#fractured legacies

[labyrinthprops]

Legacy: Flesh and Fracture

By Theseus Valentine (Labyrinth Props) and UnderscoreIsCool

Chapter 1 - Part 1

-First- -Next-

Congratulations on finding this comic. This is a collaborative project between myself and UnderscoreIsCool.

I’m excited to get this project rolling.

You can find @underscoreiscool here on tumblr and over on AO3. They are a great guy to work with, and their writing is brilliant. Thanks very much to them for partnering with me on this.

[oldtvandcomics]

Compound Fracture is a Book About History and Legacy

Finally finished Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White. There is A LOT that this book has got going for it, but what sticks out the most to me is just how heavy it is with history.

It's something that you see a lot in Black fiction, this emphasis on ancestry and family heritage. Black Panther (2018), to name the example that everyone knows, or if we are at queer horror novels, Virginia Black's Consecrated Ground. Both a very much about family, about the land the family has ties to, and about the new generation's responsibilities to carry on this legacy. I haven't really seen it in white fiction before, at least not US American white fiction.

I especially have not seen it in queer fiction before.

Queer fiction deals a lot with alienation from the family. Characters either get kicked out, leave on their own free will, or have this strong feeling of alienation hanging over their heads. There is no connection to the past. Even the ones who are on good terms with their families, like the movie Runs In The Family (2023), which is genuinely one of the best father-son relationships I have ever seen ANYWHERE, are very much stuck in the present. You can be on good terms with a parent, or sibling, or grandparent, even your extended family, but the previous generations remain silent. The ones who manage to find queer role models within their family do so within someone who is still alive.

And, well, that's all of us, isn't it, doing whatever research into queer history we can however we can (word of mouth on the Internet, mostly), looking for people who might have been like us, but it's still so uncertain, and also, given the nature of the Internet, the names we find are from some random corner of the world that is pretty much never ours. It's Silas in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth latching on to James Barry, because who else is there?

Compound Fracture is all about legacy, and that legacy goes back four generations. It is no wonder that Miles' main Special Interest is history, it's the major theme of the book: How systems of power and oppression get passed down from one generation to the other, how everyone is basically a child caught in the sins of their parents, doomed to repeat it, over and over again. How the ones in power have the possibility to rewrite history, and use it to erase people they don't like, or simply don't care about, and how it takes conscious work and effort to preserve their memory.

And in the middle of it all, a revolutionary, a true role model, not from some random other place, but from Miles' own family. A figure he can look up to, a figure he can admire, a figure whose life and deeds still influence his everyday reality a hundred years later.

A figure he has pretty solid proof to have been a gay trans man.

Silas in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth already had this connection over time with Barry, but that was still quite distant, in that it was completely parasocial. Silas may have seen himself in many ways as Barry's spiritual successor, and he may have even been right, but there was no direct connection between them. If James Barry's consciousness still exists in that world, as a ghost or whatever, then he is pretty guaranteed not to know of Silas' existence. Like, why would he. But with Miles and Compound Fracture, Andrew Joseph White goes this one step further. There IS a direct link between him and Saint Abernathy. Saint Abernathy DOES exist in this book in the form of a ghost, and he DOES care about Miles, and he DOES make it abundantly clear that he is proud of him. Looking further, at the symbolism, it becomes clear that Miles is Saint's heir, and that he is worthy of that role.

I'm pretty sure that every queer person has dreamt of a similar situation regarding members of their own family before. Just knowing that there was someone would be amazing. But to have the founder of your family share your exact identity? To have a sign that they would be proud of you??

Yeah.

As I said, Compound Fracture is a very good book with many strong themes and consequently many reasons why it will appeal to a reader. But this weight of history and legacy are definitely going to be one of the major reasons. I think that we are all secretly STARVED for this kind of queer story.

