#and if they’re not it’s only because one of them dies

[zinepunk]

Some thoughts on the end of arcane season 2:

Wow that was even gayer than expected /pos

Episode 7 was damn incredible. Everything I ever wanted from this show, especially with the “what could have been” themes

I know I wasn’t supposed to find it funny but I cracked tf up every time the alternate realities switched. Like it’d go from Ekko on a date in ideal Zaun being like “nooo I HATE parties :(“ to Jayce GOING THROUGH IT eating raw meat alone in a cave lmaoooo

TimeBomb canon letsgoooooo

GAY SEX???? GAYY??? SEX?!?!?!?

IN A JAIL CELL FOR SOME REASON???? I mean slay ig??

Side note I had a dream that Vi and Caitlyn had sex but woke up and was like damn too bad they’ll never do that in canon. I’m a prophet 😎

Mel’s character design somehow got even better and I love that for her (rip about the mommy issues tho)

Also what was up with Skye being savage as hell? Viktor being like “I’ll miss our talks” and her being like “no you won’t” Tf???!?

Ekko slayed this season but what’s new

Ekko putting Jinx on a suicide watch by rewinding time every time she killed herself was funny as hell ngl. Speaking as someone who’s been monitored 24/7 for that exact reason

I wanna know what the hell Ekko said to Jinx to convince her to not only not die but also save everyone cuz I feel like we missed some steps

Look I know JayVik didn’t become OFFICIALLY canon like the others but that confession was gay as hell. They’re canon to me idc

The reveal that the mage who saved Jayce as a kid was Viktor all along?? Side note, my dad actually predicted that by accident because he couldn’t remember who was who so yay dad

I know this isn’t important whatsoever but VIKTOR WITH A BEARD CAN GET IT

Jinx’s new hair is really growing on me but unfortunately it only lasted like 30 mins

I can’t believe jinx fucking died. I seriously didn’t think they’d kill off one of the main characters

Also did Jayce and Viktor die? That was super unclear like where did they go??

I feel like Vi and Sevika really got the short end of the stick with this ending since both of them had at least two found families EACH die off completely

Anyway in summary I LOVED the ending and the little seeds it planted for future spin offs. Once again I watched the whole thing jaw dropped. I kept thinking “wouldn’t it be crazy if they did xyz? But they wouldn’t do thaaaat” and then they FUCKING DID IT. 10/10 show, ended as beautifully as I’d hoped.

[timmydraker]

Thinking about Vampire Tim AU and him saving Bruce via turning.

None of the Drakes are actually Vampires, at least not permanently. It was a very strange instance that occurred out of pure chance and coincidence.

A pregnant Janet Drake in a foreign country having a run in with a starving vampire rouge that bite her just a few days before she gave birth.

Instead of the curse spreading to her, the labour of her child pushed and the spreading of lifeform spread to her baby as it was born. The child looked healthy, had no inhuman features, and they assumed her being so sick was simply the fact she was about to give birth.

Tim doesn’t realise what he is for a while purely because his parents are vegan and, until he was seven and had some beef from a classmates lunch, hadn’t had any blood enter his mouth.

Having to teach himself everything, Tim learned to manage both his hunger and abilities as quickly as he could. He studied history and mythos and did several test to figure out the limits to what he needed and could do.

He learnt that he could heal via blood, that he could go without air for days, and that his hearing was normal though his sense of smell was enough to distinguish blood types.

He learn that he could go two weeks without blood before it became a problem, but if he pushed it past three weeks he would start to experience literally decay.

Tim disconcerted his saving grace was that the hunger wasn’t as uncontrollable as people made it out to be in movies and books. At most, it was just like normal human hunger or thirst, and he was aware there was a huge variable in him being raised rather poorly.

He keeps it hidden for years, but then when he’s nineteen Bruce dies.

Not Batman, Bruce.

They got in a car crash of all things, the other drive running after they drove them off the road on the extremely rare instance that Alfred wasn’t driving.

Tim watched the tree branch in his foster father’s chest for several minutes as he thought about his options. Bruce was dead upon impact, gone with only the last wisps of life hanging to him.

Bruce was a father.

Batman was needed.

Even though it would out what he was, Tim forced his several sharp teeth out, all needle sharp and long enough his jaw had to unhinge slightly, and bit into his own wrist. The fangs, an inch long each, dug into his skin painfully before moving to dig into each of Bruce’s wrist and then finally his neck.

Tim smeared the blood into all three wounds and then squeezed as much as he could into Bruce’s mouth.

He had no idea how he knew what to do, trusting the instinct the curse seemed to just… give him.

When Bruce begins to breath again, Clark finally shows up. It’s been a total of eleven minutes and Tim only realises that the other took so long because he had been off planet, yet he is grateful because if he had been there…

Tim instructs Clark on how to cover up the scene, removing the cars and getting Bruce to the cave.

Dick is freaking out, worrying over his brothers ripped clothes and Bruce’s clear injuries, but Tim is quiet.

He takes Bruce’s medical cot and leads them both into a containment cell and then seals it, implementing his own lock as well as one of Bruce’s so no one can open it. He can hear someone banging on the glass a few times but he ignores it to stand over his father’s side and wait for him to wake up.

Naturally, when the older man does he’s panicked and screening Tim’s name.

Tim smiles at him sadly before taking hold of his hand, which Bruce immediately process as wrong.

“Why aren’t I dead?”

Smile growing sadder before fading to an almost formal look, Tim squeezed his hand before pulling away.

“I know you’ve had your suspicions and I thank you for trusting me regardless, but you are right. I’m not human Bruce, and now… you aren’t either.”

He lets the worlds settle for just a moment before continuing, knowing the other will want all the information he can. They’re both so similar in that way.

“I was born a vampire, I will always be a vampire. I will explain that all to you soon, but what you need to know is this: you do not need to drink human blood, you will not loose control over your thirst if you allow me to train you, and yes I had no choice. Gotham needs Batman and I-… I need my father. I will not apologise for my selfishness, but I am sorry you have to be like me.”

Bruce is quiet but he doesn’t move to kick Tim out, nor does he shout at him or cry in betrayal.

He’s surprised, but not more than Tim had ever seen before.

It’s almost an hour of silence between them before Bruce speaks again, “You… you are actually nineteen?”

Tim scoffs and Bruce glares, which makes Tim smile more, “I am. My body will age until around twenty five, at least that’s my hypothesis. If you are turned you stay the age you were, but I was born.”

