#and how his personality from before and the pit rage mixes that up to a very emotional interesting cocktail

[ifeelfreewithoutmyshoes]

The thing I find so interesting about Jason Todd isn’t just the Came Back Wrong part but also the interpretations where Everyone Else Became Wrong because of what happened to him and because of who he was before and what he turned into shit fucking clashes

[ladyempty]

Hello dear! Can you do daemons reaction to his darling being set to be viserys (his brothers) new wife?

"Only a dragon can love another dragon"

° | This is a yandere work and may contain triggering behavior. I'm not in favor of that in real life. | ° | pairing: Daemon Targaryen x Sister!Reader ° | English is not my first language

For Daemon it was a mix of troubled emotions. Anger, sadness and the bitter taste of betrayal. As soon as the news reached his ears, an uncontrolled rage took possession of his body.

How could Viserys do this to him? Such a lack of consideration? Was he punishing him so cruelly for the recent trouble he's been causing?

It just wasn't fair. If anyone should be her husband, it was him. Your weak brother could never love you with the same intensity that Daemon did or satisfy you like Daemon could.

Fuck all that, the Targaryen prince didn't think twice or give himself more time to stew in his anger before leaving for King's Landing with Caraxes, his anger only increasing with every minute that was wasted by the trip.

The ground shook as the great red beast, older than many who inhabited the fortress, landed in the dragon pit. The caretakers looked at each other for a moment before they stepped back slightly, the beast seemed to share the same agitation and fury as its rider, seeming ready to devour anyone.

Daemon's footsteps were strong and hurried, eyes furious enough to drive anyone out of his way. He didn't wait or ask for it to be announced before entering his brother's private quarters, a dark aura surrounding his figure.

"How could you do that? Aemma's body was barely cooled before you tried to deflower our sister." The prince exclaimed through clenched teeth, fists clenching tightly at his sides, daggers being met by his gaze.

Viserys turned his head quickly to meet his brother's gaze. He was bewildered, almost letting the small dragon sculpture that was carefully carved fall to the ground.

"What are you talking about, Daemon?" He had harshness in her speech, Aemma had always been and always will be a sensitive subject and dangerous territory when it came to the Targaryen king.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about'' He mocked in an accusatory tone, entering further into the room. Viserys's eyebrows furrowed, causing a wrinkle of concern to appear. A tired sigh escapes her lips as he stands up from her seat, facing her younger brother.

"Daemon, it is only the right thing to do. It is my duty and our sister's duty. She must marry and I must marry again." The Targaryen prince gave no room for his older brother's calm words to enter his ears. His mind was well coated with stubbornness and the bitter feeling of betrayal.

"So that's why you denied her to me, for your own selfishness?" Viserys looks slightly offended by the other's words.

"Selfish? I just do my best to keep the kingdom safe and the stability of our home. If anyone is selfish in all of this, it's you, Daemon. Always neglecting your duty in favor of your personal pleasures." Daemon hated that tone, that disappointed father tone that Viserys always used to scold him as if he were still a child doing childish mischief. His jaw clenched, biting the inside of his mouth to keep from saying something that would strike a nerve with the king.

"Marry her to me. I promise to follow what is expected of me as a prince if you agree to give her to me." With the lack of immediate response he continues. "When I support you above anyone else in your claim to the throne, you said I could choose anything as a reward. Give it to me.That will be my reward.”

"If you had asked this sooner, it might have been considered, Daemon." The response was like a cold bande. He expected his brother's refusal, but a small part of him hoped for the best.

"I do everything for you, I've never been anything but loyal to the crown and you but this is how I'm rewarded? Even damn Otto is more respected by you than me."

"Enough, Daemon, keep Otto away from this conversation... It's already decided. Conversation over."

Daemon did not respond, nor stubbornly denied, nor did he agree in submission. He just studied the king for long seconds that stretched into what felt like hours before quickly turning on his heel, the door being slammed shut.

Well, Daemon always got what he wanted in the end. Especially when it was the love of his life that was included in it. He would get what he wanted one way or another. The king cannot accept the already deflowered bride…

[voidlesscreator]

Core Fusion AU

The people that live in the Infinite Realms are able to fuse like gems in Steven Universe. Why you may ask? It's because their body is made up of ectoplasm that comes from their core, which is very similar to how a gem's form is made up of light and comes from their gem itself.

Fusions occur when two or more ghosts share a similar strong emotion or obsession, such as protection, love or hate. The fusion is a state where the occupants share thoughts and work together to operate a single body, so a lot of trust needs to be present or a singular goal in both minds.

Core Fusions also merge unique powers together to strengthen or link them together more.

Due to this, core fusions are typically seen as a way to show trust in any form or bond between ghosts, and as a way to strengthen forces and power.

Danny is probably able to fuse with ghosts and humans but was never told that it was possible for him bc he's half-human.

Now, this could work for both Dp x Dc and Dp x BNHA.

Dp x Dc

Danny can fuse with people who have been touched by death or have been dead and came back (like Jason).

The fusion would be a physical form that mixes both or more appearances while their cores (pseudo or not) appear as jewellery they wear as the fusion, which changes depending on the fusion.

Since I'm fixated on the dead on main ship right now, let's say that Jason is the one to core fuse with Danny first, and there can be an in depth backstory on how they meet and leads up to the core fusion, and it helps with the pit rage. Danny takes them to either Frostbite or Clockwork to figure out what is going on and they learn about core fusion and how it works.

-possible plot idea ahead-

In Gotham, Red Hood has been MIA for several months from both being a vigilante and a crime boas, and the rest of the batfam are freaking out about it; especially since a new crime boss has come into play going by "The Monarch" or "JD Fent" (The Monarch plays into Danny being either Ghost King or an adjacent role in the Infinite realms, and the JD Fent is a mix of their names bc I think it's cool :D).

Meanwhile, Jason and Danny have been chilling together using core fusion to keep away from the batfam and have been improving Crime Alley with Danny's inherited chaotic mad scientist gene being used to harness ectoplasm as a renewable energy since Gotham has a large quantity of it (bonus points if the ectoplasm can be re-filtered to be safely used again for power).

The GIW or another ghost could show up in Gotham to hunt down JD and the batfam accidentally get captured since a lot of them have died (I think??).

Cue a garnet-style reunion and a "stronger than you" scene before escaping and telling the rest of the batfam the truth.

Dp x BNHA

Similar to the other one, but quirks count as mini-cores and that's how people gain their powers. Quirkless people don't have cores and therefore don't have powers.

Danny could be able to fuse with the previous OFA users and just pull them out of Izuku or they could just fuse by Danny grabbing onto Izuku when using his quirk in a fight.

And I'm just imagining during one of the fights Danny grabs onto Izuku and a flash of light shoots out and once the light clears, Danny is gone and a person with three sets of arms with an appearance similar to Danny's and the other OFA users mixed into one before battling it out with the LOV.

Please let me know if anything doesn't seem like it works! And this prompt is free to use by anyone if they want to! :]

[zebaji]

au where I mix up all of the Ninja's powers and backstories into a slushie mess and see what happens.

So far I have:

Wu gets bitten by the Great Devourer and becomes super manipulative and toxic, as he tries to make Ninjago perfect, neat, and orderly with the Golden weapons. (Think lord business from the lego movie) Too bad he refuses to use his Oni side to obtain four arms to use them together.

Garmadon still trains under Chen and practices the Dark arts, but understands the balance of good and evil, and is filled with guilt over the fact that Wu got bitten when it should have been him. Wu, who doesn't like that Garmadon leans into "evil" practices and banishes him to the underworld.

The Green Ninja is Morro, who is biologically Wu’s son. (yeah, you thought canon morro was bad, this morro is so much worse since he's literally the weapon in making Ninjago in Wu's image) His personality is pretty much the same as canon (perfectionist, obsessive, crazy) it's just that he is in fact the Green Ninja and Wu enables him a lot.

Before everyone figures out that Morro is the Green Ninja, they think it might be Kai, who is the brother of Maya and has the power of Wind. He's Morro's replacement in this au, in the sense that he is also desperate to become the Green Ninja by whatever means necessary, and Wu pits Morro and Kai in a rivalry to see who becomes the Green Ninja. And Morro, who cannot fail his father, becomes violent and kills Kai. Kai isn't great in this au either and ends up in the cursed realm and later becomes a ghost.

Misako sees how problematic Wu is and after Garmadon gets banished, she runs away with baby Lloyd and tries to take Morro too, but Wu freaks out and thinks she tried to kidnap Morro so that she could use the Green Ninja's power for her own gain and he kills her to "save Morro," and thinks he kills Lloyd too.

Lloyd's actually fine, and just grows up at Darkley's until he gets adopted by the Royal Family, much to his dismay, and becomes the Quiet One who is willing to punch a dude to get his dad back. Because he doesn't have his powers, he relies a lot on his dragon and Oni heritage.

Nya is the only child of Ray and Maya, and when they disappear, Chen finds and adopts her, and she becomes the sister of Skylor. Despite having the element of fire, she relies heavily on mechs, and loves to invent, letting her sister use her powers while she designs Chen’s button chair.

Pixal is Ninja of Ice and still was created by Cyrus Borg, so Zane is still in the Birchwood Forest, forgotten and stuck there until Lloyd finds him and offers him a place in the cult group he’s starting.

Cole's dad dies, and while he tries to honor his dad's dancing legacy, he still inherits his powers and is forced to become a ninja. He's still a popular entertainer and pretty well known in Ninjago as such, and he really doesn't want to be a Ninja full-time and is only doing it because he's scared of what Wu will do to his loved ones. I do not know what power he should get and I am open to ideas.

Jay was raised as Cliff Gordon's son and so he's wealthy but he is also extremely talented in robotics. He and Cyrus Borg collaborate a lot and is best friends with Pixal. He does not have powers and tries to help Cole get out of the team. Honestly, I have no idea about Jay either.

Harumi releases the Serpentine after her parent sends her to a boarding school and forget about her. She does not want to be forgotten, and in a rage over it, discovers she can control Lightning.

Morro finds her and takes her in, reassuring her that there is a place for her on his team.

The team consists of Morro, Ash, Cole, Pixal, and now Harumi, all trained under Wu.

And then Lord Garmadon crawls out of the Underworld, eyes glowing purple and with four arms, demanding to see his son, and everyone starts to panic because they are pretty sure Lloyd is dead.

[queersouthasian]

Since Pit Babe's end is knocking at the door, I am back in my CharlieBabe feels. I think no relationship will get to me the way they did. I will always be in awe about how human they are and how much humans can love if they want to.

