#look i went to watch the new batman movie with a couple friends before break

[1-800-i-ship-it]

i have to stop doing things like this but yes hi im alive and i really miss tumblr but also i keep procratsinating but anywya

life update i accidetnallly got into batman so...and the chaos expands...

thanks yall for sticking around haha and for new people warning label i drive around my little clown car all day so see ya around in my blog xD

DO NOT WORRY I WONT DITCH MY OLD FANDOMS and yeah i still do have a pile of screenshots on my desktop that gets worse by the day also i will catch up on tags and asks ty for patience im a v slow clown turtle

the sun rises and blu's bad habits never change

hope yall doing well~

[thr-333]

Mismatch- Part 24

Bio dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

Oh dear, oh dear Lila what a shame this is

First< Previous > Next

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The next couple of days are... awkward. Dick keeps calling which is nice, they even go for dinner one day dragging Tim along. Tim seems fine, tired but that's hardly unusual. Jason had just straight up disappeared, but Dick had assured them he would be coming to the Wayne Gala that weekend. Speaking of which they had been invited, well they were already going because of MDC stuff but now they were also invited as civilians. The news would have been happy if Damian hadn't stormed out the room when it was mentioned. The next day and the day after that hadn’t improved anything, Damian was completely ignoring them and they weren't the only ones to notice.

“What did you do to upset Dami so much?!” Lila announces rather loudly to the entire cafeteria, “I told you, you were going too far,”

“Lila, and I mean this sincerely, fuck off,” Marion says flatly, he hears Marinette cover a laugh despite swatting at him lightly.

“How dare you?! I’m just trying to look out for him,” Lila sniffles, basking under the attention of her large audience, looking between the girl and Damian. Marion catches Damian's eye, raising a brow basically saying you’re going to let this slide? Apparently he was as Damian looks away from them, and if anything was going to give Lila more believability it’s that.

“Marion are you alright?” Rose asks gently, having tiptoed after Lila with the rest of the class. Had he been looking so downcast she actually noticed?

“I’m fi-” Whatever assurance he was about to give is mute as he feels tears sliding down his cheeks, “Fuck-I just-”

He tries to wipe away the tears, very aware of everyone watching him. It’s starting to get hard to breath when he feels gentle arms wrap around him. It’s Rose. Rose is actually hugging him! It’s been so long he forgot what her hugs felt like. Well if she was trying to stop him from crying that certainly didn’t help matters. He tries to take a calming breath but it comes out more like a sob and soon enough he can’t hold it back anymore. A fine place to break down Mari, really, truly a testament to your skill.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this here,” Lila scoffs, Marion can feel the arms around him tighten, “After all the work I put in for this trip-”

“LILA WOULD YOU JUST STOP!” Alya’s scream makes them all jump back, Marion turning to face the absolutely seething girl, “This is the first time in YEARS we’ve been allowed to feel emotions! So just leave it alone, they’re allowed to be sad!”

“Well-I-its-they-” Lila splutters looking completely blindsided that one of her puppets broke off its strings, clearly she hasn't been paying attention the last few weeks, funny when you save someone's life they tend to listen and care about what you say a bit more. And if that leads to noticing a few more jibes in their direction... well that's just a happy coincidence.

“What is your problem!? You’ve been nothing but nasty to them since we got here!” Well a bit longer than that but good on you for noticing Alya.

“Oh, it’s just been so hard for me!” Lila exclaims, crocodile tears coming in as Marion still tries to wipe off his own, the genuine article at that, “If you had heard some of the things they’ve said to me-”

Lila jumps as Damian appears next to her. He doesn't look at or acknowledge the twins. In fact, he still looks rather pissed but at least some of its directed at Lila this time. He silently hands his phone over to Alya with some hesitation, Lila's eyes go wide. As quickly as he had come he’s gone, disappearing into the crowd that had formed around them.

“What’s-”

“Give it!” Lila screeches, lunging for the phone. Alya jerks back in surprise, Lila’s nails tearing down her arm. Ugly red marks that had broken the skin and gone in deep.

“What the hell!” Alya shouts through tears, clutching her bloody arm as the class crowd around her.

Instead of apologizing Lila tries to snatch the phone in the moment of distraction, but Alix is a hair quicker. She presses play despite Lila shouting threats that made the rest of the class go pale. The recording plays everyone is glued to it. The class becoming increasingly more hysterical. Marinette doesn't wait for it to finish, she gently guides Marion out of the room slipping through the crowd. They hide in an empty classroom, far enough away they can’t hear the outcry that follows.

“Do you think that’s really it, it’s done?” Marion whispers, Marinette is wiping his face with a handkerchief he had always made fun of her for carrying.

“Maybe, I honestly can’t bring myself to care anymore,” Marinette rests her forehead against his, her standing as he sits on a desk, “I thought I’d feel more…”

“Victorious?”

“Yeah,”

“I don’t think there are any winners here,” He can hear someone shouting their names down the hall, voice wobbly with tears, he doesn't care about any apology the can muster, “How lame did I look crying?”

“In front of the whole school like that?”

“Yeah,”

“I’d say it was pretty brave,” She pulls him into a hug, squeezing tight.

“He was just ignoring us,” Marion admits quietly, Lila hadn’t made him cry in a long time, but Damian? Damian did.

“I know,” Marinette pats his head, the same way she would tease him as Chat Noir, “But he did something in the end didn’t he?”

“Oh, gee look at this lame-ass, better make him stop before people associate him with me’,” Marion does an impression not remotely close to Damian, Marinette pinches him.

“That’s not what he was thinking and you know it,”

“Yeah,” Marion sighs, he can hear doors opening and closing now, apologies cast out through the school in hopes they’ll hear them, “What do we do now?”

“Jump out the window?”

So they did end up jumping out the window. Something Alfred had somehow known they were planning because he was waiting right there to pick them up. The debated on actually going to the manor, but their phones were lighting up with messages and the hotel was not an option. The Manor was silent when they arrived. And it remained silent for most of their stay.

Dick had apparently set himself a mission of making them feel at home, whatever that meant, and was nowhere to be seen. He seemed like the only one actually happy to have them join the ragtag family so without him it was likely the others were just avoiding them. That was fine, really, Alfred set them up with a movie and ice cream that they used to ignore everything else.

Dick was their saving grace and the bane of their existence. When he came back he had apparently made the decision they would be staying at the manor for the rest of the trip, despite it only meant to be a few more days(it wasn't for them but he didn’t know that yet). Alfred had apparently told him what happened and he had brought it upon himself to bring their friends, actual friends not classmates to the manor. This was a blessing and a curse as all they seemed to want to do was fill them in on what had happened.

They listened and ate ice cream together. And yeah Marion kind of wished he could have seen Lila as every lie was torn down but Chloe rejoiced in relaying her reactions with great detail. She had of course tried to lie and turn it all on the twins, them trying to frame her. However, with blood running down Alya's arm that warranted a trip to the hospital it was met with a cold shoulder. Their talk eventually morphed into laughing at all her outlandish lies, which Chloe gladly compiled into a list to share with the rest of the class, ranking them in order of their stupidity. She planned to go through the whole list on the plane ride back where there would be no escape for anyone. It was fun in a way, and if Marion noticed more than one pair of eyes spying in on the conversation he wasn’t going to point it out. Lila was yet to face her dues.

When their friends had to go back to the hotel they promised not to give anything away. Alfred gratefully let them skip over dinner and Dick was overjoyed to show them to their rooms. Marion kind of wanted to laugh when he was shown his, wondering how much of it was Dick, how much was Bruce, and what was Alfred.

There were cat plushies everywhere which he had to guess was Bruce latching onto the detail from the fair and indeed Dough boy is sitting front and center on his bed. Then again wherever he was over he did spend a lot of time with Catfred. It could also be Dick taking note of that because really everything has cats on it. There's blankets, pillows, a rug with kittens over it. There was an armchair shaped like a cat head, and where had they even found that? It only got worse the further he went into the room noticing that the curtains had been replaced to have cats on them and there were pictures of cats hanging on the wall, the lamps in the room even cast shadows of cats. The only thing he could find that wasn't cat-related was a picture of them with Bruce at the fair, each sporting a plushie with Bruce holding a cutesy Batman plush between the grinning twins.

“Nette my defining trait isn’t cats is it?” He walks into her room through the joining door he was willing to bet didn’t exist a week ago. His side, of course, had a cat painted on it, he closes it just so he has less exposure to all the cats.

“Course not,” Marinette grins from her sewing machine.

She had a more, let's say subdued room. Oh sure Bruce had apparently found her all the Ladybug plushies he could but they apparently didn't have the same abundance as cats. Instead, he seemed to have focused on her sewing kit. Mannequins littered about her room that Marinette had already started pinning fabric to. Half of her walk-in closet was dedicated to spools of fabric, the other stocked with clothes. Marion didn’t dare brave his own knowing he would find only cats .

“Did you notice the dollhouse?” Marinette asks as Marion flops onto her bed, at least you could actually see her bed and it wasn't hidden by a pile of cats.

“Yeah mine was stocked with camembert and sugar cubes,” and it had personalized rooms for both Kaalki and Plagg that they were happily exploring.

“Mine cookies,” Marinette hums, more concerned with her design than the topic at hand, “Think we got found out,”

“Probably, whoever it is hasn't said anything tho,” Marion looks over at the large dollhouse in Marinette's room, Tikki waved at him from a window and he waved back.

“Probably Alfred,”

“Probably, that mans a witch,”

“A Witch?”

“I know what I said,” Marion sighs, sealing himself to go back into the cat infestation. How do you politely say ‘thank you so much but what the fuck?’

He knew he had to brave the closet sometime as someone had been so kind as to put away his clothes. Sure enough, it was as bad as he had imagined. Everything from t-shirts with cartoon cats to clothes carefully crafted to have cat ears. I was actually kind of amazing at this point. Giving up his conquest to find his actual pj’s he buttons up a two-piece that is, naturally, covered with cats.

On his way out he notices a bit of black at the very front of the closet not fitting in with the color-coded organization. He pulls it out to find a gorgeous leather jacket that was completely devoid of cats! Huzzah! There was a note hanging from the sleeve which Marion unfolded.

Knew Bruce and Dick would be idiots so I got you something actually decent

I saw the room and yeah it's a fucken mess

If you ever need it gone or I don’t know accidentally set on fire give me a call

Marion chuckles knowing it could be no one else but Jason he tucks the note into the jacket, pulling it on to find a perfect fit. He keeps it on as a shield, something solidly not-cat is comforting at this point. He pushes the piles of cat toys onto the floor and seriously he was going to have to have a talk with Bruce about moderation and interior decorating. He lies down looking up at the ceiling, then immediately getting up and storming into Nette’s room. He was not going to sleep under a mural of cats! Nope not tonight! Not ever!

Marinette doesn't even look up from where she’s hunched over her desk as he flops onto her bed. Can someone be over the moon to be surrounded by ladybugs? Yes provided they have had an overexposure to cats first.

“I know we don’t want to go to school tomorrow but I can not stand a second more in that room,”

“Schools over Mari, it’s the concert tomorrow remember?”

“Goddammit,”

“Jasons having a bad influence on you,”

“Can’t we have just one day of rest?”

“No, now go to sleep,”

“You first,” Marion shoots, back despite curling up under the blankets.

“If you want to wear that jacket tomorrow you better take it off before it gets ruined,”

“I can wear it for the concert?” He shoots back up, excited but takes her advice anyway.

“ No I did not spend weeks designing a new jacket for you to wear that,” Besides it doesn't even have bats on the back,”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Marion yawns, sinking back into the bed, and wow it’s really soft, “What if we changed them to Robins?”

“... you really don’t want me to sleep tonight do you?”

“Means I get the whole bed to myself, a master plan if I do say so myself,” Marion doesn't even stir as the pillow hits him square in the face.

----------------------

Taglist:

@technicallyburninggarden @fusser90  @misslenamooney @superbwhispersconnoisseur @biodad-bruce-month @nalu-ismyjam @the-one-woman-army @rosesandsailboats @blackmagicforever @zeneralla @ivymala07 @tired-butterfly @Ranger-gothamite @A-star-with-a-human-name @enchanted-nerd @trippingovermyfeet

[tabloidtoc]

People, May 10

Cover: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade

Page 3: Chatter -- Mindy Kaling on technology woes, Amy Adams on wanting to go into acting because of Grease, Gal Gadot on telling her daughters Maya and Alma about her pregnancy, DJ Khaled on using Rihanna's skin-care line, Christie Brinkley on showing off her body on Instagram at age 67, Whoopi Goldberg on writing a superhero movie about an older Black lady

Page 4: 5 Things We're Talking About -- Michael Keaton returns as Batman, Jane Fonda recalls her first and best kiss, Maya Rudolph would give Bridesmaids another go, the stars of ER scrub in one more time, popcorn and donuts team up

Page 7: Contents

Page 8: StarTracks -- one day before Prince William and Princess Kate's youngest child Prince Louis turned 3, Kensington Palace released a new portrait of the little royal to mark the occasion; Kate snapped the photo of Louis, who wore a school uniform and backpack as he rode his bike outside their home in London ahead of his first day of preschool

Page 9: JoJo Siwa and mom Jessalynn went for a roller-coaster ride at Disney's Hollywood studios in Florida, Madonna in a three-piece Gucci suit for dinner at West Hollywood staple Craig's

Page 10: Stars on Set -- Rachel Brosnahan was pretty in pink while filming season 4 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with costar Alex Borstein in NYC, John Cena flashed a peace sign when he took a coffee break while filming The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker in Vancouver, Tika Sumpter and James Marsden shot an action-packed scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in Vancouver

Page 11: Katie Holmes was spotted on a Connecticut set preparing to film the drama The Watergate Girl in which she'll play Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks, Awkwafina and Bowen Yang filmed the upcoming season of Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens in NYC, Melissa Benoist suited up for Supergirl in Vancouver

Page 12: Brooke Shields who is recovering after breaking her femur in a gym accident walked arm in arm after a lunch with husband Chris Henchy, Britney Spears and boyfriend Sam Asghari posed for a photo before attending a friend's wedding

Page 15: Stars in the Sun -- Maren Morris flaunted her new tan while enjoying a tropical getaway, Simone Biles and boyfriend Jonathan Owens cuddled up during a trip to Florida, Lindsey Vonn caught some waves and some rays while paddleboarding in Tulum, Derek Hough cooled off in the ocean during a beach day in L.A., Brie Larson enjoyed a dip while on vacation in Hawaii

Page 17: Scoop -- Life After Their Split -- how Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are moving on

Page 18: Inside Caitlyn Jenner's run for governor

Page 20: Heart Monitor -- Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young ready to wed, Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor going public, Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares split, Billie Eilish and Matthew Tyler Vorce new couple?

Page 23: Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin's messy divorce

* Susannah Constantine -- my royal friendship with Princess Margaret

Page 24: Open House -- French Montana

* Baby Boom -- the latest on Hollywood's growing families -- Marie Kondo and Takumi Kawahara welcomed a son, Nick and Lauren Carter welcomed their third child

Page 27: Ed Helms talks life after The Office

Page 29: Passages, Why I Care -- Lisa Kudrow is working with doctors at UCLA to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues

Page 31: Stories to Make You Smile -- most cats can't stand the water but 8-month-old Marlin can't get enough and his Instagram is @carolinejarvis, a first grader's airplane kits give wings to kids' travel dreams

Page 35: People Picks -- Tom Clancy's Without Remorse

Page 36: Limbo, One to Watch -- Shadow and Bone's Jessie Mei Li

Page 37: Pose, Pet Stars

Page 38: The Handmaid's Tale, Thomas Rhett -- Country Again: Side A, Q&A with Olivia Holt

Page 39: The Mosquito Coast, Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List

Page 41: Books

Page 42: Oscars 2021 -- The Return of Glamour -- the show was unconventional, just 170 guests were allowed in L.A.'s Union Station, and COVID restrictions were strictly enforced, but stars did their part to bring back some movie magic

Page 43: Andra Day

Page 44: Fabulous Fashion -- crop tops, ball gowns and bows ruled the red carpet -- Angela Bassett, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan, Maria Bakalova

Page 45: Margot Robbie, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Amanda Seyfried

Page 46: Behind the Scenes -- Regina King -- the actress closed out awards season in a custom Louis Vuitton creation

Page 48: Shine Bright -- there's no such thing as too much bling -- Laura Pausini, Vanessa Kirby, Zendaya

Page 49: Maria Bakalova, Daniel Kaluuya, Glenn Close, Tiara Thomas

Page 50: Very Well Suited -- these sharp dressers put their own twists on the tuxedo -- Lakeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, Paul Raci, Tyler Perry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Kim

Page 53: Getting Ready with Andra Day

Page 55: Getting Ready with Angela Bassett

Page 56: Romance on the Red Carpet -- these couples only had eyes for each other -- Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, Halle Berry and Van Hunt, Chloe Zhao and Joshua James Richards, Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza

Page 57: Steven Yeun and Joana Pak, Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson, Paul Raci and Liz Hanley Raci, Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova

Page 58: Best in Show -- there were A-list stars, groundbreaking moments and social distancing as Hollywood gathered safely to honor the best movies of the year -- Reese Witherspoon

Page 61: Alan Kim, Angela Bassett, Rita Moreno

Page 62: Major Moments -- these artists broke barriers during the most historic ceremony ever -- Emerald Fennell, Chloe Zhao, Daniel Kaluuya

Page 63: H.E.R., Anthony Hopkins, Yuh-Jung Youn with Brad Pitt, Mia Neal

Page 65: Yuh-Jung Youn and Daniel Kaluuya and Frances McDormand, Elton John and Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Winnie Harlow

Page 66: Cover Story -- Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union -- Dream Team -- the actress and NBA champ open up about protecting their family, fighting for what's right and why they're stronger than ever

Page 72: George Floyd's Killer Found Guilty -- We Can Breathe Again -- friends and family of the Minneapolis man killed by police rejoice after a jury's verdict and vow with supporters to keep fighting systemic racism

Page 76: Bethenny Frankel -- what I know now -- the irrepressible former Real Housewives star and businesswoman is newly engaged and back as a boss with a new show

Page 80: A Son Lost to Suicide, A Father's Mission -- we loved him every day, but it wasn't enough -- after the shocking death of his 12-year-old son, Brad Hunstable has a message for parents: talk to your kids about suicide

Page 84: Andrew McCarthy -- I was never suited for fame -- the beloved actor, and author of a new memoir, looks back on his enduring films, surviving his '80s stardom and how his affiliation with the so-called Brat Pack was a mixed blessing

Page 88: Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's 10-year anniversary -- remembering the big day -- those who made the wedding a fairy tale share their memories

Page 92: Country Singer Thomas Rhett -- fame, family and finding my way -- the star opens up about overcoming struggled with his wife Lauren in their 8-year-marriage and learning to put their family first

Page 98: Murdered Soldier Vanessa Guillen's Fiance -- every day I pray for justice -- a year after losing the love of his life, Juan Cruz is determined to make sure the Army specialist's legacy is never forgotten and that her tragic death inspires lasting change

Page 102: George W. Bush -- painting with a purpose -- the former president avoided making waves, until his party's nativist prompted him to use his art to celebrate immigrants

Page 106: Pop Star Julia Michaels -- how I learned to love myself -- the singer talks falling in love, managing anxiety and writing hits for Britney Spears and Selena Gomez

Page 116: One Last Thing -- Josh Duhamel

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Sarah Ellen Parsons

Sarah Ellen Parsons has 18 X-Files stories at Gossamer and 19 at AO3. If you want high quality fic with interesting characters, go read her stories. Some of my favorites of her fics are The Crouching Thing and My Constant Touchstone Who Makes Me A Whole Person (which are two very different stories!). Big thanks to Sarah Ellen for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

With today's binge-watching culture, I'm not at all surprised. You can watch a bunch of eps and then seek out fic that is where you are in the series.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

I took away a writer's group Yes, Virginia, that is still together.  Mostly as friends, but whenever I write something, or someone else writes something, it's the first place we all run for machete beta. I have betad SO MANY novels.

We have a number of folks who are published writers since then and our time in X-Files fic brought us lifelong friendships IRL and made us all better at our craft. The majority of those folks were better writers than I am. And I make my living as a writer in my day-job.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I belonged to a couple of the largest lists and posted there and bitched about the show on usenet with everyone else.  We had our own Yahoo group for beta.  We all had crappy GeoCities websites that we programmed the HTML for ourselves and hooked through various fandom link circles to get traffic to our stories.  But the main method of distribution was the lists.

Fun fact, I found a free page counter thing that I used at work one time through fandom. So fandom pays off in skillz.

