#but what does this have to do with my post and how are my preferences as a complete stranger an attack on you

[shysuccubusstuff]

Dilf! Sylus pt. 1

Content: Headcanons + some longer parts ♡; Age gap + mention of child abuse (not made by Sylus, of course) + alcohol taking + consensual/dubcon (alcohol intake on both sides).

Summary: After graduating university, you've been looking for a stable job for several months, but for the moment, you just have to content yourself with working as a nanny during the summer holidays. Who would have thought that you would meet such a hot and single (did I already say hot?) dad that would require your services?

Note: I just remembered the fanarts done by someone in Twitter with the boys as dilfs, these fanarts together with some Lana del Rey unreleased songs got me hyped for him... Wish I could see an even older Sylus... he's already hot af tho. I keep saying that I have a bunch of stuff almost ready but I never post it, talk about being like a man (jk depending on how you take the joke). Still, I hope everyone is having a nice week. This video just popped on my tl, hope anyone finds it funny!

Note 2: I'm lowkey scared that some parts are just too corny/cringy... I have no real idea how an older Sylus would speak with some woman that has around... 10? years less than him. Let me know if you want a pt. 2 + the same prompt with other LI!!

You had graduated several months ago, and yeah, of course you knew that finding a job would be the easiest thing in the world, but come on, your area wasn't even THAT full. How was it possible that you were almost the only one that didn't find a job after graduating? You were laying in bed, scrolling through your phone as you kept complaining in your mind. Suddenly, your phone rang, making you almost fall to the floor, quickly taking the call with the hope of getting the job.

"Hello?" You were able to hear some faint sounds in the background, some running around, together with a few giggles.

"... Yes, sorry. I was just busy with something. I call because of your advertisement, the one about working as a nanny?" Suddenly, you heard the deep and velvety voice of a man, even if that voice sounded slightly tired.

"Sure! I'm available for all the week, including weekends. I can even stay at your house if you prefer it that way, I do have to say that the rate does get a bit--"

"That's ok, I don't mind paying as much as you want as long as you do your job appropietly. We can meet this weekend to present them to you, if you are able, of course."

"Yes! Sure, let's meet that day, maybe in the morning?"

"Then that's settled. Thank you, let's meet in a couple days." The man hanged the call, barely allowing you to wave him goodbye. Well, at least that was somewhat solved... right?

The week went fast, with you barely moving around apart from buying groceries or spending your time with some not so interesting game as you complained about your boring holiday with your closest friend. Before you know it, you were already getting ready for that meeting, with your hands starting to sweat a bit as you tried to imagine the kind of children that man could have. Oh God, what if they were the annoying kind? The ones that mess with you cause they hate all their nannies, always acting up and... Wait, just calm yourself, it can't be that bad... right? You grabbed your bag, carrying all the documents that you may or may not need as you kept repeating into your head that there was no way that you would have such bad luck.

You finally entered the café, your hands still sweating a bit as you tried to guess who was the man that had called you. That question was quickly answered, as there was only a single man with not only one, but two children. The two small boys were busy sketching some stuff, with both of them sometimes talking to each other, with the man sometimes answering to them while he took a few sips from the coffee cup. You made your way to the table, clenching your bag as you kept telling yourself to calm down.

"Hi! I'm the nanny, we spoke a few days ago, I don't know if you remember me?" The man's gaze slowly moved from his children drawings to you, his gaze turning much cooler as soon as he stopped looking at them.

"Yes, I do remember you, do you want something to drink while we talk?" You sat down, trying your best not to stumble on your words while you tried to think as fast as possible, your hands lending him the papers that proved that this was not the first time you had worked as a nanny.

"Thank you, I don't want anything, we can just talk like this... I mean, if you want!" The man lifted his brow a bit, perhaps a bit taken aback by your nervous movements, his eyes quickly scanning through the documents.

"That is fine. My name is Sylus. These are my children, Luke and Kieran. Luke is the one on the left, Kieran is the one on the right." The children moved to look at you, both of their faces with several scars that went up their face and arms. The sight made you shiver a bit, but seeing how the two of them were completely calm, you chose to wait in case there was something wrong going on. "They are 8 years old. You will have to work from Monday to Friday, I have to plan the weekends, as it depends on the week. I will make sure to pay you accordingly, of course, you will have bonuses the days that you are asked to stay. I don't require you to teach them nor make any housework, just to take care of them. I would pay you around 25$ the hour, I hope that is enough?" You almost choked on your own spit, trying your best not to act surprised. This was not the first time you had worked for some rich family around town, and yeah, he may be the hottest guy you had ever seen, but you just had to focus on your work. Maybe you could even make it your full time job if you did it correctly?

"There's no problem! I just need to know when should I start working, well, as well as where the house is." As you kept speaking, the two small children got down their chairs, moving closer to you.

"So... when will you start living with us?" Luke rest his face on your leg, with Kieran following him close by. Guess this was their way of greeting you?

Dilf! Sylus who is away most of the day, arriving at late hours at night when both Luke and Kiera are already asleep. He arrives on his motorbike, parking it on the garage, entering the house in complete silence except the sound of the keys being left on the entrance. You had already noticed that this was indeed a routine, as the twins already let you know on the first days you were there. You were barely able to hear him as your room was quite close to the staircase, hearing his soft steps on the carpet as he made his way to his bedroom.

