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

[shearingsheeps]

science team-tober day 8: misfire

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

prompt list | science team-tober sideblog

[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.”

[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!

[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

[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.