#he's the first sometimes to offer gordon help or check in and their weird and sometimes tense dynamic is fun alright .

[potionbarrel]

science team-tober day 8: misfire

(you can read the accompanying fic for today's prompt here!)

prompt list | science team-tober sideblog

[cinephile-inc]

Session 9 Review (07/04/23-07/05/23)

⚠️This review will contain spoilers!⚠️

I'll start off by saying that Session 9 (2001) is indeed an underrated horror flick, and genuinely scary, too! The tension just goes up and up from the beginning without much relief from it once weird shit starts happening.

It is very obviously influenced by The Shining (1980), with particular references being the wife of the main character being named Wendy and a title card for each day that passes. (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc) There's even a sort of pseudo Kubrick Stare scene thrown in there. However, despite these glaringly obvious references, I think Session 9 still does a good job of standing on it's own two feet...

Except for the fact that I dislike the ending/twist. I think they were going for something supernatural, but it's not obvious enough for me to make a conclusive decision. Assuming they were going for a possession story, at least one of my initial thoughts was confirmed.

Synopsis:

Session 9 concerns an asbestos removal team being tasked with cleaning up an abandoned mental institution that was shut down in the 1980s. The leader of the crew and the main character, Gordon, promises that his team can get the place cleaned up in a week, which grants them all bonus pay if they get it done in time. It is clear from the beginning that Gordon has overbid himself with this task, as he is a new father struggling to adjust to a baby in the house. Tensions only rise when one of the crew members goes missing, presumed to have won the lottery and run off for Miami.

Meanwhile, another crew member has been digging through some of the old records; particularly, the files and recorded interviews with patient #444, a woman known as Mary Hobbes. Mary Hobbes was a patient with DID, with the host being Mary and her two alters being Princess, who appears to be a young girl, and Billy, who appears to be a young boy, though slightly older and more mature than Princess. There is also Simon, who we'll get into later.

Sometime later, Gordon confesses to one of his coworkers that he unintentionally hit his wife. When he had come home one night and went to greet her in the kitchen, she accidentally knocked over a pot of scalding water that had been on the stove and consequently burned his leg. Gordon is genuinely remorseful and doesn't know why he did it, as it was clearly an accident on Wendy's part, but he doesn't want the rest of the team members to know because it will hurt their salary. Unfortunately, his trust in this coworker almost immediately falls through as he quickly tells one of the other workers of this incident.

More is revealed about Mary throughout: something happened in her childhood that she has deeply repressed, though it resulted in deep and obvious cuts on her chest. While Mary does not remember the incident nor does she want to talk about it, Princess does remember... most of it. What she does not remember is Simon, and what Simon did. Billy remembers Simon, and Billy very much does not want to talk about Simon in an effort to protect Mary and Princess. It is clear Billy is very afraid of Simon.

Later, the seemingly disappeared coworker reappears and is seen by Gordon's nephew, Jeff, who is also part of his crew, who immediately alerts the others as the coworker is acting strangely. When the others follow Jeff to check up on the seemingly impossible reappearance of their coworker, he is nowhere to be found. This prompts the group to split up in an effort to find him. Gordon however is following something different, a deep, dark voice that he's been hearing since he first entered the building.

The final reveal in Mary's storyline is that Simon "offered to help her" after her older brother, Peter, scared her, causing her to fall down on a brand new china doll she had gotten for Christmas. The doll shattered under her weight, causing the scars in her chest. Simon urged Mary to "cut up" Peter like he cut up her, and this is where my theory that Simon is not actually an alter but a demon comes into play. With this reading, Simon possesses Mary and kills not only her brother, but her mother and father as well so "they won't get angry" that "she" killed Peter. Simon is the voice Gordon has been hearing throughout his days at the abandoned institution. Simon is cruel and condescending, and it hates people who are "naughty," like Peter, who hurt Mary despite Mary being so good and nice.

The final twist/reveal in Gordon's story is that Simon had possessed him as well and had attacked all the rest of his coworkers, even taking on the form of one of them to trick him into realizing what he had done. It is also implied that Gordon killed Wendy as well, but he could not bring himself to kill his baby daughter. The ending leaves Gordon, alone, in one of the rooms of the abandoned institution, speaking his remorse into a broken phone. He begs Wendy for forgiveness and laments that he wants to go home, and that he wants to hold his wife and daughter again. The movie ends with another snippet from the interview with Mary/Simon. Doctor: And where do you live, Simon? SImon: I live in the weak and the wounded, doc. (Context: Billy tells the doctor "Princess lives in the tongue, because she's always talking, sir," and that he "lives in the eyes, because I see everything, sir.")

To be truthful, I think the ending was good, it's just not how I would've ended it. Jeff and Gordon were my favourite characters throughout the film so it was annoying that Gordon was revealed as the killer when the red herring we got would've been so much better to be actually confirmed, and sad that Jeff was amongst the murdered.

With most of the evidence pointing toward Simon being a demon or other supernatural entity, I suppose one could say Session 9 at least tried to subvert the "villain with DID" trope (especially because Mary really didn't have anything to do with what was happening to Gordon and his coworkers, it was all Simon), which I think is pretty off the beaten path for a movie from 2001. However, I don't have DID and I can still be educated, so I don't think I really get a say in how it was handled in this movie. ^_^"

I probably won't watch it again, at least for awhile because again you basically get no breaks from the tension until it ends, but it was pretty good and I think if you like The Shining and abandoned places you should definitely check it out! It's not streaming anywhere but if you want the link to where I watched it, hit up my DMs. :0)

7.5/10 📽️📽️📽️📽️📽️📽️📽️⬛⬛⬛

[marigoldsandbuttercups]

Enough with the parenting headcanons for the Underfell bros! I want uncle headcanons! What are Underfell Papyrus and Underfell Sans like as uncle's? Are they annoying or meddlesome? What the most annoying or weird thing that they've ever done as an uncle??

GSHSHSHS

I like the way you think there, friendo-

Uncle HCs

Red:

- Is definitely regarded as the "Cool Uncle" due to him being rather carefree around the kids. Calls them all weird nicknames that make them cringe but he loves it.

-He loves it, the whole uncle life, he gets to influence the little minions without having any of his own, it's a win-win.

- High key makes an active effort to be as embarrassing as possible when it comes to them as well, he just loves messing with them so much.

- The most embarrassing thing he's ever done in front of the kids was when he showed up in full Shrek gear for a get together (Needless to say, Edge was far from pleased when he saw "Not Red")

- Is actually more stern than he actually seems sometimes. Yeah, he's easygoing but if you did something bad, you're definitely in for a scolding and Red has a way with his words despite being the dorky skeleton that he is.

Edge:

- More known as the "Rich Uncle". He's more quiet around the kids but he's the one to spoil them more with gifts out of the two brothers.

- While he tends to stay in his lane for the most part, Edge can't help but be overcome with the more paternal part of himself, so he's always checking in on the kids and is the first one to offer to look after them despite saying otherwise.

- Also just.... Really likes baking with the kids? He finds it to be a lot more fun than he initially thought it would be. Think of Gordon Ramsay but with kids, that's exactly what he's like. He's too much like Gordon Ramsay, you can ask Red about their past baking endeavors, dudes got trauma about holding the whisk the wrong way.

- There's hardly any embarrassing moments with Edge... Well, except for when someone came up to flirt with him while he was out with the kids and all that left him was this very offended squawk. (they never let him live it down and make that noise to tease him sometimes hshshshs)

- Is very protective of the kids and essentially assigns himself to be the unofficial parent of them but he gets more vacation days hshsjshsj but yeah, he loves them and would punch you if you made them even sniffle.

[my-sherlock221b]

Supernatural Rewatch Ramblings: Bloodlust

2020-21 has been a huge transformative time for many of us. Whether we wanted it or not, we have been forced to stop, switch gears, rethink, reflect, let go, make new priorities, discover who we really are and who we want to be in the face of adversity.

One of those transformations for me has been giving up on control and finding a way to surrender to the power of the universe. Another has been to not let perfection be the enemy of good.

You may well wonder---What does all this have to do with the Bloodlust rewatch and review??!

Probably nothing LOL except for the fact that I still have to write up my review on Bloody Mary and have been unable to write for various reasons. And then because the Bloody Mary review was still incomplete I could not write about the next one etc etc etc.

So when we watched Bloodlust two days ago in the continuing re-watch, I decided that I am going to re-start the review, and from exactly where I am right now!

If time and life permits I might fill in the gaps later. If not, well, life is unpredictable and weird and we keep calm as it carries on….Thank you for coming to my Philosophy talk….:)

Read below for the Boodlust  review, Season 2 episode 3 and look out for the post from @soulmates-for-real​ on this rewatch too!! 

The opening scene is the perfect switch and bait because we as an audience have been trained to latch on to types and identities and representations.

Woman in white night gown screaming and running--victim

Person who brutally beheads her—villain.

A few minutes into the episode we realize that we were wrong.

A good few minutes later we realize that we were wrong about being wrong.]

Haha.

We are idjits, swept away on the eddies and currents of this masterfully written and directed episode. Thank you Sera Gamble and Robert Singer!

The acting and the mesmerizing beauty of the two leads is worthy of an entire essay of its own but in order to have a life and finish this review I shall only say this—Oh my goodness HOW gorgeous is Jensen Ackles?!!

It is sometimes impossible to look at him in this episode because my eyes didn’t know where to land! That perfect face? The lips? Those eyes?? The quirk of the eyebrows? Those micro expressions that are constantly weaving across his face? The smile? The way his lips move when he talks?? His hair? The Samulet?

And then the shot pans out and includes his hand and the ring and honestly it’s a miracle I could follow the plot at all.

So the images I am going to include in this review, much as I love Sam Winchester and Jared Padalecki, are all of Dean Winchester. It’s a criminal waste to not do so when the man is just an ode to perfection.

*

Sheila O’Malley’s review of this episode is in itself a work of art and a thing of beauty so I will direct you most enthusiastically towards it and only add here my little pennyworth bits. Do click on this link but be prepared to sink into a one hour read which will make you feel like you were dropped into the episode itself.

https://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=87187

Here is a quote from her review which is so insightful.

These are the details that a director like Robert Singer never misses, and at this point his relationship with Ackles and Padalecki would be almost telepathic (it’s probably 100% telepathic now). He has said before that he and Kripke were such a good team because Kripke’s primary concern is Plot/Gore/Horror and Singer’s primary concern is Character/Relationship. And they both end up in the same place. It’s a good mix. If Singer were also Plot/Gore/Horror focused, we wouldn’t have the depth of relationship which is the real point of the show, its real hook.

*

For a much briefer and far less technically adept and analytical review, read on here!

*

The opening of this episode shows us the Impala from every possible angle. Gleaming, gorgeous, road -worthy. This is mirrored by Dean. He is also gleaming, gorgeous and roadworthy. He is in a happy mood that not even Sam’s little brother snitty comments can deflate.

Here is the soundtrack of this episode for those who are interested.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0835248/soundtrack

Here is some random but fun trivia:

Dean tells Sam in one scene "If it's     Supernatural, we kill it." One of the rare times the title of the     show is actually spoken in the dialogue.

This is the first episode where Sam began parting his     hair down the middle, the hairstyle he'd keep the rest of the series.

( I didn’t like his hair too much in this episode honestly but then again I could barely see anyone beyond Dean :D)

During the filming of this episode Jared injured his     hand when he fell badly during a stunt. He thought it was merely sprained     and went straight into filming the next episode without having it checked.     But it got more and more painful and finally he went to the doctor and     discovered that his hand was, in fact, broken. Because he had already     begun filming, he couldn't bandage the hand until filming for that episode     was finished. The writers ended up writing in an accident for Sam and his     line "I think she broke my hand" to explain the fact that for     the following few episodes he would be wearing a cast.

When Dean kills a vampire, blood is sprayed on his     face, mostly on his right cheek. In the next shot the pattern is     different, and notably the right cheek is almost clean. Furthermore, his     mouth was agape when he made the kill, risking the blood getting into his     mouth and turning him into a vampire. While the brothers didn't yet know     how a vampire is made at that point, Gordon did and should have been     alarmed that Dean might have gotten some of the blood in his mouth.

*

A random behind the scene shot from the episode:

Guess who she is? Apparently this is Jensen’s sister in a super brief role in Bloodlust!

* 

On to the review, or rather some of my thoughts during the re-watch.

The first scene with the Sheriff they are interrogating him about the cattle mutilations is hilarious. The way they bluff their way into the morgue is hilarious. Dean always leading and Sam following.

Random trivia: When Dean enters the morgue with Sam and sees the name tag of "J Manners", it has been thought the name was to honor Jeffrey Dean Morgan and series producer Kim Manners. Dean guesses "John" - Jeffrey's character name - and the intern corrects with "Jeff"

*

It a testament to the way Supernatural has trained its audience that we barely blink when they pull out a decapitated head in the morgue, squabble over who is more chicken, dig into the mouth and eventually discover vampire fangs.

Yes, of course they do.

*

Next scene: Two hot guys walk into a bar…..

…….where the adorable Benny, who is not Benny in this episode but a random dude ( spoilers—later we find out the dude is a vampire), gives them directions/ mis- directions to a possible vampire nest.

We see the first glimpse of Gordon Walker, amazingly played by Sterling K. Brown, and making us worry about and dislike him almost right away. The way he is shown with the light and shade bars on his face from the window blinds is so menacing.

The next few scenes continue to build that sense of unease where the Winchester brothers, apparently telepathically, decide to double back and catch him following them, then he shows them his car and his weapons, where he references their dad and then refuses their offer for help.

The scene where he shows them his car is like a painting. (The car by the way is just as inconspicuous as the Impala –which is to say NOT AT ALL!! How do these people stay below the radar of the regular law enforcement is a mystery….).

The dust highlighting the rays of light, the two brothers on one side of the car and Gordon at the other, it’s all so consciously set up for a few seconds worth of screen time. Impressive!

Next comes a truly brutal kill, at Dean’s hands, which we don’t even see except as a spray of blood on his face. Poetic! But it is Dean’s expression that makes my stomach clench. His eyes are dead and he is somewhere deep that even Sam can’t reach, as we can see from the distress on Sam’s face.

Gordon of course is all chipper and full of bonhomie and offers to buy them drinks.

That following scene is the one which gives Wincest brother-wives vibes like 100%.

