#my lil circus creeps

[bipolar-sad-and-ready-to-cry]

Ok soooooo I don’t talk about it much but I do stuff on twitch (been inactive because of the holidays) and usually I don’t blend my other things with my tumblr but omfg I am blending too much! IM LEGIT GONNA MAKE A FUCKING TWITCH ACCOUNT JUST SO I CAN ROLEPLAY AS MY MUTE ROBOT OC!!?? I am dying! uendcijedncijwemdceurhvgnured…

Anyways I made brothers and a cousin for my fnaf oc! And they are all knock offs! They were called the Circus Creeps and I love all my lil robot dudes! Here are some refs I made!!

AND some doodles!

Btw doubt anyone from my other stuff will find me here but like neigh? 🦄?

[the-s1lly-corner]

A bit of a specific idea, but I had a platonic idea for all of the characters in the Amazing Digital Circus—

Maybe all of them with a Wally Darling-like Reader? An example of such being Reader also speaking in a monotone voice that is both a little unsettling yet friendly at the same time, always making eye contact and never looking away, being able to eat things by blinking, being a lot more aware than they seem, greeting people individually anytime they enter a room, etc etc.

TADC cast x wally darling type! Reader !

Still stuck on mobile so this post may be a little short and whacky <\3 + I'll be relying on this ask for wallys personality since I cant open other tabs without risking deleting my progress on this <\3 + I've never touched welcome home 😭😭

CAINE:

Honestly, I don't know anything about welcome home as stated above, but I think Caine would have a lot of the same habits; namely the eye contact and I can also see him doing the blink eating...

The only difference is that hes way high energy

I think he would think that you're just a silly lil fella, an interesting little thang, wants to study you under a microscope..

Thinks its endearing how you greet everyone personally.. loves when you do it to him since it makes him feel special n appreciated

POMNI:

Overall pomni is going to need a lot of time to get used to the weirdness of the circus, and this applies to getting over the unnerving feeling she gets around you

Probably becomes speechless and does the face when you blink-eat

You know...

Just stares at where the food item once was... how did you do that...? What are you going to consume next? Why are you looking her in the eye like that?

..oh you're just telling her you enjoyed the snack you've brought

JAX:

As per usual I'm writing these all out of order, and I happen to be writing jax after I did zooble

I think jax wouldnt just think you're unsettling, I think he would think you're creepy

Now does he think you're a threat? Personally I don't think he would go as far as to classify you as such

Watches in horror as you blink and consume his sour gummy candies

Okay now this is war

You guys sometimes have unspoken staring contests, you usually tend to win them

Actually now that he thinks about it you dont seem to blink outside of eating...

RAGATHA:

"Oh, you're just a quirky lil fella!" Pretty much

Always thanks you when you greet her, she makes it a habit to greet you back when you enter a room

Tends to give you your favorite snacks, I think, but I think this can pass as a general hc rather than being specific to this post !

Little put off by the eye contact but does not turn away or show any discomfort; is able to push through it pretty well !

KINGER:

Okay so I know I mentioned some other characters being creeped out by the eye contact but I think kinger would be the most put off, asides gangle

But also I can totally see kinger having a staring problem; be it because hes lost in his thought and happens to be staring or some other thing

Accidental staring contests between you two/j

Feels like a real king when you personally greet him, probably bows a little and does a lil gesture with his hands before returning the greeting

Similar reaction as pomni when you blink-eat

Where did the food go??????

ZOOBLE:

I must admit, I think zooble would find you creepy, too <\3, or at least a little unsettling.. like sure they wont be mean to you unlike SOMEONE but they're a little put off by your odd behaviors

Though they would get accustomed to it in time, I think, especially since I have a whole "zooble ultimately doesnt care much about what's going as a means to cope w/ the digital circus as well as that just being their personality"

Does not like the eye contact, though; zooble seems like the type who wouldnt like eye contact... maybe I'm self projecting, though...

The eye contact definitely is what fed into the unsettling factor for them..

GANGLE:

The eye contact makes her so so nervous, she doesnt really have eyes the same way everyone else does but it still... makes her feel off

Similar to Caine she does feel nice when you greet her.. yes she knows out do it for everyone, but that doesnt dismiss the nice feeling she gets that someone is. Well being nice to her...

Shed like your voice, I think, oddly soothing and it's not too bold and out there.. not overwhelming, you know?

Not many ideas for gangle today <\3

[epikhightechnology]

@kissporsche

I am sleep deprived and my mind is a mess so this might not make a whole lot of sense. Esp if you're not familiar with the musical. Do not expect greatness cause you wont find it lol

The story begins not with Pete or Vegas but with Porsche because he is Christine in this au. He joins the Opera House owned by idk.. Italians or something, as a dancer. All the bodyguards are ballet dancers in this universe (imagine Big as a ballet dancer and cry with me). They’re trained by Chan (madame Giry. Fits perfectly if you ask me). Porsche quickly becomes best pals with a fellow dancer Pete, they might even live together like in the show.

The Phantom is obviously Vegas. He has the mask and everything cause his asshole dad mutilated him when he was a kid and made him join the circus to earn money. It’s all very tragic and sad really. He spends years being laughed at till one day he’s done with it. He kills his dad and escapes. I’m imagining rain and thunder and tears and then finally peace and quiet that he finds in the basement of an old opera house. He puts on the mask & becomes the Phantom over several years, spending his days tormenting the owners of the opera and writing music in his dungeons. Living his best life lol

Back to the present. One day as Vegas is wandering the hallways like the creep he is, he hears Porsche singing and gets inspired. He is like omg I can make that man a star and make him sing my music. (Also the current primadonna sucks and their singing makes Vegas’ head hurt… lets say it’s Tawan cause we hate him lol. Vegas has been trying to get rid of the bastard for a while now) It’s going great - Porsche is easy to manipulate cause of his childlike dreams of an angel of music that his dead father (or mother?) would send him. Also Porsche is hot and kind and Vegas is kinda delulu for him. He hasn’t had any human contact for years and he is desperate for some love. Porsche gives him a taste of it cause he thinks Vegas is an angel so he speaks with affection to him. Porsche’s bestie Pete notices something is off and keeps an eye out but doesn’t do anything for now, cause Porsche seems to be doing well even if he’s acting a lil weird. Also who could imagine the reality of the situation lol. Pete does see more than the rest tho, he has seen Vegas in the shadows before, but he doesn't connect the dots. Yet.

Then out of nowhere the Italians decide to sell the opera house to Tankhun. Yes Tankhun cause imagine him running an opera. And Arm or something cause he needs a partner. Oh maybe Tay? Idk this needs more thought than I’m capable of at the moment. Anyways.. Vegas is mad cause Tankhun is even worse at running the opera than the previous owners. Even so he does manage to get rid of Tawan and get Porsche on stage, but then fucking KINN shows up and is like hot diggity dog.. Porsche is hot and I love him and Porsche loves him back (they are childhood friends like Christine and Raoul), which simply makes Vegas lose his last marble. He’s been spending months at this point teaching and seducing Porsche and it's taken a lot of work to get Porsche on stage and he’s not about to let Kinn steal him so he goes and kidnaps him (porsche). Takes him to his dungeon and tries to convince him that life there with him could be kinda nice. Cause look at all the good he's done for him. Porsche is listening till his curiosity wins and he tears Vegas' mask off and is disgusted much like Christine the first time she saw the Phantom’s face. Vegas is hurt and lets him go. Convinces himself that Porsche just needs more time, that he just needs to try a little harder. That he has to work more to get that love that he craves.

Porsche is traumatised after the kidnapping. Pete is worried, he sees that something is really wrong even though Porsche doesn't tell him what exactly happened. Kinn is an oblivious idiot, who at this point only cares about this Phantom dude sending everyone threatening notes lol. He and Tankhun decide to disobey everything Vegas is asking for and let Tawan back on stage which leads to no good. Vegas snaps and kills someone. Porsche runs to the rooftop, Kinn follows, they confess to each other and kiss and Vegas’ heart breaks and he brings down the chandelier.

Pete our best boy who has been watching everything go down from the sidelines is like ok this has turned from weird to FUCKED & he decides to investigate. Cause he is a sneaky lil guy and doesn’t like it when his friends get hurt for no good reason. He takes it upon himself to go find this opera ghost and stop him. He finds the entrance to the dungeons behind Porsche’s mirror and goes down there. In the dungeon he is greeted by a very sad scene of Vegas crying his heart out. What a pathetic creature. Except the creature is insane and once he notices and catches Pete he ties him up and spews all his anger and sadness on him. Vegas thinks Pete is a nobody whom no one will miss (and sadly he’s somewhat right) (but Vegas does know who Pete is cause he knows everything) and decides to keep him there to torment while he wallows in his sadness. Very unfortunately the rest of the opera don’t even notice Pete is gone (they’re too busy fixing things and getting their shit back together and Porsche is too busy with Kinn). After a few days of silence they’re thinking - finally we pissed off the phantom so much that he left. When in reality Vegas is planning his revenge. Pete is trying his best to convince him to leave Porsche alone cause obviously Porsche doesn’t like him back but Vegas being the man he is can not let his grudge go. And even though he doesn’t even like Porsche much anymore (cause his heart is opening up to someone else), he wants to take revenge on Kinn.

There’s mad tension between VP. Pete isn’t afraid of what's underneath Vegas’ mask because he has his own scars too. Both physical and emotional. They do share asshole fathers in every universe. They bond over it. And Vegas gets a glimpse under Pete's mask when he notices the way Pete reacts to him and his anger. Something inevitably does happen between them but it doesn't lead to any good because Vegas still thinks he is unlovable (boy thinks love has to be earned and is going about it in all the wrong ways) and he is obsessed with his revenge plot; and Pete our dear Pete thinks Vegas is in love with Porsche cause he thinks himself unlovable too.

The masquerade happens (oh imagine how happy Tankhun would be to throw this party), Vegas crashes it and promises to bring everything down unless they perform his opera. Realising all his efforts to change Vegas' mind have been in vain and Vegas still cares more abt Porsche than him, Pete escapes to go warn his friends about his actual plans. In a way he also rejoins the masquerade when he returns to his life. There is much to be said about masks and stuff in this au but again - my brain has not the capacity to do it rn. Finding out Pete is gone makes Vegas even madder cause he does feel things for him even if he's in denial about it. Cause Pete is the only person ever to not flinch when Vegas looks at him. There's that kindness he's been looking for in Pete but he doesn't let himself see it.

Kinn comes up with his shit plan to catch the Phantom despite Pete’s arguments that it won’t work. The opera happens and everything goes to shit. Vegas once again kidnaps Porsche. Kinn shows up at the dungeon and gets almost killed. They are yelling at each other when Pete arrives. He overhears Vegas making Porsche choose between him and Kinn and he can't take it anymore. He goes all out along the lines of 'you stupid moron, I love you, i can't sing, I'm a shit dancer but I love you and why am I not enough???' Like why is Porsche the end goal here when he obviously hates Vegas? Vegas, Porsche and Kinn are dumbfounded at this. Vegas didn’t really believe that Pete would like him for real. but pete goes on about how vegas ripped pete's mask off and now he's gonna leave him stranded in this world when they could have something together and for what?? It takes vegas a moment to understand what's happening. Kinn uses the opportunity and shoots or stabs or whatever Vegas, takes Porsche and runs. Porsche asks Pete to come with them but he refuses. Kinn is a dick and he drags Porsche away. Pete holds Vegas very fairytale like, very tragic and beautiful. "Say you'll share with me one love, one life time, say the word and I will follow you.."

When the others come to the dungeon to get the phantom, they find it empty. Vegas and Pete have disappeared but they live. Away from all this, somewhere else. Maybe not happily ever after but they live.

Also korn doesnt exist in this universe cause fuck him

[apompkwrites]

Also a different person from the other vocaloid peeps, I’ve been in the vocaloid fandom for… so long lol. Kingscholar!(name) gives me Abstract Nonsense by Neru. I mainly listen to ENG ver but I do still very much enjoy the original versions if they’re in another language!

Saying right here!! I do NOT remember the PVs so I’m not sure if they contain flashing lights or fast moving pictures! So watch with caution if you are sensitive to either of those! Also! Some of these songs contain and touch on touchy subjects! You have been warned!

Some vibes I get from the siblings from various songs are

Lil Rose: Lost One’s Weeping by Neru

Kingscholar!(name): Abstract Nonsense by Neru,

Lil Octo: Imagination Forest by Jin(part of Kagerou Project)

Bodyguard!Al-Asim!(name): Servant or Evil by Mothy

Galaling(lil Schoen-somethingsomethingIcan’tspell): Failure Girl by Kairiki Bear, Circus Monster by CircusP

Lil Shroud: Compared Child by TUYU, Apparently there’s a cheat code to happiness by Uta-P, Don’t Touch Me by Creep-P, Self-Inflicted Achromatic by nekobolo

Totally not kingscholar!(name) and Galaling: Magnet by minato. Another love-y song for them would be The Name of the Sin by Ryo

Imagining our lil octopoly with Reboot by JimmyThumb-P

Just the black sheep in general: ERROR by niki, I’m glad you’re evil too by Pinnochio-P, Game of Life. You’re a Useless Child by Kikuo, Irony by Scop, Hated by Life Itself by Kanzaki Iori, Hated Person Song by 164

Probably some but I can’t think properly: Copycat by CircusP, WILDFIRE!! by CIRCRUSH

If they snapped: MONSTER by KIRA

Saying right here but again just to be safe!! I do NOT remember the PVs so I’m not sure if they contain flashing lights or fast moving pictures! So watch with caution if you are sensitive to either of those! Also! Some of these songs contain and touch on touchy subjects! You have been warned!

