#battling it out with the cain instinct

[radiosummons]

This isn't a call out or anything, but sometimes when I'm scrolling through SW fics I can just tell that the author has never had siblings before.

Especially when it comes to interactions between the Disaster Lineage and/or the Clones.

On the other hand, I've also ran into a number of SW fics where the author is so painfully familiar with having siblings/raising younger siblings/etc that I can't help but wince in sympathy and comradery.

Siblings really do be like that.

Tldr: SW will always be my main found family fandom. And that's that on that.

[razzledazzle-pop]

tfw you run into another Parisian superhero and you have the unidentifiable urge to suplex them.

[conversationaltreestump]

Okay so obviously Caleb already had a house band, and we know that Alex at least would be replacing a pre-existing musician, since we see a drummer in TOSOH.

So do you think that happens regularly? Caleb finds a fresh new ghost that's a talented musician or dancer, and pushes someone else aside to make room for them. Are there ghosts that Caleb recruited with the promise that they could perform and shine in a way they missed out on in life, only for them to then be demoted when a newer shinier performer comes along. They get relegated to back up dancer or waiter instead of centre stage. You only play the piano part on Tuesday nights now, or maybe you take over from the Real pianist when they get bored at the end of the night, and the guests are leaving anyway. Maybe you don't perform at all anymore. Maybe you just sit at one of the tables so Caleb always has a full house, and your only job is to sit and clap for your replacement at the end of the number.

Before Willie came along, were there any other young ghosts like him? Kids who died too young, and who were quick to join the club and be taken under Caleb's wing, only to be dismissed when whatever paternal urge he had wore off, and something or someone new caught his attention. Willie has the freedom to go out and roam LA on his skateboard. Is that a sign of Caleb's favour or indifference? Imagine Willie seeking out one of the few other ghosts his age at the club in his early days, only to be met with hostility because they felt he'd stolen their place at Caleb's side.

Idk I know it's highly likely that Caleb just wham bam stamps anyone he gets tired of. I just think it would be a much more chilling concept that once you agree to join the club, you really are There for Eternity.

[brucewaynehater101]

"It's A Wonderful Life" AU with Tim and Jason

I only know the very basic premise of this movie, so we're going off of that.

Tw: death, suicide, violence

This could be a Titan's Tower AU, but I do think this could be a bit more fun after the BruceQuest.

Tim, who's had his support systems (even the JL ripped from him) and is seething in paranoia, gets cornered by Red Hood. The last time he saw Jason alone, he got a batarang to the chest (Battle of the Cowl). Tim has no reason to suspect this interaction will be friendly.

Red Robin is geared up for a fight. Red Hood has his hands up in surrender and far away from his hip holsters. It's not exactly reassuring (Jason can probably whip out his pistols in the same amount of time it takes Tim to grab a birdarang), but it does communicate that Jason isn't looking for a fight. Tim, who's one mental breakdown away from taking over Lex Corp for the hell of it, doesn't see this as a good sign. Why would Jason, the original Cain instinct, want to talk "peacefully" with his Placeholder? What's the aim?

Jason kind of just wants to apologize and is low-key concerned with how he's so isolated from everyone. He doesn't truly care about Tim, and he doesn't think it's his place/right/ability to be the support for the kid, but he can at least say sorry. Tim doesn't need to accept it, but he deserves the acknowledgement that it was indeed fucked up and not Tim's fault in the slightest. It's not much, especially with the scar on Tim's throat and the trauma, but it's a start. He still holds some resentment for the kid, but he's starting to learn that's more Jason and Bruce's fault than Tim's.

The conversation doesn't go great. Maybe Tim is being defensive and an asshole (which is fair since Jason's attacked him twice at least). Jason gets a little upset over this and snaps back (which is not what he's trying to do and counterproductive).

They get interrupted by this magician that sighs. They explain how fucking exhausting it is hearing them continue to misunderstand each other so they will show them what the world was like if Tim was never born.

Cue something similar to the movie I described. I haven't seen it, so here's what I think happens in that movie combined with this AU.

Tim and Jason stumble around Gotham at the current date in this alternative universe.

It's hell. They constantly run into crime on every corner, and there's no order.

They find out that Bruce had died within a year of Jason dying. Gotham fell to shambles due to Batman's declining reputation at that point. They had no hope and were hostile to any heroes that tried to help (due to the last hero they had turning on them). Gotham was eventually abandoned by the US government.

With his death, people found out Bruce Wayne was Batman. This causes Alfred to be sent to jail, and Dick could never return to Gotham. Dick only survived due to the Titan's refusing to let him destroy himself. He's still not okay.

Damian never came to Gotham cause Bruce had died. He's still set to become Ra's vessel, and no one (like Dick, the JL, Jason, etc) knows about this plot.

Jim Gordon was killed, and Barbara had to move out of Gotham.

Steph joined Helena for a bit. They made a kickass team, but they didn't survive to the current day.

Duke and his family moved out of Gotham before the gates closed, but he lost his parents in the escape.

Cass was never taught language.

Jason killed the Joker and then himself.

Anyways, Gotham goes to shit and Bruce kills himself on patrol (let's himself be hit and doesn't give himself needed rest). That's the basics of what they learned in this alternative universe.

This causes Tim to feel a bit better about all the sacrifices he made. He was vital and important to the Bats. He did good. He was necessary. It doesn't erase all the pain and hurt, but it boosts his self-esteem just a small bit.

Jason didn't realize the extent of what Tim did for them. He didn't realize the impact of Tim's decision and how he saved everyone. The two of them part, and Jason starts to uncover all the sacrifices the teen made.

Tw: suicide

If you want extra angst, maybe the magician reveals that Tim was planning to kill himself before he saw that Bruce needed him (thus the world is what happened if Tim went through with his OG plan). Tim has severely unhealthy coping mechanisms now, but his tendency to help people allows himself to feel needed. Lots to unpack there.

[thesharktanksdriver]

Ragnarok with a Kobeni-like contestant (platonic)

Warning: mention of terrible parents, mention of sex work, spoilers for the show and Spoiler: for Kobeni backstory

It’s safe to say that out of all of the contestants of ragnarok you are definitely the one out

Partially because you weren’t brought back to life

Instead you were just asked by Brunhilde to join her cause

And you hesitantly accepted to join

Now along with that your also meek like really meek compared to everyone else

Hell when the Valkyrie brought you to meet the others you were shaking

It’s definitely a bit departure from what everyone assumed to be the deadliest assassin humanity has seen yet

But the greatest warriors know not to judge a foe by their appearance

And you certainly are the epitome of that gesture

Because beneath your crying and shaking face lies someone capable of taking down entire rooms filled with men twice your size without much effort

A truly fierce some foe that is befit to challenge a god

But not even you can recognize your own talent despite how others try to convince you so

“My names y/n l/n. I’m 20 years old… the job I do is… a secret. My hobby is eating tasty stuff”

Adam is the first to approach you of the bunch mostly because of his fatherly instincts kicking in

I mean here you are

This small scared young kid who is shaking like a leaf

Surrounded In a room with bulky powerful historical figures

From that moment on he kinda just stays by your side doing his best to support you

He sees within you a deep power

Something that most would flaunt around yet you don’t even recognize

You constantly talk down to yourself and your achievements which makes the progenitor of man upset

It’s obvious this lack of confidence is basically woven into you

And he’s unsure if it’s just in your nature or someone else is the cause of it

Either way Adam makes it a goal of his to help you

For you are one of his children and he’d be damned if he didn’t help

That’s why he introduces you to the rest of his family

Warning them beforehand that you need a confidence boost desperately

And so they do just that

Adam and Eve become the parents you never had

They are kind and supportive along with patient with you

They wipe away your tears every Time you cry from having such a good meal or thank them

