#JOKER BEGINS A NEW MISSION

[bl-bam-beyond]

JACK AND JOKER: U STEAL MY HEART (2024, THAILAND)

Episode 2 (5 YEAR TIME JUMP)

Thief with a heart of gold, Joker (WANARAT RATSAMEERAT aka WAR) has served his time and after his release from prison. His mission is to make it up to Jack (ANAN WONG aka YIN) for his transgressions. Expecting to find the gullible Jack he'd met 5 years ago he's sorely mistaken as Jack is a mafia enforcer (debt collector) and he's holding a grudge.

But this ruthless Jack is a facade. And it's clear though mad at Joker he's still feeling a certain way...

Can Joker bring back the idealistic Jack? And maybe pickup where they left off before Jack knew The Joker's true nature.

@pose4photoml @just-another-boyslove-blog @absolutebl

[myerssimp21]

Tim Drake, Aphrodisiac Victim (YAN!Pt.1)

Romantic!Yandere!Batfam x fem reader. Part 1 Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

It’s easy for him to excuse it, easy for Tim Drake to pretend like he hadn’t intentionally fumbled the latest conflict with Poison Ivy. He could have done more to stop her, but when he discovered her plan and spent days pouring over the ingredients in her new concoction, the holistic quality of her potion calmed his nerves and quieted the anxious parts of him that screamed he would get caught. Ivy was known for several atrocities in Gotham, but she didn’t usually act as aggressively as Scarecrow or Joker with her toxins.

So when Tim Drake definitively concluded her newest potion wouldn’t have any adverse health effects, he was slower than he should have been when she whipped out the perfume bottle and sprayed it at him.

He’d been expecting this; what he hadn’t expected was Bruce yanking him backwards in an attempt to save him from the mist. The Batclaw shot out, aiming for the bottle in her hands but failing to retrieve it halfway through the delivery, the glass shattering on the ground and splashing all over the Bat and Tim Drake.

There had been dizzying action, and then only silence for a moment. Ivy had a shit-eating smile creeping onto her face as she began backing away, keeping her eyes on the two men trying to catch their breath.

“Gentlemen, it looks like you have the night off,” she said with a giggle as she continued to retreat, eyeing her escape route, “maybe make plans?”

“Pamela,” The Bat growls in a dark tone, his anger barely contained over how their mission had gone so wrong, “Give me the antidote.”

She turns to run away and he lunges forward to grab her before his knees buckle under him and he collapses to the ground, catching his balance and hearing her scurry off.

“Batman,” Tim says, feeling the weight of consequences of his actions as he feels his crotch begin tingling, “she doesn’t have one. I checked.”

The silence is palpable as Bruce evens out his breathing and pushes off the ground, using a nearby wall to steady himself, “We need to get to the Batmobile before it sets in.”

Tim shudders as Bruce places a giant hand on his shoulder, concerned both at how hard the big man is taking the dose and at how good the physical contact feels in this state. He hopes Bruce doesn’t feel pleasure at the slightest touch like he does; he’s frustrated since it was supposed to be just him.

Tim Drake was supposed to receive an accidental dose of Ivy’s new aphrodisiac. Tim Drake was supposed to stop by their darling’s apartment afterwards to relieve the strain in his crotch and the desire in his heart. It was supposed to be the best porno he’d ever see; getting the best angles for the cameras discreetly set up at her place earlier that month to rewatch later.

He knew Bruce was smart and Tim only hoped to earn forgiveness for this by making the best home film with you. He also knew Dick, Jason, and Damian would be grouchy he’d gotten to you first and it was entirely possible he’d get just decimated by your lack of interest altogether. Even though you and Tim had become close over the past couple semesters, he could tell you were reserved at times, just anxious or uneasy enough to pull away before anything with lasting complications happened.

The Batmobile had an autopilot feature which Bruce immediately enacted, setting a course for the Batcave. Wordlessly, Tim adds their darling’s apartment complex in as a stop, trying to not get shaky at the thought of getting laid in this state. It’s so easy to add it; all he has to do is press it from the list of saved priority locations in the portal.

“I had my suspicions,” Batman murmurs as he closes his eyes and lays against the headrest, trying to control the sensations in his body, “you wouldn’t have gotten sprayed at that range unless you wanted to.”

Tim says it before he can think in misplaced irritation, “Then why’d you get in the way?”

It’s embarrassing the moment he says it and Bruce says nothing in response, letting the silence sour in the air to make a point.

“What are you going to do?” Tim asks him, too aware of the growing urge to sink his dick into a warm, wet hole. The urge is going to be hard to wrangle enough to talk to her, let alone look normal enough to seem like a regular hook-up.

“I’ll manage,” is all Bruce says, and Tim hopes that means he’ll call Catwoman as soon as he leaves; he suddenly doesn’t like the idea of everyone tuning in at once to the live camera feeds as he tries his hand at seducing you. It feels like lots of pressure, and while Tim Drake is usually phenomenal at working under pressure, he doesn’t want to get rejected in 4k.

Bruce grips the steering wheel tight when the tingles begin in his crotch, trying to distract himself, “I have a change of clothes under your seat. Change before we get to her place.”

~

Bruce makes the call while he can, letting Damian know he and Tim were not going to be able to finish their patrol shift. Damian sounds unimpressed when he asks why and Bruce doesn’t answer him, hanging up.

Bruce goes to voicemail when he calls Jason, and his jaw clenches in irritation. He knows Jason holds more resentment towards him and might murder some criminals if made to do patrol on a night he’s supposed to have off, but Bruce can’t let Damian do patrol alone in the big city yet. He’s also a little concerned that Jason might murder Tim if he hears him with you, so getting him out on patrol is better for everyone.

After calling Jason two more times, Bruce gives up and calls Damian back, telling him he’d send Grayson over. Ever efficient, Damian is already dressed as Robin on the Batmobile’s call screen, his eyes narrowing in his domino mask.

"Father, your demeanor suggests trouble. What went wrong with Drake during the patrol?"

"It's nothing, Damian. Just a minor setback. We handled it."

"Minor setbacks don't usually disrupt patrol schedules. What are you hiding, Father?"

"I'll be back tomorrow morning," Bruce says, ignoring Damian's rude interrogation, "Make sure to stop by the GCPD to follow up with Jack Ryder on-" Bruce's voice falters as he struggles to remember what the story is; his crotch begins throbbing uncomfortably and he feels like the heat is spreading up his torso with each beat of his heart.

"On those cryptic messages left in the GCPD mailbox," Tim finishes for Bruce, leaning in to fit in the camera lens so Damian can see him too. Damian rolls his eyes.

"Your knack for evasion is quite the talent, Father. Maybe it's worth pondering why you choose partners if transparency isn't part of the deal."

With this scathingly cold delivery, Damian ends the call on a sour note. Tim would check with Bruce but their darling lives on the street they just turned down and his heartbeat has begun violently thudding in his chest and in his dick.

"Tim," Batman says firmly before Tim leaves the Batmobile, "stay in control. Scaring her off is not an option."

Tim's trying to not be sensitive about it because after all, it makes sense; if he comes off too strong and scares her, not only is he fucked immediately with Ivy's aphrodisiac coursing through his veins, but he will complicate things for the whole Wayne family. The other part of him, the part being drugged by Ivy's potion wants to whine in protest. How is he supposed to exercise control!? He'd never force himself on her but he doesn't doubt he might pass out if he doesn't find relief soon. As he exits the Batmobile with her apartment building in front of him, he just prays Jason is asleep and doesn't cockblock him.

You weren’t asleep yet. At 10 PM, you were drawing in bed, pausing at different parts in the pornographic video you were watching to practice drawing bodies. You couldn’t deny this way of practicing wasn’t tempting you to turn the lights off and rub one out with one of your vibrators though. They were recently charged, after all.

Not wanting to stop drawing quite yet but wanting the desire to build, you turn up the volume of the tv and make an effort to not pause as much. It felt good to feel a building arousal in your body and know you could use your toy as many times as you liked. It had already been about twenty minutes of you rotating out on your favorite pornography and hentai tags, working your brain up to arousal under the guise of practicing art. It honestly didn’t take much to get you feeling hot; growing sexual tension in your personal life made it easy to tap into. Maybe it was just that it never left your mind in the first place, and your mind wandered as your fingers snuck under the waistband of your shorts.

You thought of the recent weird vibes between you and Tim, the boy in your humanities course you sat near who was also in your social work course. You’d exchanged numbers early in the semester and at this point you’d met up for study sessions more than once. He’d always been a little flirtatious but you thought he was joking until he had leaned in the other day, hand finding purchase on your thigh as he murmured, “you drive me crazy, you know that?”

It was so generic you would have chuckled or rolled your eyes but the way he said it made goosebumps raise on your skin instead. His eyes were locked on yours and the sober intensity in them was not something you had prepared for, leaning away from him in sudden awkwardness even when you felt your cheeks burning.

Still, the thought of how he looked at you made you shudder when your finger brushed against your clit and your mind raced on.

Then there was your next-door neighbor, Jason. Tall and broad-shouldered, there's a casual confidence in the way he moves. His piercing blue eyes seem to twinkle with amusement whenever you shyly chat with him, like he's in on some secret joke. The black cat always at his heels chirps happily on his little patio table when you two chat, purring loudly and head-butting Jason at any given opportunity. Always, Jason makes his appearance shirtless, his eyes laughing louder at you every time you feel your face flush when he says something questionably flirtatious towards you. It's one thing to playfully flirt, but to do so while ripped and shirtless? How was your ability to articulate yourself around him supposed to have a chance?

You try not to look and act unflustered every time, but once your eyes lingered and you noticed scar tissue all over his torso, unable to tear yourself away from the sight. You'd apologized when he jokingly said you'd better take a picture, since you didn't want to seem rude checking out his scars and felt silly for getting caught staring.

"They come with a price, always," Jason remarked cryptically, suddenly making intense eye contact.

"Your scars?" You asked, afraid to say the wrong thing due to your social anxieties but leaning towards him from your bannister.

"No, my pictures" he replied with a smirk, his eyes twinkling mischievously while Alfred the cat chirped at his ankles again. Jason leaned across his bannister too, "But I've always believed in getting to know my neighbors. I think you and I could take that to a whole new level, don't you?"

"I-I think... that could be...nice," you stammered, your voice barely above a whisper. "Getting to know you better, I mean." You had looked away while trying to choke out these words, gathering your courage before meeting his gaze again. "I'm curious about you.. So maybe we could... explore each other sometime."

His eyes widened, his expression betraying a hint of genuine disbelief. A faint blush quickly dusted his cheeks, mirroring the warmth you felt spreading through you at his suggestion.

"Wow," he said, his voice laced with surprise and breathier than normal, "I wasn't expecting that, but... I like where you're going with this." The tone of admiration had given you chills at the time, praise kink activating at the new way he was regarding you. "I’m curious about you too, you know. Let's see just how close we can really get."

His reaction left you feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, but you couldn't help but smile at his response. You hadn't seen him since then, a couple days ago, and you hoped your conversation would amount to something delicious one day if it was meant to be.

As you reminisced about Tim's intense words and Jason's forward suggestions, your fingers gravitated towards your clit, applying firm pressure as they glided up and down your labia before slowly easing into your pussy. You opted for two fingers, relishing the sensation of fullness they provided compared to just one. They pressed deeply inside you, and you squeezed around them exploratively, reveling in the feeling.

After relishing the fullness of your fingers, you pumped them a few times, a low moan escaping your lips at the intense sensation. Your eyes scrunched shut tightly as you imagined Tim's hand from the other day—how it had come to rest on your thigh, the way it had firmly gripped at you, igniting a desire to jump at the touch.

You visualized him inching closer to the point of no return, sliding his hand into your underwear, and letting his fingers work their magic right there as you both sat with your homework in front of you. Just moments ago, you would have been innocently reviewing new terms together, but then the thought of his touch would be obscenely irresistible. You pictured yourself moving your hips, eagerly responding to his touch and allowing yourself to make all the noises you had always been too nervous to make with others. You imagined he'd get antsy to fuck you after hearing the squelching of your pussy on his fingers. In your mind's eye, he would just barely find the self-control to pull his cock out from his pants before burying his length desperately as far deep as it could go in you.

As you finally reached for the vibrators kept next to the bed, the abrupt sound of knocking at the door shattered your session. Startled, you jumped up, hastily yanking your shorts back up and rushing to wash your hands.

With no peephole on your apartment door, you felt a twinge of unease as you hurried to answer it. When you pulled the door open, the sight of Tim standing there caught you off guard.

"Hey... uh, sorry to just show up unannounced like this," Tim begins, his voice slightly breathless. "I, uh, I needed to talk to you about something important."

He shifts uncomfortably, trying to suppress the nervous energy coursing through him. "I know it's kind of out of the blue, but... can I come in? It won't take long, I promise."

Tim's words come out rushed, his cheeks flushed with a mix of urgency and embarrassment, as he struggles to maintain his composure despite the powerful effects of the aphrodisiac coursing through his veins.