[protagonistprime]

IDW Universe style Roller from both Legacy Evolution Armada Universe Optimus Prime and Fractured Friendship Orion Pax. ------------------------------------------------------------------ This took a while, but they are finally done. --------------------------------------------------------------------

Transformers, Roller, Optimus Prime, Armada belong to Hasbro and Takara, These Digibashes belong to me

[pocoslip]

If there is One Thing GoBots did Better than Transformers, its that they have Main Female Bots First

(Though people probably Love the Female Transformers More than GoBots just because they look like Girls in Robot Mode and Everyone gonna be Pissed at me for saying "Gobots did something Better than Transformers")

[driver270]

Mini Mayhem II

[thelastgherkin]

Generations Selects Go-Bot Guardians 3-Pack Go-Bot Treds (Legacy United)

Check it out guys, he's the grungler!

More like this:

Kingdom Deluxe Class Warpath

Legacy: Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection Deluxe Class Fracture

Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos Bike Robo

[lanterns-and-daydreams]

I feel like Kenji and Max would be best friends

[bookhighlightss]

Book Review on Imperfectly perfect series by Neva Altaj:

i. Painted Scars ( book #1 ) ( roman and nina )

1. Okay I've got complaints on this book because first of all what was this mentioning her " tiny " body that it ticked me off. WHAT TICKED ME OFF MORE IS HOW HE WAS LIKE SHE IS THE SAME HEIGHT AS ME WHILE IM SITTING DOWN. LIKE WHAT??!!! U MARRIED A CHILD OR SUMN???!!!!

2. What was her going on about being scared because he was HUGE and that scared her but at the same time validated bcs of her trauma but still.

3. I hated the fact that the fmc wasn't all strong and could fight n shit bcs um ur the pakhans wife???? What r u doing if ur not kicking ass????

4. Overall the book was um mid???

ii. Broken Whispers ( book #2 ) ( Mikhail and Bianca )

1. Okay love the fact that he was always obsessed with her and her whole ballet dance and him watching her was like so cute n shit.

2. The daughter father bond was peak so love it.

3. I absolutely also HATE the fact that she also wasn't a strong fmc bcs ur the daughter of another mafia leader????? Wdym???? I wanted kickass fmc.

4. AGAIN TINY PETITE BODY WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME but kinda will accept it cuz she's a ballet dancer. So fine I'll allow it.

5. HERE'S THE ICK IN THIS BOOK. he forces his ex to give birth to their child bcs she got pregnant and wanted an abortion....HE THREATENED TO KILL HER???!!!! And obv he's a man he wouldn't know the thousand problems that comes with pregnancy so makes sense yk don't let woman have her own right over her OWN body. Like srsly he's a book bf make him a green forest please.

6. Loved the book bcs it was a level up from the first mid book.

iii. Hidden Truths ( book #3 ) ( Sergei and Angelina )

1. Love the fact that the serial killer scenes were serial killing bcs wow they really went all graphic and I'm here for it. I'm sorry but they really gave justice to his psychotic character and behaviour when he was killing.

2. Okay this girl could fight so it's accepted.

3. The tiny and petite wasn't mentioned that much prolly bcs she starved herself but yea.

4. Okay she was retarded. Like hella retarded. SPOILERS AHEAD. basically their enemy said they would kill him if she didn't come back or wtv and SHE CHOSE TO HIDE FROM A MAN WHO WAS MADE INTO A WEAPON!!!!! like this guy could kill 3 ppl in 15 secs and u wanna hide this shit from him???? HE CAN SAVE HIS OWN LIFE!!!! YOU CANNOT!!!!! I hate it when main characters r all dumb and retarded and r like omg I was protecting him??? Hun.....he can fight trust me.

5. SPOILERS ENDED. um overall book was fine better than the second book.

iv. Ruined Secrets ( book #4 ) ( luca and Isabella )

1. This book is an ICK. ICK. ICK. ICK. They have a 16 yr age gap and idk bout u but that doesn't sit well with me. HE PRACTICALLY WATCHES HER GROW UP FROM WHEN SHE WAS 6!!!!! THAS NOT OKAY

2. Can I just say that the father daughter bond was not shown the tiniest bit in this book. She didn't even exist in the book like that less cameos. And that actually shows how he wasn't there for the daughter. Prolly would've been more scenes if the author wasn't busy putting more smut scenes but eh.