Eve makes you little lunches that have small notes of encouragement to make you smile

Cain and Abel are the brothers you wish you had

There are no hurtful words of calling you useless or saying your only good for making money

The two instead playfully talk about how your the most precious person they’ve met

Even though you have your own room/living area in the arena you end up staying at theirs a lot

Unlike your room theirs is filled with laughter and warmth

The only place you truly felt the sense of “home” in a place

It’s a slow process but you begin to sometime slip up and mention your parent’s treatment of you

How they view you as worthless compared to your brother

How your the figurative work mule for his dreams and being forced to sacrifice your own

It doesn’t exactly surprise them but it certainly makes Adam and his family even more determined to make you feel at home with them

You better hope your parents aren’t attending the event cause mama Eve and papa Adam are gone be giving them the ultimate side eye

Plus a good talking too if they dare even approach you

Meanwhile Cain and Abel are distracting you by getting some of the other human fighters to join their argument of why your the most wholesome person

Adam also definitely takes to training with you

Partially because he’s worried of how you’ll fair against a god

But like many others is pleasantly surprised by your skill

In battle it’s seems as if a switch flips in your mind

You go from scared to dead serious

It reminds him of animals in the wild

The primal urge of survival setting in as you spar with Bü Lu

Your quick in both reaction time and in speed

Because of your smaller stature it makes you harder to hit compared to the rather bulky build of many others

Not to mention that because of your nature and appearance you have the upper hand of being underestimated by almost everyone

Which is seemingly one of your best qualities since it leads to your opponents being cocky and thinking they could easy kill you

Before you did it before they could even strike

During these sparring matches he takes a lot of your qualities and makes note of them for his own future battle

Yet when he tells you this you dismiss your talents yet again

But with your shy smile he can at least tell some of his words had affected you

At some point you began calling him dad and all he does is smile before ruffling your hair

Eve now Always prepares an extra plate of food just for you

And his sons make sure to make an extra comfy place for you to sleep

Qin Shi Huang is another who seemingly takes to you as a mentor figure

You remind him of himself as a child

Someone forced through brutally and made to bare it

He first hand knows what that can do to someone and your a prime example of that

In his life he at least had Chun Yan who had lifted him up

Taught him not to just grin and bare the insults and cruelty that was always presented to him

But it seems to him you had no one but yourself

And eventually it wore you down

Or perhaps you just accepted it from the start

So much like Adam the former Emperor of China begins trying to help you as best he can

Firstly by telling you to see the value in yourself

Which he does by literally ordering you as emperor to do so (lol)

Every day he makes you acknowledge that you are smart

That you’ve been chosen for a reason and not to diminish yourself

He also goes with you when your shopping around the arena so you don’t have to worry about money

Which you do a lot

Yeah the moment he sees you contemplating whether to buy something or something else cause of your budget he’s just straight up buying an entire store

You try to tell him not too but he does so anyways

Telling you to accept what he and others give to you

Including their help

Whenever your not having dinner with Adam’s family he invites you to dine with him

His room is filled with antiquities of his time

Fine silks and giant a giant feast that you give into eating

Along with that he also gives you nicknames

Stuff that have a meaning behind them in his tongue of ancient Chinese

All of which link back to you in battle

Training with you is certainly a fun challenge especially as he sees you go from one side of a scale personality wise to another

It fills him with pride as your able to take down foes bigger than you with ease

It’s like watching a rabbit game down a wolf or bear

You don’t expect it but once you see it happens it changes your view of predator and prey

It goes to show that anyone can be a threat if pushed far enough

How the tiniest nation can rise and defeat those who stood might and strong for centuries just because they were smarter

After these training session and battles he always pats you on the back and patches up your minimal wounds

He often jokes that you’d make a great kings guard for him if your up for it

You always bashfully say you couldn’t possibly do that

But he always reminds you that an emperor such as himself doesn’t offer such an opportunity to someone they didn’t think deserved it

You don’t even notice it but his and everyone else’s efforts slowly begin to help you build up your self esteem

It’s a slow process

But one that begins to show results over time

Results that make him happy as you now don’t seem to shake or flinch whenever someone looks at you

Back in his childhood he couldn’t help himself as he does now

So he knows you need that push to begin seeing yourself as worthy of having good happen to you

To know you are valued

That you are seen as a good friend

Another of the human fighters you get along well with is Kojiro

The so called biggest loser in history

It’s kinda funny since your brother used to compare you to him

Saying how you were him reborn or something along those lines

It’s disheartening to him of how you look down on yourself

Your such a talented young mind yet the thing that seems to be holding you back is yourself

You are your worse enemy from him others words had ingrained themselves into you so deeply

Unlike the others who work to make you more confident Kojiro focuses on just making you happy and content

He always greets you with a kind smile

Or invites you to sit down for some lunch and tea

He is a calming presence

Like a nice autumn day or a summer breeze

One that eases your nervousness as the older man acts as a rock you can lean to other than Adam

When things get intense you sometimes lean instinctively behind him which makes him laugh

Despite being history’s “biggest loser” he’s surprisingly ok with people calling him that

He takes it almost as a badge or pride or a joke

It’s confusing to you but you don’t question it

Just assuming the older man has thicker skin than you

Training with him is especially interesting considering he’s one of the few who can properly defend against your approach of quick and swift attacks

He makes for a fun challenge and never calls you names

In fact he actually compliments your fighting and admits that your a fearsome foe

There may or may not have been a few times where you called him grandpa without knowing and he couldn’t help but smile

Jack the Ripper is one who seeks you out on his own

You have the constant colour of fear dying you

Almost as if it was the only thing you could feel

It intrigues him

So he sets out to figure out why you constantly feel that way and

Oh-

Yeah he kinda quickly realizes you must’ve had a fucked home life

Takes one to know one as he and Qin Shi quickly realized

He is an English gentleman through and through so he takes to interacting with you as if your porcelain

Your fragile maybe not physically since your fighting against the gods but mentally you are

And despite how fear usually makes him excited it worries him when it comes to you

Especially as he begins to gain a soft spot for your shy and meek self

Despite knowing the atrocities he’s claimed to commit (even if he isn’t the real Jack the Ripper) you cling to him

See him as a protector of sorts

Hiding behind him and his jacket

Or tugging at his sleeve to indicate you feel to nervous to interact with a bunch of people

It’s sweet

And now you have a literal serial killer as a friend

Your emotional support who’s a serial killer

Though to be fair you also had down your fair share of killing due to your job

Other than Adam he’s the only one you tell your actual profession of being an Assassin

He is definitely kinda surprised but doesn’t know what else he was expecting

Considering he’s seen your fighting

Jack is sympathetic to you when you sometimes slip up and mention how bad your parents are

How they don’t care for you and neither does your brother who they love more

It reminds him of his mom but at least at some point she pretended to love him

You never even had that

Because of his ability to basically see people’s emotions he ends up knowing when he needs to help calm you down

And he also tells the others when their getting a bit much for you to Handle

When it does get too much he brings you to his room

Victorian decor filling it as he pours you a cup of tea

He talks about Shakespeare and recites the stories to calm you down

So you can focus on that instead of the world

It works pretty well especially since his accent is soothing

Your parents best watch out especially as unlike Adam and Eve he wont hesitate to actually harm them

Plus all the other human fighters would probably cover for him lol

Surprisingly enough Göll the Valkyrie ends up becoming friends with you quite easily due to your similar meek nature to her own

Brunhilde is the one who suggests for her younger sister to meet you and it goes really well!

