically unable to eat the amount of food he needed to function and starved to death on a full stomach. 

Fixing it is stupid hard because this particular sort of magical inheritance is really fucking inconvenient.  And, of course, whatever is up with his biology also makes him insanely susceptible to addiction, so no coffee for him unless he wants caffeine withdrawal symptoms all the time for however long it takes to fix that.  The constant Hunger also makes it difficult to get enough sleep.  Have you ever tried to go to sleep on an empty stomach?  Not easy, was it?  Imagine that every night.

The Hunger is fairly central to the nature of the magic.  Whatever supernatural entity he’s descended from, it is the Hungry kind.  The ritual of defeating another supernatural entity, taking a bit of the defeated entity’s power, and incorporating it into himself serves as a sort of metaphorical devouring, (and metaphors matter more to magic than they do to normal biology).  That’s why he’s able to gain power and abilities from defeated foes. 

...

Tim’s relationship with his parents is complicated.  His supernatural heritage comes from his mother’s side of the family.  She did her best to teach him about it and how to cope with it, but a lot of knowledge was lost over the generations due to persecution forcing those like them into hiding more than once.  There may have been a few individuals who spiraled out of control and caused small-scale famines before losing their lives.  It only takes a few cases for people to decide that a specific category of people is simply not worth the risk of having around.  Janet always referred to herself and Tim (as well as anyone else sharing the condition) as “those afflicted with Gluttony.”  This is the closest they have to a name for the condition.

One of the important things Janet Drake teaches her son is to pursue his passions.  It is incredibly important for individuals like them to have things outside the self that they can draw satisfaction and fulfilment from, things that keep them going in the face of the relentless Hunger.  This is what leads Tim to his night-time photography of Gotham, and eventually to his fascination with the Bats. 

Janet’s passions are archeology and travel.  Unfortunately, traveling from dig site to dig site is not a particularly stable or safe environment to raise a child in.  She needs to do these things to remain in good health.  Without her external coping mechanisms, she could start spiraling.  If she starts spiraling, it might trigger her son to start spiraling too because children in their developmental years are delicate, and this type of hereditary magic is fucking inconvenient (there might be ways of managing things that make it easier to live with, but between the knowledge lost and the risks that come with experimentation, they don’t have much info on how anything works).  She comes home as much as she can without the risk of compromising both their health.

She also taught Tim how to calculate appropriate portion sizes based on nutritional data so as not to screw up his metabolism, and how to fix it if he does mess up.  She also stayed and managed the process the first time it happened because the process of returning the metabolism of one afflicted with Gluttony to normal after it’s gotten out of hand is difficult and unpleasant and Tim wasn’t old enough to handle it by himself.  The nanny that had overfed him hadn’t been malicious or unreasonable, she’d just been operating on the assumption that he had standard human biology.  It took months to get Tim healthy again.  It took several hefty bribes to keep things under wraps.  Janet doesn’t know if there are still people out there hunting their kind, but she’s not willing to risk it.

Janet may not know about the aspect of the family magic that lets them gain powers from defeating other entities.  It’s possible that she was holding off on explaining this until he was older and more ready for the responsibility of multiple superpowers.  It’s also possible that the knowledge got lost somewhere along the way and Janet didn’t discover it herself because she didn’t spend her childhood running around Gotham at night and was more the sort of person who would stay home and read when she had trouble sleeping.

...

Tim discovers his ability to gain abilities from defeating other supernatural things fairly early on.  The type of defeat can vary, but it has to be something of significance.  A fight will work for most, but there are other particular challenges that will work for specific cases.

The first things a young Tim is able to beat are these small things, invisible to most, that gain power from learning secrets.  What that power is used for, I couldn’t tell you.  They don’t seem to do much other than sneak around and learn secrets.  Tim doesn’t know if there’s a proper name for these things or not, but he calls them Secret Hunters.  They are absolutely everywhere in Gotham. 

Secret Hunters are invisible to most, but Tim is able to see them.  It might be because of his own supernatural nature, or it might be something else entirely.  If it’s hereditary it must have skipped his parents’ generation.  Neither of them seem to be able to see them.  Tim gains improved stealth and a sense for when something is hidden from catching Secret Hunters until they wise up and start avoiding him.  (Catching them works in place of a fight because secret hunters primarily operate on stealth and evasion.)

He can’t just magically know secrets, but he can tell when there is a secret.  (He still figured out Batman’s and Robin’s secret identities on his own merit.  The most this ability would have done is alert him to the fact that they had secret identities if that hadn’t already been obvious from the fact that they were wearing masks.)

He also gets various other abilities from other things he encounters while scrambling all over Gotham at night.  Nearly doesn’t get out of some of the scrapes he gets himself into.  He gains the ability to cut with his fingernails as if they were razors from something that nearly killed him.  He gains the ability to climb like a goat from a Jersey Devil.  Etc.

...

At some point, Tim is targeted by a beldam.  He doesn’t get the kind of warnings that Coraline does, but his ability to sense secrets lets him know that the Beldam is hiding something, and any child raised in any part of Gotham knows to be suspicious of things that seem too good to be true.  Tim doesn’t have a convenient seeing stone from the neighbor, but he does have the advantage of his own supernatural nature which the Beldam doesn’t know about.

Tim finds a button-eyed doll that looks like him after his parents leave on yet another trip, and thinks it’s a gift they meant to give him before leaving.  They do often bring interesting souvenirs.  It wouldn’t be at all unusual for them to find an artist who sews dolls to look like people and have one made based on pictures of him.  Later on, he discovers the key. 

This Beldam is older and more powerful than the one from Coraline.  She has more power and more past victims to work with, so she’s able to make a larger, more populated world. 

Oh by the way, I head-canon that the Other versions of people in the Other world are actually past victims of the Other Mother, remade and dressed up for whatever role she has them play.  The three ghosts were just the three most recent and not fully processed for use yet.  That’s why the Others are able to act against her sometimes (Other Wybie saving Coraline from the mirror, Other Father tossing the eye to Coraline) or say things she doesn’t want them too (Other Father says “so sharp you won’t feel a thing” and Other Mother kicks him under the table).