*

Sam plays the role of the disgruntled ‘wife’ to perfection. No one but hubby is allowed to use the nickname. He hates the male bonding going on with Gordon and the more Gordon seems to slip into Dean’s inner circle, the more uncomfortable Sam gets, until he finally decides that he just cannot physically be there any more.

Dean’s smug expression when Sam tells Gordon off for calling him Sammy, his instant worry at Sam going back alone, his hand raised in exasperation to convey to Gordon—look what I have to put up with-- the tossing of the keys to his car----it is all a symphony of Dean playing his part in the brother-wives orchestra.

The last line?! ‘Remind me to beat the buzzkill out of you later.’ And Sam’s expression at that? That’s exactly the way a bullying /abusive husband would react to a nagging wife who doesn’t like his toxic friends and wonders how he can be so blind as to not see them for the bad influence they clearly are.

( Bad Dean!!!)

Sam goes back to the motel and does his due diligence by checking with Ellen, gets kidnapped by vampires, released and on his return is disgusted to find Gordon inside their motel room.

*

The next scene is where Dean erupts, having clearly had enough of the shifting power dynamics between them over the evening. Sam has been silently judging him since the kill and Gordon has managed to ‘other’ Sam and make Dean feel validated in his own bloodlust as a hunter.

Dean clocks Sam one.

Wow. I did not see that coming. And what shocked me at this re- watch is that Sam just takes it.

Like an abused wife, he just takes it. Not only that, sometime later in the episode he tells Dean to hit him again if it is going to make him feel better.

NO Sam! NO!!! This is NOT healthy and this is NOT the way to deal….ugh. Sigh.

*

Then the second half of the episode swings in and the moral dilemma they face becomes clear when the victim and villain switch roles and Dean is shook enough to question his dad’s judgement!

Dean is still kind of trying to give Gordon the benefit of the doubt even though he sees him literally torturing the vampire. But of course all bets are off the instant he touches Sam. Dean pulls his gun on him. I was surprised that he didn’t shoot him just on principle later simply because he hurt Sam even if it was a small cut.

That is Dean’s definition of monsters-- Anything that hurts Sam. 😊

*

We don’t know it at this time, and spoilers ahead, but maybe Dean has been so annoyed and violent with Sam at the idea that he is standing up for MONSTERS is because he might also be one….and the way he looks at the end when he realizes that his whole life’s philosophy has been upended.

There are the details about the vampires who drink cattle blood so they don’t harm humans and therefore want to be treated as the good guys. Of course it is all about the inherent struggle between who you are and what you do—something that shows up hugely magnified in the later seasons when Sam is struggling with his own demon blood addiction and the knowledge of the demon blood inside him.

He needs desperately to believe in this as the utmost foundation stone of his life and its purpose—what you DO is more important than what you ARE!

So even if you are a monster, if you don’t behave like one—that is your redemption.

But it’s not just anybody whose faith he wants in his struggle to prove to himself that he is not a monster. He needs it from Dean.

Remember the dialogue from the panic room “Don’t you say that to me. Don’t YOU say that to me.”

And the fake voicemail set up by Zachariah exploits this at the time of the breaking of the last seal.

*

Of course he doesn’t know any of this yet, but that’s Sam fucking Winchester for you –always purer and better than his circumstances allow. Always struggling to do better, be better.😍

*

It is fascinating how the visuals and the roles these two play are of rugged handsome men, badass heroes-- Dean of course super macho role playing all the time. But there are so many layers upon layers and honestly if it wasn’t for Jared and Jensen’s fine nuanced and impeccable acting adding depth to the characters, the show would not have held our interest for this long.

We are shown Sam as the brains with his lore and research, but then in the very next episode (Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things), we see Dean connect dots faster than Sherlock Holmes.

Dean is shown as the instinctively violent one with the gun under his pillow, trigger happy, and in this episode even that brutal kill of the vampire on the docks. But then please remember the way Sam kills Gordon finally. Or the insane way he bites himself to get blood for drawing sigils. Or the way he just simply shoots the crossroads demon point blank!

We see Sam as the soft hearted one and he does rescue kids once in a while, but he is never shown to bond with them even a fraction of the way Dean does—so effortlessly. Also the ladies of course, all of whom have a soft spot for Dean. The exceptions being Sarah and Madison, both of whom completely ignored Dean. Oh and that doctor from Sex and Violence.

Dean has had his share of bad dates of course with Cassie, the woman who gave birth to his magical superfast growing daughter ( who was killed by Sam), and the whole Lisa arc, but somehow we are shown Sam as the one who is invested in relationships. Hello?! Sam was planning to marry Jessica without having told her a thing about his life while Dean told Cassie the secret as soon as he thought he was in love and wanted a relationship.

So anyway, just to say that a rewatch is so brilliant because we know more about them at this point than they do and the character arc is such a thing of beauty to see unfolding!

*

That last scene where Dean is in a thoughtful frame of mind, the sun is rising overhead ( as a metaphor for him seeing the light, maybe?)--that insanely gorgeous shot of Dean with the ring of fire and light and his absolutely perfect face in a close up…sigh.

Then he thanks Sam for pushing him to see this grey area and for the first time in that episode Sam finally smiles.

His big brother is back with him.

And then he commits to Dean too. Ah…how it warms my heart to hear this dialogue!

 DEAN I wish we never took this job. It's jacked everything up.

SAM What do you mean?

DEAN Think about all the hunts we went on, Sammy, our whole lives.

SAM Okay.

DEAN What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us...

SAM Dean, after what happened to Mom, Dad did the best he could.

DEAN I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us, to hate those things; and man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill I didn't even think about it; hell, I even enjoyed it.

SAM You didn't kill Lenore.

DEAN No, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill 'em all.

SAM Yeah, Dean, but you didn't. And that's what matters.

DEAN Yeah. Well, 'cause you're a pain in my ass.

SAM Guess I might have to stick around to be a pain in the ass, then.

DEAN Thanks.

SAM Don't mention it.

Transcript here http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=2.03_Bloodlust_%28transcript%29

 Guess Sam does stick around for the next 15 years to be a pain in the ass 😊

Some quotes from the writers about this episode: 

·  "The episode was really about what Dean would become if he didn't watch out: that Gordon was Dean in ten years if Sam didn't ask the difficult questions and keep him from getting too militant." - Executive story editor Sera Gamble

· "We set out to create a monster episode where you weren't entirely sure whether these monsters should be killed." - Eric Kripke

· "For me, the show is at its best when the supernatural story reveals something new about the brothers, or forces them to change in some way. Sam and Dean's realization that they've basically been raised as 'monster racists' was really meaty stuff. Exploring these characters' flaws is just as important as showcasing their heroism - these are the things that make them human, that make us invest in them." - Raelle Tucker

Check out this site for more amazing trivia and stuff

http://www.jonescave.com/supernatural/Episode/Episode.php?s=2&e=3#PopCulture

I have already finished watching the next episode ‘Children’s Shouldn’t play with Dead Things’….so let’s hope I get around to writing a review sometime soon !

[rason-rodd]

The Night(wing) Before Christmas

Summary: Damian tries to convince Dick to come to dinner for Christmas. But duty calls and a weird surprise awaits Dick. Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Warning: No pairing. Just a family Christmas-themed OS.

Author’s note: This would certainly be the last Bat-Christmas one shot. I decided not to make it a Dick x Reader (though it was initially the plan) because I wanted to give Dick and Damian the chance to reconnect. Hope you will like it. 

Blüdhaven was never quiet. Blüdhaven was always restless. Lively. Noisy. Blüdhaven was like him. In shades of jet-black and neon-blue. Shining. Glowing. Like a beacon by the ocean.     But tonight, Blüdhaven was not blue. Blüdhaven was red. Blüdhaven was green. Blüdhaven was yellow. Blüdhaven was merry. Blüdhaven was childish. Blüdhaven was a little boy waiting for his gift in a small circus trailer, counting days and eating chocolate. Blüdhaven was getting ready for Christmas.       But Dick Grayson was not.   “You know Father still insists that you come celebrate Christmas with us at the manor this year.” Slumped on the chimney, feet hanging and swinging in the air, Damian Wayne was playing with a birdarang like a bored child waiting for action, demonstrating nonchalance and casualness that could have almost seemed natural and sincere if it hadn’t been for his little green eyes peeping at his brother’s every reactions. “I still have to think about it, Damian.”     Damian clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest to sulk in silence. “Todd said he was coming.” Dick snickered at the boy’s remark – which sounded more like a reproach - finding certain amusement in seeing Damian’s childish disappointment. “So who are you going to spend Christmas with? The poor waitress you used to date?” Those last few words were enough to erase the smile on Dick’s face. “Bea and I are over, Damian. I told you, didn’t I?” Damian shrugged and jumped from his perch to come and kneel by his brother by the edge of the rooftop they were on. “She wasn’t good enough for you, anyway.” And that was a lame attempt at comforting by Damian Wayne, ladies and gents.             “Well, if I listen to you, Damian, no one is ever good enough for me. You said the same thing about Shawn when we broke up.”         “Shawn? Oh right the mediocre artist/ villain you thought you had got pregnant. Almost forgot about her. What a lousy list of conquests you have under your belt, Grayson.” Dick’s jaw clenched to prevent any hurtful commentary to come out of his mouth. There was no point in debating with Damian in that situation. Dick knew well than to take his words seriously. After all, they were just part of a clumsy technique to attract attention, not ill intentioned at all and not to be taken seriously.

Police sirens suddenly screamed in the avenue under their feet, flickering blue and red. A code of alert. A perfect way to escape Damian. “Got to go.” And without any other word, Dick leaped over the edge of the building, grapple gun in hand, ignoring his little brother yelling at him “See you next Thursday at 6.” and his classic “Grayson, you fool.” when he didn’t get an answer.

Dick wasn’t a huge fan of car chases. Though appearing as simple and routine at first sight, he found them to be the most dangerous and scariest of a superhero’s everyday (or night) missions. They needed an extreme vigilance that was hard to fully have: requiring his attention to be sharp and focused on both the criminals and the police as well as the road and especially any citizen who were unfortunate enough to be on the way. But full vigilance didn’t mean no light-hearted commentary.     “Where are you guys going with an organ recovery vehicle? The hospital is the other way. Might wanna update the GPS and reconsider the music. Last Christmas I stole you your heart would be more fitting for organs traffickers”     “Nightwing!” The driver exclaimed as his partner in crime pulled his gun from his holster to shoot him. “Yeah that’s me.  And you might wanna give me that.” Dick said as he quickly seized the gun to throw it through the car window. “Now pull over before Santa hears about what bad boys you two have been this year.”   “Screw you, punk!”   “As you wish.” Dick rolled his eyes, acting dramatically annoyed, and grabbed the wheel, taking the two men by surprise. “What are you doing?” They asked, screaming at him. “Checking the airbags.” He declared as he voluntarily led the speeding car towards a barricaded construction site knowing perfectly that there were no workers in there tonight. ”Hang on.”

The car hit the metal fence, bending it as if it was a mere piece of paper. Then it left the ground and flew right towards a hole of fresh concrete. When it landed, all the bodywork crashed like a can of tomato soup and the windows broke, leaving the two criminals screaming in fear. But their yells were brief, chocked by the airbags that suddenly inflated due to the powerful noisy impact.             “Airbags, check. MOT test, over. You may get down of the vehicle gentlemen.” Nightwing said as he opened the door. But the two men were so stunned and terrified they couldn’t move. “Or you can wait here. That’s fine as well.”

The police car who had been chasing the two men suddenly parked on the site and a couple of officers ran to the accident car, guns in hands. Among them Detective Elise Svobada, Nightwing’s own Jim Gordon except that Jim Gordon had never kissed Batman. A memory that still made Dick want to puke. “Good job, tights.”             “A compliment? Christmas makes you soft, Svoboda.” Dick smirked as he let the woman pushed the driver out of the car. “Don’t get used to it.”   “Detective, the heart must be delivered in less than 15 minutes. We won’t be there on time. Not with this traffic.” Svoboda’s partner declared, panicking and trembling like a Chihuahua.           “Damn it!” Svoboda kicked the tire of the car, angry and wondering what to do now. “Nightwing, do you think you can…” But there was no need to finish the sentence as the vigilante was already far away, swinging from building to building, the box containing the precious organ in his hand. “Thanks, kid… Nelson, call the hospital. Tell them there’s a special delivery.”

There’s nothing more gratifying than knowing you saved a life, except maybe knowing that you saved a life on Christmas. Makes you feel like some heroic caped Santa Claus in a way.           But Dick never chose to become a vigilante for gratification or fame. He never wished for a thank you or some sort of admiration. Dick chose to become a vigilante to help people, to see the smiles on their face, that glimmer of hope shining in their eyes when they thought all hope was gone. Dick chose to become a vigilante to make the world a better place.            

“That girl owes you her life.” The white-bearded doctor said as he shook Dick’s hand with a gratitude that was making the happy tears in his eyes sparkle like stars. “She doesn’t owe me anything.” And no one could doubt his sincerity. “Still what you did was very noble, boy. Thanks to you this young lady will be able to spend Christmas with her loved ones. And I hope you will as well. After all there’s nothing more important than family.”           “We’ll see about that. Merry Christmas, Doctor.” He said as he headed towards the exit. “Merry Christmas, Richard.”

Dick froze and quickly turned around, wondering if he had heard right or if it was his fatigue playing tricks on him. But the old doctor was already gone and nowhere to be seen. Did he know the Batman’s disappearance act, too? “You really need to sleep, Nightwing.” “Indeed you look awful.” The nonchalant voice of Damian Wayne suddenly made Nightwing jump. That little demon could be so stealthy sometimes. “Would not want you to look like a walking dead at dinner. We already have Todd for that.”           “How did you find me?”       “Heard the police radio. No need to be a genius to do so.” He clicked his tongue as he crossed his tiny arms over his small chest. “So you saved the mayor’s daughter. Congratulations. What now?”           “The mayor’s daughter?”   “Yes. The two criminals wanted to use her as a way to corrupt the mayor.” Dick frowned. “What? Did you really think there was some sort of organs trafficking in Blüdhaven? Hello! It’s Blüdhaven not Gotham! You know the place where you’re expected on Thursday.” Dick laughed and tousled his little brother’s hair to annoy him. “Alright, little guy. I’ll be there.”   “Thank you.” Damian sighed deeply.         “Don’t thank me. Thank Santa.” Dick corrected him, still thinking about that weird old doctor. “Don’t try to choke with some cheesy Christmas spirit.” Damian declared as he pointed his fingers at Dick who were chuckling. “Alright.” He complied, gently grabbing Damian by the arm. “Wanna go drink some hot cocoa at my place?”           “Are you sweet-talking me?” Damian glared at his brother, not really knowing how to take the offer. “Maybe.”             “Would there be marshmallows in the cup?” Dick grinned and hugged his brother. “Of course.”    