You can kinda tell what kinda voca songs I listen to lol

www what a joy to answer because i get to listen to vocaloid music :D btw i put links for the specific lyrics i used as examples on each one! i wanted to go through some of my favorite covers/lyrics so there they are for your listening pleasure <3

a throwback for lost one's weeping <33 i see how lil rose fits especially with how the song focuses on education and how it brudens a child. except instead of the basic education system, it's ms. rosehearts.

couldn't take the love i had, so weak and burning low. but it grew into a weapon only hurting me, this i know... can you recite your dreams as a child? who threw those dreams down the drain? hey, who was it? but i already know. who is it okay to ask? hey, what do i do? it doesn't matter anymore! aaaaaaah!

abstract nonsense! listening to the og song and seeing the last lyrics was what sold me for being the lil cub. a very heavy song about want to die but being afraid to do so. and honestly, i feel like that does fit kingscholar!(name). instead of trying to die, they resort to running away </3 THIS SONG CONTAINS SUICIDE/SELF HARM!

ah, rate me and judge, that's all that you can do. ah, make me and break me, now just put my worst year on repeat. how pointless. i want to stop, so i jump into a path. how boring. i've become weary, so i start running away in the middle of my journey. i feel like crying from my suffering, but am unable to cling to anyone. and my voice is being ridiculed and ignored. to put it simply, i am merely a piece of junk.

aaaaa kagerou project!!!! i've never heard this song before but now i love it :OO onto the actual connection, this definitely fits lil ashengrotto! i love the idea that this could be where their fic could go? like they live so long in solitude but just one (mer)person comes around to pull them out of it <3

this world is plain and simple it seems. yes, i know that it's me who is strange. i'm just a monster that nobody gets and this will not ever change. so far away among all of the trees, in this old house that no one around ever would see… maybe that’s why no one visits, I guess I can empathize.

servant of evil yes yes yes yes yes!!!!! hhh imagine this being the center of a bodyguard!asim fic with asim!(name) sacrificing themselves by taking an assassination they know they cannot stop D: like the assassin comes from a group of people who see kalim as a hopeless ruler that will drive the asim name and all that they control into the ground. so bodyguard!asim is seen as a servant of evil by those same people.

i will serve until i die. fate had given us life, now the twins are damned with spite. even so i will guard you and block out all the pain. i will dirty my hands so your smile remains. let hellfire consume if that's what must be done, i will gladly play the part, so that you may shine, my sun... if the whole world plots to extinguish your light. if they find the need to make you break and cry. don't you worry, dear, i am right by your side. so just smile for me; it'll be alright. if the day comes that we are reborn once again, it'd be nice to play with you; so i'll wait for you 'til then.

circus monster is another callback for me but i've never actually listened to failure girl before now :O but i see both of them fitting shoenheit :( failure girl definitely plays more into their surface level feelings about their life if that makes sense? kinda that apathy at the beginning because of how much they mess up. and then circus monster plays more into their act that they put up to hide those feelings. but also it plays into schoenheit's want for their big brother who they look up to.

ah, see, i've played dumb again, pretending not to see. how good i've gotten at this. what is happening? i can hear you sing. they will not obey, they've been lead astray. will I still see you? i have to see you.

lots and lots of songs for shroud!(name) :OO obviously, compared child does fit with the story of ortho being the "better" shroud. i love the connection of cheat code with the fact that idia is obsessed with video games? and maybe that bled into (name) to feel a bit closer to their still grieving brother.

hoo there's more okay. don't touch me (hehe dhmis), funny enough, matches an idea i have for the fic? since when were you in my drafts 🤨? anyway, self inflicted achromatic! this song does reflect shroud!(name)'s feelings the best. the idea that they're living and hurting everyone around them is what hurts the most :(

my left side hurts and it troubles me. i always felt the gap between us. i was alive but i was aiming too high. isn't it asking too much to do the impossible? "i don't care, just get it done." it feels unreasonable. don't let them see... delete your browser history. let them see lies. but you will die. fabricated truth of all the deceased. "sorry for your loss!" he was a lost cause. just by leaving I’m no one for another day. hundred lives, never changing them or anything. nobody there to scream, no more being mean to me. then could I have it all back in one piece?

since we've talked about magnet already, let's talk about the name of the sin :D i like the idea of the song being in schoenheit's perspective and the one they are singing about is kingscholar :O i guess it's the idea of schoenheit keeping that idea of wanting to have a good reputation so they put up a mask. but then kingscholar loves them at the end of the day, no matter what happens :(( hehe bonus this is another song for the idol au with asim!(name) :D

if I could become something i wanted to be, then I want to appear as a normal girl in front of you. but this very thought made my chest hurt. why am i me? "don't cry, I will always, until the day we die, be by your side. that's why from today onwards, you'll be a normal girl, okay?"

octopoly angst using reboot i see :O imagine we go with the idea that aster and lil leech get along... mostly. they have those big blow ups for fights but they don't necessarily hate each other. but ashengrotto hates these moments and they try to calm everyone down and diffuse the situation. but then. one fight something goes wrong and ashengrotto ends up dying, leaving the two eels. their death practically severs the relationship because the two eels are just trying to make sense of everything and get used to life now. just a series of loss and healing :(

honestly, just the whole mv i feel like encapsulates this idea so no specific lyrics. just video :D

okay post getting long but iconic songs like game of life, you're a useless child, hated by life itself, and copycat def fit the entire black sheep series/group as a whole :)

++possible insp for art?? mayhaps mayhaps

[weirdlyeldritch]

Come one, come all! You'll have fun at my carnival stall!

Hiya! Welcome to my shitshow I'll be your host for this lovely place, but before we do that, it's best I introduce myself :P

ref for my lil guy :D (sona): [@7 (cat)

You can call me Eldritch or weird, I'm a minor (one in the lgbt community) whos I'm pretty sure has undiagnosed adhd and can't spell for shit (I have a love hate relationship with autocorrect) who is also an ✨️Artist✨️ who honestly needs/wants to draw more, my special interests/fandoms (in no particular order):

Smg4 <- main one :P

Doai (dreams of an insomniac)

The entire bendy franchise

Cuphead

Tadc (the amazing digital circus)

Splatoon as a whole

Murder drones

And more I'm forgetting lol (the list can and will be changed/added too)

I'll try my hardest to just talk about stuff I love/like than ranting about things I hate *cough cough* Garten of banban *cough cough*

I'm excited to be here and sure we'll all have a good time here :D

Au :O My floor breathes my air, poisoning me. (Currently getting revamped)

Apparently ppl also have a dni list here so I'll put mine here!

Proshipers and anti-shippers yall are way to extreme

Pedos, Creeps, Weirdos, ect.

Anyone apart of "cringe culture" thing that's just an excuse for bullying

Bigots

ppl who draw NSFW (nothing against them I'm just underage and don't wanna see that stuff)

MxM shippers (meggy x maryo)

Incest

Uhhh I can't think of anymore soo things might (hopefully not) be added later

[sybilius]

tag game from @historynut101, thank you!

relationship status: Very Married(TM). in two committed long term relationships with two people I love very much, and I consider myself polyam-saturated. 

favourite color: green! used to say sea foam but I like a lot of greens really.

favourite food: couldn’t pick a favourite but the food I couldn’t live without is cheese so make of that what you would.

song stuck in your head: Apparently it’s Renegades by X Ambassadors, I had to google pretty hard for this because I only know the chorus. 

last thing you googled: There was a type of pasta we used to call “ghost noodles” as kids that I was trying to explain to my wife, turns out it’s called fagottini

time: 5:41 PM. rush hour almost over so I’ll have to go to the old house One Last Time to get my rainbarrel. Rainbarrel is lucky I love it so much lol

dream trip: my wife and I want to go to Japan for our honeymoon-- it’s been a longtime dream of hers. I honestly think the dream trip would be a cool tour around with lots of neat cultural highlights and then getting to go see new Japan with my buds :D

last book you read: A Gentleman in Moscow! Finally finished, it took over a year. It’s an easy read, I’ve just been podcast-brained lately.

last book you enjoyed: That one also! it was charming enough.

last book you hated reading: Haven’t finished a book I hated in ages, luckily I don’t have to do that since all my reading is for leisure. if it sucks I Hit Da Bricks.

favorite thing to bake/cook: soup soup soup soup soup. shoutout also to curry.

most niche dislike: moths creep me out viscerally. this is unfair to them but I also hate their weird terrible torsos and the way they fly.

opinion on the circus: Should be subject to regular scrutiny on animal treatment, otherwise sounds cool and good. like cirque de soleil is pretty cool as I understand it. I’m way into pro wrestling which grew out of carny shit so I feel like certain the stuff that humans train and consent to performing is totally chill with me. 

do you have a sense of direction: my sense of direction has a sense of humor. absolutely not no

Tagging: @elphantas-hoe, @eldesperadont @girlfriendsofthegalaxy, @shiny-good-rock, @believerindaydreams, @dansedan, @jaimehwatson,  @secretcatboi if you’d like to do a lil game!

[lostjulys]

LIL CAL????? STUPID IDIOT MOTHERFUCKING LIL CAL??? GODDAMN FOOL TIME FUCKING MEAT EATING RAT OLD BASTARD SHITHEAD AVATAR OF THE WHORE BIGGEST FUCKING LOSER PUPPET IN THE CIRCUS LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN MOTHERFUCKING LIL CALIBORN STOP PINNING ME WHEN I TALK ABOUT LIL CAL I HATE HIM SO SO MUHC WHAT IS HIS FUCKING DEAL WHY DID HE DECIDE TO FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT IS HE DEAD????????? NO HES NOT HE'S A FUCKING PUPPET IS HE A BASTARD??? HE SURE FUCKING IS MANS GOT SUCH A VISCERAL FUCKING EFFECT ON ME NOT EVEN IN THE ROOM I'VE SEEN THAT FUCKERS FACE WAY TOO MUCH AND HE'S GOT THE WORLD'S SHITTIEST LITTLE BEADY BLUE EYES GE T AWAY FROM ME IF I WANTED TO GET INTO HEAVEN AND GOD SAID LIL CAL IS WAITING INSIDE I WOULD PISS ON GODS FEET FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GETTING SENT BACK DOWN IF I HAVE TO DEAL WITH LIL FUCKING CAL ONE MORE FUCKING PANEL IN THIS WEBCOMIC NOT ONLY WILL I CLOSE THE TAB I WILL DELETE MY BOOKMARK I WILL HAVE TO REREAD THE WHOLE THING OUT OF SPITE AGAIN JSUT FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ABLE TO SKIP ALL THE TIMES WHEN HE IS MENTIONED OR ALIVE. (IS HE ALIVE HE'S A /FUCKING PUPPET/.) I KNOW EXACTLY WHY I HATE HIM SO MUCH HE'S GOT A CREEP INSIDE OF HIM I AM MAD BECAUSE I AM ANGY HE BETTER HAVE SOME FUCKED UP BACKSTORY TO EXPLAIN ALL THIS IF HE'S JUST SOME SHITHEAD PUPPET I'LL GO HAM BETTER HAVE HAD SOMEONE MAKE HIM KILL A MAN BECAUSE IF HE DIDN'T IM GONNA MAKE HIM. PAYPAL.COM/IFUCKINGHATELILCAL STORY'S NOT EVEN ABOUT HIM EXCEPT GODDAMN IT KINDA IS HUH VAGUELY MENTIONED WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE MAYBE LIKE IDK A PUPPET FRIEND AND I LOST IT. WHERE THE FUCK IS CALIBORN IF HE'S STILL ALIVE I'M GOING TO SO DEEPLY WISH HE WASN'T. CRUSTY OLD FUCKING CHERUB I'LL PUNCH HIM AND HIS SAD FRAIL PUPPET BODY WILL DISINTEGRATE UNDER MY MEATY FIST AND HE WILL FLAKE APART UNTIL NOTHING IS LEFT EXCEPT ONE FINAL FUCKING GOLD TOOTH TITLED POORLY DRAWN YAOI OR SOME SHIT I'M NOT BREATHING IM HYPERVENTILATING AT THIS POINT I HOPE HTERES A DATE GIVEN FOR WHEN LIL CAL DIES OR WILL DIE SO I CAN MAKE IT A REMINDER ON MY PHONE EVERY DAY ONCE A YEARI WILL SEE IT AND DO ANYTHING BUT PAY RESPECTS TO THAT FUCKED UP PIECE OF SHIT PUPPET.

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - Old faces

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

Part 1 Old faces | Part 2 >

Disclaimer: none, (re)meet-cute

Author’s note: It’s romcom weekend, okay? 😘

Word count: 1.682

(Link to my Masterlist)

--

[ Alice.in.writing.land ]

Dear readers. 

I’d like to share with you some old wisdom from my nan on how to make: The perfect cake.

First of all: you always make sure you grease up the tin - ‘gotta make it slide right in, slide right out.’ She’d say with a grin so wide that my 12-year-old-self thought she’d tear her face in half. Her eyes would glitter mischievously as her hands moved with those swift and precise movements, leaving no inch of the inner cake tin unbuttered. 

‘And! Make sure you always fully preheat the oven, because there’s no shortcuts to the perfect cake.’ She’d tut, pointing at the oven, to which I’d nod most dutifully, preheating the oven as she requested while she’d utter something about making sure you get yourself a good size baking pan; ‘He’s gotta be right for the job and most definitely don’t try to double the recipe. Focus on one good cake, and do NOT overdo it. Nobody likes a dense, overworked cake.’

