#aka team building exercise

[rationalnerd62]

Every time I see a post about how someone doesn't understand Bell's Hells distrust/dislike of Gods, I just don't understand what show they were watching.

First of all, most of Bell's Hells don't even dislike the Gods. They just don't particularly care for them, which is a completely different thing.

Orym is from the Air Ashari, and as a result expressed very similar feelings towards the Gods than Keyleth in C1. Aka, of course the Gods exist, of course they've got a purpose for some people, but Ashari folks don't particularly care for them and are fine with mutually staying out of each other's businesses.

Fearne is a chaotic fey who honestly doesn't really care about religion. Sure, some fey are into the Moonweaver or the Archheart, but Fearne grew up with an Archfey that was having fun on the Matron's playground, so that's not really an environment with a big respect or admiration for Gods.

Chetney is an old dude who was minding his own business for a while. There wasn't really anything in his background to push him into religion, his deal was woodworking and then figuring out the werewolf stuff.

I don't remember Dorian mentioning anything religious based, so I'm putting him in the "do not care much / neutral" category. At least until shit happened with Opal. It doesn't matter that it's a betrayer God here, especially when you know the primes could have gotten rid of them.

For the rest, yes, there are religion related background components to mention. Both Braius and FCG were definitely pro Gods, but FCG started very neutral on that topic. Then they kinda started praying to the Changebringer as a thought experiment. I'll note though that their first (or one of their first? I don't remember) interaction with the Changebringer was her threatening them if they weren't helping her regarding the Ruidus stuff. And like, I get it, the Gods were scared as fuck, but having a shit day doesn't allow you to be a piece of shit to others 💀.

Laudna is an undead woman who got kicked out of places multiple times by religious folks for what she was, without a single care for who she was or her humanity. Gosh, she crossed paths twice with the same exemplar of the Lawbearer, decades apart, and both interactions were shit (Meghan, I'm in your walls!). Despite that, she doesn't particularly hate the Gods, but she's learned to stay away from religious folks & deities as a result. See her surprise at being accepted by clerics of the Matron! She wasn't expecting religious people to not hate her on sight.

Imogen was a depressed isolated pariah in her small town, praying for help with no answers (see one of Nana's team building exercises), and when she was finally out, it was with the help of her undead friend who she's very protective of and who doesn't have a great rep with religious folks. Yeah, she'd probably stay away from that too.

Meanwhile Ashton was raised in a cult that ended up very poorly (they've got long term health issues from that time!), and would rather avoid any sort of organised religion (no matter the topic) as a result, which honestly, that's fair.

And that's mostly just background stuff! During the campaign, they also met someone who got brought back to life and is still kinda resentful about it, they found a whole village that was very much not happy about religious folks coming up to their town and trying to order them around (and had to fight a temple as a result, which left a bunch of contradictory feelings there), and saw Gods destroy a whole city to keep their siblings safe, in the middle of the Calamity which saw many deaths because Deities were fighting against one another. Ah, and Vasselheim is apparently deciding who gets to know what wrt history and would hunt people who know too much. Like, the Grim Verity was hiding from both Vasselheim & Ludinus.

And I know a lot of stuff here is more about religious folks rather than Gods themselves, but you gotta understand that if the Gods are away and only talking to a select few, then their followers *are* their marketing team. Followers being shitty to some people *will* lead those people to be suspicious about religion and Gods (or at least to want to stay away from it).

Trust isn't owed to Gods, even Prime Deities. It's something that is gained through background, time, opportunities... Even in Exandria where the Gods are real, there are probably a lot of common folks who don't particularly care about religion (or maybe some of them just follow along with the dominant religion of their hometown, without diving much into it).

So no, Bell's Hells aren't particularly big Gods lovers. They're also not Gods haters (nuances, what a blast). Hey, in a different scenario, they probably would have loved staying away from Gods and religion entirely.

But guess who in the group actually had the biggest connection to a cosmic entity that significantly impacted their life? Imogen with Predathos.

And no, this doesn't mean this group wasn't appropriate for the plot of C3, or whatever funny thing people like to say about C3 and BH! I think C3 was made a lot more interesting by folks disagreeing on their relationship to Gods - it'd be boring if they all agreed lol.

But if you're looking at BH and are tearing up about "why don't they love my blorbos deities", seriously, have you paid attention to who those people are.

[reasonsforhope]

"[There is] fantastic news for species conservation after new populations of the gorgeous ‘Skywalker’ gibbon, known to science for only 6 years, were recently found living in the politically chaotic nation of Myanmar.

Also called the hoolock gibbon, this dainty vocalist was first described in 2017 living in the extreme south of China on a mountain in Yunnan. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, the population was estimated to number a paltry 150 individuals, but others were believed to live in Myanmar.

Even before the recent military junta usurped the president and plunged the country into civil war, Myanmar [was a difficult place to conduct field studies, especially extensive or ongoing ones, due to ongoing conflict.]

[Although they are] now in open revolt against the military junta, [the Myanmar states of Shan and Kachin] were nevertheless destinations for an intrepid team of scientists from the Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Fauna & Flora International–Myanmar Programme, the IUCN’s ape specialist group, and field researchers from universities in England, China, and the US.

Together, they conducted acoustic surveys, collected non-invasive DNA sampling, and took photographs for morphological identification at six sites in Kachin State and three sites in Shan State. With the help of the Myanmar conservationists, the team also interviewed locals dwelling in rural forested areas, small conservation programs, and timber companies about the frequency of sightings and the hunting pressure.

Population estimates of unknown quality and scientific rigor conducted in 2013 suggested there might be 65,000 hoolock gibbons in Myanmar, but the matter became much more complicated after the classification of the Skywalker gibbon as a separate species from the eastern hoolock gibbon—where before they were confused as the same.

“We were able to genetically identify 44 new groups of Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar,” said senior author Tierra Smiley Evans, research faculty at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and contributing author. “This is a huge resource and success story for Myanmar.”