[peppersonironi]

Batfam/Avengers Crossover Chapter Five: The Assassins’ Bond

Tagging: @the-fair-maiden-of-fandom

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Natasha Romanov & Damian Wayne, Clint Barton & Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tim Drake & Duke Thomas, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Roy Harper/Koriand'r/Jason Todd,

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Justice League (DCU), Alfred Pennyworth, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Bat-Cow (DCU), Goliath (DCU), Selina Kyle’s Cat Isis, Kate Kane (DCU), Duke Thomas,

Additional Tags: Batbrothers (DCU), Avengers Meet The Batfam, MCU/Batfam crossover, Crossover, no beta we die like robins, rated T for Jason’s language, I bleeped it out though. Just to be safe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, canon? What’s canon?, Deaf Clint Barton,Deaf Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Happy Batfamily (DCU), Birdflash and joyfire are implied/referenced,

Summary: Nat sets out on her assignment to gather information about the bats, and ends up talking with Damian.

Natasha couldn’t seem to find anyone to investigate, which was weird. Usually, when she wanted to find someone, she did.  Nat hadn’t seen any of the other Avengers either, which was also strange.

So Natasha wandered the halls of the manor. She had already checked the Cave, though it was also empty.

After half an hour, Natasha turned to the gardens. She wasn’t really searching at that point, only enjoying the early afternoon breeze. But soon enough, she heard sounds of laughter.

Following it, Natsha wound through a shaded path to find a large lawn occupied by the bats, as well as Peter, Banner, and Thor.

They were in the middle of what seemed to be an extreme version of capture the flag. Nat looked for someone to talk too, but they were all invested in the game. Then she noticed Damian on the sidelines, inside a clearly marked square that must have been the ‘prison’. He looked angry, and seemed to be passing the time by doing drills with his katana. Once again, Natasha was struck by how precise he was.

"Hey kid."

Damian glanced at Natasha, clearly suspicious.

"Hello Romanoff, do you want something?''

Nat smiled. “Call me Natasha. And no, not really. You looked bored, so I thought I’d offer you some company.”

Damian scoffed and returned to his drills. Natasha sat down, and was soon joined by a large dog whom she had never seen before. "Is that your dog?" She asked.

Damian nodded stiffly. "Yes his name is Titus."

Nat looked at Titus with gentle eyes. "Hi Titus." She reached out her hand for the dog to sniff. Titus obliged, and then began to nussle  her hand, quickly warming up to Nat.

Damian’s whole demeanor changed at the sight. He relaxed significantly, and even had a soft smile on his face. “He likes you," Damian said as he set his katana aside and joined Natasha on the grass.

Nat smiled right back at him as she began to pet Titus. "Titus is a great name for him. Latin right?" Damian nodded. "You know the meaning?"

Damian scoffed. "If I didn't then I wouldn't have named him Titus. An honorable dog deserves a name that literally means `title of honor’."

Nat chuckled, surprising even herself. "I like you kid, you've got spunk.” She nodded over at the now abandoned katana. Time to see what she could get out of him. “And your fighting technique is impressive."

Damian’s face became a mixture of guarded and prideful. "Of course it is, I was trained to be the best."

"Well your father sure does a good job."

Damian pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment before replying. "He didn't train me. I … was trained by my mother."

Nat looked over at him softly. “The one that Jason blames for him killing?”

Damian scowled. “Yes. My mother is responsible for bringing my brother back from the dead using the Lazarus pit which is … not quite magic. The pit induces its user with enhanced aggression, and memory loss which she utilized to manipulate Todd to her will.”

Natasha sat still for a moment. She really didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, that did partially explain Jason’s references to murder. On the other hand … the woman sounded horrible.

“Why would she do that?” Nat asked quietly.

Damian stroked Titus for a long moment before replying. “My mother is part of a group called The League of Assassins - led by my grandfather - that is dedicated to … saving the world.”

Natasha almost raised an eyebrow at that. Assassins and world-savers really didn’t seem like they would go together well.

“Not like you saved the world,” Damian continued, “But through brutal, unforgiving justice. They wish to reform civilizations across the world into total submission to my grandfather.

“So my mother took it upon herself to take in a newly raised from the dead Jason Todd, train him, and set him upon Gotham. Her point to it all was to harm my father, who is very much against League ideals.”

There was a sudden shout of triumph from the game, and the pair looked over at Tim crowing over a downed Peter Parker. They were silent for a long time, watching the game play out. Finally, Nat took it upon herself to speak.

“I never knew my parents. I grew up in a top secret Soviet-Russian training facility designed to create the perfect operatives, or assassins.” She took a breath as she looked over at Damian.

The boy had shed his smirks and scowls. His eyes were wide and innocent. There was a quality of quiet hope in his face. Like he was amazed that someone else could understand him.

“You’re like me,” he whispered. Then raised his voice slightly. “I was trained from birth. Mother and grandfather wanted me to be the heir. The perfect heir. I was taught every conceivable way to kill, to torture, to withstand any injury.” Damian was no longer looking at Natasha. His eyes showed that he was in another place. Another time.

“We were chained to the bed at night to prevent escape,” Natasha replied. “Sometimes they would make us fight to the death. To weed out the unworthy.”

“Weakness was not tolerated. The moment I made a mistake I was punished. I was to take it willingly.”

“When we trained with guns, they gave us real people to use as targets.”

“Emotions were a liability. I was to never show any, I was never to trust anyone. Not my trainors, not my servants, especially not my own mother.”

“We weren’t to trust each other either. Sometimes they would randomly order to kill your friends, and you had to. Otherwise you were killed.”

Damian sighed. “The worst part was leaving. Mother dumped me with Father - for training she said. I was to learn what I could from him. And I did, I learned a lot. But not what she wanted me to.” He looked over wistfully at his family. “I learned to trust. I had to believe I wasn’t invulnerable. I … I had to learn what it felt like to be … wanted .”

Natasha nodded at him, though he wasn’t looking at her. “Clint was sent to kill me, after I had been an operative for a while. I was the best, so people began to take notice. So S.H.I.E.L.D. sent Barton to eliminate me. But when he found me, he didn’t. He … had mercy on me. Something I had never known. He recruited me. I worked with him, and S.H.I.E.L.D. to help people instead of killing them. I had to relearn almost everything.”

They sit in a comfortable silence for a while. Neither bothering to pity the other. Just enjoying the companionship of another like them.

Then Nat spoke up again. "I'm not good with …" Natasha paused trying to find the right words. "Comfort. But, I understand"

Damian looked at her, then nodded. “I understand as well.”

They sat together for a while, looking at the game progressing. They talked about their lives, and even started to explain their families as well. Damian talked briefly about Bruce’s tragic childhood experiences, as well as Dick’s. He went into detail of Jason’s death and then resurrection. Tim’s becoming Robin. His neglectful family. Damian explained Cassandra’s past, and how Duke lost his parents. He mentioned Stephanie and Barbara, and how they joined the vigilante life as well. He didn’t go into detail, though, saying that their stories were not his to tell.

In return, Natasha talked about befriending Clint. How Steve became Captain America. How Tony built his suit. Banner’s experiments, and how he became the Hulk. How Thor found himself on Earth. What she knew of Peter, and how he became Spiderman.

“Do you trust me?” Damian asked, looking over at Nat when she had finished speaking.

Natasha smiled. “Yes. I’m assuming that’s what your goal was?”

Damian had the nerve to not look apologetic. “We may or may not have overheard your entire conversation after lunch.”

Nat nodded, she had figured as much. The Boy had been almost a bit too loose lipped in the beginning. But she could tell that as the conversation went on, he spoke freely because he wanted to, and not because he was trying to supply info.

“Did you draw the short straw?” Natasha asked.

Damian scowled. “T-t, no. Father said that if any of you were to question us or our motives, we should hold nothing back. You had the nerve to approach me first.”

Natasha laughed freely and ruffled the boy’s hair. He frowned, but didn’t push her hand away.

“Do you trust me now?” He asked, tentatively.

Natasha paused and tilted her head. “Yes, I think I do. You didn’t lie to me, I know that.” Damian rolled his eyes, and Natasha smirked a bit. “But also, you and I are similar. I don’t think I could distrust you if I tried.”

Damian nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good, I would not want to disappoint Father.”

Natasha smiled. “I don’t think he would be disappointed if I didn’t trust you. He seems quite reasonable.”

Damian outright snorted. “Say that again when I have a slight cold and he won’t let me on patrol. He can be quite unreasonable in mother-hen mode. Not unlike Grayson, unfortunately.”

Nat chuckled. “He loves you. That’s important.” There was another shout of victory from the field, then Natasha continued. “What about me? Trust goes both ways, you know.”

Damian frowned in concentration. “Yes, I believe you have earned some trust. I don’t know about Stark though, he seems … unstable.”

Natasha couldn’t help but outright laugh at that statement. After a moment of surprise, Damian joined in.

“That,” Natasha said between huge gasps of laughter, “Is by far the best thing I have heard in a long time.”

“Do you deny it?” Damian asked.

Natasha was almost crying from laughter. “No, not in a million years.”

Damian smiled at Nat. “Thank you, Romanoff. For talking. I believe you will make a valuable ally.”

“Call me Natasha, kid. Or Nat. Or Tasha. I don’t care. But not Romanoff. Friends aren’t so formal.”

Damian furrowed his brows for a moment before relaxing. “Very well, Tasha. We are now friends?”

Natasha smiled at Damian. “If you want to be.”

The boy pet Titus for a few thoughtful moments. “Very well. I accept. Together, we shall be a formidable force.”

Nat chuckled, ruffling the kid’s hair once again. This time, he didn’t bother frowning.

Just then, a voice called from the field. They both looked over to find Dick running up to them. “Dami! I’m so sorry! I thought someone had gotten you out! Well, the game’s over. Want to join in the next round?”

“T-t. Of course you forgot. If this had been in the field, I could have been killed by now.”

Dick smiled easily at his little brother. “So, what do you say?”

Damian glanced at Nat before replying. “Very well, I shall partake once again in your childish games, Grayson.” Then he smirked. “But I demand that Tasha be on my team. Since you are clearly untrustworthy.”

Dick looked curiously over at Natasha, a small smile on his face. “Sure Lil’ D. Let’s go.”

He motioned for the pair to follow him, then turned and ran off back toward the field.

Damian looked over at Nat. “You will be on my team?” He looked like he was trying to hide how hopeful he was.

Natasha got up and offered her hand to Damian. “Together, we shall be a formidable force, right?”

Damian grinned at her and accepted her hand. “Our reign of terror shall be legendary.”

[willow-salix]

Fluffember Prompt: Time

Day 22 of Isolation on Tracy Island 2.0. 

There is weirdness going on in this villa, weirdness I tell you. They all seem to be getting on really well and I knew they were planning something, I just didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. 

"OK, what's going on?" I asked Alan, picking on the smallest of the bunch. He was often the weak link in the group, he couldn't stand to be accused of things he hadn't done. 

"Nothing!" he squawked but he had that shifty look in his eyes that I recognised far too well. 

"Nope, not buying it," I coughed, folding my arms. I was starting to feel better but I was still feeling delicate and needing to rest a lot or I was getting light headed and grumpy (although Gordon said I was always grumpy). 

"OK," he sighed, knowing he was beaten. 

I waved a hand in a 'continue' gesture. 

"It's thanksgiving tomorrow."

I gave him a blank look, because I'm English and even though I'd heard of thanksgiving it wasn't something that I knew anything about and I definitely didn't celebrate it. 

"We've never celebrated before," I said. 

"We'll we've never had the time before," he shrugged, not taking his eyes off his game. 

Scott came in to sit down beside me with a cup of Gordon's tea which he handed me. I swear if I drink much more of this tea I'd start to slosh and look like a lemon. 

"What he means is that International Rescue has taken up so much of our time for so long that we've never wanted to do a big celebration because it would always get interrupted. We tried the first few years but every time a rescue call would come in and we'd end up leaving, it stopped being worth the effort."

"We still try to do Christmas," John added, nudging me until I sipped my tea. Honestly, I hate tea, I only drink it when I'm not well because coffee tastes weird when I have a cold, but it was making me feel a bit better so I was sucking it up. 

"But thanksgiving ended up being forgotten," Alan finished. "So Dad said we should make the most of this year and the fact that it's unlikely we'll get a call."

"We know the world is in a bad place right now but people need to be grateful for the fact that, while they can't see their family and friends as much as they would like to, they are doing their bit to keep their loved ones safe. And that's what thanksgiving is about, spending time with family and being thankful for everything you have," Scott said. 

"I can understand that part," I nodded. "I just don't get the whole thanksgiving thing, it's not something we do where I'm from, so I know nothing about it. What's the story?" 

All three of them looked at each other, exchanging one of those silent looks that family does where they are communicating nonverbally.

" I too would like to understand more about this human custom," EOS said, her holographic symbol floating peacefully above the table. "It sounds most interesting."

"We could tell you, but Grandma would be better, she used to tell us the story when we were kids," Scott said. 

"Does this mean you guys have forgotten most of the story?" I guessed. 

"No, of course not!" Alan protested. 

I can't say I believed them. 

Grandma was duly summoned to the lounge and we all settled in various chairs and couches like kids in anticipation of storytime. 

"It all began around five hundred years ago," Grandma began, holding court like the Queen she is. "And a great many people in England were unhappy because their King wouldn't allow them to worship as they liked."

"Always the way," I muttered under my breath. "Always some king or other telling people how to pray. Couldn't even be a witch without being killed for it, but I know the Protestants had the same kind of trouble."

"The king told them they must worship his way or risk imprisonment or even death," Grandma said. "They were of course unhappy with this and a great many took it upon themselves to flee the country to settle elsewhere."

"So basically they yeet skeeted out of there?" I said. 

"That's one way of putting it," Scott laughed. 

"First they tried Holland, and called themselves Pilgrims, a word meaning someone who is always travelling to find something they love or a land where they could be happier. They said 'from place to place, toward heaven, their dearest country'."

I sipped my tea and listened, it was easy enough to follow so far, I knew about religious persecution, although I'd never left my home for it. 

