#getting into analytics

[misty-caligula]

Narrative cycles:

Pre-crash Nat: holding her own dads’ gun on him because he was attacking her mother. He then accidentally dies because of it, because she won’t let it go.

Javi: Going out of his way to save her, unintentionally dying and in doing so succeeding at saving her.

Lisa: Holding Nat’s own gun on her because she’s attacking her mother figure. She then accidentally dies because Lisa won’t back down.

adult!Nat: Going out of her way to save Lisa, unintentionally dying and in doing so succeeding at saving her.

---

Nat getting away without any repercussions over her dad’s death, because she never actually touched him. Nat feeling like a murderer, regardless.

The entire group of adults + Callie and Lisa agreeing to pretend the Nat’s death was an accidental overdose to cover for Misty, and for Lisa. Both feeling like they murdered her, regardless. (Watch this space, Lisa’s long term guilt may well be a thing in s3, as an echo of Nat)

---

Misty putting her hand up for butchery. Ignored by Coach and the knife being handed to Shauna.

Misty standing up to be bestowed antler queen title. Ignored by Lottie who gives it to Nat.

---

Misty being told by Lottie that they NEED her to pull her shit together in s2e7.

Misty telling Mari to pull her shit together in s2e8.

Misty telling Lottie to pull her shit together in s2e9.

adult!Misty constantly fixing problems without ever being asked to, because Lottie TOLD her to, back in the wilderness, and never told her to stop.

---

Misty taking off the fur in s1e1 and smiling, accepted and in her place.

Nat receiving her new position as ruler and smiling, accepted and in her place.

---

Nat: draws the queen of hearts, is chosen but doesn’t submit, runs instead and Javi dies in her place.

Shauna: draws the queen of hearts, is chosen but doesn’t submit, runs instead and Nat dies in her place.

---

Jackie: drinks hot chocolate and seals her fate.

Kevyn: drinks hot chocolate and seals his fate.

---

Jackie: been in the wilderness for months, trying and failing to start a tiny mossy campfire on her own, flicking her lighter and failing again and again. She refuses to re-enter the cabin, because of what it’ll cost her to do so, even when it kills her. In her anger at being frozen out she freezes to death.

Coach: been in the wilderness for months, trying and failing to start a tiny mossy campfire on his own, clacking his stones together and failing again and again. He refuses to re-enter the cabin, because of what it’ll cost him to do so, even if it kills him. In his fear of the girls’ monstrousness he tries to burn them, cleanse the wilderness of their corruption.

[mokeonn]

"But if college was free, then people would abuse that and get useless degrees" hell yeah I would! If I could go to college without debt I would make it my job to get a degree in every little thing that interested me. I'd get a doctorate in film studies. I'd have a bachelor's degree for every science I like. I'd try to learn at least 5 languages with varying results. I would learn something "useful" like coding and then follow it up with a ""useless"" degree like art history. I'd be the world record speed run holder for getting every degree possible.

But I can't afford college without going into massive debt, so instead I spent the last 5 years trying to figure out what I am passionate enough about to consider going into debt over, because unfortunately being passionate about everything is extremely expensive to pursue.

[sakuravalelp]

Don't eat anything else - Part 2 - DP X DC

Previous part

Masterpost

This is the only chapter where I'll tag people. Please, if you want to follow the story from this point on, follow the master post :).

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"You both should stop eating the food." Came Babs voice through the comms. "Danny asked Tim to not eat anything else. We suspect the food may content poison."

Bruce subtly shared a look with Cass before returning to nodding at Masters' proud rambling about his latest contract. They had both stopped eating long ago. The soup was good; Masters’ words about Danny being a good cook weren’t a lie. However, Bruce couldn’t identify the chunks of meat in the soup.

He initially thought it was pork, though the texture seemed somewhat similar to veal. By the fourth piece of meat he ate, he could confidently say he didn't recognize it. When he looked at Cass, he saw her using her spoon to play with one of the pieces of meat on the edge of the plate, a frown hidden behind her polite smile. He was sure then that the meat couldn't be one they had tasted before.