Dilf! Sylus who had no kind of photos or paintings of his (possibly) late wife. The whole house was neatly decorated with mostly dark colours, with the childrens' room being the only exception, as they were the ones that had chosen their own furniture. It took you a few weeks to find out that the two boys had been adopted by Sylus several years ago after they arrived to his door barefoot, with their limbs and faces even more scarred than now. Despite the traumatic experience, the two children seemed mostly fine, even if it was clear that they were extremely anxious the second one of them got separated from the other.

Dilf! Sylus who sometimes arrives in the morning, as always, he leaves the keys on the entrance, rushing to the children's room so he could kiss their forehead, with the two of them hugging him by the neck, allowing him to carry the two of them, each with one arm to the kitchen, where he allowed them to sit as he started making breakfast. These days weren't common, but each time he arrived, you were able to see just how much he cared for Luke and Kieran, with Sylus even spending a few hours playing around with them before leaving to work once more. At first, you tried to avoid interrupting them, choosing to stay silent as you helped him make breakfast or simply tidying up after the twins. That was until the three of them started to open themselves to you, with Luke and Kieran beginning to introduce you on their private chats, even getting to the point in which you were able to see what resembled a smile on Sylus' face. This marked the beginning of the closer relationship between the two.

Dilf! Sylus who begins to have more free time. And despite this would usually mean a reduction on your working hours, this changed nothing, except the small trips with the three of them. The trips started as short outings to the park, sometimes to a restaurant around town. Then, the trips became longer, with the four of you spending a couple days on different countries, as Sylus worked, having to meet with different people while the three of you spending your time by walking around the different cities.

Dilf! Sylus who starts to spend more time alone with you. Inviting you to his private gym in case you had some free time while the twins were sleeping, together with even allowing you to help him test the condition of his motorbike. It had been clear since the start that Sylus was in no way feeble, as you often saw him carrying Luke and Kieran while all of you played together. But it was then, when he was too busy checking every single element of his motorbike, with him simply wearing a tight sleeveless t-shirt, allowing you to see just how much time he spent keeping his body as fit as possible.

"Like what you see?" Sylus' eyes were once again focused on you, his hands slightly tainted by the motor oil, some even staining his face.

"I was just-- Sorry" You felt your face heat up, your eyes starting to move around the garage trying to find anything to focus on.

"No need to excuse yourself, sweetie. I understand, can you help me a bit with this? It seems that I need to check this thoroughly."

Dilf! Sylus who begins to make the work harder for you, with him sometimes rubbing against you as he passed by, making you blush just from remembering the veins on his arms and hands as he worked out. The sexual tension between the two finally came to an end the night the two of you found each other in the living room. Sylus had just arrived, his cloak still being carried under his arm.

"Good night, I didn't expect company so late at night, tell me, would you mind accompanying me for some alcohol?" You bit your lip, still not sure on what to do, before you answered him, Sylus added: "Don't worry, the boys won't be up until maybe around 12, they spent all their energy playing with their friends."

"I suppose it would be ok then, just a bit, ok? I'm not that good with alcohol..." Sylus nodded, going to the kitchen and coming back with two small glasses, together with a bottle of tequila, salt and a few slices of lemon. He had already changed into more comfortable clothes, with him only wearing some expensive smock that looked perhaps a bit too short for your own safety.

"How about we play some cards while we drink? The one who loses will have to drink." You knew that wasn't the best choice for you, but how could you refuse when he was already smirking as if he had already won?

Before you were able to notice it, the bottle of tequile was almost finished, both of your faces being as red as a tomato.

"Come on! Just accept your defeat already, afraid that someone younger than you is better than you?" You smiled, your left hand moving the liquid inside the small glass while you kept glancing at the cards on your right hand.

"Oh? Someone has gotten bolder now, do you always talk to your bosses like that?" Sylus left his glass on the table, smirking while he left the cards fall on the table, resting his head on his left arm. "Just so you know, I have no kind of insecurity regarding my age, sweetie."

"You sure? I mean, you work out a bit too much for someone--"

"I have no idea why would you assume that, the fact that I work out a lot is merely due to the fact that my job--" Sylus stopped himself, taking a deep breath before going on. "That is just because of some requirements that I have to meet in order to keep my position." You looked a bit confused, not realising until then that you had never wondered why did he always arrive so late. Still, the alcohol was still running down your veins, making it difficult to even realise the possible danger of it.

"Suuuure, let's just say I believe you. Why would an old man like you need to stay as fit? Are you sure that you're not planning on wooing some naïve girl into your claws?" You laughed, taking a small sip out of the glass.

"Maybe I want to do just that." Sylus' gaze darkened, his usual dangerous aura coming back to him as his crimson eyes pierced your face. "Maybe I should do just that, I'm sure I would be able to teach some wild kitten just how she is supposed to behave to be considered a good girl." You felt a shiver being sent through your whole body, the hair on your arms stooding up as your face flushed from the tone Sylus had used in those last few words. Sylus chuckled at your reaction, taking once again his glass from the table and playfully moving the ice cubes within his glass that was now filled with some old whisky he had taken from the cabinet. "I was just messing around, no need to act all coy now, we have been in much more intimate situations, am I wrong, sweetie?" Sylus took a small sip of whisky, changing the way he sat to one that made the cloth rode up allowing you to catch a timid glimpse of his underwear. Feeling as you were being tested on purpose, you quickly rose from the couch, thanking the courage given by the alcohol as you suddenly pressed your lips against his, your body clamping against his bare chest.

