#i would prefer working short shifts more frequently BUT

[corinneistherainbowsign]

having one day off work and one day on work and the next day off work is doing fantastic things to my psyche

[cacti-are-like-flamingos]

Mr. Sandman

Gojo Satoru x Reader x Geto Suguru

The Cursed Trio | Borderline

...

"Do you ever miss home?" Suguru asked out of the blue, eyes trained on your nightstand where a picture of your trio stood. A hat sat beside it.

It was from the night they took you to some sushi restaurant that served the sushi in this little train. You'd been so obsessed with it that you had begged them to come back the next day.

In fact, you came back so frequently that the owner gifted you with your very own train conductor's hat. And since you never came alone, Gojo and Suguru also got their very own hats. (One would also come with you if the other couldn't make it, but never once have you gone alone. It's like your own little hang out spot)

You, who had come back from a rather shit mission, tiredly looked over to Suguru's green. A shrug to your shoulders as you thought the question over.

"Sometimes...I try not to think about it so I distract myself with stuff."

Suguru chuckled under his breath, you've always been ridiculously blunt

"What was it like?" You softly groaned, throwing the First Aid kit into his lap as you settled near him. "If you're going to ask questions like that, you might as well bandage me up." And he did, without a second.

(he hated how the higher-ups have been working you down to the bone, and so suddenly too. Every day, your eye bags became more pronounced and wounds littered your body. You had a new scar on your top lip, on the side. It went with the one on the side of your left cheek. The one that looked like lightning's veins)

You sat there, on your bed wordlessly observing him clean up your wounds with such care it would make the sky cry once again. This entire day it's been raining non-stop, it's the reason why most of your clothing is dripping wet. The curse had been a particularly shifty one, evading your chains effortlessly much to your annoyance

Ah. It's raining again

Then again, rainy days are the best days to sleep in

"It was ... Nice, I guess. Neither good nor bad, it was what it was. You know? 'though, I do have this memory that I can't seem to let go of."

Suguru spared you a glance as he continued wrapping up your knuckles having just finished cleaning them with peroxide, you barely felt a thing. (While you do carry around a curse-energy imbued weapon, you have this strange preference to wrapping chains around knuckles and punching the shit out of curses. It's cathartic, you like to say)

"Which is?"

You hum, "At my old middle school, there was this giant tree. We all loved to climb it during recess time --- well, everyone else climbed it. I tried, really did. But for some reason, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't reach its top. I settled for hanging around the bottom, but then again, sitting on the roots hurt me. So I just chilled on a bench, far from the tree yet still in its shadow. And I would watch as the others climbed it with no effort."

Suguru snorted softly, "That's a strange memory to hold on to." His words earned a short laugh from you, "I know. I think I remember it because I like how it changed colors with the seasons. Felt like it rained gold."

He finished wrapping your knuckles, quickly moving to the next hand as he shifted the limb into his lap, "...did you do it?"

You didn't even have to ask to understand what he meant, you never did. "Nah...did carve my name into it though. So I guess there's that."

"Why didn't you?"

You paused to ponder, "I think I...just accepted not being able to climb it as my fate. I could only admire."

A silence bloomed not long afterwards. By the time words were spoken once more, your head laid on his shoulder. His work with your knuckles having been finished a while ago, still your bandaged hand remained on his lap. Fingers entwined as he hummed a tuneless tune under his breath, the sound barely audible over the whirring of the air conditioning.

"What about your family?" "Alive, at least." "No more than that?" You felt his green thumb rub circles on the white strips, soothing away the red that bloomed on them. You knew what he meant, "No more than that. Not..not yet."

"Okay."

A heartbeat later, "Where's the cotton-head?" "Higher-ups sent him on a mission, he'll be back later today. Miss him?" You said nothing, focusing on slowing your breathing even further. That was all he needed to know,"Hehe, he'll be over the moon when he finds out." Turning your head, you warn the male with a light bite to his shoulder earning yourself an amused huff, "Fine, fine."

It's only then, mid-bite, that you see a thin silver thread hang from Suguru's neck. Snaking your unoccupied hand up to his chest, you carefully pulled the necklace out from under his shirt's collars.

A moon within a sun, "Satoru said he wanted us to match."

An eclipse, how fitting.

You shifted back into your previous position, this time though, you lay your head on his full shoulder than just the side. "Ha, he's the sentimental type. Would've never pegged him for it."

"That why you never call him by his name even though he explicitly told you to do so, on numerous occasions?" You made a face, pulling away from his shoulder --"I need you to be dumb, Sugu. You're too observant, it's annoying."

He laughed one of those deep laughs --- it's one of those that makes you breathless as you watch him with a smile of your own. The sight of a laughing soul is nice. They tend to glitter when they do so.

You would never admit it out loud.

You liked to watch him

His soul was a rather unique one, much like Gojo's. Except his case was far more unique than Suguru's. Gojo's had layers similar to an onion, the sight of him kept you on your toes at all times. On the contrary, Suguru felt more of a fogged mirror. You could wipe your hand on the condensation, except no matter how many times you wiped, the image would remain blurry.

Two lovely puzzles

All for you to solve

Yeah, they can never find that out

Ding!

Checking your phone, you see a new message notification on your lock screen. It's Ieiri asking if you're free right now

It seems that Suguru had read the message because the next thing he says is," I'm gonna go get some sleep." He delicately placed your hand back into your lap like it was made of glass. You frown.

"You're an idiot, Suguru." He hummed, walking out of your room. "Yeah, I just might be," he said. Shutting the door behind him, the silence too loud for your taste

Might as well see what Ieiri wants

There's a wooden bridge, right of the main building. Under said bridge, is a little spot you and Ieiri made using large stones as seats, where the two of you can speak in somewhat privacy. While the water embraced your naked toes (for free?), the light of nature glimmered on its surface tickling them.

Jumping down from the side of the bridge, you sighed at the sight of Ieiri already holding out her cigarette, waiting for you to light it as per agreement.

Usually, a dark pink, she's now a purple. The boundaries of her being a bit jagged --- upset.

You sat down on your rock, smooth and cold from the night's chill. "What happened?" You took a pink lighter out of your coat's pocket, cradling her end as you lit it.

You watched her with a careful eye as she tilted her head back, strands of hair dancing with the light breeze as she did so

One single drag, one single exhale, two lone words were all it took to completely destroy your world.

"I know."

Your whole being completely shatters with that one sentence. Such a short thing of a sentence, yet it's enough to have strike lightning into your soul.

Clicking your tongue, you proceed to take off your flats. Lightly shivering as you dip your feet into the cold water of the stream.

"Didn't think this is how the night would turn out."

"Didn't expect to find out what I did, but we both can't have what we want now, can't we?" There was an edge to her voice, sharp like the blade you use to slice through curses.

"How long?" "Long enough." This wasn't like the silence from earlier. It was hard on the lungs, thick enough to suffocate.

Gesturing for the box of cigs, she gingerly hands it over to you. Watching you with a scrutinizing eye as you take out a stick and light it. But you don't smoke it. The plume doesn't even meet your way as the wind guides it away from your area. And yet, you keep it there. Tucked right between your index and middle, silently watching the orange eat away at the paper until it reaches your fingertips.

You don't even wince when the fire burns your skin.

"Why?" You sighed, answering your friends question. "In the beginning, I didn't have much of a choice. It's either, I do it or I'm out."

"Out?" "Dead." "Ah." Another inhale. "I stopped not long after. I just...couldn't do it anymore." Were you lying?

Another exhale, "They deserve to know." "They do."

She glanced your way, "Will you?"

"Eventually."

"So what, you'll accept your fate? Death?" What a confusing woman.

Ieiri groaned in exasperation, her jaggedness dulling, "Why? Why did you do it? What could have possibly compelled you to do it?"

"No." "No?!" "No. Change the topic or I'll leave."

You might as well, you've already done enough damage as it is

That kept her quiet. No more was said as the two of you sat there, under the wooden bridge listening to the running water at your feet. She couldn't bring herself to say something, just as you couldn't bring yourself to utter a sound.

Too much, too little time. That had been the problem in the first place. Way before you had even arrived in Japan. If only you had had enough time perhaps things would've been different.

No, no. They would have been different, you're sure of it.

You took a deep breath --- you can't do this anymore.

Standing up, you made a move to walk away. Still, Ieiri called out for you, "What will you do now?"

You could see a familiar figure walking your way, a stupid grin on his face as he waved at you like a maniac

You smiled a sad smile

Not the first, and most definitely not the last of it's kind

"Make up for it."

And, you left.

...

(A/N): Well, that was a lot. Wonder what that was all about. Ngl, the idea came to me halfway into this and I was genuinely debating whether to go for it or not. But I mean, if it adds to the plottttt. Also, it just makes sense

Song Inspo: Mr. Sandman - SYML

It's obvious Suguru wanted to ask more, I wonder what he wanted to ask.

Why is Gojo's soul like an onion with layers and Suguru's a fogged mirror? What does that mean?

What exactly does Ieiri know?

And what do you mean 'too much, too little time'? What exactly did you do that dying is your consequence?

Originally, it was supposed to be "Alive and well." but I changed it to "Alive, at least." 😳

I wonder if there's any symbolism here...

Drop a comment

Feel free to buy me a 🦩

Hope you enjoyed!

[zahri-melitor]

hi hello if it's not too much trouble, what comics would you recommend for someone trying to study the batfamily characters and dynamics for a project? I don't know which writers to avoid or which runs are considered bad characterization. I know this varies with opinion but you seem super familiar with the differences between fanon and canon stuff. don't worry about keeping the list short or anything, I don't have a problem with reading a lot

Honestly, this is a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question, but I can give you some pointers.

Which 'family' characters are you looking at, and which dynamics do you want? Because the thing is, this varies significantly over time. What I can do for you is roughly discuss a bunch of different eras, and what's good content to look at in each of them.

A shortcut - you're often well served by looking at a Gotham-wide Event during the period you're interested in. Sure, people often have some objections to some of the characterisation, but if you're looking at how characters interact, they're the best place to see lots of variations.

In addition 'bad characterisation' is largely in the eye of the beholder. There's actually less agreement on what is and isn't 'bad characterisation' than you might think - it depends on who you're talking to and what stories they like. Characterisation with comics characters is best thought of as a sliding spectrum - there's a range that most people will accept, and when characters go outside it people start getting unhappy. I'll try to note major shifts or universe resets or retcons along the way though.

Pre-Crisis:

Look there is very little in pre-crisis you need to look at for this. Sometimes people will pull stuff forward for Dick and Jason as Robin or Barbara as Batgirl, but largely things stand without this.

Post-Crisis:

I'm happy to walk you through post-crisis up to 2011. I'm still getting a handle on 2011 to present myself.

The Early Days: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Robin, Barbara as Batgirl

In the beginning, there was Batman. One day he went to Haly's Circus where he saw two acrobats falling and their devastated son...you know how this one goes.

Pretty much everything set in this period is flashback stories, so they frequently retread the same ground over and over. Want to see the Graysons fall? You're in luck! Choose one of the more than a dozen versions! (I'm not going to list them all even though I like many)

Quality stories looking at this period include:-

Batman Year One (1986) - Batman #404-407. I am recommending this, yes, even though it's Frank Miller, because it gets referenced a lot. It's a decent retelling and the best work Miller's ever done for the Bat books by a long shot. Bruce's origin story.

Robin: Year One (2000) - Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty. This is probably my preferred version of early Bruce and Dick stories, and it's conveniently got a sequel in...

Batgirl: Year One (2003) - Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty. Barbara's origin as Batgirl and the only one worth reading. These two update the Dick and Barbara as Robin and Batgirl dynamics into post-Crisis.

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet (1997) - Bruce Canwell. This is a single issue about the 'final exam' test Dick took to become Robin. I really enjoy it.

Robin & Batman (2021) - Jeff Lemire. A very recent update of early Dick as Robin. If you want something recent and quick, this is the pick. The characterisation is good but I have a bunch of quibbles with the details.

