#and The Oracle's first official ask with the group

[jinxed-games]

Happy Valentine's, Author!! 💕💕

How would the ROs love to spend their Valentine's day with the MC?

The Mage: They'd plan a quiet, work-free night. Which for them (and for the MC) is a rare luxury. It would involve a mixture of the MC's and their favorite foods, music, and much-needed relaxation. Overall they'd aim for a calming day spent together.

The Royal: I am somewhat at a loss. They'd like something soft, and romantic. Alone time with their partner is all they would want. But they wouldn't know how to plan it? I can see them agonizing for weeks before the actual day. Someone would have to intervene and help them, at least for the first valentines.

Alistair: It'd be a day full of sappy, overly romantic cliches. He'd shower the MC with gifts (though they'd be tailored to the MC), send flowers, and end it all with a candlelit date night. Very classic, but ultimately the effort he'd put into it would be heartfelt.

Maeve: Her valentine's day plans consist of a few, you specific outings. If you're a music person, she'll take you to a music house or the opera. Enjoy nature? You'll go on a horseback ride and end the night with a picnic. It'd be a nice, romantic time together.

The Healer: I'm going to be honest here. Kyrin would try but valentines day is not their specialty. If they did remember valentines (and if they were reminded, they would) it would be... simple for lack of a better word. A small gift and maybe dinner would be the most they would do.

Dorin: Another person you shouldn't expect much from, he'd fall on cliches as well. He will try if he knows you're the type to care. He will even care enough to put in great effort. But in his mind, it'll all fall short. The dinner would be burnt (he tried cooking it himself) and the gift would be a bit plain (a merchant pressured him into buying it) but he would try.

The Oracle: She would keep it MC-specific. However, she’d keep all the activities involving other people or leaving the castle (if any) to the morning-noon.  Then the rest of the day would be spent with her and her partner alone and uninterrupted. 

Keala: She is a wealthy, over-exuberant noblewoman. You will be spoiled. She would clear your and Maeve's schedules and ensure that every day is spent appreciating both of you. It'd involve several meals, a picnic, and a full day of different outings.

[dangermousie]

So, anyone who believes our FL is the unknowing reincarnation of Cang Hai, the ruler of Moluo and the lover memory of whom Chu Kong lost, raise your hands. That's everyone, right?

OK, so we first hear of our ML as some sort of big wig God of War who's been in seclusion to recuperate after his big battle with ruler of Moluo, Cang Hai.

Apparently that battle was so fierce, he not only lost half his primordial spirit, but his memories about the battle and surrounding events were wiped out. FISHY FISHY FISHY n1.

We then soon learn that Cang Hai was apparently a wise and popular ruler and leader of the six realms but ooops, an oracle said she's go evil and have to be offed. How convenient. Goodbye Moluo realm, welcome supremacy of current heavenly realm.

And then Cang Hai somehow (via means unspecified and for reasons unspecified except "prophecy") went evil and how nice, God of War (and brother of current heaven ruler, hmmmm) Chu Kong appeared to defeat her. Fishy n2 swims to join fishy n1.

I remember LBFAD where the fairies kept telling the glorious story of their victory over the evil Dongfang Qingcang who led people who had the temerity to object to fairies conquering them. Hmmm, anyone is getting the same feeling?

It's pretty clear something way different went down there because not only is it clear Chu Kong has forgotten the battle, his shady royal brother remembers stuff he does not. He is VERY curious why his brother is willing to do love tribulations due to the fact that apparently CK is averse to any sort of romance for 30K years (which is telling in and of itself since that's the length of time Cang Hai has been dead.) Also, brother's reaction when Chu Kong confidently proclaims he can take evil evil Cang Hai down the battle with whom he does not remember but is sure had it coming is shadier than a giant maple forest. Fishy n3 swims to join the group.

Then there is the last surviving royal of whatever who's been haunted by his whatever to CH and keeps thinking she will be resurrected and goes spare when he sees our marriage fairy and flashes back to CH who looks exactly the same.

The prince dude plain text tells him that the woman he's pining for 30K years is someone Chu Kong met and lost memory of.

And the way he asks this, it's very clear that the official story is way way way off in a way he'd probably find huge to know:

Welcome Fishy n4.

Oh, and then Chu Kong sees FL on the bridge and gets an epic headache and begins remember vague flashes which are CLEARLY CLEARLY on above evidence with Cang Hai and it is one 100% clear that they were in love and whatever way that battle went, it did not go the way the official narrative says since we see him running after her in wedding clothes and holding her hand trying to prevent her from falling off a cliff Wei Wuxian style.

And now with 5 fishies we have a fish school and can dismiss the class.

PS Here is more evidence.

Anyway, this is very different from the novel in the framing story so I am vvvv curious what they are doing with this.

[p3ta]

For the ask game - you have anything for Fuuka?

Of course I have some for Fuuka! P3 spoilers ahead.

Send me any character here.

favorite thing about them

Her bad parents.

Hear me out.

Specifically, the way her bad parents are shown to us and how it impacts here.

Fuuka is defined by many events in the story, but one of my favorites comes at the end of the spring semester. On 7/18 where SEES are officially introduced to Ken (beyond Junpei and Yukari talking to him at the shrine), Natsuki runs out as asks Fuuka if she'll stay to study with her.

Natsuki recognizes her situation, but also how this early in the game Fuuka has conveyed to her that the dormitory is her "home" home. It's different from her normal poor conditions, where it's shown Natsuki is running out to buy her more time away from her parents.

There's also another element at play. Due to her ostracization, she might be the person who bonded the quickest with the idea of SEES as not just a job, but a group of friends.

But what makes it is Fuuka's response.

Even though Fuuka vastly prefers the Iwatodai dorm, it doesn't have to be an excuse. She likes being around Natsuki. You don't see a home life used for that kind of character beat often, at least not in such an implicit manner.

It's realistic. A mature, subtle moment of storytelling that I appreciate. There's a lot of Persona characters with parental issues, but Fuuka's are by far the most "show don't tell" of the bunch. You can still derive intent, but it isn't hamfisted.

Fuuka alludes multiple times to her poor home life due to her parents' expectations of her. Persona 3 is a game about dealing with what life throws at you. Despite the fact that Mitsuru could throw her weight around and have the cops or the school or someone intervene for her, they don't. Fuuka takes it on the chin without complaining. She's eager to move into the dorms and be of use, even as Yukari expresses how she shouldn't have to.

I think it's a fascinating microcosm of how the game represents societies and how we – in particular, women – should conduct their lives.

And ultimately, Fuuka is okay. Her hobbies and life revolve in affairs outside of her family's influence. In having common friends she's able to come to peace with how she views herself without compromising her identity.

least favorite thing about them

It's kind of hard to pick. I'll admit, I tend to be a capricious player and insult my team as I play. Fuuka catches the brunt of this but it's in jest. It's hard to think about something I genuinely dislike. Maybe her blushing sprite?

(Side note, this screenshot is from the Let's Play Archive's FES run and this is way too late to be efficiently talking to Fuuka. You've got Mitsuru in two months, hurry up! Jokes aside, not a fan of Dragonatrix's playthrough. If you're going to read one, I recommend My Life is a Goddamn Mess.)

Wait. I do have an answer.

Her FES video. Or the video they first gave her in FES and has been in every subsequent version. What a waste of a characterization moment. It's supposed to be a masturbation joke too, which is weirdly placed. I say "weirdly", but all the girls' tapes are sexualized in some manner or another. I guess what makes it different from maid dress Yukari for me is that hers was around a specific event in-game and Fuuka is concerned with. . . losing weight. For their beach trip. It's not as cohesive? And she's a stick. It hits the right amount of ick for me.

favorite line

Okay, okay, okay. I cannot find a screenshot at hand, but this is a Reload exclusionary experience. When Fuuka levels up, she cuts in like a jump scare. When you get this for Oracle, however, she says something to the gist of:

"I've unlocked a new ability. Um, I don't know what it does. . ."

That's it! That's the game's explanation for an ability that absolutely will get you killed. And you should try and use it like she suggests later. Doing a cursory search you'll find mass gamer hatred for this which, in my book, is practically an endorsement.

brOTP

Fuuka & Junpei!

Look at Junpei go. He's two for two so far. These two are sweet for a number of reasons, but I like that even though earlier in the game Junpei seems exclusively concerned with her looks, her body, and her cuteness, in December they come together as friends while making their decision. I like how Junpei admires her strength and can verbalize aspects of her growth that she can't give words to.

Likewise, Fuuka gives me the impression of not have many male friends. Her bond and solidarity with Yukari and Natsuki appear to paint a portrait of the person whose company she enjoys. Brash, yes, but also distinctly feminine. But her empathy for Junpei and his respect for her as well as her strength gives her a solid bond outside of her comfort zone! I can imagine Junpei pre-P3 never picturing he'd have a female friend and be satisfied with that. Post-P3, I could see the two living out in the countryside as neighbors. I think that'd make them both happy.

OTP

Fuuka/Natsuki.

Natsuki Moriyama my beloved. She's one of my favorite non-party members in the game, which is saying a lot because she doesn't even partake in a Social Link.

I practically consider her half of Fuuka's character. If any human couple in Persona 3 is getting married (or spending the rest of their lives together) it's Natsuki and Fuuka. They'll reconnect. For how much Fuuka likes tech, it wouldn't surprise me if they talk on Skype every day until they're able to reunite.

They're also another excellent theme microcosm; relationships enduring throughout life's circumstances.

nOTP

Fuuka/Mitsuru.

I'm particular with Mitsuru's relationships and I am not a fan of the power dynamic here. I think I've seen them together once, and the more popular nOTP is Fuuka/Shinjiro, but they're fine. The idea of it is literally Big and Small's cooking fiasco. Shinjiro's dead, anyway. Mitsuru (I believe) likes women, and she appreciates people who are useful.

It's like a pushover Andy and Miranda Priestly from Devil Wears Prada. Not for me.

random headcanon

Fuuka would be one of the best adjusted after the game. She's also the third poorest member of SEES.

She was close to P3 Hero, but she has bonds outside of SEES and doesn't want to prolong the fighting. Fuuka, I feel, is eager to return to a normal life because she's acknowledged her own power outside of combat. She doesn't enjoy being support, but she's the only one who can. She's also deeply connected and loving of life and its various forms, like the plants she tends. She'd be wounded and it would define her high school experience, of course. I'm not concerned for her though. Again, she has Natsuki and seems content with the world around her.

As far as the poverty, I like thinking about the dynamic on display between how the richest members of SEES act (Mitsuru and Yukari) interact with who I see as some of the poorer ones (Shinjiro, Junpei, and Fuuka). She makes herself small, she's ever apologetic, and she views her own skills as something belonging to a collective. It adds a nice flair to her character.

unpopular opinion

She's the best navigator but not because Rise or Futaba are annoying. I've seen a lot of ironic and then post-ironic love of Fuuka, but it tends to include bashing the other support characters. This is especially prevalent with people who ship Fuuka/P3 Hero. I've seen the claim that she's the least sexualized? Which is a wild claim for any female character in one of these games, there's a reason the writers have Junpei comment on her in her swimsuit and her FES recording is the way it is. She's simply a different type of appealing than the others.

song i associate with them

That's Fuuka Navigator Track #3 - ペルソナ! Oops, this isn't a character one, it's a literal piece of game music. Since it didn't survive the jump to Reload though I feel like I can put it here.

I played the game in reverse order so this isn't Persona 1 music to me. This is Fuuka's grinding in Tartarus solo jam.

favorite picture of them

Don't make me pick between sprites! I'll cheat and pick two: her neck out portrait and her silly one.

Fuuka had some of the best portraits ever. A modern style's too polished to do it justice.

Thanks for the ask! I had more to say than I initially thought. Despite Reload's popularity, I'd still consider her underrated.

[emelinstriker]

Hi! I'm the Oracle fan, can confirm, hes psychotic great, anyway, whats the deal with the judge?? Do we ever see him? Do the champions see him? What does he do? Also would the oracle be open to a hug? (asking for a friend)

He's not a fan of physical touch. Especially when considering what's all beneath the layers of clothing he wears. :)

Anyway-

The Judge is one of the group's so-called "Twin Gods" and rarely ever shows up himself unless it's about something that requires his attention personally. Such as those creations he oversees breaking rules. Much like his title suggests, he's the one deciding on one's verdict and how to proceed if such a thing occurs.

And since the Oracle is the official overseer of ESAU, the Judge doesn't really need to show himself. He has other creations to oversee himself, after all. So the only time he's ever been physically there to watch things happen was when Wukong and Macaque became the first two servants.

Fun Fact: Out of the entire group, not even half have ever even touched ESAU. And the marked are the only ones that have been directly involved in what happened in the past and the creation of the servants/champions:

[p5x-theories]

P5 Collab Chapter 5 Summary

(last updated 11/4/24!)

Usual disclaimer: Please keep in mind this game still has no official English translation, so this summary uses a mix of what happens visually, what I understand of the Japanese dialogue, and Google translate for the Chinese text, in order to get the broader picture here. This will be focused on summing up everything that happens overall, without getting into a line-by-line translation.

Contrary to this blog’s name, this post is going to have as little speculation as possible, and stick to confirmed facts.

This post will cover the fifth chapter of the P5 Collab, also called the “Spaceship Chapter”.

Part 5-1

This chapter picks up almost immediately after the end of the Pyramid chapter. Mona says he understands (implying the group started to explain what happened in the Pyramid to Mona and Noir, in the brief time between chapters), and Closer tells them they were in a place that looked like Oracle's Palace. Cattle determines that, because Noir and Mona are here, it's now obvious that their next course of action is to steal the Core from this place as well.

Closer asks what Mona meant when he said they were waiting for them, and he explains that if they hadn't waited here for the rest of the team, everyone else wouldn't have been able to proceed from here, since Noir's the key to the big door they're standing by. Soy asks what that means, and Noir just confirms this is true, thinking it was nice of Mona to suggest they wait for everyone. She then introduces herself again as Noir, saying it's nice to meet everyone.

You can watch some of this part fan-translated to English here.

Noir apparently heard about them, and the alliance formed between their two groups the previous times this happened, from Mona and Joker. Closer reassures her that they'll work together again, and says it's nice to meet her. Noir, somewhat hesitantly, agrees. Queen notices this and asks what's wrong, and Noir reveals she's nervous, since she just joined the Phantom Thieves. Wind says *she's* new, too, so she understands how Noir feels, but she should just try to relax. Closer enthusiastically adds they're already like friends, and then realizes Joker isn't here and asks about him. Noir, also confused, says he was just here, where'd he go...? A voice comes from somewhere, announcing "I'm here!", and Wonder, recognizing the voice, asks where Joker is. Cattle calls out, spotting Joker above them on top of one of the shelves lining the wall. Panther wonders what he's doing up there, and Soy greets him, suggesting he join them. Joker says nothing, and Wind, meeting him for the first time, double-checks that that's *really* Joker, asking why he isn't speaking. Joker chuckles, then announces right now he's not Joker, he's Beauty Thief! (Doing the pose Haru did when *she* first introduced herself as such.) Noir is shocked, and Closer wonders in disbelief if Joker's really a girl (Beauty Thief in Japanese is "Bishoujo Kaitou", or "Beautiful Girl Thief"). Skull explains he's referencing Noir's entrance, and Oracle berates him for explaining the joke because that's embarrassing, while Soy, also shocked, says Joker seemed so serious he almost couldn't tell it *was* a joke. Queen somewhat awkwardly says he's probably trying to make Noir feel less nervous by making a joke. Fox, hearing this, wonders if he should also be Beauty Thief, then? Wonder thinks something similar, and they stand together, both doing the pose. Oracle, unamused, tells them this isn't a competition. Joker finally jumps down, and says it's good to see Wonder again. The player can double-down on the Beauty Thief joke, to which Joker exclaims "You're also one...!" They both do the pose again, pointing at each other, and Skull behind them grumbles that neither of them really are. Noir, slightly annoyed, complains about all this talk of Beauty Thief this and Beauty Thief that... *she's* the real one!!

Cattle declares that everyone's here now. Mona comments there's strength in numbers, but even though they have two navigators, they'll have to be careful to avoid attracting attention. The group nods, and Panther adds that everyone will have to stop shouting about being Beauty Thief. Joker looks away and says "... okay...", and Skull mutters that he sounds so unwilling. Noir, smiling, thanks Joker, because now she doesn't feel so nervous. Mona announces they'll all steal the core together! They proceed through the big door.

They explore the outer areas of this place, familiar from the original Okumura's Palace, and find Noir's enough to unlock most doors for them out here. Eventually, they reach an elevator to take them further.

Part 5-2

Cattle senses the Core from the center building in this area, and Fox comments it doesn't actually seem that far away. They proceed in that direction, occasionally running into guards along the way.

Part 5-3

Still heading towards the center building, they manage to reach it in this part, Soy noting that they made it. Cattle says the Core already feels close, and Fox suggests they head in, then.

Part 5-4

Inside the building, Fox frames the view with his fingers, while Soy comments that this looks like a factory. Fox agrees, and says they should keep going.

After a bit of exploring, they encounter a door that can't just be opened by Noir; it must be locked some other way. They run into a Corporobo (it appears to be a MDL-CH, but then becomes a MDL-WKR in battle) which attacks them for "being lazy" and not working. When they beat it, it drops a Staff ID keycard.

After the fight, they look out the window down at the factory, and Closer notes that a lot of robots are being produced here, and she saw a lot of broken ones as well. Soy adds that even though they're machines, the slave-like treatment of them is uncomfortable. Wind, alarmed, asks if these robots represent real people in the real world. Noir, downcast, explains that they're all employees of her family's company, as the owner of the real version of this Palace is her father.