Bruce has tasted every kind of meat that should be available to Masters. He has even tasted exotic meats that Masters would probably never encounter, having represented humanity in intergalactic meetings as Batman. Not being able to identify the meat discouraged Bruce from eating more, and it seemed to have had the same effect on Cass. They had kept their food mostly untouched, using the excuse of waiting for Tim and Danny to return before eating. It was a good call; the meat being poisoned could be the reason it was unrecognizable.

"If any of you feel any symptoms, turn off your comm." None of them made a move to do so, and after a couple of minutes Babs continued, "I'll call Bruce in 10 minutes to create an excuse for you guys to leave."

Bruce would have liked to think that they had not yet consumed enough poison for it to affect them, but there's always the possibility of it being a delayed-effect poison. If Masters' plan with the poison was to kill them, then a delayed-effect poison would allow Masters to avoid being immediately connected to their deaths.

However, Masters shouldn’t have a reason to kill Bruce Wayne and his wards. Unless the man had discovered that they were investigating his contracts, which Bruce doubted. It was more likely that the poison was some sort of chemical restraint or chemical submissive, which would explain why Masters' contracts always seemed to end ridiculously in his favor. It would be easy to make such deals with someone who was drugged to be more agreeable with you.

Not that Bruce would be willing to take the risk to find out, especially with Cass having also ingested the tainted meat. He was glad he had brought the poison antidote kit with him. Despite this, Bruce wasn't sure about cutting the visit short, at least not for all of them. Tim had been gone with Danny for a while now, and if Danny had informed Tim about the food, they were probably exchanging information at the moment. Maybe Tim was in the process of offering Danny help, and Bruce didn't want to interrupt that.

"Renovations will be starting next week, and I'm sure the place will end up being quite popular," Masters finally finished his rambling.

"It sure sounds like it will. You certainly got yourself a great deal with Kensington, Mr. Masters. I'm curious, what is your negotiation method?" Bruce asked, hoping to gather more information.

Masters had been surprisingly adept at avoiding any conversation about the negotiations themselves, always sidetracking the discussion or giving half-answers. Drugs in the food was a good hypothesis and would be the best outcome for them, as such substances usually shouldn’t take too long to get out of their system.

Yet, it didn't explain how Masters' business partners seemed to stay committed to their contracts long after they were made. The furthest they had gotten from them was confusion about how they had reached the point where they accepted the contract's conditions. However, they all seemed convinced they had gotten the best outcome possible, despite obviously getting the short end of the stick.

It pointed to something besides drug usage. Maybe Masters got blackmail material from them while they were drugged? It would be easier to draw conclusions if Masters had even the smallest slip about it.

Masters smiled, taking a sip from his wine. "Ah, it takes years of practice, Wayne. It isn't something one can learn in a day, and only those with the capacity can master it," he said. Then, before Bruce could ask any follow-up questions, he continued, "Now, Daniel and young Mr. Drake sure seem to be taking their time."

"Oh, that doesn't surprise me," Bruce said, shaking his head with a fond smile, playing farther into his "Brucie" persona while lamenting the lost opportunities to get more leads on what Masters was doing. "They're around the same age. Surely they got distracted talking about whatever is of interest to kids their age these days."

"I would be glad if my godson got along so well with your son, Mr. Wayne," Masters said with a practiced smile, though a hint of calculation flickered in his eyes. He gestured vaguely with his wine glass, his tone deceptively sympathetic. "The loss of his family hasn't been easy for him, and building a connection with someone like Mr. Drake could be beneficial. However, it is quite rude to leave the guests waiting. As his guardian, I must address this. I’ll go search for them." Masters stated, standing up from his seat.

Luckily, Bruce didn't need to interject to stop Masters from interrupting his son's conversation with Danny, since the two boys appeared by the door as if summoned by Masters' comment. Danny visibly tensed the moment he spotted Masters standing in his place.

"Daniel, it's good you're finally back. I was about to go search for you," Masters said, throwing Danny a stern look.

Danny opened his mouth, probably about to apologize for the wait, but Tim beat him to it.

"So sorry, Mr. Masters. I had to take a shower before changing clothes."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mr. Drake," Masters said as he looked Tim up and down, evaluating if what Tim was saying was true. His eyes lingered on Tim's wet hair for a moment, and the tension in his eyes relaxed a bit. "It is Daniel's fault for throwing the soup on you. Now, shall we continue with the dinner?" Masters sat once more on his chair.

