#Dinah's Place

[donnatroyyyy]

Okay, a lot of people might not agree with what I’m about to say, but imma say it anyway: If you see a post that includes Stephanie Brown as a part of the Batfam or even maybe as a part of the batkids and your first instinct is to point out how she’s “not a part of the family” then you’ve missed the point of her existence as a character entirely. I get it when you see a post making her out to be Bruce’s kid or something akin to Bruce’s kid, because taht wouldn’t be correct, even if B has fatherly love towards her it’s not reciprocated and he knows it, that’s why he doesn’t push it, because he knows she already has a kick-ass parent (shoutout to Crystal Brown for being the best mother in DC history) that she loves as well as kick-ass parental figures that she loves (Shoutout Babs, (sometimes) Helena, and Dinah for just being badass). However, Stephanie Brown is a part of the Batfamily. Whether in mask or out of it, the others view her as a sister and she reciprocates that feeling, she is made to be a support system for the rest of the family, she’s made and written to be the pillar that holds them up, that can’t happen if she’s not a part of the family. And I swear to if someone brings up the whole “but she used to date Tim” thing I will die.

[ghostiezone]

"....Ashe?"

"Who's that?"

short-ish fic under the cut because I had to be in the tranches about this :)

The Wards received the invitation only an hour before they arrived.

i know where to find your friend :)

The crumpled piece of paper looked like it had been drawn in crayon. It was stapled to the front door of their home. Their civilian home.

"Aux-" Failsafe started immediately, but Imprint's hand over his mouth cut off the name before he could finish. The boy wasn't in costume.

Imprint addressed him instead, cautious. "Ashe...?" He lowered his gloved hand from Failsafe's face and stepped forward between his two teammates, slowly, like he was approaching a cornered animal.

Wraith had been a stoic, silent presence since they entered the room, but Failsafe could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves.

The boy sitting on the edge of the desk looked.... young. Younger than he should. The shirt he had been put in was too big for him. Not in the same way his dad's jacket was too big for him- he used that like a turtle shell, something to retreat into, pull over himself like a shield. It was safe, warm, all-encompassing. Despite the issues they knew Ashe and his father had with each other, the love was still there. No, these clothes... they hung loose on his already skinny frame, making him look exposed. Vulnerable. They were monochrome, pale in a way that made him look washed-out, almost ghostly. He sat with his legs crossed, hands holding his ankles. He wasn't wearing shoes. One of the sleeves threatened to slip off his shoulder.

He tilted his head as they entered the room. The movement made Failsafe think of the stray puppies he used to feed in the alley behind their house.

His hair had been washed recently.

Something was very wrong here.

Ashe's face was devoid of all emotion. Though he was looking at the three of them, making eye contact, something seemed... distant. Failsafe reached out with his power and found... nothing.

He felt his heart seize in his chest. He frantically grabbed Imprint's hand before he could take another step forward, and tore his gaze away from Ashe to lock eyes with Wraith He hissed under his breath, he didn't trust his voice not to shake "guys, hes-"

"Breaker state, yeah. I know." Wraith finally broke his silence, voice stony and cold. "Don't get any closer to him."

At the sound of Wraith's voice, Ashe's eyes locked onto him. They were burning with an orange glow.

His head bent further to one side, and his face split into a wide grin that looked almost painful. Failsafe felt Imprint tense, fingers twitching like he was getting ready to reach for a weapon. He squeezed the wrist he was already holding. "Don't. We can't. That's still Ashe."

In that brief moment of distraction, the boy on the desk began to laugh. It was a broken sound, distorted, not like anything they had heard from him before. That deep orange glow in his eyes shone even through his closed eyelids. Wraith's cape billowed as he stepped in front of the other two, barking a clipped "Incoming!" as the space behind the desk began to distort.

Wraith's own warping powers sprang up in response, a translucent blue barrier forming in the air between the wards and their friend. As they watched, unsure of how to act, a rectangular shape began to appear in the air behind where Ashe was sitting, growing clearer and sharper as it eventually formed a sort of doorway. It was hard to look at directly, the light in the room seeming to bend toward the corners. The walls and floor buldged and sank in response to the tear in reality. The door itself was more like a window- a vague, distorted cityscape slowly coming into focus on the other side. The barrier began to ripple, as if it was made of water, as a figure stepped through it into the room.

