#literally if they were any other family duke would straight up be like.

[aster-draws]

LOVED THE LATEST CHAPTER!! (You’re the highlight of my every two weeks <3)

I’m so invested…. Duke in the background of the last two chapters has me 👀

What do you see with your special eyes my boy,,,

Artist approximation :)

[flamingpudding]

Camping Trips

A/N: Schools Summer Vacation is starting where I live and even tho I don't get to enjoy that anymore, it gave me the idea for this prompt :D If anyone wants to use it please do but... uhm please tag me then? I am so curious what other ideas fanfic writers could come up with for this. Thank you! And happy Vacation time to everyone that gets to enjoy it!

Camping.

Its concept was the bane of existence for some teenagers and kids while others very much enjoyed that type of vacation. Danny belongs to the type that enjoys this type of vacation. Because going camping used to mean his parents were not stuck in the lab but would pay some attention to Jazz and him. It meant that for once ghosts weren't the most important things to his parents. It meant a literal break.

So when his parents told Jazz and him about a camping trip they were planning he was at first excited. Maybe it would be like the trips they used to go on. Something to remember, roasting marshmallows, fishing, exploring the woods. A change from everything that had become normal.

That was until he arrived at the scene at the camping place and his parents set up a mobile laboratory and various security measures to protect Jazz and Danny from any possible ghost attacks. Just because they weren't in Amity Park right now, didn't mean some ghost scum wouldn't try anything to harm them, or at least that was what his dad said.

Danny had flinched and backed away from his parents that were busy setting up a laboratory instead of a tent and sighed. His eyes roamed around the other camping spaces and landed on the only other people that appeared to want to use this place for a vacation spot. He was not jealous of how normal their camping space looked with just tents, mobile hammocks, campfires, standard camping equipment and no good damn ghost-hunting equipment or mobile laboratory.

Was it too much to ask for just one normal camping trip from his parents like these people had?

Dick had just wanted to give his siblings some form of normality for once. Vigilante life was tiring and one could easily lose sight of what was normal. So he suggested a family vacation to Bruce to mend that overlooked problem. Bruce hadn't liked that idea at first too but after Tim fell asleep in his breakfast 4 times in a row because he pulled several all-nighters to work on cases and Duke had a near panic attack realizing he had forgotten about an exam and Damian smuggled 9 blades into school because he got annoyed with his teachers all in one week… the man agreed more easily to Dick's vacation idea. Even more so when some of his siblings even mentioned they never had gone camping before.

It had taken some convincing but the eldest Wayne son even managed to get Jason on board. And Alfred gladly pushed them all out of the Manor if it meant Bruce would not be working for at least one week. So come to school vacation time and they all packed up going to some remote camping place for a NORMAL vacation. He was even going to convince everyone to lock away their phones and laptops for the duration.

Well… Dick glanced at the only other occupied space and blinked. That was not normal, was it? The other spice looked like these people had jumped straight out of a SiFy Movie, they were setting up a laboratory! And the adults were wearing hazmat suits! He saw how something green started glowing over there and distinctly but quietly because of the distance he heard machinery starting to hum over there. The man in the orange hazmat let out a boisterous laugh telling something to a girl and a boy that looked dressed normally. The boy then backed away from what he assumed were their parents with clear wariness in his eyes before looking over into their direction with what Dick assumed was envy.

The eldest of Wayne children wanted to ignore the familiar green Color or the yellow tanks that looked like they had a certain green liquid in them. If that was what he was highly suspecting then they would need to investigate these other campers. After watching the other people a little longer and seeing even more suspicious equipment that appeared to be powered by the green liquid, he put his head in his hands and let out a frustrated sigh.

Oh for the love of… they were supposed to have a vacation, not investigate what could be a mobile Lazarus Water research site! His head instantly snapped out his siblings hoping that they had not yet noticed and that maybe he could convince them to go to another lake to set up far away from what would set off ALL of their detective instincts. He could put a tracker on these people and return to that case AFTER their vacation was over. But no!

It was too late, he saw Tim's eyes watch the other space with open curiosity and narrowed eyes, Damian and Bruce were watching with wariness but keeping up a cover as they poked around in a campfire, Cass also tilted her head in curiosity before also turning back to the tent she was setting up as cover and the only one who appeared to not care at all was Jason but Dick could see the way he peeked over the book he was reading at the other occupants.

Damit, was it too much to ask for one normal vacation?

[msfcatlover]

Duke in the Reverse!Robins AU be like…

”Eldest daughter syndrome? What eldest daughter syndrome? Nah, just because I’m the oldest does not mean I have eldest daughter syndrome. Sure, I’ve had to mediate between Damian & Bruce, or Steph & Bruce, or help certain Titans find a middle ground, but that’s just being a good leader. And yeah, I’m protective of the younger kids, but that’s just what any responsible adult in my position would do.”

*finds out one of the members of his team has such bad civilian trauma they need to straight-up quit hero work*

“Oh shit… I fucked this up. I was too focused on my own problems, how the fuck did I miss this? Okay, okay. I was already burning out trying to juggle being Gotham’s only daytime hero and single-handedly leading the Titans. I need to pick one. And find some way to make it up to Grant. Jesus fuck, how did I miss this…”

*Tim becomes Cass’s apprentice. Steph & Cass start arguing more often. Steph has her biggest fight with Bruce yet. Steph goes missing.*

*Steph dies*

“After that fight with Bruce, no one backed her up. She didn’t know anyone was supporting her. She died thinking none of us were on her side. If any one of us had actively taken her side, instead of getting distracted with our own messes, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Oh, but am I really expecting Damian or Bruce to be intelligent about feelings? Am I really expecting tact from Cass? I know them too well; it should’ve been me, shouldn’t it? I can’t believe I managed to fuck up worse than I did with Grant…”

*Luna gets taken away*

“Look at what you’ve done, Bruce! Look what you’ve fucking done! You’re tearing this family apart! We all promised to look out for her if anything happened to Steph, and you’re just going to force every single one of us to break those promises?! You’re going to rip away the last piece of Steph we had?!? Look at Dami & Cass! Look at them! You did this!”

*finds out Damian’s training for Tim to be Shadow uses all the LoA techniques he refused to use for Steph, making it borderline-through-outright abusive, almost certainly to try to drive Tim off by making him too miserable to continue*

“I. I can’t fucking believe this. I can’t… I can’t believe it took me so long to realize. Damian, nobody is happy about this, but fuck you. I thought you were trying to be better, you absolute fucking asshole! And I… I don’t even have the excuse of not knowing half of the involved parties this time, or being away, or too busy, I was just looking away because I didn’t want to think about Tim taking Steph’s mantle. I should’ve fucking stopped this the first time Tim came back from Bludhaven. God fucking dammit, how do I keep failing the kids in my care in the same fucking way, over & over again?!”

*was all the way at the other end of the room & looking in the wrong direction to have enough forewarning to actually save Tim from being shot*

“I… I… I… I’m literally the only person who could’ve fucking stopped this. I have all the training, all the abilities, but I went to refill my punch glass, and now Timmy might never walk again. I mean, absolutely blame the asshole who pulled the trigger, but Tim & I were in the same fucking room. Who would even put a hit out on Tim Wayne? There’s no way Tim doesn’t know who’s behind this, but he won’t tell me because he doesn’t trust me, because of course he doesn’t! Look at my track record! When it matters most, I let down the people I love. My parents, Grant, Steph, Tim…”

*Jason becomes Shadow.*

*The Tower fight happens.*

*Jason gets kidnapped by the Joker.*

*Bruce “dies,” and Jason runs away to have the Red Robin arc.*

*Dick only begrudgingly puts up with Duke because Duke’s rather overbearing expressions of protectiveness support are not meshing well with Dick’s “stuck on anger til I personally catch my parents’ murderer” issue*

“…If anyone needs me, I’ll be screaming in the closet.”

[humorisstoredinthetits]

Assorted Headcannons

Living the kind of lifestyle they do is stressful sometimes

They love each other, dont get them wrong, but other people judge them and it gets to them sometimes

Chandler and Duke act like it doesn't affect them but in reality they're just better about hiding it

JD doesn't really care as long as their happy, but the relationship created a rift in Veronica's friendship with Betty and Martha

They wanted her to be happy, but she's dating all 3 of the people who bullied them, and herself, for years and that hurts

And honestly, they don't really believe the Heathers changed

Deep down, they believe that its all a trick, one giant final prank

Eventually Veronica was able to convince them that the Heathers were genuine, but they still kept an eye out for any evidence otherwise

Their distrust didn't fully go away until they sold them Duke's old house for cheap, literally a dollar, plus sending them some money and helping find them jobs

As for their parents, well Duke's and Chandler's are dead and Mac's mom fucked off years ago, so all they have is Mac's dad and Veronica's

Mac's dad doesn't care as long as Mac is happy

He's a good dad, maybe a little out of touch but he trusts the other Heathers to treat his daughter right

Veronica's parents, however, were more like Martha and Betty

When Veronica first told them that she was dating all 3 of them, they were concerned to say the least

They were already concerned with the changes in their daughter after she joined the Heathers, and they were sure they were manipulating her and this was their next step

Veronica called JD to try and convince them and that did not help, like at all

Eventually she got fed up and left and spent the night at Mac's and told the Heathers what happened

They all went back the next day and Chandler went on a whole rant about how much she loved Veronica and all the good she's done for them and that she doesn't care what they think and she'll love her regardless

This started the process of slowly changing her parent's minds towards them

But even beside family and friends, strangers treat them differently

They're used to being treated like goddesses at school so the change to real life was jarring for them

They decided early on that they weren't going to hide their relationship and be open about it in public

Even though they understood what this would mean for how they would be treated they all decided that being true to themselves was more important than anything

Whenever they go to the mall people whisper behind their backs about the weird lesbians who are all dating

Cashiers sometimes make comments when they check out

Children stare at them and ask their parents why those 4 girls all kissed each other

Men come up to them and 'joke' about having a 5-way or showing them that one man could satisfy them more than 3 women

This would take its toll on anyone, even the solid teflon bitches themselves

If Chandler gets stressed or pissed off enough, she will start screaming at whoever pissed her off

Like its a Karen level screaming match

She calls out their every minute flaw and she has made multiple people cry with how devastating her insults get

Duke goes straight to violence

She might be small but she can punch hard

She's broken arms and ribs before and she does not feel bad about it

Whenever it looks like Duke is getting to that point, Mac will grab her arm incase she decides to attack

She has gotten arrested many times but they just throw money at them or the judge until they drop the charges

Mac bottles it all up until she can't hold it in anymore and breaks down

She'll just collapse onto her bed or the couch and just sob

The other girls try and comfort her but they’res nothing they can really do until she calms herself down

Veronica just tries to get out of the situation, either by just going 'ok ok you win' or just walking away

She wants to be like Chandler and just scream until her throat is sore but she doesn't have the confidence like her to draw all that attention to herself

Ok thats enough angst

More fluff

Chandler's favorite animal are cats

Duke once told her that she's literally just a cat in a human body and she hissed

Sometimes when they are laying down and Mac is playing with her hair she'll start purring

She loves how they're just little needy assholes

She's crushed that Heather the cat doesn't love her

The cat only tolerates her whenever she has treats

Duke loves giraffes bc they're tall and she's short

Its her dream to ride one while gloating that she's finally taller than Chandler

Mac loves all animals obviously

Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Deer, if its big enough for her to hug she loves it

Heather the cat gets so mad if Mac's attention is taken by any person or animal when she wants attention

She will hiss and scratch until she gets what she wants

Chandler and the cat have a rivalry going on for Mac's attention

Veronica likes birds

Why? idk

She would totally teach a parrot to say something stupid to annoy a person, like 'Duke is short'

I think her favorite would be owls

Mac tried to do another game night, this time Wii Sports

She told Duke and Chandler that if they fought they had to sleep on the couch for a week and they weren't getting any affection

They tried, they really did

Baseball went ok, but during Tennis Duke started dominating and Chandler nearly swung her remote into Duke's face

During Bowling, Mac tried to get Duke to wear the wrist strap but Duke said "I'm a bad bitch I don't need no wrist strap"

The remote ended up flying into the wall

They just put a painting over it

Duke got like 5 strikes in a row, destroying Chandler

They faced each other during Boxing for the final round and once Duke won Chandler screamed and they tried choking each other out with the cord connecting the nunchuck to the wii

Chandler's favorite Disney movie is Sleeping Beauty bc she needs her beauty sleep to look good and she's just like her fr

Duke likes The Emperor's New Groove bc she likes the memes

Instead of telling someone to turn off the lights she'll say "pull the lever Kronk"

She will find any opportunity to insert a meme from that movie

Everyone else thinks its mid as hell and that pisses her off to no end

Mac's favorite is Frozen

She will sing Let it Go in the shower and when she's working

Her and Chandler went as Anna and Elsa for Halloween when they were like 5

Anna > Elsa

She hates Frozen 2 and will rant about it for hours if uninterrupted

Veronica likes the Dark Age Disney movies like Fox and the Hound and Sword in the Stone

Her parents had those DVDs at home so she watched them over and over again

For Christmas one year everyone got Chandler an industrial sized box of Corn Nuts bc Costco was having a sale that year to get rid of the backstock

Half of their pantry is just fucking Corn Nuts

Nicknames; Bc 3/4ths of them are named Heather so they need some way to differentiate themselves

Chandler: Chan, Chan-Chan, Chandy, Bitch

Duke: Duke, Ducky, Dukie

Mac: Mac, Macky, Sweetie, Sweetheart

Veronica: Ronica, Ronnie, Ronniekins, Ron, V, Sawyer

They're trying to convince Veronica to change her name to Heather to match the rest of them

Alternatively, they're all gonna be Heather Sawyer to confuse even more people

Chandler is Pansexual but rarely talks about men due to bad past experiences

Duke and Mac are both lesbian

Veronica is Bisexual but jokes she's 'Heatherseuxal'

[aubdrewanchel]

Ehrenfest: from a middle duchy to a republic ᶠᶠ (Dawnfall of Bibliophile part 1)

(This is just random ff on AoaB I wrote after two months of writing block. Easter eggs included. Enjoy!)