"Should—" Danny started, slightly stuttering when Masters' eyes returned to him. "Should I serve new portions? Since the ones on the table are probably cold by now?" the intensity of Masters gaze increased with every word Danny said. In response, Danny lowered his gaze to the floor, and shifted nervously.

Danny's voice was way too small by the end of his sentence, but Bruce could sense some hidden urgency in his tone. Remembering that Danny was the one who had warned them about the food, Bruce could infer that he was trying to further prevent them from eating it. It gave Bruce the impression that Masters had also caught onto that fact, given how tense the man was.

He was grateful for the kid doing their best to protect them, but lamented putting them in a position where they had to risk confronting their abuser. Bruce really hoped Tim had convinced Danny to leave with them. It shouldn't be difficult to create a reasonable invitation for Danny after Masters' comment about how he was isolating himself.

"Good idea," Cass said with a gentle smile directed at Danny before Masters could make any move.

Masters' eyes narrowed slightly, but then he nodded. "Very well. Daniel, go ahead."

As Danny hurried to the kitchen, Bruce shared a subtle glance with Tim, who was retaking his seat beside Cass. Unfortunately, instead of the nod indicating that they could get Danny to leave with them if they created the opportunity, Tim just shrugged. It wasn't the sign for Danny refusing help, but the one for things being more complicated than they seemed. Bruce sighed, and before Danny returned from the kitchen, his phone rang. He excused himself to answer Babs' call, lamenting not being able to take Danny with them.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Bruce came back from his brief call with Babs with a worried face that Cass knew wasn't the one he made when actual "family emergencies" happened. It was exagerated and dramatic, it screamed "something terrible had happened," and was perfect for this kind of situations. Bruce quickly ushered Cass and Tim out, apologizing to Masters for the hasty departure. They barely had time to say goodbye to Danny, who had hurried back from the kitchen after Masters had shouted about seeing off the guests.

Cass noticed a subtle shift in Danny’s demeanor as they prepared to leave. His shoulders dropped slightly, and there was a fleeting look of relief in his eyes. However, that relief was overshadowed by the palpable fear that clung to him; his tense posture betrayed the anxiety he was trying to hide. It was hard to leave him behind, and Cass almost ran back when she caught sight of Vlad’s possessive hand on Danny’s shoulder and his venomous, angry eyes as she was walking out the door.

As soon as they were in the car, Tim immediately began checking the vehicle and himself for hidden microphones, with Bruce and Cass following his lead with little more than a raised eyebrow. Tim’s decision to search for bugs made sense once he explained that Danny’s room had been bugged,

"Honestly, Danny's so careful with his actions and words everywhere, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole property is bugged."

The drive back to the house they had rented was tense, the atmosphere in the car thick with unspoken concerns. Tim decided to use the ride home to update them on what he had seen. In turn, Bruce spoke about the dinner with Masters, detailing their regrettable failure to extract any additional information from the man. The evening ultimately boiled down to the suspicion that the food had been poisoned. Cass remained silent, not feeling up to talking.

She had her doubts about the food being poisoned; even if the poison hadn't shown any symptoms, her past training should have allowed her to identify it if she had consumed it. It seemed unlikely that Masters possessed a poison so sophisticated that she couldn’t detect it, and the thought only deepened her unease. She though back to how their hosts acted at the start of the dinner.

Danny looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes darted nervously between them and Masters, his hands trembling slightly as he served the food. The guilt and fear radiating from him were almost palpable, as if he believed he was committing an unforgivable sin by offering them the meal.

Masters, however, didn’t seem like he was planning to poison them. He behaved more like Damian’s classmates had when they once tried to trick him into eating non-vegan food at a gala. His smile was too easy, his gestures too casual, like someone who thought they were pulling off a harmless but cruel prank. It felt like he was purposely feeding them something he knew was outside their comfort zone and ethical beliefs, testing their reactions with a detached amusement.

From the very beginning, Cass had felt a deep discomfort about the food. The way Masters and Danny acted around it had set off her internal alarms. When she took the first bite of the meat, something immediately felt off. The texture was unfamiliar, and the taste was oddly unsettling—not in a way that clearly indicated poison, but in a manner that was subtly disturbing, she didn't know what she was eating. It made her skin crawl, and she couldn’t bring herself to take another bite.