Without hesitating, you step aside, allowing Tim to enter. His presence saturates the room, bringing with it an air of tension and anticipation.

"Tim, what's going on? Are you okay?" you asked, your voice tinged with concern and uncertainty as you closed and locked the door behind him.

His eyes met yours with an intensity that made your heart beat just a little faster, unsure of what he was going to tell you.

"I couldn't stop thinking about what I said the other day," Tim began, his words coming out in a rush. "About how you drive me crazy. I... I don't know how to explain it but I felt like I had to come see you."

His confession hung in the air, heavy with emotion and unspoken arousal.

As he stood before you, his usually composed demeanor was replaced by an air of dishevelment. His hair was messier, and his clothes weren't neat like usual. There was a manic energy in his expression, a hint of desperation that sent a shiver down your spine.

"Tim, you seem... different tonight," you remarked cautiously, noting the wild look in his eyes.

"I couldn't wait any longer," he confessed, his voice emotional, "I needed to see you. I needed to be with you tonight more than anything."

The intensity of his gaze sent your heart racing, a sense of unease creeping over you as you began to comprehend the depth of his interest. Despite the warning bells ringing in your mind, you couldn't help but feel a flicker of something akin to surrender. You longed for him to desire you so intensely that he couldn't wait for a more appropriate time, practically begging you to spend a night with him like a lost puppy.

As Tim stood before you, his agitation evident in every movement, you couldn't ignore the tension in the air. Your gaze inadvertently dropped to the now noticeable bulge in his pants and you're captivated by it, unwilling to look away. You couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the undeniable evidence of his desire.

"Can you... touch me?" Tim's voice trembled with urgency as he made the request, his tone surprisingly gentle despite the underlying intensity. "You can set the pace, do anything you want, just... please, do something," he added, his words carrying a fervent plea while leaving the decision entirely in your hands.

The tension was thick but you couldn't say you were really surprised at this admission of interest. Regarding the boy in front of you, you pondered the consequences this could lead to. As far as you knew, Tim wasn't a frat boy or someone who could make your life annoying with spreading rumors about the type of girl you were at school. He'd only ever been considerate, kind, and genuine. No girlfriend that you knew of, and he'd definitely be the kind of guy who gushed about his partner if he had one, so you wouldn't be any sort of homewrecker. He always helped you with your homework, to a point where you barely needed to do anything but the minimum whenever he got involved in any of your projects or assignments. This in mind, you decided he deserved a reward.

Leaning in towards him, you place your hands against his cheeks to cup his face. His eyes are wide, the pupils dilated. You thought you heard somewhere that meant someone was in love. Staring into those blown pupils with a mixture of curiosity and arousal, you drew closer.

"Can I kiss you?" You whisper and he nods before you can even get the question out. You kiss him, noticing he seems to freeze up for a moment before kissing you back, pressing against your mouth harder. His tongue swipes against you, but before you let yourselves go any further, you pull away.

"Before things escalate, can we agree to keep it casual, keep us casual? I like what we have."

He seems so antsy, almost breathless, "Absolutely, yeah. I'm all in. No pressure."

Doubting his sincerity since he seems so gone off of whatever is happening to him, you hesitate, "Tim, I'm serious. I don't want you to agree just because of the moment or you're high."

You're staring into those dilated eyes of his in the beat of silence that follows, hoping he's really listening to you.

He looks back into your eyes, the frenzied look a little more under control. "I hear you, I'm on the same page. Friends-with-benefits, I'd love that." Notably, he doesn't deny the speculation of being high.

Nodding at the more clear communication, you went back in for the kiss, now letting his tongue enter and explore your mouth. After getting more clarity from him, you feel less tense and relax into his kiss, feeling his hand come up to touch at your hair as he takes more control of it.

Dropping to your knees when the kiss breathlessly ends, you kiss at his clothed bulge, pawing at it with a hand. Your eyes are fixated on the stricken Tim Drake above you, and he watches in awe as you deeply inhale. You can smell him through his pants and nuzzle your cheek against the bump in them.

Slowly pulling at the drawstring of his sweatpants, your fingers hook on the band and you pull them down till they're bunched at his ankles, hardly taking a breather from your kisses.

"Oh, god," he moans in a strangled voice, "You're so pretty down there."

His praise makes your cheeks begin to burn and your movements get a little more self-conscious, feeling marveled at. Moving your mouth against his bulge in his boxers, you find where the tip should be and roughly suck at it through his underwear. His body shudders, one of his hands fingering through your hair and grabbing it firmly and he hisses, "Play nice."

Feeling good about this now, you moan into his bulge at the choked tone you caused him, pulling his boxers down and kissing on his penis directly now. Lifting it, you craned underneath and kissed at his balls, licking a long strip up from them to the tip and swirling your tongue around his hole at the top. A loud moan tore through Tim and you felt him push his pelvis towards you more, the tip of his penis in your mouth beginning to inch further.

Graciously, you accept his bid, widening your mouth to swallow him completely when he pushes in. He's not terribly big but it's still a little hard to fit him in, the longer length causing it to bump into the back of your throat. He doesn't taste bad considering your previous experiences with oral. It was musty and damp like he'd just worked out, but the faint scent of soap and the neat pubes your nose was buried in told you his hygiene wasn't terrible.

Swirling your tongue with the movement, you experimentally go down on him to gauge his reaction. He moans loudly again and the sound is beautiful to you, doing it again in the hopes he moans nicely again. He does and you fixate your gaze up at him as you take his cock deeply again and his face betrayed how flustered he was, with his cheeks flushed and the look of a madman about him.

He's watching you like he adores you and when you make eye contact, his hips buck into your mouth and he whines, "I knew you'd be gorgeous swallowing my cock, you're taking it so well."

You look up at him in curiosity, so he thought about you like that? He'd pictured this?

"Fuck, I knew it. I knew you'd look beautiful on your knees."

You sense his thighs trembling and your hands come up to press against them, mouth obediently swallowing his cock.

"Oh," he chokes and roughly thrusts deeply, "I'm cumming- it's coming, swallow it all!"

He looks back down at you and then it comes as he moans loudly and crouches to push his cock as far as it will go down your throat, the overwhelming cumshot from the throbbing penis in between your lips threatening to spill out of your mouth. You always hated swallowing cum, and the hot orgasm spurting into your mouth is no exception. You feel your gag reflex threatening to make this night nightmarish but then it ebbs away as you focus on the fact the flow of cum is slowing down, on the fact this particular sensation will go away soon.

You can't lie he sounds and looks delicious otherwise, your eyes focusing on his flustered face that looks almost entirely delirious now. He's sweaty but the handsome face almost glows with liveliness, cheeks flushed and jawline trembling with emotion.

Gently, you slide his penis out of your mouth, sucking any remaining cum or spit off until you get to the tip, lightly swirling your tongue against his hole. When you finally pop off, his hand cups your cheek and he promptly drops to his knees, passionately grabbing your face and kissing you. His tongue wriggles into your mouth and you're surprised he's tongue-kissing you with the flavor of his cum fresh in your mouth still. One of his hands hungrily comes up to knead at your tit and you whimper as he harshly pinches on the end of it. Then he's pulled away from the kiss but his body is beginning to overwhelm you, crawling on top of you as you fall back onto your butt with your legs in front.

"Let me have you," he pleads, and you feel his penis is hard again and prodding against your thigh, "Please let me have you right now."

You wouldn't have preferred doing it mere feet away from your front door, especially since the crack under the door was a couple centimeters wide and anyone in the hall could probably hear you without effort, but the wild look in his eyes and the famished way he pulled at both your tits now made you want to indulge in such an animalistic fucking. Something was hot about the desperate way he looked, something enticing about the frenzied approach. You'd never seen this side of him, and the consequences of indulging with him in such a degrading way was far from your mind when his head dipped down and he tugged at the hem of your shirt. Helping him take off your shirt by lifting your arms, he wasted no time in shoving his face in your cleavage, nipping at the top of your breasts with his teeth.

Yelping at the surprising and slightly painful sensation, your hands come up to grip at his hair and he lays large wet kisses against your breasts, sucking at the skin there. You know he's gunning for hickeys and you whimper when he alternates between open-mouthed kisses and biting, arching and pressing your breasts further towards him.

His mouth pops off of them and he leans in, head over your shoulder as he fidgets with your bra clasp behind you. You turn your head as he fiddles with it and bury your face into his neck, inhaling deeply before kissing at it. He smells faintly of laundry detergent, but there's sweat and a slightly sweeter smell lingering on him, the sweeter smell hanging heavily in your nostrils and seemingly dripping at the back of your throat. It makes your head buzz a little and you pull away in a daze when he fails to unclasp your bra, your tits popping out of the thing when he pulls it down in frustration.

"What cologne do you wear?" You ask without really wanting to know right now, feeling your head spin after smelling at his neck.

"I'm not," he gasps, squeezing and pinching at your nipples freely now, and you throw your head back with a moan when he attaches at them with his mouth. He uses his tongue and teeth to alternate between nibbling and flicking at them with his tongue, paying attention to each side as he can. His penis is excitedly bumping against your thigh in his boxers and you kick your shorts off, groping at his bulge.

"Please," he says with need when he takes a break from your tits, and his hand now fumbles at his boxers. You see him pull his cock out from the hole in them and understand what he wants when he slides your panties aside, not bothering to remove them. His dick prods at you and his hips slowly move around, trying to find your entrance. Aroused and excited to feel him enter, you reach down to guide him in.

Then, you remember.

Groaning in annoyance, you gently begin pushing him off of you, "Tim, we have to use a condom. They're in my room."

He finally pulls off your tits with enough of your pushing, and he looks at you like he doesn't understand, a rabid look glinting in his eyes.

You smile, trying to make the best of it, "C'mon, it'll be more comfortable for us on the bed anyways."

Standing and realizing you feel uncharacteristically light-headed, you unsteadily make your way to your bedroom, feeling him grip at your hips while he follows. You apologize for the pornography still loudly streaming from your TV as you make your way to your dresser to get a condom, and his eyes quickly become glued to the visual stimulation, mouth opened slightly as he stared.

"Keep it on," he instructs when he notices you reach for the TV remote, "Keep it on and get over here."

You approach the bed where he sits on the end, and he opens the wrapper and pulls his boxers down to reveal his penis, hastily rolling the condom onto his length. The sensation of doing so seems to be much more stimulating to him than you thought it would, and he moans and whimpers as he pulls it all the way down. Once it's on, he grabs forward at your waist and yanks you down onto him, your breasts smashing against his face as you fall onto him. He's strong and you're letting him pull you around, straddling his lap and looking down at the needy man.

"Here," you say, reaching past him to grab your pillow and tuck it under his head, "There you go."

You smile down at him sweetly and he smiles back, kneading at your ass as you sit atop him. Leaning down to kiss him, you use a hand to reach down and guide his penis against your entry, pulling it to rub it up and down against you. His tip collects your aroused wetness and the movement become slippery as it slides with your lubrication. Just when you can tell he's getting antsy and about to whine, you guide it until you feel it at the tip of your entrance. Slowly, you sink down onto it and his grip on your ass tightens until it's almost painful.

"Oh," He moans, deeply affected. His hips are still as you let him slowly penetrate you until you're full with him and there's no more room in you to sink down further, "Oh, god, you feel so good."

"How do I feel?" You ask in curiosity, looking at him as he seems dazed with the sensation of your pussy. A sudden thrust upwards into you makes you yelp, his hard penis harshly bumping against your cervix. His eyes are closed as he collects his words.

"You're so warm and fluttering around me," he says, and it's true. You feel yourself squeezing at him at the sight of him, his relief evident, "I've never felt so good; it's like you were meant to have me buried in you."

His words are spoken with conviction, and you're processing it all when he thrusts again. It still hurts, but less now. Your head is spinning, but you catch onto his new rhythm and begin lifting your hips up, forcefully pushing them down on him in time with his thrusts.

Pained but aroused moans spilling from your lips in time with each thrust, you realize your tits are bouncing around in his face with your fucking, swinging around wildly. His grip on your hips tightens impossibly and you see his biceps flex madly when his muscles take over, overriding your own rhythm and violently making you meet his thrusts. The moans from his own mouth gets louder until they're louder than yours, his pace quickening at the sight of your expression above him. You look fucked out and in pain and he relishes in it, knowing the sound of skin slapping against skin is his own doing. He grits his teeth and pulls you all the way down on his length like you were when you got on top at first, shooting his orgasm into the condom but envisioning it shooting straight into your womb.

You hiss in some pain at this large and painful thrust, moaning at the distant feeling of his dick twitching in you. The base of his cock is nestled at your entrance and you feel the entire length of it throbbing in your hot pussy as he takes his time to finish.

"You haven't cum," he says through heavy breaths as he comes down and you know he isn't asking but stating his observation.

"It's still really hot," you admit, "I like how it feels when you cum in me."