The Other Mother doesn’t know all that Tim knows, so the Other World has inconsistencies like Other Batman and Other Robin sitting across the table from Other Bruce and Other Jason.  She doesn’t know they’re the same people.  She just knows that they’re all important to Tim.  She also tries to tell him to “eat as much as he wants” when his real mother was the one to explain the dangers of attempting to eat to fullness for people with their condition.

There isn’t a cat to warn Tim but he doesn’t need it.  He can sense hidden intentions in everything, and he’s fully capable of uncovering the hidden secrets himself. 

Tim doesn’t have a cat, but he does have Other Robin, who might have been made from whatever remained of someone close to one of the people mirrored in the Other World made for Tim.  He doesn’t remember his life, but somehow he feels incredibly motivated to help a boy who cares dearly for whoever and is willing to let him know that they're living a good life out there in the real world.

Tim discovers the nature of the other world and sets out to free the souls trapped there.  He fights the Beldam will all the viciousness and desperation of someone who knows they’ve only got one shot.  He takes everything he can from this fight as he makes sure she won’t ever hurt anyone again.  He doesn’t stop until the beldam is well and truly dead.  Then he unravels Other Gotham and spills all of the souls out into the world where they can move on and rest.

This is how Tim learns to Sew.  He can’t make entire populated worlds like the beldam, but that’s mostly because he refuses to do what she did.  He can control things he’s made (though there’s limits on how much) and even see through buttons he’s sewn (onto cushions and such, he's not the Other Mother).  He also gets some minor illusory powers that let him make things look a bit brighter/nicer/cheerier than they are.  It takes quite some time before he’s comfortable with using these powers.  Trauma is a bitch like that.

Part of the reason this version of Tim was so desperate to do something about Batman losing it out of grief is because he already has Evil Batman trauma from Other Batman, and he doesn’t need that shit happening in real Gotham.

By this point Tim has a collection of powers that allow him to navigate the more dangerous parts of Gotham largely without fear.  Now he has to learn how to manage without using any that he isn’t one hundred percent certain he can sneak past Batman, which means he’ll have to divide his attention between learning from the training and not letting himself do things the supernatural way.  This is going to suck.

It does, in fact, suck.

Oh, it turns out some of the rogues are a bit supernatural.  He gains a bit of an intuitive understanding of the health of plants from Ivy.  He gains the ability to taste emotions from Scarecrow.  (Also, Johnathan Crane is a freaking weirdo, fear tastes like spoiled milk!)  The rogues with supernatural tendencies are freaking terrified of the new Robin because he always seems like he wants to freaking eat them.  The non-supernatural types don’t get it.

Eventually, Red hood breaks into Titan’s tower.  Tim, by this point, is very good at deciphering how supernatural entities work and is packing an extensive inventory of powers.  He realizes quickly that this is some kind of manipulative entity that feeds on rage and pain attached to an unwitting host.  When he realizes that the unknowing (and therefore unconsenting) host is Jason Todd, he tells the Lazarus Entity in no uncertain terms to give Jason back or perish.

Jason, who does not realize he has a malicious, mind-warping, supernatural parasite and believes there to be no one other than himself and Tim present, is understandably confused.

Tim decides that the Lazarus entity has had its chance and springs into action.

Jason is treated to the terrifying sight of just what Tim Drake is like when he’s not expending conscious effort on not being something out of a horror movie.  Suddenly he’s in the middle of a spider’s web and no matter how hard he tries to fight back everything around him is under the control of his opponent.  Furniture flies around on puppet strings.  Getting too close puts him in range of the freaking claws this kid apparently has!?  Trying to get away just leaves him caught in strings and the more he struggles the more entangled he becomes!  The new Robin is skittering and gliding around in a decidedly inhuman way. 

Jason honestly thinks he's going to die when he finds himself bound with Tim standing over him.  He passes out when Tim rips the Lazarus entity away from him and destroys it. 

Tim gains the ability to heal from defeating the Lazarus entity.

Jason is surprised and confused when he wakes up bundled in a handmade quilt with his head in Tim’s lap and a cool compress on his forehead, feeling sore but more well and whole than he has since before he died.

Jason later decides that his memories of the fight at Titans Tower must be some kind of weird fever dream caused by his body purging the last of the Lazarus Water from his system. It goes along with Tim's account of things.

According to Tim, Jason entered the tower, initiated a lock-down, and then collapsed on the floor. Then, Tim moved him closer to a wall where he was less likely to get stepped on than in the middle of the walkway and did his best to take care of him there because Jason was simply too large and heavy for him to carry all the way to the med bay by himself.

This is far more believable and less of a mind screw than what Jason remembers. Obviously this tiny, baby-faced kiddo who played nursemaid for a stranger who broke into the tower and now looks up at him with wide, starry eyes couldn't actually be the terrifying, predatory creature from the nightmare. It was all just a bad dream.

He's honestly glad he collapsed before he had time to do any harm. The poor kid will never have to know what Jason went there to do. Jason knows, though, and he'll do his damned best to make up for it. He may have flubbed first impressions, but he is going to be the best damn big brother that ever big brothered.

...

Tim might or might not go full on feral cryptid when Bruce is lost in the Timestream. I haven't decided. He will probably pick a fight with the Lazarus Pit much to the confusion and alarm of everyone around.

That’s all I’ve got so far.

[kaymarie-bell]

Diasomnia Spoilers

.

.

.

.

.

(next chapter prediction)

OB!Malleus vs Idia when he stops crying and gets out of his dorm to see why the wifi stopped working suddenly

[starsabovethesun]

For some reason the Google drive isn't working on my device, and the web links I tried aren't available in my country. Can anyone upload them privately onto YouTube or something so I can download them that way? Totally understand if you can't, just curious if anyone who had access to the thing could.

