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chaoswarfare · 2 years ago

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~Tim ‘drake’ Drake~

Tim is a drake. Well, not a ‘Drake', Drake, but a drake. Let’s try that again- Tim Drake is a dragon. A scaly shapeshifting menace of a creature that terrorizes humans and burns villages. Not that he knew that from the beginning.

It all started when Janet and Jack Drake found an interesting rock at an archeological site, that seemed to be some sort of massive fossilized egg based on the tough pitted shell. True to their habit of hoarding interesting finds to themselves, they brought it home with them.

And then it hatched.

And the large wingless lizard turned into a baby.

Now, admitting that the baby wasn’t theirs would be a problem in the sense that they would have to admit that they’ve been stealing from dig sites for over a decade. Getting rid of the child wouldn’t be an option either, Janet’s always been squeamish about these sorts of things, and Jack wouldn’t want to upset her like that. So the only option left to them was to keep it and claim the child was theirs.

And thus, Tim the drake became Tim Drake. Irony at it’s finest if you’d ask him.

—————————-

It wasn’t easy growing up in a household where any adults would be out for months at a time, but Tim made do. It was hard for him, always turning around expecting someone to be there, and it always just being him all alone. He dove into his hobbies to take his mind off of it, learning to play the violin and piano at a frightening rate and picking up knowledge as fast as he could get his claws on it.

He particularly loved the ancient folktales of the dragons, whatever part of the world they were from. Feeling the shivers of his scales rattling underneath his skin as the mythical beasts fought to defend what was theirs. Even if it was rather disappointing when they lost.

Starting school was probably the first time Tim had ever been able to compare himself to the humans of his age.

It was horrible. The children attending his classes didn’t see things the same way. On top of that they weren’t as… well developed you could say. They were soft and fragile, and had trouble comprehending the simplest of things, that Tim has been aware of for years.

It didn’t take them long to move him up a few grades to better learn at his current level, but that didn’t help anything. While the children of the higher grades were much more mature than his former classmates, they detested having someone so much younger than them thriving in the class they thought was difficult. Tim didn’t make any friends there either.

The only solace for Tim was going out at night. It felt better being awake under the stars rather than the sun’s harsh light, and hopping between the roofs of Gotham felt so right being that high off the earth. Everything from the wind in his hair to the smell of the sky so high from the general smog of the lower city levels. It felt more like home that the Drake Manor ever did.

He started taking his camera out with him to shoot photos of the skyline and trying to capture the joy of flying across the rooftops. That’s when he first saw the Bats. They were out very nearly every night, doing the exact same things he was doing, and fighting the dangers of their territory while they were at it! Tim knew he would learn a lot following them on their patrols.

So that’s exactly what he did.

He didn’t put the pieces together until he saw Robin do a quadruple somersault, and realized that he was Dick Greyson. It was easy enough to figure out who Batman was after that. All it really meant to Tim though was Bruce Wayne was a much better ‘prince’ of the city than he had thought previously. Every gala he went to where the two were at he watched them interact with the rest of the 1% who attended the galas. His parents even had him shake hands with them once!

It really upset him when the first Robin split from Batman when they started fighting, but then Jason became Robin afterwards. Tim was overjoyed. Dick may have been a wonderful Robin, but he was different than Jason. Jason was kind and witty in ways he wasn’t, and was clearly a born Gothamite. It made him feel that much more relatable.

——————

It hadn’t really set in before now how dangerous following them could be. Sure, before there would be an occasional bullet whizzing past his hiding spots, or a thug would get just a bit too close, but the thing that really cemented it was dangling by the scruff of his neck being held by Batman of all people.

He had raced after Robin too fast to try and get a better action shot of him swinging on his grapple, and just about flew off the edge of the building. It still didn’t feel scary to Tim, the falling that is, he’d fallen from higher up with only some bruising to show for his troubles, but Batman clearly thought differently.

The terror of being caught in someone else’s territory was causing Tim to panic just a little, and Bruce’s deep raspy growl wasn’t helping him at all. He wriggled and kicked at the arm holding him as he was lectured, and eventually got fed up and pulled himself up and sank his teeth into Batman’s gauntleted arm. The shock of his teeth going right through his armor caused him to drop tim(a measly three stories), and he was back on his feet and sprinting away before Batman could get his wits about him.

———————-

The nights after they kept looking for Tim. Tim kept hiding, only coming out for the best pictures. Who knew if Batman would be man at him after all.

Eventually the search died down though, and the usual routine fell into place. Tim chasing them with the camera, The Bats taking down criminals, and Then all of them returning to their homes, with none of them realizing Tim lived just down the street.

They kept going to the galas and Tim even became friends a bit with Jason, albeit in the way people just talk to each other out of a shared hatred for large events. Tim’s parents come home and leave barely a week later, and Tim fights the urge to ask to go with them. They won’t say yes.

Then the unthinkable happened. Robin disappeared.

At first Tim thought it was the same kind of spat that Bruce and Dick used to get into with the increasing level of violence Batman put on criminals. And then the news broke about Jason’s death. They were never truly friends or even met in any memorable capacity(for Jason), but Tim couldn’t imagine the boy not in his life patrolling the gotham skyline and grumpily sulking around the buffet tables at galas.

Batman continued to get worse and worse and Tim didn’t know what to do except try and get the Justice League to realize what was happening in Gotham. He called and called and left so many hundreds of messages and letters and emails, until they told him to stop trying to contact them. With them cut off, Tim turned to Bludhaven to try and convince Dick to take up being nightwing again. He didn’t want anything to do with it either.

That night tim lost control of his form with the extent of his emotions for the first time in years.

With no no other options left, he walked the mile-and-a-half trek to the Wayne Manor to talk to Bruce himself. It took a lot of convincing, but he finally allowed Tim to help him, even just as a temporary Robin. Tim could do that. Just until Bruce got back on his feet and no longer.

He didn’t treat Tim like either of the other Robins, but that was fine. He wasn’t part of the family after all, no matter how often he stayed over, or Alfred made food for the both of them instead of just Bruce. Dick was over a lot to see him, and Tim figured this was his way of missing Jason. Just like being Robin for Batman was Tim’s.

——————————

Tim didn’t know what set it off, and told him something was wrong.

Nothing seemed wrong in the tower, even if it was quiet since none of the rest of his team was in there, there was nothing out of place and no odd smells in the air, but something was setting off his instincts anyway.

His eyes flicked back to track a shadow for a moment before it disappeared back down the hallway. The lights flickered and went off right at that moment, and Tim realized something must be seriously wrong.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly as his daylight filters receded into his eyelids and he tried not to breathe too loudly in case he missed something vital. Tim finally gave up on whatever the threat was coming to him and set off down the pitch black hallway. Every single footstep echoed creepily and he would shudder if he wasn’t able to tell exactly where the sounds were coming from.

He wandered towards the stairs to get down to the zeta tubes, but froze when he heard a single breath that wasn’t his own. Before he had time to process it, Red Hood was already on him and had him in a headlock that was rapidly cutting off his air.

“You really think you’re tough shit, huh replacement?” The modulated voice ground out far too loud next to his ear. Tim struggled and kicked, but couldn’t wriggle his fingers between the Hood’s arm and his neck. He didn’t stop struggling even when he felt a blade rest against his neck, or when Hood kept talking about something or other. He could feel the burning in his core creeping its way up his throat and had to get free.

suddenly a line of pain opened up on his neck, and he hit the ground in a pile. Red Hood didn’t wait to make sure he wasn’t bleeding out before he started beating Tim up where he was lying on the floor. Tim watched in horror as he took off his helmet and revealed the face underneath it. That was Jason, the same Jason who Tim used to follow around obsessively, and idolized before he died. And now he was here, back, to oust Tim from the territory he stole and reclaim his spot.

Tim cried out as Jason stomped on his fingers and the scales under the bruised skin ground together with a sound like bones snapping.

And then Jason.

Kicked him.

Down.

The.

Stairs.

It bruised his outside skin terribly, and the false nerves still sent his brain the same pain signals. Tim groaned from his place on the floor, and shrieked as a gunshot went off and a bullet buried itself under the skin of his thigh as the wound bled sluggishly. The damned thing had ricocheted up underneath his scales and his brain was fuzzy with the agony of it. It was so much worse that any damage to his human skin.

Jason hovers around for just a few minutes, smearing something on the walls, and then takes his leave without another word to Tim. Maybe he thought he had passed out. Figures he would think Tim is that weak.

As soon as the sounds disappear, Tim digs into the bullet wound and allows two of his claws to slice through the skin of his fingers to use as tweezers. His vision keeps flashing with white throughout the whole process, and as soon as the bullet plinks onto the ground, Tim really does pass out.

And then he wakes up in the Batcave, with Leslie Thompkins hovering over him, Waiting to grill him for answers as to how he has smooth midnight blue scales underneath his skin.

—————————-

Tim stayed in Doc. Thompkin’s care for three more days, in which he had to explain his suspicions about his origins. She was a good listener and only noted down the important medical issues in his folder of nothing else. She kept Bruce mostly out of the medical wing past the report of what happened, and put away any of his medical records as soon as any of the family walked in.

Alfred worried as good as the best of them, offering Tim soup and drinks and obviously trying to take his mind off the fact that Jason was back. Tim appreciated the attention anyway, most of the time he just came over to patrol and then went back to the Drake Manor. He sobered quickly at the thought that Jason wanted his spot back.

He knows logically how he would feel if someone came out of nowhere and stole what was his, so he can’t even be truly mad about it since he understands where he’s coming from a bit. For some reason, though, Bruce and Dick don’t see it the same way. Tim just didn’t get why they were so upset about it, as soon as Jason got what he wanted or Bruce put an end to it, it would all be over. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

Maybe Tim was just the one confused. The dynamics of the Wayne family seem so different than what he’s used to after all. The Drakes would never treat him this kindly- especially if he was injured. This kind of coddling would be unheard of, and they would get frustrated and leave for another dig within a few days.

Bruce and Alfred and Dick and now Cass and Stephanie- they weren’t like that. They hovered and wouldn’t let him go on patrol until it was safe and Jason was caught, and they cared! they cared so much about Tim’s safety and health and he wasn’t even a part of their family, he was just placeholding until a new Robin could be chosen.

He can’t help but wonder how they would react if they knew.

—————————-

Red Hood ended up probationally re-joining the Batclan and Tim was suddenly almost murdered a lot less. He knew that would happen when he finally got told by Bruce that he wouldn’t be getting the Joker’s head on a stick or whatever it was he was so set on.

However now Bruce has brought home his blood son from where he’s been living with the League of Assassins.

Damian was loud and obnoxious about how ‘he is the only blood son’ and ‘the rest of you are only placeholders and not worthy of Father’s attention’ which may be true in Tim’s case, but it’s entirely unfair to say that to the others, who are in fact Waynes, whether Damian likes it or not.

And he seems to be leaning heavily towards ‘not’ based on how he’s begun to take it out on Tim. He sets traps and Outright attacks him during training, and if Tim’s senses weren’t as good as they were then he definitely would have succeeded in killing him in his sleep one night. He’s even been thrown off the dinosaur and the railing of the cave.

Damian will just. Not. Quit.

It was fine, everything was still fine until Bruce disappeared. He was gone. Everyone was convinced that he was gone for good. Red Hood disappeared back to Crime Alley, Cass left for Hong Kong, even Dick took up the mantle of Batman and gave Robin away from Tim to give to Damian to appease him.

But Tim could still smell him. Bruce’s scent floated around in odd places, seemingly from nowhere. And whenever Tim brought up Bruce being potentially alive it just upset everyone more and more, until Dick outright threatened to put him in Arkham.

And then Tim struck out on his own. Partially to find Bruce.

Partially because he knows where he’s not wanted.

————————

About two months three days and eleven hours into his journey, Tim starts to get an unbearable itch whenever he’s in his human form. Whenever he even thinks of staying in his false skin, even for a minute his scales itch like they’ve got termites underneath them.

And so he hunkers down in a cave and waits for it to pass.

Soon the itching comes back, on his shoulder blades and down his spine the itch settles into what feels like his bones, and he takes to rubbing on the stone walls of the cave to get rid of the godforsaken itch, even just for a moment.

After what could only have been days of unbearable suffering at the hands of the itching, the skin of his back splits upon, and gives his new wings the chance to open fully for the first time. He cranes his neck back as he fans them, catching the air and drying the skin of the clear slime that they had burst from. Tim’s surprised to be proud of his wings that he didn’t know he would have, the way the blues catch the sunlight from the opening of the cave when the scales are angled just so.

He wished he could show them to Bruce.

The thought surprised him as he crouched in the cold cave on the mountainside, and he couldn’t help but wince at the knowledge that Bruce would probably chase him out of the city.

He doesn’t like metas after all, so why would he want a dragon shifter meta anywhere near his city. Tim shook his head and test flapped his wings a couple times to gauge how they caught the air.

It’s time to find his Bruce.

——————————

Tim found flying to be his new favorite thing.

The night winds carried him farther and faster than any vehicle could before in the direction he caught Bruce’s scent, hiding as plain old Tim at dig sites and grabbing any evidence he could.

Because Bruce was alive, and he was trapped in time.

Tim had already found several clues in different eras and time periods that could only be Bruce letting him know where he was. Even after so long, on some of them he could still catch some of his scent.

Everything was going alright until he caught the attention of Ra’s Al Ghul, Damian’s grandfather. The old bastard has been hiding out in Nanda Parbat for decades, commanding assassinations all over the world. And now he’s noticed Tim, and potentially what he is as well. At least given the assassins he sent to retrieve him, to discuss information about Bruce.

And Tim can’t refuse for that.

———————————-

Ra’s is almost a good host, despite definitely having him drugged on the way there.

Tim woke up in what he presumed would be his room, complete with clothes in the closet and servants waiting on his needs. Ra’s called for him immediately after he woke up, and as he walked behind the assassin sent to fetch him, he couldn’t help but notice the growing unease he felt as he grew closer to Ra’s guest area. There was a strange heavy smell that lingered in his nostrils, and he fought the urge to growl as the warmth in his belly built up to be stiflingly hot.

Tim realized why as soon as he was deposited in what could only be a throne room. The decorations all sparkled and smelled of what Tim immediately recognized as gold, and the tapestries and carpets were of the highest quality he had ever seen. They were nothing to the huge deep forest green dragon lounging on the throne.

Tim hadn’t exactly spent much time looking at his true form in the mirror, but he knew for certain that Ra’s looked very different from him. He had a heavy crest over his eyes for one that Tim lacked, and he had two pairs of horns, one of which swooped out behind his head and the other curled behind his ears, and his head was much boxier of a shape, but had a regal curve to his snout regardless. disregarding all of that, he was almost four times Tim’s size.

He was incredibly dangerous.

Ra’s let his head drift from side to side like a snake getting ready to strike as he watched Tim, before lounging back on his throne as if Tim wasn’t truly worth his time.

“Well? It’s considered rude among our kind to address one another in disguise, little Robin.” Ra’s hissed and flicked his tail at Tim in disdain. “Did your dam never even teach you proper etiquette?”

Tim shuddered as he tried to make sense of what was going on, heaving breaths as he locked eyes with the massive beast across the room from him.

“Ah, she didn’t. I presume that you’ve never met her then. Don’t worry little Robin,” Ra’s rumbled “This will prove to be very educational.”

And then Tim fainted.

————————

The next months he spent learning from Ra’s what it meant to be a dragon, how all the weird impulses and oddities he’d had over the years was his instincts, and he was never truly human in the first place. It took tim a very long time to grow used to being in another dragon’s territory without any immediate risk of being chased out, but ra’s assured him that was normal.

With every month Tim spent out in Nanda Parbat learning about his true form and instincts and what all that means, he grew to miss the Wayne’s more and more. Bruce was still out there and he had to get him back to Gotham where he belongs.

One night tim sneaks out of the temple and is halfway back across the alps before Ras even notices.

Soon, with the evidence that hes collected on his quest he finally reaches gotham to deliver everything they need to get bruce back to the league. He doesn’t stop in gotham, but flies directly to the zeta tubes in the tower and summons his second skin just to zeta up to the watchtower and deliver his information.

But they already knew.

Throughout all the time he had been gone they had also been collecting the information and they were very nearly where tim himself was at when he brought his evidence back. Downcast, Tim returned to Gotham to see how the Wayne's were doing.

It felt odd after all this time to travel the human way. He’s gotten so used to flying everywhere that it seems ridiculously inconvenient now that he has to hide his form again.

He's suddenly drawn back to the fact that Bruce and the others have no idea that he’s a dragon. the imaginings of the looks of horror on their faces as he sheds his skin takes over his mind. He can’t do that to them. can’t let them cast him out like that. Tim makes up his mind about it one last time

He won’t tell them.

it’s for the best.

—————————

Tim makes it back to the manor at the same time that dick and Damian leave for patrol, just missing them. entirely purposely on his part, but he's not ready to face them before alfred. to his shock, Cass is back in the manor, her stuff is right where it used to be in her room, and there’s even evidence of Jason having been around lately.

Tim doesn’t know what to think about the fact that everyone seems to have moved on without him and Bruce there with them. It hurts because they’re his people and they don’t need or want time there.

Turning a corner to go back to the room he used to spend the night in, he realizes downcastedly that it seems to have been repurposed as an art studio of some kind. his scales itch under his skin at the idea that they wanted him gone so much that they would actively erase every trace of him from the house.

Tim decides it’s not worth it before anyone gets back from patrol, he sneaks back out the way he came in and sulks all the way back to drake manor, empty as always where he can brood and be himself.

A place that he could never do at the house he considers home.

A house that has very visibly stated that it wants him gone. Tim wouldn’t be surprised if they changed out all his gear and even changed the zeta in the cave to keep him out at this point either, tears starting to prick at the edges of his vision.

It’s not home.

It’s not home it's not home it's not home anymore.

They replaced him.

No that’s not right, he was the one that replaced someone else, and now that he’s back there’s no more need for Tim to hang around, he’s outlived his usefulness. He’s come to terms with the fact that his parents never wanted him either, so with a heavy heart he starts packing his bags to go back to nanda parbat to be either the manipulator that at least understands how it feels to be tim

It's time to go back to the demon's lair.

————————

Dick catches him on the way out of Drake Manor to tell him they’re getting Bruce back and he was vital to the mission.

He claims to have missed Tim a lot along with the rest of the family, but Tim struggles to believe in his words with Damian scowling like a little demon behind him. Tim tries to explain that he’s just getting out of their hair when Red Hood pulls up on his motorcycle asking if they’ve found Tim and then stops dead when he sees him. it’s like they actually missed him

Tim hesitates for just a moment before pushing his way out of the hug and turning away. He has unfinished business with rad and he can’t let this stop him no matter how much he wants to stay. At the very least he will be returning this time and he tells them that before he goes and boards the bus to take him to the airport for appearances sake.

On the plane he glances out the window and wonders if they’ll still miss him the same once Bruce is back or if they’ll just discard him again once there’s no longer a place missing in the family.

Tim still doesn’t know.

—————————-

After getting back to Nanda Parbat to face down Ra’s he’s greeted with a frantic swarm of servants dragging him down the hall away from where he can hear terrifying roars and snarls and crashes coming from.

It could only be Ra’s, and Tim realized he was right when he walks into the stone room containing the lazarus pits and Ra’s is thrashing and howling in rage. Rage at Tim for thinking he could leave without his permission, or that he would take his hospitality for granted like that.

Ra’s had gone completely mad once he realized Tim was gone and couldn’t be calmed down until they had found him again. Tim had had enough of this

Ra’s had treated him nothing but coldly and contemptuously since he had requested he come to nanda parbat, and tim was boiling with enough rage to raise the temperature around him.

Ra’s seemed to notice this and only got more angry at tim, and he lunged at the smaller dragon without warning to fling him by the neck into a nearby wall, tim staggered to his feet and threw himself at ras, using his small side to his advantage as he scrabbled over the larger dragon leaving deep bites and scratches as he went, and just as ras lunged towards him with open jaws as he was tossed from his back, tim finally opened his jaws and let loose the flame he had been holding back for the last 16 years. It stuck to the sides of Ra’s face and ate away at the scales and flesh like some sort of potent acid as he shrieked and writhed in agony as Tim watched.

Figured he didn’t know that Tim could do that.

Serves him right.

Tim watched until the bleached white bones showed through more than flesh and then left, the lazarus pits couldn’t repair that kind of damage and he knew it. Tim figured it was time to pack up and go home.

It was time to try and be with his family again.

———————

Two days after Bruce was returned they got the news of Ra’s death. Talia had been the one to step up to become Demon’s head instead of Damian, and she filled the role better than Ra’s ever had.

Damian wasn’t handling it nearly as well and Tim kept finding him listless about what to do now that he wouldn’t be the demon head, until he started really pursuing a life with the Waynes.

Nobody else knew what had happened at Nanda Parbat, nobody else was in the base at the point of Ra’s death, except Tim And Ra’s and Ra’s had killed most everyone that had known about tim and who he was.

Bruce was actually glad to have Tim back and thankful about how he had helped get him out of the time stream.

The others never got over being happy that Tim was back either, even Damian grew to actually seem to like his company after a while. alfred told him that it was because they all actually considered him part of the family, which only drew him deeper into the family circle the more often they would repeat it to him.

Everything was good, everyone was together, and Tim was happy.

They still didn’t know about him and Bruce was still adamant about not allowing metas in the city. Sometimes when a meta rogue would slip into the city Bruce would go out to take care of them personally just to reinforce the assumption that metas weren’t safe in Gotham. That meant Tim wasn’t safe in gotham either

But that was fine. He didn’t have to tell them and they didn’t have to know. everything would work out in the end, even if tim has to hide in his skin the remainder of their natural lives. He has forever after all.

And Tim is great at lying.