Göll is a kind soul

One that is gentle and good spirited just as yourself if you weren’t thrusted into such a cruel situation

It makes you happy though that she’s not like you

That people care enough for her not to be hurt constantly by words and being thrown into battle

She often finds herself eating with you during lunch with a few other fighters

It’s through you she actually begins to get to know them better

Most of them she had found herself too intimidated to speak to but with you she sees that they aren’t as bad as they initially appear

It’s also through you she sees a different version of herself

One that didn’t have her kind but stern sisters

Someone who the world gave up on

And seeing that makes her both grateful and worried for your sake

You are kind and caring yet you don’t think of yourself as anything other than a burden

It makes her happy though that the others are trying to help you

It goes to show to her that some of the scariest people in history can still do some semblance of good

That despite it all humanity is worth it

It kinda opens her eyes as to why her elder sister is fighting so hard to win

Cause humanity might be full of bad but there’s also good to balance it out

And it’s perhaps because of this that she volunteered herself to be your weapon in your battle

The night before the first round starts everyone decides to have a night of partying

It’s the first ever thing you’d been invited to so you decides to dress nice (or we’ll as nice as you could with the limited hand-me-down’s given to you by your older sibling)

When you arrive everyone is surprised to see you actually smiling shyly

Adam Welcomes you to the Table where everyone is sitting before Qin Shi wraps an arm around your shoulder pulling you to sit near him

Kojiro sits beside Soji and Raiden whom all had begun drinking Sake in some sort of competition

Jack sits on the other side of you and gives a polite smile that you mimic back

He drinks tea unlike the others who enjoy the burning taste of alcohol

Tesla is seemingly talking to Nostradamus about some invention

Simo is feeding his dog some treats as Sakata pets said dog

Lü Bu and Leonidas recounts war stories

Rasputin is already passed out after drinking

The entire mood is cheery

Laughter fills the air as music plays from a record player that Tesla had modified

Eventually Qin Shi is somehow able to get you to relax enough to have a drink

Your definitely a lightweight so as you drink very aged alcohol you end up very drunk very fast

Adam had to cut you off as he saw how you could barely stop

You drunkenly complain since you enjoy the frothing beer that leaves a small bubbling moustache on you that makes Lü Bu comment that you now look manly

It’s also there that in your drunken stupor that you talk about how you ended up as an assassin in the first place

“I was forced into it… my parents only care about my gifted brother… they want to put him through collage, so they put me to work… my options were to become a sex worker or an assassin. I wanted to go to collage too!!! But I’m gonna die here!!, and what’s worse is that this has been the best time of my life but I know I’m gonna die”

At this everyone goes quiet as your drunken giggles mix with a few sobs

the tragedy of your life is now revealed

A tragic symphony now complete from the bits and pieces that had slipped out earlier

There’s a shared sentiment of sympathy from the other fighters for you

The fact that someone could do that to their own child

That they valued one over the other

It’s a moment that they all will forever remember especially as you laugh at your own pain

Your own anguish as if it were a joke

Cause in reality you were just a joke to your parents

To your brother whom you had to give everything to

But with that now shared it also brings up why you joined this cause in the first place

So Nicola is the one to ask why

“I joined cause… if I spent my entire life working for them just for the humanity to be killed then what did I work for?. I would’ve spent my entire life for nothing… and at least fighting for humanity for a chance means I did something, that I tried to save people, that I tried to save my own future if I somehow get out of this…That for once I fought for myself”

During the actual competition you end up watching in the stands with the other fighters

You get front row seats and luckily with comes you being able to yell out encouragement with the others

In between rounds there’s a few days of preparation so you get to training with the others usually

For round one you end up sitting Bessie Lü Bu’s lieutenant Cheng and the rest of his soldiers whom you’d gotten to know at this point

And with that come the unfortunate consequence of the first round

It’s hard watching someone you got close to die

seeing how the general went out with a smile you can’t say he died in vain

But seeing his men valiantly follow him in death is also something that hits you hard

Like really hard

Sure you had only known them for about a month but in that short time you had finally found people you considered your friends

And that in turn scares you for everyone else’s fates

Especially since you know Adam is next

So you train with him perilously

And when the time comes for his battle you have him copy your abilities as an extra slide of hand

You watch anxiously beside Cain and Abel as they both wrap an arm around you for your comfort

Eve occasionally checks to see if your ok which makes you give a nervous smile

It’s obvious you aren’t but you say you alright anyways

The battle comes to a close

Adam left almost for dead with Zeus as the victor

Adam is taken to extensive care and your left spiralling as the others try to console you that it would be alright

That he wasn’t dead but healing

That humanity wasn’t doomed just yet

Göll has the same mindset as you but tries to keep you positive which you appreciate

And then comes Kojiro vs Poseidon

At this point you were terrified for Kojiro but cheered for him nether the less despite how now one did at first

And as the battle progressed you did your hardest to make sure he heard your encouragement

If there was a god you could pray to you probably would’ve lol

You were definitely happy not to be up against Poseidon especially with his cutting remarks

And then despite the impossible Kojiro wins

And you and the crowd goes wild

When he’s brought to the intermarry where Adam still rests you give the older man a big hug

And spend your free time not training with him

But time goes quick and a week passes within the blink of an eye

Your round is up next and it’s not only your life on the line but also your dear friend Göll

You know you can’t lose

“There’s no such thing as a life free of bad things… except in your dreams. But today I gotta make a good thing happen no matter what ”

For your round you go up against Heracles

Someone who you had actually met prior to the match

He had found you scared in a crowd and being pushed around

You just took it

Not fighting back at all

And it didn’t feel right to him so he stepped in and helped you

He saw a lot of himself in you and you remain him of his old friend

So when he sees he’s up against you it feels wrong to him

You look so frightened

So fucking terrified

Even the gods are wondering why they sent you out against him

It feels as if sending out a pawn to die

A sacrificial lamb to the slaughter

What could a scared child do against the Heracles

Some wouldn’t admit it but their disdain for humanity grew for the fact this seemed cruel

Almost immediately he asks you to stand down

To give up

But despite how much you shake you don’t back down

Telling him that you agreed to fight

That you had to fight for humanity’s sake

And when the horn is blown the fight begins in a replica city of modern times

Glass skyscrapers that touch the sky

Empty streets with a few cars placed in a few places

As the god ready’s himself he sees you get into position

The tears nod drained away as a serious expression replaces it

“G-Göll says you mean a lot to her and I don’t think your a bad person…I don’t have to kill you to win, all I have to do is get you to tap out or where you can’t fight me anymore”

His eyes widen slightly

And then he nods

“Same goes to you then”

It begins

It’s immediate that one advantage you have over him is speed and agility

He is bulky and much slower compared to you but makes up for that in power an defence

You attack carefully

Quick and swift cuts of your blade as Göll encouraged you in your mind

The environment of alleyways and the cover of cars

Distantly you think of the other fighters

Of the injured Adam and his family

Of Qin Shin

Of everyone depending on you to win

Of your future beyond this

The future you want instead of slaving away and the killing you do for your ungrateful brother

In that moment as you dodge one of his attacks you promise yourself that you’d go to collage

That for the first time in your life after coming here you’d live truly

You get more focused

More precise in where to hit him as to wear him down

Attack after attack

Blow after blow

No matter how many times he almost hit you

Or you got scraped by an attack you just keep pushing

Cause it’s not just humanity’s life on the line

It’s Göll’s

It’s your own

And then after what feels like hours you do it

You get that final hit to bring down the metaphorical to crumble castle down

He crashes into the asphalt

It crumbles it bits around him and you watch anxious as he tries to get up but can’t

And for the first time since it started it feels as if you could finally breath

He didn’t die like you said and you win by wounding him enough to the point he can’t fight anymore

You forgot he swore to do the Sam etching for you

And you expect him to be mad at you

To yell

To curse you

To promise to strike you down once this is all over

And yet despite loosing he laughs

One that is just full of pure joy instead of malice and disdain like your used to

You sniffle and crack your eyes open to see him moon up at you with pure amazement

“And so the 4th round of Ragnarok goes to the humans!. Y/n had injured Heracles to the point of not being able to fight anymore!”

