#in that what he wills will be so and he is also totally made of i meant to do that

[beyond-far-horizons]

'Ati was once a kind and generous man, and you saw what became of him.'

Just one line from an epigraph of Way of Kings that isn't really related to the main narrative at the time that lives rent free in my head.

This line made Ati one of my favourite Vessels, if not my favourite. Ruin in Mistborn has always been far more intimidating that Odium (the god of literal Hatred) for me. Then we learn that this being was once the total opposite and, if he were ever free of Ruin's influence or 'Intent' would be distraught that he had become something that he loathed. The tragedy of Ati just in the background of the cosmere meta story just makes me feel so sorry for him and love him. I just know Brando is going to make the eventual origin story for the Vessels so tragic.

But two things:

First, his characterisation of Ati is quite inconsistent. In one WoB he implies Ati is quite weak and unable to resist Ruin's destructive impulses, which is in line with what we see in Mistborn. He pretends to be compassionate, but he's sadistic and revels in the destruction he creates. But later, Brandon says Ati actually forced Ruin's Intent into a safer version of 'Entropy', indicating he was strong-willed. Problem is Ati talks about being a version of Entropy, but he's laughing ecstatically at the planetary destruction he's causing (horrific, but also wonderfully hammy and why wouldn't you?) and causing people to horrifically murder each other. That doesn't say Entropy to me, that's scarier than Odium. So which is it, Brando?

Second, I've always wanted to see Ruin go head to head with Odium and I didn't like WaT's implication Ati was afraid of Rayse, because if he's that far gone with Ruin's Intent, my boy would totally be up for a fight! I wish Brando had just said, Ati wanted to help - he's totally up for some Ruination - but he was restrained by Preservation at that point. (Tanavast, you wouldn't have wanted Ati's help at that stage, lol, all of you would would be in the firing line. Except maybe Cultivation, I think her and Ruin make a great pair.)

cannot stop thinking about "Ati, perhaps kindliest among us, who had boldly taken up Ruin." the mistborn brainrot never stops. he was the kindliest among them. the man that became the ruin we know, that the final empire crew had to defeat, was the kindliest of the sixteen Vessels. hello is anyone out there

[kiyomitakada]

do you have any thoughts about the popular fandom concept that most if not all of light's plans worked out when misa was around, and things IMMEDIATELY began to go downhill (and hit rock bottom) the moment he stopped relying on her? sorry if you've posted about this before!

oooooooooh hmm. i do think things immediately went downhill the moment light stopped relying on her but i'm not sure how much that has to do with misa because near and mello are both viciously intelligent and major threats in their own right, and arguably i think things started going downhill the second he wasn't willing to kill sayu (and personally i really like that as a thematic turnpoint. light yagami’s facade failing because he loves his sister too much is the best thing ever to me)

but i do think relying on mikami and kiyomi went worse than if he kept relying on misa, because both mikami and kiyomi are more… prideful? and also more self-deluding? like kiyomi has more boundaries (she gets mad at light about the cheating, whereas misa never confronts light at all) and threatens to break up with him at least once because she doesn't want to be made a fool of, and the only reason she stays is because she's desperately trying to convince herself that actually he does love her and this is totally the right thing to do and she doesn't get sick every time she murders someone okay wait this is going off topic. anyway. mikami has sort-of-similar issues in that he thinks he and god think the exact same way and he doesn’t need to check in before he starts murdering anyone with a criminal record or more importantly murdering kiyomi, even though light told him not to make his own moves, just because surely light would want him to! surely he is acting in accordance with god, and if he’s not, well, that’s not god anymore!

basically they both have presupposed conceptions about What Light Thinks in order to prop up their own complexes. and misa… while misa tells herself that light loves her, she doesn’t actually need him to act like he does, her self-deception runs that deep. so she’s much better for light strategically; as awful as it is, she requires less effort to maintain. in first arc she also does shit all by herself without consulting light (e.g. showing up to his house, running to yotsuba directly against his orders) but 1) at least she recognizes that he didn’t want her to do that, unlike mikami who thinks of course light really wants him to kill his co-conspirator, and 2) hey it worked out. sort of. + 3) she is much more muted by second arc (quits her job for him instantly when he asks her to!) so this was probably less of an issue anyway.

so yeah, i mostly do agree! i don’t tend to think of it as the main point at which light started losing but i think him giving up misa was objectively stupid as fuck. it’s in character don’t get me wrong, he underestimates misa all the time (shoutout to him asking if misa could impersonate kira on a call to his dad and misa going “yes obviously i’m literally an actress” which doesn’t even address how her impersonating kira was how they met). but it is stupid as fuck. especially since (checks manga) his concern is that they’ll get information from misa, the one person who provably stays silent even under three days of dehydration torture. oh my god. can we kill this guy

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

Day 6: Parallels with Rovickie

Other than the obvious one--being that Vickie has a boyfriend and Robin is jealous/ put between them--there are actually way more parallels to Rockie than I originally thought, which is why I decided to make a whole post about them!

Again, I'm gonna be stating how intentional I think each parallel is. Even if it's not intentional, it's still a proof because it's the fact they are using the same tropes for two pairings shows that they are both supposed to be seen as romantic.

1. Being Between Them

Very very intentional. The framing is the exact same except Robin is not blurred while Will is blurred. AND the fact that it's a queer character between a straight relationship as well what the actuallllll freak. The difference is the fact that Wills blurred but Robin isn't. Robin is shown to be miserable in this scene, while Will is actually happy in this scene because he is seeing El again.

2. Basically the same conversation

I also think this is kind of intentional, it's tooooo similar not to kind of be inspired by Mike's speech. Obviously, Mike is more of a main character than Vickie so I think that they decided to make her do the same thing as him because the writers see this situation as similar. It's also interesting that she, in this conversation, is talking about how much she should have broken up with her boyfriend earlier. Maybe that gives us a little insight into what Mike is feeling too :)))

ALSO ALSO the bit at the end where Vickie goes "sorry I am rambling while there are people suffering" is literally THE SAME as what Mike says when he goes "it's so stupid given everything that's going on", basically showing they both don't view their relationships as important.

3. The Gay Food Jokes

The 'try before you deny' joke is already kindofsus, but it can easily be argued against as just a little throw away line that is just meant to be a lil bit of banter. Then you see the way that Vickie says "I've made a peanut butter on peanut butter monstrosity" while both queer women are talking to each other. You see the way this kind of sounds similar to Mike going "That's blasphemous, putting fruit on pizza" before the people around him go "Try before you deny" like HAJHDGAJHSGD..... So they have the potential to make queer jokes do they??? Ones that are kind of subtle enough that only queer people pick up on them?? Yessir

4. The Same Look

I don't know if this is totally intentional but it's so perfect <3 Just two gays giving a little smile before looking away quickly teehee giggling kicking my feet.

(im not even adding analysis at this point lmao)

5. 'Cool'.