Then, her hand lightly beating through the cake battery, she’d turn to me and give me a knowing look. ‘If you don’t know what kind of cake you want, you’ll only be in for a disappointment, you know.’ - To which I would start bouncing up and down, eagerly requesting chocolate cake. There was no doubt in my mind what kind of cake I wanted. It always was chocolate cake. 

-

Those were good Sundays. Perfect cake baking Sundays. 

And do you know what? Only now, 25 years later, do I realise she was never truly talking about cake. Or baking tins. Ha..no. Silly me. My frisky nan was talking about men. Partners. Love. And perhaps sex, but that leaves you some space for interpretation. 

Now, my nan was a great baker. She had five kids. Buns of joy, really. 

I, on the other hand, not so much. Despite knowing full well what kind of chocolate cake I want, I just happen to be a very bad baker. And perhaps.. it’s time that I start to learn, because her last advise still rings true in my ears:

‘And timing, my dear, listens more closely than you think.’ She’d wink, kissing grandpa on his cheek, to which he’d grumble some indiscernible acknowledgement, the glimmer in his eyes not hiding the fact he still loved her dearly.  

Yes. I’m going to try harder and bake myself the best - birthday - cake, with a bit of nan’s advice. Meanwhile I hope you get all your cake wishes fulfilled, too. 

Have a good, single Pringle Friday my dear readers.  

A just turned 37, 

Ali

A scorching hot September sun washed over the zoo entrance, the Durrell challenge just finished but the media circus far from over. 

I yawned, stretching myself out as I watched my fellow journalists and reporters hover like a dark cloud around the person I would be interviewing in some ten minutes from now. 

The poor guy hadn’t had a moments rest since he crossed the finish line of the Durrell challenge run and I felt my heart pang with guilt for taking another snippet of his precious time. 

Then again, I had a job to fulfil and stupid as it was, I kind of enjoyed writing for the local newspaper. Writing was my thing, and currently I was in charge of writing one of the most beloved blurbs in the paper; Old Faces. 

Every week I interviewed a well known inhabitant of the island. George the butcher and his famous spicy sausages, Henriette and her fourteen dogs, Ilias the swimmer - an old man swimming an astounding 10k a day. And a tiny highlight being todays interviewee; Henry, the movie star, back on our beloved Jersey Island to show his support for the local zoo.

Meanwhile for me, he was just Henry, my childhood neighbour, a friend.

—

‘Alice! You’re on!’ A familiar voice startled me and I quickly scrambled up from the little stone wall I had been lounging on, my hands grabbing for my notes and voice recorder as I started making my way through the paparazzi mayhem.

‘Sorry…sorry! Excuse me..Coming through.’ I said, pushing myself past the crowd until I reached the shade of a dark blue canopy, finding that strangely familiar face before me, resting in a chair, his running gear sticking to his muscular physique. 

Henry. 

He stood up from his chair, reaching out his hand to ..eh...introduce himself? I felt a sour taste in the back of my throat as I realised he didn’t recognise me, his lips pulled up into a friendly, yet professional smile. 

Yaiks..Okay. 

Don’t mind it, Ali, the poor guy can’t help it. 

‘Hi..’ I awkwardly moved my stuff to one arm so I could shake his hand. ‘I’m Alice, local newspaper.’ I greeted, to which he nodded, his smile growing ever so slightly. He pointed at another chair, gesturing me to sit. 

‘Please take a..-’ My voice recorder slipped out of my arm as I tried to take my seat, my eyes barely registering as Henry moved with lightning speed to grab onto the cord of the device mid-air. I gasped. 

‘Oooph..that could have gone wrong.’ He chuckled, winking at me before he put the recorder back in my hand. 

‘Sorry.’ I sniffled, feeling the slightest of blushes creeping over my cheeks. ‘Thanks Hen.’ I muttered without overthinking my words, my eyes already averted to a woman that appeared on my right - his left. 

‘Hey!’ She smiled - Samantha, a chubby and bubbly lady I had known since my toddler years. 

‘Hi Sam.’ I smiled in turn, seeing she held onto a sort of timing-device. 

‘Okay, so..we’re a bit busy as you see. You’ve got four minutes..starting..eh..’ She clicked a button. ‘..now! Have fun!’ She cheered, winking cheekily at Henry.  

‘Oh.. yea yea. Okay thanks.’ I nodded, my brow furrowing ever so slightly as Sam sauntered off again. Quickly I straightened my back, my sweaty fingers fumbling with that darn voice recorder - I really should get a new one. 

‘So. Eh Henry! Hi! Welcome back!’ I started, offering him a smile, my fingers still trying to get the tiny buttons to cooperate. 

Click. Set. Start. 

Okay, here goes. 

Henry smiled his most warm, Henry-esque smile in return. ‘Thank you..Alice.’ He hesitated a moment, as if deciding what to make of my name. Perhaps because he started to recognise me..or...perhaps he was just tired, trying to memorise all these three million names that wished for his attention today. 

Yea..probably that was just me, wishfully thinking.

He didn’t seem to recognise me, and that was..okay. 

I swallowed. ‘Okay. So. To give you a short insight in this interview. I write the Old Faces blurb in the paper and I must say that we mostly entertain older readers so ..you know..keep the “young folk language” to a minimum.’ I winked, clicking my pen. Henry shrugged. ‘That shouldn’t be to hard. So what would you like to know, Alice?’

This time my name escaped his lips far more fluently, naturally. I looked at him, our eyes meeting for a few silent, peaceful seconds. 

‘I’m curious. What do you miss most from your time living here?’ Our eyes remained locked together as he licked his lips. ‘Hmm.’ He broke our gaze, thinking. ‘..Many things. I had a most wonderful childhood here. The beautiful nature, the ..zoo.’ He nodded at the zoo entrance behind us. ‘..the closeness of the community.’

I nodded, quickly interrupting him as time was sparse. ‘And what particular elements of that community do you miss the most?’

‘The simplicity of it.’ He started, then furrowed his brows. ‘No scratch that. That doesn’t quite capture it. Hmm..I think I mostly really enjoyed how natural it was to be around one another, care about fellows and neighbours, without there being any hidden agendas. You see my life is quite different now. I reside in circles that live and breath fame, fortune, wealth. Which sounds great for outsiders, but for insiders it can be exhausting at times too. For me at least, it can be. Being back here just makes me realise that not all people are like that. And, I enjoy the breath of fresh air it brings.’

‘And the great exercise too.’ I tease, making him chuckle in delight. 

‘Yes, and great exercise. That last hill sure was a..challenge.’

‘And how are you going to spend your time here? How long are you staying?’ My pen still hadn’t touched the paper to make notes, our eyes sharing that same deep look again. Deep browns looking into fresh water blues.

He had aged well. 

‘Only for the weekend unfortunately. But I’ll use the time to visit family, reacquaint with..old friends..friendly faces.’ His lip tugged in a half smile, near shy. Did he recognise me now? I wasn’t so sure, and perhaps I could have asked, but it wasn’t so - our little interaction was abruptly stopped as Sam reappeared.

‘And... that’s it! Thank you so much for coming Ali!’ She spoke, practically squeezing herself between me and Henry. I blinked away from Henry’s gaze and quickly looked up, realising this was it. This was all I’d get to see of Henry. 

Alright then. 

‘Thanks Sam.’ I smiled, quickly grasped my things and stopping my voice recording before thanking Henry.

‘Enjoy your stay!’ I laughed as he watched me grasp onto the voice recorder for dear life.

‘Thanks..eh..Ali.’

Once again that unnecessary hesitation before saying my name - though this time it was even more stomach-flutter-worthy, because he used my nickname. My childhood nickname. 

I could only shoot him the quickest glance over my shoulder before Sam wrapped an arm around my shoulder, her voice muttering some sappy gossip into my unhearing ear. 

I didn’t hear a word she said, because my mind was racing. 

Did he recognise me? Did he recognise me? I couldn’t tell, his mouth slightly agape as if he were to ask something, but Sam had already coached me away.

And there I went. Back to my failing, cake baking life.

--

General tagsquad: @harrysthiccthighss @tumblnewby @magdelen69

Fluff lovers squad: @star017 @perhaps2remember @pterodactylterrace @witchersqueen @desperate-and-broken​ @toomanyfandomsshreya​ @deliciouslysassyarcade​ @pamacs-macs​ @cavilladdict​ @scorpionchild81​ @lebguardians​ @sofiebstar​ @amberbabem​ @mis-lil-red @aestheticqueenb​ 

Want to added or removed to the tag list? Shoot me a message! 

[miss-choco-chips]

Home

Four times Tim just wanted to go home, and one time he’s actually there.

(  @animemangasoul I think you’ll like this one)

(I was listening to Home by Machine Gun Kelly X Ambassadors & Bebe Rexha while I wrote this. Might have cried a little. I regret nothing)

----.----

His mom is holding his hand, a rare occurrence. Were he in a more… stable state, he’d squeeze the moment for all it’s worth.

But the coldness of fear had his heart in a ice-like grip, and the scenery around them did little to appease him. Nothing, not even the warmth of being held, could keep him from shaking.

-I want to go home -he whispers in his mother’s ear when she picks him up in her arms. Safe against her body, he thinks he can feel his heart melting a bit around the edges where panic had frozen him over.

Mom tightened her hold, eyes leaving the crying kid and his dead parents for the first time in a long time. He feels how one of her hands drops its place under his leg to pat his back, more comforting than he ever thought she capable of.

-Yes, we are leaving now. Jack? Bring the car over, we’ll wait here.

She doesn’t lower him until they are back at the manor. Then, his parents retire to their rooms, both to rest and prepare for their trip to the Bahamas the following morning. 

Tim shivers all night long, yearning for the warmth he was too distracted to appreciate a few hours ago, back at the circus.

This wasn't what he meant, when he asked to go home. He just wanted to feel safe.

----.----

This… wasn’t what he expected. To being caught, that is. Specially by his hero.

Jason (Robin, call him Robin, don’t you dare slip up, he can’t know you know!) is looking down at him, hands on his hips. He’s doing his best to look stern, but the short shorts, pixie boots and unconscious thug at his back ruin the effect of his glare.

Tim, camera held tightly as it’s been for the last couple of minute since the man came out of the shadows to try and steal it from him, distractedly thinks Batman should get on that, teach Robin his famous loom. He’s feeling starstruck, more than fearful.

-It’s too late for a squirt like you to be out. Streets are dangerous, no’ne told you? Specially ‘is parts o’the city -the young vigilante drawled, accent thicker than Tim recalled from back at the gala when their parents introduced them in passing. Not that Jason would remember.

-I… I’m not a squirt, I’m ten -he finally blurts out, wishing he could smack himself the second the words leave his mouth.

-Children should be on bed at this time.

He does his best to calm his erratic heart, and canalizes all the sass on his pint sized body to arch an eyebrow- Hypocrite much?

Robin growls, but Tim can tell he’s doing his best to hide a smile.

-I can leave you here, you know.

He knows Jason is bluffing, looking for a reaction, but the mere idea still makes his barely calming heart kick into overdrive again. The scare of a few minutes ago was too fresh on his mind. He already knows he won’t be going out again soon, not until he could plan a new route to photograph his idols while traveling only by rooftop, to best avoid the scum of the city.

-No, wait… please -he moves forward, hand taking a handful of cape, as if that could stop the vigilante if he actually was planning to leave.

Jason took the chance to wrap him on it like a little blanket, picking him up in his arms like a baby.

-Don’t worry, shortstack. I’m taking you home so I can be sure y’er actually following your bedtime.

Feeling a little braver in his hero’s arms, he fired back- Don’t have any.

-Whatever, you lil liar.

-It’s true. You can ask my parents… that’s it, if you’re willing to go into my house for a chat. Masks are in bad taste though, you’ll have to take yours off.

Truthfully, both his parents are away on business. Not that he needed to know about the bluff.

This time, he didn’t bother to hide his amusement, letting his barking laughter come out.

-You little shit. I’m not giving you my secret that easy.

Tim just shrugs, painting his most innocent smile. It’s difficult to keep it in place when Jason asks for directions, and then drops him at his bedroom’s window.

The giddiness of meeting his hero can’t quench his disappointment when he watches Jason’s back as he leaves. 

A little, childish part of himself had believed, hoped (with all the innocence his heart had left), that when Jason said ‘take you home’, he was talking about his own. 

----.----

He’s training as hard as possible. His body, shaped by the multiple teachers he hired through the years, hurts in a way he never thought possible, and has been like that ever since he first went to the training mats to face Bruce.

He knows the pain is necessary, what he learns there could be the difference between life or death (his eyes never fail to go to Jason’s suit, his altar, where he, as his whorshipper, would always go ask for strength and courage), but it's hard to remember his purpose for being there when he goes to bed each night with aching limbs.

Still, he endures.

This last week has been both harder than any other, and the best he’s ever had. The first, because a full on out gang war had forced him, Dick and Bruce to work overtime, going out every night for twice their usual hours (thank god for spring break). The second, because to save time and strength, he’d been allowed to stay the night at the manor with them.

He can’t believe how nice it is to have breakfast with someone. Sure, they have it at like three pm, but still. The pained body was so, so worth this.

When they caught their last perps, all tied up and pretty for the GCPD, Tim was simultaneously absolutely beat and the happiest he’s been.

Batman puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes, saying ‘let’s go home, Robin’, and he thinks for a moment he’s dreaming again.

He actually sleeps a bit, on the Batmobile trip. Beyond tired, feels his body being raised and then lowered again in a soft surface, something warm over his chest, and then lights out again.

When he wakes up the next morning, he’s at Drake Manor. The breakfast table is empty, the hallways colder than he remembered, and he wishes last night had actually been a dream. It would hurt less, if it had been all in his imagination; instead, he has to live with the knowledge of being so close, yet so far.