Bruce nods and after a moment reaches out for his son’s hand.

Another silence before he squeezes it, “Have you told the others about… this change?”

Tim winces, “I tried to keep us separated because I knew you would worry for hurting someone, but I knew Damian would break in if he couldn’t listen so…”

“Ah. Understood.”

Then, in another rare instance that Tim thought he wouldn’t see for at least another few years, Bruce opens his arms to him for a hug.

Naturally, Tim crumbles into his father’s arms and sobs louder than a war drum.

Bruce kisses his head and holds him tight, a vampire embrace.

[screamofdespair]

Director 出﨑 統 Osamu Dezaki talks about Oniisama E...

Oniisama E... was the first project I worked on at Tezuka Productions. At that time, I had left my work at Tokyo Movie Shinsha and was focusing on OVA projects like B.B. and Sō Ryū Den. One day, a producer named Kuniharu Nagayama, with whom I had worked since my time at Mushi Production and who later joined Tezuka Productions, approached me with an offer. He said: "Why don't you direct it?" I replied, "I always wanted to work on Tezuka Osamu’s original works, but at Mushi Production, I was working on Ashita no Joe" Even after joining Tezuka Productions, they still wouldn’t let me handle Tezuka-sensei’s works. That dream was eventually fulfilled with Black Jack later.

Since I directed the second half of The Rose of Versailles, which is also a work by Ikeda-san, she apparently remembered me, and I imagine there was a conversation suggesting: 'If we’re going to adapt Oniisama E… into an anime, it should be done by that person."

I don’t usually read shoujo manga a lot. The only ones I’ve read are The Rose of Versailles and Aim for the Ace!, which I personally adapted into anime. I feel embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know anything about Oniisama E..., so I quickly read the original work. I found it very interesting. It’s a story full of selfish characters, and I really love that kind of thing.

Some may think this work differs from my past projects, but even with series like Ashita no Joe and Aim for the Ace!, which are often categorized as “sports dramas,” what I truly want to focus on isn’t the sports themselves but the human relationships and drama behind them. I’m someone who wants to portray drama, so I thought, “Oniisama E... is exactly the kind of drama I’m talking about!” (laughs).

“This is a world completely unknown to me. How fascinating!” I thought. As men, we don’t understand women, do we? There are times I find them amazing, and other times, scary. They are truly an unknown world. Throughout my life, I’ve had relationships with a few women, but that’s just a small part of the overall picture. In that sense, i just let my imagination run wild and thought, 'It would be amazing if such creatures existed!'. But as I read and tried to understand the original work, I also thought, They are just human beings like us.

Before starting the anime adaptation, I met with Ikeda-san to discuss about it. She didn’t provide any detailed requests or instructions in the direction, she simply said, 'I’ll leave it in your hands.' However, she made one exception: she specifically asked that Kaoru no Kimi, who dies in the original work ending, remain alive in the anime.

Ikeda-san's charm as a writer lies in how every character is desperately trying to live. Their actions make sense as you read, and you can empathize with them. They end up this way because they are trying their best. They end up this way because they’re hurt. They are people who, in regard to what they’ve done, somehow try to take personal responsibility, aren't they? In that sense, I really "understand" them.

The first character to catch my attention was Rei Asaka, or Saint-Juste. First, I just loved the name “Saint-Juste.” It left a strong impression on me because the name appeared in the The Rose of Versailles as the alias of an assassin. The powerful imagery of that story stayed with me. I thought, “This guy is really fascinating.” However, in the anime, we only managed to explore his character for one or two episodes. Because of that, I wanted to portray Saint-Juste in Oniisama E... as if she were someone transcending time and space. she’s such a poetic and deeply complex character, isn’t she? That's why I had her take pills from the very first episode.

Since it was broadcast on satellite TV, I was told we could push boundaries... This story focuses on adolescents peeking into the adult world, right? So, I figured that kind of portrayal was fitting. All the characters in the story bear emotional scars, don’t they? Whether it’s Saint-Juste or Kaoru no Kimi. Nanako was the only one who didn’t, which made her think, “I want scars too”. That’s essentially what the story is about, right?

Mariko Shinobu was also a fascinating character to depict. Her lipstick left a strong impression. When she made her vibrant entrance in the first episode, I remember thinking, “Ah, this series might really work.” Every project has a moment where a certain image feels like its the “starting point,” and for Oniisama E, that was Mariko. Even in the original work, she’s very impactful. The way her wavering emotions as a young girl are portrayed is truly compelling.

For instance, the way her father’s story unfolds feels incredibly realistic. And the way she quickly bonds with Nanako, that kind of behavior feels uniquely feminine, doesn’t it? Between men it’s difficult to overcome emotional barriers, and relationships tend to be much more detached. But between women, they can form extraordinarily close bonds, which might later transform into hatred.

If the other person is just a little more attractive or possesses something you lack, you may initially admire them and try to discover what makes them so special. But the moment you realize that quality can never truly be yours, they become your enemy. On the surface, you might get along, but if something sets it off, everything falls apart. You don’t even want to see them or hear their voice. You might even go so far as to steal the guy they’re dating. It can escalate to that level.

Men, I think, suppress those raw emotional instincts to some degree. On the other hand, women live constantly in that kind of emotional tension... That must be exhausting. Well, this is just from my imagination, of course (laughs).

Kaoru no Kimi has a masculine purity, yet she is bound by the fate of being a woman. She is more manly than any man. In a story like this, which features only women, the contrast might raise the question: 'What should a man be like?'

I created a scene where Kaoru no Kimi and Saint-Juste end up in bed together, but this wasn’t about homosexuality or anything like that. It was a manifestation of tenderness between two souls, each burdened with their own profound wounds. It was meant to show that something like this could happen. I wanted to portray it beautifully. However, those who saw it may have interpreted it differently (laughs).

As I was working on it, I came to realize that the one carrying the deepest emotional scars was actually Fukiko. When I realized that, she started to resemble to Reika Ryuzaki, aka Madame Butterfly, from Aim for the Ace! I portrayed Madame Butterfly as a woman so exemplary, so beautiful, and so strong that it inevitably leads people to wonder if such perfection hides deep inner struggles. My basic premise is that "the more beautiful a person is, the heavier the burdens they must bear." "The more beautiful they are, the more they must suffer." Of course, it's not always like that in real life. So, I decided to portray Fukiko's past and inner thoughts, as if looking through a magnifying glass. I even started imagining things that weren’t in the original work. Especially in the latter half of the series. Fukiko was particularly well-developed.