Even without social media, we managed to get our stories in front of readers who would enjoy them. Where there's a will, there's always someone ready to step up and find a way.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Again, I have lifelong friends IRL that I got solely from fanfiction. That's the best takeaway.

Fandom disappointed me because it, like everything else, is ruined by people's egos, backstabbing, and petty people who get in positions of power and then use those positions to punch down or dictate. I was young when I was writing X-Files and I still had hope that people would rise to their better natures, so I got involved in various futile efforts to try to make people behave the way I wanted them to behave, I guess. I did a lot of public bitching that didn't serve me or my friends well. I now put that effort into politics, where it does actual good.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

X-files was made for me. It combined science fiction, mystery, horror.  I love all of those genres. Plus there was Scully. No matter how sexist that writer's room was, Scully was awesome. But you kept seeing bad writing. Even in the heyday seasons, like Season 3, there were really terrible eps that made you want to fix things.

I'm a lifelong speculative fiction fan and a published feminist science fiction author. I actually was published before I fell down the fic hole. I got involved in fanfic due to getting my fantasy novel turned down from every major publisher for being "too dark". And I needed to get readers to see my stuff to prove to myself that I wasn't terrible at writing. I got a ton of feedback and it was like market research to see what people wanted to read.

My time in fanfiction made me 100% a better writer than I was.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I went to the X-Files Expo to see if I could make contact with someone from Harper Collins because the tie-in novels sucked so hard.  I got rejected with my pitch as I didn't have a literary agent.

Around that time, a pal who I watched X-Files with IRL was looking for a free X-files wallpaper for her work computer when she found the website where fans in Pennsylvania had fic archived. She read some and wrote to me - "you need to see this, and you can do better."  So I started reading and was.... I probably CAN do better. So I wrote The Batman Plot. And made two friends I'm still friends with with that one story.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Nonexistent.  I couldn't even watch the latest season and I saw only 2 of season one of whatever that was before I gave up. I have never watched the second movie.

X-files is my first fandom bad ex-husband. I loved it SO MUCH, but it betrayed me.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I was deep into Harry Potter for a while, but I didn't end up publishing anything in it. All my stories were novel-length and I was writing so much for work, I never completed anything. I called Snape/Lily when Prisoner of Azkaban was published and got Jossed by Rowling in one of my big ideas. (This is bad fandom ex-husband 2. JKR will never get a dime of money from me again because of her hateful stance on transfolk. I have RL friends who are trans and NO.)

I wrote fic in Supernatural. It was the obvious next thing after X-Files. However, the misogyny and bringing in all the Angel/Devil Christofascist stuff lost me. The ep where they declared all other religions other than Christianity as invalid and killed a Hindu god made me stop watching for good. I know enough Christofascists IRL that I can't tolerate it in my fiction. (Bad fandom ex-husband 3)

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

This list is far too long to actually make.  But characters I spent time writing about include: Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Co. (I wrote three unpublished Star Trek novels before I found online fandom). King Arthur and Morgan Le Fay, Sherlock Holmes (I wrote a Sherlock Holmes play after seeing "Crucifer of Blood" and entered it in a national competition, where I got very nice comments back.), Mulder, Scully and Krycek, Rowling's Hermione and Snape (like him or not, its masterful characterization), Dean and Sam Winchester, John Winchester and Bobby Singer.  I wrote one comedy story starring Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  A couple of Roswell stories under a different name. Catwoman and Batman. I have some unpublished Avengers fanfic lying around as I'm an OG Marvel fan with a massive comic collection.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I was on a business trip a few years ago and FX had a marathon and I watched part of it when I was in my hotel room. Early seasons are comforting, but I don't go back there now.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I don't read X-Files fic anymore. I read a tiny bit of Star Wars after the second movie because Rian Johnson had it right. Now I don't care. I love Mandalorian, but am content to watch.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Too many to count.  All of YV. Which reminds me, I need to go update our entry at Fanlore. I promised Punk I'd do it a while back.  I need to at least get everyone linked.  Right now it's only Punk and Sab.

But it was a ton of us.  Marasmus, Maria Nicole, Cofax, CazQ, M. Sebasky, Livia Balaban, Kelly Keil, Wen, Ropobop, Jess Mabe, JET, fialka, and a bunch of others that I can't remember their fic names any more, just their real names because I know them all IRL. I need to go back and look up their fic names and link them up there.

In addition to my little group of pals, I loved reading Mustang Sally and Rivka T, Rachel Anton - I keep trying to find her to encourage her to write romance if she's not doing it already, but no dice, Dasha K., Anjou, there were so many great ones, but their names have slipped my mind in the past 20 years.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I'm most known for Prone, and I'm proud of that story for all kinds of reasons, but I think my very best is The Crouching Thing.

I mostly didn't publish anything I didn't think was good and hadn't been machete betaed within an inch of its life, but I'm not sure much of the angsty romance stuff holds up as well. I think it worked when the show was still ON and we were all in that emotional headspace, but probably not now.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

Funny you ask. I am currently reworking a plot idea I had for an X-Files fic into a contemporary M/M novel, which I will publish under a different pen-name. The plot is the idea I had for X-Files, the characters are very, very different other than one is uptight and the other more easy-going. But no more Mulder and Scully.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I have been making my living as a writer for 25 years. I write the word count equivalent of 5 Tolkein novels a year, just for my day-job.  I am turning back to original fiction, which is where I was before X-Files.  I'm working on the M/M thing, a high fantasy thing, a low fantasy historical thing and a bunch of M/F Regency romances as I get time and energy.  I publish Fantasy and SF under my real name. Romance has pen names as you don't want that getting back to your workplace, either.

SEP is fic only and here she will stay.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I have too many ideas to count.  I try to write them down when they come, so I won't forget. At least the outline of the idea. Often a scene. I've been like this my entire life. I started writing novels seriously at 15. I wrote a 500 plus page one about Morgan Le Fay during breaks in high school because "Mists of Avalon" pissed me off so bad as I'd read the original source material and that was a Wicca recruitment polemic.

What's the story behind your pen name?

Sarah Ellen was my great-grandma, Parsons was her grandma's last name.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

Half my friends ARE fic friends. Most of my friends know as does my brother, who thinks writing for free is dumb. This is universally agreed on by non-fic friends who know. My mother still doesn't know about the fic. Just the "real" writing.  I write under a pen name to keep it away from my job and my published work.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

My X-files stuff is up on Gossamer mostly. I'm trying to get the stories all moved to AO3 for all the genres. I'm working on this now.  SEP is really not a living thing anymore, but there was a time when she was more me than me.

If you want to find my "real" non-fic writing, write to me at se_parsons at yahoo dot com and I will point you at it.

And PLEASE someone, hunt down Rachel Anton and get her writing something we all can BUY.  Where are my old Krycek bitches at?  Do any of you know where she is? [Lilydale note: I’ve tried contacting Rachel Anton for this Old School X project but have not had luck. I would love to find her too!]

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

The community I loved has mostly moved on, but I think we left a legacy of solid work crafted out of our love for the show.  Find a living community you love for a show you love.  There are great people out there creating and get involved.  It will be worth it.

(Posted by Lilydale on December 15, 2020)

[awesomesusiebstuff]

Time Together Changes Everything

This was written for @idreamofplaid Thanks For The Memories Challenge.  It was inspired by scenes form Supernatural Season 13 episodes Patience and The Big Empty and by my love for the relationship between Sam and Jack.

Characters:  Sam Winchester, Jack Kline, Dean Winchester

Words: 2,113

Warnings:  None that I could think of.  Pure fluff.

A/N Thanks to @fangirlxwritesx67 for reading and encouraging and to @thoughtslikeaminefield for beta read and suggestions for improvement.

Summary: Dean is angry.  Jack is afraid of Dean and of his own powers.  Sam is trying to keep himself and everyone else together.  Someone has to be the adult in the bunker. Who knew trying to raise a Nephilim would be so difficult?

With Cas dead and Mary gone, life in the bunker was very uncomfortable.  Truth be told, uncomfortable was too small a word to describe the atmosphere.  Charged, hostile, despairing. Those were more accurate descriptions. Everyone who remained had been sent reeling.  The world had spun off its axis and no one had time to adjust to the new trajectory.  

 Dean was mourning his best friend, and his mother, and was caught up in blaming the bunker’s newest resident for his loss. Jack was feeling alone and frightened.  Everything was new and terrifying to him, including his own powers. And Sam, Sam was just trying to keep it together.  

He had lost his friend and mother -- and, God, it hurt!  But he was convinced that Jack was not a monster and knew that someone had to look after him. So, in one of the greatest ironies of all time,  Sam chose to step up and protect the son of Lucifer, which included helping Jack learn how to control his powers and use them for good.

Training was not going well. Jack had been trying his hardest to please Sam by making a pencil levitate.  Sam had been trying his best to be patient and not pressure Jack. He knew Jack was scared. Sam was frustrated though, and felt he was doing everything wrong.  He had no real experience with kids. And, even though Sam knew he did the best he could, his own father was not exactly a role model. Sam was worried he would not be an adequate parent for any child, let alone for a Nephilim. Just the thought of it was overwhelming.

Sam wished he could get Dean on board for some much needed help, but Dean was convinced Jack was evil and would turn on them as soon as he had the opportunity.  Dean had gone so far as to tell Jack he would be the one to kill him if he went dark side. Sam understood that his brother’s first response to any strong, uncomfortable emotion was anger. He knew this was part of Dean’s grieving process, but his brooding and glaring at Jack was not helping the situation. 

The day everything changed was the day Jack blew up at Sam and fled to his room.  Sam found him sitting in the corner in tears. Sam knew what it was to feel like a disappointment. He was mortified to be the cause of Jack’s tears. 

Sam sat next to Jack on the floor and bumped his shoulder to get the boy’s attention. In the gentlest voice possible, Sam said “I’m sorry for pushing so hard, Jack.  I forget that you’re just a kid. I want you to know that whether you get a handle on your powers or not, you are not a disappointment. Your mom believed in you. Cas believed in you.  And I believe in you.”  

By this time, Jack had turned so he could look at Sam, his face so open and hopeful that Sam found himself close to tears. “OK,” Jack said.” I’m ready to try again.”  “Great!” Sam replied. “But let’s have a little fun first, take a break.”

Sam wasn’t really sure what would be fun for a Nephilim. Truth be told, he wasn’t certain what would be fun for a child. Sam thought about things he had liked to do as a child. He remembered that most of his favorite things involved fantasy of some kind.  He didn’t think he should resort to playing Batman and Robin or soldiers with Jack. He decided to start introducing Jack to the world of Star Wars, figuring that would at least be interesting for him.   

He left Jack in his room with a laptop and Clone Wars. When he checked back a few hours later, he saw that Jack had not moved off his bed and was still working his way through the episodes.  Sam asked, ”Hey, how’s it going?” Jack looked up and replied, “Good. I’m enjoying it. I’m not too fond of Anakin, though.”  Sam laughed when he heard this. He was taking this as an indication that Jack was not going to go all Darth Vader on the world.  At Jack’s questioning look, Sam smiled and said, “I’ll explain it to you another time.” Jack just nodded and went back to his viewing.

Sam left to make Jack something to eat and ran into Dean in the kitchen. He was still smiling when he said, “So get this. Jack doesn’t like Anakin Skywalker. Dude, that’s a good thing, right?”  Dean didn’t really answer but he actually smiled. Sam chose to see this as another good sign. Maybe the ice around Dean was starting to thaw and he would begin to warm up to Jack. 

Jack really seemed to enjoy the animated series so Sam downloaded the movies for him, starting, of course, with the original one featuring Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.  While Jack watched, Sam returned to the library to do more research on Nephilim.

Thinking about Star Wars and his own childhood had triggered some not so great memories, like how much he disliked being left alone to entertain himself when Dean and his father went on hunts.  Those memories made him realize he was doing the same thing to Jack. Sam might not know the best way to teach Jack to use his powers, but he could spend time with him and show Jack what it was like to be human.

From that day on, Sam made a point of spending time with Jack and introducing him to what he called “the human experience.” He listed what he considered essentials and set himself the goal of checking at least one thing off the list every day. 

Sam was aware that Jack was too small to wear any of Dean’s clothes.  And his own clothes certainly would not fit him. So clothes shopping moved to the top of the list.

Sam never paid much attention to clothes but he found that he actually enjoyed helping Jack find things to wear that he would like and that would feel comfortable. One of their most successful shopping excursions netted Jack a new “favorite” hoodie and a pair of sneakers with Velcro, both of which quickly became part of his daily wardrobe.  

Grocery shopping was not quite as successful.  Jack discovered he liked candy, sugary cereal, and just about anything sweet.  Sam tried to introduce him to all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Jack would try everything but nothing beat nougat and Sam would always catch him trying to sneak sweets into the grocery cart. 

Sam was aware that Jack’s grocery preferences contributed to Dean’s warming up to him.  Dean would never take Jack shopping, but whenever Dean went on a supply run, Sam saw that a handful of candy bars and a couple boxes of sugary cereal mysteriously made it into the bunker. 

Dean couldn’t help noticing that Jack looked up to Sam and that Sam looked happier when he was doing things with Jack. One day he commented, “Dude, I’m glad to see you looking like less of a sad sack.”  Sam gave Dean the patented eye roll and said, “Yeah, I think things are getting better.” Sam knew better than to push Dean so he just smiled to himself and let it drop.  

Hunting was the family business, so, of course, Sam taught Jack about monsters and the lore.  He took Jack out to walk around a cemetery and explained how EMF worked. He let Jack read his hunting journal and some of the notes he kept about monsters he and Dean had encountered. 

Sam stayed away from the topic of Lucifer as much as possible.  He knew Jack had questions. Jack finally came out and asked, “Is my father a monster?” Sam answered honestly, ”Yes, Jack, he is. And someday I’ll tell you more about him and why I know he is evil.  But Jack, that does not mean you will be evil. You have a choice and I believe you will make the right one.”

After that, Sam was always very careful to make sure Jack knew he and Dean did not see him as a monster. He believed that Jack trusted that Sam saw him as a real person and not just some “cosmic entity” with potentially useful powers.  He knew Jack was still unsure about Dean, especially after Dean’s “cosmic can opener” crack. Sometimes Jack had bad dreams and he would go to find Sam. He would always ask, “Is Dean going to kill me?’ And Sam always replied, “No. I won’t let that happen.”

Jack’s nightmares became less frequent.  One morning he came to Sam and said ”I don’t think Dean plans to kill me anytime soon.” Sam recognized this as real progress and decided to plan a Lord of The Rings movie marathon to celebrate. However, before the marathon could begin, Sam decided Jack needed one more lesson.  Sam wanted to show Jack the failsafe weapon to be deployed when trying to get Dean to do anything. Sam left Jack practicing his puppy dog eyes in the mirror and went to find Dean. Sam used his own puppy dog eyes on his brother and Dean agreed to join them in watching the first movie. 

Midway through the movie, Jack asked ,“Aren’t people supposed to have snacks when they’re watching a movie?” and Sam watched Jack unleash his version of the pleading eyes on Dean.  Sam smirked as he watched Dean jump up to go to the kitchen, saying “I’m on it. Popcorn and nachos coming right up. Anybody need another drink?” By the time the credits rolled on the last film, all three were devouring a Dean made “hobbit second breakfast” of waffles, bacon, and a veggie omelet for Sam.

The next day, Jack proudly announced, “I found a case for you.”   Dean surprised Sam by inviting Jack to come with them on the hunt.  It turned out to be a simple salt-and-burn and didn’t require any use of special powers.  Jack showed he was able to listen and followed Sam’s every direction. And Sam knew Jack’s willingness to do the grave digging won him points with Dean.

Jack’s full acceptance into the Winchester family became apparent to Sam the day after they returned  to the bunker. Sam noticed that Dean had begun calling Jack “kid” and he immediately recognized what that meant.  Any lingering doubt Sam may have had disappeared when Dean began teasing Jack about his hair.

 Dean said “Hey, kid.  You’re getting a little shaggy.  Which is ok if you want Wookie hair but…” and then gave Sam a pointed look. 

Jack looked at Sam for guidance, unsure of how to respond.  Sam just laughed and directed a “jerk” at Dean.  

Sam said, “Jack, it’s your hair and you decide how you want it to look.”  

After giving it some thought, Jack said, “I guess I don’t want to look like a Wookie.  Can I get a haircut?”  

Dean volunteered to cut Jack’s hair but Sam just chuckled and shook his head.  Sam decided he would make an appointment with the girl who cut his own hair and take Jack into town for his haircut. 

The next day, Sam and Jack drove into town.  Sandra, Sam’s usual stylist, greeted them with a smile and innocently asked Sam, “And who is this?” referring to Jack.  

Giving one of his awkward waves, Jack shyly said, “I’m Jack.” 

Sam was taken aback because he hadn’t thoroughly thought this thing through. Of course, Sandra knew Sam and would be curious about Jack.  By that time, Jack was nervously staring at the floor. And Sam was hit by the realization that that this was Jack’s first haircut and it was a big deal for him. 

Not giving himself time to think, Sam blurted out, “He’s my son.”  When he saw the biggest smile he had ever seen on Jack’s face, he knew it was the right thing to say.  More than that, he knew it was the truth.  

He felt himself smiling just as big when Jack answered, “Yes, that’s my Dad.”  

He might not have been prepared to be a parent. But at that moment, if anyone had asked Sam Winchester if he was happy to be a father, his answer would be a resounding “Yes!”

 Tagging Interested Parties:  @idreamofplaid @fangirlxwritesx67 @thoughtslikeaminefield @kickingitwithkirk @klaatu51 @aeo10fan

[vole-mon-amour]

OTP tag game.

Tagged by @captainjowl. You know for sure than I'm struggling to pick only 10 & fit them in here. But hell, that’s fun, thank you <3

Rules: Choose 10 OTPs BEFORE reading the questions, and then get to answering

1) Harry James Potter & Sirius Orion Black

2) Daniel Le Domas & Grace (Ready or Not 2019)

3) Samuel & Nathan Drake (Uncharted 4)

4) Corvo Attano & The Outsider (+probably Emily Kaldwin; Dishonored series)

5) Steve Grant Rogers & Bucky Buchanan Barnes (Marvel)

6) Tony Edward Stark & Peter Benjamin Parker (Marvel)

7) Handsome Jack & Rhys (Borderlands video game series)

8) Damon Salvatore & Elena Gilbert (TVD Books & a tv show)

9) Batman & Joker (in every universe, really)

10) Adam Jensen x Francis Pritchard (Deus Ex video game series)

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6?

I believe it didn't hit me before Spider-Man: Homecoming. Civil War was about Steve & Bucky for me, but when I saw that growing up Peter with Tony, their dynamic, chemistry. Tom & Robert are really just like that.

2. Have you ever read a fanfic about 2?

Lmao. I've read like 50% of the tag on AO3, I wrote my own & started a few wips on them. They are amazing. Plus, with that shitty canon? We didn't get enough of them & they deserved better, so it's only logical to save yourself with fanfiction.

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr screen saver?

I was living with The Outsider icon on my twitter & tumblr. That one is still my Google profile picture I believe. Don't remember about having an icon with the two of them. Also had The Outsider as my lockscreen on my smartphone for a while.

4. If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be?

Funny how it fits canon, lmao. Rhys literally tried to erase Jack's AI in TFTBL, so I guess another day on Pandora, nothing new. They torture each other, they kiss each other, they kill other people in the process. It'll be fiiine.

5. Why is 1 so important?

I love them since the first time I met them, which was much more than 10 years ago, I don't even remember when. At some point they were the reason I was waking up & forcing myself to eat just to read more fanfiction & feel something. Even if I was drowning in pain (I was extremely depressed), it was still something. I read every fic I could find at that time. The depression that Harry went through, all these feelings, his love for Sirius. I was living through it, I could relate.

I'm currently drowning in these two again, though in a much healthier & happier state. I see their flaws & I know as much as I can. I see them differently as an adult. They saved me, they keep being my number one, I still consider making a tattoo of Padfoot/Sirius or of both Harry & Sirius together. I have many headcanons, ideas, I write fics about them. They are everything, you see? They were my choice when there was nothing, no one. They are HOME.

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship?

Both. There goes the dynamic of Jack & Rhys: torture, fighting, flirting, a lot of trauma. I'd definitely say that they are wild and comical sometimes, but they are definitely serious. With the Asylum, the mental health issues. There is so much more to it, the complexity of their relationship. The struggle of loving who you probably shouldn't (but hey, when does it work like that?) Thinking about Tettlate's Batman, about Batman: Europa & how Joker was: "You must be crazy, putting me in charge of the plan, letting me decide. Okay, well..."

Nah, they are entertaining, but this is a serious ship.