The car coming to a stop in the house’s garage jolted Cass out of her thoughts. They all exited the vehicle, and Jason’s motorcycle was parked beside them as he opened the door. tightly clenched jaw. Like the rest of them, he was frustrated by their inability to take Danny with them, but he wasn’t vocalizing it because he was also worried about what they had eaten.

Once the door was opened, Bruce was ready to rush into his bedroom to get the poison antidote kit, but Jason stopped him,

"Hold on old man, I want to know what the note the kid gave Tim says. It may even say what poison was used; save us time."

"Mnn" Bruce said with a slight nod, and Tim started unfolding the paper in response.

The folded paper was as small as a pinky, but once unfolded, it revealed a full letter-sized sheet, and the text filled at least half of it. Tim skimmed the text as he usually did before reading aloud, but his face quickly drained of color. His eyes widened in horror and disgust. Instead of reading aloud, he kept running his eyes over the first line repeatedly, his gaze darting between Bruce and Cass. His jaw was clenched tightly, and he struggled to keep his composure, fighting against the bile rising in his throat. Cass couldn’t help but frown deeply, a growing sense of dread settling in as she wondered what the paper could possibly contain.

"Forgot how to read, replacement?" Jason said, his tone lacking its usual edge. He stood beside Tim, his expression a mix of uncertainty and concern, unsure whether to reach for the paper or not.

Tim takes a shudering breath, and Cass herself can't help but shift in her place, her anxiety growing, as they all wait for Tim to gain back his voice and finally read what Danny's note says.

"The meat on the food is human meat." Tim finally says with a strained voice.

There's a moment of silence in the room. Cass keeps her eyes on Tim, hoping, pleading, to find any signs that what she heard is wrong, but Tim only repeats the sentence. Her stomach churns violently as bile rises in her throat. Without effort, she sinks to the ground, her legs giving out as she begins to vomit. The pounding of her heart fills her ears, as black dots fill her sight and her hands tremble uncontrollably. She is dimly aware of Bruce doubling over beside her, and the sound of Jason hitting the wall.

She ate human meat. It may have just been a bite, but she ate human meat. The dinner had been made from human meat. Her mind recoiled at the abhorrent thought. The thought of the soup they were served makes her vomit once more. She gasps for air, her body shaking as she fights against the rising tide of revulsion, desperately trying to rid herself of the lingering taste and the horrifying realization of what they ingested. She feels Tims hand doing smalls circles in her back and realizes that tears had been falling from her face.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Danny's hands trembled as he injected himself with another dose of ectoplasm. The shaking made the syringe jab painfully as he withdrew it, causing drops of blood and ectoplasm to fall to the floor while the injury quickly healed. Ten minutes of continuous electrical shocks wasn’t the worst punishment he had received from Vlad, but it had the most severe drawbacks. His body had a harder time recovering from electrical damage than from any other kind of harm, and Vlad often exploited this weakness.

He took a deep breath as the last of the Lichenberg marks disappeared from his legs and arms, leaving only the ones he’d gotten from his death. He sat on the bathroom floor, staring at the ceiling, his legs and arms still trembling. He wasn’t sure if the tremors were from the electrical aftershocks or his own anxiety. Vlad had been furious about his little stunt with the soup and had once again reminded him that they weren't eating Danny’s friends because he was such a "compassionate guardian."

The reminder had thrown Danny into a couple of panic attacks once he was allowed to return to his room. He thanks he's advanced dissociative abilities for not having those panics attacks in front of Vlad. He doesn't wan't to know how the man would try to exploit that.

But even as his whole body trembles and aches, he doesn’t regret his decisions. This is his only chance for things to change. The Waynes are a powerful family with connections to the Justice League. While the League has not interfered with what has happened in Amity Park up till now, they might get involved if the Waynes reach out to them. It’s wishful thinking, and he’s risking a lot, but this gut-wrenching dinner has become the first glimmer of hope he’s had since his family’s death, and he’ll hold onto it with his half-life.

Once he's body stops trembling and he's head feels a bit clearer, he needs to text Sam and Tucker. He'll depend on them for this to not backfire on all denizens.