Wonder and his team react with surprise, and Cattle speculates that this means the careless way robots are treated here represents Noir's father's attitude towards his staff. Soy says it's rough that she has to change her own father's heart. Noir, still looking a bit down, says it's fine, as she's made up her mind. Her father used to be respectable as the head of the company, but now he only thinks about the company's interests, money, and politics, rather than the employees and customers themselves. Even his own daughter is just a tool to further his own distorted desires.

Wind seems to react to this. Noir continues that she used to think being the daughter her father wants was the right thing to do, but after befriending the Phantom Thieves her mind changed. Wind thinks for a moment, then speaks up that she's had a similar experience, though she says it wasn't as painful as Noir's situation. Both at home and at school, she only thought about fulfilling her responsibilities for the sake of others, and forgot about herself. She can somewhat understand Noir's feelings, because especially when you're alone, it's easy to get lost. Wonder adds that they're here for Noir, too. Panther agrees; Noir's not alone anymore, and she can talk to them about anything! Fox assures her it's not bad to rely on others. Noir thanks everyone, saying she's happier now.

Off to the side, Closer and Soy turn to Wind, and Closer reminds her that all of that goes for her, too. Wind shouldn't try to take on everything by herself. Soy agrees; if she has any problems, she should talk to them, especially since they're always meddling in stuff anyway. Wind thanks them both.

Mona, addressing the others, says they're the Phantom Thieves of Hearts! Besides being good at stealing, they need to cherish the bonds between them, too. Closer hears this, and turns back to the group, surprised that they have a whole name for their team. Soy clarifies that they also call themselves the Phantom Thieves, but never specific what kind of phantom thieves they actually are. Cattle suggests the "Phantom Thieves of Desires", since it sounds like it's "plated with gold", but Wind awkwardly warns him that could give the impression of excessive desires, with a negative connotation. Cattle is alarmed by this, while Wonder thinks to himself about what they should be called.

Queen mentions that there's no point in discussing this here (presumably because they're all going to forget), and suggests they move on. Before they do, Wind clarifies if the other group is currently undertaking the Palace this place is based on, and Noir nods, warning them that there may be dangers here that they don't know about yet. Fox adds that they don't know where the real Palace's Treasure is yet, either, so they can't use that to guess where the Core here is.

Mona points out that they have both Oracle and Wind here, plus his amazing nose, so finding the Core should be a piece of cake anyway! Cattle, annoyed, says his sensory abilities are way better than just Mona's nose, so he shouldn't overlook them! Noir cuts off the argument, reminding them they're all working together here, so they should get along. Both mascots are frustrated, but begrudgingly agree. Fox notes that this makes another excellent composition- framing it with his fingers- and calling it "Brotherhood and Self-Discipline". Mona tells him not to give it a weird name, and Cattle says he's had enough, and they should move on.

Using the keycard to unlock the door, they head out onto the factory floor. Similar to the canon Okumura Palace, they discover they can overclock the mechanical arms on the assembly line to break then, then use them as bridges.

They reach another locked door at the other end of the assembly line, this one requiring a much higher-clearance keycard to open. Noticing a commotion with some Corporobos down on the stopped assembly line, they ambush them, looking for a better keycard.

After the fight, however, Closer and Skull are dismayed to discover that these Corporobos had the same kind of keycard they already got from the first one. Wind theorizes they'll need to find and defeat a more powerful enemy to get a higher-clearance card.

Closer then notices that the end of the conveyor belt has a portal, which Wind guesses takes whatever passes through it to another area. Cattle realizes a new area could have stronger enemies, and suggests they try heading through.

Part 5-5

As expected, the portal takes them to a completely new area. Skull asks how they're supposed to find stronger enemies, and Oracle says she detects several special robots around here. Tapping the air in front of her (with an effect similar to when she uses Necronomicon's skills, so likely utilizing it here as well), she shows the others what appears to be a security camera feed from two different rooms: one contains a MDL-AM with some MDL-CHs, while the other has a MDL-AM and a MDL-DM. Her guess is that one of them will have what they need.

On their way there, they also find an Intermediate Staff ID keycard, which helps them proceed further. They discover after fighting the robots Oracle detected, however, that finding the Intermediate Staff ID keycard made fighting these robots a waste of time, as all they had were Intermediate keycards as well. Luckily, a group of Corporobos marching through the facility opens a door they weren't able to get through earlier, and they can still sneak deeper in.

Part 5-6

Noir stops, and comments that although it's a space station factory, the whole building does feel in line with her father's sense of style. However, she hopes she can make him more aware of what he's been doing to Okumura Foods. Wind notes that that sounds like Noir's father runs a food company, and Skull confirms with a grin that he owns the famous Big Bang Burger chain. Closer repeats "Big Bang Burger...?", and all of Wonder's team looks confused. Skull, now confused as well, asks if they seriously haven't heard of it, and Panther mentions there's a Big Bang Burger in Shibuya. Noir clarifies it's a burger restaurant with a space theme.

Wind, still sounding a bit thrown-off, says that her father also runs a food business, but she's never heard of Big Bang Burger. It occurs to Closer that they do have a Boom Bang Burger, but Panther says she's never heard of that. Noir proposes that maybe, in Wonder's world, Big Bang Burger doesn't exist? Wonder nods.

Hearing this, Cattle speculates that maybe, although similar, the world that they're from is an entirely separate world from the one Joker's team is from. Queen repeats "another world", clearly thinking, as Cattle continues to say that, although they supposedly live in the same city of the same country, the details seem different. "This is commonly known as a parallel world... A world that branches off due to a certain choice." Queen mutters that that might be why details like a store name would change. Oracle says she understands the idea logically, but it almost seems too unbelievable to even be possible. Closer wonders if that means her school doesn't even exist in their world. Soy says that this topic is so crazy it's making his head hurt, and Skull agrees.

Queen points out that, if they really are from different worlds, that raises the question of why they were brought here together. Cattle's less sure about this part, and adds that the parallel worlds theory is just his own speculation.

Wonder notices that everyone seems confused, and can either ask everyone to calm down, or say it doesn't matter if they're from parallel worlds. Joker agrees; even if they're from separate worlds, they've still been working together and trusting each other. Similarly, Panther smiles and says it's not a big problem anyway, while Fox mentions that it's because of these meetings that they were all able to bond, and Queen decides there's no point in continuing to discuss it, thanking Joker for bringing that up. Closer adds that she doesn't really get this complicated stuff, but she's really glad she got to meet all of them, and Soy expresses an appreciation for their help and the chance to meet so many unique people.

With that, Wind suggests they continue on, since their goal right now is still to steal this area's Core. Wonder nods, and Noir says they'll do it together!

As they continue to explore, they start finding some of the remote-controllable robots from Katayama's Palace, and use them to help navigate the area. They eventually reach and defeat a MDL-GM, which drops a Senior Staff ID keycard.

Fox comments that they'll be able to open the door in the factory now, and Oracle manages to use one of the consoles in the room they're in to shut off the security blocking their portal back.

Part 5-7

They head through the portal and return to the conveyor belt, which is still stopped (though the Corporobos are gone). Closer complains that she's starting to get tired from all this walking around, and Skull agrees, suggesting they take a break here since they've still got a ways to go. Oracle seems to be lost in thought, so Wonder asks her about it.

Oracle turns the group, and admits she's still been thinking about their conversation earlier (about being from parallel worlds). She points out that they weren't just taken to each other's worlds, but to a place that isn't part of either of their worlds. While the overall areas resemble Palaces she's seen, there are sometimes shadows she doesn't recognize (ones from Katayama's Palace), so it feels like elements from both worlds' Palaces are mixed together in these places. Queen realizes that's true, and matches up with the place they were stuck in last time this happened as well.

Insisting this couldn't happen on its own, Oracle says she's started wondering about who's behind all this. At Panther's confusion, Cattle clarifies that that would mean they were brought here for a particular motive, though he admits that while he had the same thought, he felt it was a bit ridiculous. However, Oracle asserts that if the reason for all this was just to make them meet, it'd be much easier to simply bring one group to the other world. Instead, they've been specifically brought to an entirely different place, and once they leave, they're forced to forget about it. So she's sure there's a reason, but she's having trouble figuring out what that reason could be.

Wind considers this, and she's not sure how it connects exactly, but mentions that there was also something in the pyramid that neither of their groups had seen before: those murals. Could that be a hint? Everyone else reacts with surprise, and Queen agrees that if these places are supposed to combine both worlds, then anything entirely new to all them must have a meaning. Oracle adds that if it really was referencing the three kleshas, then those might be their lead.

Fox draws a connection between those negative emotions, and desires, and asks if he recalls correctly that desires are being stolen away in Wonder's world. Wonder confirms this is the case, and Mona points out that their own world is full of desires. Skull grumbles in agreement that it's all horrible adults with selfish desires. Closer, taking the thought a step further, wonders what it means if they're mixing one world that's lacking desires, and another that's full of them. Noir suggests that maybe it becomes "complete" somehow, and Wind wonders who it becomes "complete" for. Oracle summarizes: is the situation here that someone who's able to benefit from this wants to combine both their worlds?

She then shakes her head, becoming a bit sheepish, and says that feels like fantasy, because that's not something humans can do. Fox agrees that you'd need power akin to a god to do something like that.

The group drifts off into discussion, and Joker asks Wonder what he thinks about all this. The player can choose either "Could it be that...?" or "That's impossible...". At least upon picking the former, Joker hums, and turns slightly away.

Panther, looking slightly surprised (or motivated?), says they've been chatting for way too long, and they need to keep going. They get off the conveyor belt, and explore the rest of the factory area before finally unlocking the door using the Senior Staff ID keycard.

Part 5-8

The portal takes them to an airlock, where Closer is shocked to see outer space, wondering if the Palace really contains outer space within it, and then if they're really going to have to go out there. Oracle tells her it'll be fine if it's just for a few seconds, but reminds her to hold her breath. Noir immediately does so, and Mona awkwardly says there's no point in holding her breath right now. Releasing the breath, Noir realizes he's right, and says that was kind of stupid of her, but Wind laughs lightly, and says they'll head out when everyone's ready.

With that, the group proceeds through the areas connected by airlocks. Before long, they reach an elevator.

Part 5-9

Mona and Cattle sense the Core, not too much further ahead now.

However, as they proceed, and fight some shadows, a red light begins to flash, and there's an announcement that security measures are being activated. The group watches as the door in front of them (the one the camera is looking through in the above screenshot; the light blue lines are on the edges of the door) shuts, and Cattle grumbles that they'll have to find another way in there.

They do so, reaching the lift up to the spacecraft with the Core. Soy is shocked, while Oracle excitedly asks if that's a real UFO. Cattle ushers them onward.

Part 5-10

You can watch the entirety of this part roughly fan-translated to English here.

The group walks into the room, and sees a humanoid figure sitting in a floating chair. While the body resembles Shadow Okumura, the head inside the helmet is just a black void with a yellow/white smiley face. It mutters (distorted like a Shadow's voice) that it wasn't easy, but "we" finally got the power to create this place, and the foolish humans coming to interfere are just digging their own graves. Skull, grinning, says this must be the boss, and Soy wonders what it just muttered. The figure mutters about being ignorant, then points at Wonder, calling him a bastard, saying it's all his fault and asking if he knows what'll happen if he takes the Core (the camera pans to show the Core is a model UFO kit). Wind wonders if it's talking to Wonder, while Closer is confused why this one's acting differently from the others. Wonder can reply either "I have no idea", "I don't want to know at all", or "I'm going to steal the Core!". (Notably, the figure's text box seems to be labeled as "Moha" as well, like the sphinx? I suppose I'll call it Moha as well for the sake of having a name to refer to it by, but I'm not sure if one of them will be named differently in the official English release.) Moha shouts about ignorant humans being unforgivable, and Wind warns them something's coming as the boss fight begins. It continues to shout insults before doing anything, then summons Corporobos to defend it, similar to Shadow Okumura. After they fight through the initial stock of Corporobos, Moha angrily reveals its true face (a boarlike head, very similar to the sphinx Moha), and summons more, including a MDL-ED. Once this wave is taken care of, they can attack Moha directly, and it only takes one hit before it's down. After the fight, Moha slumps in its chair in disbelief, but then weakly reaches forward for the Core, saying it can't let them extinguish "the light of salvation". Cattle repeats this, wondering what it means, but then everything shakes, and Oracle shouts that it looks like the ceiling is going to fall. Wind calls for Wonder to grab the Core, and he does, but then lingers as the others run off, looking at Moha. Wonder's thought bubble says "Rescue...? You want to save us...?" As the ceiling crumbles, Moha starts to be sucked out into space, and Wonder, closer to it than the others, starts to feel the pull as well, running towards the group. Moha shouts at him to not even think about it- Wonder's coming with it! Then it fires a grappling hook (/arm? It loosely resembles Shadow Akashi's mechanical arm/tentacles) at Wonder's back, pulling Wonder towards it. Joker shouts back that he won't let it, and throws his own grappling hook to catch onto Wonder's front. The two struggle for a moment, each trying to pull Wonder towards themselves, before Joker pulls out his gun, shooting at Moha's hand/that end of its grappling hook. It releases Wonder, but Joker's grappling hook falls as well, and Wonder starts to be pulled upward by the vacuum of space itself, before he tosses his own grappling hook past Joker and pulls himself back. Joker helps him up, and asks if he can run. Wonder nods, and the entire group flees the room.

In a hallway elsewhere, the group stops, Wonder (and Oracle in the background) catching his breath as Wind checks on him and the others watch. Skull comments that was close, and Fox agrees, as Wonder thanks Joker. Joker says he was just returning the favor from last time, but he's glad Wonder's okay. Wonder promises to return the favor again next time, and Joker chuckles, saying he'll look forward to it. Wonder and Wind stand up, and Wind says she's also glad Wonder's okay, but they're not safe yet. Behind them, Oracle warns them they'll all get sucked out into space if they stay here. Cattle and Mona take their cue, switching to vehicle form. Before getting in, Panther laments that their goodbyes have to be rushed this time, but she hopes they'll meet again! Closer says they absolutely will. Noir says she thanks "The Phantom Thieves From Another World" from the bottom of her heart, and bids them farewell, as everyone else waves to each other. Now in the cars, Queen accidentally incites Mona's competitive spirit by urging him to go faster, and Mona gleefully zips past Cattle. Closer exclaims about how fast Mona is, and Cattle announces he's determined not to lose, zooming after him. The camera cuts to the inside of the Cattle car, where Closer wishes they weren't saying goodbye here, since she still wanted to talk more with Panther and the others. Soy replies that it can't be helped, since they'd get sucked into space otherwise. Wind wonders what's going on with these places, and Closer says it still isn't clear, but it was refreshing to see everyone in the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Soy agrees that their positive desires feel like they ignite him. Wind feels that it gives her courage to know there are other phantom thieves out there resisting, too. Cattle asks Wonder what he thinks, and either way Wonder expresses hope towards meeting them again. Soy declares that as long as they're still phantom thieves they will, and Closer says they should come up with a name like "the Phantom Thieves of Hearts" before next time! Cattle repeats "'the Phantom Thieves of Hearts', huh...", and then Closer exclaims that she sees the exit. Now standing back in front of Shibuya station (where they started at the beginning of the Pyramid Chapter), Riko and Motoha are disoriented, and Shun wonders what they were just talking about. Ruferu's head also feels fuzzy, but he recalls they were going to take Riko to Mementos. Riko realizes he's right, and apologizes for forgetting. Shun recalls this as well, but says he feels like he's forgetting something, and Motoha adds that there's a sense of loneliness, but warmth in her heart, too. Wonder thinks to himself that he feels like he's just been to the Metaverse with everyone, then notices something, and pulls it out of his pocket. As he looks at it, he thinks he feels like he owes someone a favor, though he doesn't remember the details. Shun asks what he has in his hand, but Wonder just shakes his head, and Shun thinks it's getting weirder and weirder if *none* of them know what's going on. Riko reminds them they should be going, and Motoha excitedly asks Wonder to activate the MetaNav.

Though it's not shown in a close-up during the cutscene, the item description for the real-world Core describes it as a "UFO model box with a dam pattern".

[asinglesock]

what from the poem is relevant to Jeremiah? please i must know

Louise Glück, from “Blue Rotunda”, Averno

Copying the text above for context.

Thank you for asking! (watch out. dangerous levels of interest.)

One thing we're talking about in my Jeremiah class is that the book of Jeremiah is a piece of trauma literature. Depending on your view of scripture you can be more or less set on the authorship of the book--you can definitely make a case that Jeremiah was a real person with real prophecies about the Babylonian conquest before it happened, but often historical-critical perspectives will use knowledge of historical events inside a text as evidence that it was written (or revised to its current form) after that event took place. And Jeremiah has. uhh. a lot of that.

But even from a literalist perspective there's lots of evidence that the book of Jeremiah was gradually compiled over time. For example, in chapter 36 there's a narrative of YHWH telling Jeremiah to write, Jeremiah telling Baruch what to write, Baruch spreading the message to the public & to officials, and Jehoiakim getting his hand on the scroll to destroy it bit by bit as he reads because he views it as a political threat. After the scroll is destroyed, Jeremiah and Baruch get right back to work and "many similar words were added" (36:32). The earlier draft is destroyed but a new version, with some new content, is created. (I LOVE when there's a text about the creation of the text.)

There's also that lots of bits seem to be out of order--we go from oracle to wisdom saying to narrative to oracle again to narrative from later to narrative from earlier and it's not always clear why. Sometimes things are grouped for thematic reasons instead of being ordered chronologically. There was a redactional tradition in the generations after the first pieces were written--a generation that lived, as the remnant in Judea or as exiles in Babylon. Either way, the editors of Jeremiah lived through the trauma of the Babylonian conquest.

