#lethal weapon spoiler

[prokopetz]

I grant that fandom puts a lot more emphasis on certain tropes than mainstream media ever does, but some of the tropes people are claiming only ever turn up in fanfic are pretty wild. "Oh, you like it when the villain's loved one dies and the villain goes off the deep end? Name one movie where that happens" buddy, that's literally the climax of Lethal Weapon 4. The villain in question is played by fucking Jet Li.

[pricegouge]

Have you ever watched the movie don’t breathe? Imagine reader breaking into the 141 guys house thinking it’ll be an easy robbery😭

Oh, I had too much fun with this lmao.

cw: poly!141, gn!reader, horror elements, kidnapping, reader is a cat burglar, spoilers for Don't Breathe, I guess? Abrupt ending

They weren't supposed to be home.

You'd been so careful, watching for weeks - months, mapping out their unpredictable schedule obsessively, finding rhyme and reason where you were first convinced there were none. But desperation drove innovation, and soon you'd found yourself running proper work sheets dedicated to each of them, cross referencing between them obsessively until you'd found a few hard and fast rules - minimal, but workable. Enough to have you slipping confidently past their high end security system in the early evening of a quiet Tuesday night.

Fuckin' Tuesdays. You should have known better; nothing good ever happens on a Tuesday.

It's hard to say where you'd miscalculated. Perhaps an error in your extrapolation of the little data you'd collected, just because they had always been gone for days on end each time they packed up their obscenely big SUV in the past didn't mean they always would. Maybe before that, when you'd decided the unassuming, but tightly secured house across town should be your next target after little more than some whispered gossip at the grocery store. ("Four incomes, and living in a place like this? I've seen the way they shop. Prepper types. Bet that house is insulated with cash.") Probably, it was earlier still, when your life had first started unfolding in a direction that often had you sneaking through windows and pawning gold lockets engraved with the names of loved ones you'd never known.

When you'd first heard the thud of car doors outside, you'd laughed to yourself a bit deliriously, thinking the only thing you were likely to make it out of this pickle with was a nice, new pair of matching silver bracelets. Now, watching through the slats of the cheap closet door as the biggest man you've ever seen in your life (Simon, as your brief stint as a PI had told you, though it's hard to recognize him now beneath the hard mask he has on) begins to undress for a shower, the pit of dread in your stomach sinks lower with each knife he pulls from the concealed folds of his damn tac gear and you know you'll be lucky to make it out of this place in cuffs.

The air is stifling in your little closet space, growing more so with every minute that passes as the growing humidity seeps into the unfinished wood of the door. The material blooms in the heat, the musty smell growing strong enough to override the strange mix of expensive cologne and cheap five in one body wash which adorn the shelf currently digging into your shoulder blade. It's hard to keep your breaths shallow in your panic, but you manage, jaw hinged wide and tongue pressed to the bottom of your mouth to avoid any latent nose whistles, or the wet sound of your saliva. Minutes pass. The man before you finally seems to run out of weapons and armor to remove and pulls his shirt up over his head, taking the skull mask off with it and your breath wheezes ever so slightly at the sight.

It's not a shock that he's big and mean, but the severity of it all takes you by surprise. Criss-crossed in corded muscles and scars alike, Simon is somehow more frightening now than he was before and there's no helping the loud sound you make when you swallow back your fear.

When his head whips around, it nearly startles a shriek from you, but you seal your lips tight when his gaze lands on the window, kitty corner to your hiding place. Still in his boots, you expect his step to ring ominously when he paces closer, but Simon moves with lethal grace, silent as the grave. You didn't even realize he had grabbed a knife until it glints in the streetlight glow, light speckled and refracted through the obfuscatory, pebbled window cling. Your breath stills, Simon's eyes narrow as he cranks the window open wider, confusion and apprehension evident. You're on the second story so no doubt he wonders how on earth he heard someone outside -

"LT, ye in h -?" The question cuts off with a low whistle and Simon looks like he's visibly fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Nothin' you 'aven't seen before, sergeant."

"Nothin' ah wouldn't mind seein' again." Johnny, one with the mohawk, counters. You'd never heard him speak before and the accent throws you briefly. He's dressed much like Simon had been, decked out in the kind of tac gear you've only ever seen in movies. Just your fucking luck. He sidles up behind the bigger man, hooking his chin over Simon's shoulder "What're ye doin'?"

"Thought I 'eard somethin'."

Johnny hums, distracted. His palm slides down the swell of Simon's stomach, fingers dipping just slightly under his waist band. "Well, when yer done bein' all paranoid, we should stop wastin' this wa'er."

Simon scoffs but follows easily enough after a final sweep of the street below. The two move together with distracting ease, the sight of their thickly muscled bodies sliding together as they finish undressing getting your breathing labored for a whole new reason, though you know better than to lose too much focus. You wait until they tuck themselves into the shower, the curtain bulging in places as it tries to keep them both hidden away.

The door creaks a bit as you slink out, but a well timed gasped from the Scot covers it and you suppress a relieved sigh, darting down the hallway on silent feet after a quick check reveals a clear path. At the top of the stairs, you stop and listen for movement below, barreling on before you can hesitate too much when you hear voices ringing from the kitchen and know you have a real shot of slipping out the front.

You've trained for moments like this, tiptoeing up and down your own stairs at home, balance beam precise, steps perfectly placed on the center support to avoid creaks. You've never had to use your skill before, always so careful to slip in and out when no one's home. It was a matter of time, you knew, but you can't believe your luck that it's paid off now of all times, in a house full of four extremely large men, all likely some sort of military as you're rapidly inferring.

The landing on the first floor is ill-guarded. You duck behind the dining table as quickly as possible and cast around for a better hiding place, thanking whatever god might be listening to thieves like you for older model homes. An open floor layout would see you dead right now, probably.

It goes against every instinct in your body to take a moment and collect your bearings but you force yourself into stillness, taking stock of your position before moving forward. On the other side of the wall to your right, the front door holds the key to your freedom. Before you, the hallway stretches toward the downstairs bath and the master bedroom, both of which have a window which will do in a pinch. But on the left, with a doorway which overlooks the corner you would need to pass to get to either, the kitchen houses the two remaining men - John and Kyle - who are currently talking animatedly about the mission they'd just been on. One of them, voice whiskey dark and gravel thick, recounts the frightened look on some poor sod's face right before he'd blown it clean off and the other hoots with laughter, diving into a tale of his own.

You don't listen much after that, ears ringing with panic. It makes it hard to gauge how much noise you make as you shift forward, peering through the rungs of the seat backs into the kitchen to check the angle of their view. They keep talking so you slink forward more, and more, until you're sure you have a shot.

But when you step forward into the open corner, your foot catches on the leg of a chair and the men fall silent as if drags across the floor.

Eyes locked on the kitchen, you don't take note of the direction which you're backing toward and suppress a curse when your hands find the wall of the hallway. You debate diving forward into the living room for all of two seconds before, in the kitchen, stools drag across the floor in an eerie echo of your own blunder, and you shuffle down the hall, thankful for the carpeting muffling your clumsy steps.

You're aiming for the bathroom, but you open the first door your hand falls on.

Cold, damp air greets you as you duck through the door, shutting it as quietly as you can manage, even forcing yourself to stay put as you slowly rotate the knob back into place to avoid the latch clunking into the strike plate. Straining your ears over the general hum of the basement appliances below, you hear the men grumbling in the dining room, pacing back and forth as they try to figure out the source of the noise. You slink back as they draw closer, walking sideways down the stairs with your eyes locked on the door above. The light's on, blessedly, dim bulb painting the cobwebs overhead yellow and amber. It's strange how proper fear reprioritizes such silly things as arachnophobia.

One of the the men - the same gruff voice from before - tells the other to check on the lovers and you sag in relief, assuming they'll head upstairs to see how the two men in the shower are doing -

But then the doorknob is turning again, and you're casting about for a place to hide when you finally take in your surroundings properly, your eyes falling on the cage and the two girls within as your breath stutters out and you truly start to hyperventilate. They watch you with owlish eyes, holding their fingers over their mouths in an attempt to keep you quiet. There's no need for that, but you watch raptly as they point to one of those narrow, high basement windows on the far wall. You nod, stumbling down the remaining steps, only to draw short when the door opens and a soft gasp tells you you've been spotted.

"The fuck -?" Kyle hisses and you panic, lunging behind a storage shelf and rifling around for a weapon as he thunders down the stairs. You settle on an old broom handle, wood dry and coarse in your palm. Kyle laughs when you spin around the shelf to meet him, but it's not him you aim at, arm arching high to smash the bulb. One of the girls shrieks, Kyle grunts when you jab at him, the end of your handle landing hard in his gut, unprotected in his blindness. He yanks it from you, splinters catching in your palm but you don't stop to acknowledge the pain. Eyes adjusting to the dark, you set your sights beyond him to the stairs and slink around him.

You know he hears you when you pass but he doesn't follow. You're confused until what little light you had goes out and you look back behind you to find the window covered, the basement now nothing but an inky darkness you can't navigate.

Overhead, the basement door creaks open again and the other man - John, you now figure - grunts in confusion before flicking the light switch a few times. "Alright down there, sergeant?" He calls, and Kyle's voice is much closer than you'd anticipated when he responds

"Cap, bring the goggs. Got a fun game for us."

[iaure]

𝔦 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱 𝔪𝔶 𝔟𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥𝔰 𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔫𝔢𝔠𝔨, 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔩𝔢𝔢𝔭

𝖞𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖒𝖎𝖌𝖚𝖊𝖑 𝖔❜𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆 𝖝 𝖋𝖊𝖒!𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗

𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 1: 𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔡 ℑ 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔯𝔶; 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 2: 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔪𝔶 𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔰, 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔨𝔢𝔢𝔭 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 4: 𝔰𝔞𝔡𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔰𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔱 𝔢𝔫𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔱𝔬 𝔰𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴

CW: delusion, attempted kissing, chase sequence, snitchery, thoughts of reader being a mother, vivid fears of dying, reader is temporarily locked away, reader gets hurt, SpanishDict translated Spanish.

This part switches between Miguel's POV and the Reader's. ♱ stands for the translation being at the bottom of the post. please let me know immediately if there are any errors!

Severe spoilers for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ we making it out of nueva york with this one !!!! maybe. there's a poll at the end to determine fundamental plot! please vote after you read and share your thoughts!! i had the she's homeless x spider-man india mashup on loop and reached a higher place of ascension.

wc: 3.8k

𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Miles Morales had escaped, run amok to another world. Jess and Ben were trying to hunt him down, but with no back history on the Go Home Machine, they were stuck playing the waiting game. Margo was working on it, but Miguel had a hunch that her heart wasn't in on it. Traitors, everywhere. And the most painful traitor of all refused to meet his eye. Miguel sat on a chair in front the containment bubble, elbows on his knees with his hands laced together. Y/N had been sealed away, red filament twisting around her like a hamster ball, or a puffed up cocoon. The grapefruit glow bounced off her skin, casting an ominous light over the blooming bruises around her midsection, where her suit had torn from the glass, where Miguel had hurt her. He hated self-confliction. Y/N had betrayed him, the Spider-Society, the multiverse-willingly aided Miles in his escape. She probably was the reason he got away. Y/N had made the conscious choice to forsake the canon. She had known Miles for all of an hour, at most. Y/N threw away everything to help a teenager that (to Miguel, at least) had no idea the damage he was causing. She completely the deserved the situation she was in. It didn't matter what the reasoning was. And now she sat, curled up in a fetal position on the floor, trapped inside a containment bubble, her back to him. Y/N didn't meet his eye, but he knew it wasn't an act of shame or cowardice. It was the idea that he wasn't worthy of it; the idea that he didn't deserve to see her eyes. That she wouldn't even grace him with the idea that she was looking at him. She was being punished like a toddler with time out. Y/N had made a mistake.

But Miguel loved her.

He couldn't dance around the word anymore. There was a monster clutching his beating heart, and it haunted his immortal soul. It was love, as twisted and convoluted as it was. Love for a woman that had her back to him, pointedly refusing to speak. Miguel had seen her anger before. Being on the receiving end felt like a nightmare. Just silence, as thought the two of them were preschoolers and the silent treatment was the most lethal weapon in the schoolyard. He expected her vitriol to be loud, the kind that breeds screaming matches-not this.

"Y/N." Miguel was met with (shocker!) more silence. "Where did Miles go? This is important." Silence. "Why would you do this. You've potentially damned the multiverse." Y/N shuffled a bit, if only to wiggly further away. "You've helped disrupt the canon." Miguel sighs. "You're an adult. You should know better. Miles was a stupid kid-" "That you body-slammed into a train." Y/N finally spoke, biting like a viper and tilting her head a bit to look at Miguel out of the corner of her eye. "A 15-year-old that you saw fit to chase on all fours. His reaction was reasonable." Miguel's conflict swelled. Y/N was talking in that dulcet angel tone, so succulent despite her anger. But her insistence was irritating. She absolutely should've understood, better than any of the teenagers, her little acolytes. Miles was new. It was true that his reaction was...understandable, to a degree. Hobie always broke the rules anyway. Gwen was going through a rough time, and Pav was there to have a good time. But Y/N's brother died because of an anomaly. She of all people should know the threat they pose.

"We tried explaining it to him. It was his choice that he didn't listen. You, on the other hand, you knew the consequences." "I'd rather be a proper hero and fight for what's right, to help those that need help. That's a concept that's hard for you to understand, right?" "Oh, so trying to protect the multiverse is wrong. Okay, okay. Esto es ridículo.♱" Miguel rose from the chair, muttering under his breath and turning with his hands on his hips. His head was reeling. He knew Y/N was stubborn, but this was absurd. "I'm holding every Spider, every world, together!" "Says the guy who didn't even get bit!" Y/N counters, quick as lightning. "If your canon events are so true, then how is Nueva York standing? You answer me that!" "Canon events can differ-" "By so much that there's not even a spider? Get real, Miguel! The kid isn't doing the-the-the-!" Y/N tripped over her words, rising from her curl on the ground and talking with her hands, trying to get her thoughts in one row. "The devastation that you think he is! Canon isn't infallible!" Miguel whipped around, realising he'd come face to face with Y/N. She was panting like a dog, a scowl buried under a grimace buried under a glare. Her eyes were steely, finally meeting Miguel's eyes like rocks crashing with the sea. It was a clash of wills.