"The pilgrims were happy there for a while, they were quiet, peaceful people, but they were very poor. And, when their children began to grow up, they didn't have the same upbringing as their parents had, they weren't like English children, they spoke Dutch, like the children of Holland and some grew very disobedient and refused to go to church anymore."

"Sounds legit."

"The parents weren't impressed with this and, after much deliberation they decided to move again, wishing to go somewhere they could live their own way and make their own rules. They hired two ships, the Mayflower-" 

"Oh, I've heard of that one! That's one thing I do know," I said, quite proud of my rather limited knowledge but you know, you gotta take what you can get. 

"They hired the Mayflower and the Speedwell to take them across the sea to another land where they could make their home."

"So the pilgrim Mamas and Papas were like forget this, we're gonna ship off somewhere we get to make the rules?" I asked. 

"Essentially, yes," John admitted. 

"Honestly, I'm not too sure what to think of this right now, but I'm reserving judgment."

Grandma gave me a squinty eyed look of warning and I mimed zipping my lips. 

"Unfortunately," she who must be obeyed continued, "the Speedwell was not a strong ship, and the captain had to take her home again before she had gone very far. The mayflower returned too to take some of the Speedwell's passengers. They travelled for more than two months-" 

"Two months!" Alan yelped, "we can go from here to England in less than an hour in Thunderbird One."

"Yeah, that's crazy," Virgil agreed, shaking his head like he couldn’t quite believe it. 

"They landed and started building the first homes on Christmas day, but the journey hadn't been kind to them, many were sick and still suffered months later so were little help in the house raisings. They had barely any food, they had landed in winter when the land was barren and frozen, with great snow falls the likes of which they had never seen before."

"That sucks," Gordon said. "They should have been better prepared."

"By the time spring arrived their number had reduced by half from illness, starvation and cold," Grandma said, continuing with her far from pleasant tale. "The indigenous tribes of the area came to help, being friendly people and offered grain, seeds and tools with which to farm as well as the knowledge of when and how to plant to make the most of the land."

"That was nice of them," EOS said. "I have observed that it is uncommon for  humans to help each other without payment or gain, but it seems that it was not always the case."

"No, it wasn't," John agreed. "No matter what you read of humans, EOS, remember that where there is bad there is also good. Unfortunately it's often the bad we hear about while the good remain unnoticed, but that doesn't lessen their value or importance."

I squeezed his knee affectionately, just because I could and it's funny to watch him jump sometimes. His hand landed on top of mine to prevent me doing it again but I knew he didn't mind really. 

"The pilgrims farmed well all summer and when the autumn cape and they had harvested their crops they decided that a feast was in order to celebrate their first year, their first harvest and their new life. They invited all their native friends to attend and they happily agreed, bringing with them deer and other foods to share. They must have enjoyed themselves because the party lasted for three days. And now we celebrate being thankful for what we have every year at thanksgiving," Grandma finished, looking pleased with herself. She obviously loved the story and had told it with a kind of familiar comfort which told me that it was once she'd heard many times before, probably from her own grandparents.

 I loved those kinds of stories, the ones that bring back memories or a time past, one's that make you smile when you think of them. 

"Wow, they really knew how to throw down and have a good time," Alan grinned. " Do we get a three day party?" 

"I wish we did, but no, " Scott chuckled, "nice try though, squirt."

"Right, now that you've all kept me busy telling you stories, I'm going to go and see if you're father is ready to go, he's taking me to the mainland for supplies for tomorrows meal." Grandma jumped up from couch with a lot more energy than I had (she was obviously invigorated by the thought of shopping) and toddled off to hunt down Jeff. 

"John?" EOS asked quietly. 

"Yes, EOS?" 

"I don't understand Grandma's story."

"What didn't you understand, baby girl?" I asked her, butting in because I was bored quite honestly. 

"I have checked the facts of the story and found that it is not historically accurate." 

"What isn't?" Alan asked. 

"It appears that, while the meal did indeed happen, it was not called the first thanksgiving until later and that it was actually an American president, Abraham Lincoln, who heard about the meal from a diary of the time and used it as a moral booster during the Civil War."

"Oh, well that's not as nice," Gordon admitted. 

"My research also tells me that the pilgrims and the native Americans did not stay friends for long, indeed there were many nasty things done to them culminating in the decimation of their culture. Therefore I do not understand why such a thing is celebrated."

"Unfortunately, that's the English for you," I sighed. "For a small country we've done a lot of harm, we've invaded a lot of countries and taken over thinking that our ways were better, when really the best way was that of the native people. It's one of the things about being English I'm not proud of."

"It's not always that simple," John started, adopting that patiently explaining tone of his. It wasn't that 'I'm talking to an idiot' one that some men end up doing, but one that showed he was willing to listen and engage in an actual conversation. And people wonder why I love him so much. 

"Why not? History cannot be ignored," EOS insisted. 

"In this instance, it's not about history being ignored, but the spirit of the holiday changing over time. In the case of Thanksgiving its more about taking time out of your lives to stop and think about why you are thankful, to think about what you have and what your are grateful to have. You spend time with your family and friends and share stories and time. As with many things in life its a nasty part of history that something positive has come out of."

"Like how a lot of people don't celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus, because they aren't religious in that way, but treat it more as a time of family and a time to enjoy company, food and thoughtful gifts. So many traditions have developed over the years that can't be explained by history but are important just the same," Virgil told her. If John was the closest thing to a father to her, Virgil was definitely her ever patient uncle, he was always happy to talk to her. 

"So it is not a celebration of the harvest, the meal or the actions after?" 

"No, its about the spirit of the meal, the sharing of food with those for might not have any, of reflecting on the things you are thankful for and enjoying time with your loved ones," John explained. 

"I do not understand the spirit, I do not recall any ghosts in the story, but I find humans to be confusing, so I shall simply observe the remainder of your rituals and see for myself," she decided, her hologram blinking out. 

"Well," I sighed. "I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be interesting."

[purplecatghostposts]

-still on the figurative floor looking up at you' I am *always* down to listen to your Pokemon AU. What's your new thoughts on it?

Thank you and take these!

- Darnold, Forzen, Joshua, and G-Man have finally been incorporated into it after a lot of thinking!

- I might change this later but so far I have Darnold down as Octillery because he’s an inventor so multiple arms to work with is cool to me AND water type kinda suits him! Darnold is the original creator of the Orbs, using things like the Escape Orb or the Warp Orb to help him travel through tough dungeons and after people got word of them, they became really popular and people either started to buy them or create their own

- Darnold invents other stuff like machines as well, plus delicious drinks. Usually his drinks are more popular but recently, this one pokemon has taken a special interest in his machine work. Normally Darnold would be flattered but uh... Hm. Something feels kinda off about this customer? It’s- it’s probably nothing...

- Darnold and Tommy were good friends in their childhood! Tommy used to visit the lake that Darnold lived in a lot but they lost contact for a while when they grew up. However they run into each other again when Tommy’s trying to protect Gordon and Darnold gives them a place to crash. They’ve got a lot to catch up on.

- Forzen’s a Mightyena and a Bounty Hunter who catches wanted pokemon. He was raised by a bounty hunter so it was only natural he became one. It’s the only life he’s ever known.

- Once the bounty for a human who turned into a Pokémon is placed, how could Forzen not take up the job like everyone else? It’s one of the highest bounties Forzen’s ever seen in his life. Money like that can get you set for life and... That would mean Forzen could just settle down somewhere and... Not work? Sounds like a fairytale- Forzen needs to stay focused and get the job done first, he’ll worry about the details later.

- Knows Benrey but wouldn’t recognize him if he saw him now. Forzen’s not used to seeing him in his Totodile form. Forzen kinda liked Benrey for a while until he got a job that involving finding him and turning him in. Forzen’s a little confused why Benrey is suddenly being hunted but... Well, he’s got a job to do. Nothing personal, Benrey. Only problem is Benrey disappears off the map. It’s one of the few bounties that Forzen never completes.

- Joshua’s a Sewaddle and he’s very young (Around 5-8 human years). Unfortunately, he’s also separated from his family with no idea where they are or how to find them. Joshua manages to survive on his own for a bit- mostly out of pure fear and knowing what berries to eat- but he gets lost and ends up in a dangerous dungeon completely by accident. None of the other pokemon are hostile towards him because he’s a kid who poses no threat and they’re mostly confused on why he’s there but Joshua is still scared as hell and keeps running away from everyone.

- Oddly enough, the one who finds him is Benrey. Benrey manages to calm him down to figure out that the kid appears to be an orphan. Benrey’s not in a rescue team officially but Tommy and Gordon have rubbed off on him so he’s 100% gonna help this poor kid out and try to get him back to town. Tommy and Gordon might be able to House the kid until they can get him home- wherever that is.

- Unfortunately for Benrey, the quickest way to town is through a very dangerous Pokémon’s territory. Benrey and Joshua try to sneak through but the Luxray who lives there catches them- hard to hide from a Pokémon who can see through walls. Normally, Luxray would just scare them off but Benrey’s trying to negotiate and Luxray starts to get agitated. Luxray knows that voice... He doesn’t recognize the Totodile in front of him but he knows that voice... And he attacks Benrey very suddenly.

- Benrey tells Joshua to run. Joshua does but Benrey gets left behind and Joshua’s feeling a lot more scared than before. He makes it to town but the poor kid is a bit of a mess so he’s not making a lot of sense. Tommy and Gordon are in the town square when he arrives and offer to take him in. Joshua rests up and calms down, now in a safe environment. He still isn’t sure what to say because he’s still processing it but once Gordon and Tommy start talking about how it’s weird they haven’t seen Benrey in a while, Joshua recognizes the name and blurts out that Benrey helped him get here but now he’s in trouble. Tommy and Gordon realize the gravity of the situation and once they get geared up and have someone watch over Joshua, they head out to rescue Benrey.

- Joshua ends up staying with them for a long time, then stays with Sunkist when Tommy and Gordon need to stay on the run. He’s worried for them but Joshua’s rooting for them to make it out okay.

- Then there’s G-Man, who’s Mewtwo.

- Not much is known about him- he mostly sticks to the backgrounds and shadows, not making too much of a fuss. Normally, he’s unattached to most other pokemon in this world but... One day, there’s a poor Pichu, alone in a storm. No parents, no guardians, no family around to help. He needs help and... Well, G-Man’s not heartless. He takes the pichu to a well known explorer, Sunkist, an Arcanine, in hopes that she will find their family. When Sunkist is unable to, she takes the kid on as her own.

- G-Man checks in every once in a while. The Pichu grows into a strong Pikachu and has his own exploration team. That small Pichu in the storm is no longer helpless or alone and G-Man almost feels... Proud of how far he’s come. Something special is in that Pikachu, he can feel it.

- Gordon swears he sees the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo sometimes when they’re out on missions. But- that couldn’t possibly be right?? Why would Mewtwo be anywhere near here?

That’s some of the thoughts I got more fleshed out so far!

[blog-sliverofjade]

Of Doms & Subs 8: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Pairing: Angus Hopper x OFC

Summary:  What’s a submissive female to do when she fights her nature and goes on the run as a Lone wolf to avoid being assimilated into a pack?

Word count: 1346

Of Doms & Subs Master List

“Hey, Moira, would you take a short walk with me?”  While I was still bearing a grudge against her mate, I genuinely liked the witch, who merely laughed at me for sniffing her and trying to figure out the strange new nose-tingling smell.  She informed me that it was magic.

“Ok, spill it,” she whispered once we were out of earshot.

“Spill what?”

“I’m blind, not deaf, so don’t try to lie to me.”  She poked me hard in the shoulder.

“I want to test something.  I was wondering if we could wander up the main road,” I admitted.

“You’re trying to bypass the geis by having me act as escort,” she laughed.  Obviously the rumour mill carried the tale of my misdemeanour to her.  “Yeah, he didn’t word that one quite right, did he?”

“I figure ‘proper escort’ is subject to interpretation.  A witch has got to count, right?  Besides, if this doesn’t work, I’ll steal Ian’s Ford Escort,” I shrugged.

“If this loophole works, Angus is going to be pissed,” she warned.

“Just keeping my options open.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“No,” I sighed.  “Angus wants me for the pack.”  Ugh, that was weird to say.  And I said so.  “I don’t like to be tied down.  Outside of the bedroom anyway.”

“Fyi, normal handcuffs won’t work now.  Just saying.”  A faint blush coloured her cheeks.  “Wolves can be just as promiscuous as us humans, but once they start falling for something that’s it.  Done.  Game over.  End.  Finito.  Do not pass go, go directly to mating.”

“Not helping, witch.”  As a human, she couldn’t smell moods, could she?  I was scared to ask how she knew or where she was going with this because I didn’t think I’d like the answer.  “Out of control hormones are not good enough reason to jump into bed with someone.  And certainly not after having known them less than a week.”

“Then try this on for size: you’re afraid to play bedwarmer.  But you’re also too afraid to tie yourself to him in a non-sexy fashion.  Maybe instead of worrying about what he wants, first ask your two halves what they want,” she suggested.

“It’s a little early for a verdict,” I frowned.

“The only two people I know whose wolves chose before their human parts knew within hours of meeting each other.  Tom and I fell the first time we met.”

“I did the whole love at first sight bit, and have no desire to be that stupid again.  Here we are,” I said when our path went from gravel to blacktop.  I dropped her arm momentarily to step back and forth from the pack property to the road with ease.  “Please don’t tell anyone about this.”

“I won’t lie, but I won’t volunteer any info either,” warned Moira.

“That’s all I ask.”  I held my arm out to brush against hers so she could take it at her leisure.

“Tom’s going to ask what we talked about, so let’s get our story straight.  Cop and wolf instincts, killer combo when it comes to interrogations.  So how about that popular sports team?”

“When’s football season over again?” I asked mournfully.

“Superbowl’s in February.  But that’s only a problem if you’re stuck at the house on game days.  If you are, you’ll have to come kidnap me.  I’d offer to come rescue, but for some asinine reason they won’t give me a driver’s license.”

“Hey, do you want to drive?  You can take my Jeep for a spin in the driveway,” I offered.

“You’re kidding.”  Dark brows rose over the sunglasses.

“I never kid when it comes to shenanigans.  I take my shenanigans very seriously,” I swore solemnly while fishing my spare set of keys out from under the back bumper and unlocked the doors.  “This is the ignition key.”  I handed the ring to her with the one in question pressed into her fingers.  “Let’s hop in and I’ll show you where to stick it.”