(English is not my first language)

♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜♜

I laid my head on my desk. It fought back the sleepiness. I rubbed my eyes to keep them open and frowned at the sight of the study books in front of me.

Curse the Yurgenschmidt's emperor for establishing compulsory schooling.

The bell signaled the start of the last period for the day - history. I hated history with all my might. Don't get me wrong, I love myths and legends, but learning about all the kings, emperors and presidents made my head dizzy.

I listened to the teacher talking about one of Ehrenfest's greatest figures. She was talking about Lady Rozemyne, the so called Saint of Ehrenfest. She had a great impact on today's technology. The republic of Ehrenfest, in that time just a middle duchy Ehrenfest, was suffering from the last civil war.

Lady Rozemyne invented many things to help her people and overall raise the status of our duchy. The historians argue about many mysteries surrounding her. Some says she was born genius, other says she had alien civilization help her and give her the knowledge to build things like printing press. And there are many more bizarre theories like that.

People also like to talk about the legend of her being a saint or reincarnation of a goddess. Which I would love to believe, but apparently, those are only stories, since science proved no things like magic existed.

I wish I could live in a world with magic and mana.

The other interesting thing about her was that she came out of nowhere. She literally had no parents. When the archaeologist found her corpse and scientists studied her genetics, there was no match with anybody from her family. It was like she was born out of thin air.

Hehe... Try explaining this, science.

I smirked at the thought that there actually might have been some magic. Lady Rozemyne was great source of mysterious legends.

The class came to end with me still fantasising about world with cool magic and epic monsters.

I went straight to my grandparents' house. I live on the west part of the capital city New Eisenreich. It was built around the original city Eisenreich, which is now more of a historical monument than a livable place, with the Republic's government located in the former noble quarter and the duke's palace.

"I'm back, grandma." I took off my shoes and went to hug my grandma named Effa, which she told was name passed down for many and many generations.

"Finally it's Winday, I can now repose for the rest of the weekend." I yawned. I was excited to finish the book I started last Fireday.

"Come eat before you hole up in the library, Rozelle."

I obediently walked to the kitchen and served myself potatoffel salad and fried bird. The smell made my stomach growl. I prayed before digging in. I loved mayonnaise salads, especially the potatoffels ones, and soon enough my plate was all clean.

"You're so thin, Rozelle. You should eat more." My grandma clicked her tongue, clearly displeased. "I'm about to bake some apfelsige pies, so be sure to come down when they're ready."

I happily skipped to my grandparents' library. There were no windows, as not to damage all the books by direct sun light , so I needed a flash light to find the book I wanted. I found it in instant, since I already knew where was what book, and I took it to my room.

I gently placed it on the desk, as not to impair the cover. It was one of the oldest printed books and it was my father's family inheritance. When I was little, my grandfather would always read some of those old books for me before sleep. He said we shared blood with Lady Rozemyne who made them, and that was the reason for having so many old printed books.

As I said before, Lady Rozemyne had no genetic connection with the archduke's family or any other archnoble family, but she somehow shared ancestors with me. Which was another mystery to her life.

I carefully flipped thought the pages of the book. It was a storybook about legendary magic beasts, so-called feybeasts. This one was named goltze. My eyes scanned the text with so much joy. I fantasised about being a knight who fought his foes with magic.

"I'm ever so honoured to be chosen as your guard knight, milady. Hencefort I shall server you with all my skill and power."

I let out a sigh full of envy. I gently turned the page and kept reading. I was so absorbed in the story, that I haven't realised grandmother was calling for me. I closed the book and went to the kitchen once again. As soon as I opened the door, the sweet smell of apfelsige pie tickled my nose. I took a slice and immediately started eating.

Suddenly my grandma put a book infront of me. "I discovered this when cleaning my mother's old clothes chest. You can find it a place in the library." She smiled warmly.

I grabbed the book. "I sure will! What is it about anyways?" I carefully turned few pages. "Wait, it's not printed?! How did that even get here? Thanks 'ma."

I couldn't wait to read it. I sat next to the window, so I would have enough light, and I started. I was immediately out of words. It was about magic! Spells, body enchantments, prayers and divine blessings, magic tools and divine instruments, everything!

I devoured every letter. I carefully observed all the illustrations. When suddenly, a very familiar drawing appeared. It was a magic tool in the shape of a ring. I realised, I've already seen it somewhere. I took off the necklace my mom gave me for birthday. It was the same golden ring with a blue stone as the one I had on a stringed up on a twine, since it was too big to wear.

I run up to my grandma. "Grandma, where is this ring from?! I really need to know, it's super important."

"I'm not entirely sure. This might be from your mother's side of family, so you should ask Lutzy instead."

I hung my head sadly. That didn't help at all. "'Kay. I'll ask mom later."

I went back to reading. It was fun, sure, but I haven't got much actual information from it, since it was written in even older language, than in those printed books from Lady Rozemyne's era. The only piece of information I was able to decipher was that they we're used for controlling one's mana.

I reeeally hate how science tries to hide the existence of magic in our history. I'm pretty sure it was a real thing.

It took the ring off the twine. I rolled it in my hands, wondering just how big fingers had it's former owner. I would be able to fit two fingers in it, it not more. Out of curiosity I tried it on. It immediately shrunk in size and now fitted my finger perfectly.

"Waaah...! Whatta? Was that an actual magic?!" I suddenly felt very light headed. It was like my energy was sucked away. I took the ring off and the flow stopped.

I grinned. Just you wait fantasy world, I'm going for you!

(Word count: 1219)

[folliesandfolderols]

Writing prompts day 9

From this prompt list. I set a goal of writing at least 150 words per day in 2024, which sounds pretty pathetic but if you take into account the fact that I haven't written any fiction since 2019 it felt like a feasible target. Anyway I've finished the first draft (it topped out at 88k words) and will be unlocking each post as I edit.

read from the beginning here

Day 8 here

***

71. "How are you feeling?"

***

They all had nightmares, and they almost all had protocols for how they were supposed to be woken up in case they dreamed around someone else.

Dick didn't react badly to being touched, so usually a hug was the right choice until he opened his eyes.

Jason had to be left utterly alone until he woke himself up, and then sometimes whoever was with him was allowed to sit next to him without talking while he clutched the knife under his pillow and pretended he wasn't pressing into their side.

Steph needed someone to call her from safely out of arm's reach, and then hold her hand while she stared at the ceiling.

Cass dreamed silently, without providing a clue of what was happening in her sleeping mind. Her companions only knew she'd had a bad dream if she chose to tell them.

Duke would wake himself up and then talk about literally anything else. It was the job of the person with him to laugh at his jokes and act like nothing had happened.

Damian was mean as a snake for a good half hour after being awoken from nightmares unless it was Dick who did it, so whoever was with him had to be careful not to be caught checking on him.

And Tim . . .

Well, Bernard had just straight-up called it creepy, though only in the most affectionate way when Tim was past the worst of it. Tim couldn't disagree with the description. His brain wouldn't shut down even in the middle of relived trauma, and he usually ended up talking out loud in his sleep, so whoever was nearby got half of whatever dialogue he was trapped in. He'd had a lot of run-ins with talkative villains, people who preferred to frame their violence with words. So if he was having a bad dream, usually the best way to help him was to talk back, to tell him he was safe and it was over.

Of course, none of that helped when he wasn't dreaming, like right now. Standing in his father’s apartment. His father lay on the floor opposite Captain Boomerang.

“Oh God . . . oh God, not again . . .” he quavered in the doorway. “I'll get it out . . . I'll get help . . .”

You should've .  .  . tried harder . . . Jack whispered.

You weren't drafted, his own voice added. You waltzed right in and demanded this role. So why are you so bad at it? No answer? Beautiful. Then we'll just have to run it again, won't we?

“You think this is a game?” Tim demanded.

Wow. Fifty-two times and not even close. Not once.

His father lay dead on the floor again.

“I can save you, Dad- - you just have to trust me. I can do it--I have to do it!” he panted out.

Face it, Bird Boy, you can't save anyone. You’ll get everyone you know killed someday. It's just too bad that your best was never good enough.

His father lay dead on the floor again. 

Batman didn't have any training when his father died- - what’s your excuse? Stephanie sneered. Now stay back before you get anyone else killed!

“Stephanie, wait!” he shouted after her. “You can't do this! You're one of my best friends! I can't lose you too - -”

You wanted to carry the world on your wings, little Robin . . . the doppelgänger rasped.

His family lay dead on the floor.

How do you even go on breathing? the other Tim asked, acid in every word.

“Leave me alone,” Tim cried, but none of it made any difference because they were dead again, they were always dead on the floor and it was always his fault--

"Ssh," a voice said in his ear, low and soothing. "You're home. You don't have to save anyone tonight."

Tim sobbed and curled into a ball. Everything was so cold and he would never see anyone he loved ever again--

But heat curved to press against his back and wrapped around his chest, pulling him close to the person still murmuring reassurances. "You're no longer there. You're in your Nest and there are no active threats to the others. They're finished with patrol and in bed."

With another shuddering sob, Tim finally woke fully and pushed his body even more tightly against Damian's. The dark surrounding them was a relief when he still saw the bodies sprawled in puddles of blood every time he blinked.

"I'm awake," he whispered when his voice started working again. "Thanks."

Damian brushed a kiss against his temple. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts but that's it. Fuck. I'm so glad I'm not really there." Tim overlay Damian's arm with his own and pulled it closer to his chest.

"As am I."

day ten here

[charlicfms]

[ milo ventimiglia, cis man, he/him ] — spotted in the streets of brooklyn, it’s CHARLES “CHARLIE” MASON. they have lived in the city for HIS WHOLE LIFE, working as a PERSONAL TRAINER & BARTENDER AT TAILGATERS. the 43 year old will probably be seen around GREEN POINT a lot, seeing as that’s where they live. people say they can be a bit HEADSTRONG and IMPATIENT, but friends know them to be ASTUTE and CANDID. you know for sure you’ve found them when you’ve come across NEATLY FOLDED CLOTHES, WATCHING THE SUNRISE THROUGH THE WINDOW, AND UNANSWERED TEXTS . welcome to brooklyn, it’s been waiting for you! — [ penny, 25, gmt, she/her, none ]

full name: charles jude mason. nickname(s): charlie, also got 'cj' as a kid. age:  forty-three. birthday: april 30th. gender / pronouns:  cis man ,  he / him. orientation:  bisexual / biromantic. place of birth: new york, ny. current residence: green point, brooklyn. height: 5'9. scars / notable features: crooked mouth / smile, the result of a birth defect. scar in his left jaw and too many other scars to count, most hidden by everyday clothing. personality: supportive, inflexible, courteous, temperamental.

caught the mason family interest in medicine bug at a young age, but always knew he wanted to do something slightly different with it.

so, after getting his diploma, charlie applied to become a combat medic in the army. he always made a point to stay in contact with his family where possible -- they were always close and he didn't want to lose that, even if they were thousands of miles apart. naturally, whenever he was home he always went straight to catch up with them.

( injury, medical, ptsd, depression, medication tw ) around six years ago, charlie was seriously injured and medically discharged from the army. he acquired moderate hearing loss in his left ear and has since used a hearing aid, and had his left leg amputated above the knee. he was also diagnosed with ptsd and depression and is ( sometimes ) in therapy and on medication for this.

given that he'd have been more than happy to be a combat medic for the rest of his life, leaving the army was a real blow. the physical recovery was long-winded and hard -- he'd be the first to admit that -- but the mental one was arguably a bigger climb.

unsure what he wanted to do with himself, but knowing that he didn't want to go back into anything medicine related, charlie got a bartending job at the sports bar tailgaters. at the very least he could watch whatever game was showing while he worked.

the second he was finally able to get back to the gym properly, he started showing a tentative interest in the world of personal training -- he loved exercise, enjoyed being around people and helping them in particular -- so it seemed like a good possible fit.

around a year ago, charlie completed his personal trainer certification and has started working part time in that role alongside bartending. the pting fills his days a bit more which is nice, but he's come to actually quite like bartending so he's not quite being brave enough to get rid of it and focus on the pting full time -- he's not sure he ever will.

headcanons.

has a golden retriever called duke, he has become a de facto emotional support animal and charlie would literally take him everywhere if he could, he is his baby and best friend.

a busybody. this man hates having nothing to do and is thus forever pestering his siblings and anybody who makes eye contact with him for something to do. usually, it's an offer to help them out with something.

volunteers with the local va mostly to give back, but also for something to do. a win-win situation.