World's Finest: Batman/Superman (2022) - Mark Waid & Dan Mora. Here's a current ongoing for you! A rarity in that is set reasonably late Dick's time as Robin, and it also doesn't repeat identical beats to those above. Lots of Bruce and Dick, strong Silver Age vibes in relationships, and a lot of fun. A great intro to the wider DC simultaneously too.

Robin II: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Nightwing, Jason as Robin, Barbara as...around

Honestly this is a period I'm weaker on. Jason's post-crisis run as Robin is pretty compact: Batman #401-428 and 'Tec #568-582. Jim Starlin's the writer who wanted to kill Jason off.

Batman #408-411 (1987) - Max Collins. The original post-Crisis 'Dick Becomes Nightwing' and 'Jason becomes Robin' story.

The Diplomat's Son - Batman #424 (1988) - Jim Starlin. This is the issue everyone talks about, where Felipe Garzonas dies. You should read it just to understand the debate, if nothing else.

A Death in the Family - Batman #426-428 (1988) - Jim Starlin. Jason's death.You should read this if you want to understand the dynamics surrounding these events and what actually happened.

The New Teen Titans - look I can't get my head around the numbering of NTT, but if you want to go into this there are eleventy million guides. NTT is very popular. This is Dick as Nightwing during this period, Marv Wolfman and George Perez working together, and considered by people who like Nightwing during this period as the definitive version. Jason appears in a few issues.

Nightwing Year One (2005) - Nightwing #101-106, Chuck Dixon. Now this is going to be extremely controversial, but I do actually recommend people read Nightwing Year One. It's a retcon, but it's an important retcon because it lays out the dynamics of Jason's time as Robin as comics writers have changed them to be following his death. If you want to see how comics writes Jason as the 'angry' and 'risky' Robin following his death, this is the most compact way to see how the narrative changed.

Batgirl Special #1 (1988) - Barbara Randall. Barbara's last appearance as Batgirl. Randall is Barbara's best contemporary Batgirl writer, and this is a loving sendoff for a character who was about to get shredded.

The Killing Joke (1988) - Alan Moore. You should probably read it. Barbara is shot in the spine. However if you want to skip it that's completely fine as the relevant beats have been retold almost as many times as the Graysons have fallen.

Gotham Knights #43-45 (2003) - Scott Beatty. This is probably the best telling of the fallout of Jason's death on the family, particularly Barbara's reaction. If you want Batfam dynamics this is what you should look at.

New Beginnings: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Nightwing, Tim as Robin, Barbara as Oracle, Helena as Huntress, Steph as Spoiler

This is an interesting period in that it's the first threads of what we now call the Batfamily, but they're only just starting to come together as Tim picks each one up. (No, seriously. This era is 'Tim meets people and works with them')

Also as will be the case for a while from here on, at least 50% of all content is written by Chuck Dixon. Now Dixon has his downsides - he's notoriously a conservative homophobe and his views can be seen in the text quite frequently, but he is really good at writing relationships between characters, and he loves a crossover. If you love the modern Batfam, you do have to acknowledge Dixon for his work.

A Lonely Place of Dying (1989) Batman #440-442, New Titans #60-61 - Marv Wolfman & George Perez. Tim's origin story. Very clear on the outset dynamics between Bruce and Dick.

Identity Crisis (1990) Batman #455-457 - Alan Grant. Tim's first night out as Robin in his own costume, plus early dynamics between Bruce & Tim. A tear jerker.

To the Father I Never Knew (1992) Batman #480 - Alan Grant. If you want to actually understand the foundation of Jack and Tim's relationship and how he contrasts it with his relationship with Bruce - look no further.

Robin III (1992) - Chuck Dixon. A very early Tim team-up with Huntress. This is a good place to start for how her relationship with the other Bats evolves in Gotham.

'Tec #647-649 (1992) - Chuck Dixon. Steph's original time out as Spoiler. Again foundational dynamics.

Oracle Year One (1996) Batman Chronicles #5, John Ostrander and Kim Yale. The story of how Barbara became Oracle. Stunning. Essential.

Knightfall: Bruce as Batman, JPV as Azrael and Batman, Dick as Nightwing and Batman, Tim as Robin, everyone else keeping out the way

Knightfall is huge and messy and all over the place but there is magic in here. You just have to dig. Parts I particularly like for family dynamics:-

Batman: Sword of Azrael (1992) - Dennis O'Neil. This is an excellent intro to John-Paul Valley, and get comfortable, because this is what Denny's going to write for the next 10 years.

Batman #488 (1993) - Doug Moench. JPV starts working at Wayne Corp. Tim is assigned to teach him the ropes as a crimefighter in Gotham.

Batman #500 (1993) - Doug Moench. JPV becomes Batman. Dick turns up to complain to Tim about Bruce being insufferable. It's all here.

Bloodbath #1 (1993) - Dan Raspler. This is a terrible comic BUT it also contains some gold dynamics between JPV, Dick and Tim.

Knightsend (1994) - team written. Bruce, Dick and Tim work together to help Bruce rehab from his injury and take down JPV. Legends of the Dark Knight #63 in particular is stunning.

Prodigal (1994) - team written. Dick as Batman and Tim as his Robin. The final issue, Robin #13, has Bruce and Dick's reconciliation over both the fight when Dick became Nightwing AND their fight after Jason died. Essential.

Welcome to the Family: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Nightwing, Tim as Robin, JPV as Azrael, Barbara as Oracle, Helena as Huntress, Steph as Spoiler

I will fight to convince you that this is the first true 'Batfam'. Everything prior to this is Bruce and his Robin, with occasional associates. This is where it goes from the Dynamic Duo to a network who intersect constantly.

Writers: It's a lot of Doug Moench and Chuck Dixon still.

Nightwing: Alfred's Return and Batman #521 (1995) - Alan Grant & Doug Moench. Alfred quit during Knightfall due to what Bruce was doing to himself. This is how Dick got him to come home, and the reunion.

Contagion (1996) - team written. The Event where Gotham gets the Clench (aka Ebola). Massive teamup storyline featuring Bruce, Dick, Tim, JPV, Helena, Selina, and Barbara.

Legacy (1997) - team written. Oh no, it's the Clench Round Two. Here we go again. Basically the same team, but JPV doesn't get invited after he proved he'd forgotten was a fax machine was last event, and Helena gets a more significant role.

Robin important family issues during this period: #17 (with Helena), #29-30 (with Barbara), #34 (with Helena), #35 (with Steph), #45 (with Jack Drake), #47 (with Dick)

Nightwing important family issues during this period: #6 (with Tim), #7 (with Babs), #13-14 (with Bruce), #16 (with Babs)

Birds of Prey important family issues during this period: Birds of Prey Manhunt, as it sets the tone for Barbara and Helena's relationship for a WHILE.

No Man's Land: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Nightwing, Tim as Robin, JPV as Azrael, Helena as Huntress and the Bat, Barbara as Oracle, Steph as Spoiler, Cass as Batgirl

The earthquake where everything goes wrong. The most notable addition to the writing pool is Greg Rucka. Honestly this is a 'so many parts of this are worthwhile, read it all' sort of period, but to help navigate there's a handful of really important points:-

Nightwing #20 (1998) - Chuck Dixon. The Dick, Babs and Tim reunion issue during Cataclysm. The world's fallen apart but they're back together.

Nightwing #25 (1998) - Chuck Dixon. Dick takes Tim trainsurfing

Brotherhood of the Fist (1998) - Chuck Dixon. This is a teamup with Connor Hawke involving Bruce, Dick and Tim. I love the dynamics here.

Huntress/Spoiler Special - Blunt Trauma (1998) - Chuck Dixon. The one Helena and Steph team up during Cataclysm. Get a dynamic you won't see anywhere else.

'Tec #725 (1998) - Chuck Dixon. Dick tells Bruce that he's going to become a cop.

'Tec #727 (1998) - Chuck Dixon. Another Dick, Babs and Tim teamup to take on Firefly.

Mark of Cain (1999) - Kelley Puckett. Cass's intro story.

Birds of Prey #8 (1999) - Chuck Dixon. Dick and Babs visit Haly's Circus

Robin #67 (1999) - Chuck Dixon. Tim and Dick break into No Man's Land.

Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (1999) - Greg Rucka. Team reunion in NML at the Clocktower.

Nightwing #38-39 (1999) - Chuck Dixon - Babs looks after an injured Dick in the Clocktower.

Legends of the Dark Knight #125 (1999) - Greg Rucka. Bruce and Jim finally discuss their issues. Barbara and Tim wait upstairs.

Endgame (1999) - various. Whole team works to track down Joker and some kidnapped babies on Christmas Eve.

A New City, A New Team: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Nightwing, Tim as Robin, JPV as Azrael, Barbara as Oracle, Helena as Huntress, Cass as Batgirl, Steph as Spoiler

This is the final Chuck Dixon era, the Rucka & Brubaker run on Batman and 'Tec, Devin Grayson on Gotham Knights, and probably my favourite era of comics ever. It's hit after hit after hit. Pick up any comic here. You won't be disappointed.

Major highlights not to miss:

Gotham Knights #1-12 (2000) - Devin Grayson. GK is my favourite Bat anthology book ever, but this run includes Transference. The overarching plot is Bruce analysing his team in a series of case notes. Unmissable.

Hunt for Oracle (2000) - Chuck Dixon. The US government tries to track Oracle down. Babs, Dick and Dinah make sure they fail.

Officer Down (2001) - various. Jim Gordon is shot. This is the consequences as people search for his attacker.

Joker Last Laugh (2001) - various. Joker thinks he is about to die and breaks out of the Slab. Chaos ensues. This is the one where everyone thinks Croc kills Tim, and reacts accordingly.

Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive (2002) - various. Bruce has been pushing everyone away for a while, so when he's accused of murder, they must ask the question, did he do it? Everyone tries to solve the mystery of who killed Vesper Fairchild, and Bruce goes through one of his 'am I Bruce or am I Batman' periods.

Batgirl #18 & #20 (2001) - Kelley Puckett. Cass' first team ups with Tim and Steph respectively.

Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood (2000) - Greg Rucka. THE definitive Batfam Huntress book.

Hush It Looks Like War: Bruce as Batman, Dick as Nightwing, Tim as Robin, Barbara as Oracle, Helena as Huntress, Cass as Batgirl, Steph as Spoiler and Robin

Among the drama of Murderer/Fugitive, almost every single book gets a new writer. Jon Lewis takes Robin followed by Bill Willingham, Devin Grayson takes Nightwing, Birds of Prey gets fills until Gail Simone picks it up, Dylan Horrocks takes over Batgirl, Jeph Loeb writes Hush on Batman, Scott Beatty takes Gotham Knights. Personally I endorse basically all these runs but Grayson on Nightwing is controversial.

Hush (2003) Batman #608-619 - Jeph Loeb. Famous for a reason, this is a Bruce story that touches on his relationships with almost EVERY major character in his life (Cass and Steph miss out).

Gotham Knights - Scott Beatty. I don't know what to pick here but #47-49 is a team story of Bruce, Dick, Tim and Cass following Bane to a Kobra stronghold which shows off the developed family-like relationship between the 4 at this point.

Robin - Jon Lewis. Your highlights here are Tim and Steph on a date together (#111), and the 16th Birthday Story (#116-120) because it's essential to understanding where Tim and Bruce are at.

Robin - Bill Willingham. Jack finds out Tim is Robin. Tim quits. Steph becomes Robin. It's an essential arc.

Nightwing - Grayson. This is widely disliked but #81 is a great Dick, Bruce and Cass issue.

Birds of Prey - Simone. Helena joins Barbara on the Birds of Prey. They very, very slowly work through their issues with each other.

Batgirl - Horrocks. #38, Steph and Cass play tag. #45, Cass tries on Barbara's old costume. #50, Bruce drugs himself and Cass with Soul and they fight. #54, Barbara and Cass argue over her reading ability.

And then lurking in the background...War Games hits and tears the Batfam apart, with a doubletap from Identity Crisis.

Leaving Gotham: Bruce as Batman, Dick out of costume, Tim as Robin, Cass as Batgirl, Barbara as Oracle, Helena as Huntress annnnd Jason as Red Hood

Steph is dead. Barbara and Helena leave Gotham for Metropolis. Tim and Cass move to Bludhaven. Dick runs off to join the mob. And in Gotham, Red Hood appears.

