#LISTEN I JUST STOPPED THOUGH!!!

[carlsdraws]

i’m not equipped to be busy all the time this is hell methinks

[itslavenduh]

Jessie gets her license.

[turtleblogatlast]

“Haven’t You Noticed (I’m a Star)” from Steven Universe works so ridiculously well for Leo

[zarnzarn]

(check the tags for more and also the tag for other fics in the story!)

athena, scowling as she gets bullied into marrying the people she pined over for the last 1000 years, suddenly realising something: wait a minute

odysseus: what?

athena, frozen: wait a damn minute you know what this gives me rights to do

penelope, also realising: oh fuck yes

odysseus: I don't like the sound of whatever's happening here what are you two fucking talking about?

athena, grabbing the marriage wine and tossing it back, then kissing her new wife and husband and handing penelope a spear as she picks up a mace: we'll be back shortly, you can start celebrations without us.

penelope: do u have anything that can start a fire

athena, pulling out an old contract and scanning it before throwing it over her shoulder: yes. are you scared of heights or can we fly.

penelope: fucking bring it I've waited years for this moment

zeus: where are they going

hermes, picking up the contract: they're going to... Ogygia? Oh fucking shit they're going to fucking kill Calypso- hey, hello, WAIT-

[hylianane]

And when OPLA calls back to Zeff telling the crew to read stories to Zoro so he can hear their voices and recover faster, by having Sanji sit by his bedside on Thriller Bark and read him a book about the All Blue. What will you do then?

[super-marvel-dc]

Me to Bucky whenever I see or think about him

*Pictures from Pinterest*

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Chapter 105.5 Thoughts: Control, Manipulation and Partnership

Or, how Chuuya is actually the most qualified character to land a victory over Dostoevsky.

I just want to preface this with: I think Chuuya has woken from the brainwashing. We can't see his eyes, he's holding his hat again, and look at the progression of his face and expression from the last few chapters with him (these are in order btw from left to right).

I'm not completely sure how he did this, but I chalk a lot of it up to sheer stubborn determination on Chuuya's part, mostly because it's funny and he was clearly fighting back before Dazai's speech. However, I find it likely the speech did contain some kind of code - others have pointed out how "Goodbye!" might be a reference to the original author's last unfinished book and we know skk's codenames for things generally are based off their real counterparts' works so, maybe he'd already broken out of it, maybe there was something in there that gave him the final push - who knows at this point honestly? Either way, it means Chuuya had the capacity to break out of the vampire curse on his own and that's incredibly funny to me for many reasons but mostly:

Fyodor: "Bold of you to assume Chuuya's ability can't overcome flooding."

Dazai: "Bold of you to assume Chuuya's personality can't overcome brainwashing."

But really, this highlights something interesting here, both in what Chuuya's role is ultimately intended to be in this arc, and in the way Fyodor and Dazai manipulate and value others in very different ways.

I've said it before but it bears repeating: we already know that Fyodor is an excellent long-term planner, while Dazai is effectively able to counter him because Dazai shifts into thinking like his opponent. They're foil characters for a reason; they're both highly intelligent, manipulative, and willing to play the long game for the sake of winning against their opponent.

Thing is, I also stand by the idea that personality-wise, they're not similar at all - and that has serious implications for the people they are connected with. The build-up to the prison escape arc really highlights this. Some examples:

Chapter 46: Fyodor believes that all people are sinful and foolish and that his goal is to remove sin. Dazai believes that all people are sinful and foolish but asks what's so wrong with that.

Chapter 64: They decide to have a "super-happy chit-chat" about their problems. Dazai's solution to Fyodor's issue with his lazy subordinates is to get them to think lazing around is a bad thing so they will put in effort of their own. Fyodor's solution to Dazai being unable to woo the waitress is to isolate her from her job, house and family so that she can only rely on Dazai.