These gibbons sing to each other at dawn for around 22 minutes, and consume 36 different plant species; choosing fruit first, and flowers later. They seldom sleep in the same tree two nights in a row to avoid predation, and can’t swim so are often confined to territories by river systems.

The team that discovered them in China in 2017 loved Star Wars, and called them tianxing which is Chinese pinyin for “heaven movement;” a nod not only to their favorite sci-fi franchise, but also to China’s ancient history. In the famous Book of Change [aka the I Ching] of the Zhou Dynasty [1046 BCE to 265 BCE], a divination poem refers to gibbons specifically, and uses tianxing as a verb to describe their movements.

The interviews were a source of great data for the scientists. For starters, nearly all individuals in both the Kachin and Shan states could identify a Skywalker gibbon by sight and by playback of its singing, lending the exercise a good degree of reliability...

“Biologists did not believe Skywalker gibbons could live in the small remaining patches in Southern Shan State before we started this project,” Pyae Phyo Aung, executive director of Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, told the UC Davis press.

“I am delighted with our field team members who have done an excellent job, within a short period of time, building community trust for further conservation actions. This area is degraded forest. It is really important for Myanmar and China to consider extending conservation approaches for the Skywalker gibbon to this new geographic area.”

Nearly 32,000 square kilometers, or around 8 million acres of forestland in Eastern Myanmar are suitable gibbon habitat, and while existing forest reserves like Paung Taung and Mae Nei Laung are quite large, they remain unprotected. For this reason, the survey team recommended they remain considered ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List until habitat protections improve."

-via Good News Network, February 21, 2024

[stxrsniolo]

๑ ˓˓ crash and burn ㅤ࣭ㅤ ★

𝐀𝐄𝐆★𝐍'𝐒 notes : dear reader, this story will unfold over approximately 15 chapters, all of which have been meticulously outlined by yours truly (aka me, yes). it’s a slow burn between the characters, filled with a little bit of everything—from scenes not suitable for sensitive audiences to purely comedic moments, and even the classic teenage drama you’d expect from characters navigating this stage of life.

𝐀𝐄𝐆★𝐍'𝐒 pairing : exchange student!reader x hockey player!matt

Chapter 09: building the connection

the days following their night together were a new chapter for matt and y/n, filled with stolen moments and a growing connection that neither could deny. the autumn air was crisp, the leaves painting boston in hues of gold and red, mirroring the warmth that was slowly enveloping their relationship.

matt knew he had to confront his team, to set boundaries that were firm yet fair, so, during practice, after a particularly intense drill, he called for a huddle.

the team gathered around him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and the lingering tension from their previous disagreements. "look, guys," matt started, his voice steady, his boston accent thick with determination. "i'm still your captain, still all in for the team, but i need ya to understand something. y/n ain't going nowhere."

nate was the first to speak, his tone skeptical. "and what, you're choosin' her over us?"

"no," matt answered, his gaze meeting each of his teammates. "i'm choosin' to have both. i can be a good captain and have someone in my life who matters to me. i ain't askin' for your blessin', but i am askin' for your respect."

there was a murmur among the team, some nods, some skeptical looks, but matt's resolve was clear. "i'll give my all on the ice, but off it, i'm gonna do what makes me happy. and y/n does that." the practice continued, the tension easing slightly, but matt knew he'd won a small battle, not the war.

he was prepared to prove his dedication, both to the team and to y/n.

with y/n, matt found himself changing, softening in ways he hadn't expected. he was still the sarcastic, somewhat brash guy from the hockey team, but around her, there was a tenderness, a protectiveness that was new to him. he'd show up at her locker with a bag of doritos, knowing how much she loved them, his smirk saying more than words could. "heard these are your kryptonite," he'd tease, his boston accent thick, but the gesture was pure affection. he'd compliment her vans, not just for the style but for how they seemed to match her personality. "those shoes are as badass as you," he'd say, his tone playful yet sincere, his words carrying a hint of pride for her uniqueness.

he also started learning argentine slang, especially the insults, to surprise y/n. "you're such a boluda, but i like it," he'd say, butchering the pronunciation but making her laugh with his effort. it was his way of showing he cared, of connecting with her culture, the attempt endearing despite the accent.

but right now, they were quite busy.

the gym was a cacophony of squeaking sneakers and the sharp scent of sweat, but for matt, it was all background noise to the sight of y/n stretching in her gym shorts, her shirt riding up to tease him with a glimpse of her skin. His body reacted immediately, a bulge forming under his shorts, a testament to how much she affected him.

when they were paired for partner exercises, every move y/n made was like a magnet pulling him closer, his focus split between the game and her. "fuck, you're killing me," he whispered, his boston accent thick, his voice low with desire.

the moment the coach called for a water break, matt seized the opportunity, his grip firm on y/n's hand as he led her to a secluded bathroom, the air thick with anticipation and the promise of privacy.

"matt, what are we doing here?" y/n asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and the thrill of the forbidden.

"need to feel you, right fuckin' now," he said, his voice husky, his hands immediately finding her waist, pulling her against him so she could feel his hard cock through his shorts. he kissed her, deep and hungry, his tongue exploring her mouth as if he was trying to memorize her taste.

y/n responded, her body pressed against his, her own arousal evident as she moaned into his mouth. matt's hands were everywhere, one sliding up to cup her breast over her shirt, his thumb brushing over her nipple, making it harden under his touch. his other hand ventured down, squeezing her ass, pulling her hips against him, grinding his erection against her.

"i wanna make you mine," he growled, his voice thick with lust, his fingers now slipping under her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin, inching towards the waistband of her shorts.

but as his fingers teased at the edge of her shorts, y/n's body stiffened. the intensity of the moment, the rush of going too fast, too public, hit her like a cold splash of water. she pushed his hands away, her breathing ragged, her eyes wide with panic.

