#now i can continue the killer comic--

[swiftmitsu]

It's FINALLY DONE GUYS. HOLLY SHIT

hope you guys enjoy ehehe

[signanothername]

I just got the idea of like, Killer's SOUL being able to hypnotize, if only briefly- idk I thought you'd enjoy this idea

Oooh I absolutely do enjoy this idea omg

And I can actually see it happening ngl, the way his soul seems to gently and continuously move, I can see it happening on stage 2 specifically but never any other stage, cause his soul moves too aggressively on stages 3 and 4 and is almost completely still on stage 1 (and I like to think any movement it has on stage one resembles the beat of a heart)

Stage 2 tho? His soul moves in a gentle slow circular motion, and I feel like if someone does look at at for a bit, it would cause them to completely lose their sense of reality around them

There’s this one comic, in which Swap Chara, immediately noticed and felt Killer’s soul, and was even in pain cause of it, this is obviously cause they’re Chara, different universe or not, that bond will always be there, but what I find most fun about it, is the fact Chara felt the intent, felt the danger from Killer way before meeting him in person, without even realizing that this is Killer’s soul at first until they felt it, not only that, but how they say it, “his soul. His mind.” They felt his mind, *shakes you*, they felt his mind

Not only that, but the panel with his soul’s light, lighting up his chest, it feels like an aura of its own of sorts, and it makes sense for his soul to have an aura, even for a small range

And it makes me wonder if people hypnotized by his soul would feel the danger and intent too, would know they’re in danger but can’t do anything to prevent it

Also can you imagine whoever gets hypnotized maybe could end up hearing and listening to what Killer hears on a daily basis? The laughter, the comments, the endless overlapping voices, not that Killer is aware of them getting a glimpse into his mind (otherwise he’d make sure they never get hypnotized shgdgd)

it’d be really fun if it’s unintentional even, and only happens for a few minutes tops, it’s just happens and Killer picks up on it after a few times, on how in certain circumstances his soul can hypnotize people briefly, and Killer takes advantage of it, says some creepy shit about how they should just focus on his voice and let themselves go

Like I can see Killer brushing it off the first time it happens, he notices, he’s intrigued, but the person snaps back to reality before Killer is sure, and Killer just brushes it off as his mind making things up, then it happens again, and a third time, and so he’s sure now, and he just takes advantage of it, especially when he needs info

He might even trick someone into observing his soul when he wants to hypnotize them, hold it gently and talk about it, show it to them, etc (even when I think that Killer usually would rather no one focuses on his soul much)

Not that he needs to most of the time, as people who never met him before would immediately take notice of it, cause not everyone has their soul out in the open like that, but people who already know him might not look at his soul cause they already know of it, it’s not news to them, so Killer takes steps to make them fall into hypnosis

I like to think that if this is truly the case, it only works on certain people than others, not everyone gets hypnotized, not necessarily because they’re immune, but because either the person feels themselves getting hypnotized way before they actually do and so they opt to not look at Killer’s soul directly, or maybe they are truly immune for whatever reason, either way, really fun :)

[shushmal]

merman steve pt 2

a continuation of this for @spectrum-spectre, now with some pre-steddie~!

Henderson is skulking around in the cereal aisle when Eddie spots him.

The kid has been a bit of enigma to Eddie since he met him at the beginning of last fall semester. Dustin had a tight group of friends, but often times, he caught the gang of them sans Henderson and the fact seemed to annoy the hell out of them.

"He just goes off on on his own sometimes," Baby Beyers would say.

"He won't tell anyone where or why or with who," Mini Wheeler would snarl.

"And it's definitely not to talk to his girlfriend, because we hear ALL about that," Big Sinclair would sigh, rolling his eyes.

So catching kid creeping around the grocery store minus the rest of his party, after hearing many complains of his mysterious disappearances? Color Eddie intrigued.

"Hendersooon," Eddie sang, wrapping an arm around Dustin's neck to keep him from escaping. "Whatcha doing?"

"Eddie!" he said brightly, grinning at him. "Just buying some snacks. Hey, which cereal do you think a fish can eat?"

Eddie stares at him for a moment, blinking. "Uh..."

Henderson's face scrunches up. "I guess he's not really a fish though, so I'll try whatever." He grabs a box of Honey Combs from the shelf.

"Dude, are you keeping a sea turtle at your house again? You know that's illegal."

"No!" Henderson snaps, flushing. "And I was going to take Dart back after show and tell, I had already promised Steve!"

"Steve?" That was a new name. Eddie hadn't heard Henderson talk about a Steve before, and the guy was kind of a motormouth and a terrible liar. The only time Eddie had seen him actually avoid a topic was when his little disappearing acts were brought up. "Who's Steve?"

Henderson's eyes go comically wide. "No-one! I don't know any Steves!"

Eddie knew at least three Steves, and two were in Henderson's grade. "Uh-huh."

"Anyways," Dustin says, clutching the box of Honey Combs to his chest as he backs down the aisle. "I gotta go man, nice seeing you, bye!"

Bemused, Eddie watches him go. He's planning to give Henderson a five minute head start before he goes to tail him, but apparently, he needn't to have planned a stake out after all. Henderson finds him again, two aisles over, panting and red-faced.

"Actually, can you give me a ride?"

🧜‍♂️

"Eddie," Henderson says, voice even more serious and deadly than the time the party took on Vecna last month during their campaign. "I need you to swear that you will never, ever tell anyone about what I'm going to show you."

Eddie cocks a brow at him. "Is this a drugs thing? Dude, you—"

"No!" Henderson snaps. "This is not a drug thing! This is a very serious life and death thing, and I need you to swear on you life you won't tell anyone about it."

"Dude," Eddie says, a little in awe. He stares out his windshield for a moment where they're still parked just outside of town. He can hear sounds of the ocean just past the ridge, waves crashing on the cliffs. It's a remote little area, opposite of the tourist favored beaches. Eddie, in fact, deals just a few miles down the shoreline from here. "Did you bring me out here to kill me? Are you the world's dorkiest serial killer?"

"Eddie." Eddie turns to look at him. His face is grave, brows furrowed with real worry. "I'm serious."

"Okay... Okay, then."

"You have to swear."

"I swear."

And just like that, Henderson's face breaks into a bright smile. "I knew I could trust you!" he crows, grabbing up his bag from the store and kicking open his door.

Eddie stumbles out of his van after him, listening intently as they pick their way over the rocks.

"He's so cool, Eddie, you're going to love him. He totally saved my life when I was like ten and I got pulled out on a rip tide. Like, I really almost died dude and then he just swims up out of no where and helps me catch my breath. Helps me float there while I'm freaking out too until the life guard finally came out to get me. It was crazy! I come out here all the time to visit him, I think he gets a little lonely. So it's good you're here, I've been trying to think of someone else to introduce him to, but it's hard to figure out who's going to freak out and try to sell him to Sea World, or something."

They crest over the hill to a tiny little cove bitten out of the rocky shore, and carefully begin to make their way back down to the water's edge. Eddie's still not entirely sure Henderson hasn't brought him here to die. Maybe Steve is the serial killer and he uses Henderson as bait.