Ashe's laughing was suddenly doubled as it became clear that whoever had just entered was cackling as well. It was an eerie echo- they were taking the same pauses for breath and short hiccups between giggles. Their shoulders bounced in matching tempo and their heads tilted back toward the ceiling at the exact same time.

The new figure was dressed in a long purple-grey patchwork coat, sleeves torn off and bottom hem ripped to shreds. He wore a darker purple scarf up to his chin, which flared out behind him into a tattered cape. The coat was sinched at the waist with a faded green belt, the end of which swung loose around his legs to give the appearance of a long tail. He wore some sort of blood-red bodysuit which concealed every bit of skin that would otherwise be showing. His darkened silver hair flared out around his head in wild spikes. Over his face, a circular mask concealed any distinguishing features. The mask may have been white once, but was now more of a tarnished brown. Two horns curled upward on either side of the face, which consisted of a cudely painted-on cartoonish black smile with squinted eyes.

"Why, if it isn't the Wards of New Haven!" The figure exclaimed, suddenly dropping into a deep bow. "You can call me the Trickster. Oh, I've been waiting so long to meet you!" There was a sort of childlike excitement in his voice, but there was a strain to it as well, as if holding back the laughter was causing him mental pain.

He turned his head toward Ashe, who was sitting motionless again on the desk. The figure cleared his throat, then in a harsh voice, snapped "You'd best show some respect in the face of such powerful heroes!"

As if dragged down by force, Ashe bent forward, nearly losing his balance and falling face first off of his perch. When he sat back again, his deadpan expression broke into a wide grin again. The smile didn't reach his eyes.

"What are you doing to him?!" Failsafe snapped, voice cracking with the panic of seeing his friend so vulnerable.

"Who, me?" The villain straightened back up, bouncing on his toes as he did. He flung a hand up to his chest in an overdramatic show of offense... and Ashe's hand made the same motion. In a cheap imitation of Ashe's voice, the Trickster echoed "I wouldn't hurt a fly!" As he did, Ashe muttered the same words.

"He's some sort of Master." Imprint's eyes were locked onto the figure, tracing his every move. The subtle shift in his posture put the image of a panther in Failsafe's mind. His next words were directed at the villain. "What do you want with Ashe?"

"Better yet, what do you want with us?" Wraith added. The strain of holding up a constant shield for this long was starting to take its toll on him, hands starting to shake. Even though the Trickster wasn't outright attacking them, knowing he was a Master with this kind of power was enough to keep them all on edge. They didnt know his limitations yet. "You were the one that sent us the note, right? Why bring us here just to stand there and laugh at us?"

The villain started cackling again, bending at the waist with the sheer force of his laughter. "Ashe?!" He straightened back up, mimed wiping a tear from the corner of the eye of the mask. "Who's that? Never heard of them!" As he stood up to his full height, he ran a hand gingerly through Ashe's hair. The boy didn't move, didn't react, despite Failsafe's immediate short burst of anger at the action. The Trickster clicked his tongue, continued to run his hands through Ashe's silvery-purple hair. As his hands moved, a glow began to spread from them. The same orange glow emanating from Ashe's eyes was surrounding the Trickster's fingertips. As he waggled the fingers on his free hand, little orange strings no thicker than spider silk extended upwards from them, seeming to disappear into thin air. The strings reappeared, wound around Ashe's arms. There was a loop around his neck as well, giving the sickening illusion of a collar.

"I just wanted to introduce the three of you to my Muse." He put an odd emphasis on that final word.

It was a name.

"And, to let you know he's mine now, and you can't have him back!" The static smile on the mask somehow looked devilish. It was such a childish statement, as if they were fighting over a toy on the playground, but it sent chills down all three of the heroes' spines. "Finders keepers, he came to me first! That means I get dibs." His voice dropped an octave on that last sentence, suddenly becoming threatening and deadpan. "Try to take him from me if you can. It'll be fun."

Suddenly, he spun on his heel, facing the doorway he came from. The rippling effect was starting to get more pronounced, more unpredictable. "Ah! But it seems like playtime's over for now. We'll see you soon, Wards."