3. Okay she is super badass I will not lie. She did actually fit the role of a capos wife unlike the first book and I loved it.

4. Ummm he actually calls her HIS TEENAGE WIFE???!!!!! EXCUSE ME SIR???!!!! JAIL. HE LITERALLY SAYS I'LL WAIT TILL SHE IS 21???!!!! Excuse me??!!!! U don't wait!!!!! Thas a child!!!!! U said it urself. U could practically be her father. WHAT???!!!! Fr she was 19 he was 35 and thas not okay and it actually makes me pukish.

5. Also um the way her whole family was okay with them getting married bcs she has loved him since forever is a no. I'm sorry but thas a weird obsession and it needs to be gotten rid of and not fueled.

6.. THIS AUTHOR'S OBSESSION WITH THE FMC HAVING A TINY WAIST AND A TINY BODY WITH A HUGE ASS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND!!!!!!! I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

7. The plot is super nice tho. Fast paced but nice. If they minused the WAYYY TOO MUCH SMUT and age difference.

v. Stolen Touches ( book #5 ) ( Salvatore and milene )

1. To say I went through it while reading the book would be an understatement is just wild.

2. ICK. ICK. ICK. one this woman needs a reality check BCS TELL ME WHY all the characters she writes go through the absolute worst " mafia " torture but come back out with little harm LIKE BFFR thas impossible.

3. Can I just say the guy is psychotic bcs there's no way his hyperobsession was romanticised in the book the way it was. This is how serial killers are born. Okay this should have ended with him in therapy and divorce but okay I think it's not a shock that her are weird.

4. OKAY SO APPARENTLY THIS GUY BARELY SMILES AND WHEN HE HAS A DAUGHTER THAS WHEN HE DECIDED TO FINALLY SMILE???? you're telling me this girl went thru practically years without seeing her husband smile??? And he smiles for his new born baby for the first time??? Fuck off pls.

5. This book made me question my existence and will for life but thas just me idk.

vi. Fractured Souls ( book #6 ) ( Pavel and Asya )

1. This book had so much potential and the way she ruined it with smut😭. THIS COULDVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER.

2. AGAIN THIS BOOK WAS BACK WITH THE TINY AND PETITE AND EXTRA SMOL OUTFITS🥺 like oh yea sure not only is there a 15 year age gap but there's also child fetish LESGOOOOO AND THE FAVT THAT HES BLONDE??? DAFAK??

3. Okay so the book starts off great and tbh I thought this book would have no smut or one smut scene BUT NO THE BITCH ASS AUTHOR PICKED A SENSITIVE TOPIC TO WRITE ABOUT AND SOMEHOW MANAGED TO ADD SMUT IN IT

4. Look here's my opinion even tho I'm a hea girly but I feel like this book would be SO MUCH BETTER if they didn't end up tgt yk...like she never got to grow her own wings and fly?? Like this was just transfer from one gold prison to a rotten prison to another gold prison but it's prison at the end of the day. Like if they never were together and she just became an artist and he actually continued depressed and on with his life even tho he fell in love with her but he knew she could do better than that life then it would have been beautiful. Also if they never fucked then it would be even more beautiful.

5. I actually liked this book way much more than the previous 5 bcs he was a green flag if we forget the age gap ( I did for my own sanity ). Also the mall scenes were so CRINGY that I had to put the book down or I'd cut a vein. AND ISTG IF A RANDOM TATTED MAN THOUGHT HE COULD SHUT ME UP WITH A GLARE IN A PUBLIC PLACE...THE WAY I'D FUVK HIM UP....

6. Overall this book had potential which was horribly destroyed. Thank you.

vii. Burned dreams ( book #7 ) ( Alessandro and Ravenna )

1. Am I saying this book is shit? Yes. But am I saying it's better than the first three? Hell yes. Ig it took her 6 books to get a tad better but it'll do. I didn't wanna kms by the end of it.

2. Okay um IF THIS WOMAN DOSENT QUIT WITH HER PETITE OBSESSION I WILL KMS AND BECOME FAT ASF SO NO ONE EVER CALLS ME PETITE AND SMALL.