"Okay, okay," Dustin says, once they reach the water. It's calmer here, the cliffs cutting this spot off from the larger waves. "Are you ready to see the coolest thing EVER?"

"Uh, sure, kid—"

Eddie doesn't get the chance to finish his sentence when he starts yelling.

"STEVE THIS IS EDDIE I BROUGHT HIM TO MEET YOU I PROMISE IT'S SAFE!"

"Jesus Christ," Eddie hisses, covering his ears. The lungs on this kid! "What the fuck dude— WHAT THE FUCK!!"

Because when he looks down, there is a face in the water. Eddie falls back on his ass, uncaring of the water soaking his jeans, and screams when the face in the water rises up out the ocean.

It looks pissed.

"Dustin," it says, glaring at Eddie. Eddie screams again, because it—the guy—the mermaid lifts himself fully onto the rocks, and he doesn't have any legs. Because he has a fucking tail.

A fucking fish tail.

"Steve!" Dustin cheers. "You came out."

"You sure?" the goddamn mermaid asks, finally taking his piercing, alien eyes off of Eddie to look at him. "Sure it safe?"

"Absolutely," Dustin says hastily, crouching beside Eddie to put his hands on his shoulders. "Eddie just screams a lot, I promise you, he's totally safe."

"R-Right," Eddie says, because he does not want to be eaten. Maybe Dustin's been dragging unsuspecting victims here to feed his pet goddamn mermaid instead of a serial killer. "Totally safe, that's me."

Steve, the goddamn fucking mermaid, looks him up and down doubtfully, and it's terrifying having those eyes on him, unnaturally yellow surrounded by black. His face is distressingly human, nose and mouth and ears with a mop of dark hair on his head. He has these bright shimmering scales across his cheekbones that dot down his jaw and neck, iridescent and glimmering in the afternoon sun. Eddie can't bring himself to look down further, scared and enraptured all at once.

Steve is terrifying and beautiful to look at.

"Fine," says Steve and pushes himself gracefully back into the water, disappearing into the dark depths.

"What the fuck," Eddie breathes. He looks up at Dustin with wide eyes. "Dude, what the fuck."

Dustin just grins down at him. "Isn't he the coolest?!"

[frank-a-mori-son]

The End of an Era

So as many have most likely concluded, this blog is no longer active - I have loved the time spent with it and all the fun thats been had, but I simply do not have the drive to continue with it, not only have I buckled under the strain of a few medical issues, but I am simply not into DBD that much any longer. However, I will let the blog stay up for those who'll enjoy it, I am still very much active on my twitter (LadyNinaDraws, an 18+ blog). I also wanted to wrap things up somewhat, as to the story of the characters.

And that mainly focuses on Danny, my Ghostface - His canon ending was always to overthrow the Entity and take its powers for himself, ascending into an Eldritch being and taking over the Fog where he'd keep select Killers and add more to his collection over time. He'd even keep some survivors but offer the remaining ones a chance to go home, all they had to do was sign over their souls to him once they perished in their worlds. This would mean everyone returned to the point of which they left, seperating Frank and Quentin, who'd then try and find a way to re-unite across the multi-universes.

Which was were that one comic I tried to make was leading to.

But now yall can only get to appreciate some Danny art I never posted XD

THANK YOU! For everything <3

[gillanfryingpan]

For The Forgotten Ones is completed, I haven’t read the final chapter yet because I wanted to finish this first

Buddy thank you so much for this wonderful story, I know I keep saying it but it genuinely changed my life. I hadn’t been in the Undertale fandom since about 2017, it was my first fandom experience so it was very special to me, but I left it far behind. at the start of this year I stumbled upon Calcium-cat’s comic based on the first chapter, and I found my way to this fic and read I think seven chapters in one night LOL. I had to stop because it was so late, but afterwards I sat in the dark of my room and just, felt. this fic felt like the peak of the old Undertale fandom, it was almost overwhelming (in the best way). all these emotions and this energy that I hadn’t felt in years all came rushing back it was like magic. like rediscovering the meaning of life. I know that sounds ridiculous and cheesy but Undertale genuinely made me who I am, it was my first fandom, drew my first fanart and wrote my first fan fiction and went to my first con and made friends and discovered this whole community that made me feel like me. and this story is interwoven with all of that. it feels like Home.

because of this fic I gained the motivation to create SO MUCH art, my skills have developed so much and I genuinely love my art now when I didn’t really before. I’ve found my style bc of you :) I’ve also gained an actual following now that continues to grow which is a dream come true since I first joined the internet. and I’ve made so many wonderful friends, I’ve got a group that came together bc of this fic and they’re all such wonderful people that I may never have met otherwise.

I’ve still got so many screenshots and ideas to draw for this fic so I’ll be appreciating it for a long time still, but this is a thank you, a gift and an appreciation for all that you’ve done. you consistently uploaded a sizeable chapter EVERY WEEK which is INSANE, your dedication is so inspiring. you created a beautiful world and characterized all these popular characters so well, especially when mischaracterizations have become the fandom canon atp (looks at Swap Sans,,,) you did so much. you created a family we all adored, we laughed and cried and prayed and joked and created this wonderful community within a wonderful community just to appreciate your words. truly effing masterful. I love For The Forgotten Ones, I will print it out into a book someday soon, to put it on my shelf where I can see it always. Thank you thank you thank you I’ve said so many words and still I feel I have not expressed the depths of my feelings

oh well

I gotta post this sometime lol

ok bye :) 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

(and to anyone else who reads this, this art is also going to be my dtiys event but I’ll make a separate post for that !!!! it’ll be going on until the end of November)

For The Forgotten Ones by Im_Sorry_Buddy

Ink!Sans and Aster by @comyet

Nightmare!Sans and Dream!Sans by @jokublog

Geno!Sans and Error!Sans by @loverofpiggies

Killer!Sans by @rahafwabas

Cross!Sans by @jakei95

Blue/Swap!Sans by p0pcornpr1nce

Dust/Murder!Sans and Phantom!Papyrus by @ask-dusttale

Horror!Sans by @horrortalecomic (Sour-Apple-Studios)

[howlsofbloodhounds]

can I get a in depth information on the reward system that nightmare and Chara use against killer? Like what are the rewards and what are the punishments

I haven’t thought out all the details, as it’s not exactly a firmly canon thing, so take this with a grain of salt as it is 3 am thoughts.

but with the human, I do think they utilized Undertale’s game mechanics against him. Resets, True Resets, Erase, the concept of “bad” and “good” endings—using them as punishments, rewards, promises, threats.

(The “you don’t want another Bad Ending, do you, Sans?” from the Chara in the head. Evidently he’s still living by these rules, even under Nightmare.)

And the usual things for rewards, like praise, comfort, allowed to have rests and breaks, allowed to keep and have something of papyrus or engage in old sans like hobbies and behaviors for a moment. Playing games, learning new things, getting to decide how they kill and torture someone today.