"wait, stop," she gasped, her voice trembling, stepping back from him, her heart racing with a mix of desire and fear.

matt was left standing there, his confusion as palpable as his arousal. "what the hell just happened?" he asked, his boston accent making the words sound even more bewildered. his cock was still hard, his body aching for release, but the mood had shifted, leaving him in a state of confusion.

y/n didn't explain. she just shook her head, her cheeks flushed, her eyes avoiding his. "i... i just need some air," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, turning to leave the bathroom without further explanation, leaving matt with his thoughts and his unsatisfied desire.

the walk back to the gym was silent, the air between them charged with an unresolved tension. matt was left grappling with his arousal and the sudden rejection, his mind racing with questions, trying to understand what had just transpired. he respected her space, but the confusion lingered, a question mark hanging over their budding relationship.

back in class, they continued with the drills, but the atmosphere had changed. matt's focus was off, his mind replaying the moment in the bathroom, his body still on edge. y/n was quieter, more reserved, her body language closed off, leaving matt to wonder, to question, to wait for an explanation that never came.

my little starfish: @courta13 @chrislilcumslvt @marrykisskilled @chrislova @sturnshood @inspiredangel @strnilolover @emely9274 @sturns-mermaid @blushsturns

[sixeyescurseuser]

hidden inventory a/b/o

Alpha Gojo grew up in a very traditional household. Of course he’s going to have questionable ideologies for how one’s assigned status should influence their behavior. 

Omega Geto hides his status because it makes him vulnerable. At least, Yaga-sensei had given him an earful about how dangerous it would be as a known omegan sorcerer. So Geto poses as a beta.

Everyone is supposed to wear scent blockers anyway.

As long as Geto’s scent doesn’t bleed through, he can bury the truth. 

Thus, their class consists of two alphas - Shoko and Gojo - while Geto is a self-proclaimed beta. 

During their first year, Gojo and Geto still bicker a lot despite always being assigned missions together. Geto is very protective about his room space (this ensures his scent is kept a secret) so the trio hangs out in either Gojo or Shoko’s room. 

By the end of their first year, Gojo realizes that he actually really enjoys Geto’s company. Geto treats him normally without fearing how Gojo’s alpha might react. It feels like he’s earned Geto’s tolerance and eventual respect too. 

And-

“Thank god none of us are omegas. That would’ve made shit ten times more complicated,” Gojo sighs. The three of them had just finished exercising their first special grade. 

Geto looks off to the side while Shoko cocks her head. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks, sounding like she can’t believe what she’s hearing.

“Don’t you know that omegas are more sensitive to cursed energy? It messes with their hormonal balance,” Gojo says casually, naturally matching his gait with Geto. “That’s the main reason that there aren’t many omega sorcerers. They’re highly susceptible to cursed energy and can be sent into states of toxic shock, or even heat.”

Geto stares off into space while Gojo rambles. It’s like being thrown back to when he’d just joined Jujutsu High, Yaga-sensei had warned him about every risk factor of his status.

Shoko sighs from the other side.

“While that’s been true in some cases, it doesn’t mean every sorcerer who happens to be an omega will struggle with that. There’s methods to help build tolerance against cursed energy too,” Shoko rebuttals, casting a side glance at Geto. 

“Sure, but when exorcizing special grades, even first grades, an omega would only drag us down,” Gojo concludes. Wrapping an arm around Geto’s shoulders, he smiles widely. “Besides, we’re already the strongest!”

Geto only manages a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

***

Shoko can’t confirm her suspicions, but Geto had been uncharacteristically quiet for that conversation.

But she does have suspicions. Like that one time Geto was bedridden with a dangerously high fever, and demonstrated other symptoms that were suspiciously like a heat.The only thing that had worked was a suppressant shot that Shoko used as a final resort.

Another thing is that Geto purrs a lot but at a very low frequency, which isn’t typical of alphas. 

She is willing to bet that if they were allowed in Geto’s room, on his bed would be a semblance of a nest.

It gets even more obvious when they’re second years and Geto welcomes the new first years with a kind smile and warm-hearted words. Geto doesn’t feel threatened by the younger alphas at all. 

The same cannot be said for Gojo.

One of the dumb hierarchical things traditional families practice is the alphas on the lower ranks must answer to the higher-ranked alphas, aka only speak when spoken to.

Most of the time, Gojo won’t even speak so when it’s just him and the younger classmen, it’s both quiet and awkward.

Meanwhile, Geto is the most accommodating and considerate senpai. He praises his kouhai plenty, particularly Haibara, and invites them on all the second-year food outings.  

If Shoko is ultimately wrong in her guess, then their class is lucky that they have such a placid and balanced presence on the team. 

***

After a mission gone wrong that results in him losing a leg, it is revealed that Haibara had been an omega in hiding. Everyone is in shock, some more about his true status instead of the fact that he had nearly died had the second-years not been called for backup. 

Gojo’s comment of, “This is proof that it’s too dangerous for omegas to be in this field” sets Geto the fuck off. 

Geto is downright pissed.

“He should’ve known better, now he’s suffering the consequences,” Gojo tries arguing. He doesn’t expect that the next thing to happen is Geto’s fist colliding with his cheek. 

Gojo sputters. “Suguru, what the fuck!?”

Geto is breathing heavily himself, fingers twitching as he struggles to contain his temper. 

“You’re being so rude- no, you’re being worse than rude. That was terrible, Satoru. Even for you.”

“I-“

“You were what, just saying the truth?” Geto snarkily finishes Gojo’s sentence. “Well not everyone wants to hear the “truth” right now. Have some fucking decency because we almost lost one of our kouhai, omega or not. So if you’re not going to say anything nice, just fucking shut it.”

Geto stalks away before Gojo can say something to fix his statement. Geto then proceeds to ignore Gojo for the next twenty-four hours, basically avoids him like the plague, right before his solo mission at an abandoned temple.