It feel surreal as those words ring out in the stadium

People are cheering for you

You

The person who was told their entire life that they were nothing but a waste of space

Just a tool to get the more worthy child into collage as you wasted away

Tears bubble up in your eyes that quickly spill over the edge

You bow, thanking the crowd before turning to the injured god and helping him up

As you help him up he smiles

Grabbing your hand and lifting up up to the air as a sign of your victory

And for the first time in your life you feel yourself cry from happiness

To smile so brightly that it could rival the sun

That it hurt your cheeks from it being so wide

Or that you actually feel accomplished for once

“I won…I won!.”

“You did. That was a good fight, thank you. What are you gonna do after this?”

“I’m…I’m gonna go to collage like I always wanted. I’m gonna start living for myself and not for my parents. You hear that!, I’m not sending money to you anymore it’s my life now!”

[that1insomniac]

Jax vs Sans. the war of the smiley trashbags.

Could not have asked for a better ask to start this blog.

Jax

“Ooh, violence.”

Jax is a humanoid jackrabbit trapped inside of The Amazing Digital Circus. Throughout the first 2 episodes of the show, he’s portrayed as a sadistic person who appears not to care about harming others (including his friends).

Pros:

Digital Body (can’t ‘die’, immune to almost all types of death inducing methods)

Sadistic Nature (won’t care that much if Sans starts showing weakness)

Cartoon Physics Apply to Him (can teleport/run absurdly fast, stretch limbs, etc.)

Cons:

Arrogant (might give Sans an opening to attack)

Impatient (gave up driving the rig in Candy Carrier Chaos because the horn sucked)

Quick to Anger/Recklessness (doesn’t really think things through, can be rash)

Sans

*Can’t doge forever. Keep attacking.

Sans is a monster sealed underneath Mt. Ebott. Through most of the game, he’s depicted as a smiling, pun-telling, fourth wall breaking funny bone man. However, if you kill everyone in the game, he turns into one of the hardest boss fights in the entire game.

Pros:

Wide Variety of Weaponry (gravity manipulation, bone summoning, gaster blasters, KR, etc.)

Able to Dodge (this is unique in the game, as monsters don’t usually dodge attacks)

Able to Break The Normal Fighting System (attacking you on your turn, not letting you even have your turn)

Cons:

Low Stamina (can only dodge a certain amount of times, grows tired as battle progresses)

Stats (1 HP, 1 ATK)

Lazy (needs a lot of motivation to even start a fight)

Fight Explanation

So the way this fight will go is that we’re gonna assume that both characters are somehow teleported to a giant floating slab in the middle of nowhere, exactly as they are right now. Alright, let’s do this.

FIGHT

“JAX!! WHY DO YOU KEEP PUTTING CENTIPEDES IN MY ROOM!!!”

Ragatha’s screams echoed all through the tent, causing the inhabitants to stir out of their sleep. They didn’t blame Ragatha though, they all knew how much of a jerk Jax is.

“Chillax dollface, they’re not even real. All digital, remember?”

”WELL THEY FEEL REAL TO ME!!”

Ragatha attempted to hurl a sewing needle at Jax’s eye. He dodged it easily, and turned to face Ragatha, eyebrows raised.

“Really, dollface? I thought you knew better than tha-“

Suddenly, a shadow set upon the tent. Before anyone knew what was happening, a giant black hand had grabbed Jax and dragged him through the nearest door. Jax caught a glimpse of a swirling golden tower before being dropped onto a giant, flat, gray landscape.

Groaning, Jax got to his feet.

“Hey, what’s the big idea!?”

After dusting himself off, Jax looked around. He saw nothing but flat gray ground as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, from behind, he heard a voice. A low, menacing voice that shook him to his core.

“don’t you know how to greet a new pal? turn around… and s h a k e m y h a n d.”

Instinctively, Jax spun around and threw a punch. When he withdrew his fist from the air (he seemed to have missed his intended target), he saw a skeleton standing a few inches away with his hand outstretched.

“woahhh there pal, it’s just the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick.”

Jax was seething. First the stupid ragdoll had tried to kill him, and now this skeleton was mocking him. He was sure that this was one of Caine’s tricks, trying to make him “behave better”. Well he wasn’t going to take this, not from that damn AI and certainly not from one of his stupid NPC’s. He drew his fist back again and started trying to hit the skeleton anywhere he could, but no matter where he tried to punch, the skeleton seemed to be a few inches away.

“man, you really like trying to kill people you first meet. reminds me of a friend of mine.”

Sans decided that it was time to see if this rabbit was worth messing around with. Casually, he lifted up his hand and held Jax in place. Jax, stunned at his inability to move, watched as the skeleton’s ‘eyes’ went dark leaving 2 empty eye sockets that seemed to stare into his soul.

*Jax, LV. 19 - 54 ATK 48 DEF

*Seems he can’t be reasoned with…

“huh, LV. 19… wonder how you managed that.”

“What the hell are you on about skeleton, lemme go!” Jax was struggling against the invisible force holding him up. Sans obliged, letting him drop to the ground with a sickening crunch.

“Not like that, dumbass! I meant gently!”

Sans didn’t respond. He noticed the uneasy aura around Jax that he had previously thought was the eerie environment. This rabbit had to be stopped, lest it bring more chaos and destruction to its home.

“let’s just get to the point” Sans said, snapping his fingers

Jax whirled around. He was now in a 2 dimensional white box, facing the skeleton.

“Oh so that’s how you wanna do it huh, funny man?!? Give yourself a smaller space for you to run!?” Jax was fuming. He’d never seen anything like this.

”welp, i guess you know what they say… you don’t carrot all until someone shows that your actions aren’t white as fur.”

“Jeez that was awfu-“ Jax didn’t get a chance to finish because before he knew it, he was being slammed against one of the boxes walls. He quickly bounced back to his feet and lunged at the skeleton, barely missing the bones that shot out of the wall behind him. He charged, pulling a flintlock from behind his ears. He dodged more bones, then punched at the skeleton. As he had expected, the skeleton had dodged out of the way, but now he took aim and fired the flintlock right at the smiling idiot.

Sans still managed to dodge, driving the rabbit further into anger. Suddenly, a dragon skull almost as big as the fudge monster in the candy kingdom appeared and hit him square in the torso. It hurt like hell, but it couldn’t kill Jax.

“Hey stupid! I’m a human, not an NPC like you! You can’t exactly kill me!”

Sans stopped for a second. The rabbit’s words had confused him. Human? But this… thing clearly wasn’t human… right? Before he could ponder this question too much, he saw the bunny take aim again and dodged the bullet. Jax, now going to desperate measures to get one hit on the skeleton, pulled out a minigun he stole from the rig and opened fire on Sans.

Sans dodged all the bullets, but the constant assault was wearing him down. Very early in the battle, he decided to use his pre-special attack. Jax dropped his minigun as he was slammed from wall to wall, but he knew now how to dodge to bones. After hitting all for walls, he had to dodge around a bunch of bones.