And Miguel hated how much he loved it.

What a woman, honestly. If she was this passionate about protecting a teenager she'd just met, what would she be like with her own kids? Miguel was sure that Y/N would be wonderful, always coming to the kid's defense, without question. That venomous tongue would be soft-spoken to a child, one that would have Y/N's eyes and Miguel's hair. Maybe a little girl, a Gabriella that would truly be Miguel's own. No switching places with the dead. No feigning love for a woman he didn't know. No technicolour nightmares. His own little girl, from his own wife. And god! Y/N as a wife! She'd be so sweet, waking Miguel up in the mornings with light kisses, whispering sweet nothings to him, letting his hands water as his slips out of groggy dreams. The rising sun on her skin would light her up like a holy statue, and the moment Miguel was conscious he'd be happy (honoured) to worship. From the second he woke up, to the second he fell asleep, he'd be worshipping, down to his dreams being dictated by Y/N. Holidays, weekends, family trips, saving the multiverse together...it would be-

"What, you going brain dead? Are you even listening?"

Y/N's biting words dragged Miguel back to reality, as hateful as the idea of reality was. His daydreams were so much kinder than this. She was still upset, still trapped behind that red barrier, and they were still enemies. But after the vision of what they could have, it was like a tease to just keep playing cat and mouse. It would be cruel and unusual punishment to torture himself like that. It'd take convincing. A lot of it. But Y/N wasn't unreasonable. She was noble at heart and maybe a bit naïve. But she was a Spider at the end of the day, always looking for the best solution to terrible problems. And that's where it's important. That's okay. Relationships were about compromise, after all. "Y/N." Miguel spoke softly. He really couldn't hide his affections for much longer. It was spilling out of him like a cup, pouring through the cracks and spilling over the sides. And he saw how Y/N shifted. He could tell that she was figuring it out. She could see how he moved. And she slowly backed to the other side of the containment bubble, moving further away until her back was against the wall. Did it break his heart? A little bit, but this was going to take time. All things would.

"Y/N," He repeated. "We...really shouldn't fight. We're-we're special, you and I." Miguel got close to the containment bubble, watching Y/N.

He didn't realise it, but sometime in the last fifteen minutes, the bubble's purpose had changed. It started out as capturing a prisoner, a traitor, someone who was dangerous and could be a threat to society as a whole. But it changed to a shield, protecting a prey animal from a predator. It was Y/N's last safeguard from Miguel doing anything unwise. The dynamic shifted. Y/N could tell it-every hair was on end, every sense was on fire. But Miguel was oblivious. "I'm gonna shut this off," He tapped on the filament, and Y/N swallowed. "Promise me you won't go running off. We can have an adult conversation. We can talk." And maybe Y/N should've protested. She could've asked to keep it on, but who'd admit they were scared in a situation like this? So she stayed silent. She kept in her corner, and irritation reared it's ugly head again. Miguel was trying to be cordial. Why wouldn't she just promise? He was offering her freedom.

(Somewhat. Details didn't matter, not here, not now.)

It's not like he was going to hurt her. It's two measly words. Two words in exchange for a lifetime and some of love, affection, devotion. Was that really too hard of a deal?

"Promise." Miguel growled.

Instantly, Y/N put her hands up in mock surrender. "Promise! I promise." Miguel's heart bloomed. She could be so charming when she wanted to be. So disciplined and playful, a good wife, a good lover. Listening was the first step, and she was listening. Miguel could only grin. "Okay." He put his hands to the barrier as his heart raced. He was so close. A step or two more, and he would have the love of his life in his arms. And Y/N was staying still. There was no tension that he could see. She didn't look like she was about to run. She was just nervous. The red barrier folded out of itself, and quiet suddenly, it was just Miguel and Y/N in a room. When was the last time they'd done this? Miguel couldn't remember the last time it was just them. It was always either in fleeting moments or with other Spiders around. It was impossible to get Y/N alone, no matter how hard he tried. But here she was, just him and her and them and an empty room where no one was going to stop them. She didn't move, watching him like he were a predator in the savannah. Miguel didn't like to say that he was excited, per se. But there wasn't really another word for it.

His eyes scanned over Y/N's pretty face, every inch memorised in Miguel's mind. Her sharp eyes. Her cute nose. Her pretty lips. Her pretty lips. What would they taste like? Did she use lip gloss? What would that taste like? How would it feel to have her lips linger on his? These were dire questions, and Miguel was done waiting. He walked up to Y/N, slow and purposeful. He had to seem as non-threatening as possible to pull this off. And quick, because chances were Y/N was going to do something harsh, like slap him. But it was a small price to pay. After all, he had his whole life with Y/N ahead of him. He just needed to get it started.

Y/N was by no means a stupid woman.

She grew up with the same precautions every other girl did. Don't talk to strangers, they don't have candy in their van, and know when men are about to jump your bones. And in this case, she could practically smell Miguel's thoughts, like the gears in his brain were making smoke from how hard they were churning. She trusted him as far as she could throw him, if she tried throwing him when she was 12 and before she got bitten. That is to say, she didn't trust Miguel at all. He was a stupid, stupid man, and she needed to bolt. So, that's exactly what she did. Promises, schromises. Y/N could say whatever it took for Miguel to let her go, but at the end of the day, she had a responsibility to herself. For all his talk about having an adult conversation, she knew what the look in his eyes was. And when he began reaching for her cheek, Y/N knew it was now or never. Miguel's body weight was enough that she could web him up and hurl him into the nearby wall. It was like watching a cannonball get launched a Mach speed, and his surprised yelp was far more satisfying than it should've been. But he'd done this to himself, and as Y/N booked it down the hallway, she knew she was on a divine clock. Either luck or skill was going to get her out alive, and luck was unreliable at best. She had her hands, her webs, and her brain. That was going to have to make do.

A vast majority of the Spider-People were out, either in their own worlds or helping hunt down Miles. Poor Miles. He just wanted to save his dad. Y/N did her best, did the most she could, but right now? Right now, she had to focus on getting out alive, preferably with her pride intact. And as she heard Miguel's thundering footsteps behind her, an anguished yell, she found it in herself to go impossibly faster. Maybe if she was an outside observer, it would've been funny-a woman booking it past someone standing, only to be followed by a massive, 6'9 blue and red bullet on all fours. Wow. Miguel really did like just running like a dog. Y/N dove down into the lobby of the Spider-Society, ducking and weaving under bridges and platforms. Miguel leapt like an animal, clawing his way onto a platform above and dropping down.

"Stop running!" He barked, getting up to two legs again and reaching out. Y/N could feel his claws miss by a hair, and she leapt off the edge, swinging around and swerving to a platform above, stumbling into the containment room. Rows and rows and rows of sunset orange, anomalies staring at her with wide-confused eyes. None of them were the ones she'd caught, and as she heard Miguel claw up the side of the wall, she knew running wouldn't work forever. She had to do what Miles did-hide, outlast, outplay. These kids were getting too damn smart. Y/N dove behind the anomalous Rhino, praying that it wouldn't elect to shuffle over. It was the biggest thing in the room, the most stationary-and now Y/N realised she was putting far too much stock in luck. If Miguel found her, she genuinely didn't know what he would do. Would he cage her again? Hurt her? Kill her? It all seemed to be a possibility, all at once.

Now, all she could was hope the anomalies didn't sell her out.

In all honesty, she wouldn't blame them. The Spiders didn't have the most ethical treatment of anomalies. She wasn't even sure if they got fed, or what. But maybe a shared hatred for one particular Spider-Man would get it across. Y/N shared a look with a Doc Ock, and he stared at her. She grit her teeth, praying that somehow, the silent prayer would get across. A twitch throbbed in her neck from sheer tension, before the Doc Ock gave a barely noticeable nod. He looked away. It's a cold day in hell when the villains understood Y/N better than the 'good guys' did. Miguel burst into the room, claws tearing up the metal floor. Y/N could see a handful of the anomalies jump, all eyes on him. She had her back to him, and part of her hated how she'd put herself in such a compromising position. Short of her spider-senses, she wouldn't have a clue if she needed to run, and right now, she was having a Spider-Woman check engine light with how much the sense was going off already. It was rendered useless, because thank you very much, she was aware she was in danger.

"Vamos. Prometo que seré gentil.♱" Miguel cooed, heavy steps reverberating throughout the room. Maybe he was muttering to himself, or he genuinely was trying to speak to Y/N, but she knew better than to just leap out and go 'I'm here! Come and get me!'. Spider-Man was funny, but he wasn't stupid. And the same went for his 7290 variant. The anomalies all went silent, and Y/N felt her mouth go dry. It'd been so long since she'd last felt this genuinely terrified. Last time, she was 14, sobbing in an alleyway as she watched her uncle die. This time, she was being hunted by an obsessed, genetically infused daddy longlegs. This was absolutely, totally, completely fine.

"Mi corazón es tuyo. ¿Qué más se puede pedir?♱" Miguel kept muttering to himself, low and quiet and enough that if Y/N didn't have superior hearing, she wouldn't have picked it up. "I need you, I need you, I need you...you need me."

Mm. Y/N wrinkled her nose at that. That just sounded stupid.

Y/N kept her breathing controlled, trying to tame the soreness in her lungs and the shuddering breaths. Bile pooled in her throat as she heard Miguel slowly walk past the rhino, a shake in her hands that she hated acknowledging. But Miguel was terrifying. He was the ultimate predator, trying to hunt Y/N down like prey. She was prey, for the first time in years. She figured that maybe, if they'd done a better job of convincing Miles, then it would make sense. But if this was what the boy was seeing, feeling, then no wonder. She would've jumped off the bullet highway, too. Abruptly, there was a sudden crash, and Y/N's head whipped around to see that Miguel had thrown one of the containment contraptions, hurling it to the wall opposite to her. She practically jumped out of her skin, the bile leaping to her tongue in a bitter, acidic taste. Miguel swore hard in Spanish, howling like an injured dog, damaging more equipment and clawing up anything that wasn't an anomaly. With every hit, every swipe, Y/N flinched, because holy shit that could be her. He could pop her head off with a single slightly hard hit, and it'd be over.

He stalked out of the room, leaping down to the Go Home Machine below. Y/N's sigh of relief felt like it was shared with the whole room, all the anomalies relaxing at once. It's like a thread had been pulled out of a fabric, letting it finally fall the way it was meant to. One anomaly, a fucked up Green Goblin, did a dramatic flop to the floor. Y/N shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. At this point, she'd just abandon ship-leap out the nearest window and web her way out of the city before Miguel could deactivate her watch. And even if he did, then she'd hide out. Nueva York was insane, a metal jungle. She could spend the rest of her life hiding out there, if she had to.

"Beep beep."

Y/N's eyes flew open, looking to her left. Her gut plummeted. Miguel's golden boy, his favourite, one of their best, stood next to her, exactly 4 centimetres high. LEGO Spider-Man, with his teeny little watch. Before, Y/N thought he was cute, like a dog or something. But as his watch flickered to life and the visage of Miguel appeared, she regretted every single instance of her almost stepping on him. "H-Hey, wait-!" She whispered, harsh. "Don't-!" "Miguel, I got eyes on Y/N!" LEGO Spider-Man moved in a way that only a LEGO minifigure could, his head rotating a little bit. The Miguel avatar slowly turned, locking eyes with Y/N, and her blood froze. "Thanks, Peter. You're one of our best for a reason." "Beep beep." LEGO Spider-Man shut off the watch, looking to Y/N. "Sorry. Nothing personal." There was silence for a second.

"Peter." Y/N said. "You fucking suck."

She picked up the LEGO and proceeded to chuck him as far as she possibly could, launching him into the lobby and watching him fall. Some of the anomalies groaned, and already Y/N could hear Miguel barreling his way back to the room. Why the hell could she not catch a break? She only had a handful of options, most of which weren't actually options she could do. There was turning herself in-a non-option. There was calling for help-another non-option. And then there was simply...jumping out the window. The same thing Miles did. Which...felt cliché. Would Miguel really fall for the same thing twice? Literally? Miguel ran into the room, sliding across the floor. There was a moment where he looked up to Y/N, eyes wide and wild. His grin was wide, panting hard with his fangs poking his bottom lip. A flush had bloomed on his face, his eyes blown out like he was on drugs. "There you are," He hissed.

Well. The window it was.

Y/N's sides still hurt from the last time she got tossed out a window. This time, she gave herself the courtesy of bracing herself with her arms, but the glass still hurt like hell. It cut into her arms as Miguel genuinely shrieked, running out after her. There was a moment where Y/N was just in a free-fall, taking a second to reflect on her situation. Did she wake up this morning expecting any of this? No. If she had, she would've texted her neighbour to keep an eye on her fish. But nooo. She just had to get herself mixed up in super-hero shenanigans. She crossed her arms, a petulant scowl on her face. Maybe she still could call to make sure her fish would be okay. Miguel hurtled out the window after her, a hand reaching out to catch the front of her suit. His claws were out, the extra inch and a half proving far more of a threat than Y/N liked. She spun down and webbed Miguel's foot, yanking him down and using him as velocity to shove herself up. He tried the same trick on her, but if there was one thing she had on the 'kilogram of steel vs kilogram of feathers' built Spider was that she was that much faster. She yanked her foot out of the way, webbing to the side of the Spider-Society and slamming into the glass of a floor she'd never even been on before. Miguel plummeted like a brick to the ground, webbing to a building that was that much lower. Y/N had a total of two minutes to decide what the hell she was going to do. So...what was she going to do?

♱ - This is ridiculous. - Come on out. I promise I'll be gentle. - My heart is yours. What more could you ask for?

