#i hope this is good enough...

[doctor-ramen]

Ok hi hiii!!! (Also oopsie if this doesn't end up on the right account,,)

First of all like,,, I played thru olba quite recently (like 4 months ago recent lol) and wracked up 80 hours on it,,, I was ADDICTED addicted and I was PLAGUED with thoughts...

Likee, I crave cute domestic life with this man AND LIKE IM USUALLY NOT INTO MARRIAGE BUT OHHH? THE DLC WAS ADORABLE???

ANYWAYS.

My like first instant thought was a sweet lil drabble of baby Cove (like,,, between step 2 step 3) where the poor boy realises he has a mega fat crush on you,,,, I loveeee how he's written as an autistic character and i see so much of myself in him so my heart melts <3

OH BUT ALSO.

THE FIRST NIGHT YOU TWO SLEEP IN THE SAME BED AND HIM BEING SUCH A NERVOUS DEAR,,, like, just imagine him being so flustered n facing away from you in bed,,, if u prefer fluffy then... cuddling up from him behind and feeling him go through the 5 stages of grief (he tenses up so much you think he's practising his best Plank Of Wood impression before melting into a big cuddly baby,,,) ORRRR if u want the smutty route,,,

Yknow what I'm just gonna write out a small tiny drabble I think it can sum up my exact thoughts on this;

Finally convincing Cove to share the bed with you… he climbs in so red faced and shaky. He can't even face you, he lays facing away from you and going completely silent.

He was too adorable not to take advantage of, and you watch with unabashed amusement as he tenses when you snake your arms around him. You press the flat of your palm over his stomach, sliding gently over the fabric of his pyjamas.

He whines when you poke fingers past the buttons, undoing a few of them as you pinched him lightly.

...

ITS SO OVER FOR ME (positive)

i like all of these but i'll start with the first one! you can send your other ideas as separate asks and i'll get to those too :3

i wasn't sure if i should use my own MC or not but i ended up doing that so i'd be able to be more specific :') i'm totally open to doing an unnamed MC though. if anyone wants that just give me a prompt for it!

♡︎fic below♡︎

2012.

Cove was never really the best with understanding his feelings.

To literally anyone in his life, this was no surprise. The boy was impulsive and even reckless as an outlet, even if he was very sweet. This only became more potent in his teenage years. He was vastly different at 14 as compared to 8-years-old—to outsiders, he'd changed. But to those who knew him, he was the same, only more and less at the same time.

At this moment, he was having a pretty usual Sunday. It was evening, and his best friend was over. Though the activity wasn't something they usually got up to.

"You should paint your nails," Syd had said on the phone earlier.

That had Cove confused. "Why?"

Cove could hear Syd shrug through the speaker. "I dunno. I'm bored. I got some new colors from Ma, but I'm not gonna use 'em."

He found that unsurprising. Syd only ever painted his nails black.

"So I wanna see if you like it. You can have them if you do."

And so the two made plans to hang out, and there they were. Sitting in Cove's room, reviewing all the little bottles Syd had brought over. He took them out of his bag one by one.

"There's lime green, white, red, orange... hey, this one kinda looks like you."

Syd held up a bottle sea-foam green nail polish. Cove looked at it, then looked at Syd. His eyes smiled behind his square glasses.

"Wanna try it?" Syd asked.

Cove shook his head. Syd continued to rifle through his new collection.

"Okay, then, what's your favorite color?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, you can just pick anything."

"Fine, be like that. I'll pick my favorite."

After placing down a deep blue, a soft yellow, and an olive green, Syd settled on a soft reddish-pink. He absentmindedly handed it to Cove.

"Oh, I don't..."

Syd looked up at him. Cove found himself distracted by his big, golden eyes. His big, confused golden eyes. Then it clicked.

"Oh, you haven't painted them before."

Cove smiled apologetically. "Yeah, sorry."

Syd brushed it off. "It's fine. I'll do it."

Before Cove could really comment, Syd opened the bottle with one quick twist and picked up Cove's hand.

The sensation of having his hand held wasn't an unusual one. Since they were kids, Syd would hold Cove's hand now and then. Especially as a means of comfort. But there was something about the delicacy with which Syd took his hand, the way he gently encouraged him to spread out his fingers. It made Cove squeak a little.

Thankfully, Syd didn't seem to notice. He was focused on swirling the paint onto the little brush. Cove watched Syd's intent expression as he picked it up and held it towards Cove's fingers.

"Don't move. It'll mess me up."

Cove nodded.

The polish was cool against his nail. It felt like when you put lotion on your skin but you aren't prepared for it yet. Syd started with his index finger, covering the surface of the nail with pink in broad strokes. He worked quickly and smoothly. Cove wondered how many times he'd done it before. Though he did always see Syd with black nails...