What first began as a one sided kiss was soon reciprocated, with Sylus soon taking the lead of it, his rough hands positioning on your hip, his thumbs making small circles around the area as his tongue suddenly entered your mouth, the meek kiss soon turning into a lewd one, the room now filled with wet noises together with soft moans and whimpers.

Just as you were starting to feel slightly light-headed, Sylus got away from you, moving his right hand towards your face and caressing your cheek with extreme care. "Guess I made a mistake. It seems this wild kitten is very much aware of what she is capable to do to me." You bashfuly locked eyes with him, encountering one of the softest looks you had ever seen. "I would have liked it more if this had happened on a better occasion, one in which you had enough courage to do all these bold moves without relying on a silly game." Sylus smiled, his eyes still fixed on you, making you feel even more flushed as you could clearly tell just how much he had been holding back from doing anything inappropriate. "Let me take you to bed, I think we should talk about this... change in our relationship tomorrow, when both of us are fully aware of what all of this means." Sylus lifted you with ease, opening the door with one of his legs and soon arriving to your bedroom, suddenly changing the way he held you so he could acommodate the sheets. Before you could say anything, he covered your body, planting a tendeer kiss on your forehead. "Sleep tight, I hope you won't regret anything tomorrow, sweetie."

[rottingghosty]

The Realms PR | DC X DP Part 2

this isn’t as good in my thoughts because writing as bruce??? really hard. how am i supposed to write a paranoid man if i am the most chillest person i can be… anyway heres your part 2 food of this au, not sure if i’ll continue writing more parts? depends on how i feel.

errors are made and sorry the the lackluster performance this might be

if you want to use my prompt please give me credits thank you

☁️☁️☁️☁️

Danny very much prefers to have nobody intervene on his business as the vigilante of Amity Park. He’s essentially called dibs on it if you consider the fact that the entire town is basically his metaphorical grave since it’s his haunt and he did die to make the portal to the Ghost Zone open. He very much ignores that specific can of worms because that’s a heavy topic that he won’t ever talk about because Spectra really ruined his own outlook on professionals. Jazz will most likely want to open that can but that’s for future Danny.

Where was he? Oh yeah.

Danny very much likes being a solo hero with his friends and sister aiding when they can. He very much dislikes the fact that people have been trying to enter his haunt without permission. Does he know why people who tried to pass through Amity Park suddenly find themselves back at where the welcome sign is? No. Is he going to ask? Also no because it allows the residents and himself privacy even when he’s got the GIW on his tail or even his own parents.

He’s not going to rebuke this gift especially with his influx of fame. Which reminds Danny that he needs to post a new tweet, maybe a video of Cujo playing with the kids in the park from a few days ago? He figures people would be more interested if they knew a ghost dog existed. Maybe he can include one of Ember’s concerts or something.

Man he has so many videos to post and such little time to do so, but he thinks Sam and Tucker are having fun being his PR team with the way Sam had a manic gleam in her eyes when Lois Lane and Clark Kent sent her a message of twitter asking for an interview. All while Tucker basically going giddy at Red Robin and Oracle trying to get through the firewall that’s blocking Amity Park from eyes being too close for all their comforts.

Bruce Wayne stared intently at the video before him, it was only thirty seconds but it was thirty seconds enough to cause him to tighten his grip on the arm rests of his chair in the Batcave. His blue eyes staring down at the figure in the video as it replayed on loop. His shoulders tense and bunched up as he inhaled sharply at the frame that happened ten seconds in.

Because right there, staring up at the camera looked too much like Jason. It looked too much like his boy, his son that he had lost when Jason was only fifteen. Normally he would’ve brushed it off but it was the way that it then shifted into Dick, Steph, Tim and then Damian—

Ancient of Hope is what Phantom had called them, the embodiment of hope and how its form switched to what people believed in. Apparently it looked so much like the Robins of Gotham because Gotham was— is the biggest source of hope there is. Yet, this was an unknown.

Bruce couldn’t trust a word that Phantom said, ghosts are an unknown. Trying to get Constantine to talk about it was a struggle itself, the equivalent of trying to pull teeth out because the man was equally as stubborn as Bruce and it was even worse when the man had cursed up a storm when they had a meeting about Phantom’s first videos.

Ghosts are a variable in an equation that Bruce is trying to solve but he simply can’t force his way into solving it, not when this whole thing has turned into a diplomatic nightmare with the fact that Oa has started pressuring the US government about the mistreatment of the Infinite Realms beings.

The Justice League Dark even adding in the pressure— Deadman being one of the more outspoken members as he explained as much as he knew about the Infinite Realms despite not quite qualifying as one of their residents but still considered as one in an odd way. Constantine grumbling about as he came and went, saying how the Ghost Investigation Ward could’ve started a war or destroyed everyone.

Clark and Lane were writing up articles, having conversations with the PR Team of Phantom— two teenagers who were involved heavily and considered ambassadors to the Realms because of their connection to Phantom.

Phantom who is the High King. Phantom who doesn’t want his subjects hunted anymore and took a peaceful route instead of simply declaring war.

Bruce takes a heavier breath, jaw clenched as he watched the video loop one more time before the closed the tab to look more into the GIW and their backers, eyes narrowing in two names.

Vladimir Masters and Lex Luthor.

[novlr]

What are backlist titles, and why do they matter for authors? I keep hearing people talk about them, but I’m not totally sure what counts as a backlist book or why they’re such a big deal.