╰･ 𝙜𝙤𝙩���𝙞𝙘 ⸜❤︎⸝‍ 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙤'𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖 ⨯・ ⨯・@ishqani ⸜❤︎⸝‍ @pix-stuff ⸜❤︎⸝‍ @localdepressedvampire ⸜❤︎⸝‍ @cantchoosejust1 ⸜❤︎⸝‍ @tired-writer04 ⸜❤︎⸝‍ @neteyamsbulletwound

[hubristicassholefight]

Swordswoman showdown FINALS

Hornet (Hollow Knight) vs Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Hornet

Technically its not a sword but she wields a needle in a setting where swords do not exist and she wields it in an exceedingly swordlike fashion so. She counts; Girlboss demigoddess spider lady. She's been protecting an entire kingdom for longer than many of the other characters have been alive. She systematically kills her siblings for being too weak. She's simply the best.

#im pretty sure hornet can beat like. anyone in a fight.#have you ever fought hornet#its so fucking hard getting past her every time i play hk i go literally insane.

#i remember getting stuck on the first hornet fight on mt first play through and bring likr#''omg the boss fights in this are so hard!!!''#like what. you're not even half way through what are you talking about#you can't even DASH honey. you don't know what's diffcult or not in this game.

So, SPOILERS

but I feel like the "she systematically kills her siblings" part needs a little clarification. See, one of her siblings was used as a living prison for an angry god and that uh. Didn't work out for the sibling in question or anyone else.

This account is itself heavily abbreviated but it's likely that any other sibling Hornet encounters will be trying to take over as the god's new prison. She appears to challenge any sibling she sees to battle, in order to test their resolve against herself and her needle - would they actually have a chance against that god?

We never actually see her kill any siblings, but she does quite pointedly tell one of them that (to paraphrase) "My needle is lethal and I would feel no sadness in a weakling's demise."

Feels like a relevant quote. In any case, if they can't beat Hornet, it seems like her needle would be a far more merciful end than what the god would grant.

Anyway, a bit of additional material for @swordswomanshowdown :

As is the case for any cool swordswoman, it's not just her sword that's lethal, it's her with it. And Hornet's needle was custom made for her - the creators have said that, while other needles exist, hers was made specifically for her to wield, and its construction allows her to use her spider silk better in combat.

And another thing that I think makes her a good swordswoman: she's actually pretty thoughtful about how she uses it. There's a least one instance where she tries to warn someone off before fighting them! At the same time, when she does fight, she seems to enjoy it - during her boss battles, you can hear her laugh sometimes, as if exhiliarated. She's really got it all, as a swordswoman!!!

#HORNET SWEEP CMON PLEEEEEEASE#shes gay. shes the only sibling with a gender. shes a spider named HORNET. look like croissant. whats not to like

Xena

Warrior Princess

She wields a sword and chakram. Just had to submit a biconic swordswoman.

i love her. she made me gay as a kid. Anyway, her weapon of choice is her sword, she is obviously very good with it

#unfortunately i have to choose and i have to choose xena#a) utena had no warcry. b) xena fought gods. c) xena has kickass goofy comic book combat which is my favorite

xena didn’t just fight gods. she fucked up a girl’s life so bad that she (calisto) devoted her entire being to destroying everything that xena loved that ended up with calisto becoming a god in order to destroy xena, which didnt work because xena entombed her in lava. and then when xena and gabrielle encountered calisto in the (christian) afterlife (different from the greek one which they also fought her in), calisto dragged gabrielle to hell so xena became an archangel in order to save gabrielle and then sacrificed herself in order to undo all the harm that she did in calisto’s life and then when not!jesus (played by timothy omundson) revives xena and gabrielle, calisto impregnates xena with the reincarnation of calisto’s soul in order to end the cycle of hate. xena doesnt just fight gods. she creates and destroys them

#this isnt even mentioning her fighting julius ceasar several times#telling brutus that caesar is not his friend#xena and gabrielle’s souls reincarnating across centuries in order to kick ass and fall in love all over again#or the time xena became a god but tbh that ep is kinda ‘uhhhhh…..’ even if they did hire a consultant for it

#I think everyone here knows to vote for Xena. I think a couple people here might have some propaganda for Xena saved already#everyone remember that Xena/Gabrielle is CANON and that's a pretty big deal also#(does anyone have that Xena Loves Trans People interview around because that would also make good propaganda)

I love Xena ❤️ 😍 💖 ❣️

[miraclecherryblossomsblog]

Yandere Jin woo brainrot

TW: yandere themes, bit solo leveling spoilers, kidnapping, jerking off mention, possessiveness, muder implication, manipulation mention yall let me know for anything i missed

Ok wanna join on the yandere potential jin woo has cuz ya'll so right and should say it full with ur chest-

I get it. Making jin woo possessive is hot and yeah! He would definitely he would be a possessive type and I can see him not even flickering a finger when it comes to kidnapping his darling. Probably the easiest kidnapping ngl feel darling would take a sole minute to realize the oh-so-late the situation they're in

or mabey there isn't a need to kidnap them cuz my guy got thousands of eyes around, its impossible to miss darling by a beat and besides feel like he's the type of yandere that doesn't affect darling's life that much other than him being a maniac simp (killing for beloved way i mean)

I can see both scenarios but....

What I don't see is for him being aggressive to darling...even when confronting them I feel like he wouldn't be angry....like if darling's crying or confused on what's happening Jin woo would certainly comfort and coo at them, I can definitely see him being outright screaming ur heart out to anyone else

Ya'll remember that jin woo became who he was for the sake of protecting his family right? That including their happiness as well. Yeah he wanna keep them forever and ever and only make darling look no one else but him-

but seeing darling sad and loosing that shine in their eyes they once had after taking them by force.....i can see that affecting him because even so the system forced him to become a lethal weapon doesn't mean that he becomes immune to sadness or hurt (ya'll remember how he cried as his dad vanished like????? OUCH???? TF??????)

Feel like he would manipulate darling into making them believe that their asshole coworker's probably just on vacation or maybe he quitted and got another job.....yeah that gotta be

pretty sure he gotta have a photo book(?) of u somewhere, most of the pics are u doing normal stuff or u just asleep drooling on a table or something lol.

Would he be like bit of a pervert too? I can defenitely see him having higher horny level, specialy after getting with his darling WITH CONSENT CUZ CONSENT'S HOT U GUYS JIN WOO STILL A GENTELMAN (even tho i can def see him jerking off with his nose on one of ur clothing pieces ANDAOOP-)

lmao like those moments where the character goes "let's fuck" with the most serious face and the other's like "HUH???like right NOW???????" JDUISFPIUAOEUGRBEPIGBARBGPB

He loves darling so much, he wants to see them smile, tease them until their face runs hot, maybe annoy them a bit and see their cute lips turn into a pout have fun and enjoy their lives together as they grow old.....

yandere shadow monarch's scary as fuck to anyone human or not, but to his family and to you he is nothing but their jin woo who worked hard af to get the power to protect those he loves

[felassan]

New BioWare Blog post:

"Journal #6 Lethality and Levelling An inside look into Rook’s Warrior combat Hello everyone, Since our summer reveal in June, we’ve been reading all the great excitement for the game and listening closely to what you’d like to see next. Our reveal trailer showed off the prologue and very beginning of the game, and now we want to shift our focus to higher level combat. Today, we’re going to cover our game’s combat system, looking at how Rook and Companions can be built up to meet the perils facing Thedas, using deep RPG systems. This starts with choosing a desired class as there are three main classes to select from when creating Rook: stalwart Warrior, deft Rogue, or spell-slinging Mage. This blog and accompanying videos will focus on the Warrior class, and we’ll have more to share on the other classes before launch."

"PREPARE FOR BATTLE By choosing Warrior, the fighting style revolves around close range combat and defense. Skills, Traits, Runes, and Abilities are customizable to best suit that type of playstyle. The loadout will have slots for Abilities, accessed from the Ability Wheel. Picking which Abilities from the many in the arsenal to bring into battle is a strategic choice made for each encounter, and they can be swapped out anytime, except during combat. For some added depth, there are up to three equipable Runes. Runes provide a variety of control, utility, or additional damage to synergize with your build. While in combat, all three Runes can be cycled through and activated. There are a wide range of potential Abilities that are unique to each Class and can be customized by spending Skill Points. For example, the Warrior class will have certain abilities that deal fire damage. Players can plan their build around this, and each skill point spent could be in pursuit of this build. Each step taken is designed to augment Rook and/or Abilities. Eventually, Rook will gain access to Specializations, which grant powerful Abilities, unique to each Specialization. These Specializations will also provide a unique Ultimate Ability (more on that later below) tuned to the theme of that Specialization, so a Warrior specializing as a Grey Warden Champion will gain access to the devastating incendiary Warden’s Fire that launches a flurry of searing strikes that ignite foes like tinder. This is the best Specialization Area for defeating darkspawn, an enemy that many Dragon Age fans know well. Check out all the Specialization Areas below (minor gameplay spoilers) and we’ll have a separate spotlight on progression later as well."

"Warrior Rook Specialization Areas: Reaper - Become night's blade. Steal life and risk death to gain incredible, unnatural abilities Slayer - Leap into the fray. Wield massive, punishing weapons while rushing enemies to deal devastating blows. Champion - Be the shield. Shrug off damage while summoning righteous fire down on enemies. Rogue Rook Specialization Areas: Duelist - Draw your steel. Parry and dodge past enemies to gain strength with every strike. Saboteur - Set the stage. Deploy explosives and turrets that devastate enemies, then pick them off with arrows. Veil Ranger - Hunt the enemy. Snipe enemies from afar using artifacts that charge arrows with dangerous, powerful magic. Mage Rook Specialization Areas: Death Caller - Embrace the dark. Drain life from enemies and cast spells that writhe with the essence of death itself Evoker - Call the void. Freeze enemies in their tracks, then summon the deepest cold to tear them apart. Spellblade - Be the storm. Channel potent spells for close-quarters combat infused with lightning's wrath."

COMBAT BASICS Now let’s talk about the foundations of the combat system. The four core moves that all three classes share include jump, dodge, light attack, and heavy attack, which can all be chained together. Rook can dodge at any time, even mid-attack, which adds fluidity to the combat. Is taking damage or dealing it better at that moment? Light attacks do quick damage and build small amounts of stagger; heavier attacks are slower and build more stagger to your opponent. Once enough stagger is built, the enemy will be rendered more vulnerable to all incoming damage and allows Rook to perform a takedown.  Each of these attacks (light and heavy) can be charged by holding down the button to deliver a more potent version of the strike. For example, a heavy attack can be charged while using a staff to unleash a magical wave of destructive energy. Attacks can also be triggered while sprinting and/or jumping to add depth and fluidity to combat. In addition, each class has ranged attacks, blocks (or parries, if timed properly with the right weapon set), and the ability to control Companions’ combat strategy. Each Class also has two distinct weapon sets, which can be swapped seamlessly in the heat of battle. This drastically changes the available move-sets and strategies. Heavy attacks remove Armor Barrier (denoted by a yellow bar) faster, and ranged attacks remove Shield Barrier (denoted by a blue bar) faster. There is also the Stagger meter (denoted by a lavender bar) which builds as hits are landed against an enemy. Stagger creates opportunities for bonus damage and special Takedowns.  The Ability Wheel pauses the fight for more precise control over Rook’s own abilities and those of their Companions, and where those tactical RPG elements come into play. Players can use the Ability Wheel to assign Companions to attack specific enemies, individually or together. Abilities can also be bound shortcut keys to keep the action flow going, instead of always bringing up the Ability Wheel. Vulnerabilities and resistances of enemies can also be seen while targeting enemies in the Ability Wheel. For example, Darkspawn are weak to fire damage."

"BUFFS, DEBUFFS & CROWD CONTROL Some Abilities apply buffs or debuffs to help you in the fight. For example, Davrin has the Heroic Strike Ability which applies the Overwhelmed debuff to enemies. This will increase the enemies’ Stagger and make it easier for Rook to perform a Takedown. There are also Area of Effect Abilities to help the party defeat large groups of enemies. Controlling the field of battle is a key consideration in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Players will need to consider which buffs/debuffs or crowd control Abilities will work best for each situation.   Abilities require Class Resources (Mana, Momentum & Rage) to be able to use. Each class primarily builds up their Class Resource by dealing damage with basic attacks. In addition, each class has a secondary way to build their Class Resource - Warriors build Rage by taking and dealing damage, Rogues build Momentum by dodging attacks and parrying successfully, and Mages regain Mana passively over time.   Warriors who go into battle with a sword-and-shield build, will have access to the Shield Throw Volley. By landing a Heavy Attack on a Shield Throw return, the shield will ricochet, taking out multiple enemies. This sequence can repeat up to three times, causing a devastating ring of damage around Rook. This attack works well against swarms as well as distant adversaries. Other ways to manage distant enemies lean into Companion abilities, such as Davrin’s Death from Above to send Assan, his griffon, to attack enemies. Warriors also have the Grappling Spear Ability to pull enemies close for an easier victory. With these tools, attacks can be chosen based on the type of enemy and the situation to dispatch foes in the most optimal way, especially on higher difficulties."

"PRIMERS, DETONATORS & ULTIMATES Many Abilities include some type of coordinating effect and serve as either a Primer or a Detonator that can result in devastating combo attacks when properly executed with the Companions. These Ability combos can be set up in the Ability Wheel.  Finally, you have your most powerful attack: Rook’s Class Ultimate Ability. Doing damage to enemies increases your Ultimate Meter. The Ultimate Meter won’t fully fill during smaller skirmishes, because they are designed to decimate a significant swath of the battlefield or the toughest bosses.  All of these options combine together to create a rich combat experience that is highly customizable. The entire Skill Tree is also fully refundable, and Skill Points can be redistributed. We encourage you to try out multiple builds, use different Abilities for each mission, and change up the Companions you bring into battle. These videos have highlighted several of the ways that players can achieve strategic combat in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. We’ve put them all together in case you wanted to see them back-to-back. Check out the full video below! there’s a lot to explore in the game and a lot more to talk about. We’ll have more to share on the Rogue and Mage before launch, as well. Next week, we look forward to companions week, along with another��Discord Q&A planned for August 30th where we can answer more of your questions about the game. Chat soon!             — The Dragon Age Community Team"

[source] <- video links at link

[guilty-ff]

𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐭. 𝟏

ᡕᠵ᠊ᡃ່࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊ࠢ࠘𐡏 ˚⁎⁺˳ .