(btw when I say not working I mean that I can download it but it doesn't save the visuals. I can only hear the audio)

[doodlboy]

They're just different flavors of the same guy

[spotaus]

Fun fact: Dream and Nightmare in my Ec-4o.verse setting are a package deal! They're both robots (Ectos) but their designs directly compliment eachother. Dream is (practically) an infinite power source for magical/electrical energy. Nightmare is a walking EMP that short-circuits all tech around him.

Their settings can be changed to be more or less intense, but Nightmare must be within a 2 mile radius of Dream or else he'll shut down, and Dream will start to overheat if he's too far from Night for too long.

There's a bit of animosity between them (largely due to Pre-war factors) but by the time they enter the story they're back on speaking terms.

[hearthtales]

little facts abt the oak haven kids!!

nettie loves fairytales. she’ll also instantly fall in love with any book with pretty illustrations, even if she doesn’t understand all the words. she loves listening to people tell stories as well, whether read from a book or recounted from their lives.

bran is rather cynical. he’s the type who doesn’t trust most humans despite being a human himself, which makes people all the more likely to assume he’s a changeling or a similar creature. he doesn’t trust quickly/easily in general, really. if he does trust someone, it means a lot.

unlike bran, nettie trusts people very easily and always seeks out company. she is much like a duckling in how eagerly she follows around those she’s befriended (and nettie considers anyone who treats her with kindness a friend).

on a similar note, nettie is terrified of being abandoned or forgotten. she cannot stand being alone for too long (she gets scared that people will forget her in her absence). she likes playing hide-and-seek, but at the same time, she will cry if she’s the seeker and she struggles to find someone for too long. she’ll also burst out of hiding if the seeker takes too long to find her.

bran has a terrible sense of time. it’s been this way since his stay in faerie, where time unfolds differently than it does in the human realm. he sleeps odd hours and sometimes spends his waking hours sketching in the field behind the inn, not realizing how much time has passed until someone goes to find him (usually nettie or maude). on his worst days, he loses track of day and night altogether and becomes confused when he sees maude preparing breakfast for guests, thinking it should be time for dinner. this can be very disorienting and distressing.

bran is protective of nettie and treats her like a younger sister. this means the world to nettie, whose biological brother never liked her or treated her nicely. she appreciates bran with all her heart and is protective of him as well, even though they both tease each other at times.

[proxi-centauri]

OP I'm so jealous you have an alphasmart that still works, it was my favorite thing in the whole world

As a heads up there's a way to save more than eight documents. I don't remember what it was but you can actually name files in order to pull them up. There should be a way to pull up alphasmart commands on the device, it's cool to look through!

If you know how to get one of these that still works PLEASE let me know I miss mine so much

bringing my little typewriter to work with me is always fun because so many customers do a double take and go "what on earth is that" and then i get to infodump about my best friend the neo alphasmart 3000 who has seen me through many dangers

[i3utterflyeffect]

Favorite color?

Something you think is cool?

Signature accessory or an accessory you wish you had?

oh shit! uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

my favorite color like. i'd tell you yes but it's generally in the range of pink, purple, aqua? i love a good blue but purple and pinks are nice and every color is so pretty it's wild

uh 'something that i think is cool' is really vague. sweats. i like biblically accurate angels/seraphim? those are neat to me. if i had to choose something to look like i'd probably choose that because what the fuck is identity, transcend humanity

signature accessory has gotta be headphones though. i never go anywhere w/o them. when i hang around in the house i take them off (and also i can't put them on rn bc i keep getting migraines for some reason and the headphones make it worse) but i do have the headphones autism.

if i had to pick a different one it'd probably be my shitty old ipad bc that's what i actually use to draw lol. i just call the apple pencil i have a tablet pen bc like. idk apple pencil just sounds snobby. it sounds like i'm proud that i paid 100 dollars for a stupid tech pen that has no way of attaching to your ipad that is made to be RIDICULOUSLY EASY TO LOSE SO YOU CAN BUY MORE. APPLE. I'M LOOKING DIRECTLY AT YOU.

anyways idk where this came from but. ty for the questions ig sdgkdsjglsdgksg

[seeminglyseph]

Oh did I just get to the part of “I Was A Teenage Exocolonist” where I realize we’re the next generation of Space-X Jonestown in a Sci-Fi Dystopia and it’s not just “failed to anticipate atmosphere” that’s causing the problems with the technology, but like. Everything about this is a fully more sinister and poorly planned than most long distance speculative fiction because we got Scientology juice in this cocktail?

[ramservices1]

Tackle unseasonal air cooler issues with our troubleshooting guide. Solve common problems and ensure your cooler operates at its best.

Continue Reading: https://ramservicesandsales.com/2023/12/22/unseasonal-air-cooler-troubleshooting-common-problems-solved/

[momochiiee-reblogs]

My laptop's screen suddenly started glitching very badly yesterday night 😔

It's still slightly being wonky today so it's likely we have to bring it to revision...

[demonic0angel]

Celestial Bodies AU (maybe part 1/?)

(Part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7.)

Superman flew through space, eying the new galaxy that he and Batman had discovered the night before.

“So? What does it look like?” Batman asked him through the communications.

“Well…” Superman looked around. “It’s definitely weird. It has an enormous cluster of stars, but I’m not feeling stronger…”

“What? Are you saying that the radiation isn't working?"

"The stars here are all white stars or above, but they don't make me feel stronger. Actually... I think I'm feeling weaker too. Something is definitely wrong here."

Batman was quiet for only a moment before he asked, "Are you in any current danger? Can you defend yourself?"

"No, I'm fine. I don't sense any living beings around me. I can defend myself." Superman understood what Batman was trying to say. "Are you asking me to stay and continue observing?"

"If you can."

"Of course. I'll stay and continue investigating."

"Thank you," Batman said softly and Superman smiled at that.

"Don't sweat it! Let me get the receiver."

Superman pulled out the device that allowed him to connect to radio signals from space, and began turning it on. However, the moment it turned to life, the radio began to malfunction, short circuiting and turning into static as it shook itself. Superman nearly tossed it away before suddenly, it was normal again.

And then, the signal began to pick up.

And it began to sing.