In terms of expanding the original story, which only consisted of two volumes, into 39 episodes, the writers really worked hard. At that time, Masami Mori also wrote the script for the OVA Black Jack that I directed, she was around 20 years old. Tomoko Komparu was in her 30s, and Chifude Asakura was in her 40s, so we had three female scriptwriters from different generations, and they all worked really hard. I would often ask them things like, "Isn’t this really how women are?" or "You must be thinking this, right?" and try to get them to open up their true feelings. Even so, it was hard to get them to reveal their true feelings, but when women write, sometimes there would be lines that would make me think, "Huh?", "A man could never have written this." I’m not the kind of director who always follows the script to make the storyboard but i used those impactful lines as a starting point, and then I explored the characters complexities. It was a really interesting and stimulating process. Every time I met Ikeda-san, she would ask me, "How do you understand women so well, Dezaki-san?" I would reply, "Eh? I don’t understand them at all" (laughs). It’s all just from my imagination. I’m sure in reality it’s different, but that’s how I portrayed it.

I think Akio Sugino probably enjoyed drawing women like Fukiko. Her grace was something only he could depict. Without that grace, her strength wouldn’t have been conveyed. That sense of elegance in his artwork was something he must have been born with. Well, that’s how it is with all of his works, but that quality really contributed strongly to the drama.

For the cast, I had the late sound director Etsuji Yamada think through a lot of things. We had a truly luxurious cast. Among so many experienced professionals, I had Hiroko Kasahara play Nanako. After listening to her audition tape, I felt something from it. However, I believe it was one of her first lead roles in a series. For that, her character was a bit too heavy, don’t you think?. She struggled at first, but gradually, she got better. In a way, I think she probably synced well with the character of Nanako, who was gradually growing and developing. For the dubbing, the first episode had the colors already added to the animation, but after that, we mostly recorded with just the finished drawings. Of course, this wasn’t something to be praised, but for this particular work, I think it might have actually worked well. The idea was that, by not focusing on synchronizing the voice with the lip movements, the voice actors were able to pour more energy into their performances. There were a lot of heavy lines, after all. Recording authentic, raw dialogue and then matching the animation’s lip movements to it. I think this approach worked well for the piece in the end. There was one time when the animation’s mouth movements and the voice didn’t quite match. It was in episode 17, where Fukiko found the letter Nanako wrote to her older brother and scolded Nanako for it. I decided to darken the scene at that moment. The line "Now, rip it in front of me" was a very striking one, so I secretly thought it turned out to be a good effect.

Source: Oniisama E... Blu-Ray BOX SET Booklet.

Note : The translation might not be the most accurate word-for-word, but i did my best to make it coherent.

[peachdues]

ok now goodnight

Even before he bothers to look up, Sanemi knows Rengoku’s overlarge eyes have singled him out. “Shinazugawa? You’ve had some face-to-face with Kocho’s clients, right? They know you.”

“I don’t think Kocho’s regulars will wanna do business with the guy who smashes their shins when they don’t pay.” Uzui’s eyes scan the row of solemn faces before settling on a pair of blank blue eyes and unruly black hair. “Tomioka, can you handle that?”

“Tch,” Iguro scoffed. “Do that and we’ll lose money.”

Sanemi snorts his agreement. There’s a reason the dull-faced waste of brain matter was schlepped off to handle the City’s robust gambling addiction: it offered the least amount of face-to-face with the public. Perfect, for someone like Tomioka, who had no social skills to speak of.

“It wasn’t just the drugs that brought in that amount of cash; it was Kanae. She knew how to sell to people.” Sanemi nods his head toward Tomioka. “He couldn’t sell a fire extinguisher to the fuckin’ fire department.”

Coming from someone like Sanemi whose unannounced appearance routinely made his clients piss their pants, that was saying something.

The group titters in agreement, and the raven-haired Hashira’s sullen expression only sours. “I can do it.”

Another round of eye rolls and poorly concealed snorts from Iguro and Sanemi. Even Rengoku can’t hide his own doubt, his thick eyebrows drawing together.

Uzui sighs. “Until we have a better option, this is what we’ve got. But Shinazugawa was right — Kocho was effective within her market. We’ll all have to keep an eye out for someone who can match that energy.”

That ever-present knot in Sanemi’s gut tightens. Already they’re thinking about replacements — another life for the Corps use up until nothing remained.

“Still don’t know who killed them, then?” Sanemi asks quietly, because no one else will. Beside him, Iguro shifts his weight.

Uzui’s eyes darken. “I’ve got a lead. I’m pursuing it.”

At least there’s that, Sanemi decides, so he doesn’t push the issue any further. Kanae will be remembered long enough to be avenged, and then she too, will be forgotten. Not because of any malice anyone holds toward her, Sanemi knows that. It’s just the way things run here. The Corps can’t afford to waste time mourning those who die in its service. The machine has to spur on, and it’s up to them to find new parts when the old ones shit out.

No one mentions her sisters, or the fact they were children and innocent. Incidentals, Sanemi supposes. Just new marks to add to the never-ending tally of casualties. It was the same with Masachika, when he died. No one spared him a thought beyond the need for retribution. No one cared about his death, save for the vacancy he’d left behind within their ranks. Sanemi hadn’t even finished wiping away the tears he knew better than to shed before he was offered up on a silver platter to fill it.

[scribescrawls]

Thinking about headcanons about the High Guard and the war with the Quintessons. Thinking on how Alpha Trion mentions that the war with the Quintessons has been going on for thousands of cycles. I think about how most of the general population thinks the war ended already and if they fight the Quintessons again to them it might feel like a new war is starting. Like the peace was built on a lie and it is a false peace, but people believed the war was over. Meanwhile for the High Guard the war with the Quintessons never ended, it only got worse. Probably to the High Guard in their eyes they are still at war with the Quintessons and always have been this whole time. Like even if Sentinel died that gives them the revenge they wanted and bonus they’re no longer being hunted by him so one problem solved, but they were still at war even before Sentinel’s betrayal and they’re probably still in a ‘we’re fighting a war’ mindset. I think this is also another reason the High Guard decided to follow Megatron because they want and feel like they need a strong commander that can lead them to win a war. Someone who won’t show mercy to their enemies. The kind of ruthlessness that they’ve had to embrace to survive these last 50 cycles. It’s the first time they’ve probably felt hope of winning in a long time over the 50 cycles after watching their strongest leaders fall.