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐘/𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 , 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝- 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨, 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝- 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

This story takes place after Jason's death (warning: not 100% Comic accurate)

Pairings: Dick Grayson/Nightwing x (fem!Reader) Slight Jason Todd/Red hood x (fem!Reader)

Genre: Action, Angst, Revenge, Violence, DC

Warnings: Comic Spoilers!, Explicit content, Child abuse, swearing, torture, mental health, weapons

Word count: 4178

Y/n lay curled on the cold stone floor of a dim chamber, the hard surface beneath her bruised body unforgiving. Faint, flickering candlelight licked at the ancient walls, casting restless shadows around the room. She awoke from a fitful sleep, startled by footsteps echoing down the narrow corridor outside.

Pain grew with her every movement, her muscles worn and aching from hours of brutal sparring against her grandfather, Ra's al Ghul. Each session with him left new bruises, deeper aches, and a burdening doubt that clung to her like a shadow she couldn't shake.

But even through the soreness and exhaustion, a trained instinct in her forced her to her feet, to ready herself. She barely had time to stretch her limbs when the door swung open, and Ra's himself stepped into the room, his gaze piercing and severe, his presence casting a weight that even the flickering candlelight seemed to shrink from. He did not say a word, simply gestured to the center of the room with a single, commanding flick of his wrist. It was time to spar again.

Y/n dragged herself upright, feeling the ache in her bones but refusing to let it show. She squared her shoulders, locking her eyes on him. This time, she told herself, this time I won't lose. But she could not ignore the tiredness that seeped into her very core. She took her stance, her fists raised, ready to face him.

Ra's circled her, his gaze unrelenting. "Your posture is sloppy, child," he sneered, his voice like venom. "That fatigue- you let it weaken you. A true warrior rises above physical limitations."

Y/n gritted her teeth, trying not to let his words affect her. She needed to focus. She needed to keep her cool. But Ra's knew exactly how to break her.

He lunged toward her without warning, his movements precise and lethal. Y/n barely had a second to react, her hands fumbling to reach down to her boots, where she kept her daggers hidden. She managed to draw one, its edge glinting in the candlelight as she raised it defensively. She aimed a calculated strike toward his shoulder, hoping to throw him off-balance. But he moved with practiced ease, sidestepping her attack and catching her arm with a bone-crushing grip.

Ra's twisted her arm, forcing her to drop the dagger. It clattered to the floor as he kicked her back, causing her to fall to the ground. Her body screamed in protest as she tried to roll back to her feet, scrambling to retrieve her fallen weapon. She snatched it up, but Ra's was already advancing, his expression mocking.

"Pathetic," he taunted, sidestepping another one of her attacks. "You waste your energy on emotion, and it makes you weak."

Anger surged within her, giving her the strength to attempt another swing, her blade slashing through the air toward him. But he was faster, his movements fluid and effortless.

He caught her wrist, twisting it painfully, until the dagger slipped from her grasp once more. Then he brought his other hand down, a brutal strike that landed against her ribs, knocking the wind out of her lungs.

Y/n stumbled back, gasping for breath. Her vision swam, but she forced herself to keep her gaze fixed on him. She could feel his contempt radiating, a burning heat that made her blood boil.

"Is that all you have?" he scoffed, his voice like ice. "I expected more from you, the daughter of Talia and my former student."

The mention of her father sliced through her like a knife. The man who had abandoned her, the one her mother had spoken of only in hushed tones filled with pain. Her mother had told her that she wanted to keep her safe, away from the world that Ra's had built- a world of blood and brutality.

Talia had spoken of a plan once, how she would even try to send Y/n away, to give her a chance to escape this life. She would whisper to Y/n about lying to her lover, telling him that she had a miscarriage and died immediately after birth, unable to bear the thought of their love creating something that would be raised in this darkness.

Yet here she was, her mother's plan twisted and crushed by Ra's iron will, and her father- a man she had never met, who had not cared enough to search for her- was just a painful ghost in her mind. She had no loyalty to him, no desire for his approval, but hearing her family used against her, ignited something fierce and unyielding in her heart.

Fueled by anger and defiance, Y/n dove for her second dagger, lunging at Ra's with renewed fury. She swung with precision, aiming for his side, but he parried her strike with ease, twisting her arm again until pain shot through her shoulder. She cried out, trying to twist free, but he slammed his elbow into her back, forcing her down to one knee.

"Anger without control is nothing more than recklessness," he hissed, tightening his grip until she could feel her bones creak. "You think you are strong, but you are nothing more than a disappointment."

The words stung worse than any physical blow, and she fought to keep her composure, fighting the tears that pricked at her eyes. He released her roughly, and she staggered, barely managing to stay on her feet.

"You let your emotions control you," he said, voice low, triumphant. "A real assassin knows that anger is a weakness, a gap in one's armor. Until you learn control, you are nothing but a reckless child."

Y/n glared up at him, her chest heaving, every inch of her aching. She wanted to lash out, to prove herself, but she knew he was right. She had let her anger take control, and it had cost her the match, again.

Ra's released her with a shove, and she collapsed onto her knees, her fists clenched. Her grandfather's cold gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned away, pacing slowly.

"Get up," he ordered, not even looking back at her. "There is much you still lack. You have no discipline, no restraint. Tomorrow, you have an important task. One you cannot fail."

She struggled to her feet, holding back the sharp words she wanted to throw at him. "What task?" she managed, her voice low and filled with defiance.

"You will see in time," he replied dismissively. "Rest, if you can manage even that." He cast one last look of disapproval her way before leaving the room, his footsteps echoing down the darkened hall.

As she sank back onto the ground, exhaustion settled over her like a heavy blanket. She could not deny the bitterness building inside her- toward her grandfather, toward this life that demanded so much from her. A flicker of sadness washed over her as she thought of her younger brother, Damian, separated from her for years, was undergoing his own trials somewhere out in this vast, hellish empire her grandfather had built.

The last time she would seen him, he would been smaller- still with the innocent and rebellious curiosity in his eyes that had not yet hardened into Ra's brutal expectations. She wondered if he, too, had been subject to this same torment, if he was enduring the same impossible lessons drilled into his spirit. Her fists tightened at the thought of him, alone and unprotected.

──────────────────────The following day, she arrived at the designated location, a small building in the heart of the compound. Inside, it was dimly lit, the air thick with the smell of disinfectant.

A handful of assassins stood guard around the room, their gazes expressionless. Near the back was a small medical station, complete with a heart monitor and surgical tools that gleamed in the sparse light. The setup sent a chill down her spine.

Ra's stood at the center, next to a medic. He gestured toward a chair in the middle of the room, a chair with thick leather straps at the arms and legs. She hesitated, glancing around the room, confusion and unease knotting in her stomach.

"Sit," Ra's commanded, his voice carrying an edge of finality.

Her instincts told her something was wrong, but this was her grandfather. She had been raised to trust his judgment, to believe in his vision. She took a breath and sat down, allowing the guards to bind her wrists and ankles to the chair.

As the leather straps tightened around her, she looked up at Ra's, her eyes questioning. "What is this?"

He gave her a thin smile, something almost like pride mingling with a cold calculation. "This is for your own good, my child. And for the future of the League of Assassins."

She clenched her fists, anxiety twisting in her chest. "What- are you going to do?"

The medic stepped forward, holding a n injection filled with a dark fluid. Ra's took the injection, studying it for a moment before turning his gaze back to her.

"This is a serum that will strengthen you, enhance your endurance, and allow you to reach heights no assassin has before," he said.

"It is a gift, one that will push you beyond human limits."

A part of her wanted to resist, to question him. But she forced herself to relax, to trust. She nodded, her jaw clenched as she prepared herself for whatever was to come.

Ra's gave a nod to the medic, who adjusted the monitor and placed it on her chest. The screen came to life, beeping with each steady heartbeat. Y/n took a deep breath, keeping her gaze on her grandfather as he approached.

"This will hurt," he said with a hint of warning, though his voice lacked sympathy.

He slid the needle into her arm and pressed the plunger down, injecting the dark fluid into her veins. Immediately, a sharp, searing pain exploded in her arm, spreading like fire through her bloodstream. She clenched her teeth, trying to keep still, but the pain intensified, radiating through her body with a burning intensity that made her gasp.

The medic watched with a calculating gaze, his attention fixed on the monitors as they beeped and whirred. "The formula seems stable," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Ra's looked on impassively, his gaze unmoved by her pain. "Increase the dosage," he commanded, his tone clipped.

The medic hesitated. "It could push her beyond her limit."

Ra's raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. "If she breaks, she was not worthy of the League to begin with."

The medic obeyed, pressing another dose into her. The pain intensified, a white-hot blaze tearing through her body. She tried to fight it, to hold on, but her vision began to blur, her mind slipping into darkness as her heart pounded erratically.

Her vision blurred, her muscles tightening as the serum pulsed through her veins. It felt like her blood was being set alight, as if every cell was being ripped apart and rebuilt all at once. Her body trembled, her breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps as she fought to stay conscious.

The medic glanced at Ra's, his brow furrowing. "The reaction is... extreme. Perhaps her body is rejecting it?"

Ra's narrowed his eyes, watching her with an unreadable expression. "She will survive. She must. The pain is necessary."

Y/n could barely process their words through the haze of agony, her world reduced to the relentless fire tearing through her. Her heartbeat quickened, the beeping of the monitor escalating into a rapid staccato. She tried to focus, tried to breathe, but it felt as if her very soul was being consumed by the serum.

Her vision swam, the edges darkening. She heard a faint, distant voice- her own, whispering a desperate plea that she barely recognized.

Please... stop...

But the pain only grew, swelling into a hurricane that drowned out every thought, every sensation. Her body shattered, her vision fading completely as a single, high-pitched beep filled the room. The medic's voice echoed somewhere far away, filled with panic.

"She's crashing! We're losing her-"

The last thing Y/n saw was her grandfather's cold, unwavering gaze as the world faded to black.

Here she was. Abandoned and tossed away, as it always has been.

─────────────────────

Darkness swallowed her whole as she slipped into unconsciousness, but her mind refused to stay still. It dragged her into a whirlwind of twisted memories, pain, and a rage that had no end.

She could feel herself spiraling, a hollow, sinking feeling in her chest as memories surfaced- shit, she would tried to push down, bury, forget. But they clawed their way up, bringing all her nightmares with them, every goddamn thing she wished she could rip out of her own mind.

She was back there, seven years old, sitting on the cold, stone floor with bruised knees and chapped lips, staring up at Ra's. He towered above her, looking down with that ice-cold, unfeeling stare that made her want to run and hide or, hell, to fight him until her knuckles bled.

In his hand, he held a small bottle, filled with some sickly green liquid that looked wrong. She would heard the whispers from the others, the talk about "training" that went beyond fists and blades. But nothing could have prepared her for this.

He would handed it to her, a simple, unforgiving command. "Drink." His voice, as sharp as steel, gave her no chance to hesitate, no chance to refuse. Her small fingers shook as she lifted the bottle to her lips and swallowed.

The taste was worse than anything she would ever felt; bitter and oily, coating her throat as it burned its way down. Within seconds, her stomach twisted, her head went light, and a wave of nausea tore through her, bringing her to her knees. She tried to breathe, to focus, but the poison was like fire in her veins, searing her insides until all she could do was choke back sobs.

"Good," he would murmured, watching her squirm with a sick kind of satisfaction. "This is how you build strength. Pain reminds you of weakness. Endure it, and you will become immune."

She remembered the rage, the fear, the aching need to scream at him, to fight him, even though she knew it would not change a damn thing. He watched her without flinching, like her suffering was just part of the plan.

To him, I was nothing more than a weapon, she thought, bitter and young, still too naive to understand just how deep that truth ran. But she did know one thing, even back then: she was alone. Her mother, her brother, her father- none of them could save her from him, from what he wanted her to become.

As the memory faded, a dull, sinking pain settled in her chest. She was still that child on the floor in his eyes, wasn't she? A tool, a pawn for him to mold. And no matter how far she pushed herself, how much blood she shed, it would never be enough. She would always be left searching for approval, chasing shadows, bending under the weight of his expectations.

The world around her shifted, her thoughts slipping, her mind dragging her deeper into the dark. A voice echoed somewhere in her mind, her own voice but darker, colder, taunting. You think you are something more now? You are still his weapon. Just a puppet in his game.

A feeling of cold dread twisted in her gut, gripping her so tightly she felt like she was drowning in it, in the memories, the scars, the poison. She tried to fight it, tried to pull herself out, but the darkness would not let go. And the last thing she felt before everything faded was that cold, hard floor, and her own desperate, unsteady heartbeat fighting to stay alive.

Then, a sharp light cut through the haze.

As her senses sharpened, she realized she was lying on a narrow bed in a sterile, dimly lit room. The faint hum of machines was the only sound, each beep a reminder of her pulse, steady but weak. CCTV cameras sat ominously in the corners, red lights blinking as they watched her every movement, and a monitor beside her displayed a barrage of medical statistics she barely understood.

She shifted slightly, feeling the stiffness in her limbs. Her memory flickered, bringing back only fragmented flashes of pain, the biting grip of leather straps, and her grandfather's cold gaze.

A medic rushed in, his coat brushing against the metallic table beside her as he leaned over, checking the various monitors. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice neutral, though his gaze was intense as he studied her face.

"What...what happened to me?" she murmured, her voice scratchy, throat raw as if from screaming. "I remember... pain. And then... nothing."

He did not answer immediately, instead adjusting one of the IV drips at her side. "Your body's adjusting. The injection had... expected effects," he said, sidestepping her question. "You survived. That's what matters."

She frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Expected effects? You mean whatever you injected into me was supposed to feel like... like dying?"

The medic looked down, his expression tightening, though he did not respond directly. Instead, he muttered, "You should focus on resting. You'll need your strength." He moved away, but Y/n could feel the tension lingering, thick in the air like the shadow of an unspoken warning.

Before she could demand further answers, the heavy door opened, and Ra's al Ghul entered, his silhouette casting a shadow across the dim room. She felt her muscles stiffen instinctively, a lingering resentment growing.

He stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over her, assessing her with the same calculating coldness he always wore. "My weapon," he began, his voice a chilling calm, "is looking sharper already."

She forced herself to sit up, her body protesting with every movement, but she met his gaze, defiance burning behind her exhaustion. "Weapon?" she repeated, her tone laced with contempt. "Is that all I am?"

Ra's gave a small, humorless smile. "You are precisely what you are meant to be- what you were always destined to become." He paused, his gaze hardening. "A weapon, yes, but one that will serve a purpose greater than yourself. Soon, you will meet someone who will help you understand this purpose."

She frowned, gripping the edge of the bed. "Who? Who am I supposed to meet?"

"That is not your concern yet," he replied, dismissing her question with a wave of his hand. "In three days, you will be ready. For now, rest." He glanced at the medic, giving a subtle nod before he turned and swept out of the room, leaving her with more questions than answers, each one tightening around her like a vice.

──────────────────────Three days passed slowly, a blur of loneliness, rest, and uneasy recovery. On the third day, as she lay half-asleep in bed, she heard the door creak open.

Her mother, Talia, stepped inside, her movements hesitant, her face plastered with an expression Y/n had rarely seen, fear. Talia's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and before Y/n could react, her mother crossed the room and enveloped her in an embrace, her grip tight, desperate.

"My child," Talia whispered, her voice trembling. "I... I never wanted this for you. Not this. I thought I could... protect you." Her words came out in choked fragments, as though each one pained her.

Y/n stiffened, unused to this softness from her mother. But she could feel Talia's shoulders shaking, the rare vulnerability in her mother's touch. Despite her own bitterness, Y/n found herself whispering, "It's... it's not your fault, Mother. You couldn't have changed his mind." The words felt heavy, a lie that scraped at her own heart.

Talia pulled back slightly, her eyes searching her face, filled with regret. "When you were born... I thought of sending you away, giving you a life untouched by all of this." She took a shaky breath. "But I couldn't do it. I told... him... that you were gone, that I'd lost you. It was the only way I could think to keep you safe. But then-"

Her voice broke, and she lowered her head, grief pooling in her eyes. Y/n felt her throat tighten, her resentment momentarily melting away in the face of her mother's raw pain.

"You did what you could," she whispered, though it felt hollow. Deep down, her own anger and resentment pulsed, a silent accusation, though she could not bear to voice it now.

Talia held her gaze, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I only wanted you to be safe," she murmured, barely audible. Y/n forced herself to offer a faint smile, a mask to soothe her mother's guilt. Yet, inside, her heart ached, the weight of everything pressing down, suffocating.

After a long silence, Talia finally released her, helping her stand with a steadiness Y/n had not felt in days. "There is someone you need to see," she said softly, her tone laced with a strange mix of hope and reluctance.

Y/n followed her mother out of the compound, walking through the winding corridors until they reached an opening that led to a hidden cave deep within the mountains.

The air grew damp and thick, carrying the faint smell of something metallic, ancient. At the center of the cavern was a pool of murky, green-tinged water, the infamous Lazarus Pit that she would heard whispers about her entire life. Its ominous glow bathed the cave in a sickly green light.

Beside the pit lay a man, half-naked and visibly scarred, likely in his twenties. His skin pale against the dark stone floor. His black hair fell over his eyes, though a striking streak of white cut through his bangs, an unnatural contrast to the rest. He seemed dazed, disoriented, though the fury in his gaze was unmistakable as he glared at her, his breathing ragged and shallow.

He looked around wildly, his eyes darting between Y/n, Talia, and Ra's, who now stood at the edge of the cavern, watching with cold satisfaction.

"Who are you people?" he snarled, voice hoarse, his gaze landing on Talia and narrowing. "Where am I? Where's Batman? And... the Joker..." His voice faltered slightly, an edge of agony creeping in before he masked it with renewed rage.

Y/n remained silent, her own confusion growing. She glanced at Ra's, who stepped forward, his expression one of grim satisfaction.

"This," Ra's began, gesturing to the man, "is our guest, found at death's door, and brought back to life by the power of the Lazarus Pit." His eyes gleamed with a cruel satisfaction as he looked down at the man. "A gift of resurrection... though I'm sure it's left you with memories you'd rather not confront."

The man struggled to sit up, his muscles tensing as he looked around, his eyes blazing with anger. "What did you do to me?" he demanded, his voice a low growl.

Ra's simply watched him, unperturbed. "What I did, I did for a purpose greater than you. You will serve the League in return for the gift of life-"

"I didn't ask for your 'gift,'" he spat, glaring up at Ra's, his gaze cold. "I don't owe you anything."

Ra's lips curled into a faint smile, his gaze shifting to Y/n. "You may not feel inclined to serve us now, but that will change. You will find that we can be... persuasive."

He turned to Y/n, his expression stern. "This man will help you hone your skills and strength in a way I cannot. You are both the weapons this League needs." His voice softened slightly, taking on an almost mocking tone. "And perhaps, you both have something to learn from each other."

She looked down at the man, who met her gaze with fierce distrust and hostility. His hands clenched into fists, and she could see the tension in his posture, the resistance and defiance etched in every line of his body. She felt her own sense of rage rise. It was not pity she felt for him, but a recognition of the same anger that burned within her.

Without breaking eye contact, she reached out a hand to him, an invitation to stand, to fight, to accept this fate they would both been forced into. Her hand hovered in the air between them, unwavering.

"My name is Y/n," she said quietly, her voice steady. "If we're both trapped here... then we might as well work together."

The man hesitated, his eyes flickering between her face and her outstretched hand. Finally, he reached up, clasping her hand in his with a firm, defiant grip.

"Jason," he replied, his voice dark. "Jason Todd."

Part 2

[yall-batman-fanfic]

Mother & Daughter | Cassandra Cain/Orphan & Magician!Reader ft. Batfamily

Synopsis: Cassandra recalls her first meeting with Vivian and how their relationship blossomed.

Before Vivian met Cassandra Cain, she already knew her. Bruce shares everything with his wife, from the goings ons in Wayne Enterprise, his personal day to day, and all he’s encountered in Gotham as Batman. In one of his cases around Gotham, he mentioned a girl who was a skilled fighter by reading a person’s body before they could think what they wanted to do. A perfect soldier. A perfect weapon. 

That was what Cassandra was: the perfect weapon. But unlike Damian who did not feel remorse in the act of killing then, the moment Cassandra had her first kill she regretted it. Guilt ate her which led to the girl’s escape from her father’s grasp and abusive upbringing of her, and brought her around the world then Gotham where she meets Batman and follows his code of no killing. 

Vivian wanted to meet the girl and help her, but there was a problem, Cassandra is not used to meeting new people intimately and she does not speak. Bruce explained to Vivian of the girl’s upbringing, how Cassandra’s father trained her to read the human body until it was second nature rather than to speak, read, or write. In his words, “Violence is her way of communicating.”

Maybe it was the mother-instinct she developed after raising Dick, Jason, Tim, and, currently, Damian, or maybe it was the teacher in her too, but Vivian wanted to help the girl to develop more of her speech. To give her the advantage of reading and speaking, or at least learn how to communicate in another way that’s not about reading body language…

Or maybe she could use that to her advantage too.

It took Bruce a while before he could bring Cassandra over to the cave, the girl was hesitant on meeting the Batman’s personal connections – also known as his family – but with day after day of getting gifts from a woman called Vivian of clothes, food, and music, she wanted to finally see the actual person behind these thoughtful things. During that time, Vivian worked hard to find a way to communicate with Cassandra

~*~.

Arriving in the Batcave, Batman was the first to get out of the car and greeted everyone in there, followed by Orphan, who was mesmerized with the view of the cave filled with memorabilia – a giant penny, a dinosaur, a giant joker card. This was not an ordinary place.

After greeting familiar faces, such as Tim and Stephany, and the other Robins, Cassandra finally met the woman behind those gifts. 

Near middle-age. 

Caucasian. 

Red-haired. 

Non-lethal.

Nervous.

Worried.

Batman approached her with the woman and at his side, he kept a hand on her back the entire time, as a way to show support and to show Cassandra that she was harmless. That she can put down her guard around her. 

“Cassandra,” Batman began as he removed his cowl. “Meet Vivian. My wife.”

Wife. Cassandra repeated the word in her head. 

“Hello, Cassandra,” Vivian greeted, “Bruce told me so much about you. I’m glad to finally meet the girl he’s been talking about nonstop.”

Care.

Hearing the woman’s voice, seeing her face, her body, and how she had her arms open, and how careful she was not to startle her, Cassandra knew she cared. Her way of caring was also different from Batman’s or Robin’s, Red Robin’s, Spoiler, or Oracle’s too. This was the care she would see with the mothers in the parks or streets, mothers in their homes. How can a woman she just met care for her like that already? How can a woman she just met have the same gaze as those mothers have?

Unable to say what she felt, Cassandra shocked everyone as she took Vivian’s hand and held it close to her heart and bowed her head slightly.

Thank you. Thank you for all the gifts and for caring, she wanted to say. 

There was warmth around her body, opening her eyes, Cassandra was shocked to find a golden aura around her and the woman. She was a witch, Cassandra realized, and just like Bruce the girl welcomed the warmth and felt all the words she wanted to say. 

~*~

The following weeks she’s been living in Wayne Manor, Cassandra was slowly developing a way to speak with everyone with her gestures and signs to certain things, but she will eventually need to learn how to speak. Especially when their line of work is highly dependent on communication with one another when on patrol. 

Taking the task of teaching her how to read and speak was Vivian. Everyday, Vivian would come home immediately after work to sit down with Cassandra. Cassandra has shown that she does know how to read a couple of things and say things but not as second nature as the rest of them. 

Vivian was patient with her. Cassandra would know. There was never a time when Vivian felt irritated whenever she had trouble with reading or uttering a word. She never showed she was tired, or tried not to show she was tired after a long day at work, but Cassandra would still notice the slight sluggish movements, the slumped shoulders, and how she kept her head up with a fist under her cheek.

In those days, whenever Bruce would be in the manor, he would tell Vivian that he would take over with Cassandra’s lessons and have Alfred lead his wife to bed. Then he would sit down and tell her, “She had a long day with panels and lectures.” And after the continued lessons, Cassandra would head to Bruce’s study where Vivian usually takes a nap and gives her coffee and biscuits. 

~*~

“You’re getting better with reading,” Vivian commented. “We still need to work on speech, but we can deal with that along the way, right?”

Cassandra nodded. They were in Gotham University that day, Vivian asked her if she wanted to come see where she worked so they could talk about something important, which she also discussed with Bruce a couple of times now. That day, Bruce took a day out of work so they could head to the University to see Vivian, and the moment they came to the campus, Bruce led them to the hall where Vivian was having her lecture in front of a room-full of students. 

Cassandra couldn’t believe it. The entire day, Vivian would teach these students and then come home to teach her how to read, write, and speak? No wonder there were days she’s tired. Yet, while she’s tired Vivian still kept a smile on her face.

When the class ended,  many students greeted her and Bruce as they left the room, as if seeing the man was a normal thing there. Coming to the front where Vivian stood, packing her things, Bruce greeted her first with a kiss, while Cassandra read the things written on the board in Vivian’s handwriting.

“Re—rei—rrein… naiss… ance,” Cassandra read aloud in an attempt to do so without aid or the difficulty but she saw how hard it was still for her to speak what she was reading.

Hearing her voice, Vivian approached her and read it with her, “Renaissance. It’s the period of enlightenment. A lot of art and philosophy were made during that time. But I like to call it the time when humans got back in touch with the classics.”

“Art,” Cassandra pointed at Vivian.

“Yeah, I teach art too — art history… why don’t we take a seat. That was my last class for today and no one’s going to use this room until two in the afternoon.”

It was then that Vivian told Cassandra the long discussion she and Bruce were having about her. Specifically her education. The couple thought about letting Cassandra start school, but it won’t be like the normal school that Tim goes to, rather it would be less crowded, and understands her situation with speaking, reading, and her social skills. 

“What do you think?” Bruce asked her.

When Cassandra showed hesitance, Vivian got out her phone and handed it to Cassandra. “You can tell us anything, alright?”

So she did. Using Vivian’s phone, she typed on a blank notepad what she wanted to tell them. There were some spellings she didn’t get right but nothing too bad in the couple’s opinion. 

I don’t know. Not ready yet. Happy with our little school. 

Vivian and Bruce laughed heartily at the last part and the former said, “Well, I’m glad that you’re enjoying our little school, but it can’t last forever, honey. One day you gotta start with a school that’s more skilled and knowledgeable to help you. But for now, with our progress, yeah, I think we can still keep our little school. Just the two of us.”

Cassandra typed. And Tim.

Yes, Tim would always sit down with them to help out Vivian with teaching her how.

“And Tim,” Vivian agreed. “But promise me that you’ll tell us when you’re ready, okay?”

Cassandra placed a hand on her chest and the other raised up. Promise.

“Okay, I can live with that – how about you?” Vivian turned to Bruce.

Bruce nodded. “Now that we’ve agreed on this, I guess no point in going for a tour of the university, right?”

“Yes and no,” Vivian got up. “I got three tickets for tonight’s ballet performance by Gotham University’s own ballet group and orchestra. It starts a little later so maybe we can look around? You already showcase your work, maybe I can show her how my everyday life goes?”

Cassandra nodded.

“Alright,” Bruce got up and helped the two women from their seats and Vivian to her coat. 