7. Out of all the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry?

Are you kidding me? They are all the definition of CHEMISTRY. I'd say 5, but then go 2, 6, 7, 8. Come on. I'm not choosing. Most of they are WILD.

9. How many times have you read/watched the 10’s fandom?

The fandom itself? Idk. I found one of my favourite artists through this fandom. If it's about the characters themselves, I played the first game with the DLC from start to beginning, looking around every corner. Spent more than 60 hours in there. Watched a second game (my laptop can't run the game) and the DLC (obviously), since Francis is in the DLC & not in the main game. I have a tag for them on tumblr, I read fanfiction, I tried to write my own. I still follow Elias & want a third game. Elias liked my tweets about Adam and Jensen being an actual couple a few times. I'd say I interacted with all of this a lot? Still do, actually.

10. Which ship has lasted the longest?

5. Best friends since childhood, fought & died for each other, still found their way back to each other. "It would break your Captain's heart, to see what they did to you." That only the MENTION of Steve can pull Bucky out of this brain washing(ed?) state, distract him in the middle of a fight. When Steve died in the comics because of Sharon & Tony sent Natasha to take Steve's shield from Bucky because even Tony knew how much Steve means to Bucky. And Bucky was like: "Oh, I see what he did. Not happening!" Fought Natasha (that is his ex in the comics) & kept going for Steve's sake.

Well, you see the point, I can go on and on.

11. How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up?

They're not actually canon so none? They had a few fights: In Civil war (the comics), in Homecoming (the movie).  That only means that they’ve got history & love each other.

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8?

As fierce Grace is, they wouldn't stand a chance against Damon & Elena. Those two had to deal with worst thing than brainless stupid zombies. On the other hand, if there were no alive humans to drink their blood... It's either an animal diet that Damon hates so much or I don't know? Still, they're faster & more powerful. Their bodies have advantage of healing the wounds as well.

13. Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason?

From some people, yeah. Don't tell Athena, don't tell Vaughn, don't tell Fiona. Though Rhys wasn't very subtle about it & Jack just doesn't give a fuck. You will probably end up dead if you disagree or bore him, or if you're useless.

"I can take you to the top, but you gotta know where the top is" & Rhys doesn't tell anybody until Jack makes him the President for like whole 20 minutes lol.

Fiona & Sasha: "This can't be happening." Sure it can, darling.

14. Is 4 still together?

I have a headcanon about The Outsider finding Emily & Corvo after Billie frees him from the Void. He doesn't have anybody & they are his only friends aside from a potential friendship with Billie. And if we don't consider TOTO dlc, they definitely are! The Outsider visits them both when they sleep & takes them to the void sometimes. How could he not?

15. Is 10 canon?

Not really but also sort of? Let's say that they really care about each other in canon, despite Adam pushing Francis away because of his trauma & fear that Megan caused him. :/

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

Can you imagine wizards fighting extremely powerful vampires? Superheroes with venom in their bodies that make them super strong with people that made a deal with the Devil himself (hi Le Bail)? 5000 y.o. God and his lover that share his powers and an augmented human protecting his tired IT guy? Combine mental health issues to that, Jack and Rhys with Batman and Joker. Corvo & The Outsider would probably slay them all as Corvo and Emily did in both games with entire islands, though it will still be a slaughter anyway.

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 5’s ship?

All the fucking time, lmaooo. I’m not even talking about it.

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond?

I feel like I already did with Steve & Bucky after many Marvel movies (we're not even mentioning Endg*me, I fucking died & was dead for full 4-5 months).

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 3’s tumblr page?

I used to do that a few years back, but not anymore. There is not much content since the trilogy is finished.

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all forever, which ship would you sink?

1 already went through it & fandom lives, so I'd say maybe 7? Rhys will find a way to bring Jack back & they are both so wild. It’s what happened in canon anyway. Jack kidnapped Lilith & forced her to do Angel's job, so I'd like to see that witch try at first. Jack is an immortal bastard. <3

Now that I think about it, Corvo would also deal with her in seconds as she waits to curse them.

As a conclusion: no one breaks up forever, we're killing the witch.

I tag: @ianmillkovichgallagher​ & @aledbr​

Whoever else wants to join the game, please do.

[annoying-lucy]

Evan Evagora did an AMA involving the Star Trek Shitposting Facebook Group - the questions and answers below were copy/pasted direct from the collated master post. Evan is a member of the group, who participates under an unknown pseudonym.

———————————————

AMA Master Post!

Thanks so much to Evan Evagora for taking time out of his day for our AMA earlier. To make the questions and answers easier for ya'll to find, here they all are together below.

Q: How does my love of cats compare to Elnor?

A: Im actually more of a dog person, there was a scene that had Elnor and spot 2 unite briefly but unfortunately it didn’t leave the editing room

Q: How familiar was I with Star Trek before and did I have to do research?

A: I grew up with TNG, I’d have to say either worf, Guinan or Q are my favourite characters. And I was given episodes to watch that were to help with information before filming Picard

Q: How was I prepped to deal with the crazy fans?

A: I got told to join Star Trek shitposting 😉. Not but in all seriousness, it was Jonathan Frakes who gave me advice on entering the world of fandom from the other side and he said it’s been nothing short of a pleasure

Q: So if Hugh had survived would they have made out?

A: what happens on the cube stays on the cube

Q: My favourite moment of s1

A: getting to slice that romulans head off

Q: How did I hear about Star Trek shitposting?

A: most of the crew is either a part of the group or knows about, one of the amazing hair and make up ladies got me into I think my first or second day

Q: If I had to be Tuvixed with someone excluding elnor?

A: mirror verse Elnor, nah worf to be honest

Q: What is something I’d like to do in season 2

A: Id like to see Elnor and spot 2 together

Q: How am I passing my time woth quarantine?

A: ama for the gronp! Nah I’ve just been reading, writing and also the contact I’m having with the fans too has really helped a lot

Q: If I had to quarantine with any of my costars who would it be and why

A: I’d go with hardy treadaway he’s got the nicest place

Q: What am I hoping to see in Elnor’s future

A: Inner peace, contentment and possibly shorter hair?

Q: Am I intimidated by working on a show with such a big fan base?

A: no I grew up with Star Trek, you’re really in a bubble of filming when you’re making the show, it all didn’t really hit home until the first trailer at San Diego

Q: Would I consider playing Elnor as non binary

A: I’ve seen a lot of debate and discussion about not only my character but others in the series, if there is something that connects you with a character on this show and it resonates with you, even if it’s shown, not shown or hinted at I’m all for it. I am not for the constant belittlement, bullying and criticism of not only the characters on the show but also other fans. It really does break my heart reading comments where people aren’t welcoming of one another, because that is the whole reason why Trek has bought so many together and by spewing these disgusting cruel words out your not only showing the world you don’t understand the meaning behind the show, you also are destroying the thing that makes us all love it

Q: Is there Australia on romulas

A: yeah they have a down under I’m sure of it. No the accent can easily be explained with, Elnor left romulas at a young age, moved to a planet with different species and languages spoken so that influenced his accent

Q: Have I seen Elnor fan fiction and art?

A: yeah some of it has been really amazing! And some others have been...creative

Q: How excited am I to make home movies with my action figures?

A: my plan is to buy everyone’s, make them record audio and then film shit using the dolls and their voices

Q: Are you playing animal crossing?

A: I’ve preordered it because they’ve sold out here in aus, but in playing civ 6 to pass time and Mario party

Q: Did I get to try Romulan ale?

A: no I wish, I’m kind of hoping for a scene next year where Elnor gets drunk for the first time

Q: What character did I wish would appear in our show?

A: one word, one letter Q

Q: What’s my background have I been acting long?

A: Picard was my third acting gig, and the first project to release, so I have got some experience acting and I have previous work but it has either just aired or is going to next year

Q: Please my friend choose a charity you would like us to donate to

A: food bank

Q: Favourite ninja turtle

A: it’s always been Raph and always will be

Q: Do I know much about Elnors background

A: I know things that haven’t been mentioned yet, but also given his character is new and season 1 just finished, hopefully some of those things are explored

Q: How would o feel about the fan theory that Spock is my father

A: I mean, I’m not really sure, I can always shoot Ethan a message and ask him what he thinks too

Q: Which classic episode trope would I like to see?

A: mirror universe

Q: Can we look forward to more ninja representation?

A: is Elnor not enough? ☹️

Q: Were there any particular characters I drew inspiration from, any elves?

A: there’s a particular group of people I think Elnor might have been inspired from. Can I just say how cool it would be if Elnor is just cosplaying as an elf because Picard left him a copy of Lotr when he was young

Q: Would I be open to exploring Elnors sexuality in s2 and what would it be?

A: I am totally open for that, and as for Elnors sexuality, I’m not sure he’s only 17 he’s just left his planet and gone off on an adventure where he openly knew the success may lead in his death or others he hasn’t had time to figure himself out so seeing his sexuality explored would be amazing

Q: What stories did you hear about working on precious trek series from the OG actors?

A; So we found out Michael Dorn used to muddle his lines up because he was normally the last close up of the day. They used to put bets on to see how many takes he’d have to do. All I must add in very fun spirits nothing ever malicious or mean

Q: My long term career goals

A: id like to keep pursuing more roles I’m acting, I’m a big writer and have some projects I’m looking at getting created but right now I’d say I’m just here to learn and grow

Q: What do I write?

A: right now I’m working on three screenplays and two pilots most of the stuff I’ve written is just sitting on my hard drive just waiting to be used

Q: Ever fried an egg, buttered and vegemite'd some toast and eaten it like a sandwich?

A: what I just read, scared the crap out of me, I love vegemite but the most I’ll do is add cheese to it

Q: What is one of my favourite stories about s1

A: Jeri Ryan and I had a scene together in the borg cube (what a queen she made!) it was shooting at night and I think it was the final shot of the day, we couldn’t keep a straight face and just laughed through about fifteen takes

Q: Are you a big fan of fandom besides Trek?

A: Star Wars, lotr, the magician series Raymond e feist, a song of fire and ice series, avatar last air bender and legend of Korra (would love to play zuko) and of course Batman (fav Jason Todd as the hood)

Q: Could I see myself playing Elnor for six or seven years?

A: as long as there’s a good story that myself and fans will enjoy, but if it didn’t meet my expectations no. And also hopefully the writers and creators would want to

Q: My top TNG eps are in no particular order

I borg, all good things, tapestry, the measure of a man and all good things

I’ll also add I borg especially because it’s just cool seeing where Hugh began and how he ended up

Q: How did I land the role of Elnor?

A: I was on a break from filming Fantasy Island (a movie based off the old tv show) and I was home for pilot season which is when they cast for shows, I had two weeks of daily auditions before I was due to fly back and start filming again, two days before I was meant to leave I got an audition for Picard, the script had a code name and Elnors name was Kbar on it, but I was told it was Star Trek. I went into the room and thought I didn’t do a very good job, then I flew to film and two days later I was told I’ve made a list of people being considered, after a few more auditions and a couple of phone calls from producers and everything I found myself on a plane to LA five weeks later

Q: Have I made friends among the cast?

A: no, we tried really hard to become friends, but unfortunately we ended up becoming a family instead. Everything we say in interviews about us getting along is all true and not fake. I’m the newest to acting out of everyone so I was kind of of shocked to find out that how close we all are isn’t necessarily how it will be when I shoot other projects, so I think we just got lucky or they casted really well

Q: Have the Picard people seen your memes?

A: yes I’ve shown them the memes from the page, I’ve shown everyone including Patrick we find most of them funny (some shocking)

Not shocking in a bad way

Unexpected I should say

Q: How do I feel about the ears?

A: I wore them so much they came up in my dreams, but they were the easiest thing to apply onto me

Q: Which non tng character would I like to see return?

A: I wouldn’t mind seeing the doctor

Q: The most relatable Star Trek character?

A: Look for me growing up it was Wesley, i just picked anyone who was the young one. And I grew up with my sisters and was always being told I’m either wrong, an idiot or just to shut up

Q: Did I have previous martial arts experience before the show?

A: I have a background in boxing which helps when it comes to movement, reflexes and just all around fitness for stunts. I didn’t have any sword fighting experience before we began training for the show however

Q: How do you think being raised by an order of women affected Elnor?

A: I think it gave him a healthy understanding of not only the strength and resilience of women but I think he understands not only gender equality but just equality in general and I think that’s directly to do with growing up in a sect of all female warrior nuns

Q: What is a type of meme you would like to see more of in the group?

A: I love all the memes in the group, I hardly like any of them now incase someone figures out who I am though ahahah

Q: Favorite recent memes?

A: See my comment below

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 1, Episode 4. We’ve Been Busy With… Julie and the Phantoms, Star Trek: Discovery, and More

What are we enjoying when we aren't working? Mon's been busy with a few DC Comics, listening to the audiobook of One to Watch, catching up with Holiday Baking shows, and recapping Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 for Show Snob. Ron has been listening to a 12 Monkeys podcast and EK Johnston's Queen's Peril. She's also been watching Julie and the Phantoms as well as recapping The Mandalorian Season 2 for Show Snob.

Listen to the episode on Anchor. Read Mon's recaps of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 here. Read Ron's recaps of The Mandalorian Season 2 here.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Ron: Hello and welcome to Episode Four of Stereo Geeks. I'm Ron.

Mon: And I’m Mon.

Aside from our day jobs as marketers, and night jobs writing the occasional feature or story about pop culture, what have we been busy with?

So I've been catching up with my usual comic book titles. I follow Batman, Red Hood: Outlaw and Nightwing. I haven't really kept up with any other titles per se. I read comics in small doses; they get frustrating after a while or predictable. And I would say that that's also the case with just these three titles.

With Batman, we just had a huge change in his arc. There was the ‘Joker War’, which has brought about a huge change in his circumstances. Batman now no longer has access to his immense wealth. And he has to hide from the Wayne Manor;  the Batcave. Let's just say that he's downsizing. So let's see how he goes.

He's living in a world that's post-Joker. But is the Joker gone? It’s a huge question. Have you been reading any Batman titles?

Ron: I've been catching up with the Batman title. And I think the last one that I read was #102. Last I saw, the Joker War was over and Batman was in dire straits financially.

I'm actually enjoying this direction for the character. I haven't really taken to Batman's characterization in the Rebirth comics. I thought he was staid. He was boring. He was very one-dimensional. We discussed a lot of this in our opening episode about Batman's worst enemy. Please check that out when you have time.

I like where this is going. I think it's changing the way we see Batman.

Mon: Well, I hope there's more character development because the action is definitely boring.

And the other title on my pull list is Nightwing. Nightwing is back to being Dick Grayson. Yes, after 20 issues of being Ric Grayson, he now has his memory back and his family back and he’s snatched the Nightwing mantle away from Detective Alphonse Sapienza. He's abandoned the rest of the Nightwings.

Honestly that was wrapped up in one page, which is a bit disappointing. I really like those characters. I'm glad Dick Grayson is back to being himself because as much as the Ric storyline had potential, they never really went anywhere with it. I'm happy that Bea is sticking around because she seems to be a good influence on him. Nice down to earth character. Will she be more than a love interest? Probably not.

But I am really looking forward to reading these stories again. What are your thoughts on Dick being back?

Ron: Definitely, definitely relieved at the return of Dick Grayson. The Ric Grayson idea worked for maybe two issues. And after that it fell off the wagon. I liked the other Nightwings. I liked how Ric worked with them. I'm really disappointed that they've been discarded so quickly. And I'm really hoping that they actually do come back some way and work with Nightwing, because those are really good characters. We got a lot of backstory from them. And they were working to save the city of Blüdhaven. So I don't feel like they should be left behind like this.

Aside from that, I do really like Bea. There were a few too many moments in the last few issues where they tried to pit Bea against Barbara. I mean, really? Really, in 2020?

What I would really like to see now is how does Bea fit into the Bat-family. She knows everything about Dick Grayson. I want to see her interact with the rest of the family.

Mon: And the last comic book title on my list is Red Hood: Outlaw. I'm actually speechless when it comes to Red Hood. Ron here is the one who introduced me to Jason Todd/ Red Hood. I knew about the character; read about the character. I wasn't interested in reading him that much. But then, you know, somebody here is a fan. But the last few issues have been awful. This final volume before the changing of the guard have been honestly atrocious.

I have wanted to hit Jason in the face… tear up my comic book. Because the art is awful. The characterizations are awful. I'm just not going to go into what happened. It's definitely gone off the deep end. I'm really hoping he gets back to being a readable, relatable character. From issue #51 there's a new team taking it over, so here's hoping.

Ron: I have to agree about Red Hood. I love this character. I have no idea why? Because his solo runs, his team books, they're not good. There are moments of characterization that made me want to read more about Jason and his problems. But overall, his story is so repetitive and so bland.

This last arc has been unmemorable. I don't know what they're doing with it. I don't know where they're going with it. And Jason has not changed in any way.

Mon: I feel like with Jason, he's always stuck in place. And I'm hoping that the new creative team can actually flesh him out more.

Ron: Yeah, it's about time.

So, moving on to what I've been busy with. I have been listening to the 12 Monkeys podcast called, Word of the Witnesses. It's a podcast hosted by two ladies; huge fans of the show. And their very many friends who have all been brought in to the wonderful world of 12 Monkeys. Now, we are talking about the TV show created by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett. We are not talking about the movie.

However, the show was based on the film. The first season follows the storyline of the film fairly closely. But from the second season onwards, it moves away from that. And it grows.

Mon, you and I started watching the show when it first came out in 2015. We were hooked. We love time travel, so this was definitely up our alley. But the second season was amazing. And then there was a huge break because our lives completely changed. So, we couldn't get to seasons three and four till this year. I managed to watch those two seasons just before the pandemic hit. And then once the pandemic did happen, it was a bit difficult to watch a show about a pandemic. But I’ve been trying to get back into the show again, and I just re-watched the whole thing.

And I still wanted more of the show, so I found this podcast. It's been really enjoyable listening to it. I went through all 53 episodes within a month; no regrets.

I really enjoyed how the hosts went into the mythos of the show. They made so many connections between the various time travel concepts in the show. They found all these Easter eggs that I probably would have missed had I not been re-watching it. And they made connections that I really hadn't even seen before.

But what I also enjoyed was all the theorizing about what certain elements in the show meant. They managed to bring on Terry Matalas and a couple of the writers on the show for interviews. And at one point they did mention that the hosts had found connections that even they hadn't thought of.

It was an enjoyable podcast listen to; it was very engaging. I found that, during the pandemic, I really need to hear conversations. So, for me listening to a podcast where it's a whole bunch of people just talking to each other has been really, really calming. And it's a show that I love, and a bunch of people talking about it with as much love for it as I have, so I've really enjoyed listening to it.

Mon: Well, I haven't heard the podcast myself, but we re-watched the final season of 12 Monkeys together and I felt that you were able to make a lot more connections, A) because you re-watched the entire show just prior to me watching the final season. But also because you'd been listening to the Word of the Witnesses, who gave you all the tidbits and Easter Eggs which would then enhance our watching experience.

I really like how nowadays fans can create content about properties that they really, really love. And it really augments the viewers’ experience.

Ron: Yes, the way that they the way that they spoke about the show. And there were times when during the episodes, they would actually get super emotional because they were so invested in the characters and invested in their journeys. And you could see how much thought had gone into making every part of this show meaningful. And then when they brought on the creators who were also talking about it, you could feel that palpable sense of love for this product, which was often very difficult to create because of budgetary issues. You could just feel it, and it makes you love this show even more.

Mon: Yes, 12 Monkeys was definitely a show that went under the radar for a lot of people. So I'm glad that there's a podcast which is getting the word out there.

So as we talk about things we’ve been listening to, one of our favorite things is audiobooks. And I recently got my hands on a slightly weird one, for me anyway. This is an audiobook of One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London. I heard about this book on NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour. It's another podcast. So I finally requested it from our library.

The story is about plus-size fashion blogger, Bea, and she joins this show which is the equivalent of The Bachelorette, it's called Main Squeeze. She's basically the main squeeze and there are all these 20-odd gentlemen are vying for her affections.

Now, because she's a plus-size person, especially a plus-size woman, she faces situations and comments which the regular Main Squeeze participants won't have faced. And I found that very interesting. We are not used to seeing that many plus-size characters, especially plus-size women, leading romantic or genre properties. And while romance novels and romance stories are really not something that I enjoy, I found that some of the themes—the fatphobic themes—that she faces, they were very relevant and echoed reality. It's actually a tough book to sometimes get through. It's not always happy.

I mean, it's a romance novel, so we can assume that there is going to be a happy ending, we don't know. Because it doesn't seem like it for the longest time. And I'm still in two minds about the ending. Some people may like it, some people may have wanted something different for her. But yeah, give it a shot. If you are looking for something with a different kind of character as a protagonist.