Staring up at you, he brings his hands up to your ass again and lifts his hips to inch the both of you towards the head of the bed, reaching towards the bedside dresser and grabbing one of your vibrators, handing it to you. You're still impaled on him and gasp at the sensation of him jerking you forward with him on his dick. Now kneading rhythmically at your tits, he pulls at them like he was milking you, "Cum on my cock."

Wide-eyed, you realize he's perceptive and has noticed your vibrators when you came in.

His gaze is drinking you in, eyes less wild as he stares. When you hesitate, he takes the vibrator from your fingers and turns it on, placing it against your clit as you sit on him. You're impressed he knows where the clit is and you jump at the sensation of the vibrator bumping against it, feeling him thrust up with an overstimulated whimper when you jump.

"Tim," you gasp, "doesn't that hurt?"

"Don't worry about it," he hisses through gritted teeth, "I need to feel you cum on my cock."

So you focus on finding your orgasm, hyperaware of the hard rod resting in your secret place, tracing the sex toy along places near your clitoris and moaning in pleasure as you play with yourself. He whimpers every time you squeeze on him and you squeeze on him any time you find pleasure near your clit. His hands return to milking your tits and you remember that his condom is full of his cum, sloshing around deep inside you and pressing against your cervix. The fear of the condom breaking suddenly rushes you to your first orgasm and you gasp his name, feeling him twitch deep inside you as you repeat his name helplessly in your climax. He strains upwards and his lips catch a nipple, sucking harshly as you begin to come down.

"Keep it there," he growls when you begin to pull your vibrator away, "We're not going anywhere until you cum again."

"Tim," you whimper, "I can't."

"I know you can," he says, thrusting upwards experimentally. The movement makes the vibrator bump against your clit and you squeeze down on him at your own overstimulation, making him groan. He slowly and determinedly begins thrusting into you again, small tears forming in his eyes at the overstimuation.

His stubborn insistence on chasing your second high even though you're both beyond the edge only makes you more aroused and you rut against him. He's not thrusting fully, but more so bumping against your cervix in small movements and you're fraught with a visual of the full condom sloshing around. You wonder if he will cum again into it, if it will become so full with his semen it bursts inside you. This thought along with his steady breast kneading causes the knot to quickly build up in your cunt until it comes undone again, and your second orgasm hits in a fray of overstimulation and whimpering.

"There you go," he coos, legs underneath you twitching at your pulsing movements, "There you go, you did so well. You did so good for me, baby...you were meant for it."

You shudder at the sweet tone, being pulled down for a long kiss. His chest is sweaty, the space in between the bottom of your thighs and the tops of his is slick, and you're gasping against his neck when he holds you. The two of you spend a while in that embrace, regaining your breaths and recovering from the intense session. Your head rests against his collarbone until you stir, slowly lifting yourself off him and breathing through the feeling of his cock sliding out of you. When it's fully out, you collapse next to him on the bed, bringing a leg up to wrap around his as you both take a breather.

You know you told him it was no commitment, no feelings, no drama, but you can't deny yourself a cuddle session after sex regardless. He doesn't speak, but the silence is comfortable as you rest your head against the crook of his chest and side. The atmosphere in the room shifts subtly as the distant sounds of the television fade into the background, replaced by the incessant chirping of Tim's phone.

You can't help but notice the growing urgency in Tim's demeanor as he glances at his device, a furrow forming on his brow. Despite your reluctance, he rises from the bed, his movements hesitant yet determined.

Sitting up despite your whines of protest, Tim looks at his device in concern and reluctance, "I have to take this."

Your initial protest dies on your lips as you watch him leave the room, a knot of unease forming in the pit of your stomach. What could possibly be so pressing at this hour? The uncertainty gnaws at you, feeding into the growing sense of unease.

As you strain to make out the muffled voices from the other room, a sinking feeling settles in the pit of your stomach. The once familiar sounds of Tim's voice now carry an edge of tension, each word laced with frustration and urgency. It's a stark contrast to the comfortable silence you shared moments ago.

Your heart sinks further as Tim returns, his expression weighed down by an unspoken burden. The air between you feels heavy with anticipation, as if bracing for the inevitable.

"What's wrong?" you venture cautiously, already dreading the answer.

Tim's gaze flickers with a mixture of regret and resignation as he meets your eyes, his voice heavy with apology, "I'm really sorry, but something came up. I have to go."

Your mind races, trying to comprehend the sudden shift in the atmosphere. What could possibly be so urgent? Despite your efforts to remain composed, a wave of insecurity washes over you. Did this mean you weren't important enough to prioritize?

"...Really?" you finally utter, your voice trembling slightly.

"Yes," he reluctantly confirms, a guilty expression on his face, "I'm very sorry, but I need to attend to this."

Wanting to protest but knowing it would be more frustration than it was worth, you nodded slowly at the news, "...Okay."

He starts for the door, ""I wish I could stay, but I really need to go. I'll make this up to you, I swear."

As Tim heads towards the front of your apartment to gather his belongings and dress, you follow behind, hastily pulling on your shirt as you move. Despite the turmoil swirling within, you're determined to maintain a façade of composure, refusing to let the tears welling up inside spill over. The uncertainty gnaws at you as you watch him prepare to leave, a knot of anxiety tightening in your chest. You desperately cling to the hope that something truly urgent has come up, unable to bear the thought of him simply walking away after the intimacy you shared. You wonder if you'll be able to face him at school after this, but the thought is so overwhelming to you that you just try to focus on the present moment.

You swallow hard, forcing a tight-lipped smile as you bid him farewell, your heart heavy with unspoken words and unanswered questions. As the door clicks shut behind him, you're left standing alone in the hallway, grappling with the aftermath of his abrupt departure.

After a long moment, you decide that freshening up will probably help you feel better and you turn on heel to head towards the bathroom, the goal of brushing your teeth and washing your face the only thing you're ready to focus on in your sudden loneliness.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

@dakota-rain666 @tyga-stripes @obsessedwithromance

[mikami1992]

Finally, after some missions through time, Dan has managed to be approved as "Officially Reformed", and only with some supervision from Clockwork and Danny, will he be free to return to live in the human world.

So with the help of Clockwor, Tecnus and Tuker, an identity was created for him as a Young Adult, who after a few years of traveling around the world, returns to the United States to begin his University studies.

Dante Jackson Nightingale is a Young Adult recently enrolled in Gotham University to study Business and Finance with some elective classes in Engineering, being the place chosen for the high educational level as well as the level of ecto of the city… but the Phantom of the future has other hidden intentions.

During his 10 years of rampant destruction, Dan had a period of "calm", the reason, the strange relationship he developed with Batman, a relationship that was about to bring the angry spirit back to sanity by focusing his obsession on something else…

But it all ended when a surviving and better-funded group of GIW caught Red Hood to experiment on him, so the Batfam immediately went looking for him, and at first the rescue everything went according to plan, but it was until the end where everything went off the rails with the appearance of the Joker… it was never known how it all ended with the explosion of the bat, but it ended up costing the lives of the Bat and the Clown, and some permanent damage to some of the Batkids.

The death of the Knight of Gotham City ended up reviving and fanning the flames of anger and destruction within Dan, which would cause a destruction greater than anything known before.

So, in this new reality, Dan plans to continue with his original intentions with the bat, this time proving that he was a worthy partner for the Dark Knight.

[blondephil]

hello (one of the) resident phannie data analyst(s) here with some parasocial stats on dnp’s movie tastes! following: distribution of dan and phil's ratings overall, movies they each rated 5 stars, their lowest-rated movies, and the similarities + differences in their tastes

(lore moment: yes i am a data analyst in my real job. yes i surprised myself with wanting to do this in my spare time. but then i remembered when we read dracula in college (yes i was an english major) and i graphed like, how many times dracula was referred to as vampire versus monster or something. so i shouldn’t be surprised.

first up, their overall rating patterns and by ~special status~ (i.e., wall-e, kill bill, avatar, lmao, plus big hero 6 for the fun of it)

dan’s rated 304 movies and phil’s rated 305. both of them have mean and median ratings of 4 with min 1 and max 5.

both rated kill bill vols. 1 and 2 a 5. wall-e got a 4.5 from dan and a 4 from phil (phake phans). both gave avatar a 3.5. and big hero 6 3.5 (dan) and 4.5 (phil)

rating distribution:

i did analyses here by genre but i need to fix the output (i’m writing all of these based on the markdown document from my phone on the subway, but i need to fix the outputs and i don’t have my computer. so those are pending but there are other genre analyses that i could do & haven’t yet!)

while i was sorting through the data i got the impression that dan overall rated movies higher than phil. so, among movies that they've both rated, here's some information

number of movies dan rated higher than phil: 65

Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Phantom Mence, Donnie Darko, Attack of the Clones, Finding Nemo, Oldboy, The Notebook, Batman Begins, Brokeback Mountain, WALL-E, (500) Days of Summer, Up, The Hangover, Drive, The Cabin in the Woods, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Life of Pi, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Whiplash, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Room, The Hateful Eight, The Force Awakens, Manchester by the Sea, Deadpool, La La Land, Moonlight, Rogue One, Call Me By Your Name, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, I, Tonya, Thor: Ragnorak, Phantom Thread, Roma, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Toy Story 4, Midsommar, Ad Astra, Knives Out, Soul, The Green Knight, No Time to Die, Don't Look Up, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Turning Red, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion, Beau is Afraid, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

number of movies phil rated higher than dan: 55

Star Wars (New Hope), Blair Witch Project, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Ocean's Eleven, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moonrise Kingdom, Iron Man 3, Gravity, Prisoners, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, John Wick, Gone Girl, Big Hero 6, Jurassic World, The Martian, The Revenant, Nocturnal Animals, Split, Get Out, Baby Driver, The Disaster Artist, Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, The Greatest Showman, The Last Jedi, Ready Player One, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born, Rocketman, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Joker, The Rise of Skywalker, The Invisible Man, A Quiet Place Part II, Greenland, Tenet, Malignant, Eternals, The Matrix Resurrections, Scream (2022), Nope, Prey, Talk to Me, Avatar: The Way of the Water, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

number of movies they rated the same: 99!

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Se7en, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Spider-Man, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Mean Girls, Howl's Moving Castle, Children of Men, The Dark Knight, Pontypool, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Black Swan, The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, The Conjuring, Snowpiercer, Her, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Boyhood, It Follows, Guardians of the Galaxy, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Interstellar, Ex Machina, The Witch, Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Your Name., Arrival, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, mother!, It, Blade Runner 2049, Hereditary, Black Panther, Annihilation, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Us, Avengers: Endgame, Parasite, It Chapter Two, Marriage Story, Uncut Gems, 1917, Black Widow, The Suicide Squad, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, Last Night in Soho, The Batman (2022), Everything Everywhere All at Once, X, The Northman, Top Gun: Maverick, Bullet Train, Barbarian, Pearl, M3GAN, Dungeons and Dragongs: Honor Among Thieves, Evil Dead Rise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., No Hard Feelings, Saltburn, Priscilla, Society of the Snow, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

i didn't analyse this by genre or anything, but i could -- so if you're interested lmk!

the 5 movies with the most different ratings between dan and phil

- Iron Man 2 (dan: 2, phil 3.5)

- The Greatest Showman (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Malignant (d: 3, p: 4.5)

- Scream (2022) (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Beau is Afraid (d: 3, p: 1.5)

Interesting that even though dan has more higher rated movies, 4/5 of these ones phil rated higher.

next, their 5-star movies

dan's five stars: 80

Alien, Empire Strikes Back, ET, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Jurassic Park, Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler's List, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Toy Story, Fargo, Scream, The Fifth Element, Hercules, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Fight Club, Magnolia, The Emperor's New Groove, Donnie Darko, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Finding Nemo, Kill Bill, Oldboy, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Shaun of the Dead, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, Revenge of the Sith, Brokeback Mountain, No Country for Old Men, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Tree of Life, 21 Jump Street, The Avengers, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Under the Skin, Whiplash, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, The Hateful Eight, La La Land, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, First Man, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Parasite, Midsommar, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

phil's five stars:

Star Wars (New Hope), Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Arrival, Dunkirk, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, Little Miss Sunshine

overlap: 39

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick

& their lowest rated movies...

dan: matrix resurrections (1) , thor: the dark world (1.5), the rise of skywalker (1.5)

phil: crimes of the future (1), attack of the clones (1.5), thor: the dark world (1.5), don’t look up (1.5), the matrix resurrections (1.5), doctor strange in the multiverse of madness (1.5), beau is afraid (1.5), black bear (1.5)

not even chris hemsworth could save thor the dark world, i guess (kat dennings, though…)

movies they logged on the same date:

note that this is like, non-exhaustive, because this is only based on their diaries that list the date. i think in reality they've watched most of these movies together. frequently dan logged a couple days after phil which aren’t shown here. procrastination queen