”Is that all you got?!?” taunted Jax.

Sans’ smile widened as he stretched the box and sent the rabbit flying down the hall. Jax, not expecting this, was forced to twist his digital body in a way no normal body could to avoid the stream of bones down the hall he now zoomed down. He collided sharply with a wall and had to jump as yet more bones came at him. After that, yet more dragon skulls tried to blast him, forcing him to run screaming in circles. Finally, the blasters stopped, but then the skeleton grabbed him again and started outright pounding him against the walls.

At long last, all was silent. Jax was sprawled on the floor, flat as a pancake, while Sans was nearby, gasping and wheezing after all the effort he had used. Jax peeled himself up off the ground.

Holy shit, that hurt. This is the most brutal NPC that Caine’s ever made, thought Jax. He noticed the skeleton kneeling nearby. “Whassa matta with you bone man? All tuckered out?” Jax grinned malevolently, knowing his victory was within his grasp. Sans got to his feet.

“welp, guess it’s time for my special attack.” he said, grinning at the rabbitoid. Jax prepared himself, expecting bones, dragon skulls, or walls to rush him at any minute. But nothing came.

“So uhhh… wherezit at?” he asked.

Sans grin broadened. “this is my special attack. it’s nothing. and it ain’t gonna be anything either.”

Jax was puzzled. “You mean… you give up? Wow guess i’m better than even I thought.” He reached for one of his guns, but found there were none. No matter, he thought, i’ll just punch this guy into oblivion he stepped forward, and was instantly teleported back.

“nope. can’t attack yet. it’s not your turn.”

Jax narrowed his eyes. “You mean we’ve been fighting on the honor system this whole time?! That’s the stupidest shit i’ve ever heard!” He started running at the skeleton, but kept being teleported back.

Sans stared at him. “yep, common courtesy. i attack you, you attack me, so one so forth. an eye for an eye socket.”

“Quit… With… The… PUNS!!!” Jax yelled trying desperately to get at the skeleton, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t get near him. This was too much for Jax. He wasn’t used to being unable to reach his goals, and now the ultimate NPC stood before him and he couldn’t kill him. Now laughing like a maniac, Jax started actually clawing at the invisible force driven between him and his adversary. Suddenly, black goop started running out of every orifice in his face. He doubled up, cackling, as the goop consumed him, sprouting multi-colored eyes all over his body. Jax had abstracted.

End of battle

Thoughts

This battle was hard to think about. As Jax technically can’t die, and Sans only dies if you don’t move during his final attack, this was tricky. Like I said, it all boils down to Sans’ final attack. In a battle of wills, who would win? Jax would have had to sit and do nothing for 5 minutes before getting the chance to strike at Sans, and I honestly couldn’t see him doing that (impatient bastard).

SANS WINS!

Do you agree with this? Lemme know in the comments how this would have gone in your mind. I read all comments and am really curious to hear your thoughts! :)

[megamindsupremacy]

Heyyyy so about that pjo/batfam au.... I love it.

I wonder if any of the bat kids are legacies or half bloods? Like, they'd be ripe for urgent adoption and training, given the inherent risk of monsters! Not to mention the specially bred deep rooted battle/hero instincts. Would only some be half bloods? Any? How would that affect the dynamics, to have some (or just B) be aware of and able to interact with this whole secret world complete with monsters hidden in plain sight?? There's got to be tons of secret pjo resource stashes like different metals, foods, weapons, armour hidden everywhere hehe.

Ooh, would a bat kid ever have accidentally eaten ambrosia/nectar (or gotten close) without knowing what it is? Is Alfred a legacy?? A satyr?!! That'd be so so cool. (and it'd be an explanation for how long lived he is lmao)

If the batkids were all legacies/half bloods, who would be who? Would there be a mix of greek/roman? Is Bruce aware of the Egyptians or Norse lot?? I'm so curioussssss

ooo okay so the batkids! i explained it like... a year ago (jeez) in this post but here's the basic rundown:

Bruce: Athena (three parents, complicated situation)

Dick: Hermes (three parents, uncomplicated situation)

Babs: mortal, clearsighted, not The Oracle but calls herself Oracle

Jason: Nemesis (still working this one out)

Cass: Shiva/Nike, raised by David Cain

Tim: Bellona/Janet (who is a legacy of zeus)

Steph: Apollo

Damian: Legacy Athena/Hades

Duke: normal ("normal") meta but everyone up to and including Apollo thinks he's Apollo's kid

-

There are definitely stashes of demigod resources! most of the stock is in the Batcave, but they definitely have stashes in all the safehouses. They're basically like any other resource- medical supplies, celestial bronze dagger, batarangs, smoke pellets, ambrosia, etc. Considering that celestial bronze and nectar/ambrosia are pretty rare, i doubt they're using them daily, but everyone definitely has emergency demigod equipment on them. I'm also making Gotham a Land Beyond Gods, a la Alaska in SoN, so there's less of a monster problem than other cities. Gotham kinda like the trash dump of the demigod world- all the weird fucked up stuff ends up there for our intrepid heroes to get chased by.

-

Most of the Batkids are aware of who they are, eventually! Bruce, Cass, and Damian always know, Dick and Jason figure it out pretty quickly after living with Bruce, Tim figures it out himself before becoming Robin, and Steph only figures it out after she "dies" (poor guy). Bruce isn't very good with the Mist, and monsters aren't like, a huge problem in Gotham, so it's not really a big deal to them if they are/aren't demigods. Babs kept up just fine as a mortal, after all. Like i said earlier, ambrosia/nectar are in short supply in Gotham (bruce doesn't really have a consistent way of getting more besides through diana, who also doesnt really have a consistent way of getting more), so nobody's eating any by accident.

-

I have literally no idea what's going on with Alfred. I joked a while back that he's a minor god, which I'm not opposed to, I'd just have to work that one out a bit more. The satyr idea is fun and works really well, except imagining Alfred with goat legs and eating aluminum cans freaks me out and I don't know what to do about that. He could also just be a mortal blessed by [insert god here] to have a longer lifespan, or someone who made a deal with [insert god here] to be alive as long as Bruce/the Wayne family needs him. It'll be interesting to figure out, whenever I end up doing that!

-

Bruce and Co. are NOT aware of the other pantheons! As in, they are so unaware of the other pantheons that nobody can figure out who the fuck Tim's godly parent is. Bellona is on nobody's radar, everyone is split between Ares/Dionysus/Athena/????. They also haven't figured out he's a Zeus legacy, because his ancestor fled to Gotham during WW2 and then did their best to hide their heritage for their and their kids' safety. Poor guy doesn't know what the fuck is going on, basically. Bruce is actually pretty cut off from CHB, so he's not super up-to-date about the demigod world. He tends to focus more on the superhero side of things. His kids have varying levels of interest/affiliation with the demigods, but they're definitely not on the "first to know" end of news whenever things happen. It takes a hot minute for anyone to figure out the Romans exist, and considering that Percy and Annabeth try pretty hard to conceal the Egyptian and presumably Norse pantheons, we can assume the Batfam isn't aware of those guys for quite a bit after the Greeks learn about them.