Ron: I’m intrigued. What made you want to read this book? Because a romance story is not up your alley, even if it does have a plus-size character as the lead.

Mon: I think I was just looking for something which may echo a reality which doesn't get represented enough in pop culture. And especially when it comes to plus-size characters, they're usually, you know, sidekicks or completely invisible. So, I really want to see how they approached this topic. I wouldn't say they got everything right. But, the best thing about NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour is that when they recommend something in their ‘What’s Making Me Happy This Week’ section, you are taken in by the enthusiasm of the person pitching this particular product. So that's why I thought, ‘okay, let me give this a shot’. I do think that this is a refreshingly new approach. And it touched on the fact that reality TV at the end of the day is still curated reality. And it's something that you and I have talked about.

Ron: Speaking of audiobooks, I have just been listening to Queen’s Peril by EK Johnston. This is a follow up to Johnston's first book about Padmé Naberrie—aka Queen Amidala, later on, Senator Amidala—Queen’s Shadow.

I love this book so much. I enjoyed Queen’s Shadow a lot. Spending time with Padmé is always amazing. As much as we love the prequels, and yes, we do love the prequels—fight us—Padmé didn’t really get a great ending. So, any stories that give us more of Padmé’s political life, we are definitely up for it.

This book follows Padmé in her early days of becoming Queen of Naboo. She's very young. She's got all these new ideas of how she wants to run the world. And we also get to know a lot about her handmaidens. What I love is that there is some queer content which always makes me happy. I did not expect that, especially in a Star Wars book. But it was so good.

Padmé is a girl. She's a teenager. She's also a queen. She is so smart. She is so witty, she is just amazing. And what I also love about this book is that it ties into The Phantom Menace. But it gives us a whole new perspective. Because you know what's happening and you've got that context, so that enriches the entire experience. I just loved every single moment of this book.

Mon: Yeah, I remember haranguing you to get this book because I loved it so, so much. With Queen’s Shadow, I felt like the author EK Johnston was perhaps a little bit more restrained; it was her first foray into the huge Star Wars universe. I can imagine that there were quite a few studio hands involved. But here in Queen’s Peril, my goodness, it's fluid writing. She knows these characters and she really wants to build up the world that they live in. Every character that we meet has their own arc, they’re fleshed out; you understand their motivations. It's just brilliant to read. And reading about how Padmé and Captain Panaka create her band of bodyguards was so much fun. Each one has their own talents, their abilities, they know their weaknesses, but more than anything, the emphasis put on the sacrifice that they make, I really loved reading about that.

Because these side characters, you know, you can’t just forget about them. ‘Ah, she died because she was a decoy for Queen Amidala’. No, it means a lot to Amidala who these people are. I had so much fun being back in this world from this perspective.

And what I also found funny is that they're still a gaggle of teen girls. They're going to get up to stuff; they're going to be naughty. There’s so much personality given to Padmé and the rest. I really hope that EK Johnston is able to write some more. Let's get back in there with Padmé and the girls.

Ron: Absolutely. She so brilliantly captures this connection that Padmé has with her handmaidens. And you know what I really loved about this, which is also one of the reasons why I loved Queen’s Shadow—I love the politics.

I know a lot of people found the politics in the prequels very difficult to understand. It wasn't very difficult. You just need to have a brain.

Mon: I will never understand people's argument against the politics in the prequels. He was literally echoing what was happening in the news.

Ron: Exactly. So I loved Queen’s Shadow because of that. We get so much insight into how the Senate works, why there’s so much infighting and why certain things just don't get done. And we get to see more of that here. We also get a few hints about how Palpatine gets to rise. And you understand how Padmé has to think on her feet. Because there are so many things that are out of her control, but she needs to keep the peace. So yes, this was such an enjoyable read. I cannot wait for the third part of this trilogy.

Mon: And now on to one of my guilty pleasures. I absolutely and utterly love watching baking shows, cake shows. Anything to do with food, and usually desserts. So, on the Food Network channels, every season, they pretty much have a whole host of themed cooking shows. Since it's the winter and there's so many holidays coming up, we have the Holiday Baking Championship and we have Holiday Wars, which are both different kinds of baking shows.

This year, the formats have changed quite a bit from the previous ones, especially for Holiday Wars. I find it a little less compelling. I feel like it's a little all over the place. I don't know why.

Holiday Baking Championship have a giant table where everybody has to sit at an awkward angle to talk to the contestant. I just keep watching them with their sprained necks and worry about that instead of enjoying the food. But I did notice that the cast of participants looks a lot more diverse than usual. So that's been a long time coming and I hope it is a mainstay.

Aside from that I've caught one episode of Buddy vs. Christmas. Buddy is the Cake Boss in America. And he used to have this competition with fellow cake competitor Duff. But this year, it seems like he is competing on a weekly basis against different cake makers.

The format seems to be that every week they have a theme related to Christmas and they make competing giant displays. I mean, the displays are huge and works of art; works of architectural brilliance and technological brilliance. I do hope that they eat it, but I doubt it. But I have enjoyed seeing what comes out of it.

And ,I hear that we’re in for a new season of Sugar Rush on Netflix, which is so much fun. We really enjoyed the previous season and it seems like they've been trying to get more celebrity guests so let's see who they have this year.

Ron: Yes, nothing like sitting back on a weekend and just watching a baking show. And then we feel like we’re experts on why somebody’s got soggy cake and why somebody else's cake collapsed. Yeah, that's definitely fun.

Speaking of watching things, I have just marathon-watched Julie and the Phantoms. Okay, I thought I was gonna watch a movie. And I decided on Julie and the Phantoms because I've been hearing so much about it. But it turns out that this is actually a TV show. And in 10 episodes the first season wrapped. I really enjoyed this show. It was so much fun.

Mon: Okay, you have to tell me what this show is about. I’ve not heard of it.

Ron: Julie and the Phantoms is about this young girl Julie, played by Madison Reyes, in her very first role. Wow. And she's lost her mother. It's been a year and she's still struggling. One of the things that brought her and her mother together was their love of music. She used to play the piano and she used to sing and now she can't do that because it just reminds her of her mom. So at a crucial moment when she is losing her spot in her music class, three ghosts turn up.

Mon: What?

Ron: These three ghosts died in 1995. And they used to be a band. It actually opens with them. So I'm looking at the screen, looking at 1995 and thinking, ‘oh, that's five years ago’. No, no, it was 25 years ago! It was 25 years ago… Feel old yet?

So, 25 years later, these three members of this band land up in Julie's mother's studio. And they rekindle her love for music and bring her closer to her mom's memory.

At the same time, the three ghosts need to figure out what their unfinished business is because why else are they here? There's a lot of music, there's a lot of singing, there's a lot of dancing; there are so many sweet moments. There are some really, really heartbreaking moments as well. Because the three boys, they died when they were 17. So they've left family behind. And they need to come to terms with that as well.

Of course, Julie and her loss is palpable in every moment that she plays a song. But for the most part, it's quite light, it's quite jovial. There are some laugh out loud moments that I really enjoyed. It's a really, really sweet TV show.

And I really am hoping that there's going to be a second season, because it ends on a cliff-hanger. There's plenty of room for them to grow.

I also love the fact that there are some queer characters in this show. It's not overstated, it's there, it's quite obvious. But it's really sweet. Because two of the band members, they realize that their fellow band member has fallen for a ghost. And they're just like, ‘oh, you have a crush on this ghost friend, that's why you're late for practice’. That's it, even though they're from 1995. So, I was like, oh, that's a relief. So yeah, it was really sweet.

One of the things that I found quite interesting, which I have been noticing in content for young people, is that, when we were growing up, content that was made for us which featured straight couples, generally the boy would not dance. It was this weird thing that would always bother me. You'd have the girl who was always, you know, happily dancing. But the boys? Oh, no, no, they don't do that. But you don't see that now that much. Especially not in this show. Everybody was dancing quite happily. Gay, straight, whatever. So that was really fun!

I love that Julie is a young girl of color, which is still a rarity in pop culture nowadays. Madison Reyes is a really good singer. She has an amazing voice. She dances very well. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this child.

Mon: Well, you’ve always been a fan of musicals. I'm so happy that they keep making these good ones nowadays.

Ron: It was so much fun. And the second season could possibly expand on the mythos that you've already learned in this season. But it was great. It was light. We need something light right now. And that's exactly what we needed.

Mon: Okay, so now on to our weekly favorites. I've been recapping Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 at Show Snob. This has got to be my favorite season, so far. It is so exciting; so fun. It starts off with Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, she lands in the future and she's all alone. The rest of the crew haven't arrived. When she's reunited with her crew, how does everyone deal with being in the new future? What does the future look like? What's their new mission? Is there a mission? It's been incredible.

I think the creators feel like they’ve finally been able to shed the constraints of being a prequel to the original Star Trek show. Now they can just do whatever they want, create as many different worlds and characters that they want. It's been fun. It's really been exciting. I love the Easter eggs and throwbacks, there are so many of them! We've watched seven episodes so far, which is kind of partway through, and I think they've found their feet.

One thing I'd say about this season is that it's been a little bit more chaotic. I feel like they have a lot of loose threads which are only now trying to get streamlined. There’s also been a lot of characters introduced, we see them for an episode or a few scenes, then they disappear. So it's a little bit bittersweet. I'm hoping for it to get better and better.

Ron: Yes, the cast of Discovery has increased a great deal in this season. And I do like the additions of Adira, Gray, and Book. They're great. They're fun.

But the crew of Discovery itself, we get to see a bit more of them from time to time, which is also quite nice because we've seen them in the background. Especially the Bridge crew; they're always there, a lot of them are Canadians, so, we’ve got our eye on them. But, now we're actually getting to know a little bit more about their personalities and how they work.

Of course, it's all against the background of them being completely displaced from everything that they know and love. So that does change the dynamic between the characters, and also how they feel about their new existence.

I love Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham, I've loved her since the first episode. She is so great. I feel like I meet a friend every week when I see her. I'm so fascinated by her direction. She's somebody who was introduced to us in the very first episode as a logical Vulcan who believed so strongly in the Starfleet way of life. And then it all changed because she may have been brought up as a Vulcan, but she was still human. And the moment she got an opportunity to make a difference and get revenge, basically, for the death of her parents, she took that chance, and it changed the way the Federation worked.

Every season, she’s been a fish out to water, trying to fit in. By the end of the second season, she found her home with Discovery, and once again she's been displaced from them. She's still looking for another way to connect with these people whom she does love, but there's a rift between them. And it's not her fault and it's not their fault. But it's just the circumstances that Michael always finds herself in. She's just a great compelling character. I think, after B'Elanna Torres, Michael Burnham would probably be my second favorite; she's just amazing.

Mon: One of the bolder moves by the creators in this season has been changing up the Federation. We're not going to go too much into that—no spoilers here. But I have to say that it makes for a compelling story.

We are so used to Star Trek properties really coasting on the idea of utopia. But there's more to it. There's more to the world and I think that, in 2020, when we are faced with the realities of what people are really like. I'm not entirely sure a beatific view of the future is practical. But let's hope that Discovery finds some kind of utopia eventually.

Ron: Yes, because Star Trek has always been about hope, and Discovery has often struggled with that kind of hope. The first season was all about war. The second season was a little bit more hopeful. This season, it's there but they’re struggling to find it.

They're in a position now to actually bring in some kind of hope. We're seeing that from time to time in the episodes that we've seen so far. But, it's a very different kind of Star Trek from previous iterations. I would say that it's quite dark from time to time.

Mon: It's dark but it's not melancholic, and there is an underlying theme of hope and positivity and optimism, which I assume, by the end of the season, will come to fruition.

Ron: Absolutely. And another show that we've been watching on the regs is The Mandalorian Season 2.

The first season had its ups and downs. There were some really good episodes; there were some poor episodes. We found the first episode to be a little bit turgid. The second season has been far more accomplished.

From the first episode of the second season onwards the editing has been much tighter, the storylines have been more engaging. Even for the episodes that were a bit slower in terms of plot there was still enough there to keep you interested in what was happening.

I think one of the things that people will definitely love about this season is how it's connected to the rest of the Star Wars universe, not just the films, but also the animated shows, as well as the books, maybe even the video games, we don't know yet. There has been some speculation but nothing has been nothing has yet been confirmed. So stay tuned on that.

We've been enjoying it. Baby Yoda has had some moments. He does seem to be doing things that aren't always very good. I don't know how I feel about him; he's adorable. He's adorable. But some of the things that he does… his actions are a bit questionable at times, even though he is Baby Yoda.

Mando himself hasn't really seen much growth this season. I felt like in the first season, you know, he started off as a bounty hunter. He found Baby Yoda and then it changed how he felt about his job and his mission. He no longer just wanted Beskar for the heck of it. He had a person to protect, and it changed his way of life.

This season, as fun as it is to watch him and Baby Yoda go from planet to planet, and from more ridiculous circumstances to others. Mando himself really hasn't changed much from the start of this season. So, I feel like the last few episodes will have some work wrapping that up.

Mon: I know that Mando has really stagnated in his characterization, but it's been such an adventure. Each episode has been an adventure on a new planet. And it's shown how Mando and the Child have connected more. It’s expanded the universe of the live-action show, and I’ve enjoyed that much more than if we were forced to watch Mando grow in some contrived or inauthentic fashion.

Honestly, this feels like a Star Wars show mainly because you never know what you’ll spot or who you’ll spot from other properties. So I'm probably in the minority here, but I really don't mind that he's like, ‘I'm on a quest; I’m on a quest, I'm on a quest’. Literally his only refrain for the first three episodes—he's moved on from saying that, at least.

Because as a character, he's so cool. Like, even when you watched Jango Fett and Boba Fett. These helmeted creatures, you don't really care about who they are as people. They just looked so cool. And a lot of the characterization, their arcs, their motivations, they come through despite that, it comes through in their actions. I really liked how they've brought in different aspects of the universe.

I kind of wish they wouldn't tell us in advance. Like, stop promoting and sending us news. Let us be surprised from time to time. And that was what used to be the mainstay of any Star Wars property. I don't know why, ever since Disney's taken over, they just tell us everything. No, we need to be surprised as fans. Ah, anyway. But the show, the cinematography is outstanding. It really feels like Star Wars and some of the direction… it's like, nothing has changed in the best way possible.

Ron: Shut out to Bryce Dallas Howard, and Carl Weathers; their episodes were just so good. So good.

Those were Star Wars episodes. It felt like we'd never left this universe from 1977. It was just such an enjoyable experience. You could see that these directors had grown up with these properties, they love these properties so much that their vision was what a fan would make. It was so much fun.

But for me, Mando’s lack of growth wasn't really bothering me that much until ‘Chapter 13’, where I was like, ‘what's he gonna do after this?’. Like, there needs to be more to this character. I think he's working as an audience stand-in a bit too much this season. Whereas in season one, you couldn't help but question some of his motives and everything that he did you were always on tenterhooks about what his next action was.

I like that he’s firmly a good guy now. But he's dangerously close to becoming a boring, good guy.

Mon: Well, I hope that's not the case and that Mando does get some growth. I'd like to see where his relationship with the Child eventually goes. There's only so much you can do with a little green puppet.

Ron: Baby Yoda is so cute that literally everybody is just gonna watch the show because it's the Baby Yoda show. He's really adorable as I said. But there are some moments where I feel like Mando now needs to start parenting. You can't just have Baby Yoda around, you need to do something about it because there have been moments where you're like, ‘Mando, watch your son!’

I guess that's the kind of growth that I do want to see. And I feel like that may happen in the next few episodes because all this while, he was on a very specific quest, and all the episodes that we’ve seen so far… Him having to planet hop was basically because he needed to finish this quest and there was something always waylaying him.

But, it's been great watching these characters from the Expanded Universe turn up, they fit in beautifully. I have to say a special shout out to Timothy Olyphant’s Cobb Vanth. I have no idea why, but this guy was amazing. I have seen Timothy Olyphant in other stuff but, oh my god, he was really good. I really enjoyed watching him.

And all the special guests who've been turning up have been doing a great job.

Despite our enjoyment of the show, there have been some controversies around the actors in the show. So, do be aware of that when you're watching it. It does tend to suck out some of the joy in watching this season because it has been really good. These characters are amazing. But pop culture doesn't exist in a vacuum, and we need to recognize that.

Having said that, as fans of the franchise, The Mandalorian Season 2 is doing the work to not only engage with us, but to entice new fans who may just be watching this show or may have just come in through the sequel trilogy to watch and read more of this Expanded Universe.

I've really enjoyed the episodic nature of this season, probably more than the previous season. One of the difficulties that sequels have is that they want to be bigger and better. This season seems to have gone in the other direction, and it works.

Mon: Yeah, despite introducing more characters. They have limited arcs, relevant arcs, and they drive the plot forward, and that's what's important. At the end of the day it's a great fan experience and what more could we ask for?

Ron: Tell us what you've been watching and share any recommendations that you may have.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com

Ron: We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Transcription by Otter.ai and Mon.

[doyelikehaggis]

I 100% blame you for getting me into the Kizzie ship and lowkey thought I was the only one thinking Lizdon (is that the ship name? idk) could be cute so can I ask for both for the ship game?

I tried to answer this yesterday, but something went wrong, so I'm so sorry it's taken me this long! I take full responsibility for getting you into Kizzie as a ship, and I'm so glad that you like Lizdon as well! No clue if that's their ship name! But it's the one everyone seems to use fot them so I'm going with it. Thank you so much for asking for them for Ship Ask Game Thingamabob! I've done Kizzie in this post and Lizdon in a separate one just because it'll make it easier!

Who hogs the duvet: Both of them. It's like a game of tug of war in the middle of the night, because they both want the duvet, and they're both cold. Eventually, when an elbow accidentally goes flying, Kaleb pulls Lizzie close to him, and oh, why the hell did neither of them think to just...cuddle? The duvet stays over both of them from then on.

Who texts/rings to check how their day is going: They both call every now and then, just seeing how they're doing, especially when one of them is that the school while the other isn't. Kaleb's gotten inti the habit of sending Lizzie a string of emojis for her to figure out what he's trying to say, both infuriating and amusing her.

Who's the most creative when it comes to gifts: To start out with, it's Lizzie. Eventually, it turns into a competition to see if they can outdo the other on creativity. They both just secretly enjoy seeing the other's face when they see the end result and how much love and thought went into it. They like to pretend it's a competition, but they both end up winning.

Who gets up first: Kaleb likes to sleep, alright? It's relaxing and peaceful and all-around good for the soul. Lizzie would like sleep if she was actually good at it. But her brain just switched back on in the middle of the night and then she's been awake since 4 am because she can't get back to sleep. So, technically, Lizzie.

Who suggests new things in bed: Lizzie, for sure, but it's rare and never anything all that out there. Kaleb has a vast knowledge of things, but he just never really pays them much mind because it's not important to him, you know? He mainly just likes the glint that Lizzie gets in her eyes.

Who cries at movies: Both of them and neither of them are afraid to admit it. Movies were made to make you feel things, and they are all in fot the experience, alright? So, if it's an emotional movie, they're gonna cry. Although, Lizzie will never Kaleb forget that he cried during the Wizards of Waverley Place movie, just as he won't let her forget that she cried at the new Batman when Bruce's parents died despite knowing it was coming.

Who gives unprompted massages: Both of them, but Kaleb a little more often. He doesn't say anything, just reaches out and rubs her shoulder or her leg depending on what she seems to be moving with a slight wince every now and then. She happily returns the favour, especially after a game.

Who fusses over the other when they're sick: Lizzie would fuss if Kaleb ever actually got sick. On rare occasions when he accidentally comes into contact with vervain and is healing slowly, she'll take care of him until it's all out of his system. When she gets sick, she can be a bit dramatic, and Kaleb rolls his eyes and smiles and stays with her all day and night.

Who gets jealous easiest: Neither of them, really. Lizzie expected to get at least a little jealous every now and then considering Kaleb's growing popularity at the school, but she just doesn't. They trust each other and nothing else matters.

Who has the most embarrassing taste in music: Lizzie, probably. I can imagine Kaleb having really good taste in music, while Lizzie's probably into some weird genre that might actually be super popular in the 2030s.

Who collects something unusual: The thing that they collect aren't really unusual, per se. Lizzie has little souvenirs and trinkets she's picked up while with her mom scattered throughout her side of the room, from strange, bewitched snow globes to music boxes that are supposed to bring comfort.

Who takes the longest to get ready: Both of them, although Lizzie says it's cheating when Kaleb uses his super speed to rush through everything, even though it still takes him the same amount of time as it it takes for her to finish examining different outfit options with magic.