Not for the first time, he wishes ‘home’ were a different place.

----.----

He sighs, dropping his suitcase uncaringly. Anything important is on his phone anyway, who gives a fuck. Certainly not an overworked seventeen year old kid who’s just getting back after a long day. 

The place was clean, spacious and with a modern decoration style he kinda likes. The mechanic fishes certainly give it a nice touch, and the underground nerd cave he built for himself is the cherry on top- bottom, whatever.

It’s a nice house. A place he made for himself, to come back to. With scanners that automatically alert him if some sneaky ninja plants a bug, or a snoopy family member was sniffing around for his toys. He knows everything that happens here, in this little kingdom he built from scratch.

Of course, there are some itty bitty problems with it. Not the layout itself, that one was a dream came true, and no security issue either: all of Ra’s thwarted attempts at having his people breaking in confirmed how tight it was.

But, for some reason, the thermostat didn’t seem to work. It was always way too cold. 

The soundproof walls were good at keeping his secrets under wraps, but they also made it seem so unnaturally quiet, it gave him the creeps.

No table in sight. Not that he needed one, he shrugs. Lunch he eats outside, at the office. Dinner is a quick thing, a sandwich while he gets ready for patrol or some other snack while he types away at his computer. Breakfast… he doesn’t know why, but he never feels right when eating it, so he skips it more often than not.

Sighing again, he falls face first into his absurdly pricey couch. Blindly patting the coffee table until he finds the blanket he always keeps there, he thinks about taking a lil nap. He didn’t sleep last night (or the one before that), so it feels like he’s earned this break.

Decision made, Tim takes his phone out of the secret pocket in his coat and selects the app that makes background noise. He always sleeps better with it.

Yeah. This is a nice, comfortable place.

Too bad it’s not home.

-I just want to go home -he whispers to himself before letting unconsciousness claim him. 

If asked, he’d said the break in his voice was a yawn and not a sob.

----.----

When he wakes up, it’s to noise all around him. That alone puts him on guard so fast he would have pulled a muscle, if he were anyone else. As a Bat-trained vigilante though, he just tensed before opening his eyes to analyze his surroundings.

This… wasn’t his place, where he distinctly remembers falling asleep, face down on his couch. 

This was Titans Tower. Was he losing track of time? Had he been on a fight and got hit on the head? 

-Hey, you’re awake -Kon’s head poked out of the kitchen area, smiling as he floated all the way to where Tim was lying, on the living room’s couch.

The sight of his friend was enough to loosen his muscles. Still unsure but immediately comfortable he sat up straight and looked around. He could hear Bart and Cassie bickering on the background, probably the kitchen, Greta’s laughter coming to him from the same place, and those were Anita’s shoes and Cissie’s backpack near the elevator.

The first two and Kon, he could get. They were all Titans. But the three girls? They were retired, so what…

-Hey, boy wonder, let your brain take a break. I can hear you thinking from here and it’s giving me a headache -the super joked, landing by Tim’s side and poking his forehead lightly.

-That’s because you never think, you aren’t used to it -he fires back automatically. Then, a slow blink-  What are the girls doing here? What am I doing here? Last thing I remember I was… at the Perch. Sleeping.

-Yeah, and what a deep sleep that was. Been pulling all nighters, haven’t you? -his best friend shook his head, beyond giving Tim a disappointed look. They knew each other way too much to be surprised by their respective bad habits- you didn’t even flinch when I wrapped you up in TTK and flew you here. And about the girls, I told Cassie and Bart I was gonna pick you up, and they decided to make a thing out of this and went to bring them here, just to hang out. Like back in the days, you know?

The mention of their Young Justice times never failed to give Tim a heartache, but this time it just made him feel warm. 

He tried to look stern, but the smile he could feel growing on his lips against his will probably ruined it.

-But why did you? Bring me here, I mean.

Kon tilted his head, visibly confused.

-What do you mean? I heard you. You said you wanted to go home.

Something deep and frozen inside him abruptly melted, like it was hit by a flamethrower. The intensity brought tears to his eyes, body shaking uncontrollably as he bent over himself, hands clutching the opposite arm tightly, as if trying to hold himself in one piece.

Kon’s arms were around him in an instant, worried shouts piercing his ears as he plastered the smaller vigilante to his chest, unthinkingly helping him keep his broken pieces together. The warmth from his best friend’s body served as a welder, and Tim could finally breathe without the fear of breaking apart.

-Tim? Fuck, what’s wrong? Are you okay?! Here, dude, I got you.

-Kon? What is i- fuck, what did you do? Hey, Tim!

-Rob? Oh my god he’s crying, why is he crying!

The voices came closer, surrounding him from all directions as multiple hands touched him in an attempt to comfort.

It was too much, too warm, too bright.

He hoped it’d never end.

-I just…

Everyone stopped talking. His voice was broken by sobs, but he sounded happier than they had ever heard him.

-I’m just happy I’m finally home.

[quillium]

Timothy Drake Learning to Dance

Yeah, you read that right.

So obviously Dick knows how to dance. That’s like a no-brainer. He learned a lil performative dance (a LOT) when he was in the circus and then it just low-key never stopped, he just kept going to lessons and then started joining dance teams and now he could probably be a pro if he wanted to

Steph starts learning to dance when Bruce tells her something like “I’ll get you whatever you want” and Steph’s like ha! Yeah right! and starts doing crazy stuff

like it starts with using Bruce’s money for lil drinks and treating her friends but then it goes to buying clothes and more and more ridiculous stuff and she got dance lessons somewhere in the middle

(it all ends when she buys a really expensive sports cars, donates it to cars for veterans, and Bruce looks her in the eye and says “I’m glad you’ve decided to help charities, that’s really nice, Stephanie” and she’s like TAKE YOUR MONEY I DON’T WANT IT I’M SO STRESSED I HATE BEING RICH and Bruce is like no problem I’ll just put it in a trust fund for when you’re older, and then yo can find out through a secret scavenger hunt that involves you travelling around the world like you always wanted to wait we got off track sorry someone remind me to get back to this because i think it’d be real cute as a steph and bruce oneshot)

ANYWAYS so Steph and Dick both dance and so obviously they rope TIM into it

Tim is minding his own business, making his coffee, when Steph creeps in and sorta just stands behind him

Tim is so tense that he accidentally spills a lil bit of coffee on himself and luckily he gets his shirt off on time but he spends like ten minutes under the shower because he got a superficial burn and Steph gets lectured sorry I know tangent AGAIN

Anyways Tim is stuck in the shower with the cold water for like ten minutes he is FREEZING and Steph is sorta still there and he’s like “can you not. I am not wearing clothing” and Steph’s like “nothing I haven’t seen before it’s not that exciting whatever ANYWAYS I’m here to offer you a very exciting opportunity” and Tim is like “YOU MADE ME BURN MYSELF. MY COFFEE IS GONE. I AM FREEZING MY TOES WENT NUMB THREE MINUTES AGO” and Steph’s like “okay yeah BUT that’s not the point”

TIm’s freezing he is tired he wants Steph to go away so he can freeze to death in peace so he’s like “ugh what”

Steph signed up for a tango class with Dick but then Dick, being--well, Dick--met this really sweet old widow who was feeling sad and lonely and decided to invite her to go to the tango class with him and now Steph doesn’t have a partner

Why Tim? Why not Cass? Because Cass has her ballet classes on Thursdays, Tim, literally the only reason Steph took the Thursday class when it’s such a weird day to have Tango class is because that’s when Cass isn’t around and Steph wants to try to keep as much free time for them to be together as possibly duh

Why is Steph not syncing her schedule with Tim? Because Tim is literally a bat, he’s a... uhh I forgot the word... NOCTURNAL, he’s NOCTURNAL, I can English, anyways, Tim’s schedule is like workworkworkmoreworkzzzzcoffeeworkwork

Tim: “I have a day job??? That I work at normal hours???” Steph: Yeah but I can’t, like, talk to you at work. Work and personal life separate, dude Tim: ??? okay 

So Tim ends up agreeing, of course, because he and Steph are best buds despite the fact that Steph caused Tim to burn himself (but REALLY superficial like he doesn’t even really feel it although that could be because his nerves are like busted)

Side note: Bruce is SO mother-henning over the burn like he goes out and buys burn cream and gauze and makes a new cup of coffee which he blows on and Tim’s like “this is sweet but we literally have all this stuff in the cave? You didn’t have to drive to Shopper’s Drugmart” Bruce is like “I was anxious I needed something to do”

Anyways Tim goes with Steph to Tango Thursdays and actually... really likes it? He realizes that having a break for his brain is actually really nice

So later on after Tango Thursdays ended Dick is trying to coerce Damian into learning kpop dances with him and Damian sees Tim and gets smug and is like “I’ll do it if Drake does it” and Tim is a) actually enjoying dancing and b) hohoho is that how we’re going to do it, Damian? “sure I’ll do it” Damian’s like oh no wait this is not the plan abort abort

Tangent: Damian’s like REALLY GOOD at dancing. Like REALLY GOOD. This kid learned katas and footwork all his life, he’s really good. He’s not, like, Cass-level, but he’s really good at dancing. His control over his body is insane. 

So Tim’s back to dancing

And NOW Dick has the perfect excuse to get Tim away from work!

Tim: *has been awake for 36 hours, is on his nth cup of coffee, was past flagging like 24 hours ago* Dick, bouncing in: “Heeey, Timmers, mind working on the choreo with me? I wanted to adjust the placements a bit after practicing” Zombie Tim, always trying his best to be helpful: Yeah... I... okay... Tim always, inevitably, falls asleep, and Dick loves it

(Yet another side note: Steph and Dami start dancing together and it’s wonderful)

Tim starts eating healthier because between dancing and his nightlife he needs more energy

Yeah, this au’s just all one convoluted plot to get Tim more sleep and healthier eating habits, and what of it?

I realize 99% of this was just shenanigans but just. Tim dancing. Having fun. Batfam fluff.

Final Bonus: Dick convinces Bruce that joining in their lil kpop dance group will help him bond with Damian.

(It works.)

I lied here’s my post script: While this entire thing is happening, Jason, Cass and Babs are working on a case where Jason has to go undercover at a pole dancing studio to take down a mob boss. It’s a mixture of Cass teaching Jason how to dance in a feminine manner, Cass and Babs laughing at Jason as he tries to seduce the mob boss’ son (who I think is actually a sweetheart aside from being okay with killing people, and vibes really well with Jason. He probably ends up in like witness protection or something after helping the trio take down his dad’s organization), and just overall fluff. But also there’s one conversation where Babs talks about how even though she has accepted and isn’t upset about the fact that she’s in a wheelchair, she sometimes feels sad that there’s a lot she can’t learn without the use of her legs and it’s a bittersweet conversation that makes you tear up a bit.

anyways, our coffee-loving, sleep-deprived workaholic boy dancing

[fandomssmoothie]

Saeranweek Day 3: School Life

Hi, everyone! Here is our piece for this year’s @saeranchoiweek !!! As always it was a joy writing together and for such sweet boy!

Our boy goes to college!!

Enjoy~

Botany 3B: Saeran  x MC

He can hear his brother’s laugh from outside and regretfully makes his way to Botany 3B. As soon as he steps inside, Saeyoung shares his name with the classroom and the rest of the campus.

“Baby bro!! I was keeping your chair warm, c’mere, you adorable you!!”

Saeran dodges his brother’s embrace and Saeyoung wraps his arms around himself.

“Go to your class.” Saeran says sitting down.

“Yes yes, I just wanted to see you, I missed you~”

“We have the next class together. Now go before you’re late.”

“Okay, see you later, baby bro!” Saeyoung runs to the door but before exiting turns, winks and blows a kiss to Saeran.

He feels his eyes roll all the way to the back of his head until a sound, a melody he’s been getting used to, brings him back to reality… or is it a dream?

She laughs at the joke her friend made before the other girl waves goodbye and runs off to her own class. MC grips the books closer to her chest as she turns to the room and makes her way to her usual seat. Not surprisingly, her seatmate is already there; she just saw his twin dashing out of the room seconds before, after all.

Saeran looks as handsome as ever, and she feels her heart drumming faster against her chest. It’s uncanny how one person can make her feel so happy without even having to say anything. She takes her seat beside him and puts down her books before giving him a big smile.

“Hi, Saeran.”

His lips curl up just a bit. He could say ‘hi’, ‘hello’, ‘good morning’, ‘good day’, he could say a million things but when he sees that smile all the words in his mind jump around and he isn’t able to grasp a proper phrase.

Mr. Gim walks into the class and all chatter quiets down.

MC bites her lower lip to keep herself from smiling broadly; he’s too cute. But she tucks her hair behind her ear and looks forward, trying not to get too distracted by the guy sitting beside her. Class passes by in a blur, and by the end of it her notebook is full of doodles of plants. As the professor leaves, she starts gathering her things. MC glances at Saeran, not wanting to let the opportunity slip by her like she did the other classes they had this week…and last week…and the week before that.

“Saeran,” she starts. “Have you heard about the dance this weekend?”

He’s putting his books inside his bag when he looks at her. “I have, my brother won’t let me forget about it.”

Both of them walk out of the classroom, Saeran doesn’t notice he’s walking in the wrong direction. He can’t help it, he likes talking to this girl. He can’t lie to himself, he likes this girl.

“Oh! That’s right, Saeyoung signed up to be the DJ, right? I didn’t know he was into that. But I have to say, I’m curious as to what songs he’ll play! He’s always humming a song about someone named ‘Elly’ when I pass by him in the hallway…I’m not sure what genre he’s into.” She’s babbling, she knows she’s babbling, but she can’t help it. She wants to keep talking to him, even if it’s nonsense, she wants to keep being with Saeran.