Chapter 77: Fyodor believes god is perfection and harmony, and thus that the people capable of change are the superior ones with most control. Dazai believes god is the accidental and illogical and believes it is the ordinary people who fight and live in that uncertainty who create the greatest change.

So, what's happening here? Fyodor's manipulation is shown to be very exacting and direct. He leaves no room for error and regards people on a hierarchy - God above all, himself as a servant of God's will, and the sinful and foolish humans he has little regard for. Dazai's manipulation involves manipulation of the situation, and is often indirect. It involves people coming to the conclusion he intends for them to on their own. And from his later dialogue with Sigma, we see he doesn't regard the world in that same kind of hierarchy.

Now, look at the way Fyodor picks an item and Dazai picks a person when starting the game. Look at the way Fyodor refers to Chuuya respectfully but brainwashes him entirely and mocks Dazai for not being worthy of "using" his ability. Look at the way Dazai is a complete ass to Chuuya but ultimately lets him make his own choices (begging people to take note of that moment in Stormbringer where Dazai cuts himself off to correct his referring to Corruption as Arahabaki's true power to Chuuya's true power).

So, the actual strength Dazai has over Dostoevsky then, is not really his strength at all, it's the strength of others and their choice and willpower to act in the way they believe is best. It's the only means of getting a leg up on Dostoevsky, otherwise they will continue to go around and around in circles forever.

And Chuuya is the best candidate for finally throwing Fyodor off his game.

Firstly, let's just establish something: no matter how mad he is at Dazai, he's not going to side with Fyodor, not willingly. Fyodor threatened the Mafia in the Cannibalism arc by attacking Mori, first of all. I doubt he's forgiven him for that. Secondly, Fyodor embodies everything Chuuya can't stand about Dazai, at the very least, younger Dazai - the manipulation, the lack of consideration and connection with others, the callousness and lack of regard for life.

Well, perhaps he's not quite as irritating. +1 point for Dostoevsky I guess?

But lastly, it is more advantageous for Chuuya at this point to help fight against Fyodor, especially since most of the Mafia has been vampirized by his organization. Helping the Agency stop the terrorist plot will help the Mafia by extension by undoing that. And we know from Stormbringer that no matter how much Chuuya is personally hurt, he considers taking out the threat to his people a higher priority. Always.

(You could make the argument that he was told whatever Teruko told Atsushi and decided to join, but not only do I find this wildly out of character, but if that was the case then there would've been no reason to brainwash him.)

That said, I don't think this was preemptive "Dazai's master plan #3057", and in fact, I stand by the idea that Dazai had no idea Chuuya was going to be in the prison. It is very, very important to me that for the rest of this arc, no matter what Chuuya does, that his actions are his own. Not Fyodor's, not Dazai's, but his. And not just because I hate that he's being controlled right now and that freedom of choice has always been important for Chuuya.

But because it makes narrative sense.

The vampires are a bit silly, yes, but they represent the way Fyodor and Fukuchi think - humanity will commit atrocities. They cannot be trusted to make their own decisions. They want to make a world that is free by... mind-controlling people so their plans work without a hitch. In short, they choose, on behalf of others, to sacrifice human autonomy for peace. So, if we are going to turn this arc around, we need to have characters breaking out of that control and thinking for themselves, in spite of the uncertainty of the outcome.

We already see this with Atsushi in the last chapter! He finally takes initiative and makes that choice to leave the room when he doesn't exactly know what the right thing to do is. And this is also why I don't think Teruko is wholly convinced by the DoA either - she lets him go. She gives him the freedom to choose what he does with that information.

Another one of the focus characters here is Sigma. Sigma is a guy who has no past, whose humanity is questioned, who keeps being used by organizations for his valuable ability, who has no home but desperately wants one... oh wait. Remind you of anyone's younger self? This could go one of two ways: Chuuya fails to assert his autonomy, leaving Sigma to learn from that failure, or, Chuuya succeeds in asserting his autonomy, leaving Sigma to learn from his success.