Before he stepped back through the door, the strings around Ashe's limbs tightened, and he was dragged by some nearly-invisible force toward the doorway. He moved stiffly, as if the puppetmaster hadn't gotten used to moving him yet, but eventually he was pulled through the fading doorway.

The Trickster gave them one last mock solute before ducking through as well. The lingering echo of laughter hung in the room around them.

And Ashe- Muse- was gone with him.

[worri-wort]

A belated Happy New Year from Harley and Dinah!!! (and me) [[Harley design by @eedaeth btw!! check him out]] This took a couple of days to actually finish but I'm so fucking proud of how it came out. New Year's resolution is to genuine make more art and post more in general. Buckle up folks, I'm gonna be more deranged and more vocal than ever!! I hope everyone had a good New Years and that 2024 is treating them kindly so far!!

[yuriwarrior]

Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1 (ID in alt text)

[papaiyatree]

tried to go back 2 the swing of school doods yesterday in class :>>

drawing this in class made me feel like i've committed 300 sins this is the hottest poison ivy i've ever drawn wtf

[blackbatcass]

do you ever stop and think about how deeply fucking funny it is that ollie invited eddie to his and dinah's wedding after eddie spent the entire length of their acquaintanceship trying to fuck both of them

IT IS FUCKING HILARIOUS 2 MEEEEE like i have to respect mr fyers the man saw what he wanted and went for it. he’s like the evil version of hal jordan

[real-reulbbr-band]

Shows u my fav ALW girlies 💕💕💕

[antihibikase-archive]

Okay I've been posting about Summon Night Swordcraft Story 2 a lot the past few days and I do recommend it a lot even if the game is highly questionable at times.

Its one of the best games in the GBA. That said, its one of those games where you might need a walkthrough if you want to 100% everything, since the main game takes the span of ten days.

That being said, I know it might not be for everyone, so I've compiled a list of its gameplay elements, the things I liked about it, as well as some stuff that might irk other people out from trying it.

Basic plot summary; you are a craftknight's apprentice, someone who makes weapons such as swords, axes, spears, knuckles, and drills. You're also specifically the last remaining descendant of the Coltheart clan, a clan of summoners, people who summon creatures from other worlds (machine world Loreilal, Yokai world Silturn, spirit world Sapureth, beast world Maetropa)- these creatures are called as summon creatures.

Plot spoiler happens, and you basically have to seal a certain evil away from rampaging and destroying your village. At the very start, you encounter a stray summon creature- what you answer during this part will result in a different guardian beast to partner with you.

Some gameplay stuff;

The partner you chose at the start of the game cannot be changed. They have different skillsets and priorities from each other; the fire oni Loki focuses on attack and using flames, while the wind beast Arno focuses on agility and utilizing the wind. They all have the ability to enchant your weapon with the others' elements, but they can't learn each other's special moves.

The partner at the start also has different interactions with the player and the world around them; machine guardian beast Ex-e-LD is factual and logical, angel-devil guardian beast Dinah is abrasive and sarcastic, oni guardian beast Loki is hotheaded and reckless, and half-beast Arno is airheaded and peculiar.

Despite the title (and the first game being more centered around swords), you can choose to opt for other weapons. You start with a sword, and only two story elements require a sword; otherwise, you can shift to using the other four weapons in the game.

Weapons are highly customizeable; besides their appearance, you can alter their attacks and passive skills utilizing different ingredients.

The game is an RPG, with its overworld being similar to the likes of Pokemon, but the battle system isn't time based- its real-time combat. Additionally, there are random encounters outside the town and forts.

The world is small; there's no other civilizations explored outside your own town. There's a large forest, the caves, and the four forts it holds, plus some four areas you can instantly transport to, and the final dungeon. The four areas and the dungeon get bonus floors post-game, but that's about it.

Besides weapons, you can create accessories (not reflected on the character, sorry) for stat boosts, medicines, and other items, like a diary that lets you save anywhere, and an amulet that helps you repel encounters.

A fishing minigame is there so you can buy additional shapestones for weapons, as well as buy ingredients you could normally only obtain through story-bosses.