I think this also includes Starscream, I genuinely think he thinks Megatron has the potential to be a leader worth following in TFOne (even if losing that fight might have stung his pride a bit). This Starscream is older and has probably been fighting in this war for thousands of cycles, he likely knows how vital morale is and that the person inspiring that in the High Guard right now is Megatron. Demoralized warriors do not fight as well as those who have someone to rally behind and have hope. And I think Starscream is painfully aware of this and also was feeling pretty damn despondent these last few cycles too, but he couldn’t exactly show that when he was leader cause if your leader has given up on things then it’s basically confirming to everyone else that they should give into hopelessness too and that’s when things would quickly devolve into chaos and death, so Starscream probably had to ‘conceal don’t feel’ all of that grief and despair. Basically a ‘if I don’t lock in and set an example we’re all going to die and I refuse to die like this’ mentality now rinse and repeat that for 50 cycles.

I personally don’t think he’ll betray Megatron or try to take back his position of leadership yet until he believes that Megatron isn’t living up to what Starscream deems as a worthy leader. Though he might be loyal for now, I think he’ll still also be the most critical of Megatron and the one who challenges his way of leadership if he thinks the other is falling short of their goals or believes Megatron’s plans will get them killed. I also think Starscream might try to be a mentor figure and shape Megatron into what he thinks a leader should be (for better or worse). This will likely cause tensions down the line as Starscream might think his ideas are better because he has more experience in war/leading troops vs Megatron who might view Starscream’s way of doing things as set in his ways/old fashioned. I think there’s the potential for Starscream to view Megatron’s way of charging in and taking action as reckless meanwhile Megatron might interpret Starscream’s caution as cowardice instead of calculated.

At the end of the day, I just think that the High Guard are war veterans whose war never ended.

[delumineight]

i’m in tears 4000 reblogs… this is tumblr i would be so embarrassed of that i don’t even tell anyone in real life that i use this app. that aside im gonna skip that second paragraph because everything else is going to answer that. i’m assuming you’ve been here a while so i know changing your opinion won’t work too well, but you’re looking at this all so one dimensionally.

first off, that happens in year six. there is no “year seven.” and i am glad that you’re bringing up hermione’s faults because usually it’s all about ron! i just don’t think you’re familiar with Being In Love and to be honest i don’t care if hermione beats up on ron. he doesn’t either!!! am i supposed to hate women hit men? no. why would i? that’s praxis. when hermione jokes about it in the next book, he laughs. and if she did it then, he definitely would have deserved it if we’re going to be honest. ron probably likes her for any of the following and perhaps more: she is funny believe it or not, her vindication, the fact that she rides so hard for him and harry, how she cares about him, how she’s kind enough to want to kill some random chickens for them on the horcrux hunt, how insanely passionate she is about everything, and probably so much more that i don’t care to list or think of.

when harry’s away they could be doing anything. hogwarts is a big school. they canonically go to the library a few times, play wizards chess as you’ve mentioned, and do some homework/studying (much to ron’s dismay, i’ll admit). the book is told from harry’s perspective. we aren’t supposed to know what ron and hermione are doing 24/7 and that’s part of it all. this is where you use something called your imagination. they’re prefects together. which means that they spent hours walking around the school alone together. probably just chatting about whatever or even in silence, which can sometimes be so much more intimate than a chat.

ron’s opinion on house-elves doesn’t just change randomly throughout deathly hallows. the two elves in this book are insanely important to the plot, defeating voldemort, and the trio’s survival if you’ve forgot. kreature tells them about the locket and the story of how it originally was removed from the cave. dobby dies for them and saves hermione from being raped by greyback. the reason for the kiss is so big because it does in fact show that ron is growing up and changing, because they are children for the entire series minus a few months during deathly hallows.

and are you serious about this one? why didn’t they tell harry? dude, they didn’t tell each other for seven years and he was, i dunno, the center of a fucking war by the time they realised that they liked each other for real??? like, again, seriously?

they have “no development” in the epilogue because you’ve skipped 19 years and it’s like six pages long and not about them. it’s about harry’s gay son who is scared of being a slytherin, not ron or hermione or rose or hugo. they’re just little figurines in the background of harry’s small dilemma with his son that only have a few lines of small talk with their best friend/in law.

also, acting like ron and hermione’s relationship was out of no where just proves that you probably haven’t read the first two or three books in a while. some venture to say that seed was planted during the first book when ron sarcastically calls hermione “a lovely, sweet tempered girl” or the wingardium leviosa scene or when he beats her at wizard’s chess and it’s the first thing she’s ever lost at. jkr herself said once that they were meant to be a bit “love at first sight”-y (they’re 11 so i’m not 100% a fan of that) but if you can’t see it when he nearly jumps draco malfoy in chamber of secrets for wishing hermione dead or when he keeps looking sadly at her empty seat while she’s petrified you’re being purposefully dense.

if you’d like to try some more arguments please go ahead, but make them harder. this was entirely too easy and elementary. i could’ve given these same answers when i was thirteen.

“I used to ship Harry and Hermione together but that was back when I was 12 years old. Now, I’ve grown up and realized that Ron and Hermione make much more sense together and are good together” is a sure-fire way to tell me you didn’t “grow up”.

[star-farer]

soft falls the victory

Summary: When at last you are smiled upon kindly. AU: Ik'aad Taglist: @kybercrystals94 @fionas-frenzy @padawancat97 @margindoodles2407 @dreamsight73 @groguandthebadbatch @comfy-vember

Comfy-vember 2024, Day 20: Desperate hug

Blasterfire rings like falling stars as they whizz onwards, spewing their wrath into Hemlock’s chest. Death is his lot, no more no less. His fate was sealed the day Crosshair opened his eyes to a weeping daughter in a cold lab.

He watches the man reel with each shot, backwards, backwards, backwards. Watches until he is so weakened his balance gives way. Watches until he topples over the edge of the walkway without protest or noise.

It is not his body that falls, only his corpse.

A pause follows, where Crosshair doesn’t feel the rain battering against him, doesn’t hear the thunder growl in the skies above, doesn’t see the lightning flash white and angry. Only perceives the empty space where the doomed scientist once stood.

He’s gone. The demagolka is gone.

And Crosshair; Crosshair can finally breathe.

The girl stood crouching by, she peers past the walkway, into the dark depths below. A man has fallen, a man has died, and she peers after him with the hope of a thousand suns.