#batman #fanfiction #tim drake #tim drake centric #dragon tim drake #dc universe #i wrote this a week ago and it took this long to get through and edit #death #ra’s al ghul #dragon ra’s al ghoul #richard grayson #jason todd #cass cain(mentioned)#really having trouble remembering all the characters tbh #don’t mind me #i’m just gonna #[*drops fic on tumblr after disappearing for weeks and then leaves again immediately*]#as you do

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hollyharper · 3 years ago

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If you’ve read my earlier family reunion one shot, You can imagine what’s coming. But this time, it’s the Wayne’s and a few unexpected guest! I few conversation ideas I borrowed from @steadybakeryathleteroad. If you haven’t read his batfam conversations, you have to.

The suggestion had been Dick’s, but it was Selina’s work that made everything fall into place. Kara had agreed to watch over Blùdhaven, and the Titans promised to hold their own. Dinah was basically begging to help in any way. She ended up on guard duty in Tokyo for the weekend. No one seemed to mind the three days inconvenience. In a way, they all seemed hype about the idea. Selina bit her tongue as she glanced down at the guest list. Deep down she knew Bruce wouldn’t be happy, but it was Thanksgiving, a percent time for a family reunion. She was family. With a sigh she dropped the paper into the waste bin. It would be good for them all to come home, and she wanted to meet them. It wouldn't be like she was truly part of the family, until she met all of Bruce’s protégés and ‘children’. The words caused her to tremble. Even if it was the closest words, she couldn’t call them his kids. Bruce was only in his mid thirties, the idea of a twenty four year old ‘child’ was nothing but freaky. Fourteen year old Damien, she could handle. At least the idea of his parentage, no one could handle him, especially not her. For their shared love for Bruce both managed not murder each other, at least when he was there. Selina gave the hall a quick once over.

“It’s repulsive.” There was the reason she couldn’t stand Damien, his rude unruliness.

“I like it.” Holly’s soft voice trailed after him.

“It’s permissible.” He grumpily alters.

Another thing that drove Selina crazy, how he still did everything to please Holly. Always the rebel, Damien wasn’t in the button down shirt that had been agreed upon, but a black turtleneck and dark gray trousers. Holly wore a short pale pink dress with lace sleeves. Her hair was loosely braided, with half falling out, clearly Damien’s work. Selina but her tongue. As much as she wanted this year’s Thanksgiving to be perfect, the messy look fitted Holly. Selina tucked loose strands back into Holly’s braid, and left it at that. Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

“What do you think?” Selina asked, not even turning around.

“You did good.” Bruce rested a hand on her shoulder just as she finished with Holly. “Is Flatline coming?” He asked.

Damien nodded. “Yes.”

Holly turned her head to hide her scowl. While two had never officially dated, It had been obvious how they cared for each other. When Damien came back with a girlfriend, Holly was anything but happy. Flatline had quickly picked up on it and made a point to rub it in whenever possible. Putting the two in the same room was worse than Barbara and Koriand'r. In the middle of tension, the doorbell rang. Selina sighed and expertly guided Holly away. Bruce gave a silent thank you, and went to greet the first guest.

Flatline dress up impressively. While she stuck to her classic punk, her knee length dress was stunning. A small smile crossed Damien's expression. He gave no complaint, but greeted her affectionately. As they crossed into the main room, arms casually around each other, Flatline sent Holly a challenging glare. Holly gripped the tray tightly. Without a sound, she walked past. The second to step in, was Barbara. As usual, she wore a bright green dress, with her hair in a delicately curled ponytail. She gave the teen girls an observant look, and crossed to Holly.

“Who braided your hair?”

Holly didn’t even look up. “Damien.” She refused to use his nickname now.

“He did pretty good.” Still Holly refused to respond. “You just have to let it go.” Barbara placed a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “They’ll be others. Most boys aren’t worth crying over. And the one who is won’t make you cry.”

Holly simply nodded and wiped at her eyes. Selina smiled at the sight. Barbara was better with kids than her. Something about the young woman was welcoming. From the corner, Damien’s laugh echoed, even through a straight face. Flatline leaned closer to him and said something else that resulted in another laugh. That only seemed to worsen Holly’s mood.

Cassandra Had flown in the night before, and now descended the stairs, in time to see Barbara whisk Holly away. Cass quickly followed out the side door. Jason, Tim and Dick joined the remaining group not long later. Stephen trailed behind them, completely neglected.

“Is that it?” Bruce asked, after greeting the four.

“Two more.” Selina whispered, half afraid to admit what she had done.

He nodded and bit his tongue.

“Come.” Damien commanded.

“Where?” Flatline asked, just to annoy him.

He pointed to the three retired Robins. She stalked over without him.

“Hi, Flat.” Dick greeted.

She scowled. Dick was the only one of the older siblings she had met. While she kind of liked him, the nicknames were detested.

“Jay, Tim, This is Dami’s girlfriend, Flatline.”

Both stared at her.

“Did you say ‘Damien’s Girlfriend’?” Jason said, still staring. “Really?”

“How did you meet?” Tim asked.

Damien and Flatline exchanged a look. Both stayed silent. When it was clear that Damien wasn’t going to tell, Flatline spoke up. “He was being arrogant, and cute.” At that Damien acully blushed slightly. “And I had to kill him.”

“Kiss him?” Tim amdened.

“That too.”

Jason and Tim started to stare again.

“Welcome to the dead son club.” Jason slapped Damiens shoulder as he passed.

“He died and came back.” Tim explained.

“Hmm.” She didn’t sound impressed. “Damien died twice.”

“What?” Tim exclaimed as she walked away. “Twice?”

Damien nodded. The side door was flung open, as Barbara and Cass paraded Holly in. They had put her into a black halter dress Selina had never seen before. Her hair was now twisted into an elaborate bun. Pink eye shadow mirrored the cherry blossoms in her hair, and the ones painted on her skirt. She smiled for the first time that evening. Damien stopped to stare as she entered. Annoyed, Flatline grabbed his arm and dragged him away. Dick’s eyes were glued to Barbara.

“Do you want to help with the turkey?” Tim asked.

“Mmmhmm.” Dick responded, clearly unintuitive.

Tim dragged him away, while Jason argued with Damien. Dami finally consented, on the compromise, that Flatline could come too. Finally, all five stood around the turkey pin.

“Who wants to shoot it?” Jason asked.

“SHOOT IT?” Damien exclaimed. “Don’t shoot it.”

“It’s dinner.” Dick calmly replied.

“We can’t eat Tom!”

“Tom? You seriously named the turkey?” Jason lifted an eyebrow.

Flatline smothered a giggle.

“He’s mine.” Damien claimed every animal in the house was his.

“Dami.” Dick started gently. “You knew at the beginning that we were going to eat this turkey.”

“You can’t. I won’t let you.”

“Jason.” Tim and Dick asked simultaneously.

“He’s right.”

“What?”

Jason shrugged. “It’s not a fair fight. We should give the tur- Tom a gun too.”

Flatline’s jaw dropped along with Dick and Tim’s.

“You’re actually serious?” She threw her hands up. “I’m going inside.” With that, she stomped off.

Selina glanced around the hall. The five girls had clumped by the punch. Only one left. Helena had arrived after the boys went to help with the turkey. She had been absorbed into the gossip circle immediately. Heels clicked on the tile. Bruce gasped.

“Beloved.” Talia greeted.

She gave a cautious glacé toward Selina, then placed a quick kiss on Bruce’s cheek.

“Where’s Damien?”

Selina reserved the ‘We will talk about this later’ look.

“He’s outside.” Bruce answered. “He’ll be in soon.

It wasn’t five minutes later, that the boys all filed back inside. Jason had a deep cut on his shoulder. Dick’s left thigh was bleeding, and all but Damien were bruised and scratched.

“What happened?” Three of the girls flocked over.

Selina buried her head into Bruce’s shoulder, and muffled a sob. Holly and Flatline stepped forward at the same time, but then glared at each other.

“What happened?” Barbara asked, pressing a cloth to Dick’s injury.

“Let’s just say, we’re not having turkey.”

Damien had a very pleased expression. Talia fidgeted with the green of her emerald dress. His expression changed when he saw her.

“Mother?” In half a second, he had flung himself into her embrace.

“Like it or not, she’s family.” Selina whispered.

“I know.”

The reunion of mother and son quickly turned into an inspection. Damien seemed happy, even as he moved through rehearsed drills.

“You’re stronger.” Talia smiled approvingly.

Damien dragged her to everyone in turn, she recognized Jason and Cassandra, and warmly greeted all the others. She was skeptical of Flatline, but after hearing how the two meet, the girl appeared to have her approval.

The alternative to turkey turning out to be chicken. It wasn’t too bad of a substitute.

“This is really good.” Stephine said, her mouth half full.

“It would be better if we had turkey.” Tim shot Damien a glare.

“No one touches Tom.” Dami growled back.

Talia silently sighed and bit her lip. The table was thrown into an argument that resulted in Damien and Holly being sent to bed earlier. Thankfully, the adults managed to carry out a more calm evening afterward. Untill, Cass and Jason started bickering. That started another chain reaction. Tim and Steph started arguing, and soon Barbara was in on it too. Inevitably, everyone either calmed down or left. By the time everything had calmed back down, Selina, Bruce, and Talia were all that remained.

“This is for Damien. It was his grandfather’s.” Talia handed Bruce the package, then without a goodbye, left.

The young couple stared at each other for a moment.

“That was, eventful.” Selina whispered, slumping against the couch.

It’ll be better next year.”

“Next year!” She called up after him. “NEXT YEAR!!!!”

#damien #jason todd #tim drake #barbara gordon #bruce wayne #selina wayne #stephine brown #dick grayson #talia al ghul #cassandra cain #helena bertinelli #Holly Robinson #OC #one shot #batfam #fanfiction #thanksgiving

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chronicbatfictioner · 3 years ago

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Exchanges and Compromises - Chapter 17

Jason was having the time of his life.

Dick was sure of it. He might grump and sulk a lot more than before, but Dick was sure that he was having fun. Sure, guarding Damian might be a little more than tasking, after a while - especially since Damian was so certain that he could face Bane alone if it comes down to it, conveniently ignoring the fact that: a. he's ten and practically one-tenth of Bane's size; b. the Waynes most likely would detest having to clear intestines off the marble floor if Damian were to be let near a katana and/or Bane, and c. Alfred definitely would detest cleaning intestines or parts of Damian off the floor or walls.

And d. Bruce Wayne seemed to actually enjoy having Damian around and has no qualm in talking to Damian as if he was twice his age. Bruce's age, that is. Not Damian's. Dick suspected that Bruce has spent a lot of time talking to 60-year-olds.

But there were numerous forms of excitement that were offered by the Wayne Manor. First and foremost were the cars. Dick has never learned to drive - being a Talon kind of impeded the learning process of 'common human things'. Jason, however, was an excellent driver. He had mentioned something about being a getaway driver in warzones, and Dick couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth or joking. Either way, he rather enjoyed it whenever he and Jason had to take Damian somewhere in town.

Except for today, as somebody seemed to have tampered with the car.

It wouldn't brake, and they were cruising really, really fast.

Hence Dick's belief that Jason was having fun. He did not look perturbed at the slightest as he controlled the car, swerving crazily over the backroads, making sharp u-turns instead of going into the city roads and went back where they came from. Within a mile from the Drake House's gate, Jason finally managed to cut down the speed to the point where the car's engines died and it rolled to a stop. On the Drake House's gate.

"Seriously, people," Tim remarked dryly as they walked in - leaving the car at the gate and settling their respective adrenaline back down. "I've heard of visiting the neighbors, but must you be like, dying and/or damaging people's property before you come here to say hi?"

"The car was tampered with," Damian reported. "Must be the brute. And I shall replace your gate, Drake."

"I think I'm down to like, eight lives. No-- seven." Dick admitted, "my heart's still beating a hundred miles per minute. Good thing, though, at least that way I know I'm quite alive."

"Dick, you're a bird. Not a cat." Tim deadpanned. His eyes never leaving Jason, who had lit up a cigarette as he walked through the house. "Since when do you smoke?"

"Since I was eleven," Jason replied. "And since I walked into a house that has laser triggers that were set up by a lunatic. Smoke worked to reveal them all."

"I'm... partially scowling because smoking kills. But I suppose laser triggers would kill faster..." Tim replied.

"The lasers are used to trigger booby traps just about Damian's height. If he were to be a common kid and run around the house, he'd be decapitated within the first few days." Jason continued bitterly. "What the fuck is wrong with that giant lump of steroids, anyway? He was ready to kill a child!"

"The nutshell version is that the child would prevent his usurping the Waynes' wealth." Tim pointed out. "The long version is that I don't think he's really the child of Dr Wayne, the Waynes know of it, and they're literally being held hostage in their own home. Also, you people are being watched, too, by drones. I've asked Harper to kill those drones for entering my property."

Tim then explained Bruce's visit and the USB. "Oracle has contacted him and told him we... the Birds, that is - are investigating the evidence."

"How long until we can punch the asshole out of the house for good?" Jason demanded, accepting a bottle of water Tim handed him. Slowly and gently. Making sure his fingers brushed Tim's. And Dick had to swallow a grin.

"That, unfortunately, would be up to the GCPD. Did you guys saw the news? Vicky Vale's article on Damian?" Tim... preened a little, waving his hair as he walked away from Jason. Dick's lips itched, he wondered if Barbara or the other girls -- if Selina or Dinah have noticed this. The two were definitely flirting.

"I have seen it. It had good pictures of my mother and grandfather, and quite... adequate descriptions of both of them." Damian replied. "Evidently father has made a comment to the writer about me looking like him when he was my age."

"Well, you kind of do look like him, except for the green eyes." Dick pointed out. Bruce's eyes were blue - like both his parents. But from the photos of little Brucie around the house, Dick could see a little of Martha Wayne in Damian's still-round face. "When did Bruce make the comment?"

"Oh, Vale called him." Tim snickered. "She still has his personal number, and she commented something about hearing a - quote: 'constipated buffalo sounds in the background' - unquote. She was also wondering if Bruce was in a bullfighting ring somewhere."

"Seriously?" Dick laughed.

"Seriously. Even Barbara couldn't stop laughing hearing that." Tim assured him. Jason rolled his eyes but looking amused, anyway.

"Sooo... a possible off-road accident for the apparent heir is in the books?" Jason suggested.

"I won't put it past Bane. Damian...?" Tim started. But Damian already nodded in acknowledgment.

"I shan't eat anything that is not presented by Todd or Grayson, nor will I frolic the manor on my own. This shall be more to bear witness to your insinuation of my 'child-like' behavior than to take care of me, Drake, as I am quite capable of sustaining my own life." Damian scoffed.

Tim paused visibly for a good two seconds, before nodding, "of course. Furthermore, I can assure you that Alfred is safe, mainly because as a butler, his focal interest would be the actual Waynes. That's in his training - unless an offspring is publicly announced, they are not to be cared for by the Butler. In Wayne Manor, the proverbial child would solely be Bruce - for obvious reasons, and Damian, whom Bruce has publicly acknowledged." Tim explained.

"He was in MI6," Jason remarked. "Alfred, that is. Not Bane. It would be safe to say he's loyal. He told me of the booby traps and that Bane has a daily dose of injection of the steroid-like substance. But I-- we shall prepare you emergency rations - just in case, anyway."

"You guys can always drop by here. And don't think that Damian would be Bane's only target." Tim reminded. "If I was him, I'd take out the big guns - that is you two - first; and then Bruce, because he'll want to be protective of his son; and then Dr and Mrs Wayne last."

"Then I'm afraid you are forgetting one of the members of the household that is most dangerous, Master Tim," a voice spoke; Jason pulled out his gun, Damian automatically hid behind him while pulling out a small dagger.

Dick wanted to lunge right toward the source of the voice until he realized that it was Alfred Pennyworth, both hands raised up to show that he was unarmed.

"How...?" Jason growled, "I didn't hear the front door open."

"Apologies, gentlemen. I should have informed you that there is an underground passageway between the two houses that were once used frequently, but now has all been forgotten." Alfred explained. "You were right that I was in MI6, Jason; as you were right that my focus will and forever shall remain the true Wayne blood, Master Tim. Not ones who claimed as such and refused to provide irrefutable evidence."

"Does Bane know of this passageway?" Tim asked.

"It is located in the staff's wing, and as he is not permitted to be there, I sincerely doubt it," Alfred replied. "I have my own... booby traps and surveillance that should tell me if anyone has been there." he smiled. "I am aware that both of you have prowled the entire house at one point or the other in the past few weeks." he nodded toward Jason and Dick. "You were stealthy, indeed."

"But not stealthy enough?" Dick quipped. "I gotta go back to training... Anyway, why are you here?"

"I saw your vehicle's mishap and its stop here. If anything, Bane is not... stealthy enough." Alfred pulled out a small memory card. "To get to the garage, one must pass the servants' hall. And the garage is my province."

Tim accepted the memory card, plugged it into his cellphone; and then projected its content to a wall. "Huh... this should be enough evidence of tampering..." Tim commented. The memory card showed a clear date stamp - that morning, a few hours before Bane and the Waynes left the house. It also showed Bane himself, jacking the car that was now resting with a dented bumper at Tim's gate, while holding a plier.

"Anyone watching our car now?" Dick commented. "Won't be cool to have it suddenly fixed, will it?"

"Harper should be. Plus, y'all are on my property. If he trespasses, I'll have his ass arrested." Tim huffed. "So... if anyone has ideas--" Jason and Damian's eyes lit up; Tim glared at them and continued "--that do not include sharp and/or exploding objects of how to remove Bane from the Manor..."

"I'm fresh out," Jason replied mournfully. "No sharp objects, no exploding objects... what do you expect me to do? Poison him?"

"But Todd, did my mother not teach you the arts of food as medicine?" Damian piped up.

The sudden silence as all eyes landed on Alfred was quite ominous.

"I will not conduct a crime, young masters," Alfred remarked dryly.

"Oh nooo... not a crime," Jason grinned mischievously. "It's just... you know that Damian was born in the Middle East, yeah?"

"I may have quite a culinary skill, but I fear that my Middle Eastern cuisine knowledge is rather limited," Alfred said demurely.

"Well, mine isn't." Jason grinned. "Besides, what else should one do to celebrate one's entrance into such a distinguished family; but hold a family dinner?"

"You're going to poison him." Dick groaned.

"Not to death!" Jason protested. Dick gave him an unimpressed glare. "Just... to the point where he would realize that he and I have opposing objectives."

"Do let me know of the ingredients you require, Jason." Alfred intoned. "Or perhaps you prefer to shop on your own? I shall fetch a new, un-tampered-with vehicle."

"Oh, please do, Alfred. I doubt we can make a single trip. But they will be fun." Jason replied, grinning.

Dick knew that the sense of foreboding was not in him only. Tim looked like he was contemplating moving away to Alaska.

"For the records, I don't know anything about cooking," Dick said defensively.

"I'm... truly and fully reconsidering my life choices," Tim admitted.

"Oh, don't worry, Drake. Todd was trained by the best," Damian grinned mischievously. "I pity the fools who think him as a brute. I pity the brute who think that small equals weak."

#Batless!AU #JayTim #Dick Grayson #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Damian Wayne #Alfred Pennyworth #stray!tim #RedGhost!Jason #Talon!Dick

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catxsnow · 5 years ago

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W(H)INE T.D.

Summary: Tim learns that drinking wine leads to revealing secrets about you.

Warning: Fluff, little-bitty angst, underage drinking

A/N: I’d love to know what you guys think! I’ve written a few large fics before but never imagines and I wanna know if I’m actually decent at them lol

GIF is not mine

Word count: 3k

You knew that Tim loved you.

You knew that no matter how many times he forgot about your plans or didn't do the things you asked of him that he still loved you. No, he didn't forget, Tim had an excellent memory which had often times come in handy for yourself. It was the fact that his second life sometimes over took his life with you.

So, as much as you knew that Tim loved you, you also knew that he loved his job as Robin just a little bit more.

And you couldn't blame him. The moment that Tim found out that Bruce Wayne was Batman and wiggled his way into the life of a vigilante, you were right by his side. If Bruce wanted to adopt Tim, then he was going to have to take you in as well (though not legally). He seemed to enjoy your corny jokes and childish laugh.

You had become friends with Tim from an early age and hadn't left his side since. You were with him through the death of his mother and he was with you through the hardships of your own. Tim was never surprised to see you with a frown on your face after a fight with you parents. He knew that you had never gotten along with them and that they had the tendency to make your life miserable. So when he moved into the Wayne Manor, it was your little saving grace too.

Whenever nights were hard at home, you would show up to the manor, often times drenched in rain and tears streaming down your face. It was always Alfred that would answer the door and while you showered, he would ensure that the guest room you claimed as your own was ready for your night's sleep.

Tim would be waiting for you on your bed and the moment you laid eyes on him you would collapse into his always open arms. He had always been there for you and you appreciated him for that. Not to mention that you also realized that your feelings for him were more than just friendly.

It had been on and off for a little while. You and Tim were trying to decide if a relationship was right for the both of you or if you should just stick to friendship. After months of going back and forth, you finally had enough of the games and decided that you loved him, you needed him, and most importantly, you had him.

Dating Tim was the best thing that had happened to you. It gave you even more time away from your home and parents, and brought you closer to the Wayne family. The moment you started dating Tim, you would no longer sleep in the guest room, but rather his bed. Bruce and Alfred were both aware of this little switch even though you tried to keep it under wraps.

It started as only once or twice a week, and then the whole weekend, and the next thing you knew you had practically moved in with them. You were so close to being an adult and the lack of attention that your parents gave you meant that it was easy to spend your time there. Bruce didn't mind - but he did have a very serious, very awkward chat with the both of you.

The thing that Tim loved most about sharing a bed with you, was that every night that he went out as Robin, he knew that he had something to look forward to for coming home. He knew that he had someone worth fighting for to get home. You were the reason that no matter what trouble he got himself into, he would always find a way out of it.