I will never get over how pain shaped Charlie and Babe so differently. Pain shaped Charlie's kindness, his way of loving and caring, his want to give. He has grown up to be the exact person he wished he had growing up. A kind soul who cares so much, who loves so much. But Charlie isn't naive or stupid. Even though he is a natural caretaker he doesn't let people take advantage of him. He is careful and smart while being a giver. And there is Babe, who just wanted to be loved and wanted to love, but was wounded in the attempt to do so that it ruined the definition of love for him. He started believing that love can only bring him pain. This pain shaped his defense. Even though he had found a family of his own, he didn't let anyone venture into those parts of him which hurt the most. He was a desirable sexy alpha racer for everyone, the "Pit Babe", until he became someone's "Phi Babe",

Charlie's arrival was like a gentle knock, where he lets him in thinking he could kick him away anytime, until he could no longer do so, till he feared the idea of the latter's absence alone. It's the way Charlie buries his pain under his smile whereas Babe does it under his cockyness, smugness, so called ego. Charlie picked up babe's broken pieces, some being so sharp it cut through him, but he kept picking those up. And he caressed them. Whereas babe took Charlie's and made them his. They both shared each other's pain. Charlie is loud in love and silent in pain just like babe is the opposite.

But what makes them and their love so human is their flaws. It's the way babe wants to fight along side Charlie but Charlie pushes him away so that he doesn't even get a single scratch on him. But can you blame him? Babe himself wants to fight together but at the face of danger, covers Charlie with his whole body, pushes him back so he doesn't get hurt, so no one can touch him. They can't find equality to save their fucking lives 'cause they are each other's priority, at the face of danger, they would both die and kill for the other.

Their love brings pain and grief as well. Charlie lies and lies 'cause when it comes to his beloved being safe and happy, he would do anything. Anything. Babe may hate him but atleast he will be safe and in peace but Charlie can't fathom that. Charlie fears babe hating him, misunderstanding him. That's why instead of being happy after the "death" that babe is safe, everything assured, he is grieving and is in guilt. He has caused his lover pain again unintentionally. Whereas for babe this grief hits different. He thinks he deserved it, 'cause he didn't let Charlie know how much he meant to him, how much he loved him when he could. He lost Charlie, he lost that one thing he had which he didn't even dare to wish for before, a love, a genuine lover. It was like loosing something extremely valuable for him. He was supposed to keep him safe. But he lost him. He blames himself for not loving his beloved in the same volume. Whenever they locked eyes before, babe had this "I can't believe I have you, What did I do to deserve you" whereas Charlie has this "you deserve every piece of me and more" look on their faces, in their stares. Babe would look like he has found the most beautiful angel whereas Charlie would look like babe has hung stars in the sky. In the last ep, when Charlie comes in to save, even though still physically weak, driven by rage that people hurt babe, his face changes from anger to concern and love and guilt, "I am here for you" whereas for babe his eyes immediately turn red glistening with tears, bewilderment mixed with hope. A hope of finally finding that lost thing, a "finally you are here"

This relationship will last beyond generations and lifetimes, in which every version of them, will search for the other. A love so human it feels like a hope. A hope to love again.

[yandereheathen]

Boss's Plaything [18+ Ateez Yandere Hoongjoong x Fem Reader] Part 1.5

Yandere Hoongjoong x Fem Reader Warnings:Warnings: Yandere dark themes!! NSFW Non-con, Mentions of hurting other people, violence towards Reader, jealousy, voyeurism. hair pulling Word count 1.2k

Numb. Hongjoong left you numb on his desk as he adjusted himself and smiled at you again, looking back. His hand traces on your inner thigh just once, appreciating his work.

"Join the party back when you have Cleaned yourself up."

Your heart breaks even more at those words. It hurts even more than the cuts and scraps on your back. You just whimper in response, a soft noise, jumping like a scared cat when the door closes behind him. 

You curl yourself up on the floor, sobbing, hugging your knees to your bare chest.

How could he do this? Had you done something wrong? Was this some sick punishment for a work mistake? Your head was smiling, thinking back to anything you might have done. You know it was to distract yourself from what just happened. You didn't want to, no, you couldn't think about it. Everything hurt so much. It was too painful. You didn't want to be here, let alone return to the party and face all those people.

You just wanted to disappear.

"...y/n.."

A soft voice calls out to you. You panic, pressing yourself to the desk. Scared that it was Hongjoong coming back to pull you to the party. You tried to cover yourself, looking up at Songhwa's remorseful eyes. You tried to hide in the solid desk, looking away, not wanting anyone to see you like this. He carefully sits down, placing his jacket over you in an attempt to cover your bruised, naked body.

You just whimpered in response, unable to find your voice.

"shhh, it is ok...it is ok.." He goes to pet your head but pulls back visions of the acts he was doing to himself when he watched you be raped, forcing a mix of sick pleasure and searing guilt in the pit of his stomach. He stands up, speaking softly.

"Go home. Take a warm shower. I will call you a car. Take the weekend off...and Y/N"

He bends down again, speaking low.

"Please trust me on this warning. He has eyes and hands everywhere. It is better for you to not call the police."

You threw your phone at your wall with a cry of rage. The cop's voice ringing in your ears.

"Miss, this is a police station. We don't take prank calls lightly."

After you were screaming clearly that you had been raped by your boss, it just fell on a dial tone. The 911 operator would even transfer you any more.

No one was calling you back or responding to you. San, Yosang, Yunho, no one was picking up or answering you. You woke up to your tired slashed the day after you called the police and your cards were zeroed out. All you had was the little cash you kept on hand. You felt an agonizing hand not only covering your eyes but also seemingly silencing your voice. Your whole life, you had work SO HARD FOR. Gone. Everything you knew was upheaved, and you didn't only have your hands tied behind your hand, but you were gagged and blinded as well.

On Sunday evening, you just didn't have any energy left. You hadn't eaten and barely slept. In what seemed like another world, you would be going through emails, maybe even with Hongjoong and Songhwa laughing and drinking a glass of wine.

It might have been only 3 days ago, but you felt like a new person. A retch of a used and broken woman compared to the happy, bubbly person you were before.

You didn't even know how to move forward. What would you do tomorrow? When you were expected to see. Him. You couldn't stand it. You just wanted to curl up and never wake up. Everything was gone.

"Y/N, look how cute you are snuggled up in those blankets. You look upset. Tell your new master what has his cute plaything so upset."

You jump, goosebumps rising on your nack, and you look back at your door. You didn't hear it unlock, and of course, he had a key.

HE stood as he always did, impeccably in a button-up shirt with roses imprinted and tight black pants with boots to match. Tainted glasses just barely showed his cold back eyes. He honestly looked like a demon who had come to collect your soul.

Frozen with fear, you must shake your head, not close your eyes, wishing this was just a bad dream.

"Awww, Baby girl. Devil got your tongue?"

He moved closer to you, trapping you to your couch and pulling your chin up to him. Making you open your teary eyes. 

He had missed you. It was hard not to take you back to his apartment with him after you both had made love. Even more so to not come storming into your house after he had gotten notices from the branches and police of your cries. You were so cute. Trying to escape him. Little did you know you had been nested into his clutches right from the day you met him/

He just cooed, grinning in your face, and then his eyes looked down and saw your bare neck. His eyes turn violent. Grabbing a fist full of your hair, yanking your head back, making your whimper turn into full-blown sobs as he screams at you.

"Where is it?! WHERE IS THE PROOF YOU BELONG TO ME"

You try pulling back and pushing him away, but he only gets angrier.

"I owen you Y/N. The sooner you learn that, the better. I built you from noting you would have been eaten up and spit out a long time ago if it wasn't for me. Without me, do you know what you are?"

He takes your head, slamming it on the window near your couch, cracking the glass, making your vision go fuzzy, and the ringing starts in your ears but not loud enough to hear what he says next.

"Nothing. You are nothing without me, Y/N."

"I own you. Your mind, your body, and spirit all belong to me."

He pins your arms behind your back. You just cry, begging him to stop telling him it hurts. You are sorry that you will listen if he is gentler.

He was cursing himself. He had not placed the cards right, and he knew it. He was usually so careful with everything, ready to take his time, and he just couldn't be with you any longer. Seeing you at his desk, in a tight dress, and his symbol around your neck. He has to have you. Now, he was paying the consequences. He didn't like being rough with you. However, he would have to if it was needed.

As you look up at him, pathetically, trying to pull on his mercy, he licks his lip, standing above you, running his finger on your lips.

"Let's get started with some new professional development. Shall we, my cute Y/N?"

He bites into his lip, drawing a little bit of blood, pleased at the image of his love dripping down, mixed with your tears and the slight blood from when he smashed your head.

"That's a pretty girl. Just wait until work tomorrow."

Author notes: ahhh Abit shorter I feel like a mini update I just wanted something in-between. Here we are :>

[mrofontaine]

REACTION: END OF THE EVENT. 

EVENT: MOB AWARDS 2023. 

It was like the world exploded in a flurry around him when her name hit his ears. 

The Thames dunk a distant memory, overshadowed by the revelation that Elaina, his best friend, was, in fact, alive. His world seemed to stop. He’d thought she was dead, spent countless nights when he wasn’t ‘working’ to search for his best friend. The woman who kept him in line, and no matter what happened, with her gone, he’d been a loose cannon. He’d been like a dog without its master. 

But there’d been in a day in those months where he’d made himself accept it, so it’d hurt a little less when the inevitable happened. But he’d been wrong. There was this sickening sense of guilt that bubbled in the pit of his stomach, curdling. 

‘‘She’s alive.’‘ He’d repeated, cheeks flushed a violent red. Maybe it was the mix of alcohol that was coursing through his veins or the rage that had settled finally. There wasn’t a shake in his body, instead he stood tall with shoulders drawn back and jaw taut as his teeth clench with unmoving anger. 

He would never admit to the fact he almost cried with relief when he had heard those words, that he hadn’t barrelled towards the dock where they’d found her, but there wasn’t anything he could do. Not to help Elaina, anyway. 

He could certainly do something about the Russians, and he wasn’t the only person with that idea. As the group congregated and split off, Olivier sought out Delphine. 

It wasn’t until the chaos erupted that he was moving. Orders barked at him to find Aurélié by his boss and the woman he had sworn to protect until his dying breath, but he wouldn’t argue with her. Without hesitation, he was running towards the madness. Elaina and Emilia were on his mind. 

The fighting, the bullets, and the bodies that were falling. Some bullets ricochet. He could hear metal vs metal clanging as they bounced off, either rendered useless or catching someone on its descent. However, for once he had a one track mind. Located Aur. Reaching across into the kitchen, he grabbed a cork screw, placing it between his fingers. 

It wouldn’t do much against a gun, but he needed something. He sucked in three breaths in quick succession, psyching himself up before he was outside and someone lunged at him. He didn’t even luck as he jammed the screwdriver up, eyes focused and feral. 

Every Russian was a win.

Viva-La-Fucking-France. 

As he fought, Olivier's mind flashed back to the countless nights he had spent searching for Elaina, to know that these filthy fucking cretins had their grubby, dirty mother fucking hands on her? He pulled his hand back and jabbed the cork screw in again with a snarl falling from her lips. 

‘’I hope it was fucking worth it.’’ He couldn't believe she was alive, and the thought of finally seeing her again gave him renewed strength.

Despite the surrounding chaos, he remained focused on his mission, pushing the body aside as he kept on walking, looking through the people dispersing, trying to get away from the horror. Another shot from somewhere else had him ducking. He darted and weaved through the melee, his makeshift weapon at the ready. Blood spattered his clothes, and his heart pounded in his chest, but he didn't falter.