Other punishments like being given gifts or having them destroyed and taken away, being triggered into Stage 1 or higher Stages as punishment.

Perhaps played around with stats, made him stronger or weaker whenever he did or didn’t do something.

If he attempts to get close to anyone, seems to be thinking he can change on his own terms, seems a little too spiteful and angry, tries to rebuild or reconnect with papyrus, then boom. Reset. Eventually. Even if we wait to see how it plays out for a good few in game months. Either way all progress will be Reset.

Only he remembers this now. No one else does, even Chara says it didn’t happen. Was it even real? Does it matter? (Surely someone else must remember. They don’t. They aren’t real. They’re not supposed to remember. They don’t matter.)

Making him repeat everything over and over if he fails or hesitates, if he tries to fight back or hide or run, if he tries to spare or show mercy to anyone. Showing him what reality is really. A game, controlled by another.

Maybe Erasure of the world was sometimes used as a promise. Either of erasing the world and moving on to the next, to something new, or as an end to his suffering and breaking the cycle. (Would explain why he immediately rushed to trying to Erase himself as soon as he was in Stage 1 and had the means to make it permanent. Potentially be forgotten entirely. At least then he won’t be trying to destroy everything and everyone else.)

But more often than not True Reset was probably used to threaten to erase Killer—going back to being Sans, even if that’s eventually what killer (Stage 1) comes want.

With Nightmare he learns his right to exist also hinges on being useful. If he’s any way inconvenient or useless, he gets either discarded with no purpose, or repeatedly killed until he accepts it and gives up and allows himself to die. Then he is replaced.

The exacts of this depends on the nightmare. We know he doesn’t want Killer to kill anyone like he’s been conditioned to (Stage 4), but it’s not like that’s something Killer can just unlearn because Nightmare doesn’t want him to. He’s gonna have to make Killer learn to play by his rules.

Rewards and punishments is likely still aligned with whatever the “player” wants in large part as he views it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Killer (Stage 2) views Nightmare as yet another one of our puppets, following his code—just doing what he’s supposed to do—so he probably assumes some of the same rules still apply—even if he was probably overwhelmed with confusion about why we wanted him to kill before, but suddenly now it’s a thing he shouldn’t do, worthy of punishment.

(Which could explain his confusion and uncharacteristic outburst of frustration/emotion in that one comic where Nightmare called him back from continuing to fight the Stars.)

[mozzeralla-stix]

Worried

Hi! So, I haven't written any sort of fan fiction in like 4+ years. Recently, I've gotten back into The Walking Dead and decided I wanted to try to write a Carl x Reader short! So here it is.

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

Fluff, No Y/N, No gendered pronouns, No TW

The smell of the forest is welcoming considering the usual odors that violate my pallet. I pay close attention to the crunch of the leaves as I pace myself on my trip- I need to ensure no walkers are around, at least any that could tear into my flesh. I feel the weight of my bag begin to sprout an ache in my right shoulder: Carl was right, I should have packed lighter for this run.  

Rick requested that I make the trek to the convenience store a few miles away for some medical supplies: bandages, pain killers, pre-natal meds, etc. I am not too keen on going on trips alone as I certainly don’t have the best aim out of everyone in Alexandria- yet Rick insisted it would be a good learning opportunity for survival and getting used to the surrounding area. Carl honestly had more protests than I did, worrying about me getting bit or running into trouble. 

My mind begins to wander towards Carl, thinking about the past few years of our kinship. We met at the prison, my mother and I had been searching desperately for aid or shelter and we took notice of the slight changes to the courtyard. Thankfully, Rick noticed us and welcomed us with open arms. Considering Carl was the only other kid my age we began to become close friends. We would talk for hours about our lives before the walkers appeared, our favorite comics, our distaste for certain canned goods that we had to eat. Him and I became inseparable. We especially bonded when the prison collapsed. In all of the chaos, my mother got bitten and didn't make it. It felt like no one could ever understand the pain I felt, until Carl stood by my side and shared his own experience. We began to be strong support systems for each other, always going to the other when we were upset. He was- and still is- the only person in the world that I could call my best friend. I’ve seen him grow into the amazing and caring person he is now. He isn't too bad looking either- I'm surprised he hasn't hit it off with Enid after all this time. 

I slowly refocus my thoughts and realize the sun is beginning to set. The sky is slowly turning into blissful purple and pink hues, dancing off of the few clouds in the sky. Looking at my map, I realize that I won't reach Alexandria before it gets dark. Of course, the one thing I didn't pack was a flashlight. I glance back at the map and see a little house icon drawn in red that isn't too far from here. I decide it’s best to settle there for the night and stray from my path. As the night only gets darker the lump in my throat becomes more difficult to swallow. Each of my footsteps feel louder than the last as the silence of the forest fills my ears. Just as the moon begins to peak from behind the tall trees, I find myself standing in front of a small, wooden cabin. I raise my pistol and open the door, preparing for the worst. Thankfully, I am not met with any groaning or oozing, blood ridden rotting flesh. I continue into the cabin and light a nearby candle with a match, bringing a soft warmth to the main room. I search the rest of the cabin, ultimately finding nothing but an old bed and some canned food. I finally release the bag from my shoulder and rub the aching area with my palm, attempting to soothe the dull sting. Now that I'm in a safe area, I feel my body begin to slip into exhaustion and allow the day to seep into my muscles. I find myself plopping onto the mattress, slowly drifting off into the cold surroundings of sleep. 

...knock knock knock 

I am pulled from sleep by a light knocking on the window, slowly turning my sleepiness into downright panic. The moment my eyes are fully opened, I jump from the bed in fear and grab my pistol. While it is uncommon for a single walker to break any sort of window or door- you can never be too sure. I slowly place one foot in front of the other as I make my way to the window, slightly covered by a tethered curtain. I fill my lungs with air and grab hold of the curtain, swiftly pulling it to the side to reveal what grueling monster could possibly be bothering me in the middle of the night. To my surprise, I am met with shaggy brown hair and an infamous cowboy hat rather than a walker begging to take my life away. I grab ahold of the small handle attached to the window and pull, allowing Carl to climb himself into the room. 

“Carl! What are you doing here? How did you even find me?”  

Carl gave a small sigh and rolled his eyes in playful annoyance. “I've been your best friend for years by now, you really think I don't know what you do when you're panicked? Plus, I got worried; you were supposed to be back by sunset.” Carl says, furrowing his brows at the last part with a mix of concern and curiosity. I stare at him with a tired gaze and feel a bit of shame creep up my neck- I probably worried quite a few people. 

“Well, the trip took a lot longer than I thought it would, and there was no way I would be caught alone with a walker at night.” Carl gives a small nod of understanding as I stare into his eyes. I find his care for me adorable; he is always worried if I am okay. Even better, I can see it clear as day in his iris's anytime he is worried. I suddenly feel a pair of arms wrap around my torso, engulfing me in warmth and comfort. I let out a breath of relief and put my arms around his neck, squishing my face on his chest. I allow myself to stand there for a moment- taking everything about him in. The warmth his body generates, his rhythmic heartbeat, his hands drawing small circles on my back, and how good he somehow smells in an apocalypse. I feel his arms begin to move away, and his hands trail their way up to my shoulders- holding me gently in place. He lifts my chin to ensure I'm looking him in his beautiful eyes. 