“Ooh, no one’s said that to me since high school,” she smirked.

After we both buckled up, I talked her through starting the engine and shifting into gear, guiding her hand when appropriate.  After getting the pedals sorted out, we inched forward.  Men were coming around the house, summoned by the sound of the engine.

“Turn the wheel a quarter turn to your right.”  We slowly arced so that it was obvious to the spectators that the blind witch was driving.  I blithely waved while continuing to give verbal directions, only guiding the wheel slightly once or twice.  “Now gun the gas and turn all the way to the left.”  We squealed with laughter as we spun around, gravel crunching and spraying under the tires.  Instinct caused her to let off the gas before we continued to spin out and possibly lose control.

“Now put her in park and turn off the engine so your mate and my Alpha can come rip me a new one.”  Even though he wasn’t officially my Alpha yet in any sense of the word, the words felt right, which was disturbing in and of itself.

“Should we make a break for it?” she asked.

“Eh, we’d have to return sometime.  I don’t know you well enough yet to pull a Thelma and Louise.”  I pocketed the keys and propped a foot on the dash.

“Is there a problem, officer?” Moira asked innocently as Tom approached her open window.

“What were you thinking?” Tom bellowed.  At her, not me.  My own personal bane was yanking my door open.

“Out,” he snapped.  Oh, this was too easy.

“Yes, you are outside.”

“Get out of the car.”  He bit off each word.  He must have seen the glint in my eye because he added, “Now.”  He slammed the door behind me hard enough to rock the poor car.

“You would have walked away if she’d managed to roll the Jeep, but she’s human,” he snapped.  There was definitely something wrong with me because the danger and power that rolled off of him when he was mad did very naughty things to my body.

“A) I know far more about the fragility of humans than you do.  B) We never went over fifteen mph.  That little show was really just shifting the weight around.  And C), at most it would have tipped onto the side I was on.  We even wore seatbelts.”

“So instead you put yourself at risk for a little stunt?���

“Or maybe I understand what it’s like to be denied certain freedoms,” I said quietly, but with no less feeling.

“Give me the keys.”

“I already gave you keys.  Check with Shane, he should have the original set.”  I bounced the spares once in my palm before chucking them into the ditch full of murky water by the road.  I could do this submission thing as long as I found enough loopholes.

After her little act of defiance, which had happened with the Jeep between us and the rest of the pack thus obscuring her actions, she mingled quite thoroughly.  Somehow she’d picked up the trick of gauging distance and hearing so as to pitch her voice quietly enough to avoid being overheard.  No one knew of our exchange.  Too bad that she was adept at following the letter of the law if not the spirit.  I’d have liked to punish her.  Thoroughly and publicly.

I didn’t see what pathetic excuse started the fight.  But I knew who started it.  Ellie was standing with her back to Ian and Gordon, who had borne the brunt of Ian’s territorial aggression during the football match.  The next anyone knew, Ian went flying.  Shane had just enough warning to grab Ellie’s arm and try to drag her to safety.

Later, I realized I should have broken up the fight, immediately meted out punishment for putting others at risk.  If I had, the two males might not have survived my wrath.  But I would never regret running to Ellie’s crumpled body, surrounded by chunks of brick and blood splatters.

Note:  I have let a blind person drive my sedan in an empty parking lot before, so it is possible with a lot of verbal direction and a ready hand to grab the wheel just in case. Jeeps are top heavy, although not as much as other SUV's, so at higher speeds on gravel there is a slight chance of tipping. However the parking area that I'm picturing at the Emerald City Pack's house in Issaquah is too small with all the other vehicles to get up to a speed that would present that risk. At least they didn't go mudding in the green space that the guys were playing football in.

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2020 #9: in which Cameron checks on Donna (and Joanie and Haley)

[CN: spoilers for season 4 of Halt and Catch Fire; food/eating; grief]

At dinner, Alexa could tell that Cameron was distracted. Just after the salad course, she asked her, “So. Comet. Things must be intense there right now, I guess?”

“What?” Cameron looked up. “Oh, I guess? Actually, it’s not terrible there. It’s sad, but everyone is happy to work, I guess. It’s fine.”

“It seems like something is on your mind, though?” Alexa pressed her.

Their waiter brought out their entrees: a steak au poivre for Cameron, and chicken marengo for Alexa. They thanked him, and when he left them to their meal, Cameron said, “I haven’t talked to Donna or her and Gordon’s kids in a few weeks. I’m worried about them. I mean not worried, like, they’re not in danger.”

“But you’re thinking about them,” Alexa said. “I understand.” She poked a fork into her dinner. “I’m not completely heartless or single-minded, Cameron.”

Awkwardly, Cameron said, “Oh, I know, I mean I know you get it. I just haven’t been in touch with them.”

“Is there a reason for that? Just too much going on at Comet?”

“There isn’t really, though,” Cameron said. “I just haven’t known what to say. I know that there’s nothing I can say that will fix it. And I also know that they know that and that they don’t expect me to fix it. I just can’t get myself to go see them, though. Every time I think about going to their house I feel like I’m intruding.”

“Well, that’s silly,” Alexa deadpanned.

“I know,” Cameron nodded. “Just, can’t help it.”

“Then you should go,” Alexa shrugged. “Right now. Just go, don’t think about it.”

“What?” Cameron said. Before she could say anything else, Alexa was politely asking their waiter to wrap up their food and bring the check.

Alexa was signing the check as she said, “Cameron, sometimes the best way to get work done is to do something else. Clearly, to get anything done, you need to go see your friend. Which is fine. Go! Be a human person. Go see how she is.”

Thirty minutes later, Cameron was waiting on Donna’s doorstep, leftovers in hand, after ringing the bell so timidly that she thought that maybe it hadn’t sounded. But then, after a minute, she saw Donna, in her pajamas and a robe, walking toward her front door. When she saw Cameron, her eyes narrowed, as if she was confused, or didn’t quite believe that it was her.

Donna opened the door. “Hey,” she said softly. “What brings you to this neighborhood?”

“Uh. You,” Cameron said. 

Donna grinned skeptically at her. “Really? Just me?”

“I was at dinner with Alexa, and I told her that I was worried about you. Or not worried, but, you know. And she said, ‘okay, then just go see her, I’ll call you later in the week, bye.’”

Donna looked at the leftovers. “What’s in the paper bag?”

“Steak au poivre?”

“Oh,” Donna said. “Fancy. Peppery.” When Cameron couldn’t think of a response, Donna asked, “You wanna come in?”

Relieved, Cameron said, “Yeah, sure.”

Cameron followed Donna up to the kitchen. “Want me to put that in the fridge?”

“That would probably be smart,” Cameron says, handing them over.”

Opening the refrigerator door, Donna asked, “Want some coffee? Or something? I’m thinking about making some tea.”

“Sure, I’ll have some tea,” Cameron sat down at the island. Donna closed the refrigerator door, and Cameron said, “I’m sorry to just show up here.”

“Well, Alexa gave you a direct order,” Donna smirked.

Cameron chuckled nervously. “Sort of. I’m glad she did, though. I’ve been meaning to call, but, I keep finding excuses not to. Not because I don’t want to, but just…because.”

Donna put her kettle on the stove, and switched on the burner. “You don’t have to explain. I get it. You wanna check on people, but it’s weird, because you already know that they’re not okay.” She sat down across from Cameron. “How are you guys?”

Cameron frowned. “We’re…hanging in there.” Donna smiled glumly at her. Cameron asked her, “how are you? Where are Haley and Joanie?”

Donna sighed. “Haley is holed up in her room, probably working at her computer. Joanie is working, she has a babysitting job tonight.”

“I’ve talked to them a few times,” Cameron said. “I email Haley, and she always answers very promptly. It seems like they’re doing as well as they can be, under the circumstances.”

“Sometimes I think they’re doing better than I am,” Donna said. “Which, is fine. I’m grateful they’re doing as well as they are.” She got up and went to the cabinet above the sink, and grabbed two mugs and set them down on the counter. Then she asked, “Hey, what kind of tea do you want?”

Cameron shrugged, “What kind? Oh, I don’t know, I can have whatever you’re having.”

“Okay,” Donna nodded. She pulled open a drawer and produced a small tin, opened it, fished out two tea bags, and dropped them into their respective mugs, and then put the tin back in the drawer, and closed it. She turned to face Cameron again, and asked, “How are things at Comet?”

Cameron sighed heavily. 

Donna returned to the island and sat down. Sympathetically, she said, “I guess that’s probably a silly question, it must be tough at the office right now.”

“It’s actually not terrible,” Cameron smiles tentatively. “I mean, sure, everyone is sad, but it feels like everyone is motivated to work extra hard and really work together, because of it. It actually kind of reminds me of Mutiny.”

Donna smiled. “Does it really? Well, from how Haley used to talk about it, I suppose I can see that.”

In a faux condescending tone, Cameron said, “Well, nothing will ever actually be like Mutiny. Obviously. But, it’s the same kind of office. Everyone is a nerd, and everyone’s just glad to be there and getting paid to code and goof off all day.” Donna laughed quietly, but then Cameron continued, “I really, really wanted to avoid working that closely with, you know. The person I’m with, though.”

“Right,” Donna nodded. “I can understand that, with how that went the first time around.” Mildly desperate to lighten the mood, Donna tried to joke, “Any BIOS codes accidentally get erased?”

Cameron’s eyes darkened slightly. “Um. Did you know that he faked that whole thing?”

“I did, actually,” Donna said. “And you found out, too?”

“I did. And I punched him in the face for it.”

Donna let out a hoarse cackle. “I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see that.” The tea kettle started to whistle, and Donna got up and went to the stove, shut off the burner, grabbed a pot holder, and picked up and carefully poured out their mugs of tea. 

With Donna’s back to her, Cameron confessed, “I don’t hate being at Comet or anything, at all. I just, I’m doing it as a favor, and I really, really wanna get back to my work.”

“I get that,” Donna said.

“I don’t mean to be selfish.”

“It’s not selfish,” Donna returned with their mugs, set them down, and sat down again. “You want to put your time and energy into your work, not someone else’s. That’s perfectly reasonable.” She reached over to the center of the island and grabbed a porcelain sugar bowl, and then got up again and grabbed some spoons from the refrigerator. 

Miserably, Cameron says, “It feels selfish, though.”

“Don’t think of it is as selfish,” Donna said, offering Cameron a spoon. “Think of it as just, being excited for your project.”

Cameron took the spoon from her. “I’m sitting here talking about my problems like a jerk. How’s not being at work?” 

“A relief, 98 per cent of the time,” Donna said. She took the top off the sugar bowl, scooped some sugar out with her spoon, and stirred it into her tea, and then pushed the bowl toward Cameron.

Cameron put three spoonfuls of sugar in her mug. “What about the other two per cent of the time?”

“The other two per cent of the time I wish I had a distraction,” Donna sighed. 

“Yeah.” Cameron stirred her tea. 

Before she could say anything else, a door slammed, and Joanie yelled, “I’m home!” and threw her backpack down on the couch and stomped into the kitchen. She stopped short when she saw Cameron. Agitated, she said, “She didn’t tell me you were coming over?” She looked at Donna, “Why didn’t you tell me she was coming over?”

“She didn’t know,” Cameron said, “I just came by unannounced.”

“Oh,” Joanie said. “Well, okay, I guess that’s cool.”

“Did you eat?” Donna asked her?

“No,” Joanie said, going to the refrigerator. She pulled open the door and started to rummage through it. “Do we even have anything?”

“We could order something, if you want,” Donna said. 

Joanie pulled Cameron’s paper bag of leftovers out of the refrigerator. “What’s this?”

“It’s steak au poivre,” Cameron said. “Left over from the work dinner I was just at.”

Something about it belonging to Cameron made it interesting. “Oh. Can I try it?”

“Sure,” Cameron said.

“Let me heat that up,” Donna said, getting up. She took the leftovers from her, and took them to the microwave.

“So what was your work dinner about? Comet?” Joanie asked.

Before she could respond, Haley walked into the kitchen, “What about Comet? Oh, hey, Cameron….”

The microwave timer went off. Pulling out Joanie’s plate, Donna asked, “Hey sweetie, do you want anything? Are you hungry? I got more Bagel Bites.”

“What’s that?” Haley asked.

“Some steak thing that Cameron brought over,” Joanie said, watching Donna put it back into the microwave to heat for another minute and a half.

“That’s such a random thing to bring over,” Haley mused.

“It wasn’t planned,” Cameron said.

“It’s totally random,” Joanie said, sitting down next to Cameron, “but I still wanted to try it.”

“I can heat something for you next,” Donna offered, “and ordering takeout is still an option.”

“Maybe,” Haley shrugged. “Can I try the steak thing, though?”

Donna looked at Cameron and Joanie, as if she expected them to answer. Before they could, the microwave timer went off again, and Donna turned back to it, and carefully took the hot plate out of it, and turned and set it down on the island. 

“Cool, hunks of steak!” Joanie yelled. “And potatoes.”

“Okay, okay,” Donna said, bringing over a handful of forks. “Calm down.”

Joanie pulled the plate over, grabbed a fork, and stabbed the steak with it. Donna sat down, and Haley sat down next to her. Joanie tasted the steak, and then Haley picked up one of the forks, pulled the plate to her and Donna’s side of the island. Donna grabbed one of the forks and waited for Haley to get some steak and potato on her fork before going in with her own fork.

‘I mean, it’s okay,” Joanie said. “Peppery, though.” 

“I like it, it’s peppery in a good way,” Haley decided.

Joanie demolished one of the three medallions of steak on the plate, and then said, “Can we still get pizza?”

Exasperated, Donna said, “Well of course we can.”

“Extra cheese?” Haley suggested.

“Onions and peppers!” Joanie demanded.

Donna turned to Cameron. “What about you? Any special toppings? Do you even want pizza?”

Cameron grinned. “Honestly? I’d love some.”

[heroheaven]

Okay, so I’ve re watch the Nolanverse Batman trilogy and at the end I’ve always liked how they insinuated how John Blake was to take up the mantle of Gotham’s next capes crusader (as Robin, Nightwing, or Batman), and lemme tell you how I would have LOVED a fourth movie of Detective Robin John Blake, being the next vigilante, falling down and getting beat up in fights, hiding his new side job from Commissioner Gordon. Like that would be awesome in its own right, but may I add; teenager Carrie Kelley finding out the new Crusader’s identity and straight up shows up in the Batcave with her own costume and gumption. It’s not like Blake can make a determination teenager not help him. Even after he changes the lock on his apartment door and the batcave, Carrie sneaks her way in and always shows up on his patrol and sometimes kicks more ass than he does.