TERRIBLE at answering texts. save yourself the time/energy and just call him, especially if there's any degree of urgency involved. if he replies at all it will be like... seven working days late. and he will not have a good reason for it. it's just an annoying quirk of his. OR he'll answer when he's having trouble sleeping at stupid o'clock and be confused that he didn't get an immediate answer like usual.

big protective big brother energy. you could be 3 hours younger than him and he'd take that role on. in a similar vein... this man is destined to be a dad and hung up that it hasn't happened to him yet. he's absurdly good with kids and loves hanging with them to bits and they seem to love him right back.

wanted connections.

neighbours, childhood friends, high school sweetheart, best friend, close friends, PT clients, fitness buddies, regulars at tailgaters, unrequited / mutual crushes, drinking buddies, first dates, coworkers, someone he can dad tf out of, exes ( good / bad terms ), one night stands, confidant, flings. literally everything pls !

[myshadesofwrong]

As a historian, who has a literal degree in this (primarily British monarchy with some French so a lot of my examples will come from them), I am begging you if you’re going to be anti-monarchy, at least know the facts so you’re no sprouting the same tired rhetoric over and over.

Or in other words, OP is right (about the fandom and the monarchy)

Rants like the reblog from hotaurea make me so mad because the world and institutions are not black and white. The world, people, and the things we create like institutions have both good and bad and most everybody exists in gray. That’s just a fact.

I agree with the OP. No institution is perfect and evolve. Wilhelm could have been the lynchpin to help his institution evolve. Because, believe it or not, the monarchy does do some good. First, hotaurea is right in a way., Anybody can advocate for issues and charities but the monarchy has something you and I don’t. A platform. Their tags about correctly exposing that particular part as ‘bullshit’ is quite literally wrong. Every royal has a cause. Whatever you think of King Charles of England, he has for years been a champion of the environment, highlighting farmers and natural causes. Do you honestly think that the reporters and press would give a shit if he didn’t show up. Same with Queen Camilla of England. She champions and works quite a lot with domestic abuse charities. Prince William, Princess Catherine, and Prince Harry all constantly give attention to mental health issues. And Prince Harry has his veterans work. Now, we all can go and help each of these very important issues but our impact is going to be nil to theirs. Why? The same reason everyone demands celebrities speak up about issues. Platform. People listen. Now we can have a debate on ‘worthiness’ certainly. That’s a fair debate. But the truth of the matter is as the royal family, they have the reach and the interest from the press to bring more attention to the issue. Please no not negate that impact.

As for the ‘homophobic’ accusation, tell me you’ve never done actual research on the monarchy, any monarchy. I can name FIVE LGBTQIA+ monarchs or members of their family right off the top of my head:

Queen Anne of Great Britain (1700s)

Philippe I, Duke of Orleans, brother of King Louis XIV (a known cross dresser as well, actually openly wore women’s clothing at Versailles)

Edward II of England

Ludwig II of Bavaria

And my personal fav:

James VI of Scotland and I of England.

James is a particular favorite because the man was at least bi-sexual and literally commissioned the fucking King James Bible. You know, the one that all the homophobes use as “proof” of homosexuality being a sin. Pull that out at your next party/family gathering. I love seeing people’s expressions when they learn that.

Anyway, if you think monarchies are homophobic, you have no idea of the history. Y’all, historically, royals are fucking wild. Many straight monarchs actually had lovers both male and female. Some did marry and have children while others never did. But here’s my point, they NEVER hid them. These affairs or favorites were paraded with pride throughout courts. Lovers were given prominent roles in households, on councils, were advisors. It is a very modern assumption or concept really that monarchies must be straight and private. Did some hide them, yes. But go back through history and you’ll find countless stories of favorites being paraded around in from of wives, husbands, and courts. And by repeating that concept, you’re propogating conservative rhetoric is trying to hide LGBTQIA+ history. It’s that simple. And let’s not even talk about sex parties and the actual proclavities of some of these royals. Seriously, look them up. You’ll find out the true meaning of truth is stranger than fiction.

Now we can have debates over finances (reminder royals are not actual leeching off of citizens. They do have their own inheritance wealth, as well as I believe real estate is a big one. Again, the origin of the that is certainly cause for criticism but they’re not getting paid by your taxes) and actual worthiness as hotaurea put it but can we please have a non-extremist discussion on monarchy. It’s not either/or. There are good sides and bad sides to it, even in modern times. Actually, I would say modern monarchies are actually more relevant than their colonizer and blood thirsty ancestors. Modern monarch/royals devote their lives to charities and causes. They have no say in most governments and are definitely not sending troops out to war. But I digress.

Anyway, this is getting too long. I just wanted to point out the flaws in hotaurea’s little rant and add that OP was right. Wille could have been the son of a CEO of a big corporation and the story wouldn’t have changed one bit. It made his decision less impactful because we are never shown the actual struggle Wille could have had. Because you will never convince me, a good PR person would not have seen the potential in Wille after his speech and would not have let him champion a LGBTQIA+ cause. Imagine if Fatima would have been like okay, but Wille chose to go the safe route? That makes Simon’s reaction and his own work more impactful in the series. He even tried to tell Wille but it was WILLE who did not want to listen. In the end, maybe if they had shown the good side of the monarchy, it would have made Wille’s decision even more impactful instead of it looking selfish and impulsive. Or he could have stayed and shown what having a platform for good actually is but OP is right. And believe it or not, there is such a thing as IVF where Wille could have had a biological child. Shocking I know. Or a surrogate. Stop ignoring these possibilities.

Lisa was too stuck on the same rhetoric above instead of creating an institution that would have been nuanced and more realistic instead of a one-dimensional villain twirling their mustache.

Too busy to write a 5k essay it deserves but neither the audience nor Wilhelm saw the actual monarchy as an institution worth fighting for or at least worth considering it.

The monarchy was completely absent from the show. You could replace it with a billion-dollar publicly traded company and it wouldn't change the plot. Concerns about public image? Check. Out of control sense of privilege? Check. Spoiled children of rich parents? Check.

No one from the unrealistically small royal family was given a chance to demonstrate or explore the gravity and the positive influence a thousand-year-old institution can have. Does the queen have causes she particularly cares about? Does she invest her time into fundraising for them? Does she think certain problems are overlooked by the society and does she use her celebrity status to draw attention to them? We have no idea, we only have been shown her caring about the public image of the institution she represents.

Same with Wille: in the show he was never given a chance to explore how his status could be used for good. Were there young people for whom his coming out meant a lot? Definitely, but we never heard about them. Would it be equally important for others if the crown prince started openly talking about his struggles with anxiety? For sure. This list is potentially endless but the creators were never interested in showing anything positive about the monarchy.

[deadmomjokes]

Now I'm intrigued about the eevee army! It sounds like theres a story there and I would love to hear it!

Okay SO.

Back when the first Pokemon wave hit the U.S., roughly the late-90s and early 2000s, my family got massively Into It. By my family, I mean my big sister and my cousins, who were living with us at the time. Being somewhere between the age of 7 and 10, I was really just along for the cute little critters.

My sister and cousins, though. Full-tilt obsession. They had the fancy training mats and everything, though they got so good they didn't even need the mats to keep things straight. They used every bit of spare change to buy packs and boosters in the hopes of getting shinies and more powerful rare cards. It was exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from a herd of young geeks.

My mom, while somewhat disturbed by the fervor with which 4 of the 6 young children in her house started flipping out over little cartoon animals(?), didn't actively discourage it until the physical fights started. But that happened later. For the first few months, she was all too happy to feed the frenzy because it made birthdays and Christmas SUPER easy-- everyone gets a pack of Pokemon cards in their stocking. Yay! Christmas made, and it barely takes up any storage space.

But.

What's the one thing common to all random-chance-card-buying games? You get a bunch of weak, common cards in every pack. Sometimes that's all you get. But hey, that's Baby's First Gambling; you keep going back for more because what if you get that really powerful Shiny Charizard this time?

Now, I was not into the game aspect, nor into the collecting aspect. I just thought they were neat. I gave mine names and played games with them like they were dolls. I would use the Energy cards as food and have them run a little restaurant or go on a picnic. It was adorable and slightly embarrassing.

Now, back to the pack-devouring habits of my older sibling and cousins. In their quest to build the perfect, unbeatable deck, they accumulated quite a lot of 'useless' cards. Among those were plenty of low-level pokemon like Eevee.

Little me LOVED Eevee. (Heck, big me loves Eevee, they're the best.) Cutest pokemon ever, like a fox, a dog, a cat, and a squirrel all at once; everything I loved rolled into one adorable, fluffy little package! So I started asking if I could take the leftover Eevees for my Eevee city I was building with legos. "Yeah, sure, whatever, here you go."

I started doing this with other cards, too. Hey, can I have these energy cards you don't use for your electricity-heavy deck? Cool, thanks. What about these special action cards that don't work with your preferred type? Neat, thanks! I built up this big collection of castoff cards while my cousins and my sister duked it out for game supremacy.

Eventually, my cousins moved out. My big sister was left with nobody to play with... except me. I had never played, nor did I really want to. I didn't take it very seriously when she tried to teach me, mostly just going along with it to appease her. I would play the standard Gardevoir deck against her Blaziken deck, and she'd kick my trash every time.

I'm not sure how or when it first occurred to me, but one day a light went on. You lose when you have no more playable pokemon, right? Well I have, like, a billion Eevees. I'd never run out. I could use those. So I rebuilt the Gardevoir deck. One Gardevoir, and a billion Eevees. Because my Eevees didn't need any special energy type and I wasn't focusing on special attacks or actions, I could use literally any energy I had laying around, and my dozens of Eevees. I loaded the deck with that and only that. Sixty cards of energy and Eevees.

I don't know how, but it completely broke the balancing mechanics of the game. I smeared my sister's carefully curated Blaziken deck. She decided it was a fluke, so she used her Charizard deck. I won again. She cooked up a deck that was heavy on the Fighting types, which Eevee was weak against. Still, I won.

She threw everything she had at my Eevee Wall and never made it over. Turns out, "Keep chucking little fox squirrels until they wear your opponent down piecemeal" was not a strategy that designers and playtesters had accounted for. (Which I feel like they really should have, because this is supposed to be a kid's game, right? That's a totally kid thing to do. But anyway.)

My sister was ENRAGED. In her view, there was no way I should have been able to win by just spamming Eevees. It was a violation of the spirit of the game, and also, how did my wimpy little 50-health Eevees keep taking down her Onyx???

Nevertheless, Eevees persisted.

Our reign was glorious, if short-lived. She got so mad she quit playing altogether. She would rather not play at all than face my Eevee Army again. Which, now that I think about it, was kind of a jerk move, but I was, like, 9? And really tired of playing this boring card game when I had a whole soap opera plot to get back to with my little Eevee clan. The Queen was missing, guys! I didn't have time to play cards when the kingdom was in peril!

(For anyone concerned, I did eventually agree to play with her 'normally,' provided she made the deck for me and was fine with a hard limit of one game per day. I only realized looking back on it that she totally rigged my deck to make sure that not only did she win, she never had to look at another Eevee again.)

But yeah, maybe they've fixed things a little since the OG edition, but Eevee Army worked every dang time and it's still one of my proudest un-achievements of childhood.

Moral of the story: Never underestimate the power of a bored little girl and some really cute filler cards. Also, Eevee is the best.

[corinthreean]

this is a really long ramble, babe, i am so sorry lmfao. but i've gotta rant about some fans for a moment ok.

seen a bunch of people on here say that it's illogical and bad writing for thomas to consider richard's marriage a breaking up moment because he was willing to turn a blind eye to phillip marrying mary in s1e1, and it's like ???

like idk if they're straight or if they're young or what, but as a lesbian in her 30s i have definitely noticed my feelings about closeted relationships change. when i was in my teens and early 20s i was completely sympathetic to girlfriends who were still closeted, who i would be just a "flatmate" to in the eyes of their family, who would only acknowledge our relationship in private. but nowadays i wouldn't even consider for a second dating someone in the closet. even if they were perfect in every other way, i could not face having to live a half-life and skulking around, walking on eggshells and checking over my shoulder in case her third cousin twice removed was looking at us before i held her hand. that would 100% be a deal breaker every single time at my age despite it being acceptable when i was younger.

there is no reason to look at 18yo (or whatever he is in s1) thomas being happy to live in secret with the duke and then assume that same thing still applies to thomas after everything he's been through since that time. he's been forcibly outed to everyone in his life. he's socialised with other gay men. he's nearly died at least twice. he's been arrested. he's living a life where everyone around him knows what he is and is fine with it. the idea of going back into the closet isn't going to be appetising in any way. like this is literally part of thomas' canon characterisation! he isn't foul! he doesn't need to change! society is wrong, not him! he wants his own husband, not a dirty little secret affair with someone else's husband.

and lol, i even saw one anti-guy person accusing people who liked the guy plot of being obsessed with the "sanctity of marriage" lmfao. like no! that's not it! we just think thomas needs the freedom to be himself openly to be happy, which can't happen if richard is married, not because we're all secretly conservative christians.

like idk why i'm getting so heated about something that doesn't really matter sjfhsjfs but omg i'm just so mad! they're all so dumb

Anon idk why you’re hiding because everything you’re saying is 1000% correct and you deserve to be getting the likes for this!!

Even aside from all your fantastic and true points, there’s a big difference between being with a married Duke as his valet (who will necessarily get tons of time alone with him / get to travel with him), and being with a married valet, who it’s going to be quite hard to fabricate excuses to spend more than a couple of hours a month with AT MOST. Unless he’s married an understanding friend, which the film gives no indication of seeing as it seems very clear he’s received a Dear John letter, it would be putting them at tremendous risk to see him with a wife knowing his business and probably rather keen he doesn’t go to hotels or b&bs without her, whether she thinks he’s seeing other women or men. And any likelihood of the domesticity and settled life he craves with the man he loves is gone.