However, some days, you felt as if Tim cared more about his vigilante status than your relationship status. You knew that this was important to him, you knew that saving people in Gotham was the greatest accomplishment of his, and you supported him through every step of the way.

It was why when you missed him, you would two mugs of whatever hot beverage you were feeling that night down to him in the cave and spend time with him while he worked. Sometimes, you would break into the wine cellar to pour the two of you a couple glasses of wine. Bruce said that you were too young to drink but Alfred always helped pick out a bottle so you kept doing it.

That night, it had been a long day for you and you could only assume Tim felt the same, so you had decided on wine rather than coffee. Tim was down in the cave and Bruce was working late at Wayne Enterprises. But, while you poured the two glasses, you were surprised to see Jason walk in.

"What are you doing here?" You asked, setting the bottle down. You didn't know Jason very well, but knew his story almost too well. Tim tried his best not to remind you of his brutal death and that could just as easily happen to him. You tried not to think about it, but knowing that Tim might not make it back home to you terrified you more than anything.

After Jason came back to life and settled in with Roy and Kori, he made very few appearances at the Manor. To be honest, you couldn't blame him. Being there had to have reminded him of what his life used to be like. He was a different person than he used to be, at least that was what Bruce would tell you and Tim.

"I need to talk to Bruce," Jason looked equally confused that you were drinking. As far as he was aware, you were underage, not that age ever stopped him when he was young. Jason glanced around, though the manor was huge, it didn't sound like anyone else was home. "Are you drinking? On a Thursday?"

"Yes," You answered simply, taking a sip of the gorgeous red alcohol. You slid the second glass over the counter to him, which he accepted. He wasn't much a wine drinker but he couldn't let someone younger than him drink without him. "Bruce isn't here, he's at the tower. Not that this is my home, but you're welcome to stay. I haven't seen you for a while, Jason."

Jason only nodded. When he first met you, he just assumed that you were some girl that was dragging on Tim's arm because of the money. He was wrong, very wrong. After learning that you had a similar childhood to his, he quickly realized that you were a fighter. Though he never took the time to talk to you, he assumed you couldn't be that bad.

After thinking for a moment, Jason sat on the stool across from you. You didn't think that he would stay, he was never one to waste time with conversations that he didn't deem necessary. But, you enjoyed his company. As much as Bruce detested how Jason handled situations, you didn’t find him too bad.

You asked him about his time with the Outlaws, to which he told you these grand stories of things he had gone through. You never agreed with his methods, but you understood why he felt the need to do them. Gotham was the kind of city that would break you in half if you didn't fight back.

He asked you how Tim was doing. You dived maybe a little too deep into your relationship with him and details that Jason didn't need to know about - and didn't ask for. But, he didn't seem to be bothered by it. As much as he wished that Tim wasn't Robin after what had happened to him, he was glad that you were there for him. Dick had Barbra, and Jason, well, he had no one to comfort him after hard nights out.

Nearly two bottles later, you were a little tipsy and had learned more about Jason than you had your entire life. He decided that it was time to get going and that talking to Bruce would have to be done another night. "If you ever need anything, don't be shy to call," Jason told you. Even though you were quite a few years younger than him, he found it easy to relate.

"You too, Jay," You told him. "Maybe stop by more often, I think Tim would like to see you more too." Jason made no promises and headed towards the door. He paused for a moment and looked back at you.

“Tim’s lucky to have you. Keep him safe, yeah?”

“Of course.”

The moment you stood up from you chair, you felt a little bit dizzy and didn't realize you had drank so much. You shook the feeling off and carried the two glasses to the batcave.

Just as expected, Tim was still there, slaving over the computers. He heard you come in but didn't turn around from the screen. You set the two glasses down and wrapped your arms around him from behind. In the reflection of the screen, you could see the smile on his face. You pecked his cheek and then handed him the glass.

Tim still didn't turn away from the screen. He was far too engrossed into his research to give you the attention you so desired. So, you had taken the matter into your own hands. You set your own glass beside his and snaked under his arms so that you could completely wrap yourself around him while he sat in the chair.

You sat in his lap facing him with your legs dangling from the sides and your arms tightly snug around his waist. Without missing a beat, Tim straightened up so that you could snuggle into the crook of his neck. It wasn't the first time that you two sat like this and it surely wasn't going to be the last.

It was nearly twenty minutes that you stayed like that. Even in that cold cave, he always seemed to radiate heat and you were always there to soak it up. Tim loved when you were like this, just craving his touch and the utter need to be close to him even without talking to him.

When you looked up at him, the first thing he noticed were your flushed cheeks and glazy eyes. You had been drinking, not a lot, but enough that it made your face tinge pink. Tim didn't say anything but took a sip of his glass.

"Long night?" You asked.

"Better now that you're here," Tim admitted. He never said it, but he loved when you visited him while he worked. It made the time go by faster, even if most of the time you both worked in silence. "How many glasses have you had?"

"Jason stopped by," You answered. That in itself should have been sufficient enough for Tim to realize. Not to mention that Jason held his liquor way better than you, so while you were pretty tipsy he probably felt sober still. "I think he got me wine drunk so that he could talk about his feelings and assume I wouldn't blab to Bruce."

"What'd you guys talk about?" Tim asked.

"You," he raised an eyebrow. "About how much I love you, and the good things you do in this world and that no matter what I'm always going to be there for you even if sometimes I feel that you care about being Robin more than you care about me."

You didn't mean to say that. You kept your feelings hidden about him being Robin because you didn't want him to feel guilty for something that he was great at. You knew the moment the words left your mouth that it had taken him by surprise.

"(Y/N), you know that's not true," Tim set his glass down so that he could cup your face with both hands. You refused to meet his eye, worried about what he was going to say. "I'm Robin because I want to make this city a better place, I want to make if safe. Safe enough that one day we could have a family and not be worried about getting hurt."

You finally looked up into his eyes. They were filled with concern for you. "I love you, (Y/N). I have for a long time now and being Robin is never going to change that," Tim promised. He kissed your forehead, your nose, and finally your lips. "Why didn't you say this to me before?"

"Because I know you love this job, and I never wanted you to think that you had to choose it or me because that's not the case. I love that you're Robin and that you're brave enough to go fight that evil that lurks the streets. I just wonder sometimes that if I didn't practically live here if I would see you that often."

"I would make all the time in the world for you if that was what you wanted," Tim told you.

"You know that's not what I want," You answered him truthfully. You didn't want to take away this part of his life, never. "Just one normal night a week, even every two weeks is fine. Movies, pizza, wine, or whatever we're feeling for the night. I don't want to take away Robin from you, even if I could."

"That sounds perfect to me, my love," Tim kissed you once more. You guys had tried to maintain that once before but it didn't take long for the tradition to break and once a week turned into once a month, which gradually turned into a surprise maybe twice a year. This time was going to be different.

"Good, now come on," You dragged yourself away from him and instantly missed the warmth. "I'm already a bottle of wine in which means you need to catch up," you stuck your hand out for him to grab. He looked between you and the screen and nodded. Tim typed for a few seconds before grabbing your hand.

"You know Bruce doesn't like us drinking his wine," Tim reminded you as you walked hand in hand to the exit of the cave.

"It's not like he can't afford to replace them."

To no surprise, you woke up with a pounding headache. Once Tim agreed to leave the batcave, the two of you had drank for a long time after that. Besides the two bottle that you and Jason had gone through, you must have had another three, at least. Tim caught up and the two of you kept the liquor coming.

Tim was passed out beside you, he was stripped down to his boxers and splayed out with no blankets covering him. You on the other hand, only had his shirt to cover your body and all the blankets on the bed wrapped around you. He wasn't awake yet but you were sure that he was going to be in the same pain you were.

The small amount of light that shone through the blinds made you squint and if you could get up to close them the rest of the way, you would. Instead, you slowly tucked back away into the pillow and closed your eyes, hoping that the pain in your head would go away. It didn't.

You must have laid there for nearly and hour before you heard Tim groan. You rolled over to face him but he didn't say anything. You were right, the two of you had been the most hungover that you had been in your life. A wine hangover at that.

It was rare, very rare, that either of you ever had more than just one or two drinks, never more than one or two whole bottles. So, this feeling that resided in your head, your stomach, you weren't used to and you sure as hell didn't like it either. Tim had to have been feeling the same way.

Neither of you were making it to school that day and you couldn't believe that you were willing to drink that much on a weekday. It wasn't like either of you to miss class - then again, one day of not going wasn't going to hurt.

"Tim?" you whined. He was awake, but didn't dare open his eyes. Tim let out a noise that you assumed meant that he was listening to you. "Let's not do that again." Once again, he only grunted to agree. Tim rolled towards you and you couldn't tell if it was to avoid the light or because he wanted to cuddle.

Either way, you didn't mind.

Your little amount of peace didn't last long when Bruce came knocking on your door. He saw all the empty bottle in the kitchen and had known that it must have been you too. Nearly six bottle between the two of you? There was no way that you drank all that much - which you hadn't. Jason helped too.

The two of you groaned at the noise and tried to block the sound out. Thankfully, Bruce left and didn't try again. Tim buried his head into your neck, leaving light kisses. If you weren't so hungover you would have enjoyed where that was going.

Not even ten minutes after Bruce left, he returned. This time he had barged right into the room - to which you weren't that shocked about. He did it quite often and you learned to never, ever, sleep without close on after the first mishap. Tim pulled the covers over top of both of your heads.

Bruce, on the other hand, was sitting on the desk chair, with none other than a glass of wine in his hand.

The moment that the pungent grape smell hit your nose, you knew that it was over. Your stomach started to turn and you swear that you nearly through up on the spot. Bruce knew exactly what he was doing and you knew that too. Without being able to control yourself, you leaned into the garbage can by Tim's bed and threw up.

"I told you not to drink my wine."

#tim drake #tim drake imagine #tim drake one shot #dc #imagine #fluff #batfam #fanfic #oneshot #red robin #tim drake x reader

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xapitos · 3 years ago

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Who is Jesus of Nazareth? A study of the Gospel of Mark to answer this question.

Who is Jesus of Nazareth?

A Devotional Study of the Gospel of Mark

by xapitos

Introduction

This is a biblical study of the Gospel of Mark from the New Testament. This study is based on the Gospel of Mark (and in turn the entire Hebrew and Christian Scriptures) as being the inerrant (without error) words of God given to Mark and to each author of each book of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, known to many as the “Holy Bible.” God is interpreted as the God presented in those Scriptures, namely, the personal Creator of all things (except evil, a creation of man by his free choice), Sustainer of life and Giver of eternal forgiveness for one’s rebellious/sinful nature against God through the sacrificial offering of his Son, Jesus Christ, taking God’s wrath for such sinfulness upon himself on the cross out of love for all of mankind.

A little bit about me. I have been a Christian for more than 60 years, knowing at a very young age, that the Lord was my heavenly Father and that I would become a pastor. After a career of earning a Bachelor’s degree in Koine and Classical Greek, a Master’s of Theology degree in Old Testament Studies (a four year degree), being a missionary in South America, pastoring in three churches and being a hospice chaplain, I have never once found the Holy Bible to be in error. I have had to seek insight into some of its parts. Those parts, have no easy answers. That does not mean that there is no answer, nor does it mean that the hard to understand parts are errors. It means that I, the reader, do not understand what is put forth plainly in those parts. The understanding issue is not in the presentation but in the interpreter. I have also found that the great majority of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are straight forward, clear to understand and deeply challenging to the soul. I believe it is this challenging part that we as humankind use to deflect, hide from the truth that we find in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. For instance, the command to love your neighbor as yourself is broad and not always easy to apply. Some people are mean and obnoxious. Yet, they are my neighbor and my responsibility is to love them regardless of themselves.

Meditating upon the Holy Bible, whether we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior or not, and asking the Lord for insight and guidance usually results in the same. My personal growth in God’s truth is often the issue that prevents me, for a time, to understand and/or apply his truth. Furthermore, truth is both refreshing and confrontational. When I am to love my neighbor as myself, even though my neighbor may be an unloving, mean person, I am “confronted with God’s truth.” I can love, despite my neighbor’s actions, or be self-focused. The choice is mine, not God’s. Confrontation is not a bad thing but a good thing. Confrontation should be gentle. As someone once wrote, we all need to learn the art of giving a shot without the recipient feeling the needle.

It is my prayer that all of us who read/meditate upon this study will be honest with ourselves about what the Gospel of Mark says and that we sincerely search our souls regarding its claim that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Redeemer of all peoples from their sinful state to enjoy the wonderful and enriching relationship with the Triune God forever.

A Word About the Methodology of This Study

For simplicity sake, this study follows the paragraph breakdowns of The Greek New Testament, edited by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger and Allen Wikgren, Institute for New Testament Textual Research, Munster/Westphalia, Third Edition, United Bible Societies, copyright 1966, 1968, 1975. The Hebrew Scriptures referred to are from Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, Deutsche Bibelstiftung Stuttgart, copyright 1967/1977. The English translation used, when not translating from the Hebrew Scriptures and Greek New Testament, is the New International Version of the Bible.

Secondly, since this study looks at the Gospel of Mark as written and Hebrew Scriptures as referred to within the Gospel of Mark as taken at face value for what they claim, these documents are seen as the final authority in all matters to which they speak. When studying any book, the normal interpretative approach is to study a book at face value for what it claims to be. Thus, this study looks at the historical, cultural and grammatical contexts in which the Gospel of Mark was written. Mark claims in 1:1-2, that his book is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, based upon prophecy from the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, this study assumes the same. If contradictions and errors are found to exist, then the Gospel of Mark will be assumed to be false. Otherwise, it is only honest integrity and personal character to recognize and accept wholeheartedly what the Gospel of Mark presents.

Premise

The question at hand is, “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” Mark, a disciple of the apostle Peter (whom Jesus left in charge before he ascended into heaven), wrote his book with this question in mind. All of us have premises. The question is, which one is the truth to be the foundation and cornerstone of our lives and the gift of life itself? This question makes the question “Who is Jesus of Nazareth” all the more imperative.

Study

Chapter 1:1-8

1:1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ (Messiah) son of God

Mark states the premise of his book in its opening words. With the use of the name “Christ” (the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah”) Mark immediately draws attention to Jesus of Nazareth being the Promised One of the Nation of Israel. He wants all to know, especially Jewish people, that the Messiah they have been looking for has already come. Mark also claims that this Messiah is the Son of God. A debatable matter amongst Jewish and Gentile people. Yet, the claim is so bold, that it is worthy of investigation.

1:2-3 Just as it has been written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold I will send my messenger before you who will prepare your way, a voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him.’

Immediately, Mark lays claim to the Hebrew Scriptures as the supreme authority to backup his statement in verse 1. Isaiah was written approximately between 740-701 B.C., long before the arrival of the Mark’s good news/gospel that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the Promised One to the Jewish people and to the world. Isaiah chapters 1-39 are about Israel’s rebellious, sinful ways (Isaiah 1-5), and then about the LORD’s coming judgment upon the Jewish people because of their chosen rebellion. Isaiah 39 reviews the coming judgment through the hand of the Babylonians, who will even ransack and burn the Lord’s temple and take his people into captivity. We know that Daniel 9 reviews the 70 year captivity. The context of Isaiah 40-66 is to comfort the LORD’s people (the Hebrews), that the times of judgment will not last, and that there will be the time to prepare the way of the LORD and make straight paths for him for his Messiah will redeem and restore his people and any who claim his name as Lord. It is with this comforting news that Mark begins the good news of Jesus Christ/Messiah God’s Son.

In both Isaiah and Mark, the forerunner of the Messiah is key. A forerunner prepares, go before. Thus, the very nature of a forerunner makes the message about what follows even more imperative and worthy of listening to with a change in action for the listeners.

1:4 Now there was John the Baptizer in the dessert and he was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

John the Baptizer performed his mission not in the cities and villages but in the dessert. Why? For none, there are less distractions in the dessert. Someone proclaiming a message and baptizing people would stand out more than in a city, where he could easily be ignored. Also, he was baptizing people in the Jordan river, where many go for water, bathing and washing of clothes, as well as to be refreshed from the arid, hot climate of Israel. Thus, word would easily spread about John and his message.

The historical context of Mark at this point is that the Hebrew people have been under the thumb of the Roman Empire for many years. They were heavily taxed, oppressed and helpless against a ruthless government that worshiped Caesar. Thus, the Romans were detestable to most Hebrews, who worshiped the LORD God of Israel through sacrifices at the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

What kind of message is John the Baptizer preaching? It isn’t one of sacrifices per the Law of Moses. It’s a new message, a different message of repentance for forgiveness of sins. A message that would smooth out the valleys and bring low the mountains of life. The roughness of life shall become level, its rugged smooth. Thus, his message stood out all the more. This would cause the message to spread quickly.

Self-Reflection

Where/what is our dessert? Where/what is the refreshment of our souls? To whom are we listening? One proclaiming the way of the Lord to make straight paths for him? Or, are we listening to the many voices, the confusion and the hustle and bustle of a hectic life, filled with many voices? How is our present state of life refreshing our souls and bringing us closer to who the Gospel of Mark claims Jesus of Nazareth to be? Name three ways in which you can change your life to listen better to John the Baptizer’s message, as well as the message of the Gospel of Mark thus far?

1:5 and all the Judean region and all those living in Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

The going out to John was an intentional one. One of purpose. Under the heavy hand of Rome (like the Hebrews of Isaiah’s and Daniel’s day being judged by God through the Assyrians and the Babylonians) there is now the time of preparing for the way of the LORD and making straight paths, leveling out life’s hardships and difficulties. This message is not carried out by throwing off the hardships and difficulties but by turning to the One who forgives sin and then makes our way smoother in the midst of the hardships and difficulties. Although the people of that time were used to traveling in the dry, arid climate of the Judean wilderness, it was still an arduous journey. The trip from Jerusalem to the Jordan River crosses a dessert area littered literally with millions upon millions of rocks of various sizes, deep crevices, low mountains, valleys, dust, heat (depending on the time of year), little to no water. The people of the region and of Jerusalem are so thirsty for a making straight of their oppressed and rugged lives, that they welcomingly travel the arid countryside by foot, donkey and/or camel to listen to this new message from a loner man, who lives in the dessert.

1:6 and John wore clothes made of camels hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.

To the Hebrew, this is a clear reference to the highly-esteemed prophet, Elijah. Mark is saying that one like Elijah, the mighty prophet and miracle worker of the Hebrews, is now here and his message is even greater, as the new Elijah, John the Baptizer. That Elijah is so pertinent to the Jewish culture of this time, Elijah himself is one of two people who appear and talks with Jesus on the Mount of Tranfiguration (Mark 9:2-13). Jewish people understand that Elijah must come before the Messiah arrives. Mark claims that John is that man.

Self-Reflection

Would we truly travel across a dessert area on foot or animal, let alone a vehicle of today, to listen to the message of a loner, who lives in the dessert? His hair has to be dirty and matted. His beard, eyebrows, ear hair long, possibly filled with dirt and grime. He stinks. His teeth are dirty and possibly rotting. Not only all of this, he dresses like a crazy man, wearing camel haired clothes (brown and tan against his sun darkened skin). He eats giant grass hoppers and unprocessed honey. What kind of truth does he have to offer? Would we be willing to accept him as greater than one of the greatest of God’s prophets ever? What would we do personally to change our lives in light of his message?

1:7-8 and he preached saying, There is one more powerful than I, after me, of whom I am not worthy to loosen the straps of the sandals of his feet. I baptize you with water, but he himself will baptize you with the holy spirit.

Baptism is a common concept to Jewish people. The Greek word “to baptize” is equal to the Hebrew ritual word used for the “ritual cleansing bath” a worshiper would take to spiritual cleanse oneself before offering sacrifices to the LORD at the Temple in Jerusalem. At the southern end of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem there is an archaeological find of what are known to be “mikvahs”. Mikvahs are the ritual cleansing areas one would use before entering the Temple Mount to offer sacrifices to the LORD at the Temple. Mikvahs have steps that descend some 4-5 feet into a small area that was filled with water to immerse one’s self for the cleansing ritual. The Mikvah area at the southern end of the Temple Mount is most likely where over 3000 people were baptized by Peter and other apostles with him when he preached on the Day of Pentecost, post-resurrection of Jesus (Acts of the Apostles 3).

The message here is clear, spiritually cleanse ourselves before the LORD by being baptized to receive forgiveness of our sins. In other words, instead of taking the symbolical ritual mkvah bath to present yourselves to the LORD at the Temple with your sacrifice(s) for him, be ritually/spiritually cleansed by offering yourself as the sacrifice to the LORD for the forgiveness of your sins. Clearly, a new message, the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ/Messiah Son of God has come to his people and to the world.

This new message brings a new gift, the holy spirit. In the Hebrew Scriptures of Psalm 51, King David (the one to whom the LORD promised an eternal kingdom) cries out in deep grief stricken repentance that the LORD will not remove his spirit from him. David was the man after God’s own heart, as the Hebrew Scriptures describe him. Yet, David committed adultery with another man’s wife (one of his soldiers), deceived others about this by calling her husband back from the war front to sleep with his wife, plotted to have him killed in battle (murder), and then lied about it for a year. The LORD sent his prophet Nathan to confront David for all of this. This is the context of Psalm 51. It is no wonder that David cries out begging the LORD not to remove his spirit from him. The LORD mercifully forgives David and grants his request. David knew that without the spirit of the LORD, he could not become the man and king that the LORD wanted him to be. John proclaims that The One who is greater than I, he himself will baptize you with the holy spirit. The religious leaders of Israel did not teach this teaching. They emphasized a distorted message of the LORD, because of which people from all over the Judean wilderness and Jerusalem itself, flocked to a loner, hairy, stinky, weird dressed, grasshopper eating man, who proclaimed a new message from the LORD, be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, for the Promised Messiah is coming soon.