“Y’know, I was seriously worried about you. I'm so happy you're safe. I could never live without you. Honestly, I-” Carl cuts himself off before he can finish his sentence, clearly nervous about what was going to come out of his mouth. I cock one eyebrow up to show my confusion, and Carl lets out a soft sigh.  

“I- well- I love you. I have for so long and I just never knew how to tell you. I wouldn't go outside the walls this late at night for anyone else.” As the words leave his lips, I feel my heart sputter and my soul fill with joy. I look at him with awe and I can't stop myself from grinning like an idiot. Once he notices my expression, Carl rolls his eyes at me and grabs the back of my head, gently putting me towards him. Our lips connect softly, and I can feel my pulse speed up. I wrap my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, and I feel him smile at the action. We continue with the sweet, innocent kisses and pecks until I whimper at the feeling of his tongue swiping at my bottom lip. I'm hesitant at first, but the burning in my chest soon overwhelms my nerves and I slightly open my mouth, allowing him to deepen our kiss even further. I feel his tongue gently enter my mouth, creating electric shocks that run throughout my body. I moan even more, and he lightly giggles at how noisy I'm being. We begin to become more in tune with each other, slowly developing a steady rhythm and dance between us. He moves his hands down to my hips and pulls me closer to him, wanting to be as close to me in this moment as physically possible. I happily accept the physical contact and begin to setting my fingers in his curly hair. He makes a soft noise as a reaction to my small pulls and scratches on his scalp. We both begin to get quite heated and start panting. Our kisses become rougher with each second that passes by and there is an undeniable tightness sealing itself in the low depths of my abdomen. Deciding to be a little testy, I grab a sizable portion of his hair and pull with much more force than before- causing him to moan into my mouth. I feel my cheeks begin to radiate a glowing heat at the noise, and Carl pulls away from my lips, eliciting a small whine from me. He grabs my chin lightly and forces my eyes up to his, only making my cheeks burn even brighter.  

“I love you so goddamn much.” 

“I love you too.” 

I feel him pull me into an embrace again, pulling apart only to lie me down on the bed. He pushes my back against his waist until he spoons me, helping me in feeling so very sleepy again. With the safety of his arms, I begin to drift off again... 

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I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave any feedback or comments! Maybe a part 2??

[dailycass-cain]

So on January 26th yesterday,  I looked into how the comics had Cass combat her disability in Dyslexia being not able to read and relate words vocally. 

What worked, what didn't, and which era handled the progression better.

At the very core of her very first appearance in Batman #567 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Barbara Gordon is trying to help Cassandra overcome her disability.  And it is her first words spoken that give her father David Cain pause.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #2 gives us the first look into how Cass really doesn't fully care about learning in either study instead focusing on her new vigilante life. That is until running into Robinson and learning WHY words and writing truly matter.

#5 has her run across a metahuman who has mental abilities and because of those rewires her brain to have the capacity to understand.

It's a cheap copout for sure.  But it gives Cass a voice in her mind along with the capacity to speak better.  Bad news? It screws up her abilities and how her mind was originally wired.

This leads into #6-9 basically being how Cass can get her ability to read body language and learn with the added bonus of her mind continuing to be the way it is.  Enter Lady Shiva who gives her this, but at a price aka the crux of what will lead into Batgirl #25.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #20 written by Chuck Dixon (art still by Scott). Where Cass comes to a drop man who's murdered before he can deliver a ransom. Her lack of being able to read leads her to seek out--

-- one Stephanie Brown aka Spoiler.  I think at this point the reason Cass went to Steph was that she was afraid Babs would lecture her on neglecting her reading lessons (which she would later on).

Tim Drake, she had just fully befriended (#18), but he was close to Babs. So Cass probably figured he accidentally let slip this and she'd be in trouble. Steph wouldn't she was on the outside from the Bat Family (at this time).

The issue does promise of Cass in attaining another reading teacher (which pays off in the most weirdest place, Convergence: Batgirl #1), but this plot point goes nowhere here. Cass/Steph's friendship would intensify for the next ten issues (#21, 26-28).

For the most part, we don't really get to see fully Cass try and fight her Dyslexia again until the Dylan Horrocks' run with #51 where we learn HOW Cass is expanding her word vocabulary via TV but neglecting on reading.

This bit reads its crux with the infamous #54 (i.e. the one that causes Cass/Babs to fracture away from one another).

In the issue, Cass has to deal with a killer robot that's taking out any place that has a copy of a book that has the codeword to shut it down. We learn during the fight, Cass has been neglecting her studies in reading.  Again with the infamous page:

Now Horrocks did this because he was ordered to write Babs off this title (Birds of Prey, the comic Babs was primarily in would be eventually moving away from Gotham). It was the first of that would make the writer leave the comic (and DC Comics altogether).

Regardless again the way the case rattled Cass enough to think about it all and work back into trying to read.

If there was instant positive of writer Andersen Gabrych when he began his run. He made sure this was a reoccurring plot point THROUGHOUT his run starting with #58.

By giving Cass her own diary it enables her better way to try and combat her disability. Along with in the very same issue, Cass trying to actively read a book for the first time on page.

The diary motif would be a hallmark of Gabrych's entire run with the book. So I'm not gonna post every entry. But I think that's why I really loved those first few issues because he covered ALL corners with the character. 

 You saw it all.

Never once did Gabrych use behind the issues trick. This was a struggle for Cass. I think it better helped resonate the character with readers by doing so. It also went down an angle that was different than Puckett and felt like the better next step from what was built on prior.

Course Cass would still have her bad habits of being an avid TV watcher. So the balance of her trying and struggling was a nice touch.

This came to an ironic fully circle with #67 with Babs returning (for one issue) in the comic and the pair hashing out their differences and mending. But it also reveals a further reason why Babs really wants Cass to learn to read. Again, this is probably the best reason.

She knows Cass wants to be Bruce's heir and be Batman. She knows the only way to fully be that is to get fully conquer her disability. And for the second time in her ongoing we get a look in how Cass's brain was wired from her learning from her father and the metahuman.

And we get the clearest answer how Cass's brain truly operates and why the usual methods in overcoming her disability in reading.

That's the final gift Gabrych gave us. 

A hope.

 A small faint hope that maybe Cass could learn with whatever writer would take on the character next. The only thing is even he couldn't anticipate what was to come...

Batgirl was canceled with #73 and well the next time we saw Cass and how this disability was handled came in Robin #148.

Alright, before I go into this portion. Newly minted Robin writer (this was his first issue) Adam Beechen came into comics had zero idea of the character of Cassandra Cain, other than what he was told and found.

The DC Editors on Robin did not help him or assist him. They gave him an edict... and he did that edict without question. The result....

Was this INFAMOUS page from Robin #149. Cassandra Cain the character who had the disability of Dyslexia somehow was able to learn another entire language.