I think it, by necessity, has to be the latter. Sigma's at a tipping point right now, and I think seeing someone try to assert their freedom only to fail would damage him greatly. And I think it's a waste of Chuuya's character honestly.

Chuuya needs to assert his autonomy in this arc. Not just for thematic reasons but because I can think of no one else who can effectively break the "super-genius stalemate".

I keep hearing "Dazai knows Chuuya" in response to Fyodor calling their bond shallow, and that is absolutely true! But Chuuya also knows Dazai. Incredibly well. Odasaku knew Dazai's soul, but Chuuya knows Dazai's mind, knows his strategies and ways of thinking without even needing words. What's more, Chuuya has thrown off Dazai before and done what he didn't expect him to.

Which is nifty, because Dazai and Fyodor think a lot alike. Chuuya is in a unique position to thwart Dostoevsky because he may actually be able to predict him to a degree. Chuuya can absolutely land a victory against him, and it's excellent because it would be completely unexpected to Fyodor, who apparently thinks Chuuya's strength lies only in what his ability has to offer and not much else.

But listen. This also can't be skk's plan. I need Chuuya to sideline both of them. Both for the sweet, sweet catharsis of putting those two idiot geniuses in their places and also because I need Dazai to have screwed up. He wasn't wrong about people making their own choices in uncertainty. People need to assert their autonomy to create change. Dazai can't be wrong in this regard.

But with going ahead with the trap to drown Fyodor despite also having to drown Chuuya when he promised not to let him get killed... this needs to have been a mistake, otherwise the value of Dazai's emotional speech to him is diminished.

I want Dazai to try to laugh it off. I want him to say he always knew Chuuya would escape and then for Chuuya to deck him because "no, the fuck you didn't".

I really think Dazai hoped Chuuya would make it. Do remember that Chuuya was one of the first reasons young Dazai decided to try giving life a chance. The fact that he flashbacked to all his key memories with Chuuya says a lot. But his survival was no guarantee and it seemed very unlikely.

So, Chuuya is faced with the fact that Dazai nearly sacrificed him to kill Dostoevsky and save his new Agency friends.

And I hope he finally gets mad. I hope he finally expresses hurt on his own behalf for once. I hope they are forced to break their status quo that they have carefully maintained by not talking about anything ever. I hope they are pushed to uncomfortable places and that it is Chuuya who finally spurs this development.

Let Chuuya break the stalemate between Dazai and Dostoevsky. Let him shatter the status quo that him and Dazai have kept going for year after year.

Autonomous action in the face of uncertainty is necessary for change.

[cyanorhis]

Thinking about Sauron who despite his arrogance and twisted nature is Really seeking words of affirmation right now. He just wants someone who doesn’t see him merely as his title or as someone they should fear/reverence to look at his designs and say “woa, this is genius, you're so smart and based”. He has an artist heart. But instead of that all the allies he sought so far ultimately rejected him, so he clings to the memory of Galadriel looking at Halbrand, a nobody, and seeing greatness in him. Promising things. Anchoring his lost-self. He looks back at the memory and it’s like a “do it for her” altar is materialized at the very instant. “She told me all doors are open to the believer. I believer her. I believe her. I believe her."

[locksox]

forgot these in the big jon post oops lol

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Milk theory? 👁️👁️

ANYTHING FOR YOU TWO!!!!

ok this is gonna be short and mildly insane. i would like everyone to understand that this is pretty much Entirely unfounded & i'm just reading too much into a teeny little thing. however i've convinced myself that this theory is viable against all better judgement

take these mad ramblings with a Monumental grain of salt. im not to be taken seriously ever

so it all boils down to This

Little

Motherfucker.

the milk carton behind Barnaby's house.

it was added with the last large update, and it Immediately made me lose my mind. it's such a... strange thing to add to the map, which already has Teeny Secrets - along with other choice objects that make me narrow my eyes. but this isn't about them.