Finally, he spotted Aurélié, and he raced towards her, until someone else slammed into his body and pain shot through him. He was wrestling on the ground, fighting for his life. Somewhere in a stampede of others, he was pushed from the other man and managed to clamber up, only to find he couldn’t see her. Head snapping left and then right. 

‘‘Fuck.’‘ He yelled, looking to find the horror that had become the boat.

Within ten minutes of that moment, Olivier would see her. Dead. When his knees gave way,, he realised just how much they’d lost tonight. He hadn’t bothered to check the wounds from his own fighting. It was like each French man had decided to let out their inner beast tonight. 

And he would be no different. 

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Oooh that’s true…maybe there’s a big age gap so she’s more absent/less influential? But YEAH LMAOO I TOTALLY SEE IT TOO!! I can imagine him being like “be careful guys are wolves” to his sisters as if he isn’t the prime example…I can just imagine Karasu and Otoya first convo abt like girls and dating and imagine Karasu’s jaw drops to the floor like wdym you have 5 gfs???

LMAOO Dehydrated is the perfect word because what even…it’s crazy to see how the art style has changed sm though!! Bro was PARCHED

The reo zantetsu dynamic >>> it’s so funny I love the way zantetsu spices up the nagi and reo dynamic too like seeing him interact with both of them just adds a whole other layer and I like how it shows nagi and reos interactions with ppl other than themselves!! Like it’s nice to see that they exist outside of their duo/partnership too if ykw I mean?

So real for that I also don’t rlly care about soccer LMAO I swear when people find out I like BLLK they ask me about soccer and I’m like….haha…so here’s the thing….angsty Emo 16 year old Rin….right in the pits of puberty fr LMAO actually you do make a good point about age there….maybe the rest of them are still in a soccer puberty rage mix LOL

Serial dater Otoya is so funny im stealing that title idea LMAO that’s gold

FLASHLIGHT EYES that just reminds me of the scene where Isagi is kinda explaining meta vision and we see everyone with the car headlights HAHAHA blue lock truly is something else….

Ooooo I love that older boy/reader idea..mmm yes inferiority complex peak angst fr…I can totally see the vision…but also hear me out I def see what you mean with chigiri and hiori but imagine this…I can’t tell if I’m slightly biased (I don’t have anything for chigiri though sorry princess) but when you mention hiori it brings me back to the few scenes where hiori kinda looks out for Rin (when Shidou smashes his nose in and hiori runs to help)…I wonder if maybe it’d work in a way that reader finds Rin to intense and immature in a way compared to the very mild-mannered, leveled headed Hiori…like two different types of familial trauma that yielded completely different manifestations of outward personalities….don’t get me wrong I still feel like the older boy inferiority complex is probably the better route and fits theme better but that just got me thinking of that potential idea LOL

Also yeah er…I’ve never fully been able to get on the shidou hype train oops, Isagi I think is a really cool protagonist because he’s not really my fav in any sense but the story still manages to make me root for him!! I think he’s written really well in that sense because I’ve never been that moved by an mc before LOL, still don’t like him enough like that though HAHA sorry Isagi

LMAO I’m NGL that art looks a little funky too but I’ll choose to ignore it but LMAOOOOO OTOYA that’s so on brand I love it from the snippet of knowledge I know about horse riding your ideas sound so accurate LOL I’m crying at groom Hiori omg

I have no idea about the specific logistics of each one, are there particular types or breeds of horses people choose for different types of riding? Or I know (like most animals) some typical have specific dispositions or traits…are there any specific horses you think would match them?

ME where are people finding these men fr like….I will not lower my standards sorry likeee why would I bring myself down to that level smh

HAHAH honestly a talent 200k sounds like a dream im ready to just block out my schedule and binge read the next installment and go back and read everything all together

No because I can’t live without music I seriously don’t understand people who don’t listen at all?? Like wdym??? I would be so bored like??? Also the obscure dad rock songs is so accurate I was thinking that too but had no idea what to call it LOL I can imagine them singing so loud you can hear them through the special karaoke walls and people in the neighboring rooms are like wtf

Pause on that note have you ever heard the official character songs for BLLK..? I’m gonna be honest some are a little cringe but I take it as like a little lore snippet/character interaction…I know for a FACT that Karasu and Otoya will have a song together sometime while s2 is released and I’m def gonna try and patch together the lyrics for it when it’s out LOL I bet it’ll be so goofy

THE BRIGHT GREEN!!!! Omg those are so pretty shshsjs and omg swans…I love swans…they’re so pretty birds are just awesome so you’re so real for that

Also NOO TAKE YOUR TIME HAHAHA cannot rush perfection o7 I’ll read it no matter what word count it reaches LOLOL quality over quantity hehe and omggg dragonfruit peach slushees so refreshing!! I’m excited for fall too not just bc of better weather but s2 release RAGHH I need all those Karasu panels animated asap (but eightbit pls don’t butcher it)

Also I’m crying I scrolled to the bottom of the reply to where it says more posts like this and it’s literally FILLED with our convo HAHAHA

- Karasu anon

yes that’s what i was thinking!! like maybe the otoya parents had their oldest child when they were younger and then eita + his younger sister are closer in age so their older sister isn’t as involved in their lives and isn’t close enough w eita to tell him to stop being a cheater. JDDJOS him talking to his sisters like “men are trash ladies stay away from them and don’t date until marriage 😌” buddy look in the mirror you ARE the trash…honestly that’s why i think childhood friends to lovers is the best trope for him!! i could write a whole oneshot on it but i shall refrain

i actually love reonagi 1000x more when they’re hanging with other characters instead of one another. idk why but i find them rlly boring together?? zantetsu + reo, nagi + barou, kunigiri + reo, nagi + isagi are all dynamics i find much more entertaining and also imo show their personalities a bit more.

HELP rin is stuck in soccer jail during his angstiest years no wonder that boy is constantly 0.5 seconds way from snapping and talks abt killing everyone whenever he’s on the field 😭 what’s funny is barou is older than karasu but he does NOTTT act like it…i bet tabieitaken gossip abt how immature half of the bllk boys are (not that resident jackasses karasu and otoya are pinnacles of class but they at least act their age)

oh i just excluded hiori and chigiri because they’re the same age as rin so the specific dynamic i was talking abt wouldn’t really work w them!! rin’s like one of the youngest players though so like p much anyone else would qualify as being older HAHA. i do think the hiori dynamic you mentioned would also be interesting!! i think that rin and hiori would be on more equal footing in that though…in my mind it would be more of a traditional love triangle than rin being a second lead who has a 0% chance at ever being acknowledge by the mc. still super interesting and def would be fun though!!

i think that the worst ones for rin (if we go the older boy route) would be nagi or karasu (not being biased). rin basically has no interest in anything but soccer (a lot like sae) and kinda horror games and whatnot?? for the most part it’s just soccer on his mind though. i think if the reader was w karasu (or even yukimiya to a lesser extent) who is very well rounded and generally mature, it would probably throw rin’s lack of maturity + other interests into relief, ESPECIALLY if the mc isn’t into soccer, which would def fuck w rin sooo bad. like everything he’s ever wanted in life has been obtained via his talents at soccer — he even thinks he can fix his relationship w sae just by getting better at the sport — but here’s someone who thinks he’s childish and doesn’t even care how talented he is. karasu straight up calls rin childish during the third selection for fighting w shidou which i think would make him crash out in an au like this one. it’s similar with nagi, who’s a prodigy that’s never really had to work for anything in his life — rin is super dedicated, and he balances his talent with hard work, so i think that if nagi managed to win over someone who HE wanted, seemingly without any effort, it would make him feel horrible and reinforce that feeling that no matter how hard he tries, he’ll never be on the level of the prodigies of the world (nagi/sae). idk if you can tell but messing w rin is a pastime for me i love thinking of ways to torture him

i also have never really seen the shidou appeal…like more power to everyone who likes him but he simply is not the one for me. isagi is meh like i don’t mind him as a character at all but i don’t know if i could ever write him as a main love interest!! he’s missing a certain smth in my mind. but he would be a perfect character to put in a side couple i think — kind of like a less problematic version of bff x otoya in fwtkac HAHA

for the most part there’s a lot of diff breeds that can do many different jobs!! especially if you’re not competing nationally most horses will do okay doing whatever, plus there’s talented/non-talented horses in each breed. normally people will pick a horse based on its aptitude for their chosen sport rather than just the breed!! but if i had to assign horse breeds (horsesonas???) to tabieitaken + hiori, i would say yuki would be a friesian, otoya would be an arabian, karasu would be a trakehner, and hiori would be a connemara

i haven’t listened to the official character songs no!! i feel like i only listen to soundtracks if they play during the show and are particularly majestic (violet evergarden soundtrack will always be famous to me hehe). i’ll have to listen at some point though!! karasu and otoya are truly THEEE best friends of bllk so they’re def going to have themes that riff off of that (hoping they get smth cool like chigiri’s guitar but more menacing considering they’re the ninja and the assassin)

icl the next installment is sooo long you don’t even know but it’s 90% crack fic NDKSJSSN like the most unserious stuff i’ve written in ages. now that karasu and reader are dating their relationship is more of an underlying support to the shenanigans the crew gets up to instead of the main focus so it’s a lot sillier and less romantic than the previous two parts. hopefully you still like it!! but either way at least you’ll have a good amt to read once i finally finish and post it

I CAN’T WAIT FOR SEASON TWO EITHER RAHHH tabieitaken…nagi and barou’s goals in the u-20 match…rin tweaking on the field…hoping beyond hope that the animation for the best moments at least is good because if they make the u-20 match goals look crusty i’ll cry. i think it’s funny how usually the anime has a much better art style than the manga but w bllk it’s the other way around!! ESPECIALLY episode nagi but honestly the art for the main manga now that it’s been developed is amazing

[vasyathebrave]

Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with fanon or fanfiction (and I read a lot of it). Sometimes fanfiction covers the topics that canon ignores or glazes over. For example, the results of Nightwing being sexually assaulted multiple times or how really close together all the deaths in Tim Drake's life actually are right before the Red Robin run.

The only time I think it's an issue is when people read fanon and expect it to be canon. Using Tim Drake as an example again, there seems to be a number of people who believe that Jason tried to kill him in the attack on Titan Tower when he really just beat the shit out of him. They think Jason slit his throat in titan tower (which he did in a graveyard, but Tim was mostly fine, it was shallow, and he was still up and walking/talking). So in discussions about canon, I've seen those brought up as a point against Jason/Red Hood and then double down rather then admit they got fanon and canon mixed up. Or arguing that the fanon version is the "real" version of a character; Cass not being able to talk, Barb being perfect/never doing anything wrong, Jason having long term pit rage, Dick trying to institutionalize Tim, etc.

I think fanfiction addresses a lot of the stuff that authors don't always consider, especially with stories that run for years, have multiple authors, or have different continuations. I think it's amazing what some people come up with, how fandoms intersect (dp×dc for example), the patterns of what people write like how there will be a spurt of one type of story (be it something like writing their own versions of the attack on titan tower or the justice league summoning Danny phantom). Some people just write insanely good stories.