Rather than moving on to the middle finger, Syd turned Cove's hand to have better view of his thumb. And he continued painting. When Syd showed affection, he was very sure of himself. As a kid, he'd drown Cove in hugs. These days, even when playfully punching him, he'd use a lot of force. Now, he was doing something that required care. He didn't grab his hand and grip it tightly like he always did. He held it carefully.

It made Cove's lips tighten into a straight line.

He didn't really register when Syd had moved back to the rest of his fingers. He already had the middle and ring finger done, and was on his little finger. Syd's expression radiated pure focus. His brows creased slightly, his eyes looking down intently. His lips were just a bit parted. He held his tongue between his teeth—a resting habit he'd had since they'd known each other.

Then Syd looked up at Cove. He had long, full eyelashes that curled upward.

It occurred to Cove that Syd had said something.

"Uh—sorry, what'd you say?"

"Don't use your hands for anything," Syd said. "It's gotta dry." Syd had let go of Cove, and his hand felt lonely now. Syd gestured for Cove to give him his other hand.

Cove's left hand had been sitting on his desk. When he finally paid attention to it, he realized it had been clenched in a fist. When he flattened it out, he felt a stinging in his palm. He'd been digging his nails into his skin.

Syd took Cove's hand off the surface of the desk and positioned it in front of him. Cove tried to figure out what to do with his now-painted hand as Syd got situated. Again, he felt that chilled sensation against his fingernail.

Cove's gaze was drawn to Syd's features again. His freckles weren't as present now as they were in summer. They were still visible, though. They made him think of little stars on his skin. How sometimes you couldn't really see them well, but in the right place, they would shine. Syd's mouth shifted, and he bit his lip as he worked. Cove felt him wipe something off his cuticle—he must have made a mistake. Cove's mind wasn't really concerned with that.

Syd had thicker lips than him. Biting down on the lower one was Syd's two front teeth. Cove thought of the time in elementary school when Syd had been pushed while at a water fountain, knocking his teeth into the metal. They weren't chipped, but one was discolored. It was still visible, years later. Cove knew Syd hated it.

He pursed his lips then. Cove's hand shifted in his as it was turned to be at a better angle for Syd to paint. He felt a brush against his lower leg, Syd leaning forward to feel more comfortable. Their knees grazed one another.

When Cove heard a sound, he momentarily thought something had happened outside. He quickly realized it was his own heart beating in his ears.

Before he had the chance to implode, Syd straightened up and smiled to himself.

"Done."

Cove made eye contact with his friend again.

"Seriously, don't let anything touch your nails. If they get messed up I'm gonna have to do them again."

Cove nodded. He knew he couldn't handle something like that anytime soon. Syd began putting all the little bottles away.

The two spent a while longer together. Initially, that time was spent trying to figure out what they could do without messing up Cove's nails, which Syd took as a fun challenge. Cove himself took it with utmost sincerity. Syd said not to get his nails messed up, so he didn't.

It wasn't too late when Syd went back home. Cove knew he had a more flexible curfew when it came to hanging out at Cove's, since they were across the street from each other. He was glad that Syd's moms weren't too strict on that.

Cove didn't often hear crickets, but they were out that night when he was laying in bed. They chirped to the sight of the moonlight streaming through Cove's window.

He stared up at his hands. Pink nails, delicately done. Smooth and seamless. He pressed the nail sides of his fingers to his mouth. The surface felt cool against his lips.

Cove wasn't sure why, but something made him think of school.

Neither him nor Syd were particularly popular. Cove was nice enough to people and people were nice enough to him. Most of the time. There were still those people who would go out of their way to make sure everyone had a terrible day. When family and friends commented on him and Syd's dynamic, it was fine. It was light teasing. When those kids called Cove "Syd's boyfriend", it was meant to be an insult.

Cove knew he'd be made fun of tomorrow.

He looked at his nails. He thought of Syd. His smile, his eyes and the feeling of his hand in Cove's. Cove felt heat rise to his face.

He couldn't avoid admitting it to himself. He knew how he felt about his friend. His neighbor. The kid who'd been there when there was nobody else in the world.

Cove's hands clasped together. He couldn't think of doing anything about it. It wouldn't... It would be bad. And Cove knew how he was. He didn't want to ruin it. What they had.

Maybe someday he could understand these things. He could change. And getting his nails painted wouldn't give him a heart attack anymore.

[smoosie]

(Which arm, Viktor, huh ? Which one ??)

They were not a couple so, Jayce (who had a very bad day and just wanted to hug it out) proceeded to freak out, backed out of the lab and never mentioned it again but, Astral Viktor, that mf ? He'd be delighted to remind Jayce of that moment in time, of that missed call and watch him die from embarrassment and resentment over himself

(I'm glad they've never beaten the gay allegations and never will)

[krispiecake]

Okay, without trying to take away from the joy we are feeling, we must stay vigilant. This ceasefire deal is 3 phases, the first is a 42 day pause for hostage exchange which is set to start on SUNDAY, as long as Netanyahu’s cabinet signs off on it. The IOF is not expected to fully retreat from Gaza, but stay to ‘mandated zones’. Palestinians are meant to be able to return to their homes, but with Israeli soldiers still there, this is not a guarantee. The 600 aid trucks a day into Gaza during this 42 day phase 1 is still not enough.