If you’re new to publishing, you might hear experienced authors talk about their “backlist,” but what exactly does that mean? Simply put, your backlist is made up of all the books you’ve previously published, as opposed to your newest releases or upcoming titles (aka your “frontlist).

Something that every author hears constantly in the world of marketing and advertising is, “The next book sells the last book.”

The logic behind this is absolutely valid. Every new book released is a chance to pick up new readers, gain a boost with sales platform algorithms, and build credibility with existing fans. 

But while a lot of focus is placed on the next book, many authors miss the importance of their last book—and all the books they’ve written. In other words, their “backlist”.

An author’s complete bibliography, organized chronologically and with series listed in order, is an incredibly useful marketing tool. As an internationally-published author of over 40 titles, I’ve learned a lot over the years of how important backlist can be to book promotion if it’s something you already have.

Of course, if you’re a debut author or just starting your publishing journey, you won’t have a backlist yet, and that’s perfectly fine! Everyone starts with that first book. But understanding the power of a strong backlist can help shape your long-term publishing strategy and give you something to work toward as you continue writing and releasing new books.

The top five reasons backlist titles matter

1. It establishes credibility

Every new book you release shows readers that you are the sort of author who won’t leave them hanging for years waiting for a new release. If they’re interested in your genre, writing style or one of your series, they’ll be excited for each new book you publish.

But for new readers, your backlist is your most important source of author credibility. There’s concrete evidence of your skills as an author in the form of beautiful book covers, star ratings, user reviews, and social media posts from people who’ve loved it. They can also see how prolific you are and gauge your general release schedule based on past performance.

2. It gives readers options

As a fantasy author and reader, I am a huge fan of Brent Weeks’ Night Angel series, but when I read his Lightbringer series, I found it wasn’t for me. However, preferences aside, I still think of the author favorably because my enjoyment of one series outweighed my lack of enjoyment for the other.

That said, authors who write fiction or nonfiction, multiple genres, and/or series offer readers multiple entry points. It also allows them to shift tones all while creating a dedicated fanbase. Some readers are looking for consistency, while others want variety. Your backlist lets them pick and choose the flavor of fiction or non-fiction that appeals to their current reading mood.

3. It’s a great money-maker

In that saying, “the next book sells the last book”, the crucial word is sells! 

If you choose to publish commercially, books are products. They are written to be sold the same way sweaters are knitted, shoes are cobbled, and food is jarred or canned. At the end of the day, each book is published with the intention of being read and making money. 

Being an author is a career, one that’s intended to generate income. While it’s amazing to see a massive spike of income from the successful launch of a new book, the truth is that the bulk of an author’s income will—over time—come from their backlist. 

Backlist titles that are successful will continue to sell for years after they are released. 

R.A. Salvatore’s early Legends of Drizzt novels are an excellent example. Even though he’s released close to a hundred titles across multiple series, the one that keeps drawing new readers is the Drizzt series. Readers looking to begin the series start with the original book, Homeland, released three decades ago in 1990 and still creating income today.

4. It makes marketing and advertising easier

Your complete bibliography lets you experiment with marketing and advertising. Maybe you find that one title or series appeals more to the younger audience on Instagram and TikTok. An entirely different book will likely appeal to older readers who frequent Facebook or Twitter. 

Your video and photo content will change from platform to platform, book to book, series to series. But allows you greater reach to create that coveted fanbase.

For example, my The Silent Champions series’ audience is largely men who enjoy military fantasy with large-scale battles and detailed troop movements. I generally target them on Reddit and Facebook. However, my Queen of Thieves series appeals far more to female readers and those looking for a more intimate, darker story — perfect for Instagram.  

The whole point of creating a backlist (and especially a varied backlist) is to appeal to more readers, establishing a larger, more diverse, fanbase.

5. It keeps you in readers’ minds

As a reader, I fall in love with writing styles and  storytelling skills. I always want to know more and binge-read everything my favorite authors have published. I may not love everything they’ve written, but after reading their complete bibliography, I feel l know them; their voice, worldview, thoughts and opinions. It’s this connection that keeps me coming back in the future.

Your brand new book may not appeal to every reader, but your backlist is what cements them as true fans. And not just of your work, but you, specifically. 

To flip the saying around, “Your last books sell your next book.”

answered by Andy Peloquin

[loud-kid2]

To procrastinate working on my Sarasaland post I decided instead to work on this @peaches2217 @fudanshigreenthunder @silly-inky @supergay-64 @bberetd @itsavee4117 @silenzahra @vulpixfairy1985 @rainbogen @eleventhhourfactor

Bowser's father: King Bernard, green and yellow color scheme like Bowser, unlike his children he doesn't have red hair they get that from their mother, he has green hair, similar Iggy's hair color Bowser and Indigo have his eyes though. Did what he felt was best for the kingdom, which was mostly letting Queen Cecilia do as she pleased for fear of her turning her wrath to his people

Name means strong as a bear

Bowser's mother: Queen Kauila, red hair and Indigo's blue colors, followed her husband's lead in letting Cecilia do whatever, mostly focused on her people and infant sons before her and her husband's deaths

Name is a reference to a Hawaiian mythological creature named Kauila

Peach's dad: King Juniper, Peach gets her blond hair and blue eyes from him, he was a cautious ruler, under his rule the mushroom Kingdom only had a few allies, those being Sarasaland, Dark Kingdom and the Boos. Under his daughter's reign the Mushroom Kingdom gained more allies, namely its neighbors the Flower Kingdom and Beanbean Kingdom. Peach also got her healing powers from Juniper

Name is a reference to Juniper berries

Peach's mom: Queen Prudence, much like her husband she was a cautious leader. Like Queen Kauila she preferred spending time with her subjects. She felt horrible about her husband allowing their closest allies (at the time) be attacked and massacred by Cecilia, her plan was to send them aid after her child was born but as she died due to complications during Peach's birth she never got the chance to help, the last thing she ever got to do was name her newborn daughter.