Superman stared wide eyed as a symphony of music and singing came through the radio. It was a little choir of humming and barely audible voices, sounding as though they were underwater. Still, it was undeniably beautiful, like something heard from heaven.

"Batman," Superman said, hushed, "are you hearing this?"

"... yes."

"It's amazing! Are these stars making these sounds?" Superman continued flying, observing the blue and yellow stars, each radiating a heat that could not power him. He continued flying, listening to the ethereal song that called for listeners.

He hadn't been paying attention when he felt an ever sensed blistering heat and a force beginning to drag him forward. He turned his head and his eyes widened again before he cursed and flew a little distance away.

"Superman? What is it?"

"Batman, turn on your visuals," he said as he turned on the camera.

There was silence before Superman heard the barely audible click and then a buzz of a camera. The camera was attached to Superman and it would send the views back to Batman, allowing him to see just what Superman was freaking out over. When it turned on, Batman was silent for a moment, clearly as confused as Superman was feeling.

"... tell me what I'm seeing."

"A quasar, a protostar that is possibly becoming a blue star, a neutron star, and a black hole all coexisting right next to each other. As well as several planets all circling them like stars."

Superman watched the scene with a sense of both interest, awe, and horrified confusion.

The scene in front of him just wasn't possible. Not only would a black hole consume everything around it, there was already a quasar nearby doing the same thing with an even stronger force. However, the protostar and neutron star were fine even though they were so close, along with the few planets. The planetary nebula around the neutron star circled around each celestial object in an assembly line, flowing from the neutron star to the black hole to the quasar and then to the protostar. If the nebula wasn't taken by one celestial object, it was passed onto another.

Most of the nebula seemed to be absorbed by the quasar and protostar, but the two of them seemed to coexist in peace. The neutron star continued to spin and the black hole surrendered most of the nebula to its neighbors. The planets also spun peacefully, a few even had rings that were not taken by the quasar or black hole.

It was like only foreign objects, like Superman himself, would be absorbed.

It was fascinating. Like they were alive and knew how to live with one another.

Superman explained it to Batman in detail. Batman was silent before he said, "This shouldn't be possible. How could this occur? Unless there was some sort of external force that is keeping each astronomical object to themselves and prevents them from destroying each other, there's no way this could be a natural occurrence."

"Are you suggesting that this is man-made?"

"How could it be anything but? Aren't you listening to singing right now?"

Superman raised the receiver and the singing on the other side continued without pause, a constant symphony of voices.

"... you could be right. Do you want to try and make contact?"

"Yes. Send back a signal."

Superman pressed a few buttons on the receiver to send a radio message back and in an instant, the singing died down, leaving only a faint crackling and a water-like noise.

Biting the bullet, Superman then spoke into the receiver.

"Hello. My name is Superman, and I come from the Milky Way galaxy. I am a kryptonian from the planet Earth. I wish to peacefully connect with you, whoever you are."

More crackling.

Batman cursed softly in his ear and Superman winced, already feeling that he was too impulsive. However, just as he was about to backtrack and escape from this particular galaxy, there was a whispered, shuddery, "Hello."

Superman blinked and then called out, "H-Hello!"

There was silence again, only that underwater staticky noise coming through.

"Can I take this as you accepting my peace offering?"

"... yes."

The sound that came from the receiver seemed to come from many, all joining together into one.

There was a hitched gasp and then Batman hissed, "Keep talking! Ask them questions! Ask them if they want to make contact with us or if we can form an alliance!"

Superman nodded to himself and spoke into the receiver, "Can you see me?"

"We see you."

Superman paused and then continued in stride, "I'm sorry, but I can't see you. Can you show yourself?"

"In front of you."

There was nothing but the strange collection of celestial objects. Unless there was someone inside? It could be possible, but Superman hadn't detected anyone living around him for awhile now.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but—"

"In front of you."

Batman then said through the communicator, "Superman, the neutron star!"

The neutron star in front of him then began to spin faster and faster, before lighting up into a pulsar in the very next second.

Superman was stunned at the sight, as the radiation emitting from the neutron star passed over him over and over and over, radiating with a cold burn that resonated through his bones and made his limbs weak. The impossibly quick change from a regular neutron star into a pulsar only made him even more frightened as the radio signals made the receiver scream.

"We are here." The crackling voices said again, all as one.

Superman flew backwards, his breath caught in his throat.

"Superman?! Why did you go backwards?" Batman demanded.

Superman flinched and then he said softly, "Sorry. Instinct."

It was true. The fear that had entered his body had made him instinctively retreat. It was even worse than looking death in the eye. It was like the feeling of knowing the End of All, of knowing that your existence would be wiped out, of knowing that resistance would be futile and that your death wouldn't even be enough to save the ones you loved.

His heart pounded as he flew a little closer, enough to feel the heat from the quasar again and almost reluctantly said into the receiver, "Are you the neutron star?"

"We are all what you see in front of you."

"'We'? Are all of you speaking to me?"

The neutron star pulsed again, spinning just a little faster like before.

"I am the King. And these are my family."

The voice than switched out, a barely noticeable change in the difference because it was all the same voices speaking as one. However, now a different voice was leading.

"Ask your questions, Son of Jor-El. What do you seek?"

Superman's eyes widened. Then after a moment of silence, he said, "I am here to explore the universe and find protection for the planet I live on. Could you help us?"

"We are but objects in the sky. We will only answer questions."

Batman interrupted. "Ask them if they can see the future and if anything will happen to Earth."

Superman explained to the collection of celestial bodies, "This is my colleague and partner, Batman. We work together for Earth's safety."

"We know. He is the best of you."

There was silence from both Superman and Batman. Superman was stunned, but he also couldn't help but smile. "Yes, that is true. Can you see the future? Can you tell us if any dangers will be coming to earth."

Another voice came to life, taking the lead in speaking. "We can. Whatever comes, you and your Justice League can handle it."

Superman could hear Batman breathe a sigh of relief. Superman felt the same and he placed a hand on his heart as he gave a sigh of relief as well. "Thank goodness." Before Batman said anything, Superman asked, "Could you tell us more about yourself? How do you have a consciousness?"