Why does it matter that they lived through the conquest? The Babylonian conquest could potentially overturn all the assumptions a believer in YHWH might have about YHWH establishing the throne of David and defeating all of Judah's enemies. It's theodicy: if God is on my side, why are bad things happening to me? One pretty straightforward explanation could be that YHWH is not as powerful as the gods of Babylon, and that the Jewish population ought to assimilate and worship these gods instead. But instead, the book of Jeremiah argues that YHWH was always supporting the Babylonian conquest, because it was to punish the people of Israel and Judah for breaking their covenant with him. Weirdly enough, this makes Jeremiah's insistance that the people should not fight back into a text of resistance (against the eradication of the people, but also against assimilation).

Here's where the self-blame comes in. If Judah broke the covenant with YHWH, then YHWH never abandoned them. He was punishing them, according to the terms of their covenant, and ultimately would always bring them back to prosperity and wellbeing. (This is the context of Jer 29:11's statement "I know the plans I have for you...")

So the Jewish communities in exile ought to prioritize keeping their people alive and well, and also keep their ethnic & religious identity intact since YHWH still cares about them. Now the problem is something they can control--not that they're a tiny little nation dangerously placed between big, hungry empires--but that they as a people need to wholeheartedly worship YHWH and live justly in their communities.

God is still powerful, God still likes them, and the only problem is something they can address in their behavior. It's a great solution.

It's great that this narrative helped sustain Jeremiah's community through a trauma with effects that are still felt today, but we should be aware of this context when we read the harsh rhetoric against the people of Judah. It's coming from within, and it's coming from people who blame themselves for what happened to them. Taken out of context, this rhetoric can turn into victim-blaming pretty easily, and I'm sure that it has been historically used in antisemetic ways. If it's in the victim's power to fix things and things don't get fixed, doesn't that mean it must be the victim's fault?

I've seen this kind of victim blaming in Christian faith healing contexts. I think praying for people who are injured or sick can be an act of love, but when you have absolute faith that God not only can but will heal someone unless they lack faith, suddenly it becomes the fault of the injured/sick/disabled person when they are not miraculously healed. That is not love. So I can really see the appeal of framing something as your own fault, because you can change your own behaviors and expect a different result. But it can be a dangerous line of thought, because you risk perpetuating self-hatred if/when things are out of your control.

Personally, when I read Jeremiah and other biblical texts through this trauma lens (a lot of Hebrew Bible was put in writing or revised into recognizable forms around this period) it makes me feel more inclined to look at the people of Israel and Judah with more sympathy. They weren't uniquely wicked so much as they were self-critical.

Here's a source on trauma in Jeremiah that I'm using for my research project:

Claassens, L Juliana M. “Preaching the Pentateuch: Reading Jeremiah’s Sermons through the Lens of Cultural Trauma.” Scriptura 116, no. 2 (2017): 27–37. doi:10.7833/116-2-1313.

[zeroducks-2]

I'm back to ask about your wips again 👀 What's Clipped about? Oh oh and Omegaverse Royal AU with Rastim 💕

So the Omegaverse Royal AU is this one, but where it says "Rastim" it's actually a spin-off (or maybe I should say a parallel story? IDK that's what a spin-off is after all, but I wrote everything together and then separated the bits) about what's happening with Tim. I mention in that post that Ra's shows up because he wants a piece of the cake, and in this case the cake involves the Drake estates which 14 yo Tim is set to inherit when he's old enough. Case in point, he's too young for a recognized union of any kind. He presented as an Omega just a few months prior to these events, but by law he's not old enough for an official mating or to inherit anything. Also, King Alexander is not happy with the Al Ghuls coming over and going like "ah yes haha this is mine actually", "oh sure I will take this other one instead". All of this is however not going to stop Ra's from getting what he wants :)

"Clipped" instead is a veeeeeery old WIP. It's the very first DC darkfic I've ever written! I probably posted a couple of snippets here and there but never the entire thing because it's on hiatus, and who knows if I'll ever finish it. I wrote it after reading Future State (more than a year ago), and it's in fact a Future State inspired situation where vigilantes are outlawed so severely that some get executed publicly, some kept locked away for experiments on their meta-genes if they have any, and in general it's not a good situation especially since the Bats and Birds have had their identities revealed to the press. They're forced to live separated and in constant hiding, all linked through Oracle (which is not a single person at this point but a "vigilante-friendly group" lead by Babs) while they try not to get caught by authorities for who knows what.

In this picture, Deathstroke became some sort of vigilante hunter. He's allowed to be free and do whatever he wants (and his kids have some degree of immunity as well, or anyway they're relatively safe), but in exchange he hunts down, captures and "deals" with rogue metas and "former heroes". Which means that some get sent to governamental facilities to be brainwashed rehabilitated, some get publicly executed as mentioned, and some just... "disappear". It took Slade literal years, but finally he got his hands on a good chunk of the flock of birds (Damian, Dick, Tim and Jason). The thing is. Slade is a mental sadistic creep in this one, and before he does anything even remotely helpful, he's going to break the kids to little pieces and then rearrange them as he sees fit.

The story features (or anyway should feature) Dark!Sladin in almost all its shapes. It was really fun to explore how the kids deal with the situation, because Tim took the months of torture of his life and eventually decided to try and follow the rules to limit the damage, Jason instead had a mental breakdown and decided that he'd going to get himself killed again (not going to be easy to make Slade slip though). Damian doesn't grasp the gravity of the situation, and Dick is just desperate to do literally anything to help the others. But again, I'm not surem I will ever even publish it. I might end up posting it incomplete just cuz.

[bingobongobonko]

Hi! I'm here to ask you about your friend's Lancer campaign. What's the premise? Is there a big bad? What's the setting? On a scale of "This Slaps" to "Gay AF" how would rate the campaign?

HI TY FOR ASKING!!!! Basically we were Union types (false actuallly... only Yves was a member of Union, everyone else is nonaffiliate i think. this is a tangent im sorry). But anyway, we sent to a charity event on a dying planet, mostly as a diplomatic measure between the Union and the various karrakin barony houses that're on Bo as they try to raise money to afford en masse evacuations. The planet is dying, and they're running out of time, so this charity event's a BIG deal. Just to keep the peace, is what we were told. Until that's the exact opposite of what happened because the charity got hijacked, people fled the scene in panic and trampling ensued, AND hostage situation held up by an extremist group bound to the demands of the "Oracle." It's a cult. It becomes very obvious this is a cult to all of us. For the most part, they, Helios, can be considered the first big bad but they're not THE big bad. That's the Oracle itself, which at the time we had no fucking idea who this Oracle was. They suck though, just awful. TLDR they ruined Bo's first chances of evacuation, brainwashed the NHP of a certain Egbert Station and ultimately we were forced to kill them before the station was destroyed, and even then, we had to reroute the explosion from the station to down under, where an evacuated city lay. And in that moment, it's all gone. Millions of people displaced and tbh. I still feel guilty about that. We all fumbled the rolls to stop the explosion so it's like.... damn.. But yeah this is the kind of people we're dealing with, they're obsessed with a prophecy that involves the damnation of this planet. I said we were Union types in the past tense because after all of this happens, Union breaks official ties with the group and essentially leaves us to our own devices. Which I think my character is the only one who takes personal offense to that, it's just like. Are you serious. I've worked up in your organization for years.... but yeah besides the point. Now, we're Bo's designated Lancers to uncover the whole Helios issue and to buy Bo some more time before shit goes south. We're in lategame campaign, shit has GONE south. Yves, my character, has personally met the big bad, the Oracle, and even before that, we found out just why the planet is dying. 50 years ago, something landed on Bo. Ever since, the Oracle has been in the backdrop as its nanites continue to eat the planet alive, and Helios is convinced this HAS to happen. We have to relive this again. SURPRISE!!! This is a repeat, we're in a timeloop and the whole prophesy is that time and time again, the same events will unfold on repeat til end of days because there is nothing outside of this loop. And that's why Helios exists. People are afraid of what's beyond this timeloop, and Yves has seen it personally, in the metavault that the Oracle sent him to. Said some gnarly shit to Yves and just was like. Fuck off! I hate you! before it sent him to superhell. Or more accurately, sent to nothing. Suspended in a shattered reality. Where there is nothing. Some crazy shit I tell you. Oh and sorry ok a lot of details I'm missing out on but this is pretty important, the Oracle itself? Manmade. We made that, a long time ago. It was originally developed by Halcyon, a weapons subsidiary company on Bo, but the project was ultimately discontinued when they realized having nanites pilot a mech all tuned in to a hivemind (the Oracle) is a bad fucking idea. Do You See Why. so the big bad is manmade horrors!!!!! ippee!!!! As of right now, we know HOW the Oracle is doing what it does but we don't know why. At least I don't.

[fumbliesthots]

2022 Review + Rezzo 2023

This post is almost a week late because I was trying to take it easy after my Bali meditation + fam vacation trip. This year end trip really made me appreciate the slow life where I was really trying not to overthink and over-plan. (Also, geez, what happened to me? When did I become this sort of person?)

It's only been 2 days into the new year and I'm beginning to feel tired of the super-fast pace of work life again. I must remind myself to take it down a notch, as John Green says. I'm not working in a hospital – nobody will die if my job doesn't get done.

But first, let's recap some things I'm really grateful for in 2022, in no particular order -

Gratitude list 2022

1. My parents: They are not perfect but they are always doing their best to care for us the ways they know how. I'm learning new things about their outlook in life recently. My mom is an optimist that makes the best out of every sucky unexpected situation because she just wants everyone to feel ok. I think I probably got that from her. My father cares a lot about the world at large. Although we have different views of what "good" is, I appreciate that side of him.

2. National Library Board: Ok nerd. I feel like somehow I'm reading more books than ever this year. And really starting to get back more into physical books. Although I still love Libby for its convenience, sometimes reading on digital devices can be distracting. So I really appreciate having such a great library system in Sg – I can choose either to hang out at a nearby air-conditioned library or just to lie in bed and scroll Libby on my phone. It's the top perk of being Singaporean IMO.

3. Authors: I cannot not mention the people that wrote those books I enjoyed so much from the library. Some of the books that moved me last year:

Jon Yates - Fractured: Why Our Societies Are Coming Apart and How We Put Them Back Together Again.

Brene Brown - Braving Wilderness, Dare to Lead, Atlas of the Heart (also her podcasts have helped me so much last year)

Hank Green - I don't read enough fiction so these YA books were a surprise pleasure for me: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

Yanis Varoufakis - Talking to My Daughter About The Economy

4. The 3-Headed-Oracle: We completed 2 more writing challenges this year! I really appreciate the way we kept so consistent with this habit through the process, and got to know how each other thinks. I enjoyed learning how we see the world through different lenses, having their perspectives was really valuable and precious.

5. Workshops attended: Learning new self-awareness, critical thinking and communication skills at 2 in-person workshops which both happened at Common Ground - Facilitating Conversations for Change (by Shiao-yin), and Seeing & Shifting Systems (by Studio Dojo). These courses were so perspective-expanding that I wish more people would have the chance to attend. So I'm also grateful that my company has L&D funds for us to upskill ourselves.

6. Vipassana: Renewing my meditation practice at a 10-day course, and getting to disconnect from the world temporarily. Really amazing to have the opportunity to do that again after more than 6 years, such a privilege. This is my third time doing it but I somehow still gained new understanding and wisdom this time around.

7. XD Summer Offsite: Something about work - Meeting all my XD colleagues in person at our offsite in Prague. Even though this trip was expensive (they flew all of us in SG down) it was also necessary to at least start the process of gaining trust and building connections in the newly re-organized team.

8. Standing up XD Ops: Finally given the opportunity to upstand this new function officially in the group. I also learned that sometimes the right thing to do is to actively ask for things and not just wait for them to drop from the sky. Unsaid expectations and unset boundaries will just cause resentment. This is a huge theme this year for work. Clear is kind.

Intention review 2022

So what did I say I wanted to do last year? Balance? I regretfully say I did not achieve that. I was too busy balancing other people's priorities while neglecting my own. I was reading and learning a lot more, desperately trying to get more information about why things happen the way they do, trying to get more tools that could help solve the problems I see. As a result, I was feeling quite burnt out at some point, and people around me noticed.

I guess that was what pushed me to sign myself up to do a 10-day silent retreat again. I have to forcefully shut myself away and disconnect from the external world to find out what is happening inside myself.

A lot of things came up for me during my time meditating - the past, the future, imagination of things that has yet to come, assumptions of how things came to be. I have to remind myself, all these are anicca, impermanent. Stories in my mind that arise and will pass away. I am not the same person just 1 millisecond ago, what for carrying this baggage forward? What is more important is the choices I can make in the present moment, which is to sit here and observe my breathe and my body sensations. That's the only true thing.

Knowing all these theoretically is one thing, but the benefit of having these 10 day silent protected time is for us to actually start the process of rewiring our brains and stop the habitual impulse reactions of daily life.

But still, I guess these 10 days are not enough. I was refreshed and ready for the new year, yet, just 2 days in, facing all these unread emails and to-do lists leftover from last year, I'm starting to feel tired again. This won't do.

Intentions 2023

1. Spend more time practicing meditation. From past experience of previous retreats, my self-discipline has not been very strong when it comes to daily sittings. This a new strategy this time is to join a regular group. I've put a recurring event on my calendar to attend a weekly group sitting. Hopefully, this will help me maintain my practice.

2. Help my family be more healthy. In both body and mind. My parents are getting older, and although they are actively doing exercise by themselves, I think they would also benefit from learning Vipassana and begin the reduce their mental burden of growing old (and having the worrisome baggage of 3 single adult children lol). I'm also seeing how my bro is suffering from health problems because of an unhealthy lifestyle. He too could benefit from being more mindful of his habits. It may be a tall order to have them sign up for a 10-day meditation course, but hey, I've done harder things! 3. Turn things down a notch. I know it's counter-intuitive to say I have a deadline, but I've told my boss that I want to leave for my postgrad studies by the next year. So during this timeframe, I'm going to try my best to see what things I can create automated or self-running systems around, and maximize things that can be left undone. In short, how can I make myself dispensable? 4. Continue to serve others and build relationships, but be less "bottom". I used to think that there is a freedom that comes with being invisible and ego-less, and have used that easygoingness to get people to trust me and thus get what I need to be done. But I am starting to learn that doing things this way can be effective earlier in my career, but does not scale when I reached a certain level. Sometimes the right and kind actions are to actively set boundaries, keep clarifying situations, and align expectations. Don't try to be everything for everyone, instead, how can I help others learn how to help each other and help themselves?

[berenices-commas]

Hoping for an Angel of Vengeance: the tuFatingau Mission to the Court of Stars Uncounted (209–16/123-9) - 3.3

Due to the language barrier and their limited knowledge of Umliwe Ikam’s social and religious subtleties, the missionaries initially participated solely in the religious debates organized by Tsuaidah. Their discussions with Listener, Panscientist[1], and Seeker theologians, however, gradually introduced the missionaries to the complex political and religious scenario of Tsuaidah’s reign. The letters of Oro’oti and Mavali Taimauli reveal a growing antagonism between the world-queen and the Traditionalist orthodox literati, and the existence of an influential group of heterodox courtiers led by ’Enhweimuw that was close to Tsuaidah and sympathetic to the tuFatingau. Despite the language barrier, the tuFatingau became part of a select group of courtiers who had the important function of reading works on religion and history to the world-queen, and were sometimes called upon to interpret oracles. Besides this, the missionaries also had the task of drafting letters destined for Tapi and translating correspondence from the Enclosure of Ikam. The tuFatingau’s proximity to Tsuaidah’s inner circle also allowed them to contact relevant courtiers and officials, exploring other opportunities to employ their faculties in the service of the Umliwe elite.

The meetings between Tsuaidah and the tuFatingau were not exclusively dedicated to religious matters. The missionaries were asked to talk about tuFaruao and tuSi history and to explain the imagery and themes in the artworks which they had brought from Tapi. Among the books, engravings, and printings carried by the missionaries were works by Nekatongasa Kito, an engraving of Baludra Tuvai’s Little Kindnesses and Adoption (c.279/164), a congressional screen depicting the Lady Illuminating, a copy of Painting the Mothers[2], a copy of Poin Tuva’ahi’s world map Glory of Creation (219/129), and a first edition of the Comparative Plan (1572), illustrated by Roki tuChake. The images of the title pages of the latter volume—two allegorical compositions evoking the Empress as a personification of Royal Obedience and Pious Concord, or in other words an exaltation of the tuIlakso Manukoro monarch as a pious, universal ruler who sought the union of different peoples—exposed to Tsuaidah and her successors new possibilities for enhancing the iconographical and allegorical repertoire associated with Umliwe universal authority.

TuSi Obedient art made heavy use of foundational metaphors and symbols that were easily recognisable to an educated Anticipating audience, and very similar to the allegorical motifs explored in Umliwe imperial art. The links between Legitimist iconography and Ikilam-Ikam Anticipating symbols of power suited the efforts made by Tsuaidah and her successors—in particular World-Queens Rampas-Ketawan (r.184–162/108-95) and Pengput-Ketawan I (r.161–131/95-77)—to affirm a system of universal rule based on the elision of individual rulers’ personalities into a single, divinely sanctioned archetype. Obedient art also provided a neutral medium that allowed the mobilisation of Ikam and Listener artistic traditions to develop a new heterogeneous visual language that could attract different sections of the Umliwe population.

[1] An anachronistic term, since the philosophy which would unite the scientific lineages of Ikam was only developed as a coherent ideological system in the first Revolutionary century.

[2] The artist is unknown – this was a very common subject for devotional artwork of the period.