That doesn’t make Richard a bad person, it makes him a person who clearly ended up feeling he had no alternative but to adopt the veil of normality a wife would offer. But is it fair to suggest Thomas could never possibly be happier than he would be as his secret lover sending him home to his wife at the end of their rare, rushed meetings? No, I don’t think so.

[ziipzeepzop-eez]

BUMI YOU'RE A MAD GENIUS!! (/ref) 🙌🏼🌟

Awww, Dukeeeee 😭😭 I legit forgot bro's a student for a second!! Yet- I do remember that he's the only meta in the family -w-..... Bro would immediately get brownie points upon discovery from Little Wing, I just know it.

◦•●◉✿ Stephanie ✨ ✿◉●•◦ is literally the LOML don't play w me ✋🏼 𝐻𝑂𝑊 𝐷𝑂 𝑌𝑂𝑈 𝐺𝐸𝑇 𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑆𝐸 𝐻𝐶𝑆 𝑆𝑂 𝑆𝑃𝑂𝑇 𝑂𝑁 𝐸𝐴𝐶𝐻 𝑇𝐼𝑀𝐸?? IT'S LIKE YOU CRAWLED INTO THE HEADS OF THE CHARACTER CREATORS AND PICKED OUT EVERY NICHE DETAIL AND BENT THEM TO YOUR WILL???? (┛✧Д✧))┛ I raise my hand in respect to you, sir.

Can- matter of fact... C-can I just.?

If you'd just-

Lemem-

Duke and you eating lunch together, away from the bustling crowds of students who try to cozy up for a chance at an inside scoop.

High fives when you guys pass by each other in the halls.

—or just straight up stopping in the middle of traffic to deck out your Super Cool Sibling Handshake. It's something intricate and cool and impartial to you guys only and it becomes Iconic amongst the student body and Prime Instigating Material among your siblings when it inevitably goes viral because SOMEBODY recorded it and posted it to their socials.

Reader getting into screaming matches with their history teachers and Duke watching as you get escorted down the halls, marching straight towards the principal's office, and hurriedly intervening - at the very most, ditching whatever he was previously occupied with to accompany you. Bro's ALWAYS on your side, no matter what.

If you and Duke have classes together, he always aims to sit next to/by you. Y'all fool around sm under the radar it's so entertaining. Handshakes under the tables, passing notes, sharing some candy/snacks y'all stashed away in your backpacks, doodling on each other's papers, etc.

Always chooses you first if you guys have projects that require partners!! (That is, if you're not paired up with anyone already.)

I absolutely love your hc of him making a fool of himself to take any overwhelming attention off of you; additionally, he's fiercely protective over you. He's definitely not afraid to get physical if someone tries to start shit with you in the halls.

It's not that you can't protect yourself - it's just that sometimes, you mayn't be feeling the vibe. He's got some good friends himself at Gotham Academy, and they all become like- your friends too. And they look out for you in their own ways!

You've got the loyalty of an entire gaggle of one-to-two years older teens that become a little like your older siblings too. (DUKE IS AWESOME, YOU ATTRACT WHAT YOU ARE - YOU CAN'T TELL ME BRO DON'T GOT AT LEAST TWO TO THREE GOOD FRIENDS 🙌🏼)

(Literally Robin and his poor boys, or whatever they were called I forgot at this present moment lmaosososjd)

But you stand up for Duke too. It didn't take long for you to devote your loyalty to him- especially when he's been so kind to you.

You once sent a student to the infirmary with a bloody nose and busted lip after they let a racist comment slide, and even then, you had to be pulled off by a couple of kids in your grade because you were going at it.

Feral, more like. You bashed the kid's head into a locker so hard

"I'LL FOLD YOUR SHIT RIGHT HERE F*CKER!! KEEP MY BROTHER'S NAME OUT YOUR TOILET-DRINKING MOUTH, YOU UNDERSTAND?! KEEP PLAYING WITH ME!! YOU THINK I GIVE TWO FRESH DAMNS ABOUT YOUR STUPID TABLOIDS?! - PLEASE LET ME HEAR SOMETHING COME OUT YOUR MOUTH AGAIN, PLEASE DO IT!!"

(That's code for Don't Do It. 😀👍)

(or do!!.... And promptly suffer the consequences! 😄)

And while Duke was shell shocked because wow, you could throw a really solid right hook-- that was the first time you openly acknowledged him as your brother. 😭 and so passionately, at that! /lh

Bruce has to get called down but it gets resolved fairly quickly because of several things:

1. The fight was recorded. The segment where you had come in, yes! That's what they showed first. But there's been a fatal mistake; the entire incident, right up from when Duke was getting lowkey harassed, was recorded too. From one of the lackeys themselves. And you mention it- because you know. They became their own undoing.

and 2. Bruce is one of the richest men on Earth. In Gotham, no less. While he's all for justice, he's a father before anything. All it takes is the backhanded comment that started this whole thing to be mentioned and he sends the offending party scrambling with their tails between their legs.

(You held Duke's hand as Bruce walked you guys out of that office without another complaint and snarled- literally snarled, like some rabid raccoon- at the bully on your way out and made him flinch so hard he fell off the office's chair. And that made Duke laugh.

(I'd say that's the catalyst for y'all's relationship solidifying from then on out. 💖)

Buying snacks from the vending machines, and just vibing in the hallways. Skipping classes? Nah, you're both just taking your time. (´ω`)

Walking home together 10/10 🙌🏼 Or racing to the car where Alfred's waiting! 🙌🏼

When y'all become super close (because, let's be real, y'all become for lifers 🤞) y'all give each other piggyback rides. Throughout school, to the car, when on the track fields during gym.

AGAJSDGHDD I'M SORRY I FORGOT HOW MUCH I ADORE DUKE PLSS 🌟💛🦇

Oh, but you're right on the money with Stephanie and Cass 🥹🥹 The self care nights!!! Deffo becomes ritual - ‼️NOBODY‼️ IS ALLOWED TO MISS IT. And if you do, no you don't. Trust me. You will be there. You have no choice.

Throwing chips at your head, leaving the door open just to be that guy... Just so Stephanie coded, I literally can't. 💜

SHE'D PROBABLY BE THAT SIBLING TO CHASE YOU AROUND AND COPY YOU TO BE OBNOXIOUS HELPPPPP

Cass is literally the love of my entire life. (Help I have so many wives akshdjd /plat) SHE'S SO CUTEEEE!! 😭😭

You'd talk in sign to her and the first time you do it, it makes her soso happy. Being from the streets, I imagine reader would have that kinda knowledge under their belt already! Look at how handy it came in.

Cass and her cat tendencies alshdjdfh, y'all know each other so well. 🐈‍⬛🩶

Tim being the company's CEO and just, straight up dragging you to meetings because he's more entertained by you than the boring briefings just makes sm sense.

You started a very passionate debate with one of the crotchety old businessmen once and Tim didn't step in to stop it because a) he was genuinely intrigued because you had a solid argument and shone a light that the FASCISTS didn't like on the whole situation and b) you were so, funny.

You flustered the guy you were arguing with so much, he turned purple in the face and stuttered like a mad man when trying to come up with a rebuttal. It was humiliating. Humiliating!

But not for you.

...........

"Eat the rich" is your catchphrase. You are a dreaded case throughout the entire company. People either love or hate, slightly fear you. You have power.

Also! One more thing!

*leans in to the mic* You and Jason starting a book club. That is all.

Sooooooooooooo~~~ I've got more DC brainworms. I have come to share. 🤲🏼

Picture this, wildflower. *throws arm around your shoulder, gestures to the empty space in front of us, envisioning* A young (eventual) bat!sibbie reader who has a very similar essence to Jason.

and I mean....... literally. a mini Jason. lmaooo listenlistenlisten — yn is a scrappy, free-spirited orphan who comes from the slums of Gotham; they've been here a while, only giving a noncommittal shrug and wry smile when inquired about any of it. same story for a lot of us 'round here.

—and wouldn't it just be hilarious if they came into the Batfam the same way Jase did? By STEALING 👏🏼 HUBCAPS. 👏🏼

except it don't gotta be hubcaps, yn is a ✨professional✨ and a 🔥savage🔥 and just straight up carjacked the Batmobile LMALAOAOAOO (they earn Jason's utmost respect right off the bat [BAT PUN 🦇]; Steph, Dick, and Duke are the runner-ups). Bruce probably gains a new neck vein but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued!

thennnnn you muck up when you give the slightest inclination that you know his secret identity bcz it'd be significantly more terrifying (read: hilarious) than if you were to fall victim to the cliche 'i saw something i wasn't supposed to and now I'm being taken hostage by these randos in masks and oh holy smokes it's actually multi-billionaire airhead himbo Bruce Wayne!? and his KIDS!!??'

time skip because seamless transition, bing bada boom, they're Bruce's newest ward and filling the tabloids. while it may be a hot story that the entirety of the paparazzi froth at the mouths at, it's a different story behind the scenes.

reader has a sweet, dear personality at the core, but they put up a detached front; if anything, their crude humor and witty deadpan sarcasm attests to their harsh emotional walls put up.

it's nothing personal to these guys, they're just... constantly in self-perservation mode. they ain't never had nobody like this before, 'cept for their fellow street rat friends who're like family.....

I imagine those walls get worn down by Jason the most.

I also imagine Jason would be.... angry?? not at you!! never at you — if anything he'd probably steal you away from Bruce every chance he gets because he's scared you'll be readily thrusted into an unwitting role as a cowl-donner — but at Bruce's initial and seemingly impulsive decision to take you in- because of just how fast everything moved. he was a bit withdrawn at first, but he became undeniably protective over you as time went on.

you appreciate this earnestly; one day on your outings with Jason, he passes by the streets where you usually hung out with your friends. sure enough, they're all there, looking horrendously forlorn. you give out the group whistle- one you all made up and agreed on a longgggg time ago- and they all look at you like you're a ghost before you're being yanked into a group hug.

some of 'em are mad tho; they all caught wind, ever since you were printed in black and white on the newspapers lil' jimmy still brought to them fresh every morning. thought you ditched us for daddy warbucks. and some of 'em are genuinely happy, not only to see you, but had been for you. thought you managed to finally get outta this hellhole. we knew you wouldn't forget us, tho.

you're smart, yvette - your bestest friend ever since elementary - murmured as she hugged you so tight you could barely breathe. you're smart and warm and so kind... i'mma miss your candy apple self not being around me 24/7 any more, but heavens above, you made it, ynnie any foster parent would be blessed to have you as a kid, y'hear? anybody and everybody. she pulls you back and rests her forehead on yours, staring into your eyes with her tear-filled ones. don't forget 'bout us, yeah? we still got your back. stay safe and take care of yourself.

and if you silently cried on the way back to the manor, Jason didn't say much about it. just wrapped an arm around your shoulders and took you for burgers.

—i feel that incident would settle you deeper into Jason's heart. he just sees so much of himself in you. in this scrappy kid who puts up such a carefree front, but is actually made of honey and caramel at their center. who has such a strong emotional intelligence at that age that Jason's sure is the only difference between him and you. in this child, who has a pure heart full of love with so much to give and just wants to be loved in return.

reader's softest with Cass and Alfred, as in they feel no need to put up pretenses with them. it's how they both find out that you're perpetually jaded and reminiscent of a long-suffering lamb: soft, tolerant, brokenhearted, shreds of innocence swirling about their heart still, maybe a little lost......

SPEAKING OF THE GRANDLER HIMSELF 🌹🎉: you get roped into baking with Alfred one day, and because Alfred is the actual MVP, you fall into his affections too.

it's when you're kneading at dough when a crestfallen expression suddenly overtakes your expression.

"mr. alfred," you drawl, inner city accent thickening with the melting of your posture. there's a heaviness to your tone that wasn't there before. it catches the elderly man's attention immediately. "you remind me a lot of my old man. not my father, but there was this elderly gentleman who took care of us street urchins. old man peaches. cuz every time we saw him, he sold us fresh peaches from his little milk carton in trade for some colorful bottle caps. dunno where he got 'em, said he grew them out the cracks in the concrete, the geezer. he was always talkin' like that — like there was some deeper meaning to everythin'. we groaned all the time, made all in good fun of him right to his face, but we all really loved it.

"one day, me 'n yvette were scouting 73rd and maryanne avenue; it's the curve that has all those connectin' alleyways that hide the abandoned warehouses, y'know? it's also where we hid out with peaches. had a small space heater and brought anything we needed from the foster care buildin'. sometimes we'd get dragged back but you keep doing something enough times, them folks who don't get paid enough for it just stop givin' a hoot... so long s'we made it back for inspections and didn't pilfer the good stuff, y'know?

"anyway. we went in there hollerin' for mr. peaches... he was usually napping by the space heater or stringing bottle cap jewelry for us, but he wasn't there. searched the whole warehouse, whole perimeter, nothing.

"then, vettie found him... " you pause, a smile that didn't reach your eyes spreading your cheeks. "right by the compost bin outside the back door of that same warehouse, chest not movin' and lips stained with blueberries."

alfred feels his stomach drop, beside himself. you looked up from the dough in your hands and simply regarded the old man, an uncharacteristic nonchalance marring your features.

"he was the only one that really understood and looked out for us the way he did. i ain't been able to eat peaches or anything of the like since then, but vettie is the one who couldn't sleep for the weeks after."

Alfie had long stopped chopping the onions for the dish at this point and all he could think was what has this poor child gone through?

TRAUMA TRAUMA TRAUMA TRAUMA TR

anywaaaaayzzzuh, I'm exhausted BUT yeah I just want to infect you lovingly with the brainworms of Jason bonding with a bat sibling reader who's a lot like him, and how he'd prevent a lot of pain that they ain't gotta go through because he went through the same.