Pontypool, Eternals, The Northman, Nope, Barbarian, The Banshees of Inisherin, Glass Onion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Beau is Afraid, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Saltburn, Poor Things, Priscilla, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

movies that one logged and not the other:

dan but not phil: 85

The Exorcist, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Home Alone 2, Schindler's List, Fargo, Romeo & Juliet, Hercules, Men in Black, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Mummy, The 13th Warrior, Fight Club, The Emperor's New Groove, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Legally Blonde, Monsters, Inc, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scooby-Doo, 28 Days Later, Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, School of Rock, Matrix Revolutions, Saw, Shaun of the Dead, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Revenge of the Sith, The Devil Wears Prada, Borat, Casino Royale, No Country for Old Men, Death Proof, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, There Will Be Blood, Tropic Thunder, Slumdog Millionaire, Moon, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King's Speech, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, Argo, Les Miserables, Django Unchained, World War Z, Pacific Rim, Under the Skin, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Babadook, The Lego Movie, x-Men: Days of Future Past, 22 Jump Street, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Theory of Everything, Green Room, Sicario, Spotlight, The Big Short, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Conjuring 2, Train to Busan, Hacksaw Ridge, Doctor Strange, Hidden Figures, Logan, You Were Never Really Here, Game Night, Isle of Dogs, First Man, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Suspiria, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Glass, Hustlers, Pig, Violent Night

phil but not dan: 86

Jaws, The Terminator, Beetlejuice, Die Hard, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Groundhog Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Leon: The Professional, The Usual Suspects, The Frighteners, The Sixth Sense, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Gladiator, Catch Me if You Can, Elf, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Prestige, Zodiac, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, Juno, Lake Mungo, Twilight, Zombieland, Kick-Ass, Brave, Evil Dead, The Great Gatsby, Now You See Me, Monsters University, Man of Steel, About Time, Dallas Buyers Club, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Boy, Raw, Finding Dory, Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, John Wick: Chapter 2, Lady Bird, The Ritual, Happy Death Day, Deadpool 2, Ocean's 8, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Bird Box, Booksmart, Crawl, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Platform, Black Bear, Palm Springs, The Empty Man, The Innocents, Titane, Old, Free Guy, The Black Phone, Fresh, Watcher, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Ambulance, Aftersun, Crimes of the Future, Fall, Bones and All, The Menu, Sanctuary, Do Revenge, Smile, Hellraiser (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone, Plane, Missing, Infinity Pool, Past Lives, Knock at the Cabin, Scream VI

i’m interested to see how this varies by genre!

miscellaneous non-statistical things that made me parasocially emotional and/or laugh during this process:

they watched nope together on christmas eve 2022 <3

dan rated moulin rouge a 5 <3 nature boy <3

he also rated shrek a 5. of course. (valid).

4.5 from dan and 4 from phil from the notebook

5 from danny for brokeback mountain <3 and a 4.5 from philly

cmbyn, yes, has its issues, but dan rated 4.5 and phil 4

the shape of water got a 4.5 from monsterfucker phil lester (dan gave it a 4)

surprisingly phil rated rocketman higher than dan! surprising because dan liked so many musicals

dan gave hustlers a 3.5. i don't know why i think this is funny, but i do. phil doesn't have it logged or rated, lmao.

a 4 (d) and a 3.5 (p) for barbie!

phil gave twilight a 3. lol.

phil also gave do revenge only a 3.5. tragique.

phil watched a LOT of horror alone in october 2022 (aka while dan was on tour). anyway he's just like me <3

[magnoliasandarson]

Selina Kyle likes tolerates 2 (two) Batkids

It was accidental with the first one. She found the first Robin cute at first, but overtime his chirped jokes and staunch belief in the Bat's mission got grating. The second Robin she recognized from the Alley. She had seen the boy protect stray cats from bigger street kids, and that was an automatic approval. When he showed up on a rooftop next to the Bat, she was ready to forget her approval. Then he handed her a kitten he'd found earlier and tucked into his utility belt, and her heart melted a little. She grew to enjoy his presence when the Bat would show up to spoil her fun. The kid would make cat-puns with her and giggle behind the Dark Knight's back. But then the boy was killed by the Joker. And suddenly she didn't much care for bird boys following after the bat.

The Red Hood was interesting. Selina recognized the shitty puns the moment he made them, and internally rejoiced that her stray had come back. He was different now, but Selina never much cared for Batsy's rules. Then he brought a tiny thing to visit her, dressed in red and green. She hated the third Robin on principle alone, but this new one was a clean slate, especially if her stray approved. The new Robin was half hidden behind the bulk of the Red Hood, but he reached past the older boy (because he would always be a boy to Selina) and offered a small kitten.

So begins a tradition of the Red Hood and the new Robin finding Selina on rooftops, offering bad puns and stray cats. And Selina vows to never attend one of her boy's funerals again. Not if she can help it.

[lillybearrie]

Jason is tragic not because he died, because let's be honest every character dies at least once it's practically a right of passage. No it's not that he died or even that after coming back he felt that his life had no impact it ment nothing, no it's the fact that this child who spent his whole life taking care of and managing the emotions of the adults in his life, who always tried to keep a smile on his face for his parents sake who let the adults in his life project what they wanted to on to him Who spent so long being the good kid the happy robin still felt that it didn't matter the he hadn't mattered.

Jason was good when his mother invited men over and sent him on errands to keep him out of the house, jason was good when he became the sole provider for both his mother and him, jason was good when he watched his mother died, jason was good when Bruce adopted him as a substitute for the son who left, jason was good when he heard Bruce and Dick fighting down the hall and pretended he didn't, jason was good when he learned to be robin,jason was good when he prioritized school over the mission, jason was good when he smiled and hugged batman, jason was good when he made the batman smirk, jason was good when he defended the citizens of gotham, jason was good for so long. For so long he was told to chose the high road and he did (with some notable exceptions-) for other people.

And then he wasn't good he got himself benched, and he wandered back to the narrows, he found out the woman who raised him was not the one who have birth to him and in the interest of learing more about himself he used those detective skills he learned as Robin to find his bio mom, he tried to protect her from the Joker and in return she sold him out and took a smoke break while listening to the sounds of laughter and a crowbar sattering bone, and still after that he tried to be good he tried to still save her, ignoring his own pain he dragged his broken and battered body over to untie her and he helped her to the door as he himself struggled to stay upright and then... it was locked. He failed to protect her and now he was gonna die. The building collapsed around him and he could hear Batman calling out but he couldn't respond and he died.

Then he wakes up 6 feet under and has to claw his way back to the surface, and upon eventually regaining most of himself he returns to gotham to find it unchanged. He spent his whole life being good for the sake and for the benefit of the adults in his life and even then despite everything even in his death they didn't change nothing changed Joker is still breaking out of Arkham on a bi-weekly basis, Batman is still doing the same things, and Bruce put a new kid in the robin suit and no doubt started pushing his issues on the kid like he did with both jason and dick. Jason was replaced both as Robin and in the Wayne family and everyone moved on like he was never there to begin with his life had so little impact ment so little to the people who were his whole world that the moment he was no longer right up in their faces the forgot about him.

And after being so good for so long he finally said fuck it. He said fine I'll do it myself and started cleaning up the streets his way without batman's rules and you know what? It was working. And that just reiterated in his mind that Bruce could have avenged him if he really wanted to but he didn't.

Do do you guys understand why this little shit consumes my brain yet?? Arararara

Also large parts of this are headcannon because depending on what comics you read the are several different interpretations of Jason as Robin (as well and the other characters) but this is how I like to read him because frankly it doesn't really matter if he was the happy robin or the aggressive robin because either way he died came back and is now the red hood but I personally find this read far more interesting than "he was volatile before and the only thing that stopped him from killing was batman and now that he doesn't have someone telling him not to he became the red hood because that who he always was deep down" but that's just me if you like that interpretation as it's a fairly common take in comics post-under the red hood but it's just not for me. Now do I have thoughts on his repressed rage issues and how they are not longer uh- yk repressed rage issues and how it parallels Dick (because boy howdy do i have thoughts on Richard Grayson-) absolutely i do but this post is already way to long so we aren't gonna get into that anyway like I said this is just how I chose to read Jason because I personally find it a more compelling story.

[havendance]

Year One vs Zero Year: A Tale of Two Batmen

(You can also read this on AO3 if you want)

In the introduction to the Batman: Year One collected edition, Dennis O’Neil writes about the impetus behind the post-crisis reboot—things had become dated and it was time to revamp their most iconic characters: Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. “The writers assigned to the task had quick and clear ideas about how to update Superman and Wonder Woman, but Batman was a problem. He was fine just as he was.” Batman: Year One was not a story that was trying to reinvent Batman, it was a story that was trying to distill him, to revisit and retell his origin for a new era of DC storytelling. Whatever you may think of Frank Miller, he and David Mazzucchelli certainly succeeded with that goal.

While I don’t have a nice clear editorial quote like that for Batman: Zero Year, it’s clear that Synder was trying to do the same with the story. Zero Year is a Batman origin for the new era of storytelling that was the New 52. It has its nods to Miller—it has to, simply existing after Year One’s influential rewrite of Bruce’s origin—but it owes far more to the Batman of the golden age in it's story beats. It is not just Batman: Year One for the New 52, it is the Batman origin of the post-flashpoint comics, it's art and storytelling reflecting this Batman of a new era.

Batman’s origin has always been consistent in its strokes: Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed by a mugger. Devastated, the young boy swears to devote his life to justice. He trains both body and mind, until finally ready to begin, a bat flies through the window, and he takes it as an sign that he should become Batman—a creature that strikes fear in the hearts of criminals. It can be summarized in a page or two to get the audience up to speed.

(Batman’s Origin as told in Batman #47)

Neither Year One nor Zero Year change any of the fundamental pieces, but the narratives that surround them are vastly different. Year One seeks to tell a Batman origin grounded in reality as much as it can. In an afterward by David Mazzuchelli in the Batman: Year One collected edition he writes that “with year one, we sought to craft a credible Batman, grounded in a world we recognize”. The main enemy that Bruce Wayne faces is corruption: in the police and in the leading families of Gotham. Beside Gordon and Alfred, the other members of the Batman mythos that are present are Selina Kyle, just beginning to put on the catsuit and Harvey Dent prior to becoming Two Face, both of them surrounded by plausibility and grit. The Joker gets a single name drop at the end. It takes up four issues and covers the span of a year, covering the emergence of Batman’s mission

In contrast, Zero Year is bombastic. It’s a story full of bright colors and fantastic events: explosions, blimp chases, and Gotham city cut off and run as the Riddler’s personal fiefdom. It’s longer—spanning 10 issues—and covers a significantly shorter period of time. In it, Batman faces the Joker, The Riddler, and a bone-mutated mad scientist foe who’s name I don’t remember. Pamela Isley and the Penguin are alluded to as well. The giant penny plays a role in the plot. It calls back to many pieces of golden age lore, such as Bruce’s Uncle Philip Kane, and his love interest Julie Madison. (For a more modern retelling of the golden age Batman’s origin, see Secret Origins (1986) #6)

(The Batman: Year One and Batman: Zero Year trades. Please also note that the Year One trade contains at least an extra issue’s worth of bonus content at the end, where the Zero Year trade only has some variant covers)

There is also a difference in attitude between the two origins. Year One is a comic that is trying to escape the bounds of genre; Zero Year is a comic that revels in it. Part of it is the tone—Year One is setting itself in contrast to the Batman of the past in its commitment to realism rather than melodrama. Part of it is the art. In terms of color, the original printing of Year One and Zero Year are very similar. In Year One, this is because of technical limitations. There are only so many colors, most of them bright, and still Richmond Lewis works to create a strong sense of atmosphere to highlight the noir-type story that is being told. Zero Year uses these colors as a deliberate homage to comics of the past. It’s filled with bright pinks, blues, yellows, and greens set in contrast to each other. It’s beautiful. It’s also a clear stylistic choice.

Richmond redid the colors of Year One for later reprintings. While beautiful, they are far more subdued and muted. It’s clearly the sort of look they wanted for Year One from the beginning, but could not achieve. In contrast, Zero Year stands out from the comics surrounding it in the first half of the New 52 precisely because everything else is illustrated in this overly realistic dull and gritty style.

(Batman #405 — original printing vs recolor)

(Batman (2011) #22 vs Batman (2011) #1 — These comics have the same colorist, but clearly different philosophies guiding them)

This can also be seen in the Batman costumes themselves. While both Year One and Zero Year are drawing from the same original Batman costume from Detective Comics #27, they take different parts. Year One’s Batman suit has a simple and streamlined black and grey. The Zero Year suit keeps the purple gloves.