Self-Reflection

How committed are we to obeying the call of the LORD upon our lives to live in a deepening relationship with him? What are we willing to give up in the comfort and convenience of our lives to be a lone soul in the dessert of life crying to any who will listen…There is a better way, a smoother way. There is a life worth living, that is not filled with the clutter of many voices and guilt ridden teachings and philosophies of self-dependence. There is a better life, because the only One who is worthy has come and invites us to live in the wonder and joy of his forgiveness and guidance to the deeper life with the Father. What will we do to live in, to embrace that life?

List three ways in which the Lord is speaking to you about such change:

3 notes · View notes

presidentrhodes · 5 years ago

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How about some IronHusbands? Tony keeps telling the avengers how awesome his husband is but they don't believe he exists because it has been months and they still haven't met him yet and then finally, Rhodey comes home :)

See, I was going to write a cute 700-word fic for this, but your prompt was too good and this turned into a 5K monster. I’m sorry. :(

Title: The Other Mr Stark: Pilot, Scientist and Iron Man’s Mysterious Paramour

Rating: PG

Pairing: Tony Stark/James Rhodes

Summary: Clint leans over to Tony and whispers. “For the record, I know you’re lying. You’re describing the perfect man and he doesn’t exist. You might as well say you’re dating Superman because at least Christopher Reeve was a looker.“

This ignores the chronology and canon from Iron Man 2. It’s not yet beta-ed so, I apologise for all mistakes!

***

“Don’t be ridiculous, Stark,” Clint says from the lounge floor, where he sits cross-legged, trying to build a house of cards on the table. Natasha’s lying on the sofa next to him, her feet on Steve’s lap as he massages them. Bruce sits in an armchair opposite them, his attention fixed on the Starkpad in his hands. Thor stands by the floor-to-ceiling window behind Bruce, watching the cars driving along Park Avenue 80 floors down. “You’re making shit up."

It’s team-bonding night: Steve came up with the idea a month after the Avengers stopped an alien invasion and moved into the spacious penthouse atop Stark Tower. New York began the long, arduous process of rebuilding; tall construction cranes wedged between damaged skyscrapers carried out repair work and men in reflective vests and bright yellow helmets became a common sight all over the city.

Tony’s at the bar mixing drinks for the team, even though he hasn’t touched alcohol in over a decade. His cocktails, he claims, are still kickass. "Why would I lie to you, Barton? I am going to get nothing out of it."

They have been going back and forth for an hour since Tony let it slip that contrary to what the New York Post says every week, he’s happily married. His husband’s a decorated Air Force Colonel and a rocket scientist by training and, Tony insists, he once fought a homophobe bare-chested outside MIT in the freezing Northeast winter, for insulting Tony.

"It was my birthday. Honeybear had no time for assholes,” Tony says, shaking the martini he’s making for Natasha. “The fight was brutal, and this guy was built like a horse. I thought Platypus wouldn’t last a minute but I was wrong. Dead wrong.” Tony gesticulates at appropriate moments in his recounting of the tale and embellishes it with just the right amount of spice to impress upon the demi-gods, assassins and supersoldiers in his audience that his husband is a goddamn hero.

Tony’s husband had apparently exchanged punches with the bigot that left both men bleeding profusely from their noses. “Then Honeybear uppercuts him out of nowhere and it’s a total KO,” Tony says, moving on to make Steve’s drink—a mojito; how typical of Captain Boyscout McSexypants. “I thought I was watching Ali versus Foreman on replay. It was beautiful.”

Bruce snorts at the comparison without glancing up from the tablet.

Clint’s face contorts and he knits his brows in frustration as the sparse details from Tony fail to add up in his mind. The stacked cards look dangerously close to toppling over. “You want us to believe in this ‘mysterious’ paramour, and all you’re giving out are a bunch of ridiculous nicknames and made-up stories with no evidence and no pictures. Sounds completely legitimate.”

“Hey, why did I never come across this husband of yours when I was your PA?” Natasha chips in, the corner of her mouth quirks up. Steve grins at the way Tony’s face turns red and his nostrils flair—from what he has learned, courtesy of Shield and Ms Potts, Tony’s pride hasn’t recovered from being thoroughly fooled by the Black Widow two summers ago.

Tony tosses a lime at Natasha. She swats it away with an expert backhand, and the lime crashes into Clint’s deck of cards. The archer snarls a string of expletives, forcing out Steve’s stern 'Captain America is disappointed in you, son’ look. Tony flashes a lopsided smile from the bar. “Well, Ms Rushman, I don’t discuss all aspects of my life with personal assistants. Even ones as attractive as you.”

“Call me Rushman one more time and—"

Thor finally turns to join the conversation and butts in before Natasha delivers the rest of her threat. "Your husband must be a good, honourable man. I’m sure he’s worthy of his place in Valhalla." The response draws surprised looks around the room. Even Tony double-takes at first, his eyes wide and bug-like as if he can’t believe what his ears are picking up. He recovers fast and rubs his hands together in glee. "See? The god agrees with me. It’s settled, I win.”

The conversation turns to Fury and Shield—specifically, determining if Phil Coulson is a human mimicking an AI or an artificial intelligence pretending to be a 39-year-old homo sapiens sapiens. Tony brings over the drinks and sinks to the floor next to Clint. The archer leans over and whispers. “For the record, I know you’re lying. You’re describing the perfect man and he doesn’t exist. You might as well say you’re married to Superman because at least Christopher Reeve was a looker."

Tony rolls his eyes. "You’ll eat your words soon enough, birdbrain."

***

‘Soon enough’ turns out to be a month later when the topic of Tony’s mystery husband makes an unannounced appearance in the middle of a mission. Taking on a small army of unidentified robots possessing a hive brain, near a country fair, leaves Steve, Natasha and Tony in charge of shepherding a group of children away from the direct line of fire. Thor and Hulk keep the main fighting focused on them while Clint takes out the spare droids, one by one, from his spot on a nearby roof.

Natasha leads them past smouldering scraps of metal and burning tarp, towards the carousel where the children huddle together, their faces white as sheets. Behind her, Steve’s limping along. He’s bleeding into his suit after taking several hits earlier from the droids and their shoulder-mounted plasma cannons. Tony provides aerial support, keeping the stray robots away from the kids.

"You know,” he begins on the team’s shared comms channel, watching Natasha approach the terrified children with an unnatural, almost enviable, ease, like she has spent a lifetime perfecting the art of looking after them. “Platypus is really good with kids too. His sister sometimes leaves her daughter with us when she’s travelling, and he’s a natural with her. I always thought kids are fussy about everything.” Clint groans. Tony ignores him and continues, letting JARVIS take control of the armour to round up and disable the remaining droids.

“Jeannie always says Lila is a fussy baby at home. She has made a career out of screaming when things don’t go her way. When she stays with us, she turns into an angel because of Platypus.” No one responds. Tony’s attention shifts to how pale Steve looks in his viewfinder. He watches the Captain stagger behind Natasha and asks JARVIS to scan his teammate to take stock of his injuries; Tony knows once the mission is over, Steve will downplay his condition. He’ll brush it off as “just a couple of knocks, nothing too serious,” and bury himself in paperwork in his office to avoid medical attention. The man hates hospitals. Tony can’t blame Steve—he detests them, too.

“My scans detect Captain Rogers has sustained three broken ribs and severe lacerations,” JARVIS drawls in his thick, mechanical voice. “Readings indicate his supersoldier abilities have already contained the bleeding, and the ribs should heal on their own by the week’s end.”

“Thanks, J.” Tony lands on the ground next to Steve. They watch Natasha usher the children towards the perimeter that Shield agents, who finally arrived at the scene, have set up. Worried parents, some of them openly sobbing, stand behind the barricades, waiting to be reunited with their children. “Captain. You’re hurt,” Tony informs Steve as a matter of fact.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Steve says, deadpan, and lets out a pained breath.

The faceplate lifts. Tony gives a half-smile at Steve. “Let me carry you back to the infirmary. You need medical attention and my husband is a big fan. He’ll lose his mind when I tell him I carried Captain America bridal style back to base.” Fortunately for Tony, whatever objection Steve’s about to raise dies on his lips as exhaustion wins him over. He collapses face-first on the muddy field, and Tony’s kneeling by his side in a flash, checking for a pulse. He sags inside the suit in relief when he finds one, and JARVIS helpfully diagnoses “severe fatigue” for the Captain. The AI chooses that precise moment to reveal to Tony that Steve Rogers hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in three months.

“Avenger down,” Tony tells the team. A chorus of concerned voices floods the comms channel. “The Captain’s had a long day. I’m taking him back to medical, you guys handle cleanup and Coulson. I am busy in the evening, so, don’t call me or page me unless the world is on fire and one of you is actually dying."

No one speaks for a few moments. Clint cuts through the static in a flat, disinterested tone. "What’s keeping you busy, Stark? Sexy date in the Bahamas with your imaginary husband?"

"If you have to know, birdbrain, it’s our anniversary and I’m going to the base to see him.”

Clint chortles.

“You still won’t tell us what base he’s stationed at. Let me guess, is it Area 51? Is your imaginary husband an alien, Stark? Holy shit, you’re married to Superman."

The words vex Tony. "Do you ever shut up, Barton?” He doesn’t wait for a reply and turns off his comms. Tony carries Steve in his arms and flies back to the Tower.

***

A few weeks later, after pulling another all-nighter in the lab, Tony walks in on Steve, Natasha and Bruce gathered in the kitchen for breakfast. Clint’s on vacation. Tony counts that as a blessing. He knows despite Clint’s cynicism, at some point, the archer started tailing Tony’s every move, inside and outside the Tower, to find out more about Platypus. Working as an assassin over the years, Clint honed his ability to stay under the radar, but all of that training didn’t stand a chance against JARVIS and his all-sensing presence.

“Barton’s been following me,” Tony says, pouring himself a coffee. He curses—someone, and he knows it’s Thor, keeps leaving coffee grounds inside the pot. That barbarian. “He thought he was being clever by using the vents, but nothing gets past JARVIS.”

Bruce narrows sleep-heavy eyes at Tony: “I thought J doesn’t surveil us.” The words come out as nothing more than a low, gruff mumble. Stifling a yawn, Bruce slouches forward and rests his face on the granite countertop. His eyes droop; for all of his unparalleled work in anti-electron collision theory, Bruce Banner remains incapable of being a morning person.

“He doesn’t when you’re in your private quarters. The vents are public areas, and standard building security protocols apply.” Tony strains his coffee. He makes a mental note to speak to Thor—the Asgardian proved himself to be a fast learner of Earthly etiquettes. He’s come a long way from smashing coffee mugs to ordering customised drinks at Starbucks without pissing off the baristas. Even Captain America sometimes gets the stink eye when he asks for soy milk instead of dairy. Tony suspects baristas around the city are too enamoured by Thor’s godly presence to ever crib about his order.

“Why would Clint stalk you through the vents?” Steve asks. Tony finds the puzzled look on Steve’s face endearing. “50% of his DNA is bird. He’s just following his instincts,” he says. Tony bites back a laugh at Steve’s hardened expression; he appears genuinely distressed by the idea that one of his human teammates may not be 100% human.

Tony admires the way the Captain works hard to adjust to his new life in the 21st century—waking up to an alien invasion led by a horned Norse god proved to be a hell of a way to get over the initial culture shock. And, while Steve made a quick study of smart kitchen appliances and most of the Internet, genetic modifications and other advances in technology set off regular alarm bells in his head. Noticing the way Steve’s lips curl downward, Natasha offers a quick clarification: “Tony’s being an idiot. Clint’s not actually part bird, even if he is as obtuse as one."

"Well, birdbrain has to get more creative than vents to get the jump on JARVIS,” Tony says, squeezing between Steve and Natasha. They hear Bruce’s gentle snores—he really hates mornings—and Tony whispers. “Honeybear is the only one who has gotten past J.”

On cue, JARVIS chimes in softly: “That is correct. His method was delightfully inventive, one that has enhanced my detection abilities tenfolds.”

Without being prompted, Tony volunteers the information to his teammates in a hushed tone: “We had a bet. Each of us picked a random day to break into Stark Industries. The goal was to get into my office without alerting J."

Steve and Natasha listen, their expressions dull, as Tony explains in unnecessary details how his husband got the jump on artificial intelligence—Natasha makes mental notes to make her own attempt later if only to test her own skills against an all-seeing machine.

"Honeybear set off a small and easily contained fire in our backyard while I was sleeping. Because J’s primary protocol is to protect me, he had to assess its threat level. But, it was in a contained environment; the variables were known, and the calculation should’ve been easy, except his protocol says he cannot dismiss the threat until it is eliminated,” Tony says, watching Steve’s eyes widen. The Captain, ever the cynic, is probably working out a hundred different world-ending scenarios about a rogue AI. He and J aren’t so different in their personalities, Tony thinks.

“JARVIS spent most of his processing power keeping an eye on me. His second protocol says he must at all times protect the Stark Secure Server, my private server. And, no, Natasha, I know that look. It’s not at Stark Industries, I know you’ve looked, and I won’t tell you where it is so that Shield can go snooping.” Natasha glowers at him, her cheeks flushed at being caught red-handed. “That left J with very little juice to handle everything else for all Stark Industries offices around the world. He didn’t even notice Honeybear walk onto the premises or enter my office.”

Tony pauses to let his teammates absorb and appreciate his husband’s ingenuity: Steve looks impressed, Natasha scowls at Tony. Bruce, with his eyes still closed and head down, breaks the silence. “I’ve seen J’s documentation. You wrote him to back himself up on local servers precisely to avoid this situation. You said your roommate at MIT gave you the idea. Plus, you use an insane amount of RAM, I’ve seen your set up.”

Tony claps.

“Finally. Someone who sees the obvious error in this story. And yet, somehow, Honeybear got into my office undetected. Either he’s the superspy of the millennium—sorry, Widow—or someone is lying.” Tony glances at the ceiling. “What? You like him better or something?” JARVIS doesn’t respond. Instead, music flits in from the overhead speakers: Tell me lies. Tell me sweet little lies (Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies). Oh, no, no you can’t disguise.

“Smartass.”

***

On Christmas Eve, Tony arrives at the common floor and overhears the team in deep conversation. His curiosity plants him in a corner outside the lounge, within hearing distance, but strategically hidden from the occupants inside. He picks up on Natasha speaking with an underlying worry in her tone. “That’s not the point, Clint. When I assessed him, he was dying. Very painfully, if I may add. He’s proven himself to be a team player and he’s a vital member of this team—"

Clint cuts her off. "He’s delusional, Nat. He’s making up an entire person and coming up with these larger than life stories. It was funny the first time, but it’s clear he believes in the stuff he says. If he’s losing it, we need to know because we’re a team. We have got to have each other’s backs at all times.”

Steve chimes in: “His life is his own. We should respect his privacy, Clint. I’m sure when he’s ready, he’ll introduce us to his husband. Don’t force it on him.” Tony’s built-in cynicism would have once made fun of the unadulterated optimism behind Steve’s words. But, hearing the Captain speak in his, and Platypus’, defence like that makes Tony want to immediately buy the Brooklyn apartment he knows Steve’s eyeing and give him the keys in a gift-wrapped box with a bow.

Captain America’s assurances fail to convince Clint or soothe his exasperation. “Your optimism is misplaced, Cap. There is no husband, no boyfriend. Nothing! Nat and I have looked everywhere and there’s not a trace of Stark ever getting hitched, let alone to another military man. I get it, don't ask, don't tell when that was still the law, right? What about now? There has to be some kind of a legal record, somewhere, if Stark's really married.”

“Maybe it’s a manifestation of his trauma,” Bruce supplies. “He’s well overdue a psych evaluation. He hasn’t talked to anyone since the invasion. We should cut him some slack.”

Clint doubles down. “We need to know if he’s hallucinating before someone tries to take over the world again. It’s one thing if he’s making it up for street cred, but if he genuinely believes in it…"

"He’s creating another armour,” Natasha says. Tony feels vindicated by the admission—he knows she pokes around his lab whenever Stark Industries business calls him away to the other coast. Her clandestine efforts fail to outsmart J’s all-sensing presence, but confronting the Black Widow about it, and risking dismemberment, ranks low on Tony’s list of priorities. To have her admit it in front of their teammates takes a small weight off his chest. “I’ve seen the blueprint. This is a leaner, tougher armour with some serious firepower.”

“Yeah. Fury commissioned it,” Steve says. Someone—Bruce—curses out loud at the revelation. Tony bites his lips and presses a hand over his mouth to stop himself cackling. Fools, those god-damn irredeemable fools, Tony thinks. Steve continues. “He wants to recruit that Air Force Colonel he always raves about.”

“James Rhodes.” Clint jumps in. “See, now he is an impressive man. I’ve read his files and I can see why Fury’s in love with him. Hell, I’m in love with him, too.” Tony’s close to tears from holding back his laughter at the archer’s enthusiastic tone; he doesn’t want to risk giving away his location and miss the rest of the conversation about the new recruit. “So, Stark’s agreed to make a suit for the Colonel. That's…surprising, seeing how possessive he is of his tech. He tased me last month when I tried to get a good look under the hood.”

“Maybe, Fury made him an offer he can’t refuse.”

“Does Stark know?” Natasha asks. “About Fury’s plans to recruit the Colonel? I heard Nick mentored him in college.”

“Shit,” Clint shouts. Tony regrets the lack of visual cues to go with the congregation inside and makes his own: Clint jumps on the sofa without warning next to Bruce, who turns a deep shade of green. While Steve and Natasha work to calm Bruce down, Clint squats on top of the backrest, like a bird perched on its nest among sky-high branches. Tony laughs at the imagery in silence.

“Rhodes went to MIT too, didn’t he? He studied aeronautics and astronautics—basically, rocket science. And, he’s Stark’s age. It’s not impossible they crossed paths there. Do you think Stark is holding onto some creepy university crush or did he make up his fake husband based on the Colonel?"

"He really needs that psych eval."

That’s when Tony decides he’s heard enough. He can barely keep himself together and in his excitement, he knocks into a solid, immovable mass. "Fuck,” Tony mutters and looks up into Thor’s dark blue eyes. Maybe the city baristas had a point, Tony thinks, and it’s futile to fight the Asgardian charm that oozes from every pore on Thor’s body.

Tony still pinches himself from time to time and wonders how a god fell out of legends, waltzed into his life and took up residence in his penthouse. After butting heads over Thor’s murderous brother Loki, they forged a friendship based on mutual respect—another thing which puzzles Tony because Thor’s a deity and he’s just a guy. Thor protested once when Tony blurted it out. “You’re not just a 'guy’.”

Thor’s quieter and more reserved than his broad GQ-model-like physique suggests; he prefers to observe instead of participating in the team’s special brand of eccentricity. Everyone on the team agrees that Thor is immeasurably perceptive.

“Hello, Pointbreak,” Tony says, clasping his shoulder. “What are you doing out here? You’re missing all the fun inside. They’re talking about having me committed because they don’t believe Platypus is real. They think I’m hallucinating.”

Thor’s face twists into a frown, a contrast to Tony’s playful grin. “Then they are silly,” he says. “I have seen how fondly you speak of him, Tony. You love your husband."

"More than I can put into words, buddy.” Tony sighs as his smile falters, his arms crossing over his chest. “Platypus is the bedrock of my life. Got me through some really bad times. After everything he has seen me say or do, he’s still here, and I wonder what I did to deserve him. You know? It’s surreal. Which god answered my prayers that I got so lucky?”

Thor steps forward until he’s up in Tony’s face, mere inches separating them. That man may possess a delightful and exuberant personality. But he has no concept of personal space, which Tony files under 'Usual Asgardian Oddities’, along with Thor’s habit of speaking to inanimate objects when he thinks no one is looking. Large hands rest his bony shoulders in a hard grip, and Tony thinks Thor is about to impart some godly wisdom. Interruption, if only to point out the awkwardness of their proximity, may come across as rude. "Listen here, Tony Stark. I have lived and watched over your realm for a thousand years. I’ve seen civilisations rise and fall, kingdoms destroyed by greed, great men brought down by hubris. But, you, my friend, you are among the best of them. Midgard should be proud to call you her son. Never ever doubt your worthiness.” Thor beams.

Tony tries to think up a response to that, but his mouth snaps shut. How does one top a speech where an actual god calls you worthy? In the end, Tony nods and stays still until Thor lets him go. “I will consider it a great honour the day you choose to let us meet the man who has stolen your heart. For one who’s deserving of your love, I also consider him worthy.”

On his way out, Tony texts his husband: You won’t believe it but I think Thor just blessed our marriage.

The reply comes immediately: Holy shit. I feel blessed already. Merry Christmas and see you soon xx.

***

Fury calls the team for an urgent meeting after New Year’s Day. His memo reads like every other missive he sends, curt and to the point: Meeting at 10 @ HQ. Don’t be late.

They take Tony’s private jet to DC because the Quinjet was out of commission, undergoing repairs after their latest mission—a villain holding Manhattan’s power grids hostage—damaged the engines. Onboard, they huddle in front of the flatscreen watching CNN analyse Justin Hammer’s trial. Tony gives them a breakdown of his business rival—how Justin tried to sabotage the Stark Expo by presenting cheap knockoffs of the Iron Man armour that blew up the entire venue. The anchor reads out charges levelled against Hammer: money laundering, racketeering, fraud, public endangerment, copyright infringement. And a dozen lawsuits from Stark Industries and affected civilians.

“Ouch,” Clint says, reclining in his seat. “That’s a bit excessive, even for making cheap knockoffs of your suit and blowing them up at your expo, Stark.”

“Trust me, birdbrain, we take corporate espionage very seriously,” Tony replies. A live feed shows Hammer arriving at the courthouse in orange overalls, with dark circles under his eyes and his hair in disarray. The press swarms around him, shoving microphones and cameras in his face. Hammer tries to push his way through the crowd. “Oh, Justin. You know, if he had even an ounce of charm in his bones he could’ve gotten the charges reduced.”

“You can’t charm your way through everything, Tony,” Bruce points out.