It’s whatever, Satoru says shit like that all the time, Geto tells himself. 

He’s more than adamant enough to keep his own secret safe.

(2)

[cinnbar-bun]

Realized I actually need to talk about my story to get people interested so like… here it is! I’ll just lay out my basic summaries for the ideas so far with the stuff from my Toyhouse ✊🥲

So my collection of SBR fics is one that spans across ~3 ish stories (possibly more): The American Dream (pre SBR)-> Heart of Everything (during SBR) -> The Unforgiving (post SBR)

These fics are basically my worldbuilding on SBR and canon-divergent in many aspects. I do try to keep a consistent ‘everything that happens in canon is here until it’s not’, so many things from SBR remain intact and are largely unchanged from my fics. The major difference is the inclusion of my oc, Mary, who is FV’s daughter and plays a major role (reasoning) for the differences in canon.

These fics are also less focused on stands and stands fights (sorry lol), as I mostly prefer character-driven drama and wanting to explore different facets of my faves in this situation. They’re also focused on different viewpoints and perspectives so character POVs jump around to explore more of the SBR.

WARNING: THESE STORIES ARE VERY POLITICAL AND PERSONAL- THEY FEATURE DISCUSSIONS OF CLASS, WAR, AND DISCRIMINATION, ALONG WITH CANON COMPLIANT VIOLENCE AND RELIGIOUS IMAGERY. IF THESE ARE TOO DIFFICULT PLEASE DO NOT READ!

THERE IS ALSO SPOILERS FOR SBR PLEASE DO NOT SCROLL DOWN PAST THE AMERICAN DREAM IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SEE!

The first one, The American Dream, (which you can read right now on my blog masterlist and my AO3) which focuses on Funny Valentine (the guy who lives in my head rent free and I yap about all day) as a character study and buildup to what we see in SBR as well as a connection to my main SBR fic. It features FV’s subordinates a lot (they’ve become so special to me) and my OC, Mary Valentine, who is his daughter in this ‘universe’.

This story, after the first arc, is less a singular and linear timeline, and more a collection of vignettes to further develop FV’s lore and establishing his plans for SBR.

The American Dream is separated into three sections with clear timeskips:

Act 1-(Born in the USA): starts directly during the San Diego exercise where FV gains the Corpse Heart and Mary is born. FV is emboldened with ‘feelings of patriotism’ and takes his leave, returning home with Mary and attempting to start on a political career as a local lawyer. FV finds he must grapple with the new reality of what politics entails while also dealing with return and status as a widower affecting his relationships.

Act 2- (name TBD): Starts a few years later, Mary is now five, and FV has become mayor. This section is the ‘longest’ and features FV’s machinations to slowly build his subordinates and a team of reliable people to help and aid him (aka people like Wekapipo/Ferdinand). This also features Scarlet’s introduction and their relationship.

Act 3- (Cult of Personality): About a year or two before the SBR, around FV’s presidential campaign and subsequent election. The kid gloves are coming off and now he’s got all his pieces, ready to begin his decades long plan to make America the ultimate world power.

The second story, The Heart of Everything, is focused on during the SBR.

This fic begins after the Oyecomova fight, in the train with the convo with Steven Steel and FV. Plot beats and arcs from the original SBR happen (aka, Scary Monsters, World of Man, etc.), but function with more added context and character development from other POVs instead of a focus on the fight.

Example: Scary Monsters arc in my fic focusing not on Diego and Gyjo in the mountains, but on FV and Ferdinand discussing his plans and Diego later getting more intel he uses against FV later.

Some arcs are not included as there is a focus on certain POVs over another, so there’s no inclusion on Sugar Mountain Arc because it’s largely unrelated to the other happenings in the fic.

Towards the end however there is more fighting and use of stands as things become more chaotic and divergent. It also features a burgeoning relationship between Mary, Diego, and HP.

Note: many character deaths and events are compliant with canon, but this fic has changed some so feel free to inquire!

The third fic, The Unforgiving, is still a largely recent addition I wanted to fully explore and takes place directly after the end of Heart of Everything. It’s being worked on and is the least fleshed out, but has some basic beats!

Please note this one has major major major spoilers rn don’t read if you haven’t seen SBR.

(Thanks Phi for this comm I need it to be blown everywhere I need EVERYONE to see these two and see this art specifically).

This fic does contain more stands and ‘fights’, but encounters is perhaps the better word, as many of them are based on an aspect to focus on. This largely centers as another character exploration of the characters post their experiences in SBR and focuses heavily on grief and growing.

It’s a bit of a ‘everything gets bad before it gets better’, where Mary, HP, and Diego work to heal on their own issues and unresolved problems together and grow into themselves. A lot of is Mary having to deal with the fact her father did all this shit and everyone died oops <3 but it’s a pretty emotional story for everyone that kinda establishes my lore for the characters in their post sbr selves.

Paulina is featured here, as a dark and sore spot on HP’s backstory that I’ve made for this fight (and she has simultaneously become one of my fave ocs ever she’s the girl ever.)

So yes, this is the outline for the three current fics directly related to the SBR (as the fourth one is still hmmmmm on) but please feel free to ask away!!!

[starculler]

strap in for this week's fic flavor: the failsafe episode of season one of the young justice cartoon except the simulation just won't. fuckin. end.

(fics that inspired this at the end)

If I ever did sit down to make my own fic, I'd split it in 3 parts:

The Simulation: bits and pieces of the 40 years Dick lives after most everyone he knows has died

The Return: the immediate aftermath and healing from the trauma of having not-quite-actually lived a whole life only to wake up and find out it was all fake. nothing traumatizing about that whatsoever.