And the things that he CAN'T prevent, because everyone deals with trauma differently, he's always gonna be there for you. And he wants you to know that.

reader is a bit wary of Dick because of his pure bubbliness and aura of flowers 🌸🌺🌻🌹🌷🌼💐and shooting stars — in Gotham?? — but Dick has an affinity to troubled kids and also . he's Dick Grayson, everybody loves him .

so he works together with Jason and soon enough, you're practically his respective child akshdjdhd

you and dami take a bit to come along BUTTTTT I hc that you come into their lives when Dami's a little older and therefore more matured.

I love Damian, I feel he'd be a pretty solid older brother figure.

the more time you spend there, the more you begin to trust your newfound family. (well, your pseudo siblings at least); the more you let your walls down, the more they get a peek into your true self- not just the distant exterior you put up.

you're thoughtful and generous; you like books and animals and know how to make ice cream from scratch with ice and plastic bags; you're resourceful and crafty - you learned how to hot wire cars and pick locks from the older kids down at the foster care home - but you don't try to give anyone headaches for it out of respect for Alfred, you claim solemnly.

you're a good kid.

it just takes a bit more for people to say that, and even more for you to let others see it.

I'LL BE BACK WITH MORE BUT PLEASE NOTE THAT I WROTE THIS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT, CONTINUALLY PASSED OUT, AND IT'S THE FRICKIN MORNING ALREADY LMAOAOAOAOAOOO

OH MY GOD.

OH.

MY.

GOD.

ZEEP.

ZEEP WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME-

I just- Can I just-

If Brucie EVER tried to but reader in a cape Jason would lose his MIND.

How DARE you even THINK about putting the baby at risk? How dare you?

Totally just takes reader and brings them to his apartment until Bruce apologizes for even suggesting such a proposterous thing.

He's eventually forgiven but he's on thin ice okay?

Sleepovers at Jason's are also a very common thing.

Since he lives in the Narrows, it gives you the chance to roam your old stomping grounds and see your friends.

Poor reader has to go to all kinds of fancy dinner parties now.

Public appearences.

Such a drag.

Uncomfy clothes, and uncomfy people.

So, being the feral little street raised shit they are, reader says the most out of pocket freaky crap ever.

"Yeah, living in the Narrows as a kid was hard. Especially after the accident."

"Oh, yeah. I love my new home. The velociraptor in the backyard is a sweetheart."

"What do you mean Jason's supposed to be dead? He obviously got better. I've done it more than once. Yes I've died before. They said I can't tell you what comes after. Who's they? Don't worry about it."

And literally no one can say anything because their new dad is one of the richest men on Earth.

Also their first fancy gala something definitly went wrong.

Like lets says it gets targeted for some kind of robbery 'cus, ya know Gotham. And it's full of rich people.

Reader is literally like, "Fuck no. Get the hell out."

Grabs a bottle of champagne and breaks it over the ring leaders head with a loud shout of "ANARCHY!"

ALFIE AND OLD MAN PEACHES-

OH MY GOD I'M CRYING. I HOPE YOU KNOW I'M IN TEARS-

Also, the little punk stealing the CAR is hilarious. So much potential there.

Dick *interrupting Bruce for the upteenth time*: "Hey, B?"

Bruce *Severly annoyed*: "Yes, Nightwing? What is it?"

Dick: "Who's driving the car?"

*Que Jason wheezing over the comms*.

Dickie gives all kinds of nicknames.

Little wing, hoodlum, baby bird-

Him and Jason compete for your time.

Like there is an underground betting pool for who can get you to spend more time with whom.

Jason shows you all hid hidey places around the manor if you ever need a place to just- be

Tim helps with homework when Jason's not around (which isn't very often, Jason makes a point of visitiing often just to see you)

It makes for wonderful bonding with your busiest brother.

Damian, (though he will never admit it out loud), enjoys it when you join him in taking care of his animals.

Batcow and Jerry love you, and Alfred the cat has taken to sleeping in your room.

The two of you take Titus and Ace for walks, and Damian very smugly rubs it in Jason's face when a tabloid photo pops up of the two of you in matching sweaters and sunglasses.

"Clearly I am the superior brother, Todd. Even the media agrees."

"Well then I know it's bullshit because the media says it's true."

"Tt."

I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN INTO STEPH AND DUKE AND CASS AND BABS UGGHHH

THERE'S OTHER STUFF I wanna ADD BUT I'VE MADE YOU WAIT LONG ENOUGH I'M SO SORRY-

[bigskydreaming]

I am looking (disrespectfully) at the trope of Bruce and other family members only seeming to respect Dick’s wishes when doing so aligns with what they already wanted to do.

Let’s go to the examples!

1) Bruce not broaching adoption with Dick because he wants to respect Dick’s first parents and feels like he would be taking their place or overstepping or putting himself in between Dick and his memories of his parents. Sometimes its cited that Dick himself expressed this wish early on after his parents died, sometimes its not and this is still just upheld as Bruce’s reasoning for not adopting Dick before he was already well into adulthood.

THE FATAL FLAW (in mine own personal opinion, natch. Personal mileage may vary, check your speedometer to be safe):

This particular plot point or tangle is in my experience ALWAYS paired with Bruce’s own insecurities about his role in Dick’s life, or not wanting to push that or receive an answer he doesn’t want to or is afraid to hear. Sometimes its about his fears of unworthiness to be Dick’s actual parent, etc, etc. But the bottom line is, there is always the presence of SOME element (and not a small one) in which Bruce’s own self-interest or feelings are protected by him NOT broaching the adoption conversation with Dick and having to confront these fears head on.

This is additionally juxtaposed with the problem that although there’s a lot of variance in regards to stories where Bruce fired Dick versus stories where Dick gave up being Robin and moved on to Nightwing voluntarily....there’s NOT a lot of stories where Dick makes Jason Robin himself or is asked by Bruce first. The part where Bruce takes this initiative on his own, without thinking through its repercussions on Dick emotionally.....this is practically always present.

Now, the problem here is that......Dick became or began becoming Robin well into his time with Bruce. Its frequently cited as the thing that began allowing them to truly connect, their time training and acting as Batman and Robin.

Meaning no matter WHAT interpretation you go with as to why specifically Dick chose the name Robin, whether it was a family nickname or an homage to Robin Hood.....the fact remains, NOTHING of Robin, THEMATICALLY, nothing that spoke to Dick in regards to what he wanted Robin to be - specifically in honor of his parents because avenging his parents and making sure what happened to them didn’t happen to others like, this was literally a key part of what bonded Dick and Bruce, the fact that Bruce was TRYING to help Dick specifically BECAUSE they shared this particular overlap of purpose - like the bottom line is, nothing about Robin CAME from Bruce. Or Dick’s feelings about Bruce. That....didn’t really even exist yet, at the time he created Robin. Everything about Robin, other than the physical costume itself, not even the design just the actual creation of it....all of that came from BEFORE he met Bruce. None of it was thoughts or feelings derived from BRUCE. Its the whole reason Dick was never Batkid or Batlad, or any derivative of Batman.

It all, ALL came from what Dick came to the manor WITH. Remnants of his life with his first family.

So the fatal flaw of Bruce’s reasoning that by not broaching the subject of adoption with Dick before well into adulthood, he was actually just respecting Dick’s relationship with his first parents and not trying to come between them and Dick’s memories and feelings about them....

All of this is inherently undermined by Bruce’s own actions.....when by repurposing Robin to ANY degree, even just to give the mantle to Jason.....this meant that he was inherently viewing Robin as being more about being Batman’s partner, HIS partner....then it was about being Dick’s heritage, his last intangible keepsake of his first family and life BEFORE Bruce.

In effect....Bruce making Jason Robin or firing Dick as Robin, either way....both betray Bruce’s OWN alleged intentions for only wanting to respect Dick’s relationship with his parents, and that being why he didn’t want to overstep by trying to impose or even ask for his own official parent/child relationship with Dick. Because that’s exactly what appropriating the Robin mantle was. It was Bruce ignoring the relationship Dick had with his parents and their memory and the fact that Robin was directly born of that....and making Robin entirely about Bruce’s OWN relationship with Dick, heedless of any other factors.

And the second Bruce did that.....his entire justification for not raising the adoption issue....disappears. It goes away. Because you can’t claim inaction being just a result of not wanting to disrespect something you’ve already voided respect for. No matter whether Bruce INTENDED it or not.....by crossing this boundary, Bruce already acted against Dick’s feelings in this regard and well, disregarded them....which makes claims of Bruce not raising the adoption issue pretty much JUST self-serving at that point. Its an alleged viewpoint of Dick’s that Bruce largely just ASSUMES....and only ultimately respects - in direct contrast to how he didn’t respect the associations Dick had with Robin - because it aligns with something Bruce ALREADY wanted to do, rather than what Dick actually wanted. It provided justification for Bruce to just....not have a conversation he was afraid to have. And that’s about Bruce at that point. Its not about Dick. Its just like...not.

2) Another example of this that is not unique to just Bruce, but recurs frequently in both canon and fanfics in Dick’s dynamics with other characters he’s close with.....is characters not apologizing for things they’ve done to Dick or raising the issue of things they did a long time ago but never apologized for....while claiming to do so because they thought DICK didn’t want to talk about it.

THE FATAL FLAW (in my own personal opinion. Nuances and variations may not be identical at all store locations, please see your local branch for details):

The particular problem I have here is that....Dick never ever ever in the history of ever and also the before ever time.....has EVER expressed a desire to avoid confrontation.

Like. That’s what he DOES. That’s his JAM. That’s literally CITED time and time again as one of the reasons he’s viewed as more of a people person and natural team leader than Bruce and other Batfam members....because he’s not afraid to cut straight (or bi) to the heart of the matter and air out a dispute.

In fact, this very character trait is one of the ones most commonly utilized AGAINST Dick in various depictions of him, as he’s often cited as TOO confrontational, TOO eager for a fight or conflict especially when his temper is engaged, such as when he’s well....personally hurt or offended.

So how does it follow, then, that avoiding tough conversations ONLY when its on the OTHER person to INITIATE, because they were the ones who DID the wrong-doing and Dick the subject of that rather than the instigator....how does it work, exactly, that these are the only times in which we DON’T tend to see a direct conversation about the harms done and the fallout that resulted? With it being claimed that this is solely for Dick’s benefit, out of a desire to avoid pulling him into an allegedly unnecessary (but really just unpleasant) confrontation?

When the concurrent reality is that whether stated or acknowledged or not.....avoiding these specific conversations and ONLY these conversations (as there never seems to be a problem finding canon or fanfic stories in which Dick apologizes for harm HE’S caused to others or is clearly expected to).....this avoidance also carries the side benefit of allowing the character who DID something wrong to Dick to....not ever have to have that super uncomfortable conversation in which they actually verbally acknowledge the thing they did to him and the effects it had on him, and apologize for that.....and then render themselves vulnerable to actually hearing whether or not he accepts their apology or is still upset with them regardless.

While - as long as they DON’T ever have this conversation, for whatever reason - they can look to the clear and consistent precedent of Dick continuing to work with people who have done things like oh, I don’t know....punched him in the face cuz they’re mad at him (and this isn’t a Bruce critical point, this is a whole damn family critical point as the only one who HASN’T actually done this is Duke. Well, Cass technically just threw him out a window, but I mean, tomato toh-mah-to). Writers and characters both can lean on the fact that actually Dick has a pretty clear track record of ultimately giving up a grudge or at least showing a willingness to look past those grudges enough that it doesn’t prevent him from still maintaining or resuming some kind of relationship with the person who hurt him.

And thus, like Example Numero Uno......this ultimately just lets other characters off the hook while claiming to do Dick a favor, but actually Dick receives no real benefit from it and instead now just has another instance of characters saying “see we respect your wishes” when ultimately their inaction is MORE in service to their own wishes and self-interests.

2b) See also the variation of this in which characters such as Bruce, Jason, Tim and assorted others like....are written specifically determining that they’re not going to apologize to Dick or beg his forgiveness because they feel they don’t DESERVE to be forgiven, and once again....its in HIS best interests that they not even give him the opportunity to say he forgives them....because they know Dick Grayson of course, and they know he’s too forgiving for his own good, so its better to like....not make it ever a possibility in this particular instance.

With the problem here being like.....Dick can’t and shouldn’t be expected to KNOW that’s their logic? So....all he’s going to actually SEE is loved ones just....not expressing remorse for hurting him or acknowledgment it even happened? Which....hurts?

So......hurting your loved one MORE after already hurting them....because you don’t feel you deserve to be forgiven for hurting them in the first place and are actually PROTECTING them from being hurt more when mistakenly forgiving you.....by.....hurting and continuing to hurt them with your silence and lack of evident remorse....

Mmmm.....

Its not the best approach, y’know?

Flaws are detected.

3) Dick’s friends and family manipulating situations in order to get the end result THEY desire, while claiming to do so for his benefit only. Dick being willing to manipulate people to achieve his own ends comes up a LOT actually....but there’s relatively little examination of how often people do this to him, claiming his best interests but really just circumventing his clearly stated desires for independence and the right to make his own choices about what HE needs....or when this is brought up, its usually limited to JUST Bruce doing it, but uh....no that ain’t it.