And since I am also Bane x Blake trash (we have gotta come up with a better ship name) I just like toying with the idea of Bane (who tries to train the two most stubborn humans he’s ever met) and Blake (one of said afformentiomed humans) being Carrie’s weird not dads with Alfred there providing support and filming each disaster with a smile.

Carrie is my obvious choice because after the occupation in Gotham, Carrie’s gearing to protect her city no matter what, and who cares if all she has is a Blue Belt in karate, her first aid patch from Girl scouts, and a ferocity that’s second to none. She inavative and clever and knows the streets of Gotham better than anyone. To me she seems like the natural choice.

Shenanigans would include

Carrie and Blake finding a washed up Bane in the sewers and having a fight on wether to save him or leave him to die. The no killing rule beats out so they take him to the cave.

Blake is reminded how much brute strength Carrie has when she dead lifts Bane by herself and starts her trek to the Cave before Blake can snap out of it and come to help her

It takes a while for a) forgiveness and b) Bane’s reform, but it eventually happens. After a lot of screaming and threatening

Carrie being apart of Girl Scouts and a small martial arts dojo and frequently asks Blake to drive her to her practices and meetings. Blake doesn’t know when he became a chauffeur but Carrie always gives him anone arm hug before he leave so he guesses its not so bad

Both Carrie and Blake perch in random ledges and it annoys the shit out of Bane because normal people shouldn’t be doing their homework on the top of the batcomputer minister, Carrie!

Carrie trying to explain what a thin mint is to Bane and why she needs to sell more than Lucy Devero

Carrie roller blading around the Batcave because it’s huge and walking around it is a hassle

Bane decides the best way to repay the people who saved him and gave him a second chance was to train them so they get their asses kicked less while on patrol

Carrie felling the three grown men in the cave her high school drama

When Blake hears about Carrie’s home life, he’s torn between reporting them and having them take her away, because he knows what it’s like to be in the system and he wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

In case you don’t know, Carrie’s parents are major druggies that honest to god forget they have a daughter

Eventually after he gets approved by the necessary people, Blake reports Carrie’s parents and takes her as his foster daughter. Because why not

Bane can’t really be hard on Carrie because she reminds him so much of Talia.

That doesn’t stop him from giving her a list of exersizes to do every day that she only does because Blake backs Bane up

Bane is still Bane, but when he gets too dark and suggests things that go against the belief and justice system Carrie and Blake have developed, it’s always Carrie correcting him

As in, screaming at him why he’s wrong, angry crying, saying if he wants to go back to the way he was she’s be happy to leave Bane in the sewer the next time he finds himself there

That usually stops him in his tracks

Alfred always offering rooms at the mansion for everyone, and even though Blake and Bane don’t take up the offer, Carrie commandeered a whole wing for herself and properly decked it out in posters and video game councils.

The Batcave is their place of operation but Blake’s apartment is where the life of the team is at

If/When Blake and Bane start their weird relationship, they both try to hide it from Carrie

But Carrie’s not an idiot because the apartment only has two bedrooms and Bane ain’t sleeping on the couch. She’s checked.

I dunno, just Blake with his sidekick Carrie is unbelievably entertaining to me

[thezeekrecord]

GAGEGN ch15

[index/summary]

REPORT: Regarding D.Pepper and T.Coolatta's time babysitting

Darnold had to admit—maybe sitting around for a month had been eating away at his mental health more than he had cared to notice at the time. Watching Joshua was a big task, but it was something to do, something that had a very clear goal and many rewards. He hadn’t known very many people with kids during his adult life, let alone any that would turn to him for babysitting, so it took them a brief adjustment period to find what worked. Joshua was an exceptionally picky eater, but giving him small portions of many hard set choices he could ask for more of at mealtimes seemed agreeable to him. He was incredibly high-energy, but tended to put his all into particular types of activities for hours at a time; video games were one draw, but Tommy had picked up a few different children’s science kits that he seemed to enjoy as well. He especially liked anything involving plants, so they let him attempt gardening in their backyard, which mostly just amounted to him digging a bunch of holes with Sunkist and burying random things.

It was a little exhausting, but fun; Darnold enjoyed the company of kids. Still, he did tend to sigh in relief once Joshua was in bed; his high energy was hard to match sometimes. Darnold was knelt down beside Joshua’s bed, telling him extensively about potions in the hopes of boring him to sleep when Tommy appeared in the doorway. Josh didn’t seem to like falling asleep alone, after all—something Darnold couldn’t help but wonder about, given the fact that his dad had disappeared for some unidentifiable amount of time during the resonance cascade. Darnold glanced back at Joshua. He looked halfway asleep by now, so Darnold stood, giving him a brief affectionate pat on the shoulder.

“Goodnight, Josh.” Darnold said.

“Goodnight.” Joshua mumbled.

Darnold exited the room, closing the door gently behind him.

“What’s up?” Darnold whispered to Tommy.

“Oh, nothing. It was just—you were taking a while, so I thought I might see if, uhhh, if I could help.” Tommy muttered.

Darnold laughed slightly as they headed back downstairs. “Nahhh, I had it. He’s just shockingly interested in potions.”

Tommy snorted as they arrived in the living room, plopping down on the couch together. They were, as far as Darnold was aware of roommate etiquette, the appropriate distance from each other—each sat on either end of the couch, with more than enough space for a third person. Tommy picked up the remote, turning on a recording of the newest Invitation to Love episode they’d arranged to watch together. Darnold wasn’t necessarily a fan; it was the exact type of drama that really grated on his nerves. Tommy loved it, though, and actually had pretty interesting analysis to offer on the exact things Darnold hated about it, so it wasn’t a total loss of his time. Besides, any time spent with Tommy was never considered a waste in Darnold’s mind.

Once the episode was over, Darnold was ready to hear Tommy lovingly roast it like always, but when he turned to him expectantly, Tommy looked distracted.

“You alright?” Darnold asked gently.

“...Yeah.” Tommy muttered. “I’m just...thinking.”

“...About what?”

Tommy paused before turning to Darnold to give him a smile. “I think you’d make a really great dad.”

Darnold smiled back bashfully, heat rushing to his face. “O-oh—really? I mean, I don’t know.”

“To be honest, I was—umm...I was sorta nervous about watching Joshua.” Tommy went on, curling in on himself a little tighter as he looked back at the TV. “I was worried that, like...I wouldn’t really know what to do. But you do a really good job with kids.”

“You do a good job, too. You actually know what he’s talking about half the time.” Darnold pointed out with a laugh.

Tommy laughed too, leaning his head into his hand. “Did you ever—were you ever planning on having kids? Before the resonance cascade?”

Darnold’s smile fell just a little bit. “Well...yeah, I mean, it always ended up being a ‘when I find the right person’ kinda thing. But I never ended up dating anyone, and then I moved into the Black Mesa dorms...it just never really panned out.”

Tommy nodded, and they settled into a brief silence.

“...It’s been fun watching over Josh with you, though.” Darnold admitted shyly.

Tommy smiled. “Yeah! I don’t know if I could do this all the time, but—I, uhh—I could see myself babysitting for Mr. Freeman whenever he needs.”

They fell into another comfortable silence, the TV automatically going back to the last channel they’d been on before they’d started up the recording. As always, the small part of Darnold’s mind that endlessly calculated a future with Tommy romantically began chugging away, weighing Darnold’s interest in having kids versus Tommy’s reluctance, but he did his best to quickly stamp that thought process down.

“...I wish I had this growing up.” Tommy murmured suddenly. “The group homes I grew up in weren’t all bad, it’s just...you know. Something like this could have saved me a lot of grief. And then—and to think, my dad could’ve provided me something like this this whole time...”

Darnold frowned. “...I’m sorry, Tommy.”

Tommy let out a small sigh, turning back to Darnold. “I-it’s okay, though. I guess I just, umm—I would wanna use my experiences to, like...help my friend do better for his kid. You know?”

Darnold nodded. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Tommy and Darnold’s quiet time together soon came to an end, and the next morning, Darnold, Tommy, Joshua, and Sunkist were all sat in the living room sometime after breakfast when they heard a knock at the front door. Darnold stood first, immediately assuming it must have been Gordon. Instead, though, he found Dr. Coomer, greeting Darnold with a bright smile.

“Hello, Darnold!” He said. “How are you this morning?”

“Oh, hi. I’m doing good.” Darnold replied.

“Do you need any help with Joshua, perhaps?” Dr. Coomer asked, leaning over unsubtly to see into Darnold’s house.

Darnold stepped aside to let Dr. Coomer in. “Well, we’ve got things under control, but you’re welcome to stay.”

Dr. Coomer stepped in enthusiastically, and Darnold closed the door behind him.

“Have you seen Gordon already?” Darnold asked him as they headed to the living room.

Dr. Coomer maintained his smile, but there was a hint of evasiveness in his tone as he replied. “Oh, Bubby’s over at Gordon’s right now. I figured I’d drop by here instead to see how things were going.”

Darnold had half a mind to ask if Dr. Coomer was feeling well—he had heard he was having some trouble yesterday, after all—but decided to drop it, as Dr. Coomer appeared to be just fine. He greeted Joshua enthusiastically, scooping him up into his arms for a tight hug.

“How are you, Joshua?” Dr. Coomer asked as he eased himself down on the couch, Joshua in his lap.

“We’re watching Spongebob!” Joshua answered with a smile.

Dr. Coomer looked up at the TV, confirming they were indeed watching Spongebob.

“Oh, I do love cartoons!” Dr. Coomer chirped. “Tell me more about ‘Sponge Bob’.”

Joshua immediately began firing off on a long rant about Spongebob as Darnold sat back down. Once Joshua lost interest in describing the show to Dr. Coomer, he turned, settling in Dr. Coomer’s lap to keep watching in silence.

“How are you feeling today?” Tommy asked.

Dr. Coomer smiled. “Oh, I’m doing much better today. Thank you for your help yesterday, Tommy.”

“...Is umm...is Benry at your house?”

Dr. Coomer’s smile fell. “Oh, I—I entirely forgot. I’m sorry, Tommy, I don’t believe he is, unless he was hiding in our linens closet again. I can go check, if you’d like.”

Tommy shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I’m—I’m uhh, sure he’s just squatting somewhere again.”

“He has a cell phone, right?” Dr. Coomer asked, putting a strange emphasis on the words “cell phone”. He shifted his weight a little bit to pull out his phone. “We could always try sending him a text message!”

“I would...feel weird texting him...” Tommy muttered, looking pointedly at Dr. Coomer’s phone.

Dr. Coomer flipped his open, holding it out in one hand while he used his other hand to jab at the buttons with his index finger. Darnold tried not to look too amused by it.

“I don’t believe I have his phone number...” Dr. Coomer said.

Tommy gave Dr. Coomer his phone number, hovering over his shoulder a little as Dr. Coomer began trying to draft a text message. Tommy leaned in close, giving Dr. Coomer pointers on how to text properly, but ended up taking the phone entirely from him as Dr. Coomer dictated to Tommy what he wanted to say.

“Now, I would like it to say...‘Hello, Benry! This is Harold. Tommy gave me your cell phone number.’ And put a smiley face there, if you can.” Dr. Coomer said.

Tommy typed the message expertly within a manner of seconds. Once he was done, his finger hovered over the send button, pulling away and turning back to Dr. Coomer. “Ummm...anything else?”

“Yes, say...‘I wanted to check in and see how you were doing. We’re not quite sure where you are at the moment, but you’re always welcome to stay with me and Bubby if you need.’ And I’d like another smiley there, please. Then, ‘Love, Harold.’”

Tommy smiled. “You don’t need to put, uhhh—you don’t need to put a valediction in a text, Dr. Coomer.”

Dr. Coomer frowned, distress clear on his face. “But I want to!”

“Okay, I’ll put it in.” Tommy said with a small laugh, taking a moment to finish texting. His smile fell when it came time to send the message, thumb hovering over the send button. “Ummm...h-here.” He muttered, pushing the phone back into Dr. Coomer’s hand.

Tommy closed his eyes and curled up on the couch as Dr. Coomer hit the button for him. Once the message was sent, Dr. Coomer reached to Tommy, pulling him into a side hug. Tommy sighed, relaxing against Dr. Coomer.

“It’ll be alright, Tommy.” Dr. Coomer said reassuringly.

Tommy nodded. “...Yeah. I just feel so...complicated about it.”

“I know.” Dr. Coomer replied gently. “You invested a lot of your time and energy into him—that’s not easy to let go of. But if he’s not listening to you, I understand that you need some time away from him.”

Tommy sighed again deeply, turning and settling to lean his back against Dr. Coomer. Darnold smiled at them, hoping they wouldn’t notice. He sympathized with Tommy for having a hard time over putting his foot down with Benry, but the sight of him and Dr. Coomer clearly being so close was nice; he’d heard a little bit about what happened with the Nihilanth project, but he didn’t know too much about Tommy’s friendship with Dr. Coomer and Bubby. Clearly, though, they’d been through a lot together already—they all had, in fact. Darnold wondered not for the first time if he would be this close with them, if he had decided to go with Gordon after all.

They all sat together peacefully, quickly moving on to sit out in the backyard and watch Joshua play with Sunkist. Darnold had been a little nervous at first about such a massive dog with a small child, but Sunkist was well-behaved as always, perhaps even alarmingly aware of what Joshua should or shouldn’t be doing. She was barking orbs of sweet voice eagerly at Joshua, trotting leisurely behind him as he ran in circles around the yard. Everyone looked up curiously as the fence gate was pushed open with a creak by none other than Bubby, slouched over with a grouchy expression on his face.

“There you are, Harold.” Bubby sighed, closing the gate behind him. “I thought you were staying home.”

“That’s what you decided.” Dr. Coomer pointed out. “How is Gordon?”

Bubby reached under his glasses to rub his eyes exhaustedly. “...There were some ups and downs.” He settled to say, plopping down in the empty lawnchair beside Dr. Coomer.

Dr. Coomer pulled Bubby’s chair closer to him, Bubby gripping the sides to steady himself as it moved, so he could drape an arm over his shoulders. Bubby glanced at Darnold and Tommy, crossing his arms with a huff.