Writers: Well we've added Judd Winick on Batman, and now have Andersen Gabrynch on Batgirl. Gotham Knights is now mostly A.J. Lieberman and no longer a good Batfam book (it's now a Hush book). 'Tec honestly isn't worth it during this period. Willingham on Robin has a handful of decent issues to start out then increasingly gets weirdly conservative with some very odd plotlines.

Fresh Blood (2005) Robin #132-133, Batgirl #58-59 - Willingham & Gabrynch. This is a Tim and Cass team up as they move to Bludhaven and mourn together.

Under the Red Hood (2005) - Batman #635-650. You know what this is. It's the Jason returns story.

Nightwing - Grayson. #100 - a strong reflection on Dick's past plus the most heartbreaking part of the Dick/Babs breakup as Dick just runs from all his problems. #110. Tim and Dick meet in Bludhaven and fail to tell each other all the bad things happening in their lives. #112. Dick and Helena run into each other both undercover in the mob. #117. Dick finally talks to Bruce about Blockbuster, and proposes to Babs.

Robin - Willingham. #134 is the pick of the bunch - Bruce offers to adopt Tim and Tim reflects on his time as Robin, though it's a solid little story out to #138 as the truth about Uncle Eddie comes out.

Birds of Prey - Simone. #76, the Babs side of the breakup. #83-84, Helena with the mob and encountering Dick. #90, Helena gives Bruce the new compiled mob data handbook and Bruce compliments her.

Batgirl - Gabrynch. This is a strong well loved run for the build up to Cass' final fight with Shiva, but for Batfam you can't go past #67, when Cass reunites with Babs. Also Cass hallucinates Steph twice in this run (#61 & #72).

Then Infinite Crisis arrives and we all move a year into the future.

One Year Later: Bruce is Batman, Dick is Nightwing, Tim is Robin, Jason is Red Hood, Damian arrives, Cass eventually returns to Batgirl

At this point Barbara and Helena are largely doing their own thing with the Birds of Prey and won't return to the Batfam until Reborn.

New writers all around! Adam Beechen and Fabian Nicieza on Robin, Marv Wolfman and Peter Tomasi on Nightwing, Adam Beechen on Batgirl, Grant Morrison on Batman and Paul Dini on Detective Comics.

Face the Face (2006) Batman #651-654, 'Tec #817-820 - James Robinson. The Bruce and Tim story that set up Tim's adoption.

Batman and Son (2006) Batman #655-658 - Grant Morrison. Damian's introduction to the family.

Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul (2008) - various. Ra's tries to kidnap Damian to steal his body. Bruce, Dick and Tim go to rescue him. Dick and Tim's subplot involves the highest point of their brotherhood as Dick talks Tim out of trying resurrect his lost dead.

Robin - Beechen. #156, the suicide prevention issue, for Tim and Dick. #163, Tim and Bruce on their first Father's Day. #165, Tim and Bruce working on a car together.

Robin - Nicieza. Steph's return as Spoiler. #177, where Jason thinks he can recruit Tim (and fails miserably).

Nightwing - Wolfman. You know what? #117-122, the 'Jason dresses as Nightwing and harasses Dick and turns into a tentacle monster' saga. Does everyone like to say it's out of character? Yes. Is it Jason being just as annoying as he will proceed to be all the way to 2011? Also yes. That's Jason's post-Crisis character.

Nightwing - Tomasi. Freefall, #140-146. This is just a beautiful encapsulation of Dick's many connections, of his teamwork with Bruce and Tim, and of what makes him tick.

Heart of Hush (2008) 'Tec #846-850 - Paul Dini. The premise is ridiculous, but it's about Bruce and Selina, and about Dick and Tim helping track down Hush.

Batgirl (2008) - Adam Beechen. Beechen after squiffing it with the Evil Cass saga, gets to undo the damage to Cass's character and return her to the family. I think it's a pretty successful job, despite Dick spending the entire book holding the idiot ball so someone can be unsupportive. Cass gets adopted. Tim and Barbara never lose their faith in her.

Battle for the Cowl: EVERYONE IS FREEFORM

Everyone will tell you this is all horribly out of character. They're wrong. Come for Fabian Nicieza doing hard work to actually set up characters in the places they need to be for Reborn.

Battle for the Cowl: the Network (2009) - Fabian Nicieza. Oracle and the Birds of Prey have returned to Gotham but for reasons they're not calling themselves the Birds of Prey, so it's the Network.

Oracle The Cure (2009) - Kevin VanHook. Early set up for Wendy Harris' future plot. Babs gets the mentoring itch again.

Azrael: Death's Dark Knight (2009) - Fabian Nicieza. A new Azrael for a splinter faction of the Order of St Dumas appears. Dick and Babs are immediately suspicious (and Dick has to be talked out of immediately kicking the Azrael's butt just on the SUSPICION it might be JPV).

Also the main event books happen and everyone yells at each other a lot about who should be Batman.

Batman Reborn: Bruce is missing, Dick is Batman, Tim is Red Robin, Damian is Robin, Jason is Red Hood, Barbara is Oracle, Steph is Batgirl, Cass is Black Bat

New titles! New writers! Things all over the place! People who like Jason are going to claim all of Jason's appearances are once again out of character, but Jason fans claim that about every time Jason breathes outside of UTRH, Lost Days and a small handful of very select stories after Flashpoint. I'm just saying, villain Jason is pretty consistently irritating between 2007 and 2011.

Red Robin #1-12 (2009) - Chris Yost. Not only Tim's new costume arc, but a great look at Tim's centrality as a character to the Batfam in the number of contacts he calls in at the end of the run.

Red Robin #17 & #25 (2010) - Fabian Nicieza. Tim and Cass working together as siblings and backing each other up.

Batman & Robin #20-22 (2011) - Peter Tomasi. I would strongly argue this is the best arc in B&R with the best characterisation.

Batman & Robin (2009) - Grant Morrison. Look, a lot of people like the foundation of Dick and Damian's relationship found here. Also Jason shows up to be a pain.

Streets of Gotham (2009) - Paul Dini. There's a bunch of good storylines in this anthology book, but #5-6 with Dick, Helena and Kirk Langstrom is one I particularly like.

Batman #703 (2010) - Fabian Nicieza. The best Dick, Damian and Tim team-up issue of Reborn.

Gates of Gotham (2011) - Scott Snyder. The masterpiece of Batfamily content. Dick, Tick, Damian and Cass all feature in this and all 6 possible relationships are shown in different parts.

Batgirl #3-5, #17 (2009) - Bryan Q. Miller. Damian and Steph team ups, plus a look into the tension in the Dick and Barbara relationship at the time.

Birds of Prey #10 (2011) - Gail Simone. Barbara discusses her new realignment of how she's working as Oracle and focusing on the Bats.

The Black Mirror (2010) 'Tec #871-881 - Scott Snyder. Some of the best writing of Dick as Batman during this period, and a look into his relationships with Jim Gordon, Barbara, and Tim particularly.

The Return Home (2010) - various. Bruce comes back to Gotham after his 'death' and checks in on everyone.

[sharpedgedfool]

Hello I was just wondering if we could get some more stuff and ideas about the sonadow future museum au (im just going to call it that cuz thats shorter)

heres a quick sketch cuz I really liked the designs👍

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YES YOU CAN AND IL OVE UR STYLE WITH IT???? I love how uncle-chuck-esc Sonic looks it's the exact vibe I wanted him to have 10/10

I'm in the process of writing this au as an actual story but I'm barely a chapter in yet, but I'll give some more snippets about Shadow and a page of sketches! (its a long read im so sorry but thank you for the ask!!)

Shadow goes by 'Oliver' as his fake name, he took it from a book he read once and liked the cover. They use He/They pronouns and identifies as something non-binary, he's not in a rush to label himself (they joke they've enough to label around the museum)

He lived as a vagabond until settling in Rainmeadow Town, and being taken in by the museum's solo-curator Beatrice, who's a field mouse with a physical disability and was unable to fully access the museum after she took it over from the previous owners.

Shadow adored museums as it was one of the only places he could visit freely so he has a soft spot, and Beatrice was so nice to him so he stayed to help restore it and got too attached he ended up settling down there. He was anxious at first, but its been five years and he's comfortable living there now

He lived with Beatrice for two years, before managing to earn enough from odd-jobs to buy out the small apartment above the local B&B

He has a stray cat he's taken in who wanders around town when he's at work. The cat is known to be vicious but is a sweetheart around Shadow, somewhat mimicking Shadows own demeaner

He dresses himself as unassuming as possible, and that sometimes makes himself a target for any outsiders of the village He gets tired out easily, due to them restricting their energy so much, but they can still fight viciously (almost feral after so many years outside of civilisation) for a short amount of time though would prefer to run. Shadow also needs rest throughout the day

Due to his tight inhibitor rings, Shadows red stripes and eyes have all dimed to a dull grey, his blood however remains a harsh green so he has to be diligent to ensure he doesn't injure himself in front of anyone. If he loosened his rings they would rapidly shift back to a red and he would regain energy to use his abilities, but he hides them and is extremely paranoid about his true identity

He likes to read and cook, and has a habit of reading while walking around even in the dark. He cooks meals for his cat and refuses to give them cat food from a can

He's a huge coffee fan, and loves brewing it himself with the manual machines at home (but also will still absolutely eat the beans straight if it's been a long day)

They haven't 'aged' but they've 'grown bigger' through mutation, their spines and fur are longer so they appear more mature even if internally he hasn't changed much.

He's always wanted a motorbike, but couldn't travel with one and can't afford the upkeep

Their glasses are generic reading glasses that he doesn't really need, but he finds it grounding to have them in his vision (he feels hidden behind them)

Rainmeadow is a known queer-safe town, despite it's remoteness, and the museum has a hall they regularly hold events in (Shadow is fond of the rollerskate hang-outs they schedule)

He has frequent panic attacks and extreme anxiety, they're selectively mute and uses sign (I use BSL when I'm drawing it out) and can't be around large groups of people for too long. He lets Beatrice work at the front of the museum and he lurks around in the back, people jokingly call him a 'shadow' often (and he's gotten used to the fear that shoots down his spine at the mention of his name)

No one knows of his origins, though Beatrice knows some of his vagabond experiences and topics that makes him uneasy

Shadow has met Rouge a handful of times. When he was saving money, he was contacted by her due to his experience in the museum. Due to his lack of background information, she assumed he had been involved in criminal activity and needed his knowledge on artefacts and assistance in restoring something. Shadow agreed reluctantly, but despite his uncertainty he enjoyed working on the things she brought and Rouge found his genuine interest in history and lack of concern for her intentions to be good company. Shadow became her main contact for these things (though she rarely needs his help) and the two are on good terms despite not being close

Rouge has worked with Team Sonic on occasion, and never worked with GUN. She's infamous but her identity is unknown to the public, except her name on her calling card. A few of Sonic's gang know what she looks like as eventually after knowing them for so long she doesn't wear the spy gear around them all the time, but felt strangely comfortable around Shadow rather quickly so he's seen her face

[hadesnstuff]

Samantha

Meaning: "name of God," "God has heard," "flower," or "blossom", also "Victory", "protection or defense".

⊰ PJO RP ⊱

Goddess of the Torture and Painful Death, Samantha os commonly seen working with Nemesis and the Keres. Their Job is done mostly on the underworld after the souls are dragged there and handed to her, although in extreme cases she goes collect the soul in the living world herself, cases in which are believed the keres are not enough to conteract the actions the being had done while alive.

Despite being an immortal God, Sam is from a new generation, being only 121 years of existence and 3 years on the job. She is still a child in comparison with other Gods, her pride tho is nothing smaller and her explosive temper inherited from her parents give her some trouble at times. Despite having botanic powers and abilities, the goddess prefer to not use it, sticking to general magic and fire magic, her vastly complicated relationship with her mother swift her from any similar paths.