Specific examples of this are like when Wally joins the 1999 version of the Titans specifically to get Dick to join up, because in his estimation Dick needs more of a social life and is drowning himself with his responsibilities....and then quits not long after Dick is finally officially invested in staying with the team. Another example is when Roy gets Dick to join the Outsiders based entirely on his pitch of NOT treating the team like a family, like they did with the Titans, so that Dick could keep emotional distance and not be as worried about losing them like he suffered from losses like Donna....with his claim again being that he worried about Dick in the aftermath of that loss, etc.

And to be clear! Its not that I think Wally and Roy and others who do similar things have NEGATIVE intentions in mind for Dick. That’s the whole point of this post.....like the other examples, I fully believe THEY believe (or writers believe when writing them this way) that they have Dick’s best interests in mind and not their own. I just....disagree.

THE FATAL FLAW (at least as I see it here):

Is that I view this and Batfam members who do similar stuff as like.....falling into the trap of the savior friend complex. Its that thing when you see a friend hurting, and over time get FRUSTRATED by seeing this when a solution seems obvious to you but think they won’t take it because they’re too stubborn or don’t know what’s best for them....with this specifically recurring a LOT with Dick in particular, due to his core characterization of wanting to be the one to make his own choices. The problem here, same as the problem with the savior friend complex....is that it treats the subject of these views as like....incapable of determining what they need. Its a tacit condemnation that they actually don’t know how to cope with things and are doing it wrong - even though the ones making this assessment will never be the ones actually having to LIVE with the outcome of their meddling. Its the conviction that someone like Dick needs to be HANDLED, for his own good....because he can’t be trusted to KNOW what he needs, not as well as them at least.....and so they jump to manipulation rather than just....ASK him what he needs, or HOW they can best support him, or even just WHY he’s making the choices he is.

For instance, the problem with what Wally did was never that Dick wasn’t struggling. He was. He was drowning in his responsibilities, he had very little to no life outside of them.....Wally is not remotely in the wrong for WANTING to do something to change this situation. The problem is Wally basically defaulted to just...HANDLING his friend by restarting the Titans just to give Dick a social life again, which is pretty much a line straight out of the comics...and basically railroaded right over Dick’s initial ‘no’ when he first heard the proposal. And kept pushing things until Dick eventually joined up in order to get Wally to commit to the team too, because Wally spun it as though Dick was helping Wally by getting Wally to commit to the team for the very same reasons Wally wanted Dick to. And then....right after that, Wally quit to go back to just focusing on the Justice League, which was part of what Dick predicted would happen all along.

The thing was.....at no point along the way did Wally actually ask WHY Dick initially said no....he jumped straight to assuming his own view of the problem, that Dick just COULDN’T be made to ever see the reason to take a break occasionally and put his mental and emotional health as a priority. If he’d done this, Wally could have had dozens of other options to achieve his desired end result....he could’ve like....set up regular hangouts with Dick. 

But Wally jumped to assuming he knew the answer, he knew what was best for Dick, and that Dick’s logic was inherently self-destructive and self-flagellating.....and he felt the solution was to bring back the Titans, as he recalled their earlier times as Titans together as a time when Dick was better able to balance his social life and responsibilities.

But by not ever stopping to LISTEN to why Dick felt the way he did and was initially opposed to rejoining the Titans....Wally overlooked one crucial fact: He isn’t Dick.

And more important, his view of the past wasn’t Dick’s view of the past.

Wally was a lot more capable of viewing the Titans as not just a family, but an inherent social life, a hangout, a kind of club....because that’s what it had always been to him.

But he’d never been the leader.

Throughout all their childhoods, the whole time the Titans WERE all of the above, and relatively light-hearted in comparison to their older selves....Dick STILL had the weight of responsibilities that none of the others had by virtue of just...not being the leader. Ultimately, all of their lives were in HIS hands. He was the one calling the shots. The buck stopped with him.

And this is precisely WHY Dick had gotten to the point he had in adulthood. It wasn’t because he’d changed. It wasn’t because he’d stopped figuring out what he needed and how to take care of himself. Its because the position he’d ALWAYS been in as leader....has WEIGHT. That eventually added up more and more and weighed him down. A huge part of the reason Dick had ended up leaving the Titans in the first place, before they disbanded prior to the 1999 revival....is because of the sheer WEIGHT of all the deaths and misfortunes that had befallen the Titans....and how much he and he alone struggled with it in ways the others didn’t....because they didn’t have to. It hadn’t been their plans, their calls, their RESPONSIBILITY to find a way the others could have all made it out alive or at least less traumatized.

So.....of COURSE Dick said no when Wally first proposed restarting the Titans, before Wally defaulted to using his own membership as a lure to get Dick to agree.....because......nothing about the above paragraph had changed, via Wally’s ‘plan.’ It wasn’t because Dick just didn’t KNOW how to be a fully rounded person....it was because nobody was helping him find actual OPTIONS for doing that....that didn’t just double as MORE responsibilities! Because that’s exactly what ended up happening! Dick wound up the leader of the Titans again, just as responsible and just as invested as always.....just like he always knew he would....and also as he knew would happen...Wally ended up quitting not long into it and persuading Jessie Quick to step in as his replacement....aka just one more person for Dick to worry about when it wasn’t like he was going to be worrying any less about Wally, just now he wasn’t going to have Wally there to even POTENTIALLY be able to support him when tragedy inevitably struck because they’re freaking superheroes....and instead he’d just have another person looking to him for the answers but with no reason or chance of being the support Dick could ACTUALLY use at times like that!

Wally’s manipulations circumvented Dick’s opinion that no, actually he knew what was best for him and it wasn’t what Wally was suggesting....without actually accounting for the fact that hey, Dick might actually know that. And in the end, Wally got the result he was after, he got to feel that he’d HELPED his friend....which again, this isn’t WRONG to WANT to....but Dick didn’t...exactly....benefit from this. It wasn’t actually in his best interests ultimately.

I mean...see Donna’s death for details.

And in the aftermath of THAT....Roy essentially did exactly what Wally did....just in REVERSE! Roy got Dick to agree to lead the Outsiders, to shoulder responsibility once again....by promising that Dick WOULDN’T have to view them as family. And did Dick go too far and end up TOO uncaring about their welfare? Yup! No disagreements there! Problem is though....he only ended UP in that situation because yet again a friend thought they KNEW the solution to what Dick needed.....only for Dick to end up essentially punished and further self-blaming....just for doing exactly what Roy had told him TO do, with this particular team. Again - Roy hadn’t EXPECTED Dick to take it this far. But that’s the whole point! Roy had expectations about what Dick would ACTUALLY end up doing, that didn’t match up to the pitch Roy actually gave Dick to GET his agreement.....because Roy all along was of the assumption that by virtue of being Dick Grayson, he wouldn’t be ABLE to avoid connecting with these new teammates and viewing them as family, and thus he’d end up ‘snapping out of it’ with it being the funk he’d been in since Donna’s death.

Roy’s intentions might have been noble, once again.....but his methods stuck to the same pattern of people around Dick believing they knew what he needed or knew who he was or knew what it meant to BE Dick Grayson....better than Dick actually did...particularly when Dick said no, this isn’t what I need or this isn’t a good idea or just...I don’t want to do this.

And in the end....its Dick who ended up paying the price for it, as well as the people who got hurt because of his INTENTIONAL emotional distance.....because the ‘view all surrounding people as new surrogate family’ aspect of the Dick Grayson Experience hadn’t kicked in as Roy thought inevitably would....but the ‘view all this as directly my fault and suffer guilt for it forevermore’ aspect of the Dick Grayson Experience most certainly did! Not at all actually helped along by the fact that like....Roy also expressed frustration with Dick that like.....Dick hadn’t actually responded to Roy’s intended manipulation of his emotions the way Roy had expected him to when he EXPRESSLY TOLD DICK TO BEHAVE THE WAY THAT DICK ULTIMATELY BEHAVED. (Just, he didn’t tell Dick to dial that all the way up to Extra, but given that’s the only setting Dick does ANYTHING at, I feel its a possible outcome Roy should have at least considered. I mean, wasn’t the whole point that you know Dick Grayson better than he knows himself?)

But lo, I am salty.

LMAO, but I mean, you get it right? Obviously, I LIKE Wally and Roy. I LIKE Jason, etc. I’m not saying all of this to be like ugh how dare these characters do all this to Dick....I’m saying it because like.....they all keep falling into the same patterns of making a big fuss and acknowledgment of how much Dick prioritizes being able and free to make his own choices and decide what’s best for him and what HE wants.....

But without ever like....actively asking him AT THE RELEVANT TIME....what he thinks and feels about all this. What he thinks and feels he needs. What he ACTUALLY wants from them, or why he’s ACTUALLY saying no to something and maybe it being for reasons that aren’t just him inherently being stubborn and self-destructive.

And instead just defaulting to falling back on whatever he might have said or expressed in an entirely different context at an entirely different time.....and saying okay, by doing so, we are abiding by his wishes and thus doing what he wants and respecting his right to make his own choices.....

But ONLY when doing all of the above just so happens to align with these other characters then getting to do the thing or take the approach they’re already predisposed towards wanting to take because of their OWN self-interests at the same time.

With this never actually coming into play when respecting Dick’s wishes aligns with them taking actions they DON’T personally want to undertake, because it makes them uncomfy or they think its a bad call, even if it is something that should be his call to make.

Like....the pattern. It very much exists. And abounds. Like I could cite examples allllllllllll the way up to Ric Grayson, where Bruce respected RIC’S wishes to be left alone and not interfere in his life no matter what.....in ways Bruce almost never respects Dick’s actual expressed wish for Bruce to butt out of matters when Bruce is actually quite keen on meddling and would very much like to....

But notice how the other thing about the Ric Grayson storyline is that Ric’s expressed desire to stay the fuck out of vigilantism and superhero work, like.....just so happens to align with Bruce’s longstanding desire for Dick to like...get out of the vigilantism and superhero work? With butting out of Ric’s life and respecting his privacy in ways Dick has to FIGHT him for, like......absolutely the optimal action to take in order to allow this expressed desire of Ric’s to flourish in the ways Bruce always wished would kick in for Dick?

.....just saying. 

The pattern. It abounds.

And the key to breaking any pattern, of course, is to first recognize....and acknowledge....that it exists.

Otherwise you tend to fall into the trap of repeating and perpetuating it over and over without even realizing it, simply because its what’s familiar.

This has been A Post by Me. Thank you and have a nice day. Or don’t. Idk. I’m not the boss of you. Whatever.

[stuff-from-the-void-matron]

-Being The Duke’s Assistant- (3)

(a/n: some people really like this fic lol so here’s another chapter for y’all! also if you want a chapter 4 then please comment and reblog! otherwise I won’t have the motivation to keep writing more! thank you! <3)

–

-Learning About The Lords-

–

You’d seen more of your ex-neighbors since your run in with Vasile Kazloŭ the week previous. Seems word got around the village that you’d not in fact frozen to death or been caught and dragged into the woods by some snarling beast. And you knew a good few of them were just stopping by the Duke’s carriage under the guise of shopping just to see if those rumors were true. Not that you particularly cared what your ex-neighbors did now. If seeing you for whatever reason got them to buy something from the Duke then no skin off your nose. 

But today was different. Today the Duke said he’d be educating you on his biggest trade deals. Such deals being the Four Lords of the village. You’ll admit you gulped at hearing that. The four lords were quite notorious to the people of the village. And not for anything good despite what the fanatics would like to think..

Lady Dimitrescu, the mysterious lady who ruled the imposing castle upon the mountain that takes young women in to work but never lets them leave again. There’s a saying in the village that if a girl you know is going to work at Castle Dimitrescu then you should shower her in kisses since you’ll never see her again.

Lady Beneviento, the mysterious veiled doll maker who lives in a shadowy haunted manor that makes all those who enter there see their deceased family members. Seeing visions of the dead drives all who enter there to insanity. Most never leave, but the few who do are never the same as they were upon entering.

Lord Moreau, the monstrous looking recluse who controls the giant killer fish that has swallowed whole more than its fair share of poor fishermen of the village. It terrorized the workers at the Reservoir, devouring men like fish until they’d had enough and abandoned the site. It now sits in decay, waiting for the next fool to wander in.

Lord Heisenberg, the lord who owns the cryptic factory on the very edge of the village, where all the dead villagers bodies are sent and never seen again. Rumor has it that it used to be a coal mine but nobody living from the village has set foot in the rusted structure in decades. But despite this the factory’s smokestacks constantly billow dark soot into the sky.

Every villager knew of the four Lords. 

But apparently you were going to be learning more detail on them. Which you admit to not having much of. All you knew is what most every other villager knew. To be wary, be respectful, to pay your tributes, and do not draw attention to yourself otherwise. Those that drew attention were quite often known to draw their last breath.

The Duke it seemed was on good terms with each of the lords, at least you assumed so since he talked about them quite candidly. Not whispering their names in a hushed tone or with any amount of fearful reverence. Actually he talked about them as if they were just fellow business partners he has evening tea with. Which... well as far as you knew, could very well be the truth. But despite the Duke’s blasé outlook you felt yourself tense up when he mentioned how, as his assistant, you would be accompanying him on his future meetings with them, so it was best he told you about them now so you didn’t go in blind. Part of you wanted to just avoid that by not even going into the same building as the four lords. But the Duke squashed that thought by saying he couldn’t very well leave you to sit and twiddle your thumbs in the carriage while he was inside. 

