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scaryscarecrows · 1 month ago

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Tim is absolutely concerned that a Jokerized Batman is roaming Gotham. He’s a little more concerned that a literal army is invading Gotham. But right now, he’s just. Awkwardly sitting here.

Barbara’s alive, he keeps telling himself. Babs is okay. It’s a great feeling. Not that it’s helping him at all. He’s still stuck here, with nothing to do besides fiddle, for the thousandth time, with his communication unit and exchange steadily more commiserating glances with Harley Quinn.

“Hey, birdie. Wanna play pat-a-cake?” She grins at him, broken, and starts clapping slowly, sometimes putting her hands flat against the glass where he’s supposed to mimic her. “Aw, c’mon, Robin! We’re stuck ‘ere ‘til Bats comes to let us out.”

“He’s not letting you out,” he reminds her. She shrugs.

“Yeah…probably not. Oh, well…I could get used to Mistah J with bigger shoulders.”

Tim shudders. He doesn’t want this conversation. He’ll fix this. Bruce might have to spend some time-a lot of time-locked away, but he’ll fix this. He’s not really showing symptoms, there’s still time, he can—

BAM!

Oh no.

“Secure the area,” someone growls. “Get those doors locked down, fix the voice recognition lock. I don’t want him getting back in here if he gets loose.”

Well. Shit.

“Yessir.”

Tim’s fingers tighten around the little canister in his hand. The Arkham Knight was here before, God knows why, and he…took pity, is Tim’s best guess, tossed him a thing of mace. Held him at gunpoint the whole time, but still. Him-or his men, anyway, Tim hasn’t heard the man himself-being back here can only be bad.

But he’s not going down without a fight.

“Aww, miss me?” Harley calls, leaning against the glass. A second later, one of the soldiers enters the room. “Didn’t yer mama ever tell ya to take yer hat off to a lady?”

He ignores her in favor of nudging Henry’s bloody corpse and calling, “Hey, boss, you want me to move these outta the middle of the floor?”

Presumably the Knight is here, then. But he doesn’t answer.

“He says yeah!” somebody shouts from the elevator.

Okay?

This isn’t weird, not to the guy, because he leans down, grabs Henry’s wrists with a grimace, and starts pulling.

“Hey, Robin,” he says. “You, uh, you need food or anything? You’re not gonna die of dehydration in there, are you?”

No. These cells have the sad ‘healthy’ energy bars Bruce hands over if anyone dares to say, ‘hey, B, I’m hungry, how about Goth-King?’ They also have water bottles.

“You could let me out,” he says flatly. The guy stops mid-drag and fixes him with an exasperated expression.

“How stupid do you think I am.”

“Most thugs in this city are pretty damn dumb.”

“You know what, that’s fair.”

He doesn’t even try to move Albert King. He looks at him, sure, but then he calls over, “Trent! Come move this guy!”

“Chihuahua,” a voice rumbles in amusement. The other man holds up a middle finger.

“You’re just a freak. I’m not moving him when I can make you do it, so c’mere.”

Another man, this one around Albert’s size, enters. He laughs at the first one before leaning down, grabbing the ankles, and pulling the big man’s remains off towards the side.

Others file in, now. A man with some kind of computer and an antennae strapped to his back, a medic, a—

Holy shit.

Tim blinks, hoping he’s having a moment of…of…tired. Stress. Something. He’s not. Jason Todd is still standing not ten feet away. He’s older, obviously, but even without the brand on his face, he’s still recognizable.

It makes sense, in a horrible sort of way. They never found him, not even a…a likely match. The only thing they had was that tape, and Robin’s burned, bloody cape. Sure, Tim wouldn’t have thought he could do something like this–Jason was reckless and impulsive, this seems way too calculated–but he has the motive, and…well…

Oh my God.

Jason’s (??????) holding an ice pack to his throat, and the medic’s hissing at him like an angry goose.

“—talk, I said, keep your mouth shut, I said! You pay me to know this shit! That is my job! You are making it very hard for me to do my job, and so help me, if you make so much as a peep before I clear you—”

They’re just…completely ignoring him. He guesses it’s better than killing him, but. What do they want? What is going on around here?

Jason starts coughing and an older man thumps Medic between the shoulders.

“Good going. You broke him.” Then a gentler, “Maybe siddown, sir. You don’t look so good.”

No. No, he doesn’t. Ice pack aside, scars aside, he’s swaying on his feet and he looks green. He doesn’t fight, either, when the older man guides him to the examination table and gives him a nudge to make him sit down.

“There we go…you good? You’re not gonna pass out or anything?”

Jason shakes his head and adjusts the pack against his throat before flopping onto his back and rasping, “Gimme a minute.”

“No talking!” Medic shouts from across the room. He is ignored.

“Drouot.” First Man-okay, so he has a name now-is there in seconds. “Bring Robin up to speed, I can’t—”

“You got it, boss.”

Tim is so confused. They don’t seem to be here to hurt him, but they’ve been trying to kill Bruce all night, and Jason isn’t as dead as they thought and—

Drouot comes over to stand in front of the glass. He makes no move to let Tim out, but he does seem to be doing his best to look non-threatening. Well. As non-threatening as possible, being armed to the teeth and all.

“You doing okay in there?”

“Spare me the good cop routine.”

“You try to be nice…fine.” He straightens up and clasps his hands behind his back. “Our understanding is that Batman’s ability to fight the effects of the TITAN disease is shaky at best, and we have secured him to prevent him from harming others. Namely us.” He gives Tim a chilly smile and Tim wonders, then, how much these guys know. “Scarecrow’s Cloudburst was probably the catalyst—” What. “—but in hindsight, he’s been, uh. Not okay for most of the night—”

He’s cut off by Harley pounding her fists on the glass and screaming, “He’s takin’ afta my puddin’, and he’s gonna be perfect! You leave him alone, ya big meanie!”

Everybody cringes, and the big guy, Trent, twists around and steps over to her cell.

“Zip it, clown.”

Harley peers around him and lights up like a Christmas tree.

“Baby boy!” Huh-oh. This can’t be good. “Where have you been?”

Jason lifts a hand to flip her off before letting it dangle off the table. Trent smacks his palm against the glass and growls, “I said, zip it.”

“Make me.”

He looks tempted. Instead, he looks down at the keypad, pushes a button, and the soundproof panes slide into place. Harley isn’t happy about this. Drouot rubs his temples and mutters, “Too many freaks in this town…should’ve just blown it up from the sea and picked through the rubble for the bastard’s remains…anyways. I don’t like this situation any more than you do—”

“You took Gotham hostage!”