Walking around campus, Vivian kept close to Cassandra. She would usually hold someone’s hand but with Cassandra she knew how the girl kept herself ready in any possible way. She did offer her arm but Cassandra decided not to take it and just kept her arms to herself, which Vivian didn’t mind.

Whenever a colleague or student would pass by they would ask the couple if Cassandra was a new addition to the family, and they would say yes and introduce her as their ward as Cassandra hasn’t been open with the idea of calling them her parents despite the adoption papers signed. During that time, Cassandra observed the actions of the students around them, mostly those who were near her age. She was very different from them. Not just on how they talked, but on how they socialize, dress up, and can go around freely without knowing everything around them.

She on the other hand has learned so much by simply looking at them.

When the show was about to start, Cassandra sat between Bruce and Vivian in the nosebleed section of GU's theater. Before the show started, a special mention was made to welcome Bruce Wayne to the show, and Bruce smiled and waved at everyone as the spotlight came to their seats. 

Then the lights were killed but for the ones on stage, and the music started. It was then Cassandra saw the beauty of art. The language art spoke in the dances that the students did, the movements that showed the purest form of art. The message beyond the narrative tells her with performance art. She could see the hard work in their movements, the devotion, the passion in them, and it made her tear up. 

She didn’t even realize she had until she felt Vivian’s hand on hers, and turning to the woman, she saw her holding a handkerchief and Cassandra accepted it. 

After the show ended, Vivian asked if Cassandra wanted to meet the dancers backstage but she said she didn’t want to. She was happy with what she saw tonight. And maybe next time she would meet them. For now what she saw was enough. What she saw moved her.

~*~

On their next class in their little school, Vivian surprised Cassandra with a pamphlet for ballet classes. Memories of that night in GU's theater came back to her that night as she looked through the pamphlet, rather pamphlets. Vivian brought a couple of them all showing different dance classes for her. 

“Maybe Bruce was right – do not tell him I said that,” Vivian teased. Cassandra grinned. “Maybe it's too early for normal school, but I saw how you loved the ballet, so how about this?”

“DD-da…n..c…da…n…ce. Me?” 

“Yeah. Dancing is an expression of art that people have used to show their culture, how they feel… you know, on our first date, Bruce took me dancing. The band played jazz and blues, he wasn't all too familiar with it so I took lead, but I could see how he tried and how he was enjoying it.”

Cassandra looked at the pamphlet again and then her, “Us,” she said. “We dance?”

“I…” 

Hesitant.

Shocked.

Embarrassed.

Maybe she took it a little too far? 

Then Vivian said, “I don't think ballet classes will accept me,” she was laughing. “I mean, I'm too old for them and I doubt my body can stretch like that. How about you take the ballet classes and we can go to something that I can keep up with?”

Cassandra looked through the pamphlets and pointed. “This?” She asked as she pointed to the back of the second pamphlet where it says mother-daughter dance classes. It was a Mother's Day special that would go on for a week. It wasn't ballet – thank goodness – it taught various dances that were not too complicated. 

“Us. We dance?” Cassandra repeated.

“A mother-daughter dance,” Vivian said, a little out of focus as she looked at the photo of the mother and daughter – a little girl – wearing dance clothes as they posed. 

“I think it would be a good idea,” Bruce appeared in Vivian's study where they would have Cassandra's lessons. “My love, don't you think?” He placed a hand on her her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

Vivian looked him and held his hand and smiled, “I think it would be a good idea. Mother's Day is around the corner.”

“Yeah,” Vivian kissed his hand. “I think it's great, I'll go call the place now and book us a spot. Bruce, could you help Cassandra with this part? Also, maybe show her some of the ballet classes too.”

“Okay,” Bruce took his seat. Before Vivian left, Bruce snuck a kiss on her cheek and whispered something to her ear. 

Sad. 

Mourning.

With them alone, Bruce sat down on Vivian's seat, he looked at the pamphlets for a while and the books, the papers, Cassandra's progress in writing. He took his time looking at them and then he reached inside his pocket and took out a wallet, and inside the many pockets he pulled a black and white print. An ultrasound. And on the back it had Vivian's writing that says: it's a girl! and a four-line poem.

Bruce showed Cassandra the ultrasound. “A couple of years ago, we were expecting a baby,” he told her. “A baby girl. She was healthy, Vivian made sure they were healthy and that we were ready. We were ready and we couldn't wait to meet our little girl. Then something happened. One of Gotham's criminals took her from us. I wasn't able to save them. Vivian survived but we lost… our baby was taken from us.

“Her name was Helena. Scars heal but they remain. And the scar of losing our daughter still hurts from time to time.”

“Because of me?” Cassandra asked.

“No, no… Vivian adores you, and she knows that you will never replace Helena, but you gave her a chance to experience having a daughter. And I think doing these things and going through these dance classes just reminded her of the things we planned back then when we were still waiting for our Helena to come.”

“Where?”

“We buried her in our garden. Don't worry about Vivian, she'd love to go to these with you. Do you?”

Cassandra nodded. “Me and Mom. Dancing.”

Bruce was stunned when he heard what Cassandra said, and he wasn't the only one. He only realized that Vivian was there when Cassandra looked past his shoulder and smiled at her. Cassandra quickly reached for her bag and pulled out a book, it was her notebook, and went to Vivian to show her a letter she wrote for her.

It only had three words but it was enough to make Vivian tear up.

Thank you, Mom.

Brushing back Cassandra's locks, Vivian held the young woman close and pressed her forehead on hers and lets her feel the magical energy that she liked. Just like Bruce. 

“There's nothing for you to thank me, Cass,” Vivian brushed the young woman's tears.

“A lot. Gifts. Clothes. Study. Dancing. Art,” Cassandra counted.

Vivian shook her head. “I want to give you those things. A chance for you to make up from the life you missed.”

Cassandra smiled. “Thank you, Mom.”

~*~

Walking to the garden, Cassandra went straight to the blooming flowers at the far end until she saw the stone that had Helena's name. She knelt before the stone and started pulling out the weed and the flowers that have withered. Once clean, she pulled out a photo from her pocket. It was the photo of her and Vivian coming from their first day in dance class.

“I'll take care of Mom,” Cassandra told Helena's grave and placed the photo. She reached in again and pulled out the ballet crown she got from her own classes in the university and placed it beside the photo.

The sound of someone coming to her side did not startle Cassandra, she expected it. It was Bruce. The man knelt beside her and looked at the little tiara on Helena's grave.

“I'm sure she'll love it,” Bruce told Cassandra. “And here,” he asked for her hand and placed something in her palm. It was a necklace made of silver and the charm was of a ballerina's tiara. “I had these made for you and Vivian. Why don't you give hers later?”

“This is mine?” Cassandra pointed at the necklace.

“Yes. And this is hers,” it was a bracelet made of silver with the same charm. 

“Thank you,” she told Bruce.

“Let's go inside. Alfred and Vivian made some food to celebrate your upcoming recital. Everyone's inside.”

Inside the manor, Cassandra went to the sitting room where the whole family was. Cassandra went straight to Vivian and presented the gift, and Vivian kissed her temple as a thank you.

“We match,” Cassandra showed the necklace. “All three of us.”

Confused, Vivian turned to Bruce in question, and he replied,” Cassandra gave her practice tiara to Helena.”

Touched by her gesture, Vivian brought her daughter to an embrace. “Let’s go celebrate. This is for you after all.”

“Cake?” Cassandra asked.

“Yes, we got cake — three flavors, actually, because Dick, Jason, and Alfred had a misunderstanding on who was going to get it. Also, four boxes of pizza because Stephanie and Tim also got a bit of confusion on how many. So, we might be eating these until tomorrow.”

It was here Cassandra had her first of many experiences, not just as Orphan but as Cassandra Cain. Here Cassandra learned that she was more than Orphan, more than the killer she was made to be by her father. Here she was reminded by her family, by Bruce and Vivian, that Cassandra is just as important as Orphan was to the family. 

Here, she experienced the love of a family. Of brothers and sisters. Of a father. And of a mother. 

As she sat on the couch, Cassandra snuggled close to Vivian, having the woman loop an arm around her as they both find something that they have been missing and lost for so long. Vivian found a daughter, and Cassandra found a mother. 

“Is everything alright, honey?” Vivian asked Cassandra as the girl leaned on her.

“Everything’s alright, Mom,” she told her and opened her mouth, asking for a piece of cake from Vivian. 

Laughing, Vivian fed Cassandra and let her be. The entire celebration, Bruce noticed as Cassandra and Vivian stuck together. It was then he knew that Orphan was the daughter of Batman, but Cassandra Cain was Vivian’s.

[yzegem]

The great dragon. (In some drawings the scale with humans is a bit off lol)

Some lore: The Empire of the Sun used to be a large, rich and diverse empire that managed to keep many religions and ethnicities at somewhat of a tense peace. Then, this changed.

A massive volcanic eruption very far away caused a short volcanic night and after it, the dragons came.

The dragons were probably the apex predator of the unknown lands destroyed by the volcano. The eruption caused a handful of them to flee and stumble uppon a new continent.

The arrival of the dragons caused immediate agricultural and farming colapse in the Empire and threatened every ecosystem.

Many factions in the now crumbling Empire saw this as a chance to seek independance and pillagers and raiders took advantage of the military colapse.

Dragons attacked wild megafauna, cattle and human settlements. They took the role of an ambush predator and also a scavenger that could intimidate any other predator to steal their food.

Dragons have two jaws, similar to morray eels. The first is a projectile jaw with long, curved and serrated teeth, meant to grab and immobilize prey and a second, stronger pharingeal jaw that chops away and swallows whatever the first one catches.

They are also able to spit gastric acid and have a long tail that they use as a whip. This has proven to be their most lethal weapon against humans since it can disrupt any formation and break buildings.

A young dragon vomiting gastric acid:

An adult dragon whipping its tail:

In a later post I will explain how the Empire dealt with the dragons and the deep consequences it had in the society and politics of the continent. (Spoiler: dragon-slaying feudal nobility)

Chill dragon as my way to say goodnight!

Hope you like this concept and tell me what you think abt it/any ideas

[thepunkmuppet]

just finally got to watch workin boys and OH MY GODDDDDDD I HAVE THOUGHTS

SPOILERS AHEAD

jeff as hidgens is so. he’s just so

chad’s name stayed the same even though it was changed to workin’ girls everyone clapped

🎶 JUST ME AND MY SIX BOYFRIENDS 🎶 WE WON WE WON WE WON

hidgens backstory oh my fucking god. what the hell this man has suffered more than jesus

the songs are amazing I wasn’t expecting to want to buy the album but now I actually need it their vocals are all SO GOOD mariah bryce and kim are absolutely incredible

bill and ted are on a date and you cannot convince me otherwise (I am delusional). also I love that ted loved it bc he was fucking INTO IT in tgwdlm

still need to know why hailey was dumping ass so much

EXCUSE ME WHO ARE YOU

I love the detail that paul didn’t want to go with bill lmfao

ted got brutally murdered again. I knew they would do it but it’s still hilarious

they really said ✨dutch angles ✨ huh

their real stage manager played the stage manager 😭 I love it he has a self insert hatchetfield oc

linda’s the only person who auditioned but didn’t get in lmfao hidgens really said #eat the rich

I love ruth SO MUCH rip queen (again). lauren managed to make her even more cute and pathetic than she is npmd, what a top notch blorbo 100/10

COURTNEY THRASH’S GIRLFRIEND AS A WORKIN’ GIRL SHE’S COME SO FAR

bailey wearing his uniform and taking his gun to a community theatre production why is he a himbo and why do I love him

I know I’ve already said this but sweet jesus mariah and kim’s voices are actually the best things ever they are so perfect in every way

grace just cannot do anything without discovering her passion for violent murder and lethal weapons and honestly girlboss

“our wet sinewy bodies” “I just came”

UP TO MY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSS

hidgens’ death scene was absolutely stunning oh my god

the fact that richie and grace went together to support ruth?? so cute to me. this obviously isn’t in the npmd timeline so it’s just adorable to me that they actually became friends in this timeline, I’m obsessed.

also they had an opportunity for pete and steph and tom and becky to be there on dates but OH WELL

THE ZOMBIES WERE TERRIFYING. OH MY GOD I AM LOSING MY MIND OVER HOW AMAZING THAT SCENE WAS THE MAKEUP THE VOICE EFFECTS I JUST I C CN AHSNJDJSKUDEJ

ALSO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY REALLY ARE GHOSTS OR IF HIDGENS IS JUST CRAZY AND HALLUCINATING OR IF THEY’RE DEMONS IN DISGUISE AND “CHAD” IS A LORD IN BLACK OR A DIFFERENT BEING OR WHAT LIKE YOU HAVE NO IDEA. OPEN-TO-INTERPRETATION PLOT POINTS YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS

[qoldenskies]

That preview for wwww has got me so excited aaaaaaaaa i want to know more i cant wait- is there anything you could talk about with Leo and Donnie that isn't spoilers??

oh yeah! here are some backstory details about them that are mostly silly, just for the fun of it

im personally just going with the idea that splinter named them early for simplicity's sake, the names are the same as canon.

draxum took a little too long to see them as children instead of weapons, which is an influence on their behavior. he's always treated them with this adult-like seriousness that was questionable when they're younger, but it makes them INFURIATED when people talk down to them or treat them like children as teenagers.

this will influence their dynamics with raph greatly.

donnie was the stickler/tattletale between the two, but to call leo the troublemaker would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. huginn and muninn literally could not take care of him in draxum's absence because he would go full fucking home alone on them. with donnie at his side they would make Death Traps

this is actually how they ended up meeting big mama. draxum went to a meeting with her and had to bring leo along because he wouldn't behave, and donnie tagged along because leo threw a screeching fit when draxum said they were going to leave him behind and would not stop until he gave in, they were like 6. big mama adopted them immediately.

leo calls her auntie by her request and learned a lot of his tactics from her. i am under the opinion that she would be a HORRIBLE mother but she's a wonderful aunt you only see occasionally. she spoils them rotten and likes them way more than draxum, that bad bad man. they're too good for him! (THEY ARE MENACES)

if they learned about what she did to splinter they wouldn't even be surprised. leo would be impressed, really

they were pretty well-trained in combat from an early age, although they slipped up a lot. leo has stabbed donnie several times, mostly on accident but probably on purpose at least once. they are extremely casual about this and treat it like a funny joke to the horror of their family

they are also utterly inseparable. they dont keep anything from each other ever and have an insane amount of separation anxiety and codependence going on. they also try to kill each other on a regular basis /hj

since draxum is head of security in the hidden city, they've done some odd jobs before as training and know their way around it like little nepo babies!!!!

speaking of, the fact that theyre technically rich means i can make both of them fashionistas and annoying as fuck about it. theyre so intense about the outfits.