Basically, there's nothing wrong with liking either fanon or Canon or having preferences to part of either. Many books have grown from fanfiction, and I personally think companies like DC and Marvel would do well if they realized "hey, we do have a multiverse, and this person writes a darn good story."

Sorry for the ramble. And for maybe using to many examples. I just find it easier to explain my thought processes with examples.

can anyone tell me what's the problem with liking fanon? obviously racist and/or ableist tropes are a problem and should be criticized but isn't that also a thing that happens in canon? I like canon but I understand that some of it is flawed and deserves criticism. I think the same thing can apply for fanon: enjoying fanon =/= enjoying all of fanon. I understand calling out bigotry in fanon but other than that it seems harmless to me

the perception thing sounds like a made up problem and idgaf if people are reading "simplified" stuff. so what's the actual harmful aspect of it?

[poke-me-with-a-stick]

Chapter 3! A lot of people were wanting this one! If you haven't read the first chapter, check it out!-

https://at.tumblr.com/poke-me-with-a-stick/well-i-did-it-it-took-me-four-hours-but-here-it/zuvamxpyxtj0

And you can find chapter 2 here!-

https://at.tumblr.com/poke-me-with-a-stick/chapter-two-for-the-story-started-by-this/r29nboa6jg2w

Enjoy!

---

Damian wasn't sure what to think. This isn't how he expected his day to go, and that's coming from someone who was quite adept at 'rolling with the punches', as Drake would put it. Days, or nights, tended to vary when it came to the life of a vigilante. And one was not a Robin, let alone the son of Batman, if they weren't able to be flexible. In some cases, quite literally (looking at you, Grayson).

So he started his day as usual, not making any big plans ahead of time incase he was needed, eating breakfast that Alfred provided, keeping his suit with him when he went out to walk Titus. And, lo and behold, he was needed.

Releasing Titus with an order to return home that he knew the dog would follow, he ducked into the nearest store bathroom and changed before rushing to aid his father.

The fight wasn't hard, for a fight against Killer Croc that is. Damian can admit that he was getting a bit cocky. Which was his downfall, as the moment he began to let down his guard, assuming the fight was over, Killer Croc grabbed him by the leg and threw him. Hard.

He thought of many things as he flew through the air. How irresponsible he was to let his guard down, how it went against all of his training with the League, about what he was going to do to get back at that-

It was around this thought when he began to drop. His training kicked in, causing him to flip and angle his feet. He had been to this park before, and knew that there was nothing blocking his way. He would be able to do a perfect roll, then he would be back on his feet and ready to head back to the fight.

Or, at least, there shouldn't have been anything there. But there was. And Damian found himself crashing into a pink- why was the water pink?- birdbath. He was drenched almost immediately, the fountain spraying him as he landed on it, soaking his face and head as he rolled onto the grass.

The liquid seemed to soak into his skin, a sensation that was frighteningly similar to a Lazerus pit, but missing the sense of dread and rage that usually came with the toxic green goo. In its place was a new feeling, one that left him warm, tingly, and light-headed. He groaned as he lay there, struggling to sit up. Why was moving so difficult?

"Are you okay?" A voice called from somewhere above him. He opened his mouth to retort that 'he was perfectly fine, thank you very much, but found his voice gone the moment he looked up. Standing over him, hand outstretched, was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

Fluffy raven black hair and inhumanly bright blue eyes, which stared down at him with genuine concern. There were squirrels clinging to his pants, one poking its head out of his hoodie pocket, and birds perched on the boy's shoulders and head. Sunlight was rare in Gotham, and yet Damian swore that it peeked through the clouds just to give this gorgeous stranger a bright halo.

'He's and angel', Damian couldn't help but think. He continued to stare at the boy, not bothering to answer or get up. He wasn't completely sure his legs would support him if he tried to stand, a fact that should have made him more wary than he was.

His attention was brought back to the boy in front of him when he saw those amazing eyes widen, an expression that was a mix of horrified and mortified crossing his face. "Oh, Ancients," the boy groaned, "it can be applied topically." The teen grabbed his hand and hoisted him to his feet with surprising strength. Straightening, Damian was slightly pleased to find that he was taller. The shorter teen huffed, seemingly looking for something to say. Not giving him much of a chance to answer, Damian brought the teen's hand to his face, gently kissing the bony, pale knuckles. The resulting deep red blush, and squeak the boy made had Damian preening slightly.

As the boy seemed to try and orient himself, a dark figure decended into the clearing just a little ways away from them. He felt a twinge of annoyance as he recognized his father's suit, not wanting the moment he was having to be interrupted just yet.

Luckily, it seemed the teen had the same thought as he did. Well, probably not the same thought, but a solution to the problem he was facing that suited both of them. Damian felt the grip on his hand tightening slightly before they were moving, the boy ducking into the trees, dragging him along, before Batman had the chance to spot them.

Damian happily followed the teen, marveling at the feel of the cold, calloused fingers that occasionally twitched in his hand as they walked. He was content to let this handsome stranger lead him, stride quick and purposeful as he wove through the trees and around bushes.

When they did come to a stop, it was almost half-way across the park from where he originally landed. The boy dropped his hand, much to his disappointment, and began to remove the various wildlife from his person. Damian found himself watching in amusement as he tried- and failed- to remove the birds from his hair, words thst Alfred would never tolerate muttered under his breath as he did his best to avoid their sharp beaks. He did eventually manage to weasel them off, setting them gently on the ground near his feet.

Brushing nonexistent dirt off of himself, the teen glanced at him and the assembled animals before heaving a sigh and pulling not a… gun? At least, Damian thought it was a gun. It looked a bit more high-tech than an average gun, and Damian wondered how the teen had managed to hide something that bulky in his canvas bag. As he began to fiddle with it, he spoke again.

"Okay. As fun as this has been, I should really be going…" He trailed off as he turned away, little beating noises coming from the gun in his hands.

Damian frowned at his words. He was leaving already? "Will you return?" He asked hopefully. He wasn't sure what he would do if the answer was no.

The boy startled at his words, but turned towards him as he answered. Part of Damian was a bit annoyed he didn't look up from his gun. "Ah, no. I don't think I'll ever return to this universe." The boy's words were a bit off-handed, as if he wasn't truly paying much attention to what he was saying. All the while he still refused to look up.

Damian froze at the words. That was not what he had wanted to hear. Not at all. His mind glossed over the 'this universe' part, and instead focused on the part where he said that he didn't think he'd ever return.

While he wasn't the most calm and reasonable person in his family, Damian did have a reputation of being rational most of the time. This was not one of those moments. His body acted before his mind could, pulling his katana free of it's sheath and cutting down in one, smooth arch. The device in the boy's hands fell to the ground in two pieces, leaving the teen to stare at it in shock.

"No." Damian stated afterwards, grabbing the boy's arm and tossing him over his shoulder. "I won't let you." He began sprinting, no real idea of where to go in mind, just the fact that he needed himself and the teen away. Quite quickly the Robin found himself outside of the park and tearing down the streets. The very crowded streets.

People of Gotham were generally used to the weird shit that happened on an almost daily basis, but seeing Robin carrying a teen on his shoulder, away from the park, on the ground, in broad daylight? That definitely garnered him more attention than he wanted at the moment.

"Tt." He sneered at the people who had begun to rummage around their pockets for their phones, pulling his grappling hook out from his belt and swinging up to the rooftops for better stealth. The boy still hadn't reacted to his sudden kidnapping, the only action telling Damian that he was still conscious was when he felt hands grip his cloak tightly, right at his lower back. Despite the highly- effective insulation his suit and cape had, he could still feel those icy fingers through the bunched cloth. It made Damian wonder if he was a meta with some sort of ice power. It was something that could wait, though. Right now, he needed to focus on where he was, and where he could go.

His first thought was to take the boy back to the Batcave, but he quickly dismissed it. While that would be the perfect place to keep him from leaving, and to get some answers, his family was there. And they would have even more questions than he did. No, the Batcave wouldn't do. Maybe one of the safehouses?

He looked around, taking note of where he was and trying to remember if there were any safe houses in this direction. A vague memory of Red Hood showing him a map on his phone surfaced. He nodded to himself and jumped, aiming for the alleyway below. Landing lightly, he peered around the corner, making sure that no one was here, before turning and unlocking the door hidden by a dumpster.

It was only once he was inside that he set the boy down, placing him gently onto the bland brown couch. Seeing his face for the first time since picking him up, Damian expected to see anger or fear. Instead he saw a vague look of shock and confusion. But he wasn't freaking out, not that he could tell at least. Something in him warmed at the fact that he was so calm. A level head was quite admirable.

Turning away from the teen, he headed into the kitchen. Opening the first cabinet, he was meet with dishes. Cheep plates, bowls, cups, and mugs. The next cabinet over had an array of different dry boxed foods, but he was looking for something specific. A pleased hum escaped him as he found a small tin of tea behind a box of crackers.

The motions of making tea soothed away the remaining tension in his body, heating water and steeping the bags, and pouring into mugs. He let out a sigh the scent wafted from the mugs. This wasn't his favorite blend, but it was good for calming nerves, or so Alfred said. Something sweet and slightly tangy. Picking up the two mugs, he made his way back to the teen.

The boy hadn't moved from where he was sat down, resting his head in his hands. He looked up as Damian approached, carefully taking the mug that was offered to him. He glanced at it, but made no move to drink it. Instead the teen seemed to observe him, taking in his vigilante suit, along with any physical features that were visible. Usually such scrutiny would have Damian bristling, moving to take such close attention off of himself, but with him, he found that he didn't mind one bit.

Still… Damian frowned at the boy. "You should drink that." He said, bringing his own mug to his lips and taking a long drink. The boy copied his actions, taking a sip from the mug. He watched the boy blink in surprise at the taste before setting it down on the table. Damian took another long sip from his drink, observing the teen much like he was just observed.

The birds from the park had followed them here, which was very odd. They nibbled and pulled at the boy's hair, pulling out small bits of leaf litter and debri he had picked up on their trek. His clothes consisted of a Nasa hoodie, obviously loved jeans, and a pair of ratty red and white running shoes. Under the dim lamplight of the living room, his skin looked exceedingly pale, almost sickly. And his bright blue eyes seemed to glow, as he purposefully kept his eyes fixed on the tabel.

His eyes weren't the only thing that gave away his nerves, though. His hands bounced along his knees, the only thing making noise in the quiet of the safehouse. It wasn't hard at all to hear the little sigh he let out as he stood. Clearing his throat, he turned towards Damian, but had his body angled towards the door. "Well, as much fun as this has been, I really do need to get going."

Damian stood up as well. "No." He said simply. The boy froze as Damian took his hand.

"N-no?" He repeated. Damian sat him back down, putting himself between the door and the boy.

"No." He repeated firmly. "I don't want you to go."

The boy looked up at him, confused again. "Why not?" He asked. Damian had to stop himself from scoffing.

Instead he turned away taking a moment to reign in these new, strong emotions. When he turned back, his expression was cold. "You said you weren't going to back."