Drouot’s eye twitches. Behind him, the computer flashes red as somebody types on the keyboard. Harley’s blurry shape continues pounding on the glass. A Riddler trophy glows sickly green in the vents. (That had been wild-a bunch of robots had just…come in, placed the trophies, and left. Except for a few of them that went deeper into the studio and never came back.)

“I was going to let you out to try and stop Scarecrow.”

“He’s your boss.”

There’s a burst of offended chatter. Drouot looks like he wants to bang his head against the nearest wall.

“He’s a client, and that contract has been terminated at our discretion due to. Ah. Creative differences.” There’s laughter behind him. “And also a critical lack of communication, and unnecessary endangerment.” That’s their problem. It’s not like Scarecrow’s ever made an effort to hide his motivations. Well. Unless he has a bigger, more horrible plan to unveil. “And he creeps me out, so I don’t feel too bad.”

Does Tim recognize that as an attempt to convince him that they’re friendly? Yeah. Does he care? Only a little.

“That’s sort of his thing.”

“Really. I had no idea.” He looks at the keypad. “Are you going to leap at me and try to bash my head against the floor if I let you out?”

Honestly, probably not. He could get this one. He could feasibly take one more before the others start shooting, but if they’ve locked down the front door, who knows what else they’ve done. The odds of him getting out of here alive after mounting an attack are slim at best. For now, playing along is his best option.

“No.”

“Want me to open the cell, sir?”

Jason’s sitting up again, slumped forward with his free hand steadying himself against the side of the table. For a minute, Tim thinks he’ll say no-expects him to, even-but he nods, just once, and rasps, “He tries anything, put a bullet through his head.”

Ouch.

“Yessir.”

Drouot taps at the keypad until the door opens and steps back. The computer is no longer flashing red, which is disturbing, given the circumstances. But it’ll alert Barbara, if she hasn’t been already. Who knows what she’ll be able to do, with Bruce…somewhere…, but he’ll take it.

Jason looks at him and Tim…Tim doesn’t know what to say, if anything. How, exactly, do you make amends for…for…everything, basically. All of it. He hadn’t really expected, or wanted, to be Robin. He’d wanted Batman to stop half-murdering people, to help find Robin.

Something tells him that’s not going to go over well with Jason, or his little bodyguards. Uh. Big bodyguards. Minions.

“Thank you,” he finally forces out. Jason shrugs.

“I don’t like this any more than you do.”

That’s not surprising. This is one of the top five most awkward moments of Tim’s life, right after telling Bruce Wayne, ‘you’re Batman’ and having a horrible stare-off for two whole minutes.

“We’re sure he’s not, like, Joker Junior or anything, right?” Drouot says from behind him. Oh, that is it—

“Yeah. I mean, I’m all for bludgeoning him over the head and taking a blood saaaaample—”

“Stop. Talking.”

“—but I think Batman did that already, because his file’s clean.”

Of course Jason’s seen his file. Tim doesn’t think he likes this tidbit of knowledge.

“I’m standing right here.”

“That’s good.” He just said-! “What now, boss?”

Jason eyes Harley’s cell and swallows a few times before saying, “Sweep the whole building. You see any jack-in-the-boxes, shoot them from a distance, they’re explosive. Leave Riddler’s bullshit alone.”

“Yessir. You, uh, you coming with?”

“No. Robin and I are going to have a talk--no. I do not need a babysitter. Get going.”

They go, but none of them look too pleased. When the doors are shut, he stands up and makes his way to the computers to bring up the cameras. Tim wonders what to do.

“I thought about killing you, you know.” Where’s his staff. Bruce took it from him earlier and he would like it back. “Thought maybe I’d send your corpse back to B in a bird cage.”

Well. This is awkward.

“I’m…sorry?”

Jason snorts.

“Been hearing that a lot tonight.” He frowns and taps the intercom button. “There’s a back entrance behind the haunted house set. Seal it off.” Somebody throws a salute at the camera. Jason stumbles back onto the examination table and drops the half-thawed ice pack down next to him. “I’m not telling you where we left him,” he continues. “He’s out of control. He won’t stop laughing.”

Brr. Tim’s grateful, a little, that he’s been spared that sight. Bruce laughs, it’s not that. But his laugh is…warm. Deep and easy to miss if you’re not listening. Something tells him that’s not what was happening.

“What are you doing?”

“You didn’t really think I went into this without having a ‘ruin Scarecrow’s life’ plan.”

“I thought you were friends now.”

“You thought wrong.”

Maybe.

Tim considers trying to knock Jason out; there’s sedatives in that fridge, fast-acting ones. But he doesn’t know where Bruce is, Scarecrow is at large, and he’s not sure about, like allergies. The last thing he wants is to accidentally kill Jason for real this time.

Or for those sedatives to take a little too long, thus giving Jason the opportunity to kill Tim. That’s not good, either.

“Don’t get any ideas, Drake.” Damn. “You’re out of that cell because this is an all-hands-on-deck situation. Try anything, and I will put you down.” The or my men will is very much implied. “Scarecrow has Gordon.”

Somebody always has Gordon. Tim likes the man, but...but...honestly, over the years, he’s been kidnapped more than all three Robins combined.

His face must say as much, because Jason shrugs and says, “I know. Shocker, right? We know where he is, we’re going to handle it. But as much as it pains me to admit it, you can make yourself useful.”

#ficlet #will never be finished but you can look at it anyway #arkhamverse #scaryverse

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shesnake · 9 months ago

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#polls #bojack horseman #cowboy bebop #daria #soul eater #psycho pass #hellsing

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eludin-realm · 1 year ago

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Character Name Ideas (Male)

So I've been browsing through BehindTheName (great resource!) recently and have compiled several name lists. Here are some names, A-Z, that I like. NOTE: If you want to use any of these please verify sources, meanings etc, I just used BehindTheName to browse and find all of these. Under the cut:

A: Austin, Aiden, Adam, Alex, Angus, Anthony, Archie, Argo, Ari, Aric, Arno, Atlas, August, Aurelius, Alexei, Archer, Angelo, Adric, Acarius, Achilou, Alphard, Amelian, Archander B: Bodhi, Bastian, Baz, Beau, Beck, Buck, Basil, Benny, Bentley, Blake, Bowie, Brad, Brady, Brody, Brennan, Brent, Brett, Brycen C: Cab, Cal, Caden, Cáel, Caelan, Caleb, Cameron, Chase, Carlos, Cooper, Carter, Cas, Cash, Cassian, Castiel, Cedric, Cenric, Chance, Chandler, Chaz, Chad, Chester, Chet, Chip, Christian, Cillian, Claude, Cicero, Clint, Cody, Cory, Coy, Cole, Colt, Colton, Colin, Colorado, Colum, Conan, Conrad, Conway, Connor, Cornelius, Creed, Cyneric, Cynric, Cyrano, Cyril, Cyrus, Crestian, Ceric D: Dallas, Damien, Daniel, Darach, Dash, Dax, Dayton, Denver, Derek, Des, Desmond, Devin, Dewey, Dexter, Dietrich, Dion, Dmitri, Dominic, Dorian, Douglas, Draco, Drake, Drew, Dudley, Dustin, Dusty, Dylan, Danièu E: Eadric, Evan, Ethan, Easton, Eddie, Eddy, Einar, Eli, Eilas, Eiljah, Elliott, Elton, Emanuel, Emile, Emmett, Enzo, Erik, Evander, Everett, Ezio F: Faolán, Faron, Ferlin, Felix, Fenrir, Fergus, Finley, Finlay, Finn, Finnian, Finnegan, Flint, Flip, Flynn, Florian, Forrest, Fritz G: Gage, Gabe, Grady, Grant, Gray, Grayson, Gunnar, Gunther, Galahad H: Hale, Harley, Harper, Harvey, Harry, Huey, Hugh, Hunter, Huxley I: Ian, Ianto, Ike, Inigo, Isaac, Isaias, Ivan, Ísak J: Jack, Jacob, Jake, Jason, Jasper, Jax, Jay, Jensen, Jed, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jesse, Jett, Jimmie, Jonas, Jonas, Jonathan, Jordan, Josh, Julien, Jovian, Jun, Justin, Joseph, Joni, K: Kaden, Kai, Kale, Kane, Kaz, Keane, Keaton, Keith, Kenji, Kenneth, Kent, Kevin, Kieran, Kip, Knox, Kris, Kristian, Kyle, Kay, Kristján, Kristófer L: Lamont, Lance, Landon, Lane, Lars, László, Laurent, Layton, Leander, Leif, Leo, Leonidas, Leopold, Levi, Lewis, Louie, Liam, Liberty, Lincoln, Linc, Linus, Lionel, Logan, Loki, Lucas, Lucian, Lucio, Lucky, Luke, Luther, Lyall, Lycus, Lykos, Lyle, Lyndon, Llewellyn, Landri, Laurian, Lionç M: Major, Manny, Manuel, Marcus, Mason, Matt, Matthew, Matthias, Maverick, Maxim, Memphis, Midas, Mikko, Miles, Mitch, Mordecai, Mordred, Morgan, Macari, Maïus, Maxenci, Micolau, Miro N: Nate, Nathan, Nathaniel, Niall, Nico, Niels, Nik, Noah, Nolan, Niilo, Nikander, Novak, O: Oakley, Octavian, Odin, Orlando, Orrick, Ǫrvar, Othello, Otis, Otto, Ovid, Owain, Owen, Øyvind, Ozzie, Ollie, Oliver, Onni P: Paisley, Palmer, Percival, Percy, Perry, Peyton, Phelan, Phineas, Phoenix, Piers, Pierce, Porter, Presley, Preston, Pacian Q: Quinn, Quincy, Quintin R: Ragnar, Raiden, Ren, Rain, Rainier, Ramos, Ramsey, Ransom, Raul, Ray, Roy, Reagan, Redd, Reese, Rhys, Rhett, Reginald, Remiel, Remy, Ridge, Ridley, Ripley, Rigby, Riggs, Riley, River, Robert, Rocky, Rokas, Roman, Ronan, Ronin, Romeo, Rory, Ross, Ruairí, Rufus, Rusty, Ryder, Ryker, Rylan, Riku, Roni S: Sammie, Sammy, Samuel, Samson, Sanford, Sawyer, Scout, Seán, Seth, Sebastian, Seymour, Shane, Shaun, Shawn, Sheldon, Shiloh, Shun, Sid, Sidney, Silas, Skip, Skipper, Skyler, Slade, Spencer, Spike, Stan, Stanford, Sterling, Stevie, Stijn, Suni, Sylvan, Sylvester T: Tab, Tad, Tanner, Tate, Tennessee, Tero, Terrance, Tevin, Thatcher, Tierno, Tino, Titus, Tobias, Tony, Torin, Trace, Trent, Trenton, Trev, Trevor, Trey, Troy, Tripp, Tristan, Tucker, Turner, Tyler, Ty, Teemu U: Ulric V: Valerius, Valor, Van, Vernon, Vespasian, Vic, Victor, Vico, Vince, Vinny, Vincent W: Wade, Walker, Wallis, Wally, Walt, Wardell, Warwick, Watson, Waylon, Wayne, Wes, Wesley, Weston, Whitley, Wilder, Wiley, William, Wolfe, Wolfgang, Woody, Wulfric, Wyatt, Wynn X: Xander, Xavier Z: Zachary, Zach, Zane, Zeb, Zebediah, Zed, Zeke, Zeph, Zaccai

#will i use these names for future characters? absolutely yes #okay to reblog this #okay to reblog

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gojossotoru · 1 month ago

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Names ideas for your original character(s)!!! <3

FIRST NAMES (FEMALE)

Beverly

Evangeline

Bonnie

Mackenzie

Evelyn

Mia

Marina

Lana

Jane

Maxine

Chloe

Beatrice

Zoe/Zoey

Rachel

Ella

Ellie

Wendy

Winifred

Tanya

Sonya

Theresa

Sandra

Andrea

Alexandria

Diana

Dana

Victoria

Veronica

Joyce

Juliana

Julie

Juliet/Juliette

Julia

Lily

Lola

Melody

Amanda

Olivia

Vivianne/Vivian

Charlotte

Yasmin

Madeline/Madelyn

Hannah

Bethany

Anne/Ann

Annie

Fiona

Faye/Fay

Alison

Natalie

Sasha

Isabella/Isabela

Isabelle

Eunice

Violet

Caitlin/Caitlyn/Katelyn

Miranda

Cassandra

Rosemary

Mary

Maria

Laura

Ramona

Nancy

Erica

Daisy

Darlene

Miriam

Jean

Janice

Eleanor/Elinor

Nora

Ginevra

Margaret

Marguerite

Ophelia

Annabeth

Nicole

Diedre

Siobhan

Molly

Holly

Milicent

Doris

Francesca

Elizabeth

Catherine

Daphne

Penelope

Eloise

Priscilla

Sofia

Celine

Karina

Irene

Jennifer

Roseanne

FIRST NAMES (MALE)