Tony smiles. “Not everyone can, no. My husband on the other hand—” The shift in the atmosphere is palpable. Clint tunes out of the conversation to stare out the window. Bruce shifts uncomfortably in his seat, Natasha presses her lips together in a frown, and Steve surveys the lines on his palms. Only Thor shows interest, so, Tony continues. “Few years ago, I dared him to charm a store manager at Macy’s. They had this perfume set from their exclusive collection. I wanted to see if Platypus could convince her to give him a set for free. You should’ve seen him, Thor. He knew all the right things to say, the right moments to smile, and I think if he had asked, she’d have given him the keys to the store. We gave it back later because it would’ve come out of her paycheck, otherwise. Platypus is a real charmer. You’ll love him.”

Thor’s laughs drown out Clint’s audible scoff. “I look forward to meeting him.”

“We should buckle up, we’re about to land,” Steve says, pointing to the seat belt sign.

***

Fury waits for them in a conference room on the top floor of the Triskelion. One by one, the Avengers fill in, with Tony being the last to enter. He takes the seat closest to the door.

“I’ll keep this short,” Fury says, without preamble. It’s one of the few things Tony admires about the director—he loathes wasting time as much as Tony. “The Avengers Initiative was started to be Earth’s first and last line of defence against extraterrestrial threats. We’ve shown the world why we need to exist and your heroic efforts have won us more goodwill from the public than we have anticipated. My bosses have instructed me to expand this team. You will meet the new recruits over the course of the year. They will train with you and Stark has agreed to house them at the Tower.”

Clint perks up. “Colonel Hottie said yes?"

Natasha kicks him under the table.

"What? He’s perfect. He’s smart, brave, and real. No offence, Stark.” Tony shoots him a dirty look. Clint turns to Steve. “Hey Cap, what’s your opinion on team romances? Yay or nay?"

"Clint,” Steve gives him his best 'Son, stop disappointing Captain America’ look. “This is neither the time nor the place.” The archer slumps in his chair and says loudly, “Look, I just want to know how many protocols I’ll be breaking to ask Colonel Rhodes out on a date."

Before Steve or Fury can answer, a new voice replies. "The answer would be none, Mr Barton. As flattering as your proposition sounds, I am unfortunately off the market.” All seven pairs of eyes turn to the doorway—James Rhodes leans against the doorframe in a grey polo shirt, a black bomber jacket and a pair of tight-fitting black jeans. Clint swallows and stammers. Natasha kicks him again.

“Colonel Rhodes,” Fury says and motions him to come forward. “Meet the team."

Rhodes takes stock of the room, his eyes resting a millisecond longer on Tony, and says, "Hey. Call me Jim."

Steve’s the first to rise as he moves in to shake Rhodes’ hand. "Good to meet you, Colonel. We’ve heard a lot about you from Fury, and we’re looking forward to having you on the team.” Bruce and Natasha go next: They exchange quick, courteous 'hello’s before Clint almost trips over himself to greet Rhodes. He tries to play it cool but stutters at the last moment, and the words—"I’ve read your file, Colonel, where have you been all my life?“—come out all jumbled, lacking the charm and finesse he had practised ever since Steve let it slip that Fury was trying to recruit Rhodes. On his turn, Thor flashes the Colonel a knowing smirk, and despite never reading any of Rhodes’ files, he says, "Good to finally meet you, Jim. I’ve heard a lot about your adventures."

Finally, Rhodes turns to Tony, who has been hanging back with his hands jammed in his front pockets and a closed-off expression on his face. "You look like the cat peed in your cereal today."

"It’s your fucking cat,” Tony grumbles. He doesn’t move away as Rhodes treads over and steals a peck on the lips. The rest of the team stare in stunned silence; except Fury, who rolls his eye, and Thor, whose indulgent smile suggests he feels pretty damn good about himself for uncovering some hidden knowledge before everyone else. Steve notices the identical wedding bands on Tony and Rhodes’ fingers first, and it finally clicks. “You’re married to Tony?"

"I am afraid the secret’s out, Captain. I am the mystery husband you’ve been hearing about and I assure you, I’m very real.” Rhodes slings a hand over Tony’s shoulder, and Tony melts into the touch, leaning on him for support, with a hand around Rhodes’ waist. No one speaks—no one fully overcomes the shock around the revelation, and though Steve looks like he’s working out the right words to say in his head, he stays quiet. At some point, Thor starts recording the confusion in the room as it unfolds—for a Space Viking who gives off strong Luddite vibes, he turns out to be exceptionally adept at using Earth tech. Tony isn’t surprised that Thor not only knows how to use a smartphone camera but he also developed a keen sense of when to use it—Barton looking like a flustered deer caught in headlights should be memorialised in every medium.

“I’ve been told the secrecy around my existence has become a matter of concern among the team,” Rhodes says, fixing his gaze on Clint. The archer shrinks in his seat. He avoids looking at Tony. Or Rhodes. “I’m happy to answer questions, perhaps over dinner, and provide clarifications on whatever my husband has told you about me. He likes to exaggerate, as I’m sure you know. But if you don’t mind, I’d like some privacy with Tones right now. We haven’t seen each other in a year and this meeting was not my idea of a reunion. It’s lacking in some quality action if you know what I mean.” He leaves very little to the imagination. Steve’s scandalised; jaws clenched and his eyes dart from Tony to Rhodes and back to Tony. Thor continues recording as he holds the smartphone in front of the Captain’s face until Steve tries to swat it away, and misses. Only Bruce, Tony notices, shows remorse for doubting his accounts and questioning his sanity.

With a final nod at the team, Rhodes walks out. “Coming?” He asks from the doorway. “I’ll catch up,” Tony says and lingers long enough for Fury to dismiss the team and leave. Clint’s sour expression—his nose crinkles as if he smelled something horrible—clashes with the way Tony’s eyes sparkle and his grin stretches ear to ear. “Hey birdbrain, how does it feel to be a clown? For what it’s worth, you never had a shot with him because I sealed the deal in '87. You were still working the circus. Yeah, that’s right, I read your files too—even the 'redacted’ ones.” Tony trots out of the room as Clint flips him off, with a big, smug grin plastered over his face. Some things are worth the wait—Rhodey has always been worth it.

–FIN–

#james rhodes #tony stark #ironhusbands #tonyrhodey #rhodeytony #avengers #mcu #fics #asks #rhea writes #theherothechampiontheinquisitor

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sarcasticmesswriting · 5 years ago

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WinterHawk Day One - Forbidden Love

Had a blast writing this. Hope you’ll enjoy this. (The whole week’s collection will also be readable in one work on AO3 here.)

“You smell different.”

Clint didn’t do anything dumb like freeze or widen his eyes or any of the very suspicious things that would get him caught immediately. Instead, he just lifted his shoulder to sniff at it, but he could only smell himself, the pack he belonged to and a hint of sand from training the pups earlier in the morning. “What do you mean?”

Natasha shrugged, leaning forward a bit to get a better sniff. “I’m not sure. It’s been changing for a while now, but I would say you smell happier.”

“I noticed it too,” Bruce said from the seat next to Natasha, turning his glass in his hands. “You’ve always been a bit of a loner. Taking patrols alone and not fully committing even as you give everything to the pack. As the pack’s healer, I always felt you were unsettled und not sure where you belong. Now it feels like you found it.”

“Huh.” Clint knew exactly what the reason for that was. Or rather who.

Arms wrapped around him and Natasha rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and cheek. “I’m glad. I love you.”

He returned the gesture even as guilt churned in his stomach. “I love you too.”

Clint couldn’t stop moving. His paws were wearing a trail into the dirt and his head twitched in different directions every time he thought he heard something or smelled something that shouldn’t be around here.

“Sorry, I’m late. Steve just wouldn’t shut up about territory borders and patrol routes.” Bucky shook his head, hair flying everywhere not unlike fur. There was mud on his palms and feet.

In a flash, Clint darted forward, shifting into his human body just before he tackled Bucky off his feet.

Cool water washed over their heads as they plunged into the pool underneath the waterfall that transformed into a river serving as territory border. As soon as they broke through the surface they were scent-marking the other as much as they dared, as much as they could wash off again.

“I missed you,” Clint murmured into Bucky’s neck, relaxing into Bucky’s arms for the first time since they had seen each other last.

“Me too.” Bucky kissed the junction of Clint’s shoulder and neck, where the mating bite went for chosen pairs. “You know how much I hate this.”

Pulling away Clint didn’t let go of Bucky and moved towards the waterfall. There they both ducked back underwater and swam through the narrow tunnel into the little cave they had claimed as their own.

The blankets and pillows they managed to get in here were drenched with their combined scents and they fell into the nest, legs immediately tangling and mouths meeting.

There was no urgency to it now that they were together again. Clint was just melting into Bucky’s taste and smell and the knowledge that Bucky was his.

“Natasha told me I seem happier lately,” Clint said when the kisses slowed down and their noses just rubbed against each other. “And Bruce said I was less of a lone wolf and more settled.”

Bucky’s fingers carded through Clint’s hair, the twist to his mouth bittersweet. “Steve said the same thing about me. As happy as we can be when we are in rival packs.”

“If Steve and Tony could just get their heads out of their asses, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” Clint’s claws came out a little to scratch up Bucky’s back. It would be healed in the morning, but Clint really needed to mark him in at least one way.

“Let’s stop talking about them.” Easily Bucky rolled them, so Clint was beneath him, weighted down by Bucky’s body. “Let me claim you.”

Shivering Clint tilted his head back, exposing his throat and surrendering completely.

Tony was holding a lieutenant meeting when the howl pierced the air and they all perked up.

Invader it said and they all immediately abandoned their talk. Tony and Bruce were the only ones who didn’t shift before they started running.

As the fastest of them, Pietro’s silver fur vanished from the sight, but Clint and Natasha were on his heels. They were still training Pietro, still trying to teach him patience and holding back even if that meant not being first, but stronger in numbers.

Another howl from Maya and Rhodey’s answer echoed through the woods as Clint tore through the underbrush, only absently feeling some thorns and branches scratching along his sides.

He could hear Pietro skid to a halt, could hear his and Maya’s heartbeats next to a third. It took smelling blood for Clint to realize that he knew that heartbeat, knew that scent of blood as well as his own.

His paws dug into the ground harder to propel himself forward faster leaving Natasha behind. His arrival was undignified, but his eyes were focused only in front of him.

There, leaning against a tree, being towered over by Maya and snarled at by Pietro, his leg a mess of blood, was none other than Bucky.

Their eyes met and recognition flashed in Bucky’s. Resigned acceptance followed as he surveyed the rest of Clint’s pack’s response to the alarm. He thought he was going to die. He thought Clint was going to choose his pack over Bucky.

“What are you doing here?”, Tony asked, his aura of an alpha seeping out of him supporting the command for answers.

Bucky bared his teeth. Even bleeding and on the ground, as a human, he looked dangerous. “You think you’re going to intimidate me?”

Before Tony could answer, the sound of paws and feet came closer from the enemy territory and Rhodey pulled Tony and Bruce back with a shout of “Ambush!”

The surprise, the panic in Bucky’s eyes told Clint that wasn’t the case.

Steve and his lieutenants appeared, humans and wolves. Wanda went over to Bucky immediately to heal him while Steve took positions in front of them with a growl.

“How dare you attack one of mine, Stark.”

“He invaded my lands, Rogers .” Tony ripped away Rhodey’s hand and stalked forward to get into Steve’s face. “My lands my rules and my rules say invaders die.”

“You’ve always been such a liar. Always looking for an excuse to act like the biggest guy in town. You know how much I detest bullies.”

“He’s right,” Bucky interrupted and everyone turned to him. “I crossed the territory first. I told you I was doing it, Steve.”

Steve looked shocked. “What the hell, Bucky?”

“I am done playing this stupid game of who has the bigger bone. You and Stark are being incredibly stupid and I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“Natasha,” Tony said, her name enough to convey the kill order. Tony never liked it, but if anything threatened his pack he would do it.

She darted forward and she was fast, but Clint was fueled by desperation and managed to get between her claws and Bucky just in time.

Hot pain raced up his side and he could hear several people call his name.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Bucky grabbed Clint, pulling him away and behind him.

Clint shifted into human even though it would slow down the healing a little, but he needed to talk. “You know I never follow your plans. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, you fucking idiot.” Bucky whipped off his shirt to press against the wound with one hand while the other cupped the side of Clint’s face.

Nuzzling into the touch Clint smiled up at him. “I’m not letting you be a martyr.”

“Bucky,” Sam, Steve’s second in command, said stepping up closer even as everyone else around them was frozen and staring at them like they had never seen them before. “Is he…”

“Yes.” Bucky pressed harder against the wound, his tone fondly exasperated. “Clint is my mate.”

Clint had known it from the moment he had fallen onto his snout in front of Bucky so long ago, but the verbal acknowledgment of it, of the fact neither of them had ever said out loud, surged through Clint, snapped a bond in place that went beyond the physical, beyond anything Clint knew.

They both gasped, eyes flashing wolf blue, and Clint felt his wound heal completely, feel extraordinarily strong for a few seconds before it normalized again.

“You’re mine,” Clint growled, grabbing the back of Bucky’s head to pull him closer and bite at his lips. “My mate.”

Bucky growled back, kissed Clint with the same desperation he usually felt after being separated for too long. “Mine.”

“Excuse me,” someone said and Bucky and Clint both turned their heads to snarl at Bruce who backed off in the same moment. “Tony and Rogers have agreed to have peace talks. They don’t want to lose either of you.”

How long had Bucky and Clint been distracted?

“Peace talks,” Bucky said in wonder and dangerous hope welled up in Clint.

“Did it seriously only take us confronting them to get here?”

For a moment they just stared at each other before dissolving into giggles, clinging to each other in relief, the mate bond singing between them.

#winterhawkweek #winterhawk #werewolf #fanfiction #fanfic #clint barton #hawkeye #bucky barnes #winter soldier #my writing #day one #forbidden love

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unsinkablememorys · 5 years ago

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Movie vs. Reality: "Titanic" (1997)

I was asked about how close James Cameron's version of Titanic came to the actual event, so here goes.... (I hope I got everything and will try to get them in order as they appear in the movie.)

Titanic: Movie vs. Reality

First off, let's get that crappy love story out of the way: The love story between Jack & Rose was based on the true life First Class couple Isadore & Ida Straus.

There was a Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt who married in 1914. However, the real Mr. Dawson would have been traveling First Class, neither were on Titanic, and they did not meet at sea.

Most of what was found in the safe at the beginning of the movie would have been long gone by the time it was found.

The sun was not shining in Southampton on April 10th, 1912. There was complete overcast.

Titanic was nicknamed "Ship of Dreams".

The big celebration at the docks: Titanic wasn't really a big deal. That was Olympic, the year before.

Tickets won in a card game: This actually happened, though the players' names and nationalities are not known.

"God, Himself can not sink this ship" : Yeah... People actually said that and they actually believed it...

There were 10 dogs on board. Only 3 survived.

Margaret Brown was never called "Molly" in her lifetime. Her friends called her "Maggie". She boarded at Queenstown, Ireland, not Cherbourg, France, as Rose claimed.

Given the strict rules of separation, it is highly unlikely Jack and Rose would have ever met. Many of the places they went, no passengers would have been allowed to go.

The "Heart of the Ocean" is based on a real necklace worn by a first class survivor called the "Sapphire of the Sea".

Every single person Rose mentioned was a first class passenger in real life. However, Mrs. Madeline Astor was not Rose's age. Rose was 17, while Mrs. Astor was 19.

Ruth referred to Jack as "steerage". This term was not used on Titanic. The poorest people on board were called "Third Class".

Everyone being annoyed by Molly Brown's presence: This is true. She wasn't born into money and didn't always follow the rules of Society, so many of the first class passengers detested her.

Sunday Service led by the captain: This happened on the morning of April 14th. However, Jack would not have been kept from the service. It was open to all classes.

The hymn they were singing was actually sang during the service on the ship.

Tours of the ship: This did happen, but unlike in the movie, Captain Smith never called Harold Bride "Sparks". He called him by his name.

"Speed up and arrive a day early" : This likely never happened. Titanic wasn't built for speed, J. Bruce Ismay was simply a passenger, and White Star Line's motto was "Slow and Easy". That being said, it's not likely the company chairman would have insisted on speeding up.

Second Officer Charles Lightoller concerned about the lookouts not having binoculars: This really was a concern he brought to the captain's attention.

There wasn't a Jack Dawson on board. There was a Jay Dawson in First Class. He travelled alone, kept to himself, and died in the sinking. He traded his Mauritania ticket for Titanic because he wanted E. J. Smith for his captain. There was also a trimmer named Joseph Dawson. He was lost in the sinking.

"Iceberg, right ahead!": This isn't what was actually said. Lookout Frederick Fleet wasn't panicking and he calmly said, "Ice, dead ahead of us, sir." He actually thought they'd missed it, at first.

The ship really did hit the iceberg on First Officer William Murdoch's watch and the orders he gave were the same in the movie. James Cameron's version probably came closest to the true reactions of those on the Bridge at that time. The boiler room scenes were pretty accurate.

The meeting between J. Bruce Ismay, Thomas Andrews, & Captain Smith did happen much as portrayed.

People were playing with the ice and a few people fell when it happened.

The wireless operators really weren't surprised when they were told of the situation and told to send out CQD. Both had premonitions about the sinking. Knowing Californian was nearby and expecting her to answer, they joked about the officers being incompetent.

All the orders given to the officers were correct.

Second Officer Lightoller asking if it was time to fill the boats: He did this. Captain Smith said it was women and children first, but Officer Lightoller heard women and children only. He really did refuse to let any male 12 or older into the boats.

There really was a dispute between J. Bruce Ismay and Second Officer Lightoller.

After Thomas Andrews realized that the boats were leaving less than half empty, he did confront Second Officer Lightoller, who then began filling them about halfway to capacity.

"And the band played on..." : Yes, they did - for two hours and ten minutes. They played ragtime until most of the boats were gone, and they began to play hymns.

"Maybe you should try sending SOS. It's the new distress call, and it could be your last chance to send it." : The actual words said by Harold Bride to Jack Phillips. Everyone laughed. He later said those words, "It could be your last chance to send it" haunted him for the rest of his life.

SOS was not new. It had always been the standard call for distress. The Marconi Company came up with CQD ("ATTENTION ALL STATIONS: WE ARE IN DISTRESS"). After the sinking, CQD was dropped completely.

Some third class passengers waited around while, others just took the corridors.

There was a Syrian family traveling in Third Class, represented by a Muslim family in the movie. None of them survived and only one member, a small child was found.

A few passengers broke down a locked door to free a fellow passenger. They were told they would have to pay for it.

"Mr. Lowe, man this boat." : Second Officer Lightoller said this to Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe after threatening men with an unloaded gun. After being told to do so himself, Second Officer Lightoller replied, "Not damn likely!", and told Fifth Officer Lowe to take his place.

Fifth Officer Lowe did fire three shots in the air to warn the men attempting to board boat #14 to steer clear.

No passengers were shot and First Officer Murdoch didn't shoot himself. He was last seen throwing deck chairs into the water and was most likely washed overboard.

Thomas Andrews was asked by a passenger what was really going on. His last known whereabouts aren't really known, but it's widely believed he was washed overboard from the Bridge area.

"We are dressed in our best and prepared to go down like gentleman." : Part of Benjamin Guggenheim's last speech. I think the rest should have been included: "But if anything should happen to me, please let my wife know that I behaved decently, and that no woman or child was left on this ship because Benjamin Guggenheim was a coward."

The woman asking what happened was Second Class Passenger Mrs. Nellie Becker. She and her three children survived.

"Everyone up, life belts on!" : That's basically how those in Third Class were told to get up.

First and Second Class were told to dress warmly and go to the Boat Deck.

"Daddy, get into the boat!" "It's goodbye for a little while. Only for a little while. There'll be another boat for the daddies. This boat is only for the mommies and the children. Now, you hold Mommy's hand and be a good little girl." : The last conversation between seven year old Second Class Passenger Ava Hart and her father.

The abandoned child: There were a few. At least two of them survived, at least three did not.

The last song played was "Autumn". Only those who got away on the first few boats heard "Nearer, My God, to Thee".

Second Officer Lightoller was washed overboard and took cammand of Collapsible B, saving 36 of the 41 men who made it to the boat.

J. Bruce Ismay didn't "sneak" into a lifeboat. He was ordered into Collapsible C.

Collapsible A was swamped.

Collapsible B fell upside down onto the deck with Harold Bride trapped under it. He survived by climbing on to it. Some of the crew helping to release Collapsible B simply jumped on to it.

The elderly couple were the Isador and Ida Straus. They chose to die together over getting separated. They were last seen at the stern.

"Is there any room in the boat for a gentleman, gentlemen?" : The last words Madeline Astor heard her husband say. He was later offered a place in a boat, but sent a woman and her young daughter in his place.

Many people were caught by the funnel.

"Music to drown by! Now I know I'm in First Class!" : They changed it a little. When the band began to play, Harold Bride said, "Will you listen to that? They're playing music for us to drown by. We're finally getting the first class treatment we deserve." Jack Phillips responded, "They're now offering dance lessons on the main deck and swimming lessons in the grand ballroom."

There were children mesmerized by the distress rockets.

The distress rockets were seen by the officers on Californian, but basically ignored.

Harold Bride did tell Captain Smith that Carpathia was the closest ship that was answering and would take four hours to reach them.

People were running towards the stern.

Californian can be seen in the background. This is historically accurate and shouldn't be considered a mistake. Californian was believed to be around ten miles away and the officers saw each other's ships.

Captain Smith was last seen in the area of the Bridge. He was asked by two women where to go, but unlike the movie, he helped them. He didn't seem to be in shock.

First Officer Murdoch was letting men into the boats when no women or children were around.

There was a man injured by the propellers. He was lost.

Myths and Misconceptions:

There was no bunker fire.