Who is the most tidy and organised: They're both fairly organized, but Kaleb a little more than Lizzie. He's used to things being tidy, and it just doesn't bother her to have a few items of clothing here and there like it bothers Kaleb.

Who gets most excited about the holidays: Just like pretty much every other answer I've given, both of them. They both love the snow, and walking into town wrapped in scarfs just to annoy Landon at the Grill, and just the general festive feeling.

Who is the big spoon/little spoon: Kaleb is the big spoon, Lizzie is the little spoon. For reasons. It's comfortable and secure and they both like it.

Who gets most competitive when playing games or sports: They're both fairly competitive people, but Lizzie can go a little overboard when it comes to certain things.

Who starts the most arguments: Lizzie, without a doubt. It's her personality and attitude combined with people generally being wrong, in her opinion. Kaleb usually manages to pull her away from it and calm her down enough for the whole thing not to explode.

Who suggests that they buy a pet: Neither of them. They both like animals, but they just don't want one.

What couple traditions do they have: They don't really do traditions, but they always watch a bunch of old movies the day before Kaleb has to go home for the break and Lizzie goes with her mom.

What tv shows do they watch together: They've gotten into watching weird shows so that they can laugh at them, like Supernatural and Stranger Things, only to get obsessed with them. They also love a good true crime show, the one's where they look into the mind of a famous killer. They may have a soft spot for Friends despite how old and weird it is, and for Dolly Parton's show on Netflix.

What other couples do they hang out with: Josie and Hope, Landon and MG, Kym and Maya (because why the hell not?)

How they spend their time together as a couple: Just hanging out around the school and town. Study dates, sometimes at the Old Mill, without the Chill. Going for walks, a lot of the time out of town. Teaming up when they're hunting Malivore monsters, because damn it, if they're going to save the world, it's going to be romantic.

Who made the first move: I can genuinely see both of them making the first move. Kaleb would be all calm and cool about it, unless Lizzie said something that threw him off and made him flustered, and then technically it would be Lizzie making the first move because she's caught on, and she likes him, and she is sticking with her philosophy of positivity and going after what she wants, and she wants Kaleb.

Who brings flowers home: They both like to make fun of romance movies and all the cliches, so when Kaleb appears in her room with flowers, it's an inside joke that makes Lizzie's heart skip and her face heat up and makes him a little proud that he got her to smile like that. And when she uses magic to fill his entire room with his favourite flowers, her happiness at him being genuinely speechless and looking at her with wide eyes full of adoration, it's just because it's a fun joke between them.

Who is the best cook: Kaleb. Hands down. And he will insist on it no matter how much Lizzie tries to argue.

[bearly-writing]

For the bthb, would do gunshot wound for Dick with a healthy dose of either Bruce or Jay (or both!!) taking care of him?

So, normally I try to post these in the order I get them, because I write them super slowly and I don’t think it’s fair to do newer ones first. But I’ve been really struggling with writer’s block recently and felt like doing a Batman prompt! Don’t worry everyone else - I promise I’m still working on your prompts!

Bite the Bullet

Fandom: Batman

Prompt: Gunshot Wound

Characters: Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd

Warnings: Violence, Blood and Injury, Gun Violence, Hostage situations

Summary: If they were in costume, this wouldn’t even be a workout – Jason could probably take the three of them down without breaking a sweat. But they aren’t in costume and they don’t have any of their gear and no amount of martial arts training is going to stop a bullet – not the way that Kevlar does.

Read it on AO3 here!

Dick isn’t even supposed to be here. He should be in Bludhaven, on patrol or relaxing in his little shithole of an apartment – not crouching under a grubby, fast-food restaurant table, face pressed uncomfortably close to Bruce’s, the hard frame of his seat digging into his back. But, then, when has anything in Dick’s life gone the way it’s supposed to?

The only reason he’s here is because of Jason. Because it’s the kid’s birthday, and Jason had asked, and whatever Dick’s feelings towards Bruce at the moment, he couldn’t refuse when the kid had so genuinely seemed to want him there. So, he had spent an awkward evening playing tenpin bowling and watching a movie. And it had been worth it to see the happiness on Jason’s face, even if Bruce had spent the whole night being tense and gruff and obviously unhappy. They had finished it up with chili dogs at some godawful fast food joint that Bruce wouldn’t have been seen dead in if Jason hadn’t begged him. Then they had followed that up with an armed robbery turned hostage situation, because wasn’t that what every thirteen-year-old dreamed of?

Bruce had seen them first, because even as a civilian, he couldn’t turn off his paranoia-induced hyper-vigilance. He had gone stiff and pale – well, stiffer and paler – then he’d growled “Down” and disappeared under the table, dragging Jason with him as he went. Dick had obeyed automatically - because of course he did, even though he hated himself for it - and then they’d all been crowded under the table, bracketed on either side by the low booth benches, pressed right up against the table support and each other. The gunshots had followed less than a few seconds later.

Get under the table. Keep your head down. Do exactly what they say and don’t make any trouble. Don’t try to be a hero. You can’t rely on the police, but if you’re lucky the Bats will turn up and then all you need to do is keep out of the way and make sure you aren’t caught up in the crossfire. Almost everyone in Gotham knows the drill. Hell, Bruce had given Dick his own version of the instructions just weeks after he had taken him in. You never know when you’re going to be caught up in some supervillain scheme, or a hostage situation, or even something as mundane as a robbery gone wrong.

They aren’t going to be lucky tonight – all of the Bats are here, conveniently collected all in the same place, and not a single one of them with their suits. Well, Bruce probably has at least a few gadgets hidden on him right now, but there’s not much he can do with them as Bruce Wayne. Batman isn’t likely to turn up tonight.

The gunshots stutter to a halt. No screams, no crying - so most likely no one’s hurt. Just warning shots then. Dick huffs out a relieved breath, feels Bruce relax almost imperceptibly against him. In the silence that follows, he can hear his father’s low, slow breaths, the shallow pants that Jason is making. Can practically hear their hearts beating.

“Everybody out!” Loud and rough. A thick, Gothamite accent. Nobody moves. “I said everybody get out here right now, before I come ‘round and blow you out.”

Not the word choice Dick would have used, but it spurs the diner into action anyway. Dick moves first, unfolding himself from under the table, but keeping low. Takes a deliberate sweep of the room before dropping his eyes back to the tile again. Three guys. Five guns. An easy fight for Nightwing, but there’s not much chance of Richie Grayson taking them out if he doesn’t want to blow his cover. Jason emerges behind him, followed closely by Bruce, looming protectively over him, even from his knees. The kid is small for his age, but it still strikes Dick exactly how bigBruce is. For some reason, it seems more noticeable in his civilian clothes, even without the bulk of his armour – or perhaps because of it.

“Get over here,” the gunman snarls, gesturing at the circle of open space by the counter with his rifle. “On your knees.”

They aren’t the only ones in the diner: there’s an elderly couple, the man clutching a cane and clearly in pain as he shuffles along on his knees; three teenage girls; a woman and her young son; and the kid from behind the counter, young and awkward and pimply and obviously terrified. Jason’s gaze zeroes in on the little kid as soon as they start shuffling towards the counter, and, honestly, Dick doesn’t know his new little brother as well as he should do, but he recognises the look on Jason’s face. This isn’t good.

Bruce positions himself mostly in front of the two of them, and Dick jostles Jason even further back with his shoulder, pressing him close behind Bruce and shoring up the other side. It’s not a guarantee of Jason’s safety, especially if the kid decides to make trouble, but it eases some of the tight, not-quite panic in Dick’s chest, knowing that he’s not in the direct line of fire. Jason doesn’t seem to appreciate it much, though, if the glare he sends Dick’s way is anything to go by.

“Phones. Money. Jewellery. In the bag.”

One of the girls beside Dick whimpers and Jason tenses. So, does Bruce, huge shoulders shifting. It’s mostly an act, Dick thinks, because Batman might be calm under pressure, but Bruce Wayne isn’t supposed to be.

Masks cover the gunmen’s faces – generic balaclava style – but Dick gets the distinct impression that the guy who steps forward, a canvas bag clutched in one hand, and a gun in the other, is pretty young. There’s a hesitant quality to the way he moves. When he shakes the bag in the elderly couple’s face, he doesn’t speak.

No one else speaks either, as they deposit their valuables into the bag. No one tries to play hero. The tension in the room is almost a physical thing, but Dick thinks they might get away without any injuries. Even the little boy, too young to really understand what’s happening, is silent – you have to learn quickly in Gotham.

Then the gunman circles around to them, and Dick and Bruce both start systematically shedding themselves of their valuables, and the masked man in front of them says: “Holy shit, it’s Bruce Wayne.”

Shit. Bruce hesitates, the hand currently dropping his expensive watch into the bag hovering mid-air. The tension in the room snaps taught. This has just morphed from a simple robbery into something else, and everyone around them knows it.

“What?” One of masked-man’s friends steps forward, gun hefted in his hand, to cast a critical eye over the three of them. “No way. What would Bruce Wayne be doing at this place? He goes to fancy restaurants and shit.”

“I’m telling you, that’s Wayne,” the first guy argues. Definitely young, if his voice is anything to go by. “Those are his kids right: circus kid and the little street rat.”

Another once over, more considering. Bruce’s shoulders shift again. Not an act this time.

“Damn, you’re right. I can’t believe it, Bruce Wayne in a fucking fast food place? We hit the jackpot.” He leans forward and snatches the watch out of Bruce’s slack hand. Shakes it in his face. “Think you could get away with giving us this old shit, huh? Sitting on mountains of cash and that’s all you can spare us?”

“I’ve given you everything I –“

“Shut up,” the guy snaps and Bruce falls silent. It’s difficult to tell whether the little tremor of fear in his voice is real or not. If they were in costume, this wouldn’t even be a workout – Jason could probably take the three of them down without breaking a sweat. But they aren’t in costume and they don’t have any of their gear and no amount of martial arts training is going to stop a bullet – not the way that Kevlar does. And even after all his years as Batman, Dick knows Bruce still has a hang up about guns. Whatever his and Dick’s relationship is like right now, having them pointed at his kids must have Bruce feeling some type of way.

“Bet you could get us some proper money in a heartbeat, huh? Call up your butler, or whatever, and have it transferred?”

Bruce’s jaw tightens. In front of them, the young guy shifts back and forth in a way that has Dick’s skin prickling. Nervous guy holding a gun is never a good combination.

“Are you sure we should-?”

“Yes, I’m fucking sure.” Behind the mask, Dick sees his eyes flicker over both Dick and Jason and Dick’s skin prickles again. “You need some motivation, Wayne? You gonna make me hurt your kids?”

Then he’s reaching for Jason and Bruce shifts, but the gun is right there and –

“No I don’t -“

Fingers close around Jason’s arm.

“Woah, wait –“

He’s yanked off of the floor. Jason grunts in pain.

“I don’t think we should –“

And, like an idiot, Dick reaches for him and –

Bang.

The gunshot is loud enough to set Dick’s ears ringing, reverberating through his skull and pressing against his ears with an almost physical sensation. The man holding Jason’s arm lets go as if he’s been electrocuted and Dick falls back on his ass, clutching Jason protectively against his chest. Nobody screams – not Dick, not Jason, not Bruce, not any of the people clustered around them. In contrast to the ring of the gunshot in Dick’s ears, the rest of the room is deathly silent.

Warmth splashes against Dick’s chest, as if someone’s thrown their coffee over his shirt, or he’s gotten into a shower still dressed.

Jason’s hit. Shit, Jason’s hit.

The world narrows to the kid in Dick’s arms. Jason’s lying half-across Dick’s lap, still and silent, face pressed into his older brother’s shoulder. Dick shifts onto his knees, holding Jason tight against him with one arm, turning his face away with the other so that he can get a better look at him. There’s blood already soaking Dick’s shirt. Dark red slashed across Jason’s arm, splattered over his neck and cheek.

“Jason? Shit, Jason, where were you hit?”

Wide, white eyes blink back up at him. Around them, the room is silent, the air drawn taught and shivering, fragile as glass. A hand presses against the back of Dick’s neck, huge and warm and – Bruce, Dick had almost forgotten he was here. When he looks up, Bruce is very close.

“Let go of him, Dick. It’s OK.”

Only, it’s not OK, because Dick has never seen that sort of fear on Bruce’s face – not without the cowl to cover the worst of it. His face is so white it almost glows, his eyes a dark counterpoint, his mouth a tight black line. Dick almost flinches under the weight of that gaze.

“Holy shit! You shot his kid. You fucking idiot!”

“Nah, it was an accident. It was an accident. I didn’t sign up to shoot nobody.”

“You just did, asshole. I can’t believe this.”

Dick’s ears are still ringing. The voices seem simultaneously too loud, as if they’re being shouted right in his ear, and very far away. The hand on the back of his neck tightens. Beneath him, Jason makes a soft, frightened sound.

Bruce’s other hand lifts to press firmly against Dick’s shoulder and Dick rocks back with the movement, surprised by his body’s acquiescence. Jason struggles against him, but Dick just tightens his grip. Why is Bruce worried about him? It’s Jason that’s hurt. It’s Jason that might be dying.

“Let go of him,” Bruce says, softly, as he lowers Dick to the ground. “We need to put pressure on the wound.”

Right. They need to get Jason into a better position. Need to find where he’s been hit.

“Shut up! Shut up and stop moving.”

Above him, Bruce goes tense. He doesn’t lift his hands from Dick, just goes perfectly still. His mouth twists - anger and fear and, if he was in costume, Dick would be honestly worried for the thugs.

But he’s not in costume. He’s Bruce Wayne.

“Please,” Bruce begs, voice low and tremulous. And it’s difficult to tell how much of it is his rich idiot Brucie Wayne persona, and how much of it is real. “Please let me call him an ambulance. He’ll die if we don’t do anything.”

Die. Jesus, they can’t let Jason die. That can’t happen.

The gun presses hard into the back of Bruce’s head, bows him forward under the pressure. Bruce grunts. Grits his teeth. Keeps his eyes on Dick.

“I know you didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I’ll give you as much money as you need, just let me help him.”

“Shit…we can’t…shit!”

The gun disappears and Dick can see the way Bruce relaxes – the droop of his shoulders, the flex of his jaw. The hand on his shoulder slides over to Dick’s chest and presses firmly and -

Heat flares through Dick’s chest. Burns like fire through his lungs, his ribs, his throat. It takes him utterly by surprise. Knocks the breath right out of him. It’s as though he can feel the path the bullet took, burning molten lava right through him, setting every nerve and vein and muscle alight. Dick chokes. Feels blood bubbling at the back of his throat. Wants to scream but can’t even drag in a breath.

Oh, oh. It wasn’t Jason that was shot – it was him. Through the shock and the adrenaline, he hadn’t even felt it.

He feels it now.

“It’s OK, Dick,” Bruce murmurs above him, pressing relentlessly against Dick’s chest. Dick writhes, lets go of Jason to press sweat-slick fingers against Bruce’s wrist, trying desperately to push him away. “It’s OK, I’ve got you.”

“B?” Jason’s face swims into Dick’s view - now that he’s released him - pale and scared and still splattered in blood. Dick’s blood. “Is he -?”

“I need you to call an ambulance,” Bruce interrupts. “I need to keep pressure on this.”

“I don’t-“

“No!”

Jason flinches, eyes flickering to the man suddenly looming over them, pressing himself closer against Bruce’s side almost automatically. Bruce shifts his weight but doesn’t take his hands off Dick’s chest. Fear throbs through Dick, a strange, cold undercurrent to the fiery pain.

“No one is calling anyone, OK? Not until we have our money.”

“I can’t get you the money without calling someone,” Bruce grits out, in a poor approximation of calm. “And my son needs an ambulance right now. Not once the transaction has gone through.”

At least, that’s what Dick thinks he says. The world seems to swim around him, people’s voices oddly distorted, filtering in and out of focus. Dick’s vision is strangely blurry. Distantly, he’s aware that he’s breathing too shallowly, chest constricted beneath an iron band of pain. His head feels too light. Someone touches his cheek, too soft to be Bruce, too small, and besides, Bruce is still pressing relentlessly against Dick’s chest.

“Hey Dickface, don’t pass out on us now.”

Maybe it’s not just the fear that’s cold. Maybe it’s his whole body, because Jason’s hand feels too hot against his face. Dick shivers. Doesn’t have the energy to protest the stupid nickname. He’s too heavy, too tired, too out-of-his-head.

Above him Jason frowns, then he pats his cheek, hard enough that Dick winces. “I said don’t-“

Heavy footsteps. The flash of a gun. Another flinch, cutting off whatever Jason was going to say. Dick wants to reach for his brother. Wants to pull him close and protect him, but his arms are too heavy to lift, and his chest screams at just the thought, burning like a wildfire through his throat. He whimpers.

Bruce leans over them both, shifting, forcing Jason close against Dick’s chest, and Jason lets him, his face pinched and too pale. Small hands press against the mess of blood coating Dick’s front, sliding through the slick liquid pooling on his chest. Then there’s more pressure, more pain. Dick chokes.

“I’ll get you the money,” Bruce is saying, somewhere far away. His hands waver across Dick’s vision - hands up or I’ll shoot - dripping red, like too-bright birds. But his eyes are fixed on Dick. He can see them behind Jason’s head, laser-sharp. Dick shivers again. He’s so cold his teeth are chattering.

“Stay with me,” Jason murmurs, closer and more real than Bruce, and Dick blinks, struggles to focus his vision.

“’M tired,” he tries to say, but he’s not sure if the words actually come out. His tongue is a dead thing in his mouth. Jason’s face seems very far away, floating like the moon somewhere above him.

“I know,” Jason says. “But you have to –“

Only, Dick never finds out what he has to do, because his eyelids are too heavy to keep open any longer, the fog in his head too thick, and Dick slips into the black without any resistance at all.

***

Dick comes back to consciousness as if he’s swimming through treacle. Everything seems slow and sticky. Strange lights waver above him, oddly distorted and too bright. He blinks, tries to turn his head away, but his body doesn’t seem to want to respond to his commands.

“Dick?” The voice is soft, but loud enough for Dick to make sense of it, even through the strange fog in his head, and the steady, rhythmic beeping somewhere beside him. Dick recognises it, in a distant sort of way. “Hey, chum, are you awake?”

Yes. Dick is awake. He thinks. There’s a pleasant heaviness to his body, a warm current through his veins, dragging heavy on his eyelids. But he blinks again and his vision clears a little, and Bruce Wayne’s face materialises above him.

“B?” he manages and, Jesus, his throat is dry. He chokes. For a moment, he can’t breathe, throat contracting painfully around nothing, rough and cracked, as if he’s been swallowing sand.

“Careful,” Bruce murmurs, and a hand presses lightly against his shoulder. For one bright moment, Dick expects pain. But there’s no flash of fire in his chest, just a heady numbness. “Jay, will you get some ice chips for him, lad?” Then, to Dick: “Your throat dry?”

Dick tries a nod. Mostly, his head just lolls, loose, against his pillow. He’s not entirely sure what’s happening – Bruce is here, and Jason, apparently, but he doesn’t know where here is. Maybe the cave? Did Dick get injured on a mission? It wouldn’t be unusual, but, then, he should be in Bludhaven, in his safe house – not at the manor with Bruce. Beside him, the beeping speeds. A rapid, throbbing, pulse.

“Hey, it’s OK. Do you remember what happened?”

Does he? Dick strains, fighting through the fog, struggling against himself. He was – Jason – that’s why he’s in Gotham. It’s Jason’s birthday. They were on patrol – no. That’s not right. There were…chili dogs…a fast food restaurant. A robbery. Guns.

Jason was shot.

Ice pours down Dick’s spine. His chest throbs, heart ricocheting against his ribs.

No. That’s not right either.

“We were at a fast food place.” God, his voice sounds bad. “Somebody - somebody tried to rob it and they shot…oh, they shot me.”

Right. It was Dick that was shot, not Jason.

As if thinking it is some sort of permission, pain throbs through Dick’s chest. Maybe it’s psychological - because he must be hopped up on an absolute shit-load of drugs right now - but that doesn’t stop Dick gritting his teeth against the burn. Doesn’t stop his hand flailing out, looking for purchase on something other than the pain, or maybe just trying to release some of the energy rushing through his veins.

A hand catches his. Dry and warm, enveloping Dick’s fingers easily. Another hand presses through his hair and Dick can’t help turning his face to it.

“It’s OK, you’re OK.”

He doesn’t think he is, but he’s not going to fight Bruce on it.

“Hey - Oh, sorry. I got the ice.”

There are light footsteps, then Jason is beside the bed, clutching a cup of ice chips in one hand, looking unusually awkward.