(From left to right: Batman in Detective Comics #27, Batman #405, and Batman (2011) #24. While the image from Detective Comics #27 is faded, note that the gloves are purple)

This contrast isn’t just in the origins themselves—it is the comics that surround and follow them as well. Year One and Zero Year are origins for two different eras of Batman. I’ve read primarily post-crisis Batman comics and am less familiar with the pre-crisis era, so I can’t say how much of the storylines that followed were specifically picking up on Year One’s influence, and how much was just the natural change in storytelling direction, but throughout the major Batman events of the Post-Crisis era, there is a throughline of sensibilities that they share with Year One. AsYear One set out to tell the grounded origin of the Batman, so do many of the foes and challenges he faces have this grounded nature to them as well. They all still have a larger than life feel, but the foes Batman faces tend to fall into the categories of crime (Knightfall, War Games), natural disasters (Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm), and himself (all of them, but more specifically Murderer/Fugitive and arguably a Lonely Place of Dying as well). These are events that start from a realistic starting point that are magnified. Earthquakes, outbreaks of disease, a gang war—these are all things that could happen to any city. Any man could lose a son or be framed for murder. The heightened nature of these stories is what separates them from the real world.

(Even an event like No Man’s Land, with its premise of ‘Gotham getting kicked out the United States’ that stretches the suspension of disbelief, is intensely focused on what this means for the city that remains. It cares about grounding the fantastic events in real reactions.)

In contrast, post-flashpoint events tend to have this more fantastical feel. The Night of the Owls does not put Bruce up against ordinary corruption among the elite, but against a masked conspiracy with immortal assassins at their disposal. The driving force of Robin War is not the idealism of the We Are Robin movement against a city that doesn’t like or trust them, but a power play by the Court of Owls. In Night of the Monster Men, Batman and co. fight Kaiju-like monsters; there are themes of contagion throughout the story, but this isn’t a hopeless fight against that ancient enemy of humanity that is disease, it’s a thrilling, action-packed fight. One approach is not necessarily better than the other, but they are fundamentally different paradigms of storytelling. I remember reading Night of the Monster Men at the same time as the lead up to Bruce Wayne: Murdere/Fugitive and thinking that they didn’t feel anything alike.

 Unlike Year One, Zero Year does not feel like a origin point for this shift in narrative focus. The beginning of the new52, while having the benefit of being the beginning of a new era, also isn’t it—these storytelling trends could be seen in the comics leading up to Flashpoint as well. If I had to pick an event that started to show this shift, it would be Batman RIP. Morrison’s love for silver age comics and deep cuts to lore lead it to having that same fantastical feel. While the Batman of Morrison’s run is nominatively the one of Year: One, he fits more in line with the storytelling motivations of Zero Year—the callbacks to older ages (Morrisons’ Batman definitely wore the purple gloves), the extreme feats of survival, the larger than life events. Year One was an origin for an era that had come to an end.

A new Batman origin was inevitable, if for no other reason than the constant passage of time. One of the big differences between Year One and Zero Year is the sheer difference in the type of technology Batman uses in each. In Year One, there is no Bat-Computer. Bruce has his grappling hooks, his smoke bombs, his ultrasonic device that summons hoards of bats—It’s all far too simple for a Batman of today’s world. Zero Year has computers everywhere and Batman’s gadgets are upgrading to fit the glitz and advancement of the modern era. The New52 gave DC the chance to revisit it and for better or for worse, no one could call Zero Year, ‘Year One only set 30 years later’. Both works are products of their times, and both works show the audience not only the basic beats of Bruce’s origin, but also what a Batman story looks like. Together, they show the way that he has evolved as a character over the years. Maybe in 15 years, DC will put out another origin epic for Batman. Chances are, he’ll have changed yet again.

[gravitycircuit]

Version patch 1.2.0 is out now on Steam! This is accompanied by a hefty sale, 35% off until May 27th! Other storefronts and platforms will follow in due time, we ask for your patience! Artwork in the image above by @teoft. Go give them a follow! Read the patch notes for this release after the break!

WHAT'S NEW?!

Version 1.2.0 introduces new Game Modifiers, that allow you to spice up the game, and provide additional challenge! When starting a new save (or New Game+), after choosing which difficulty mode you want to play on, you can choose up to five modifiers to enable. These modifiers were made based on some player suggestions or feedback.

The modifiers are as follows:

MASTER LEVELS: Remixes the game's levels to provide more challenge for those who have mastered the game's movement.

RUDE ENEMIES: Changes up enemy and boss behavior to make them all, well, ruder. If this is picked in tandem with Hard Mode, bosses have more health.

DOUBLE HAZARDS: Makes the game's hazards (spikes, lava, crushing) deal double damage. Ouch.

SINGLE CREDIT: Levels need to be beaten in a single go from start, and no restarting from checkpoints via the Pause Menu. Death sends you to the Guardian Corps HQ (or beginning of level if you haven't reached that far yet). Can not be enabled with Iron Circuit.

IRON CIRCUIT: No saves until the game has been cleared, and no restarting from checkpoints via the Pause Menu. Death sends you to title screen. Can not be enabled with Single Credit.

FLIP WORLD: Walk on... Ceilings? Who's the joker that asked for this? (Note: doesn't necessarily flip everything)

Game Modifiers become available upon completing the game on any difficulty, or by inputting the following code on File Select screen: LEFT, LEFT, RIGHT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, BURST! A legend has it that if you beat the game with any of these modifiers enabled (or when "Everyone is There"), you might even see something little extra? Only one way to find out! ...Just make sure Speedrun Mode is disabled!

Of course, this is not all. Below is a list of other things that have been added, tweaked or fixed!

QUALITY OF LIFE ADDITIONS

Added a checkpoint menu in the mission select screen. This allows you to warp to checkpoint in a previously cleared level, as well as toggle any in-level cutscenes to play again (like boss confrontation dialogues). Mission rewards and certain challenges are disabled if this feature is used.

Added an extra toggle in the game's settings, which determines if speedrun mode is enabled by default or not when starting a new save file. If the setting is set to "default", speedrun mode is enabled by default when accessing file select screen. Otherwise, it's off. However, even if the setting is set to "off" or "default", you can manually toggle speedrun mode on/off on the file select screen, like you have been able to do up to this point. The intention is to remove any confusion caused by some players wanting to have the on-screen timer on during normal play (which determined if the speedrun mode was toggled on/off when launching the game).

Added an additional setting for enabling an aiming arrow that appears around Kai, which can help with aiming the hookshot during platforming sections or similar. There are three different settings for its behavior. The aiming arrow is disabled by default.

Added a toggle for adjusting double tap tolerance.

Mission Complete screen now shows the target values for max rank in relevant categories in square brackets (clear time, enemies defeated, damage taken). Rescues, if available for the level, are displayed with the icons as usual.

GAMEPLAY CHANGES/TWEAKS

Made it possible to cancel to divekick (down+attack while mid-air) from air jab (attack while mid-air).

Made it possible to gain sprint speed if the run button is held down, or "inverse" run button behavior is in use, when exiting quick warp portals in cyberspace (Warehouse Area).

Similar to above, certain aerial Armor Paint abilities are refreshed when exiting a quick warp portal.

If Loadout Swap button is assigned to the same button as Accept or Cancel, the Accept and Cancel buttons override the Loadout Swap button on the pause screen (ex: when exiting out of the pause menu with Cancel, the game won't do double input by closing the pause menu, and also swapping loadouts).

Fixed an issue where pressing attack after a wall jump might lock you out, and prevent you from moving back towards the wall. The game was simply treating like you were still in wall jumping state, and as such was applying some forces onto you.

Fixed an issue where crumbling blocks (Ore Mines) may sometimes block the hookshot from going through them when they've been crumbled.

Retracting metal spike blocks (final level) have had their hittable boxes increased in size, making them easier to clear out.

Fixed an issue where Kai did not gain sprint speed if he jumps out of a crouch while run button is held, by releasing the down button roughly on the same frame as the jump input is detected.

BURST TECHNIQUES

Burst Spark's hitbox has been increased to hit a larger area. Does damage ticks slightly faster, duration slightly shorter. Essentially you're stuck in place for a shorter duration (overall duration reduced by ~25 frames, or ~0.42 seconds).

Support Platform has been buffed. Creates three platforms to cover a wider area, the platforms take few frames longer to start falling, side platforms do slightly less damage than the main one. You can still perform the original version by holding the Burst button during the startup.

Cycle Kick can now be cancelled with a jump or hookshot at any point. Can gain sprint speed out of it if run button is held down.

ARMOR PAINTS

Hot-headed Red Armor Paint's Float Beam now does its damage ticks faster. How it affects boss invulnerability times has been adjusted.

Heavy Orange Armor Paint now grants a slight damage boost for hookshot on top of its other effects.

Scheming Pink Armor Paint can now be set to activate by pressing and holding jump while holding up, or double tapping jump while holding up. The setting can be found in the controls menu. Shop description changes to match the selected setting.

Fixed an issue where the "powered up" state of certain Burst Techniques (Heavenly Piledrive, Surface Render, Catch Interrupt) were not handled correctly if they whiffed, or Kai got struck by hazards, when using the ability of a certain Armor Paint. Similar fix was applied for Powered Walker's Self-Destruct ability (Ore Mines).

ENEMIES

Contact damage has been removed from Flip Panel Turret enemies (City Center).

Crystal Floater enemies' contact damage has been removed (Cyberspace).

Fixed an edge-case game crash involving the Battie enemies. It was unlikely to happen, but there was some potential for it.

Fixed an issue where the Virus Zombie and Turret Zombie enemies had their usual behavior code running when they were grabbed by the player (normally, any normal behavior is paused on grabbed objects). This led to some weird interactions at times.

BOSSES

Trace's (Patch Circuit) Burst Technique can now hit her own minions. This is so to prevent situations where her minions might cause undodgeable damage.

Fixed an issue with Ray (Optic Circuit), where after a certain action he always jumped towards the wrong direction from what was intended.

Fixed an issue where Crash (Break Circuit), in rare circumstances, might wind up defeating themselves due to some of the larger falling blocks.

Fixed a minor visual error where certain bosses' mugshots in their lifebars got mirrored on the horizontal axis during their Burst Technique activations.

Fixed Crash's (Break Circuit) mugshot to have a "weak flinch" animation during his boss fight. He can now properly feel pain.

And a few [SPOILER] worthy changes...

[SPOILER] Fixed a phantom hitbox from one of the later game bosses, where they grabbed an object off of the floor, and threw it. During this throwing animation, the boss would have a hitbox beneath them for one frame, that could hit the player if the boss jumped before the throw.

[SPOILER] During the Final Battle, if you have gotten to a certain phase, the transition to the next happens much faster. This behavior happens by default on Speedrun Mode. If you hold down the run button before the transition were to occur, the transition plays normally without any skips.

[SPOILER] During Final Battle, if you have gotten to a certain phase, on subsequent attempts the game will drop little health before the transition described above occurs. You know you'll be receiving the health drop if your opponent is different color from before. This behavior only occurs if you are playing on Easy or Normal Mode. Hard Mode won't see this extra drop. The intention for this change is to make the Final Battle little easier for first time players, by giving them a little token of encouragement on subsequent attempts at the final portions of the game, while retaining the challenge of clearing the encounter in one go the same as before.

LEVEL ADJUSTMENTS

Adjusted the clear time goal for the main eight levels from 5min45s to flat 6 minutes for max rank.

The final level in the game has had its target clear time increased from 6 minutes to 7 minutes for max rank.

Adjusted the enemies killed goal count from 45 to 40 for the first two of final levels.

Adjusted certain enemy positions in a couple of levels to make them a bit less messy or rude.

In the Steelworks level, adjusted geometry to remove a single tile gap that was possible to squeeze into with Support Platform Burst Technique.

The final level of the game has had its level layouts slightly touched on the blue floor.

Am I hearing things in Cyberspace (Warehouse Area)?

Note: When playing levels with the Master Levels modifier (or Easy Mode), target clear times are increased by one minute. Playing with Rude Enemies modifier adds another extra minute. This is to account for the more difficult platforming, and giving players more leeway during boss fights if playing with self-imposed minimalist challenge in mind.

GENERAL BUG FIXES

Fixed Medley's (Wave Circuit, City Center) concert billboard's despawn and respawn radiuses, so it doesn't disappear if you weave back-and-forth between the screens.

Fixed a minor edge-case oversight in Warehouse Area, where in a certain portion of the level, you weren't able to drop from a ledge-grab-jab with the 'up' button, like you are supposed to. Had to press 'down', like you generally have to in all other instances.

Fixed a little oversight where during Bit's (Shift Circuit) Burst Technique, if you position yourself in certain ways, one or two of the screen slashes may not render because they're deemed "off-screen" based on their starting positions.

Fixed a scenario where if Kai is using a certain Armor Paint to carry an object, and Kai then picks an end-of-level item, releasing the hookshot button to throw the object may softlock the game entirely.

Fixed an issue where if Hardware Barrier Burst Technique was active at the same time as Emergency Accumulator Booster Chip, taking a hit would trigger both at once.

Changed the order in which certain damage calculations are applied, to fix an issue with Underflow Guard (Booster Chip). Underflow Guard is supposed to prevent you from going below 1 health if you had 2 or more, but if Function Overload (Burst Technique) is active, the damage becomes fatal anyway (because Function Overload multiplied the incoming damage after Underflow Guard's reduction by 1.2, and rounded up, meaning at low enough health any damage would bypass Underflow Guard).