(also couldnt get a caption for this one but u know what they're saying)

Oh my god I literally yelled when I came across this while watching the scene, not expecting anything else to come up ADGAHJSDG

This is intentional to me. I think the way that the camera is right on Robin's face, the way she says the words, she just seems so IN LOVE and you can definitely see the same (if not more) in love look on Byler's faces when they say the same words. If you can see Robin saying this to Vickie as romantic and as evidence for reciprocated love, then you should definitely see the same for when Mike and Will both say it to each other.

Now that we have gotten confirmation that Robin, Vickie, Will and Mike will all be in the same scenes during season 5, I am even more excited for more parallels between two different flavours of queer couple living their best lives <3 thankyew

GUYS IVE DONE SO MUCH BYLER ANALYSIS TODAY HOLY FUCKING SHIT MY BRAIN IS FULLLL EVERYONE CLAP ME ON THE BACK AHDGAHSJGDHA

[flightyfiona]

So I was a bit busy for most of 2024 (long story, not relevant) but towards the end of the year, I felt like I had a bit of time and @dangermousie was posting such gorgeous gifs of Fangs of Fortune, that I was lured back to CDramas. Since then, I have watched Fangs of Fortune, Dashing Youth, Blood of Youth, Under the Skin, Blossom; parts of I Am Nobody, Back to the Brink, and My Journey to You; and I’m currently watching The Blossoming Love and Moonlight Mystique. 

I may need to update my favourite CDramas of all time list, because Fangs of Fortune and Blossom were both amazing and I loved them to bits. 

Fangs of Fortune is the most gorgeous TV show I have ever watched. I cried so much and I’m still not over how much I loved the characters, the music, and how carefully everything but the plot was constructed.

Blossom is the exact type of time travel story that I love the most in a guilty pleasure sort of way. I also adored the mutual respect between the main male and female characters. It was pretty. It was fun. I was very satisfied with how the story played out. 

Under the Skin is one of the few modern CDramas I’ve watched. I enjoyed it, though I very much see Shen Yi’s artistic abilities as a kind of magic more than anything scientific or realistic. I don’t care very much about the cases or if they’re predictable or not. It was just fun for me to watch Shen Yi frustrate and amaze his more typical detective partner with his magic art, insight into the minds of suspects and victims, and total disregard for his own safety.

Dashing Youth and Blood of Youth were also fun but not in a way that truly delighted me like FoF and Blossom. Hou Minghao is very handsome, and I’m a bit of a sucker for ride-or-die friendships, but I didn’t love the characters or plots and I feel like Dashing Youth had some production issues that made it look a bit cheap sometimes. 

Speaking of productions that look a bit cheap–Back to the Brink is one that I started in 2023 and then abandoned in the middle. Hou Minghao is still very pretty in it, but the show was not well made. Maybe it’s the way the different shots and takes and camera angles were edited combined with very cheap-looking costumes and props, but I find it hard to watch. Maybe partially the plot/script, too. I don’t blame the actors, I think they did pretty well, but I may never finish watching the show.

I’m sure anyone still reading this has a good idea of why I picked up I Am Nobody and what parts of it I prioritized watching. I rarely watch modern CDramas, even with fantasy elements, but I’m willing to make a few exceptions. Wang Ye might actually be the Hou Minghao look I find most attractive and his fight with Zhuge Qing was well worth watching. 

My Journey to You is very pretty–the aesthetics are pretty similar to FoF–but I’ve never been able to really get into it. I started it back in 2023 and gave up after a few episodes. The whispery dialogue combined with the tense, back-stabbing sort of atmosphere make the viewing experience uncomfortable for me. I want to like it, because it is pretty and I like a lot of the actors in it, but it hasn't really clicked with me yet.

I’m still surprised I started The Blossoming Love. I am not at all attracted to the main actor, in fact I find something actively off-putting about his face, but the OTP of the show is just too powerful. I’ve watched the first 8 episodes and I really enjoy their dynamic as flirty, forward FL and flustered, noble ML.

Moonlight Mystique is the current show really gnawing on my attention to everything else in life. Bai Lu is still as beautiful as ever (probably the prettiest actress, in my book), though her character is a bit annoyingly arrogant. Ao Ruiping somehow is evoking Cuteness Aggression in me even as he prowls around in his flowing demon peacock robes and occasionally chokes his future love interest. The aesthetics of everything else are… not my favourite, but I’m willing to roll with it for now. At least the camera and editing work is not as jarring as Back from the Brink.

[ancha-aus]

I am back and I am finally ready to answer the reblog :D

(No i am not using this as an excuse to not edit ssshhh)

I love that the magic system we got is made on the 'make-believe' rule. Which is AWESOME! Now. Why would these monsters need human flesh to life/thrive/do magic? I say it started as a cultural thing. It started with old fairytales that always spoke badly about monsters and those who are different. and some of those fairytales spoke about how monsters would eat children and take bad children away.

Which made monsters start to beleive they needed to eat human flesh and that caused the shift in magic to make them REALLY need it. and a new monster subrace was born! the kingdom where this happened probbaly was very into blood magic and necromancy as well which made the shift even easier to happen. (i would say orchard but then the whistlers wouldn't be willing to trade with them so we can't have it happen there...)

And yes! Normal monsters looking for refuge from the stronger monsters. and they welcome them in as they know what it is like to be hated and shunned.

Okay awesome!! The beginning of democracy is happening in the country of the flesh eating monsters!! I love that! and yes! That is why the whistlers vibe so much with Dust. because Dust is chill and will look for compromises and hear others out. Dude just doesn't like to deal wiht conflict so it is easier to just discuss stuff. The whistlers just really like that vibe about dust. also the fact he doesn't look down on them.

Dust meanwhile ddoesn't feel like he has aplace to judge. He has a storm that he has no way of controlling and could kill others too. He gets what it is like to have some part of you do something you have no choice over and understands you do what you can to survive.

Also i imagine that because the country is small they are also very close and work together tightly. it is more like one big city where they all live. everything else is pretty much euh... farm land for their... cattle... lmao.

And yes too all of it and i will be repeating a lot of it!!! The whistlers while having a lot of magic because of daily blood rituals and shit. They just CAN'T do spells! (exception to half whistlers. Outer is the first actually STRONG whistler in AGES. everyone was so proud on him and happy for him) I love the fact that all their magic gets absorbed into their bodies. making them much more physcial than normal monsters but instead can just shift into other shapes <3

I love that they fight more wiht their minds and like conversation (probbaly another reason why they vibed SO HARD with dust because dust also always tried to not fight as he KNEW that him casting aspell would be devastating) but when worse comes to worse they fight like animals! (which could be a nod back to the old culture where THEY were seen as lesser and violent human eatng beings who didn't deserve a chance. until they started to believe that and become those things.)