Saeran chuckles, she’s cute when she babbles. “You can say my brother is in love with… I guess he’ll never be with the one he loves. But he can be persistent, who knows? Maybe he’ll be able to.”

MC is the only girl he feels comfortable enough to talk about his brother without calling him an idiot that much.

MC laughs. “Me too. Saeyoung is a nice guy, I hope he gets his Elly!” Her fingers tighten around her books again, nervous for what she’s about to ask him. “But about the dance…are you going?”

Please say yes, please say yes.

“I have to,” he sighs, “I was appointed equipment manager… are you going?”

“Ah…yes, I am!” MC exclaims excitedly, before nearly tripping over her own feet. She lurches forward before catching herself. Immediately, her face turns red and in a rush, she says, “I’m okay! I’m okay!!!”

“Are you sure?” He inspects her from head to toe.

“Yes!” MC replies, covering her face with one hand. “Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m not usually this clumsy.” But I can’t help it, I’m falling for you, both figuratively AND literally.

Seeing her reaction, he can’t help the smile finding his lips. A familiar voice catches his attention, Saeyoung is screaming his name so loud once again.

“Idiot.”

“I think I have to go before there’s a circus outside your classroom,” he walks away but after a few steps stops and turns his head to look at her, “I will see you later.” Saeyoung is running towards him with open arms but all he hugs is Saeran’s bag.

MC grins and gives him a small wave. “I’ll see you later, Saeran.” Seeing the Choi twins is always a treat, because despite how identical they look, their attitudes are so different. Saeyoung is fun and friendly, but MC can’t help staring after the younger twin, realizing that he just walked her to class. As he walks away though, her eyes widen and she slaps her forehead with her palm and groans.

Not again! I didn’t get to ask him to the dance!

~

“So did you ask her?” Saeyoung asks combing his hair.

“Ask what?”

“Ask MC to the dance! Or did she ask you? I think MC would, she’s a cool girl and…”

“Stop. There was no asking, hurry up or we’ll be late.”

Saeyoung pouts, he watches as his brother leaves the room. Looking in the mirror, Saeyoung finger guns his own reflection, “I got you, lil’ bro!”

~

The party has already started by the time MC gets there. She spots her friends immediately, they’re already dancing to the beats Saeyoung is playing through the speakers. MC smiles to herself when she remembers that messy conversation in the hallway with Saeran.

Her eyes are scanning the crowd for that flash of red hair, when she spots him standing near the DJ’s booth with a couple of guys. He’s dressed in black jeans, a gray tee under a black jacket –a simple look, but he pulls it off so well. She feels a blush creeping onto her face and MC shakes her head, getting herself to focus.

Should I ask him to dance…? But he’s with his friends…

MC shuffles nervously and decides not to; at the same time, her friends spot her and wave her over to join them on the dance floor. MC giggles and rushes over to her friends, hoping that after a few dances, she’ll have the courage to approach the red-haired guy she wanted to spend the evening with in the first place.

He’s listening to Saeyoung’s friend tell him all about his brother’s shenanigans during astronomy club hours. He laughs at the stories and agrees with them – his brother is a total goofball.

But his gaze keeps wandering around the room, for the moment he sees that smile, those eyes. What will he do when he finds them? He doesn’t know; for now, he just wants to see MC.

It doesn’t take long before he notices her, the red dress playing a beautiful contrast with her hair and skin. That’s it, he can’t take his eyes away from her. He stops listening to the boys and all his attention is focused on her.

She’s giggling as she watches her friends making silly dance moves, everyone just wanting to let loose and have fun after their exams. When MC moves her head, her curled hair moves with her and she laughs when one of her girlfriends takes off her shoes and starts jumping to the beat. Instinctively, she glances back near the DJ booth, where Saeran is standing. She’s been glancing at him every now and then, trying to catch the moment when he’d be alone, but this time, he’s looking at her.

MC inhales sharply as their eyes meet, her cheeks flushing as mint eyes gaze into her hazel ones. She can’t look away, her focus riveted on him. This makes her bump into one of her friends and MC reluctantly tears her gaze away from him to apologize to her friend.

Saeyoung notices his brother staring at the girl and smiles to himself. He leaves his spot and goes to his brother. Opening a water bottle, he wraps his arm around his brother’s shoulder.

“Ask her to dance?” Pointing his chin towards where MC stands.

Saeran looks at him, annoyed.

“What? I’m just trying to help you,” he says as he adjusts his headphones around his neck. “Listen, this is a dance. People are supposed to dance. MC looks really pretty. You’re not the only guy here, what if another guy asks her to dance?”

“She can dance with whoever she wants to,” he answers, looking at her.

“Can she?”

“Leave me alone.” He slaps his brother’s hand off his shoulder.

“Okay okay, don’t say I never did anything for you. How about your brother play one of your favorite songs?”

Saeyoung makes his way back to the booth and speaks into the microphone. “Alright, you party animals. Let’s change the beat a little, whaddaya say?!! This song in particular, I think should be shared with someone special. I wish I could be dancing with my beautiful Elly but I must suffer being apart from my true love. Buuuuuuuut if you have a special someone here I suggest you dance with them. I dedicate this song to the other love of my life, my baby brother~.”

Saeran is glaring at Saeyoung as the younger twin takes a sip from his drink.

What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive

Saeran chokes when he hears the song, his mind quickly replays a moment the twins shared a few weeks ago when they were listening to music. Saeyoung caught him humming to this song and teased him about it for a few days.

Saeyoung laughs knowing very well what he’s done and what the song means to this brother. The older twin knows him too well not to notice how he stares at the girl. He loves his brother and loves the smiles this girl is capable of provoking from his baby twin.

The twins’ gazes connect and Saeyoung does that finger gun gesture, his fingers signaling Saeran to go get MC. Saeran looks in her direction, she stands alone, beautiful, so so beautiful.

‘Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do Nothing to lose

What people? Because when he looks at her, she is all he sees. His feet are moving on their own and he doesn’t want to think about it, because if he does he’ll never reach her. And for a moment he wants to grasp the possibility of being the reason for her smile.

All of the things that I want to say just aren’t coming out right I’m tripping on words You’ve got my head spinning I don’t know where to go from here

He’s not standing by the booth anymore. MC starts to look around but everyone is moving, the dance floor too crowded. That mop of red hair is missing again. No, she can’t miss her chance to dance with him! Frantically, she looks around and stands on tiptoe, eyes scanning the crowd.

Her heart stops when she sees he’s making his way towards her. MC lands on her feet and starts moving, wanting to meet him halfway, wanting the chance to dance with him, to be with him before the song comes to an end.

'Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do Nothing to prove And it’s you and me and all of the people And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you

Those mint eyes are now in front of her, inches away from her and the room melts into the background, the crowd disappears and it’s just the two of them in the room. There’s no doubt in her mind and her heart that this guy, this guy in front of her, is the one she wants to be with tonight.

There’s something about you now I can’t quite figure out

No, not just tonight –she wants more “accidental” brushes when they’re in class, more of those soft expressions he has when they’re studying the plants and identifying flowers, moments when he looks both vulnerable and beautiful. He can be closed off and awkward sometimes, and even sarcastic and rude to his brother, but MC can see how much the twins care for each other –and she can’t help but find him even more endearing and adorable because of that. But it’s more than those traits and quirks –it’s him, the entirety of him, that she’s in-love with. It’s Saeran, all of him, that she wants to get to know and cherish.

Everything she does is beautiful Everything she does is right 'Cause it’s you and me and all of the people with nothing to do Nothing to lose And it’s you and me and all of the people And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you

The girl is staring back at him, probably expecting something, is it the same thing he wants? But what if it’s not? What if she’s just being nice to him? No. MC is kind and sweet to everyone but when it comes to him he can’t ignore her blush or the way her eyes are always searching for his.

He breathes in and smiles at her, she smiles back. There is no need for words, he’ll take advantage of his brother’s words, dancing this song with someone special. He offers his hand to her, waiting for her reaction.

When he extends his hand, she can’t stop the fluttering in her chest, the light, bubbly feeling that leaves her feeling as though she’s walking on clouds. She imagined this moment ever since the dance was announced, and though she never had the courage to ask him to be her date, here he is, asking her to dance.

Shyly, she slips her hand into his, the feel of his rough hands not unpleasant…it feels nice. Good. His touch sends a thousand bolts of electricity through her body, her feelings ignited as they connect.

Her hand is soft and warm and all of his senses focus on her touch. He faces her, his hand slowly resting on the small of her back. MC places her hand on his shoulder and he pulls her a bit closer when she does. Her forehead resting on his chin and he catches the scent of her hair, his heart beating like never before. Her soft locks brush his skin and he closes his eyes, his fingers intertwine with hers. He doesn’t want to ruin this moment overthinking, trying to figure out all the things he wants to tell her.

This closeness, this warmth, he wants it. Not just for the duration of the song, he wants to keep MC close. He wants to hold her hand when they walk to class, he wants to be the one that tucks her hair behind her ear and catch her when she trips.

She wants this, not just for tonight, but everyday. Being able to watch him openly in class and asking about his day, knowing his thoughts. Taking care of flowers together and walking around campus…going on dates and making him smile the way he does when they’re together.

He knows the last chorus is about to play, he brings her even closer. Her smaller frame flushed against his chest. She feels his heartbeat and closes her eyes, knowing their hearts are beating to the same melody.

“MC, I…” No no that’s not how he should start… what to say?

“I like you, Saeran!” No…I might scare him off. How do I tell him…?

And me and all of the people with nothing to do Nothing to prove And it’s you and me and all of the people

He breaks the embrace, still holding her hand gently he twirls her around. When MC faces him again he brings her close to him again but this time his hands rest on her cheeks.

She immediately feels her face grow hot at his touch, but her eyes are fixed on his. MC is all too aware of how close they are, his scent filling her senses, his warm breath against her face. How is it that he can take her breath away and yet make her feel so alive?

“MC, I…”

And I don’t know why, I can’t keep my eyes off of you

“Can’t look away from you.” Not that he wants to, he can’t rip his gaze away from her beautiful face, her sparkling eyes, the blush on her cheeks and those pretty pink lips.

“Then don’t look away, Saeran,” MC whispers, her fingers lightly touching his jaw, sliding up his cheek. “I don’t…I don’t ever want to look away from you too. I can’t. It’s you, Saeran. It’s you I want to keep looking at everyday, every chance I can.”

What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive

If there was ever a moment to be brave this is it.

Saeyoung notices the moment and quickly plays another song trying to keep everyone in their own world and he prays that the one his brother has found will make him happy. He smiles and looks away from Saeran. You can do this, Saeran.

Her words are a confirmation and before his mind analyzes the moment, every thought is replaced with sparks. Her lips are soft and warm, it’s just a delicate brush but it’s enough to ignite a need he never knew he had. He opens his eyes and looks at her.

When he brushes his lips against hers, it’s as though everything is right. Her hand on his shoulder tightens its grip and MC stops breathing, her entire being focused on where he’s touching her. A sweet kiss, an intimate kiss with the person she likes…loves. The feelings inside her are a mess, and all rational thought flies out the window. MC opens her eyes and sees him staring back at her…those beautiful mint eyes that she could lose herself in.

“I won’t because I like you, MC… maybe more than like but I don’t know how this works. Would you be willing to show me how? Learn with me?” He can feel the heat painting his ears and spreading across his face. He swallows and hopes he didn’t miss his chance.

She feels a grin breaking through her face automatically, his words making her happy. MC strokes his warm cheek with her hand and nods, shyly at first, before nodding more enthusiastically. “Yes, Saeran, yes. I…I like you too, I do. I want to learn with you and have new experiences with you…I want to be with you, Saeran. More than anything…I want to be with you.”

“Thank you,” he smiles, “I feel like I can do this if it’s you.”

The loud clapping replaces the song playing and Saeran turns to his brother who is giving him a thumbs up.

MC laughs and he laughs with her. The songs keep on playing and he holds his girl in his arms even a little after the dance is done. There are many more melodies he wants to show her and dance with her, in exchange all he asks for is the melody of her voice.

———

Thank you so much for reading!! Whew, this was long but we had fun writing it, we hope you enjoyed this fluffy fic too! ^^

@rossyele‘s Masterlist

@reifromrfa Masterlist

[stagekiller]

   GUNK UNDER UNKEMPT NAILS sticks out between fingerless gloves, an elbow idly resting on his knee. With his head drooping forward & a straw hat casting bold shadows it's hard to make out more than just a pointy chin, but security guards wouldn't care too much : to them it's just another beggar. And the rule has it that vagrancy isn't permitted in the hallways. He might disrupt the flow, bother commuting citizens with the stench his ragged baggage emits. Two baggy sacks rest against the wall beside him, each covered in a variety of stains.

" Sir. What you're doing isn't allowed in the premises. Come with me, please."

     The first admonishment is nearly mellow. It doesn’t even earn a budge. “ Sir. You’re going to have to come with me. ” He repeats under a huff. This time there’s a twitch of the man’s pinkie. His filthy shoes slide quietly against equally crummy subway floors. " I said get up,  you're in the way. " A tremble in his voice betrays his impatience. It’s late. The hallways buzzing white lights are giving him a headache.   