[torchstelechos]

I love that Isabeau is the one to bring up the "what do we do if you die" conversation cause its a very good insight to his character at the very start of the game. Isabeau is practical, smart, and loves everyone dearly and wants to know how to help them when shit goes sideways. He's the one to ask about Bonnie too, which is a delightful read on how he thinks because everyone else shuts that down instantly as a "That wont happen and cant happen" but we see later in the game it can happen which is such a startling thing for a game to do but justifies the foreshadowing of Bonnie can die what do we do if that happens? Isabeau, despite everything, is also the one who gets to the heart of the matter even if its not something must people are willing to talk about. All without it being part of his friendquest, thats just him naturally. Which! Says so much about him and how he is! His character when its not about his relationship with Siffrin is a very intriguing thing because it feels like a very classic hard intellectual stance that's been softened after many years of learning to better communicate healthily with others. A reflection, if you will, of Odile but in a very drastic direction. I find him fascinating and I also want to scoop his brains out and study them under a microscope to see all his little brain thoughts.

[wisteriagoesvroom]

got jumpscared by these ‘cus it looks like he is a junior analyst at an investment bank

from mclaren’s ig

[thatrandombystander]

"Chaos' Hades 2 design is better because it's hot and having the genderqueer character be less eldritch is better representation"

Well maybe some of us genderqueers like interesting and thematic designs and identify more with eldritch monstrosities over conventional attractiveness? What about the unsettling weirdo representation for freaks like me 😔

Although holding the detached head and spine of your previous form does absolutely slap

[bayetea]

how jason would respond to the "he's so boring" allegations

[kissmefakeboys]

Very evil of me but my favorite content is ftmgirls wrestling with the dysphoria of being forced off T, whether that's from medical complications, uncooperative doctors, or financial reasons. Bonus points for timeline photos recording the changes as their bodies are force-feminized

[soleminisanction]

I keep seeing posts of people insisting that Steph is a "great detective" and "good at solving puzzles" and... no? There's zero evidence of that, guys. I literally went to the (ugh) Stephanie Brown wiki and searched for every variation I could think of for "riddle," "puzzle," "solves," "Stephanie solves," "Steph figures out" etc. and couldn't find... anything. And that's a site that skews everything to make Steph look like the most talented and important person in the entire universe.

No no, what Steph's actual (non-combat) skill set is, what she's actually good at, is being a spy.

Steph doesn't "solve her dad's puzzles" in no small part because, by the time she's around, their whole dynamic is that he's not leaving puzzles anymore. He's "cured" of that compulsion. That's why she's called The Spoiler, she spoils his supposedly flawless plans by leaving the clues FOR him. What she does is hide in the shadows or listen in around the house to hear what he's planning, then sneaks out and screws him over.

Even her costume is designed to sneak -- for as bright as the purple part can sometimes be colored, it'd still ultimately designed to blend into the shadows. That's probably also why they gave her the invisibility belt that one time, and she has a tendency to sneak up on other people, even when it's not a good idea, like that time at the start of Red Robin.

Frankly, the idea that Steph "likes puzzles" is bizarre to me -- why would she ever like something she associates with her father, when her primary motivation is that she hates him, everything that reminds her of him and anything that even implies she might be slightly like him? It makes way more sense that she'd dislike them and try to brute-force her way through any she can't just steal the cheat codes for.

TL;DR, I don't think Steph is the Bat you call for puzzles. I think she's the one you call to do an infiltration.

[casualavocados]

How's that possible? Since when did you start eating spicy food? I told you I'd do it for real next time. ...Don't touch me, or—I'll kill you!

KISEKI: DEAR TO ME Ep. 12

[odetojupiter]

i love that the zombie apocalypse conversation appears so often in fics like the foundation of andrew and neil’s relationship is based on them knowing each others survival plan

which is funny because in the book neil actually doesn’t actually contribute to the conversation it’s a convo between renee and andrew that neil gets fixated on (and then quotes back to andrew later in the book)

and do u know what. i love it, because that conversation is like a perfect demonstration of their characters - renee, concentrating on creating shelter for survivors, andrew concentrating on keeping his group protected, and neil, thinking that he’d probably cut and run and lamenting that fact UNTIL he realises he would want to go back for andrew. that conversation that neil isn’t even eally part of sets up perfect proof of neil’s character development even in the final book - i mean, the fact that neil says ‘chances were it would be instinctive to abandon all of them’ which he acknowledges as an ‘ugly truth’ already displays a change in his character since the first book - because in that one, he has no qualms about leaving, is prepared to do so as soon as necessary. but then the conversation comes back and neil says he ‘doesn’t want to be that person anymore’ he ‘wants to go back’ for andrew. and just. isn’t that beautiful.