That's not even going with the OTHER problem Robin OYL gave us with Cass (but that's an entirely ANOTHER issue). Regardless after the story arc, Beechen (and DC) realized just how badly he screwed up.

Course, the entirety on HOW Cass was suddenly able to learn an entire language with how her brain understood information. Yeah, this was a plot thread nobody truly wanted to answer when the retcons began dropping after Cass's "EVIL" phase to fix it.

In fact, it was Beechen himself who addressed the issue in Batgirl Vol. 2 #1 amongst the CHUNKS of well exposition and history that was the mess DC made of the character from 2006-2007.

So all those issues Babs mentioned in #67? Cass and Alfred fixed them and for the entire MISSING YEAR Cass made great strides to overcome her disability. THAT'S how she was able to understand the Navajo language.

Look I get what Beechen was doing and I also get we were NEVER gonna get the missing stories to showcase that. But to see an entire character's journey in overcoming her disability fixed overnight?

Even with Beechen giving us a classmate in Sal (who's last name we NEVER learn, and is forgettable male love interest #3 for Cass) who gives us the promise of something we never get from the Vol. 1 ongoing. Because DC was gonna DC.

That's basically it for the original run for Cass. That it was a nice harrowing journey that had its bumps but the character was making great strides to be better. Then well the road bumps began to occur and yeah...

I'll give it to Beechen that he tried at the very least to fix the holes he himself caused. But... in the format given it's just crushing how this was fully handled in the end.

Sadly we got nothing more as DC really did a meh job for about five years? We did get this little nugget in Convergence: Batgirl #1 though (somehow connecting that line from waaaaaay back in Batgirl Vol. 1 #20)...

Which is shocking of all places for Cass trying to overcome her disability, Convergence: Batgirl #1 was not the place one ever would think to find that, but we had that surprisingly.

So when Cass was "reintroduced" into the DCU with Batman & Robin Eternal. A reset was in order and writers were allowed back to square one in how to deal with Cass handling her Dyslexia disability.

I will say this for James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder on how they handle putting a metahuman with mental abilities they just slot that character in #11 by introducing the Sculptor who basically fills the same void the meta in Batgirl Vol. 1 #5 did.

Much like the original metahuman, once this link is established Sculptor nopes her way out of the story and is never heard from again.

Which kind of surprises me, because it's something I figured Tynion would maybe address during his Detective Comics run (that had Cass in it) given how much in #11 and 12 establish the character and her origins. 

But nope. Nothing further.

So yeah, after this we got James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run that had Cass in it starting from #934-981.

Not surprisingly, Tynion really handled the whole disability issue well than those in the past with the constraints he had. Even more so Juggling multiple characters in this book and going down a better avenue than his predecessors.

And that all begins with #953 with Clayface (Basil Karlo) trying to comfort Cass after learning her mom is Lady Shiva.

By doing this. Tynion lays the seeds on how he'll deal with the issue on Cass combating her disability while also cementing the hallmark of this run, Clayface's rehabilitation and friendship with Cass.

#958 we see Basil teaching Cass Shakespeare by playing audio and having her learn to read and increase her vocabulary via that.

It's probably the best thing Tynion did character-wise with Cass by briefly showing us this but fully giving us a more plausible method than prior on how to deal with her disability.

The fact that this hits throughout this arc (as Cass quotes Shakespeare at a good moment) and is carried over until the very end of his run when Cass meets Barbara in #981.

This version of Cass is actively trying to combat her Dyslexia more than her prior versions, and this Cass is actively doing a better job. Even though we don’t get much Babs teaching Cass (though they do work together in the next arc after this that sets up Batman & the Outsiders). But that run doesn’t dig into Cass’s progress instead going into other routes to touch on with the character. 

Unlike what was carried over from Batgirl Vol. 1 to 2 (and between that) Cass has a more concrete subplot here. Where we can SEE and are TOLD of her progress.

That leads us into the current Batgirls ongoing. In #1. where this is a little bit lampshaded. As Cass uses a reading bag to combat criminals to retain stuff she/Steph had that was stolen.

A further bit of subplot is continued throughout and in #4 with Cass now ACTIVELY being a bookworm and reading works of Edgar Allen Poe.

Like it astonishes me that this element of the character has remained actually consistent from point A to B. But it's a nice contrast of things that creators at DC worked on better here than prior.

And no issue highlights that fight of Cass actively wanting to combat her dyslexia then "Sounds" from DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 by Mariko Tamaki and Marcus To.

It's why Tamaki just fully GETS the character of Cass not in every corner of the character.  Why many want the writer to handle the character again.

But Tamaki isn't the only one who did a good job in showcasing Cass fighting her disability and the one that does the best job is Shadow of the Batgirl graphic novel. Where writer Sarah Kuhn and artist Nicole Goux go both literally fighting her disability.

And her actively learning to read and increasing her vocabulary by hiding in the library was absolute perfection.

But it also is a nice avenue (and nod to the past) by focusing on a library since that's the location where Barbara Gordon teaches (and again a nice nod to that character's history too).

Quite literally...

That's another layer to why I adore that graphic novel. Just the layer of dimension to BOTH characters while it gives that nod to Babs, the story is clearly more Cass. 

 Again, Kuhn modernizes everything to perfection.

So there you have the history of Cass and her disability.  And my final gift on this day (which has now passed) to celebrate the character of Cassandra Cain.

[fictional-orphan-smackdown]

ROBIN VS. ROBIN, GO!

All propaganda and what each competitor is from under the cut

Dick Grayson (DC Comincs)

So a bunch of Robins are orphans or orphan adjacent but Dick has the strongest case in his birth parents, whom he was raised by, being very very dead. The kind of orphanhood that sticks in the characterization marrow. Plus in some versions he was carted off to the orphanage and everything, starting his "what if I fist-fought my parents' killer myself" arc early until Bruce ultimately decided to pluck him off his warpath and adopt him.

Dick Grayson is truly the orphan of all time not only is he the ward of another famous orphan (batman) but he really was able to surpass his mentor after being orphaned and used that anger towards his parents death to immediately start fighting crime under the Robin Moniker. The other orphans in dc wish they could do it like him. Plus his name is Dick which is objectively funny.

Dressing like a stoplight and kicking people in the face under a bat furry's direction was the MORE reasonable coping strategy than his original plan. Of singlehandedly taking down the entire mafia even though he was a baby.

Think Batman had issues? Well, consider what happens is he raises his mini-me. This guy is waaaayy too tactically driven and ambitious for a thirteen-year-old. And awesome. And the adult version is —- somebody append a photo.

Okay I submitted Bruce Wayne but like I can’t not submit my beloved boy as well! Anyway his parents have the nebulous honor of being so fucking dead, like literally never coming back to life ever. They died in that circus and the only time I can possibly think of them as ‘coming back’ in any way is in Darkest Night, where there were zombies everywhere. So even when they return to the story they’re still fucking dead! Anyway Dick is like super orphaned, I love him but you look at him and you know his parents are dead.

Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please

Trust me bro

Tim Drake (DC Comics)

An early reader-insert character, Tim had all the traits the average comics fan at the time wanted: money, martial arts skills, cool skateboard tricks, lots of girlfriends, secret knowledge about Batman and Robin. He volunteered to be Robin, because what comics fan wouldn't in his place? Continuing to be relatable, he's now bisexual, depressed, and living in a crappy apartment. Which is also a boat, because comics readers think it would be cool to live in a houseboat.

His biological mother, Janet Drake, was murdered in the carribean. In the same attack his biological father was hospitalized for injuries and in a coma. Janey Drake was buried on Christmas Eve. During the period that Jack Drake (his biological father) was in a coma he was temporarily under the care of Bruce Wayne. When Jack got out of the coma he was confined to a wheelchair while he went through physical therapy. He would meet his future second wife, Dana Winters through the physical therapy. The two would get married later, Tim having a good relationship with Dana. Her mediating between the father and son during some of the misunderstandings. Jack would find out that Tim was Robin, then realize Bruce Wayne was Batman, threaten Bruce with a gun, and order Tim to quit being Robin. Though later, Tim would get approval from his father to be Robin again and the two would start improving their father son relationship. During the event of identity crisis Tim's indenture would be at stake and Captian Boomerrang would break into the Drake's house and murder Jack just as Tim arrived. Tim having heard his last words over Comms. His stepmother Dana Winters would be hospitalized in Bludhaven for the mental trauma this inflicted on her, and would soon find herself a victim when Bludhaven was bombed/nuked. Tim would then be adopted by Bruce. Though in 2008 Bruce would be supposedly killed by an Omega Beam, leaving 17 year old Tim as a three times over orphan. Though Tim didn't believe Bruce to actually be dead, but lost in the timestream and would go on a Brucequest to get him back. On this trip he would lose his spleen, and nearly die multiple times.

Doomed by the narrative to become an orphan. Tim had a good thing going for a while, but after he started getting involved with the Bats, his life went downhill from there. He became Robin on the day of his mother's funeral. (I should note that the racism I mentioned in her cause of death is that the person who kills her is an awful racist caricature, NOT that she's canonically a POC.) From there, he spent a while balancing Batman (mentor) and his biological father (who was rendered comatose in the incident that killed his mother, but woke up not long after). Both the Robins that came before him were orphaned. As one Tumblr user put it: while Tim Drake managed to beat the odds and remain not an orphan, eventually, the writers succumbed to the calls of orphanhood. His father dies after he finds out Tim's identity, and it is because he knows the secret that he is ultimately targeted and dies. In the aftermath, Tim attempts to get revenge by assassinating the culprit, but ultimately is unable to betray his personal values and go through with it. He has one of the more realistic parent-child relationships among the Bats because it is down to earth in spite of the eventual doom. Really, it comes down to this: Robin isn't just Batman's sidekick, he's Batman's child. And that meant it was only a matter of. time before Tim Drake was orphaned

[wintersettled]

Ongoing Batfam recs

disclaimer! this is being written primarily off the top of my head so don't expect insane quality! also I'm aware a lot of people aren't sure where to start or what's current -- for that I recommend looking through reading guides but I thought I'd talk a bit about current ongoing batfam comics I'm aware of. To read these you could go to your local comic store, use the DC Infinite app or do what I often do and use alternative sites to read comics, many of which can be found by searching "where to read comics free reddit" via your internet browser.

not all batfam characters are currently appearing very much in comics so I'm afraid there will be a distinct lack of many favourites such as Tim Drake, Helena Bertinelli, Stephanie Brown, Jason Todd, and Jean-Paul Valley, however it should be noted that in Batman: The Brave and the Bold there is always a chance that an issue will feature one of them. This series features 60 pages containing multiple short stories which vary in length, some occurring across multiple issues. While it is labeled "batman" it regularly features characters outside of the batfamily.

I'd also like to not that due to DC's All-In there are many new authors and storylines starting up so most are barely any issues in! These are really just early on thoughts BUT it's a great time to start reading!

Regarding Bruce Wayne himself, Batman is currently (as usual) appearing in two new all-in arcs in both Detective Comics and Batman (2016). Can I say I like either? No! It is a long established fact that I am most definitely not Taylor's biggest fan and him deciding to rehash already done and in fact tired storylines as well as making minor adjustments to origins is no surprise nor do I care -- still I'll be fair and tell you that the story involves, you guessed it, the no-killing rule woah! Something so deftly written you can spot the killer from the first couple pages except this time the issue ends off with perhaps one of the most ridiculous and bad plot twists I've ever seen... enough hating on that. Now with the Batman series itself, I fear I dropped it ages ago. I'm understanding there's some conflict regarding the return of previous characters but following Gotham War I struggle to car about this run and I'll admit so far what I've heard from those who have read the recent series is mediocre at best.. still I recommend checking it out for yourself seeing as I can't actually speak on it.

Nightwing aka Richard Grayson is having a seemingly better time. With the introduction of Dan Watters as the new writer we're getting a new Nightwing (2016) story that I am feeling really positive about! I fully recommend checking this one out, just going off the first issue it looks good and I have spent the last month yearning for more! Titans (2023), however, I'm a bit more sceptical of... I'm liking the change in dynamics (always love a Roy feature and Donna leading) which see different characters taking the forefront of the team. I'm not a big fan of Beast Boy nor his dynamic with Raven so it may not be the best but I think the Titans are a super important part of Dick's story so I'll say if you're not keen on this, maybe run it back and pick up The New Teen Titans (1980) which is the start of the team and even sees Dick become Nightwing!

A new writer has finally joined up on Catwoman (2018) and let me say that I loved that first issue. Someone is trying to kill Catwoman and all of her previous identities. We hearken back to her international thievery and what a huge scale Selina Kyle was once on! I'm very excited to see her travel as the story progresses!

Damian Wayne continues as a main character on Batman & Robin (2023) which I am not caught up to so I can't comment on the story but at least in the past it's had its moments! I can't say I've always been totally into the portrayal of Talia however this series has in the past emphasized Damian's relationships with his father as well has others like Nika aka Flatline!

Both Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain have been appearing in Birds of Prey (2023)! I enjoy the series but I will admit I feel like it's still finding its footing and I loath the occasional portrayal of Barbara as Batgirl -- something I feel is actively harming the quality of the story. Most of the time she is portrayed as Oracle, and while her wheelchair has yet to make a comeback, I'm hoping somebody explodes the dark spirit of Dan Didio from that office so ableism and misogyny can finally die a cold and lonely death in their buildings janitorial closet. Anyways! Cass has also been appearing in her new solo Batgirl (2024)!! This is so exciting! If you don't know Batgirl (2000) is possibly one of the best things ever written in history and every one should read it so I'm so excited to see her back! This first arc seems to focus a lot on the dynamic with Lady Shiva, Batgirl's mother. While the first issue was more set up for the rest, I cannot wait!

outside of elseworlds I'd say that about wraps things up for current batfam! pick one up, I'd love to chat about it!