     Disheveled digits curl languidly into a fist. The man’s other hand slowly comes to press against its twin, both palms clenched. He begins to rotate one as if he’s wiring up a jack-in-the-box. With perfect timing, the middle finger of one hand rises as if it were a wind up toy. A disgruntled growl escapes the guard. “ Okay, that’s it ! ”

     His hand abducts a bare wrist, pale skin lathered in sweat & filth, in desperate need of a good scrub to reveal its true color. A mere move is made to grab one of the sacks, but the guard's pull disrupts his balance, forcing him to leave his precious belongings behind. Tenacious grip reaches for the beggar’s jacket. It’s not hard to spin the grimy man around, despite his height. As he does so, forcefully dragging him along towards the nearest exit, the guard thinks he heard a high-pitched snicker. It’s disregarded as yet another antic of a diseased mind.

     Frustration is evident in a windy stride. The beggar’s heels slide noisily against the floor, kicking back with each forced step. Soon, dull grey escalators appear in the distance. They roll slowly, separated with a strip of plain staircase. The guard almost sighs in relief, eager to get rid of that pervasive mix of garbage and rotting carcass that is bound to stain his hand. “ Fuck’s sake tonight. ” He mutters under his breath. They stand at the escalator’s edge. Free hand jerks to grab the man’s forearm, aiming to shove him forward and onto the stairs...

    And then, a sudden spin on heel, accompanied by a thundering yelp. Time freezes in a still of the guard's gaping mouth dripping a thick lump of white drool, his stance hunching closer to the glistening leer that stands opposite him. Proximity is laced in tender violence, that soft realization of a man facing the one who claimed his life. Switchblade twists noisily in his stomach, harvesting warm crimson that drips on the floor, orchestrating a morbid rhythm.

    Pearly grin seems to permeate everything in his blurry vision field; the lights blink, his eyelids droop. Breath hitches as the sharp sting of sharp blade being pulled back out of freshly ripped skin numbs. In perfect timing with a second blow, the realization sinks in as metal does in juicy viscera; he recognizes the mangled face staring down at him as weak knees give in. Ginger brows rise in a gleeful peal of manic laughter.

     Underneath the straw hat’s shadows, Jerome Valeska’s abhorrent mouth spills mirth over a croaky swansong. The man instinctively tries to reach for his intercom. But the blade’s bite restricts his movements. Knees fall heavy against stained tiles. His assailant crouches with him, tenderly placing his body on the floor. Another futile attempt to call for help is made from this new position; one that’s sure to become his final one. Limbs gradually stiffen. A pointy chin tilts in mock confusion, the clown’s horrid scars hovering above him as vultures circle prey. After a moment in deathly silence, a hoarse voice finally breaks the monotone of muffled pants and bloody hiccups.

  “ ...You’re probably askin’ yourself- ” A pause. Free hand pinches a chapped chin. The clown’s shrewd gaze traverses to the ceiling and lights reflect in his pupils. “ -why the subway ? ” Sardonic nodding. “ Is it a .. message? A political statement. Maybe this guy just really hates trains... ” He continues to rub his chin in feigned thoughtfulness. Until chuckling spills from his disfigurement. “ Mm. That’s a good question. ” A finger wags in the guards direction. Jerome takes a moment to reach out and pinch the writhing man’s name tag, browse over his credentials. Then, an imprudent grip digs into the inner pockets of his blue jacket. After a thorough pat down, he finds what he’d been looking for; the guard’s personal cellphone.

       Squatting beside his dying victim, the clown wipes his switchblade clean on each of the man’s cheeks, painting a smile. There’s a certain undertone of perverted admiration in his maddened gaze. The guard merely responds, his eyes wide with horror, hands creeping up his chest in a final attempt to press down on his own gushing wounds. Jerome does naught to stop him. Instead, he focuses on the phone in his grip, dialing beep drowned under his raspy narration.

 “ When I was a kid, growin’ up in the circus— ya’kno’ that story, bet you’re kind that kicks his shoes off the coffee table and turns on GCN nightly while, uh, Susan plays wit’ your balls. ” A cackle. He leaves the number on screen, thumb hovering over the call button. Yet, instead of pressing it, Jerome turns back to the guard and continues while tucking his switchblade back into place.

    “ When I was a kid, Timothy ... I remember one time my Uncle took me to the city, downtown. He had business. Left me to window shop for a bit. Oh, I remember stumbling ‘cross one of those big - ” Arms spread to gesture the size. “ - toy trains, you know the ones with the mountains an’ the lil’ houses and the hills and the steeper heels and the junction rails... Stood there at the window, watching for hours.. ‘till my Uncle came back and dragged my ear all the way t’a home. Hell, he knew there was no way in hell I’d get my lil’ hands on that. Ha! Tell you what, kids like me ? I called it a hoot if I had breakfast on Christmas. ” He sneaks a pause in to laugh by himself.

    “ Kids like... Bruce Wayne, on the other hand- ” Head tilts, lips puckering into a faux pout. His pallid mien distorts in an expression that’s equal parts dread and amusement. “  ... He’s got a life size toy train, right here. ” One gloved hand abruptly jerks behind him, gesturing to the vacant halls. In the distance, the trains would be busy with people returning from work ... for the last time. Further down the hall, the explosives concealed in those garbage bags Jerome left behind would block the way out for those unlucky few that escaped the explosions in the wagons. Perhaps the entire wing would collapse ! Who knows, really. With another complacent snicker, the jester pushes himself up on long legs, discards the filthy straw hat and runs a hand through messy ginger spikes.

         “ Pth-heeh! Hey, hey, don’t worry ‘bout a thing, Timmy. ‘M sure you’re gonna bleed out before the boom. Oh, that reminds me- ” A small detonating device is collected from Jerome’s pocket and stuffed into the dying guard’s mouth. The clown offers one last soft noise though his horrid Glasgow grin before sliding around on heel and walking away. Eerie whistling fills the corridor.

                       A couple of minutes later comes the first blaring collapse.

[tangshcn]

OOH rottmnt leo or mikey??

this is really long, im sorry joey 

Leo

favorite thing about them: 

he gets to relax for once??? bless

i really love how vulnerable he is, in other iterations you can tell that he’s just aa in need for validation and respect from his brothers but this time around he gets to ask for it and it makes me :,))))

we get a side of leo we wouldn’t have seen so freely otherwise and that side is his Goofy Bitch side, we love an instant gratification seeking, secretly insecure king

oh! and i love his relationships w/ his brothers, how relaxed and teasing his relationship with raph is, that he’s purposefully annoying towards don, and actually super gentle with mikey

least favorite thing about them:

so far? nothing really, he has his flaws but they’re obviously set up for character development

favorite line:

“yeah go big or go home!!” “Yeah, go home on a stretcher! What else do we got, don?”

“Of course he’ll love you, you’re adorable!”

“You’re a champion.”

brOTP:

his brothers and big sister april  +   karai and usagi (i now they’re not in rise but like. please. let him have friends.)

OTP:

Leorai (not That one) and Leosagi, as per usual (i really enjoy his dynamic with these two in other versions, always felt like they treated eachother with respect and as equals + they had killer chemistry, which is prime ship material)

(also leo x his Big Fucking Sword)

nOTP:

you know. 

and april/leo. not crazy abt shipping turtles with april in general

random headcanon

He’s actually really good at math and chess, a big reader too. 

I feel like he mostly has quiet hobbies but won’t stop talking about the more “exciting ones”.

I don’t think he’s the closest to splinter anymore, maybe he used to be as a kid but he kinda grew apart from him (not in an angsty bitter way but like he just got older and shit happens)

Secretly the eldest twin but none of the brothers know.

Was secretly bummed out when he broke his katannas bc he was very attached to them.

unpopular opinion

im a basic bithc, i don’t have opinions

but also his torso is sooo long, leo u good? it creeps me out a little. Which is literally THE ONLY thing i don’t absolutely adore about the designs

song i associate with them:

don’t laugh at me but its “circus” by britney spears bc he’s Like That

also “i do it all the time” by idkhow, vaguely

favorite picture of them

im not a big screenshot person but have this

[leo voice] DISGUSTENING

Mikey

favorite thing about them:

baby. baby boy.  

no but for real i love how this time around he’s actually on the quieter side?? don’t get me wrong i love a good loudmouth mikey but there’s something really endearing about mikey not needing to be the sole comic relief while still mantaining his lovable qualities 

ALSO he’s little artist and i really enjoy that concept, i feel like it hasn’t been done before in depth and it makes him feel more well-rounded

least favorite thing about them: 

i really wish he had more screentime, it feel like he’s suffering the most from the show’s 11 min runtime and i CANNOT wait for his spotlight episode

also i feel like he kind of fades into the background bc of how LOUD and BIG his brother’s personalities are, though im sure that’ll be fixed soon enough

favorite line:

“ok sweaty-spaghetti, give us our dad back!!”

brOTP: 

him and his brothers+april!! and as soon as we get them: the mutanimals

OTP:

i know he’s not here yet but,,, mondo gecko,, stoner lizard bf (when mikey’s more into his teenage years, though. he’s still bappy)

nOTP:

incest shippers c h o k e, also april/mikey bc... they’re big sis and lil bro

random headcanon

contrary to popular belief, the most likely to go apeshit, to go absolute feral.

unpopular opinion

while i adore him with all my heart, he’s not my favorite mikey (its 2k3 mikey, the lovable asshole)

song i associate with them

i have none :(

favorite picture of them

like i said, im not big on taking screenshots, sorry mike

[ciphers-fr]

(Mis)Fortune

so i had started this a year ago and pretty thoroughly lost my groove for it by the end. take that as you will yeehaw 

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

It seemed to have been one of those exceedingly rare days in her life, where what she thought was impossible wandered up before her and the best thing to do would be to stand back and enjoy it. And that was exactly what Ciphers was planning to do. 

What were the chances that all seven of her familiars would be gathered in the same place at the same time? It was only Bonehead that lived in-Clan permanently; the others were flung far across Sornieth, free to drift and migrate and return home whenever they pleased. But here they all were, gathered together out in front of the Lair as the dragoness lounged in the warm sunlight. 

Sure, the Winter Wolf and Trick of the Light were at the Lair more often than not, but it never stopped Bonehead from acting as though it hadn’t seen them in months when the two arrived back after a trek. The trio had been together so long they were nigh inseparable. So when the wolf and fox did go, their return meant a lot of play needed to be caught up.

Speaking of, she grinned down at her three longest held familiars as they wrestled. While the Winter Wolf had size on her side, it seemed that the exuberant Nochnyr and Trick of the Light had teamed up to pin the canine down, her back legs thrashing in the air. The three yipped and barked and kicked volleys of sand into the air.

The other four were not nearly as active. The Wetland Unicorn and Maned Cerdae snuffed through the foliage of the oasis garden, seeking out the choicest leaves to graze on. And the Tigerblood Foo and Pronghorn Hunter stood sentinel, eerily watching over the horizon for any danger that might encroach upon their companions. 

Though, it seemed, the beasts’ wariness did have a warrant. 

The Foo sprang to his paws, a growl rumbling deep in his throat, as a large Ridgeback unceremoniously sauntered out of the lush growth. Long, lazy strides across the sand quickly drew the dragon closer to the group and the Foo’s growl rose to a snarl. The new arrival cast one raised brow at the cat as she approached but otherwise seemed unbothered by the beast’s warning. 

Ciphers frowned as she rose to her feet. The orders stated she had to greet the dragoness as well as find out what business she might have with the Clan. She squinted, trying to get a better look at the visitor. Hmm. The Ridgeback was unfamiliar. Green, brown, and blue…? No, can’t remember seeing anyone with those colors or genes. Wait-- wh-what is that? She leaned forward and gagged. Oh Stormcatcher, why does she have so many eyes?

Lips pursed to try to keep herself from retching, Ciphers watched as the Ridgeback strode forward and stopped just a few meters away. Only then did she notice the burlap sack perched between the other dragoness’ wings. 

“Well,” the Ridgeback spoke first. “You’re, ah, Ciphers?”

The Imperial blinked. “Y-yes?”

“Gotta say, miss, that was definitely one of my hardest jobs. That lil dog put up a real fight, but I got ‘em.”

“Him?” Ciphers yelped, one paw grappling for the Pronghorn Hunter, who was creeping towards the other dragoness. The beast dropped to all fours and stepped back, snorting.

“Don’t cha remember your order?”

“No?!”

“Yeah… Couple ’a months ago you asked me to fetch some fella who wronged you, I guess,” the Ridgeback began to explain as Ciphers’ head dropped into her claws, silently bemoaning ‘Rime Fever.’ “Anyways, big clan, lotta dragons. Pretty tough to get in there without gettin’ seen. Not to mention how slippery he was to try an’ catch. I’d say he’s had alotta experience with runnin’ away.”

The bounty hunter barked a laugh as she tipped to one side, wing outstretched, to roll the sack to the ground. And just as it hit the soft sand, the contents inside began to thrash wildly. The Ridgeback dipped her head at the writhing mass, “Ah, don’t worry much. He’s pretty well bound.

“But if that’s all, I best be off. And if your wonderin’,” she turned to the side and winked one bulbous green eye on her flank. “Ya don’t often have someone to watch your back in this business, so ya gotta do it yourself.”

Chortling again, the Ridgeback leaped into the air and beat a hasty retreat.

Ciphers was left dumbstruck, staring silently at the still twitching burlap sack. Her train of thought, however, was in a completely different world. 

That… That was months ago! It had been just after the Gala when she made that impulsive decision, still under the hazy, heady effect of the Fever. And now it was nearing the Jubilee. Four months, Ciphers thought to herself. It took only four months for me to forget that I paid for someone to be kidnapped.

She sunk down slowly and dropped to her side, the heat of the sand and dust barely registering in the back of mind. Guilt clawed its way into her belly. How could she have been so consumed by what? Petty anger? 

And someone just ripped away from who knows? A new home? Fledgling friendships? 