Olympic and Titanic were not switched. Olympic was 500 miles away when she got Titanic's distress call and began racing to the scene. She was 100 miles away, when she got Carpathia's message, warning her to "steer clear and continue on original course".

The wireless operators weren't crew members, they were contracted to the lines. They had only one thing in common with the crew : A mutual distain for each other.

Third Class passengers were not "locked in."

There were claims of a dead child being handed to Second Officer Lightoller. This is a myth. No one swam out to Collapsible B with a child of any age, neither dead nor alive.

Molly Brown did not try to take over her boat, but she did give the men a hard time. The woman next to her with the baby is believed to be the Allison nanny, Alice Cleaver. The baby is Trevor Allison. This is wrong. Alice and Trevor were in boat #14. Mrs. Nancy "Bess" Allison and her two year old daughter Lorraine were thrown into boat #6, but allowed to get out when Mrs. Allison said her son was missing and she wasn't going to leave without him. Only Trevor survived. Lorraine Allison was the only child lost who was not in Third Class.

There was a guy who got drunk, the chief baker. He was the only one to stay on the whole time and survive, saying he "rode it down like an elevator". He survived by climbing on to Collapsible B.

Californian could not have "saved everyone". She only carried four lifeboats and could have only taken on 250 people. She was also surrounded by ice and had barely missed hitting an iceberg a few hours earlier.

Even if Titanic had hit the iceberg head on, the ship still would have sank.

Two survived by climbing on to doors that were floating in the water.

Jack and Rose could not have both fit on the door and kept it floating. In real life, neither of them would have survived to see the end.

There were at least 16 ships in the area. All answered except Californian.

Carpathia was the second ship to respond, not the only one, as was implied in the movie.

The officers fired guns in the air.

There weren't nearly enough lifeboats.

The so-called "mystery ship" wasn't a mystery for long. It was Californian.

One of the men in boat #13 had to use his knife to cut the ropes in order to keep boat #15 from landing on top of them.

There was a priest who was offered a place in a lifeboat, but chose to stay and pray with those who couldn't escape, offering them absolution.

Fifth Officer Lowe was the only one to go back for survivors, pulling eight from the water, six of whom survived. He also picked up the four survivors of Collapsible A and the surviving men and one dead from the upturned Collapsible B. However, his was not the only one to return to the scene. He commandeered boats #4, #6, #8, and #12.

All of the collapsibles and three of the standard boats were incapable of returning for survivors or taking on more. Boats #5 and #7 were the first to leave the ship. They both flipped over. If Cal had been on a boat that flipped, he would have had to be on one of the first two to leave.

No one knows if the chief officer blew his whistle and said, "Bring back the boats", but someone did.

The horrible screams of the dying was the one thing no survivor could forget.

The "never an absolution" statement came from Harold Bride : "After the screams had subsided and the sea was quiet again, all the rest of us had to do was wait. Some of us waited to live, while others waited to die. All of us waited for an absolution that would never come. For some of us, it will never come."

It was raining hard when Carpathia reached New York.

"The Dream" was described by many survivors.

Senior Wireless Operator Jack Phillips received an ice warning from the Masaba about half an hour before the collision that he didn't take to the Bridge. Second Officer Lightoller tried to use this as a way blaming the wireless operators for the whole thing, but it failed. Jack Phillips died and his surviving colleague, Harold Bride denied knowing anything about it until it was brought up during the Inquiries.

1,523 lives were lost, 705 were saved. (The numbers have changed many times, but this is the most widely accepted and is the numbers used by the Inquiries.)

All liners at the time had a 24/7 radio watch and two operators. After the sinking, it became mandatory on all vessels.

I see Edward Smith as a hero. I believe he did his best, given the situation. I do not think anyone can honestly say we know we could have done better or would have done anything differently than he did. He was the best sea captain of his day, even being praised by rivals. He wasn't called "Billionaire's Captain" for nothing. Those who could afford to choose their captain, almost always chose him.

"Their Deaths Were Not In Vain"

Many things changed as a result of the sinking:

Lifeboats were required for all on board, not based on tonnage and routine drills became a requirement.

24/7 radio vigilance became a requirement on all vessels.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was founded and established by survivor Harold Bride.

The International Ice Patrol was created.

Shipping lanes were moved further south.

Strict rules concerning class distinction and separation requirements on ships ended.

Many survivors faded into the background. Others wished to.

J. Bruce Ismay resigned as White Star Chairman, and was wrongfully demonized. He died in 1936.

Molly Brown took up a collection for Third Class survivors. She refused to leave Carpathia until she made sure that every single survivor had been reunited with their loved ones and every single one had received proper medical attention. She later ran for the US Senate, before women were even able to vote. She died in 1929.

Charles Lightoller continued to work for White Star and hated being called a hero. He said he was only doing his duty and what he did on Collapsible B was "only what any good officer would have done." He did the exact same thing at Dunkirk, saving 19 and losing no one, saying of it, "I was only doing my duty". He was the only survivor who publicly insisted Cyril Evans of the Californian was completely innocent. He died in 1952.

Captain Stanley Lord of the Californian was blamed and fired from Leland Lines for his failure to respond. He later took command of a another ship through a subsidiary of Leland. He died in 1969.

Cyril Evans, Californian's lone wireless operator, claimed he was asleep the whole time and found innocent at both Inquiries. He went back to life as usual, but was never given an assignment at sea again. He served in communications during both world wars and eventually became regional manager of the Marconi Company's successor. Privately, he had to defend himself for the rest of his life, as many survivors and victims' families blamed him. He died in 1957.

Harold Bride was seriously injured and had to be helped every step of the way. He collapsed upon reaching the deck of Carpathia. After two days, he had recovered enough to return to work, spending the rest of the trip helping their wireless operator. He had a hand in writing three books about the sinking, even though he hated talking about it and hated the celebrity status that came with being a survivor. In 1914, he founded the precursor to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and served as telegraphist about Mona's Isle during WWI. He eventually moved to Scotland and became a successful travelling salesman. He died in 1956, the last of the Collapsible B survivors. He never publicly blamed Cyril Evans for not responding to their distress call, but their relationship was forever strained.

Carpathia's captain and crew were celebrated. Californian's crew was demonized.

Carpathia and Californian were both torpedoed and sank during WWI.

At least 43 people on board had premonitions about the sinking. Only 21 survived.

Jack Phillips told family and friends that he dreaded the ice field he knew they would have to travel through and wished he was assigned another ship. He told them what to do if he didn't return home from this trip. He died on Collapsible B at dawn and was buried at sea from Carpathia.

Charles Lightoller said he had an unshakable uneasy feeling about the trip.

No other liner has ever been taken down by an iceberg.

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inappropriatefangirlneeds · 6 years ago

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Gotham s5ep6 “13 Stitches” Personal Review

“I do hope whatever you came here for was worth your life.” Warning spoilers below

“Born of Blood” Ah I take back the “boring”, Eduardo got on the program, like not a good or exciting one but the ruthless awful bunch of booted army criminals kinda starts to work for me. * Alfred Pennyworth know the unit by reputation. “They're a horrible bunch of bastards. They specialize in military coups, assassinations. They're certainly not the vanguard for humanitarian relief.” * I loved that they had BRUCE WAYNE watch that one army guy needlessly mess with the FILES of some cops. Rude! And such a great little detail to establish where we are headed. Bruce testing the waters with asking them about the relief shipment was great to * “I insist” Bruce and Alfred just taking out the army guys nice scene * “What the people desperately need is food and medicine. Not just more guns.” Yes * “Are you insane? You can't just execute people.” “Do not question me.” RESPONSIBILITY Who is responsible for the murder, who is just a tool? Is following orders a good excuse? We continue that topic from 5x5 when Eduardo tells Jim that “It´s not your call, Jim” referring to the “cleaning the house” mission. “All criminals in Gotham are now under a death sentence” Some Civilians were too, collateral damage is fine and Eduardo claims “ They were an acceptable loss for the mission.” “What mission, damn it?” And most prominent it´s in this line: “She made you her killer.” No, no, Jim. She's the killer. And you have no idea.” And I´m sure in this tidbit there is also some orders vs responsibility meta: “Your recklessness got people killed.” “I don't know what the hell you're talking about.” “Ramirez? Johnson. Bolton.” “Their deaths were not on me.” * “This hellhole is infested with criminals and terrorists. Sometimes you just have to clean house, you know?” I feel like there is some meta comparison in there to how Jim Gordon reacted to when NATHANIEL BARNES arrived at the GCPD. * “Is that a RISK you're willing to take?” The line is about evidence about Walker´s involvement in the Haven destruction and Eduardo want´s to take it. But it´s also about Selina kicking in the door in an explosive room, it´s her and Oswald somewhat trusting each other, Oswald getting over the weariness of having seen Selina just take a few fingers “Depends. What did they want?” It´s about Bruce, Fox, Nygma, Kean working together: TRUST one big thing is working together and once more knowing each other THE CREW and THE CRIMINALS Bruce Wayne worries “Are you sure about including Barbara Kean and Ed Nygma?” and Jim Gordon points out “War makes for strange bedfellows.”

JIM GORDON & EDWARD NYGMA “The thing that I want is revenge” It is Jim believing an Edward that just wanted to kill him a second ago, knowing that them messing with his brain puts value in his words, if not for his claim that he detests the destruction of Haven as much. JIM GORDON & BARBARA KEAN “Can't I just want to help?” “Not you, not usually.” Where does that come from? “What's it gonna take for you to trust me?” “After everything you've done, I honestly don't know.” I do think I need some reminder what Barbara did do? Going after Lee with a knife, I kinda excuse due to the Ogre trauma. Her Theo Galavan involvement is a low point but after that she actively tried to made amends and caused good. And yeah she´s a criminal but so is Oswald Cobblepot and others and Jim is not as strict with them it seems? JIM GORDON & LESLIE THOMPKINS I´ll complain about it below but it´s odd that they put Barbara unprompted telling Jim she knows how heavy this is on him vs. Jim telling Lee in her face how heavy this is on him and the next second claiming she knows this because she knows him despite she just got a tiny speed run through the whole situation, and while she also probably has a more pressing issue on mind than Jim´s feelings: her supposed complete memory loss and vulnerability but nooo she´s got to be the caring, understanding, supportive girlfriend? While Barbara gets to be painted the tactless bitch?

OSWALD COBBLEPOT & SELINA KYLE Have a partnership of convenience without it being convenient for any of them. Selina brings up Tabitha and Oswald tells her why he thinks she´d accept this on some level: “Because you believe in an eye for an eye. Hard as it may be to swallow” Does she? So on the other direction of the line of mutual understanding we have Selina saying she wants the diamond as payment and as ridiculous as this may sound she points out reputation is more important to Oswald than a shiny thing. He agrees! This week they underline all the understanding of each other. Selina figures out there might be more to the diamond than Oswald claims: “You and your stupid revenge. The diamond isn't even worth anything in Gotham anyway. Unless …” And then Oswald makes a wonderful show of looking the other way, being interested in everything else, trying to distract from the point but Selina says: The diamond is worth something on the mainland. Oswald WANTS TO LEAVE GOTHAM?!? Oswald claim he wants to because it got nothing to offer for him anymore. “Alexander the Great then looked upon his land and wept. For there was nothing left to conquer. I've done all I can in Gotham. Some things twice. There's nothing left for me here anymore.” Selina wants to leave too: “I don't want to be the person who killed Jeremiah Valeska. I just want to be myself. And I can't do that in Gotham anymore.” >> I wonder does Oswald really want to leave? The done twice line is a good one because they had him going up and down and all the ways round indeed but leaving Gotham? I totally expected some other grand scheme? Does he really want to leave? >> “All of the thieves I used are dead.” What did Oswald Cobblepot do exactly? What are his plans? It would be pretty anticlimactic if it was just getting money to leave Gotham behind? I mean it’s a good call, a reasonable one, go on do that .. but buuuuuut ... >> How much is such a diamond worth? If it´s really about leaving Gotham this means he wasn´t after Magpie to protect his reputation (like what would he care if he´s gone) but because of the value of the diamond, and his vault didn´t really look like he would depend on that? Seems there was plenty of wealth, why would he bother? Also if, did he think he could just get out of his deal of giving Selina the diamond as payment for her help? >> If he really wants to it´s good timing. He wanted to leave after Gertrud, now that his revenge is done and over with having killed Tabitha there´s a similar point, soooo there´s that but ehh >> There is also a great PARALLEL with Selina, she too is at a point where she completed revenge. However killing Jeremiah didn´t give her some peace and making it possible for her to move on, it put stress on her life she wants to leave behind >> I wonder why Selina didn´t stay at the Sirens?? They celebrated her, did that just last for a couple of drinks? They even threw in the line about Barbara needing her people to protect her borders, and all those lines about her protecting her people, why couldn´t this include Selina? I mean I get it golden cage and everything, but even if she´s on the street it would help if people would know she was under Barbara´s protection. Also yes, I get it it´s likely not about the people hunting her at all but about how she feels. Done and over with all that. * Selina kicking in the door of the room because Magpie said anything in the room not the room itself : Honestly if everyone would put that much thought in their words I´m sure things would be tremendously easier for me at times, but experience shows this distinction really probably was just coincidence. Or did I miss any lines before that established that Magpie was more careful with her words than her booooms? /Gotham language/ * Was there yarn in the bowl of Selina Kyle next to her breakfast? * “resembles a goth chicken” One would think Oswald The Penguin Cobblepot could bond with Magpie just over shared bird aesthetics. “Tell me, how many ex-fiancés do you have, anyway?” EDUARDO DORRANCE says while talking about Leslie Thompkins. Thing is, he´s also on the list, fandom established that well enough. But with this episode he´s also made it on the “PSEUDOCOBBLEPOT” LIST right next to new Barbara Kean: “It could have been like old times, buddy. You, me, together, making the world a better place.” Like wasn´t this all that Oswald Cobblepot wanted from Jim Gordon in Season 1?! EDUARDO Vs. LEE Sadly, Eduardo is not on top of the Exes list, like Jim looked so lost in the moment of seeing Eduardo with that piece of metal through his chest but the gunshots related to Lee make him snap out of it in an instant. If he had just gotten back to Eduardo, find out about the prison thing, and being caught behind enemy lines Walker wouldn´t have picked him up and got to establish the surely bigger mess that will happen. And I didn´t buy the helpless attitude Lee showed for a second, I wasn´t surprised she shot the guy, but like it´s probably juuuust because I don´t want her to be that, she went places, she did good, she was a doctor, please don´t reduce her to a scared government tool, not even for half an episode. * Another Thing about the Exes. Can we retire this Ogre plotline bullshit? We´ve had plenty of that already. How about the next time someone pulls out an Ex of their sleeve the person they try to manipulate, threaten or hurt is like lmfoa just off them and make it slow they never did the fucking dishes they deserve it. Like it´s not like I´d like that because having a proper mature relationship to Exes es good and great but if this is continually being exploited for this kind of rubbish plotline something´s got to change. * “Look around. This is all on you.” Another thing to retire for good please is criminals telling Jim it´s his fault. No you did that, take responsibility. Jim didn´t put that couple on the roof Jervis, you did, it´s not his fault hat you set that up no matter how slow or fast he runs. This time it´s about Haven. Jim caring for people is what killed them claims Eduardo. The almost sent in relive, believing having set up Haven means the criminal thing wasn´t that bad. Which means Walker had to get rid of Haven to justify the CriminalsBeExtinct unit. * “I expected more from you, Jim.” Eh I kind of did too. Eduardo called out the theatrics of the chip crumbling right away. But when Eduardo said “Always so emotional, that´s not how wars are won, Jim” I thought, first of all, Eduardo you are wrong, that´s exactly how Jim will win this, but also, you are double wrong because Jim surely has a plan. It can´t just be about seeing the carnage at Haven there´s got to be some strategy in it. But there wasn´t? Did I miss anything? His whole plan was tangle his Ex Eduardo into some banter and get them in a fight, while Lee gets shot in the background, what? * “Put a bullet in my mouth and shut me up” Okay that was hot. “No. Not a bullet. But I am gonna shut your mouth. Once and for all.” “Come try.” Okay, whose fanfiction did they copy there? You can put that dialog right into some smut scene. * Alvarez is awesome: “We tie our shoelaces together, then we lasso the keys off the desk.” “And then what, Roy Rogers, huh? They surrender in awe? No harebrained scheme is gonna get us out of this.” * “Boom boom, we get it” * “Didn't think you'd miss a couple things. Couple things go missing all the time.” Well, she´s got a point, and it looks like Oswald´s collection would put Tutenchamun´s grave chamber to shame. * “Who the hell was that?” Ah great Oswald line but also kind of what´s wrong with this season, they need more time to introduce and establish characters. Give them the time! I mean I complained about rushed things the past seasons too but this time we at least know they would have paced it out more and went more into depth than they got the chance to. * “You killed Jeremiah, you´re famous. Not so scary. I could be famous” I wonder what her line of thinking was there. Please tell me more about MAGPIE. * “Is that really the craziest thing you've ever heard, Barbara?” * “The human brain is not a plaything, Mr. Kean” * “Bruce, status?” “One second.” * “Can we speed things along, please, Mr. Fox?” Ah Alfred is so polite. * Whoa there Chip!Edward calling Jim “James” sounded so out of place. * Edward saying “Is that all?” after he asked Jim what he did during the blackout was hilarious. Like trying to kill Jim indeed is a “just” compared to blowing up civilians but I giggled. * “Is it not obvious, it´s a BOMB” Oh EDWARD NYGMA didn´t sound at all like he had fun with his grande entrance to the GCPD. The “Not now, Bullock” had so much emotion. And damn how cute are pallid beach mice. I kind of expected that it wouldn´t be an actual math problem, but damn I didn´t expect Bullock calling it that it´s zero and they are extinct. “The next time I get a short straw, I'm just gonna walk into traffic.” Yep he had no fun, but does that mean they pulled straws to determine who goes into the GCPD? What where they gonna do, send Fox in with a riddle? * “Where has LEE been this whole time?” Barbara Kean looks suspicious and she is right to do so, they don´t know about the Strange parallel but she could be chipped (if they didn´t need a fragmented brain, psyche like Edward´s), also just for the sake of not wanting this, I don´t believe she was all lost and helpless the whole time. But I am worried they´ll make this about feelings, and emotions and girlfriends ugh. And in general, I share Nygma´s sentiment “I'm not gonna wait around to watch their touching reunion.” UGH she was chipped but it´s not like an issue at all just barely a nuisance. At least make her a proper threat like Edward. UGH A pregnancy. How about no. Also what even is this: Jim Gordon just pouring his heart out when he tells Lee about what happened. “It's been hard. Actually, that's not true. It's been hell.” People needs his help and he put on a brave face pretending that he knew what to do. “But you know me, Lee. I'm just a cop. And now I'm really lost.” Okay Barbara just (arguably not quite nicely but still) called him out on that issue before their office sex, he didn´t confide in here she just called that issue unprompted, now Lee gets credit for knowing that exact titbit about Jim while Jim just told her that not having to know that at all. But I already ranted about that I´m out. * “Sorry to disappoint” JEREMIAH VALESKA is alive. Alfred Pennyworth says “You hurt my boy and I will bite your face off.” Which is an odd line? Is it meant to be a reference to Jerome Valeska´s detachable face? If so it´s a weak insult, that didn´t really stop Jerome for a second. Anyway I have an Alice Cooper earworm now, and can´t get the picture of Alfred listening to him out of my head, like he sure tried to do the makeup too some time.

* MOREOVER Alexander the Great was gay

#gotham #gotham meta #gotham s5ep6 13 Stitches #oswald cobblepot #magpie #mine Gotham full episode reviews

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novaursa · 7 years ago

Photo

Imagine being Eris, Goddess of Chaos, daughter of Zeus and Hera and twin sister of Aries; and Loki being enchanted by your beauty and power.

Info for role-playing is below:

|| Biographical Information ||

"Better you battle Zeus himself, than me." - Discord

- Real Name: Eris

• Meaning of the Name: Strife

- S.H.I.E.L.D Name/Alias: Discord

- Other Aliases: Bellona, Enyo, Discordia

- Nickname: Tony Stark sarcastically named her Sunshine (much to her displeasure).

- Born: N/A

- Age: N/A

- Birth Place: Olympus

- Current Location: Earth

- Base of Operations: Olympus, possibly the Areopagus.

- Occupation: Goddess of strife and discord.

- Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Eris’ existence except as a mythological character.

|| Personality And Traits ||

- Personality Types: Wicked, vindictive, judgmental, fun loving, passionate.

• Eris represents true malevolence and deviance, she has no morals of good and/or nobility. She is seen as spiteful, vindictive and passionate when it comes to the prospect of the world potentially crumbling into chaos; which she refers to as being a glorious event. She is seen enraged at the fact that she has gotten her way which shows her to not be one who likes fair and square events. Eris is also seen as wickedly intelligent and takes a dullness tone to the happy endings which often gets her into a fight with her half-sister Aphrodite.

|| Physical Information ||

- Species: Olympian Goddess

- Gender: Female

- Hair Color: Silver/White (albino)

- Eye Color: Purple (albino)

- Skin Color: Pale

• Note: Eris is an exceptionally beautiful woman who is said to look like "a vision of the good spirits in flesh, though they themselves would fear her". She has long silver hair and intelligent, piercing, lilac eyes. Eris had a soft, silken voice and is always clothed in a fine golden or red dress. She never grins, though she produces disarmingly subdued smiles. She detests flattery, because "vacous flattery is the sound of a prybar, a tool used by a thief as he tries to get what she has." Her least favorite color is pink.

|| Eris | Pictures ||

|| History ||

"She takes after her mother." - Zeus about Eris

Eris is the daughter of the Zeus, Ruler of the Olympian gods, and his wife, Hera. She often entered into the schemes and plans of her older twin brother Ares to ignite the dissension that often leads to war. Possibly as a way to cause dissension between gods and mortals, she stole the golden apple from the garden of the Hesperides guarded for Hera and had it engraved with the words, “For the Fairest.” She then tossed it among the guests attending the marriage of King Peleus of Aegina to the goddess Thetis. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite then tried to claim the apple in the dispute that triggered the Trojan War. Her activity after that event is unrecorded, but after the war, several Trojan refugees lead by Dardanian prince Aeneas conquered the area upon Rome was built on. During the Roman Empire, Eris was intensely worshipped by the Romans as one of their most important goddesses. During this time, Hercules most often antagonized Eris as he prevented most of her attempts to cause dissent and strife among mortals.