[oathofpromises]

[ GIVE ]  for the taller muse to place their jacket around the shorter muse’s shoulders,  the garment essentially ‘swallowing them whole.’ 🌸｡*ﾟ+. From Thancred, for Ryne ♡

When Thancred and Ryne decided to break off from the group for a bit to investigate into the Empty. The red head had figured it would be in ruins, but never pictured it was this freezing. Teeth chattering, the oracle tried her best to not show how cold her body was. It made her sigh at not having anything extra to wear over her white dress. At the mere thought of her attire, Ryne recalled her time at Eulmore. They only provided the bare minimum. Not that most would guess that simply off appearances. She could remember there were days she would be barely feed anything at all. Even when she was offered food, the girl would refuse to eat. It wasn't that she was ungrateful, merely cautious. They merely wanted Ryne close, too afraid someone might use the oracle powers to put an end to the sin eaters.

The red haired girl's thoughts were disrupted when she felt someone place a jacket around her shoulders. Right away, she could tell it was Thancred's white jacket. So, he had taken note of her change in behavior since they arrived here. Ryne was sighing at how obvious she had been, not wanting to bother him, yet he already had seen right through her. The young girl was pretty easy to read, not like she had the best experiences in the past.

"Thank you Thancred..I'm sorry to trouble you."

This whole thing was her idea, there was something pulling the girl here, and she wanted to know what. Thancred, was kind enough to accompany her here yet maybe she did pull them into even more trouble. Not that they weren't used to that by now. It was certainly a large undertaking, one they would probably require the Warrior of Light's help on too.

Gripping the jacket hanging on her shoulders, the girl decided it was best not to refuse her father's offer of a jacket. He would only worry more, and that was the last thing the oracle wanted. After zipping it up, the white gunbreaker coat looked way too big on Ryne. It stopped just under her kneecaps, if she was any shorter the ends of the jacket would most likely drag along the snow.

"I never imagined this place would be so...cold. It's almost like a wasteland...no wonder the people avoid coming here."

But if there's a chance they could change the fate of this land, Ryne wanted to try. She had felt too helpless during their battle with Hades. Too many times, everyone else had stepped in to save her. It was the girl's turn to save this land.

"Dad, do you think it's silly to come here? I know we should be helping the others after everything but...I just know in my heart that restoring aether here will help the people of the first. Maybe one day allow them to live here again..."

It was after saving the Exarch, that Ryne decided to take on the name Waters. She had asked Thancred if he would officially adopt her, and of course he playfully teased Ryne about how the young girl was already much like his own child. It didn't escape her notice at how a light seemed to return to his eyes. The other had been through so much, and she hoped one day he would share more of his story with her.

"It's getting late, though, perhaps we should set up camp for the night?"

At least, that is what she had figured Thancred was going to suggest, given how dark it was. Something this land hadn't seen until the Warrior of Darkness and the Scions managed to defeat every single light warden. In the middle of talking Ryne winced, as she felt her ankle trip over a stray log hidden underneath the snow. Leave it to her to end up spraining her leg just as they were planning to settle down for the night.

[mutable-manifestation]

Batman clears his throat once the family moment has mostly petered out in order to regain the room's attention - while the Fentons' lack of involvement is a relief, it doesn't change the situation very much from the JL's perspective.

Made by the Fentons or not, those papers still exist, the views they espouse still hold the potential to start an interdimensional war, and they still know nothing about the new Ghost King.

Though the papers being faked does make them easier to remove.

In the end, it's Jazz and Danny Fenton who prove to be the most informative when it comes to the GIW.

Jack and Maddie tend to travel the city in an armored vehicle, leaving them relatively untouchable, but for everyone else, the GIW's "patrol routes" have been more of an excuse to harass anyone that even slightly resembles any known ghosts. And anyone who tries to help the unlucky targets gets shoved or trampled or taken in for tedious questioning.

The children's story is as awful as it is shocking, and by the end of it Diana's skill with diplomacy is necessary to talk Jack and Maddie down from going out and reducing their base to rubble.

Their insistence on being involved with taking the group down is expected after that, and incredibly welcome. The foremost scientists in the field directly opposing the ones writing the potentially war-sparking articles should at least help sate some of the new king's anger if he catches wind of the whole situation.

Additionally, most GIW tech seems to be based on Fenton tech, so their assistance means having an expert on hand to help with anything unexpected.

The group has yet to cost citizens more than bruises and time lost to interrogations, all of their targets proving human before things could get too far.

That doesn't mean that the pattern will hold, of course.

By all accounts, the group is acting in direct defiance of the Meta Protection Acts, which is broad enough to include ghosts under its purview - Bruce would know, he double checked when Deadman joined the League.

If they were already willing to break the law, how long until they got impatient. How long until they decided to say some poor individual was just a ghost in a really good disguise. Or until they came across a meta with slightly different vitals and took them in for - as Danny said was a direct quote - "lots and lots of painful experiments."

At the end of the kids' run-down, just off of the top of his head Bruce counted violation of the MPA, harassment, assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, impersonation of a government official, and trespassing.

If they were responsible for the fake papers published in the names of the Drs Fenton - as seemed likely - they'd be smacked with fraud as well. No doubt in addition to a litany of other charges.

He taps his comm.

"Oracle."

"Already put RR on it, B."

"The GIW is being dealt with," he says, dropping his hand to address the room. "Thank you for your cooperation. Red Robin will be in touch soon about the impersonation case - assuming you wish to press charges?"

"Absolutely we do!" Jack yells, nodding vigorously.

"Ectobiology is a brand new field," Maddie adds, voice heated. "They haven't just impersonated us, they've endangered the integrity - the very foundation - of an entire field of study. We will be pressing charges."

He nods his acknowledgement as he stands.

"We'll move on the base as soon as the paperwork is all sorted. Until then, I'd like to ask for your assistance in another matter."

A beat.

"The Justice League has a division for dealing with supernatural threats," he begins. "Ghosts fall within this purview-"

"Then why did no ever come to help Amity before?"

Danny himself seems surprised to have said it, but he straightens under the room's collective gaze and doesn't take it back.

"An agent was sent out when the calls first started coming in," Superman soothes. "They determined that the city was in good hands with Phantom keeping things under control."

"There were plans to follow up with a more detailed investigation," Batman decides to tack on, noting the boy's conflicted expression, "But it was considered low-priority until those papers pinged the League's systems, where it became high-priority. And then rapidly rose to top-priority when Justice League Dark - the supernatural division, added their own update to the fray."

"Because of that information, we have time to act," he says, turning to look Jack and Maddie in the eyes. "While your expertise seems to focus more on technology and observation, I believe you could offer the JLD a unique perspective on their current project, if you are willing?"

"What project would that be?" Maddie asks swiftly, likely cutting off her husband from accepting an unknown task.

"We need to summon the new Ghost King."

***

*The next day, Manson household, Sam's room*

"And then they kicked us out! For curfew, of all things! And they still had the shields up so I couldn't even just sneak back to listen in - not that I could've risked it anyway with freaking Superman right there!"

"Uh. I mean I guess it kinda sucks that they kicked you out? But... isn't the rest of that all good stuff?" Tucker asks, rushing to explain when Danny's eye snap over to glare at him.

"Think about it dude - your parents turn out to not want to science you to a second and more permanent death, the JL is gonna come down on the GIW like a ton of bricks, the JL are finally gonna take a closer look at Amity and probably take some weight off of you, and verified vicious tyrant Pariah Dark is no longer the Ghost King. So like. Maybe if someone decides to let him out again he'll be a little weaker? Next time?"

"Please do not jinx us talking about a 'next time,'" Danny pleads, shuddering.

"He has a point, though," Sam says - watches Tucker grin - adds, "for once."

"Aw, c'mon!" Tucker whines, hands clutched over his heart dramatically.

"But really, Danny, I'm struggling to see the downside here. Honestly, it's about time the GZ got a new ruler - it's at least better than leaving Mr. Sleeping Evil nominally in charge," she continues.

"Yeah man!" Tucker cheers. "Who knows, maybe with someone actually running things the zone'll get less chaotic and there'll be less attacks. I mean, sure the new king could turn out to be a jerk. But he could also be a perfectly decent guy - like, for all you know it could be Frostbite."

Danny blinks.

"How would it be Frostbite???"

"He does already have leadership experience," Sam acknowledges, kicking her legs thoughtfully from her seat on the edge of her bed. "But if he were offered the position he'd almost definitely turn it down and try to have Danny appointed instead. And we would've definitely heard about the very next time we visited the Far Frozen."

"Appointed?" Danny questions, tilting his head. "What are you talking about?"

"The new ruler? If there's a new one I figured they must've been appointed a council - you know, like one that sentenced Vortex?"

"Really?" Danny brightened hopefully, sitting up straighter. "Do you think so?"

Sam and Tucker exchange a glance, brows furrowed.

"Uh, how did you think it happened, exactly?" Tucker asks, brow raised.

"I thought it would've been, like, trial by combat or something."

"If it were that then shouldn't the ancients have ended up ruling the zone as an oligarchy?" Sam asks doubtfully.

"A what?" Tucker and Danny ask in unison.

Sam sighs.

"The point is that Pariah Dark got his ass kicked when he first got put in the coffin. If it was trial by combat there should have already been someone else in charge," she says, nudging him lightly with her foot. "Besides, if it was trial by combat wouldn't that make you the ghost king?"

"That's the problem!" Danny yells, jumping up and tossing his arms in the air in frustration. "I fought him, sure, but I would've run out of power and had my ass kicked if the sarcophagus hadn't gotten locked. By Vlad. Meaning Vlad could totally be the ghost king! And maybe he just doesn't know it! What if you're wrong and it is trial by combat but the ancients just didn't want the position! If the JL summons him he'll find out! And we all know Vlad would never turn down that kind of power! This is a disaster waiting to happen and I don't even know how long we have to figure things out because I was kicked out of the meeting!"

He is huffing by the end of the rant, and his friends stare on silently for a few seconds, processing.

They grimace practically in unison.

"Well that's a horrifying possibility I did not want to know about," Tucker says.

Danny slumps and sinks back down to sit with him on the floor.

"I know."

"The last thing a corrupt fruitloop like Vlad needs is more power," Sam frowns.

"I know."

"Not to, like, downplay or anything. But... can't you just. Tell your parents? Like, Vlad's one thing he could leverage against you is gone now. Can't you just tell them everything and let them take it from there?" Tucker questions, waving his hand vaguely.

"I don't knooooow," Danny whines, falling back to sprawl on the floor with a hand covering his eyes.

Sam and Tucker exchange glances once more.

"Okaaaay," Tucker starts.

"-what's holding you back?" Sam completes.

Danny groans, lifting both hands to cover his eyes.

"It's not that I'm not glad they don't want to rip me apart molecule by molecule," he says, unmoving - not even to make the air quotes. "But it's - you know how my parents are about ghosts. And okay, sure, they don't want to hurt me! Great! But you weren't there! The powerpoints were... it was a lot, guys, and I just-"

He moves to sit, dropping his hands to his lap and worrying his lip between his teeth for a few seconds before finally, slowly, lifting his head to look them in the eyes.

"What if I tell them the truth and I'm just...I'm just science to them?" He asks, voice small.

"You know how my parents are," he repeats, impossibly quieter, eyes dropping back to the floor.

"That's...possible."

"Tucker!" Sam snaps, kicking him in the side.

"OW!" He flinches away rubbing the sore spot. "I'm just saying! But! I really don't think it would last. You said it yourself, man. Your parents are serious about learning about ghosts. Sure, it might take some time, but if they're really dedicated to the whole "actually doing science" thing, then sooner or later they'll realize you're still just. Danny. With some extra stuff going on."

"And if that twenty minute rant about them going easy on you was any indication they'll be going out of their way to avoid hurting you," Sam says thoughtfully. "Even if they might be a little more... overbearing than normal in the meantime."

"UGH! Don't remind me!" he cries, covering his ears petulantly.

Tucker snorts.

"I still don't get why you're upset about that. what, did you want them to shoot you?"

"NO! Of course not! Just- I don't know! I mean, I fought actual ghosts all the time and what, they think I couldn't take them? I fought Pariah Dark! And I mean maybe I had the suit, but- but- I don't know!"

He stands to pace.

"And I mean what if I had been a malicious ghost and they held back and got hurt or something? And I never even noticed! My mom's a ninth degree black belt! And she has like, over a dozen shooting trophies! Dad's got at least half as many! And I never noticed anything off? Who else has been holding back? What if some of the ghosts have only been pretending to lose and- and...."

"And?" they echo.

"I don't KNOW!" he shouts, scrubbing his fingers through his hair roughly. "I don't know why this is bothering me so much!"

"Have you considered maybe your parents were right about fighting being a social thing for ghosts? And that maybe your ghost-half-instincts are making you feel insulted that they half-assed it?"

"No, Sam, I have not, because I'm very sure that all of the various ghosts who have tried to kick my ass weren't doing it to befriend me."

"Sure, not all of them, but they already said there's nuance. Not every fight is gonna be friendly. But name one ghost you know that you don't throw down with at least every other time you see them."

"Frostbite," he says instantly.

"Snowball fights," Sam throws back just as fast. "And even if you don't want to count those, you've still had spars with him or other members of the Far Frozen at least half the time we're there."

"...well it's not always Frostbite."

"But it's always a member of his group."

"...Clockwork."

"You've seen him three times so far. The first time you met he tossed you around a bit before saving all our asses and giving you a second chance. The second time you didn't fight, sure. But the third time you went to attack him for some prank he pulled that you still won't give us the details of, but now you talk about him like your on friendlier terms despite having just gotten into another fight. Your record with him is worse than half the time." Sam shoots down.

Then keeps going.

"You spar with Pandora every time you see each other. I spar with Dora every time I see her and I never really questioned it because of how we met but I still seem to be her favorite. Wulf's version of hello is usually a surprise tackle. The only time Danielle didn't greet you with a wrestling match was when there was an emergency."

The examples are merciless and feel unending.

"Sydney Poindexter!" Danny shouts decisively.

"The one time you two interacted was one big drawn-out fight over a misunderstanding. While you haven't fought him since then, you two also haven't even spoken since then. Your fight rate with him is 100%, even if it was decisively unfriendly."

He slumps.

"It's not like it's just you. I don't think we've met a single ghost that hasn't fought both their friends and their enemies. I don't know that there is a "nuance" beyond knowing the ghosts involved or the context of the fight well enough to know if the fight is serious or not, but I think your parents might be right about it being some kind of friendly social among ghosts."

"Definitely a ghost thing," Tucker chimes in, "Preeeeeetty sure Dash doesn't want to be you or Mikey's friend."

"Feeling's mutual," he drawls back. Sighs. "We're getting off track. What are we gonna do about the Vlad problem? Well, the maybe Vlad problem."

"Tell the Justice League! They already decided Phantom is a hero and that makes you the local expert on Amity's hero/villain scene, so they should be more than willing to hear you out. All you have to do is give them the info. They can prepare to kick Vlad's ass as needed and there you go: problem solved," he smiles, making jazz hands.

"Yeah, except for the part where Phantom shouldn't have any idea about any of this; my parents' stupid sweep shield means I can't even pretend I was already in the room when it turned on. And Batman's a genius - if I just tell them anyway with no explanation about how I know that they needed to know he'll probably have me figured out in like five minutes! He's an adult! Who works with the government! He'll probably be legally obligated to tell on me to my parents so it's all the same stupid problem!"

"Frostbite it is," Sam says, standing decisively and reaching down to haul Tucker up as well.

"Huh?" he asks.

"Clockwork probably knows everything but is more likely to be unhelpfully cryptic. Frostbite and the Far Frozen knew about your fight with Pariah Dark before you had any idea who he was. Out of all the friendly ghosts we know, he's the most likely to both know about the new ghost king and be willing to answer our questions. Plus, Danny can asks him about the social fighting thing while we're there."

She grabs Danny's shoulder, still holding Tucker. He blinks at her.

"Well? Take us to the Specter Speeder? We don't exactly know how much time we have left to deal with this?"

"Ah," he answers intelligently.

And wow, with his parents' penchant for making seemingly impossible devices combined with the entire Justice League Dark - something he didn't even know existed before yesterday - he doubts the amount of time left is 'much.'

He takes them to the Specter Speeder

So, I have a new headcanon where, after tailing Phantom for a while, Danny's parents have learned enough to realize that they were wrong. They still chase him though, but instead of chasing him to capture him and tear him apart, it's more a game at this point.

Like Phantom will get away and Jack would hop out of the RV and playfully shake his fist going, "Ah, you got us again, Ghost Boy!"

But other heroes confuse Phantom and the Fenton parents having fun for a Feb ton parents hunting him down for malicious reasons.

The Fenton's turn their blasters down so far that they only feel like a soft punch. Their tech looks the exact same as before but now it's akin to a lazer tag gun and not a bazooka.

[fleur-de-violette]

To fight against time and win

A3O

Summary:

“How much time do you have?” Batman asks.

Dick thinks there might be some kind of poetry in being asked that while being chained to a giant clock and slowly pulled into the harbor, but he doesn’t really have it in him to find it.

He will drown soon, but there are hostages who need Batman. So he does what he has to do.

“Enough.”

He lies.

-

Note:

Hi, this was supposed to be a quick one shot and then suddenly it was 8k long. I love writing.

Warnings for fear of death, drowning, respiratory illness, and guilt. As Bruce doesn’t have the best way to process guilt, extra warnings for unhealthy coping mechanisms and violence toward inanimate objects.

This is absolutely medically inaccurate. If someone drowns, take them to the hospital.

Hope you’ll enjoy the fic!  