The radio crackled and popped for a little while before the first voice, the one who called themself 'King' spoke up.

"We were like you once. But then I became a legend."

"Like me?" Superman asked.

Batman then said, "Ask them if they were human."

"Were you human?"

More silence.

And then—

"Yes."

Superman's eyes widened and he couldn't help but gasp in shock, a hand flying to his mouth as he stared at the celestial bodies in front of him, all of which used to be human. These enormous objects that used to be human, now forced to succumb to emptiness and spin in space without pause.

"Are... are you okay? We have magic users in our team, maybe we can offer you help?" Superman asked.

Batman hissed in the comms, "Superman! We don't even know them!"

The receiver crackled some more and the voice changed again. The sound of them being underwater seemed louder than ever.

"We are fine, Son of Jor-El. We are happy."

The person speaking switched to someone new.

"Ask your questions and then leave." The receiver quieted again. And then they spoke, "My little sister needs her rest for her rebirth."

Superman's eyes flicked over to the protostar, which was still absorbing most of the nebula. The only thing that could have possibly been 'reborn' was the protostar, as it needed to heat itself to start the transition to become a main sequence star. Was that one the little sister?

"Just two more questions, if that's alright." He could hear Batman's deep, frustrated sigh. He probably had more questions but was frustrated by Superman's curtesy and his lack of scientific curiosity. Superman knew he was annoyed but he felt an odd camaraderie with the celestial objects. He didn't want to anger them if necessary.

"Speak."

"How old are you? And will you help us again in the future?"

The receiver crackled.

The voice changed once more. "We are all far, far, far older than you imagine. Time does not work for us like other stars."

The speaker switched again. "But in human years, we have not reached our adult ages yet."

The honest confession made Superman's eyes widen, especially as he realized what they meant.

A bunch of children had turned into stars and black holes before they were even adults?

Superman was suddenly starkly reminded of Robin, Batman's sidekick, one of the very few children that he knew in their line of business. By Batman's silence, he was probably thinking along the same lines.

"Speak your last question and leave."

"Can the Justice League depend on you for further help and assistance in the future? I would like to come back if I can."

"Our King was once a hero too. Come if you need it."

That was when the quasar sent out a flare, the gases and planetary nebula around it rubbing against each other hard enough to send sparks Superman's way. It was clearly a warning, especially as the neutron star began spinning rapidly again, radiation beginning to light the air around him in a devastating chill.

"Leave," They all chorused.

Superman immediately turned away without hesitation. "Thank you very much! I will come again!"

The receiver did not speak again. Instead, the songs restarted and the voices continued to sing a song that he could not recognize. It was ethereal, if not haunting.

Superman was smiling as he left. Batman was silent in his ear and Superman finally asked, "So? What do you think?"

"... I think we need more information."

"You're just feeling soft because they said they were heroes and were also children," Superman teased.

"How do you know they weren't lying?" Batman sounded angry.

However, Superman wasn't concerned and only laughed. "Lying? For what? They could definitely rip me apart if they wanted. They even had a baby star with them."

"Hnn." The old softie definitely suddenly had a moment of heartache from remembering the baby star.

Superman glanced behind himself, where the fascinating cluster of stars, planets, and black holes all existed in harmony together. The quasar and neutron star lit the way alongside the other stars and the tiny galaxy grew smaller and smaller as Superman flew away.

Whatever this galaxy actually was, Superman would be glad if they could find the help they needed and helped the Justice League in turn.

".... let's come back in a month," Batman said, sounding like it was pulled out from his teeth.

It was good that Batman felt the same way.

Perhaps the next time Superman came, he could chat some more with this little galaxy?

|||||||||||||||||||||||

I did so much research for this, it's crazy 😭

Dan is the black hole and Danny is the neutron star. The reason is that both of them are technically star corpses (a large or high-mass collapsed or dead star can either result in nothing, a black hole, or a neutron star) and while Dan consumes everything around him, Danny is a remnant of a star before him. The planetary nebula that came from Danny going supernova is consumed by his siblings, mostly Jazz or Dani. Dan and Danny don't fight over it bc they love their sisters.

Dani is a protostar, which is also a baby star. I hc that she used to be a star before, but she's just restarting her rebirth until she becomes a black hole or a neutron star like her siblings :3

Jazz is a quasar, which is a different type of black hole, (inspired by this post I made). She and Danny light the way for their little galaxy.

Tucker and Sam are also there, as planets! They used to be stars but they're reborn as planets this time. Tucker is a desert planet with several Saturn-like rings of metals and sand. Sam is a terrestrial planet and is capable of life. All that's on her is plants and animals tho (they haven't gotten enough time to evolve yet). The rest of the crew (Valerie, Wes, etc) are also there and are planets. They never really reach the level of stars tho.

[verus-veritas]

Not As Planned

"Hah! It worked! I'm in his body!" I shouted as I found myself standing up in my new hulking body. I flexed my huge arms and smelled my rank armpits, fully intent on worshipping them later tonight.

"Who knew the machine would work even without both of us being hooked up..." I thought to myself, clearly having underestimated his strength. He had broken free from his restraints, torn the helmet from himself and ran up through the house. That brute must've tried to get to his room for a baseball bat or something. Too bad for him the machine malfunctioned without a second person in its seat, and instead sent a pulse wave that knocked us both out.

"Definitely have to check the device out later and figure out what happened... but for now I have this raging beast in front of me that's dying for my touch!" I laughed with my deep voice as I gripped the hefty bouncing member in my hands. I knew I didn't have to worry about my former body as it would wake up with complete amnesia in a few hours, so I immediately set course for my new room. The room that once belonged to my high school bully.

I was halfway across the corridor when I heard some light grunting from the parent's bedroom. So I peeked in... and I couldn't believe my eyes - it was my bully's dad standing naked in front of the mirror and jerking that giant cock of his.