"Discord, you are my wrath. Send their bodies to Underworld and bring me their heads." - Hades

During one of his skirmishes with mortal heroes, Hades gave Eris the ability to turn into giant tapian snake called Enyo. She has bitten heads of mortal heroes off and brought them to Hades in the Underworld. Eris later used both this giant and small form of tapian snake to spread more strife among the mortals.

In his visits to Earth, Zeus became incensed that Eris was taking an active role in exciting her followers into killing Christians in his name. He decided to break off ties with Earth and allow the worship of the Olympian Gods to fade away. Eris retaliated by assisting many of the gods eager to preserve their ties to earth into hunting down mortals. Zeus faked his death to lend credence to an end of worship of the Olympian gods. To all who had seen these events, it appeared as if the gods were dead, but Zeus had several spells in effect that any god that was killed would be restored to life. Eris in meantime tried to hold on to whatever worshippers she had, but it all ended quickly. Defeated, Eris retreated to Olympus for some time.

In modern years, Eris became intrigued by the forces of terrorism and racism on earth and even masqueraded as a mortal to stir up trouble between blacks and whites, Jews and Anti-Semitics, left and right wing liberals and other potentially controversial groups. Seeing as her brother Aries had fared unsuccessfully against Hercules, she began training her own modern champion, Centurion, as a worthy ally. She eventually sent him to kill Kyllian, a mortal man imbued with the power of a trio of Celtic Gods, many of whom the Olympian gods beheld with some enmity. After Kyllian defeated Centaurion, Eris realized that he might make a better pawn or ally than a new adversary and she vanished back to Olympus to plot her next scheme.

|| Recent History ||

"You humans are so predictable." - Eris

• Her first appearance is noted by Tony Stark; he claims that he first saw her in Afghanistan for a very brief moment not knowing her true identity. Their conversation was short and it ended with her saying, "You know what I like about you, Stark? You don’t have a heart." Then she just vanished into the thin air with misty fashion. After he was critically wounded Stark wandered more about her true nature.

• Her second appearance is after the death of Stane. Tony confronts her about past events asking was she somehow involved in all that. Her response was that he must be more specific because- "a lot of things are her fault." She then introduces herself as Eris Goddess of Discord, before vanishing once more. After the defeat of Vanko, Tony found his home in a chaotic mess and a note on his desk which said: "Discord favors the heartless." Hinting that he is favored by Goddess Eris. She appeared a few times more after that, usually to protect him stating that "nobody is allowed to decapitate her favorite mortal". She also had a few ‘interesting’ encounters with Clint Barton and Bruce Banner who aren’t that much fond of her.

|| Extra Information 1.00 ||

"There’s my Sunshine!" - Tony Stark to Eris

- Likes: Chaos, tipping the balance of good to evil.

- Dislikes: Losing, being proven wrong, defeat, nobility.

- Group Affiliation: Olympus, Ares, Hades, herself.

- Ancestry: Zeus (father), Hera (mother), Ares (older twin), Hephaestus (brothers), Eileithyia, Hebe, (sisters), Hercules, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Perseus (half-brothers), Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, Persephone, Panthia (half-sisters), Poseidon, Hades (uncles), Demeter, Hestia (aunts), Asclepius, Cupid, Janus, Deimos, Phobos (nephews), Harmonia (niece), Triton, Rhode, Benthescyme, Neptunia, Arion, Pomona, Consus, Vertumnus (cousins)…

- Common Olympian Powers And Limitations: immortality, regeneration, shapeshifting, flight, the ability to become invisible to the human eye, telekinesis, superhuman strength, stamina, heightened senses, speed and they have the ability to "teleport." Some possess the ability to manipulate matter and the elements of nature and are able to create natural phenomenon or natural disasters. They also possess a wide range of seemingly magical spells such as the casting of fireballs. One Olympian god cannot restore humans or gods to life. It took both Zeus and Hera to restore the life of their grandson, Evander. Also, most of them cannot heal others without the blessing of either Athena or Zeus. The only gods that were able to do so were Ares and Hades. Only a very few things can kill an Olympian: Hind's Blood, the Ribs of Kronos and Zeus.

- Eris’ Strength Level: Eris possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) about 25 tons under optimal conditions.

- Known Superhuman Powers Of Eris: She possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Olympian Gods. Like all Olympians, she is immortal. She has not aged since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any known conventional means. She is immune to all known terrestrial diseases and is invulnerable to conventional injury. If wounded, her godly life force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her bodily molecules to cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for Zeus or a number of gods working together to revive her. Also, she is able to make herself invisible to mortals, or only visible to one person she chooses to, which makes easier for her to plant discord and hatred in the heart of mortals, however, gods and half-gods are immune to this effect and can see her all the time. Eris does have some superhuman strength, but she is not quite the powerhouse as gods like Hercules or Ares. Her Olympian metabolism gives her far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. Eris also has limited mystical powers common to all the Olympian gods, such as shapeshifting into a tapian snake. According to her, each Olympian has personal object foraged by Hephaestus that enables their powers; hers is known as Discord’s Ribbon Device and it gives her many supernatural abilities.

"Do you really want to test my powers?" - Eris

- Her Normal Abilities: Eris has great skill in the use of all the implements of war used in the time of ancient Greece and Rome.

|| Discord’s (Clawed) Ribbon Device ||

"Put your hand down!" - Clint Barton

Discord’s Ribbon Device, is a multifunctional Olympian apparatus foraged by Hephaestus. The hand device is a gold colored, forearm-length glove worn on the left hand of the user, with a red gem in the center of the palm. It is controlled by a neural interface and is powered by DNA in the user's blood, functionally rendering it impossible to use except by Eris. The device has numerous functions with a variety of controls on its surface that can be used. It can also wirelessly control Olympian technology, triggered through a button on the back of the palm.

|| Discord’s Ribbon Device || Its Abilities ||

- Conducting a scan of a human - though it is unknown what the scan actually detects.

- Firing a powerful kinetic energy wave, capable of throwing grown humans several meters with significant force. It can potentially kill the target if they impact a solid surface nearby.

- Shooting a deadly fiery energetic neural link that connected to the brain of another person with the intention of torturing or killing them.

- Creating an energy shield that encompasses and protects Eris from harm. This shield only stops things that are incoming at high velocity and blasts. Arrows and thrown items go right through the shield.

- Paralyzing a human.

- Giving Eris ability to use pyrokinesis and telekinesis.

"You never were one for flowers." - Ares to Eris after she burned down Persephone’s garden.

|| Extra Information 1.05 ||

- Theme Song: Everybody Knows by Sigrid

-Signature Look: Seen can usually be seen in a golden or red dress. Most commonly, however, she is seen in black armor.

- Her Sacred Animals Are: Tapian snakes and Hydras.

• Note: Hera raised three Hydras. She sent first one to kill Hercules, and the last two she gave to Eris.

- Love Interest: Loki

|| Discord’s Quotes ||

"Glorious chaos."

"I'm missing some excellent chaos here."

"Every argument has two points of view. Otherwise, there would be no room for discord. Think about it."

"You are far too hard on yourself, my dear, sweet, mortal friend. What would the people do without you? Dance? Sing? Smile? Grow old?"

"The last time I was this bored I took hostages."

"No! You can't take away my power!"

"Only two of those times were my fault."

"The kid was raised by wolves; until she killed them and ate them all…"

"I’m a simple girl who’s into anarchy and chaos. I also enjoy walks during sunset through battle-torn wastelands."

"Do you want to see the face that launched a thousand wars?"

|| Quotes About Discord ||

"Discord is here?! I hate it when I can’t see her!" – Clint Barton

"Discord thinks only of discord." – Tony Stark

I’m looking forward to role-playing this very much. You can send me an e-mail if you are interested: [email protected] -much love, NovaUrsa

#thor #loki #thor odinson #loki laufeyson #avenegers #tony stark #zeus #ares #original character #oc #roleplay #rp #imagine

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lysical · 7 years ago

Note

if you had to introduce Tim Drake after Jason died/retired from Robin, what would you do?

I ultimately prefer Steph following Jason as her origin actually lines up really well following Jason’s death, but if I had to introduce Tim as Robin and not what I’ve been toying with in an AU…

Give him an actual connection to crime, not just an attachment to Gotham’s vigilantes. With Tim’s background it just emphasizes his classist origin to have him disconnected from crime and the crusade like that.

A lot of people like the ‘Batman needs a Robin’ but that honestly works better on a meta level. Yes, Batman works better with a partner but tying his mental health into dependency on a young unrelated teenager is…a bit cringe. It works better if the kid is older, 17 or 18, rather than the age they wanted to introduce Robin. Dick had his own reasons for being in the fight, and Jason too (despite the cringe factor there) and both were ultimately in Bruce’s custody.

Another issue is that modern comics are willing to kill kids in a way the old comics never did. If you have Jason being beaten and blown up, Steph tortured to death and Damian stabbed through the heart, you have lost the suspension of disbelief necessary to justify a very young child being Batman’s partner purely for his mental health.

'When will you realize I’m not Jason Todd’ is victim blaming justification and whenever it’s held up to justify Tim following Jason by fandom I cringe. Jason being Jason did not get him killed. Even if you generously say that he disobeyed Batman…literally every Robin does.

If Dick or Tim had been there in Jason’s place they would have done the same thing–try to save the person’s life–and been in the same situation. All it takes is being separated from Batman at the wrong moment and they could just as easily die. We’ve seen it happen since.

This is rambling off my point here is me actually answering your question:- Tim’s ambiguous mental disorder would be actual canon - His obsession with Robin would have led to an early interest in solving crime - instead of taking photos he would actually go out to try and solve crimes and tip off police- he would eventually start trying to help Batman without barging into his home and claiming Robin was needed. - there would be months where Batman tries to stop him and keep him safe- Tim would eventually casually reveal he knows who Batman is, upping the ambiguity of whether this kid is going to ultimately help or hinder- Tim as a tech based vigilante would be emphasized and he might start working with Oracle, who tries to direct him like she later does with Cass- eventually he would naturally be pulled into the family logically because he, like Steph, would be out there not taking no for an answer - would he get the Robin mantle? Maybe but that’s a marketing decision not a logical character one. Personally the need to make mantles legacy has become compulsive to the point of ridiculousness and is now added to with a birthright element that I detest. All I care about is that Tim is there and makes sense and that his origin is detached from both victim blaming and excessive classism and could theoretically be adapted without hinging on other characters so much.

#asks #anon #meta: dc comics #tim drake #to tag

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poison-basil · 7 years ago

Text

Part 6: Intervention

Prompt - I do not know if you accept suggestions, but you could do a chapter where many people (like Bruce, Jason, Conner, Ra's Al Ghul, Selina, Damian or someone else you want to add or remove) threaten Dick not to hurt Temperance they know that Dick is very flirtatious with the other girls already had many girlfriends, it would be fun to see.

Summary - Five times Dick was warned not to hurt temperance and the one time Temperance was warned not to hurt Dick.

Dick should've expected it, should of known this was going to happen, but they had lulled him into a false sense of security, leaving it weeks after they had got together. Dick had just finished his food shopping and was closing the door behind him, when a knife whistled past his head and embedded itself in the door. (guess who was going to be fixing that?)

Tensing his shoulders, Dick slowly looked in the direction the knife had come from. Sitting on the sofa was one Jason Todd, his booted feet kicked up onto the coffee table, twiddling another knife between his fingers. Jason looked ready for a fight, and that made Dick tense up, this hadn’t happened for years, maybe something was wrong, maybe the pit was resurfacing within him? But upon looking more at the relaxed nature Jason was sitting, the deep blueness of his eyes, Dick couldn’t see anything like the pit sickness. This was personal then.

Not sure on what to do or say, Dick started to wrack his brains about what he had done this past week that might lead him to knowing why Jason was here. He had just seen him two days ago though and nothing seemed to be wrong then and as far as Dick knew, he hadn’t done anything to warrant this type of welcome.

“Calm yourself Dicky, I’m not gonna hurt ya” Dick relaxed a little at this, moved into the room making his way to the kitchen so that he could put the food down. “Not today at least.” Dick gave him a sharp look and noticed the smirk unfolding on his face.

“What do you want Jason?” Sighed Dick, why was nothing simple with Jason?

“It’s not about wanting anything, more about letting you know a little something.”

“Alright, and what’s that little wing?”

“Just wanted you to know, that I will gut you, slowly and painfully, if you ever hurt Tee,” Jason made a low thrusting gesture with the knife in his hand, “Just thought I would be a good little brother and let you know.” He was back to spinning the knife in his hand.

“You know I would never hurt her Jason…” Dick gave Jason a wary looks why did he think he was going to hurt Temperance?

“Not intentionally, no… But on accident? That’s you all over Big Wing and I’m not letting you get away with it.” Jason's words stung. Giving Dick an ache in his chest.

Dick held his hands up in defence, wanting to make it clear to Jason. “I promise, I won’t hurt her, intentionally or otherwise”

“You better not or i will -- “

Dick cut him off, “Gut me, yeah, I got the memo, it was on really nice stationary.”

“You know it!” Jason was out off the sofa in an instant and making his way over to the door, grabbing the handle he looked back at Dick, “Now I gotta go, some asshats, doing stupid shit in my area,” he grabbed the knife from the door, pocketing it, just as he was closing the door behind him Dick heard him call, “Don't forget Dicky boy, I will come for you.”

---

This was the strangest situation that Dick Grayson had ever been in, sure as Nightwing, thing’s got pretty weird. As Officer Grayson? Once in a blue moon did anything remotely strange happen.

But now, sitting in interrogation across from Ra’s al’Ghul takes the biscuit. He was dressed in fine, green silk robes, and looking like it pained him to be in here. All Dick knew about the situation was that Ra’s apparently had some information that he would tell to Officer Grayson. That’s how Dick ended up in here after his lunch break, but he has been sitting here for nearly ten minutes without a word leaving Ra’s mouth. Dick didn’t know what he was up to, but it couldn’t be good, Ra’s didn’t usually cause Dick problems directly.

Dick’s attention was brought back to Ra’s when he shifted slightly in the metal chair. Sneering at the uncomfortableness. “Richard,” hearing his name, coming from Ra’s was weird, was this how Tee felt, when Ra’s called her Temperance? “I have come to understand that you and the young detective have entered relations.”

Dick raised an eyebrow at the statement, “Yeah? Like 3 Months ago?”

“Yes, yes, I know, I wanted to find the right opportunity to talk to you, without others interrupting.” Well, that wasn't worrying or anything.

Ra’s carried on, not taking notice of the slight change in Dick's posture,“You see, I wanted to make it clear to you, that I should take action if I find you are not attending to Temperance. As one should.”

He was getting the 'you break her heart, I break your face’ talk from Ra's? What was his life coming to? “Even though you may have her for a short time, I shall allow this due to the innumerable years after your death we would live together.”

Oh damn, he was staking his claim! This fucking asshole! “Tee, doesn’t want to be with you! She would never do that!”

Ra’s was giving him a pitying look, like he was a small child. “Grief can be a terrible thing Richard, especially the passing of a loved one, I almost had her in my grasp once, you were the cause of that too, I won’t let her slip away again.”

That hurt, being told of his past failings towards Temperance, he would always regret it, but now he had plenty of opportunities to try and make up for it, even slightly. “That won’t happen, there are people that will stop you, make sure that never happens…”

Ra’s waved him off, as though what he said meant little. “I can bide my time till there is no one to interrupt… Bringing Temperance back would be no trouble...”

Dick slammed his hands so hard on the metal table in front of him it sent a sting right up his arm. “She would hate you! Detest you!”

“She already does, what more could she do? She will have no one but me, I shall keep her chained if need be…” The lear in Ra's eyes, and the reverence in his voice made Dick feel sick.

“No..” Someone would save her, if he couldn't. There was Jason and Bruce, and if they couldn't, Clark and Superboy could, they would live for a long time right?

“Never mind that Richard, my original purpose was to inform you that should you hurt Temperance, I would not hesitate to move plans forward, to give her a space at my side.” Dick was glad this was over, he wanted out of this room, away from that man. He was going to make contingency plans, there was no way Ra's was getting his creepy hands on her!

---

Walking back to the plane after dropping Temperance off, Dick was stopped by Superboy, floating in front of him with a frown on his face, arms folded across his arm. Dick was still a little wary about the relationship between Temperance and Conner, even though she swore up and down there was nothing between them and there never has been. Just seeing them laughing and casually touching each other set a fire within him, he hated it, the irrational jealousy that would flare up. Staring at Conner now, seeing just how good looking he was, and thinking about how Temperance was about to spend the weekend here with him made him feel uncomfortable.

Conner softly landed in front of him and ran a hand through his hair. Dick remained silent, taking it that Conner had something he wanted to say, if he went to come find him.

“Look man, I know this sounds weird coming from me, but you gotta look after Temp, make sure you’re good to her.” Superboy looked uncomfortable. Like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Dick threw his hands up, groaning, “I know, I am, why does everyone think I’m going to fuck this up?”

Conner grabbed the back of his neck, and looked to the side, “Well, you don’t have the best track record right?”

“What?” Superboy was going more and more uncomfortable, Dick didn't care though, what was he talking about?

“Well i just heard that you are bit of a…” Dick could see him mulling over his next words. “Slut? I guess?”

“What!?”

Conner raised his hands in front of himself,as if to block a punch, “It��s just something I heard, that you’ve slept with and gone out with a lot of people, and I just wanted to warn you not to hurt Temp.”

Dick stared at Conner, was this real? “One, that's rude, I treat every person I’m with, with respect and love. Two, this is between me and Temperance, why are you butting in?”

Now it was Conner’s staring at him. “She’s my best friend dude, she has looked out for me, basically all my life, always been there for me, so i am being there for her too.”

Dick understood that, he had friends and family he would die for, protect. “Well, listen, this thing between me and Tee? It’s good and I love her, I’m going to look after her.”

“You better Grayson, or I’m coming for you, I don’t care how much kryptonite you might be packing, you have to sleep eventually man, and that’s when I will come for you.” Superboy started to levitate, hovering before Dick, making himself taller and more imposing.

“Alright, I get it, though hopefully it never comes to that.” Dick truly hopes it never come to that, because when it does, that means he's fucked up.

Superboy nodded, with a strong gust of wind he was gone.

Sitting at the table in the Manor kitchen, Dick was helping himself to some of Alfred’s cookies and nursing a dark roast coffee. It was as close to peace Dick got without Temperance around. He hears the door to the kitchen open and sees Damian walking through.

“Ah, Grayson, I wanted to talk to you,” He stood by the kitchen counter, close to the plate of cookies Alfred had left out, “According to Todd, it is customary to warn the partners of people you feel close to, of bodily harm one will inflict should anything happen to them.”

Dick was at a loss for words, “Dami?”

“This is me warning you Grayson.”

Damian grabs a cookie from the plate and made his way out of the kitchen, leaving Dick to stare into his coffee, what was his life coming to?

Temperance wasn’t expecting anything interesting to happen today, so when a bag is forced over her head, on her way out of Wayne Tower, about to go home, Temperance is appropriately surprised and angered. She’s roughly pushed into a car and pulled into a sitting sitting position by the person getting in behind her.

“Go…” She tries to place the voice, but is distracted by the car pulling out and onto the road.

A hand throughly comes up to her head and pulls the bag off, she is greeted by face of Deathstroke, scowling at her.

“Well this was unexpected, what can I do for you Slade?” She really didn't need this today, she had just got out of a stuffy board meeting with men talking down to her, she didn't want some mercenary rattling off their latest plan… wasn't this Dick's bad guy, she already had her, creepy, old bad guy slot filled, thank you Ra’s.

“I heard al’Ghul gave Dick a little talk, thought I would return the favour, villain for villain.” God, what was it with villains these days? Weren't they supposed to like, hate heroes?

“Right, well, you could've just made an appointment with my secretary, you know, instead of this…” She trailed off. The car windows were tinted black, she couldn't see where they were going, and was too distracted by deathstroke's spiel to think about the rout the car was taking. Stupid.

“Thought this would be better. So you understand, if anything happens, I’m coming for you.” Temperance nodded.

“Yes, I gathered that, I'm sure Dick will like to know you have his best interests at heart.” Slade smirked, he always like how sassy this Robin was.

“Well, as long as we understand each other it’s fine.” Sitting back she watched as Slade pulled out his phone and started tapping away.

“Noted.” Temperance moved, her hand reaching for the door handle, ready to just jump is Slade tried to keep her in the car. “If you could be so kind I would appreciate it if you stopped the car, so I can do home?” She felt a tightening in her chest when he smirked at her. Something was wrong.

“We’re dropping you off outside your’s and Dick's apartment.” As he said this the car slowed to a halt, and Temperance pushed the door open, to see that they were in fact outside her apartment, she looked back to see Slade smirking and waving at her, as soon as the door on the car was closed it peeled off down the street.

Temperance has to say, that was the nicest kidnapping she has ever been apart of.

Now she just had to inform Dick that they were going to move.

Dick was enjoying a casual spar with Temperance when they were interrupted by a cough from the side of the mats. Stopping mid position they both turned to Bruce, he was scowling down at them.

Worried, Dick moved to stand by Bruce, “What’s up B?”

“I don’t know how to say this...” They watched as Bruce paused, his brow furrowing more.