Which you supposed you should have seen coming. You were his assistant after all. Where he goes, you go. It’s your whole job. So you steeled your resolve and took solace in knowing that while under the Duke’s protection you would be fine. you weren’t some random villager now thankfully. But even still... seeing the towering Castle Dimitrescu looming in the distance made you queasy. Your mind swam with the stories you’d been told as a child, warning you of what laid in that castle. The carriage drew closer to the imposing structure but you remained straight faced, not wanting to reveal how anxious you were. Plus, if you were being honest? This was all pretty exciting in a way! You’d left the village years ago sure, met lots of new people while you studied abroad. You learned about all the goings on of the world outside your simple village. But all of that paled in comparison to getting to meet the Four Lords.

You hoped you didn’t embarrass yourself..

-0-

While you got closer to the castle the Duke told you about the first Lord, Lady Dimitrescu and House Dimitrescu. Apparently they were famous for their incredible wine. The Duke even admitted to having a bottle of it himself stored away in the back. “For special occasions,” he told you with a smile. You also learned that House Dimitrescu also had their own vineyard where they grew all the grapes that went into the wine they made. He also revealed that there was a ‘rumor’ that Lady Dimitrescu had a very special bottle of wine in her possession, one that has belonged to her family for generations, that was called Sanguis Virginis. And its literal translation is "maiden's blood". The Duke was a touch vague on the wine, but he said that Alcina Dimitrescu has a secret process that enriches the wine’s flavor and gives it a thick bouquet. 

After that he began talking about the second Lord, Lady Beneviento and House Beneviento. The Duke spoke with a sad tone here, saying the Beneviento family slowly fell apart a long time ago. One by one the family members disappeared. And the current head of the household, Donna Beneviento, had a sister when she was a child, Claudia. But Claudia grew ill and passed away, causing her parents to grow depressed and soon after take their own lives, leaving poor Donna alone. The Duke knows Donna to be very kind, but also very lonely. She’s an incredibly skilled doll maker, even better than her father had been when he was alive. But she has trouble speaking with people without the aid of the doll friend, Angie, that her father gifted her as a little girl. He warned you that Angie could be a bit of a troublemaker, chuckling as he did.

Then came the third Lord, Salvatore Moreau of House Moreau. You raised an eyebrow when you noticed the small hint of revulsion in the Duke’s voice as he spoke about this lord. It seems that Moreau was... an odd one. The Duke tried to speak kindly of the man but even he, with his usual jovial outlook, couldn’t hide the slight way he cringed as he explained Moreau’s history. It seemed he had been a sailor at some point, and the very last of his family line, but some years ago he’d... changed physically to the point where he avoided people. He hid himself at the Reservoir his family owned and scarcely stepped foot outside of it. And after one too many... accidents there the workers abandoned the place, leaving Moreau alone to wallow in his self pity. The Duke warned you that Moreau did not look... human. And he asked you to please not stare at the man. He wouldn’t appreciate it, surely.

And then the final Lord, Karl Heisenberg of House Heisenberg. The Duke warned you that despite Lord Heisenberg’s rather casual sounding attitude, the man was quite harsh. And his factory was incredibly dangerous. He warned you to never stray from his side while there, for your own safety. You gulped but nodded as he continued. It seems the Heisenberg factory was a coal mining factory. You discovered that the Lord was an engineer, but the Duke revealed that he’d been known to tinker with things other than machines as well. That ominous note made your stomach drop. But you felt your anxiety lift a bit when the Duke told you that he was Lord Heisenberg’s supplier for a certain machine part he needs in bulk, so the man knew not to upset him. So you would be fine.

“But I think we’ll have to cut our conversation short, it seems we’ve arrived at Castle Dimitrescu,” the Duke said in a cheery tone you weren’t matching.

‘For any god listening to me... let us be alright,’ you thought helplessly.

-0-

[liquid-luck-00]

Where There Is Change

Overprotection

@maribat-bdbwm

First *** Previous *** Next

~~~~~~~~~~

One week.

One week without her brother is all it took to break her patience.

No, she didn’t break away from her story with the press release that happened literally two days after she started school.

No, what finally broke her was what the students did to her brother, specifically this group of five that were intentionally seeking out places she was that in order to talk about her family.

Sure, she understood why they talked about Damian, he is Gotham's Ice Prince, the person you do not want to get on the bad side of.

But moments that she wasn’t with him, people spoke awfully about him. And mostly about how he was born as a bastard child.

She pretty much assumes that when she’s not around they speak the same about her.

Both of them were conceived without his knowledge, until years later. Sure, it hurts to hear them talk about her dad like that.

But she also understands it to an extent.

Brucie Wayne, is an act he puts up. Brucie Wayne is a playboy the longer someone plays the playboy people, will come to the conclusion of him having several unknown children.

However, she also knows Brucie Wayne is a cover for her father, in the past twenty years or so since the time he pretty much became Batman, Brucie Wayne has been a cover. So much so that even the media plays into.

But what she can’t stand are the remarks her 'peers' make about her little brother, about all her siblings.

The remarks that, she is technically the older biological child. But that she still deserves a chair in the company. She is so mad that they are dismissing all of Tim's work he's put into the company. That they are dismissing her brothers just because she is the first-born biological child, that she should be the next C.E.O. People talk over him as if he isn’t there.

They talk about Jason, how he is the troubled child. That he ruins their father's name.

That Dick is just a novelty for Bruce. The first child he decide to adopt. That he’s no more than that, Bruce Wayne’s first ward.

She hates that they call Cassandra a basket case because she won’t talk.

Or how Duke is yet another charity case, simply because of his skin color.

They forget about her because she looks so American, so white, so European.

They forget that she is part Chinese, because she has such big blue eyes, fair skin, and dark black hair just like her father.

---

So back to school.

Damian was on assignment with the Teen Titans, so she was going to school alone. They said something about Damian getting an awful constant 103 fever, they didn’t want to risk anyone else to catch what he had.

So, she did what she usually did, she went outside like usual during lunch. When all of a sudden, the group of five kids in her year 'seemed' to be strolling past.

She thinks it’s still hasn’t sunk in that there’s a new Wayne. Or that they know but want to haze her. Because they are openly bashing her little brother.

"I’m sorry, but what did you just say." She stood up and looked at them.

"Well not that it’s any of your business, but Damian is such a menace, he is practically a terrorist." One of the boys started.

"Have you seen how angry he gets, I swear he could blow up the school, and he’ll still get let back in." A girl butt in.

"He’s already been expelled twice, but they keep letting him back in because he’s Bruce Wayne’s son." The final boy spoke rolling his eyes and she lost it.

She grabbed him, pulled him towards her, gave him a quick punch in the nose. Forcing him to reel back stumbling away from her.

"Let’s get one thing straight." She spoke, hands clenched in fists. "My baby brother isn’t a terrorist. He may be a menace, but he’s not a terrorist. Can any of you actually tell me the reasons why he got expelled."

Silence, pure silence was heard from the entire group.

"No, you can’t. Because like you said it’s none of your goddamn fucking business." At this point her French accent was slipping into her words, because she was getting really mad. She had to physically dig her nails into her palms to stop her magic from exploding.

"So why don’t you all just mind your own fucking business and maybe pay attention who you’re talking about, around who."

The entire group turned and ran, their tails between their legs and they scrambled to get away from her. She may have been known as the approachable Wayne between the two twins, but they messed with her brother. And they really didn’t know what they were talking about.

As soon as, the bell rang to end lunch her name came across the intercom. She grabbed her things and walked to the office knowing full well what was about to happen.

What she didn’t expect that out of all the people that would have been called the person who showed up was Jason.

If she had to cover the ever-growing grin on her face, or else the adults may have figured out that this was the wrong brother to call.

"We are so sorry to have called you today Mr. Todd-Wayne, but we have to discuss your sister’s behavior." The principal spoke as both of them sat down.

"Ok I'll hear you out, but after you explain what happened she will. And neither of you guys can interrupt the other got it. So, go." He pointed at the principle.

"Your sister has been accused of physical assault of another student."

"Is this true?" He turned to her.

"Yes." She answered.

"Why?" Jason asked as he rubbed his hands down his face.

She knows he has a shit eating grin that was slowly going to be spreading across his face, because his aura was almost giddy.

"You see they’ve not only been talking shit about Damian but Tim, Duke, Cass, Dick, and even you. If you want, I have several forms of video tape and audio proof if you’d like to see those."

"But let’s get back on point. We believe that you may have broken his nose."

"Okay, but I am not going to apologize, seeing as I was protecting my little brother, who is not here to defend himself."

She looked over to her brother and the ass had a shit eating grin plastered across his face.

"Why don’t I sign my sister out for the rest of the day, you know what, what about the whole

week, because I'm assuming suspension is an option?"

The principal however didn’t know how to react to Jason, so he absentmindedly pushed a stack of papers towards Jason and pointing to where he was to sign and initial. And then allowed them to leave.

"We’re not telling Bruce, are we?" She asked quietly.

"Not unless you want to deal with that right now?"

"No."

"Then let’s see how far we can get from Gotham."

"Yes please." She enthusiastically nodded her head, as they left the city.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

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[flowerpowelltales]

Until You Hate Me (Liam x MC)

PART THREE - THE BEGINNING

A/N: Yes, I do feel ashamed I forgot about this series for TWO years. I also am aware most of you, who have been tagged, dont even remember ever reading this series. If you’d like to be taken off the taglist just let me know because I don’t want to bother anyone. If you want a refresher - it’s the series where Regina pays Riley to be the worst suitor ever so that in two weeks, Liam would have to marry someone Regina picked for him. Previous parts are on my masterlist. Shoutout to the Nonny who motivated me to write this part. Hope y’all enjoy! Characters belong to PB. 

Rating: G

Word count: 1692

Tagging: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @blackcatkita @badchoicesposts @jared2612 @princess-geek @desiree-pow-35-1986​ @emichelle​ @ao719​ @cordoniantrash @kinggliam @needalittlerain @flyawayboo @nazariortega @jlpplays1 @kimmiedoo5 @annekebbphotography​ @ladyangel70​ @eadanga​ @kingliam2019​ @nz1091​ @emceesynonymroll @texaskitten30 @mskaneko​ @custaroonie @drakesensworld​ @janezillow @ritachacha​ @lodberg​ @msjr0119​ @gkittylove99​ @sweatyrysconnoisseur​ @dcbbw​ @potter1-7harry​

“Welcome to Cordonia,” Liam said when the Royal Jet finally landed. He looked at Riley warily as she took in the sights. The flight was a total disaster and made him rethink his whole life. If he hadn’t known better he’d think she wanted to sabotage his mission.

“Looks sick,” she said and Liam sighed.

“Liam, Riley, the car is here. Come before anyone spots us.” Regina nodded towards their driver.

“Whoa, we have our own driver? That’s mad!”

Regina raised an eyebrow in a ‘do-not-overdo-it’ manner but Riley ignored it. For her it was either go hard or go home. Literally, because if she failed she’d go home with no money.

The ride from the private airport to the palace was silent; Riley was admiring the views, Liam was thinking if he made the right choice and Regina was already planning Liam’s wedding to Madeleine.

When they arrived, Regina excused herself and went straight into her office.

“What do you think?” Liam asked politely when they were the only two left.

“It looks so… majestic. Like something I’d expect a palace look like but at the same time like something I wouldn’t expect. It’s gorgeous.”

Liam turned to her stunned by her words. What happened to “sick” and “mad”? Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, after all.

“Come inside,” he said and extended his hands towards her. She took it and then gasped at the interior.

“It’s so regal and so big and oof—” Riley was almost knocked out by a small, fluffy ball that jumped at her.

“Ah, this is Chance, Maxwell’s dog. He must feel you’re a good person because he is never that happy about strangers.” Liam smiled as he leaned to take her coat. She handed it to him and when Liam walked away to hang it, she bent over to Chance. 

“Hey, buddy! I’m super flattered you like me but can you please bite me or start barking at me so Liam doesn’t think I’m good?” She asked and Chance titled his head in confusion. “You see,” she lowered her voice, “I have a mission to complete.”

When Chace still couldn’t understand, Riley tried to speak his language.

“Woof woof woof woof,” she barked at Chance in low voice.

“Um… is everything okay, lady Riley?” Liam asked, suddenly appearing behind her. Shoot.

“Mhm. Just talking to that cute little muffin. And please, call me Riley. I’m no lady.”

“If you insist. Would you like to see your room?”

“Sure! Does it have a mini fridge? I bet it’s totally dope!”

Liam shook his head in disbelief. Riley changed her mood every few minutes. He couldn’t figure her out. Sometimes she was serious and really fun to talk to but then she changed again and acted like a spoiled teenager.

“Here we are.” Liam motioned the room when they finally reached the guest chamber. “It doesn’t have a mini fridge but you can call any of the staff members to ask for whatever you’d like, anytime.”

“Cool.”

“Ah, Liam! Riley! I am so glad to see you both here!” Regina exclaimed with a smiled on her face. “We have a dinner today with a few of our friends. Liam, please help lady Riley to prepare for it.”

“Of course, Regina. Who are we expecting?” Liam asked.

“Duchess Olivia Nevrakis, Lord Neville, Duchess Adelaide, her daughter and Duke Godfrey, lady Hana Lee and her parents, and a few of the court members.”

Liam nodded politely but started to panic internally. Lord Neville, Godfrey and Adelaide weren’t exactly the first people he wanted Riley to be introduced to. He knew too well how they treated commoners and how awful they could be. He had only about two hours before the dinner to go through the royal protocol, table manners, dress code and how to address who. When he looked up at Riley he noticed she was already studying him.

“Everything’s alright?”

“Yes, it is. I just thought we would have more time before your debut.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that! I was born ready!” she said reassuringly, which, ironically, made Liam even less reassured.