“Thanks, Jaylad,” Bruce says softly. Softer than Dick has heard him for a long time, and Jason doesn’t bristle the way he half-expects him to. Then he takes the cup from Jason and spoons a chip carefully into Dick’s mouth.

It’s heaven - melting slowly in the desert of Dick’s mouth, trickling down his sore throat. Dick grips Bruce’s wrist and Bruce chuckles and indulgently spoons another one out of the cup.

When his mouth is wet enough, he manages: “Where am I? What happened?” And it comes out as actual words.

Bruce’s face tightens. “You’re at the hospital. You were shot in the chest.” A pause. “You’re very lucky to be alive.”

Beside him, Jason makes a small, unhappy sound.

“Everything OK, Jay?” Dick asks – or wants to. What comes out is more like “K?” on a long exhale of breath. It takes too much energy to form proper words. Jason’s face gets impossibly tighter.

Jason shrugs and his face is tight and unhappy. There’s tension in the set of his shoulders, his tightly crossed arms. “No.”

OK, that’s…surprising. Not surprising that he’s not OK, perhaps - because being caught up in a situation like that is tough on anyone, let alone a kid - but surprising that he would admit it. Dick flicks a glance at Bruce, and it’s difficult to read his father’s face, but there’s a little furrow between his brows that Dick is more used to seeing directed at him.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Jason continues, and his voice is tight with anger.

A long beat of silence. Dick isn’t entirely sure what Jason is talking about – done what? Gotten shot? Asked him if he was OK? Eaten the ice chip? He feels too slow and tired to figure it out. Already, he can feel the drugs and the pain tugging him back towards sleep.

On the other side of the bed, Bruce is a statue, cool and unmoving, his face still blank besides the little wrinkle of concern. Or maybe confusion? Either way, he offers no help.

“Done what?” Dick asks, and manages to squeeze it through the tight ache of his chest.

“You shouldn’t have –“ Jason’s face crumples and Dick is shocked to see the shine of tears in his eyes, welling against his lashes and spilling over his cheeks. It feels a little like Dick’s been punched, the shock an almost physical blow. Jason turns away, scrubbing a hand angrily over his face. “You nearly died, Dickface.”

That was not what Dick was expecting. None of this is. Dick feels strangely adrift.

“Jason,” Bruce starts, voice a low rumble, and Jason spins away from him too, landing heavily against the bed, but avoiding Dick’s injuries in a way that suggests intent behind the motion.

“You don’t need to protect me. I can handle myself. You don’t have to.” His voice is rough, angry, but there’s something else there – a fragile waver that makes Dick’s chest hurt. Dick drags his arm up, against the heavy pull of gravity, and rests it against Jason’s curls, resting close beside him.

“OK,” he says and his eyes meet Bruce’s over Jason’s head. “OK.”

But he does.

[rachelking2819]

Jumanji: The Next Level

Welcome to my first review! I had a lot of fun writing this and watching the movie. Read my thoughts below and let me know what you think. Did I miss anything worth mentioning, let me know!

SPOILER ALERT  SPOILER  ALERT  SPOILER ALERT   SPOILER  ALERT  SPOILER ALERT   SPOILER ALERT   SPOILER ALERT   SPOILER ALERT  

Jumanji: The Next Level is the sequel to 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The movie stars the familiar faces from the first movie, but we meet some new as well like Awkwafina from Crazy Rich Asians and Danny DeVito known for Matilda and Batman Returns, more about them later.

The movie follows Spencer, Martha, Fridge and Bethany back into Jumanji. They are not the only ones there though as Spencer’s grandfather Eddie and his former friend Milo are also transported into the game. To once again exit the game, they must complete the next level of Jumanji, hence the title.

The movie starts with the four friends from the last movie in four different places getting ready to go home for the holidays.  Everyone seems excited to go and meet up, except for Spencer who seems miserable in New York. Upon arrival his mood doesn’t get any better. The night before he is supposed to meet Bethany, Fridge and Martha, Spencer decides to fix the old gaming console which got destroyed in the previous movie and goes into Jumanji. Breaking his promise to his friends to never go back. Later in the movie Spencer explains that he went back because he wanted to feel like Dr. Braveheart again, have no fears and be confident. I can get that, but that is hardly the way to go about it. The last time he got stuck in the game it almost got him killed and they were with four then. Also do not forget about Alex, he was alone and stuck for decades, unable to move forward in the game until the group of friends came along. So that Spencer thought it to be a great idea to go into the game alone???, is above me.

Anyway, while Spencer is playing Dora the explorer, Fridge, Martha and Bethany meet up and discuss Spencer and Martha’s relationship which has become a situationship as to neither knows what the situation is between them. Previous movie ended with them as a new couple, now though they are together but haven’t spoken for a while. At this point I almost rolled my eyes, thinking this was going to be some melodramatic subplot. This was luckily not the case. While there is a noticeable awkwardness around when they see each other for the first time in Jumanji, it is not something that is shoved in our faces and highlighted again and again. It is quite funny and fitting to their personality with the side-eyeing and the respective signature awkwardness. One could call it adorkable.

The official make-up talk/reunion happens about 20-30 minutes to the end on the side of a steep mountain. Let me paint the picture. In order to escape Jumanji, the final level is to get a jewel from Jurgen the Brutal. He is the main antagonist and stole the jewel from some sacred villagers. The jewel is what keeps Jumanji looking alive and beautiful and keeps the soils fertile for good harvests. Back to Spencer and Martha. To get to Jurgen’s fortress they must climb an icy mountain. On the side of this mountain, nowhere near the top, they find it appropriate to have a talk about what has been and why. Like really? Time is ticking y’all, everybody and their mom is counting on you to climb that mountain and execute your part of the plan, nobody has time for this. Finally, on the mountain and inside the fortress they share their signature “do-not-know-how-to-kiss” kiss, which made me chuckle.

Well, since I have mentioned Spencer and Martha’s first meeting in this movie, I might as well explain that Spencer was not in the body of Dwayne Johnson’s Dr. Braveheart. Instead he was a character we hadn’t met before yet: Ming, a cat-burglar and master lockpicker. Actress Awkwafina did a great job portraying Spencer as this character. With the nervous talking and twitching, it was no mistake neurotic Spencer was stuck as Ming instead of the presumed Dr. Braveheart. At some point it is possible for the adventurers to switch character by jumping in some magical lake. This is where Grandpa Eddie and Spencer switch character. Grandpa Eddie who was earlier Dr. Braveheart, now possesses Ming’s skill set. Again, Awkwafina shows what great actress she is as she takes on the persona of the older man.

Of course, the performances of the other actors can not be ignored. Dwayne Johnson portraying Grandpa Eddie was for sure very funny. Kevin Hart portraying Milo as Mouse Finbar has had to have been one of the highlights tho. Milo is known to be a very slow talker and gets to the point whenever he feels like it. I had genuine belly laughs anytime this character spoke. Also, Johnson and Hart together makes for a great duo every time. Jack Black applause to you once again. I believe that in your previous you were a gangster jock, not taking ish from anyone. Loved your portrayal of Fridge. Black was also iconic as ever as he brought out his inner teenage girl. Karen Gillan did not have much new going on, so she was just as great as she was in the previous movie.

Black also gave me the most relatable scene ever. Seeing as Fridge is a college jock and cannot handle not being able to move as fast as he normally does in the body of professor Shelly, he decides to do burpees to work on his characters stamina. Well three guesses as to how that went… The most dramatic burpees I have ever seen. But if I said “that ain’t me”, I’d be lying.

My only irritation on Grandpa Eddie was that he gets cocky almost every 5 minutes and therefor puts everyone in danger. I mean I get it, who wouldn’t get cocky when in control of such a powerful character as Dr. Braveheart. But when everybody is telling you to stay put and not make a scene or to run because that guy is your weakness, you better do what you have been told. Less fuss that way and everybody lives. But now, thanks to you everyone has lost a live, bringing them to one or two lives each.

Action wise, this movie really knew how to pace it properly. Every time you just feel the urgency of the situation, which I kind of missed last time. The very first action sequence I already knew that this movie was a step up from the first. It had beautiful visuals and the urgency just hit differently.

Talking about visuals. Wow wow wow, such beautiful sights in this movie. The movie takes us through the desert, an oasis, a little bit jungle and snowy wastelands and mountains. The settings were truly a sight to behold.

Also, the movie brings you heart and emotions aplenty. Now when I say this I am probably exaggerating, ‘cause I’m that overemotional. I could be watching a thirty seconds clip of a baby laughing with their parent and I am done for. While it wasn’t exactly waterworks, I did need a moment to compose myself. Especially when Milo told Eddie that he is sick, does not have long to live and that that is the reason he came to visit Eddie after decades of not speaking to one another. I hate these kinds of plots. They get me every single time. Aside from the potential tearjerker, the four original friends share a few heartfelt moments and are like “you are perfect as you are”, not those exact words, but you get it.

After rescuing Jumanji once more, the group of seven (Alex was at some point also part of the rescue op in the game) gets ready to leave Jumanji behind and never return. However, Milo wants to stay following his impending death and wants to see so much more in life. Again, a part that made me choke up a bit.

Now finally home sans Milo, the initial meet-up continues. As the day ends, the group of friends is met with a herd of ostriches like the ones they encountered on Jumanji running through the streets. And this is where the movie ends, giving as the assumption for a next movie where Jumanji comes to the real world.

Overall Jumanji: The Next Level is a fun movie for families. I personally liked it more than the first movie. Lots of laughs and action, that’s always a win for me. Almost made me cry, but that is not a difficult task. Casting keeps being great and great visuals. The first movie I thought was eyerolling funny, filled with dead jokes and overacting. That is why I didn’t have very high hopes for this one, but I went anyway because I was curious for the way it was showed at the cinema (ScreenX: all-round screens in the theater). This movie has certainly exceeded my expectation and I am glad it did. Definitely one I will be recommending to others.

What did you think of Jumanji: The Next Level?

‘Till Next Review!

[awkwardbluefish]

Different at the core

—

Cassandra Cain watched her brothers. They all may look so similar but in the core, they were quite different. It doesn’t confuse her like it would to most people.

Richard John Grayson-Wayne. The first Robin, the one that was born to fly. It shows in his movements, how he can’t stay in one place. Cass smiles, Dick was the easiest out of her brothers to read.

He was happy and had this fierceness that burned in him. Dick was a mother hen always ready to protect his family. The one that knows when others needed a break but couldn’t take his own advice. Always ready to spread his affection for the people he held close, he trusted so easily.

But Cass sees when he is confused. Watches as he frowns when Tim stiffens in his arms (at first), the flash of hurt in his eyes as Damian tenses, prepared for battle. How Jason refuses to go near him at times and Bruce, the person who adopted them all, gave them a home, is the person who is the most detached. So he holds on tighter but It still hurts her brother. It hurts Cass that he doesn’t understand. After all Richard grew up with the circus. All of them family, something the rest of their family didn’t receive.

Damian grew up believing affection was a sign of weakness, Jason lived on the streets, he never received any love. Tim was left alone, he grew up by himself with nannies that weren’t allowed to get close to him. Bruce is to afraid to show his emotions, to scared to get to close, not again. Cass knows it’s a losing battle.

——

Cass is laughing, so is her eldest brother. She is carrying him bridal style. Her brother had just ran up to her and threw himself in her arms. Cass smiles, her brother trusts so easily and loves spreading affection around like confetti. It warms her heart.

~~

Jason Peter Todd-Wayne. The second Robin. Cassandra had never met Jason before the Joker got to him but Cass believes the little boy is still there.

Jason is fierce and angry but he isn’t only that. He has a collection of books and loves older movies. Her brother, as Red Hood and Jason, looks out for the street kids. Cass has seen him give them advice, encourage them and scold them like a father. That is the softer side to her elder brother.

Cass has also witnessed his angry side, the fierce side. How he explodes, he doesn’t hold back. He is making a point and everybody is going to listen and if they don’t, well damn them, Jason doesn’t care. But Cass knows he does.

When Jason explodes he explodes as Jason Todd the adult or Jason Todd the kid. The adult is angry and shouts as if it’s the last words he’ll ever say. He doesn’t care what he says, doesn’t bother holding back, he lets a rip.

When the kid explodes it isn’t all anger and frustration, there’s something else there. A part where he is scared and a part where he is making a scene to get attention. A kid making a ruckus to get the attention they rightfully deserve. A child acting out is a child looking for something, and in Jason’s case, it’s love. A fathers or a brothers is what Cass doesn’t know. Cass doesn’t think it matters.

——

The room is quiet, comfortable. Just the way Jason likes it when he is reading, Cass knows. So she grabs a kids book and slides into the seat, next to Jason. She leans her head on his large shoulder and asks for help. He smiles and complies.

~~

Damian Al Ghul Wayne. Or Damian Wayne. Cassandra prefers the second, so does Damian. Her younger brother is the fifth Robin. He is different from the others. Damian was raised differently, he was taught differently.

Damian has a tough exterior but inside he is nothing more than a child with a tough childhood. A grandfather who wants nothing but power and a mother that is so willing to clone her own son.

Damian grew up to be a assassin, at least that’s what he believes. Cass has watched how he moves, how her younger brother acts. He did not grow to be an assassin as he believes. Damian Wayne was raised as a weapon, something much worse than a assassin. However his grandfather and mother never got that far and Cassandra will forever be grateful for that. She will never tell him either.

Because of that it makes it easier to see the child side of Damian. The one that fights and fights and, in the end, looks towards his father waiting for his approval. Soon Damian began looking at his brothers too and Cassandra, herself. This side is soft and kind, the side the animals around him helped create. Titus, Ace, Jerry the turkey, Goliath, batcow and Alfred the cat. Damian is so fond of them. Cass smiles every time.

But that doesn't mean Damian doesn't argue, Cass doesn't mind. He's a child after all.

——

“It’s disgraceful!”

“Yes,” Cass agrees.

“I have decided to become a vegetarian.” Damian states. He is glaring at the menu he holds. Cooked turkey. Cass can’t help but smile, he really is fond of his animals.

~~

Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. He was the third Robin and now Red Robin. Cassandra doesn’t want to admit it but she is most comfortable around him. She doesn’t know why. After all wouldn’t someone that is easier to read be ‘better?’

Tim is smart, he is a detective. At the age of nine he deduced who Batman and Robin were, all he had was a camera and his memories of the night the Grayson’s fell. He figured out what grown up adults can’t. Ones who have training and tech and everything. Tim was a nine year old boy with too much time on his hands. When Jason died Tim kept an eye on Batman more than ever. He was slipping and Tim noticed. So Tim got up and faced the Batman and told him what he needed, not necessarily wanted, to hear. Batman needed a Robin and that’s what he became.

Cass isn’t quite sure of all the hardships Tim went through as his time as Robin but she does know of the people he lost. His father, his best friends and his stepmom, all in a span of a couple of years. Then Bruce. Bruce was stuck in a time stream and Tim had lost Robin. He was called an equal and a delusional. He went up against the league of spiders all the while taking out Ras basses. He became a ceo to Wayne enterprises to protect the people Bruce held close. And Tim, Tim lost his spleen and brought their father home.

Cass wish she was there for him. So she visited more. Talked and laughed and sat in comfortable silence with her brother. And when they spar, Cass still get shivers, it’s the closest call to David Cain she’s ever had. Red Robin isn’t the Robin he used to be. He’s viscous and has new moves, he doesn’t hold back and he is done playing games.

He’s faced some of the most dangerous people on this earth and is laid out to do tech support. That makes Cass angry. Yet Tim does nothing, simply smiles and nods. Cass still doesn’t understand.

But Cass can still see a little boy. A boy who never had parents around but loved them all the same. The one that people have tried to kill and is a punching bag for their insults. Still he does nothing and Cass hurts for him. But Cass has seen the little boy, how Tim, no matter the mission, will take five seconds to mourn someone’s death. To feel their death, to hurt for them. Someone he never knew. And Cass, she feels something in her chest every time she witnesses it. Her brother may never have met them but he mourns them, he remembers them. Cass will always love that about her brother.

Tim is- used to be such a great person.

——

Cass is screaming, yet no sound will come out and she just can’t stop crying. Her heart is breaking and she wants it to stop! Dammit! Tim, Tim is gone, he is dead. A sob racks her body and she lets out a screech. All that was left was his bo-staff. Blood as thick as heavy as a coat of paint.

Damian is standing behind her, so is Barbara. He wasn’t there, neither was Barbara and they are both watching, speechless. They haven’t seen the grave so Cass moves. Rolls her body over and cries for her brother. She hears the intake of breath from Barbara, the whispered “no….” As it passes her lips.

She is crying, their both crying. And Cass stumbles, stumbles to her feet and walks to her. Cass doesn’t get far before she’s crashing to her knees and hugging Barbara. She feels the tears.

The heavens cry today as they did the day he died. Cassandra wants her brother back, why did the world have to take him away?

—

A/n - this is actually one of my first fics, I think I must’ve deleted it 😬

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Z 204

Welp, Gohan’s just chillin’ in a giant nest.

Oh, also Goten’s here.    So there’s a family of those big pterodactyl-looking creatures and apparently Gohan and Goten are friends with them, but they’ve gone missing.  

This episode used to confuse me a lot when I first saw it, because I hadn’t watched the entire series up to this point, so I wasn’t sure if Chibi and his parents were a retcon or if they had appeared before this.     Gohan acts like he’s known them his whole life, but this is indeed their first appearance.   I think I might have confused them with Icarus aka Haiya Dragon, who was Gohan’s animal companion in Movies 3,4, 5, and Episodes 108-119.     Kind of weird how Toei just sort of dropped that altogether once the androids showed up.    Maybe Icarus died during the three year gap?   It just feels like this episode was written with him in mind, like he married a female of his species and now Gohan has to save his newly-hatched offspring.   

Meanwhile, Mr. Satan is chillaxing in his home, watching footage of himself winning the 24th Tenkaichi Budokai with a bottle of wine.    I suppose this is telling.   In private, this is the stuff that keeps Mr. Satan going.    His victory over Cell was a fabrication, but winning the World Tournament was a genuine achievement, one he can truly take pride in. 

I just wonder if he’s haunted by the memory of the Cell Games.   He’s the only one who knows what really happened, so he can’t tell anyone, even his own daughter.    Everything worked out, sure, but he still has to live with the knowledge that all of those strange people were stronger than himself.   That must put these highlight reels into a different perspective.   Maybe Mr. Satan is watching them for the sake of nostalgia.    He’s thinking back to a time when he didn’t know better, and he really believed he was the strongest man in the world.   

Anyway, Videl asks him about the previous Tenkaichi Budokai champion, and Mr. Satan explains that Son Goku was a mysterious man with a lot of fancy tricks, but he was surely no match for Mr. Satan.   

And this is apparently the moment when Videl realizes that the former champion has the same family name as Gohan.   Hmmm...

Meanwhile, Gohan and Goten watch news coverage of a circus wth a new act: a baby monster.  

Turns out, it’s Chibi, the baby they were looking for at the top of this episode.    This asshole named Musuka caught him and made him part of his asshole circus.    Seriously, what sort of act is this?    He just stands there with a whip and Chibi curls up into a ball and shivers in terror.    Why would people pay money to see this?

Awww, look at this adorable little man.    Fuck you, Musuka.    Fuck you and fuck your audience.    Fuck the circus, while I’m at it.  

Seriously, I don’t get the circus at all.    I have faint memories of going to one as a kid, and I’m pretty sure the only thing I wanted to see was Pac-Man, and I missed him while I went to the restroom or something.    I have no idea how Pac-Man was at the circus, but I just know I sat through like 95 hours of boring-ass non-Pac-Man content, and then I blinked and he wasn’t there.    Maybe I dreamed the whole thing.    Fuck the circus is my point.  

I’m pretty sure it was real, though, because I’ll see ads or circuses today and they promote appearances by Spongebob or some other cartoon character, and it’s probably just a guy in a suit.    The point is that they have to do that kind of thing because kids haven’t cared about animal acts for at least forty years.    They like cartoons and video games, because those are fucking awesome.   

And you don’t need a circus to have meet-and-greets with cartoon characters.    Just slap a costume on a guy and have him chill out in an air-conditioned building.    Circuses do it because they have to adapt to the times, except they keep clinging to all this other stuff that doesn’t work anymore.  

I have no pity for it.    I read a Batman comic from like 1988, where Dick Grayson checks up on the circus he used to run with before his parents got murdered, and every time Robin checks up on his circus pals they always do the sob story about how business is down because no one goes to the circus anymore.    It was cliche in 1988, and that comic is older than most of the people reading this.   I’ve been hearing about the slow, agonizing decline of the circus my entire life, and I was born in the Carter administration for crying out loud.   Nobody goes to Sears anymore, and you don’t see anyone feeling sorry for Sears.   