3. So this book actually had a somewhat a good plot so ig I liked it. But um basically he has an ex wife who died but I just didn't like the way he moved on and fell in love again even tho it took him 8 yrs but meh.

4. Again the smut....ick....also the way her books are so predictable is annoying but it'll do ig.

viii. Silent lies ( book #8 ) ( Drago and Sienna )

1. Omg was this book the best out of all 8? Hell yes. Okay the usual icks were petite and tiny and the 16 year age gap but ATP I just make myself forget those two.

2. GREEN FLAG. GREEN FLAG. HES A GREEN FLAG. SPOILER AHEAD. so like when he finds out she went thru his phone and he thought she was a spy but she was just going thru his gallery BUT LIKE he never asked her what she saw on his phone and thought she was a spy but he decided to love her despite of it.

3. I fucking love her wardrobe and I need it desperately.

4. THE GIFTS. THE GIFTS. THE GODDAMN GIFTS AAAAAAHHHHHH

5. Okay genuinely I relate to her character a lot and this was fr fr grumpy x sunshine and I'm just happy about the fact that this was the first proper book in the series so yea

ix. Darkest sins ( book #9 ) ( Kai and Nera )

1. This book was the SHITTIEST of all books in this series. I got the ick throughout the book. I felt sick to my stomach and actually wanted to barf.

2. This man deserves to be in a high security jail or killed. There's no redemption for him bye. This book was crazy. He's a psycho killer and look Ive had my fair share of reading those kinds of books but this one didn't even make sense.

3. Idek if I can call their romance Stockholm syndrome bcs it's worse than that and there is no romance in this its basically him lusting after a child and objectifying her.

4. ISTG IF THIS AUTHOR DOSENT STOP WITH FILLING THE BOOKS UP WITH SMUT TO THE BRIM. While the age gap of this book was acceptable ( 10 yrs ) the storyline was unacceptable and absolutely shit I couldnt even read it properly I just kept skipping bcs this book was just not it and horrible.

ix. Sweet prison ( book #10 )

( hasn't been published yet )

[arcann]

realizing that if i'm gonna make it so that the au ra are solidly on the side of nidhogg then there ARE STILL dragoons who would very much fight in perfect coordination with dragons.

and then taigat would have a much more solid reason to become one.

[t0rschlusspan1k]

Every parent dreams of peace in wartime Gentle reason that yawns throughout the day Of simple sadness, of fading scars, old studied anguish The kind that lives in other people's songs

Every parent knows the fear of daylight The lurking dread of sorrow's fresh assault Every shadow hides the next vicious invention Of time's cruel march against the fallow heart

A world no child dares explore

Strutting, jeering in the despairing face of hope Seethe a roiling, man-shaped multitude Jerking to the greedy whims of a hundred ruthless masters who manipulate the world The promise of a moment that makes great what others took And erases generations Devours helpless young Raises flags of victory over dead and salted earth Blinded eyes gaze past the ruin Of this world towards the next Can you hear the trumpets blasting? Are you ready to ascend?

Rushing down ever-further No remorse, no escape Nothing's left for the future Beyond today there's only hate

A world no child dares explore

The lasting memory of our age Their lasting memory of our time Hatred, fear, failure This is our gift Hatred, fear, failure This is our curse The lasting memory of our age Their lasting memory of our time Hatred, fear, failure

Far beyond the fracture of the sky Higher than the surging of seas When the embers of cities die What will there be to inherit? When the age of reason is failed When the word of God is law When every man knows his place What will there be to inherit?

Rushing down ever-further No remorse, no escape

Every parent dreams of peace And driven to lie To those wondrous gazes Somehow sentenced to life

[labyrinthprops]

Legacy: Flesh and Fracture

By Theseus Valentine (aka Labyrinth_Props) and UnderscoreIsCool

Chapter 1 - Part 2

-First- -Previous- -Next-

[chaos-vulpix]

Legacyverse: Jamie - Butterflies atop Heartstrings

This playlist will the first of “a few” character playlists, filled with songs that I think radiate the same vibes as them from my POV, whether it be right on the money or just something I’d imagine they’d have on their own playlists.