I love the name legacies for like the half blood whistlers. Like. The whistlers FULLY embrace the new generation even if they are different from them (as long as they aren't human lmao.) Outer totally still has good contact with his parents. he jsut can't see humans as just food anymore. So he is trying out other diets now. (also. sidenote. If outer is like a mage conencted to stars... I just... had the thoughts... classic and outer together would be very cute. Sans who has natural strong gravity magic who didn't go to a fancy school but like normal college instead. who loves the stars so much. meets a mage who went to magic school who has magic connected to the stars. I just think it would be cute. (and some added drama if Sans like babysits Frisk for Tori and stuff :D Okay i will stop. i just love my classic boy haha))

Oh DoppletaleAU sounds very interesting! but i think the same thing is in Whistling with just the shift in social classes and how humans are seen. so... cattle.

and yes! I love the idea that there are always some freaky other humans or monsters who want a TASTE of that forbidden food. so Whistling exports some of it but it is EXPENSIVE.

It is good that some of them see humans as the sentient and sapient thinking creatures. the protests and rallies.. but at the same time they are starving themselves. So other whistlers see it as prove that they NEED to eat the meat to stay healthy, which is true. I like that pretender has a person who helps getting these people fed by... ethetically sourced human flesh? is that what we call it? lmao.

I like that the whistlers just... don't judge people. Like. at all. You want a life young human? sure they guess. you can't get a lot of meat off of that one but sure. whatever. you still need to pay full price though.

thank you thank you! shifting and having the ability to shift would also really fuck with your mental image of yourself. Because after a while there is no way to be sure of how you really look like. So the only way for them to show their TRUE self is when they feel completely safe and content. because than the instincts to shift and hide would leave them. <3

(wait shit this is another point where the whistlers REALLY like Dust because Dust tents to hide his appearance. before using like his hood up and stuff. They could obviously sometimes see glimpses of Dust's appearance but he obivously makes it a choice to hide his appearance when around and onyl shows a bit of it when he HAS to do business and stuff... Dust relaly would ahve thrived in Whistling lmao.)

Most of the country doesn't have tastebuds and that is so funny for me. do you think they sometimes forget eyelids and it isn't until they get sand in there they are like "FUCK!"

and yes. Dust had to suffer through all kinds of cultural adventures and honestly CRIMES but he made it through. He can now eat the spiciest pepper wihtout even blinking an eye (of course it was killer's fault lmao. and killer not handling spice well is very funny). No one understood why. Then they learn Dust had business contacts in Whistling. (the idea that whitling is fucking EXCITED to see Dsut is still alive and thriving though. That is their honorary skeleton!! That is their homie!! Dust totally got offered a ride and place to move in there but Dust decided to stay with nightmare.)

Whistling just filled with a collection of overdramatic theater kids is so funny! they are just also very dangerous because they eat human flesh :D they have the weirdest decor. They really like using human bones for stuff. which... knida weirded dust out because skeelton. They eventually asked dust what is wrong and dust shrugs and spoke "I understnad you like your... decor. I am just... a skeleton. even if they are slightly different it is still a bit... weird. just culturally for me of course." they felt SO BAD. there are a few guest rooms that they made sure had like wooden furniture and shit in there. just stuff that is boring but nice enough still. Dust later on looking back and frowning. because maybe... maybe... some of those people how been trying to get his attention in the romantic way...

It is so funny to me that Whistling and so the whistlers. Just fucking like dust. Dust is there favourite blorbo lmao.

Dust's past is just so funny becuase he did ALL THE THINGS and he only talks about it if he thinks it is needed to talk about. and he jsut. shrugs. why bore people with it?

nightmare disagrees!! This is very serious! Dsut what do you mean you were in close contact with flesheaters?! Dust: ... they generally just wanted out at most? I smuggled people who wanted to be smuggled :/ They invited me over for like mutlieple meals but i could't leave this country so they like. rented hotels and stuff to make me meals. ngihtmare: .... *taking deep breahts because what the FUCK dust?!*

Ngihtmare drags dust back to his office and they had a LONG conversation about all dust ddi and what knda deals he made.

Oh i LOVE pretenders story arc! And his character growth!! that is GREAT!

... So i SWEAR this isn't intentional...

Im back... Again. And on brand... Again.

Um so that flesh eating shapeshifter kingdom...

Is there any known kingdom it would neighbor? Does it neighbor Orchard since Dust apparently has been there? Do you have any ideas for what they would look like? Does DUST have an idea for what they look like? Do they just out of habit shift into things familiar to those in proximity since its hoe they hunt? DO the hunt by shifting a luring humans into a sense of security? When Dust used to make deals with them would they find it more polite to shift to something similar to a skeleton but just... Wrong and uncanny valley? Since they hunt humans and not monsters or animals so they have had no need to mimic those perfectly tu lure them in unlike with the humans. How many eyes would they have. Do the dishes look great and appealing? Would some look more raw and grotesque like how some people eat raw beef? Would they gift things from their country that would be made of for example human teeth in jewelry or human skin in like bags or such like we did and still do for the teeth and bone of animals and leather/pelts? Would they keep humans like we do cattle?

I'm... Gonna stop for now, yeah. I am very enthusiastic about shapeshifters... Especially those that could be classified as skinwalkers and/or flesheaters. They're funky.

Blinks my big ol eyes at you 🥺. Glad to have you back Flesh Anon! And please know I'm gonna go a lil crazy about this ask because!! I love worldbuilding! And it also incorporates magic-laws from another of my projects so!! Double-win!!

So, first, I DO think it neighbors Orchid! Though, only through a treacherous little stretch of land, because *technically* about a mile radius of no-man's land exists between it and other kingdoms! It's a longstanding kingdom that no one dares to really bother because, well, the monsters there are NOT welcoming of humans for obvious reasons. I think it'd be to the northeast of Orchard, entirely landlocked and almost a sort of buffer that deterred the warring factions from even glancing at Orchard (between the freaky shapeshifters and the God-Kings? Yeah, no) but the two never made an alliance. The citizens of Orchard, while treated poorly, welcomed all species, including Humans, and so this shifting kingdom (thinking of calling it 'Whistling' because it sounds cool lol-) didn't take that kindly and decided to keep to themselves.

And, Dust's operation as crime-lord extended pretty far- (and suddenly I'm realizing that him visiting would throw a wrench in the whole Storm thing so: slight retcon: he invited visitors over on multiple occasions, and they would bring him/cook him meals, still as a part of sharing culture-) and they had good meat for the selling, so Dust did what he had to! He has several folks he knows from the crime days, but he can usually get a sense for a shifter if he's around one, anyone sneaking in or playing refugee.

Appearance Question!!! Okay. Once, a long, long time ago, these monsters were driven out of their homes. They used to be spread all across the continent, solo-hunters or living in small groups. They'd hunt humans just as humans hunted a deer. For food. No one knows why their magic needs human flesh to function, but they tried to stay modest and only take what they must. Live amongst the people. These monsters are born into the world in the shape of a mist, and take any solid shape they like, so long as it does not resemble a human. These are the easiest forms to maintain, but if a monster wants to looks like a human, they must eat the flesh. Most monsters back in the day would appear as just that, monsters, but when they were found out and driven from their homes to the Whistling Wastes? They banded together to start their own land. They disguised as humans, luring them in, keeping them captive generation after generation, eating them as they saw fit. Now? Now that the wastes are filled with life and their food supply is secured? They tend to just look like normal monsters, indistinguishable unless someone spots them changing shape. Ofc, some who work with the humans try to mimic them, put them at ease, and the disguises are just ever so wrong. These are the uncanny Valley moments.