The very first thing I thought of when I saw the milk carton was the phrase "no use crying over spilled milk". which, of course, essentially means that there's no point in crying over things you can't change / things already done. There are a couple ways i'm interpreting it with this context

Something is going to happen that Barnaby feels personally responsible for. or is responsible for - either indirectly, or maybe he'll do something terrible. i think it's entirely possible that he might do that possible something for Wally. and again, take this with salt, but Clown has implied through trivia and fun hypotheticals that Barnaby would go to lengths for Wally. and yes, i know. taking evidence from "what would the neighbors do in Among Us" is absurd. IN MY DEFENSE! while the trivia isn't really to be taken seriously, there's always a thought process behind character roles and dynamics and behavior, and that is something that can be (carefully) looked into and applied. like in Among Us, apparently Barnaby would, and i quote, "Barnaby does all the Dirty work if Wally is an Impostor- Anything to help his little Buddy out...". anything to help his little buddy out, huh? like, it's been stated that Barnaby knows things about Wally that no one else does. and it's been mildly implied that he's fairly protective of Wally. and we all know that Wally is getting into some deep shit, and whether he means to or not he's likely gonna fuck everything up for everyone. it's not that big of a leap to speculate that Barnaby might do something drastic/horrible/regret-worthy in Wally's name / for his sake.

2. something terrible is going to happen to Barnaby / directly related to Barnaby, and he's going to be absolutely powerless to do anything about it. though i think that's kind of a given... yeah this section is pretty self explanatory

3. Barnaby is going to go missing. because what used to be on milk cartons? Missing Posters! yes yes i know this one is even more of a reach, since milk cartons didnt have missing posters on them till the 80s, but yk. it's a Thought.

my second thought was "oh ok so when the carton spills, it's curtains for Barnaby." this part of the theory is just me being paranoid that Barnaby is going to wind up kicking the bucket - though i suppose if that were the case, there would be a bucket, not milk. well, if a bucket ever appears, i'm going to start prematurely mourning. Still!

the point is - at some point, that milk is probably gonna spill. it may be just a detail as things get better Worse, or it could be indicative of something terrible happening to / because of Barnaby. the milk spills, Panic Time.

Milk Theory.

[deuteragonist1]

Coriolanus: *walks by*

Billy Taupe: What an ass.

Sejanus, staring at Coriolanus' ass: I know right.

[voicesfoundmymemories]

Places

(Me Note) Hello! This isn't late you guys are just in the future- Konig x Reader? CW The only trigger warning is possible second hand embarrassment. Word Count: 2098!

You sigh as you walk back into the air-conditioned building, the cool air feeling like heaven on your sticky skin. It was a hot day even though summer had just started and you'd finished moving the last of your boxes into your apartment only a moment ago.

You hadn't bothered paying for a moving service, you barely had enough stuff to fill the place. You figured you'd buy furniture once you mapped out the space a bit better.

You pushed the button that called the elevator, waiting there with your suitcase in hand. You cringed at the sweat trickling down your back, anticipating the hot shower you'd take as soon as you were settled. The doors open and you step in, pressing your floor when a large hand barges between the almost shut doors.

"Ah- sorry" The voice is apologizing before the doors are even open again, and before you can say that it's alright your eyes widen at the sheer size of the man, the elevator shifting as he stepped into it.

"It's okay-" You stammer out, mentally slapping yourself for staring for so long. He looked almost… uncomfortable? His body was trying to angle away from you just enough to not be rude, which wasn't a lot with the size of the elevator.

You were intrigued by the man, but you'd much rather sit down, even if it was probably going to be on the floor. You kept taking half glances at him as the elevator closed once again. "Are you on the second floor?"

"What?" He asked, looking down at you.

"You're... floor? You didn't put one in." With that, he sucked in a breath, a quiet 'ah' as he pressed the button for the fifth floor.