So, congrats my dear @k1ngtok1, Jamie drew the short straw.

All for Nothing - Duumu & MYRNE

Always This Late (Illenium Remix) - ODESZA

Cold Skin (Koven Remix) - Seven Lions & Echos

Comedown - Taska Black

Destroy Me - Bad Computer

Fairy Tale - Ekali & Elohim

Hurricane - Fytch

Keep Holding On - Polina | Arknights (Invitation to Wine)

Lovely - Billie Eilish & Khalid | Thirteen Reasons Why (Season 2)

Pray - Illenium ft. Kameron Alexander

[acircusfullofdemons]

(for the emoji ask thing) 💭, 🔱, 🐶, 💘, 🍔, and 😥 for any paras

[ ASK GAME ] || Since you didn't specify I used a random number generator to determine which paras to talk about lol.

💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)?

I really need to catch up on assigning my paras mbit/enneagrams...I've been slipping I'll admit. But False Moon has most of that figured out so here:

Calypso: enfp, 3w2, capricorn, tiger

Elliott: 4w5, cancer, rat

Jane: 8w7, aquarius, roster

Jordan: intp, 5w6, virgo, dragon

Rowan: istj, 1w2, tarus, rat

Toby: 9w8, aquarius

🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming?

James (Fractured Fables: Faux Pixies) is a pirate, so yes! Knowing how to swim is very important lol. He doesn't mind swimming, but prefers to do it in small lakes or lagoons — places where no unknown creatures can sneak up on him. Man would love the concept of pools.

🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets?

Jake (Phantasmagoria: Crossfire) currently doesn't, but he would LOVE to have bunnies. He adores rabbits & desperately wants two of his own: a spotted long hair — which he will name Thumper — and a brown lop ear that he wants to call Molly. 

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

Wendy (Fractured Fables: Faux Pixies) is very close with her younger brothers (Lewis & Charles). The three are often a trio and are often seen together in their free time. Wendy loves them a lot and is always looking out for them, giving advice, etc. She'd to anything to keep them safe.

🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

Seth (Phantasmagoria: Legacy) is a good cook. He's also a decent baker since Rowan (his son) likes sweets so he'd make some cakes for him occasionally. Though I think baking might’ve been more of Oscar’s (Seth's brother), so he sorta stays away from it now that he's gone.

😥 SAD BUT RELIEVED FACE — is your oc prone to getting stressed out, or is it easy for them to keep their cool?

Ella (Fractured Fables: Ever After) used to deal with a lot of stress due to a demanding and abusive Stepfamily, though she fortunately doesn't have to deal with them anymore. Still, she's pretty good at keeping her cool, with it taking a lot for her to break down. She's still working on saying when she's getting overwhelmed before she gets to that point, however, but those around her try to keep things as easy/peaceful as possible.

[totallynotreadingatwork]

Mini Book Reviews Again Again

Look I know I did one of these five minutes ago but I still have 20 books to get through here so bear with me okay.

Down Among the Dead Men by Peter Lovesey, book 15 of the Peter Diamond series - I don't normally read crime novels and this book reminded me why. It was a lot of police propaganda in places, a lot of nonsense in others, and overall just a bit boring. There was also a bit where someone being a lesbian was a major plot twist like??? what decade are we in??? (tbf it was written in 2015 but that's no excuse!). So yeah, didn't like this one much.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, book 2 of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series - Well, if I could marry a book series then this would be the one. It's beautifully crafted and beautifully written, and the worldbuilding in this one is incredible. I love the characters and the conflict and I can't quite articulate specifically how or why without giving too much away but seriously everyone should give this a go, I've even given it to my mum to read.

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley - Oh boy was that one weird. It's not very long, but it doesn't need to be. It was cool and creepy and ominous in so many ways, and I think it would be good for people who like more gothic horror than slasher horror. I'll never look at a hare the same way again. TW for off-screen child death though. Like almost the whole book is focused around a couple dealing with the loss of their son.