Fixed an oversight where if player took damage from hazards (spikes, lava, crushing), this was not reflected in the damage number reported on the Mission Complete screen.

Fixed an oversight where when Kai grabs a stunned (gray blinking) enemy he is standing next to, the enemy may become overkilled (red blinking) from the grab action itself. This means that upon throwing the grabbed enemy it would not do any damage to other objects, due to overkilled enemies becoming intangible.

LOCALIZATION

Fixed one minor color tag issue in some dialogue in Japanese localization.

Fixed some missing text strings in Chinese (traditional) localization.

Fixed some text overflow issues in a text box in Chinese localizations.

MISC

Applied a fix that should prevent any flickering issues while streaming the game through Discord.

Wrote additional code to better ensure that, if in the event that the file that locally tracks player's challenges progress (ie. "Pat's Challenges") has through whatever means become corrupted, the game treats that as though starting from scratch. This prevents the game from crashing during startup.

Made the game crash screen little more readable with a darker blue background, as well as deploying an additional support Pat for your comfort (PC versions only).

Improved the code efficiency of various objects (ex: gray breakable crates, explosive barrels, goop dispensers, and several others). These changes help with general performance on lower-end hardware.

...And maybe some few smaller things. This has been a big patch (bigger than we anticipated), so might have forgotten to list a thing or two!

[itacats]

Operation 141: The Family Business

FT: TF141 x gn!reader - Mafia AU

Warnings: mafia themes, please let me know if anything else should be here!🙏

A/N: In a world marked by chaos, HQ stood as a fortress of new beginnings. Here, amidst laughter and shared purpose, you found more than just shelter; you discovered a family in the 141 Mafia, one that welcomed you into a life filled with warmth and connection.

Read Part 1 Read Part 2 Read Part 3 Read Part 4 Read Part 5 Read Part 6 Read Part 7 Read Part 8 Read Part 10

Part 9: A New Home

HQ wasn’t just a building. It was a fortress of concrete and steel, standing tall against the storms of a world that had been nothing but unforgiving, furnished with the luxuries you only dreamed of having yourself. Moving into HQ was like stepping into a new life—a life far removed from the quiet chaos you had once known. The old world, with its relentless grind of bartending shifts and unpaid bills, felt like a distant memory now, cast in the shadows of the life you were building within these walls.

From the moment you arrived, everything felt different. This wasn’t just a temporary shelter, a place to crash until you got back on your feet. It was something more—a home. The members of the 141 Mafia, who had once just been regular patrons in the periphery of your job, had become your family. And with that family came new responsibilities, new roles that allowed you to grow in ways you never expected.

You found your place among them quickly, slipping into the rhythm of HQ like a missing puzzle piece finally falling into place to complete the picture. The mornings were filled with reports and operational planning, tasks that might have felt mundane or tedious to anyone else, but to you, they were something more. They were a way to contribute, a way to stay grounded and involved. Every document you organized, every briefing you prepared, felt like a small victory, a way to reclaim the control that had once been stripped from your life.

Price had given you these tasks initially as a way to ease you into this new world, but it quickly became apparent that you were thriving in a way none of them had anticipated. Your meticulous nature, your attention to detail, made the team run smoother. Reports that had once been a chore for the others became a well-oiled machine under your watch. But more than that, you brought a sense of warmth, a sense of belonging that had been missing from the cold, mission-driven atmosphere of HQ.

You could feel the change in the air as the days passed. The bonds within the team grew stronger, more palpable, like an invisible thread connecting each of you in ways that went beyond the professional. You weren’t just another cog in the machine; you were the glue holding it all together, in ways both big and small.

Ghost, the most enigmatic of them all, was the first to let his guard down. His silent, stoic presence had always commanded the room, but you saw the cracks beneath the surface. Late at night, when the halls of HQ were quiet and the weight of the world felt distant, Ghost would sit with you, his mask still in place, but his voice soft and unguarded. He began to confide in you in ways he had never confided in anyone else, sharing fragments of nightmares that haunted him, memories he had buried deep. It wasn’t just the act of confiding—it was trust. A trust that ran deeper than words.

And in return, you gave him something he hadn’t realized he needed—laughter. Your sharp, snappy jokes, the ones that came so easily to you, began to melt the icy walls Ghost had built around himself. There were moments, fleeting but precious, when you would catch the faintest glimmer of a smile beneath his mask, a rare flicker of light in his otherwise shadowed existence. The laughter wasn’t forced; it was real, genuine, something that came naturally between the two of you.

Soap, on the other hand, had always been the loud one, the joker, the heart of the team. But even he had his limits, and you found yourself breaking through them without even trying. With you around, Soap found a new kind of ease—a lightness that hadn’t been there before. Your quick wit matched his perfectly, and soon, his laughter became a constant presence in the halls of HQ. It was infectious, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there was still room for joy. Soap often teased you, calling you his “partner in crime,” but there was something deeper behind the playful banter. He had found someone who could meet him on his level, and that bond only grew stronger with time.

Gaz, ever the meticulous and thoughtful one, appreciated your attention to detail more than anyone else. He admired the way you approached every task with precision, every operation with a sharp eye for detail. You had a way of anticipating what needed to be done before anyone else even thought about it. It didn’t go unnoticed, especially by Gaz, who often found himself relying on you more than he’d like to admit. But it wasn’t just about efficiency—it was about the quiet understanding you shared. He respected you, not just for what you did, but for who you were, and that respect grew into a friendship built on mutual admiration.

Then there was Price. The leader, the one who carried the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. For Price, HQ had always been a place of work, of missions, of responsibilities. But with you there, it became something more. You brought a sense of family, a warmth that had been missing for far too long. Price, who had spent his life leading, found comfort in your presence. You made the daily grind feel less like a mission and more like a purpose, a reason to keep going beyond the next objective. There was a quiet bond between you, an unspoken understanding that didn’t need words. In your presence, Price found a sense of peace, a reminder that even in a life filled with danger, there were moments of calm, moments of connection.

Each member of the team grew fonder of you in their own way. You weren’t just a part of the team—you were the heart of it. You were the steady presence that kept them grounded, the laughter that broke through the tension, the meticulous hand that ensured everything ran smoothly. And in return, they became the family you never had before.

HQ, once a place of missions and briefings, had become something more—a home. The walls that had once felt cold now held the warmth of shared meals, late-night conversations, and quiet moments of understanding. The halls, once filled with the echo of footsteps, now echoed with laughter, with camaraderie, with life.

And for the first time in a long time, you felt like you belonged. You weren’t just surviving—you were thriving, building a new life within the walls of HQ. A life filled with purpose, with friendship, with family. A life where each day felt like a mission accomplished, not because of the tasks completed, but because of the bonds you had forged.

This was your new home. And you were exactly where you were meant to be.

Read Part 10

As the day faded into night, you reflected on your journey within HQ. No longer an outsider, you had become part of a family that thrived on trust and laughter. The walls that once felt cold were now alive with memories and bonds that made you feel at home. For the first time, you were not just surviving—you were truly living, ready to embrace whatever came next together.

Tag List:

@strawberryrnilk

@rafaelacallinybbay

@stormy-stardust

Let me know if you would like to be added to the list lovely!

Here's the current post schedule with some upcoming stories to look forward to!

[distort-opia]

Its very funny to think about how both bruce and joker have shrines of eachother.

Imagine dick sees all the joker photos and items that bruce keeps at the batcave and goes "hmm....." then at a mission he ends up at joker's safehouse that has a bunch of photos of batman and missing batarangs and newspapers with batman headlines and goes "hmm....."

To be fair, Bruce is a hoarder-- he collects trophies and mementos from most of his cases, and a lot of his encounters with crime involve Joker, so it's explainable why the Cave is so full of Joker-related memorabilia. And Joker is a self-proclaimed Batman-obsessed freak, so I don't think anyone would bat (heh) an eye at him having walls plastered with Batman posters either.

With Bruce it's once again a matter of degree. Sure, he collects things related to all his villains. But does he discover that his mother is Joker in an alternate Universe and then has a huge-ass custom made his-mother-as-Joker card to put next to his already existing Joker-from-his-own-universe card??

The New Golden Age #1

Does Joker ruin his life (again) by fucking up his relationship with his fiance (again) and taking away all his money, forcing him to relocate from the Manor and create a different base of operations... to which he only brings the huge Joker card??

Batman (2016) #106

It's stuff like this, y'know, that I would really like someone to call out within Universe. Let Dick or Khoa or Selina actually go "Hey Bruce! This is kinda weird!" What's funny to me though is that apparently, Dick has talked about this stuff with Bruce, but... he explained the dynamic between Batman and Joker and how it works on a symbolic level to Bruce? Which is frankly fascinating:

Batman: Hush #7

It does make sense, Dick grew up with the whole insanity. He probably understands it best out of the Batfam. He caught Joker in his beginnings, too; he fought Joker when he still did fun harmless gags, before he went full murderous monster. Still, it's hilarious to imagine a twelve-year-old having to sit Bruce down and seriously explain to him how his relationship with his nemesis works, because Bruce is just that repressed and emotionally stunted about it. (Sure, you could argue that Dick did this when he was Nightwing, but I think this is funnier.)

[her-devils-advocate]

Through the Mist | Part 1

pairings: Femshep x Garrus

summary: When a routine mission to rescue and recruit a handful of scientists goes wrong, Shepard and her team are left to fight against something they had never expected to face. Now stranded on a heavily fog-covered planet, they realise there is more to the strange weather than they originally thought, especially when they hear things from beyond the fog; calling for them.

word count: 4,213

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60592000/chapters/154704487

“Commander, a handful of scientists are located in a remote facility near you. Their knowledge is invaluable, and we could use them for the crucible. I’ll send you all the information I have, Hackett out.” 

The blue holographic display fizzles away, leaving Shepard alone in the QEC as she mutters out a quiet “Yes, sir.” to the air. She heaves out a sigh before opening her comms, “Joker, we have a new destination. Set course for the Rosetta Nebula.”

“Aw, seriously, Shepard?” He groans, the sound coming out muffled and even without seeing him Shepard can tell he’s rubbing his face. Exhaustion has quickly become more prevalent across her crew, the war wearing them down physically and emotionally, especially after losing a lot more than just their pride to Cerberus. A fact that still gnaws away at her, despite her brave mask which has since been carefully reinforced to keep up what morale is left in her crew.

“Yes, seriously. Orders from Hackett,” she replies, her voice tense. She bites her lip before forcing out a smile, hoping it comes across in her voice. “I don’t like this any more than you Joker, but it needs to be done and it’s better to do it now while we’re nearby. Think of the fuel prices otherwise.”

“You’re buying me three drinks next time, each with their own little umbrella.” He declares, pausing for a moment before adding, “And a damn good dinner, you’re killing me here, Raven.”

Shepard snorts just before the line drops, letting herself flop against the railing in front of her, safe in the privacy of the war room. She feels Garrus approach her slumped form, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. 

“Let me guess, one more mission and then we’ll go to the Citadel for shore leave?” He asks, his fingers drawing comforting circles against her waist.

She gives him an apologetic smile as she leans into him, resting her head against the cool plating of his armour. “It will be quick and easy, we just need to pick up a small group and drop them off. We might as well do it now and then take them with us to the Citadel, though I don’t like putting off shore leave like this.”

“Well, at least the wait will be worth it,” he jokes, catching her tired expression. “Hackett just wants you to collect some people? Sounds like he’s going easy on you with this one.”

“God, please don’t jinx us, Garrus.” She laughs, letting him hold most of her weight against him. 

“Me? Never…” 

From what is visible, the planet appears to be a desolate wasteland; all grey stone and barren of all signs of life. She has yet to learn what the scientists have been working on here and regrets not pressing Hackett for more information, despite the Admiral sending all he had. A high clearance team, working on something secret. A weapon, she theorises, maybe something even shady.

Liara was not much help either, finding very little about the base besides a suspicious number of funds being funnelled into the group from an unknown benefactor; all of which does little to calm the annoyance beginning to build. Discomfort twirls in her gut as a familiar and hated group springs to mind.

“If this is Cerberus again, I think I'm going to lose it,” She mumbles under her breath as she looks through the available data they have about the planet; a base temperature of twelve degrees, breathable air, and splatters of human colonies slowly being formed across the rock.

Shepard hates going in blind and it’s almost as if the planet has decided to use that against her, taunting her. The shuttle shudders as it approaches the ground. She can hear Cortez mutter a swear under his breath as he battles to control the vehicle, her grip tightening on the handrail above. Without any warning, she is thrown against her seat, her knees buckle as they hit the object and she comes crashing down into it. Garrus’ hand is instantly on her shoulder, stabilising her with a strong grip. She gives him a thankful nod and leans back in her seat.

“Everyone alright?” She asks, watching as James knocks his head against the back of his seat before giving her a thumbs up with one hand, the other rubbing at the base of his skull.