"Sorry." He muttered, radiating nervous energy.

You smiled warmly at him, not wanting to leave a bad impression in your first new neighbor interaction. "No need to say sorry, oh- this is my floor. Nice meeting you-" you said quickly, waving at the tall man who halfheartedly waved back.

Well, shit. Looks like I've already ruined it, he hates me-

You count your losses, dragging your suitcase into your apartment.

You let your shoulders drop as you finally get a good look at the apartment, living area (at least that's what you thought was meant to go there) filled with boxes of your belongings. You pull out your phone and dial a number.

"Hey, mom."

"Hi, sweetie! How is everything? Got everything in alright? Oh, I told you just to hire a moving company-"

"Mom. I had barely enough boxes to fill my car. I did not need a moving company. I got everything in fine." She showed how much she cared by worrying about everything and anything.

"That's good. How are your neighbors? Do they seem nice?" You roll your eyes, smiling as you place the phone on the counter, putting it on speaker.

"Well, I just moved in less than five minutes ago I haven't met any of them yet." You say that as a vision of the bright blue eyes of that tall man crosses your mind. It was the only feature that stood out to you with the lower portion of his face covered. "I did meet someone in the elevator but he doesn't live on my floor. It's not like having a house." You hum, picking up the bag of apples you'd thought to buy before you got home. You'd probably order takeout tonight.

"Well, go meet them! Knock on doors, offer something!" You swallowed quickly, wiping at your mouth.

"Mother when have I ever been the type to go out of my way to socialize? If I see them... I'll say hi, I guess." You heard the scuffling sound of your mother covering the phone, and muffled yells to who you assumed was your father since your brother should be in school at the moment.

"I can't hear what you're saying but I know you're talking about me, Mother!" The phone is picked up again and you shake your head.

"It's just that you're gonna be lonely, sweetheart. You don't start the new job for another three weeks, what're you gonna do in that time?"

"You're only an hour away, if I'm that starved for human contact I'll drive home." You shrug though she can't see you.

~~~

You'd managed to unpack all your boxes within the week, and you're only priority shopping-wise was getting a new bed, which you'd done before moving in so it came later in the day.

You decided it was probably best if you stopped spending money on takeout, grabbed your keys and bag, and headed out.

You're standing in front of the elevator as it opens, coming face (not really) to face with the large man. His bright blue eyes find yours and you're both in an awkward stalemate, staring at each other until the elevator begins to close again and he mutters something you couldn't quite catch and shifts over to make space for you as you get in beside him.

"I didn't get your name last time." You give him a tight-lipped smile. I can't keep calling you large man in my head-

He looked down at you before glancing away again, the tips of his ears tinting red. "König-" he says quickly, looking like he wished he could swallow his words, which was weird. Did he not like his name?

You tried to say it in your head before attempting it out loud, not wanting to mess his name up, but before you could the doors were opening and he was muttering an excuse me as he got out of the enclosed space.

Did I do something? Oh my god, this is why I don't talk to people. You huff, following him out of the elevator but unable to find his presence. How did a man that big get away so quickly?

He managed to plague your mind your entire grocery trip, and you questioned why you were so intrigued by him as you thought up ways to talk to him without scaring him off.

Your game of elevator cat and mouse continued, and soon every time you waited for that elevator you hoped his damned masked face and baby blue eyes would be behind it.

~~~

You'd begun to feel a bit hopeless, near giving up as you hadn't seen him in a while. You got into the empty elevator, heading to the mail room.

You knew he was nervous, but you couldn't tell if it was in general or because of you. What if you made him uncomfortable? For what reason though? What could possibly-

Your thoughts went silent as you saw him opening his mailbox, head turned towards you as he scanned your frame. The one time I check the mail in garfield pyjama pants. Great.