Name means cautious

The incident that lead to Bernard and Kauila's deaths was Cecilia wanting to annex land from the Dark Kingdom and she also wanted an artifact from the Koopa royal family, the wand Dark Kingdom rulers had from the Kingdom's beginnings.

The reason she wanted the wand is because it actually works well with the royal Boo artifact, the gem that rested in her crown and later went on to one of the Boo leaders, King (dark moon King Boo). The wand was actually the invention of the first ruler of the Dark Kingdom, it allowed for Koopas to learn and use magic, how it and all wands work is by siphoning naturally produced magic that lingers around the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. The gem does a similar thing, siphons magic from the world but instead of allowing it to be used and wielded for spells, it pumps the siphoned magic directly into the Boo ruler to power up their abilities. It's supposed to be for the rulers whose powers are too weak to be helpful to their Boos but Cecilia just wanted more power so used the gem despite not needing it. It drove her mad, made her already tyrannical rule over the Boos worse. Already overworked and growing tired of the mad queen they weren't pleased when she began giving them more work by annexing lands and causing the Boos more work to maintain the new lands. When Bernard and Kauila refused to give Cecilia the wand and a large portion of their land she decided to try and take the land and wand through force by invading the Dark Kingdom with her army. She only got the land albeit temporarily thanks to the Koopa queen's quick thoughts when the attack on their land started. Kauila gave the wand to Kammy to hide it somewhere Cecilia would not find it while Bernard attempted to get help from the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser and Indigo weren't even named at that point, newborns in a castle under attack, it was a miracle they were not harmed. They had no appointed regent at the time so the nobility of other kingdoms used that to force a ten year old Bowser to be crowned king over having a childhood. With Peach's father refusing to send aid the king and queen of the Dark Kingdom unfortunately died in the attack, with Kauila being decapitated in the hallway outside the room where her infant sons were crying due to the chaos and Bernard being thrown out a window into the lava surrounding the kingdom. Bernard did not stick around to rule the kingdom until his eldest son was ready was because he was in too much of a dazed state after his death, a few of the Boos lead him to the land of the dead so he could have time to process everything and wait for his wife to arrive.

After the siege the Boos had enough of their queen taking more and more from others, so there was a revolution. They stormed the Boo queen's home and overthrew her, with the aid of the other residents of the land of the dead Cecilia was locked away in the lower city. The revolutionaries took to governing until a new monarch arose and could rule instead. They rebuilt the relationship with the Dark Kingdom while both the Boos and Dark Kingdom's relationship with the Mushroom Kingdom crumbled. To avenge the fallen rulers the revolutionaries made Juniper disappear leaving Peach orphaned as her mother died in childbirth. The Koopas and Boos saw it as an eye for an eye, Peach's father left Bernard and his wife to die because Juniper feared Cecilia's forces would advance on his kingdom while Prudence was due to give birth at any time so they left the newborn princess the same start Indigo and Bowser had. At the time it felt right but it left Peach with the same issue as Bowser, being a ruler from a young age without a childhood, it was much to late to do anything by the time the Boos realized they shouldn't have made the one remaining monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom vanish without a trace

In the land of the dead Bernard and Juniper grew to hate each other while Kauila and Prudence got along well, Bernard told Peach's dad that if he had helped both of their kids would've had at least one parent and Juniper hated being reminded that he made a really stupid decision. At some point their hate turned to a moderate dislike of one other, would rather not be in the same room but will be civil with each other.

[daniwib]

As a parent of two teenage boys (15 & 17), I want to offer some insight that might not be obvious to those who aren’t raising boys this age in this day and age.

Post-covid, the way teenage boys interact with the world has changed dramatically from every generation before them. Their entire social lives - school, hobbies, friendships - shifted online (yes, I know this happened to everyone but bear with me. I am specifically talking about boys this age now, not teen girls or anyone else). For many teenage boys, their social lives never fully shifted back offline post-covid. My husband and I were concerned when our kids continued preferring online interactions, even after restrictions lifted and school resumed.

We spoke with other parents of boys and a therapist, and we learned this is common. Many boys now feel more comfortable socializing online, whether through gaming, group chats, or social media. Unlike in-person interactions, online spaces remove physical and social pressures - how they look, how athletic they are or aren’t, or how confident they feel in face-to-face conversation. That makes it easier for them to connect and maintain friendships, even across distance. Gaming, in particular, provides a structured way to build friendships, practice teamwork, and engage socially in a way that feels natural to them and that has no relation to their physical bodies. We’ve seen Christopher gaming online with friends several times in recent seasons which is a very accurate depiction of boys his age (we’ve also seen Eddie’s frustration with it which is also very accurate for parents nowadays but I’m not talking about Eddie now).