-

Dick knows how to appreciate the beauty in things. He grew up watching and appreciating performances. He was dragged into every museum Gotham and the neighboring cities had to offer by his school as a teenager, and traveled around the world, with his parents first, and then with Bruce, rarely for vacation, occasionally for business trips, and more often for bat-business trips. He traveled a little bit more on his own and with the Titans.

He’s not insensitive to the beauty of things. And he can say the clock is a work of art. It’s huge, decorated by metallic ornaments, probably lead, tin, silver, and gold. The mechanism is visible, and it is itself impressive. A chain is linked around one of the cogs, slowly rolling around it. It is also linked to somewhere under the sea, probably at the bottom of the harbor. And it is also, unfortunately, attached to his left ankle.

He’s slowly being pulled down into Gotham harbor water by a chain. And this is really hindering his ability to appreciate art.

The worst thing is, he’s not even that opposed to the people who put him into this situation, in principle. They’re a new group, going after corrupt politicians, and Dick would be all for that if they had chosen to expose them through journalism, social media, rumors, or anything really, rather than dumping a bunch of officials into the ocean. He miscalculated the size of the group and got hit pretty hard in the head by a teenager with a baseball bat. When he woke up, he was in the harbor, attached to a shortening chain that pulled him into the water within minutes.

The style, the not-killing-him-but-rather-putting-him-through-an-elaborate-machine thing remains him of the Riddler, except, as far as he knows, Nygma is currently secured in Arkham, and his riddles are solvable. Dick has nothing with him to help him escape. This isn’t a riddle: this is a torture device. He’s pretty sure he’s not supposed to get out of it. The only reason he’s even been able to call for backup is because he has a hidden communicator on him. It’s just him and Batman tonight; Robin, Batgirl and Black Bat are in New Zealand, assisted by Oracle on a special mission. Dick first saw this as both a chance for Damian to get out of his father’s shadow while still being surrounded by his family and a chance for Bruce and Tim to work together, like old good times. While the first point still stands, the second had been cut short a few days ago by an altercation with Killer Croc that had ended with a broken arm. Tim had been confined to the comms until his injury healed, and Dick had offered to come to Gotham, as Blüdhaven was currently quiet. Or, as quiet as it can be.

“I see the harbor,” comes his father’s voice into his ear. “ETA 1 minute.”

Dick smiles despite the situation. “Hostages are in the north area, on a black and white ferry. Be careful.”

He hears a grunt of acknowledgement. “How much time do you have?”  

Dick swallows. This is actually an excellent question. How much time does he have? It’s not only the shortening chain and the rising tide that are a problem, but also the fact that he’s holding himself above water while being concussed, and has a very real risk of hypothermia, despite the early spring weather they had in the last weeks.

But the chain is still long enough for him to float, even if it gets shorter by the minute. Besides, he chose to put himself in danger and, as corrupted as the hostages supposedly are, they didn’t. “Enough for you to get them out safely and then come back to free me. Don’t worry about it.”

Another grunt. Batman doesn’t like this kind of information, too vague to do anything with it. But Dick won’t give him a time limit and risk both of them being captured because his father had been worried.

The comms are silent after that. Dick wishes Bruce or Tim would keep him updated with how the hostage situation is going because he can’t deal with staying there alone with his thoughts. With every second that passes, he worries about his father, and he worries about himself. He tries to work on the shackle holding his ankle, but, as before, he can’t get it open. Most of his tools had been removed when he’d been captured, and even with them, he’s not sure he would have been able to break the chain. His best shot would be to remove it from the clock, but there is no way he can reach that far.

Soon, the chain forces him to get his leg back underwater and he can’t work on the shackle, unless he wants to dive. He chooses against it. It’s not like he was going anywhere, and he has the feeling he will be underwater for too long for his liking soon, anyway.

It’s fine. He has time. Bruce is probably freeing the hostages by now. Then he will come and save him, Alfred will worry about the concussion, about how long he stayed in the water and any damage done to his ankle, and then he will have a cup of tea and a nice plate of whatever Alfred has prepared as a post-patrol meal, maybe watch a movie or play a game with Tim afterwards.

It’s fine. He will be fine. He’s been in plenty of bad situations before. But he really wishes he could have an update from Bruce, while being scared to ask for it.

The chain on his leg gets taut. The real countdown starts now. He watches the horizon for something, anything, from Batman coming back to the GCPD arriving to an unexpected bystander with a saw ready to help him. But the harbor is empty, and he can only hear the quiet waves and maybe a seagull or two.

His hand hovers over his communicator. He wants to open it, he wants to say something, just in case. But what could he say, without taking the risk of distracting Bruce? What even are his options?

Some part of him wants to say,

I chose this. I’m happy with this situation and no one forced me to become anything. Being Robin, being Nightwing, was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I don’t know what I would have become without it. I knew dying was a possibility from the start and I accepted it. I have no regrets.

And, while this is true, some part of him wants to say,

I have so many regrets. I’m sorry. It feels like giving you up, but I know you guys can survive without me. I love you. I love you all so much. Do you know how much I love you? How proud I am to call you my father, to call everyone my family? How sad I am to have to leave you? You’ll be okay, I swear. I love you, I’m sorry.

And then there is another part of him, one he’s not proud of, that wants to say,

I don’t want to die. Please come back for me. If you leave the hostages, you might still have time, please, I’m sorry I lied, please save me and tell me everything will be okay. I need you. Please help me.

He takes his hand off his communicator.

It’s fine. He still has time. Maybe one minute until he’s underwater, and then, he’s trained to hold his breath. His best is seven minutes and twenty-two seconds. That gives Bruce enough time to get back to him. Afterwards, the chances for a non-lethal drowning are about 95% during the first minute, 25% after six minutes, and fall to 3% after 8 minutes, with an increasing risk of permanent brain damage every minute. He knows the theory. In practice, it means he’s trying to gain time. To keep his head above water for as long as he can, taking a breath when the waves allow him to. Until, finally, the chain pulls him definitively under water.

He starts a mental countdown.

Seven minutes and twenty-two seconds.  

He remembers the day he broke his record, in the batcave. It was pure spite, at that time, that pushed him. A profound desire to do better than Bruce’s seven minutes and nineteen seconds record. Back then, he hadn’t fought a bunch of people, gotten himself a concussion, and spent an unknown amount of time keeping himself afloat in the Gotham Sea. But this is irrelevant.

Seven minutes  

Here is the worst thing about being chained to a shortening chain. He can see the surface, if he swims toward it, he might even be able to get his hands out. But he can’t get his head out of the water. There is something frustrating about it. Maybe that’s why the machine is designed that way, so he can see his salvation, so close, and yet unreachable.

Six minutes  

The clock imagery had never been more relevant, he thinks as his chest starts burning, pleading him to take a breath. This isn’t a battle against the organization that captured him, at this point. This is a battle against time. And he’s not alone in this fight. While he’s fighting to stretch time, to hold on to his air, Bruce is somewhere, fighting to get him in time. Any moment now, the chain could let him go. It’s just a question about what will happen first. Unfortunately, time, much like gravity, is cruel and unwavering.

Five minutes  

He will hold on. He won’t let Bruce have to tell Damian he’s dead when the child comes back. Not again, never again. Even by pure will, he will hold on. He will survive this and go back to his family. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how much he wants to breathe. He will survive this.

Four minutes

He should have said something, earlier. He should have found something to say to Bruce, or to Tim. Not let his last words be about something mission related. He should have told him something, anything. At least to let him know his time was running out.

Three minutes

Maybe there could have been another way? Maybe Gordon could have taken care of the hostages while Bruce freed him? He knows it’s selfish, but he’s dying. Could he be a little selfish?

Two minutes

Do these people even deserve him to die for them anyway? Sacrifice for sacrifice, he could at least have died for someone he loves or someone who would save thousands of lives in return. He knows that is just pain and fear talking, but still. This is so unfair.

One minute

Nothing exists other than pain now. Pain and the will to live. He’s not even afraid anymore.

Forty-six seconds

He’s supposed to still have time. He’s supposed to still have forty-six seconds. He’s supposed to still be able to hold his breath. And yet, his body disrespects his commands, pain overtaking over the will to live. His mouth opens for him to take a breath full of seawater. He doesn’t have time to choke on it, already on the verge of unconsciousness.

The last thing he sees before his world fades is a shadow above the water. Some part of him distantly thinks Batman is back, and another reminds him this could very much be a hallucination of his oxygen deprived brain.

But it doesn’t matter, because soon, the shadow disappears, along with everything else.

-

It’s pain that wakes him up. Crawling from his chest to his throat to his head, unbearable pressure threatening to split him in two. His eyes shoot open and before he can fully process what’s going on he’s on his side, vomiting seawater and what’s probably half of his stomach. He coughs, spits, and tries desperately to get this to stop. But water keeps coming, and he can feel his face covered in spit, tears, and half of the ocean. After what seems to be a small eternity, the pain eases, leaving him shaking and panting, unable to move. That’s when he realizes there is a hand in his hair, a gentle voice soothing him.

Now that he thinks about it, there are other voices and flashing lights. He doesn’t really know what’s going on, but Batman is here, above him like the gargoyles that protect the city. The cape looms over him, his own personal protection against the world.  

They did it. They won against time. He wants to say he never had any doubts about it; Batman and Robin can overcome anything, after all. Except the adult part of him knows both statements are false, and he and Bruce haven’t been Batman and Robin for years now. But it doesn’t really matter because when he opens his mouth, all that comes out is a strangled wheeze.

“Shh,” says Batman, or Bruce, he can’t really be sure when his father takes that voice. “Don’t try to talk. I’m getting you out of here. Let me know if anything feels wrong.”

He barely has time to process what had been said to him before he’s lifted in the air, his head spinning as his body touches Batman’s armor. Something tugs on his left foot, and for a second panics blossom in his brain. He can feel himself being taken away from his father’s arms and pulled back into the ocean. But, as Batman walks away, the weight on his foot follows quietly. He risks opening his eyes only to see the chain, dangling from his ankle, but broken.

“What’s happening?” he murmurs. There are cars, the GCPD? What about the hostages? What about the organization? Most of the people Dick fought were very young, there has to be a leader manipulating them somewhere.

“You’re okay,” is all the only answer he gets.

He blinks, and he’s on his side in the Batmobile. There is something on his face, and it takes him a second to identify it as the portable oxygen mask they keep in here. Bruce is talking to someone on the radio, possibly Tim or Alfred, but when the car starts moving and Dick has to pull off the mask to dry heave in a bucket that was conveniently placed near him, he’s by his side in an instant.

Dick thinks he says something, but the meaning is lost even to him. He’s exhausted and cold, and he just wants the pain to stop.  

“I know,” Bruce says. “Just let me get you to the cave, then you can sleep.”

This is a lie. Dick knows all too well the procedures after a drowning. The tests will last forever, and he won’t be able to rest just yet. But he doesn’t call his father out on it and instead lets himself be dragged out of the Batmobile and to a cot as soon as they reach the cave.  

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Tim gravitating around him, gathering supplies under Alfred’s direction.              

“I’m okay,” Dick says. It might have been more convincing if his voice was louder than an airy murmur.

Tim gives him what he probably thinks is a comforting smile, but it looks more like a grimace. “I know.”

And then he just disappears behind Alfred, and Dick lets his surrogate grandfather get him out of his wet uniform and into the warm post-patrol clothes he has in the cave. He then dutifully lets him listen to his lungs and shine a penlight in his eyes. He gives his arm for an IV, answers the questions to the best of his capacity, and forces himself to stay awake for the rest of the tests.

All this time, while Tim offers words of encouragement and concern from time to time, Bruce stays silent and stone-faced. There is something wrong, but Dick doesn’t have the energy to do anything about it now. As soon as Alfred gives him the all clear and helps him lie back down on the cave cot, Batman takes his foot to work on the cuff. Not Bruce, Batman. The hands are gentle but professional.

“Where are you?” Dick asks.

“I’m here,” Bruce reassures him, but he’s not, not really. He’s protecting himself, pushing his feelings away. Dick knows it all too well.

But he doesn’t have time to tell him all that, because he definitely loses his fight to stay awake, sleep welcoming him in its arms like a long-lost lover.

-

Dick wakes up with a breath stuck in his throat. He coughs, and slowly sits up, massaging his aching chest. He closes his eyes and tries to take deep calming breaths, trying to leave whatever nightmare had woken him up behind him without aggravating his lungs. After a while, he feels comfortable opening his eyes again. Tim is by the computer and hadn’t moved during his little freak out. There is no one else in the cave.

He takes the medical report that is lying next to his bed. He reads the information, half-expecting what he finds. Mild concussion, several broken ribs from CPR. The IV in his arm is rehydrating him as well as supplying antibiotics to avoid pneumonia, or at least preventing it from being too bad. With water from the Gotham Harbor in his lungs, Dick has little hope he won’t be feeling like death warmed over in a few days, despite Alfred’s best efforts.

He’ll probably have to do another cognitive test sometime soon, but the results from one from the night before were as good as could be expected. He knew his brain wasn’t too damaged, but this still lifts a weight off his shoulders. He puts down the paper and carefully puts his feet on the cold cave floor, mindful of the left one, where the shackle left an angry red bruise. After a second, he gets up. He waits for a moment for his head to stop spinning and makes his way toward the computer, hand on the IV pole.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Tim asks without turning around, typing one-handed on the batcomputer.

Dick wants to return the question, but when he tries to talk, his throat closes on the world, and all he can get is a small croak. Tim moves a thermos toward him as he sits down heavily in front of an unused computer. He unscrews the top, half expecting to find coffee, and is pleasantly surprised when he smells thyme and honey. He pours himself a mug and takes small sips, feeling the hot and sweet water soothe his throat.

“You’re not seriously going to write a report now?” Tim asks when he opens the blank document they use to write their mission reports.

Dick shrugs. “The group was way bigger than I expected, and they were mostly teenagers and young adults. Someone is manipulating them, and I want to know how they did to recruit so many people so fast.” He takes a sip of the infusion when his voice threatens to break. “And then there are the victims. Are they really corrupted, and how did the organization know about them?”

Tim’s chair turns toward him. “I would have made that mistake too. With the information we had, I would have underestimated their number, just like you. So would’ve everybody else.”

Dick raises an eyebrow, silently asking his brother his point.

“It wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?”

Dick shrugs. Sure, it’s never pleasant to make such a mistake, but he knows this isn’t entirely on him. He wonders why Tim would assume it, before his eyes find the report page. Right. But he’s not punishing himself, not really. He just needs to do this so Batman can safely take over the case.

“I’m okay, kiddo,” he says quietly. Some time passes, the silence of the cave disturbed only by the sound of their keyboards, as well as the occasional screeching from the bats and coughing from Dick, before Tim says, “I know.”

Some more time passes, and Dick is about halfway through his report when he says, “It wasn’t your fault, either.”

Some more silence, before Tim repeats, “I know.” He stays silent some more, working on the computer, before muttering, “It’s just... I wasn’t there.”

Dick turns his chair. “Tim, you have a broken arm. You were on comms, and you coordinated the GCPD and paramedics.” Or at least Dick assumes he did. “And even if you had left the cave when I sent the distress signal, which would have been incredibly stupid considering you’re injured, you wouldn’t have made it to the harbor in time.” Because this is what it all falls down to, in the end: time. The large hands of the clock deciding his fate. If Batman had arrived only a minute or two later…

But he didn’t, and Dick chases the uncomfortable thought from his head. “You did the right thing, Timmy. And it turned out alright.” It almost didn’t, but it turned out alright.

Dick continues his report and sips the infusion after that. He writes automatically, not really thinking about what he’s doing, well trained from thousands of mission and patrol reports. When he’s finished, he takes a deep breath. “Where is Bruce?”    

Dick hopes he didn’t just go back on patrol, but knowing Bruce, this was a very real possibility. That is, if it’s still night. He doesn’t know how long he slept for, and there is no way to tell the time in the cave. Time, again.

Tim makes a face. “In the training room.”

Dick has to hold back a sigh, if anything because it would only aggravate his chest. He’d known Bruce for years now, and he knows how he acts when he’s upset. “I’ll go see him,” he says, standing up carefully.

Tim opens his mouth but thinks again before saying whatever it is he wanted to say. Maybe Dick doesn’t have to go confront Bruce, but they both know he will do it anyway.

Dick ruffles Tim’s hair as he passes behind him. “Go to sleep, Timmy.”

Tim snorts. “You don’t even know what time it is.”  

Dick smiles. “No, but I know you.”    

His little brother let out a long-suffering sigh. “It will be lunch time soon, anyway. No point in sleeping now.”

Dick hums. It’s good to have at least an idea of the time of the day. “You should take a nap after lunch, then. I’m guessing you haven’t slept much since yesterday.” He knows his family. It’s not exactly their style to leave him unsupervised in the cave after he drowned and go to their usual activities. He hopes Alfred, at least, had gotten some rest while Tim and Bruce were watching over him. “Wait, it was yesterday, right? I’m not missing an entire day?”  

Tim shakes his head, sadly all too used to waking up confused after a disastrous patrol to make fun of his older brother. “No, you just slept through the night and the morning.”

Dick hums again, coughs in his fist. “I’ll go see Bruce. Call if you need anything.”

Tim hits him lightly in the arm. “That’s my line.”

Dick walks slowly into the training room. Bruce is exactly where he expected him to be. Wearing only the pants and boots of the Batman uniform, he’s fighting against one of the machines that sends tennis balls at high speed toward them, in hard mode. Dick winces when his father blocks one of the balls with his forearm, sending it flying toward the opposite direction. It wouldn’t even leave a bruise with the Batman suit on, but on his bare arm? That’s got to hurt.  