You give him a quick grin, walking over to your mailbox as his gaze follows you. You fumble with your keys, trying to think of something, anything, to say to him.

The mail becomes inconsequential as you continue to sift through it, tossing out the junk. There's an awkward silence between you two that is only broken by the clearing of his throat.

You turn towards him, eyes wide and expectant. "I- uhm… I have apfel- agh… apple strudel?" He rubs at his neck, avoiding your gaze. "If you want." He adds quickly, his accent coming through in his nervousness. "Apple strudel? Do you bake?" You mentally slap yourself for the question. Of course he bakes, he's offering you some, genius.

The two of you make your way up to the fifth floor, the ride filled with tense silence and fleeting glances. He walks in quick strides to his door and you pause for a moment. Maybe I shouldn't be following a stranger into his apartment.

By all means it sounds like a bad idea but you follow him anyway, the intrigue of the man outweighing any logic of the situation. Besides, surely I'd feel it if something was off. He opens the door and the mouthwatering scent of tart apples fills the hallway, ridding you of any doubts you might have had regarding the safety of the situation.

"It smells really good- oh!" He had a plate in your hand before you could even close the door, gesturing you towards a seat on his sofa.

"Thank you..." Your words trail as you take a seat, looking down at the dessert.

He followed you down, sitting across from you on the single sofa as you dug into the strudel with the fork he gave you.

"It's really good!" You hum in surprise as the crisp flavor fills your mouth. "Do you like to bake?"

He nods slowly, and you notice the tips of his ears tinted that same shade of red. How… cute?

It gets quiet again, and you can't help your urge to make conversation. The silence didn't typically bother you but it felt like your brain was about to burst with all the questions you wanted to ask him.

You'd never wanted to get to know someone you'd barely met so deeply and completely.

You're barely able to get out, "What else do you like to bake?" before he speaks.

"I'm sorry. For being rude." He rushes out and your eyes widen a bit at his abrupt conversation switch. He can barely meet your eyes and you have the strongest urge to comfort him. Just one hug, I promise-

"Rude?" You repeat, head in a tilt, trying to think back on what he could be referring to. Uncomfortably awkward sure, but that'd mostly been your fault for trying to push a conversation.

"I don't think you've done anything that's offended me-" You hum, "And if you did this certainly made up for it because I'm drawing blanks." You try your best to muster up your sweetest smile, not wanting to scare him away again.

"Okay."

The brief time you spent in his apartment was enjoyable, and even though he barely muttered ten words you could tell he was trying his best, which seemed to be enough for you.

When you finally stood up to leave, saying goodbyes as you walked towards the door he stopped you, handing you a glass tupperware full of strudels.

"Oh, I-" You eye the container, surprise written all over your face. "Thank you! This is really nice of you."

~

You catch yourself with a silly smile on your face as you look down at the glass container, the insides concealed by the lid. The sun had long began to set and the sounds of the cities night life were beginning to stir. Truly, you were going insane. The glass container filled with treats that you presumed he'd made entirely for you. You'd already stared at it for god knows how long, and now you were cursing yourself for not asking for his number when you had the chance.

You groan, backing away from your kitchen counter and leaving the poor strudels there to cool down, trying to shift your thoughts to anything but the tall man. The tall, sweet, adorably shy man.

You shake your head free of the thought. It wouldn't do you any good to dwell on it. Next time. The next time you saw him you'd ask for his number. You nod to yourself, walking the span of your counter as your mind raced with different possibilities. The sweet gift caught your eye every time you walked past, which might've made it a tad bit more difficult to stay focused.

After pacing the short length of your island a few more times you give in, lunging for the glass and popping it open.

"They smell so good…" You eye them hungrily, the smell of the warm tarts seeping into the air. You were never the best at baking, so this was chef extraordinaire level mastery to you.

You pick one up, gushing about the taste of it as you wave the cover in your hand. You nearly drop it, tossing it onto the counter.