Despite the turbulence hellbent on giving them a few bruises before the mission can properly start, they touch down without any other issues. She lets out a small sigh of relief, biting back a smile when she hears her crew do the same. Shepard is quick to leave her seat, giving orders for Cortez to return to the Normandy until they signal for extraction, hopefully with the scientists, before hopping out onto the unknown planet. 

A thick fog instantly wraps itself around Shepard and her squad, drifting to and fro and obscuring their vision. They instinctively move closer to her, almost standing shoulder-to-shoulder while their eyes dart around the blank landscape. The area is silent, not a single bird chirping or a tree swaying its leaves in the wind; as life itself has abandoned the planet.

She can see James nervously glancing around as if expecting an ambush from beyond the thin barrier, despite their lonely landing zone. Their battle-trained senses are useless to them now, sending them into a state of high alert, and if the disconcerted grumble from her sniper is any indication, his visor is doing very little to aid him. He catches her questioning gaze through the blue display and shakes his head.

“I’m getting no readings through my visor, Shepard,” He confirms, his hand raised against the metal frame to fiddle with its settings.

“I’m not surprised. Good to know that we don’t need to worry about any surprises so soon, at least.” She says, securing her Mattock onto her back with ease. 

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m not getting any readings through this thing, including your own.” She watches as his brow plates come together in a small frown, his hand dropping in defeat as the tech continues to fight against him. “As long as you are suited up and we’re not lightyears apart, my visor will display your vitals. There’s no reason for it to not show while you’re standing in front of me. The thing still works, the kill counter and the current galactic time are still lit up…All biometric data, however…”

The air chills and a thick tension is carried over to them with the gentle breeze. She opens her comm link to the ship, hoping EDI can have more luck scouting the place than they will. 

“EDI, we’re going to need some guidance here. Are you able to lead us to the closest structure?”

A loud buzzing sparks from her comms in response, along with a barely audible voice fighting through the interference, “Comman… We can’t… Unable to…Signal is…”

Shepard drops the link with a frown, her mind running through a million scenarios and plans as she speaks. “Okay, we are effectively cut off from the Normandy, so we’re on our own until we reach our targets. They are our best shot at the moment.” 

"Shepard," Garrus mutters warily and she can hear the concern buzzing through his sub-vocals as he begins to expect the worst, "This isn't the ideal place for a firefight, we are completely blinded."

"I hear you. While it may seem quiet, something’s not right. Everyone stay close and on alert. If you hear or see anything, we avoid it for now." She clenches her fists, quelling the urge to wrap everyone up in her biotics before something has the chance to strike first. She bites back a groan as she rolls her neck, the last thing she wants is to reveal their position if something lurks in the distance. “Maybe the weather can be used to our advantage here,” she mutters as she turns from the group.

She steps further into the fog, waving her hand in front of her and slicing through it with ease. She watches as it parts around her hand before forming again shortly after, dancing around them in a thick haze. An unusual silence hangs around them as no one dares to speak and break it; their footfalls are amplified with every step, almost echoing around them. 

They keep moving, the rhythmic clunking of their armour accompanying every step before James suddenly comes to a halt, groaning in frustration. “This is loco. How are we supposed to find anything when we don’t even know how far we’ve been walking?”

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that we need those scientists. You’re not afraid of a little bit of fog, are you, Vega?” She throws him a smirk from over her shoulder, her smile widening when she hears Garrus chuckling beside her. She much prefers that sound to the empty nothingness that’s been following them.

“You never know, Shepard. He might be, what you humans say, a chicken.”

“Oh low blow, Scars. You don’t even know what that is.”

“According to the extranet, it’s a bird from Earth that is usually killed for food. According to humans, everything tastes like it and they are fearful creatures.” He casually retorts, grinning triumphantly when James scoffs in defeat.

“You spend too much time with Lola.” James gives Garrus a small nudge, grimacing when the impact of their armour rings through the air.

“And you say that as if it’s a bad thing, Jimmy.” 

Shepard rolls her eyes at their back and forth, biting down a laugh at the unique insults being playfully tossed around. She has to step away from the group to focus, she hears Garrus shift to keep her in his line of sight before the familiar warm glow of her omni-tool causes the fog to light up around her. She lets out a small huff as it does nothing to improve their vision, somehow making things worse.

She shuffles back to the duo and glances between them, James half-heartedly glaring at Garrus, and finally spots the outline of a large, grey building, highlighted by the smothered rays of sunlight. Frustration rattles around in her brain at the obvious structure hiding in plain sight, a structure she is positive she would have noticed, yet she does what she does best and throws her emotions into yet another bottle.

"There, ahead of us. That must be the research base." She looks back at Garrus and James, making sure they can see where she’s pointing. An uneasy feeling begins to snake around her heart when she glances back at their destination. Their previous banter had helped to lighten the tense atmosphere surrounding them, but with each ebb and flow of the fog, the thin relief begins to crack again as they approach the base.

"You know, Shepard. We should find some rope and use it to keep us all together." As if reading her mind, Garrus' duel-toned voice breaks her out of her worry and she gives a low chuckle at the suggestion, not entirely disagreeing.

"Uh, no offence, Garrus. What you and Lola do in your free time is up to you, but I don't want to be involved." James says with a cheeky smile that only grows when both Shepard and Garrus roll their eyes at him.

“Very funny, Vega. We’ll just leave you behind then,” Garrus drawls out, his shoulders finally dropping as he relaxes. He catches Shepard’s eye and she gives him a gentle nod, the pair almost speaking without words. Yes, this is weird, and yes, I’m alright.

Shepard is quick to open the structure’s door and usher the others inside, the fog stalking them in through the wide entrance and dissipating into the room. The room is dark, with only the emergency signs providing any light, casting shadows up onto the steel walls around them. There are no other doors within the small room, just a few windows that have since been securely boarded up.

The air within is still and stale, and Shepard grimaces when she catches a hint of something slightly rancid. She glances around and spots a dozen datapads littering the surfaces. Chairs are stranded away from the desks and numerous personal belongings have been left behind. She picks up one of the datapads, a large crack running across the screen, and begins to read aloud what remains of the corrupted file.

“...Day 5, no progress has been made. My head has been killing me, but I refuse to rest until we get results.

“...Day 8, we might finally have good news. Callum from base two has made some improvements. We will need to make adjustments to the formula, but any news is good news at this point.”

The words begin to blur, seemingly dancing across the cracked screen, the flickering worsens the longer she reads before the datapad goes black, cutting her off. She lets herself relax for a moment, holding back a scoff for being so on edge.

She catches Garrus roaming the room out of the corner of her eye before becoming rigid. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stick up once more, a shiver creeping down her spine as he speaks. 

“Spirits… Shepard, you should come and see this.”

She’s quick to reach his side and spots a body curled up in the small space between the wall and one of the desks. His head is leant back against the cold steel, letting them see more than they wish to. His skin is pale, almost taking on a grey tone. There are visible veins under his paperlike skin, bulging along his neck, trying to break free. His eyebrows are pulled together, almost impossibly close. Sending unnatural wrinkles along his forehead. The body is young, too young to have such deep lines.

The worst part is his mouth. It hangs open in a silent scream while his glazed-over eyes are open wide in pure terror. 

She moves closer, keeping her footing light as she approaches the body to read the name badge across the arm of his attire. Without any warning, the man’s head rolls forward. Greying hair falls with it, covering his face. The group instantly jump back, aiming their rifles towards the body and waiting with bated breath for any more movement. After a minute of stillness, Shepard raises her hand, signalling for them to holster their guns.

“He’s dressed in uniform, this must have been one of the researchers. What happened here?” She says softly, leaning down to carefully make a note of the man's name for her report before she stands back up and steps away from the sight.

“No clue, Commander. Half of these datapads are damaged. Some have been trampled on, whatever spooked these people spooked them badly. Bad enough to leave in a hurry.” James appears behind her with a worried frown. 

She takes a moment to think, gently tapping the datapad against her thigh in concentration before a sound breaks her attention. The noticeable whirl of a nearby shuttle flying overhead. She tosses the datapad onto the table and quickly signals for them to follow her as she rushes out of the building, peering up at the sky. Garrus falls into position on her right, gazing down at her oddly before shrugging at James.

Everything is silent, even the breeze that had greeted them has since fallen still. She wanders away from the building, hearing her team scramble to stay close. She continues to watch the sky, her confusion is evident on her face as no shuttle is fast enough to vanish that quickly. 

The more she stares into the white void around her, the more she notices that the fog has grown thicker. It has started to take on an almost yellow hue as it blocks out more of the sunlight. She can feel it glide over the exposed skin of her face, leaving goosebumps in its wake. She feels her spine straighten and her jaw tightens, confusion flowing around the group.

Out of nowhere, she hears footsteps and her head snaps around to trace the sound. She sees nothing out in the distance, but the sound grows louder as it approaches them.

She is quick to grab her pistol, ignoring the alarmed two-toned rumble from her right.

She keeps it low, her finger away from the trigger as she listens. She signals for the others to remain silent, her heart pounding. 

The beating of the organ is loud in her ears, almost to a painful degree. Yet the footsteps grow louder.

She is almost a statue, eyes alert and trained on the direction of the sound, yet she sees nothing as the mysterious figure darts past them and deeper into the fog. In her peripheral she can see her squad standing still, Garrus’ eyes are locked onto her, his mandibles fluttering with uncertainty, while James is frantically looking around, trying to follow her line of sight. 

She swallows down her unease and turns to face them fully, “One of the researchers must still be out here. They were heading north, so that could be where the other base is. We can’t know for sure if that was a researcher or what killed the team, so be careful.” 

Garrus and James glance at one another momentarily before they nod and continue to follow her deeper into the unknown. Unease stalks their every step, their postures rigid and on high alert. A new building reveals itself before them, grey steel walls reflecting the now-setting sun like a beacon awaiting their arrival. A hastily drawn number two sits just above the door, the paint beginning to chip after being left to withstand the elements.

“Let’s hope this is the right place, I don’t enjoy the idea of wandering out here for much longer. You’re certain the person ran this way, Shepard?” Garrus mumbles, back pressed against the wall next to the door. 

“I know what I heard, Garrus,” she mutters as she watches James take his position against the wall on the other side, awaiting her signal. “Even if this isn’t the building they ran to, there’s got to be something here that would explain what happened.”

“...Heard?” He questions, his mandibles flaring in badly concealed bewilderment.

She cocks her head at him, pausing for a second. Shepard gives him a careful nod and bangs a fist against the red omni-lock to open the door, hoping they don’t have to fight against firewalls to gain access. Much to the group's surprise, the lock flashes red a few times before it complies and turns green, the door opening with a small groan.

“A technical malfunction or a research base that has very little security?” Shepard questions, opening up her omni-tool to provide her with some light as she peers into the room.

James shrugs, his back pressed firmly against the wall. “Who knows? Possibly both with how quick the other team was to leave, they probably didn’t have time to properly lock the place up. That or they didn’t think they would have to, with how remote they are out here and all. Can’t imagine anyone loco enough to visit.”

“And whoever we were following probably didn’t expect us to make our way here without getting lost first, giving them no time to fix any issues,” Garrus adds.

She signals for the two men to stay put as she begins to stalk into the room. Even with the door open, it’s darker than the previous base, all the technology within has since lost power after being abandoned. This room is larger, with another door leading deeper into the structure. 

“Hello?” She calls out, her hand hovering close to her pistol, just in case. “I’m Commander Shepard, I’m with the Alliance Navy.”

Silence answers her and she holds back a sigh as she creeps deeper into the building, away from the safety of the door and checks out the room, her omni-tool guiding her every move. Unlike the previous base, this one is relatively clean. It shows no signs of struggle or distress, no corpses hiding away in the shadowed corners.

The base is tidy, too tidy, she notes. Not a single data pad has been left behind, and with the power drained, they are left with no way of accessing the consoles to read through their logs. Shepard runs an armoured hand through her hair as she turns to the entrance, waving the others in.

“This is getting us nowhere. James, stay here and guard the exit while we check out the other room.” She says as she approaches the door, exhaling in relief when it opens without a fight.

“Aye aye, Commander. Leave this mess with me.” He gives her a playful salute before throwing himself down into one of the office chairs, facing the exit. His grip on his Revenant is tight, and the skin stretching over his knuckles turns pale.

There’s only a short corridor connecting the rooms, but the air within is thick and old. As if it hasn’t been disrupted in weeks. A thin layer of dust covers everything in sight, not a single surface is safe from the fluffy, grey specs; a sharp contrast to the room a few metres away. 

The room itself is tiny, barely containing more than three desks pressed tightly against the walls.

“There’s no one here,” Garrus whispers, double-checking all the corners and under the desks. “Looks like this is just an extension of the other room…Just as empty as well.”

“Not quite,” Shepard says as she spots a rectangular object, obscured by a thick layer of dust. She brushes it off, cringing as some of it sticks to the fabric of her gloves. She suddenly spins to face Garrus, waving the half-dead datapad in front of him with a victorious smile. He gives her a smile in return as he moves closer to read over her shoulder.