And whatever she sees in her watchful silence, it appeases her fears, because she stands, stumbling upwards in a jolt like a tubie learning to walk. She looks so little from where he kneels, meters, lightyears, parsecs away.

She tilts her chin up, craning her neck, and—

She catches sight of them. She catches sight of him.

Her eyes widen with a starlight, her mouth curves into a brilliant smile, and she runs the distance, swinging arms and striking feet. She runs towards them. She runs towards him.

Something gives way in his chest with such violence he gasps.

She’s safe. She’s safe.

He finds it in himself to pull the blaster down from his brother’s shoulders. He finds it in himself to take a moment and let go.

The downpour is insistent, the shards swift where they pelt against the skin of his face. Hunter’s presence beside him is a steady reassurance, even if breaths heave out of him the same way they do from Crosshair, shaking and weighty.

And at last, at long last, Omega stands before them, joy bright and clear in her wide eyes and wide smile, even if haggardness pulls her shoulders, even if half a binder hangs around one wrist. Her curls lie lank with rainwater above her brow, yet the sight of her warms him better than any sun.

Especially when her smile is turned upon him.

But before he can pull together some semblance of upturning lips, before he can put to voice any hoarse words of endearment, her gaze drifts downwards and she leans forward as if burdened by some new weight. Her eyes snap wider open, the gasp inherent with the gaping mouth.

He refuses to follow her line of vision to his — his — his hand — his kriffing arm — cold metal around his kriffing wrist bereft of a—

The glimmer of tears piling in her eyes, the lines twisting on her crumbling face; if his vision was not enhanced, he’d never catch sight of her heartbreak.

There is a storm of emotions, horror and anguish amongst them, drawing her expression slack. It feels discordant, such loud grief upon so young a face.

And she isn’t a stranger, cries the blood gushing out of his wounded soul.

She is my daughter.

With a choked sob, she throws herself across the distance, arms around his neck, head slotted so close against his. Her weeping comes as quiet breaths, little sounds, shivering wilder than the winds around them.

He nearly lost her.

He nearly lost her.

She leans back a moment, and Hunter fills the space at their sides, shielding them from the onslaught of rain. And—

It feels like years before the truth of the matter pierces him, rending skin, flesh, and bone, driving straight to the soft muscles of his heart. He’s split in two, riven asunder, when he realizes it’s over. They’re safe. His aliit is safe.

It’s all over.

The blaster falls, abandoned by his tight grip, clattering to the floor. Desperation seizes his entire being, his trembling arms wind fierce around both brother and daughter. He pulls them close, despite the clacking armor, despite the tremor that defines him. He pulls them close, all weary joy, all agonizing relief, simply because he can.

Hunter’s chestplate creaks where his fingers curl vice-like. Omega’s shoulder is warm where he hides his face.

It’s over. They’re safe. It’s over.

And closing his eyes, breathing a sigh, he buries himself in the warmth of the embrace, buries himself in the drop of time he holds. The long curls near his face tickling his jaw, the arm around his back pressing him closer still.

His cheeks are dripping wet. His world is remade anew.

And the scent of salt is testimony to what he has won.

[janceezer]

⚠️⚠️ arcane spoilers below ⚠️⚠️

I think I found the most fitting song for jayvik in the last episode (and beyond). I will be putting down lyrics from the song & then talk about how they relate to Jayce & Viktor.

The song:

(⚠️⚠️this is where the spoilers really start ⚠️⚠️)

„I swear I’ve known you for centuries”

Viktor has been searching for Jayce for like FOREVER. He’s probably spent months, YEARS, looking for the Jayce that would help stop the calamity that Hextech would cause. It probably felt like a great relief seeing Jayce.

„You’re heaven-sent, how you save me”

this can point toward Jayce, Viktor and frankly the both of them. In the greater picture, it fits perfectly onto Viktor’s conclusion of how „In all timelines, in all possibilities, only you, could show me this” > pointing to how they’re literally made for eachother. So you could say they were made by a higher power (whatever you believe in), to meet.

Then: in a way Mage!Viktor in season one, makes sure Jayce lives, so you could say he’s heaven sent and saved him. In every universe. & they save one another from suicide, jayce brings viktor to life again with the hexcore, etc etc.

Jayce got sent to a timeline in which total devastation happened, being observed by Mage!Viktor the whole time. It is Viktor who helps send him to Jayce’s original universe, in order to kill Viktor there, in order to save not just him, but also his entire universe. Even though Viktor becomes the Machine Herald, we later see Jayce save him „Because I promised you” & „We finish this together”.

„In our final hour, call on higher power,

Erase my sins, my communion,

Til death do us part, it’s a union”

This final hour literally refers to their final hour together (I personally do not believe them to be dead, but either way) in which by using the rune in Jayce’s arm, Viktor’s acquired power as Machine Herald, etc, they call on a higher power.

Viktor tries to push Jayce away, because he takes responsibility for having turned the commune into robots (taking away their lives), but Jayce insists. Jayce insists they do this together. They’re a union, a team, soulmates. Destined to find eachother in every universe. We pan to them touching foreheads, hands finding support on eachother. It’s a Union.

„A guiding light,

you’re my love divine”

Viktor has literally ascended to another plane by having transcended humanity. He died TWICE (jesus also died and lived again). He is compared to Jesus multiply times (on purpose I’m pretty sure). He has his hood over him like multiple saints in Biblical imagery, he performs a miracle by healing people who could not otherwise be healed. Then the kicker:

Here he is, being illustrated with the traditional divine circle around his head. Something that is seen in countless of Catholic, but more specifically Greek Catholic / Eastern European Orthodox Icons of saints:

So yeah he is LITERALLY put down as Jayce’s and so many others (which we see in the countless specks of gold around Jayce) “saviour”. But specifically pertaining to Jayce: he has been his guiding light, throughout the story. He saved Jayce from suicide, he guided him as the mage standing at Android!Jayce’s moss-overgrown corpse. They’re literal divine lovers.

Everything I have touched on so far, can be applied to the rest of the lyrics! It for me, really got to the core, of the depth of their connection. The song is accompanied by Organ instumentals, which really SELLS the Divine Worship image to me.

If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU!! I hope it was worth it! Please add to this in the comments with more connections to the song if you wish to!!!