Samuel

Christopher

Michael

Lucas

Austin

Dustin

Steve

William

Nathaniel

Warren

James

Ethan

Anthony

Richard

Edward

Edmund

Clark

Trevor

Sean/Shawn

Fitzwilliam

Marcus/Markus

Liam

Charles

Jonathan/Johnathan

Bruce

Daniel

Theodore

Peter

Earnest

Bucky

Damon

Louis

Bryce

Gordon

Maxwell

Maximillian

Seth

Kurt

Thomas

Oscar

Scott

Frederick

Leon

Sebastian

Russell

Trent

Justin

Joshua

Vernon

Davis

FIRST NAMES (UNISEX)

Harley

Robin

Quinn

Casey

Lesley/Leslie

Blake

Bailey

Aubrey

Sydney

Cameron

(LAST) NAMES

Hastings

Marino

De Luca

Hopkins

Hopper

Harrington

Hargrove

Mayflower

Mayfield

Flowers

MacMillan

Price

Caulfield

Mayfield

Redfield

Baker

Prescott

Sinclair

Starling

Taylor

Vendome

Vincent

Jones

Trudeau

Barnes

Richardson

Bowers

Wheeler

Byers

O'Connor

O'Neil/O'Neill

Day

Ellison

Henderson

Anderson

Wayne

Danvers

White

Hall

Green/Greene

Carlson

Wilson

Edwards

MacTavish

Waterhouse

Gilmore

Montgomery

Harmon

Winters

Quinton

Seymour

Berman

Whitmore

Lovett

Kennedy

Walker

Johnson

That's all for the name ideas!!! Hope this'll help you if you're struggling to come up with a name :3

#for writers #name ideas #oc ideas #writer community #writer on tumblr #character names #oc

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valentinajadehill · 1 year ago

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trent alexander arnold blurbs

world cup

slap

euros

call up

brits

birthday

aa birthday post

his bday

his dad

wingmen

live

wingmen prank

u9 zoom call

hickey prank

hair

spoty

do what she says

im a celeb

league

lap

harley quinn

livestream

accent

baby

insecure

tiktok questions

loyalty test

two years

comforting

private jet

singing

down low

dogs

shy and quiet?

happy anniversary

cuddles

dutch

sunbathing

mate

derby

kisses

flirting

girls holiday

overprotective

horror movie night

actress

training

morning

dedicated

after show walk

anxiety

model

f1 driver

dating trent includes

studying

dogs

paps

kick about

competitive

fifa

marcel

asleep

clingy

harry potter

tattoos

valentines

perrie

drunk trent

so in love

good night kiss

accent

surprise

break up prank

rumoured

hangry

jadon, part two

ig official

lazy

tyler

injury

ambassador

chelsea

fluff alphabet

dating him

brushing you off

assumptions

sick

christmas party

wedding

#trent alexander arnold x reader #trent alexander arnold blurbs

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mayhemhq · 5 months ago

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TEAM SICK FREAKS (secretly team sick fucks) COACH: hook. / @worshipme COLOR: orange TEAM UNIFORM: orange top with team name printed on it. any black bottoms. feel free to accessorize as you see fit. TEAM SONG: nasty girl remix by tinashe (ft. chloe)

**please note that we will have posts queued at the start of each game to kick off interactions with both teams in each game. these are just an overview of the games and teams is just for ooc reference, so muns have prior knowledge and can be prepared.

game one: egg & spoon race.

participating is the team of: @smileinspite, @poppindawgs @omegaweapons @ratedrcope @lexnair @thewrestlerx a.k.a. WILLOW, TRENT, KENNY, ADAM, LEXY & SHIBATA.

game two: wet seatpants relay.

participating is the team of: @jernigans @skippen @timelesstcrm @harleycam @itsyazmin @haytersade a.k.a. ANNA, KIP, TONI, HARLEY, YAZMIN & JAMIE.

game three: zorb ball relay.

participating is the team of: @hdbnger @judgmentjay @kylefletcher @trkhan @lvigier @brokcnhalo a.k.a. ELP, JAY, KYLE, TONY, LIAM & MELISSA.

game four: dodgeball.

participating is the team of: @zsjr @rebelsovereign @mcnemaker @scumbagmax @callmedaddystat @absolutestroke @paparoddy a.k.a. ZACK, DAVID, MERCEDES, MAX, KRIS, RICKY & RODERICK.

game five: pit pursuit.

participating is the team of: @fightingglamour @firedidol @wrkhorse @pennymead @dear-abril @blckthrnes a.k.a. MARIAH, MAKI, ANTHONY, PENNY, ABRIL & JULIA.

game six: obstacle course.

participating is the team of: @junglds @obeybrookes @smdftb @luncaticmoxley @brittsdmd @sw3rvecity @scisscrking @beachorange a.k.a. JACK, CHRIS, DANNY, JON, BRITT, SWERVE, ANTHONY & ORANGE CASSIDY.

#m.event (mayhem on the strip)#m.admins

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georgiapeach30513 · 2 years ago

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Victim of the Circumstance, Part 2

Summary: Mirabelle is trying to get you in trouble

Pairings: James Mace X Reader

Rating: mature

Warnings: toy play, female masturbation, mentions of deceased parent, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 4.6K

Series Masterlist

*dividers created by @firefly-graphics

“Benning, will you put the clothes that are in the washer in the dryer, and that basket in front of the washer in there, please? Mirabelle, mommy needs you to start setting the table,” while Benning may groan, he does get up off the couch and walks into the laundry room. And the sweetest little angel of a daughter jumps up to grab the plates you had set on the counter.

“Baby, slow, okay? This isn’t a race. Mommy hasn’t finished cooking.”

“Yes, ma’am,” her chubby little fingers reach for one plate at a time. Keeping her busy, while also ensuring that you didn’t get another broken plate on your hands. “Mommy, I made sixty dollars at my orange juice stand, I did.”

“Sixty dollars?” You turn around to look at her, and she just nods her head proudly. “How did you make sixty dollars?”

“I don’t know how to make change. So I didn’t. Nope. And Uncle Bill brought his crew over there, he did,” she looks at you slyly. William hated to be called Bill. William or Will is all he would allow. Mirabelle and Benning were the only exception to that rule. “Mommy, how do you know when you’ve fallen in love?”