I don’t want to get too anti-capitalist on this thing, but it annoys me when people get all weepy over businesses that can’t keep up with the market.   Everyone was all sad when Toys R’ Us went bankrupt, but that’s bullshit, because no one really cares about Toys R’ Us, or they wouldn’t have gone out of business in the first place.   What is it we miss about that store?   You can buy the merchandise elsewhere, which is exactly what everyone did.    So what’s left?    Geoffrey the Giraffe?    Fuck that guy.    He’s no Pac-Man, that’s for sure.   The jingle?   You can look that up on YouTube right now.   

The circus is the same deal.    We’re supposed to care when one of them shuts down because it had been in business for like 105 years or something, like just because something is old that makes it important.   Once upon a time they didn’t have Pokemon, and the best you could do was to hope some carnies rolled through your town and they had a cool bear that would do tricks.    But that business model wasn’t going to last forever, and if it can’t adapt to the times then it doesn’t deserve to continue as it is.    I feel like I read once that circuses have shifted their focus towards human performers, which makes more sense to me, because it gets the animal rights activists off their back, and the humans can do flashier things anyway.    Then again, I scratch that itch by watching pro wrestling, so I don’t know if that’s viable.    It comes down to a question of what a circus has to offer without giving up its identity as a circus.    if the answer is to rebrand as some other kind of show, then just do it and don’t look back.    If you’re determined to keep up the pretense out of some misplaced sense of obligation, then don’t look for pity when the business dries up.  

Same deal with trains.     I dig Johnny Cash, but he had this one song that was basically all moping about how nobody travels by train anymore.    Well I rode a passenger train once and it was exactly like taking an airplane only cheaper and slower.   That’s why people don’t do it as much.    You can romanticize this stuff, but you need more than romance to turn a profit.   

Anyway, where was I?    Oh, right, Gohan tries to talk the owner into releasing Chibi into the wild, and when he gets shot down, Gohan just waltzes over to Chibi’s cage and busts him out.   

Yeah!    Fight the power!

Yeah, this is a Triangle Guy episode, by the way.  

Musuka doesn’t take kindly to hearing his star attraction has been stolen.   What’s amazing to me is how he’s just sitting at his desk counting huge stacks of cash, presumably earned from people paying top dollar to watch him abuse a defenseless animal.    I mean, yeah, this is Dragon Ball Z, but this is pretty broad, even for this show. 

So Gohan plans to just fly Chibi back to his nest, but oops, Chibi’s having a hard time flying so high and so fast.     Awwww, look at the spirals in his eyes, he’s all dizzy.  Hang in there, buddy.   

So basically Chibi is baby.    Gohan will have to carry him out of Satan City on foot.   

I forget why, but the truck driver from the Vegeta/18 fight is in this episode.    Pretty sweet.

Then Videl shows up.    Musuka called the cops, who in turn called in Videl, since Great Saiyaman’s a little out of their league.    Videl’s shocked that Saiyaman would steal like this, but it gives her an excuse to fight and unmask him, so she’s down with it.  

So yeah, you’ve probably seen the gif of this shot where Videl jumps on Gohan and wraps her legs around his head, but I’m pretty sure she was setting up a hurricanrana.   Everyone needs to get their heads out of the gutter.   

Awwwwwwwwwwww.

Awwwwwwwwwwwww.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

For some reason, Musuka wanders over and starts whipping Chibi, like that would help anything in this situation.    Seriously why does he need a whip?   Anyway, Chibi cries out and...

... Uh-oh.

So here are Chibi’s parents, and they’re not pleased.   This was exactly what Gohan was afraid might happen, but Videl wouldn’t listen to him, and he didn’t want to just punch out Videl, Musuka, and the cops to avoid this.   

The cops try to shoot at Chibi’s parents, and Gohan can’t get anyone to back off.   I don’t see why he doesn’t just grab Chibi and hand him over, but whatever.

I think around here, the dub has Gohan try to talk to them, and Videl points out that dinosaurs can’t talk.    So Gohan goes “Yes, thank you Videl, you’re very smart.”

But I do like this version, where Videl is surprised to find that Great Saiyaman’s childhood involved playing with pterodactyl monsters.    This is the sort of stuff Gohan doesn’t want gettng out about himself.   Not this specifically, but just the idea that he’s super strong and runs with huge animals and his best friend is King Piccolo and he turned into a giant gorilla a couple of times.   

Anyway, Gohan’s idea is that he can use his voice to get them to calm down, since they ought to recognize him.  

But at one point he almost uses his real name, and Videl gets so fixated on it that she takes her eye off the whole “giant monster” situation. 

Then Masuka pulls a gun and Chibi’s dad almost eats Videl and it’s all breaking down...

(Awwwwwwwwww.....)

So Gohan has to deck Chibi’s dad to get things under control.    Maybe he should have just done that in the first place.  

Chibi’s all upset, but Gohan didn’t hit him that hard, so it’s cool.  

Fortunately, Chibi’s mom is a bit more practical, so Gohan hands him off to her and escorts them out of the city, carrying Chibi’s dad on his back.   

Nice shot of the reunited family.

And Goten flies over to get a kiss from Chibi.    What a good boy.    My only regret here is that no one kicked Musuka in the balls.    He threatens to go back and capture Chibi all over again, but Videl threatens him into abandoning that idea.

The next day, Gohan’s wearing a bandaid on his face because of a scratch he got from Chibi’s dad.   I think in the manga, he got it from the Red Shark Gang, but whatever.    Point is, Videl thanks him for yesterday, and he completely forgets himself and responds to this, which basically blows his secret identity.   

The moral here is that there’s more to a secret identity than the disguise.   In the end, Gohan’s just too honest to live a double life.   Videl asks him if he’s the Golden Warrior too, and he insists that he isn’t, because he absolutely cannot let that secret get out.    I’m not sure why, though, since Videl already knows he has super powers.   A few episodes later, it’ll become clear that Gohan doesn’t want Videl to find out that he beat Cell instead of her father, so maybe that’s part of what’s going on here.

Anyway, Videl agrees to keep his secret, if Gohan agrees to enter the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai.    Last episode, she found out that the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai’s winner was Son Goku, and she figures that must mean Gohan is his son.  And since her father won the 24th Budokai, she’s thinking it might be cool if they both entered the next tournament.   Gohan isn’t too interested in that idea, but he has no choice, since Videl will expose him unless he plays along.   

I never really thought about this, but Videl really acts as the flashpoint for this entire arc.    Everything that happens from this point onward is a direct result of the tournament.    All the major players converse there, and that only happens because Gohan chose to enter, and that only happens because Videl blackmailed him into it.   

And really, Videl’s only taking this much of an interest in Gohan because of the Cell Games, and the Z-Fighter’s indifference to Mr. Satan claiming the victory over Cell.    She’s convinced that her father and Gohan’s father are peers, and that the two of them could have an even match.     If the Cell Games had played out differently, maybe Videl wouldn’t bother bringing any of this up.   

Oh, one last thing, Videl wants Gohan to show her how to fly, since it gives him an unfair advantage over her.   

So now Gohan’s stuck.    He has to fight Videl in public and teach her how to fly.     Well, he’s been through worse situations than this.   

[harveywritings92]

Dick Grayson x Older! Reader ch 2 [1/2]

He's thirteen when he watches her heartbreak...   

ages: Dick:13 Reader:16

Dick was getting too old for a babysitter and Y/n was coming around less frequently. Bruce now hires her as a tutor for Dick, but he knew they weren't really studying.

 the boy wonder wasn't really struggling in his studies, he just enjoys spending time with Y/n usually they just hung out or go somewhere. hell, she even picks him up from school or wherever if Alfred or Bruce are busy.

that was funny the one day he,Wally and the others met up to hang out for a while, when it was time to go home Y/n was waiting there for him much to his surprise, The y/height girl smiled and waved as Wally gawked at her, she walked over and hugged the raven haired teen, Dick felt hot as his face was pretty much pressed into her boobs.

"Hey Dick, Alfred had Errands and Bruce had a meeting. So they asked me to come get you." 

"uh, t-thanks N/n..."

"No prob Bob wait for ya at the car..."

"Sure."

Dick was brought out of this daze by Wally smacking him on the shoulder smiling slyly. "Dude! who's the goddess?" the speedster gushed ogling Y/n causing the raven haired teen to frown, "Y/n my tutor..." he muttered trying not to sound annoyed at the love struck looks Wally was giving his...

uh,he was giving Y/n who was busy on her phone to notice."Nice...Hey~ I have a ride to the train station?" Wally asked a little too hopeful for the boy wonder's liking, "No." Dick shot back quickly before heading to Y/n's car and went home. 

Lately they've both been sort of drifting apart, Dick has started dating Zatanna after new years and Y/n? well right now she was currently obsessed about her boyfriend of four months his name is Blaine, now don't get him wrong! Blaine was charismatic and somewhat good-looking and sort of friendly, But...

Dick couldn't help but feel that Blaine was a little too nice...like he's trying to cover something up the detective side of Dick hadn't missed the stink-eye Blaine sent Y/n while he was on his phone, or the way he blanched she mentioned Central city in any conversation....

Zatanna told him he was just being paranoid and protective of his friend's well being the raven haired boy had to begrudgingly agree with this, Dick was happy with Zatanna, but he couldn't help but feel like his heart been dipped into a vat of acid every time he saw Y/n and Blaine together...

Like now he was on a double date with them, the older teens were acting like chaperons for the younger couple, they were currently watching a movie when Blaine got up to go to the bathroom, Dick soon followed after while he was washing his hands the raven haired teen heard someone talking he cocked a brow they sounded familiar...

"..eah babe, I'm at the movies...just with the guys..." Dick rounded the corner and saw Blaine on his phone. "mm-hm?... I'll see you Tuesday,I love you too. Bye Courtney." Dick insides felt cold as anger slowly take over, "Who's Courtney?" He spat the brown haired teen jumped and turned to see the younger boy behind him glaring at him.

 "o-oh hey kid...wha-what up?" he guy stuttered nervously Dick's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses his jaw set. "I asked you a question...who is Courtney?" He hissed in his Robin voice it didn't even phase the older teen. "None of your business." Blaine snorted and tried walk away only for the younger boy to block his path.

"Answer me or I'll..." Blaine chuckled not even scared of the shorter teen "or what pint-size you'll tell on me? get lost twerp." he reached out to shove Dick that was a mistake on Blaine's part as he soon found out, when the brown eyed boy felt his arm caught in a vice like grip. 

Dick's eyes darkened with anger as he twisted the older boy's arm, causing the brown haired teen to wince and try to pull away from the kid's grip "Let go!" Blaine snarled in pain, but Dick kept adding more pressure causing the older teen to kneel to the floor. "I'm gonna break it if you don't tell me who Courtney is..now!" Dick growled he was serious too.

"Courtney's my girlfriend..She lives in Central city..."

"Girlfriend?!!!....What about Y/n?!"

"As if I'd date someone like her, she works for Bruce Wayne...she makes lots of cash.-Ack!"

"You...-"

"So, this whole time you were just using me for money..." a small voice croaked Dick felt his heart sink into his feet, he looked over his shoulder stunned neither boy had noticed Y/n and Zatanna had exited the theater looking for them, like slow motion Dick watched her e/c eyes slowly lose their joy as a tear slowly fall down Y/n's cheek followed by more the whimper h/c made before she ran off, made Dick take her in his arms and hold her.

He was bought out of it by Zatanna yelling "You're a pig!" at Blaine in disgust before following after the heartbroken girl. "Okay everything's ruined and out in the open! happ--" Blaine never got to finish that sentence, Dick landed a hard punch right in the jerk's face knocking him and some of his teeth out. 

"Asshole.." he hissed before going to look for the girls. Dick eventually finds them Zee and Y/n were sitting on a bench the h/c was had her face in her hands sobbing while Zee hugging her telling her it was okay..."He's not worth your tears...he's just greedy a jerk."

The date was officially over Zatanna went home, and Dick and Y/n were waiting for Alfred to pick them up the older teen still hadn't said anything. "Hey...do you want stay at the manor?" she shook her head Dick frowned he didn't want leave her alone, But the h/c felt the opposite and just wanted to go home it was a silent car ride to say the least.

Alfred tried to ask what had happened. But Dick just said it was complicated and to drop Y/n off before the y/height girl left the car Dick suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't do something stupid, alright? call if anything happens." he said Y/n smiled at him before walking into her house.

Later Robin was on patrol it was fairly quiet through out the streets, that was till he came across a particular street he noticed a woman walking by herself obviously intoxicated, being followed by three men Robin knew where this was going... one of the men grabbed and dragged her into an alley, he heard the girl's muffled screaming and swung into action.

he took out the smaller of the men by landing on his back causing the guy to yelp before his head met the pavement knocking him out the two other men whip their heads in Robin's direction. the one on top of the girl got off giving the boy wonder a clear view at who it was and the second he recognized her and Dick saw red.

The last thing he remembered was just pure rage...he barely registered the grunts of pain, cracking of bones and till someone screamed snapping Dick out of it. he saw a random drunk watching him horrified before running away, Robin looked down at the bloody and beaten up man groaning in pain under him.

 he got off the barely conscious man and the two less hurt men limped over to their knocked out friend picked him up and staggered away. After a few seconds of catching his breath Robin turned to Y/n who was staring at him drunk and dazed, his jaw set as he walked up to her without even thinking and snapped.

"You are in big frickin trouble Missy! how did--..where did you even get alcohol?"

"..I-"

"Y/n! what were you thinking?! Do you realized what would've happened if I hadn't seen you?!" 

"I'm sorry..."

Y/n whimpered Dick sighed pinching the bridge of his nose the adrenaline slowly leaving his system, he held his hand out to help the y/height girl stand up, only to for her to suddenly pull the younger teen down to her level and into a kiss on the lips "Don't hate me Dick.."

 she murmured before passing out in his arms Dick's eyes widened behind his mask he looked down at Y/n stunned still processing what just happened Y/n just kissed him...She kissed Robin...She knows he's Robin...She knows Richard Grayson is Robin!

Dick heard sirens in the distance, he frowned and carefully held on to the h/c and grappled away with Y/n tucked under his arm. He landed on the rooftop and laid Y/n down before sitting down next to the unconscious girl resting her head on his lap and called Batman...tomorrow was gonna be pandemonium!

[rayewriting]

Violation

Fandom: Batman

I don’t know how computer networks work. So, watch out for that...

Damian has a playlist of songs that remind him of his siblings, parents, and allies (friends). He started collecting songs about his siblings when he came back to life, and after being told of Dick’s supposed death, and after Bruce forgotten him, he started playlists for everyone else. The songs on the playlists represents many things: the person, his relationship with that person, or a certain memory between him and that person it reminds him of- just anything. The playlists are a coping mechanism, a crutch that Damian leans on when the world becomes to much, when he can’t go find the people his missing and wants to see.

The playlists are secret, something he won’t—can’t show, because that means he cares, means he loves them, and that means they can be used against him, it means weakness. The playlists are what Damian can’t say to them, things that he wishes he could.

 So, when Tim breaks into Damian’s private computer network, sees the playlists and e-mails them to the others as a joke, Damian gets angry—no he gets furious, throwing things and becoming belligerent in a way no one has ever seen before. Tim knows he screwed the pooch hard. Luckily the boys were upstairs in the Manor and not in the Batcave when Damian found out Tim’s little espionage.

“You, idiotic fool! You always seem to stick your noses where you and it are not wanted! This was mine! And you think you can hack into it and share it without consequences?!?!” Damian's enraged screaming could be heard from the front door, where Alfred and Dick are, as Dick was picking up some new tech for a case in Bludhaven.

“Hey, what is going on, Alfie?” Dick asks, as Damian’s yelling continues on.

“This is the first I have heard from Tim all morning,” Alfred replies, then a heavy thump and the sound of something breakable shattering resounds through the house making Dick and Alfred jump.

“You, ingrate!” Damian shouts.

“I said I am sorry!” Tim responds.

“Calm down, Demon!” is-is that Jason trying to defuse a fight? Instead of instigate one?

“That does not make your consequences go away! Get back here!”

Next thing Dick knows is that he is on the second-floor landing- Alfred on the stairs, and Dick is running towards the fight, which so happens to be the library. Slamming the doors open, he sees Tim- his back on the floor and hands covering his face, Jason standing between the youngest vigilantes- tea cup shattered on the wooden floors, and Damian with his phone in one hand, the other hand clinched for a punch and his face twisted in a snarl. “What the— What is going on?! I entered through the front door and heard screaming,” Dick asks loudly, catching everyone’s attention.

“It was a joke—!” Tim begins, yelling.

“It was an invasion of privacy!” Damian cuts off, even louder, finger pointing at Tim.

“Hey! Both of you! Look at me!” Dick instructs, annoyance creeping into his tone. When the glaring match between the youngest two end he takes a deep breath- getting his annoyance under control again- and says, “Thank you. Now, lets sit down,” he gestures to the couch and loveseat, “Tim and Jason on the couch and Damian and I will sit on the other.”

Jason groans, “I didn’t do anything. Why do I have to be here?”

Dick can feel his temper flaring up but luckily Alfred takes over, “Master Jason, unless you want to get Master Bruce, I suggest you take a seat.”

Jason pales, causing Tim to let out a slight snicker, which Dick and Jason tosses him each a look for it. Damian huffs and sits on the cushion farthest from the couch, Dick sitting next to him, Tim and Jason making their way to the couch and Alfred getting Bruce, a rag, and a broom to clean the broken cup. When Bruce walks in and takes a seat on a leather chair, he asks, “What is going on?”

Damian and Tim speak at the same time, but Bruce cuts them off, “Jason, explain,” and at Dick’s pointed look, “please.”

Jason huffs and starts, “I was reading when Tim walked in, needing some help hacking into an unknown network. He thought it looked League related, next thing I know the demon is throwing open the door and looks livid,” he shoots Tim a look, “What case was it, again?”

All eyes on Tim as he speaks up, “I noticed an unknown network when I was working on the Batcomputer security. I thought—”

Bruce cuts him off, “And you didn’t tell anyone? Tim you know better than that.”

Tim, blushing in embarrassment, acknowledges, “I know, but you were working on Dick’s tech and I didn’t want to bother you if I could ask someone else. Anyway, I know that Jason has experience with the League computers, so I asked him. When Jason and I—,”

“Do not bring me into this. I only told you one thing,” Jason protests.

“When I actually hacked the darn thing, I went looking for anything I could find.”

Damian stands up, “And noticed it was my personal network!”

At Jason’s, Bruce’s, Dick’s, and Alfred’s shocked faces (with varying degrees of success of covering up said shock), Tim’s mortification grew exponentially.

But Damian was not finished, “Then you proceeded to look through my personal files, pictures, school work, e-mails, and other things! And you sent my private playlists to other people!” After speaking Damian runs out the door and slams the door close, anger rolling off him in waves, but Dick can see the embarrassment in the slight shaking of his hands reaching for the door.

“That’s messed up, Timothy. Thought you were raised better than that,” Jason drawls, making Tim clench his jaw.

“Shut up, Jason.”

Dick speaks up for the first time, “What about the shattered tea cup? And the loud thump?”

Jason grimaces and explains, “I dropped the cup when Dames raged in here, and Tim fell backwards off his chair. Sorry Alfred.”

Dick looks at Bruce, seeing him process all the information, and says, “This was not Damian’s fault.”

“He has an unregistered network and we could have avoided this whole thing,” Bruce shoots back.

Dick’s temper finally reaches its breaking point, “After becoming Batman, I gave Damian the network! The only reason it was not registered is because Tim does not have access to my Nightwing networks from here; consequently, Damian’s did not have a name! So, there, it’s my fault!”

Bruce did not raise his voice, but did ask, “Why did you give Damian a network?”

Dick did not have time for this. He had to find his brother; his little brother that felt violated because Tim couldn’t stop his curiosity. So, when he stood, he doled out, “We can discuss that later. Just know that Damian is not at fault and does not deserve to be punished. I’m going to find Damian and make sure he feels safe,” Dick then turns towards Tim, “and Damian deems himself ready, you are going to apologize to him for pilfering through and stealing his things, not to mention violating his network.” When Dick finished his piece, he rushes out, heading towards Damian’s room.

Reaching the door, he knocks, “Damian, it’s Dick. Can I come in?”

Muffled footfalls are coming from behind the door, and Damian asks, “Is there anyone with you?”

“No, but I was thinking- you can pack a bag, we could go to Bludhaven, and spend a couple of days there? Only if you want to.”

Damian opens the door slightly, “Will the others touch my things, if we go?”

