#I know it's terrible

[randomness-in-motion]

9:43 Dragon- Kingsway

"What was it like? Training under the First Talon?"

"What was your training like?"

"Torture."

Age: 18

As he stood in the arena his mind was stuck on Viago chastising him yet again, this time about Enalia.

He'd never expected to be pitted against her. She wasn't a mage, which meant this match was physical and weapon only until a kill strike. He'd looked to Viago when her name had been called, a neutral expression stared back at him, unreadable. When she walked into the arena, the knot in Asrani's stomach was ignored as his focus narrowed. The lack of surprise on her face.. she'd known.

Thirty minutes later-

They'd been pretty balanced during the first half, he'd remained silent as he ignored her comments and attempts at goading. When the second half was called, Asrani had faltered as she pulled out her blades. Intricately carved ebony handles set with bloodstone, the ones he'd gifted her weeks ago on her birthday. The ones he'd sharpened for her just a couple of hours ago.

She'd scored a deep cut to his right shoulder and then moved to keep out of his range. Dark brown eyes watching him closely, waiting. The smirk she'd flashed him replaced by worry etching its way across her face the moment she noted his expression and the glance he gave her blade before violet eyes locked back to hers as he advanced.

He'd ducked low as he slid forward, his own blade slicing through the armor that covered her leg and tearing into flesh as he turned and then kicked her in the back "Poisons were never your strong suit, 'amica'." snarked out at her as she hissed in pain. She turned to face him as she moved away from him, and he stepped towards her "How long have you known, Ena?"

Her eyes had widened, not expecting the words nor the tone from him. Apparently deciding that there was no point in lying to him, her hands tightened around the daggers grip as he closed the space between them with a specific intent as she spit the words "A few days." and they both moved, her shifting to his side and sinking one blade into it as she turned, her other blade lifted up to take aim at his back, only to have him counter.

Rounding so he faced her, his empty hand deflected her downswing as his other came up under her chin, his blade finding that small space just between the jawbone and the throat and only stopping when the hilt met resistance. Gasps from some of the fellow compradi who had been watching caused Asrani's ears to twitch as he stared into Enalia's eyes, and the blade lit up as he sent a surge of lightning through it.

When he let go, she'd crumpled and he'd looked up at Viago as he pulled her blade from his side before he forced himself to turn and walk out. In all the trials he'd been through, he'd never been matched against someone he considered a friend...

Those few small moments from his childhood that he remembered from before his father and the Crows, the memories of kindness that came without thorns, un-bladed comforts he'd clung to for reasons he didn't understand. The sliver of hope buried deep within the never-ending layers of distrust that had been trained into him splintered. Where his father had failed in taking it from him, the Crows succeeded.

The lesson had finally been driven home..

An hour later his side ached while the stitches itched, Enalia had missed everything important when she'd stabbed him, showing that she was just as bad with anatomy as she had been with poisons. Viago's praise, always wrapped in barbs, encouragement that simultaneously cut, Asrani's irritation flared as he paced in Viago's office, sparks flickering around him.

Asrani stopped moving, arm sweeping out as he finally yelled, interrupting Viago "She knew she'd been matched to me, Viago." half the papers on Viago's desk caught fire "She'd known for days!"

Doing his best to remain calm as he slapped at the burning papers, Viago's tone was measured as he replied "Asra, reign it in. I was not the one to tell her, if that's what you are thinking."

"Considering our last conversation before the trials was you bitching at me about her, what the fuck else am I supposed to think?"

Viago sighed as he sat down "Well it wasn't, no one is supposed to know who they're matched against. Whoever gave out the information will be dealt with once they're found."

"I've always been matched to another mage, why did you allow me to be matched to Ena?"

"We only have two other mages right now, and they're both too young for the trials."

"I was also sent in not knowing that I'd be held to different parameters."

Viago's patience was running dangerously thin "Contracts are unpredictable, it was a good way to see how well you'd adapt to something unexpected."

Asrani could only concede to that point, so he let it go. But something wouldn't let him stop pushing about having been paired against Enalia "You have a say in the matching, you allowed it."

Viago's gloved hand slammed down onto the desk "You were too attached to her, Asra!"

Asrani snapped "No, I wasn't. She was just a friend. One of several, why is she the only one you had an issue with?"

Green eyes narrowed at him "How many of the others have you slept with?"

Asrani grimaced "Qué mierda, you know I have no interest in that, Vi."