A small bright yellow that definitely wasn't the red of the container peeks through the corner of your vision. Taped to the lid is a small piece of paper. You peel it off carefully, not wanting to get your hopes up in case this wasn't what you thought it was.

"My number. If you want it. I would like to talk to you more but I'm not the best at conversation."

[gophergal]

I see your "Mr Bidwell is Scout's brother" and raise you "Actually he's Jerry's brother"

[horsechestnut]

Bruce leaving Steph in a house with her abuser and the fucking Riddler for at least two months because he was using her as a spy to get them on a bigger bust vs. Dinah breaking down the door the second she finds out Steph is in an unsafe environment sure is something.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

A Dark and Drowning Tide

gothic fantasy romance

a folklorist is chosen as the co-leader of an expedition to find a fabled magical spring for the king, along with 6 nobles

when her mentor, the other leader, is found dead on their boat in the middle of the night, she has to figure out who did it; while continuing the mission through the wilderness and navigating the potential political fallout

and the only one she can probably trust is her academic rival, a naturalist, who she hates

dark folktales & creatures

Jewish lesbian MC

arc from netgalley! out sep 17

putting both covers here because they’re both so beautiful!! (artists: Audrey Benjaminsen, & Erica Williams)

[necrotic-nephilim]

for the ask game (1)

au where bruce is attracted to his robins and batgirls. he tries not to think about it or act on it, but it's getting more difficult with every new member of his team he acquires. does anyone know? do the robins and batgirls notice his weird behavior? what do they do about it? do they ever find out the truth? who would think it's terrible and who would find it strangely hot/comforting/nice? does bruce ever act on his feelings?

for the ask game!

oh my GOD do i have thoughts for AUs like this, i love this shit so dearly, dirtybadwrong Bruce who's trying to keep a lid on it my beloved.

i think the fun of this AU is if characters would notice Bruce lusting for themselves vs would they notice Bruce lusting for a different Robin/Batgirl. like does Dick pick up on it when it's just him and Bruce? no, because it's just. him and Bruce. he and Bruce are weird and complicated and hold endless bounds of nuance. that's just How Bruce Is, and Dick is the "test run", in a sense. he knows Bruce is new to this whole sidekick/family thing and is giving Bruce grace for being rough around the edges. but when Bruce starts looking at Jason or Tim or Cass that way, that's when Dick starts to notice. it's never enough of a suspicion he feels justified to bring it up, but the thought lingers. he's hyperaware and grows less and less comfortable with leaving them alone with Bruce. it's a weird game of chicken, Dick and Bruce staring each other down when Bruce's touch lingers too long. each waiting for the other to say something first. if Bruce ever broke and actually acted on his feelings, Dick would be eaten alive by the guilt of knowing something was up, but never saying something until it was too late.

obviously, Cass would know. there's no world where Cass *doesn't* know, the nature of who and what she is would immediately clock it. but the issue is, Cass doesn't have a good framework of what family looks like. she doesn't really understand familial vs romantic love bc she has no firsthand experience of what a parent's love should even look like. so she never calls it out. she just watches. i'm a fan of Cass believing this is normal and believing she too can express and act on attraction that's vaguely incestuous. maybe it's with Babs, maybe it's with Dick or Tim or Bruce himself. but she recognizes this as Normal and Accepted within the Batfamily, so it severely fucks up her understanding of familial love and i just. man it's my favorite thing about Cass in Batcest honestly, is how you can play with her lack of experience with love, boundaries, and sexuality.