[imaginethisisagoodname]

Here is a collection of random thoughts I got and don’t know what to do with (this is very long becuase I have a lot of thoughts)

• I know Kyborg has really bad hygiene and even in a modern AU it still would’ve been really bad, but I feel like it wouldn’t have been bad because he was just like a dude who didn’t like deodorant but because he was depressed since his family died(and he probably would’ve just had depression) and a lot of the time (from what I’ve seen) people who are depressed tend to let their hygiene slip away (I don’t know where I was going with this)

• *spoilers for Barts and sorta gum gums arc* Inku seemed like the only one of the big 4 that the interns were really scared of, like Kyborg was angry at Quadron, Mudd didn’t really think a lot about Suldge and Entropa seemed like more of a thing that they knew that they had to face, but they just seemed so scared of Inku and just like they really didn’t think they could defeat her and weren’t making as many jokes about it because they were actually worried which feels like a cool distinction that I can’t make sense of.

• sorta adding to my Kyborg thing, but I feel like he would have issues sleeping or even just sitting in silence/doing nothing because he would have really scary thoughts that made him stressed and sad so he would just try to block new thoughts from coming into his brain by just always having sound on and always doing something and he would either stay awake at night thinking about horrible things or just never sleep and always keep his brain busy until he literally passes out. (Also he would hate silence becuase that give his brain the opportunity to make bad thoughts)

• Second part to this is that i feel like in a modern AU this would translate to him always having headphones on and just blasting music to keep thoughts out of his head

• One really interesting difference between Kyborg and Mudd to me is that they’re both depressed and Mudd is suicidal because he doesn’t care about what’s going to happen if he dies and he really has nothing left to live for, and Kyborgs also depressed but no matter what he wants to stay alive because he has to stay alive becuase if he dies the he wasted his moms life.

• Mudd would totaly love baking and I feel like he would bake because he couldn’t sleep and didn’t have anything else to do

• And Brink would just randomly be a really good baker who like made cookies for the town and hosted bake sales

•Also I think Kyborg would try to bake becuase he was jealous of Mudd and Brink but would decide to go off recipe and just make the most horrific thing ever, like he would end up making lemon bars that were soggy on the bottom, but the lemon curd had the same texture as hard putty and then when people asked, would say that he just wanted to make them a bit more spongey or something

[syndrossi]

yes, I am presenting you with another AU for your roster.

It’s Resonant right? up until the twins’ kidnapping and just before Rhea’s accident. She’s sent back days before she gets on the horse and dies, but she remembers dying, she remembers Daemon and signing her name, declaring herself the boys’ real mother. (I can’t remember if she heard they had been taken, so this would be the only change) She remembers hearing of the twins getting stolen away.

So, she makes sure to get the boys herself before anything happens. Rhaegar has already sent the letter to Rhaenyra, so Daemon should be showing up any day now. But Rhea is nervous about more than Daemon (she doesn’t know who sent the letter obvi but she remembers Daemon showing up). On the way out of Gate of the Moon and back to Runestone, they’re attacked and the boys are taken away, with Rhea surviving the ordeal with scrapes and brusies, made a gnarly eyebrow scar, why not?

This leads to Daemon finding Rhea, pissed off beyond anything that she kept his babies hidden for eight years and then lost them to kidnappers. So, he sets off to find them, she demands to go with him. There’s some arguments of course, but she pulls the “They know my face, they trust my face,” card. And he hates that he has to do what’s best for the boys.

When they finally find them, you let me know how the boys react. Since, it’d be hella interesting if Rhaegar/inner Raymar went straight for Rhea whilst Jon stayed with Daemon. Then they all head to the Saltpans.

The next few days result in the weirdest, dysfunctional, heaviest family dynamics of all time. They’re essentially on a road trip to get back to the Red Keep, Rhea knows she’s in deep trouble but Daemon is forced to cover for her or to forgive her because if he’s responsible for Jon and Rhaegar to never see their mother again, they will blame him for the rest of time, even if their mother is very much to blame! (Daemon’s thought process)

So, similar to Reverberate, only it’s Rhea who went back in time (a little, rather than a lot) and now has to be part of the ongoing Resonant debacles, staying in Kings Landing because of her crimes even if they can’t formally declare it. And then the boys trying to navigate two parents who Do Not Like Each Other at all. Until that is that idk, Rhea and Daemon share a common in enemy in Volantis, Otto, etc?

The common enemy is what drives them together a bit, until it results in a good partnership. Idk if it’s possible for a sexual or even romantic relationship to grow from all this or if it’s just a partnership, but let me know.

so, thoughts? changes? dynamics? R-themed title?

Oh, that's a fun one! She probably has to wake up 2 weeks before her death to have the time to travel to the Gates of the Moon (she can do what Allard ultimately did and take the less safe but much quicker mountain pass, which is 12 days at a breakneck pace). Which means she leaves just before Allard sends the "oh btw I'm fostering the twins at Blackcrown" letter. Which also means that's the first thing Daemon reads when he rolls up on Runestone, ready to confront her.

The vicious bickering as they search for the twins! The way they have to set the worst of their hatred aside in order to put the twins first! The fear that forces them to re-evaluate everything!

They hatch their plot then, I imagine, aka the "why yes they are my sons who I hid away in the Vale for many years" story, with the flimsiest of reasoning as to why it's not treason. Daemon...uh, was worried about Triarchy enemies. They had threatened his, uh, dear wife before and he feared they would come after his children. So of course he *grits teeth* agreed with her solution and jointly chose Elys and then Allard to care for them. Why expose them now? His dastardly...Triarchy enemies had discovered them and immediately made an attempt to kidnap them, and he decided that they would be safer in King's Landing.

Like. No one in their rightful mind is going to believe that cover story, except perhaps the Rhea-is-their-mother part, as she's taking on a lot of risk attaching her name to this fiction. Everyone is convinced Daemon is begrudgingly protecting her from accusations of treason out of kindness to his sons. Which is sort of true.

The last thing either twin likely saw of Rhea before their rescue would have been Crayne striking her unconscious, and you know that fucker probably told them she was dead in order to break their spirit further. So it actually wouldn't surprise me if both of them rushed to her, with Jon Redfort sort of burbling to the surface for a moment. Cue Daemon's heartbreak/jealousy. Their bonding is probably slower with Rhea in the picture, since before, he was literally their whole world at that point with the Gates of the Moon in the past, Rhea dead and suddenly their mother, and all the trauma of their kidnapping crashing down on them all at once.

Viserys is told the "truth" (aka the Resonant version where Rhea hid them from Daemon out of spite) and reluctantly agrees not to punish her for treason for the boys' sakes.