The Unintended Consequence: aka the twist I'd love to add and would hint to in the second part - finding out the simulation, through martian mind fuckery, pulled from the real world (and in many cases, from real minds). Dick meets a bunch of people he didn't think were real outside the confines of his simulated life. A bunch of rowdy, heroism-inclined teens across the years get to meet the sibling/friend/mentor figure they all dreamed up one night.

(actual idea snippets under the cut)

.

Dick Grayson is 14 and most of the world's heroes have died. He planned a suicide mission that left him the sole survivor of a doomed team he helped found. The invasion may have been stopped, but is this really the price he wanted to pay?

The first face he sees in the infirmary is Roy's, and he has to close his eyes and just breathe for a few minutes because for one painful moment he'd thought it was Wally. But this isn't the world where his best friend miraculously survived alongside him. This is the one where he got his best friend killed and didn't even give him the courtesy of following behind him. Behind them.

.

Dick Grayson is 27 and has lived longer without Bruce than with him. The invasion's anniversary is always a tough day for him, but that morning seems especially harrowing. He'll get shit for it later, but can't resist stepping out onto the balcony of the manor's master bedroom (Bruce's old bedroom) for a smoke -- his first since he'd promised to quit if Jason, just 15 then, did too.

"Bad habits tend to pile up," he'd said, a rueful quirk to his tired grin. He'd tapped the cigarette twice on the railing and added, lower, "and this one's especially nasty, huh."

He inhales, watches the sun creep across the horizon, and lets acrid smoke burn through his lungs for a long moment before blowing it out in a small cloud. His eyes water, but he doesn't cough. It tastes just as bad as it did the first time he smoked one, not even a year after the invasion and treading water as Robin proved insufficient.

There hadn't been enough heroes to go around then, and Dick had been trained by one of the best. It hadn't been fair, but it had been his plan that had ultimately stopped the invasion. His shoulders everyone's expectations fell on.

He takes another drag, then smudges the lit end against the rail he's leaned on when he hears a boot scuff purposefully against the roofing above him.

"Todd and Pennyworth will be upset with you."

He doesn't turn around. Damian doesn't jump down to join him.

.

Dick Grayson is 54 and wakes up in a room full of ghosts. He hears his long-dead father-figure tell his long-dead team about a simulation they weren't meant to win. A training exercise gone wrong and only half a day spent under their mentors' careful, if slightly panicked, supervision.

He looks at his hands, watching the way his gloves crease when he flexes them in and out of tight fists. He looks at his team, their eyes a little haunted but shoulders slumped with relief even as they grumble. Batman's heavy, gloved hand settles on his shoulder and the weight of it is a nauseating mix of foreign-familiar.

He opens his mouth. Closes it.

Tears prick his eyes behind his domino mask, and he tells himself the suffocating, acidic void building in his chest is just some leftover side effect of the ordeal and not the grief-guilt of outliving yet another family (no matter that they hadn't been real in the end).

.

Dick Grayson is 16-going-on-56 and well used to the coincidences piling up between his simulated life and the real thing. Some of it -- missions and villains he remembers cropping up -- he's marked for Bruce to review and sort as he pleases. Some -- security for the cave, team building anecdotes, and training regimens -- he's shared with the team. And some he keeps only for himself.

Tim is one of those. He knows it's not fair to the kid (so much smaller now than he ever was when Dick lived his simulated life), but he can't help being selfish just for this. Tim is the one kid he's sure he didn't make up, and if Dick's taken to babysitting the kid just to be near at least one member of the family he built for himself in the wake of the worst days of his life .... Well, anyone who says shit about it can happily stand in line to have their teeth kicked in.

Despite this, it still catches him off-guard when he sees a familiar face pop up in one of Bruce's reports.

Jason Todd, caught boosting tires off the batmobile, is nearly the same age now as he was when Dick met him. He stares at the words, but none of them really sink in beyond the kid's name and address. He's moving before he's even made the decision.

He's used to the world kicking him when he's down - lived it for 40 frustrating years. But he has Bruce again. And things with Tim have been so good. And he's always been selfish when it comes to family. If he could just see Jason. If he could just meet him. If he could talk to him.

If if if if if--

.

Inspirations:

Circles in Shattered Mirrors by InfinityIllusion

Fine (But Not Okay) by CharlotteDaBookworm

Verisimilitude by mutemelody

[tsams-and-co-memes]

(Going off of what you said in this post: https://www.tumblr.com/tsams-and-co-memes/755831074110767104/so-what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-monty-gator-and?source=share)

———

You know how pieces is symbolized by two fish?

Well, what if Frank is one fish, and Francis is the other one?

What if it’s like gemini?

Castor and Pollux fuse to make gemini, so what if Frank and Francis fuse to make Pieces? Like a yin yang kinda thing. Positive and negative becoming one to create a balance. Frank deals with negative things, Francis deals with positive things, and Pieces deals with both.

This could be supported by how both of them are. They both work with fantasy and reality in a sense. Though we don’t know too much about Francis yet.

Frank works with fantasy, aka the mind, from his use of causing nightmares to give warnings. But he also works with reality by wanting his friends to conquer their fears and do better in the world around them.

Francis works with fantasy, aka the mind, due to him trying to encourage positive thinking and being happy. Also trying to get Puppet and Eclipse to imagine the daycare in a team building exercise. We don’t have much for how he works with reality, except maybe encouraging others to smile.

With all of this in mind, imagine if they get introduced to each other, and have to act like they don’t know each other, like they’re not two halves of a whole, since them somehow knowing each other might not make sense to the others.