The teen's face stalled, before he groaned. "Of course, the potion." He mumbled quietly. His palm met his forehead with a strong, painful sounding slap. Scowling, Damian grabbed the boy's wrist, pulling it away from his face and into his lap, huffing slightly. A light blush spread across the boy's pale face, turning his cheeks a very attractive shade of pink. He waited for the boy to explain himself, admiring the 'view' he had as he waited.

"Of course!" He suddenly exclaimed, startling Damian as he dove for his bag. He watched carefully as the boy rummaged through his bag. "What are you looking for?" Damian asked warily.

The teen didn't answer him, continuing to dig until he found what he was looking for. With a quiet 'aha!' he pulled a book from the bag, and for a moment Damian could have sworn the boy had fangs. Instead of fear or suspicion though, all Damian felt was intrigue.

But he turned his focus back to the boy's find. He eyed the book with a healthy amount of suspicion. It radiated the same feel as the artifacts that Zatana and Constantine handled. A tingling feeling in the air, something significantly other about it. He didn't trust it, not without knowing what it was. The birds, that were also startled by the teen's sudden movement, settled back on the boy's shoulders and head, one of the Bluejays pulling harshly on a lock of raven hair. The boy didn't seem to register it, but Damian shot a glare at it anyways.

Setting his mug down on the tabel, Damian moved closer to the boy, peering over the teen's shoulder as he began to flip through the pages. None of the writing made since to him, the script shifting constantly in a Latin-like dialect.

He stopped on a page, his finger following along as he, presumably, read the strange shifting script. "Aha! Here it is!" He stated excitedly.

"What is it?" Damian asked. He was beginning to get impatient. He hated being left in the dark. The boy glanced over at him, letting out a small squeak at how close their faces were. Looking back down at the book with a slightly deeper blush than before, the boy cleared his throat and began to explain.

"Back at the park, you landed in a bird fountain filled with pink liquid, remember?" Damian nodded. That was what had happened. "Well, that was a love potion. And I got the potion recipe from this book." He lifted the book as imphasis. "So, I figured that if this was a potions book, then there had to be a potion that would cancel the effects of the potion that's influencing you right now!"

Damian sat back slightly, brows furroing as he thought over this new information. 'It makes sense,' he thought. 'Usually I wouldn't be this…out of control.' He glanced over at the boy, who was looking over what he could only assume was a potions recipe. Just to be sure, he asks what he thinks he already knows. "So you're saying that my actions aren't my own at the moment?"

The boy hummed in acknowledgement, setting the book on the table and turning to look at him. "Ueah. You're under the influence of a love potion right now. You aren't actually in love with me." Damian scowled at that, a protest welling up in his throat, but he remained quiet, letting the boy continue. "And the dose you got dunked in always a pretty big one. So any emotions you feel towards me, your actual emotions or not, are going to feel… amplified for as long as the potion remains in effect."

Damian huffed at the boy's words, but thought them over. While it was true that his emotions were a bit much, from what he usually experienced, he also didn't feel wildly out of control. He found it hard to believe that the emotions he felt were all fake. He wouldn't be so infatuated with someone without it having some sort of founding, potion or not. Yes, maybe some of this interest was artificial, but the thought of all of it being fake didn't seem possible. He was an Ah Ghul. He was taught for most of his life how to handle his emotions, as well as his mental and physical states. An assassin must be in control of themselves all the time, after all.

The silence between the two stretched on, only broken by those birds that had followed them, until Damian spoke again. "I don't believe you." He said, c quite confident in his evaluation of himself. The boy's face dropped, a look of exasperation crossing his lovely features. "While I do believe what you say about the 'love potion', I don't believe that all my feelings are false."

The boy looked at him, confused once again. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, that I know myself." Damian stated. "While you may be telling me the truth about being 'under the influence', as you put it, I believe that I would know if something was tampering with my emotions."

The boy sighed. "Alright," his expression was carefully blank as he spoke. "Then what now?"

Damian rubbed his hand along his lower jaw. "Now, I will help you." He stated plainly. There was nothing else he could do, aside from keeping the teen locked in a safe house for the foreseeable future. While he wasn't opposed to that idea, it wouldn't be the best. His family would get curious eventually, and it was obvious what the boy thought about the situation as it was now.

"Help me? With what?" The teen asked stupidly.

"With the antidote." Damian responded resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Not that the boy would have been able to see it anyways. "I will help you get whatever you need." The boy's expression lightened. "But," Damian added, "I won't stop trying to convince you that my feelings are real." He counted it as a win when all the teen did was shrug in response.

"Well, if we're going to be working together," the teen looked at him. "What do I call you?." Damian stood up, being careful to keep his body between the teen and the door. He didn't seem to be trying to leave at the moment, but one could never be too sure.

"In costume you can call me Robin," Damian said, his hands lifting towards his face. "But my real name is-" the teen moved suddenly, leaping forwards at a speed that would be impossible for most, and slapped one hand across his mouth, the other batting his hands away from his mask.

"No, don't just reveal you identity to me." The kid spoke, his voice firmer than it had been a few moments prior. "No big reveals until after I get you the antidote. I would rather you be in your right mind if you do that."

Damian huffed, but lowered his hands. He had no doubt that he wanted the teen to know, but…

"Tt." He responded with a scowl. "Fine, if it makes you feel better, my identity will stay secret. For now."

The boy sighed in relief before offering his hand. "It's nice to meet you Robin. I'm Danny." Damian took the boy's -Danny's- hand, giving it a firm shake. Danny smiled at him slightly. When he felt Danny's hand loosen around his, Damian held it tighter, bringing it up to his mouth and planting a kiss on the boy's cold knuckles. He couldn't help but smirk when Danny let out a small, startled noise and yanked his hand back. With a sigh, the boy returned to his book. Damian left him to it, walking back into the kitchen.

If there was one thing he knew, it's that his family wouldn't let him go off and help this stranger without a word. And if he knew his brothers, they would be seeking him out regardless. The best thing he could do was call in. 'Hopefully father will keep them from doing anything rash.'

Turning on his comm piece, Damian winced as his ear filled with static. Hurriedly he pulled the comm out, rubbing his ear as he glared at the small black bud. 'Odd, our equipment almost never breaks.' Puzzled, and a bit annoyed, Damian slipped the bud into one of his utility belt pouches. It didn't matter if the comm was fried, they always kept spares hidden around. Especially in safe houses.

It wasn't hard to find one, pulling out the fake bottom of one of the kitchen drawers. Comm in hand, he went further into the apartment for a bit more privacy.

Turning it on, he tuned it onto the public channel and was immediately greeted with a worried-sounding Oracle. "Robin! Oh, thank God! Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Tt." Damian scoffed. "I can assure you, I am fine." Better than fine, actually. But she didn't need to know the specifics. "I was only checking in. Let the others know that I will be busy for a while." With that, he shut the comm off again, ignoring Oracle's protests. With that done, he returned to the living room.

Danny was sitting on the couch again, mug drained of tea and scribbling on a sheet of paper. He looked up as Damian entered, stretching a bit as he set the pencil down. Damian glanced over the paper. "Is this everything?" He asked.

Danny nodded. "Yeah. That's all the ingredients." He grabbed the book and shoved it back into his bag and stood up. Grabbing their mugs, Damian took them to the kitchen before returning, looking the teen over.

"Are you ready?" He asked, holding out his hand. Danny nodded, takingnhis hand and following Damian out the door. Damian surveyed the alleyway before crouching down. "We'll have to travel by roof, if we want to avoid attracting too much attention." He told the boy. The teen grimaced, but didn't protest as he was lifted onto Damian's back. He weighed very little, a fact that he would have registered before, had he not been in such a panic about Danny leaving forever. It was worrying, how little effort it took to carry him. Sure, he was a Robin, and could lift a lot more than one person if need be, but he could barely feel the teen on his back.

Ignoring that for now (he was definitely going to bring that up later-) he aimed his grapple towards the nearest roof, and they were off.

—

"Nothing?" Dick asked Tim, hovering beside the man as he typed away at the Batcomputer. They had, after an hour of persuasion, convinced Bruce to go upstairs for a bit. In his absence, the two, along with occasional input from Oracle, had been working hard to find their missing brother.

"Not even the body cameras!" Tim groaned, his head hitting the desk in front of him with a light thump. "They aren't turned off, but the feed is so messed up that I can't get anything useful!" He pulled up a tab that showed nothing but static and the occasional random shape, the entire thing covered in a blue-green haze. "And his comm is still offline. I can't even track its last location, it just pings off everything!" His head remained on the table, and a small part of Dick was glad about that. He already had one brother missing, he didn't need a second with a head injury.

He opened his mouth to responded, but was cut off suddenly by a frantic Oracle. "Guys! Damian just called me on a backup comm!"

Both batboys straightened and stared at the screen, full business mode. "What did he say?" Dick asked.

"He said that he was okay, and that he was going to be busy for a while." Oracle's frantic typing could be heard over the comm, a testimate to how much she didn't believe the words.

Dick and Tim shared a look. "Did he say anything else?" Tim asked.

"No," the answer was quick but a bit hesitant. Like she wasn't focused fully on the conversation. Knowing her, she probably wasn't. "Dammit!" She cursed suddenly, making both men jump. "I can't even track the backup comm. Unless he has a signal scrambler on him, he shouldn't be able to do that." They shared another glanced this one worried. It usually took quite a bit to make Barbra this frustrated.

Something beeped on the Batcomputer, making both Tim and Barbra snap to attention. "What is that?" Dick asked.

Tim answered him this time. "We set an algorithm to scan through CCTV footage and alert us if it found Damian." He pulled up said footage, showing Damian room hopping with a slightly blurred figure on his back. He dipped in and out of frame for a solid minute before the camera lost track of him.

"Where was that?" Dick asked.

"I'll send you the coordinates." Oracle responded. He nodded, even though she couldn't see it, and made his way to the changing room. Re-emerging a few minutes later, Nightwing headed towards the last place his little brother was seen.

–

It was an hour later when Nightwing finally found his missing brother. Crouched on a rooftop, looking at a piece of… paper? He didn't get a good look, because the moment he landed Robin was on his feet, tossing his cape over his back and shoving the paper into one of his belt pouches.

"Baby Bat! We've been so worried!" Dick ignored how his brother was acting, slinging an arm over his shoulders. Or, he tried to. Robin ducked before his arm made contact. Nightwing frowned, but didn't say anything as he eyed his youngest brother with concern.

"Tt." Robin practically snarled at him. Straightening with his signature scowl, he eyed Nightwing with disdain. "What are you doing here, Nightwing?" He demanded, pulling one of his knives free and brandishing it threateningly at the man.

Nightwing raised his hands in a plactating manner. "Easy Robin!" He cautioned the teen. He watched the boy put a bit more distance between them, one hand reaching up to his shoulder. Before he could get a good look at what the teen was reaching for, one of Damian's knives flew past him. Strangely, he didn't see Robin move, but there was no one else here, from what he could see anyways. He ignored it, focusing solely on his brother.