^Along those same lines, monsters who disguise as human without eating flesh often lose their form much more quickly, and tend to wear human disguises while hunting when they're away from home + easy prey. Dust has seen a Whistler lure someone down an alley and lash out before they could even scream.

<- Long story short? These are still monsters fundamentally, they are made of magic, so it's the solid humans which are hard to mimic and less monsters (though if they don't have a perfect idea in mind anatomy can get... iffy and almost body-horror for either way-). And most skilled monsters will have a set of 'persona' they put on to lure in their prey, but a starving or young one will totally take a person or voice from the preys normal environment and horribly twist it! (Oh!! And they would totally shift to look like skeletons when around Dust, and *he* would find it uncanny, if only because he can tell that under their clothes they didn't form the bones quite right so they shift a bit awkwardly!)

Meal-wise? I think it really depends on who's visiting or cooking! Some monsters prefer to eat the flesh Raw and juicy and still warm, while others take pleasure in cooking! And the funniest bit? Seasoning and additional flavors? Super super faint to a Whistling monster, because their magic refuses to recognize it as food/input that's important unless it's cranked up super high. So? Those who put flavor into their dishes? They are INTENSE. Which makes the meals very yummy sometimes, or too much, depending on any normal species eating it. Meanwhile others focus on presentation! I think those who meet with Dust focus more on the presentation and less on taste, because They think the aesthetic is important haha!

The gifts idea is super sick and I didn't even think about it! I think they're very sparse to waist resources, but I do like the concept of bones and leather! I think the most common gift of peace is a string of carved human teeth/bones. If it's placed on a door or worn on a person, it's a sign that this place/peeson is safe for their kind and an ally. Meanwhile they keep things like the leather to themselves for their weapons, armor, bags, etc. Though! Hair is strangely a big export for them too, because they tend to let humans tend to their own hair and it comes in different textures + colors that can be used in weaving and other fiber-arts. Human vertrebre are a big deal too, old traditions in which, giving a loved-one a vertebre is equivalent to throwing an apple in ancient Greece (it was a method of confession). Vertebre are displayed in many ways but are always safe and treasured!

And you nailed it! Humans are totally kept like cattle. Maybe a bit more humane, but not particularly. Most Whistling monsters view humans as lesser lifeforms and don't truly bother to acknowledge their sentience. It helps that *most* humans in Whistling are so many generations deep with only a few new ones every year or so? Yeah, they don't know any better. (I actually think Chara (Killer's backstory) was bought from Whistling in an auction as an infant and raised in Orchard post-smuggling.) Sometimes a monster will have attachments to a certain human and keep them around, like the cow you bottleraised from a calf you keep around? But that's far and few between, and usually those humans are miserable because they see what happens to the others.

(Fun fact! The oc I'm directly inserting for this area, Pretender, showcases a fun quirk about Whistling as well! He's a monster who works as essentially a Human Vet, and will heal health complications in stock/pet humans. He does it for the love of the job, he knows human anatomy better than anything because he studied, and he's great at it. He's also the best disguised in the whole kingdom. Only thing? His reputation as a doctor is SO well known that occasionally he gets letters or desperate humans coming in looking for treatment for illnesses. And he'll do them! For free! Because he's just having fun with it. The humans in Whistling are the most healthy humans across the continent, rivaling Sanctuary, and it's because without morals they were able to study. Eventually Pretender runs into a stray human who's usually non-verbal and young and kinda imprints on him, and he humors it. Only to get really attached and accidentally stop seeing humans as lesser, which throws his world-views for a loop lmao but that's unrelated-)

ANYWAYS!! Glad You're excited about this other kingdom! They won't be mentioned much/at all in the Main story I don't think unless it's a cameo, but I love fleshing it the world and it adds so much texture to the chaos happening around Orchard haha! (Also, again, perfect excuse to weave Doppletale's story in!)

[chirpsythismorning]

Thinking about the what if El was never interested in Mike romantically, she just assumed she was discourse on the tag today and how it's very possible what could make El fully realize this, is when in s5 she see's Will's love for Mike in real time, for the first time, and she's just like damn! That is not me!

[balaurbondoc316]

So I've Been Rotating Metal Sonic In My Head For Weeks

And I came up with something that's probably not the dumbest theory you've ever heard

So is this anything???????

[nexus-nebulae]

thinking about when i had such intense phantom limbs as a kid i told my math teacher about it

[grumpy-nyks]

The Fernweh Saga by @lacunafiction - Agnes edition

Who would have thought? 🤭

Agnes "Nes" Sigrún 🌑RO: James Corvin

Personality: sincerity // cautious // friendly // merciful Traits: heart // compliance // believer Past affinity: writing [horror stories] Primary ability: empathetic impressions Past susceptibility: receptive

☀️Fernweh: She never really thought about leaving Fernweh… It was her place, near her family and friend(s). She felt good there and assumed she’s gonna spend her whole life happily in this little town. Even if Fernweh brings back devastating memories, she’s curious about what’s happening in Fernweh now, in her true home. It’s always been her dream to work in Turn The Page, and during her ‘short’ stay in Fernweh, she started thinking about it again. Why not stay for longer…? She would love to carry on her grandfather’s work and bring his legacy justice. 

☀️Grandpa Jóhann: When she was young, she had an amazing relationship with her grandpa. They were completely honest with each other, and she loved him wholeheartedly. Some people thought that making her grandpa proud was her main hobby. She used to tell him all about her dreams that she had, which were always wild... and also about the nightmares… It took her by surprise when her grandpa, one of the most important people in her life, started being less involved. She was hurt and began to wonder if she had done something to cause the distance between them. His decision to move her out of Fernweh so quickly after this tragic event made a huge impact on her mental state. She needed time to cope and be with her closest ones, especially her grandpa...but after all she didn't blame him. She often heard that she looked exactly like her mother…like her grandpa's daughter... She assumed he could not look at her, without thinking about her... And she could not blame him for wanting to escape that pain. Agnes knew it was the best thing that her grandpa could do for him, and she accepted it, too eagerly. She always too eagerly took the blame for everything.

☀️Beckett Warrick: After what happened in Fernweh after James she had even more trouble interacting with other people and making new friends… However, Beckett was an exception. He was the first person who got to truly know her after the events in Fernweh. When she got the letter about her Grandpa, she considered hiding the truth from him, because she knew deep down that he would be there for her if she needed him… even if he would not particularly enjoy it. It's a good thing she’s such a bad liar… Her main concern is about Beckett’s well-being. She noticed that this 'little' trip made a huge impact on him. He wasn’t supposed to be here, and it’s because of her that he–... She needs to make sure that nothing happens to her friend. And she will somehow manage to bring him back to his home.