Tim is the fun one for me. because my favorite flavor of BruTim is when Tim knows, as he agrees to be Robin, that there's a non-zero chance that Bruce is going to be Weird and agrees anyway because he's decided it's an acceptable risk. so Tim knows from the get-go because he's expecting it. if Bruce acts on his attraction, i think it's either with Tim or Cass first, because they're the most likely to confront him about it in a way that isn't entirely negative. Tim has accepted it's a possibility and Cass just seeks being loved and touched so. it leads to the first time someone's ever confronted Bruce about it. and the thing is, Bruce really doesn't like confrontation about his flaws. the first time Tim tries to imply he's okay with it, Bruce would lash out at the idea, tell Tim how inappropriate that is and benches Tim for a week. it'd probably take a united front from Cass and Tim to get Bruce to even *admit* to the attraction. still Bruce wouldn't allow it to happen and he brushes them off until finally, the dam breaks. it's fun if there's a cause like sex pollen, but i think it's *more* fun if it's just. a random fucking Tuesday and finally Bruce is at his limit. he has no real reason, there's nothing particularly different about that day's routine. he just sees Tim or Cass striping armor and sighs and gives in.

i don't think Steph, Jason, or Babs would notice until anything substantial happened. not because they're not wicked smart, but just because none of them were looking for it. Jason put Bruce on a pedestal when he was alive, and when he came back from the dead he wasn't close enough to be noticing Bruce's interpersonal dynamics outside of his narrow scope. Steph has no real framework for what healthy fatherhood looks like, so if Bruce's touches linger, if he stares too long, she just shrugs and assumes it's how it is. and Babs was just never quite close enough to Bruce to notice. if and when she notices, is when actual sexual things start to happen between Cass and Bruce. because Cass would see no reason to hide it. Babs would be pissed, but it'd be tricky to navigate. Cass would be an adult, even if she's only 18/19, so technically, she's old enough to be consenting. if nothing else, Bruce is a careful man. even when he breaks and gives in to his desires, he covers his tracks well. he makes sure he has enthusiastic consent and there's no legal recourse that could be taken. age of consent and all that. there's not much Babs can *do* other than try to tell Cass (and/or Tim) that this isn't normal or okay. not that it gets her anywhere, but god would she try.

by the time Duke comes along (if we venture out of the pre-Flashpoint era) i think it's a sort of. open secret, in the Batfamily. talked about in nothing but hushed whispers and knowing glances. at some point, they've all had sex with Bruce, caving all for different reasons. some more than others. Tim sees it as a duty, Cass sees it as a way of seeking comfort, Steph sees it as getting Bruce's approval for once, etc. it's never forced on them, but eventually, they all come to Bruce sooner or later. and that's the fun irony of it, i think. they try to convince the others not to, but would go to Bruce on their own well. because complicated reasons they can't put into words. sometimes, Bruce is just a messy man who doesn't realize how prized his Attention to for the rest of the Batfamily. that weird duality of not liking him, but also wanting desperately for him to like you. all of them have dealt with it, at some point. so for Duke, it takes a while for him to understand this... whole dynamic. it's Cass who tries to explain it to him, and he's a little horrified, a lot confused. especially when Bruce starts staring at him a little too long as well. i think he'd only want to watch first but well. they all cave eventually.

also fun bonus if we venture into the Dark Knight Returns universe for my bestest girl Carrie Kelley: there's such a like, "i'm fucking around and i'm finding out" vibe to Carrie. like Tim, she's very proactive in just. deciding she's going to be Robin and she's ready for whatever that entails. (IMO canon Carrie is closer to fanon Tim than canon Tim is but *that* deserves its own post-) like she takes one look at the old man that is Batman and goes yup. he's never fucking getting rid of me now. if Bruce started having weird feelings about her, i think she'd have *fun* with it. she's decided she's in it for the long haul and for whatever being Robin means so. she's almost teasing about it, seeing how hard she can push before Bruce snaps. since it's an older, gruffer Bruce, i think he'd express open annoyance at it first, almost a sort of banter about how Carrie behave. but of course he caves and Carrie leans into it, because there's a fun in having all of Bruce's attention to herself. in the main timeline, Bruce is pretty split with so many Robins and Batgirls, but during their era, it's *just* her and him and she's very proud she's got him all to herself.