As parents of boys this age, we’ve had to adjust to this reality. We learned to use Discord to meet our kids where they are, which has been surprisingly beneficial. Our youngest, closest in age to Christopher, struggles to engage at family gatherings but will happily chat with his grandparents over the phone. Our boys are still connected to childhood friends, kids from Scout camps across Australia and New Zealand, and people all over the world they’ve never met in person, all through online interactions.

They have more friendships than we ever did at their age, just in a different form. We still encourage real-world socializing, but we’ve had to accept that online interaction is a major part of their lives and isn’t going away.

With that in mind, I can absolutely see Christopher being okay with leaving LA because, for him, he’s not really leaving his life behind. Most of his social interactions are still there online. And while 9-1-1 does a great job acknowledging his CP, we know he’s not out playing team sports regularly, so it’s not unrealistic to assume many of his hobbies are online too (especially gaming. I cannot emphasize enough how important that is to boys his age). Changing schools doesn’t mean losing friendships the way it once did. We know from canon that he does have new friends that he sees in person in El Paso, and that he's going to swim club etc. He's not living entirely online and that's realistic too. But kids these days are different to the generations before them in how much more of their lives are online. I cannot emphasise that enough.

As for him choosing to stay with his grandparents, I’ve seen firsthand how different grandparenting is from parenting. Grandparents spoil their grandkids - cooking their favorite meals, not making them eat vegetables if they don’t want to, taking them on special (expensive) outings, giving them money, and allowing more screen time. They need afternoon naps and to go to sleep early at night.

Screen time means the kids are occupied while also still at home and safe and allows grandparents a much needed break, so they let them do it. They have no idea of what the digital world is like for kids these days. They have no idea how late our kids were staying up online while staying with them. And they have no idea how to monitor that or the ways kids can hide their online activities if they want to. They think if they tell our boys to go to bed it means they’ll go to sleep, not stay up all night gaming. Given how we've already seen the Helena in particular treat Chris in the canon, I can absolutely see them letting him have all the screen time he wants because he's 'safe'.

Yes, our kids have stayed with their grandparents for extended periods, and while I’d like to think the rules would change if they lived there permanently, I doubt it. And if one of our boys moved in while angry at us and was getting all of the indulgences that come with grandparenting, I can absolutely see them wanting to stay. The stage of development that their brains and bodies are at means their emotions run strong and deep can last a long time. Anger is very common at this stage because of that and also because they are still learning to regulate their emotions among so many other things. And when you add Chris's grief into that... As for not coming home - why would they want to come home to rules and expectations when they’re in a situation that feels so much easier?

I haven’t touched on Eddie’s response to the situation because that’s a whole other thing and this is already longer than I planned. But from a teenage boy’s perspective, this storyline makes more sense than it might seem at first glance. Hopefully, that helps explain why some of us see it as realistic.

i’m so confused by the chris off it all. like you’re telling me he’s so angry at his dad that he’s leaving his whole life behind to stay in texas with his grandparents? outside of eddie, chris still has school and hobbies. he has friends, and buck, and he’s just okay with only ever talking to them through facetime? it doesn’t make sense to me. unless the writers go with the route of helena and ramon excessively feeding into it, i will forever hate this storyline.

[bunnyboy-juice]

NO MORE ASSOCIATING THINGS WITH FEMMES ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE PINK!HYPERFEM FEMMES ARE GREAT AND I LOVE YOU CAMPY FEMMES WHO EMBODY PINK BUT ALSO JESUS CHRIST CAN YOU GUYS NOT GO MORE THAN ONE DAY W/O TRYING TO SHOEHORN FEMMES INTO BEING ONLY PINK UWU BABIES. I AM FEMME AS IN GRASS AS IN DIRT AS IN TREE BARK AS IN WEEDS SPROUTING THROUGH THE SIDEWALK CEMENT. FEMME AS IN GENDER NONCONFORMITY AS IN FUCK YOU MY FEMININITY IS WHAT *I* SAY IT IS. FEMME AS IN DEPTH AND DARKNESS AND WARMTH AND TERROR. FEMME AS IN CAVES. FEMME AS IN LIGHTNING. FEMME AS IN AN AMALGAMATION OF TRAITS THAT I HAVE DECIDED ARE FEMININE REGARDLESS OF WHAT SOCIETY SAYS. FUCK IS IT THAT HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!???

[firestorm09890]

Penny stardewvalley makes me so sad because she's SO sensitive to, like, basically everything you tell her (telling her that you can't stand children while two children are nearby is a pretty lousy move but -1500 friendship?? being a jerk to other characters' faces typically loses you about 50 points, and if you choose the option labeled "creepy" and ask Leah for a kiss in her 2 heart event she physically hits you and kicks you out of her house but that's only -100 friendship…) and so if you want to befriend her it's a whole lot of lying and tiptoeing around her feelings (2 hearts: George was right but saying that makes her feel bad. 6 hearts: her food sucks but even if you try to be polite about it she feels like a failure; only a bald-faced lie pleases her. 8 hearts: saying you don't want to be tied down with a family loses you a little bit of friendship and she's only happy if you say you want kids) and I can't help but think she's a product of her environment. She lives in a trailer with only her mother, who gets drunk every night and has something of a temper. Penny's like a skittish rescue animal who won’t even come out from hiding under something unless you leave her lots of treats

[reginageourge]

🕯️manifesting a gf who is not a gendie, not polyamorous, not into bdsm, not into drugs, and does not have a fashion sense straight out of tiktok🕯️