☀️Reese Verner: They had an unconventional relationship. Reese saw her as a rival, while Agnes thought of him as a friend. She was confused about why Verner, someone of great importance, would even look at her see her as a rival. She knew there were better candidates for his games. She had only one question on her mind - “why?”. Despite Verner's playful teasing, Agnes always remained polite and friendly towards him, even when he attempted to push her boundaries. Girl knew how to keep her true feelings behind a warm smile she still does. If I can be completely honest… Agnes was rather shocked that Reese still remembered her… and was actually looking for her, which sounded so unbelievably. His concern for Milton's well-being made her see him in a slightly different light. Of course, she already knew Reese had a good heart, but his behaviour really touched her. Additionally, Agnes noticed that Reese and James’ relationship became stronger and deeper… It’s for the best. James deserves someone as dependable as Reese. He will always be there for James. 

☀️Sofia Dorran: Their bond was formed over a shared admiration for books and... the color blue. It may sound funny now, but these things became central to their lives and deepened their friendship. Sofia was the first person Agnes entrusted with her writing, and valued her honest feedback, knowing that Sofia would not make her feel bad if something needed improvement. They frequently borrowed books from each other's collections. Agnes yearned for the days when she and Sofia had reading sessions together, sipping on their favorite beverage. The only issue back then was when the book ended poorly or their library didn't have any new positions for them to read. She's willing to know how Sofia's taste toward books shifted (if shifted) and how she changed as a person. She's also extremely grateful because her grandfather received constant care from Sofia and her mother.

🌑James Corvin: …Do I really need to tell you that James was her first crush? And that she never found the courage to tell him so? maybe now will be the time? Agnes and James were always together, wherever one went the other followed. They were inseparable. Agnes even used to bake oatmeal cookies for James with her mother's help. They dreamed of their idyllic life together. As friends, obviously. Seeing him again after all those years was much harder than she anticipated. Agnes felt overwhelmed with stress from the moment she stepped out of her car. Every time she heard his surname, she unknowingly flinched. Her mind was full of questions about his well-being, life, and changes. She couldn't help but wonder if he would be happy to see her. …she did manage to hold his hand for a moment, I can consider it as a success

☀️Alex Corvin: Agnes has always looked up to Alex for their adventurous spirit and their willingness to embrace life to the fullest. She has always wanted to adopt a bit of Alex' wild side. Whenever they are around, boredom and dullness seem to disappear. They both share similar values and support each other's life goals. If I would say which person Agnes was the most willing to meet during her stay in Fernweh that would be Alex. She was confident in their friendliness towards everybody and was sure that their kindness had not wavered. Agnes was touched when she heard that Alex was looking after her grandfather's bookstore… It appears that Beckett has a new admirer, which Agnes wholeheartedly approves of.

☀️Mal: Agnes has a sense that Mal might be suspicious, but she is quite naive and doesn't believe that he could mean trouble. Although she is wary of him and finds him a little untrustworthy, Agnes believes in being kind to everyone, and she is willing to give Mal a chance, not judging him by her own impressions of him.

☀️Goldie: Agnes is grateful that her grandfather had a furry companion like Goldie, who probably managed to brighten his spirits. She fondly recalls how her grandfather would tell her stories when he once had a dog, when he was younger and how his eyes would light up with joy as he shared his story. Agnes is committed to taking excellent care of Goldie and ensuring her safety.

[firstroseofspring]

thinking pondering to me john torres is like. what if u met a woman. with confidence and dignity and a strong moral backbone. you meet and she makes a distinct impression with her honesty and her frankness and she seems like she's always sure of what she wants and what she needs and she's so different from anyone else you know and thats exciting and she's exciting and she likes you specifically you. and you don't think much of you but it feels good to be liked by someone like that. you love her of course. you marry her. of course!

[marieispink]

Marcus kept leaving Simon alone at the ball, I'm just saying If I were him, I wouldn't leave my situationship alone

[qqueenofhades]

I think its genuinely fascinating how Biden has somehow become the bad vibes sin eater for the party. I'm seeing people who were doing the whole "voting doesn't matter both old men are the same" pivot hard into voting as harm reduction. The anti voting rhetoric has COMPLETELY lost The Youths on tiktok. People suddenly remember the good things the Biden administration has done but don't associate Harris with any of the things they didn't like. In my swing state volunteers are signing up in droves. People feel ENERGIZED, the vibe shift pre and post Biden dropping from the race has just been insane

Y'know, that is a... good way of putting it. It's also why I'm quite sure that Biden has probably been planning it for a while. I don't think he was intending to step down, and didn't want to be forced out at the drop of a hat, but after he realized that the circus was never going to stop until he did, he did the honorable fall-on-his-own-sword thing and definitely, DEFINITELY spent some time choreographing this behind the scenes. Because while the roll-out has been very smooth, it could just as easily (as many of us were expecting) have been a total disaster, and that doesn't happen without SOME planning. It's also entirely possible that the campaign staff flipped from Biden to Harris are superhuman, to come up with a massive online roll-out, new branding, new signs (they had plenty of 'em in Wisconsin yesterday), new everything, but I'm guessing it's a combination of both. Biden has spent his entire political career being underestimated, and after we literally made a meme out of Dark Brandon juking the Republicans out of their shoes, we should definitely give credit where credit is due in how masterfully he pulled it off.

Because we have had eight years defined by the central question of Whether The President Is a God King Who Should Serve For Life (the MAGAts obviously think yes), the sheer idea of a president willingly giving up his power BEFORE he had to is also novel and admirable. It's sad that this is the case, but so be it. The Republicans also got a heaping helping of Be Careful What You Wish For that was undoubtedly brilliant; they've been yelling for years that Biden is old and frail and can't serve and should step down. Biden went "lol okay" and gave it to them, and now they're fucked.

Aside from that, on the most basic level, it's far, far easier to see the actual difference in the parties with Harris as the nominee, just because it shows that one party is willing to make progress and reflect the new demographic reality and social mores of America, and the other one is not. Now to be clear, Biden deserves an incredible amount of credit for coming out of retirement (he was ALREADY 77 years old when he became president and had had decades of a long and respected career in public service behind him) to fight, beat Trump, and deliver an incredibly successful presidency. He held the line against authoritarianism at home and abroad, he rescued the trashed American economy and managed a world-leading recovery from Covid, he stood up for democracy, he spent four years filling the benches with liberal judges to reverse even some of the Trump/McConnell hack job, he finally passed comprehensive infrastructure investment and the Green New Deal under the name of the Inflation Reduction Act -- and so on. Many of these priorities had been languishing for decades or were completely trashed under Trump, and he could not have done so much in just 4 years without all that age, skill, and experience. Hence why all the Ageism!!! was (aside from being a Republican/media smear job) dumb. He's able to do the job because he has had decades to study. Turns out that makes you actually pretty damn good at it.