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, book 3 of the Heroes of Olympus series - What can be said that hasn't been said already? Pretty sure all of Tumblr already knows that this man is a brilliant author and that these books are amazing so I'm not going to elaborate here.

Fractured by Teri Terry, book 2 of the Slated series - Very early 2010s dystopia but still very good. I really do very strongly believe that part of the reason these books never majorly blew up the way The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner did is because they're set in Britain, and obviously weren't marketed as much. I'm enjoying them a lot. They're not the very best things I've ever read in my life, but I would have devoured them as a teenager if I'd gotten around to reading them back then.

Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick - Cute little lesbian love story. I enjoyed it well enough but it wasn't my favourite. It made me laugh in places, but I was never really invested in the relationship between the girls unfortunately. However, I was in a major reading slump at the time I read it, and was really stressed with work and life and stuff so maybe that was why I bounced off it.

Songbirds by Christy Lefteri - I'm not normally one for books that feel like they'd win a lot of awards (I like Blue Bloods for crying out loud!) but this one was very good indeed. I can't say I enjoyed it because the subject matter was really depressing, but it was very well written and had a lot to say about it's topic. It's about a live-in maid called Nisha who works for a woman in Cyprus but goes missing in chapter 1 and the rest of the book is her partner and her employer desperately trying to find her but struggling because basically no one else cares. It was a very powerful book in all honesty.

Rhosllannerchrugog, Johnstown, Ponciau, and Penycae: A Collection of Pictures by Dennis W. Gilpin - Just me out here reading some local history. Nothing that would really interest anyone who doesn't know the area, but it was fun to see places I know today as how they looked in the past.

The Dissolution of Valle Crucis Abbey by Derrick Pratt - Again, local history. It was a bit dry, as expected, but still fun to learn more about the local area.

Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz, book 2 of the Blue Bloods series - Again, complete trash, but for some reason I love it. I think it's partially nostalgia because I first read these back in 2010 or so when I was 11 or 12 and loved them then, but sometimes I think it's because we all need something to just switch our brains off to. Some people like reality TV, some people like Ali Hazlewood, I like Blue Bloods. It's all the same.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - This is one of those books that you get from the library and enjoy so much you immediately wan't to go out and buy your own copy of. Like I feel like I'm going to be incomplete if I don't have this book in my life forever. A truly beautiful world-hopping story about finding yourself and where you belong, and it has the 'book within a book' thing going on like in The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Can't say too much without giving it away, but it's very good and I recommend it.

Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz, book 3 of the Blue Bloods series - It's Armageddon time baby! No not really but there is a little bit of a reckoning. That all obviously comes secondary to the terrible romance thought because of course it does and that's what we're all here for anyway. It's still thoroughly problematic and off the wall, but hey, 2000s vampire novels were never going to be sensible. Cringe is dead give me more vampires.

The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa De La Cruz, book 4 of the Blue Bloods series - Oh look, more vampires! Originally, and for most of the year, I decided not to read too many books form the series too close to one another in case I got burnt out on the series, but Blue Bloods made me break that because I was having too much fun with them. I'm officially caught up to all the ones that were out when I first read the so form here on out I'm in uncharted territory. I'm hoping it's still all just as trashy.

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan, book 4 of the Heroes of Olympus series - Again, we all know Rick Riordan is god so I won't spend too much time on this one but I will say that I think that one is my favourite of the series. The bits in Tartarus are really well done and I still love all the characters and everyone on earth should read this book series.

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman, book 7 of the Invisible Library series - This is the second to last book in the series so things are really ramping up here and getting everything in place for the finale, and it managed to do all that whilst also telling a satisfying contained story. We've got another new main character, the return of an old villain or two, and adventure to be had all round. I'm very much looking forward to the next book.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King - Another lesbian romance one I didn't really enjoy. I think I'm getting too old for coming of age stories like this. Or maybe this one just wasn't very well written. It was okay for the most part, but I didn't like the love interest at all and it seemed a lot of the time that the main character didn't either, which isn't ideal for a romance. Also, there's a running thing where the main character will watch aeroplanes flying overhead and 'send her love' up to the passengers and then we'd cut to a passenger on the flight for a few pages as they magically feel overwhelmed with a sense of love that helps cure all their troubles or whatever and I thought that was silly and I didn't like it. Not the worst thing I've ever read though.