“Oh, my sweet darling, you shouldn’t have to worry about that for a long time. Who do you think you’ve fallen in love with?”

“An older man,” she gives you a little giggle, heading to the counter to grab the forks. “Do you think you will,” she catches sight of her brother, and she looks at you, shaking her head. “Never mind. Benny, did you have a good day at school today?”

“It was fine,” his voice was flat. It was never fine. Recently your son acted as if the world was on his shoulders, and there just was nothing to make him happy. “Can I go to Trent’s house this weekend?”

“Why? You never want to spend time with me and sissy anymore.”

“Well, Trent’s dad is helping us with my telescope,” ahh. The dreaded ‘Trent’s dad’. Trent’s dad did everything with his son, and extended that to yours. You were grateful of course. But sometimes you want Benning to yourself. Had tried to make time for just him, but you were just a mom. You weren’t a dad that knew about telescopes

“Well, can’t I help you with your telescope?”

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“Isn’t that what YouTube is for? You telling me that Mr. Beck knows exactly what he’s doing?” Beck was starting to get on your nerves. He was getting all this time with your son who was growing up too fast, and too far away from you.

“Yeah. He hardly ever looks at YouTube. So can I go or not?”

“Watch your tone.”

“Please, mom, can I go to Trent’s house?” It was better. But you were not going to have him be disrespectful. The dreaded teenage years were around the corner, and if this was what you had to look forward to, you were not excited.

“Fine, now, let’s eat,” quietly the two of them go to the table. A table with four chairs, and Sy never got to sit in one. Each of your children eat their dinner slowly. Conversation almost eliminated by Benning’s bringing up the fact he didn’t have a father.

“Mommy, can I bring a friend over for dinner one night?”

“Do you even have friends?” Mirabelle pouts at her brother, and his face completely changes. The light in his eyes coming back for a moment when he sees he hurt his sister’s feelings. They used to have the sweetest relationship. “I’m only kidding, Sissy. I know that Dawn is your friend.”

“No, not one from school. I met him today.”

“Did a little boy come into the store? Sweetheart, a lot of people that come in that store are tourists, and…”

“No, over there,” she points over to the new build, and you take a deep gulp. There were men around your daughter. You knew that Hazel or Harley, and even William were right there, but they couldn’t watch her every second.

“Mirabelle, I don’t want you to set up your stand over there anymore. I’ll talk to Harley and Hazel and…”

“No, he was really nice. Even Uncle Bill liked him. Told him he had to keep an eye on me, and…I want him to come to dinner with us one night. He’s very handsome, he just needs a haircut, and…” her eyes move down to the table when the screech of Benning’s chair echoes in the kitchen. “Benny, I’m sorry.”

“What is this? You got your four year old picking you up dates?”

“Excuse me?”

“What don’t you get about your vows?”

“Benning Kepler Syverson, you stop this instant!”

“No! No one is ever going to be dad! I don’t need a dad! I want mine back,” standing up, he stomps towards his bedroom. It was like you never could move forward with him. Four years later and he was still angry that you were replacing his father, and you hadn’t even looked at another man, forget about touching.

“Mommy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make Bubba mad,” holding out your arms, you let your confused daughter crawl into your lap. Brushing back her hair as she cries. “I don’t want Mace as my daddy. But…but how come Benning got to have a daddy, and I didn’t?”

“Baby, Benning is just very angry right now. He misses daddy.”

“I don’t get to miss him though, because I never met him. I want a daddy, too,” dramatic evenings were becoming too common. Hearing the loud music coming from Benning’s room, you hold your baby even tighter. The baby that Sy had begged you for. He had wanted her so much. Dreamed about who she would look like. And he didn’t get his wish, because she favored him instead of you.

“Mommy can you get me a daddy?”

“Not tonight. How about mommy makes you a bowl of Miss Hazel’s fresh orange sherbet before bed?”

“Okay. I still want a daddy though. I didn’t mean for my new friend to be a daddy. I just think…it doesn’t matter anymore,” you give her a quick kiss, and still holding her as you start to make her a bowl of her favorite treat. Waiting until she fell asleep before you dealt with your son.

You lean over to give Mirabelle a soft kiss to her forehead, and she rolls over, squeezing her raggedy seahorse stuffy. The first and last gift her dad had ever gotten her. She was growing up too fast, and with every year older you were reminded of how many years you had been alone. And just how many years it was just you and them.

Turning on her sound machine, you gently close the door, and walk down the hall to Benning’s room. Not even bothering to knock when you walk in, “What are you doing in here?”

“That was uncalled for,” his eyes roll up to look at you slowly. “I know you miss him. I know you hate the thought of any man coming into the picture, but…”

“You’re not even taking your vows seriously!”

“Do not tell me about my vows that I made. I was loyal to your father. He was on a tour and overseas, and I was your mother and that was it. I waited on your father. Do not talk to me about my vows to him. I loved him. He was my everything. And I know you’re hurting, but so am, and so is your sister.”

“She never even met him. How is she hurting?” These feeling were all too common for military families. Too often kids were left without a mother or a father. Or worse, neither. You thought you would be different. You thought wrong.

“You’re so angry that you don’t even see how you being hurt, hurts her. She might not have met your dad, but she stares at his pictures all the time. She asks about him all the time. She tells me she remembers him touching her through my belly all the time, but you’re too busy worrying about your own pain instead of hers. Benning, what do you want me to do?”

He shrugs, sliding down more onto his bed. With your hands on your hips, you try and think of the best things to say to him. You had never imagined a life where you didn’t have their father. Never could have prepared yourself to be a single mother to two kids. And now. You had a young boy who was just angry all the time.

“You’re not going to act like that and disrespect me. We’re going back to counseling.”

“No!”

“And you need to remember, I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life. I’m not saying I am ready to date, and definitely not ready to bring any man around you. But I won’t deny myself affection from a man,” he rolls his eyes, and turns his back towards you. “You can be mad, son, but…daddy wouldn’t have wanted me to be alone.”

“Daddy would have wanted you to only love him.”

“I did. And now he’s gone, and I can’t physically love him anymore. I can love his memory, and I’m still in love with his memory. But this…this every night causing some form of drama, we’re not doing. We’re going back to counseling, or you can go alone. I don’t care. But I want you to put your anger towards something else. Because I am doing all that I know how to do. Just remember how much your sister adores you. She loves you so much. And this is confusing to her. I love you.”