⊰ Descendants RP ⊱

Samantha is Hades first born and only child with Persephone. Her father was already trapped in the isle of the lost when she was born, being raised by her mother only in the underworld, until the day she ran away to meet Hades. Sam's upbring wasn't the best, Persephone kept a lot of resentment towards Hades for various reasons and seeing in her daughter a mirror image of her husband (fisically and in attitude), the goddess gave her a harsh education to say the least. Besides the frequent temper explosions. Sam is 19 years old and Daddy's little girl, she loves to pick at her brothers and sisters once finding out about them.

⊰ General Info ⊱

In any case Samantha is female presented, although gods have shape shifting powers her form of choosing is a small short girl with platinum blonde hair and ice blue tips that get on fire sometimes when upset, angry or excited.

She is pansexual and very much a player, seducing and teasing around is a hobby even when she is not interested.

Face claim is sage tullis.

I think thats it, any questions about her ask away.

OOC after the cut

Ooc info dump:

My ooc blog is @andys-ooc

Heyo, so I'm new to tumblr in general, still figuring sh!t out so any tips are welcomed.

I'm not a minor and I do accept NSFW interaction, if you are not a minor too! Please don't send +18 stuff if your not that age or up.

As someone who was a minor and used to write smut back than, I now see how weird it is being on the other side, so I do Normal SFW interactions with minors and open the possibility of more with ADULTS ONLY.

I'm Brazilian, that being said I rp in portuguese and english. I'm used to write big walls of text with actions, thoughts, feelings, background, anything I feel It would be cool to write to make it more complete.

I'm also Queer, gender-fluid, autistic and alt cosplayers. So if you are any type of "phobic" I'll not be nice.

Questions? Go ahead, I'm an open book.

Also feel free to talk to me, I am super here to be a friend or a big sibling if you need one, to vent or ask for advice. I want to be a comfot person I didnt had when I was younger.

[rainitsarakun]

INTRODUCING HELGA. hello everyone, i'm helga! i'm 25+, prefer she/her pronouns and am in the est timezone! i play rain & jaeyong who are portrayed by lisa and baekhyun respectively. this blog is my main one, while jaeyong is on a sideblog, so a lot of my correspondence will be from this one. you can also find me on discord @ storiiies, so feel free to hit me up there!

INTRODUCING RAIN & JAEYONG. my first muse is the lovely rain itsarakun who is 27 years old and is meant to be a visitor, though she is working as a fitness trainer at yuseong community center, so her roots maybe already be taking place in yuseong bay after staying for 3 years now. her profile page can be found here! my second muse is cha jaeyong, and he is a 31 year old lifelong resident of yuseong bay. he works as a beekeeper, offering pollination services to local farms, but he also sells surplus honey at a farmer's market stall. his profile can be found here!

RAIN'S PROMPT ANSWERS

when did your muse first arrive in yuseong bay? "it was, ohhh, about three years ago now? it was so foggy, i could barely see the bay, but i still felt more at home here than i had in awhile. i had to get away from chiang mai ... a bad relationship, you see. i'll spare you the details, but my family always used to come on vacation to yuseong bay and there was someone here i was friends with when i was younger. i decided to go out on a limb and reach out to them and long story short, here i am."

what does an average day look like for your muse? "i wake up pretty early and i'll usually have some breakfast or a shake, if i don't grab something from the café on the way to work. then i head to the community center, or to the gym more specifically, usually with my playlist at full volume by that point, but i digress. i'll spend a good hour stretching before my shift starts, because you do not want to experience a muscle giving out or locking up on you when you're holding a heavy weight. then i'll start working with my usual clients, walking them through certain pacing issues, showing them new techniques or spotting for them. then i might join in on a dance or baking class, depending on what's going on at the center that day? sometimes i'll stop by the bar on my way home to have a drink with a couple of friends, or i'll meet with my pai gow club to play a few games to wind down after work. then it's pretty much home to have dinner, maybe read a little bit and then i'll head to bed."

where can your muse usually be found? "i can't lie, i spend a lot of my time at the community center. whether it's at the gym or in the pool, at one of the other classes or just out on the grounds. it's a nice, peaceful place to be."

how does your muse feel about hanhwa resort? "i guess i'm not really sure? on the one hand, people who stay there come to the gym sometimes and need a trainer, so it kicks more business my way, but ... i also can't help but feel like it's slowly taking away some of the magic of yuseong bay? commercializing it, i guess you could say. i feel bad for the people it's affecting negatively."

is there an aspiration for your muse to stay in or leave yuseong bay? "i would just like some time, i suppose. some would argue i've had more than enough, but the truth is, i'm still finding out who i am and what i want to do. i hate when people act like i should have it all figured out. i don't think that will ever happen, but i hope being here can help."

list your muse's three favorite songs. slow dancing in a burning room by john mayor, if you love her by tokyo tea room & fingers crossed by lauren spencer-smith.

describe your muse's wardrobe. frequently pairs hoodies, jeans and sneakers if she’s not strolling around in vibrantly colored sportswear. her fashion choices are fairly basic, prioritizing comfort and breathability over style. when she does dress up, she likes an elegant a-line silhouette.

what is a color, word, and emoji that you feel describes your muse? i think an ashy grayish blue fits her because of its difficulty in placing as it pertains to emotion or mood. the word i think fits her the most is 'drapetomania'. the emoji that is best suited for rain is probably 🌧.

three strong likes and dislikes for your muse. likes: exercise, cold water & cats. dislikes: scarecrows, gossip & crash dieting.

three positive and negative traits for your muse. positive: amicable, energetic & sensible. negative: stubborn, flighty & distant.

three talents and shortcomings for your muse. she's rather adept at helping people build muscle or get active, as she's very encouraging and energetic in the gym. she's also a talented dancer, always volunteering to help out in dance classes held at the community center. rain has a talent for pai gow too, having been an avid player since she was a child, and she does very well in tournaments. her biggest shortcoming is her uncommunicative nature, as she often would rather suffer in silence than tell people close to her something is wrong. she's also prone to running away from a difficult situation rather than facing it head on and resolving things. she can also be a little defense if she feels people are being accusatory towards her.

what is a book/tv series/movie/video game character that you feel your character relates to? i definitely think rain has a similarity to leah from stardew valley, but i also draw parallels between her and sophie hatter in how mild-mannered, sensible and humble they both are.

a relevant goal or arch for your character to overcome. i would like to develop rain's ability to trust other people with her feelings in all facets of life, as it's arguably her biggest struggle. i would also like for her to let go of all the anger and resentment she feels for her ex since it's really only hurting her in the long run.

if you would like to plot with rain, please like this post and i'll come bug you! i'll be posting jaeyong's prompt answers separately on his blog 💟

[starsasunder]

*submits Merlin's name for childe

under a read more because this got long.

send me a pair name and I’ll tell you what I think it would be like if they had a child.

Name: Lysander

Gender: agender, they/them pronouns.

General Appearance: Lysander has long, silky silvery-white hair which they often keep tied back in a long ponytail. Inheriting their father's horns and their mother's ears, Lysander has a distinctly vulpine appearance that gives them a mysterious air. Favoring neutral-toned clothes decorated with bold, flowing patterns, Lysander often masks their figure behind voluminous robes to maintain an androgynous appearance.

Personality: Playful and charming, Lysander takes after their father in that they tend to shift their personality to suit those around them. With a different mask for every situation, it is sometimes difficult to pin down what exactly makes Lysander, Lysander. they make friends easily but have few they allow close. They tend to drop the act around their family though, finding that it is easier to be genuine with those they can trust. Their parents find them to be hard-working when it comes to magic, a little lazy when it comes to chores, and always, always dreaming up new stories and games for themselves and their siblings.

Special Talents: They inherited their father's shapeshifting magic and can change their physical gender at will, and does so often, finding they are never content to remain in one shape for long. They have a knack for all sorts of magic, but still require study to truly master any of it.

Who they like better: Merlin. He understands their nature better than their mother.

Who they take after more: Merlin, though they can have a quick temper like their mother's.

Personal Head canon: Lysander rarely leaves Avalon, preferring the easy rules of the faeries to the constant shifting expectations of the mortal realm. They spend a lot of their free time reading, frequently charming their way into whatever repositories of knowledge they can find throughout Faerie. On their occasional, brief visits to the mortal realm, they often mimic Cath Palug's form to charm their way into the homes of those with magical and historical knowledge, then read or steal what they can to bring home. Inanna scolds them for this constantly, but they do occasionally ferry messages between her and her brother, so she does not stop them entirely.

Face Claim:

picrew

Name: Aisling

Gender: genderfluid, prefers feminine presentation. she/they pronouns interchangeable.

General Appearance: Tall and willowy compared to their mother, Aisling stands at 5'5" tall, and is of a lithe, athletic build. She keeps her curly silvery-blue hair cut short, and often allows her mother to style parts of it back behind her horns into buns shaped like moth antennae. Their father's lavender eyes light up their expression, while their mother's upturned-nose gives them a pixie-like appearance. Her ears are covered in a fine layer of soft, silvery-blue fur that blends into their hair. She has a long, fluffy tail like her mother's, and wears a shawl modeled after the green-banded urania moth.

Personality: Inheriting her father's whimsy and her mother's grace and charm, Aisling often appears to be in a world of their own. They allow troubles to roll off their back, but can often seem to be aloof because of their emotionally reserved state.

Special Talents: Though the princess of the court of dreams is much-loved, the people do whisper of her strange talents. She breezes from room to room like a being made of pure air, her steps silent and her voice light and airy. Some whisper that they must have wind in their blood and starlight in their veins, for their head is always in the clouds. Like their mother before them, they dream vividly, often bringing their dreams to life entirely by accident. Their nightmares must be carefully monitored, lest they summon their fears into reality. On nights where a full moon soars across the sky, her mother insists that she sequester herself in her parents' chambers, the better to contain her strange dreams.

Who they like better: Merlin. They love talking to their father about anything and everything. They often find reassurance in his presence, as he seems to understand their dream-like nature better than most.

Who they take after more: Inanna, for her dreaming personality and quiet charm.

Personal Head canon: Inanna dreamed of Aisling while she was pregnant with them, and knew what they would be like and look like long before they were born. Their strange ears and their otherworldly persona are because they are partially formed from their mother's dreams.

Face Claim:

picrew

[asherlockstudy]

Random Rhink realisations that came to haunt me as I was trying to sleep;

(Under read more so you don’t hatebomb the half-asleep messenger)

Link has a very different way of talking about his 13 minute sessions with his wife than about his frequently mentioned, very consistent yearn for very long sex with what seems like tantric qualities, even if it takes a toll on the frequency of sex he’s having. The face of the man describing the typical sex he is having and the face of the man describing his dream of very passionate, intense sex are like seeing two different faces. How to put it into words; if these were the same man, then the passionate man would ensure even a bit that this bad craving for intensity, duration and bonding (as I perceive) would bleed in more in his regular sex sessions… right? It would be crucial to him. At least there is not much indication that he takes initiatives to achieve as much as possible for this in his sexual life (the part of it that he has actually described publicly). He also wishes he could cum multiple times and in short wishes for a heightened type of sexual experience that doesn’t resemble much the average straight male preferences, to which Rhett seems to be closer (often, quick and a little rough).

It is interesting to pay attention to the movies Link says he would like to watch; he has mentioned Brokeback Mountain more than once I believe. It is a movie he is interested in watching but actively postpones it out of… what, fear? The plot is literally a blonde and a brunette cowboy bonding and eventually becoming lovers, and really falling hard in love, but it stays a secret and they return to their wives especially because the blonde is terrified of coming out. And then the ending is BAD and all this shit might be hitting a little too close to home. Let alone that the one point of reference Link once made was that he had “heard” that the sex scene, their first time, was very unrealistic or simply very traumatic for the bottom guy (brunette). And if you know, you know (I may or may not have said something relevant in another post). Also, interesting that this was what resonated with him enough to point out, from all of a movie he had not even watched.