Yes, Biden could not do as much as he wanted or originally planned, had to deal with MAGA Republicans and Joe Manchin/Kyrsten Sinema sabotaging him the whole time (lololol Manchin, possible possessor of the World's Biggest Ego and with Trump around that's saying something, popping out of obscurity to self-righteously announce he would not be willing to be Kamala's VP. YEAH ASSHOLE. LITERALLY NOBODY ASKED YOU. NOBODY WHATSOEVER. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AT LEAST WE WILL SOON NO LONGER HAVE MANCHIN IN THE SENATE). And yes, Biden made some serious mistakes of his own, because he IS from an older generation and a different style of doing politics/different beliefs that no longer resonate with the younger segments of the electorate. But this old white Catholic guy at the age of almost 80 still managed to be the most progressive president ever, coming in at a moment of incredible domestic and international crisis and getting us safely to the other side, and all cynicism, criticizing, and caveating aside, he deserves an incredible amount of credit for that. I mean that absolutely, and I am very grateful.

As I said, willingly relinquishing that power takes guts, and when Biden saw the writing on the wall that he had to sacrifice himself, he took his time, he didn't jump too early, and he didn't jump too late. On the most basic level, it becomes a hell of a lot easier to make the "both parties are not the same" argument when one is running a (comparatively) young brown woman and the other is still running their loathed felonious old demented orange traitor. Most Americans are not plugged into policy minutiae and details. They look at Biden-Trump, they see two old white guys. When you take one of those old white guys away (who goes in a self-sacrificially heroic manner and in sharp contrast with the coup-happy fascist) and put Kamala Harris in there instead, it generates an obvious jolt. People can see for themselves that there is a real difference that doesn't rely on closely reading news and tracking complex policy, because as noted, most Americans simply don't. The brown first-generation American daughter of brown immigrants is a quantifiably different story from "old white guy career politician," which for better or worse is how Biden was seen, especially the old part. We needed that establishment expertise to beat Trump in 2020; I still think Biden is the only one who could have done it, and as noted, we owe him a great debt for doing so.

However.... 2024 is not 2020, and it is not 2016. There has been this HUGE and unbelievable swing to Kamala because she represents the antithesis of what the last eight years of Trump-induced anger, fear, panic, chaos, and hatred has stirred up. That's why people are so ready to rally around her, just as they were (I daresay) around Obama in 2008, after the exhaustion, chaos, war, and mounting economic misery of Bush. Trump has been out of office for the last four years, but his shadow over the American political landscape has been omnipresent. Now people know that we finally have a real chance at getting rid of him forever, and just as Biden was uniquely positioned to capitalize on that in 2020, so Harris is now. Which is why, however tough it will be, she has a real shot at winning. I can guarantee the Republicans know that, and are shit scared. Because the Black Lady Army of Democracy has indeed arrived in force to Get This Shit Done and I don't know about you, but I found that incalculably comforting:

Yikes! All lined up for Kamala pic.twitter.com/Dt4OCDp7WX

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) July 24, 2024

This, at the most basic level, is what scares fascists the most, it's exactly what we need now, and what Harris is uniquely positioned to mobilize, along with her gangbusters appeal to young voters:

This is the energy we need. This is what Biden saw and planned for and which he launched us into, and where all that experience and age paid off. This is why people, even people otherwise disengaged, disillusioned, or checked out of the tedious and mind-numbering drudgery and depression of American politics, are responding to it. Because it's easy to understand, it offers hope, and it tells a very simple story that is nonetheless long overdue:

Thanks so much, Joe. Go absolutely waste that orange fucker, Kamala. We got your back.

[melminli]

Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

summary - you had nothing against your colleague, but you weren't stupid enough to be fooled by his innocent smile and appearance since you knew exactly what kind of corrupt person was hiding behind that costume. after all, you were wearing the same one.

pairing: (gong yoo/ji-cheol) the salesman x fem. recruiter reader

word count: 1.4k

contains: talk about gambling + death and murder, sexual tension?, crack and just evil morals tbh

a/n: i watched maybe the first fifteen minutes or so of bullet train, but i thought of the two funny dudes from it while writing this bcuz their dynamic was funny af. also, i will use the actor's name in this fic since the character itself doesn't really have an official one that was mentioned in the series!

You straightened your tie with your free hand while watching your train approach from the side. The station was always pretty empty at this hour, which saved you the jostling and squeezing as you entered. After that, you sat down comfortably with a light sigh - next to the free seat beside your devilishly handsome colleague. “Are you alright? Don't tell me that you had a exhausting day?” he asked you worriedly with his typical innocent smile on his face but you've known the guy for a while now and you knew exactly how dishonest he sounded right now.

You returned his gaze for a second, uninterested, before turning it back in front of you to observe your surroundings from the window. “Exhausting day? Don't make fun of me or I'll punch you in the face,” you replied monotone and Gong Yoo didn't doubt your statement for a second - or Ji-cheol as you preferred to call him since you weren't a big fan of nicknames. “I had a great time punching those bastards in the face one by one. It feels kinda therapeutic, so I'm actually feeling pretty good right now,” you told him, talking about the subject as if you were talking about the weather.

Your colleague grunted with delight at your good news. “And I would never disagree with you on that.” he said and then just watched your figure silently for a while before speaking up again. “Since you're in such a good mood, would you be willing to play a more private game between the two of us?” he suggested, making you look at him in utter disbelief.

“A private game? With you?” you repeated, amused and laughed in his face. “Hell, no. But don't worry, I'll let you know next time I want to get totally screwed by a freaky pervert,” you added, your voice dripping with sarcasm. Which will be, never.

“Come on, don't be like that,” he asked you sweetly. As sweet as the wolf who pretended to be the mother of the seven little goats before he ate them all one by one. “It's just a tiny, harmless game. It's been so long since we've played anything together.” he complained to you earnestly as if you actually cared, and you didn't.

Yeah, you remembered the last time very clearly, even if you would much rather prefer that you didn't. You hummed. “Is that so? Huh. I mean, it could be because you almost killed me in a fucking game of tic-tac-toe the last time, but that's just a theory.” You said with a shrug, clearly still resenting him for that. However, he just rolled his eyes unaffected by your grudge. “But you didn't, right? It was the other guy who got the bullet in his head.” He replied, not even remembering his name. Not that he had to.

You just glared at him while you rubbed your forehead. “Yeah, maybe. But I'm tired of risking my life just because it makes you horny and you can jerk off to it.” You made your feelings on the matter clear. “You know that the whole living on the edge of death thing isn't really my cup of tea. At least try to understand me a bit here, too.”

I suppose she's not entirely wrong, I could give it a try. I never thought about it like that before, did I? He thought to himself in his head as he ran his tongue over the back of his teeth while he pondered. How selfish of me. “So what exactly do I have to do, to convince you?” He asked you while he already had a few ideas in mind.

You grinned. “You know that very well, don't play dumb.” You demanded as you leaned closer to him so that he could hear what you were singing softly. “Money talks, money talks - dirty cash, I want you, and dirty cash, I need you, oh ~”

He raised an eyebrow, not particularly surprised. “So you want to play for money?” He repeated it, not outright rejecting your request. “Don't you have enough of that already? You're really insatiable when it comes to cash and now you want mine, too?” he joked just to get you worked up.