I do think Daemon and Rhea undergo an enemies to allies relationship at the very least between the rescue and navigating the dangers after. Rhea feeling remorse at Daemon's very real grief at what he's missed out on, coupled with her own guilt over withholding her love from the twins and especially Raymar/Rhaegar.

(Hey, there could always be the "we must have another child to convince the realm that we don't hate each other even though we super do" subplot where the romance eventually happens...)

[dust-of-embers]

Deadpool and Wolverine animatic ideas Part 2!

(Some of these are just Logan or just wade)

Dead Girl Walking - Deadpool and Wolverine, because why not.

Our love is God - Logan and wade on some rando mission to kill some fuckers, singing about it, wade as JD and Logan as Veronica, but without Logan worrying about anything

Lemon Boy - Deadpool to wolvie, and when the line “like snufkin and little my” it’s them watching moomin troll together, for cuteness reasons.

The milk carton - Worst Wolverine, the first part in sad context is him after he killed the x-men, and when it starts getting more uplifting it turns to when Wade shows up, and their adventure, and the final “have they really domesticated me?” Is him getting scritches from Wade, when all the early ones were him feeling not quite right with his various homes.

Come with me - poolverine, the “and in 6000 years of the world disappears” line is them in the future, cuz they’re the only ones who will live that long.

La vie Boheme (and B) - the marvel cinematic universe, and when it says “to people living with, living with, not dying from disease!” It’s just Deadpool and everyone cheering for him while Logan affectionately rolls his eyes in the background, like the scene in finale of hazbin hotel when alastor comes back and Lucifer is just like “oh not again”. (I was just listening to it and thought this would be funny, dunno if it fits)

Waving Through a Window - Wade Wilson

Found (from the Steven universe movie) - Poolverine, vibe fits really well, but the lyrics aren’t perfect

Into the unknown - Logan as Elsa and Wade as spirit voice, not sure what the setting is but it fits

Let it go - worst wolvie, during the Honda oddessy maybe? Where he gets to go full animal without holding back and whatnot, and the end’s “cold never bothered me anyway” a picture of an actual wolverine fades in, standing in the snow casually with the Canadian flag in the background

Next right thing - wade Wilson after Vanessa dies, and the “take a step” is over the course of multiple years

Amnesia was her name - wade Wilson

[casin0table]

Do you ever wonder if Pete feels bad over not dying after If I Loved You (Reprise)

Because, really,, he was supposed to die. In every sense of the word he should have died and that should’ve completed it all,, this was his battle, after all. He was the last real nerd standing, with both of the library trio dead,, he should have joined them. He was supposed to join them. Maybe he’d feel guilty because,, maybe they would’ve wanted him to live but it was unfair for him to continue onwards while his friends having not even been apart of the group that started it all—having never done a thing to anyone, having only wanted to stand by Pete’s side and finally grow past this “loser�� title slapped onto them like he would eventually but died for no real good reason. That isn’t fair.

And it wouldn’t be as if Pete actively wanted to die, god no, after all this pain and suffering he was so so excited to live his life in a safe school, go through his last years in school finally loved, finally appreciated or just invisible and liked as he had always wanted to be,, he’s happy to have Steph, happy to be at peace, but it would still cross his mind. He should have joined Richie and Ruth or they should still be alive, and though Steph has told him a thousand times there is nothing they can do now there is still a scar crossed over his heart that surges with guilt of what could have been and fear of what should have happened, a phantom feeling that hangs over his shoulders and wraps around his arms, the company that used to be there and, while Steph and Grace and whoever else are fine, they will never really understand what it was like to be him, they will never know his history the way his friends did, they will never advise him, love him, tease him, worry him the way Richie and Ruth did and,, I guess eventually he would move on, in some way, he knows life continues on and they would’ve wanted him to live his best life for them but I don’t think he’d ever really forget them, because even though they’re gone they should never be forgotten, rather cherished for all that they were, all that they had brought Pete because they were more than deaths, more than losses, than a line on the news and more than anyone else knew to him,, they were his friends, his comrades, his closest peers. He would succeed for them, he would love for them, he would socialize and cheer on those around him in his own way for them,, he would keep dancing, for them. Even if no one would ever know why.

Hope that makes sense ok bye

[crazylittlejester]

*slides bowl of oranges across table*

I am requesting one (1) blorbo rant, please. Any topic of your choosing

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE IM BEING ENABLED!!! thanks for the ask :3

I’m gonna yap about Time and Twilight’s relationship in my emotional support modern AU

So Time is his uncle, however Twilight’s mom (Time’s sister) died when he was one and his biological father wasn’t around as an option to care for him, so he ended up with Time and Malon, which ended up working out well cos they can’t have their own biological kids but they still got to be parents (which HAD been something they wanted, and they’d been discussing adopting a kid, they just hadn’t anticipated they’d have to adopt their nephew). They’re the only parents Twilight has ever known, and they have a very good relationship with him. They don’t keep secrets from him, he knows they’re not his biological parents, but that’s never really mattered to him because he’s never felt anything less than loved. Time answered any and all questions Twi had about his biological mom, and there are pictures of her around the house because Time misses her a lot and it was as nice for him to be able to talk about her with Twi as it was for Twi to learn about her through him

Time and Malon raised him to be kind and respectful and to think for himself, they taught him to logically think through why things might not be the best decision when he asked for something instead of just shutting him down and saying no. Which is part of why they’re so close, because Twi could always expect a reasonable explanation for something if there was something he didn’t understand and he needed to ask a clarifying question and he never had to fear getting yelled at for not understanding. They were really supportive of everything he wanted to, whether that be after school activities or him temporarily dying his hair for a week before deciding it wasn’t as cool as he thought it’d be. He wanted a piercing at 17? Time and Malon didn’t care, they just wanted him prove that was something that he actually wanted and not just an impulsive decision and that it’s something he’d take care of. Tattoo? Sure, he just had do the research and find an artist and save up the money so he had time to think about whether this is something he was serious about (and then Time paid for it anyway because it was Twi’s birthday and he had always intended to let Twi keep the money he saved for something else because it was never about who paid, it was about making sure Twi would be able to save for a big purchase while still being able to pay for snacks and gas because Time wanted to make sure he’d be responsible when he sent his kid off to college))