The second episode with fanfic enactment, I think, when they find out Link is pregnant and they return home, Link jumps on Rhett on the spot and Rhett suddenly bursts and calls out fanfic writers that “relationships don’t work like that”. There is an unstated semi-bafflement lingering over the crew and Link after he says this and I was so confused, why can’t couples who just learnt they are going to have children go home and be excited enough to want to celebrate their love and happiness immediately? What if Rhett referred to the mechanics of anal instead and the lack of realism in suggesting it could be done immediately and suddenly with zero preparation. He seemed like he was itching to point out the lack of realism in it. (Did not point out whether Link being pregnant was realistic or not 😂)

Topic shift: in the last EB they complained a little about the low viewership of the R&L videos but they acknowledged that the comments they get are very positive. Yet, there was still something they wanted to express but eventually didn’t. Both Rhett and Link attempted to say something two-three times but then backpedaled and made it a more generic statement every time. It really seemed that what they meant was that despite the satisfaction at getting positive comments and compliments on their scripted videos, they still weren’t getting the type of response and comments they expected or hoped for. There was the lingering implication that the videos are not getting well communicated, that their intent gets a little lost in translation. They said the meaning is perhaps not well understood, and I once again invite you to consider what such a meaning could be in a video like, say, We Dug a Medium-sized Hole. Hmm? In their EB talking about starting these videos they had also talked about the importance of checking what the videos would communicate to the audience. If it is what I speculated it was, then maybe the reason we are getting so conflicting behaviours from them, even from Link at this point, is because they had agreed to work the jumping out of the plane in tandem exclusively through this format, while nothing at all would change in the other formats, at least until they ensured the response of the viewers would give them the green light through their scripted videos. But they are not getting this response yet, so the process has been slowed down for now.

They said the videos still don’t make the money they cost but they are determined to keep doing them. Very uncharacteristic of them but very good news for me. Ideally they should be weekly for me lol. These videos come out every 4-5 weeks and I am always in withdrawal syndrome the first and the second week after the video. The third and fourth week I am good again and then the week of the new video it is a new experience that makes me a little anxious all over!

They have used the hashtag #blessed too often lately. Whenever I hear someone say this for themselves, weeeellll I get a little suspicious. Nothing from them ever shook me more than that time in an old EB, several years ago, the one about what makes a good joke, when Rhett said "we're fundamentally sad people". Link also goes on and on about how he is living his best life, yet it is not enough to keep him from some prescriptions. He did try to stop them around spring for a while, but his emotional / mental state made him resume the medication. Perhaps not everything is as ideal as all the hashtags and insta posts imply. In Rhett's solo episode, he was asked how he managed to figure out life and happiness in general. Rhett replied "when I know, I will tell you". So. You know.

I was watching season 8, 2015 and Rhett was right in saying Link at the time would never be so reckless in the things he did or said. He was always acting silly and all, but he was way more uptight about what could be said and what was risky. At the time Rhett said more questionable things than he did. But let me tell you: stuff was happening already at that time.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT ECOMMERCE NEWS (INCLUDING ETSY), March 2024

Since I wrote so many articles on Etsy in the past 2 months, it took longer than usual for me to get the full ecommerce update out. Sorry about the delay, but here it is!

For fresher and more frequent updates, please follow me on Bluesky or on LinkedIn, or become a member of my Patreon.

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Etsy’s fourth quarter 2023 financial results came out February 21; I did a deep dive into all the announcements here. In short, there are a lot of new things coming, and some changes that may have affected some sellers already, including:

plans for more predictable shipping costs for buyers and sellers (what does that mean?)

Etsy Ads are now localized outside of the United States

search will be shifting to boost "high quality" items, going from highlighting what shoppers are most likely to buy to what shoppers are most likely to love

a buyer loyalty program is coming

the goal of “shortening our estimated delivery dates this year by at least 2 days”

This recent post on Bluesky indicates that Etsy is surveying buyers on what they would pay for shipping, which could be related to the “predictable shipping costs” mentioned. A recent Etsy presentation at an investor conference provided a few clarifications on points discussed during the 4th quarter call, and in previous interviews and announcements.

“Our research showed that 10% off is a waste in this market. It's not enough to drive an incremental conversion, so all you did is give up margin. So recently, you've seen us both change the default and talk to sellers about how if you're going to put something on sale in this environment, it needs to be at least 25% off.” [my emphasis] Silverman has previously mentioned that buyers want discounts these days. 

Since the information sellers provide when listing (i.e., titles, tags, descriptions, attributes) “is not always very reliable”, Etsy uses image recognition to classify items as well

They are working on improvement for international fulfillment

Most orders on Etsy aren’t impulse buys; 70% involve 2 or more visits, and 50% involve 4 or more visits

“only one out of every three women in the United States bought something on Etsy last year…. only one out of every 10 men bought something on Etsy last year.”

Etsy’s use of AI in places such as Gift Mode is not in-house. (We already knew they used OpenAI’s GPT-4 for Gift Mode.) 

eBay increased the transaction fee from 30 to 40 cents as of March 15, for all orders over $10. 

An Etsy fee increase of some sort is likely coming soon, as Etsy has surveyed sellers on which options they would most prefer. While I was not picked to take the survey, a few people who did have contacted me with screenshots and details, which I wrote about in some detail. 

Packaging laws are becoming quite onerous for some ecommerce microbusinesses, but fortunately the Etsy forum crew has helped out with a recent summary of which countries in Europe require registration or payment to ship into the jurisdiction. Thanks to Claudia of https://www.etsy.com/no-en/shop/DoceVikaVintage for doing most of the legwork. 

ETSY NEWS 

Etsy is once again changing some sellers’ processing days, adding Saturday or Sunday into the mix when the shop owner only selected Monday to Friday. Some are seeing a notice on their dashboard, while others received an email.

Remember, in the 4th quarter 2023 earnings report, Silverman said “shortening our estimated delivery dates this year by at least 2 days” was a goal, and unilaterally changing your processing times is one step towards that goal. Please check your shipping settings, as this could mean you need to ship earlier than you realize, and Etsy could put you on reserve, remove your Star Seller badge, and deny you Seller Protection when you ship later than Etsy thinks you should.

If that wasn’t bad enough, some sellers are reporting that Etsy has changed the timing of sending the Abandoned Cart discount to almost immediate, and changed the official Help file on the topic to say the coupon was sent just 2 hours after the listing was carted, down from 24 hours. Others say they can no longer deactivate these coupons, and that Etsy Support told them it was a known bug. 

If you want to learn how Etsy's algorithms work and what they favour, the company has added more details on "recommendations" modules we see all over the site to the legal policy page. I've written a short piece highlighting what sellers should pay attention to if they want visibility on Etsy.

Etsy is adding Regulatory Operating Fees to orders in India (0.29%) and Vietnam (1.24%) as of April 1, 2024. On the same day, the Regulatory Operating Fee in Spain will increase to 0.72% (from 0.4%), and the fee for Türkiye goes up to 2.27% (from 1.1%).

The Prohibited Items Policy has been updated in several places, as of March 5 2024. Some of the new sections are covered in this article. As always, the most important parts of these changes will be how Etsy chooses to interpret them, so for the moment I don’t have any further comment, other than to say these types of changes are sometimes driven by law, and sometimes by previous incidents in which Etsy is unhappy with the outcome. 

Looks like businesses in China will soon be able to use Etsy Payments, meaning new shops in China may be able to open for the first time since 2021. (It's not unusual for Etsy to beta test new countries before announcing them officially; it’s hard to say if that is what is happening here or not.)

Etsy's forum restrictions - requiring a signed-in seller account to view most posts - will start on March 26. Only posts in the Announcements and Technical Issues sections will still be visible to everyone. 

There has been some speculation that this is to reduce spamming of Etsy sellers after they post, but the change will also have the bonus of journalists, investors and others not being able to read Etsy sellers' complaints about the platform.

It’s possible to have your product photos featured on the persona page of Etsy's Gift Mode but not have the product available for sale in Gift Mode. I’ve checked several times, and have never seen that seller’s embroidery piece in the featured listings. If you missed my blog post on Gift Mode, check it out here. Note that Etsy seems to have made some changes since I originally released the post. Among other Gift Mode promotions, Etsy employees rang the opening bell at Nasdaq the day after the Super Bowl. Did you know that this year’s Super Bowl was the most watched show in the US since the 1969 moon landing? Etsy hired Drew Barrymore to promote the corporation's new gifting push, which will continue all year. And the company has also released a new “gift teaser” email that buyers can have sent to recipients, which is useful for last-minute shoppers. 

Elliott Management now owns 13% of Etsy shares and options - making it the largest investor -  and now has a board member at the corporation. Known as activist investors, they usually force companies to cut costs ; for example they pressured “Salesforce, in which it has a multibillion-dollar investment, to harsh new policies for engineers and salespeople aimed at reducing headcount.”

Newly-opened Etsy shops will soon be subject to stricter ID requirements, a $15 fee, and longer holds on their early sales; I covered the details we know on LinkedIn. 

If you use the new listing form, you may see a new pricing tool pop up. (It’s not on the old listing form.) Ridiculously, Etsy calls it an “estimated profit calculator”, when really, it’s just an Etsy fee calculator, and not a good one at that. It includes the lowest processing fee possible (some countries have a range of processing fees) and also excludes taxes you may pay on your fees. I don’t know if it includes country-specific fees such as regulatory fees, as Canada does not currently have those.

Etsy has several sales events coming up, including the “spring refresh” which has already started and continues until April 15. 

There are reports of Etsy now advertising its commercials in Canada, which is a first as far as I know. 

Struggling to update your tax information on Etsy? One tip is to use a different link to enter the updates. Another is to use a pdf or png file, not a jpg, when uploading documents, and to combine multiple documents into one. If Etsy is asking your LLP/LLC or corporation to upload ID, I’ve had multiple people report that personal ID should work, even if the wording of the page says it won't. 

If you are frustrated by the recent Etsy test removing the total number of items in a search, I explained here how to determine the exact number of results if there are less than 16,000 listings. Also, you can just try another browser or device because it is a test (I do not have it on desktop). 

Remember when The Smiley Company sued tons of small sellers for trademark infringement, and asked for damages? Some Etsy sellers fought back - and won.

Who is removing Taylor Swift-themed items from Etsy - the artist, or the marketplace?  Swift has sent cease and desist letters to Etsy shops in the past. 

The articles about Etsy being awash with non-handmade and counterfeit goods never end. Here’s one from Australia. Here’s one about Etsy sellers publishing fan fiction that is already free on the web and charging a huge amount. And the media attention to deepfake porn on Etsy also continues. AI use is also subject to media scrutiny. 

TikTok’s push to attract more sellers apparently involves approaching Etsy shop owners. [soft paywall; Modern Retail] 

Josh Silverman has sold off most of his remaining Etsy stock. 

I did a short report on who Etsy laid off in December. 

The scammers advertising a fake Etsy customer support phone number on Google are catching buyers too - why can't this be stopped? "Anyone looking to contact Etsy for customer service issues should be aware that there is no phone number to contact for Etsy support." It’s a big problem that Google seems unable to control, given this study on other fraudulent Google Ads.  

Speaking of scammers, there is a new version of fake copyright takedowns affecting numerous sellers; the person who files the DMCA then offers to remove it for a fee, or even file takedowns against your competitors for a bigger fee. Etsy did fix the first round after 3-4 days, but the perpetrator then filed new DMCAs from a different email address. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS (minus social media)

General

Michael’s Makerplace is beta testing selling third-party items in Michael’s brick and mortar stores. “Michaels says that MakerPlace garnered interest from thousands of sellers during its initial beta period, mainly through word-of-mouth. The company declined to disclose how many sellers are on the platform currently and is now focused on growing customers for those vendors to sell to. Buchanan says the next month will be "critical to make sure [the platform gets] some mass engagement from a buyer perspective."

Some Depop sellers had issues with deposits recently, with the money never being sent to their bank accounts, and instead the deposit was continually rescheduled for the next day. This may or may not be related to similar issues on Etsy. Depop is also immediately scrapping seller fees for the UK (as long as the account sells in GBP), but is adding a 5% fee for buyers in the UK as of April 15. Clearly the site thinks it has more UK demand than UK inventory, and that at least some of those buyers will pay for the ability to buy second-hand. Depop press release. 