“However you want Burce, we can take it,” Temperance put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, “It’s gotta be bad if you’re having trouble with it”

Bruce gave a frustrated sigh, “It's not that, it’s just, difficult, I see you both as my kids, both equally important. So I wanted to do this with you both here.”

Bruce kept going, so he didn’t lose courage, “I know that you, like each other, love each other even. I’m ok with that, but I don’t want it to affect the job, for everyone’s safety.” Bruce put a hand on each of their shoulders, “Also, I will never take a side, I’m letting you know this know, so that it doesn’t come as a surprise later. I could never turn against one of you on this.”

They look to each other before looking back to Bruce, “We know that B, we already discussed worst case, and you’re our Switzerland, someone who will, without a doubt be neutral.”

Temperance gave a gentle shake of her head, while smiling at him. “Bruce, we would never make you choose between us.”

Dick pats Bruce on the back, “Ok, well good talk B! Me and Temp are gonna go back to training.”

Temperance gave a quick kiss to Bruce’s cheek before moving back, “See you later.”

Bruce pat them both on the shoulder before turning and walking towards the batcomputer, effectively putting an end to the conversation. Dick and Temperance looked at each other and sniggered. Dick put his arm around her waist and dipped her, giving her a light kiss, before pulling her up again.

“We, now that conversation is out of the way, what do you say to more interesting training?” Dick wiggled his eyebrows.

Dick was in the middle of patrol when he got the anonymous text, his eyebrows furrowed reading it.

‘U hurt T, I will come for you’

It wasn’t the text that was the problem, he’s been getting threats all over the place about what people would do to him, should he hurt Temperance, it was that it was done on an unknown number. Who would warn him and not let him know who it was? This was just plain weird, Dick tried to call back the number, though all he got was a voice telling him the number had been disconnected. Strange.

Dick shrugged it off, with all the threats of death he got, he could just add another to the ever growing list.

Pru sat back in the hotel bed, pleased with the knowledge that she had successfully warned Dick Grayson.

#myfic #my writing #DickTim #Temperance aka Tim Drake #Temperance's Temptations #part 6 #Ra's al Ghul #deathstroke #damian wayne #dick grayson #bruce wayne #Jason Todd #conner

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usm-analysis-headcannons · 7 years ago

Text

Threading the web #7: Character Analysis: Amadeus Cho (part one)

Ah, it’s finally finished!

After countless months of staying in my computer, the first part of the long awaited Amadeus Cho analysis has finally been finished! Sorry for the breif wait, I had to get to some college related things before I could upload it. -_-

*Wipes sweat away from forehead*

So let’s jump right into it, shall we?

Amadeus Cho first appeared in “Ultimate Spider-Man” in Season 3, episode 14 “The Next Iron Spider”. In the series, as well as the comics, he’s known as the seventh smartest student in the world, despite being only 13 years old at the series’ start. Also, according to Peter, he has “an uncharted IQ, has skipped a few grades, holds several patents, and is banned from all game shows.”

He was recently transferred to, and attends, Midtown High along with Peter. However, his presence is an issue in itself because, before Cho came along to Midtown, Peter was the head honcho of the school in terms of grades, and was number one in every one of his classes. Now, with Cho attending, Peter had to renounce his title as being the smartest person (or #1) and was moved down to #2, much to his dismay and disapproval. Because of this, there had been a sense of rivalry between the two.

When we first meet Cho at Midtown High School’s science fair, Peter shows off Tony Stark’s Iron Spider model and it undoubtedly amazes Cho. However, when both boys spot each other, their reaction to one another is… not the best. They both look at each other in disgust and address the other person’s name while having an epic stare off, proving their sense of rivalry.

But aside from his brilliance, what else do we know about Amadeus Cho? I mean aside from the fact that he was named after one of the most famous composers known to man?

Well we do know that he’s a follower of Tony Stark because, while continuing to ogle the new armor, he proclaims himself to be “Tony Stark’s biggest fan”:

Cho: You know I’m Tony Stark’s biggest fan, right? I even created an arc reactor similar to his. Next gen theoretical stuff.

But we also know that like J. Jonah Jameson, Cho isn’t exactly the biggest fan of Spider-Man. His views on the character have undoubtedly become influenced by the newscaster considering the fact that, after Peter tells Cho that he’s friends with Spider-Man (while showing off), he responds by saying:

“Don’t you keep up with the news? Spider-Man is a menace!”

-Amadeus Cho (Season 3, episode 14)

While this conversation is brief and short, at this point, it’s fairly obvious that Cho’s view on certain aspects, particularly heroes and villains, are very black and white. You’re either with him or against him, and there’s no in-between. How do I know this? Well, two reasons:

First, there’s his backstory:

Amadeus Cho was born the son of Helen and Phil Cho and was raised in Tucson, Arizona. I should also note that due to his parents love for classical music and Methodist beliefs they gave Cho the name Amadeus after the great composer, Amadeus Mozart. Sometime later, Cho appeared on a game show called the “Excello soap company's "young genius" contest” which he won both first place and $5000 easily. It was also where he was discovered by the show’s host, Pythagoras Dupree, to have powers.

Yeah, Cho “technically” has powers in this version. However, they’re more or less based on intellect rather than strength or forc, eand I’ll get to that in a moment.forc, eand I’ll get to that in a moment.

In the comics, his abilities and/or “powers” (call them what you want) include, and I quote from the wiki, "the natural ability to identify the variables and quantum possibilities in any situation". This means that given in any circumstance, Cho has the ability to rapidly create mental calculations and set multiple physical reactions in action within his reach.

Now, I’m no scientist in the terms of physics nor calculations, but I’ll sum it up in the best way I can.

Basically, Cho can use his mind to create variables and predict probable outcomes of a situation within a matter of seconds, sort of like someone who can see into the future. In fact, Athena, one of Cho’s allies, claims intelligence is based on what’s known as “pattern recognition”, and that he can see 99.999999993% of patterns better than the average human on Earth can.

I gotta say, if the goddess of wisdom herself says that, then you KNOW you’re smart. 0_0

Sadly, after Dupree realized the boy’s powers, he had Cho’s house blown up, which killed both his parents in the process. As a result, Cho, along with a small little coyote pup named Kirby, leaves on his Vespa scooter on the run for his life. The death of his parents, as well as the need to constantly evade killers, leads him unable to trust anyone he comes across in fear that they would either betray him or get killed in the process (save for the Hulk who Cho strictly sees as a hero). Speaking of Bruce Banner, I should also mention that in the comics, Amadeus Cho is, in fact, not the Iron Spider, but another version of the Hulk. Cho doesn’t even touch the Iron Spider suit or, more or less, even think about it in the comics, so it’s quite a different spin on Amadeus’s character that’s actually fitting considering his brilliance in technology and since he’s a fan of Tony Stark’s inventions.

Now how he became the Hulk is actually a quite interesting story. Due to an incident where the original Hulk (that being Bruce Banner of course) absorbed a dangerous amount of radiation that could’ve possibly killed him and a lot of people, Cho injected special nanites into his body which allowed him to turn into his version of the Hulk and remove the ability to change from Banner’s body.

Now it’s unknown exactly how much of his backstory they’ve managed to convey in the series considering that it’s a show for kids (plus it’s Disney), but even though the show doesn’t outright talk about Cho’s past the hints and clues are still there.

Luckily this leads us to our second reason:

He’s still just a kid.

When you really think about it, for a thirteen-year-old kid, Cho’s been through a lot. When you’re constantly on the run for your life from people who are trying to kill you, it makes sense why trusting others and having an open mind about people is a hard thing to do.

In fact, this brings up a theory I have that involves Midtown High and Nick Fury, believe it or not:

Remember how in the beginning of the “New Iron Spider” episode when Nick was talking to Spider-Man about recruiting Cho? Did you ever notice that they only mentioned that Cho had been transferred and not WHY he was placed there?

My theory is that the main reason Cho is even attending Midtown High is so Fury can keep him safe from anyone who might want to kill him. I mean, think about it, Cho has been on the run from people who want to kill him for a good portion of his life, so it makes sense why Fury would want him to attend Midtown in case one of those people appeared and tried to hurt him. With the school holding some of S.H.E.I.L.D’s best heroes, (particularly Spider-MAn, White Tiger, Power Man, Iron Fist, and Nova) Fury knows that if trouble does manage to show up Cho, at the very least will be protected.

But getting back to his personality, let’s take a look at some of his interests in the show.

Besides being a fan of Stark, we also can tell that he’s a follower of JJJ and the “Daily Bugle” reports. Due to his “past” most likely J. Jonah Jameson has influenced him into thinking, and believing, that those who can easily be ousted as a menace must be hated. While he might be intelligent, it’s impossible not to understand that he’s easily influenced by JJJ’s words.

How do I know this? Observe:

After he states, albeit in a blunt manner must I also add, his thoughts on Spider-Man, notice how he walks away and doesn’t give Peter a chance to respond. Cho’s a very straightforward person and does not change his mind easily. His black and white perspective is something that plays an important role in his character and, while it was touched upon in this episode, it will resurface at a more frequent rate in the future (because it’s a problem that continuously bites him in the ass repeatedly).

Sorry for the language.

But getting back to the episode, later, Taskmaster disguises himself as Stan and tries to steal the Iron Spider suit before Peter (or in this case Spider-Man) calls him out on it. While Spider-Man, with the help of Nova and Power Man, are keeping Taskmaster busy, this gives Cho plenty of time to sneak back and take matters into his own hands by wearing the suit himself. Not surprisingly, with the Iron Spider in Cho’s hands, the kid proves to be a natural at the mechanics and technology that’s used to control it.

(Which, by the way, I have to bring this up but, Sam’s line about the booster seat thing has gotta be one of my favorite lines from this show).

Now fast forward to when Spidey and Cho are on the rooftop and the two boys are fighting, and this is the first step to Cho’s development as a character which corresponds to his feelings for Spider-Man.

Taskmaster breaks the hinges off of a billboard that threatens to fall and hurts innocent civilians. Cho notices that Spider-Man is keeping the civilians safe from harm and, thankfully, turns on Taskmaster.

After the Iron-Spider suit gets hacked, Cho begins fighting against Spider-Man against his will while he’s knocked out inside of the suit.

With the addition of saving the people from the falling billboard, it’s at this point that Cho’s now starting to see what kind of a person that Spider-Man really is. Also, when he wakes up, notice that instead of letting the suit do what he wants, instead, he’s starting to get frightened and repeatedly apologizes to Spider-Man while attacking him. This shows that, while he dislikes Spider-Man, he doesn’t detest him to a point that he’d want to hurt him. In fact, due to what’s currently happening, it wouldn’t be an understatement to call him scared at this point.

Why?

Because in this scenario, Cho’s technically the “bad guy” and that’s something that he never wanted to be. If you remember in the beginning of the episode, after he stole the Iron Spider armor, Cho constantly bragged to Spider-Man how he could be a better hero than Peter could and, as I mentioned before, shows off his black and white outlook on things.

And not to mention that karma kinda bit him in the ass.

You know what, Rogers?

But getting back to Cho, this is also the first time that he understands how smart Spider-Man really is, and how well they’re both able to come up with a solution to a problem. Observe:

Peter: Calm down. We need a core interrupt. But you’d have to be able to write a multi-function--.

Cho: Hibernate-suspend program call.

Peter: That’s...exactly it. Get on it!

When they finally manage to get the suit working, Taskmaster activates Iron Spider’s self-destruct motion and sends it into overload thanks to the Bug still hiding in Cho’s armor.

And you all know the drill from there, they stop the clock all’s right with the world.

But let’s take a look at the final conversation that Spider-Man has with Cho before the episode ends.

Cho, realizing that what he did was wrong, tries to give back the Iron Spider uniform claiming, “You’re right, this isn’t finders keepers. You can take it back, I wasn’t meant to wear it.”

But Spider-Man, or Peter, on the other hand, tells him to keep the uniform and states, “I admit, I couldn’t have done what you did.” much to Cho’s surprise. Peter then tells Cho this:

“I’ve realized two things today. One, being smart is a superpower. And two, being a hero isn’t about power, it’s about good choices and heart. You’ve got the armor, and a solid head start on the other two. So… consider it on loan.”

-(Peter Parker)

From here we can see that Spider-Man has fully gained Cho’s respect and is no longer considered a menace in his book. Also, While Cho’s black and white outlook on him has changed, it still isn’t enough to turn it around in general. How do I know? We’ll get to that in a future episode.

The next time we see Cho is in Season 3 episode 8 entitled, “New Warriors” where Cho, along with Agent Venom, Kazaar and Zabu, are introduced to Spider-Man’s old S.H.E.I.L.D team (which, if you’ve forgotten, consisted of: Iron Fist, White Tiger, Power Man, and Nova) and they begin training. On the field, Cho is paired with Power Man for practice, and the two prove to be a pretty good team together. He even is shown to get along quite well with Flash which, if you compare his attitude now to how Cho behaved from the episode when he was first introduced, you’ll notice how willing he is to actually work with others.

In my opinion, this is a major step forward in terms of development for Cho because, considering how he used to live his life on the run, he’s starting to learn to place his trust in others, or in this case, his comrades.

But, there is a sense that he places a little too much on trust on them, to the point that it might make him a bit reckless. Case in point, this scene from Cloak, Dagger, Vulture, and Taskmaster’s invasion on the Triskelion.

If you recall, after Flash and Cho commenced this attack, they managed to release Scorpion, Beetle, Doc Ock, and the Green Goblin on accident.

So...in the words of Tony Stark:

Sadly, this leads to Cho’s armor being destroyed by the Goblin and the rest of the Web Warriors to retreat in order to create a new plan. As a result, Cho begins to believe that, due to his armor getting torn that now he now has no way to fight back.

“We didn’t just get beat. I lost my armor. I’m a liability.”

Now while this is not entirely true, I think we should take a look at his face when he says this. Notice how upset Cho’s face turns while calling himself a liabilty:

I mean, I would be feeling pretty upset if MY armor got destroyed as well, but really think about it. For a good portion of Cho’s life, he’s been pretty used to being a liability to someone due to his constant need to be on the run. If you really think about it, being a part of SHEILD might’ve been his one chance, or so he believes it to be, at becoming the hero instead of the victim. While the scene doesn’t last long, it is a moment that pokes a bit at Cho’s self-confidence without the armor to help him out.

Another thing scene that I feel we should talk about is when Spider-MAn is about to leave his teammates to go after the Goblin. Notice how while he’s talking and giving orders, Cho looks and sounds unbearably worried. He even blurts this out:

Cho: What do you expect me to do? I don’t even have armor!”

Peter: It doesn’t matter that you don’t have any armor. You’re the smartest one here!

(He tosses a USB to Cho)

Peter: Get that to a computer, you’ll know what to do.

Once again, another scene that focuses on Cho’s self-confidence in himself. But what really makes this scene notable is the fact that, like the previous scene, he feels little to no self-confidence in his actions. The kid is starting to realize that this isn’t like a classroom where he can figure things out with little to no pressure on him and in the snap of a finger, no, this is a battlefield. And in battle, you have to make split decisions on the turn of a dime. The pressure is on and it’s on high. You’re either fit for this lifestyle or you’re not, and we all know that Cho DEFINITELY is because later, after Spider-Man leaves, he begins taking the reigns as leader.

Heck, He even gets to give Ock the final punch after declaring his team’s name WITH CONFIDENCE (must I also add):

Ock: You’re Children.. You’re nothing. Just more of Sheild’s run-of-the-mill old lackeys!

Cho: We’re not old lackeys. We’re New Warriors!

You tell ‘em, Cho! :D

Now the next time we see the character is in season 3 episode 16 entitled “S.H.I.E.L.D Academy” cheering on Spider-Man’s arrival to their new school.

Much like a lot of intelligent kids his age, we quickly find out that Cho has a bit of a competitive side to him (see the whole top bunk deal).

However, I do feel that it’s necessary to point out that Cho, being the most academically inclined to everyone, is the first to notice that the “school” does not have any books or desks. Of course, Fury explains that “S.H.I.E.L.D Academy” is not like your typical, average high school nor is it a typical classroom.

Now, why would I point this out? Because it shows that Cho is very attentive and observant which makes sense considering his backstory in the comics.

Now, how else do I know that?

Well, aside from asking Fury about the classroom, when they’re actually in the middle of a lesson, notice that he’s the first person to figure out something’s wrong:

Cho: Quit trying to hack my system, Spider-dweeb.

Peter: Hey! I’m not hacking you.

And, because he noticed that an odd transmission has been “pinging his tech”, Cho begins taking matters into his own hands by going through the archive files without permission in order to find out what it is (while, of course, being followed by Spider-Man). On their way, the two find the remains of Arnim Zola and, before they head back to class, Cho might have accidentally caused him to switch on. Things are only made worse when he returns to the archives and the suit turns on, giving away the secret of how he and Peter are in the SHIELD archives, as well as activating Zola full-front.

Y’know, I’d hate to be a hater but, for a super genius, you seem to be lacking a bit in the common sense department, Cho. I’d TOTALLY trust a head in a tv that was kept LOCKED AWAY in a forbidden archive center.

Anyhooo…

So, Zola gets away which causes Cho to become worried that, if Spider-Man snitches on him to Fury, he’d get kicked out of the Academy. Spidey agrees to keep what happened on the down low until later on while doing some research on the villain and looking for him through the security cams. Cho, not surprisingly, had been tracking down Zola as well and even upgraded his uniform with an interference signal that would override Arnim.

You smart child you!

Now, joined by Power Man, Agent Venom, the team goes through a secluded part of the Academy and find Zola.

And you know the drill from here they fight TV Zola, win, and surprisingly Spider-Man gets in trouble by taking the blame for Cho’s folly (without his knowing). Now what’s funny about this ending is that Cho didn’t even know about how Peter took the fall for him. I mention the episode’s conclusion because, this scene is later brought up and referred to in Season 3 episode 21 entitled, “Attack of the Synthenoids”. Now, in my opinion, this is where Cho really sees just how far Spider-Man will go to keep his friends out of trouble. For example, after being suspected of being another one of Zola’s synthezoids, Spider-Man asks Cho to tell him about Tony Stark’s latest invention, which he replies a typical science filled answer.

However, after Spider-Man believes him then we get this line:

Cho: So Zola’s back huh? Can’t belive Fury found out about it and pardoned that. Must be because he was too busy yelling at you, right?

Peter: I was covering for you! I told Fury I activated Zola so you wouldn’t get kicked out of school

Cho: What? No way!

Danny: It’s truth. Your actions caused the spider to be punished.

Cho: I...I didn’t know, I’m sorry. Thanks Spidey.

Now, this moment really speaks out to me because I think it might be the first time that someone’s ever taken up for Cho in this manner. (I, of course, could be wrong as I haven’t read any of the comics) But if you remember when the incident first happened, Cho was nervous that he’d be kicked out of the academy. So the fact that someone like Spider-Man, a person who Cho originally thought to be a menace, would take the fall for him instead really speaks out to him and allows Cho to know that Spider-Man is a true ally.

Fastward to the three (that being Danny, Peter, and Cho) all search for Zola, Cho gets caught by a group of synthezoids. But what I find particularly noteworthy about this moment are two things:

First, notice how similar that Cho behaves like a coyote in this situation (which makes sense considering Kirby in the comics). For those of you who don’t understand what I’m saying let me explain:

When coyote’s (or any wild animal for the fact) get caught in traps, it’s common for them to chew their legs off in order to escape and do whatever they can to survive.

In this particular incident, Cho’s instincts are kicking in full-fledged. Similar to Taskmaster’s invasion, he understands that he has, once again, become a liability and is stuck in a situation, or trap, that would slow him and his comrades down. His friends are the rest of the coyote’s body, and he’s the trapped leg. And what does he do? He chops it off.

Well, not literally, but you get my point.

Coincidently this also leads to my second point, Cho’s sense of honor.

Before separating himself from his peers he mumbles this to himself:

“I owe you one Spidey.”

Because of Spider-Man taking the hit for him earlier, obviously, Cho feels a need to pay him back and sacrifices himself in order for the others to get away. He’d rather avoid putting others in danger and would rather put himself at risk the then lives of others.

The last time we see Cho (at least in Season 3) is in part three of Contest of Champions arc where he, Agent Venom, and Spider-Man must battle against the Grandmaster’s league of villains.

Now there’s nothing completely noteworthy about this episode except for one thing… Spider-Man actually reveals his identity to his friends.

Unlike Flash,, who was probably the most flabbergasted at Peter’s revelation, Cho, while undoubtedly surprised about it, actually handles the situation a lot better than his more dumbfounded partner. In fact, if I’m going a bit farther, I think he might’ve had some level of knowledge regarding the fact. He states that he had no idea that Peter was Spider-Man, but listen to the way he says that line. While he is surprised, he’s not downright shocked about the fact, unlike Flash. In fact, if I’m being honest, I think he kind of knew because:

He’s a smart kid. You really think the 7th smartest kid in the world wouldn’t have been able to figure that out or even have the slightest clue about Spider-MAn and PEter Parker being the same person? (though really to be fair, the guy’s voice is kind of a dead giveaway) &

It’s pretty hard to surprise Cho at this point. Seriously, Flash actually had a reason considering how he used to bully Peter but Cho? He doesn’t really have any leverage against the character except for the fact that they have a friendly rivalry going on.

And then we get to season 4… in the next part.

I know! I know! More waiting, but this thing was already long enough and I didn’t want the article to be too long! I’m sorry!

I know I’ve said this a million and three times alright, but thank you guys so much for your patience. I realize that it took me forever just to finish this but I’m happy that I finally managed to at least give you guys something before I go back to college in a couple of weeks. Until then, stay tuned for part 2 of this, which I will finish and upload ASAP! I hope you guys liked it as I’m trying to get back into the groove of writing again. It’s been a while.

Thanks and I’ll see you in the next article!

#Ultimate Spider-Man #ultimate spiderman cartoon #Ultimate Spiderman VS The Sinister 6 #amadeus cho #iron spider #character analysis #threading the web

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