[ocelot-t]

do have any Hazbin Hotel or just RadioRose headcanons? Like Rosie being a really good painter or Alastor technically being younger than he seems or something? (I just like reading other people's ideas on their favorite characters lol)

You arrived just in time.

There will be a lot of words I have mostly a lot of disconnected thoughts in my head, which I sometimes consciously or unconsciously implement in drawings. besides, I don't remember what the canon is, and what the old fanon is, to be honest. If you would like me to, I can share not only my headcanons, but also some of the AUs I have.

I understand where the theory comes from, but I don't like the idea of Alastor being forced to smile all this time. I think he wants to keep everything under his control so much that he smiles even in death. The idea that he is just a sick man, serial killer makes his eternal smile even more unnerving. I don't want to justify him.

I think Al would have enjoyed reading H.P Lovecraft’s works. The tentacled creatures and descriptions of people as nonentities suffering defeat in a fight with chthonic creatures... btw, some of Lovecraft's stories were published during Alastor's era. I have a small headcanon about Alastor's death, and I plan to create a comic in the future (if I can actually get it done).

There are 2 possible deaths of Alastor's mother in my mind, and I’m uncertain which one I want to illustrate. maybe both continuing the theme of Alastor’s human life. I sincerely believe that even if Alastor had really had an abusive father, Al would have been cruel since childhood. Guess what? I have an unfinished little comic with a hum!Al by another artist, and I'm uncertain when I’ll manage to complete it. The headcanon that suggests Alastor’s father is an abuser already seems like a canon; however, I don’t want to portray him as a completely terrible person. I like the idea of Alastor enjoying hunting, so let's say he learned it from his father. Just like all the dad jokes. on the other hand, as for the scars on Alastor, some of them probably came from his father, since domestic violence was a common problem. Regarding art, as you might have noticed, I have a headcanon that Al understands the arts in general, whether it's painting, cinema, or music. Perhaps I think this way only because I am trying to combine things I love very much. I imagine him as a person you could have a discussion about these topics with??? It seems to me that Alastor and Rosie would often discuss these topics over a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Suddenly, Alastor would show up at Rosie's and instead of hello I READ ABOUT FRA FILIPPO LIPPI. DO YOU HAVE AN HOUR FREE? BTW I HOPE YOU WATCHED THAT DZIGA VERTOV MOVIE THAT I RECOMMENDED Rosie would love art nouveau and I don't know rococo? and Alastor would be like no art nouveau is okay, cute, but rococo is bullshit. *2-hour episode of drunken dad teaching life* Continuing on the topic of artists, I repeat myself, I have a silly unfinished series of mini-comics about Alastor and Rosie as art academy students, the plots of which are based on real life (almost). I have thought about what kind of styles they would draw in, what kind of themes they would focus on, and so on. Again, there is a lot of text here already, so I'll wrap up this topic for now. P.S. I have a strange idea in my head about how to imagine Alastor in the USSR in the 10-30s. It was quite fun there: the World War I, the revolution, the civil war, the post-revolutionary years, famines and so on, and so on. For fun, of course, but Alastor the Communist has a good reason to hate Vox the Capitalist and his MMM I mean VVV or Lucifer the emperor of hell, if you know what I mean. Instead of telling dad jokes, he would say that life under Stalin was good and quote Lenin. Of course, these are all jokes, but I did have some abstract thoughts about how his life and his family's life would be arranged. However, I don't know enough about the history of USSR to actually implement this properly. so yeah

[signanothername]

Do you think that your take on nightmare could become a better person without becoming at least fully uncorrupted?

I like your take on uncorrupted nm but I was curious to ask because there’s not really much of Nightmare becoming a better person *whilst* still being corrupted?

Asking the real questions here >:)

Before I start this ramble however, I think it’s important to keep in mind that even while uncorrupted, Nightmare’s still a bitch, cause as I mentioned before, Nightmare wouldn’t suddenly get back to becoming a kind angel with a big heart, and it’s also important to keep in mind that if uncorrupted Nightmare got back to being powerful (even without the corruption in the mix) he’s extremely prone to (and would probably) get back to his old ways

Cause while the corruption has a great impact on Nightmare’s behavior and how he deals with his emotions, the corruption is less of the root cause and more of a participant in Nightmare’s awful behavior

The root cause of Nightmare’s awful behavior is extreme fear born out of trauma

The corruption already did its job a long time ago and shaped Nightmare as a person, it’s still Nightmare himself that’s in full control of his actions, he could at any point in time, make the right or wrong decision

With that in mind, could Nightmare be a better person whilst corrupted?

I’d say it’s kinda complicated, it’s both yes and no at the same time

Could he become a better person whilst corrupted?

Yes

Would he overall become a better person with better behavior? And with everyone?

No, unless there’s an actual driving force to motivate Nightmare to be a better person somewhat (which is absolutely possible ;) ), Nightmare would continue to be a bitch

Could he still get better at treating specific people that he deems worth his time? And only deems worth his time after specific interactions that made him believe so?

Yes

Corrupted or not, Nightmare isn’t incapable of becoming a better person, however there needs to be a reason for Nightmare to be so

Nightmare is a very “treat people how they treat you” kinda person, and while Nightmare is extremely toxic, abusive, and cruel, he’s also someone who stays true to his word and would treat who treats him with kindness the same, and Nightmare doesn’t easily believe in genuine kindness without a goal behind it, and so he’d insist on giving something back instead of accepting kindness for what it is

So if someone shows him genuine kindness, he’d also show genuine kindness (in his own twisted way) in “this is me paying my debt back” way, like, he’d “pay it back” by keeping the AU of the person who showed him kindness under his protection for a period of time, or let go of a debt they owe him, etc

I’ve mentioned before that Nightmare is capable of kindness, and I don’t mean in “paying someone’s kindness back” kinda way, but he can actually be kind in an active way where he thinks of doing something kind to someone else without it being a payback of sorts, and so Nightmare can still make a good decision and actually show it without any strings attached, and the truth is he does show it, very rarely, but he does (in the “a little life update” comic, Killer mentions how Nightmare managed to do one “good thing” at least ;) )

Nightmare just has a mindset that’s like “nobody was ever kind to me when i was the one who’s helpless/ defenseless, so why should I ever show anyone kindness now that I’m in power?” It’s an irrational mindset, but the thing is, no one can debate him on it considering it’s something he keeps to himself

For the outside world, Nightmare does what he does cause he’s a bitch and that’s it, not taking into consideration the fact he acts the way he does as a result of a harmful mindset he developed due to a life changing traumatic experience (obviously cause they don’t know)

And while his kindness is still pretty much apart of him, whenever he has certain thoughts of doing something good/ kind for someone, he just immediately stomps on it and tells himself that he’s being “irrational”, and yes, Nightmare thinks that being kind in a cruel world is “irrational”, he’s the opposite to Dream, who thinks that being kind in a cruel world is what true strength is

And y’know I kinda always talk about how much of a bitch Nightmare can be, but I never talk about the fact that, despite how bitchy he is, Nightmare can actually be sensible