Beni is a new “secondhand search engine” that pulls up used apparel from multiple different marketplaces such as eBay, Poshmark, and ThredUp. It offers an app and a Chrome browser extension. 

Temu is subject to a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company’s app is highly intrusive and can read "literally everything on your phone." Also, businesses in the United States can now sell on Temu. 

There are many different platforms and marketplaces to sell digital products such as ebooks, templates and courses; here are 20. 

Amazon

If you sell on Amazon, make sure you have 2-factor authentication set up, as it will be a requirement starting March 28th. Users will need a mobile number or authenticator app. 

Amazon is using generative AI to create new listings for merchants who enter a link of the product on another site. “The goal is to help sellers reduce the time it takes to bring the product from a different website onto Amazon.”

If you don’t use at least 3 images per product page, Amazon will now add in photos from other merchants on the site. 

Amazon had a strong fourth quarter in 2023, beating all estimates.  Amazon Lending has been discontinued, but existing loans do not change until the term ends.

eBay

eBay agreed to a $59 million settlement in the US Department of Justice’s case regarding the selling of tools to make counterfeit drugs. The company must also modify its restricted items policies. 

eBay joined the layoff race on January 23 when it let go 9% of its staff (~1000 people). Those layoffs were spread throughout the company, including plenty of engineers, legal and PR staff, and several recruiters, as well as authentication staff. The company also made upper-management changes. 

eBay’s 4th quarter financial results were up a bit, but active buyers keep dropping. 

Jewellery sellers in the UK faced an across-the-board fee hike as of March 7, adding 2% to the final value fee. This appears to be related to covering the authenticity process, which only applies to certain items above £500. 

Be careful when you confirm your Promoted Listings Standard campaign on eBay - a few sellers report accidentally upgrading to a far more expensive Advanced Cost Per Click campaign.

Walmart

Walmart is offering discounts for new sellers, covering part of fees for up to 90 days. 

If you sell on the Walmart marketplace, beware of the new rules on making authenticity claims.

Payment Processing

Klarna is now offering a monthly subscription to be able to use it at brick and mortar retailers without additional fees. The Verge speculates this may be related to Klarna’s rumoured pending IPO. The company has also employed an AI chatbot to do the work of 700 customer support employees. 

A US study reports that at least 20% of US consumers have used buy now, pay later options at least once. 

PayPal joined the tech layoff trend, getting rid of 9% of staff in January.

Venmo settings are public by default; here’s how to change that. [Washington Post gift link]

Shipping 

Is “free shipping” becoming less common? It appears so. [soft paywall: Business Insider]

Apparently USPS has significant delays in the Atlanta area, leaving packages in limbo for weeks. (Strangely, I had a shipment held up in Atlanta in late January even though the new processing centre did not open until February 24, and that package was finally delivered last week.)

Good basic post on return policies (from a Canadian perspective). Note that half of those surveyed say that return policies affect their purchase decisions.

Canada Post has sold its logistics and IT companies as it struggles to become profitable, and may be looking towards more ecommerce options. 

UPS will be laying off 12,000 employees this year, to save around $1 billion. The company is also starting to deliver to homes on Saturdays in major Canadian cities by March.

That's it for now! I hope to have the full SEO & marketing report out next week.

[carewyncromwell]

Lupin 🤝 Carewyn

The Second Wizarding War had plenty of martyrs. Two of the most famous ended up being Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, both of whom fought bravely against Voldemort as part of the Order of the Phoenix, including at the infamous Battle of Hogwarts. Posthumously Remus Lupin in particular ended up becoming a symbol in the fight for werewolf rights, given that he fought for the protection of a World who frequently denied him employment and housing due to his condition. For Carewyn, however, when she challenged the former anti-werewolf laws in court again after the War, she saw Lupin not as a symbol, but as a lost friend. Someone who had been like family to one of her closest friends, Chiara Lobosca, and by extension had become special to her as well.

One memory in particular that always came back to Carewyn was in the midst of the Second Wizarding War. Not trusting Dumbledore to lead her in anything and being actively disinterested in any kind of warfare, Carewyn had chosen not to join the Order of the Phoenix, but had still offered select assistance on her own terms. And one of those types of assistance came about when Carewyn met Lupin at a corner table in a small London pub called the White Horse in the fall of 1995.

"I know you're all concerned about Yaxley, and for good reason," said Carewyn. "He has been giving Tonks the side-eye for a while, and from what I've sensed off of him...well, let's just say he has a less-than-pleasant aura."

Lupin cocked his eyebrows amusedly. "'Less-than-pleasant?' Is that a polite way of saying that Corban Yaxley is just as vile on the inside as he appears on the outside?"

"If you'd prefer me to come straight out and say sensing Yaxley's thoughts makes me feel like I'm wading through manure, then I will," Carewyn shot back coolly.

Lupin spared a short chuckle, and Carewyn pressed on.

"Regardless...Yaxley might not be the Death Eaters' only source of information about the inner workings of the Ministry. There could very easily be Ministry employees who are unknowingly providing them information just by sharing a workspace with them. And don't forget, Lucius Malfoy has ingratiated himself to Fudge, the same way my grandfather did before he was arrested with the rest of R. My uncle Blaise even gave Lucius Malfoy intelligence about the Order, in exchange for some protection for the Cromwell Clan."

Lupin frowned deeply.

"That is true," he granted. "Neither your uncle nor Malfoy is part of the Ministry, but Fudge does trust their counsel...and value their patronage. It isn't improbable that he could've discussed Ministry matters with them, and that they likewise could've passed that information on..."

His eyebrows knit together thoughtfully.

"I confess, I don't know much about Legilimency that doesn't come from published works," he said. "I don't suppose you could sense from Fudge any evidence of those such meetings? Just so that we'd know what your uncle or Malfoy might've gleaned from him?"

Carewyn shook her head. "Not unless Fudge was actively recalling it. Or unless I searched his mind by force, but he would know it immediately, if I were to do that. And I have no intention of losing my position at the Ministry taking that kind of unnecessary risk."

Lupin frowned a bit more, but did not press further. Instead he shifted gears.

"...Do you think your uncle could be this mole we've worried about? Your brother said he could see him joining up with people like the Death Eaters..."

Carewyn's eyes fell down to the cup of coffee in front of her.

"...I agree with Jacob that Blaise and the Death Eaters believe a lot of the same things," she said diplomatically.

"But?" prompted Lupin.

Carewyn put down her coffee cup with a sigh.

"Blaise is a terrible person...but for however horrid he is, his own priorities come first. And his top priority is asserting control over the Clan. Plus Jacob, Mum, and me," she added sourly. "Blaise joined R because he answered to my grandfather at the time, and because Grandfather intended to use R to force Mum, Jacob and me to return to the Cromwell estate. And even then, from what I gather, Blaise only ever engaged in R's criminal activity with the goal of forcing us back home, not for the sake of power or wealth. Blaise offered Malfoy help because he thinks the winds favor the Death Eaters and he wants to give them reason not to go after the Clan or its members, if things get worse. Yes, Blaise is a rampant blood purist who sees people like objects and looks down his nose on anyone he sees as inferior...but his motivations have never been about those beliefs. He wants Jacob and me back with the Clan even if we are the 'bastard children' of a 'filthy Muggle.' He doesn't care that Mum married a Muggle and is perfectly happy never marrying again -- he wants her back home regardless. And when Blaise learned Jacob was helping you, he did refrain from giving Lucius Malfoy the means to hurt him."

"So you think your uncle would only help Voldemort on his own terms," Lupin surmised, "not actively serve under him."

"Right."

"Hm," said Lupin. He looked rather pensive. Carewyn could sense a memory coming off of him as he took a sip of tea, of a conversation with him and Chiara --

"I must wonder if Carewyn responded the same way..."

Carewyn's red lips pursed slightly, but she didn't say anything. Instead she merely drank her coffee, turning her focus out the window in the far corner so as to distance herself from Lupin's thoughts.

The two were silent for a moment, before Lupin spoke again.

"...Carewyn...I hope this is not impertinent of me to ask...but what does it feel like, when you sense other people's thoughts?"

Carewyn blinked.

"You said that sensing Yaxley's thoughts was akin to wading through excrement," Lupin reminded him with a slight wry smile. "But surely tapping into everyone's thoughts doesn't feel like that?"

Carewyn couldn't help but snort. "Certainly not."

"Well, then," said Lupin, "what do other people's thoughts feel like? What do mine feel like? Your brother's?"

The image of Tonks's face danced on the inside of Carewyn's eyelids as she looked at Lupin.

Carewyn peered at him curiously.

"Well," she said slowly, "your thoughts are...quiet, mostly. Controlled, but warm -- like the heat that comes off a Coldfire enchantment."

Carewyn could feel some sparks of interest coming off of Lupin's eyes, hearing this.

"Really?" he said, intrigued.

"Yes," said Carewyn, grinning a bit. "Right now, even, it feels like there are little fireworks coming off of you. It's kind of like how Chiara feels, when she gets excited -- like Fizz Wiz candies. As for Jacob...well, that's a bit complicated. We've always been able to read each other pretty well, even before we knew we had Legilimency or how to use it -- and since he's sensing my thoughts just as much as I'm sensing his, I don't have to try as hard to connect with him. So feeling his thoughts, I barely have to think about. They're just there, crystal clear, as soon as we're anywhere near each other. It's like instinct."

"Like gravity," presumed Lupin, and Carewyn nodded.

"Truly, though, everyone's a little different," she said. "Especially if they're particularly emotional. Like Tonks, for instance. Normally her thoughts are very light and warm -- like clouds. But if she's determined, they become hotter, more intense -- like those clouds have become a sweltering, humid heat. And if she's happy, it's more like walking into a pool of sunshine through the closest window."

Her red lips spread into a slightly wryer smile.

"Her thoughts have felt like that a lot more lately," she added with a twinkle in her eye. "Especially when she talks about getting to spend time with you and Sirius Black."

Lupin's pale face actually betrayed a very slight flush as he turned away.

"Is...that so?" he mumbled.

Carewyn smiled wryly, seeing how much Lupin avoided her eye. Even though he wasn't looking at her, though, his whisper-like feelings were loud enough that she could sense his heart beating a bit faster and the warmth he felt, knowing that Tonks was happy spending time with him and his best friend.

"Well," Lupin said at last, clearing his throat, "Sirius was...also very pleased, that she joined up. Andromeda was always his favorite cousin, from what I understand."

Images of a family tree labeled with the heading the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black -- several burn holes, one of which had the name "Sirius" over it -- flitted over Carewyn's mind.

"I don't know much about the Blacks," said Carewyn, "but Mum has told Jacob and me stories about Phineas Nigellus Black. I think Jacob said his portrait even hangs at Grimmauld Place, doesn't it?"

Lupin snorted with muted amusement. "Oh, yes. And I must confess, I stopped wondering how such a man could be Hogwarts' least popular Headmaster, after encountering that portrait. It was quite a treat to overhear your brother grilling him on his view of Muggles -- questioning how, if he's so superior in blood, talent, and knowledge, he can be so blissfully unaware that all of the planets we monitor in Astronomy, analyze the positions of in Divination, and use as guidance while brewing certain Potions were named by and named for gods originally worshiped by Muggles."

Carewyn covered her mouth with her hand to hold in her laughter. "I think Jacob probably had just as much fun dressing Phineas down as you did listening to him."

Lupin was smiling as he nodded. "I daresay so. It's a noble thing, that you and your brother have turned your backs on the notions of blood superiority, despite your family backgrounds...the way Sirius did."

Another face -- one bespectacled with messy hair and hazel eyes -- also danced across Lupin's thoughts as he said this.

"And Prongs did?" Carwyn asked gently.

Lupin was a bit startled by this. Then his expression softened.

"...Yes," he said at last. "Prongs also put his friends and his morals well over his blood status or family wealth."

He smiled a bit more fondly.

"It's something...I was grateful to see in you as well, when you first befriended Chiara," he admitted. "That love of your friends and family, above all else."