so yes, every time the zombie apocalypse comes up in the most random places in fics i eat it up so hard. cause like, what a perfect hypothetical for them to talk about for 1 - because both of them spend most of their life having to learn to survive in different ways, and so their different approaches to the situation is a great way to demonstrate their different characterisations and show how their traumatic experiences shape the way they react to new dangerous situations - and 2 - because we can starkly see the change in neil when he realises he wouldn’t be able to just leave.

[ramenwithbroccoli]

not to be controversial on main, but i really do feel like way more people would enjoy maths if someone properly explained it to them & they didn't have a hanging threat of failing an exam above their heads

[vellichorom]

actually, don't you find it INTERESTING how control is split between the characters of the stanley parable. like think about it;

the narrator controls the game, for the most part; he keeps the show going, he keeps the world turning & narrates what's supposed to happen. the way he paints himself as having created the game, as well as stanley, you would Think he has his hand on the controls- but with endings like the confusion runaround, as well as the skip button incident, he seemingly does not.

the curator retains a bit more awareness of the situation at hand than the narrator; while both acknowledge there's something wrong & a vicious cycle may be at hand, the narrator only realizes that when allowed(?), where the curator- in her one interaction, is Painfully aware & tries to shut it down the only way she probably can or knows how. she likely doesn't have any control over the game, & her presence goes unnoticed by every other character that can possibly converse.

the settings person offers & maintains settings options that otherwise are inaccessible through normal means, something one would Think the narrator should be able to do - but doesn't, & they encourage you to keep the cycle going & KEEP playing, exploiting the game for all that it is & then some to assure as much, directly aiding the narrator's desire for a successful gaming experience, yet encouraging the worst possible outcome for everyone involved.

stanley is Literally the name of the game; he is the star, the world revolves around the actions he's made to perform, the narrative crafted around a story JUST for him. he defines. he gives the narrator meaning, he gives the curator & the settings person someone to infer to, he's been made to be important.

& you... well. you're really the star here, aren't you? without you, the game doesn't run. stanley isn't real. the cycle no longer perpetuates. for as long as you play, you keep the characters alive & contained within their roles. you keep the settings person happy, you make the narrator mostly happy(?), you make the curator watch this scenario unfold time & time again.

the main pillars worth noting in this game, INCLUDING YOU AS A PLAYER, all hold a piece of this gigantic puzzle that none of you are putting together & control is effectively fractured between you all.

referring back to my last post, having read all this, you tell me who the villain of the story is.

[vieramars]

VERY strong statement start. It also kind of reminds me how these statements are much more emotionally worded than TMA statements, which were viscerally described in terms of fear but you could tell they were being compelled whereas- ANOTHER FUCKING JARED ARE YOU KIDDING

[bogos-bint3d]

ok ok I trust you to be as insane about this as I am

in the seven eight nine dialogue, when Alphys talks about how seven loved five and was just doing what they felt they had to, Toriel interprets it as being Asgore doing what he had to for monsterkind, but I think she was actually thinking of Undyne doing what she felt like she had to by attacking Frisk, because she loves Asgore (and Alphys). being "sicced" on them as the captain of the royal guard, and playing the rule of the "misled antihero" in undertale's story.

when Toriel says that this makes seven "weak", Undyne bursts in with a distracting display of strength, trying to dismiss the topic. you could make the argument that she just wants to defuse Toriel from being mad at Asgore, but she has a seriously pissed look on her face. as if she took that personally, but also didn't know how to argue with it...

ANON. ANON YOU ARE SO FUCKING CORRECT FOR THIS HOLY SHIT. ANON. ANON WHO ARE YOU ILY

DUDE YOUR MIND UXJSJSJSJSJSJSJJSJD IM AO CTAZY ABOUT THIS MAN TY FOR SENDKNG THIS YOU ARE SO SMART OML SHSHSJSKSKSKK

^actual image of me right now thank you so so so so much anonymous. When I find you.