“How long have you been down there?” Dick asks. He doesn’t know if his father could have heard him over the sound of the machine if Batman’s senses hadn’t been trained to the very limit of human capacity. But they have, and Bruce quickly turns off the equipment and turns toward him.

“You should be in bed,” he says, giving Dick that look.

Dick sits down on one of the chairs. “Well, I’m here. You didn’t answer my question.”

Bruce takes a towel and starts drying his sweat-covered hair as he goes sit next to Dick. “I’m glad you’re okay, chum.”

Dick grimaces. Still not an answer. Meaning Bruce has been here longer than he’s comfortable admitting. The bruises on his arm and chest only support this theory. Maybe Dick wasn’t punishing himself by writing a report with a concussion and maybe Tim wasn’t punishing himself by staying awake all night, but Bruce definitely was by training for too long and unprotected.

“Yeah, thanks to you. You got me in time.”

Bruce’s face twists. There it is. “I almost didn’t. You were…”

Cold. Not breathing. Bruce doesn’t have to finish. Dick has saved enough people, civilians or other heroes, from drowning. He knows how hard it can be to think you’re too late, to think maybe the last rescue breath should be the one where you accept that death has won and stop.

Dick puts his shoulder on Bruce’s. His sweatshirt touches bare skin, but he knows Bruce can still feel the warmth beneath the clothes. “I’m okay, now.” He bites back another cough that wouldn’t help his case. This is starting to become annoying, but he knows the coughing will linger for a moment, still.  

Bruce moves away from his contact. Whatever moment they had is now over. “There are still some risks. You should go see Alfred for a checkup and eat something. It will be some time until you’re back at full capacity.”

Dick sighs. “You should go upstairs too. You know, have some food, maybe see the sun. Take Tim with you. But before that, B, you should really take a shower.”

Bruce mutters something that sounds like “brat” and Dick smiles as he makes his way into the manor.

-

“Have you had any sleep at all?” Dick asks as Alfred puts a stethoscope on his chest, frowning at what he hears.    

“It’s my job to worry about you, not the other way around,” says the old man, but he smiles kindly. “I did rest for a few hours. And by the look of you, I suggest you do the same after lunch. You need all the energy you can get.”

Dick nods. He woke up not an hour ago, yet he can still feel himself ready to go back to sleep. “I’ll try to blackmail Tim into getting some sleep, too.” He doesn’t think he can do anything about Bruce. If anyone has any chance of getting him to nap, it’s Alfred, not him.

“Will you stay in the manor? At least for a few days?”

Dick looks away. “Alfred…”

“Please. After the scare Master Bruce and Master Tim had, I think it would do both of them some good to have you home for a moment.” Tim had already decided he would stay at the manor until his arm healed, or at least until Damian came back.

Dick sighs. He always had a hard time saying no to Alfred. Some part of his mind rationalizes that even if he went back to Blüdhaven now, he won’t be in any shape to do effective vigilante work. He should probably ask in the Titans group chat if anyone is available to do a few rounds in his city, check if everything is still as quiet as when he left it.  

“And I really would like to keep an eye on your lungs. It’s easier to do so if you stay here.”

Dick puts his hand on Alfred’s shoulder. “I’ll stay,” he says. It’s not as if things are as bad now as they once were with Bruce, and it’s still an occasion to spend some exclusive time with Tim, even if this kind of thing only seems to happen when one or both of them are injured.    

Alfred frees him from the IV, switching him to oral medicine instead, as he can eat and drink alright. Thoughtful as ever, the butler had also prepared a special meal for him, which he eats under Bruce’s hawk gaze. His father restrains himself from any comment about how little he eats during lunch, and Dick is grateful for that. He knows Bruce’s words sometimes sound like reproach even if they come from a place of concern, but he doesn’t have the energy to be patient now.

When lunch is over and everything was put away, Dick finds Tim exactly where he expected him to be: by the coffeemaker. He stops his brother’s hand before he can touch the appliance. “No. Nap for you.”

Tim snorts. “It’s not like coffee is going to prevent me from sleeping.”

Dick knows it all too well. Coffee had kept him awake for maybe a year or so after he started drinking it until habituation set in, nullifying the effect entirely. He stopped drinking it after that, never a fan of the taste. He assumes it’s the same for Tim, except for the fact that his little brother actually likes bitterness.

He pulls Tim’s sleeve toward him. “Still. Come on, let’s go to my room.”

Their rooms are all big enough so several people can sleep in them at the same time, and it’s not the first time they will be sleeping in the same bed. Plus, he knows Tim. If he wants his brother to actually sleep, he has to keep an eye on him.

“You took your meds?” he asks when he sees his younger brother massaging his arm with a grimace.

“I’m good,” is all Tim says, though whether it means he took the painkillers and they just hadn’t acted yet or he decided against medication is anyone’s guess.

When they finally reach his room, Dick lets himself fall on his bed, winded by the small trip, then pulls Tim’s hand to make him sit. “Give me your phone, I don’t know where mine is,” he asks, almost petulantly. Tim doesn’t say anything and hands him the device. Dick opens the music app and finds a quiet soft playlist to put on.  

He would be satisfied in falling asleep like that and think about everything else later, but, apparently, Tim isn’t. He’s still seated on the bed, his eyes open and firmly on the ground.

“What’s going on in that big head of yours, Timmy?” Dick whispers.

Tim shakes his head. “It’s nothing,” he says, then turns around to give Dick what he probably thinks is a reassuring smile. “Go to sleep.”

Dick pulls on Tim’s arm again, making him lie down next to him. “What’s going on?” he asks again.

Tim closes his eyes. “I read your report,” he finally says, his voice barely audible.  

“And?” Dick asks in the same tone.  

“And I know the hostages. I saw them several times, during events for Wayne Tech or galas and stuff.”

Dick hums. He’s not surprised. Some of the names reminded him of something, but he never kept as good a track on Gotham high society as Bruce or Tim.

His brother opens his eyes. “Dick, none of these people would have lifted a finger to save you unless they had something to gain from it. They will probably find a way to play the whole event in their favor, without so much as a thanks to you and Batman, or the GCPD and Gotham General paramedics, for that matter.”

Dick stays silent for a moment, letting Tim gather his thoughts. After a while, Tim sighs and starts talking again. “I guess… I know it’s selfish, but when your comm went silent and your vitals started dropping, and all I could do was just sit there and do nothing, I just wondered… you know… why does it have to be us?”

Dick brings his hand to Tim’s head, moving a stray hair out of his brother’s face. “We saved a lot of people,” he answers. It feels weak, even to him.

“I know, I know. And it’s not all bad, but times like yesterday… I wish things were different, and sometimes it just feels so unfair.”

He sighs again. “I know it sounds childish-”

“It’s not,” Dick cuts him off. “It’s not childish.” He could say a beautiful speech, about how they’re heroes and they’re saving lives every day, about how it’s their calling, but Tim deserves the truth.  

“When I was in the harbor, I also thought… that maybe if Batman hadn’t gone for the hostages first, he could have saved me, that maybe I was going to die for some assholes. But I chose this. I’m risking my life because I think this is the best thing I can do. For others, but also for myself. It’s easy for me to say, because it was me chained to that clock, and not one of you. But… I had these thoughts, too. And it won’t stop me from going back out tomorrow. Because it might be unfair sometimes. But sometimes, you see someone you saved, and you think: this is worth it.”

He’s a little winded by the time he finishes what ended up being more or less an epic speech about how they’re heroes and it’s their calling, but he knows Tim got the idea. His brother smiles. “Well, maybe not tomorrow.”

“Maybe not tomorrow,” Dick agrees. He takes a tissue and coughs some mucus on it, as if his body is trying to prove his point.  

“But thanks,” Tim says. “I know all that, but sometimes, I guess it’s worth a reminder. Sorry, you’re the one who almost died, I should be cheering you up, not the other way around.”

Dick can feel himself drifting. Maybe talking too much was a bad idea. “Must have been terrible to watch,” he mumbles. “But I’m okay now. I’m here.”

Tim says something in return, but Dick is already too far gone to hear it.

-

When he wakes up, he’s alone, but the other side of the bed is unmade and still warm, so he hopes Tim has at least gotten some sleep. A quick look at his alarm clock informs him it’s late afternoon. Duke is probably back from his day patrol by now.

After a quick run into Alfred, he’s informed that Tim, Bruce and Duke, are in the cave. He goes down, overhearing the conversation before he reaches the place.

“I’ll see what I can do, look for clues during the day, see if I can find anything about the leader,” says Duke.

Bruce’s reply is immediate. “Do not, under any circumstances, engage. These people are dangerous and not to be apprehended alone.”

A quick look at the computer’s screen shows him his report and research from the previous night. “You’re working my case without me?”

The three of them turn toward him.

Duke swallows. “You were still sleeping. We didn’t want to-”

Dick cuts him with a hand wave, sitting on one of the chairs. “It’s fine, it’s not as if I’ll be on the field anytime soon anyway.” He’s out of breath from the short trip from his room to the cave and the pain in his chest hadn’t lessened the slightest during his nap. Even he knows he can’t reasonably go back to his night job like that. “Though, I still think we’re missing someone.”

Bruce raises an eyebrow at him. Dick looks from him to Tim to Duke. If nobody is going to say it, he might as well do. “You said it yourself, they’re too dangerous to be apprehended alone. I made that mistake, and I paid the price.” Bruce winces, but Dick isn’t one not to play all the cards he has in hand. “We need someone to do the day patrols, that would be Duke, and someone to do the night, where they are more likely to show up. That’s you. You can’t expect Duke to do both day and night.” The kid looks like he’s about to argue but Dick shuts him up with a look. There are enough people who don’t care about their own wellbeing in this family as it is. “Tim and I are injured. But you still need someone with you.”

The cave stays silent for a minute or two, all of them understanding the implication, before Tim takes his side. “Dick is right. We should call Red Ho-”

“No.”

Dick groans. “Are you guys fighting again?” He turns toward Tim and Duke. “Are they fighting again?”      

Tim shakes his head and Duke whispers a “not that I know of.”

Dick turns toward Bruce. “What is it then?”

“We are not calling Red Hood. Period.”

Dick sighs. This is not a fight he’s ready to lose. “Look, I know you guys have your differences, but Jason has been doing really well lately. You didn’t have any problem calling him last week if I hadn’t offered my help to patrol in Gotham. Why now? This is the best thing to do, and you know it.”

He can see in the lines of Bruce’s face that he’s starting to get angry. Well, he can get as angry as he wants, Dick isn’t going to change his mind unless he understands Bruce’s point. “We are not calling Hood.”

Tim opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again. “Is that because you were almost too late to save Dick? It brought back bad memories and now you don’t want to see Jason?”

Dick turns toward Tim. That actually makes a lot of sense. When he turns back to Bruce, the man gets up abruptly and walks aggressively toward the training room. Duke gets up, but Dick stops him. “I’ll handle this.”

One of the training dummies is going to have to be replaced, Dick thinks grimly as he hears the sound coming from the room. He leans on the wall. “I’m okay,” he says. “You got me in time.” His voice breaks toward the end, and he has to take a tissue to cough in it. Okay, maybe he’s not as okay as he wants to pretend, but he’s getting there.  

“I almost didn’t,” Bruce responds, a repeat of their conversation in the same room, earlier in the day.

“But you did. I’m okay. And so is Jason. I know in his case this is different, but somehow, he’s here and alive. You can’t act as if he’s still in that tomb, because he isn’t.”

Bruce doesn’t say anything and keeps hitting the training dummy. He knows what Dick’s telling him; they both know it.

“And it will probably be hard to see him, I don’t doubt it, but it’s also the right thing to do given the situation. You need someone to help you with that case. People’s lives are at stake. We have to make the most logical choice.”

“You think I don’t know that!?” Bruce yells, and the training dummy flies a few feet away from Dick. “You think I don’t know we have to make the most logical decision even if everything in us tells us to do otherwise?!”  

Dick has the feeling his father isn’t talking about Jason anymore. He suddenly can’t breathe for a reason that has nothing to do with the state of his lungs. Bruce takes a step toward him; all anger seems to have evaporated from his body. “I need you to know. I wanted to go back to you, I really did. I wanted to turn around and free you, hostages be damned.”

“But you couldn’t,” Dick says in a strangled voice.

Bruce closes his eyes. He let the next words out almost painfully. “But I couldn’t. We didn’t know how much time the hostages had, and I…”

He trails off. “I understand,” Dick murmurs.

Bruce’s hand closes on his arm. “I know you do. Maybe that’s even worse.”

Dick doesn’t know what he can say to that. The truth: that he was scared and wanted his father, would only hurt Bruce even more. But he doesn’t have it in him to lie. “Let’s call Jay,” is all he says.

Bruce nods and they make their way back to the main room of the cave together. To their surprise, Tim and Duke are already on the phone with Jason.

“You guys didn’t waste time,” Dick says, sitting back on his chair.

Tim shrugs. “We know you. There was no way it would have ended otherwise. I also asked Alfred to add a share to dinner, so Jay, I guess you better leave now if you don’t want to be late.”

“Who told you I was coming to dinner? I agreed to help with the case, that’s all,” says Jason’s voice from the phone.

“I mean,” says Tim, “you could skip dinner, but Alfred would probably be disappointed.”

Jason curses, maybe insults Tim, and cuts the line. Tim turns toward Bruce. “Is that okay?”

Bruce sighs. “That’s okay. Thank you, Timmy.”

-

“All in all, you don’t look dead,” is all the greeting Dick gets from Jason as his brother enters the manor, just in time for dinner. “I would have been pretty upset if you were: that’s my thing. It’s trademarked.”

“Yeah, speaking of that,” Dick whispers, “Could you go easy on the death jokes with B tonight?”

Jason gasps dramatically. “You can’t ask me that, it’s like asking a fish not to swim.”

Dick hits him in the ribs. “Come on, at least try?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” is all Jason says as he takes his seat for dinner.

The dinner is what he’s expecting it to be after that. Tim and Duke do most of the conversation, Jason chiming in here and there, mostly to give obviously bad ideas. Dick watches Bruce’s gaze, going from Jason to him. His father seems more relaxed than he had been in the cave. That might just be a front, or maybe seeing Jason, reassuring himself that his second son is back for good, actually did him some good. Dick hopes it’s the latter, but knowing Bruce, he might never know.

Dick tries to keep up with the conversation, but he’s not sure how much success he has in that. Despite having slept for most of the day, he’s still exhausted. He blames the fear, the concussion, the pain, and the incessant coughing for that. He zones out more and more as the dinner progresses. This, apparently, isn’t lost on Alfred, as the old man asks him to follow him into the medical wing after they said goodbye to Duke for the night.

“You have a low-grade fever,” his surrogate grandfather informs him after a quick exam. “And I don’t like the sound of that cough.”

“I’ll be okay, Alfred,” is all Dick can say.

The old man smiles. “I know you will. You’re healthy and fit. You will bounce back in no time. But in the meantime, let an old man take care of you.”

Dick looks away. He feels bad doing nothing as Bruce and Jason take over his case. As if reading his thoughts, Alfred says, “Do not worry, Master Bruce and Master Jason are both experienced vigilantes. I’m sure they will get this thing sorted out and come back in one piece. Plus, they work well together.”

Dick snorts. “Don’t let either of them hear you say that.”

The butler gives him a knowing smile. “That’s why I’m saying it to you. Come on. Off to bed.”

Alfred takes his arm and guides him back upstairs. He helps him settle to bed and comes back a little later, one of Bruce’s vests and his sewing box in hands. “I thought I could stay with you, if that’s okay,” he explains. “I have a button to sew back, and I always appreciate company.”  

Dick smiles, nodding. Alfred doesn’t need the company as much as he does, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he let himself be lured to sleep by the sound of thread against fabric and Alfred’s focused breathing.

Just as he’s about to drift, he feels lips on his forehead, and hears the familiar voice of his grandfather saying, “You’re okay, my boy. You don’t have to take the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

He wants to tell Alfred that neither does he, but he’s asleep before the words pass his lips.

-

Things are fuzzy when he wakes up. He doesn’t know what time it is, or what’s going on. His chest feels tight, and he thinks he calls for help, but he’s not sure if anyone hears him.

He blinks, and he’s in the cave. The IV is back, and so is the oxygen mask. He wonders for a second if he ever left at all. Did he live the previous day?

He blinks again, and he sees Tim. His brother is saying something to him, but it’s like he’s underwater. Why would Tim be underwater, Dick is the one who drowned. But he got out, Batman got him out, Batman won against time. He knows that. He knows Bruce saved him. He’s not… it was real.  

He’s not underwater anymore. He’s safe. He’s safe.

He calls for Bruce, or he thinks he calls for Bruce, and his father’s face appears next to him.  

He closes his eyes and lets go. He doesn’t understand what’s going on, but there is a child-like belief, something time had drowned but that sometimes resurfaces: he will be okay as long as Bruce is here. As long as Batman is here.

Batman’s got him, and he’s safe.

-

“Are you actually awake this time?”

Dick blinks, and Jason’s face clears. Yes, he thinks he’s actually awake.

He groans. “What happened?”

Jason taps lightly on his leg. “You crashed during the night, and Alfred took you here for oxygen treatment. Your fever broke this morning, so he thinks the worst is behind you.”

One quick look around the cave reveals Tim, curled up in a cot, and Bruce, sleeping on a chair, his neck bent toward the ground. Dick winces in sympathy. “He’s going to be so sore when he wakes up.”

Jason snorts. “Give the old man a break, you scared him,” he says, and Dick knows this is as close as he will go to you scared me. “After we had a big emotional talk on patrol and all.”

Dick blinks. “What big emotional talk?”

Jason clears his throat, looks away. “Well, he seemed pretty shaken by what happened in the harbor. It opened some sort of weird affection to me. Anyway. You know B. He doesn’t do anything without it being awkward.”