Sidequests that span over the course of ten days; there's quite a few, but the main ones I recall are talking to the merchant and his friends daily for rare ingredients, finding a lady's lost cat, and finding a child's missing items. There's also an NPC that trades you rare ingredients for medals you can find in the overworld.

After the end of every day, you get to spend time with one NPC; your guardian beast, or any of the characters you've met so far. Who you spend time with the most determines the ending you get.

Things I liked;

Fun gameplay! I liked exploring the world, gathering ingredients, and crafting all sorts of weapons. When the gameplay gets shaken up a bit, its also a fun time.

A lot of dialogue is honestly very fun, particularly between the player and their guardian beast; though a lot of characters' interactions with them are also nice.

Unlike the first game, areas can be revisited, and ingredients and materials can be gathered at any time, instead of being permanently missable content if you happen to break your weapon or misuse an item.

Depending on the guardian beast you pick and the weapon you choose to specialize with, the game either becomes very easy or difficult, so each run is at least a little different.

The main characters aren't silent, so they get to interact a lot with the cast. Additionally, Aera and Edgar (canon names of the MCs) are vastly different in terms of personality and interactions with their respective beasts, their family, and their friends, so they don't feel like the same character.

A lot of the things in game are actually progressive and handled decently; Arno is nonbinary (not explicitly stated, and though Arno uses he/him pronouns, he's not a boy or a girl- something he says himself), and Aera and Edgar's interactions with certain characters don't change even if they can be perceived in a romantic context.

There's no direct romance in the game regarding your character, so you can just.. imagine if its romantic, platonic, familial, etc. Qpr rep in my head. <3

Things to look out for;

Even though I just praised it, the game's handling of Aera's interactions with women (particularly the childhood friend's sister, Lynn) are.. less than stellar. Its the whole "but we're both girls" thing in some cases, but in other cases, its completely fine??? I haven't played as Edgar yet, so I'm not entirely sure if its the same case with his scenes with men..

A lot of very sexualized characters, dialogues, and scenes. Dinah in particular (her opening scene is her in a compromising pose) if you pick her as a guardian beast. Nina too, but she doesn't really get sexualized; she's just naked due to being a ghost, but is surrounded by bubbles. Lots and lots of suggestive scenes/dialogues spoken by Lynn to the player are. Yeah.

Unskippable fish plot which includes the last part. Without spoilers, some fish summon creature wants to be seduced. You can thankfully choose to refuse (though your guardian beast, regardless of who it is, tries it out for your honor). Again, sexualization of Lynn in particular in this scene.

Strange dialogue?? Not sure if its because of the localization, but there are strange.. dialogue choices. Or things said by the npcs. Just things that are so out of pocket and strange.

Depending on how you take it; the endings. Though the endings are not explicitly romantic, they end like a dating sim visual novel where the character you spent most time with is given a bust-shot of them smiling at the player. This includes the player's siblings, Orin and Tatiana.

Not really a big deal, but the beginning part of the game (before you get your guardian beast) just has rushed exposition and pacing and it seems jarring at first, trying to fit in the player's relationship with Ryoga, the childhood friend, how they were taken in by their master Blaire after their father's death, what your job entails, etc.

[voltrons]

OH!! i still have to log and bag and board the comics i got BUT!! i did get birds of prey action figures from comic con :]]] i was so excited about babs!! they were out of box but it was so okay because now i can make them a lil backdrop :]]

[starlooove]

Mario kart mains 0 explanation:

Bruce - Dry Bowser

Dick - Shy Guy (magenta)

Cass - Daisy (likes her taunts; plays baby peach whenever she goes 1 on 1 with anybody - only plays dry bones when she plans on spamming her items)

Jason - Bowser Jr

Tim - Baby Luigi

Steph - Waluigi (she likes the way his legs bend - used to be iggy but found out the circles around his eyes are glasses, called him a nerd, and never picked him again)

Duke - Baby Peach (is mad there’s no Kirby)

Damian - Yoshi (switches the colors out when he feels like it but usually pink)

Bonus Terry - Wario (likes his taunts and usually pairs him with a super fast car and good traction wheels to balance it all out)

Bonus Matt - Isabella (used to play DK but thinks it’s funnier to absolutely demolish everybody with Isabella. Will occasionally go for toadette or a baby. Has never lost.)