"Oh god, dad... I'm in your body... and I love it! Can't believe that one second we were walking through the front door with you shouting at me for being sent to the principal's office, and the next I'm waking up in the hallway in your sexy muscular body! Well, I guess now's a good time as any to tell you: I'm gay. I'm super gay and the reason I got expelled was because I got caught jerking off to the gym coach showering! But who needs a gym coach when you have body ten times hotter that's staring back at you through the mirror! Fuck! I hope I never have to go back! I'm Dad now!"

I watched on in awe as the incredibly handsome dad finally came all over the mirror and began licking up his own residue from it. He disappeared into the master's bathroom, where loud moaning was soon heard again.

"Shit. I hope the pulse didn't affect any other people outside of the house..." I thought, as I continued into my own musky bedroom. "Having to deal with my perverted lil' bro now stuck in his own dad's body sure is bothersome enough..."

[cthene]

Is Fox Mulder the most comically-brutalized protagonist in television history? Not only is he shot and beaten up on a regular basis, but the list of extreme and exotic injuries he accrues over the course of the series has got to be some kind of TV cop record. The man is mind-wiped by the military in only the second episode. For any other TV cop, that would be a career-defining event, but it’s just a day in the life of Agent Spooky.

Bro was cocooned by carnivorous insects, thrown out of a nuclear submarine into the Alaskan tundra by an alien bounty hunter, beaten up by an invisible gorilla. He was experimented on in a Siberian gulag, drowned in the Bermuda Triangle, tortured by Neo-Nazis. I wonder what getting Freaky Friday-ed by a malfunctioning UFO cloaking device does to your gonads. How much radiation has he been exposed to? Someone test this man’s hair follicles. How many mysterious bodily fluids has he dipped his finger in and tasted at crime scenes? Dear God, someone test him for HIV. Imagine being the FBI doctor who administers his physicals.

Remember when the Shadow Government was putting LSD in Mulder’s water tank? Our boy got blown up in an underground train car and resurrected in a Navajo healing ceremony, and that’s not even the last train car he would get blown up in. One time, his lungs were filled with mutated tobacco beetles. Hoss let a quack doctor give him ketamine and drill a hole in his goddamn skull. In an unrelated incident, he had a chunk of his brain stolen. He was locked in a padded cell, trapped inside of a video game, and— of course —abducted by aliens. Fox Mulder was fully dead, and then came back to life after being exhumed, and nobody even seemed that surprised when he rolled up at the J. Edgar Hoover building like nothing had happened.

Am I missing anything? How is this man still alive? His body must be like a pillowcase full of broken lightbulbs. Every time he moves, you just hear crunching.

[rebelliousmuse]

Camera Malfunction – C.B.

For the Sam and Colby fans.

Warning: oral (female receiving), unprotected sex (use condoms).

------------------------------------------------------

"What's up guys, it's Sam and Colby!" the boys boomed, a mischievous glint in their eyes.

Colby continued "And today, we're dragging y/n and Kris along on another terrifying adventure!" The camera cut to you in the back, holding some ghost hunting equipment. A shiver ran down your spine as the imposing iron gates of Blackwood Manor loomed into view.

"Guys," you said, "This place already feels creepy."

Sam snorted. "It's just an old house."

Colby nudged you with his elbow. "Yeah, y/n. Besides, even if there are ghosts, they probably wouldn't mess with someone as awesome as you." You rolled your eyes, a playful smile tugging at your lips.

Inside, the mansion was a labyrinth of dusty hallways and old portraits. Their guide, Mr. Grimshaw, started talking about a brutal family massacre that had stained the very walls.

"They say the spirits here are restless," Mr. Grimshaw rasped, his voice echoing in the cavernous hall. "They leave scratches on visitors, sometimes they also push or pull their hair."

You rubbed your arms, goosebumps erupting. "Okay, maybe it is a little chilly in here," you mumbled, pulling your well-worn XPLR hoodie out of your backpack.

"Good call, y/n!" Sam said, winking at the camera. "Don't want the viewers to think you're a coward, right?"

"Exactly," you said, throwing your arms wide and giving the camera a mock-heroic pose. "shopxplr.com, where comfort meets courage. Go shop, guys!"

Sam and Colby erupted in cheers. Mr. Grimshaw, however, remained stoic.

After all the story about the place was told, the investigation started. The camera cut back to Sam; a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "Alright guys," he said, "Let's see if we can stir up some of those spirits!"

The EMF reader in Colby's hand whined, the light jumping wildly to red.

"Whoa, guys," Kris said, her voice barely a whisper. "This is intense."

Across the room, Sam held the spirit box device. The screen flickered rapidly, displaying fragmented words: "Alone... helpless... betrayed..." Then, a new word materialized, loud and clear: "SAM."

Sam's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. He whipped the camera towards him. "Did that just say..."

You cut him off, your voice surprisingly steady. "Alright, guys. Looks like things are getting a little too personal." You scanned the darkened hallway.

"We should split up," Colby suggested. "Even better, let the spirits choose the groups."

Colby pulled more equipment from his bag, "Good idea," Sam agreed. "We'll leave one piece of equipment behind each one of us. Whichever two go off, go together".

Kris agreed "Sounds like a plan."

With a shared look of determination, you each placed your chosen equipment on the dusty floor. You opted for the music box, setting it down carefully. The silence stretched, thick with anticipation.

Kris spoke, her voice cracking slightly, "Hey, Luke, could you choose two people to go together so we split up?"

Before she could even finish her sentence, a sombre melody erupted from the music box behind you. You flinched, instinctively covering your face with a groan.

"Oh my god, did you see that?" Sam exclaimed, practically leaping across the room. He pointed at your device, the music box going crazy. "Okay, thank you, that seems clear enough," he continued, his voice a mix of nervous excitement and genuine gratitude. "Could you choose another one, buddy?"

Another agonizing silence stretched on. You peeked through your fingers, watching the other three devices. Then, a faint flicker of light caught your eye. Across the room, Colby's EMF rope lit up.

"Looks like we have our teams!" Kris announced, a nervous smile tugging at Colby’s lips.

Each pair grabbed their ghost hunting equipment, an EMF reader, a spirit box and a camera with a light. Sam and Kris got ready, casting nervous glances towards the door of the basement.