You stand still waiting for his response. Watching him rub the silky outline of his baby blanket, “Benning, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Goodnight,” you whisper, turning out his light. It was like he felt responsible for the household. He was the man of the house, and he was letting that title crush him, instead of dealing with his grief.

He was too young. His father was taken from him when he was too young. Walking into your bedroom, the last family photo of you three, and a Mirabelle bump makes you angry. “You left me with this, Sy. You said this was the last time, and you not coming home is not how I interpreted that. We were supposed to be a team. We were supposed to be together forever. Why did you tell him he was in charge when you left? Why couldn’t you have told him to be a little boy?”

Night’s like these were always the hardest. Both your babies going to sleep upset, and you frustrated. “I didn’t agree to be a widow before I turned forty. God, I didn’t agree to be alone, and raising two kids. Two amazing and beautiful kids. Sy, I need you. I need you to just hold me and fuck away the sad and angry tears to blissful ones. And…fuck!” You whisper scream going over towards your drawer.

Pulling it open, you grab your hitachi magic wand to plug up. Looking back at the door, Mirabelle still woke up randomly. It was too risky to leave it unlocked. “You did this Sy. You should be laying in this bed while I took my anger out on your cock,” you could even remember the way his thick hands would grab you, placing you where he wanted you, and use you.

There was so much love between you and Sy, but the best way for both of you to work through anger was sex. You both offered your bodies up freely. Clicking on the vibe, you close your eyes remembering better times with Sy. The way his hand would hold your mouth to keep you quiet, and his hips would roll into you with so much force. A constant moving of the bed because his thrusts would slam the bed frame into the wall.

Or on the rare occasion that you would push him on the bed and ride him like your life depended on it. His hands gripping your hips, and pushing you further onto him. God, he loved when you pushed yourself to your limits. Not ever stopping after orgasming. Just keep bouncing on him harder and harder. Your juices spilling out on him, and not stopping until your legs were trembling, and he was cooing how you were just such a good slut for him.

“Mommy?”

“Dammit,” you pant. You were almost there.

“Mommy, I can’t sleep. Mommy, the door is locked.”

“Hold on, baby,” no wonder you were frustrated. Every time. Every time you were stopped just shy of an orgasm. This was the worst type of edging. “Mirabelle, give me just a second,” you stuff the wand back in the drawer, and try to calm your breathing. It was right there. Right in your reach. But mommy duties didn’t wait for an orgasm.

“Why are you breathing funny?”

“Because I was sleeping.”

“Last time you were breathing funny, you had that microphone on your bed, and you said you were singing. Were you singing? Is the microphone on the bed? Can I use it?”

“No!”

“I can sing. I can. And you have a pink microphone. Please, can we just sing together?”

“It’s late,” you take a deep breath, picking her up, and instead of hugging you, she moves her body away. “What?”

“You need to turn the air on higher. You’re sweaty.”

“Mirabelle, baby, it’s late. Get some sleep.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t be so sweaty if you didn’t sing alone in the middle of the night. You forgot to unplug your microphone,” she was too smart. Way too smart. That hyper awareness was one hundred percent her father. “One song. I see it in the drawer.”

“It won’t be there tomorrow.”

“I can find it.”

“I wish you would leave this alone, baby. Sleep,” you drop her on the bed, all giggly, and she snuggles her seahorse tighter, waiting on you to join her. “Get some sleep, my love. You have to go to school tomorrow.”

“Uh uh,” she fake coughs, looking up at you with puppy dog eyes, “I’m sick. Can’t Miss Hazel teach me to make change tomorrow?”

“Sleep, baby.”

“Mirabelle Nova, get your butt out of the floor,” Hazel scolds the little girl who was sprawled out on her back in the floor of the store, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Miss ma’am it is time for your behind to put up the oranges, and get ready for the day.”

“It’s hot.”

“It’s Florida,” Mirabelle sits up, and looks over towards the build. “You made good money yesterday. Little swindler.”

“I don’t know what that means. I don’t. Can I have oranges at the stand, too? Oranges are a dollar or two for five dollars.”

“Your math is atrocious.”

“I’m four,” she declares, standing up to get a basket, stuffing oranges in them. “My friend will be there today, he will. Uncle Bill said he and Casey are going to take me shopping this weekend. I guess mommy will be all alone, she will.”

“I wish your mommy would find her a good man. It ain’t right for her to be alone with you babies. You going to stack the oranges, ma’am?” Mirabelle points from her basket to her stand, but Hazel just taps her foot. “You getting Harley to build that stand was because you promised to stack the oranges on the shelf every morning. Stack,” throwing her head back, the little girl goes over to the shelf, a shopping cart of oranges ready for her.

Placing each orange exactly where they were supposed to be. Mirabelle’s early reading was the names of different oranges. She might not be able to read a book, but she could read orange names. “Can I take some marmalade to my new friend, too?”

“He doesn’t pay for it then.”

“But you said…”

“Mirabelle Nova Syverson do not correct me. I know what I said, and what I’m saying right now is he’s not paying. Tell your Uncle Bill I want to speak with him at lunch.”

“Okay! I will,” rejoicing when the final orange is put up. She scoops up a jar of marmalade to put in her basket before running to her stand. Looking out at the build, and trying to find sight of Mace before she starts to walk over there.

Her little head bounces around as she skips towards the build. Seeing multiple people, but none of which were her uncle or Mace. Bebopping closer, too close when Mace grabs her up, and throws her over his shoulder. “Mace! You came back today!”

“It’s kind of my job, darling. What did I tell you about being near here?”

“I don’t know.”

“To not do it.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“Why?”

“Because there are men working and you can get hurt.”

“Why?”

“We’re doing this again?” He asks, sitting her down on her stool. “You’ve got oranges today.”

“Uh huh, and I brought you some marmalade, and I didn’t sneeze in that one, I didn’t,” Mace snarls his nose animatedly, and Mirabelle giggles, “I didn’t! Sometimes I do it on purpose because Hazel has to give it to me. These I didn’t, that’s why they’re at the store. I got it off the shelf myself. Mace? Oh!”

She looks up at the tall man, and he gives her a smile before squatting down at her level. “What do you think?” He asks, rubbing his hand over his head to show her his new haircut. “You like it?”

“You look very handsome, you do. Your eyes look prettier with that hair cut. Mace do you have green in your eyes?” She asks placing both hands on his cheeks. “You do! You do have some green, right there. And I would like for you to come eat supper with me sometime.”