[threestripeslider]

The peepaw multiverse is so funny to me because like, how did this happen? Why are they all together? Why is their immediate answer to everything to either band together to protect thier children using thier collective skills and battle strategies or just to simply Cain instinct the hell out of it? Most importantly, why do Leonardo and Leon constantly attempt to kill each other? What provokes them so much about each other than any of the others? I have so many questions and not enough answers

oh boy is it already time for a history lesson SKJDJKDHFKJ–

OKAY! let’s see if i get this right – disclaimer; i am pretty sure i got the whole thing rolling but i am obviously not the sole contributor or uhh idk. the CEO of the Peepaw Multiverse? whatever, i dont hold a monopoly over it KJDBKDHB.

so. obviously a bunch of F!Leo fics started popping up and everyone was just doing their own thing. as i wrote odd man out, i was partially inspired by MNMC – Mutant Ninja Midlife Crisis through which i met CJ. we get to talking and basically just kind of pick each other’s brains a lot when it came to our fics lmao so we started joking about the differences and similarities between Leonardo (OMO) and Leon (MNMC) to which i started making silly little doodles bc those two should actually never meet; they would make each other worse (or better), they are Worsties, they are Besties etc etc etc

anyway. i start posting these doodles just to be a little clown and ppl kind of picked up on it – artists who are fans of either or both fics started contributing to the fun. obviously not all iterations are super accurate, which is pretty fine since honestly? the Peepaw Multiverse is just a fun little separate thing as a kind of reprieve from the emotions the fics might give you LMAO yknow, just kind of a breather.

now, honestly, we have no idea why our Peepaws are the way they are together but idk what do you actually expect from a bunch of traumatized middle-aged men who are suddenly in charge of way too many kids and are now meeting several other version of themselves. in my mind, i think they all just loosen up a lot when it’s just them – without trying to put up a front for the kids, they just. idk. they all just become a lil unhinged i guess LMAO some just want their peace & quiet bc god knows if they can ever get it in a house full of teenagers at their height of puberty, some just want to hang out with guys who actually understand what’s bothering them. they could do group therapy or, yknow, make each other worse, idk you choose i guess, whichever is more entertaining RIP.

as to Leonardo and Leon specifically...in short; Leonardo is annoying with his Fake Smiley Bastard attitude doing the whole Conceal, Don’t Feel bit, so Leon just kind of tolerates him. unfortunately Leonardo kind of just never leaves and starts to grown on Leon like mold HJASDJHB all in all they have a very Cain Instinct-induced friendship in which Leon would sell Leonardo to Satan for one corn chip, but also if anyone other than him bullies Leonardo, Leon will kill you probably.

[noelledeltarune]

the mold breaker earthquake thing IS funny but like haxorus and eelektross aren't always sent out at the same time and haxorus can have either mold breaker OR rivalry since abilities on the battle subway are randomized. i always assumed it was less cain instinct and more "FUCK i'm sorry, i brought the wrong haxorus to work again"

[icedragonlizard]

The extended friend group of Wave 3 + Marx + Mage Sisters

As I've made some headcanon updates, I now have all 7 of these people being friends with one another. This entire group has sleepovers and slumber parties, with the Lor Starcutter being a common spot for those parties as arranged by Magolor.

This is, like, the world's most unhinged friend group if I'm being real.

Here are some details to this friend group:

-Marx and Magolor are best friends. Taranza and Susie are best friends.

-Francisca is the favorite mage sister for both Marx and Susie. Marx because he's impressed by how twisted she is, and Susie because she and Francisca bonded over being cold & cutesy.

-Flamberge is the favorite mage sister for Magolor. He really likes talkative and energetic she is. These two enjoy competing in rap battles. They also give each other noogies.

-Zan Partizanne is the favorite mage sister for Taranza, as they came together over both being especially devoted to the people they've served. They also like each other's bowl-cut hairstyles.

-There are a lot of "cain instinct" relationships in this group. They're all friends, but many of them love to give each other crap for enrichment. Marx and Taranza love to beat each other up in a friendly way. Susie gets into bickering matches with both Marx and Magolor. Zan gets into unhinged nickname wars with Susie, Magolor, Marx and even her sister Flamberge. Flamberge is a big teaser, as she likes to tease Zan, Susie and Taranza and can spark silly light-hearted arguments. Shoutout to Francisca for being pretty chill and quiet, and not really getting into arguments with the others here LOL.

There are tons of pillow fights in their sleepovers.

-All 7 of these people enjoy mischief to various extents. There are a lot of chaotic duos/trios/quartets/whatever among this group. Marx and Magolor are sure to cause hijinks with any of the mage sisters. Susie as well, especially when doing so with Francisca as one should be nervous of those two women giggling cutely when causing hijinks. Taranza may be the most restrained out of these 7 in terms of mischief, but he won't hesitate to sometimes team up with one of them to cause hijinks, especially with Susie, Magolor or Zan.

-The main spots for this group's hangouts include Magolor's home inside the Lor (most common one), Taranza's home in Royal Road, Susie's home in the Haltmann Works Company headquarters out somewhere in the cosmos, and the mage sisters' home in the Jambandran Base also out somewhere in the cosmos. Marx is a homeless idiot as he just goes around LOL.

-Magolor's theme park of Merry Magoland has been promoted by the other 6 people in this friend group in various ways. And they're all popular among the park's usual waddle dee attendants.

-This friend group acts as a support system for both Taranza and Susie, since they both... uh... could use it. Even despite all the playful cain instinct dynamics, everyone else in the group cares about them deep down and give them needed support. Of course Kirby is an extra part of their support system, too, but this friend group in particular is very helpful to them.

I love this crazy wild friend group lol.

[vashsscoreboardofpain]

WELCOME BACK SPORTS FANS >:]

It has been almost a month since we started this season of sports dear audience; 98 Vash has giving it all in the stage called No Mans Land, but today its the last day he competes. Unlike stampede's vash, his story ends here. He will join the bench after today.

Everyone please cheer for the contestant and the legacy he's about to leave in the Score Board of Pain, but also please cheer for our for the great people/person running @trigun98watchparty They have been an avid fan of sports this season and they organized the amazing watch party.

Lets begin with the last round, episode 26:

The contestant arrives to the place of his final battle. He looks at his brother in the eye and in that moments he hits the audience with a flashback sequence. It seems like the contestant wants to go out with a bang! He remembers the moment they crashed in the new planet. The memories of the contestant being forced to follow knives make the audience (and the suffering division) really sad.

Thanks to the flashbacks, the contestant scores 1 "action" point BY ALMOST KILLING KNIVES WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER. It seems like the Cain instinct took over the contestant for a few minutes, but then he gave up. The contestant keeps moving through the flashbacks, he keeps moving and hits 1 "yikes statement" point for saying "its hard to be alone, I dont want to be alone...someone" while waiting for his brother for a year. But this flashbacks isnt over yet. The contestant hits another "action" point when he doesnt defend himself after knives says he is hopeless on his own. But wait! it seems like vash threw knives onto the floor to stop him. The brothers struggle and fight. And is in that moment dear audience, that vash not only chooses the path he wants to take in life, but he also hits 1 "traumatizing event" point when he shoots knives. We must remember that this is 1) the first time he has shot at someone and 2) this is the first time he has wounded knives in a serious way. The contestant is distressed by what he did.

He runs and presents us with another flashback, and just like that he gets 1 "bad event" point for almost dying in the desert, plus a good old "action" point for calling out to rem while fainting. The people of seeds help him get on his feet and find someone related to rem. However, the good news dont last. The contestant puts himself in position and when visiting the man related to rem he hits another "traumatizing event" point. Knives killed the man before they could talk.

After that, the flashbacks of people we have seen and points already gathered start to play out. The contestant thinks about this, feel every moment of the season and gathers strength for his next move.