THIS IS NOT OVER. We do not know the details of phase 2 and 3, and nothing has been agreed for these phases in writing. We must not get complacent in this moment of respite. Please, do not stop fighting. This is not over until every Palestinian can return home, until the occupation is gone, until all of Palestine is free.

Keep protesting and campaigning, keep donating because aid organisations need all the help they can get, especially in the next 6 weeks, and it might be the only window people get to evacuate. This is a step in the right direction, but it is not over.

sources: 1 , 2

[ozymandien]

chef with a silver earring

[carouselunique]

Despite everything (you've done) it's still you... (who has the power to change for the better).

[mitchmotch]

been really into dandadan lately

[bulbagarden]

did you know they just spawn in the back of moving trucks sometimes?

[cj-the-random-artist]

Ok hear me out: Narilamb but they're both aroace and in a qpr.

I've been rolling around in my head for like a long long time this idea that Narinder and Lambert could both be aroace and (after like. A couple of centuries or so) end up in this like very comfortable very close relationship that neither of them define as anything specific other than calling it a "companionship". But on the other hand most of the cult thinks that they're dating in secret or something despite the fact that both of them have said they don't take lovers, because they are clearly very tight but maybe not super openly so, so maybe the cultists thing they're being secretive and hiding something or something like that. Idk but my aroace brain loves thinking about extremely close (mostly) platonic relationships and for some reason my brain decided hmm. I'm going to take this and throw it at Narilamb and see how I like it.

So then I decided to make a ridiculous joke comic about Narinder asking Lambert's hand in marriage specifically because he wants to get out of paying taxes. Because like, I know that spouse followers do actually still have to pay taxes in the actual game but. Hey Narinder and Lambert have presumably never married so they probably don't know that...? Honestly the only reason I made this was because the concept tickled me and I spent too much time on this for no one to see it, so. This comic and all it's absolute ridiculousness be upon ye.

While there's a tiny part of me that's been thinking about making this into an AU (which I'd probably call something like the "Strictly Platonic AU" or something), I know for a fact that I would blatantly not do anything legitimate with it so. It's an unofficial AU I guess?? But. Anyways. I thought this would be funny. Enjoy my ramblings and I hope you enjoy this thing that I spent. Actual time on. Lol

[kedreeva]

Can I have your attention for a minute

It's nothing bad!

I wanted to share a little website with you, one i have used in the past. It's called Future Me.

All it is is a little web based word processor, that you fill in a letter to your future self, fill in your email address, pick a date, and hit send. The site will store the letter, and send it to your designated email on your designated date. It's completely free, though they accept donations if you like the service.

I've used this site for YEARS, it's not at all new, but it has at times been a little bastion of hope and good things for me. Every year on my birthday, I send a letter to myself, and I receive the one I sent the year before. I write about what I've been through that year, what I've accomplished, and what my hopes are for the year to come.

I have cried every single time I've gotten that letter. I know it's from me, but by the time it comes around, I've usually forgotten I sent it. But... every year on my birthday, I receive a letter from Past Me, who cared enough to sit down and have hopes about my future. And it makes me want to pay it forward to Future Me, and dare to hope that she, too, will remember that someone cared a lot about her future, and choose to keep going even further.

Anyway, I am giving you the link now, because there are definitely going to be rough times ahead of us, but I feel like maybe writing ahead to Future You, to the You that has made it past the rough times, might make them ever so slightly easier to endure. Knowing that Future You is waiting at the end of the line to welcome you, holding onto the letters you sent.

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (Page 61-64)

* I-I don't think we were talking about the same thing...

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[kyurochurro]

started watching this show and i absolutely LOVE it!!! have some M*A*S*H peeps! ✨

[maxipad33]

in brazil we went hunting

it was hard finding time to draw while i was in korea but i finally finished this beast on the plane! max verstappen brazil 2024 you are so special to me

also feel free to use as a wallpaper!

alt versions under the cut

[cat-gh0ul]

I wanted to give @meanbossart 's DU Drow a bath and give him the fancyboy treatment..couldnt decide what pallette i liked better

EDIT: forgot to link my ref !! Ref below vv

if anyone knows the source lemme know i COULD NOT find it

[sakuravalelp]

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

Previous part

Masterpost

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The indescribable tension between an overworked and underpaid smut writer, and his biggest fan hater.

(for @frummpets)

[samuelroukin]

Simon 'Ghost' Riley & John 'Soap' MacTavish in CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE II (2022)