Despite the warmth of the words, Carewyn could feel the faint chill too -- something longing, wistful...hungry for something Lupin hadn't known in years...

Memories of Rowan swirled over Carewyn's mind and heart as her eyes softened. She reached out to take Lupin's hand resting on the table and gave it a light squeeze.

Lupin gave her a small grateful smile.

"You have always reminded me of Prongs," he said. "That's why it's still so strange for me, that you won't join the Order."

Carewyn frowned. "I'm not a soldier, Lupin, nor do I want to be. And even if someday I have to be...it will only ever be to protect the ones I love. I don't need to follow anything or anyone but my own heart, to do that."

"No, I suppose not."

Lupin's golden-brown eyes twinkled a bit as he took some money out, placing it down on the table by his empty tea cup, and then got to his feet.

"Soldier or not, Carewyn, your help has always been invaluable," he said seriously. "And I hope you know how much it's appreciated."

This meeting would come back to Carewyn's mind often, after Lupin's death at the Battle of Hogwarts. Every time she felt shame and guilt about not being there -- about not being able to overthrow the Death Eaters at the Ministry sooner, or prevent Lupin and Tonks's deaths -- she found herself revisiting Lupin's words to her that day, in a weak attempt to counsel herself through that grief.

Lupin had appreciated the efforts she put in. She knew that the Order had as well. Even if it ultimately wasn't enough -- even if it was just a drop in the bucket, in the face of all the pain the War had wrought...they did know she'd worked hard for them. And they had appreciated that she'd cared.

Friendship Drabble Prompt!

[hookaroo]

Laden of the Torn (7 of 25)

AO3 link Catch up on tumblr: One Two Three Four Five Six Tagging @priscilla9993 @cocohook38 <3 Chapter 7 notes: Short update this time but I will try to post a more substantial chapter 8 within the next day or two. As mentioned in the beginning notes, this location is loosely based on a real-world place in Madagascar called Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park. There will be certain artistic liberties taken; just keep in mind that it isn't supposed to be the exact location in our world, just something like it :)

***

The wagon rolled to a stop in the shadow of the jagged rock face they had been approaching for two days now, and what had been fairly obvious before was now a near-certainty. Blackbeard dropped to the packed earth and stretched lazily.

“All ashore, Hook. Your first-class voyage ends now. Afraid it’s going to require a bit of effort from here on out.” With a nasty grin, he inclined his head toward the intimidating rock formations. “Now shift yourself; give me one hand with these horses.”

Killian grudgingly moved toward the back of the wagon, preferring to disembark under his own power and not give Blackbeard an excuse for physical abuse. “What makes you think I’m in any fit state to be scaling mountains, mate?”

“Mountains?” Blackbeard repeated with an incredulous guffaw. “Good lord. Dramatic little whinger, aren’t you?”

Killian dangled his feet over the edge, carefully lowering the ball and chain to hang from his burning ankle, and waited for the world to stop spinning. Impatiently, Blackbeard added,

“It’s been nearly a whole day since you last attempted to splatter your entrails all over my wagon. You’re nowhere near death’s door.”

He grabbed Killian’s wrist and pulled him roughly to his feet, continuing, 

“That’s hardly Olympus looming before us, old man. And there will be no ‘scaling’ involved, I can promise you that.”

As he headed toward the front of the wagon, he called one final comment over his shoulder.

“Rumor has it those rock formations are rather perilous, though. So I recommend proceeding with caution.”

***

‘Perilous’ was a marked understatement. Killian reluctantly followed his captor into a narrow canyon between towering spires, and immediately, they were surrounded by nothing but razor-sharp stone as far as the eye could see. Barely any flat surface existed anywhere, including the rugged path before their feet, which was frequently littered with loose gravel or miniature peaks ready to slice their toes off if they weren’t careful. And appearances were no mere deception, either: not long into their trek, Killian unthinkingly used a waist-high projection for balance when his foot slid on unstable pebbles, and he came away with a smarting graze on his palm and wrist. 

He could not fathom what would motivate Blackbeard to drag them both into such a hazardous wasteland. Riches of some kind, no doubt, though the man was not known to be so industrious in his schemes. He would gladly make others do the work for him--perhaps he intended for Killian to pack-mule whatever treasure they were seeking out of this place--but putting himself in danger of injury had to be a rarity. It must be one valuable prize indeed.

Killian’s only interest in wealth these days had to do with its ability to pay magic-experts for their assistance. And there were plenty of safer ways to earn some coin for that purpose. But even though Blackbeard marched on ahead, allowing Killian to follow at his own pace, the scrape of the heavy weight attached to Killian’s ankle provided ample opportunity for monitoring. He would know fairly quickly if his captive were to stop or turn around, and his array of armaments would hardly even be necessary to halt an escape attempt. Until Killian could rid himself of the accessory, he had no hope of outrunning Blackbeard. And so he followed, carefully picking his way past the needlelike towers, deeper into the mysterious landscape.

[teamdilf]

17, 21, 32 for the weird writing questions? :3c

Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

Oh boy - I have so many WIPs! I'll talk about the Sabina Lives/Parents Live AU I'm working on, because I love Sabina dearly. She was already dead as I was developing her as a character (having killed her off in a throwaway sentence in an earlier work), but I love her so much that I had to resurrect her in an AU.

In this work more than others she's appeared in, we see that in a lot of ways Sabina is who Adrien didn't allow himself to be. Adrien doesn't have a temper and is gentle, preferring to avoid violence. Because Adrien protected her from their abusive parents, Sabina was able to show her frustration and lose her temper from time to time.

Sabina saw how Adrien protected her, and there's this survivor's guilt overlap between her and Aurelia, because in this AU, Adrien sacrifices himself after their parents send an assassin to kill Aurelia, and when Sabina was a child, Adrien took the physical punishments meant for Sabina. So, Sabina is in this very specific space where she can really understand what Aurelia is going through because she lived it too.

We also see Sabina taking action outside of the law, whereas in the parents AU I'm in the process of posting, Tullia plays a little bit more nicely with the law (not much more, TBH and she yells at a lot of people). Tullia agrees to do things the "right" way instead of going vigilante because it's what Adrien would want. Sabina? She's seen so much shit and saw her brother get beaten by their parents and she's fucking done, so as soon as her and Tullia figure out that Erasmus and Laela are responsible, Sabina leaves to kill them. She won't give them the chance to rot in prison or fight for their freedom. They tried to kill her niece and nearly killed her brother, and she is done being the protectee, so she steps into the role of protector in the most extreme way possible.

Just from a narrative perspective, I've frequently written Adrien's protectors as women, and most of his closest personal relationships are with women, and that's always been intentional. As I was developing him as a character, I just loved the idea of this badass general who speaks his mind, who has an equally outspoken wife in his corner, who knows that he needs protecting, even if nobody else sees it. That trait comes to extend to his other close friends/family, who see all the ways he needs protecting, and shield him from them.

Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

I didn't write for years after finishing school! I wrote one short story post-university (and I don't think it was particularly good) before the pandemic had me searching out a distraction from my constant doom-scrolling. I might slow down or shift focus to original works, but I don't think I can stop telling stories now that I've started to do so again.

What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

"We accept the love we think we deserve" - The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

I read that book at a time where that wisdom was needed and meaningful to me. I wish I could say I immediately saw myself as worthy of a more kind romantic love than what I had at the time, but in time I was able to see that I deserved more than I was accepting.

I come back to this line frequently when I write my characters. For a long time, Shepard doesn't accept love because she's afraid of loss, but also because she thinks she's cursed on account of her first name (Lorelei) and that those she allows to get close to her are doomed. It's not until her second mission with Garrus that she comes to see that she deserves more love than she's let herself accept.

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

Hello! actual wheelchair user into historical fashion here!!! we don't have *much* overlap since i prefer skirts and dresses however i can still give a few tips!

having things sit or end at the waist is good advice, it make the silhouette nicer and importantly: does not put the bulk on your hips. Generally, i like to avoid bulk or seams at my hips because I've found that gets painful fast, and makes it hard to sit!

Additionally, if you sew for yourself, and you haven't done so already: Retake your measurements while sitting!!!!! I know i have to add a few inches to my waist and subtract a few from my inseam so that they look nice whil I'm in my chair. keep in mind your thighs will also be more compressed!

If you have a manual wheelchair, make certain to keep anything within two or three inches of your wrists well-fitted, especially to avoid them puffying out and getting Wheel Gunk on them.

Also, I would invest in things to secure clothing. Somehow, I find my clothes frequently need re-adjusted, and when your hands (or hand, for electric) is what keeps you moving... having to stop to re-adjust clothes can get frustrating! So, pins, clasps, ect!

If you do not have a tie-on pocket, I found making myself one was a very smart idea. Bernadette Banner has a video on making them, but I adjusted the pattern to be smaller, because again, bulk can quickly become Too Much when in a chair. The reason this pocket is a life saver is because I've found many pockets sit too high up close to my hip joint and too far to the side to be properly useful, because i just Cannot get my hands in, nor can I actually Store things in there. but a tie on pocket can be tied at the waist and shifted to sit further towards the front of my body!

Furthermore, here's something fun: no one will ever see the back of your waistband ever again. if something has pleats you need to take out, take them out from the back first, and you won't need to redo them because no one will see (and also pleats hurt to sit on).

Agreeing with Vincent that decorations along the front of pants will look very snazzy!!! side could be nice, but isn't as likely to be visible, though it varies person to person!

And, for any modern fashion you may or may not wear: i find shorter pants/trousers tend to look best if they hit at or below the knee. Especially if you have belly fat (not a bad thing!!!!!!) , your tummy will cover will cover the top few inches of your thighs making things look much shorter, and also you just don't wanna flash people from the front.

Another good thing for manual wheelchairs is you'll want to make certain you have flexibikity in your shoulder and upper arm, so ensuring you have a good fit on your arm scye is a must!!

also... depending on your height, avoid super tall hats (i.e. stovepipes.) people will be viewing you top-down, so a medium or short length hat might work best!!

also: Congratulations on the chair!!! I hope it serves you well for many years to come, and that you teo get to go on many amazing adventures together!!!!!

now, i believe i need to make myself a capelet for winter...

so i am newly in a wheelchair which has been a Massive gain in my ability to go out and about. but i realized that i have aprox 0 clothes that look Good while seated. its a completely different silhouette and i am at a loss as to what to do for it. do you have any suggestions for what could look good seated? preferably no skirts or dresses.

Congrats on chair acquisition!!

Since you're sending this to me specifically I am working under the assumption that you mean to do some amount of sewing.

A high waisted silhouette definitely works best for sitting. I make all my pants with the waistband at my natural waist, and a bit of pleating or gathering at the back just like they did on 18th century breeches, and I've never noticed any particular discomfort from sitting in them. (I think high waisted pants are more comfortable in general, and that low rise jeans are evil.)

It's something I've never really thought about before, but sitting is a very legs-forward position, so perhaps a colourful or fancy stripe down the side would work well.

(I made this pair 10 years ago and they didn't fit well and are long gone, but I should do a better version someday...)

Or some other form of side seam decoration, like these fabulous button tabs.

(I don't know what the source for this mid 19th century fashion plate is.)

Cropped jackets would also be good. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the Carmagnole, which was a style worn by French revolutionaries. It's got a pretty similar cut to a regular 1790's coat, just shorter.

(Source)

(Source)

And there are other styles of short jacket, like this one from a few decades later.

I think it might be possible to get a similar effect from cutting down a thrifted corduroy jacket, depending on the pocket placement? It's not something I've done myself though.

A fancy little bolero could be a lot of fun too! I quite like these ones made by Marlowe Lune. Super easy to sew, and could be patterned by cutting down a bigger pattern that fits the torso.

They'd be a good thing to try if you have a smallish piece of fancy fabric, or a small bit trim to use, or want to try a small amount of embroidery.

There are lots of historical styles with sleeves too, and all sorts of decorations.

(Dunno the source for this one either, unfortunately, but the pin says 1880s reception dress. I think a little jacket like that would look good with a puffy shirt and pants.)

Short capes might be practical too, and the late 19th and early 20th century have tons of fancy capelets for inspiration, like this one.