With her hands still cupping his cheeks, he gives her a little smile, and Mirabelle has to look away. “You are very handsome with this haircut, so can you come eat supper with me and my family?”

“Hmm, I can’t intrude.”

“You’re not, I asked you. Uncle Bill can bring you, he can.”

“Aren’t you supposed to quit calling him that?” She shakes her head no, grabbing one of the oranges out of the basket, and begins to peel it. Mirabelle had no intentions to stop calling him Uncle Bill. “You really are a peach, huh?”

“Ew, who eats peachies?”

“You don’t like them?” Mirabelle shakes her head no, and points over to the grove. Stuffing an orange wedge in her mouth, before handing Mace one. “You only eat oranges, huh?”

“Yep. They provide you with vitamin c, and marmalade, and juice. We are the sunshine state, oranges look like the sun. This is a sunshine fruit. Sunshine, Mace. Sunshine. You like that one?”

“It’s pretty good. Tastes like an orange.”

“Pfft, that is a cara cara orange. It’s very sweet. Clementines are my mom’s favorite. They’re not as sweet, they’re not.”

“You know a lot about oranges. Huh?”

“Yeah. Mace, how do I get your attention if I can’t walk over there?” The man looks around the clearing. Wanting to make sure the girl stays far enough away from the build, spotting a stump not too far away, and not hidden by an oak tree.

“That right there. You see it,” Mirabelle nods her head, looking at the stump, and turns back towards Mace with a smile. “You can’t sit there for too long because there’s no shade, and I don’t want you to get sunburnt, but it’s a sure fire way to make sure you’re seen without being too close. That can be Mirabelle’s stump. But no closer than that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s nails.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re building.”

“Why?” She giggles, almost falling to the ground with how hard she was laughing. Hands on her belly. It was the sweetest little laugh.

“We’re not doing that again.”

“Why?”

“You turkey!” This time Mirabelle does fall to the ground, and she covers her eyes, wiping away tears because she is laughing so hard, and Mace leans over to tickle her even more.

“Hazel, what do you know about that man?” You point over to the man that was tickling your daughter. You could hear her laughter all the way over here, and it made your heart swell. You knew how easily Mirabelle got attached to men, but this seemed different.

“That one?” You nod your head, stepping closer to the window. Seeing your daughter jump up from the ground, and pour him a cup of orange juice. “His brother and William were friends.”

“Were?”

“He was…honey, you know how the military works.”

“What about him? Was he in the military?”

“James was a lot younger than his brother. He never enlisted. Why are you asking?”

“Does he see her everyday?” There was a familiarity between the two of them. This had to be the friend that Mirabelle was telling you about.

“Everyday. She takes him lunch, too. Every morning he talks with her, and then they have lunch together, and he tells her goodbye. Well, some mornings she’s at school.”

“She looks happy,” you wipe a stray tear from your eye. You feel guilty that you couldn’t give this to her for the last four years. Mirabelle deserved a dad. William tried. But he was just a good uncle. “I failed them.”

“No, you didn’t. You’ve given them a good life. Military life isn’t easy. When that man leaves for his next job, she’ll adapt. She always does. She doesn’t know any difference.”

“I matched with someone on that app. And then I deleted it,” the dating app was Casey’s idea. She even encouraged it. Didn’t make you feel guilty for wanting to try again. But you just couldn’t. Feeling guilty for getting out there, but then worrying you would never find someone good enough for you, and knew there was no one good enough for the kids.

“Why?”

You turn to look at Hazel, giggling. That was always your daughter’s favorite line. “I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. Benning hates me. But I just…I’m lonely. And this is too much, but I just want a man, ya know? I’m tired of doing it all alone.”

“Sex doesn’t equal love.”

“It does to me. Will you keep an eye on her?” Sex was so much better with someone that you were attracted to their body and their mind. You wanted someone who just knew you and knew how to take care of you, and you wanted to be that person for someone else.

A little twitch of the nose meaning that he wanted you face down and ass up with a wet cunt and ready to take a pounding. A rub of the belly meant that when the kids went to sleep you just wanted to grind on his cock slowly while you made out. You wanted more than just a quick way to get off. You wanted every day and every night to mean more than just sex. You wanted a partner.

“I always do,” Hazel says softly, looking out to Mirabelle and Mace.

“Stop. Stop! I can’t breathe. I brought you something,” Mirabelle’s hand goes into her pocket before producing a neon threaded bracelet. “It’s a friendship bracelet. I can’t tie it though.”

“I got it,” she was the sweetest angel that Mace had ever met. For her to only be four, she knew the way to soften his head. He had never let anyone new into his life. Not to the point where he said more than three words to someone. Mace kept to himself. The less people in his life, the less disappointment he was. “I love it.”

“Yeah? So about dinner?”

“I think your mom should be the one to ask. I don’t know if she would like you dragging some random man into her house.”

“Hmm,” Mirabelle rocks on her stool a moment thinking. Wondering just how she could get Mace to her house. Tapping on her head to think harder. There had to be some way to convince him to eat dinner with her family. “Maybe we can have a karaoke night.”

“You guys do that?”

“No. But I think mommy is practicing. She has a pink microphone in her bedroom,” Mace chokes on his orange juice, spitting out a bit. There was no way that this little girl was talking about what he thought she was talking about, but Mirabelle keeps talking. This was the perfect idea. “She keeps it in a drawer or under her pillow. I can’t figure out how it works. It just buzzes.”

“Maybe you should leave it alone.”

“There’s a secret to it. I just know it. Mommy won’t tell me. She’s caught me sneaking to try and find the new hiding spot, she did. But whatever she’s practicing it must be a lot of work because it makes her breathe funny, and she gets all sweaty.”

“Okay, I think it’s time for me to head back to work. Leave your mom’s bedroom alone.”

“Why?”

“It’s not nice to snoop in people’s bedrooms.”

“Why?”

“Some things are not meant for kids,” before Mirabelle can ask another why, Mace puts his hand over her mouth to quiet her. “Promise me that you’ll leave your mom’s — microphone alone.”

“Fine. I’ll leave it alone. But we can have a karaoke party. And you can come. Or! Every Friday Uncle Bill and Casey come for dinner, and sometimes we go over to their house. Do you think that’s when mommy really practices when she’s alone?”

“Yep. I’m sure she really likes using her microphone when you’re not there. Mirabelle, I really gotta go, darling. Leave her microphone alone, okay?” Mirabelle rolls her eyes, but says okay. “I’ll tell the boys to get some oranges and juice if you leave your mom’s stuff alone. You’ll be able to do something with the money. I’m sure you’ll make up a different excuse tomorrow.”