[vaguely-concerned]

I feel that during the first coffee date walk through the market, rye has a fraction of a millisecond's kneejerk trauma freakout of '...wait. wait. am I really catching feelings for a rich boy again. with how that went down last time. am I truly that stupid' (once derogatorily referred to quite openly at a party as 'young master anaxas' pet mortalitasi' to which the young master anaxas only grinned and shrugged and STILL you don't break up with his smug controlling ass for good for six more months because you have a desperate bottomless yearning pit where your self respect should go, twice shy lol). and then he actually looks at lucanis standing next to him getting harding spearmint to help with bad dreams and generally being so quietly thoughtful and sweet through the prosaic yet necessary medium of grocery shopping it makes me feel a little unwell to truly contemplate. and rye is like '*the softest fondest eyes anyone has ever turned on anything* ...you know what. I suspect we don't have to worry about that repeating, I think we're probably safe. I am comfortable being this level of stupid. (slowly dawning marital intent even at this stage)'.

(part of the reason rye buys NONE of illario's bullshit at all right from the beginning is that he's basically vaccinated against this exact type of dude after that relationship lol. charming suave guy who in the beginning pays you a lot of lavish attention and takes pains to make you feel special every time you're in a room with him -- but shallowly and mostly, it slowly dawns on you, when there's something he wants from you (and he's often doing it at the expense of someone else, raising you up to put someone else down and you won't believe this... it can turn into a seesaw at a whim. yay). and beneath that there's just a seething pit of resentment and inferiority complexes and bitterness left to fester until he can make it everyone else's problem and that IS going to start to bubble up between the cracks with you too if you stick around for long enough. no thank you been there done that wasted my youth and potential on it and all I got was this lousy shiny set of new emotional intimacy issues haunting me for life! trust me illario I HAVE, as it were, chosen the wrong dellamorte before, which is exactly how I know I didn't this time. go get him lucanis I've got your coffee

hilarious mental image: rye and illario sitting quietly together while everyone else is busy milling about during a cursed dellamorte family dinner (the vibes are so bad. you know the vibes are bad. sitting as still as you can and hoping for calm skies is your best bet without lucanis or teia favourite child privileges to work with) and rye out of the blue gazing thoughtfully into nothing over the edge of his glass with half-lidded eyes to go 'you know. you remind me a lot of my ex. not in a good way' and illario with absolutely no shame and hilariously also something that's the closest he ever gets to real sympathy going 'yeah, I get that a lot'. best talk those two ever had, unironically. their bond leveled up to its final form that day. *soulsborne boss defeated text* MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING REACHED)

[trans-yllz]

*holding my little wei wuxian plush in my hands* please mr yiling laozu help me pass my drivers test

[necrotic-nephilim]

do you ship helena bertinelli with anyone? if yes, then which characters and why? what's your favorite helena ship? do you have any helena rarepairs? (i know you've talked about helena/steph and you're so right about it, it's a very interesting ship)

!!!! i have so many ships for my best girl ever yes oh my god thank you for asking.

my top pairing is probably Vic Sage/the Question. Vic is the basic answer, but man. i love them so much. no couple has matched each other's freak like that have. Justice League Unlimited is a great adaptation of Helena in general, but it also did a great adaptation of Helena and Vic's relationship. how he just dedicates himself to helping her with no expected return, but also wants to make sure she doesn't go too far in a hunt for vengeance that never ends for her. i think a lot of characters often want to change Helena or expect things out of her for their own needs, like the Batfam and the BoP. but Vic is one of the few people who just wants her to be better for her own good. when he tries to stop her from killing it's not because of his morals, it's because he doesn't want this crusade to consume her. and i just. man i think about them a lot. Helena rlly likes weird little men who give themselves wholly to her.

Zinda Blake/Lady Blackhawk is also a top ship for me. tbh i just like Zinda. but i do love how Helena and Zinda interact, being the more rough and tumble members of the BoP. they're both outsiders, in different ways. Helena is an outsider of the Batfam and Zinda is literally from a different time and an outsider to the current world. their friendship is so genuine and i think if Babs and Dinah can have. whatever homoerotic nonsense going on during BoP, then Zinda and Helena deserve some homoerotic nonsense too. as a treat.

if we're willing to count New-52 Helena, then i enjoy Helena/Dick/Tiger. i think Helena and Dick being a past relationship is really important in pre-Flashpoint for Helena's development, though i don't ship them as a serious couple beyond a fling. but in the New-52, i think this throuple be fun. Helena and Tiger respect each other as two very driven, no-nonsense agents and then well. they both clearly have some kind of thing for Dick. so it's fun finding the balance of how they could all work together romantically.

and ofc. it's a crime to mention Helena ships and not mention Renee Montoya/the Question. every time they interact it's really fucking gay. it's so gay that Kate Kane, Renee's own ex, assumed Helena and Renee were gay. i cannot be convinced against this ship. i genuinely think this ship should be canon. i mean. DC did tease us with this moment from an alternate universe and it's lived rent for me since. fucking criminal for us to only get one panel of what we could have if DC let Helena be a fruit in the main universe. being in love with Helena Bertinelli should be a right of passage for the Question mantle, i personally believe. if you asked me like. genuinely who i want to see Helena date in the current comics, Renee is my top pick. (i would say Vic but he's fucking dead and the New-52 butchered him so rip my mans-)

lois lane (2019) #10

besides those ships, just about every ship for Helena probably falls into the category of rarepair. like you said i've talked about my love for Helena/Steph before bc god. i think it should be a thing more people ship. once i finish the fic i'm writing about them i will convince others to like it.