S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N already exists in a way that went down very similar to smart lair lmao. leo reprogrammed him because he was being annoying, and then broke him when he was being annoying again despite the fact that it's literally his fault. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N continues to get broken a lot and donnie just rebuilds him.

he thinks its mildly annoying how much leo dislikes him, because he's "closer to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N's father than [he is]." like man the fuck up and pay child support you baby.

draxum is very indulgent in donnie's hobbies and investment in building despite his limited knowledge of human technology, honestly more than splinter is in canon. although he is secretly a little scared of him and what he's capable of.

donnie was given a bo staff because it was the most non-lethal option draxum could think of

draxum regrets giving leo a sword a lot

[m1d-45]

Heheehee would love to see venti post-imposter au like that one u did for zhongli...I love guilt >:)))) and thank u, u r amazing!!!!

unnamed poem, unnamed bard

a/n: wrote a whole poem for this. hope you enjoy <3

-> warnings: reader is dead. reader is a literal corpse and is described and referred to as such. major spoilers for mondstat archon quest, the most microscopic spoilers for liyue archon quest.

-> lowercase intended!

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie

< masterlist >

‘the creator is the highest god across every nation.’

seven sets of eyes stared at the body in front of them, at the arrow shot through it’s throat. several other wounds crossed the body, but none were as lethal as the first.

‘they have created everything, from the clouds-‘

angry gray rippled across the sky, thunder crackling in the distance. the storm had been brewing all day, and now the reason why was clear.

‘-to the air-‘

wind howled and cried, whipping through hair and pulling at clothes. one of the ties around venti’s braids had been ripped away, the hair beginning to unravel in the gale. still, even as nahida clutched at focalor’s cloak to stay standing—poor girl, she’d been trying to convince her—the clothes on the corpse were still.

‘-to the earth beneath our feet.’

blood seeped into the ground below, shimmering even in the dim light filtering through the clouds. the brick pattern below had shining blue for grout, blood tracing a spiderweb out.

‘they are only to be adored with the highest of veneration.’

thin hands shook around the handle of a bow, painted nails digging into the grip. barbatos’ eyes are wide, teal, unblinking gaze staring at the body as if it would magically come back to life. as if it would reach, pull out the arrow, as if it would sit up and chide him for behaving so rashly. it doesn’t.

‘after all…’

amber eyes search for purple, then red, black gloves tightening around the geo lord’s weapon. he was not without sin, having also participated in the chase—none were truly pure, none truly deserved any form of forgiveness except for maybe nahida.

‘it is they to which we owe our lives.’

seven chests heaved with a variety of emotions—adrenaline, contrition, horror—but an eighth was oddly regular. blank, lifeless eyes, matching the color of the ones on the corpse, curved with a smile. well done! they cheered, silent pride shining in the dim light.

‘they are stronger than steel.’

“who are you?”

the gritted voice of the pyro archon shattered the fragile silence.

“me?”

‘brighter than the sun.’

the false god put a hand to their chest, the fake shock on their face not hiding their glee. “well, i’m your god, aren’t i?”

‘with their iron-strong will,’

six hands tightened on weapons. one set let go of cloth, small stature still brimming with anger.

‘eons long work begun.’

new blood stained the dirt, red instead of divine blue. the fake’s body jerked, elemental reactions dancing across their skin as their body fell to the floor. superconduct burned out their eyes, overload locked up their lungs, quicken sped up the rate at which blood flowed from their veins. frozen pinned their still-twitching body to floor as they slowly died.

the gods almost wished that it had taken them longer to die. they certainly didn’t deserve a quick death.

‘they forged the valleys and plains.’

seven voices united by the covered body of their god, undivided by worldly squabbles. grudges and bitterness fell away, if only for now, seven heads bowed on seven sets of knees. even nahida, innocent as she was, had knelt alongside them here. seven prayers were lifted on seven tongues, some wavering, all weak. the scenery did little to distract when they knew they had slaughtered it’s maker.

‘mountains shaped, clouds retained.’

the burial was silent, only the sound of dirt against dirt breaking the solemn air. shimmering jade rose from the earth, obsidian lettering carving out their sin. seven were too weak to continue standing, seven sets of tears beginning to fall. seven asked for forgiveness.

‘as night turned to day turned to night again,’

none would receive it.

‘their last creation made, to their own world they ascend.’

grass and flowers were quick to grow over the unsettled dirt, risking quick uprooting for the chance to get closer. seven hearts burned. seven souls screamed.

drinks hit their tables with loud bangs. ‘who are you, bard?” a man called. ‘where have you heard such things?’

barbatos was the first to flee, unable to bear feeling their aura so long after their death. his wide wings flapped erratically, all of his usual grace lost as tears blurred his vision. the cuffs of his shirt clung to his skin, droplets of blue already staining to matter how hard he tried to scrub it out. it refused to even smudge.

he tucked his wings in and dove, barely even trying to slow his fall once he got closer to the ground, not feeling the pain in his feet. he stumbled once, twice, then collapsed at the foot of his own anemo statue.

the boy laughed, the teal on his nails matching the mirth in his eyes.

barbatos’ chest heaved, the air he commands abandoning him in his time of need. the peaceful breeze of windrise couldn’t hide the uneven beats of his heart, the cool stone behind him not soothing the burn on his face. he could see them, the golden chains of his crimes, already encircling his arms. the fingers that pulled the string stiffened with shining rings, too tight to be comfortable, his opposite palm already beginning to glow. some scrap of his consciousness mourned how it would affect his ability to play, to drink, to move, the unforgiving chains binding his actions.

the larger majority mourned his god.

‘you can call me venti.’

[carrotoplyn]

aiden isn’t just a dumb blonde OH MY GOSHHHH. i’ve seen a couple of people say this as like a joke and like haha funny i guess?? I mean it can be fun on the occasion but like ehh idk. but i’ve seen people say it and genuinely mean it and i’m like he’s no though??

it’s currently late at night and i can’t properly express my thoughts on this in such a way it would make sense but, i wanna just point out some simple-ish things. (also apologies for any mistakes you may see, like i said before, it is currently late at night for me when i’m posting this)

so this first one is something my friend noticed. (kinda mad i didn’t notice it myself but not important) which is how in one of the first few episodes (70% sure it’s episode 2) is how aiden was the only one who finished the homework. yes everyone was sleep deprived and tired so they couldn’t do it, but it seems like aiden did it and did it right considering even ashlyn copied off of him

he was smart enough to make a plan for ash to go on the field trip, which was a fully thought out plan that really couldn’t backfire unless she genuinely decided not to go (but she did and now look at where are today)

this next one isn’t talking about how he’s smart but it correlates so idgaf, and it’s how we probably only “plays dumb”. because like i’ve said this whole post, he’s not dumb. but he probably only acts like so people don’t expect him to actually be able to do more complex things. like being so for real when i first read sbg and saw aiden, i had low expectations (but look at me now, writing my second ‘analysis’ or whatever you call this in row on this him)

he beat the world record for how fast a rubix cube can be completed, need i say more? yes, need i say more actually because most people are not good at puzzles. and most puzzles aren’t easy to do either. well yes, for some people rubix cubes are easy, but ain’t no way all he does is those small little rubix cubes that are too easy for him.

hes able to think quick on his feet. first example of this to come to mind is episode 21 when they behead the phantom. and as well as him coming up with an way to save ash from the phantom. like he doesn’t need that much time to think of plans, and his plans are usually foolproof.

FASTPASS SPOLIERS FOR THIS NEXT ONE (the spoilers are under the cut)

he’s always smart enough to negotiate with alex (by negotiate i mean threaten, but same thing, right?) and he literally was about to use a pen as a lethal weapon here guys. A PEN PEOPLE. A PEN. and plus alex was ready to listen to him and make a compromise (to be fair alex already wanted to help anyways but shhh i use whatever crumbs i can for my stupid idiot thoughts)

ok that’s all, please add on if you can i beg i beg 🙏🙏

[lifetimeoftired]

Now I rarely do character design, or draw for that matter, but when it came to Anthem of Our Dying Day, I felt a little inspired. Sam and Dani (called Elli in-story) haven't shown up yet, and won't for a few more chapters still, but they and Danny got the most changes to their overall designs. Yes because it's been 7 years since the events of the show, but the changes are for reasons that will eventually be explained in-story. I have more designs in mind of course, but I gave my poor hand a cramp doing just these three. So I'll have to come back with Jason's ghost form and Danny's eldritch form (possibly an update to Valerie's look, but honestly her outfit in the later episodes was incredible I don't think I can improve on that in any way shape or form) at a later date.

Anyway, thoughts behind why I gave them the designs that I did are A Lot so I figured I'd ramble in a tumblr post instead of in the AN's.

Danny:

Listen to me. Listen. This man was raised on the vibes of the 90s and early 2000s. Long trench coats were PEAK fashion back then. We all saw the Matrix. Danny also was dragged to the Underworld movies multiple times while dating Sam (who's opinions on those movies are radioactive because they are cult classics and I'll die on this hill). So Danny absolutely thinks trench coasts are cool as shit and make him look cooler. And listen to me very carefully; They're still peak fashion. Slapping a leather trench coat on a mildly gothic character and you have cinema. Also he has a hood because hey! Hoods are so cool and perfect for us 90s kids.

As for the color choices, I didn't want to change too much from the classic black and white hazmat suit but honestly? He really makes it work. I also added the green because the color pop looked cool as shit but also because I felt like, as Danny gets older, he starts to produce his own ectoplasm in ghost form and, similar to how some ghosts have 'flaming hair' to show off their power levels, Danny's over production of ecto culminates within his outfit. This is in part due to him becoming the prince of the Infinite Realms, but also he's just a strong mfer.

Why's the coat torn? Spoiler reasons.

Sam:

I'm actually really pleased by hers turned out because she was the one I was the least set on. The main vibes I wanted from Sam (who's hero name is 'Nightshade' btw) was 'Mad Nature Scientist'.

It's not easy to see, but the mask is actually meant to be flower petals like her skirt. The buttons on her lab coat are also leaves. This is in reference to her time as Undergrowth's chosen and of course her love of the environment, but she's also liminal enough to have a special way with plants. Not to the extreme Poison Ivy does (much to her dismay), but they're important to her and she wouldn't have a hero suit without them I believe.

As for the science bits, in story she's working with the Fentons to study ghosts. Also helps test their weapons (all non-lethal and exist to help her keep up with stronger ghosts), as well as picking up a lot of science-related skills thanks to her years of studying various biology in college and working with Jack and Maddie for several years. While Danny tends to handle the big fights while she runs support, but she's also acting as the brains when it comes to ecto poisoning, making more ecto-dejecto and understanding how ectoplasm reacts with living beings.

The corset is, of course, because she's goth. Why cover her up so much aside from the tiny tit window? That's story-related reasons and we'll get there when we get there.

Dani:

My favorite outfit of the bunch tbh.

In-story Ellie (so I the writer don't get confused by two Dan-es) did eventually return to Amity Park and settled in to be adopted by the Fentons and go to school for realsies and in general get to live something of a normal life. But I maintain that Sam (Valerie too, but Sam was dating Danny and around quite a lot) was a big influence on Ellie once she settled in. She's more 'punk' than 'goth', but finding herself through changing up her fashion was heavily encouraged by Sam. And, of course, Danny's protective older brother dismay. Which is honestly a huge bonus to her.

Like Danny, she produces a lot of her own ectoplasm, but less than he does. And her's is a lot less pure so hers is a different green- She's not too broken up about it because it shows that she is different than her 'template', but also because it matches Sam's green better. (Sam and Danny might not be dating anymore, but Ellie still considers her to be an older sister figure and being more like Sam delights her). She does have 'fire' flicks on her clothes and tbh I actually messed up coloring those. I meant to stop coloring partway up to give a bit of a fade to white effect and make the flames white the same as her shirt, but, alas. I don't think the all black boots and gloves look bad at all.

As for the hair, Ellie's core has an element same as Danny's, but hers is Air. And being that her hero name in Wraith, I really wanted to go for, kind of a ghostly floating/flickering fire long streak. More like Starfire's big curly hair from the comics the shows are cowards give her the poofy hair back!. Also the 'non ghost' hair cut uuuh, I'm not an artits but it was supposed to be that side braid with bangs that fall over? But yeah that's her hair when she's in human form.

That's about everything for now! I'll definitely be coming back to this with more designs once I've jotted them down. Hope to get chapter 3 out soon but that fucker is fighting dirty :(

[hubristicassholefight]

Swordswoman Showdown Semifinals

Hornet (Hollow Knight) vs Brienne of Tarth (A Song Of Ice and Fire)

(Better here in a "preferred character" sense, not "who would win in a fight")

Propaganda below cut

Hornet

Technically its not a sword but she wields a needle in a setting where swords do not exist and she wields it in an exceedingly swordlike fashion so. She counts; Girlboss demigoddess spider lady. She's been protecting an entire kingdom for longer than many of the other characters have been alive. She systematically kills her siblings for being too weak. She's simply the best.

#im pretty sure hornet can beat like. anyone in a fight.#have you ever fought hornet#its so fucking hard getting past her every time i play hk i go literally insane.