Jason seems more and more interested in the ground. “Anyway. It was long overdue.”

Dick gets his hand to move and takes Jason’s wrist. “Will you stay?” he asks. Because if one of them is as good as Bruce at escaping emotional situations, it’s Jason.

“Your case isn’t over,” is all Jason says. “And I think you need someone to babysit you.”  

Dick smiles. “You bet I do. I’m going to force you into a whole day of movies and games, and use my illness as an excuse to do nothing.”

Jason snorts. “Damian and the girls will probably be back the day after tomorrow. You can bully them into staying with you then.”

Dick closes his eyes. He doesn’t look forward to the moment where he will have to explain the situation to Damian. But the idea of spending some time with his youngest brother soon still fills him with warmth.

-

Dick is a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. He knows his family is distracting him while they keep working in the cave. They’re not even doing a good job at it, taking turns to stay with him in a scheduled timeframe. They’re usually better than that at plotting and Dick would be offended they’re underestimating him if he wasn’t so tired. If he wasn’t so happy to have Alfred, Jason, Tim, Bruce, and, later in the afternoon, Duke all working together out of concern for him.

But he knows they’re also spending most of their day in the cave, possibly working on his case. He knows they’re working, and he knows they’re good, so he’s not the least surprised when, in the morning of the third day after his drowning, Jason tells him when he wakes up that the case is solved.

“So, you’re leaving?” he asks his brother, sitting at the table for breakfast, nodding to Bruce. His father had been watching him like a hawk, preventing him from doing anything more than moving around in the manor since the previous night.

Jason shrugs. “Well, the kids are coming back this afternoon, so I was thinking I could hang out a little longer.”        

Dick gives him his best smile. He wishes the circumstances were different, but it’s nice to see Jason and Bruce being in the same room without being at each other’s throats.

He knows nothing is solved. He knows the next crisis will happen, and it can possibly be the last. But for now, they won. And he decides to enjoy the time he has.  

-

Hope you enjoyed the fic, I had fun writing it. As usual, many thanks to @ohmytoddhewitt for beta reading and English fixing!                  

[just-an-aussie-fandom-hermit]

Some #Only in Gotham posts because I’m stressed and this is my coping mechanism

Guys guys guys

So I was in Central City today visiting some friends earlier this morning, and then the city gets attacked by these... aliens? Weird reptillian cryptids?? Who knows, but they were not happy nor friendly. We were all at this nice cafe just vibing in the outdoor area when this bipedal, green-gray reptile thing pops out of the manhole outside the cafe and goes absolutely feral. He was super close to my group so I grab my croc repellant (for non gothamites, its’ basically pepper spray but really bad-smelling to ward off croc if he ever shows up) out in an instant and I sprayed it right in the face.

Then I grabbed the nearest thing—some poor old guy’s metal walking frame—and whacked the reptile in the back of the head and it crumpled basically instantly.

And after the JL had stepped in to deal with the rest of them (not many, from what I’ve heard, but better safe than sorry I guess), heaps of people were freaking out about it because, well, this is Central City, they don’t get this kind of crime, they’re not prepared for this, yada yada.

Then that manhole pops up and everyone freaks out again because “oh god they’re back” but it’s just Batman dragging a bunch of tied up reptiles out of the sewers using some kind of winch set-up. It was almost comical—a daisy chain of reptiles being lifted out of this manhole in Central City by our favourite Goth Cryptid.

The cops were completely floored. The civilians didn’t know whether to be more scared of Bats or the reptiles. I mean, it was literally the middle of the day, and it’s rare to see Batman in daytime in Gotham but I guess this was an extenuating circumstance, so I guess I see why they were scared.

Batman just looks down at me standing over an unconscious reptilian holding the can of croc repellant and he’s just like “I’m guessing you’re from Gotham.”

I was like “yeah. Can’t escape the damn cryptids wherever I am.”

And tHEN he LAUGHS. Like, it was a small and quiet snort but it happened and I’m still shook. I have officially joined the “I made Batman laugh” squad. I can ascend peacefully now.

He seemed super embarrassed but asked if my friends and I were okay before he turned on his heel and stalked over to Flash and Woner Woman, a daisy-chain of reptiles in tow.

#lmao #onlyingotham #Batman #IMadeBatmanLaugh #ITookDownAReptileCryptid #GothamIsWeirdOkay #WeGottaBePreparedForAnything

———

I just heard this Metropolis guy try and trash Bruce Wayne to his friend at this diner and like five seperate people (myself included) turned around to roast the hell outta him. Like, yeah, he’s a billionaire, which is a whole can of worms I don’t wanna open right now, but he’s basically the only reason this city’s still standing and functioning (especially after the quakes and the no-man’s-land bs). His kids—most are poc and would not have thrived in the system—are all successful and work with their communities to better other people’s lives. Bruce Wayne is basically the only reason I got through high school (and am now in college); a scholarship is the only reason most of my friends have enough money to make rent. He “accidentally” spilled wine on Lex Luthor when he made a sexist remark. Also, didn’t it come out recently that he’s basically been funding the JL o at least is a major financial backer? An icon. You can shut your mouth, Jeremy.

One girl Instagram lived the whole exchange (she was filming beforehand I think) and it was magical.

Later on, Robin (the newest one, with the swords) shows up and he’s like “thank you for defending the honour of Mr Wayne”. I was like “kid,,,, you don’t need to thank me but you’re welcome”. he just kinda looks at me for a second and says “you eat free tonight” and chucks a bunch of dollar notes at me and disappears into the wilderness (ie. an alleyway). It was so surreal.

#GiveWayneABreak #BruceWayne #LetTheManLiveHisLife #GothamitesProtectTheirOwn #EvenTheBatkidsAreProtectiveOfHim

———

Yeah so....... I just saw some of Two-Face’s goons about to enter a bank, weapons drawn, and I’m scared because their boss is in Arkham, and the Rogues’ most loyal people always get antsy and trigger-happy when their bosses are off the board. I’d dialed 911 when I first saw them and ducked into an alley.

But then I see one of them stop dead in their tracks—Goon A we’ll call him—and says “hey, Wayne’s in there”.

Goon B: “Oh, we’re not meant to go after Wayne. Pack it in fellas.”

Goon C: “Huh? why not?”

Goon A: “Boss-man said so. Wayne used to be his best bud. Helped him campaign to be DA and stuff. Went to college together. Nice man.”

Goon B: “Got no problem wth that. Wayne’s the only reason my boys got through school. Besides, we mess with Wayne, the boss and Harley will be on our asses.”

Goon C: “Huh. Fair enough. We’ll go to the other location then.”

And then they just,,,, left.

#EvenTheRoguesWannaProtectHim #BruceWayne #HarveyDent #TheGuysGotCaughtAfter #IToldDetectiveMontoya #AndSheJustSighedForAReallyLongTime #OnlyInGotham #GothamIsWeird

———

Today I was in a Zoom call with some of my coworkers on the other side of the world, sitting in the kitchen facing the living room, when Red Robin comes crashing through my window. I just kinda turned around to see if he was badly injured (he wasn’t, couldn’t even see any blood) so I just continued on with what I was saying and he sheepishly left through the same window.

My coworkers are looking at me like “Jacob are you okay??” And I’m like, “yeah man, that was just Red Robin, he has unfortunate luck with windows. Soon enough one of the other Bats will come knocking with a replacement or a cash refund. Though, I should probably just invest in plexi-glass.”

One of my coworkers went on a bit of a rant about “vigilantes causing property damage and disrupting the peace” and i’m like “Mark I’d rather Batman crashing through my door or window once a month to getting buried in my twenties in his abscence,” and he was like “yeah, fair enough” so we just continued with our call.

After my call, Blonde Batgirl shows up and apologises for the window. I ask about plexi-glass and if Red Robin is alright.

She’s like “yeah he’s fine but he’s getting Bat-Lectured for being reckless which is why I’m here. Also from what Oracle can tell you should be able to get plex-glass installed within the week.”

#OnlyInGotham #GettingBatLecturedDoesNotSoundFun #ThanksOracle #BatmanDontBeTooHardOnTheKid #Gothamite #MeanwhileInGothamCity #GothamCity #RedRobin

———

So, Red Hood piggy-backed me up to my apartment yesterday because my heel broke when I was fleeing from these guys trying to mug me (or worse) and I sprained my ankle. He carried me up four flights of stairs and helped me get into my apartment and wrap my foot properly.

I told him to take some of my nana’s lasagna (because our local vigilante needs to keep his strength up! Man’s gotta eat, and from what I hear he’s not swimming in cash) and he got real quiet for a while before saying “yeah, sure”.

So he ate some lasagna while I called in sick to work (who were very understanding, surprisingly).

Then after a little while he’s like “bye” and jumps outta my window.

An icon.

#RedHood #OnyInGotham #WeStanALegend #IHopeYouLikedTheLasagna #MyNanaSaysSheWillMakeMoreForYou #GrowingUpInCrimeAlley

[miraculous-trinity-leo]

Whacky Gotham, Goofy New York, and Chaotic Paris.

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

Chapter 5: Then Let The Games Begin

•—–—–·†·–—–—•

Soooo, the Batfam is panicking, Gotham's confused as to why Iron Man is flying over Gotham like a madman, and Maria is with two of Gotham's Sirens (but only Ivy and Harley know this) having a wonderful time playing with Bud and Lou.

Let's start with the Sirens.

Harley is watching over Maria and Tikki as they sleep with Bud and Lou, Ivy walkes over to sit next to Harley, handing her a cup of tea.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" - Ivy

"She has some sort of trauma, has class issues... and handles more than she should, but still does everythin', on top of bein' a hero. She's been through some sh-t Pam." Yeah Harley may have found out Maria's a hero (if the tiny god and magic were anything to go by).

"Is she alone?" - Ivy

"No, thankfully, she has supportive parents, and friends that aren't little sh-ts. I think they're also heroes, she also has a lot, and I a mean A LOT of pent up emotions, she doesn't show anythin' negative, only positive things. She seems to shrink in on herself if she thinks she does somethin' wrong. Pam, we both know there's a limit to how much crap a person can take before they snap, and she's such a sweet kid. There has to be somethin' we can do to help her Ives." Ok she found out alot, but in Marias' defense, they have trustworthy souls, and they were the only other people (besides her friends) that she talked to about it, yes she had her Maman and Uncle to talk about hero stuff, but for the stuff her class does, she only ever vented (without being negative) to her friends.

"Her class is visiting the Botanical Gardens in three days, and it's a 2 part tour, so we can see just what's going on. If it's bad then we scare them a bit, if it's bad bad... they can handle a few slightly poisonous plants right?" - Ivy

"God I love the way ya think Ives, do ya think she can stay with us? I mean look at how cute she is with Bud and Lou... Oh my god, she's cuddlin' dem, and ya gave her a flower crown, how'd I miss that?! Where's the camera?"

Harley took a picture to remind her of this wonderful moment. As Ivy and Harley looked at the picture, they both promised to keep Maria safe, and maybe become sorta kinda-ish parents to her while she's in Gotham.

•—–·Now back to the Bat-Chaos Bat-Cave·–—•

Tim took over the chair and was now searching the possible locations with Jarvis, Damian was sitting on a different chair, trying to act cool, but he wouldn't stop looking over at Tim, to see his progress. Bruce was talking over the comms with Tony. Dick and Jason, weren't helping (they kept feeding each other worse and worse ideas of what could have happened to Maria). Then they heard Jarvis speak.

"I have found the most likely area Ms. Dupain-Cheng would be in. Her phone died about 56 blocks away from her hotel, if we don't count kidnapping, or murder, she would have thought about asking for directions, but may have decided not to considering the city she is in. So that leaves us with a possible 15-25 mile radius from her last known location. I think it best to divide into groups of two, have Oracle stay and update you if anything on security, and or traffic cameras happens. Bruce will be with Tony, Dick will go with Tim, and Jason will go with Damain to search within the area. Stephanie and Cassandra will search around a 5 mile radius near Wayne hotel." as Jarvis continued to explain the other details, the Batfam began to suit up, Batman met up with Iron Man, and they took the North area, Nightwing and Red Robin took the East area, while Red Hood and Robin searched the South. Steph and Cass were on foot in civilian clothes, searching the West area they were assigned.

They searched for the whole day, and came up with nothing. Until Oracle saw a video from a traffic cam around 9pm, 15 blocks away from where her phone died. She called it in and everyone went back to the cave. Once everyone was at the Bat-Computer, Oracle pressed play, the cameras didn't have sound, and it wasn't close enough to see if she was ok.

They watched as she went to an overgrown parking lot and sat down. She was looking down at the ground, and that's when they spotted two figures round the corner and spot her. They watched as the two figures approach Maria, and saw the startled reaction she had. They realized it was Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy that were talking to her, then they saw Maria collapse. They watched as Harley made sure she was ok, looking over to Ivy before looking back to Maria and picking her up. The last thing they saw, was Maria being carried away by two of Gothams' most dangerous rouges, but now they knew where to look next.

•—–· Back to Ivy and Harley ·–—•

Harley continued to take adorable pictures of the children.

"God, they're so f-ckin' cute!" - Harley for the 20th time

As Ivy continued to watch while caring for her plants, Catwoman walked in.

"Hey girls, got the stuff for movie night, so what are we- Holy mother of cats! He adopted another f-cking child didn't he! Where the hell does he keep finding them?! 7 was ment to be the god DAMN LIMIT!!!" - Catwoman

Maria jumped at the sudden shouting and may have accidentally summoned a yo-yo (one made useing creation magic and protection magic) before saying.

"Tikki where's the akuma?! How long was I out?! Forget it Tikki spot-" she then realized she wasn't in Paris, and seeing a new face, she also realized she just spilled her secret to another person within the same day... kinda

"Fffffffffffudge sunday that fell on the pavement!" - Maria shouted in baker profanities

"That's not how ya curse sweetheart. It should go more like-" Harley was cut off by a vine Ivy had summoned.

"Harley, cursing makes the plants sad, you know this." - Ivy said removing the vine

Harley just walked over to Maria and whipsered it in her ear.

"You're supposed to say it more like this, ' ..... .... ... .. ....... .. ... .....' ok?" - Harley ended with a big smile

"... I will never see this world in the same frickin' light ever again." - Maria

"ehh close enough." - Harley

"Can someone please tell me, WTH is going on here, on our special girls day off?!" - Catwoman

"She is a new member of the Sirens as of today, and as a member, she's unda our protection, so effective immediately." - Harley

"Cool." - Maria

"Harley." - Ivy

"Wut... first things first, if she is going to join, she needs to be very flexible, know how to fight, and be incredibly intelligent." - Catwoman

"She beat Ed's @ss with a gun pointed at her, and solved every riddle with ease, so I'm positive she'll be an amazin' addition to the team." - Harley

'God she sounds like a new mother now' "But we don't know how good her flexibility is." - Catwoman

"I know, hey Maria, ya wanna do some tricks with me, of course we need to stretch first, but do ya wanna give it a go?" - Harley

"Sure." - Maria

Ivy and Catwoman sat down on a couch a few feet away from where Maria and Harley stood in the empty part of the building. They started out with stretches, and to Catwoman's surprise (and Harley's delight) Maria copied Harleys streches perfectly.

"Ok, now that that's done, we'll start with some cartwheels, then move on to flips, then handsprings and so on." - Harley

Maria gave Harley a nod... and they were off... literally, Harley did a cartwheel into a handspring, and a few backflips, Maria executed it flawlessly. Harley did some more complicated gymnastics tricks, and Maria did it, Harley did triple backflips going into a cartwheel, into a summersault, and Maria did that perfectly as well. This went on until both Harley and Maria were slightly out of breath, both having massive smiles on their faces.

"Ives, please let her join, she's like a mini me." - Harley then hugged Maria and they somehow both tripled in cuteness as they both did puppy (or Puss In Boots style) eyes at Catwoman and Ivy.

"Sure Harley." - Ivy said walking over to give Harley a small kiss on the cheek.

"Okay... but she doesn't have a costume yet, and she still has to think of a name for herself." - Catwoman

"Is a mouse good, like a mouse themed costume, that or a Turtle themed one. What do you think Harley?" - Maria

"Mmmm, I like that with the mouse you can always toy with Cat, ya know, cat an' mouse stuff, turtle seems... weird even fawh Gotham, so personally I would pick mouse, just because of the cheesy jokes you could do." - Harley

"Very funny, ok then, give me a moment."  Maria then reached out her hand, her eyes then started to glow an icy blue, and a small portal opened in front of her, she reached in and pulled out a small pendant necklace. After she put it on a small mouce appeared and greated itself, Marias' eyes going back to normal after closing the portal.

"Hello I'm Mullo, nice to meet you all."

"Omg omg omg, It's soooo f-ckin' CUTE!" - Harley

"Best to assume all of them are extremely cute Harls." - Ivy

"What the Hell did I miss in the week I was gone?!" - Catwoman

"Ehh, not much, oh but Iron Man did fly aroun' Gotham a few times earlier this mornin' like a madman." - Harley

"Oh sh-t." - Maria

"Maria are ya ok? That was ya first official proper curse in my presence." Harley said looking over to the girl.

"He's gonna kill me." - Maria

"Wait, what do you mean Marigold?" - Ivy

"... He's my Uncle, and I never got to text him I was ok, since my phone died before I met you." - Maria

"Hey, I'm sure he'll understand, now what are we watchin'?" - Harley

"I think we have more important matters other than movies at the moment!" - Catwoman

"Ok, Me Myself and Irene it is." - Harley

"No! You basically kidnapped Iron Mans' NIECE!!!" - Catwoman

"Technically, she fainted and us bein' the good Gothamites we are, decided to take her with us, to make sure she was a-okay." - Harley

"I'm ganna need more than just a six pack of soda to get me through this... Just put the movie on already." - Catwoman

Catwoman sat at the far left end of the couch, next to her sat Ivy, then Maria, and then Harley, Bud and Lou by their feet. All of them sharing one big blanket (Becuase if Iron Man did show up, or any of the birds, then Maria was in a protective burrito and they may not see her right away) and they started the movie.