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan, book 5 of the Heroes of Olympus series - A cracking finale, even if I do still find the fight with Gaia a little anticlimactic. I love getting to hear from Reyna and Nico for the first time; they're some of my favourite characters. Honestly just a 10/10 series.

[krilati]

Tim, who is not Robin, but still feral

Okay, let's say Tim's parents decide that even if their child doesn't need a nanny, they want someone to check on their son's well-being. So Tim is required to go to the doctor once a week. And after he tried to bribe his first one to just tell his parents everything was fine. Janette decided it would be someone else each time.

Tim gets a car once a week that picks him up to see a doctor he doesn't know.

That way he doesn't have time to search for dirt, and he can't bribe anyone, since everyone drinks his mother more than him.

So after Nightwing turned Tim down (Dick later claimed the boy was black-haired and blue-eyed, but since he was often hallucinating Jason at the time, even he wasn't sure). The guy realized he couldn't go to Batman and insist on being Robin. The first fracture (which is 100% likely to happen in the early days of jumping on roofs and kicking angry adults) and the doctor would hand him over to his parents.

So Tim came up with a Plan.

Batman was angry, for a month now someone, every patrol, has been standing up for criminals. If he's lucky, he manages to land 5 hits (dude, your 1 hit can put a person in the hospital, Tim just has short legs, he still needs to run to the edge of the necessary roof) when someone distracts him.

Last time, they poured a bucket of paint on his head, it became almost impossible to see through the mask. Another time, they shot paintballs at his head until he left.

There was another memorable incident when something small landed on his head, and the next moment he was attacked by bats.

But today he finally cornered the attacker, it was a child whose face was hidden behind a mask that completely covered his face, and his hair was hidden behind a hood. He slowly approached the boy, he needed to find out who he worked for. Who decided that they had the right to interfere with him punishing criminals.

Only when Batman grabbed the attacker by the shoulder he felt dizzy and then everything around him went dark. Tim quietly patted himself on the head for the backup plan of the backup plan.

After waking up, Batman did not feel calmer, on the contrary, this meeting ignited even more rage in him.

How dare this child run around Gotham so carefree when his son was killed, how dare he protect criminals when one of them killed his son, how dare he..

That day, a file on a new criminal with high priority appeared on the Batcomputer, Alfred only reproachfully pursed his lips.

By the time Red Hood escaped from Talia (Yes, he escaped here, I don't know for sure, but I think Talia was pitting Jason against Tim to ensure her son had direct access to Bruce's legacy). Batman and Tim's confrontations became legendary.

Tim even had his own name and merchandise! Several names, actually, he was called Gotham's Whisperer, the Soul of Shadow, or Little Shadow. And in various Gotham stores you could find little figurines of him with various weapons that he demonstrated during this time.

Nightwing adored the little guy, although he had never met him in person. In fact, no one except Bruce had ever encountered the kid. And although Oracle never officially supported the boy, she never warned Batman if she saw a small dark silhouette through the cameras. Although Dick really wanted to know where the kid got the sniper rifle with tranquilizers, or how he hacked the Batmobile to put a sleeping Bruce in it and send him to the Cave, or how he got so many incriminating photos of Batman that he scattered all over the city when Batman didn't take one of his threats seriously.

Simply put, Nightwing was a fan, and had wanted the kid's autograph ever since the kid evacuated an entire alley, including Bruce, by playing the sound of a pack of rabid dogs approaching.

Batman, though he had passed the peak of his rage, still made Gotham afraid if he was spotted trolling alone.

Red Hood was furious, not only did his father not have the courage to avenge him, but he also dared to splash out his aggression on anyone who was not breathing smoothly on HIS Alley of Crime.

[thelastgherkin]

2008 // 2022