#i remember getting stuck on the first hornet fight on mt first play through and bring likr#''omg the boss fights in this are so hard!!!''#like what. you're not even half way through what are you talking about#you can't even DASH honey. you don't know what's diffcult or not in this game.

So, SPOILERS

but I feel like the "she systematically kills her siblings" part needs a little clarification. See, one of her siblings was used as a living prison for an angry god and that uh. Didn't work out for the sibling in question or anyone else.

This account is itself heavily abbreviated but it's likely that any other sibling Hornet encounters will be trying to take over as the god's new prison. She appears to challenge any sibling she sees to battle, in order to test their resolve against herself and her needle - would they actually have a chance against that god?

We never actually see her kill any siblings, but she does quite pointedly tell one of them that (to paraphrase) "My needle is lethal and I would feel no sadness in a weakling's demise."

Feels like a relevant quote. In any case, if they can't beat Hornet, it seems like her needle would be a far more merciful end than what the god would grant.

Anyway, a bit of additional material for @swordswomanshowdown :

As is the case for any cool swordswoman, it's not just her sword that's lethal, it's her with it. And Hornet's needle was custom made for her - the creators have said that, while other needles exist, hers was made specifically for her to wield, and its construction allows her to use her spider silk better in combat.

And another thing that I think makes her a good swordswoman: she's actually pretty thoughtful about how she uses it. There's a least one instance where she tries to warn someone off before fighting them! At the same time, when she does fight, she seems to enjoy it - during her boss battles, you can hear her laugh sometimes, as if exhiliarated. She's really got it all, as a swordswoman!!!

#HORNET SWEEP CMON PLEEEEEEASE#shes gay. shes the only sibling with a gender. shes a spider named HORNET. look like croissant. whats not to like

Brienne

Brienne

gets gifted a sword made with the rarest metal ever because she’s THAT good; she’s simply the best

Brienne is one of the top sword users alive in her day. She's descended from a man who's catchphrase was "I'm better with a sword." Better than what? You. Jaime Lannister. Loras Tyrell. Any five given guys at once. She has a fantastic sword that might be magic or cursed and is named Oathkeeper because that's what she does; I love her

Beat like 20 guys in a tournament when she was 19. Was given a magic sword. Won a sword fight against the premier swordsman in the realm. Very swordly; Very tall and strong. Holds her sword in high esteem. Accomplished with other weapons as well!

She's defeated multiple of the top knights in the series in duels. One such knight gifts her the fabergé egg of swords and she uses it to defend orphans and stuff. Got out of a bad betrothal by dueling him and beating his ass so bad she broke multiple bones. Honestly there's so much more she is the swordswoman of all time. to me; She's buff and ugly and 6' 5" and so honorable and kind that she inspires the guy who fucks his sister to yknow. stop doing that. literally gets mauled for the sake of protecting a bunch of orphans (with her sword). also she's 20 she should be at the club ‼️

One of the best sword wielders in Westeros, the author says he would pick her to defend him. Has a cool sword called Oathkeeper. Manages to go up against 7 fighters and take out most of them,. The only true knight; First off, talking about book brienne, they massacred show brienne, the show runners simply didn’t understand what she’s about.“ She had no chance against seven, she knew. No chance, and no choice” brienne had plenty of choice but she couldn’t leave people to die. The chivalric paradigm is rotten and corrupted, but here is Brienne, the one true knight, who isn’t even a actual knight! “knights are for killing”, but here is a knight who risks her life again and again to protect innocents! Bri IS hope, she is the light in the dark that shows that things can be better, things must be better. Fundamentally an idealist: “Winter will never come for the likes of us. Should we die in battle, they will surely sing of us, and it's always summer in the songs. In the songs all knights are gallant, all maids are beautiful, and the sun is always shining”

#BRIENNE WON A MELEE WHEN SHE WAS 19 !!!!!#DONT LET HER LOSE

#MORE LOVE FOR BRIENNE#SHE FOUGHT A DAMN BEAR WITH A WOODEN SWORD#SHE AVENGED A MAN UNJUSTLY MAIMED#SHE PROTECTED CHILDREN AGAINST SEVEN MEN#NO CHANCE AND NO CHOICE

I'm going to put some propaganda for Brienne, because she deserves the world.

Some people have been quoting the "no chance, no choice" in the tags, but for those that don't know it comes from this scene:

...she could hear the faint clink of swords and mail from beneath their ragged cloaks. She counted them as they came. Two, four, six, seven. (...) Brienne sucked in her breath and drew Oathkeeper. Too many, she thought, with a start of fear, they are too many.(...) Brienne tried to keep the fear from her voice, but her mouth was dry as dust. The children, she thought. The door to the inn banged open. Willow stepped out into the rain, a crossbow in her hands. The girl was shouting at the riders, but a clap of thunder rolled across the yard, drowning out her words. As it faded, Brienne heard the man in the Hound’s helm say, “Loose a quarrel at me and I’ll shove that crossbow up your cunt and fuck you with it. Then I’ll pop your fucking eyes out and make you eat them.” The fury in the man’s voice drove Willow back a step, trembling. Seven, Brienne thought again, despairing. She had no chance against seven, she knew. No chance, and no choice. She stepped out into the rain, Oathkeeper in hand. “Leave her be. If you want to rape someone, try me.”

This is basically one of the most badass and awesome moments of the series... because here, Brienne is not guarding a King, vanquishing a great Evil Lord, or fighting a big glorious battle... this is an inn full of orphans being attacked by raiders, children whose lives really don't matter in the great scheme of things. If they were all to be killed, nobody powerful would really care, no history book would write their names.

The logical thing is to run away from there as fast as she could. And yet, Brienne decides to enter an unwinnable nightmarish battle (one where she gets her arm broken and her face eaten) because is the right thing to do. She is a true knight.

Because, in the dark pseudo-medieval world of Westeros, where the patriarchal martial system reigns supreme, there is no space for someone like Brienne, she herself said it best:

"You have a noble father who must surely love you. (...) I know he would tell you that he would sooner have a living daughter than a shattered shield." "A daughter." Brienne's eyes filled with tears. "He deserves that. A daughter who could sing to him and grace his hall and bear him grandsons. He deserves a son too, a strong and gallant son to bring honor to his name. (...) I am the only child the gods let him keep. The freakish one, not fit to be a son or daughter."

And yet, despite being on the fringe of this society that doesn't accept nonconforming gender expression, despite not being able to be named knight, Brienne is still the embodiment of the ideal of knighthood. She is a true hero, who over and over decides to defend the innocents and do the right thing.

So yeah, my conclusion here is... I think she and kiku should kiss <3

[wntryoongs]

Why I think "Be Nice To Me" is THE Stucky song

I wrote this because I saw a Captain America edit with this song and thought “wow. This kinda gay”

This is me basically analyzing every lyric of the song and relating them to Stucky. Lol

DNR if you can't handle spoilers.

CA- Captain America

First movie- CA: The First Avenger

Second movie- CA: The Winter Soldier

Third movie- CA:Civil War

TFATWS- The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

Steve- Steve Rogers, Captain America

Bucky- James Barnes, The Winter Soldier

The Captain America Edit

A playlist I made for them cuz I’m extra

(I wrote this in under two hours; Apologies in advance if you think it’s messy.)

I got boulders on my shoulders 

Collar bones begin to crack

—Boulders on my shoulders symbolize pressure. This applies to both Steve, who feels the weight of being Captain America, and Bucky, who feels the pressure of being Russia's lethal weapon. Steve was pressured into choosing between saving his best friend or playing by the rules as Captain America. Or in other words, he must choose between his duties as a hero, or his personal loyalties. Meanwhile, Bucky carries the burden of the actions he was forced to do as The Winter Soldier. The relentless torment and psychological effects from his past pressure him further. This pressure impacts his identity and his efforts to forget who he was and what he did.

(TLDR; Steve and Bucky face lots of pressure from their personas as Captain America and The Winter Soldier, while also dealing with personal pressures they have as normal human beings.)

There is very little left of me and it's never coming back 

There are certain things you ask of me

There are certain things I lack 

—The line "very little left of me", relates to Bucky's struggle with his fragmented identity. His memories are wiped and he is still, having trouble remembering all of them. "There are certain things you ask of me" refers to Steve begging Bucky to remember him even though he can't. The line can also be related to Steve's question in the first CA movie, which is "Are you ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?”.

The beginning, we were winning

Now we're just making a fact

—"We were winning" relates to Steve and Bucky's adventure in the first CA movie where they were still winning against their opponents and had each other.

What's it matter anymore?

You believe the lies I tell

There's no meaning to words

But we still sing these songs well

—Despite the betrayals, missteps, and moments of deception, they manage to forgive one another. Steve and Bucky’s whole relationship is built on trust and loyalty that they forged with their bittersweet experiences together. From having each other’s backs in the battlefield, to defending the other from their own teammates (AKA my fave CA movie, CA: Civil War :]).

And we all left it alone

I'm sure it will work itself out fine

They are playing with your numbers

And we are running out of time

—If they didn't meddle in the war, they wouldn't be in the mess they're in. "We are running out of time" can mean two things. One: when they were on the run from the government AND the Avengers (context: Steve became a fugitive in order to protect Bucky. [this fr the same man who left him for a girl...]),they didn't have time to reconnect or reminisce with each other. Their lives were consumed by the necessity of survival. Two: When Bucky blipped right after Steve had just gotten him back, and then when Bucky returned, Steve left again (voluntarily!) for a life that wasn't his, with another version of a woman he used to love (note: version, as in he went to another universe/timeline). After everything they've been through, they never really had the chance to be alone. Their lives were focused on war after war, fight after fight, but no matter what, they never left each other's side.

(TLDR; They never had the time to talk and be with each other because they are always too busy running for their lives and saving one another.)

You're a killer and I'm your best friend

I think it's unfair, your situation

—"killer"= Bucky, best friend= Steve. It was no secret to anyone who's watching that Steve felt guilty and blamed himself for what happened to Bucky.  Despite Bucky's actions being beyond his control, Steve struggles with the weight of Bucky’s suffering and the role he believes he played in it. He views Bucky not as the killer he was forced to become but as the friend he grew up with. Steve’s biased belief in Bucky is that he is and will always be innocent, no matter what. This is why he would protect Bucky until the end, even if it means being considered a war criminal.

You say I'm changing,

Sorry I didn't know I had to stay the same

Can we talk about this later?

Your voice is driving me insane

—the first two lines refer to the second CA movie, where Steve saw Bucky for the first time again after his apparent death. At that time, Bucky was still The Winter Soldier and didn't recognize Steve, which is why he had "changed" and "didn't stay the same." The last two lines refer to the third CA movie when Steve finally captures Bucky, hoping to get answers and help prove his innocence. However, Bucky was still on the run, and the Winter Soldier programming was still affecting him. He was dealing with trauma as well, making it hard for him to talk.

(TLDR; Bucky is going insane cuz of stress and Steve's pleas are just making things worse.)

I try to write you poems, but the words they don't make sense

The hand tries to grip the pencil, but the fingers are too tense

—This line is Steve talking, if you replace "poems" with drawings. There's a specific scene from the second CA movie where Steve is trying to sketch a building but he can't focus because he keeps thinking of Bucky. There's even a zoom-in on his hand where you can see him gripping his pencil too hard.

I try to show emotion, but my eyes won't seem to wet

I'd love to tell you stories, but I can't remember how they went

—This line is Bucky talking. After being a killing machine for more than a decade, his memories are still fragmented and his emotions are suppressed. In their fight scene in the second CA movie, Steve keeps asking Bucky to remember him. Steve even says their famous line, "I'm with you, till the end of the line." while Bucky is actively trying to kill him. This manages to unlock a memory for Bucky. In the third CA movie, when Steve begs Bucky to remember what happened while he was The Winter Soldier, Bucky still cannot remember. No matter how much Bucky tries and wants to help, he simply cannot with his memories missing.

(TLDR; first line is Bucky in the second CA movie. The second line is Bucky in the third CA movie.)

You're a flashlight in a dark room or the loneliest black out

You were all we had left after it all was filtered out

—The first line is Bucky talking about Steve. Bucky has always felt that Steve was the guiding light in his life, pulling him out of the darkest moments. In the series TFATWS, Bucky says "And if he was wrong about you, then he was wrong about me." Here, "he" refers to Steve. Bucky thinks he doesn't deserve forgiveness, yet Steve tirelessly tries to prove to him that he does, again and again.The second line is Steve talking about Bucky. Steve feels that he owes his life to Bucky after the countless times Bucky took care of him. In the second CA movie, Steve said, "Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky." Before Steve became Captain America, when he was just a scrawny guy, Bucky worked countless jobs to make ends meet. When Steve was always sick, Bucky would nurse him. Even while they were fighting in the second CA movie, Bucky dragged Steve out of the water to prevent him from dying. Bucky was still being controlled by Hydra at this time, yet he managed to snap out of it for a moment and recognized Steve (this was right after Steve said IWYTTEOTL). Steve and Bucky are two sides of the same coin. They balance each other out. Without the other, they wouldn't be where they are. Without their dynamic, the CA movies wouldn't be half as good as they are. 

(TLDR; Bucky sees Steve as hislight, someone who believes in his redemption despite Bucky's doubts, while Steve feels indebted to Bucky for always being there, even before he became Captain America. They balance each other.)

I'm turning you on in a dark room right before we both pass out

I'll turn you on when I need you, but the batteries ran out

—For the first line, as I said above, they relied on one another even in their darkest times. The second line on the other hand, is Bucky after the blip. He needed Steve to help and guide him in adjusting to this new world he was thrown into. Sadly, "the batteries ran out" means Steve is gone. Despite everything they went through together, Steve left Bucky to face things alone. (F.U STEVE ROGERS)

You're a werewolf and I'm a full moon

And all your very worst enemies will be gone soon

I think you're changing

Don't worry, you don't have to stay the same

Can we talk about this later?

Your voice is driving me insane

—In conclusion, cuz I'm tired and too lazy to continue this anymore— The Front Bottoms made this song for Steve and Bucky :D