•—–·–—•

"Oh god, the poor cow." - Maria

.........

"Hahahaha, he stuck a whole f-ckin' chicken head in that guys @ss" - Harley

"The poor chicken." - Maria

"Maria you don't want to see this part." - Ivy then lightly covered her eyes for the ehem, chicken extraction.

.........

"Anyone up for another movie?" - Harley

"That depends." - Ivy

"Any suggestions Cat?" - Harley looked across to the other end of the couch to see Catwoman already sleeping.

"She took her cat-nap already? Seriously?" - Harley

"... What about Pirates of The Caribbean?" - Maria

"I'm good with that." - Ivy

And they started the next movie, Maria was happy, it felt like when her maman and papa would sleep with her when she made a pillow fort. It was a loving atmosphere, it felt safe, and nothing could ruin it. Marias' eyes became heavy, and she leaned her head on Harleys' shoulder, falling asleep after a few minutes.

Ivy paused the move looking over to see both Harley and Maria sleeping, soon Ivy also fell asleep in the comfortable silence.

…………………………

Around an hour later Maria woke up in a panic, she had a nightmare, and kept looking around frantically for someone with tears running down her face.

"What's the matter hun?" - Harley said looking around to see if someone had gotten in. When she looked back at Maria she saw that she was crying.

"What happened?" Harley asked in a kind voice that was filled with motherly love.

"I, just *hic* had a bad dream that's *hic* all, I'm fine." - Maira said trying to wipe the tears away.

"You're ok, I promise nothin's goin' to happen to ya as long as Ivy and I are here, ok hun?" - Harley hugged Maria, and she could feel the girl let out a few more sobs, and quick breathes.

"Thanks Maman." Maria didn't even realize what she had said, it just felt natural for her to say it.

"You're welcome hun." 'Omg I'm gonna cry, she called me maman!' Harley rubbed small circles over Marias' back, and began humming until she fell asleep, she continued to hug Maria until she also fell asleep.

•—–· Back to the Chaos Bat-Cave ·–—•

"What do you mean she's with two of Gotham City's Sirens?!" - Tony

"Tony, calm down, I'll call Selina, she can talk to them and get this all sorted out." - Bruce

"Your fiancee is a Gotham Siren too?! Why didn't you tell me?!" - Tony

"Why isn't she picking up? And unlike some people, this family doesn't like outing our secret identities... on live TV." - Bruce

"Oh well excuse me for not keeping my secret identity a SECRET!" - Tony

"I'll try calling her one more time." - Bruce

"Bruce, it's 3am. Who in their right mind ever stays up this late.... aside from this family." - Tim with a giant coffee mug in hand.

"... I'll just call her one more time." Bruce then connected it to the Bat-Computer so everyone could hear.

•—–· Back to the Sirens ·–—•

Catwoman's phone is ringing like crazy, waking everyone up, including a tired, annoyed, and confused Selina.

"Wth does he want at 3 in the morning?!" - Selina

"Just answer it so we can keep sleepin'." - Harley still hugging Maria

"I'm putting it on speaker, so you lot can testify against his @ss in court, for disturbing the peace."

•—–· Over to Batsy ·–—•

"Selina I need to ask-"

"WHAT THE F-CKING HELL DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT A GOOD NIGHTS REST!" - Selina

"Oooooh, she sounds pissed Bruce." - Jason

"I'm sorry to call you at this hour, but we need to find a girl that looks just like every single one of my other kids." - Bruce

"Bruce... I thought we agreed that 7 kids was. the. f-cking. limit." - Selina

•—–· Back to the Sirens ·–—•

Selina looked over to Maria before muting the speaker.

"Do you want them to know you're here Kitten?" - Selina

"... I'm tired, I haven't had coffee, I have no filter, so f-ck it, act like you never saw me today, and let them drown in chaos. " - Maria

"I think I like filter less Maria." - Harley

"Okay." Selina shrugged her shoulders and then un-muted her phone, putting it back on speaker mode.

"Where was she last seen?" - Selina

"She was last seen with Harley and Poison Ivy, I want you to see if she's still with them." - Bruce

Selina looked over to Maria and Harley, both of them shook their heads with mischievous grins.

"I've been with them all day, and I haven't once seen a girl that looks like your kids. Now can I go back to sleep, and forget this ever happened?" - Selina

"WHERE IS MY NIECE!!!" - Tony

"Oh, hey Tony, didn't know you were there, don't know who, or where your niece is, but good luck trying to find her. Oh and Bruce, I'm shutting my phone off so you don't keep calling till the butt crack of dawn. And congrats it's now 4am. you owe me a lunch date, uh-ba-bye." Selina then hung up her phone and turned it off.

"That went pretty well if you ask me, now I'm going back to sleep." - Selina

•—–· Back to Batsy ·–—•

The room was silent for a few minutes before Jason spoke up.

"Does that mean that Pixiepop ran away and is even more lost now?!" - Jason

"Oh god, what do we do, what if she got hurt?!" - Dick

"What if she got kidnapped?!" - Jason

"What if she's with a big time Gotham Villain?!" - Dick

"... What if she got more coffee?" - Tim

"Oh Hell No" - Jason/Dick

"... Lets all go to sleep, and when we wake up, we'll head over to their base and double check. She could've just said that because I called her at 3am." - Bruce

"But my niece is still out there!" - Tony

"You're going to sleep Tony." - Pepper then dragged Tony to his room.

•—–· Back to Maria ·–—•

Selina went to a different part of the building, where Maria assumed the bedrooms were. Ivy had gone to the greenhouse to be with the plants, and now it was just her and Harley left on the couch, and she couldn't sleep.

"... Harley?" - Maria

"Yeah hun?" - Harley

"I can't sleep." - Maria

"Well, watcha wanna do till ya get tired?" Harley asked sitting up a little straighter to get a better look at Maria.

Maria gave a sly smile, and looked Harley in the eyes "Want to go free-running on the rooftops?"

"... Alright, but lets get some coffee, and a snack in us first." - Harley gave her a side hug, before getting up to go make the coffee, and grab some snacks.

After they had their coffee, they climbed to the roof of the base. Harley was in her outfit, bat in hand and ready to do some bonding.

"So, how does ya outfit work?" - Harley

"Like so, ready Mullo?" - Maria

"Yes Maria" - Mullo

"Ok, Mullo, Get Squeaky!" A bright light flashes, and when Harley could see again, Maria was in a dark gray suit, wearing black knee high boots, with a strip of pink at the knee, and black elbow length gloves with the same pink strip at her elbow. Her mask was a slightly lighter gray on the top part, and pink on the bottom. Her hair was pulled into two buns with pink ribbons that faded to gray, and to black at the very tip. Her jump rope around her waist forming a tail going just below the back of her knees.

"Just when I think ya can't get any more adorable. So what should I call ya?" - Harley

"You can call me Multimouse." - Maria

Soon they were racing and doing tricks off different roofs, they were really enjoying themselves. From one of the roofs they heard a commotion in one of the alleys, when they looked down they saw a man holding a woman at gunpoint.

"Not good, seems like he's got issues, probably lost his lover, most likely has additions to drugs and alcohol, and seems to be a little tipsy." - Harley

"I've got a plan." - Multimouse

…………

Multimouse droped a little way behind the guy, grabbing his attention while Harley got the lady to safety.

"You know there's a help center two blocks from here that would be more than willing to help you." - Multimouse

The crook just raised his gun to her trying to keep it steady as he spoke.

"Give me all your money little girl, or else I'll hurt you."

"1. That's not how you hold a gun. 2. That is no way to treat any girl. and 3. Instead of money, I'll give you my jump rope." - Multimouse

"Why the hell would I want your jump rope, that thing looks worthless." the crook lowered his guard enough as Multimouse pretended to hand over her jump rope, only to use it in a quick motion to dismarm the man, as Harley promptly knocked him out with one swing.

"Lets neva have ya at gunpoint again, okay hun? I'm afraid my heart can't take it." - Harley said while tying the crook to a lamppost.

"Sorry, but it was the best idea I could come up with at the moment, besides, any guy with a gun would feel like they have the upper hand if they're facing a random little girl with a jump rope, rather than Gothams' Harley Quinn with a bat." - Multimouse

"Sadly I'm just too popular with the kiddos on the street." - Harley

…………

They continued to stop a few more muggers on the way back to the base, and when they got back they peaked around the corner to see the whole Batfam plus Iron Man talking with Ivy and Selina.

"How much you want to bet we can get back out before they see us?" - Whispering Multimouse

"... Lets try hidin' in the kitchen." - Whispering Harley

As they tried to sneak by (still in their costumes) Selina just walks over and draggs them to the group.

"Here, now let me sleep!" - Selina

"Dang it Selina we wanted tah see just how long we could hide out in the kitchen!" - Harley

Selina did a double take now realizing they both went out.

"... You didn't." - Selina

"We wanted tah go free-runnin'! So what?" - Harley

"She could've gotten hurt Harls." - Ivy

"My suits magic, I am invulnerable to bullets, normal magic, swords, knifes, anything staby staby, and I can withstand any temperature in it." Multimouse said with a slight pout.

"Hold up, is she a magical girl?" - Red Hood in the background

When Selina let go both Harley and Multimouse went behind Ivy for protection.

"We can still make a run for it." - Harley whispered to Multimouse

"... Ok, I'll meet you on the roof." - Whispering Multimouse

Harley gave a nod as she slowly inched her wasy closer to the door that lead to the roof, as she saw Iron Man approach Multimouse.

"Please get out of your suit, we need to talk about why you're here-" - Iron Man

"Multitute!" - Multimouse

Harley then saw Multimouse shrink into dozens of tiny little versions of herself as her clones spread out in all directions, one of which was heading right for her.

"Wth, you never told us she could use magic!" - Red Robin

Harley picked her up, and slipped through the door without anyone noticing.

"That was great, but how do ya get back tuh normal size?" - Harley

"Simple, I just merge back with my clones." As she said this, all her clones came back, and she merged with herself, becoming normal sized again.

"Where to?" - Multimouse

………… So now The Batfam is trying to find many long gone Mini-Multimouses, and Harley seems to have disappeared with her. Harley and Multimouse are now running over the roofs, heading for Wayne Manor.

"So why are we going to Wayne Manor?" - Multimouse

"Because, Batsy will neva think of lookin' for us at his own home, at least not fawh a little while." - Harley

When they arrived at the Manor, Multimouse de-transformed as Harley knocked on the door.

"Ms. Quinn, Ms. Maria, pleasure to see you here, please come in." - Alfred

"Are any of the bat-birds here?" - Harley

"Ms. Barbara, Ms. Stephanie, and Ms. Cassandra are the only ones here at the moment." - Alfred

"Do ya think you can keep us bein' here a secret from Batsy?" - Harley

"Harley? What are you doing here with Maria?" - Barbara

"It seems that Ms. Harley and Ms. Maria are now playing hide and seek with the rest of the family." - Alfred

"Did someone say hide and seek?" - Steph

"Yes, so could we maybe try and keep this a secret from everyone else, please?" - Maria

"Sure, it was starting to get boring around here. We can all hide in the living room no one ever use. Barbara you show them the way, I'll get the food/drinks and boardgames." - Steph

"Is this alright with you Alfred?" Maria

"It's all right Ms. Maria, you can hide out in the old living room." - Alfred

"Thanks Alfie, ya the best." - Harley

"Thank you Alfred." - Maria

"Ok then, follow me." - Barbara

…………

In the old living room, Harley, Maria, Barbara, Steph, and Cass began to formulate a plan.

"Ok, so the best way for them to never find you is to have your phone off, stay away from any and all cameras, and show your face to no one." - Steph

"So, do you have anything in mind that you might want to do?" - Barbara

"Can we put them on a wild goose chase?" - Maria

Cass nodded to Marias' suggestion approvingly.

"I can hack a few traffic cams to help with that." - Barbara

"We can also throw in some useless hints, to throw dem even further off our scent." - Harley

"Good idea Harley." - Barbara

"Thanks, but how long do ya think we should make it last?" - Harley

"As long as Maria wants it to." - Barbara

"Then let the games begin." - Maria.

•—–—–·†·–—–—•

Chapter 5 complete. Hope everyone is stayin' safe, Rockin' those Positive Vibes, and havin' an absolutely wonderful day. BUG-OUT 🐞💮🐞

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜Tag List〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

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[astoriaroleplay]

MEET JINYI “JINNIE” ZHAO

AGE: 29 years old

BIRTHDAY: December 21, 1992

GENDER/PRONOUNS: Genderqueer — she/they

OCCUPATION:  Executive Vice President of the Zhao Group, Owner of Zhao Towers / Oracle

PLACE OF BIRTH:  Astoria, Nova Pangaea

NEIGHBORHOOD:  CBD

HAS LIVED IN ASTORIA FOR: 29 years

CHARACTER INTERVIEW

What makes Astoria still appealing to you? Is it related to personal or work relationships?

Pushing up her favourite red sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, Jinyi surveyed the interview room excruciatingly slowly even though there wasn’t much to see. And although her vision was tinted, there was no la vie en rose bullshit here. It was almost offensively bland and sterile, and yet, impressive. A chair, table, and courtesy paper cup of water. Efficiency within bureaucracy was a rare sight. “Hmmm…” She paused before taking a seat to lock eyes with the interviewer and smiled. “Nice to know that preferential treatment isn’t given here. I see our government hasn’t completely succumbed to corruption. Good, good.” She gave a nod of approval before finally taking a seat. Jinyi then took another pause just because. There was no thinking needed to answer the question, but what was the rush? At least a minute of silence passed before she spoke. She didn’t actually know how long it was; she wasn’t counting. “Both, I guess. My family’s here, and we help keep the city running. It’d be irresponsible for me to leave now, don’t you think?” She still hadn’t broken eye contact with the interviewer even as she took an arbitrary sip of water. “There’s still plenty of work ahead of us yet. That’s appealing, right? One might even say exciting.” The insignificant thud of Jinyi placing her paper cup back down emphasized the last word rather fittingly as she didn’t seem the least bit enthused at the idea of more work.

What’s something about your personality that you’re proud of? And what would you like to change?

The situation suddenly became funny to her the moment she heard the next questions. A small chuckle escaped her lips before she quickly tried to put on a straight face. She swore these exact questions were asked to her last week for a magazine feature. Too bad this official didn’t have a copy of that magazine because she was about to recite the same answer verbatim: “I see the potential in others even when they can’t see it in themselves. Hell, I even help draw it out of them as a bonus. I guess that’s what I’m really proud of — my charity.” She topped off the answer with a photogenic smile that rivaled the one that was the magazine’s front cover. This charity she spoke of was just another side to the coin of manipulation. Yes, she helped people become their best selves, but only if it benefited her. The best case was if you were simply a tax break to her. The worst case? Well… She didn’t like to dwell on the specifics. Results were all that mattered. “And a thing I’d like to change is how goal-oriented I am. Surprising, I know. But I’ve been told that I need to slow down, take breaks, smell the roses, and all that. I mean, I’m the EVP of my family’s company, the Oracle of my coven, and I just became the owner of the hottest real estate in the city all before I turned thirty. Sometimes I wonder if I’m even living life properly and not just speed-running it.”

Please elaborate on any violent circumstances you may have been involved with in the past.

Damn, reporters wished they could ask this question of her so blasé like this interviewer just did. “At the risk of sounding like a total pick-me girl, I’m not like other maladjusted nepotism kids that are prone to flying off the handle. Truly.” Playing the long game was more Jinyi’s style. It’s how she got this far in the first place. Being rash would lead to careless mistakes. And mistakes would almost certainly mean death. “Remember that heiress from the one airline who threw a hissy fit over some bagged nuts she got in first class because they weren’t served on a plate? Honestly, could never be me.” She shook her head and sighed. Getting that mad took too much energy and time. “But back to the question — was I ever personally violent? Heavens, no.” It wasn’t that she wasn’t capable of such things. It just wasn’t her pay-grade. After all, there were people more than willing to get their hands dirty for her to stay in her family’s good graces and on the company’s payroll. “Google my name if you want. All you’ll see are bad estimates of my net worth, a link to the executives page on the Zhao group’s website, and last season’s rumours about which unfortunate person is thought to be my latest lover. I’m clean as can be.” The last line was, of course, a blatant lie. No one got this powerful and not have a few stains on their resume. A favourite line of hers whenever someone tried to pry further was: ‘Well, it isn’t illegal to die earlier than planned.’ But as long as this official didn’t push, what didn’t need to be said wouldn’t be.

Your thoughts about supernatural beings.

Jinyi, ever the utilitarian, gestured to the table between them and the interviewer. “Everyone brings something to the table — mundane, supernatural, whatever. Like I said before, I see value in all of them.” It was a nicer way of saying they were all tools to her. It was also just another stock answer she had in her mental bank. Silence again passed as she chose not to elaborate further. A familiar pang in her stomach then reminded her that she had yet again been in a meeting longer than intended and ran into her lunch break. What was the use of blocking it off on her calendar if she wasn’t going to follow it? With a burger from Nine-Ten on her mind, it was Jinyi who said, “Well, thank you for your time today. This certainly was a lovely chat. Reach out to my people if you need anything else for the paperwork. My legal team and I will be more than happy to comply.”

FACECLAIM: Poppy Liu PLAYED BY: Jun