To be fair, she was pretty sure that the clan he was in prior had also kidnapped him. And that didn’t exactly bode well for chances of good relations. And, wow, that must be some pretty bad luck on his part to get kidnapped twice in a row--

No. Ciphers was getting off track from the fact of this ordeal. There was a dragon. That she had had kidnapped. Writhing around in a bag in front of her. 

She frowned, her cheek rubbing uncomfortably against the sand below her. Getting him out of the bag would probably be the best thing to do right now, right? So, trepidatiously, she picked herself back onto her paws and approached the sack.

For the moment, the burlap was still beyond the quick up and down of the dragon within’s breathing. Silent, too. Ciphers couldn’t tell whether he was just tired out, or biding his time until he could fight or flee.

 She paused as she wondered over how she should proceed. Slowly and carefully? Or quickly, like ripping off an old bandage. Perhaps the latter would be better. At least in that way she could leap back before he was even aware and avoid the chance of a slash to the face. Decided, she crept closer to the sack and hooked one sharpened claw into the rough fabric. 

It tore much easier than she thought it would, the dry burlap giving out at the slight touch. The dragon inside twitched at the motion and before Ciphers could think, she flinched, jumping back and ripping the bag open with a harsh sound. 

Heart beating in her throat, she watched as the ruined sack fall open to reveal the dragon inside. Indeed it was the skeevy purple and grey Mirror from the Gala (Fortune, a voice whispered in the back of her mind). He was bound and gagged with vines that browned and broke away at the first touch of the hot sunlight. And at the new found freedom he twisted and shook his head.

The Mirror stumbled onto shaky legs and blinked once, twice. He scowled as he took in his new environment, the sun shining bright in his eyes. Then he whipped his head towards the Imperial with a dour look smeared across his face.

“What the hell?” he croaked. 

“Well, uh…” Ciphers grappled for words, claws digging into the ground beneath her. “I-- I--”

“Wait! No,” Fortune cut her off. “I saw you slinking in the crowds at my Gala event. Were you trying to profile me?!”

She balked at the accusation. “What? No!”

“Then why did you get me kidnapped?!”

“Brx vdqfwlrqhg fdw mxjjolqj,” Ciphers muttered under her breath. If she remembered anything clearly from that week, it was that spectacle. But questionable feline treatments alone wouldn’t make a worthwhile reasoning for that and trying to explain Rime Fever and its effects would be a monumental task in itself. “That’s kinda hard to answer right now, but if you’d let me…”

“So ya think I’m just stand here and listen to someone who went and kidnapped me? That’s funny,” Fortune turned as though to make his leave, but it seemed the Tigerblood Foo had anticipated it. The familiar stood in the dragon’s way, a silent snarl on his snout. 

Ciphers was frozen where she stood. A lot had happened in just the past few minutes and she didn’t have a single clue of what she should be doing. Could she just let Fortune leave? Should she let him leave? The Expanse could be dangerous for someone ill prepared and it would only weigh more on her conscience if he ended up getting hurt-- or worse (Well, that, and she still did kind of want him to atone for his crimes). She wracked her brains for anything that could get him to stop, even for just a few minutes.

“Oh, wait!” She yelped and scrambled to stand between her Foo familiar and Fortune, breaking their staredown. “Do you still have those circus dragons after you?”

He looked away. Hitting the number one target on what was likely a long list of enemies must have been a sore spot. “That cheating, thieving Fae son of a…” He shifted his wings. “Probably. Why do you care?”

“We could help, maybe?”

Fortune looked speculative, but didn’t say anything. 

“I mean… The Clan would probably keep you safe if you let us. You can say you just wanted some help and a refuge, and I don’t get in trouble for, uh, kidnapping. Okay?”

“Not having to worry about getting thrown in a dungeon would be great, but a fifteen thousand gem debt isn’t something that gonna be easily forgotten. And love and support won’t pass for payment either.”

“We can pay that. More if they demanded so.”

Fortune raised a scaled brow, intrigued at the blatant mention of a heavy hoard. “That’s real nice and all, but I’m still not really keen on hanging around the lair of a dragon who nabbed me.”

“Listen,” Ciphers bowed her head. “I feel… pretty bad about all that. And while it doesn’t make it any better, it doesn’t seem like it’s a great idea for either of us if you go out there right now. So if you just work with me here, I’ll try to explain and figure everything out. And you’ll be treated just like anyone else here. I-- I swear. To the Stormcatcher or whatever else you’d want” (And as though the deity heard, despite the clear skies, low thunder rumbled overheard).

A silent moment passed between the two dragons before Fortune coughed. “Fine.” He shrugged, “Guess the chance to not have to worry about things for once is just too good to pass up on.”

Ciphers blinked in surprise. “Oh, uh, well.” She paused again, ruffling her wings. “I guess we’ll just go in now and I’ll tell everyone.”

She dismissed her familiars that still prowled with a flick of her tail as she shuffled her way to the Lair entrance. It all itched at her; it seemed almost too easy to convince the dragon to go along with her half baked plan. But if he had nothing to lose… Nope. Nothing to dwell over, it was done. And assuming there would be no backstabbing or doublecrossing, there wouldn't be anything to worry about in the future either.

Kin in conspiracy. 

Yes, that would be her and Fortune. Bound forevermore by lies only the two of them would know (And with the deities' graces, Khione, Jaynum and Persephus would fall for the tale and never suspect anything too).

Ciphers keened silently. This would be a test of will and patience if there ever was one. Not to mention having to keep a straight story for whoever knows how long. But such were the prices of Rime Fever, and now it was time to pay her debts.

It was only when she reached the mouth of the Lair did she look back over her shoulder. Fortune was padding after her. Perhaps with a bit of a limp, but otherwise without a seeming care in the world. So I really do have to do this.

With a final deep breath, she steeled herself for what was about to come. It would be a strange time, but it was the mess she drew herself into and she needed to see it out. Who knows, it might end up better for everyone in the end. So with what would most likely be the newest member of the Clan at her heel, Ciphers stepped in.

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

“So let me get this straight. This was all caused by some weird… something-fever that just so happens during Ice Season that makes everyone act crazy for a few weeks.”

“That pretty well sums it up, I guess.”

“And if I stay here long enough, it’s gonna happen to me too?”

“Probably not like that. That was up there but not the, uh, worst thing to happen so far.”

“Well,” Fortune settled back on his haunches. He’d been tended, and dressed, and fed and watered to his heart’s content. “All in all, it’s not the worst thing I’ve had to deal with so far.”

[thevividgreenmoss]

The NBC/MSNBC reporter, William Arkin, is a longtime prominent war and military reporter, perhaps best known for his groundbreaking, three-part Washington Post series in 2010, co-reported with two-time Pulitzer winner Dana Priest, on how sprawling, unaccountable, and omnipotent the national security state has become in the post-9/11 era. When that three-part investigative series, titled “Top Secret America,” was published, I hailed it as one of the most important pieces of reporting of the war on terror, because while “we chirp endlessly about the Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court, the Democrats and Republicans, this is the Real U.S. Government:  functioning in total darkness, beyond elections and parties, so secret, vast and powerful that it evades the control or knowledge of any one person or even any organization.”

...Some of the most beloved and frequently featured MSNBC commentators are the most bloodthirsty pro-war militarists from the war on terror: David Frum, Jennifer Rubin, Ralph Peters, and Bill Kristol (who was just giddily and affectionately celebrated with a playful nickname bestowed on him: “Lil Bill”). In early 2018, NBC hired former CIA chief John Brennan to serve as a “senior national security and intelligence analyst,” where the rendition and torture advocate joined — as Politico’s Jack Shafer noted — a long litany of former security state officials at the network, including “Chuck Rosenberg, former acting DEA administrator, chief of staff for FBI Director James B. Comey, and counselor to former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III; Frank Figliuzzi, former chief of FBI counterintelligence; Juan Zarate, deputy national security adviser under Bush.”

As Shafer noted, filling your news and analyst slots with former security state officials as MSNBC and NBC have done is tantamount to becoming state TV, since “their first loyalty — and this is no slam — is to the agency from which they hail.” As he put it: “Imagine a TV network covering the auto industry through the eyes of dozens of paid former auto executives and you begin to appreciate the current peculiarities.”

All of this led Arkin to publish a remarkable denunciation of NBC and MSNBC in the form of an email he sent to various outlets, including The Intercept. Its key passages are scathing and unflinching in their depiction of those networks as pro-war propaganda outlets that exist to do little more than amplify and serve the security state agencies most devoted to opposing Trump, including their mindless opposition to Trump’s attempts (with whatever motives) to roll back some of the excesses of imperialism, aggression, and U.S. involvement in endless war, as well as to sacrifice all journalistic standards and skepticism about generals and the U.S war machine if doing so advances their monomaniacal mission of denouncing Trump. As Arkin wrote (emphasis added):

My expertise, though seeming to be all the more central to the challenges and dangers we face, also seems to be less valued at the moment. And I find myself completely out of synch with the network, being neither a day-to-day reporter nor interested in the Trump circus. …

To me there is also a larger problem: though they produce nothing that resembles actual safety and security, the national security leaders and generals we have are allowed to do their thing unmolested. Despite being at “war,” no great wartime leaders or visionaries are emerging. There is not a soul in Washington who can say that they have won or stopped any conflict. And though there might be the beloved perfumed princes in the form of the Petraeus’ and Wes Clarks’, or the so-called warrior monks like Mattis and McMaster, we’ve had more than a generation of national security leaders who sadly and fraudulently have done little of consequence. And yet we (and others) embrace them, even the highly partisan formers who masquerade as “analysts”. We do so ignoring the empirical truth of what they have wrought: There is not one county in the Middle East that is safer today than it was 18 years ago. Indeed the world becomes ever more polarized and dangerous. …

Windrem again convinced me to return to NBC to join the new investigative unit in the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign. I thought that the mission was to break through the machine of perpetual war acceptance and conventional wisdom to challenge Hillary Clinton’s hawkishness. It was also an interesting moment at NBC because everyone was looking over their shoulder at Vice and other upstarts creeping up on the mainstream. But then Trump got elected and Investigations got sucked into the tweeting vortex, increasingly lost in a directionless adrenaline rush, the national security and political version of leading the broadcast with every snow storm. And I would assert that in many ways NBC just began emulating the national security state itself – busy and profitable. No wars won but the ball is kept in play.

I’d argue that under Trump, the national security establishment not only hasn’t missed a beat but indeed has gained dangerous strength. Now it is ever more autonomous and practically impervious to criticism. I’d also argue, ever so gingerly, that NBC has become somewhat lost in its own verve, proxies of boring moderation and conventional wisdom, defender of the government against Trump, cheerleader for open and subtle threat mongering, in love with procedure and protocol over all else (including results). I accept that there’s a lot to report here, but I’m more worried about how much we are missing. Hence my desire to take a step back and think why so little changes with regard to America’s wars. …

In our day-to-day whirlwind and hostage status as prisoners of Donald Trump, I think – like everyone else does – that we miss so much. People who don’t understand the medium, or the pressures, loudly opine that it’s corporate control or even worse, that it’s partisan. Sometimes I quip in response to friends on the outside (and to government sources) that if they mean by the word partisan that it is New Yorkers and Washingtonians against the rest of the country then they are right.

For me I realized how out of step I was when I looked at Trump’s various bumbling intuitions: his desire to improve relations with Russia, to denuclearize North Korea, to get out of the Middle East, to question why we are fighting in Africa, even in his attacks on the intelligence community and the FBI.  Of course he is an ignorant and incompetent impostor. And yet I’m alarmed at how quick NBC is to mechanically argue the contrary, to be in favor of policies that just spell more conflict and more war. Really? We shouldn’t get out Syria? We shouldn’t go for the bold move of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula?  Even on Russia, though we should be concerned about the brittleness of our democracy that it is so vulnerable to manipulation, do we really yearn for the Cold War? And don’t even get me started with the FBI: What? We now lionize this historically destructive institution?

That an entire generation of Democrats paying attention to politics for the first time is being instilled with formerly right-wing Cold Warrior values of jingoism, über-patriotism, reverence for security state agencies and prosecutors, a reckless use of the “traitor” accusation to smear one’s enemies, and a belief that neoconservatives embody moral rectitude and foreign policy expertise has long been obvious and deeply disturbing. These toxins will endure far beyond Trump, particularly given the now full-scale unity between the Democratic establishment and neocons.

[ayankun]

GOTHAM

insanely rambley HUGE spoiler-ridden seasons 1-4 thoughts under cut

FIRST OFF LET ME TELL YOU I GOT CHILLS

Secondly, let’s think back to how I felt about season one.  A little loose in the narrative, not so much weaving threads as having threads, ones that you keep expecting to pull tight but more often than not just get dropped for other, shinier threads.  All leading to a surprisingly effective character-driven season finale that hopes to prove to you that a few meandering plot points can still add to a sum greater than the parts.

(Oswald goes from umbrella boy to King of Gotham, Bruce Wayne starts at the site of his parents’ murder and ends up taking his first steps into the Batcave, Jim enters as this black-and-white idealist and winds learning from a mob boss that even good men sometimes get their hands dirty to get the job done.  A socially awkward unrecognized genius has a psychic break, leading ultimately to the fall of Edward Nygma and the rise of the Riddler.)

Season two is a blur.  A period of transition from Jim “Good Cop” Gordon Fistfighting Corruption into... Gotham City: Arkham Asylum’s Backyard.  Think how much season one was about only Fish Mooney vs Falcone vs the GCPD and Cobblepot doublecrossing everyone he meets, and how much seasons two and three and four were about the Riddler and Valeska and Tetch and Ra’s al Ghul (and Valeska).  We have the bring-everyone-back-to-life at Indian Hill period to thank for the sudden left turn into the Strange.