I was thinking about that too, actually

Just. Pisces and Gemini are the only two signs that have two parts. With Gemini, is a set of twins (Castor and Pollux), and with Pisces, it's two fish that are swimming in opposite directions. In a sense, those fish are opposites to each other, just like Frank and Francis are

While it'd be really cool if they were a pair and meant to work together (I seriously love the idea of them being the stereotypical mischievous twins we see in media sometimes. If you've seen OHSHC, you know what kind of mischievous twins I'm thinking of), I also. Can't help but think Undertale AU stuff. Namely Dreamtale, because that has Dream and Nightmare, with Dream being the guardian of positivity and Nightmare being his twin who works with negativity

Above everything, I'm hoping Frank and Francis don't have a Dream and Nightmare kinda relationship (constantly fighting, with the negative twin always hunting down and trying to kill the positive one). They're just two Silly Weird Guys, and they should at least be able to bond a little over that

It'll be interesting if we get to see Francis more in the future, since we might get to see more of his abilities and things and draw some more comparisons between him and Frank. Beyond that, it'd be really cool to see if they could merge or not. If they can, maybe it's only their merged form that looks more like an astral body and less like something that belongs on earth

[maxinepixels]

another corporate event 📃

Demetria Green aka. Demi works for the Lenox Stock Exchange (Wall Street) in Lenox, NY. Her team decided to meet up for a corporate mixer at New York New York Pool Hall in the city. They say never get drunk at a work event, however, between Tatum being a certified hater and the stress of trying to impress her boss Demi needed to drink. As a team building exercise, they played beer pong together. Demi's team ended up losing because she was too busy daydreaming about her fine ahh co-worker, Memphis Poindexter. He works on the floor with her. When he started at the stock exchange, she was immediately impressed by him. He always has an answer for everything (in a good way) and has treated her with respect from the beginning.

After a couple rounds of the game, Demi got too lit and Memphis offered to take her home. From downtown, her apartment is about a 15 minute subway ride. He was such a gentleman and made sure she made it in. She was hoping for more, but Memphis kept it professional...this time 😉.

You can see more of Demi's story on my YouTube channel via The Exchange Rate series playlist!

[floatingwithlaura]

took a massive mental health hit in therapy (hardest session of my life mayhaps ?) and then the next day had staff training which was interactive team building exercises with 150 other people in one room. aka autism hell.

so naturally im suffering. my head hurts S O much i feel like someones taken an axe to it. don’t think i can bring myself to go to work tomorrow.

but everyone will know that it’s because of the event - i went mute and was uncontrollably flapping my hands & had to leave the room to try and calm down at one point. they will know i can’t handle it and idk what they will think of me. i’m scared that they’ll consider me pathetic and weak.

[leakywright]

@sassa-fiske when: may 1st where: outside of the athletic building per the reputation of the school, the football team and anyone else who wanted to join were required for certain 'volunteer' events throughout the year. aka showing their face to the community so the town wouldn't hate ogden, and perhaps convince more kids to apply for their limited spaces. despite the rather ill-intentions, leaky enjoyed those times. it was always fun to be outside of the gates of ogden and interacting with those around them. today they were headed to a local elementary school field day to 'get out and play' with them. some bad take on the nfl's own exercise campaign. leaky was excited though, always having a good time coaching some third graders through some flag football and getting to eat popsicles with them. felt a bit more like home in a place he always saw himself as an outsider. waiting for the rides to show up, he noticed a familiar face. "sassa fiske." he smiles, walking over to her, hand shielding his eyes from the sun. "you gonna cheer on my flag football team today? cause i got a good feeling my third graders are gonna dominate."

[margridarnauds]

👻, 🥳, and 💌 please!

Thank you!

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

Me deciding that Chateau de Peyrol is ridiculously haunted has to be somewhere up on the list -- no canon evidence to support it, but I like to think of Lazare being totally oblivious to his house being a setting from a gothic novel while Ronan is constantly going "Lazare. Lazare. The portrait is staring at me, Lazare."

Lazare secretly loving gossip is based purely on that one moment in the French production when Louis and Marie's marriage is breaking down in front of everyone and Lazare IMMEDIATELY comes in to tell Louis that, by the way, there's a full-on revolt. It's not AS out of pocket, but it is definitely leaning on the cracky side of things, but it also is always funny to have a Lazare who is very critical of the hypocrisy of Versailles, the shallow obsession with gossip, the backstabbing, the intrigues...while he is actively dying on his country estate because he can't get all the hot gossip.

For my Irish mythological things, I decided at some point that the Fomoiri, aka the notoriously terrifying group of people that have been, at various points, described (not by me) as demonic sea monsters who represent pure chaos and destruction, as well as representing various Scandinavian invaders, go out for karaoke once a month as a team building exercise. Themed nights have included ABBA, Britney Spears, Disney, and Taylor Swift. Manannán mac Lir, who is on the other side, gets privileges to come along because he's best friends with Tethra (for Disney night, they did a duet version of "Under the Sea"). They also do a Eurovision watch party once a year, where they root for their various countries of origin (Bres, since he's half Irish and half Norwegian, will root for whoever seems to be winning, going for the UK when he's depressed with both. He might or might not have been culpable for Dustin the Turkey's appearance, which is objectively the most heinous thing he's done.)

🥳 Why did you start writing fanfic?

The very first things I wrote were what I would later recognize were self insert fanfics, where me and my various OCs based on my toys would go into various films and books I was reading to save the day. The Mummy, Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Lord of the Rings were the favorites back in the day (which...really highlights the kind of kid I was), when I was about 5-8. Fanfic, in some form or another, is a natural part of who I am. If I didn't write it, I'd suffocate.

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

I have been roundly mocked for my tendency to use Significant Chess Games in my fanfic -- you can make a bingo card off of it. In my defense, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On a broader scale...it's interesting because when I was younger, I was more inclined to say that I was writing redemption arcs or enemies to lovers arcs, and I think, to some extent, that holds true, but to other extents, there's a lot more in terms of shades of gray -- I work with characters who are at odds with one another for one reason or another and then get them to a point of, frankly, dangerous codependency, and let the dice fall where they may as far as whether it's truly a case of "redemption" or "corruption" or just "becoming increasingly tired over time." Is Ronan a traitor to the revolution for marrying Lazare? Is Margrid betraying some part of who she is by falling in love with Orléans? Would Emma be betraying something if she joined the Tango Korrupti? Is Kitrye betraying her sense of morality by falling in love with Raphael and, honestly, vice versa? I don't know -- I can see why they're irredeemable to some people, no one *has* to forgive the villainous characters for doing villainous things, or the heroic characters for falling for the villainous characters, and I'm not particularly interested in that side of things, but I can also understand exactly why they refuse to give up or compromise, too. That's a very broad arc, but it's definitely a question that I'm always returning to. "The horror was for love" and all that.