"You gave us all quite a scare, Robin." He sat down on the edge of the roof, letting Robin maintain his distance for now.

Despite the mask, Dick could see Damian's confusion and agitation. "I told Oracle I was fine." He growled, sheathing his knife but not coming any closer.

"You disappear after a fight, no word and no way to track you. Why wouldn't we worry?" Dick raised an eyebrow at the teen.

"Well, you've seen me now. As you can tell, I am fine. Now, I have something I need to do." The teen walked over to the other side of the roof, peering down into the alley below.

"Hold it, Baby Bat." Nightwing jumped to his feet, closing the distance in a few long, paced steps. "You have to come home! You can't just run off without letting anyone know where you are!" He grabbed Robin's shoulder, briefly pausing at how cold and bony it felt, before Damian whipped around, grabbing his arm and twisting.

Releasing Robin's shoulder with a pained noise, he had no chance to block as Damian released his arm and gripped a bit higher. Before he could really register what was happening, Robin had flipped him over the edge of the roof. Acting on instinct, Nightwing reached out and caught the railing of the nearest fire escape.

Quickly, he made his way back up to the roof. But Robin was gone, no trace of him left on the roof. Sighing, Nightwing crouched back down, rubbing his sore shoulder. This wasn't going to be easy, was it?

Standing, he made his way back to the Batcave. Maybe if he got there quickly enough, he could keep the footage of this moment from reaching the group chat.

The buzzing from his pocket told him he was already too late.

---

(I know there might be spelling and grammar errors, but I tried my best. That's all that matters!)

I'm thinking of naming this story 'Articficial Wingman', what do you guys think?

To all the people who wanted to be tagged in the next update, as well as the lovely person who wrote the prompt for this story:

@halfblackwolfdemon @manapeer @xxwintrynightzxx @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @blu-lilac @academicpurposes @secretdestinywerewolf @passivedecept @naluforever3 @postit-nope @spiteismymiddlename @2t-productions @plague-daisy @feet-achy @bubblecookies16 @thesapphiredragon13 @justwannabecat @magicalcollecter @adeniumdream @amuseofminds @lupagrim @readerkayden @dr-syko-pharm-4 @ladythugs @angelheartgamer @markthespot68 @kyrianclawraith @michikoy-yuki @servasvictoria02 @your-emo-nightmare @vala-dreams @scarlett-green-rose @t1dwarrior-of-earth @charlie-the-frogie @akikoyuii @mysticalcomputerdetective @roseuniverse999 @im-totally-not-an-alien

[avelnfear]

Chapter Two

Masterlist

Jason was feeling a little nostalgic as he traversed Crime Alley via rooftop, going about his regular patrol. The night was as quiet as it ever got, leaving his mind to wander as his body went through the familiar motions of patrol. He made sure to keep an ear and an eye out for anything odd, but he didn’t do much to stop the path of his thoughts. It wasn’t necessary, and he could use some time to just think.

Jason had been nowhere near prepared for the mess that his life turned into when he’d made the fateful decision to go after the Batmobile’s wheels. Robin had been magic and wonder and freedom, but that all changed in a hurry. He’d thought he felt betrayed only to run directly into true betrayal. The mess with the Joker had been hurtful in a lot of ways, from the physical to how it all started to Bruce not making it on time to him not exhausting his previous options and a few other things that he tried not to think about. 

Coming back was somehow even worse. Rage was now his constant companion, frequently attempting to poison his thoughts and his actions. Green was constantly edging his vision, waiting for him to slip up so that it could take control. He felt like a wind up toy one more twist from exploding, or like a puppet that used to be well loved until the owner beat it against a wall for days then attached it to a machine and left. Coming back made him feel more like a clunky machine with questionable controls than a person.

Guilt was a steady beat that guided him through the day, built up to near impossible levels due to things he’d done, people he’d hurt, while drowning in a tsunami of green and rage. His nights were anything but peaceful, haunted with reruns of what he’d done to innocents, to his brother to Tim. The Batclan, his family, had worked tirelessly to learn his new limits and how to not send him running. As soon as they knew that he hadn’t been in complete control of himself, that is. 

Jason had been content to never tell them about the lasting Pit Madness, but Dick had found him at the tail end of one of his fits almost a year ago. It’s taken six months, which felt much too short to Jason, but he would now come to the Manor for dinner every once in a while. He even talked to the Bats over comms sometimes, and as the Bats slowly wore him down, as they got more likely to get caught up in one of his fits, he’d changed his system around. Now he used rubber bullets, and his few live magazines were harder to get to. He’d changed his knives to be slightly easier to see, trusting the Bats training to make that little bit matter. Additionally, although this was an accident, he’d found out that the Pit was paralyzed at his grave, meaning he had a place he could go to make the Pit harmless until he could regain control.

Thankfully the Pit had been relatively quiet for a few weeks now, but he was still wary because he had to be. Jason’s wandering thoughts were put on pause as he stopped a couple muggings and a robbery. All the situations were wrapped up rather quickly which left his mind free to wander again as he ascended to the rooftops. It really was a slow night in every way possible. 

Sometimes, when Jason least expected it, the intense sensation of something missing would hit harder than Superman could, leaving him reeling. He’d have thought it was just another side effect of coming back from the dead, but the sensation had always been there in one way or another, even before he died. Jason had mixed feelings about the intense missing that he felt. On one hand, the sensation clearly left him unsteady, and with no solution, due to there being no clear cause, but, on the other hand, the sensation could stop his nightmares in their tracks, letting him have a restful night.

Jason never fully remembered what he dreamed of on those restful nights, but he knew that he dreamed. Impressions of peaceful, comforting hums, flashes of blues eyes that pierced his soul, flashes of green eyes that were just a shade or two off from being Lazarus Pit green, and a feeling of loss and peace dancing with each other were all that remained of those dreams. He’d tried every technique that he could think of to remember more, but nothing had worked. 

Suddenly, the Pit screamed at him, knocking him out of his thoughts and off the roof in one fell swoop. Green slowly swarmed his vision, slowly because he was fighting it for all he was worth. Reaching up a hand, he activated his comms with a grunt. “Pit. Alert.” He ground out through gritted teeth just before green overtook him. He’d fought so hard that his consciousness started to fade, but he struggled still, attempting to at least be able to watch what happened, what his body did, while the Pit was in control. Ultimately, Jason lost that battle, fading from consciousness quickly.

Blearily, Jason slowly came back to awareness. He had just enough time to register that he was standing beside his grave before his legs buckled. Someone caught him before he could roughly collide with the ground, immediately lowering the two of them to softly sit in the dirt. Jason didn’t even have the energy to fight back against the person as he tried to assess himself. Deciding that he’d live, he turns his oddly blurry eyes to the figure who helped him. While he couldn’t see clearly, the vague shape and specific shade of blue told him that Nightwing was the one to catch him. Jason let out a tired hum of acknowledgement that sounded more pitiful than he thought it would.

Half his mind was fuzzy and slow, consumed by the now familiar sensation of missing while the other half was still slowly rebooting from the green. Words were being said somewhere above his head, but they fell like stones in a lake, not even fully registering on his radar even as they left behind small ripples of confusion. Jason thought he caught his name, causing him to try and understand what was being said on instinct, but it was like the voice, voices?, was speaking in gibberish, making it impossible to understand.

Much faster than the green had, black flowed in, robbing him of his senses and trapping him in his mind. As fast as he had left the land of consciousness, Jason didn’t realize that he’d been crying, that there was no blood on him that he hadn’t been in control for getting, and that the missing sensation had shifted slightly into missing-waiting. The first two were told to him when he woke up, but the third remained unknown until a few months later when everything changed and some things were put into perspective.

Taglist: @blacksea21090 @chrysanthemum9484 @samgirl98 @may-rbi @justwannaseesomebrozawa @serasvictoria02 @treepainting @fluffykster @enderglace @sigdexae @persephoneblackrose @angelofsongsoteira @lazy-bouqet @littlefeather345 @icedbluesoul @autumnwulf @thefearfullone @alixanterm @skulld3mort-1fan @dulceringo @vidimirrayne @betinaplayingwriter @the-legal-shipper

[angelsdean]

Sure that's a possible interpretation. I think for me it's the fact that it's already a pattern with Sam, that he's hypocritical about these things, that he keeps his own secrets and personal things from Dean, while still insisting on complete openness from Dean and getting upset when Dean dares keep things to himself--like how he blew up at Dean in 2x10 when he finds out about John's dying words. Sure, he has a right to feel upset about the contents of those words, but I don't think it's fair that he acts like Dean not immediately divulging this information is some kind of crime or betrayal.

On a smaller scale, in the episode just before this one, we find out that Sam apparently prays "every night." This is brand new information to Dean, which shows that Sam keeps his own secrets and doesn't share everything about himself with Dean.

As for the Meg stuff, yea it would be "fair" to read this moment as perhaps an over-exaggeration or flat out fabrication from Meg to paint Sam a certain way. And it wouldn't be the first time she lies or over-exaggerates to pit the brother against each other (like her suggesting Dean drags Sam around like luggage). To me I'm looking at the events of this episode through a lens of Meg mixing partial truths with lies. Meg is purposely toying with them, inserting some mix of truth and lies to make them all doubt what is indeed true. Some of those "truths" are also based on what the characters themselves believe to be true. Based on how Sam has been talking about himself, increasingly becoming more fearful and paranoid about his "destiny" and "going darkside" I can actually believe that he has been feeling some sense of anger / rage / hate--at himself. At the situation he's in. These feelings IMO are real, and something he's been keeping from Dean, but Meg takes that grain of truth and twists the context to make it seem like those feelings of anger / hate / rage are tied to "his" recent volatile and violent behavior.

This is very funny coming from Sam, Mr. You Have to Tell Me Everything You’re Feeling bc talking abt your feelings and fears is the only Right Way To Cope, and acting like Dean keeping things to himself---specifically keeping things from Sam-- is a crime, even if Dean is keeping things from him to spare him the worry or hurt.

SAM For the last few weeks I've been having ... I've been having these feelings. DEAN What feelings? SAM Rage. Hate. And I can't stop it. It just gets worse. Day by day, it gets worse. DEAN You never told me this. SAM I didn't want to scare you.

He never practices what he preaches lol

[mxgnctos]

His melancholy is a ferocious beast, a hideous leviathan with fangs that could pierce through a rock, eyes that could turn an unassuming villager to stone and a tongue which resembles that of a snake’s, capable of spitting out words as sweet as honey but as deadly as poison. It slithered out of the tempestuous waves and coiled around his heart, suffocating him until he couldn’t breathe. It incarcerated him with an indescribable pain that no one other than himself could sense or see or feel. Yet the heavens seemed to reflect his sorrow, as lightning crashed and thunder clapped, resounding in his ears until he had to pause in his tracks and place a trembling hand over his ear and another over his chest to steady his rapid breathing.

The castle, once full of cheer and smiles, now stood lifeless and looming as he raced through the long, winding corridors. Perchance, it has always stood this way, but back then, the person who would make even graveyards seem like a party bursting with colours was present. The world shifts and the seasons change, until ultimately, one ends up with nothing but themselves to shield from the inevitable winter.