WHICH IS NOT A COMPLAINT.

There are so many types of Batman stories, and there’s a time and a place for both Joe Chill and Killer Croc.  Gotham started in one and always knew it was headed for the other.

And B.D. Wong as Strange is a DELIGHT and I really appreciated his dynamic with Miss Peabody.  Speaking of, the bomb defusing scene was a real gem omg lololol give the woman some damn water already.

At the same time, the Fish storyline was like WHOA what EVEN is haPPENINg at any given moment.  And it ultimately didn’t amount to much?  There’s so much waffling between the surviving gang camps where everyone’s either got a kill-on-sight order or a owed-life-debt to each other and the pendulum swings back and forth so quickly it’s not really worth holding onto how anyone feels about anyone else.  That dead/MIA character will come back or the rivalry will be revived or the long-held grudge will be recalled if and when that plot point is going to be drafted, but other than that everyone’s friends and that’s ok.

And like.  Ivy??? Ivy Pepper???????  Why is that ride so wild???  There is no cause and effect, only next next next.  It’s insane.  Maybe watching this all at once rather than over the course of four years lends a different perspective, but holy cow.  Such a ballsy way to do whatever with a character you never had a plan for.

Which brings us to Barbara Kean?!  Season one she was there because they knew she was a Mythos Character but then they were like, wait, whateven is she for though?  Which is a fair question, since having her be the Little Lady Trophy Fiance meant she was a boring and needless character wasting space, not standing on her own and hardly informing Jim’s character either.  So what to do, what to do.  How about we kidnap her, put her through some insanely cruel physical and psychological abuse, make her a psycho-revenge-bride, put her in a coma, have her come back as a 100% Arkham Villain, give her a hench(wo)man, have the henchman KILL HER, have Ra’s al Ghul waltz up out of literally nowhere and say “lol, borrow this arcane mojo for a minute, I’ll want it back later or will I” and now she’s a kingpin of Gotham’s underworld with her own mini League of Assassin?!!!!!!!   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like.  Even if they never had a plan going into it, I’m pretty okay with most of what they came up with.  Better than the lil wifey hanging out at home and having one passing remark about curating a gallery that we never saw and was never mentioned again.

Better off a once-crazy, once-dead mafiosa than the less inspired handling of Miss Kringle.  I won’t even get into that trainwreck I-only-exist-to-validate-manpain-of-my-murderer wait I said I wasn’t going to get into it.

So Nygma!  Like I said when I got started with the show, the season one Edward Nygma was crafted as this painfully unsympathetic offbeat loser and I think they fully succeeded with that characterization.  The emergence of the Riddler persona was a welcome change, an upgrade, a spit-shine into something clean cut and confident and stylish.  But I like that, compared to the Penguin, the posterchild for evil-psychotic-villain!Protaganist, for example, they held on to a lot of Nygma’s unlikeablilty in that he’s still an ass, even more of an insufferable egoist, and SO CRAZY he can’t even read himself (which was a big thing about the character before he split in half, so in itself that’s pretty great).

I don’t know.  Maybe you like him and I’m supposed to like him.  I think he’s exactly what he ought to be, and while I'd never want to see him marched off a peer with a bullet in his back, I’m more than happy to see his fellow villain-Protagonists knock him around once in a while.  Penguin and Mooney and now Lee (?!) and Zsasz even are the kind of villan!Protagonist you really root for.  But if it’s any one of them vs. the Riddler, they’re definitely not going to lose.  Nygma’s like in his own category of villain!Protagonist Antagonist.

Of course, the post-Arkham-proto-Riddler who was running Oswald’s mayoral campaign, now HOT DAMN that was a storyline I could get behind.  I almost actually believed they were going to do something great in the Nygmobblepot arena and that was a magical moment.  I think the resulting blood feud, as painful of a 360 as they come, was a sounder storytelling decision and more in line with the show’s Schroedinger’s Frenemies mentality.

And his season four storyline with the Ed Nygma persona challenging the Riddler was a nice full circle.  Sort of closing the gap between this raging banana nutball and the razor-sharp criminal mastermind he could be if tried.  Not SUPER THRILLED with his creeping on Lee but, with all due respect, that’s par for the character so again I say I don’t think I’m meant to like him??

I just spent half this rant on the Riddler so I guess they’re doing something right.

Ok so Cameron Monaghan’s VALESKA TWINS.  Let’s get right into it, shall we.

Holy smokes they did everything right on this one.  Loved the Primal Fear treatment of his introduction, and the way this random circus kid just so happens to start displaying jokey traits that astute viewers will start to suspect that this could be the big bad we’ve all been waiting for --

and then they kill him.

WOW

I was so ready for this kid to grow up to be the Joker, and they rip that dream away and replace it with an idea that anyone can grow up to be the Joker, and damn if that isn’t the nicest treatment of the character’s fractured and obfuscated origin story.  But.  THEN!

THEY BRING HIM BACK and it’s everything you wanted him to be.  He’s just so good.  There’s just the right amount of (IMO, anyway) Hamill-homage in what is otherwise a fully imagined Character who is instantly recognizable as one of many iterations but at the same time outclasses them all.  The high-level narrative and dialogue stuff, the stuff they create for him to do, I mean, is all great.  And then Monaghan brings this manic A++ game to the table and blows it out of the water.  Best Joker performance?  Arguably so, especially when you consider

JEREMIAH VELASKA because this kid can’t stop having stellar Joker performances.  He’s like, two and a half, three of the best Joker performances on the books.  Jeremiah’s distinct visual style, the characterization, AGAIN with the obfuscated we-are-legion origin story hocow.  NO COMPLAINTS HERE.

Anyway so if that’s what we get in return for sending Fish Mooney through a narrative meat grinder, then I guess it’s an even trade.

Pengiun.  What to say about Penguin.  I loved what they gave him in season two, a ton of character stuff because his plot stuff of rags to riches had played itself out.  I felt real bad for his mom, but I really liked that he went and made himself mayor, and even while his story arcs tend to go riches to rags and back again, it’s never not a pleasure watching him claw his way up to where he thinks he ought to be.

For the most part they do a good job stringing together these different Protagonist story-groups, keeping in mind that most of these groups serve mainly as antagonists amongst themselves (when they’re not being buddy-buddy to serve some winding end).  So when you get the villain!Antagonists you can really tell the difference.  I got a little yawny while we were setting up Fries, and by the time we finally locked Tetch up for good I was very grateful.  These will never be main characters and the show knows it and wants you to know it, too.  So while they’re the main on-screen villain, it can get a little stale because the same effort isn’t being put into their lasting appeal.

Um.  Jim Gordon.  Another thing I liked about season four was a strong return to GCPD bidniss.  Season two there was a lot of GCPD, but with Captain Barnes and the strike force and Galavan, so it was a completely different narrative animal than what Gordon was throwing down with in season one.  Then Gordon goes to prison and after that he doesn’t go back to GCPD until well into season three, and by then the story’s about Mario and Tetch and Lee and omg I forgot about Valerie Vale until this very moment whoops.

As was hinted in the season one finale, Jim Gordon went on a very twisty path through the mud before he figured himself out again.  Killing Galavan was like WHAT JIMBOY and that wasn’t even the worst of it.  What I liked most about his stint as a PI was the character’s eventual acceptance that the law isn’t the be all and end all of righteousness, and that there are other means available when enforcing peace and justice.  Not necessarily by killing every evil mayor you come across with your own two hands, but the eye-opening to the virtues of vigilantism is super important when you realize he’s going to be Batman’s main ally down the line and this time in his life is going to be what ultimately allows the future police commissioner to legitimize this kind of shadowy ninja behavior.

Anyway, in season four, Jim kind of comes back to roost at the GCPD, and finally ousting Bullock as Captain was rough but obviously warranted, and with only one season left that was a good time to do it.  Harper was a nice addition and I’d like to see more of her as a standalone character.  (Similarly, Fox has fit in nicely with the cops, but I’m not overly hankering to see more of his day to day antics.) 

What was my real point?  I really liked the Gordon vs the GCPD dynamics of season one, and while obviously that’s not a story you can tell forever, it did inform the sense that the police force is a living entity that can serve you very well if it trusts you, but before that can happen you really have to jump on its back and break its will LOL.

Also, remember Renee Montoya and Harvey Dent?  Yeah, I don’t either.

SO BRUCE WAYNE, MY FRIENDS.

Gotham is my very most favorite Bruce Wayne story, and much as Batman: TAS is my forever-reference for most Batmany things, Gotham is going to be my heart-canon for Bruce Wayne origins.

It’s one thing to say, “ok so this rich kid watches his parents get murdered in an alley, and from this moment on he vows to do something about it and makes himself a master detective/martial artist who puts on a mask and a cape and runs around at night smashing thugs’ heads in for justice” like it’s a foregone conclusion, a straight-forward A-to-B process, and a wholly other thing to show us, step by step, how he learns to become the thing we all know he’s going to become.

In season one he was this quiet, morose but driven child who didn’t know what to do with this crisis he’d been handed.  He’s a kid who sits in a pool with his whole clothes on, trying to hold his breath for as long as possible because he has no idea how else to become better prepared for handling his issues.  But he has Selina and he has Alfred and he has Fox and he has Jim Gordon, and he will have the Court of Owls and the Valeskas and Ra’s al Ghul who will all play a part in handing him pieces of himself until he has a full set.

He started with this strong sense of right and wrong, a deeply seated desire to put his talents and his money to some sort of use, an earnest diligence towards bettering himself in all ways, and little by little he gets shown just how much of a fragile and defenseless baby he is.  That time Alfred accidentally-on-purpose clobbered him in the eye -- that was the moment Bruce found out they’d all been pulling their punches with him and that he still had so so so far to go.

Of course, at the particular moment, he was going through a well-earned rebel without a cause phase (which will do him well when he calls on those behaviors for the benefit of a wider audience), so I don’t think that realization hit him at the time.  BUT I NOTICED.  Sure he’s got a bulletproof suit and he can look Jim Gordon straight in the eye now and he can fling himself off rooftops like a champ (and when Alfred gave him the keys to the Batmobile I cried a little), but he’s no Batman.  Not yet.  Not quite yet.

But you can see without a shadow of a doubt that he’s gonna be!  Instead of this “Bruce Wayne woke up as Batman” story, we get a look at all the day by day choices and experiences that inform, shape, and depend on Bruce Wayne’s core identity and the way that they will collectively create Batman.

Now, David Mazouz may not have the character acting chops of a Pinkett-Smith or a Taylor or a Monaghan, and he may not be as comfortable living in a everyday character like Pertwee and Logue do so effortlessly, but there’s a steeliness a Bruce Wayne should have, a hauntedness, an idealistness, that Mazouz emotes in spades.  Sometimes his Bruce Wayne does a stunt or pulls a pose that Mazouz KNOWS is Batman territory, and while his awareness of “I’m doing a cool thing look at me doing it” is a little distracting--it’s also SUPER EFFECTIVE and I fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

I’ve always been one of those fans who’s way more interested in the lives and characters of the secret identities (compared to the heroics of the super identities) so hot diggity dog is this the show for me.  All Bruce Wayne all the time.  When we he does put on the mask, it’s all the more powerful for knowing who exactly is wearing it and what’s driving him to do these borderline insane things.

Not 100% sold on Ra’s’ “I saw this in a dream” strong-arm prophecy, feeling like it steps on four years of Bruce Wayne’s self-determination.  Not 100% on how they introduced him and his aims and his baffling reincarnation(s).  But I am 100% on the pronunciation of “Ra’s” because I’m aware that Kevin Conroy et al figured it out somewhere between TAS and Arkham Asylum, but it’s something that they never quite got in Arrow.  (Oliver consistently uses “raysh” but everyone else is a grab bag between that and “rawz”.)

For that matter, David Mazouz consistently pronounces Ra’s with two syllables, so there’s also that.  Wait, hold on.  In Gotham they also draw a hard line between Ra’s al Ghul, the man, and “the demon’s head,” some sort of mystical power of time travel and flashlightiness.  Give one point to Arrow for not being that bizarre.

Long story short, the shot at the finale where Gordon’s waiting on the GCPD rooftop with the spot light and Bruce Wayne stalks up behind him was BEAUTIFUL.  (They also did the thing some episodes earlier where Bruce peaces out on Gordon when Gordon’s mid-sentence with his back turned and I laughed a lot)

Looking forward to their take on No Man’s Land.  Here’s a short story for you at the end of this long story:

One time I was reading No Man’s Land volume by volume from the library.  It was tough because I checked the first time and they had the full set, but then you never knew that the next one was going to be available when you went in for it.

So I get out of the car one day and look there’s a quarter on the ground.  Neat.  It’s mine now!

Going into the library, there was a cart of used books for sale by the door.  25 cents each.  Hell, I’ve got a quarter now, let’s see what they got.

What they got is the No Man’s Land novelization.  For 25 cents, or, in my case, free.

So I read that instead, and turned out I liked it way better than the source comics.  I have a hard time reading comics?  I tend to not look at the pictures, and certain art styles aren’t my jam.  Also when it comes to narrative capabilities, there are different tools and effects inherent to each form, and I appreciated the literary treatment and the internal voice it brought to the table that the comics couldn’t.

Also the author said in the note that his method was to sit down and jam out minimum 2000 words a day and that’s still a feat I admire.

Anyway, that’s my long winded take on Gotham.  Not perfection, but certainly a respectable and authoritative representation of a subject matter we all know and love.  I give it my second favorite Batman portrayal (behind Kevin Conroy and above Adam West) and my absolute favorite live-action Bruce Wayne, hands down.