Or this one.

I hope this is somehow helpful! I don't know if you're looking to sew things from scratch or to buy and alter stuff or what, and I have no personal experience using a wheelchair, but these are the best things I can think of for a suitable silhouette. Dramatic sleeve/shoulder puffs would also be shown off to great effect, if that's something you'd like to wear.

[buddyfightbarista]

Ideas for Shia's Base Verse

So far I have been trying to come up with her basic story as in canon with no other muse interference; since she is an oc, so I can keep track of what gets twisted in other verses based in who I'm playing with. This is what I've got!

Fundamental exploratory researcher -

gathers quantitative data and folklore that has relations to the parallel world connection linked to Buddyfights, could be categorised as an anthropologist of a sort, often uses physical and tactile data as opposed to mental theories of calculations.

Hobbies; singing (loves karaoke), cooking (she's had to, honestly she'd prefer having someone else to cook), housekeeping.

Dusting is a fun activity! Vacuuming is good exercise! Organising shelves is a reward activity after typing papers.

She makes business cards out of shrink-wrapped oven charms shaped like zodiac animals.

Loves food with pepper in it, constantly has aching muscles because of typing too much.

Travels around a lot, familiar especially with mountainous areas or areas with religious significance. At this point she's Google Maps. She doesn't really like air travel as heights aren't her favourite, and she prefers ships, but she's a frequent flyer nevertheless as it is often more convenient to arrange and quicker.

Has a strong dislike of the darkness. She came home to a dark room, with her parents stone statues in it. This spared her the shock of immediately seeing them like that, but ever since then, she's left the curtains of her windows open when she sleeps and she prefers the sun. Darkness in an enclosed area reminds her of that moment. She also dislikes statues and feels uneasy around them, though not to the point of trauma.

Knows her way around natural areas. Shia's good at foraging; she had to be since the village she used to live in was around a rural area, but it's been a long time since she returned. Due to that, her memory of edible roots, herbs, fungi... is there but limited. She hasn't got a problem with eating processed meat, and typically isn't squeamish about eating strange meat like cicadas, frogs etc, but prefers not to eat meat that she kills herself. She still infinitely prefers the indoors to the outdoors, though.

Good at making coffee. She needs it to stay awake; but something about the process of adding condiments to the coffee is kinesthetically soothing. When she started researching, in order to obtain funding for her travels beyond what her aunt provides her with, she worked a short stint as a barista at a nearby coffee shop. Latte art is one of her specialties.

Shia can be considered materialistic. She places huge importance on gifts and money, not because they bring any memories to her, but because she became all too aware of how they impacted one's treatment in society and her own appearance. To give the illusion of being thoughtful, of being well off, or to inspire sympathy, she would give appropriate presents to those she visited in pursuit of information. She considers these bribes, although she's aware of how gifts can meant everything to some people; to her, they will always be a way to manipulate people. As such, she dislikes being given things, yet becomes suspicious if her things are touched without permission.

As a child, her love language was Words of Affirmation, but as an adult, it has shifted into Physical Touch, something that she rarely affords or is afforded as someone who stays alone and is almost never seen in school. Words of Affirmation have become yet another manipulative tactic, although she tends to stick to truth as opposed to lies for simplicity's sake. She gets very startled whenever touched, and temporarily loses her composure depending on the intimacy of the touch.

After the events of Hundred, Shia ended up leaving her family behind. Ikazuchi may have had a tearful reunion with them, but for her, it was a very different experience. She did return to them, but she had changed from how she used to be over the years, and nothing could make up for the lost time (or even childhood) which she still hated the mysterious power behind Buddyfight for. Her parents wanted her to let it go and live a normal life, and she wanted to pursue it as a researcher who had seen the pain that others too had experienced because of Buddyfight first-hand. They were strangers to each other and eventually gave up communication, although they did contact her a couple of times in triple D, most likely. Both parties had become different, Shia from growing up, her parents from her rose-coloured memories. They were no longer able to get along, and relinquished the idea of becoming a family once again.

[goboymusic]

It’s Wednesday. I once had a colleague who paid child support to six different women. True story.

The song “Yodel” has 216 yodel-ay-hees. The yodeliest #yodeling song you’ll ever #yodel.

Recorded and mixed on a weekend while doing laundry. Having so few vocals / lyrics resulted in the song being completed in about 3 days. Songs that take that short of an amount of time to complete leave me with little to reflect upon for storytelling, whereas songs that take an entire month to complete give me much to say. Hell, you can binge multiple tv series, get shitfaced multiple times, solve multiple complex problems at work, travel around the country and experience loads of human drama over the course of one month. For “Yodel,” there’s not much to say.

The original song was about 4.5 minutes. It contained 2 verses that were about 40 seconds each. I cut those out of the song entirely, as they were boring, and I wanted the song to be focused on yodeling.

“Yodel” performs pretty well compared to GoBoy’s other songs. It’s pretty frequently in the top 10 on streaming services, presumably because of it’s gimmicky, comedic nature. The same thing frequently happens to “Munchies (Song 92).”

#Melodyne was used for pitch correction in this song (everyone uses pitch correction in the studio, even Beyoncé, shut up). It wasn’t utilized perfectly, as I was still learning how to use it. I wouldn’t become a self determined Melodyne master until “Blah (Song 106).”

After dabbling in bubblegum pop for the 2nd half of GoBoy 3, my original plan was to focus on lyrically driven content for GoBoy 4. The release of ”Everything Will Be Okay (Song 69)” changed my mind, as the focus on dark lyrics impacted my mental state for months afterwards. Focusing on the dark elements of your own life for long enough can turn you into a neurotic mess (the original song “Everything Will Be Okay” had a 3rd verse the delved darker). My focus would shift to bubblegum pop from that point forward, which would impact this song. Music would be made for enjoyment and catchiness, not necessarily for conveying a message. I don’t regret this shift in focus… yet (excerpts from post 60).

In April, 2021, almost all of GoBoy 3, 4 and 5‘s songs were restructured to be under 3 minutes (preferably under 2m 30s), including this song. In an attempt to increase replay value in this streaming era, most of GoBoy’s songs are now purposely around 2m 20s (excerpts from post 38).

A bass boost was added to songs 37-99 in Nov, 2021, while I was stuck at home with covid. As a result, this song feels more powerful. The bass boost isn’t a simple plugin nonchalantly added to each song. It’s a process that took about 3.5 hours per song, or one whole month to complete all songs. Admittedly, I pushed the bass boost a little too far for some of them. The bass in some songs sounds like a freaking earthquake (unnecessarily pronounced low frequencies 20 - 50 Hz). Might dial that back someday. The bass boost was also applied to every song on GoBoy 6 and beyond (excerpt from post 37).

[accultant]

Iago can hardly remember a time before they were a suspicious . nosy . observant person. Keeping a close eye on Freiora really wasn’t anything personal. It wasn’t a slight against her at all. In fact, Iago had started to enjoy their interactions as of late - still rare, but more frequent than before they had been embarrassingly carted off in the middle of their slumber. 

Still, Iago couldn’t help but watch. Notice. Pry. And Freiora had quite the habit of sneaking around at least once a week. Astarion’s nighttime sauntering was expected, but Freiora… Iago wasn’t sure what she was up to whenever they spied her walking out to the woods. Curious, to say the least. 

And a bit concerning, when she didn’t come back. At least not at the time she usually would. ( That is not a normal thing someone should know, Iago. You are a creep, Iago. )

So, somewhere between inquisitive and worried, Iago stalks follows. 

They hear the fighting before they catch up, just close enough to get a peek without being seen themselves. Then they see what is being hunted. Or, rather, who. It doesn’t take a genius to put together the pieces, but Freiora is already falling to the ground when they come to the conclusion. 

She did her fair share of sanguine damage before she fell, Iago has to admit when they finish the rest. They simply walk into the fray, making a beeline towards Freiora. It’s almost like getting to stretch after being hunched over for too long. Iago prefers to balance right on the line where they’re just useful enough to be kept around by their companions, but not quite impressive enough to gawk at, to be a threat or a boon worth looking too closely at. But no one is looking now, and their hands are already crackling in anticipation.

By the time the hunters have noticed the quiet intruder, they’ve already flicked a wrist towards them, arcs of lightning choking two of them until their eyes are bulging and their corpses twitch together on the ground. One of them takes a swing that’s easy enough to dodge and it only takes a snap before his lungs fill with acid, choking him before he can land. A flick here, a muttered spell there, and Iago makes short, brutal work of the dogs who seemed to have made Freiora their latest target practice. They hardly even have to slow their walk towards their lycanthropic companion, who looks very, extremely unwell when they crouch down next to her.

They flex their hands and try for a healing spell - eliciting a painful sting up their arms and a muttered string of curses when it backfires like every other time. “Stupid,” they grumble as they rush back to their feet and towards to the hunters to fish through their pockets for any healing potions. 

“Freiora,” they call over their shoulder as they swallow back their nausea to dig through bloodied belongings. One or two are still writhing, but it's easy to quiet them. “Freiora, I know that’s you. Wake up at least long enough to tell me you’re still alive. Or… bark reassuringly at me or whatever.” They mumble that part before victoriously returning to her side with an intact potion from someone who looks like their ribcage imploded. 

Hells, there is a lot of blood here. Iago’s contribution isn’t much better, leaving them surrounded by unnaturally contorted and smoldering bodies. They wish the revelation about their companion was a distraction from their skin crawling, but there’s more blood still soaked into the fur around her injuries, the bolts shifting slightly with each breath. At least she's still breathing. Maybe it’s a good thing she’s unconscious. Or maybe it just means for a rude awakening when Iago steels themselves and pulls. “Sorry-”

Flashing Teeth

It had been a few weeks since Freiora carried Iago's sleeping form. Over that time, they'd remained mostly distant, but Frei was more likely to strike up friendly banter with them. Still, she'd not opened up about her.. curse... to anyone in the party, yet. No one knew the beast that lurked within her, waiting just under her skin to pounce out and wreak havoc. To avoid that catastrophe, the werewolf went out of her way to prowl the woods every week or so. Allowing the animal some time was good, controlled moments to give it a conduit for its rage.

At least, that's what Freiora had always done, as advised by the late Dulmiir.

She ran. With heavy falls, chest heaving as she panted, the fur-covered monster sprinted through the woods around the camp. Frei didn't go too far away; enough distance to not alert anyone, but close enough to return without trouble.

The hunt went well, for a while. She was out for an hour, chasing after prey. Sharp teeth and claws tore through flesh with ease. It was a rush. It didn't feel good for her heart to do what she did, but they were animals, at least, and not anyone she cared about.

But she was interrupted. As her blood-covered mouth tore chunks of flesh from bone with cracking sounds, she stopped. Her ears perked up and rotated backwards. Someone's there-- but she didn't have time to finish her thought. Within seconds a group of hunters were upon her. Freiora let out a gut-curdling howl before pouncing on the first hunter to close distance. She saw red. Even though she hated herself, and hated this curse, she'd channeled all of that raw rage into despising those who dared punish a victim. A victim of the curse, not someone who gladly embraced it.

Her claw-tipped fingers grasped the man's rib cage. He looked into her eyes, his own frantic, screaming as she tore his ribs out. The screaming stopped.

Frei yelped as a crossbow bolt found purchase in her hindquarters. The lycan whipped around. Eight, no nine... no. Ten. Ten hunters surrounded her, all with crossbows drawn and levelled at her. Without warning, the lycan charged another. Three more bolts embedded themselves in her back as she swung a massive arm into one of their bodies. Gashes exploded through their torso, crimson blood spraying out as they collapsed almost instantly.

Freiora's head began to swim. They were tipped. She didn't know what they were tipped with, but the bolts they used against her must have been dipped in something.

She lurched forward again, hacking and clawing her way through the hunters, but she couldn't keep going. Frei looked like a pincushion, with easily a dozen rods sticking out from her flesh. More lacerations from drawn swords. Her wounds freely leaked blood, and her vision blurred. Can't.. stop.... still more there... but it was no use. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and the lycanthrope's form collapsed to the ground unconscious.