~~~~

“So when I see Hana Lee’s dad I should say ‘ni hao’, right?”

“Correct! And can you please repeat how you would address Duchess Olivia?”

“Your Grace,” Riley replied.

“Exactly. And Lord Neville?”

“…Also your Grace?”

“Yes. How would you address me, then?”

“Your Majesty?”

“No, Majesty is used for Kings and Queens. I’m not a King yet so I ought to be addressed ‘your Highness’.”

“So Regina is her Majesty?” Riley asked.

“Precisely. Now, what is my title?”

“Prince?”

“Full title.”

“Prince Louis of Cordonia.”

“Ye—What? What Louis?”

“Your name isn’t Louis?”

“No,” he shook his head. “It’s Liam.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, I’ve always had a problem with remembering names.”

Liam smiled but wanted to scream. Remembering names was probably one of the most important things Riley had to learn. And she forgot even his.

“Let me get this straight, when I talk to you I always have to use ‘your highness’?”

“When we’re with nobility, yes. It shows respect. When there’s only me and you, or friends and family, you can call me by my name,” he explained.

“Which is Louis!”

“Liam,” he corrected. Again.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Riley apologized. “I’ll just need something to associate you with… Oh! I know! I used to listen to One Direction a lot and Liam was the name of one of the singers! I liked him a lot!”

“Whatever works for you.” Liam smiled, feeling less and less enthusiastic about his mission.

~~~~

Two hours and three braincell losses later, Riley was walking arm in arm with Liam, into the ballroom. She was wearing a very expensive dress, more expensive than everything she owned altogether. She was very stressed and started to regret coming here. Pretending to be the worst suitor in front of Liam was one thing, but pretending to be the worst suitor in front of all Cordonian nobility was a completely different thing.

“Look, there’s Xinghai, he’s coming here,” Liam whispered and Riley nodded as the man approached them. Liam nudged Riley.

Okay. Show time.

“Hey hoe!” She yelled, making everyone freeze.

I hate myself.

“Riley!” Liam hissed, pinching her arm.

“Excuse me?” Xinghai asked as if not believing his ears.

“I think Riley tried to say ‘ni hao’, is that right?” Liam raised his eyebrows and Riley felt sick.

“Yes! Ni hao! I’m so sorry, I’m very bad at languages!”

Xinghai shook his head. “If you say so.”

“Hi, I’m Hana! And this is my mother, Lorelai.” A girl with a very friendly face extended her hand as if she hadn’t noticed that huge faux-pas. Her mom barely smiled at her.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Your Highness.” A man approached them and raised a glass. “I feel deeply honored to be invited here today. Her Majesty mentioned you would bring an American suitor, is this that lovely lady?”

Riley didn’t know who it was but she sure hated him already. She looked at Liam and realized she wasn’t the only one thinking so.

“Lord Neville. I am very happy you could join us. Yes, this is lady Riley, my suitor. Lady Riley, this is Lord Neville.”

“Lord? Like Lord of the Rings? Is that even a real title?” she asked.

“Excuse me?” Neville was confused and Liam embarrassed. From the corner of her eye, Riley could see Regina smiling at the sight.

At least someone is happy with what I’m doing.

“I believe we haven’t met.” A blond woman interrupted them, holding a glass of champagne in one hand and a very unhappy man in the other.

“This is Duchess Adelaide, Duke Godfrey and their daughter, Countess Madeleine. And this lovely woman by my side is lady Riley.”

“Hi y’all! Louis told me so much about you!” She heard Liam sighing.

“Hmph” was all Godfrey said. The rest of the family looked confused.

“Who’s Louis?” Adelaide asked.

“What happened to One Direction association?” Liam whispered to her when the family wasn’t looking.

“I forgot Louis was in the band, too,” she replied.

“If you excuse us,” Liam turned to Adelaide, “but we need to say hello to Duchess Olivia. Thank you for coming.”

He quickly led Riley far from Adelaide and Godfrey, avoiding other court members on the way. He couldn’t do this. At least not today. Riley clearly wasn’t ready.

“Why hello there,” a lady with red hair and a matching dress greeted them.

“Olivia. Hello. How are you?” Liam started a small talk and Riley noticed he was more relaxed talking to her than he was talking to other people. She must be a friend, she thought.

“I’m great. Haven’t been to a party that is as much fun as this one. And it’s all thanks to you. I’m Olivia.”

“Riley. You’re the Ice Queen?” Riley asked remembering Lythikos was a winter wonderland. She hoped Olivia would be offended just like the others but to her surprise the Duchess burst out laughing.

“Ice Queen! I like her already,” she said as she wiped a tear from her eye. “Absolutely loved when she questioned Neville’s title. The man’s pain in the ass.”

“I’m glad you find it funny,” Liam said firmly. Olivia shrugged and turned to take another glass of wine.

“I’m really sorry I embarrassed you, Louis.”

“Liam,” he corrected.

“Liam,” Riley repeated. “I’ve just came to Cordonia and had only two hours to take it all in. I’ll be better in time.” Not sure how better at making you hate me I can get though.

“It’s fine. Listen, it’s me who should be apologizing. As you said, you just came here and within a few hours you had to learn things I learned throughout the years.”

Riley’s eyes widened. She embarrassed him, she humiliated him and he still apologized? She felt awful.

“I still feel bad. I promise I won’t let you down,” she lied and Liam smiled.

“I’m happy to hear that because we’re visiting our apple orchard tomorrow and the press will be there to meet you, too.”

Riley gulped as she smiled at Liam.

That only meant she had to try even harder.

[linkspooky]

Gojo and Sukuna: The Strongest vs The Strongest

Gojou and Sukuna are both pictured lounging on top of a pile of skulls: the people they’ve climbed over to reach the top of their respective worlds. Gojou is the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, and Sukuna is the strongest cursed spirit. As they both carry the title of the strongest they actually have a lot in common, and are destined to duke it out one day - more details UNDER THE CUT.

1. Individualism

Gojo and Sukuna are both characters who base their entire identity around their individual strength. Their number one priority is the development of themselves. They need to stand out. They need to stand out on top. That’s why they share the phrase: “Throughout the heaven and earth, he alone is the honored one.”

Selfish and self-centered is a personality trait that typically has negative connotations, but being a selfish person is not necessarily a good or bad thing. All it means is you prioritize yourself first, your own thoughts, your own world view, your own sense of self. 

“I alone am the honored one” is actually a phrase of self enlightenment. It’s said that after the Budha Sakayuni was born he took seven steps from his mother and said that while pointing to the heaven and earth [x]. 

Gege has confirmed in his author comments he uses it to confirm the arrogance of the characters, and in doing so he portrays both the good and the bad of having such a sense of arrogance. See, selfishness is considered a bad quality, but what about self-confidence? Self-esteem? Believing in yourself can lead you to good things. Doubting yourself may seem humble, but it can lead you to making mistakes, or even lashing out at others. These aren’t necessarily good or bad they’re just qualities that people have. Personal enlightenment means becoming the best version of yourself that you can possibly be (if I’m WAYYY SIMPLIFYING). Gojou and Sukuna know themselves, and what they desire better than any other characters in the series. 

Gojo and Sukuna have such high confidence in themselves that they believe they can do pretty much anything, and usually they can. In their world view if you have the strength to do it, then anything is possible. 

Gojo calls this philosophy swinging for the fences. They are both like star players on the team, who do everything they can to stand out and be the best. Their are two competing needs in the story, the individual good, and the collective good. Gojo insists you don’t have to sacrifice yourself and put yourself down for the good of others, which is why he tries to assert his individual will on the world. He wants to make the world better how he sees fit. He generally thinks he’s right, and more right than others. Sukuna is the same way to a more extreme extent. 

The flaw of this thinking is that eventually they both tend to see themselves as above other people. When they stop seeing other people and cut themselves off like this, they start to believe they have to do every single thing alone. Instead of asserting their own will over others, it becomes more and more like their own will, their own ideas, their own thoughts and feelings become all that exists to them. That’s when their thinking starts becoming warped. 

Collectivism and Individualism are ideas that seem to contradict each other but that’s wrong, they’re actually complementary ideas that coexist. People are individuals. People are a collective group. Both of these ideas exist at the same time. 

Gojo’s self confidence, his selfless fighting for others always using his strength for the sake of others, trying to make a better world as he sees fit are all good things, but the fact that he believes no matter how strong he becomes no matter how hard he fights he’ll always die alone because it’s not worth becoming close to others in the Jujutsu World is just... sad. It means ever since Geto left, Gojo has trouble accepting other people and becoming close to them. Whereas Sukuna just doesn’t care. The flaw of doing everything alone is exactly that, you’re eventually alone, you become the only person on earth. 

2. Collectivism

Gojo and Sukuna both have an individual mindset, but where they differ is how they use their massive strength. Gojo believes in himself above all else but, he uses his strength for the collective good of the jujutsu world, whereas Sukuna only ever uses it for himself. Gojo parallels Yuji’s grandfather’s advice at the beginning of the manga pretty much exactly. He’s strong, so he’s obligated to help people. 

Gojo and Sukuna believes their strength makes them capable of anything, but Sukuna takes that one step further. Sukuna’s strength means he can do whatever he wants to others. Whereas, Gojo holds himself back. It’s why Sukuna is the king of curses, but Gojo isn’t the king of sorcerers. 

Gojo is at least capable of acknowledging other people in a way that Sukuna isn’t. Sukuna believes that the world should be run on strength alone. Gojo acknowledges that he’s perfectly capble of slaughtering everyone at the top and declaring himself king, but that he doesn’t really think that will change things ultimately. 

The thing is other people exist, even if Sukuna wants to ignore this inconvenient reality. No man is an island, yadda yadda. More importantly though, other people play a big role in individual identity too. If you were a person who never interacted with other people in your life, you’d just be insane. You’d be feral like an animal. You wouldn’t even have a sense of individuality. The individual ego is shaped just as much by our interactions with other people, seeing how we’re similiar and different to others than it is by how we view ourselves. Gojo and Sukuna both grapple with this idea. One thing they have in common is they both have awful peresonalities.

They’re not even lousy, they’re childish. They play games with other people. Gojo makes constant references to video games and pop culture like he’s a really hip teenager. Sukuna makes every fight into a game where he viciously mocks his opponent because he’s just so bored. The reason is because as individuals they’re also stunted, specifically because they have such trouble acknowledging other people and other people have such an influence on our peresonalities. Gojo doesn’t really need to grow up because he’s always been stronger and smarter than all the adults. Sukuna is a thousand year old spirit who acts like he’s thirteen. 

This longing to understand other people exists in both of them. Sukuna’s one redeeming feature is that when people are strong he will acknowledge them. He reaches out and connects to Jogo before his death. The problem is if you don’t meet his own personal definition of strength, then by his rules you’re basically nothing. 

Gojo seems much more aware of the fact that he’s not good enough to change things alone. What he wants is allies who are just as strong as he is, people he can rely on, people he can stand together and fight with. 

Sukuna genuinely doesn’t care about others. In fact, he views the desire to have companions, equals as a weakness. If you accept other people in any other regard, it weakens you and your individual will + desires as a person. 

But as I said, acknowledging other people is just as formative in your identity in ackonwledging yourself. Sukuna is just flat out wrong here. He’s the extreme result of Gojo’s tendency to do everything himself. For Sukuna other people just straight up don’t exist. The only people he acknowledges are the ones who meet his standards, his servants like Ura-Ume, and the one he plans on using like Megumi and that itself is a weakness. An oversight. 

3. Gojou vs. Sukuna

Sukuna has been planning, since literally the introduction chapters and the very first arc of the manga how he’s going to take Gojo down when he eventually claims Yuji’s body as his own. 

However, even if Sukuna were at full strength in Yuji’s body, Gojo would still win. I don’t think Gojo’s being cocky here it’s a genuine assessment of his strength. Which is why Sukuna has gotten crafty. We saw a long, long time ago he took an interest in Megumi the moment he learned he was a shikigami user. 

Sukuna notices that Megumi a shadow based shikigami user should have been easily able to beat a one finger curse, and asks why he didn’t. It’s after this point he takes a special interest in Megumi. He sees much more potential in Megumi, then Megumi even sees in himself. 

He places his bets in the personal development of Megumi Fushigoro. Over time, we’re reminded again and again the itnerest Sukuna has only in Megumi, and it’s slowly revealed why piece by piece. 

We learn two things about Megumi over time, that he intentionally holds himself back all the time, even though among the first years he’s the closest so far to developing a domain expansion. Number two is what we’ve learned in the last chapter.

Megumi actually has an insanely strong Jujutsu ability that he was born with. Among the Zen’in family it’s the only one that could ever possibly equal the six eyes. In the past it was a six-eyes user and a ten shadows user who fought to the death as equals. Megumi is someone who has had the capability to surpass Gojo all along, he just doesn’t believe himself capable and inententionally holds himself back. 

Which is why we learn this chapter, the insanely strong spirits that Megumi can summon with his ability we finally get a clue as to why Sukuna has taken an interset in him. Even if everything goes swimmingly and he takes over Yuji’s body, he still has to fight Gojo. 

Sukuna is keeping Megumi alive because from the beginning, being a thousand years old he knows this ancient history between the Zen’in and the Gojo families, and he knows that Megumi being a ten shadows user has the potential to be an equal, or even stronger than Gojo. 

The Gojo and Sukuna fight is going to happen eventually in the manga and when it does, Sukuna’s planning on using Megumi as a tool against Gojo. That’s what we’ve been building to all this time. That’s Sukuna’s plans for Megumi.