[emptyofdust]

Tag Game - First 10 Lines

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and  tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and  share anyway.

hi @picnokinesis and thanks for the tag! let's pretend it hasn't been an entire month since you tagged me, and that i didn't spend a whole 15 minutes trying to remember my password to this account before giving up and resetting it. sounds good? sounds good.

i don't exactly have 10 doctor who fics, i don't think? we'll see how far we get with the wips floating around my onenote, and if it's not 10, i'll pad it with other fics -- it'll be a guess the fandom sort of thing, fun for the whole family (although, if you do guess the fandom from one line, i'll be genuinely impressed). starting with the completed ones:

you're the one that i need, i'm the one that you loathe ; nebulously mid s12 thoschei one-shot

“I think it should be me who kills you.”

2. it makes me who i am (i burned it all but i'm doing fine) ; canon divergence where 13 thinks to dive into the matrix mid s12 and sort of uh. breaks her own mind, it's fine, she's alright. thoschei one-shot.

She stands alone, and watches the flames dance.

3. on the catfish and its adaptive capacity in adverse temporal conditions ; you guessed it, mid s12 thoschei one-shot. 13 pays a visit to O for ScienceTM. it doesn't go great.

This is arguably not the most brilliant plan the Doctor’s ever come up with.

and now for the wips. titles are temporary and, were i to finish any of these, would probably change 3-6 times before actually being posted

4. i've loved you for a hundred years (certainly fucking feels like it) ; human au spydoc one-shot that got away from me a bit and that i never ended up finishing.

There's a star in his kitchen.

5. the enemy of my enemy, and other cautionary tales ; i don't even know what this was going to be, but it was going to involve a team-up with Jack and the Master, and some shenanigans. maybe even some hijinks? hard to say.

"So," Jack says, wondering why the hell he's still standing here, "explain to me again why I should care?"

6. driving lessons ; a tentatively thasmin one-shot set between s12 and flux, exploring how yaz learnt to pilot the tardis as well as she has, aka 13 teaches her something instead of apologizing every time she behaves like a dick. might still finish this one, actually

"Want me to show you how to reset the chronion collector brackets?"

7. help is on the way ; a jack/13 one-shot set after once, upon time, because how could i not bring jack into the aftermath of whatever the hell happened in that episode

She holds it together for a remarkably long time, all things considered.

8. another night and i'll see you (another night and i'll be you) ; power of the doctor one-shot, exploring whatever the fuck happened with that doctor/master combination. got distracted from it, but honestly would like to go back to it at some point because seriously, the implications

He— she— they— are bleeding.

the other doctor who wips are not at a stage where they have opening lines, so bonus round!

9. a day in the life, and other team building exercises ; okay, this one's an easy fandom guess, but it's not about to be posted any time soon, so shouldn't give me away

"Warden," Camilla says, with all the neutrality only a lifetime can teach, "is that a knife?"

10. quick study ; teaching one's teammate to drive when one's teammate also happens to be an alien with a bit of a kleptomaniac streak

"This just seems so unnecessarily complicated."

and that's 10! this was very fun, thank you again for the tag! I don't really have many mutuals on this account, but if you see this and are interested, consider yourself tagged! i love reading these tag games

[mavkarants]

I'll be honest and say that black outs don't work. I didn't even realize it was happening the first time around and I legit followed popular black creators. It seems to be more of a team building exercise than something that would be impactful.

Now a black out irl would definitely work (aka. Businesses, friends, school, ext.) but when it comes to Jews, I imagine a lot would not wish to lose money or put a big ol target on their backs when they are already one of the most at risk groups around the world for hatecrimes.

what if we jews did a version of a blackout on october 7? No posting, no reblogging or comments or messages on tumblr at all.

let gentiles sit in awkward silence

As much as this idea is interesting, I'm not sure if: 1) the idea will catch on at all, 2) that many people will notice if Jews stopped posting on the internet. You've seen how easy it was for them to throw away friendships that lasted years once Oct 7 hit. - 🦦ྀི

[charlotteswebbbbb]

What's the vibe? #56

News:

What are people talking about culturally at the moment? Dune 2! Alexander McQueen AW24! High & Low! Problemista! Celebrity Big Brother? (Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, Kate Middleton's uncle, Zeze Mills???)

Brits 2024 were last week - Raye (winner of 6 awards) is an important artist to know. Cmat wore a buster dress by Sophie Lincoln also.

Traid are celebrating 25 years of trading.... and they have a new rebrand to celebrate.

The BMJ have published a paper titled 'Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials' and it has found that dancing is extremely beneficial for people, and even more beneficial than SSRIs.

This is why dancing is eternal - speaks to the body, the spirit, can't be contained and anti-night club laws seek to create a more unhealthy society.

The new landscape of the city:

The BT Tower was sold by BT Group for £275M and is now owned by MCR Hotels which will be turning it into an upscale hotel. The city of London doesn't lack iconic hotels - Claridges, The Standard, Ace Hotel (now called One Hundred Shoreditch, Hoxton Hotels - what angle could they be taking? What needs will this new iconic building fill for their guests....