"Basement for us then," Kris said, her voice echoing in the dusty hall.

You and Colby exchanged a look. "Second floor sounds good," you replied, grabbing some equipment and taking the lead towards the stairs. The grand staircase creaked ominously with each step.

Reaching the top floor, you found yourself facing a long hallway lined with closed doors. Colby turned to you, a hesitant smile playing on his lips.

"Which room do you think we should go to first?" he asked.

"Honestly," you mumbled, "I think the kids' room would be a good starting point. The parents' room... well, that's where the bloodiest murder happened, according to Mr. Grimshaw. Maybe we should save that for last?"

Your voice trailed off as you realized you hadn't been paying attention to what you were saying. Instead, your mind was replaying Colby's smile, the way his shirt fit his broad shoulders a little too well tonight.

You reached a door adorned with faded cartoon whales. This had to be the kids' room.

As you pushed the door open, you saw a dusty rocking horse sat frozen in the corner, and a faded floral wallpaper peeled from the walls. You set down the camera and switched on the spirit box.

Suddenly, a clear, childish voice filled the room. "Hi" it said, sending a shiver down your spine.

You began talking to the spirit, obtaining more story. It turned out to be a little girl named Lily, her voice filled with innocence. As you spoke, another voice joined in, deeper and slightly hesitant. It was her brother, William. Together, they painted a picture of a happy childhood cut tragically short.

You documented everything. The sadness of their story mingled with the guilt of being distracted by Colby. You kept asking yourself, 'How can I be thinking about him when these poor kids are trapped here?'

The conversation eventually finished, leaving a heavy silence in the room. It was time to move on. Pushing aside the lingering sadness of the children's story, you forced yourself to focus. There were other rooms to investigate.

Eventually, you reached the parents' room, the centre of the tragedy. The air in the room hung heavy. You stepped on the carpet, fumbling with the familiar weight of the camera.

Colby was beside you, setting up the spirit box. As you reached for the EMF, your hand brushed against his arm, sending electricity through you. You stumbled and before you could react, Colby was there. His hands shot out, instinctively grabbing you by the waist to stop your fall. The sudden contact sent a wave of warmth through you. You could feel the heat of his body through his shirt. “You okay?” he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, sorry," your answer nervously. You turned around, and your breath hitched. His eyes were on you, a soft smile playing on his lips. His touch remained on your waist.

You felt yourself blushing. The thrilling tension of the investigation was replaced by a nervous flutter in your stomach.

His gaze held yours. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "We should get this done already," he said, his voice husky and close.

"We should," you breathed back, your voice barely a whisper. But instead of pulling away, you surprised yourself by reaching out. Your hand, trembling slightly, landed on his chest. Your fingers grazed the fabric of his shirt. You traced a slow path down. Colby's gaze dropped from yours, lingering on your lips. A flicker of surprise, quickly overtaken by a hesitant smile, danced across his face.

You mirrored his gaze. The weight of his touch, the intensity of his stare, it was too much for you to resist.

In that charged silence, you leaned in, a slow, deliberate movement. Colby met you halfway. Then, hesitantly at first, your lips met. It was a soft brush, but in a moment, the kiss deepened.

Your hands moved instinctively, one cupping Colby's face, the other threading through his hair. He pulled you closer. The distant hum of the spirit box seemed to fade away, replaced by the frantic drumming of your hearts.

The world dissolved into a blur of heat and sensation. You were breathless, tangled in the sheets of the dusty parent's bed.

Colby hovered above you. His touch was everywhere, a gentle yet insistent exploration. Buttons popped open; clothes slipped away. You mirrored his movements, clumsy with desire.

Thank God you hadn't started recording yet, the thought flashed through your mind even as it faded into insignificance. The only thing that mattered was the press of Colby's body against yours, the warmth of his skin against yours.

He trailed kisses down your neck, his lips lingered on the sensitive skin of your collarbone, sending a gasp escaping your lips.

As Colby's kisses traced a path down your abdomen, a shiver ran down your spine with each touch. You closed your eyes, a silent prayer forming in your mind – that Sam and Kris were engrossed in their investigation, that you could have a few more minutes with Colby.

The silence in the room was broken only by the ragged rhythm of your breath. Colby paused, his gaze flickering to your face, searching for your reaction.

With a gentle motion, he removed the last layer of fabric separating your bodies, tossing your panties on the floor. The cool air sent goosebumps erupting across your skin, momentarily grounding you in reality. But then, his hands found your thighs as he separated your them and placed his head between them. His grip was firm yet gentle, a possessiveness that both surprised and excited you.

Colby's touch was exquisite, sending waves of pleasure through your skin. His tongue danced across your sensitive clit. A gasp escaped your lips, a mixture of surprise and delight. You arched your back instinctively.

Low guttural sounds escaping his lips as he explored further. His fingers joined, the intoxicating feeling of his touch.

As his fingers went deeper, massaging that gummy spot, a sharp gasp escaped your lips, leaving you breathless and trembling in his arms.

"Fuck, baby," he murmured, his voice husky and low. "I could eat you out all day." He started making his way to your mouth, leaving a trail of kisses through your body. Your lips meeting his in a slow kiss. Your hands roamed over his body, tracing the contours of his muscles.

His hand cupped your face. "We don't have too much time," you whispered.

A flicker of amusement danced across his face. "Should we stop?" he suggested, his voice a husky murmur against your skin.

You shook your head, "No," you breathed, your voice barely audible. "Fuck me, now." He smirked slyly, giving you a short kiss while grabbing his hard cock on his right hand, positioning himself on your entrance.

Colby entered you slowly, letting you adjust to his size. You gasped as he held your gaze with his jaw clenched.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he began to move. Your moans escaped your lips involuntarily. The sound wasn't lost on Colby.

"Faster, Colby," you whispered, your voice rough with a need you couldn't deny.

He responded instantly, his movements mirroring your growing desire. The sound of skin slapping against skin was a counterpoint to the gasps escaping your lips.

With each thrust, you felt yourself reaching the edge. "Oh my god," you breathed, the words punctuated by moans that begged for release. "C-colb-y, I'm g-gonna..."