Though, you didn't get the slightest bit offended by what he said. “Can you ever have enough money? Besides, I'm not forcing you to give it to me, am I?” you said with a smile, already knowing that he would agree to your terms. “But if you want me to play with you, I want eight million won for every round I win.”

She's so greedy for someone who is already more than wealthy. “Aren't you exaggerating a bit? Most people don't earn that much in a month,” he continued his act of - whatever this was - because he just loved arguing with you.

“So? We both have the same salary, I know you can afford it,” you said, holding a hand in the air as soon as you felt that he wanted to stretch this unnecessary conversation even more. “You have to decide now what you want to do or I withdraw my proposal again.”

Gong Yoo closed his mouth and started grinning even wider. “You don't even want to know what kind of game I want to play?” he asked curiously, nodding and accepting whatever you wanted as soon as he saw that you actually weren't interested. You couldn't even imagine how gladly he gave in to you at this moment. “All right, I agree with your request.”

You stood up with your briefcase in hand after your station was announced. “Good. Text me when you have something in mind, I'll be there as long as it fits timewise.”

Your colleague continued to watch you with a look on his face that used to make you more than just uncomfortable back in the day - though, it didn't even bother you in the slightest now. “You don't want to accompany me to the...office?”

You smiled while the train started to slow down. “Au revoir, Ji-cheol.” you just said your goodbye to him and stepped out of the doors. You didn't even spare the poor guy a second glance when he waved his hand at you from the window. She can be so heartless sometimes, he thought to himself, even if you were like this pretty much all the time. I'll have to think of something good to ask for in return should I win. I'm definitely not going to hold back when there's this much money at stake.

You didn't give a second thought to anything as you made your way home after a day's work like any normal citizen would do. However, your steps slowed considerably when you noticed a beggar in your field of vision and even though the rest of the crowd ignored the man and his entire existence, you couldn't help but focus your full attention on him. You looked at your watch, I've been off work for a while now. But even then, you couldn't help but notice that he was one of the people on your list to recruit for the game. He'll still be here tomorrow, but I don't mind another round of Ddakji. I love money more than anything - but I'm not doing this job for only that.

“Excuse me,” you spoke to the man with a polite smile on your face, and he only submissively avoided your gaze as he listened to you. After all, one rarely approached people like him and why would they? He held his cup of loose change out in front of him, probably expecting you to give him a small donation, but you wanted to give him so much more than that. Even if the guy didn't know it right now - you wanted to give him another chance in life, so that he wouldn't continue to be just a miserable failure.

You ignored his donation cup. “I was wondering if you might have a moment because I'd like to make you an offer,” you continued politely and the man met your gaze at that. Yeah, you were really looking forward to what was about to happen - after all, you were known for letting your opponent only win if you allowed them to.

[kittyfrisk9]

IdeaDpxDc—There are better ways to meet someone.

Note: Sorry, I don't know English, so please use a translator. I apologize if you don't get the idea.

Dead On Main. Soul mates.

---

"Exactly... what does this ring do?" The shining ring was still attached to his finger. This wouldn't worry him if it weren't for the fact that, with each passing minute, the ring emitted more light, and that can't be good.

The cult leader refused to speak. He wouldn't even look at him, seeming particularly attentive to the material the floor was made of. Very funny that now he was scared of him when, an hour ago, he was giving a very cliché speech about how humanity was doomed because it would summon the evil of evils.

It wasn't very smart of him to perform his summoning precisely in Gotham City, home of the Dark Knight.

Red Hood was getting impatient. He placed the hand without the ring on his weapon; if words didn't work, a real threat to his life would. And this didn't really break Bruce's 'no killing' rule because the gun was only loaded with rubber bullets. However, just as he was about to advance and shoot the guy, he saw Batman grab the leader's tunic collar and lift him up.

The man, of course, screamed in fear. "Speak, what does that ring do?" No jokes. Batman's voice was deeper than usual, showing that he was upset, no, rather angry.

Or worried, but Jason could never consider that possibility. For the moment, he was only surprised, although it didn't show through his helmet.

"I-I don't know," the leader replied. Poor guy, he seemed about to cry. Batman, not content, tightened his grip even more; he wasn't willing to tolerate a lie this time.

Red Robin raised an eyebrow. "You managed to gather a bunch of magical artifacts for your summoning and you don't know what they do?"

The man looked away. "No..." The rest of the cult members also looked away. Very brave and stupid of them to all agree to lie to the bats. Jason himself wanted to mock them, but the ring kept shining. He couldn't mock when the ring kept shining and he didn't know what it meant.

From the communications, Robin could be heard. "Tt, this wouldn't be happening if Hood hadn't put on the ring." Jason suppressed a growl.

"Kid, I didn't put on the ring. This thing stuck to me the moment I touched it." It was true. In the middle of the operation to stop the ritual, Jason had pulled the ring, which at that moment was a kind of necklace by the chain that ran through it, from a member who was wearing it. The ring in his hand began to glow and suddenly teleported to his ring finger, then stopped shining. It was when everything calmed down that the ring began to release a different, but constant light.

Approximately ten minutes have passed since then, he thought as he looked at the ring, ignoring all the magical stuff; it was actually a very simple ring. Suddenly, the ring began to blink.

Oh, no. That couldn't be good.

Batman, fed up with the leader's silence and his followers, threw the man meters ahead. "Oracle, call Zatanna now, we need more information about the ring," he ordered as he approached the man who was in pain from the fall. The guy, terrified by the violent aura of the Dark Knight, tried to retreat.

Finally, Nightwing stepped between the man and the brutal beating he would receive if he didn't speak.

"It's okay, B, calm down." With his hand on his father's shoulder, Dick tried to ease the atmosphere. "I understand your concern. We are all worried about what the ring might do to Hood. But we can't let fear and anger control us. Hood is important to all of us. He is our brother, your son. We can't lose our cool now. Let's call Wonder Woman. If no one wants to talk, she can help us with the lasso of truth."

Total silence. Jason didn't know what to say; he didn't think his family would react like this over a blinking ring. That is... he doesn't know. Suddenly, the ring's light began to blink faster.

Batman, after Nightwing's words and seeing the change in the ring, understood that he couldn't waste time with someone who wouldn't talk. "You're right, thank you Nightwing." Looking at the others, he said: "We need to act quickly, we don't know the effects the ring might have on Hood. We need to take him to the cave for a thorough analysis, no discussions." The last part he said looking at Jason. "Until then, don't try to take it off or use it."

Jason scoffed, as if he would.

"Oracle, you heard, call Diana. Red Robin and I will take care of the rest of the cult. Nightwing, take Red Hood to the cave." Batman began giving orders as he reached the leader and began dragging him towards the rest of his cult. The leader, in a failed attempt, tried to resist. "Agent A, please prepare a stretcher. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

On the other hand, the touching speech and the strange family moment of the bats seemed to soften the heart of a girl from the cult, who in a whisper said: "The ring, nothing will happen to him." Although she spoke quietly, everyone present heard her.