[cosmojjong]

my harmonizer era was entertaining

[finalslay]

tag drop for recently added muses, hi, look away.

╰   *  arthur morgan      :      ic     ⧽   may i stand unshaken. ╰   *  bruce wayne      :      ic     ⧽   the dark knight. ╰   *  dinah lance      :      ic     ⧽   always trying to save the world. ╰   *  donovan      :      ic     ⧽     a craving that you can never satiate. ╰   *  felix richter      :      ic     ⧽   the visionary architect. ╰   *  grace le domas      :      ic     ⧽   fucking rich people. ╰   *  hannibal lecter      :      ic     ⧽   pity has no place at the table. ╰   *  harvey dent      :      ic     ⧽   you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. ╰   *  jim hopper      :      ic     ⧽   coffee and contemplation. ╰   *  jonathan reid    �� :      ic     ⧽   welcome to the world through the looking glass. ╰   *  kate denson      :      ic     ⧽   the hopeful songbird. ╰   *  will graham      :      ic     ⧽   this is my design.

[cloudeling]

dinah "id love to make babies with you but i won't make orphans" lance vs carol "don't you think its time we got married" ferris. both characters who find traditional ideas of womanhood (kids, marriage) uncomfortable and unappealing but the difference is their response to these feelings. dinah refuses to change her stance & while she feels insecure in regards to how this might affect ollie's feelings towards her & her relationship w him she still maintains confidence in her own conviction and refuses to back down. carol pushes back against these feelings and tries to mold herself into her idea of the ideal woman, literally splitting herself in two & excising the traits she sees as masculine/not befitting her role as hal's "perfect girlfriend" + her marriage proposal to hal being less because she wants it and more because its being pushed on her and she sees it as a necessary next stage in their relationship, regardless of whether its actually good for them. am i making sense

[postcambrian]

architectural digest open door fortress of solitude

[papaiyatree]

me everytime "we bonded. crazy bonded"

[electricfied-wolf]

Rusty remebers the first race he's every seen. Its wasnt long after he first came online, new and slightly shy on the yard, Momma let him come along as "moral Support" so he could watch the race live, instead of on the screens back in the yard. His eyes wide with wonder as momma twists and turns around the track and beating out the other engines. Joy and excitement flicking across his face as it ends and he knows one day He'll be the one racing and drawing the endless cheers from the crowds.

(Prefacing this by saying that the homeyards don't actually watch the races if they're not attending, like if they stay home they just attend to work, they don't have enough room for the entire yard to have leisure time everytime someone goes off to race. The work must continue after all. It also makes for better drama if something bad happens at the race.) Rusty is THE mama's boy ever lets be honest. Had he come into existence in any yard besides the one he's in now, he probably wouldn't have developed any family dynamics because in rolling stock that kind of thing needs to be taught. They don't immediately have instincts of needing parents or anything, they're fully self-sufficient in that field. But being brought up in the yard he was, he was immediately introduced to the two old steam shunters who lived there, they welcomed him with open arms and he found himself sleeping snuggled up with freight cars some nights. Before he knew it he wasn't just calling these older engines by those names because everyone else did or visiting Belle so much for no reason, they became like parental figures to him. This specific batch of freight cars became his brothers and sister. He adopted the mentality of having this particularly family set-up because the group he was taken in by already went by it. As another steam shunter, he as a shoe-in to become part of their group from the moment he was brought in. Momma definitely ignited some of his love for racing, Poppa also participated in races and did win quite a few of the smaller ones, but Momma was the engine that was pushing for the world championship. Despite only being a yard engine and not being particularly suited for the lengthy and somewhat treacherous track that was the world championship's racing venue (they're all just as complicated no matter what country hosts the competition that year) she was absolutely determined and would let nobody talk her out of signing up for the preliminary races. She was going to at least get there no matter what. And she did. One year, she got there, and she didn't just race in the world championship, she won. And that fueled Rusty's desire to race even more, it got him really amped up, so when Greaseball entered the scene and wiped the floor with the competition...Rusty wasn't too pleased.