Milan + Paris Fashion Week:

Fur made from denim - really great fashion innovations from Glenn Martens and team. Alongside the streaming of the run up to the show on a 24 hour watch. Something about the way this brand operates - it's almost fake transparency but not in a bad way, in a way like you are in the in group and we're not pretentious. We know what poppers are....It really reminded me of Big Brother culture - the voice, the absurd fashion, the faces on the screen watching you. The people physically in the seats feel less important because we can't see their faces but the digital, peering in....there's something there Mr Martens.

Age of Surveillance - embracing humanity and unexpected. A 24 hour stream is a bit of an invasion of privacy but letting people in can create this dynamic environment, tailored to what the audience wants. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. These kind of live streams are related to mukbang culture, the need to be comforted even though the people that we're watching may not be that comfortable.

A lot of the runway feels less fun, full of capes, fur (!!!), less risk. Recession time, no time to mess about :( London and New York even though lack of investment feel real - exciting, bigger brands want to show in Milan and Paris which is fair enough but there is no heart. I'm sure they'll make some money.

RE: New McQueen - interesting, how does one recreate a house that has so much passion, and turn it into their own thing, their own commercial thing? I think there's more promise in Sean McGirr's McQueen than in the original Gucci debut. There's something there in not making something super commercial on the first thought.

Related to this!

Person of the week:

Eugene Angelo - VJ for Peggy Gou, also been on several interesting panels such as below and also a CTM talk about Gen Z's clubbing habits. Works with creator Tigris Li on technologist projects.

To read:

Please read the I-D newsletter also, it seems like they put a lot of work into it and I think it has some interesting ideas. But let's see....

[marvelslegacies]

NAME    ⎯⎯    Biron Bostaligni

MEANING    ⎯⎯    Biron - “at the byres or barn” (Old English) / Bostaligni - NO KNOWN MEANING (I changed the spelling of my bestie's last name slightly and used the product of that for this last name)

aka    ⎯⎯    Just called "B" by some.

‘Gargoyle' Biron’s apt alias/code name because in his stone form he looks much like a Gargoyle that would sit utop a very old building.

one photo of your muse you like  ⎯⎯

three headcanons    ⎯⎯

Biron's parents raised him by the saying, "wrong is right". They were career criminals with substance abuse problems as well as sticky fingers and lying tongues. They'd steal, cheat, lie, and manipulate anyone to get what they wanted. As a result, Biron didn't understand why he was always being punished for doing what he perceived as normal actions. Biron had to learn, through harsh socialization, that he can't take what's not his, that his lies will catch up with him, and that no one wants to play with someone who cheats.

Biron cannot be killed easily. His stone physiology makes him nearly invincible and even in his human form, his skin seems to be denser than normal.

Biron's only confidant and ally was his brother Alec. After Alec passed, Biron was given special permission to attend his funeral. This requires lots of paperwork and a court hearing in order for a judge to grant him temporary release from a federal prison.

three things your muse likes doing in their free time    ⎯⎯

Biron loves philosophy and psychology and has read many books that are commonly passed around by prison inmates. He has extensive knowledge of Nietzsche, Socrates, and Freud. His favorite novel is The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

Biron is avid about exercise, especially weight lifting. While in prison, he did countless push ups and to this day it is still his favorite exorcise.

Biron loves to play cards and to gamble. He believes he is truly gifted in it. In prison, he would play and gamble using cigarettes. He was known to always have a cig tucked behind his ear. Before he was released from prison, he had 472 cigarettes to secretly disperse back to other inmates.

a phobia your muse has    ⎯⎯

Biron is afraid of very little. Nothing seems to scare him, or make him jump. His greatest fear is losing the small connection he has left to his almost-sister-in-law and his niece. His second greatest fear would be losing his team mates, Noah, Jarome, and Cass.

one thing your muse regrets    ⎯⎯

Biron regrets trying to kill himself. It was all for naught.

people your character likes  /  loves    ⎯⎯

Saffron - Biron's brother had a girlfriend before he passed, and now, despite their being no blood relation, Biron is desperately clinging to contact with Saffron and her daughter, his niece.

Sage - The daughter of Saffron and Biron's brother Alec, Biron's niece. The most precious thing in the world to Biron is Sage.

tagged by: n/a

tagging: n/a

[the-girl-with-hip-dysplasia]

Week 5 Post FAI Surgery Recap

Hip Arthroscopy & Osteochondroplasty Surgery (FAI correction)

Week 5 has been a shift!

I’m in phase 2 (aka month 2) of my recovery meaning that I can now do exercises that involve more weight bearing to build my stamina for standing and walking.

I started in-person (technically called outpatient since it’s not at home) physical therapy. It’s at a place I’ve been going to since all the drama began with my hips so I’m very comfortable with the staff and they are very familiar with my muscle and joint issues. This made getting back into PT a breeze.

I also started getting weekly massages for my left leg to loosen my quad and hamstring muscles with the hope that it will help relieve some of my knee pain.

To give some background about my knees, I developed patellar femoral syndrome (an umbrella term for knee pin) almost a year ago. My medical team hypothesized that this happened due to my knees taking on extra weight/force that my hips are supposed to be taking but have not been due to the dysplasia. Strengthening and stretching my quads and hamstrings was a huge help, but I had to pause all of that because of surgery. Since surgery my left leg had to take ALL of my body weight (and is still taking more than the right), so my left knee got super tight and painful again. Hopefully, as I get cleared to do more squats my knees can get back to normal.

Back to the recap…

I am able to walk more without my crutches. I still feel slight discomfort in my hip, but it’s less intense and happening less frequently. I just rest and take a break or use my crutch when I’m feeling any discomfort.

I finally ordered in-soles for my sneakers that were wearing down and a new pair of sneakers to support my recovery. I wanted to get the Hoka brand, but it was a little too pricey. So I got a dupe from Walmart. I haven’t worn them outside yet so I’ll give my review after I try them.

Overall, this week hasn’t been super eventful, but it’s been good. My recovery is going in a positive direction despite my knee pain slowing me down a bit.

See ya for week 6 🤞🏽