i also think Helena/Cass could be fun. in a *lot* of ways Helena and Cass are narrative parallels to each other. Helena was a victim of her family being murdered at about the same age Cass was forced to be a murderer. Helena grows up to believe in lethal justice because of this, and Cass grows up to be staunchly against it. Cass' Batgirl suit was made *by* Helena. they both want to be protectors of the most vulnerable people. they balance each other out in a lot of ways and i think they should kiss about it.

also probably a rarepair, i think Helena/Lady Shiva is fun. their fight during Birds of Prey (2010) had... questionable moments for Helena's characterization, but i do love so much that Helena knocks Shiva off her feet and gains a deep respect from Shiva. like. Shiva gives her a nickname and shows her admiration. i would like to see fanfic where Shiva continues to be weirdly admirable of Helena and bothering her non-stop. they could be a fun fucked up toxic yuri moment. this is just. so gay to me.

birds of prey (2010) #6

my most rare Helena pair would probably be Helena Wayne, actually. but specifically Helena Wayne of JSA (2022). ever since, for some reason, it was made canon that the current Helena Wayne was named after Helena Bertinelli and took the name Huntress to honor her i *cannot* stop thinking about them meeting. because in-universe it makes *no* fucking sense for Bruce to name his kid after *Helena Bertinelli*, someone he's regularly at odds with and doesn't like. it's clearly an awkward explanation to try to make the whole two Huntress situation make sense. (it's almost as bad as Helena Wayne in the New-52 using Helena Bertinelli as an alias.) but because it's such an odd choice, i do think it could be fun for Helena Wayne, when she's back in time to see Bruce, to find Helena Bertinelli to get to know the woman she was named after and Helena Bertinelli just being. baffled by the idea of *Batman* naming his kid after her. it could be a fun fucked up moment.

my other super rarepair is Kara Zor-L/Power Girl. they had like. one meaningful interaction of JSA Classified and it's been PLAGUING me. something about when Power Girl doesn't remember her past and she's seeking a friend, she instinctively goes to find Huntress? but it's wrong bc this isn't *her* Huntress and neither of them understand why Power Girl would seek Helena out? god it's so good. i'm always a big fan of ships where one person in the ship is *so* obviously using the other person as a replacement for someone they lost and they both know it. it's such a doomed angsty thing where you could play with Helena actually really liking Kara, but knowing that she's just a replacement for Kara's Helena Wayne. good fucked up shit man.

and lastly: i really ship her with Dawn Granger/Dove. there's no canon basis for this, they didn't have a ton of interactions even when they were both on the BoP. but there's a very kind innocence to Dawn that contrasts Helena's violence really well. and i do love a ship with a corruption kink vibe to it. let Helena corrupt Dawn. i could write such fucked up porn about these two.

[freakinator]

oh i realized i should probs make refs for all three forms the shifters (kab and vi) have huh

[skeletalheartattack]

Do you have a bluesky?

i do not, no.

[toashesireturn]

absolutely insane take from the priest this past sunday but apparently he doesn't consider marriages only carried out at the courthouse and not through the church as real marriages so if you got married and didnt get a specifically catholic marriage then having sex is still a sin. absolutely baffling take along with the rest of the purity culture bs he was spouting

[clowndensation]

wait explain to me the destiel hatred i’m curious what abt it angers u that doesn’t apply to the other two ships

great question! the answer would unfortunately require 3 hours and a powerpoint presentation, so i will try to do a brief summary:

a ship sucking only ever has about 25% to do with the ship itself. destiel is bad in the sense that i think dean winchester is an annoying character that gets treated with kiddie gloves by the narrative, which makes him irritating to see on screen, because i personally dislike it when "men are angry and abusive because they just love too strongly, and don't know how to express it :(" is played straight as a character's primary internal conflict. especially over 15 seasons. it's boring, he's boring, and 35 year old men shouldn't be going to colleges trying to figure out which freshman girls are legal or not. hate him.

however the real sin of destiel, beyond the fact that dean winchester and i have beef that will only ever resolve when i get to reincarnate as the rusty nail that kills him, is that the fans are so so so fucking annoying. like yes the narrative frames dean as a golden boy who can either do no wrong, or "well, i guess he did wrong there, but what about how tortured he is :(" but good god. at least the show isn't trying to convince me that destiel is some groundbreaking lifechanging love story, complete with "omg this moment" montages where they romanticize scenes that feature dean either insulting, threatening, or humiliating cas. like this entire show (post season 5) is dean chronically either infantillizing and attempting to keep cas under his control, or holding him up as the only person he can rely on, thus giving cas expectations that are impossible to fulfill.

and don't get me wrong! people can like a shitty person and a fucked up ship. that's basically everything i enjoy on here. but at least like. acknowledge it. aldfkjalka. and if you're gonna like a shitty person and a fucked up ship, at least write about it in an interesting way. 90% of fic and posts written about destiel aren't even about destiel as presented in canon, they're about two generic men with generic personalities who suffer from the world's most generic tropey problems. cookie cutter ass basic relationship. the high school au of ships. boring.

[littledead-ridinghood]

And the most important Jason Todd discourse starts anew: is he or is he not a Swiftie?