We return to the present. Before anyone can say anything the contestant moves and strikes 1 "bad event" point thanks to his battle with Knives. The brothers fight once again but now theyre basically matched. BUT WAIT, in the middle of the fight knives gets the upper hand and now wants to hit the contestant with his own angel arm. The contestant hits 1 "bad event" point for having the most powerful weapon ever being pointed at him, but also because the weapon gives him flashbacks of the many lives destroyed because of it, lives that he thinks he ended. 98 Vash keeps fighting knives with his own power, but after using the angel arm he collapses. Just like that the contestant is cornered again and gets 1 "bad event" point thanks to knives, who is shoots at him until he collapses again. The contestant aims but he has run out out of bullets. He hits 1 "bad event" point for getting hit in the face, but it is in that moment when HE HEARS A VOICE DEAR AUDIENCE. HE HEARS THE VOICE OF WOLFWOOD AND THAT REMINDS HIM THE PUNISHER IS RIGHT THERE READY TO BE USED. HE SHOOTS KNIVES AND TAKES CONTROL! HE DID IT! HE HAS WON THE BATTLE THANKS TO THE MVP ON THE OTHER SIDE.

THE AUDIENCE GOES WILD AND EXCITED. It has been almost a month but the contestant has finally done it- wait a moment. He is doing something. The contestant ends the sports season not with a point, but with forgiveness. He cures his brother and carries him, ready to start a new life.

AND DEAR AUDIENCE THAT WAS THE AMAZING SPORTS SEASON BY OUR CONTESTANT 98 VASH! IT HAS BEEN A FUN JOURNEY. The contestant bows to the audience as they cheer for him. He can finally relax and see how the other contestants will do in the future.

On his last round the contestant hit 11 points, making his official total 261 points! He did not reach 300 but he is still cementing a new record and a legacy in the world of sports. He has truly surpassed Stampede season 1. What a beautiful performance 98 Vash, we all hope you stay around to see the final contestant of the year.

That is all for this season sports fans! We can't wait to see you on the next season in May: Trimax season.

HOORAY FOR SPORTS.

[percyaugod]

Brotherly Loathe AU

Separated AU where Donnie and Leo end up on opposite sides. Extra points if both villains already have history. The first ones that come to mind for me are Draxum and Big Mama.

So you already have the Cain instinct, their "parent's" hatred of each other, knowledge, weapons, and battle training. Every time they see each other they are out for blood.

Sure taking down the family rival is the main goal, but there's something about that guy in particular that seems to bring out the worst in them.

At least they get praised for their viciousness later. As long as they don't get in the way trying to take each other out.

They don't really care about Raph and Mikey when they first meet. They don't provoke the same feelings and are just ordinary targets.

It's not until Raph and Mikey see Donnie and Leo go after each other that they try to use that to their advantage. One going to Donnie and one going to Leo talking about how cool they were fighting the other guy. Totally wiped the floor with him!

As smart as the two are the other is their only weakness. So they have no clue what Raph and Mikey are doing as they brag and show off. Because finally! Someone understands how great they are and how awful the other is.

[pokemon-ash-aus]

Yea I think I remember in a video boys are more likely to be born during times of stress, I can't remember what the video said about it though but I'm assuming like something to do with obviously females need to like age grow reach sexual maturity before they can continue the next generation and if they get murdered cause war or famine or something welp there goes the potential of next generation since like eggs be a hard resource to get or something finite resource and takes a lot of energy and if war famine general struggling they won't be able to like actually like grow babies and because biologically boys have better chances of surviving out the womb or something? So better to have fewer girls hope they make it

But yea I dunno, I agree though theres probably stuff going on within gendered lines. I guess with Combee Vespiquen it reduces competition within the hive they'll have their main queen to focus all their efforts on entirely and then her princess daughter to ensure successful continuation of the colony, better to protect one princess than have like 6 and have 2 eaten by Beedrill or something wasting all those previously used resources and then another gets caught and one flies away from home dramatically no you're down to two and well we don't know how much of a cain instinct princess Combee have.

But the Gallade point was also pretty interesting, I'm not 100% confident but isn't it achieved by a dawn stone? So maybe it's like, an environmental necessity thing if they find a dawn stone clearly somethings up earthed it so somebodies gotta step up for the big boy man time or its like competitive thing like male unfezant but a whole new mon achieving something different in a way that's advantageous in battle and for attracting partners able to fight and protect better while also being attractive for lady Gardevoir. I did have a clever reference in mind or I thought I did but unfortunately that's gone now but I can definitely see Gallade as an alright time to put on my big boy britches moment somebodies gotta adult and regrettably it's me

Peach: Glad to know you skipped my EXACT explanation on why i know the reason between male dominant species- okay.

Peach: But the reason you gave for Gallade would have been an avenue, but that's not the case with the Gardevior line. Gardeviors can and will be infatuated wih the Male Gardeviors in the area that dont fight or mess about. The Ralts line is an incredibly smart species that can take care of themselves and dont seem to have a need to fight over females and vice versa.

Peach: Gallades also dont fight for dominance, they fight to train, Male Gallades in a controlled environment dont actually fight for the female gaze but to sharpen their own wit. Dont forget that Gardeviors are typically stronger than males and have often been seen putting them in their place. There is not such thing as 'little boy stepoing up to the plate' because that's not a thing within pokemon.

Peach: Its strange to me when Humans decide that Pokemon are going to mimic humans if they look human enough because that's not the case. Its not a thing, and you're projecting.

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 35- Part 19

Is this doing anything? I mean I can see it's changing the rail connections, but- for what purpose?

Well isn't that appropriate.��

I see the group gathered again, and…oh dear, there's a blockage. Uh- Cain? Any insight?

Ah…I see, this is still happening. Not surprising though, given what's happened to her.

I wonder…what would have happened if we'd said “Yes” to Connal? I mean, I'm sure we would have fought him, but I’m talking about besides that. Would Sirius have done something to Anna while we were distracted with Connal? Or would it have been better to free Heather from Connal right away instead of making her wait longer? Then again, I guess if we didn't go up to Sirius' office, we wouldn't have learned about Anna and Noel’s father, and we wouldn't have blown up Sirius at the end there. So thinking about it like that, maybe saying “No” was the better option…?

And yet…I don't know. I just don't feel as satisfied as I thought I would, coming out of that. Maybe I'm still kinda salty about not being able to beat up both Connal and Sirius, maybe I'm upset about not being able to get the Ruby Ring or the Amethyst Pendant back despite everything, or maybe…maybe it's some gut instinct telling me “No” was the wrong choice in actuality. I haven't felt like…this before while playing this game, even after something like the Pyrous Mountain incident. And that's what concerns me…

Now, going back to a narrative for this- while I'm feeling all kinds of mixed in the gut, Xera herself in-universe probably…is not. I mean sure, Team Meteor still having the ring and the pendant isn't good, I'm sure she's not satisfied with Connal getting away scot-free without a fight, and Heather still being catatonic isn't good either, but even so? I think she's just grateful that something finally went about as right as it could've. No allies getting badly injured or killed this time, Heather and the other kids are out of Team Meteor's clutches…sure, the gems are still gone, but those can probably (hopefully) be stolen back at some point. The kids (most importantly Heather) are more or less safe again, there's now potential for Heather to properly recover…those are the most important things, and I think that's enough for Xera right now. 

Anyways, speaking of the others…they're still here to talk to! Like Shelly, let's start with her!

No need to remind me, I already talked about that just a few screenshots ago-

Oooh, is that what those switches are for? We're gonna need to make a path for the train to get to the rubble? Well sign me up for a surprise puzzle after a stressful battle!

Previous

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[parvum-draconis-a]

@helluva-hazbins [For Adam]

I did this to myself, tried to be someone else, and you didn't notice until I got away....