Twi is very very close to both of them and like all of his friends are so in awe of this because Wars (who has no father but more than enough mommy issues to make up for it) and Sky (who gets along well with the people who adopted him at 14 but has his own issues from his bio parents) simply cannot wrap their heads around the fact that Twilight’s parents are his best friends. Like Time will text Twi to let him know he’s in the city the college is in and Twi will drop everything he’s doing to go grab lunch with him, Twi will literally call Malon and ask if she wants to see a movie with him because all his friends are busy and he wants to see something. Twi never feared them growing up, they never raised their voices at him, they may have had arguments because Twi was 13 once but Time and Malon stayed very calm and just sent Twi out to go chop some firewood until he calmed down enough to have a conversation because they wanted to give him an outlet for his frustration. They raised a very well rounded, emotionally mature young man and they’re very very proud of him and they miss him because he’s been off at school :( (he sees them in person once a week and calls them every night because he is a sad wet mess and he misses them too)

(also just as a funny little side note, it is a running gag in this au that Twi was TERRIFIED of the muppets as a kid, which is 100% Time’s fault, not that Twi blames him for it but it IS his fault alskdkkd)

[lolotheparagon]

Yes and no. The Layton franchise tends to write women as either sideline support like Flora or the catalyst for a man’s character development I.e. Katia from Pandora’s Box, Claire from Lost Future, Angela from Miracle Mask. And that’s just side characters. But I think this is the one franchise that can both write women really well and not at all. In order to keep this essay short, let’s use two prominent examples: Flora and Emmy. Two main characters from their respective trilogies

The original games had Flora, Layton’s adopted daughter was the only recurring female character in the gang since the end of the first game Curious Village, and yet shes still relegated to the sidelines and is often used as a plot device or a damsel in distress. In Pandora’s Box, she secretly followed the professor and Luke on the train they were taking cos she didn’t want to be alone again and Layton was happy for her to join. But an hour later into the game’s story, she’s kidnapped and replaced with Don Paolo in disguise. That’s it. She’s completely gone from the rest of the game. This was lampshaded in Lost Future where Flora gets rightfully angry at Layton and Luke for not letting her take part in their adventures, yet because of the severity of their mission at the time, Layton decides to break the promise he made to Flora and just up and leaves her at his apartment, leading her to chase after them and join them in “Future” London to force them to bring her along and yet…she ultimately does nothing substantial until she’s kidnapped again.

The writers really have NO IDEA what to do with Flora after the events of Curious Village and instead of dropping her entirely, they always bring her back cos she has the cute uwu anime girl appeal. It not only makes Flora feel like a nothing burger of a character, it makes Layton look like a neglectful guardian.

Which is even more depressing when you remember Flora’s story in the first game, Curious Village, was her losing her mother to illness, m her father building an entire village of robot people to keep her company until she grew old enough to live on her own and when the father died, he put her in a giant tower cos she couldn’t stand the robot replacement of her new mother (yeah sure let your socially malnourished daughter live in a tower away from everyone) And he set up her own adoption to be treated like a grand prize rather than just…letting the village look after her after her dad died? I mean yeah they’re robots programmed to be her friend yet they have their own lives and jobs so it’s not like there’s any ethical complications there.

Now on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Emmy, an adult character introduced in the prequel trilogy who serves as tritagonist and assistant to the professor. She’s fiery, energetic, resourceful, inquisitive and can kick all kinds of ass. She’s the ultimate girlboss and I freaking love her. And while the end of the trilogy gave us a shitty twist regarding her I won’t spoil here, she still had much more characterisation and personality than Flora.

I also love how despite initially wanting to be Layton’s assistant, she isn’t set up to be a love interest for Layton but to just be a companion, mostly cos Layton proved her innocence after being framed for pickpocketing when she was a teen and treated her with kindness (bare in mind this is in late 50s Britain, a teenage girl being treated with respect and dignity by a grown man back then was fucking unheard of)

So Emmy is patient zero of how to have a cool side character by just writing fun scenes with her. And it’s clear Level 5 had a lot more fun writing her. She also isnt perved on by the camera and isnt drawn with big cute eyes and an uwu sad face unlike a lot of anime women.

The only exception to Level 5’s rather blase treatment of women is with Katrielle, who debuted in a spinoff game where she was not only manager of her own agency, runs circles around politicians and lawmen with her razor sharp instincts, is a fashionista with an arrogant personality yet is kind to everyone she meets. She has no love interest, not an emotional catalyst for another person’s character development. She’s unlike any woman in any previous Layton game, which is why I love her so much.

Also, I want to shout out to Arianna from Spectre’s Call cos Luke is the one serving as the catalyst to her character development cos she’s his best friend and nor the game or main characters force her to come out of her shell cos the traumatic stress she went through having no parents and only having her brother as companion/caregiver and internalised the rumours of her being a witch understandably makes her closed off to the world so Luke tells her “when you feel better, you can open up to people again.”

Like. Level 5 you can be legit GOOD if you put your mind to it and don’t resort to standard anime tropes and shit, so PLEASE! YOU CAN DO BETTER

professor layton series

Professor Layton Series (Video Game Series, 2007)

Explain your reasoning in the tags!

[hyperfixatedbean]

I’ll always say that everyone can enjoy whatever they want, that fandom should always be a safe place, every opinion is valid bla-bla-bla

But that doesn’t change the fact that all my ships are the right ones and superior, not my fault I have a superior media literacy

(Joking, or only half joking, enjoy whatever you want fr)

[breesperez139]

Dc x Dp Prompt #6

“I’m a twin”, Damian said one night. He could feel the narrowed eyes of his family drilling holes on his back in disbelief. Not that he could blame them. Damian had never so much as implied being raised with a companion, much less a sibling.

“I had a brother”. Damian paused to recollect himself. He had not said his brother’s name out loud in over 8 years.

“His name was… Danyal”. Damian hated the way his voice wavered, but he could not help it. Danyal was everything to him, his other half. Their heart beat as one and when one heart stopped beating, the other one died with it. At least until his family put his heart on metaphorical life support without ever realizing.

“Where is he now?” His father asked, voice filled with knowing grief and a hint of betrayal. It had in fact been 6 years since Damian first showed up on his doorstep.

“Up there”. All eyes shifted towards the specific star he was pointing to. “Right before he died, he promised me he’d guide me from the stars. Unfortunately, the stars are not visible in Gotham, so my brother is unable to be of much help unless I leave the city.”

“Your brother is Polaris, the North Star?” Tim questioned warily, most likely in attempts to not offend him. Damian was aware of how stupid it sounded, but Danyal had promised, and his brother never broke his promises.

“Yes. Danyal is with the stars now, just as he always wanted”