"And yet you slept with her, more than once."

"For fucks sake, Viago, are you hiding in my closet or something? She asked, I figured why not. What does it matter?"

"It matters because it changed how you reacted to her. You hesitated and were injured for it, Twice!"

Asrani fell silent for a moment, his gaze shifting to the side before he looked back at Viago, pushing the confusion away "Only the first was due to hesitation."

Viago stood slowly, voice low with anger "Asra.."

Asrani's voice was flat as he spoke "How else was I going to know for sure? It proved your lesson."

Asrani turned to leave and as he opened the door Viago snapped as he came around the desk "You wanted to prove my... What did you prove to yourself by risking your fucking life?!"

"That a Crow has no one, not even another Crow."

As the door closed with a quiet finality Viago sat back against his desk, his voice torn between anger and resignation as he muttered "That wasn't.. dammit."

[a-flappy-bat]

I am capable of messy Darling/Matt sketches. (But not drawing glasses or anything decent 😖)

[outtox1cated]

It's time.

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

"Why did I do that?"

close up

[wolgerrswraith]

Meanwhile, on the boxed set of Twin Peaks I paid $49.99 for with the worst captioning I've seen in my life

[veneficasum]

idiot dumbass running on too little hours of sleep

[jerich0two]

Surprise! It's not Hazbin Hotel, shock horror... but happy pride month! I like this Mordecai headcanon (edit: I've since been told that it's canon!)

[eliounora]

I sing praises but you never hear

[creepedfinnart]

i mean i think she would've had the time

[nyehhehhehs]

cool leg activities

[charliebot-art]

this is so stupid i’m sorry

[paintedcrows]

Biting you. Biting you. Biting-

[rainiskyz]

Some random murder drones drawings

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

pls pls heard me out...FIDDLESTAN! <3

ok, i got this ask ten days ago, and I've been thinking about it ever since. Because I got two other asks asking for fiddauthor, and I dON'T KNOW HOW TO LET THEM DOWN LIGHTLY BECAUSE I'M A FIDDLESTAN BITCH THROUGH AND THROUGH 😭😭😭😭 I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong, fiddauthor is great and makes sense and everything. But listen. Billford and fiddauthor are multidimensional ships, they are good! But FIDDLESTAN!?!? that shit is the WHAT-THE-HECK-A-HEDRON!!!!!!! Even though it's literally 100% speculation, the implications are FUCKING CRAZY!!!!!!!!! I jumped between three ships so far during this gravity falls thing, each time thinking one is better than the other. I've decided that FIDDLESTAN IS KING!!!!!! I'm sorry. I could rant about them forever. I've been listening to nothing but extended versions of disco music for the past week. (YES THEY HAD A CRAZY ROMANTIC FLING IN VEGAS NO I WILL NOT ELABORATE!!!! (yes i will. I will elaborate at some point. it will be like ten pages or text. or I will draw it. idk.))

Here is a sketchbook doodle from like a week ago. I'm gonna post another fiddlestan thing in a few moments, but my style changes like I'm a completely different artist every week without warning, so I'm gonna leave this by itself!

He comes into YOUR house, he steals YOUR identity, and he fucks YOUR research partner!!! Fuck you!!!!!!!!!!

[raynewolferune]

DC x DP Prompt: Bruce is bad at emoting but at least ghosts are empathic (too bad bat kids are not)

Was reading Twincognito on AO3 when I stumbled across this gem again:

~

" “Danny, Tim. I was just…checking in. Is everything alright?” Curse his inability to make meaningful conversation when it wasn’t a life or death situation.

They glanced at each other and shrugged.

Then Danny hauled himself out of the bed and walked over to Bruce.

Bruce tried not to let too much excitement show on his face. "

~

Now I really want to read a story where Bruce adopts Danny post Meta trafficking and is being his usual emotionally constipated self. His kids keep getting mad at him because he's treating their new meta brother who was trafficked poorly (generally being stilted in conversation with him, walking away hurriedly mid-conversation, avoiding Danny when he's feeling really awkward, etc). They think Bruce is discriminating against Danny for being a civilian, meta, dealer's pick, but really it's just Bruce being horribly socially awkward. Danny knows this because of ghost empathy and find the whole thing hilarious. The whole thing comes to a head with the Bat Kids staging an intervention in the Bat Cave.

[demigod-shenanigans]

Leo. Genuine question. How much time did you spend staring at Jason’s lips to figure that one out?