Dick’s heart began to break at the question and look on his youngest brother’s face, “No, they won’t. You know how I know?” Damian gives a small shake of his head, “Alfie won’t let them, in fact, he won’t let them come near it if you ask- or if I ask. But we don’t even have to leave, if you don’t want. We can stay here and watch movies, I can play my guitar and you-your violin, we can play with Titus, wash Batcow. Just whatever you want, whatever makes you comfortable.”

Damian nods quickly to Dick’s words, “I- I wish to stay; but I do not want people in my room.”

“I understand, how about this. I go and grab my computer and we watch a movie? I’ll stay in the hall and you can watch from your room, okay?” Dick asks, taking a step back.

“Can Pennyworth make popcorn, my favorite kind?”

Dick smiles, “I think so, I’ll go ask. Pick up some soda too,” this draws a small, barely-there smile from Damian and Dick feels accomplishment rolling through him as he gathers his supplies. In the hall, he sees Alfred and calls out, “Hey Alf, do you think you can make Damian’s favorite popcorn? We are going to watch a movie.”

“Of course, Master Dick. I will bring it up shortly. Tell me, how is Master Damian doing?” the butler inquires.

Dick’s small smile drops slightly, “Not great. He doesn’t want to leave his room; he is afraid someone will touch or grab his things. I’m going to put Hercules on my laptop, place it and myself on the floor in the hall, and ride this out till he feels safer. I’ll be right back for the snacks.” After Alfred’s affirmation, Dick begins to walk to Damian’s room, the door is closed so Dick says loudly, “It’s just me, Dami. I’m going to set up the movie, collect the snacks from Alfred, then we can start. I’ll be right back,” he waits for Damian’s acknowledgement then heads to the kitchen.

On his way, Tim is walking towards his room, “Hey Tim, you good?” Dick asks.

“Yeah, I guess. I just don’t understand why Damian acted so volatile. I mean he has done it to me, but he didn’t get in trouble for it.”

“Of course, he did. You just didn’t see it. And for the strong reaction, think about it, Tim, he was raised by Talia. His every move was monitored and reported; he could not do anything without people knowing. Hell, he slept with the thought of being attacked running through his mind, so imagine the internet restriction he had- if he was allowed to go on the internet in the first place. But suddenly it’s a one-eighty, he can’t kill, but he can sleep knowing that he won’t be disturbed till morning. He needs his own space, his own area where he knows no one will touch, in the real world and online. So, when you not only hacked into his network, but stole things from him, it rocked his sense of security and safety. Its like you know that you are safe in your room in the Titan Tower, and suddenly one of your teammates goes through your closet, dresser, and under your bed, finds your photography and showing the whole team. That is what Damian is going through,” Dick explains the best he can, watching Tim- waiting for understanding, or guilt, cross his face. When Tim’s face scrunches up, Dick knows he understands, “Anyway wait till Damian leaves his room and you can apologize and assure him you won’t be doing it again.”

Tim nods, turns away, walking towards his room, while Dick collects the snacks from Alfred and returns to Damian’s hallway. “Okay, Little D, snacks are here. Ready for a movie?” Dick asks through the door, placing his tub and cup on the ground. The door opens a tiny bit, Damian looking through slit, pushes it open more and Dick can see a blanket pallet laid out on the floor in the doorway.

“I am permitting you to use my blankets and this much space, Grayson,” Damian says, arms crossed and red cheeked. Dick felt his heart swell at the sight of Damian trusting and caring enough to allow him in the room, let alone the blankets.

“Thanks, Little D. Is Hercules a good movie to start with?” Dick asks, taking off his shoes and situating on the pile of blankets.

“I suppose. Though it is nothing like the original tale.”

Dick grins at Damian’s rebuttal of said movie, “True, but it has one of the better soundtracks.”

“TT.”

When the movie ended Damian is lying next to Dick, resting his head on Dick’s arm and sleepily lets out a, “Grayson?”

“Yes, Dami?”

“I picked out one of those songs for your playlist.”

“Really? Which one?”

Damian snuggles a little closer to Dick, and Dick wraps his arm around the teen, “’Go the Distance’ but it was the original by Michael Bolton. The song reminds me how optimistic you are, it reminds me how patient you are. But most of all, it reminds me when you were Batman and how you have protected and cared for me. It makes me feel safe, when you are not here to do so.”

Dick’s eyes begin to tear up, but he blinks them back, to have put so much thought into these playlists… it shows Dick that he cares so much, “You know, I will always protect and care for you as best I can. And I won’t open it if you don’t want me to.”

“You can, it is just…”

Dick glances down, and sees the most precious sight: Damian dressed in the cotton Batman pajamas Dick bought as a joke, his head resting on Dick’s chest, and arm thrown around Dick’s waist.

 A month later Damian got an email full of songs from Dick.

[dekudynamight]

Title: Worth Waiting For IX

Rating: E

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Jon Kortajarena x Chris Evans

Word count: 3.2k

Summary: Sebastian & Chris spend their weekend together, hoping that for once everything goes smoothly and doesn’t end in disaster.

A/N: sorry for the wait on this one but we’re back! My thanks to @captainrogerrsbeard for all her help and the gorgeoussss moodboard and for reading this and reassuring me that it’s not total garbage, and my undying love and gratitude to everyone reading this, I love you so much and hope you guys like this!

Chris: so, noon on Saturday right?

Seb: that’s right. I’ve got lunch covered if you wanna take care of dinner :)

Chris: no problem. I’ll bring some movies too

Seb: sounds good :)

Chris: I did wanna ask you something about this weekend if that’s okay

Seb: of course

Chris: I’ve been thinking and I think it might be a good idea if we took things slow this time around. Everything happened so fast the first time around and I wanna do this right, but only if you agree of course

Seb: you saying you wanna wait to have sex again?

Chris: it’s not exactly that I want to. I just think it’s the smart thing to do.

Seb: okay. Yeah that makes sense, you’re probably right.

Chris: you sure? I just want you to be happy

Seb: I am :) and yeah I’m sure. We should take things slow. I’m with you.

Chris: okay good.

Chris: I can’t wait to see you again

Seb: God me too. Saturday can’t come fast enough.

Saturday came soon enough, however, Sebastian waking up early that morning to hit the gym with a big smile on his face. He’d said goodbye to Jon the night before, the two men spending their time before his flight out in bed together and soaking up as much of each other as they could before they had to part ways. Sebastian was sad to see him go but excited for his weekend with Chris, nervous but very ready to see where this new arrangement of theirs would take them.

He had his anxieties about it too, though. He’d asked Jon that last night if he was really okay with it and if there was any chance at all that he didn’t want to do this deep down, and if he secretly hated the idea of Seb and Chris spending time together alone. But Jon was quick to reassure him and put his mind at ease, and even Sebastian and all his nerves couldn’t doubt him. Jon really was just that amazing.

By the time noon rolled around, Sebastian had picked up lunch and showered and straightened up his apartment, absently singing along to one of his playlists as he awaited Chris’ arrival. He was nervous but in a mostly excited way, flitting about his kitchen and putting out nice dishes to eat their takeout on when a knock on his front door made him stop dead in his tracks. He quickly fumbled with his phone and turned off the music, setting it aside clumsily on his counter and then jogging to the door while unconsciously biting his lip the entire time, feeling like his heart was about to burst.

Finally reaching the door and hurriedly throwing it open, he smiled brightly enough to power the whole city when his eyes landed on the man on the other side. There Chris was, channeling his best inner lumberjack in jeans, blue flannel and a white t shirt with surprisingly no hat, just loosely styled hair and the beard that haunted Seb’s very soul. In other words, if his intent was to show up and murder Sebastian where he stood, he’d been more than successful.

And he smiled back at Sebastian just as brightly.

“Hey, man,” Sebastian finally greeted him, stepping aside to let him in. Chris was carrying quite a bit, a backpack and a laptop bag and a few cases of beers, so he went to work helping unload it all after Chris stepped inside.

“I was almost late thanks to traffic,” Chris sighed, letting Seb take the backpack for him as he set the beer cases down on the floor for the time being. “And a couple people recognized me so I stopped and took a few pictures, and you know how that goes.”

Sebastian paused as he straightened up, smile shrinking a bit. “Oh. Was it - did that happen here? Did they -“

“Oh, no no, it was outside of my hotel,” Chris shrugged. “Yeah, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Sebastian nodded, visibly relieved. “Good.”

Chris nodded back, paused for a moment as he looked Sebastian over, then took a step closer and reached out for him with a murmur of, “C’mere, Seb.”

Being pulled into Chris’ arms was a kind of heaven all on its own, Sebastian was sure of it. He melted into the embrace, returning it warmly and feeling like he was floating on air the entire time. It only got better when Chris’ hand cupped the back of his neck and whispered into his ear, “Fuck I’ve missed you so much.”

When they drew apart they didn’t go far. Sebastian smiled up at Chris and a few quiet seconds passed before Chris leaned in and kissed him softly, the touch of their lips so sweet it made Sebastian’s heart ache in the best way. One kiss became two and it wasn’t long before they were getting caught up, Chris’ hand sliding into Seb’s hair and Seb’s hands finding Chris’ waist under his open flannel shirt. Their tongues gently played and Sebastian couldn’t help but let out a little whimper, and suddenly Chris’ grip tightened and he was kissing Sebastian deeper, hungrier, and holy fuck if he didn’t stop -

“Shit,” Chris muttered as he forced himself to break away before they went too far, brows furrowed and eyes squeezed shut. “Dammit. I’m sorry.”

“God, don’t be,” Sebastian replied, hoping he didn’t sound as dazed as he thought he did.

“It’s just... I said we’d take it slow and here I am,” he rolled his eyes at himself, “barely five feet past your door and... yeah, fuck.”

Sebastian chuckled, tugging affectionately on Chris’ collar. “Well... I’m not complaining, am I?” He grinned and Chris smiled back, both of them taking deep breaths before Sebastian asked, “So... lunch?”

“Lunch,” Chris nodded, tone adorably resolute. “Yeah.”

Sebastian smiled and led him to the kitchen, willing himself to calm down and take even breaths despite his urge to say screw it and drag Chris to his bedroom. But Chris was right, they’d moved at the speed of light the first time around and now they were navigating an even trickier situation, so Sebastian told himself to simmer down and do this the right way.

For awhile he was successful, managing to hold a proper conversation with Chris as they ate lunch together. They talked about everything from scripts and current projects to weightier topics like the way Chris found out that Seb and Jon had gone public. He told Seb how he’d been on a date when he’d been alerted to the Instagram post by several texts from friends, and then how he bailed in a slight panic afterwards. It hurt Sebastian’s heart to imagine that, his intention never having been to want Chris to hurt despite how he’d hurt Seb in the past.

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian muttered, his gaze sincere and apologetic. “I probably should have texted you or something as a warning, or -“

Chris shook his head, reaching out and taking Seb’s hand from across the table. “It’s okay, Seb. Really. We weren’t talking then and... you didn’t owe me a damn thing. I brought it all on myself.”

“But I -“

“Seb, really,” Chris chuckled softly. “I mean it. It’s okay. And I was happy for you. Still am. He’s good for you.”

Sebastian smiled, his heart warming from those words. “Yeah, he is.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around all of this and him being okay with this,” Chris added, gesturing to the two of them. “I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

“I haven’t either,” Sebastian replied. “I’ve got some poly friends and I understand the concept but actually trying it... it’s a little surreal.”

“Hopefully in a good way,” Chris grinned.

“Definitely a good way,” Sebastian smiled back. “I think we all still have a lot to talk about and figure out, but... Jon told me to try not to overthink and just take it one step at a time, so I’m trying to take that advice.”

“Me too,” Chris nodded. “And I’m gonna try my best to make up for how I hurt you.”

Sebastian gave Chris’ hand a warm, gentle squeeze. “Chris... it’s okay. You don’t have to keep beating yourself up over what happened. I’ve already forgiven you. This is a fresh start for us.”

Chris took a deep breath and gave Seb a watery smile, dragging his free hand through his hair and chuckling, “One hour into our weekend together and I’m already about to start crying like an idiot.”

Sebastian laughed and shook his head, getting up from the table and pulling Chris up with him. “As long as they’re happy tears,” he smiled before leaning in for a quick, innocent kiss. “Wanna watch a movie now? Before we both turn into big blubbery messes?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Chris smiled back, and after a quick clearing of the table, they headed to Sebastian’s living room and began debating which movie to kick off their weekend with.

After some good natured back and forth, they settled on Batman Returns. Sebastian barely cared what they watched, if he was being honest, and he would have settled for watching C-SPAN if it meant cuddling up with Chris on his couch for hours, but he was happy with the choice and loaded up the blu-ray on his TV while Chris sat back and got comfortable. Sebastian smiled afterwards when Chris lifted up his arm in a sweet welcoming gesture, and he wasted no time in curling up next to Chris and enjoying the closeness as the movie began.

For what Sebastian considered an impressively long time, he was content with the easy cuddles and kept himself in check, watching the movie and keeping to the whole taking things slow approach. It was Chris who ended up putting all of that in jeopardy, leaning in to whisper in Seb’s ear during the scene where Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle dons her iconic catsuit for the first time, “Bet you’d look even better in one of those.”

Sebastian turned his head slowly and gave Chris a crooked smirk. “You think so?”

“Mhm,” Chris hummed, running his hand up Sebastian’s denim-clad thigh. “Maybe next Halloween.”

“Or I could just dress up for you one of these days,” Sebastian suggested with a knowing quirk of his brow. “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind.”

Chris looked at him through hooded eyes, grinning and replying, “I’m sure I wouldn’t.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but lean in and steal a kiss. It was soft and warm and it lingered, becoming several more increasingly hungry kisses before Chris once again hit the brakes. “Behave, Seb,” he chided playfully, turning his attention back to the movie while Sebastian tried not to pout.

He tried his best to obey, he really did, but Sebastian was only human and only had so much self control in the presence of Chris Evans. He sat there and behaved for all of five minutes before he squirmed a little and began nuzzling Chris’ neck, first just breathing him in and gently brushing his lips against his skin. But soon he was kissing him there, lips pressed increasingly insistently to the spots that he remembered being sensitive, and he earned a deep goosebumps-causing groan from Chris before he tugged Seb back by his hair with a firm, “Seb, stop it.”

“Daddy,” came a slightly high pitched whine before Sebastian could stop it, and as soon as the word left his lips it changed everything. It wasn’t the first time he’d called Chris that but their brief prior relationship also hadn’t given them a lot of time to explore the kink before it had all fallen apart. And now as a result, Chris turned and looked at Sebastian with slightly wide, suddenly voracious eyes and  Sebastian could only sit there and wait with baited breath for Chris’ reaction.

“You start talking like that, Seb, and...”

It was in that moment that Sebastian decided to hell with it. They’d been apart for months and that was more than enough, he rationalized as he climbed on Chris’ lap and straddled it, movie officially forgotten. He placed his hands on Chris’ chest and slowly slid them up his neck towards his hair as he purred, “Talking like what, Daddy?”

Chris’ eyes darkened, hands gripping Seb’s hips and head shaking as he half-growled, “You just don’t know how to be good, do you baby?”

Sebastian bit his lip, rocking slightly in Chris’ lap and shaking his head. “Missed you too much, Chris. Wanna feel you again.” He leaned in and kissed Chris long and filthy, pouring all of his love and desire into it. “Please, let me have you.”

Chris groaned low, hands sliding to Sebastian’s ass and rocking him harder on his lap, both of them hard as hell already. “Tell me how bad you want my cock.”

“So bad, Daddy,” Sebastian nearly gasped, kissing Chris again to prove his words. “Wanna suck your cock, wanna feel it inside me again. Please, please...”

“Fuck,” Chris cursed roughly, pulling Seb closer. “Hold on to me, baby.”

Sebastian did as Chris said and then lost his breath when Chris stood, holding Sebastian up and carrying him to his bedroom. Sebastian smiled happily and giggled a little, never having been carried to bed before in his life. They kissed the whole way there, Chris kicking the door shut behind them when they arrived, and then he tossed Sebastian on the bed with a grin and a look that promised Seb that he was truly in for it.

And he couldn’t have been happier.

---

A few hours later, it wasn’t quite dinner time yet but Sebastian was thoroughly exhausted and wrecked several times over. Chris was in the shower while Seb laid in bed under the sheets, sore and satisfied and sporting beard burn in more than one place, dozing off in a state of pure bliss. Chris had taken him apart piece by piece, giving him everything he could ask for and more, proving that he could still play his body like a skilled instrument. Whatever else might change between them with time, that never would, and neither would Sebastian’s hunger for him.

He was halfway to a blissful nap when his phone chiming pulled him back to reality. Sebastian pried his eyes open and reached towards his nightstand, grabbing his phone and smiling when he saw who was FaceTiming him. He quickly answered it and felt his smile widen as Jon’s pretty face filled his screen.

“Hey Jon,” Sebastian greeted happily, though his drowsiness was very evident on his features.

“Hello, mi vida,” Jon smiled back, appearing to be walking through his hotel room as he tilted his head and furrowed his brows. “Did I wake you?”

“No,” Sebastian replied automatically. “Well kinda. I was on the verge of taking a nap.”

Jon appeared slightly puzzled for only another second or two before realization dawned on him. “Ahhh. I know why you’re so tired.”

Sebastian blushed and shook his head. “No, it’s just -“

“You’re so pretty when you’re fucked out like that,” Jon interrupted, making Seb’s blush deepen. “You can’t hide it from me, Sebastian. I know what you look like when you’re so satisfied you can’t walk.”

Sebastian sighed, dreamy smile stuck to his face. “Yeah, you do, huh?”

Jon stepped out on to a balcony, lighting up a cigarette. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Sebastian replied sincerely, missing him terribly even though it hadn’t been a full 24 hours apart yet.

“I’m glad someone is there to look after you while I’m gone,” Jon smirked. “He seems to be doing a good job so far.”

“It’s going great,” Sebastian confirmed, blush lingering. “I’m really happy.”

Jon blew out a cloud of smoke. “And sore?”

Seb chuckled. “You want all the details?”

“Well I would prefer to watch,” Jon retorted, “but since I can’t...”

Sebastian tried not to shudder a little, the idea of the three of them spending an entire night together leaving his head damn near spinning. It was what he imagined heaven must be like. “You sure you can’t come home like... right now?”

Jon laughed and shook his head. “I wish, I wish. Trust me. I hate being away from you.”

“I do too,” Sebastian murmured, wishing that he could touch Jon and kiss him, that he wasn’t limited to just seeing him through his phone. “Is it late over there?”

Jon nodded. “I’m getting ready for bed. But I had to see your pretty face before I fell asleep.”

Sebastian’s smile returned at full force. He was trying to figure out what to say back to that when Chris emerging from the shower caught his attention, clad only in boxers and making his way towards the bed until he saw who Seb was taking to. Chris suddenly froze and gestured vaguely towards the door, asking if he should give them their privacy, but Sebastian beckoned him over and Chris obliged. He slid in next to Sebastian under the covers as Seb shifted the camera his way and said, “Say hi.”

Chris laughed and waved a bit awkwardly. Jon smiled and gave a wave back, greeting him with, “Are you making yourself at home with my boyfriend, Evans?”

Chris floundered for a moment before replying, “I - yes? I’m supposed to say yes, right?”

“He’s just messing with you,” Sebastian grinned.

“I am,” Jon replied with a soft laugh. “I’m happy to hear your weekend is going well. Very well, judging by the way Sebastian looked when he first answered. But it’s late here so I will leave you two alone now.”

“You sure? I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Chris was quick to say, just in case.

“You didn’t,” Jon assured him. “Take care of our boy while I’m gone, yes?”

“Absolutely,” Chris replied while Sebastian tried not to faint with joy at the being called their boy.

The trio then bade their farewells and after Sebastian ended the call, Chris let out a long sigh and muttered, “God he makes me so nervous and I don’t even know why.”

Sebastian chuckled and cuddled up to him, laying his head on Chris’ chest. “You’ll get used to him. I think we all need time to adjust, but... I really think this might turn out amazing.”

“I hope so,” Chris said, laying a kiss in his hair. “Because I really need you in my life. It’s never the same without you.”

Sebastian peeked up at him and smiled. “Well I’m not going anywhere.”

“You better not be,” Chris murmured, leaning down to give him a short, sweet kiss. “Because I’m not either.”

Sebastian’s smile grew brighter and he kissed Chris again, hoping that the sense of inner peace currently within him would last. He needed this to work, needed them to work more than he’d ever needed anything else. It was everything he never knew he wanted but God did he want it. It felt right, more right than anything ever had before.

And he wasn’t ever gonna take that for granted.

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