Cain had been discussing battle plans with his friend that lived on the edge of the part of the Styx that went through hell, and had been on his way home when the horn sounded that announced the start of the exterminations. He started carefully making his way back home, and he had been lucky up until this point. But his luck might have just run out.

A cold shiver ran down his spine as a shadow loomed overhead...this energy was familiar. That was all he had time to register before he instinctively whirled to face the other. He refused to have his back facing him, opting to fan his wings in a threat display he wasn't sure he truly meant. He was afraid of him, but he wasn't the same boy from this man's memory. That boy had died a long time ago.

He was prince of hell, and he would not go down without a fight...not this time.

[dailycass-cain]

Cassandra Cain Reading Guide Part 3: The Search for a Arc

Part III of this reading guide for Cassandra is more what you say is "guidelines" than completed story arcs since well, "bumps" occurred aka DC Comics gonna be DC Comics.

Here you’ll find stories involving Cass that DC threw to wall to see what stuck, along with random appearances (outside and in canon).  

Part I reading guide you can find here.

Part II reading guide (Modern) you can find here.

Part IV reading guide (Alternate versions) you can find here.

Part V reading guide (PAIN) you can find here.

Batgirl Vol. 2 #1-6 (aka Redemption Road)

-  The title is figuratively and literally not only meant for Cass but the author of the series itself. Built on the back of some really bad stories involving the character it's another look into the character's ultimate coda.

Keep in mind when reading the series, that that the context isn't just of the characters, but the writer calling out various other Batman/Bat-Family writers at that time for their ignorance with Cass.

It's the only way to fully understand the out-of-character moments (namely Nightwing). It's probably the best "sendoff" the character could get. Even with the problems that are cast all over it.

The series is problematic (David Cain being a complete monster, 0 payback for the stuff Deathstroke did to Cass because during this era of DC Comics Slade could get away with anything), but has gotten better with age and knowing  these strains over the story.

Batman & the Outsiders Vol. 1 #3-14

- Post-Batgirl #73, and the first story since Cass turned heel (aka EVIL). It does feature some gratuitous adult themes involving her in #4. However, #5-onward does treat the character decently. 

Green Arrow and Cass work out some grievances over her brief villain career (along with the ramifications of the Black Canary mini that occurred prior to this series with the League of Assassins targeting Sin, Dinah’s adopted daughter to fill the void of Cass exiting the group), and we get the sprinkles of Cass wanting to connect with Katana, and the latter's maternal instincts kick-in knowing this girl needs some love. The thing is though none of these plotlines go anywhere.

The writer of the comic, Chuck Dixon, is gone by #10, and basically, a fill-in writer, Frank Tieri has to break-up this team abruptly in #12. Making this comic a solo featuring Cass in #13-14. These specific issues deal with the fallout to Batgirl Vol. 2 #1-6, but it does have a neat nugget..

Basically, Cassandra creates an organization (the Network) that would eventually become Batman Inc. The Network is featured in Battle for the Cowl, but there's only one important bit to read of that.

Battle for the Cowl: The Network #1 

- is the last full canon appearance of Cassandra as Batgirl (until Batman: Joker War Zone #1 in 2020). Her, Oracle, Huntress, and others take on Hugo Strange in the issue.

The series plays up this angle as Cass is given the more spotlight most and is given one more moment to shine. 

Batgirl Vol. 3 #1, 3 

- Cassandra abandons the Batgirl identity-- for reasons that are retconned later in Return of Bruce Wayne: Batgirl #1 (2010).  Let's just say, DC being DC at this point.

If you read my "tragedy of Cass" post then you know the various goings on this period. She also appears in a one panel flashback in Batgirl Vol. 3 #6.

Red Robin #14, 17

- Cassandra is teased in Red Robin #14 with Tim looking for her before a full-on return in #17. These issues continue the strong connection Tim/Cass have built all the way back in “Fresh Blood” x-over between their former comics. There is a further mention of the two corresponding between one another in Birds of Prey Vol. 2, but it’s a mention only to explain why Cass will be out of the loop that Oracle is still operational (Secret Society was targeting Barbara. So Babs “died” to keep herself safe).

Black Bat Era

Batman Inc Vol. 1 #6 (first appearance)

Red Robin #25

Batman: Gates of Gotham #1-5

- Cassandra’s tenure in her new identity of Black Bat, “the Batman of Hong Kong”. An older more mature Cass as showcases her knowledgable outlook helping Tim and Dick throughout her all too brief role. 

Gates of Gotham is the true standout story here among the three stories. It has all of Bruce’s angelic kids (at that time: Dick, Tim, Damian, and Cass. Jason was being a bad boy at the time, and showing up in an arc in the Batman & Robin also going on at the same time) all teaming up to unravel a mystery involving the creation of Gotham City. 

Originally meant to be a maxi-series starring Cass by writer Scott Snyder, co-writer Kyle Higgins and DC Editorial liked the Bat-Family angle more within it.

But well, any promise these issues had going for Cass- well DC gonna DC and right after #5 of Gates (LITERALLY THE WEEK AFTER), the entire line was relaunched into the New 52 with Cass/Steph being dumped to the wayside for a few years (see Part II of Rebirth reintroducing Cass and the Tragedy of Cass for the full story).

Solo #10 

- written/drawn by Cass co-creator Damion Scott. Not surprisingly, Cass shows up in two tales of the comic. One of her mentoring Steph during her time as Robin, and the other Tim/her as Batman/The Bat.

You might be taken aback by the later story as Scott tries a new style to his art in this story. Likewise, you may be off put that Scott pairs the two together as husband/wife in the story.

Look, the best way to talk about this relationship was that in the late 2004 to 2007s many DC creative (both writers and artists) shipped these two together. Why you have the extremely awkwardness of her heel character being fully attracted to Tim.     

Tiny Cass

Tiny Titans #33, 39, 45-46

- The myth. The legend. The force of nature. The tiger force. There is nothing that can prepare you for Tiny Cass. A variant of Cass who creates all sorts of shenanigans. 

She is truly is the nickname of ONE WHO IS ALL. 

Future’s End Batgirl #1

Red Robin #19

- Two one-shot appearances. Cass’s first appearance in over three years occurs in Gail Simone’s swan song to her New 52 Batgirl run. Cass appears with Steph and a new Batgirl Tiffany Fox as Barbara Gordon mentors the trio known as the League of Batgirls!

Red Robin #19 has a one panel Cass cameo, Tim and friends are in the Unternet (a dark internet used by DC’s supervillain community) and to combat the digital villains, Tim imagines "backup". Said backup being a Justice League of next-generation heroes with Cass as Batman. It's one panel, but the aww yeaaaah factor alone is worth it.

-Random Guest Spots-

Batman: The Brave & the Bold #13

-  is an all-Robin spotlight issue. It's the ending which might bring a smile to some. Okay, the entire issue was glorious, but that ending of all the Batgirls together. I still want an all-Batgirls issue DC. GIMME!

Young Justice #21 

Harley Quinn #10-11

 Supergirl V. 4 #63

-  YJ #21, Cass is the B-team sent in to save the A-team. Features Cass meeting Bette Kane (the OG Batgirl) and her bullying Klarion the Witch-Boy. 

- Harley Quinn #10-11 features Cass, Tim, Dick, and Babs dealing with Harley running around Gotham dressed as Batgirl (Barbara). Hijinks ensue as the Bat-Family has to clean up the mess of Harley’s time as Batgirl.

- Only “heroic” meeting between Cass and a Supergirl (Linda Danvers). Takes place during the “Last Laugh” event. 

Robin #119

Batman: Gotham Knights #42, 45-49