He arrived on the roof, halting in his tracks to catch his breath. The rain descended on him, leaving him soaked. But he didn’t care — rather, he paid no attention. Only one thing lingered in his mind, and it wasn’t something that would strike most as pleasant.

He stood on the edge of the roof, gazing down on creation as he pushed aside his dishevelled locks of hair out of his bleary eyes to get a clearer look. Thoughts raged inside of him, swirling up and about to form a storm. Is this how he felt? he asked himself. Being on the brink of death?

But something (or was it someone?) held him back. It wasn’t a hand pulling him back from the bottomless pit that assumedly led to hell. It wasn’t even a voice, a loose thread, calling out to him, pleading for him to stop. It was a mere apparition, a translucent figure that floated a few inches off the ground, staring at him with his hollowed, bloodshot eyes a distance away.

There he stepped off the edge and approached the figure. The storm of thoughts that plagued him faded into a huge mix of conflicting, overwhelming feelings.

“What.. what are you..”

But he was cut off by the ghost, who didn’t say anything, but shed a single tear. That tear, that melancholic look in its eyes conveyed meaning that not even a million words could replace. And somehow, through their eye contact, he instantly knew, he understood, and all the memories came flooding back to him, knocking him off his feet and bringing him to his knees.

“I’m.. i’m sorry,” he choked on sobs, tears streaking down his cheeks. He hoped that the ghost would understand, would somehow know of the million unsaid words he tried so hard to gasp out but failing. How could I forget our promise?

If you ever loved me, draw your breath in pain in this harsh world to tell my story.

He couldn’t imagine all that transpired before this meeting with this supernatural being; how the ghost, from the depths of hell, tore itself out of the chains that bound it and the flames that licked at its feet, just to save him.

But love does do indescribable things to people.

[eternalxbarbie]

look what you made me do II LUCILINE

I don’t like your perfect crime, how you laugh when you lie. You said the gun was mine, isn’t cool. No, I don’t like you. I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time. Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time. I’ve got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined. 

Today was the day that she was finally going to tell her mother about her relationship. It was a nerve-wracking thought. Caroline wasn’t sure that Liz was going to understand or approve of her dating Klaus, much less dating both Klaus and Stefan. Her mother had always been old-fashioned, and nerves swirled in the pit of the vampire’s stomach as she made her way out of the dorm and to her car.

Lucien had been waiting for her. The pair had not seen each other since that fateful Halloween party and he knew the blonde would be a mess just at the sight of him, so he approached slowly. “Caroline,” he greeted, keeping his distance.

Fear flashed in her blue eyes immediately just at the sound of his voice and she hoped like hell that he hadn’t seen it. Dark veins danced around her eyes, fangs snapping into place as she glared at him. “We have nothing to say to each other,” she spat out, pulling her keys out to unlock her car door.

He ghosted to her side, turning her around and pushing her back against the car. One arm stayed on each side of her head and Caroline was paralyzed with fear. The idea of his fangs in her neck again spurred her on, however. It didn’t matter how much older or stronger he was in that moment. She was angrier. Caroline shoved him off of her with all her might, hissing as he stumbled backwards.

“Why the hell can’t you just leave me alone?” she growled out, rage flashing in her eyes.

“You know why!” Lucien spat back. “You know why and you could help me and yet you refuse.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you. You assaulted me for no reason. You traumatized me for no reason. I owe you nothing.”

Lucien sighed, one hand coming up to run through his hair as he watched her try to open the door to her car yet again, only to find her hands shaking with a mix of anger and fear.

“Caroline,” he repeated, softer this time. “She won’t be waiting for you.”

Those words were enough to stop her in her tracks. She turned, achingly slowly, to face him again. “What are you talking about?” she asked, voice full of quiet rage.

“Your mother,” Lucien said simply. “She won’t be waiting for you.”

No. No, that couldn’t be true. She had just spoke to her mom only a few minutes before. Liz had been on her way to respond to a car crash just on the outside of the border and then she was going to wait at Caroline’s apartment outside of Mystic Falls so that they could go to lunch. They had just spoken.

“You’re lying,” she said slowly, taking deliberate steps towards the older man. “She’s inside the border. Even if you compelled someone to go after her, the compulsion would wear off once they were inside.”

“If they had to go inside, that would be true,” Lucien answered.

And then it clicked. The car accident. He’d planned this. This was all another part of his sick, twisted little game.

“If you do anything to my mother, I won’t hesitate to destroy you. I swear to God, Lucien, if you hurt my mother–––”

He held up a hand to stop her. “I won’t be the one that hurts her, Caroline.”

What the hell did that mean? Lucien pulled out his phone, dialing a number and grinning when the person on the other end of the line answered. “Hello, love. Yes, I have Caroline right here. She’d like to speak to you, if you have a moment.” He held the phone out to the blonde, smirking. “It’s for you.”

Caroline took his phone, staring at Lucien in horror as she put the device to her ear. “Hello?” she whispered, unprepared for who might be on the other end.

“Hi, Care. Everything okay?”

That wasn’t what she was expecting. Her stomach dropped and she could feel tears springing to her eyes. Stefan. Lucien had compelled Stefan.

“Hi, honey,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm as she spoke. Her eyes stayed on Lucien’s glaring at the older vampire as his smug smirk stayed in place. “Is...Is my mom okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Stefan answered, confusion evident in his voice. “We’re at your apartment. Nik said that she’s not safe, so I have to stay with her for a while, but we’ll keep each other company. I’ve always liked spending time with your mom.”

Nik? There was no way that Klaus had told him to do that without informing Caroline.

“Stefan, when did you talk to Nik about that?” she asked. Lucien looked positively gleeful now and Caroline was terrified for the answer to come.

“Care, are you sure you’re okay? He literally just handed you the phone.”

Realization and horror dawned on Caroline’s face as Lucien snatched the phone from her hand. “Stefan, I don’t think our girl is feeling too well. I’m going to mend her right up and then give you a ring back. Take care of Liz for us. Kisses.”

Caroline’s hand was wrapped around the older man’s throat as soon as he ended the call. “You son of a bitch.”

It was Lucien’s turn to push her off now, sending the blonde sprawling backwards. He straightened his suit jacket as he waited for her to return to her feet. “I’m going to explain a few things to you now, darling, and you better listen close because I’m only going to do this once.”

“Stefan and I met in Chicago in the 1920′s. We,,,how should I phrase this? Rekindled our connection the night of the Halloween party. Luckily, I happened to catch him after he had been off of vervain for a few days and compelling him was easier than I could have ever imagined. At first, I just had him bring me information but when it became obvious that neither Nik nor you were going to budge on your stance regarding the sire lines, I had to take a more nuclear option. And when I heard from one of my little bird’s that the two of you threatened Casandra? Well, let’s just say that I now had the proper motivation to put my plan into action.”

Caroline remained silent, as much as she wanted to break the vampire’s neck and get to the border and rescue her mother and boyfriend. She needed to figure out exactly what he had in place so she knew how to stop it.

“So, I compelled Stefan to think that I was Niklaus. Nik and his siblings forced me to pretend to be him for over a century, so I’m just taking a page from their own playbook. I sent him to Mystic Falls, and I put in the fake call to the police station about an accident. Your mother made it to the scene, and as soon as Stefan saw her, the compulsion kicked in. The benefit of compelling someone your mother knows to kidnap her is that she’s resistant to fight back. Getting her to that handy little apartment you have on the outskirts of Mystic Falls was easy. My men are watching the building, of course, and will be quick to inform me if you or Nik go to try to stage a rescue attempt. If you do, one phone call to Stefan and my handy dandy compulsion will kick in and then it’s bye-bye Mommy.”

The blonde was coursing with rage at this point and she couldn’t stop herself from interjecting. “And what is it that you’re trying to accomplish here? What do you want from me?”

Lucien grinned. “Now, now, Caroline! I can’t spoil the game that far ahead. If I tell you what I truly want, Nik will have time to plan for it. So, in the short term, I can let you know that the way to get your mother released is simple. If you agree to come to my apartment and be spelled inside the premises by a little witchy friend of mine, I’ll let Stefan and your mother go.”

“Fine,” she said immediately. “I’ll do it. Just let them be.”

Lucien shakes his head. “No, no, no. I want you and Klaus to discuss it first. I want you to suffer, I want him to suffer, and I want to see which one of you he’ll pick to give up. Will he choose his longtime flame, Stefan Salvatore? Or you, the girl that took his world by storm? Whichever one of you he chooses to give up...well, that’s gotta hurt. I’ll give you a week or so, then you give me your decision. Until then, no funny business or Liz bites the dust. And look on the bright side! I just saved you a three hour car ride, love.”

Caroline can’t do anything but glare at him, her hands clenched into fists by her sides. How had they not seen this coming? How had she not better protected both Liz and Stefan? She had to find Klaus.

Lucien blew the blonde a kiss as he started to depart. “I look forward to your decision, love. Toodaloo!”

[muuuumin]

Jason didn’t miss how his comment was ignored and although it was a fleeting thought, he still wondered if babybird was getting enough sleep and eating properly. He mentally shook out that thought and focused on Tim’s question, eyes behind his helmet scanning the streets of Gotham below.

“Not yet, I thought I’d have more luck and ease if I was an actual registered student at the University so, could you help me with that? Forging documents and faking a persona is your expertise right?” He hummed, remembering some details from Tim’s file he recalled reading. “I’ll have to look into which classes I want to take so I’ll give you a text later tonight.”

Jason wasn’t going to tell Tim that he had already researched classes and wanted to take the papers on 19th Century Literature and Modern Critical thinking in Literature. He’ll pretend to stew over the options for a little while longer. He adjusted the helmet on his head, fingers pausing for a split second before he undid the catch in his helmet and removed it from his face. He had his domino mask underneath just in case, he just needed to breathe a little easier for what he wanted to say next. Plus he figured it would feel more genuine without his helmet causing his voice to be mechanised.

He cleared his throat behind a closed fist before looking at the back of Tim’s head.

“I uh, wanted to apologise. For a number of things… I don’t expect you to accept the apology and change your opinion of me but I- well we’re working on this case together.” Jason bit his lip, cursing at himself for being terrible with simple words. “I’m sorry for what I did to you before, all of it. The Lazarus pit rage made it worse and twisted it but I can’t deny that it wasn’t me at all. It’s… nothing personal to you, Red Robin.” His gloved fists clenched at his sides to prevent from slipping into his pockets and looking like a jerk trying to make an apology. Maybe he was failing it either way. Jason ran a nervous hand through his hair, tousling the white streak that fell over his face. “Shit I suck at this…” 

He had a lot more to say but the words in his head were far too jumbled and mixed up, Jason was pretty sure he was going to say something for too long and make Tim feel even more awkward.

Birds of a Feather

(closed RP with @muuuumin)

Things were not going according to plan. 

Tim really didn’t like it when things didn’t go according to plan.

Sadly, that was the nature of Gotham City, which was exactly why Tim had backup plan after backup plan, accounting for every conceivable variable. He’d written an algorithm just for this case. There was a stack of paperwork heavier than Tim was. 