“He’s okay with Benry now, though, I guess. Sort of.” Bubby went on.

“What? Really?” Tommy asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I have no idea why, I didn’t ask. But I walked in this morning, and they were just hanging out.”

“That’s...that’s good.” Tommy said, staring down at the concrete at his feet. He didn’t sound too enthusiastic about it, Darnold noted with a frown.

“I made that list of therapists for him, at least, but I didn’t get the chance to try and talk to him about it.” Bubby continued, pushing his glasses up on his face. “We got his house cleaned up and most of his things unpacked. That’s about it.”

“That’s a very good start!” Dr. Coomer said with a smile. “We can discuss his therapy options tomorrow.”

Bubby frowned, looking away. “You’re going to have to do that yourself, Harold. Sorry.”

“Why’s that?”

“...I just...probably shouldn’t be there tomorrow.” Bubby glanced up at Darnold and Tommy again, then looked down into his lap uncomfortably. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Bubby, I thought I told you to be nice.” Dr. Coomer said, but his tone was gentle as he pulled Bubby in a little closer.

“That’s your thing.” Bubby grumbled.

“Bubby!” Joshua shouted enthusiastically, breaking away from Sunkist to jump on the lawn chair Bubby was sat on. Bubby tensed as Joshua sat himself in his lap, arms hovering over Joshua like he was afraid he’d break him if he touched him. “Do the fire!”

Bubby grimaced. “No, Gordon got really mad the last time I did that around you.”

“Please?”

Bubby hummed uncomfortably. “Ohhh...fine. Just go sit with Harold.”

Bubby nudged Joshua gently over to Dr. Coomer’s lap, then sat up, scooting his chair away a little bit.

“Hold on—the fire?” Darnold asked nervously. “You’re not gonna—”

Bubby already had his fingers to his temples, though, and in a flash, he had a controlled flame in his other palm. He then took a deep breath, held the flame up to his face, and blew on it, giving him the appearance of breathing out a massive flame. Joshua clapped enthusiastically as Darnold clutched his chest, watching the flames go dangerously close to the roof.

“Excellent form, Bubby!” Dr. Coomer chirped.

“Please don’t do that in our backyard!” Darnold shouted.

“Oh, a little fire never hurt anyone.” Bubby retorted, leaning back comfortably in his lawn chair.

“Yes it has! It absolutely has!!”

A good portion of their afternoon was spent together after that, Joshua greatly enjoying the company of Bubby and Dr. Coomer. Aside from Bubby’s lack of restraint with his pyrokinesis, it was nice; Darnold only wished Gordon would be there. Darnold was sure he would’ve loved to see some of the fun things his son was getting up to. Well, it was only a week, Darnold reassured himself—Gordon would get himself back on his feet, and then they had the rest of their lives to have more times like this.

Well, except for the fact that Darnold was fairly certain he was going to need to find something else to occupy his time after he was done watching Joshua. Maybe a different job, maybe some sort of volunteer thing—going back to life as it was before was going to be very, very boring.

Everyone looked up curiously as they heard several hard knocks on the door, with long pauses between each knock. Darnold hadn’t heard Gordon’s typical method of knocking, but something about this didn’t quite seem like him. Tommy was already on his feet this time, leaving Darnold alone with Dr. Coomer, Bubby, and Joshua.

“How have you been doing, Darnold?” Dr. Coomer asked, filling the awkward silence that ensued.

“Oh, I’m good.” Darnold replied. “It’s been really cool living here. I’m glad I moved in with Tommy, otherwise I’d probably just be...y’know, hiding out in my own place doing nothing.”

“That’s great! I’m happy to have you here.” Dr. Coomer said with a smile.

Darnold smiled back shyly. “Oh! Th-thank you. That’s really nice. Yeah, it’s—I’m glad that like, I get to hang out with you guys.”

“Say, I do recall you saying that you were interested in boxing.” Dr. Coomer said, a hopeful, excited look on his face. “I happen to love boxing!”

“Oh, yeah! I remember I took a few lessons when I was younger, but I never really got too into it. I always wished I stuck with it, though.” Darnold admitted. “I could pick up a new pair of gloves sometime.”

Dr. Coomer grinned, punching Darnold’s arm—it was playful, but it was a bit harder than he’d probably intended. Either that, or Darnold was just softer than he thought he was. “Darnold, I think we’re going to get along very well.”

“Just don’t let him get in the habit of breaking the rules with you.” Bubby said, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch. “He knows he can’t win against me, so he always puts me in a headlock before I can win.”

“No, I do it because you make it so easy!” Dr. Coomer retorted, immediately hooking his arm around his neck and dragging him into a headlock. “Also, because I think it’s fun.”

“Let me go, you ass!” Bubby barked, wriggling in Dr. Coomer’s grip.

Dr. Coomer leaned down to give Bubby an affectionate kiss on the head before letting him go. Bubby huffed, looking thoroughly embarrassed as he leaned back on the couch again.

“I have to say, I’m quite happy to see that you and Tommy get along so well as roommates.” Dr. Coomer said as he settled back down. “I think he found living alone in the dorms to be rather lonely.”

“Oh, yeah, me too.” Darnold sighed. “I mean, I definitely didn’t see it that way back then, but living with Tommy has been really nice. I like him a lot.”

Dr. Coomer rested his chin in his hand, beaming at Darnold. “You do?”

Darnold’s face felt hot as he avoided Dr. Coomer’s gaze. “Well—yes, that’s a normal thing to say. There’s nothing not normal about it.”

“Oh, of course it’s normal.” Dr. Coomer replied knowingly.

“I mean—I meant that as in, like, I’m—you know. He’s...a good roommate.” Darnold babbled nervously.

Bubby kicked Dr. Coomer, not too gently. “Quit embarrassing him, Harold, let them sort it out on their own.”

“I would never embarrass a cherished friend over such matters.” Dr. Coomer said far too dramatically, putting hand to his chest as though he was offended.

“Oh, yeah, like you didn’t do this with Percy and Van from boxing club.” Bubby said sarcastically.

“To be fair, neither of them were going to do anything if I stayed quiet.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s true, but come on.”

Darnold hoped they would slip into some long banter about their backstory, but Dr. Coomer turned back to Darnold.

“Take it from me, Darnold. As a man who spent far too long unable to be with the one I love, I think it’s best for you to seize the moment and say something to Tommy if you’re interested.” Dr. Coomer said, placing a friendly hand on Darnold’s shoulder.

“Wh—is it really that obvious?” Darnold asked in dismay. “I thought I was being subtle.”

“Well, usually, until Tommy makes some move and then you fall apart.” Bubby pointed out.

Darnold groaned, burying his face in his hands in embarrassment.

“I think you two would be very cute together.” Dr. Coomer said encouragingly.

“Yeah, but like, I don’t wanna make it weird if he doesn’t feel the same way. We live together.” Darnold pointed out.

“So what if it gets weird? You’ll get over it.” Bubby said dismissively.

“Yes, you and Tommy are very rational people, I think you could handle it if anything becomes awkward. But I don’t think it’ll necessarily come to that.” Dr. Coomer said. “Trust me, if you face him head-on and just tell him how you feel, I think it’ll turn out well.”

“...Is that what you guys did?” Darnold asked.

“Well...yes, I did initially, but our history isn’t a particularly good example.” Dr. Coomer said with a small laugh. “That feels like so long ago, now.”

“That’s because it was.” Bubby chimed in. “And don’t go telling everyone about our backstory, I’ll kill you.”

“Bubby caught on fire when I told him I liked him!” Dr. Coomer said with a fond smile. “It was very cute.”

“Shut up!” Bubby growled, kicking Dr. Coomer again.

“But we couldn’t be together until after the fall of Black Mesa.” Dr. Coomer said, his tone suddenly much more serious. “You have a long, incredible life ahead of you! There’s nothing standing in your way except your own inhibitions. Don’t let them overtake you, Darnold. I believe you and Tommy could have a very fulfilling life together, and you shouldn’t have to wait even a second longer.”

“I—that’s all very nice and inspirational, Dr. Coomer, but...I don’t know if I’m ready for any of that.” Darnold said nervously. “I’ll...I’ll, uh, let things settle down a little first, and then see how I feel.”

“Oh, alright. I suppose that’s reasonable.” Dr. Coomer sighed.

Darnold couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, if I ever need your help with Tommy, I’ll know to come to you.”

****

All things considered, despite that stressful moment in indirectly texting Benry, Tommy was chalking his day up as pretty good. He always enjoyed having Dr. Coomer and Bubby over—though he wished he could spend his time with all his friends at once—and Joshua and Darnold seemed happy, so it was good. He liked seeing his friends in high spirits, despite the circumstances. Maybe now, considering Benry and Gordon were apparently cool with each other, the two of them could sort their shit out and they could all finally just live in peace for once.

Tommy was thoroughly enjoying listening to Dr. Coomer and Bubby discuss a show they were currently watching when there was a knock at the door. It was a strange knock, but he hoped against all odds it might be Gordon, so he stood enthusiastically to answer it; but the man he found at the door was decidedly not Gordon.

Tommy still didn’t want to dignify him with calling him “Dad”, but he had nothing else to call him, so he just stared at him wordlessly.

“Hello, Tommy.” The man greeted politely. He wore the same suit as always, as well as the same inscrutable expression. “It’s good to see you. Have you been...enjoying, your new home?”

“...Yeah.”

“It’s very good to, hear that, Tommy. Have you, perhaps, been feeling any sort of...desire, to, branch out?” The man asked. “You have been, exercising your powers, yes?”

Tommy paused. “Branch out?”

“Yes, Tommy. You were, quite fascinated with—inter-dimensional matters...in your time at Black Mesa, after all.” The man explained vaguely. “Your research on what...resulted from the Nihilanth was, most, impressive. You possess the, powers and intellect bestowed upon me, as well as the rather...tenacious qualities of a human. Your talents would be, quite valued by my, employers.”

Tommy frowned deeply. “Is this...more nepotism? Because—you know, thinking back on, uhhh, getting my job at Black Mesa...I wish I’d known that was what was happening.”

“In my line of work, Tommy—in the world from which your bloodline stems—nepotism isn’t, quite so much an issue.” The man said, shaking his head. “Nudging you towards, Black Mesa, was a necessary action. In fact, it was the only action, I could have taken.”

Tommy pressed his lips into a thin line, shoving his hands into his pockets uncomfortably. “Well...I don’t know anything about, like, my bloodline or where you—where you come from. I grew up here. On Earth. With—with no help from you or anything.”

“I was helping, Tommy. I helped...where I could.” The man said, somewhat defensively. “I thought that I, explained to you, that I have—intergalactic matters to tend to.”

“Then why did you even bother having a kid?” Tommy asked accusingly. “And—and—for that matter, who’s my other parent?”

The man frowned deeply. “...That information is, as things go, not relevant to matters at hand.” He said. “As such...I am not aware of who your other, parent, would have been.”

“Wh—but—of course it’s relevant!” Tommy argued. “I mean...at least...it feels like—it feels like that would be important for me to know!”

“I understand your...frustration, Tommy.” The man said, the faintest hint of sympathy managing to worm its way into his tone. “As it is, though, I am here, now. And I think it is, high time, you got to know...my occupation.”

Tommy crossed his arms. “...I’m not interested.”

“Trust me. Familiarizing yourself with my, influences, on the world will be...highly...beneficial to you.” The man insisted.

“...How?”

“You’re curious about...Benry, aren’t you? And the world, we, currently reside in?”

Tommy looked away, biting his lip as he thought. He was curious. But at the same time, he was beginning to wonder how much that mattered. Benry, regardless of what he was and how he came to be, was still just as capable of good or bad as anyone else—his origin didn’t mean anything when it came to him simply being an asshole. Plus, he’d already made peace with the fact that his reality may not be truly real more times than he could count. All Tommy wanted was a safe place for his friends, and he already had that; so why throw anything complicated into the mix?

“...Not really.” Tommy finally muttered.

The man seemed surprised by this answer, widening his eyes just a little at Tommy. “I thought...you would like to, spend time with your father, though. Is that not what you wanted?”

“Yeah, I wanted that! When I was a kid! ” Tommy snapped. “This isn’t Elf! I’m 37 now, and you never—you never bothered to actually take care of me, and now I’m already an adult! It’s too—it’s way too late for that now. You’re not—...how could I even consider you my dad at this point?”

“I am your father, though, that is...an irrefutable, fact.” The man said, a tinge of dismay in his voice. “And Tommy, 37 is, very young for us. I have been alive, for...hundreds of years, now.”

That, on top of everything else, was too much for Tommy to process at this point. He unfolded his arms to put a hand on the door. “...I already have a family. I don’t need you.” He said decisively.

The man pressed his palm to the door to keep Tommy from closing it. “Tommy. I think it would be, very, beneficial for you to join me now.”

“...You haven’t exactly made a good case.”

“It would be...unwise, for me to make any promises on the exact...significance of my work, after the end of the game.” The man said evasively. “But I do know that it is going to be critical. And, provided your, experiences, your assistance could be...vital.”

Tommy glanced behind him, where he knew his friends were sitting nearby. “...I don’t think I, uhh, wanna to get myself...involved in anything if I don’t have to. If you can—if you can give me exact reasons why you need me, then I’d hear you out. But...I sorta just wanna enjoy my life for now.”

The man finally withdrew his hand from the door. “I suppose...that is a fair line to draw. Enjoy your life, Tommy.”

As the man began to turn around, Tommy frowned, stepping forward just a little bit. “Wait. Can I ask you one more thing?”

The man turned back to Tommy curiously.

“I’m not gonna call you my dad.” Tommy said sternly. “So...what’s your name?”

“...If you must...then I am commonly referred to as, ‘the G-Man’.”

“...Huh?”

“Goodbye, Tommy.”

Tommy blinked once, and suddenly, the man was gone.