The leader, panicking that the information would be revealed, exclaimed: "Catrina, shut up!" However, he was struck by Batman, who was already fed up with the guy.

"What do you have to say about the ring?" he asked.

The woman hesitated to speak. "We thought of using the ring to subdue the king of the dead and make him listen to our orders..." She paused, not knowing how to continue. "There is a real legend about the ring. A long time ago, a witch wanted to know who her soulmate was, so she created the ring. This allows one to be guided to their soulmate through the red thread. I think everyone already knows what the red thread is." Nervous, she looked around. Only Nightwing nodded, and that was enough for her to continue telling. "Well, the witch's red thread connected with a prince. Unfortunately for everyone, the prince was not happy that his soulmate was a witch. So he had her killed." The girl looked at her hands; that part of the story was sad. "The witch was angry, but still wanted her soulmate to accept her, so she rewrote the ring's original purpose. It was no longer something that united you with your soulmate, but now it was something that allowed you to subdue your soulmate... uh, this." She pointed to a book that was lying in a corner. "With another spell, in fact, it can be used to subdue anyone, even a king of the dead."

With the whole story already told, Red Robin asked: "So, what is the ring doing to Red Hood?"

"It's tracking his soulmate. I... didn't get to put the other spell on it. I could only activate the ring's primary function. Your brother will be fine."

That definitely changes things. Jason swore he could hear his heart beating. A soulmate, wow. He admits he's read many romance novels and maybe once dreamed of it, but for it to actually happen, wow.

Suddenly, the ring stopped blinking. Five seconds later, everyone saw a red thread shoot out from the ring's gem. It quickly moved in one direction, went through the wall, and kept going. The process was like a fishing rod when it catches a fish.

"Does this mean it already found its soulmate?" Red Robin asked. Astonished by the red thread, he tried to touch it but his hand went through it; apparently, the thread was intangible to anyone else.

"Yes," the cultist also seemed astonished.

Jason felt a look on him, turned, it was his brother. Oh no, not that look, he knew that smile; Dick would tease him so much in the coming days. For his part, Batman sighed in relief. Well, it wasn't such an extreme danger, but it was still dangerous. "Agent A, cancel the stretcher." He never imagined this would mean a soulmate case. "Oracle, don't cancel the call to Zatanna or Wonder Woman, we need to verify the information. We'll stay here until the police arrive."

How nice it would be if everything ended like that, right? With Dick joking with Jason, Tim analyzing the thread, Barbara laughing at the turn of events, Bruce relieved and Damian surprised. However, one must remember the story.

The witch changed the ring's original purpose. Unexpectedly, the thread began to retract, as if it had caught something. It did so so quickly that Jason grabbed his hand in pain. It was then that everyone had a bad feeling. The wall the thread had previously passed through suddenly exploded, the noise and dust alerting everyone, especially when once the chaos disappeared, something horrific could be seen.

An arm. A fucking arm. Apparently freshly torn from its owner. Oh, no. What did it do to his soulmate?

...

Somewhere else in the world, somewhere in the United States, Danny gasped in pain. What the hell? What was that? Ancients! Where is his arm?

---

Note: Sorry, I don't know English, so please use a translator. I apologize if you don't get the idea.

Edited on 06/21/2024 - Note two: Thanks to redflagshipwriter, who continued this idea below. And to Sakuravalelp who made me laugh with the complement.

[aliceundrground]

I literally had a surgeon tell me I should get 'weight loss' surgery so that I could have top surgery because my bmi was considered a 'risk' for top surgery. Just. Think about that one for a minute.

Doctors to trans people: are you really sure you want these hormones? I don't think you are. I don't believe you. There are risks, you know? It will change your body. Tell me your entire life story and I'll decide whether you've wanted this for long enough. Oh you didn't know when you were 5 years old? Yikes, ok. I think I'll need you to jump through all these hoops and then we can maybe consider it in...100 years

Doctors to fat people who literally didn't ask: have you heard of this surgery that'll mess up your digestive system, just absolutely fucking mutilate it? Mess with your ability to eat and drink normally? Potentially fuck up your ability to absorb nutrients? Yes, and you don't want it? Are you suuuure? Are you really sure? I'm going to bring this up 1000 more times just to be sure also there's this diabetes drug...

[bluerosefox]

Striking of the Clock

BrainDead or DeadTired idea.

During Tim's BruceQuest he uncovers hidden texts/tombs of a being that controls and watches over the Time Stream and Tim knows this being will have to be his best bet of finding Bruce while also trying to figure out on his own how to get Bruce out of the Time Stream as well.

However the being doesn't have a summoning sigil due to being an Ancient.

He does find the sigil for the Ghost King however, a being that borderlines into Ancients power territory and could in theory grant Tim an audience with the Time being if Tim plays his cards right.

In the end, Tim decides it was worth a shot. He convinces Ra's to 'help' him summon the Ghost King. Ra's wanting to see if such a being could be real and to see how far Tim is willing to go to bring Bruce back, allows League resources to be used.

It takes a few weeks, with Tim also making plans to undermine not just the Council of Spiders but Ra's as well, but eventually the time to summon the Ghost King comes.

Tim honestly was expecting the large eldritch like being that showed up, he just wasn't expecting the being to be basically a formed galaxy mixed with ice and the northern lights itself.

He also really wasn't expecting when he negotiated a deal with the Ghost King, and taken into a place called the Infinite Realms when they shook hands (Tam and Prue is also taken with him, he refused to leave them with Ra's), for the being to shrink down and turn into a white haired, green eyed teen around his age who starts flirting at him.

Nor was he expecting for another being, one that apparently is able to shift aging forms, and a grandfather clock in its chest to appear next to the teen and bonk the white haired teen with a staff and tell him to stop flirting with his future new apprentice....

Wait what?

-x-x-

Danny is rarely, very rarely summoned since taking the mantle of Ghost King. Due to being a new Ancient most old sigils that was once connected to Phantom (mostly teens from Amity tired summoning him a couple of times) no longer worked and the only ones that did were the ones he gave to his friends and family or the Ghost King ones (but again rare due to how rare texts/tombs to the Ghost King is written down)

So when he felt the pull of a summoning he made sure to go in his eldritch form, mostly to see if he could scare them or at least intimidate.

Honestly he was expecting the cult, given the fact they summoned a being known as the (freaking) Ghost King, maybe not them being assassins/ninjas but still a cult.

He wasn't expecting the cute, same age as him too, guy in the room.

(CW totally paused time for a second, gave Danny a file on who and why he was summoned, discussed getting Tim Drake out of Ra's hands (and maybe allowing CW to finally have his own future apprentice because Tim is a smarty smart whose been slowly able to figure out the freaking Time Stream itself.), and then started the timeline again)

Danny decided, after striking a deal, that since he's going to be working with Tim, aka Red Robin (who Danny found out used to be Robin! From Gotham), from now on he might as well shoot his shot and flirt with him and-

"OUCH, CW REALLY?!"

"Stop flirting with my new apprentice for now My King, we have work to do."