And yet, somehow, none of that accounted for faulty construction of the barrier along the route Tim expected to chase the criminal along, and just like that all 27 of Tim’s backup plans went out the window, and he and this thug were tearing through the streets of Gotham City. 

Fortunately, Tim had always been quick. Maybe not quite as strong as some of the other bats, but he was balanced in agility, which was useful when it came to jumping over the wooden palettes that had been knocked in his way. 

He’d been chasing this guy for months, the leader of a trafficking ring that made Tim’s stomach turn with each new detail he learned. Finally, Tim had him… nearly. Weeks of careful planning were reduced to instinct, fueled by the base knowledge that whatever happened, he had to catch this guy. Because of that, he wasn’t particularly paying attention to where the man was running, only that Tim needed to catch up to him.

Tim was getting close. His chest burned with it, but he was closing the distance. The leader was about three times Tim’s size, but that made him slow, which Tim used to his advantage. 

One last turn lead them down a long alley with far fewer obstacles to jump over, and Tim took that as his chance. Putting one last burst of energy into moving forward, he could reach out and touch the man before him. So, he did. He leapt forward and used all his momentum to send the both of them tumbling to the ground, pinning the man’s arms behind him. 

“Get off- you little shit,” the criminal squirmed violently, pinned face down as he was. Tim was fully sitting on his back, using his entire body weight to keep him down and frankly unconvinced that was enough. Tim was strong, but he couldn’t hold someone like this forever. “I ain’t getting taken down by some pipsqueak-ass kid. I’ll fucking kill you.”

Tim used his position to secure handcuffs around the man’s wrists, trying to catch his breath. He might’ve secured them a little tighter than necessary, but knowing what this man did Tim frankly didn’t feel bad about it. 

Things hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, but Tim had gotten the criminal in the end. This would just serve as… something to keep in mind for the next time he had to make a plan. Always double check the strength of the barricades along the predicted potential chase route.

Breathless and full of adrenaline, Tim forgot another much more important rule: Always pay attention to where your target is leading you.

[mademoiselle-swan]

Eraserdeath

The Constellation

Stifling a silent sob with his fist, Izuku refuses to let his tears fall as he crumples to his knees, gravel digging harshly into the skin of his knees.

“I simply cannot say that you can be a hero without powers.”

When his number one idol has just crushed his dreams to become the first Quirkless hero mercilessly, what is the point of living anymore?

“Worthless Deku.”

He should’ve better. No matter the amount of work out sessions, martial art training and crappy notes, he’ll always be worthless.

He’s useless.

“You can forget it, kid.”

How can he keep believing in his dream when the only person to ever cheer him on was taken away from him too soon?

“A quirkless weakling like you will never be a hero, stupid Deku.”

He couldn’t even save his father, so how can he be a hero?

“Wish for a quirk in you next life and take a swan dive off the roof.”

Kacchan is right.

He’s better off dead.

That way Inko can have her life back, free from the worthless parasite he is.

That way his father can live without the shame of having such a failure of a son.

It’s better this way.

Mechanically he gets up and stumbles towards the edge of the roof, toeing off his shoes.

He’s so tired.

Tired of being treated like glass by his mother who hasn’t believed in him since he was diagnosed quirkless.

Tired of having no one to support his dreams, not anymore at least, because the only person to ever believe in him after the diagnosis is in jail for life.

Tired of the bullies, of his ex-best friend tormenting him.

Tired of the teachers ignoring his pain, and joining in on his torment.

All because he’s quirkless.

It’s better this way.

Climbing over the fence he doesn’t look down, because if he does he knows he’ll hesitate.

He jumps.

-.-

Shouta was not having a good day.

A hero had decided to chase around him for a few blocks because the bastard thought he was a hobo so obviously he was up to something. Prejudiced bastard, coming to such an illogical conclusion. He managed to lose him easily, of course, he isn’t an amateur at this game. Landing on the roof of a tall building, planning to lay low for a while, he stills when he notices a boy about to jump off said building.

Moving quickly to the edge as his hand move to his neck, he catches the kid with his scarf, right before he touches the ground, and pulls him up.

As soon as his feet are safely on the ground, kid looks at him with a mix of confusion, hope, awe and suspicion that’s painful to look at.

“Yo-you saved m-me. Why?”

Shouta sits down on the ground with a sigh.

“Why not?” He replies because he know that the kid doesn’t want justifications, doesn’t want pity or someone shoving their higher than thou morals at him.

“I-I’m quirkless. You c-can’t want to save m-me. T-that’s not-not how it’s supposed to work!”

“Yeah.” He eyes the kid’s bright red shoes, resting on the edge of the roof. He recognizes the brand, the logo a uppercase Q disguised as a stop sign symbol. It’s one of the only brands that cater to the quirkless population, and provide good quality yet cheap footwear to them. “I gathered.”

“Oh.”

The kid looks like he doesn’t know what else to say, so Shouta doesn’t push him, deciding to turn his attention to the beat up notebook laying next to the shoes instead. The cover reads "Hero Analysis for the Future - 13". Intrigued, Shouta picks it up, noticing how the kid – he should really ask for a name – tenses and makes an aborted move to snatch it back. He pauses, glancing at the kid – his name is Izuku, he notes as he eyes the carefully written name that can be barely made out at the bottom of the cover because of the sooth, water and slime cover the notebook – and makes a show of handling the notebook carefully.

“May I? I won’t do anything to it, I just want to take a look.”

“O-oh?” The kid – Izuku – looks so surprised at the fact that someone is asking, that someone wants to look at his work instead of destroying it, that cold rage settles in the pit of Shouta’s stomach. Shouta bears the brunt of the intense scrutiny the kid puts him through, making sure to let the kid know he’s telling the truth. It seems to work, as Izuku relaxes a few moments later, letting out a deep, trembling breath. “Um, sure. You can look, if you really wa-want to. Just, just, be careful, please.”

Then Izuku clamps his mouth and eyes shut, tensing as if expecting to be hit, to be punished, for asking that, and the rage coiling up his spine tightens its hold.

He holds back another sigh.

“Sure, kid.”

Now that that’s out of the way, Shouta flips the cover open, eyes landing on a small yet extremely detailed sketch of Tsunami – a hero with a water manipulating quirk who destroyed a small town on the coast "by accident" but got away with it – followed by basic information on the sorry excuse of a hero. The rest of the page is filled with messy writing in water proof ink, as evidenced by the fact that the book is a bit damp yet the ink hasn’t bled. It takes him a moment to decipher the messy writing, but when he manages, his eyebrows crawl their way up his forehead at the detailed, in depth, expert level analysis he’s currently reading through.

He turns the page, and is met with a two page analysis on Cementos.

Nedzu would love to meet this kid. Hell, Zashi will adopt him upon meeting him – he and his husband share a weakness for tiny, fluffy things – and Nem will be delighted if he brings back a potential friend for her daughter, Miko.

Hell, he already likes the kid, who has so much potential but doesn’t know about it, because nobody ever bothered with nurturing it.

“This is really impressive, kid.”

“R-really? P-people always told me my notes were creepy.”

Shouta carefully keeps a frown off his face as he looks through a few more entries, filing the most important information he reads in his mind for later use, before he gives the notebook back to Izuku and gets up with a bone cracking stretch.

“Well those people are wrong, and what they’ve told you is highly illogical. They clearly don’t understand how helpful a skill like yours is, and how much of a game changer you can be.”

“W-wow, really? Th-thank you! Nobody’s ever told me something so nice about my analysis.”

Shouta hums thoughtfully, eying the kid who looks a bit too small, a bit too thin for his liking, and he hasn’t missed how Izuku favours his left side, or how there’s a bruise blossoming on his cheekbone.

“How old are you, kid?”

“Fourteen? Why?”

Way too thin, then.

“Okay kid, I want you to answer my next questions truthfully, understood?”

“R-right. Okay, I’ll try.”

Too trusting of strangers on top of that.

“Are you safe at home?”

“Well, er, yes?”

He decides not to pick up on the hesitation just yet.

“Are you happy at home?”

Here the kid hesitates visibly, and Shouta holds back a sigh.

“If you could, kid, would you rather live with someone else?”

The kid ponders on that for a moment. “Y-yes. I think so. I’m tired of being treated like a glass doll, of living with the knowledge that my own mother doesn’t believe in my dream of being a hero.”

“Hm. Final question, do you still want to be a hero? I know you are entirely capable of being one, but do you still want to?”

-.-

Izuku reels back at those words, mostly because as soon as he hears them, the barely formed thought from before solidifies as he realizes that no, he doesn’t want to be a hero anymore. His meeting with All Might had disillusioned him, led him to realize that the Hero society isn’t as flawless as he thought, that heroes are over-rated. Wasn’t that why his father chose the path he did after all? If the Commission allows people like All Might, Endeavor and all the other heroes who turned on him the second they learned about his quirkless status, then it’s rotten to the core. The Commission is not better than the villains their pawns put in jail daily, villains they probably have a hand in creating simply to keep the show rolling.

“No. I don’t. If being a hero means that I’ll be blinded by my fame to the point of forgetting what the true goal of a hero is, I don’t want to be one. It would only limit me.”

The stranger – the man who saved him, who told him that his notes weren’t creepy, that they were useful; who told him that he has the capacity to become a hero if he wants to – smirks.

“Good. I have a proposition for you.” At his hesitant nod, the man elaborates. “How would you feel about becoming mine and my husband’s adopted son?”

Izuku hesitates, and looks up to lock eyes with the man, finding only warmth, concern and honesty in those dark eyes.

His mom never looks at him like that anymore. Not since he was four. Her greens eyes follow him around constantly when he’s at him, filled with overbearing worry, and a bit of resentment even if she tries to hide it. He hates it. He hates how she checks up on him constantly, poking her head in his room too often for him to have any privacy. He loathes how she made it a rule that he can’t even get near the kitchen knifes, hell the kitchen in general, because what if he got hurt? He’s weaker than the other children and hospitals don’t cater to the quirkless so it’s better to be safe than sorry, he can hear her explain even now. He’s tired of being forced to go back to that wretched school everyday despite his countless requests to switch to online school. Requests that his mom ignores, just like she turns a blind eye on the bruises, burns, scars and cuts that litter his body constantly. He hates how she believes the teachers when they call her to inform her of his latest so-called infraction to the school rules. How she scolds him for playing with the other kids when he knows that they don’t know their strength yet, when he knows that he’s more fragile than them.

“I-I’d like that. I-I don’t want to go home anymore.”

“Good. Call me Shouta, kid. Now, follow me, I’ll bring you to our HQ.”

“HQ?”

The man smirks.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a villain. You might have heard about me, I go by Eraserdeath.”

Izuku doesn’t feel the urge to screech, to panic and run away. He keeps following Shouta, because honestly he isn’t surprised about his saviour’s status, and he’s alright with it.

Heroes never did anything to help him, but this dangerous villain saved him and is working on giving him a better life.

Really, he thinks with a wry smile, that says a lot about how messed up the hero society is, doesn’t it?