"Cum for me, baby," he whispered. "Show me how good I make you feel."

You arched your back, surrendering to the wave of pleasure that threatened to consume you. A choked cry escaped your lips as you reached your climax, the world dissolving around you. Colby collapsed beside you, his chest moving up and down as he caught his breath.

A distant creak of floorboards sent a jolt through you. "Did you hear that?" you whispered.

"Sounds like Sam and Kris," he confirmed, his voice low and gravelly. "They must be done with their investigation."

Scrambling out of bed, you reached for your discarded clothes, pulling them on with shaking hands. Colby mirrored your movements, his movements more controlled but a flicker of urgency in his eyes.

The room looked different, the messy the bed, the misplaced throw pillows, it all screamed sex. Desperate to create a semblance of normalcy, you darted around the room, straightening the covers, smoothing them.

"The spirit box!" you hissed, remembering the abandoned equipment in your haste. You snatched it up.

"What are we going to say?" Colby asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know," you confessed, "We just need to come up with something believable." The creaking of floorboards grew louder.

Just as you were about to blurt out the first excuse that came to mind, the bedroom door swung open, revealing Sam and Kris.

"Hey, you guys done in here?" Sam inquired.

"Uh, yeah," Colby stammered, stepping forward with a forced smile. "We were just wrapping things up." His voice betrayed a hint of nervousness.

"Good," Kris said, "How was the investigation?"

Colby launched into a detailed account, telling the stories the children had shared and details about other spirits communication.

Kris's gaze shifted towards you. "What about this room?" she asked.

Your throat constricted. You stole a glance at Colby, a silent plea for help. He met your gaze, a flicker of reassurance passing between you.

"Well..." you began, "The camera started malfunctioning here," you blurted out, desperate to buy some time. "It didn't start recording anything."

A collective gasp filled the room. Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with shock.

Kris raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Maybe we should try again," she suggested, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice.

Colby seized the opportunity. "Yeah, sure," he said, his voice regaining its earlier confidence. "Maybe we should do an Estes method here. I offer myself."

The suggestion hung in the air. Was it the best idea, volunteering himself for potential spirit interaction after their encounter? You fought down a wave of anxiety.

Sam seemed excited by the suggestion. "Cool, let's start so we can wrap this up already," he said, shivering slightly. "It's getting too cold and dark in this creepy house."

[pupsmailbox]

ROBOT ID PACK

NAMES ⌇　aerobot.　agatha.　ai.　alan.　alethea.　alexia.　algernon.　alistair.　alpha.　amaryllis.　ambrose.　androbot.　androic.　andromeda.　angelica.　antenna.　arabella.　araminta.　arcade.　auto.　automaton.　axel.　axis.　badnik.　bionel.　bolt.　byte.　care.　celline.　cello.　chip.　chipique.　clank.　cloniste.　clonoid.　cobot.　codelle.　cole.　curiosity.　cy.　cyber.　cybette.　cybion.　cypher.　data.　dell.　della.　delpha.　delta.　digi.　dot.　droid.　droidess.　droidis.　dronette.　echo.　elektra.　euna.　eva.　eve.　fritz.　giga.　gizmo.　glitch.　grey.　gynoid.　helix.　holo.　holodir.　hydra.　ida.　jet.　kaput.　kinect.　krudzu.　linion.　mac.　mace.　machibella.　machina.　mal.　malware.　mation.　mech.　mecha.　mechael.　mechan．ace.　metal.　metalia.　metalish.　micro.　motherboard.　motor.　nano.　neo.　nucleus.　nyquist.　orbit.　parallel.　pip.　pixel.　prime.　primus.　proto.　quantum.　radar.　radius.　ram.　ray.　reflect.　reflectette.　robo.　robonaut.　rusty.　satellite.　scrappy.　selsyn.　sentiex.　servo.　shard.　siri.　solar.　sonar.　spark.　sparkie.　sparky.　sputnik.　steele.　sterling.　stochastic.　synchro.　synie.　synthett.　talus.　terra.　tin.　tink.　tobor.　ultramarine.　ultron.　unimate.　unit.　virus.　waldo.　zip.

PRONOUNS ⌇　00/00.　01/01.　0101/0101.　11/11.　1010/1010.　10110/101.　ai/ai.　algo/algorithm.　android/android.　app/app.　auto/auto.　auto/automated.　auto/automaton.　axis/axi.　beep/boop.　bio/bionic.　bio/bioplastic.　blast/blast.　bo/bot.　bolt/bolt.　bot/bot.　buffer/buffer.　byte/byte.　cell/cell.　chaos/chaos.　chi/chip.　click/click.　clo/clone.　code/code.　coil/recoil.　command/command.　compute/computer.　core/core.　cyb/cyborg.　cyber/cyber.　data/data.　dev/device.　device/device.　dig/digital.　digi/digital.　droi/droid.　droid/droid.　e/exe.　electric/electric.　entry/entries.　exo/exoskeleton.　gear/gear.　gli/glitch.　glitch/glitch.　hack/hack.　ho/holo.　holo/holo.　hologram/hologram.　in/install.　intra/intranet.　link/link.　machi/machine.　mal/malfunction.　mal/malware.　mech/mech.　mecha/mechanical.　mechanic/mechanic.　metal/metal.　metro/metro.　motor/motor.　neo/neo.　neon/neon.　nuclear/nuclear.　propeller/propeller.　radar/radar.　retro/retro.　robo/robo.　robo/robot.　robot/robot.　rubber/rubber.　satellite/satellite.　sca/scan.　shard/shard.　shine/shiny.　signal/signal.　solar/solar.　steel/steel.　stem/stem.　swi/switch.　syn/synth.　syn/synthetic.　tech/tech.　techno/techno.　test/test.　text/text.　turing/turing.　vi/viru.　web/site.　web/web.　whirr/whirr.　wi/wifi.　wire/wire.　wired/wired.　⚙️/⚙️.　🔧/🔧.　🔩/🔩.　🛠//🛠.　🤖/🤖.