“Shh, don’t ruin my hustle.”

“You ain’t right. See you in a bit. Get some rest.”

“Come over for karaoke night!”

“I’ll talk with Bill…Will!” That child was a mess. Mace was sure that you had no idea that you were snooping in your room. Definitely didn’t know she was telling your secrets to people, but it got him curious. A woman that could raise such a kid, and one that…used a microphone regularly enough. No. He couldn’t get attached. But sex could just be sex, right? Would it be right to have thoughts about having sex with someone you hadn’t even met? His brother did always tell him that mothers make the best lovers because they were freaks and knew what they were doing.

But Mace couldn’t possibly want to entertain an invitation to dinner from a four year old in hopes of getting his dick wet, could he? It would beat his hand. Mothers could surely have sex without getting attached. Because Mace didn’t want to get attached. Didn’t want to let anyone in. But he did want some soft curves to grab onto. Just for the night.

He had never even met you, and he was coming up with ways to fuck you while your kids slept. It made him feel awful. Dinner was fine. It felt weird to talk to your child everyday, and not even know who you were. He would talk to Bill — Will, and ask him what he thought. It was the polite thing to do.

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @sstan-hoe @softsatnin @missusbarnes-rogers @peaches1958 @seitmai @smile1318 @andydrysdalerogers @cjand10 @elrw24 @midnightramyeoncravings @midnightramyeoncravings @maroonsunrise83 @resurrectedlily

#victim of the circumstance #james mace #james mace x reader #james mace x fem!reader #james mace x y/n #james mace x you #james mace fanfiction #james mace fic #james mace fics #chris evans #chris evans fandom #chris evans fanfiction #sunshine #sunshine fanfiction

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scribe-of-maat · 2 years ago

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Ranking DC Pride 2023

9. Love’s Lightning Heart (???, ???)

Starring The Flashlight and The Flash, I think? When he called the dude “Ray” in the beginning I thought it was gonna be The Ray, you know? This only scores so low because I’m not at ALL familiar with anything Multiversity and this story especially seemed to be absolutely thick with that corner of DC lore. I get there’s a Parallax type of thing happening but... this was kind of hard to follow for a payoff that’s pretty lukewarm if you’re not well-versed in who this story’s about.

8. My Best Bet (Jon Kent/Superman, John Constantine

This is hit especially hard in my ranking because it’s the last story in the book and the only thing DC Pride about it is that it stars two Bs. They’re popular queer characters but I’m here for stories that are specifically ABOUT LGBT stuff, not about LGBT people doing stuff. There’s nothing to really talk about here.

7. Found (Xanthe Zhou, Batwoman/Kate Kane)

I’ve been meaning to read Spirit World, and since I hadn’t gotten around to it Xanthe being LGBT was a surprise to me, but not as much as Kate Kane showing up was. It feels like someone threw a dartboard at WLW women and plopped in whoever came up, cuz I guarantee if I flip the newest Batwoman issue open to a random page she’ll have a girlfriend-slash-situationship that won’t be too happy about her seeming receptive to some flirting. But hey, I like Xanthe more now so there’s give-and-take.

6. And Baby Makes Three (Xiomara Rojas/Crush, Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy)

I like Crush. I can’t claim to have read much of her, because for now that means enduring way too much Damian Wayne, but she seems like an incredibly interesting character. But I could not tell you why she’s here with Harley and Ivy. This, moreso than anything else, has a less than negative chance of being referenced again and it’s giving me even more of that dartboard feeling the last story did. Plus if there’s one thing Harlivy can do, it’s carry a story by themselves. I wish we’d gotten something about JUST Crush, is what I’m saying. I feel like this was a status update for Crush, like her washing ashore was meant to bridge the gap between this story and whatever she was doing the last time she showed up.

5. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (Natasha Irons/Steel, Nubia)

Listen, I will always have space in my heart for the Irons family. I love Natasha, and I love John Henry, and when DC lets either out of the ether every other year I’m front and center. That, and the recent super-push Nubia has been enjoying made this story one I was pretty excited to read when I realized who it was about. But THIS ART. These faces are TRASH. Even without looking it up I feel like there’s a 0% chance DC would give a nonblack artist this story, so it makes it especially confusing as to why the characters look like THAT. The actual content was fun and even though Io needs to come up off our queen posthaste, I didn’t have any (other) complaints. But it’s SOOOOO UGLYYYYY.

4. The Dance ( Minhkhoa Khan/Ghost-Makes, Thomas Blake/Catman)

I knew Ghost-Maker was bi prior to reading this, somehow. I’ve been meaning to read anything about him because his design is so awesome but I was only really guessing this was Catman alongside him. I really don’t know anything about him, so this ranks so highly just because of Ghost-Maker. I don’t really have anything else to add here since this story’s ultimate purpose seems to just show off muscley dudes post-sex.

3. Anniversary (Lucas Trent/Midnighter, Andrew Pulaski/Apollo, Alan Scott/Green Lantern)

These showcases tend to have like, one story that directly addresses inequality if you’re lucky. This is that story, and it’s such a good one. Midnighter and Apollo’s fame as the canon gay Superbat sort of eclipses anything else about them, but that reputation is put to excellent effect here. Plus, Alan Scott, one of my favorite Green Lanterns, finally shows up. Revitalizing that old slogan to make it clear the LGBT isn’t going anywhere was fun, too.

2. Subspace Transmission (Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker, Jess Chambers/The Flash, Andy Curry/Aquawoman)

Jess was an extremely fun and memorable character from the start like, half a decade ago and that holds true here. I was super uninvested in the Circuit Breaker part of this story. I don’t know who that is, and even after reading this I genuinely don’t care. This made my heart hurt for more Teen Justice and Future State stuff in general. That Jackson Hyde cameo at the end was also perfect.

1. Hey, Stranger (Connor Hawke/Hawke, Tim Drake/Robin)

I was definitely in diapers the last time these two characters spoke to each other. When there’s been THAT big a gap in timeframe I can’t be sure how emotional a reunion can be to a modern readership. None of that matters to my enjoyment, because Connor Hawke is far and away my favorite Arrowfam member and his recent resurgence (even if too much of it is attached to Damian Wayne for my taste) has been such a blessing. DC only trots this guy out three times a year but god do we eat good each time. They just need to do a LITTLE more with him.

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