[previous | next]

[thethrillof]

Oh, we haven't done this in a while... "The Batman" coffeeshop AU?

i’ve only read like three of those ever so i might be doing this wrong or nonsensically but Fuck It

also i had a bit drafted before but i decided they weren’t right and redid ‘em and it got. really long. i should have anticipated this

bruce is still a rich fella, and has his trauma–the awful mugging and shooting happened, but martha survived (b/c fuck it, let’s allow the woman to not die for fuckin once yanno) so the kid kept within what ppl would call “reasonable” perimeters. still interested in law and stopping shit like that happening again, but he’s not half-killing himself through training.

 the coffee shop was just supposed to be kind of a. chill project i guess? giving teen brucie a bit of business sense but also not slamming him with the responsibility of a big company, as well as connecting him with people a little bit, since he def still withdrew from just about everyone outside the wayne household for a long time.

ethan’s a part-time barista. he’s still a pal of bruce’s, same teen-y age, one of his first after his withdrawing. he’s saving up extra for college, though he’s has a p good scholarship. mutual interest in law means they’re usually found working on their detective skills together after hours.

alfred works there as a manager. he does p well and serves as the face of the place to outsiders–i don’t think wayne industries was quite as big in this ‘verse so bruce got less attention, but he’s still relatively well known in gotham and it’d be better to not have reporters or random ppl who think he’s cute popping up out of the blue.

not that the latter never happens! that’s how miss pamela isley and barbara gordon popped in (they’re def closer in age here), though neither were actually into him–barb does think he’s attractive, but he’s a bit too weird for her to want to peruse at first, and after she gets to know him he’s too serious and brotherly for that to become a thing. pam just wanted to be completely sure he got his ingredients from better places than the huge chains chose and recycled.

eventually pam gets pissed off enough about one of the other companies of gotham that apparently help supply some things for the shop that she nearly scalds bruce and barbara when the former comes over to calm her down when the latter can’t manage it. just fuckin grabs a fresh brew and swings it. she’s not allowed there again for like a year, and that def strains her relationship w/ barbara. though she and bruce end up in a weird friendship because of it and she eventually gets hired to work there.

there’s a guy who shows up whenever the fuck he wants. weirdass times. the place is open p early and closes late, and sometimes he’s waiting there an hour before the sign flips in the morning, sometimes he shows up two minutes before closing time (and has been locked out a few times on purpose. why not close early? aka, fuck this guy, he doesn’t even have a predictable order they can prepare in advance just in case). the name he offers to be written on his cup is “joker”, and eventually bruce scribbles a jester on the side once and that just kinda sticks.

this joker guy has a lot of jobs, apparently? he’s spotted around the city p often. a comedian on stand-up nights, drawing a sizable crowd. paints and sculpts and talks about working on animation. apparently can sing, hangs out near the concert hall a lot b/c he can’t always pay for tickets and harasses the hell out of the opera cast. 

…also a drug dealer who makes his own hallucinogen! bruce and ethan work out the dealing bit pretty early on, but it’s hard to get the police to pay them any attention. they keep a careful eye on him whenever he comes by.

ellen yin moves from metropolis b/c she’s college age and gotham u is actually pretty good. she studies there and ends up being sort of impressed how hard ethan and bruce work on their own studies even though they’re not even out of high school. a strange study group results, and she straight-up gets her own keys to the shop eventually from alfred so the boys don’t need to let her in every single time.

selina kyle’s a regular. everyone’s a little wary due to poison pamela’s meltdown once she starts talking about protecting the environment, but she’s a lot more chill and works with the shop to make it more eco-friendly. she also sometimes shows up with a cat on a gem-studded harness (they’re. probably fake jewels. they gotta be fake jewels who would even do that) and orders some lactose-free milk and lets the kitty sit next to her at the table, and they just sort of let her. why not.

ozzie cobblepot works at a rival café. he’s not quite at the top and the place is failing anyway. when he stops by the coffee shop he tends to ask for the manager every. single. time he’s in there and wastes tons of alfred’s time ranting about non-issues and pretending he’s important b/c he wears a suit.

he definitely just steals shit. just walks by and picks up other customers’ drinks or reaches into purses and backpacks if they’re not paying attention. has been caught a ton of times but again, the gotham police force is garbage and never really bothers trying to go after him in the first place.

in general, everyone has to deal with shit themselves. Police Are Useless.

–except for jim gordon, but he’s only one man and he has a lot on his plate. just a cop, not a commissioner. barbara is incredibly proud of him anyway and will defend him to the point of blows.

in fact, barbara becomes security once she’s older enough. while it’s not being a cop, it’s not super safe. so she never tells her dad about her change of role. she does still help making coffee, so she can say she’s a barista.

dick grayson and fam move to gotham late after the first year. the was an “accident” and now his father doesn’t have the use of his legs. lil robin just started stopping by first b/c they had cheap patries both of his parents enjoyed–life is stressful, they take all the small joys they can manage–and ends up hanging out a lot more, with or without his parents, once he bonds with bruce about trauma at a young age.

it’s a coffee shop, and yin isn’t the only uni student that falls into the place. edward nygma is one of the ones who shows up near closing time and order a pair of the most caffeinated drinks they’ve got, sometimes extending the closing time with his stupid riddles, but it’s better-received than when joker does it. he’s genuinely fun to match wits with and/or watch him and bruce get into flinging riddles back and forth at each other, though whenever bruce wins he gets pissy and sulks off for a while, only to return and pretend it never happened a week later.

eventually he just kind of disappears for a long time, and nobody thinks a ton of it until yin discovers he was kicked out and an incident with the uni prez had to do with him, and the Detective Study Group go to check it out b/c the details the university students got were pretty vague; when they track him down he was in the process of trying to shove chuck gorman off a pier and when he’s nearly stopped by the group edward just. tackles gorman into the ocean and they nearly both drown. luckily all of the study group are great swimmers and manage to rescue them both. (yes, mouth-to-mouth on edward happens. no, there’s nothing sexy about it. that shit is actually really gross u know, in general, and everyone is kind of shaken from seeing one of the more common customers trying to commit a murder-suicide!)

the ambulances are better at getting places than the cop cars so neither of them die. edward ends up in the psych ward for a while and is incredibly surprised when he gets visited by the study group…and they kind of wreck the already-fragile arrogant revenge-centric persona he’d been building up with their further investigating and the Reveal. but that they actually bothered to figure out what happened and not leaving him entirely alone has an impact.

uh. i am v tired and also went four times over the limit there so! i’m going to stop there! 

[willow-salix]

Random bit of fun because it's been the kind of day where I needed to make myself laugh.

Everyone knew that Selene had a love of classic horror films, the ones that Alan said were boring and not in the least scary. The same ones that John always turned his nose up at because the special effects were non existent. Virgil liked them because they always had great music to them and Scott and Gordon just found them hilariously funny. 

But this one was different, while her favourites were made in the 1960s, she had stumbled across one that was positively modern in comparison from the 2010s. She'd put it off over and over again but if there was one thing that hanging out in a floating space station gave you an opportunity to watch all the movies you had previously never had time for. She had quickly run through almost all the movies on her watch list and was down to two, it was scary or the prank show Gordon had insisted she watch, so it was time to watch the scary even if that time was 3am and she couldn't sleep (not that she expected the movie to help). So there she was, camped out on one of the couches in the sunken lounge of the villa, blanket over her legs, tablet balanced on her knees, watching the movie. 

It started with three young girls happily playing tea parties in their attic play room when all of a sudden they dropped their dolls and little tea cups and as one, moved to the windows, opened them, and jumped the fuck out. 

Selene jumped in shock. "Da fuq was that about?" she yelped, eyes glued to the action which had cut to a young single father having one last chance to impress his bosses at the solicitors where he worked. He was a widow, his wife having died in childbirth and he was fast running out of money,  debts mounting, he needed this job.  

The owner of a big old house had died and the young father was the one sent to go through all her papers and check the house over,  looking for her most recent will, before they could sell. Seemed simple enough, but this was a spooky movie so obviously that wasn't going to go well.

He said goodbye to his son, planning on being done by the weekend when his son and the nanny would join in for a weekend in the country, all very pleasant... Selene was now quite bored after the dramatics at the start. She reached for her cup of cocoa and sipped as she watched the young father, Arthur Kipps,  board the train and promptly fall asleep. Cue a dream of his late wife which shocked him enough to wake with a start. A helpful man by the name of Sam offered him a ride from the station to the guest house. 

At the guest house Arthur (whom she could see as non other than Harry Potter no matter how hard she tried) was told he didn't in fact have a room booked and must go away. Strange. But the wife of the landlord took pity on him and let him stay in the attic... The same creepy ass attic the girls had jumped from.

"No Harry! Don't sleep there!" Selene warned but of course the twat didn't listen. Though he appeared to get through the night unscathed and proceed to make his way to the creepy ass house he was looking through. 

Selene jumped and squeaked her way through his first visit when the bitch in black decided to pop her ugly ass face up now and then and waft around in the background when she shouldn't be. 

She got a major case of the sads when a kiddie died due to the black bitch and got rather indignant on Harry/Arthurs behalf when the villagers all seemed to blame him. But by the time he went back again and began to uncover some clues as to the woman in blacks identity and why she might be creeping around like a dick and scaring the shit out of people, Selene was on the edge of her seat and not in a good way. The ghost popped up, eyeballs being all weird and dodgy and it all got a bit much for Selene, though she would blame sleep deprivation from back to back rescues. 

"Expelliarmus! " she yelled, waving her wandless hand at the screen in an attempt to make the spook go away.

She might be a super tough witchy but even she wasn't good with jump scares, it was the dodgy plinky plonky music they used to fuck with your head that always got to her and after she had shrieked and almost dropped the tablet for the fourth time she paused the film and, grabbing laptop and blanket, decided her spaceman would so appreciate a late night visit from his witch. 

She padded her way down the hallway from the lounge on a hunt for her elusive man. She checked Scott's office where he was known to sometimes hang out but found it empty. The kitchen was just as deserted so she let herself outside, taking a deep breath of the cooler night air. Ahh, target spotted and locked on! He was stretched out on one of the loungers arranged around the pool, which to some would seem strange in the middle of the night, but she knew he enjoyed the quiet. Such a shame she was there to fuck that up for him. Sucked to be him right now. 

She tugged his book out of his hands without asking - he didn't need it now- put down the tablet and scooped up the cat that was curled up on his lap, dropping him unceremoniously on the floor.

"My space man." Armstrong gave an outraged meow but she nudged him aside with her foot. "Go find Alan and sleep on his face."

There went his peace and quiet. Much as he loved her she had the subtlety of a cyclone sometimes, even at half past three in the morning. How was it even possible that she was still this bouncy? He tried to catch his book as it was whipped out of his hands but missed.

"I was reading that."

The cat went next and, although he had actually been enjoying the warm weight of the purring creature on his lap, he would never admit it and therefore didn't raise a protest. 

Selene pushed his legs apart, ignoring his questioning eyebrow and settled between them. He let his feet fall to the floor, making room, allowing her to wrap his arms around her middle and lean back against his chest. 

She picked up her tablet and propped it up on her knees. This wasn't going to be pleasant, he had very little faith in her viewing choices. 

"Selene, " he sighed. 

There was that tone that they all heard at least once a day, the one that said he was already done with your shit. Good job she was immune to such things. 

She wiggled to get comfy and smiled to herself. This was much better, her man would protect her from evil jumping ghost ladies that desperately needed to cleanse, tone and moisturise once in a while, he was awesome and could like…shoot it with a laser or some shit, what more could she want in a movie buddy? 

"You know I have no interest in watching this, " he protested weakly as he caught sight of the screen. 

She ignored that too, he'd like it once it got going, she was sure of it, and hit play. 

The dumbass formerly known as Harry had balls, she'd give him that, he hadn't given up and was yet again back in the house of oogie boogies with nothing but a dog for company. The story was unfolding and Selene was actually beginning to feel kind of sorry for the emo ghost, but she still didn't trust her and said as much, very vocally and frequently. 

"Don't go in there…. Shit shit shit creepy rocking chair… ahhh I fucking hate those little wind up monkeys, this, this is why kids were disturbed in the victorian times, look at the fucking toys they give them, what's wrong with the parents…" she paused her mini rant by yelping and hiding her face in John's neck when the ghost popped up again, "not cool, so not cool dude. " 

John but his lip, refusing to laugh at her comments, it would just encourage her and honestly, she was bad enough as it was. She was so animated in everything she did, so open, honest and just full on. 

He much preferred to sit and watch in silence, but Selene was never quiet for long and with four brothers he was used to never getting his own way.  It had been a busy few days and while the others had passed out early, they were both too keyed up to rest. He'd chosen the sensible option of quiet relaxation, obviously she'd had other ideas.

He made an attempt to watch the film but it was almost impossible, having missed the start and with her near constant distractions. He gave up all pretence of paying attention and simply enjoyed having her so close, tightening his arms around her middle.

Once she deemed it safe she looked up again,  uncurling a little from the protective shelter of his arms and managed to sit through another five minutes without freaking out, that was until there was a massive ass house fire and Harry/Arthur's friend Sam told him a bit more about his own story, that's when she started to get defensive and head more into pissed off territory.  

"Why do you keep calling him Harry?" he asked but received no answer as she launched into another tirade. 

"What is wrong with you? Oi, ghost bitch, stop that shit! Don't make me come down there! You might be able to mess with the now non wizard but try a real witch for size."

She cheered and got a little excited when the heroes tried to help the ghost, though the bitch wasn't very appreciative and just did her banshee impression, which lead to Selene screaming back at her, as if that would actually help, making John jump in shock. How was she so loud? 

She relaxed when she thought it was all over, only to bounce back up in the last few seconds in complete outrage. "They should have called me, I'd have kicked that bitches arse in less than a day and been home in time for dinner, now look! Look at that! What the fuck was that? Fucking vengeful ghost, what's wrong with you!"  She pushed the tablet aside in a huff, crossing her arms, sulk mode activated.

The chest she was leaning against was vibrating against her back as he shook in silent laughter. She turned to glare at him, which just made things worse as he lost control. 

John was laughing at her, this was unacceptable.  She nipped his chin in retaliation, trying to hold in a laugh and not admit that she had been a massive wimp. 

He continued to laugh, the lines of stress and worry that had formed over the past few days vanishing smoothing out as he relaxed and let go. She smiled, glad to have helped. Even if her way had been unconventional, it had done the job. 

John hugged her tighter, his amusement fading away to leave him with quiet contentment as she placed the tablet on the ground and rested her head back onto his shoulder. High above them, a bright spot in the dark sky he could just make out his beloved craft, awaiting him, but, as was becoming more and more frequent, he didn't feel the immediate urge to return. They lay in silence for a while, watching the stars, relaxed and at peace. 

"Want to take your witchy to bed so we can get some sleep?"

He smiled, turning his head for a quick kiss. "That's an offer I would be a fool to refuse."

They gathered their things, turned off the lights and returned to the silent villa, bed calling.