“...Day 20, we messed up. I don’t know what went wrong, maybe it was our calculations, or maybe it was… Either way, it doesn’t matter anymore.

…Day 21, if you… read… We…can’t…It’s too late.”

“Well, that’s horribly ominous,” Garrus states as Shepard finishes reading. He glances down at her and spots the telltale sign of exhaustion creeping across her expression. Another dead end, another failure. He gently bumps his shoulder against hers, keeping his voice light. “They could have fled, abandoned the bases and left. Or they were relocated to another project after this one. With the Reapers here, it would make sense why Hackett and Liara couldn’t trace them.”

“Maybe…Let’s grab James and get out of here. Liara might have found something by now. There’s no point standing around in a dusty room and possibly catching something.” 

She opens up her comm to try and contact the Normandy once more, wincing at the static rumbling through the line. She listens closely, her focus stolen by the white noise. For a moment she swears she can hear a voice calling out to her. The voice is low and feminine, but not the smooth, metallic tone that she is accustomed to with EDI.

This voice is old and familiar. A memory that had faded with time, crawling back into the present through the static.

“Raven.”

She freezes, feeling like a bucket of ice has been thrown over her, or just injected directly into her veins instead. Tears instinctively rise through her ducts and it takes all that she has to force them back down, doing all she can to hold her commander mask firmly in place. The galaxy hasn’t broken her yet and she refuses to let this planet be the tipping point, not after everything that's happened.

With more force than what is needed, she quickly cuts the comm link. 

Sensing her growing distress, Garrus gently places his hand under her chin, raising it so he can meet her gaze. She lets him manoeuvre her but refuses to meet his eyes. He lets out a quiet sigh and she can feel his concern in the tender action when his thumb brushes against her cheek.

“I think the stress is getting to me. I made a bad call, we should have done this after our shore leave. When everyone is better rested and more focused,” she admits and attempts to hang her head in shame, getting nowhere thanks to his strong grip keeping her head held high.

“I’m not sure, Shepard… I’ve been getting bad vibes from this place. I’ve not once doubted your judgement and I’m certainly not going to start now.”

She gives him a small smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes, feeling his body relax at her attempt. He reluctantly releases her after quickly pressing his forehead against hers, doing all he can to give her some reassurance while she secures her mask of authority once more, feeling slightly pissed at how often she’s let it slip on this mission. It’s rare for something to get under her skin, yet she begins to feel as if the planet was designed purely to do just that.

[bats-and-birds-24]

Chapter 6:

3 weeks had passed since Tim went to his nest and began to spy on the base on Sullivan's Island. He managed to hack into their files and found out that an important official would be visiting the base today.

If he made a scene during the official's visit, he would be caught and sent to Nanda Parbat immediately, bypassing the usual rigmarole of torture and interrogation.

He unlocked the steel door and crept inside, his bat instincts winced at the lack of discretion, but the faster he gets caught, the faster he completes the mission, and the faster he completes the mission, the sooner Bruce would get off his back. He was already starting to get calls everyday from him inquiring about his well being. As nice as the sentiment was, it was starting to get grating.

Just as he began to wonder where everyone was, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

A voice sneered, "stop right there little bird." Typical Gotham henchmen line. He debated being brought in by him, but then decided against it, if he was caught this easily, it would reflect badly on Batman. He'll let himself be caught by the next one. 

He shouts out, "This is Batman's territory you're on!" Lest they forget his loyalties. He then felt a sharp pain by his side, someone stabbed him. Tim fainted with a smile on his face, knowing that he was successfully kidnapped.

Tim woke up in what seemed to be a medbay. His first thought was, "that could have gone better, but at least I'm still alive." He was wondering if he should break out of the room and search for the important official, when the door opens and in walked the woman herself, Talia Al Ghul.

Well, this just made things significantly easier for him.

He starts off easy, "Is this room soundproof?" 

Talia raises an eyebrow, "Why would you want to know now detective?"

The detective epithet surprised him, coming from an Al Ghul, it was high praise.

He bites out, "You know what I'm talking about Talia."

She sighs, "I suppose the Jason situation would have come up eventually."

Anger surged through Tim, "So you did disturb his grave!"

Talia interrupts him before he could continue, "That was not me detective." She paused before continuing, "Jason himself dug his way out of the grave."

A moment of shock paused Tim's thoughts, before he managed to get out a feeble, "That can't be possible."

Talia sighed again, "It is possible, although I can understand why you wouldn't believe me. I found Jason wandering around his grave in a fugue state with no memory of his past. He could barely speak. I knew that the Lazarus pit could heal him, so I took him with me to Nanda Parbat."

Tim was beginning to get frustrated, "you should have at least informed Bruce when he came back alive! He has become reckless ever since Jason died."

"I know that very well Timothy," her voice still even, "I planned on returning him to the manor once he healed as well, however, ever since he came back, he doesn't want to see Bruce. He feels abandoned since the man he thought of as his father didn't avenge him by killing the Joker, and even went so far as to take on a new Robin."

The air stilled for a moment as Tim flushed red out of shame. Of course Jason would think he took his place, but if he could just explain to him that Bruce didn't choose him, that he simply became Robin out of fear of Batman losing control, then maybe Jason would be open to healing this rift.

He came to a decision, "Take me with you."

Talia smiled and covered her face with a mask, "As you wish Timothy." as smoke began to fill the room. 

Before Tim could react, he fell to the floor dazed, and for the second time that day, the world faded to black.

[jnephrite]

jaceverse timeline (with possible ages!) because dc timeline is so fucked up so let me just alter some canon facts real quick :3

year 0 — Harleen Quinzel (26) officially meets the joker, and becomes the Harley Quinn the same year

year 1 — Harley Quinn (30) dumps the Joker and moves in with her BFF—soon girlfriend—Poison Ivy. The Joker goes on a murder spree as a tantrum. Kills people from Crime Alley, including the Drews, Morgan Drew (13) becomes an orphan after witnessing the death of her parents.

Morgan meets Tim Drake (13) and Corinthia in Gotham Academy. Jason Todd (15) dies. Harley Quinn gives birth to Lucy Quinzel.

year 2 — Morgan Drew’s (14) teenage “rebellion” began. She sneaks out of the orphanage to steal from easy folks. Steals to reminisce about the time when she was free— she was already a thief before her parents died— with alive parents and to help with school expenses even though she attends Gotham Academy on scholarship. Detective Bullock tries to stop and catch her.

She began idolising Harley Quinn for being able to stand up against the Joker, realises that if there’s one person in the world who would help her take him down, it would be her. 14-year-old—going on 15 in a few months—Morgan’s crimes took another step by terrorising civilians and attends a Wayne Charity Event where she steals important jewelry from Selina Kyle (36). She was beginning to make a public name for herself, Gothamites called her Quinni (Harley Quinn Mini) with her DIY HQ jacket.

year 3 — Now known as Carnival to others and after saving her from the wrath of Penguin & Fish Mooney, Harley Quinn (33) begrudgingly takes her in as her sidekick officially. Morgan Drew (15) claims it as the best bday gift and began donning on a new Carnival costume that’s not a poor rip-off of Harley’s jester outfit.

Tim Drake (15) forms Young Justice. Morgan meets Superboy (16) as his civilian identity, Conner Kent because of Tim Drake and they become online friends.

Began terrorising Joker as much as she could with her limited resources.

year 4 — Morgan Drew (16) trains hard. Carnival sometimes annoys, sometimes aids Robin (Tim Drake) in his missions where she meets Superboy as Carnival. Becomes an unofficial Young Justice member and later then recruited by Amanda Waller in a team called Young Riot.

Harley Quinn (33) takes on the alter-ego, Heather Lee to officially foster Morgan. Eventually she, along Poison Ivy (35)— using an alter-ego for the documents as well—adopts her.

year 5 — Harley Quinn (34) officially becomes a member of the batfamily along with Selina Kyle (38). Morgan Drew (17) reunited with childhood friend, Jason Todd (19). She exploded all of the Joker bases she could find with true help of Red Hood.

The Joker plays a revenge, hurting Morgan’s friends, Cori and Ani. Angry, she almost killed the Joker before Batman swoops in to put him back to Arkham.

Harley sent her away to her mom. Morgan meets Lucy Quinzel (4) officially when she visits Mrs. Quinzel.

year 6 — Batman (40) disappears and Dick Grayson (24) temporarily becomes Batman with Damian Wayne (10) as his Robin. Young Justice disbands. Tim Drake (18) becomes Red Robin. Morgan Drew (18) has a fell out with her mothers, abandoning the name Carnival and becoming a much violent version herself as Delphi.

other notes:

She eventually returns as Carnival

Will take journ for college and will become a journalist as her adult career. (Lois Lane fan)

Will have a daughter named Gwen! Having Gwen starts to make Morgan want to quit as Carnival

[are-uwu]

Ok while my computer is getting fixed I decided to write something from the TSQ au to put some lore about it.

The Au relates that Jaime and Jay were part of the second YJ team after the team from the first season of Young justice.

The two of them were very close. They went from teammates to friends quickly because of similarity in age and because they basically had each other literally. Jay being compared to Dick when he made somewhat abrupt decisions on missions. While Jaime has to learn on his own how to be a hero as he has no proper mentor (Here Jaime would have the help of Peacemaker, Guy Gardner and Ted Kord's notes) and those who try to help him don't give him what he needs in regards to Khaji Da.

So when they feel abandoned or overwhelmed, they would go to each other. Thanks to that closeness they became friends outside the team, to the extent of knowing each other's true identities.

This closeness helped them to improve in many cases.

Jaime's calmness helped Jay not to explode many times with Batman or make risky decisions in missions. Alfred is thankful that his grandson's friend keeps him from coming back with more bruises and stitches than usual, besides teaching him how to skateboard.

And Jason's strong character influenced Jai to be more confident in correcting someone when they call him by his old name or refer to him by his wrong gender (Jai is a trans guy and here I want to explore the complications of his transition socially like Blue Beetle and Jaime Reyes. And before you assume, here the reyes and khaji unconditionally support and love Jai throughout his process) and also help him with school homework from time to time.

As time went by, their friendship grew stronger and new feelings arose in both of them. Love.

They knew it, everyone knew they loved each other.....

Too bad they couldn't confess to each other... because Jay after a failed mission to find his biological mother, ended up dying at the hands of the joker.

Jai came back to see the person he loved inside a coffin. In shock and tears, Jaime Reyes whispered "I love you" over and over again during the funeral, while his father held him so he wouldn't collapse from the pain and loss.

Jaime left the team some time later. And the following years he dedicated himself to being a solo hero in palmera city. And in his civilian life he dedicated his time to his family and studies.

On the altar of the reyes family there is a photograph of him and Jay that was taken after their first outing as friends.

That relative calm changed when Nightwing found him and asked for a life-changing favor (and boy, was he not wrong). That's when Blue Beetle met Tim Drake, the third Robin.

The proposal was for Jai to help train the new team and they believe that someone with the experience of having been a fairly young hero the new generation would better understand him.

In short, he would be a nanny in armor.

To begin with, Jai was going to refuse as he was still feeling some negative feelings and mostly homesickness. But when he saw Tim in the uniform, the robin symbol, the excitement of meeting the Blue Beetle and hearing about how Tim discovered the identity of batman and basically took the suit and called himself robin. He couldn't help but agree not only because of that but this time he wanted to make sure that this time no kid like him and...Jay.. go through what they went through.

The new team consists of:

Tim Drake (Robin)

Cassie Sandmark (Wonder girl)

Kon-El (Superboy)

Bart Allen (Impulse)

At the beginning they had their difficulties, but with time they became very close. The team went from seeing Blue Beetle as a babysitter to a mentor and ultimately as a cool older brother who takes the time to be there for them, takes the trouble to listen to their daily routines, memorizes everyone's likes and dislikes, becomes their first defender when a League member berates them after missions, is their shoulder to cry on. Basically he is always there if they need him no matter how far away he is.

This also helped Jaime in his healing journey. After leaving the yj he became more reserved, sullen and only gave tired smiles.

But when he met these children he began to have small noticeable changes in the way he was. He was smiling and laughing more, he started to be more extroverted and to go back to being the Jaime he was before Jason's death and he realized that.

And from then on he promised himself that he would be the hero and person that he and Jason wanted to be when they grew up. He would do it because it would honor the memory of the boy he would still love in spite of everything.

Unfortunately, the crime lord Red Hood would come to bring instability as he came to Gotham to hunt down those with whom he has unfinished business and Jaime is one of those targets.

[poyorii]

Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker

A long-awaited comeback!A new story begins for Amu-chan and the Shugo Chara characters!Amu, a cool and spicy girl, has graduated from Seiya Gakuen Elementary School and is finally in middle school! She thought she would be safe with her precious friends in middle school... but she is asked to take on a mission related to Shugo Chara and has to transfer schools!

Source: Nakayoshi Magazine

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