In the right circumstances at the right times, Nightmare can actually be talked to without him being an absolute bitch

And that goes for almost everyone, MTT included

like Killer, Murder and Horror can actually talk to him without Nightmare immediately taking it as a chance to abuse them

But Nightmare is the kinda person that you need to tiptoe around sometimes, cause he has insane mood swings, so MTT have to check whether he’s in a good mood or a bad mood and based on that decide whether it’s a good idea to approach and talk to him or leave him alone and sometimes even go as far as make themselves as small and as unseen as possible as to not catch his attention

Building a good rapport with Nightmare is.. complicated, but possible

But the thing is, even if Nightmare became a better person, it’s better to keep your expectations a bit low, cause even if Nightmare took genuine steps towards becoming a better person i think his capacity for that is limited, like don’t expect him to become like Dream where he’d jump to saving someone in need, but he’d cut back on his abusive and toxic behavior

Basically, Nightmare would become a better person but in a passive rather than an active way where he’d stop hurting people himself, but would let other people do the hurting for him (and i mean in a natural way with how positivity and negativity works and not send someone to hurt another)

For example, let’s say the twins see an innocent someone get beaten in front of them, Dream would immediately jump in to save them, Nightmare wouldn’t, he’d watch with sadistic glee and it would even get a chuckle or two outta him as the poor soul is getting beaten all while he feeds on their misery and once he’d fed himself he’ll just leave (and that’s regardless whether he’s corrupted or not)

It’s cause Nightmare also has the mindset of “the strong devours the weak”, it’s the natural order of things to him, it’s not his fault that the world around him settles for the minimum is it? That’s why he’s obsessed with power and would do anything to obtain it, if Nightmare can ensure that he keeps that power by torturing innocent people then he’ll do it, all cause he’s paralyzed by the terror of the mere thought of becoming weak again

To Nightmare, weakness means a death sentence, and we all know how irrationally afraid Nightmare is of death

Despite his power, knowledge, and 500 year long experiences, Nightmare was and will always be a fearful child who claws at the world around him first so it wouldn’t have the courage to claw back at him (completely dismissing the fact that the world would claw back regardless >:) )

For Nightmare to become a better person he needs to face his greatest enemy, and that enemy was always his own self

[batbabydamian]

DC February 2024 Solicitations - Comics Featuring Damian! 🦇

BATMAN AND ROBIN #6

2/13/24

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art by Nikola Čižmešija

Cover by Simone Di Meo

Variant Covers: Kael Ngu, Yasmine Putri, Dustin Nguyen (1:25), Nikola Čižmešija (1:50)

The dynamic duo has proven they can work as Batman and Robin countless times, but now they must work together as Bruce and Damian to stop a deadly killer...on a soccer field?! The mystery of who is Shush and what they are doing in Gotham continues to grow, but Damian is confronted with a blast from his past that wants him to leave his father and Gotham!

WONDER WOMAN #6

2/20/24

Written by Tom King

Art and Cover by Daniel Sampere

Variant Covers: Nikolas Draper-Ivey (Black History Month Variant), Jeff Spokes, Julian Totino, Kevin Wada (1:25), Daniel Sampere (1:50)

Wonder Woman against her greatest foes! After thwarting each threat that the Sovereign has thrown at her, he decides to bring in the biggest guns the DCU has to offer. Let the battle royale begin! Plus, the Super Sons' bedtime story goes wrong!

SINISTER SONS #1

Written by Peter J. Tomasi

Art by David Lafuente

(No Damian mention, but significant Variant cover feature by Dan Mora)

They're bad to the bone, ready to brawl, and the sons of two of the deadliest villains in the galaxy: they're the Sinister Sons and the DC Universe will never be the same! When the son of General Zod was cast off of his adopted homeworld of New Kandor, Lor-Zod runs afoul of a kid on a mission: Sinson is out to prove he's got what it takes to live up to the family name of Sinestro! But all is not as it seems, and the sons' journeys will take them into the heart of darkness in this sensational first issue! Superstar Super Sons scribe Peter I. Tomasi returns to the world of DC youth once again-joined by fan-favorite artist David Lafuente-to craft one of the most dynamic debuts of a duo in DCU historv!

[neverniko101]

Hi Yes boy do I love making random AUs

Text:

How much can one person take…how much destruction…

How many injuries…how much pain…

Before the give up?

Before they snap?

And what does it take…

To heal their scars?

Rambling & Credits ⬇️

What is this?

Ftfo & One Small Dream but Uno reverse; Dream turns NM into a child and Ink adopts him.

What’s it called?

Uhhh…Lost in the Deep? Idk if that’s taken and I’m too lazy to check

Will it be continued (more comics, art, etc.)?

✨no idea✨

Story?

- Ink isn’t part of the Star Sanses and tries to not interact with them/NMs gang because he doesn’t want to get involved

- Everyone is fed up with NM’s BS (minus Ink because of above statement) and team up to trick him into drinking a potion that is supposed to kill him but instead turns him into an ~12 year old child

- NM teleports into some random AU just before he becomes small and is found by Ink, who recognizes him and doesn’t want Stars/The Gang to get their hands on him because he’s worried they would kill him, the death of a guardian would be bad for the multiverse

- Stars resume business as usual except they also search AUs for NM

- The Gang is now led by Killer and chaos ensues

Undertale by Toby Fox

Ink by @comyet

Blueberry/Underswap!Sans & Science!Sans by the Undertale community

Dream & Nightmare by Joku

Dust/ Murder!sans by @ask-dusttale

Killer/ Something New by @rahafwabas

Horror/ Horrortale!Sans by Sour Apple Studios

[mysterycitrus]

i dont know who a writer would be who could handle it (more ignorance on my part than lack of good writers though there is that too) but i’m curious what you think a real, earned redemption could look like for jtodd and if you would even want it.

i definitely think there’s a path, esp because so much of bruce’s philosophy relies on a genuine and earnest commitment to rehabilitation and restorative justice, but i also think (and maybe i’m wrong if anyone has comics recs lmk) but i don’t think i’ve seen a comic with the hard work of reaching out and healing/moving on from the past from both bruce + co and jason

i really love his character but especially now i don’t think dc knows what it wants to do with him so he’s in this perpetual limbo where he’s always on the edges of the batfam, a fringe black sheep member but a member nonetheless, still entangled with them

personally i would love either way but i wish dc would either separate him and let him do his own thing that’s not just punisher lite or really actually go through the process of making amends and fully integrating with the crew, learning to love and trust again and all that

omg this really got away from me so apologies for just word vomiting in your asks but yeah im curious dc puts you in charge of j todd’s next big character arc, what would you do with him

i don’t think that’s ignorance — dc is not known for hiring writers who can include and explore complex themes in their comics lol

personally i think the easiest way to trigger a redemption arc for jason would be take him away from the batfamily and force him to interact with other villains, specifically amanda waller and the suicide squad. task force z came kinda close to this, but didn’t push the concept far enough imo. jason’s interactions with black mask were some of the best parts of utrh — i want to see his ideology be questioned by people who do the exact same things as him, and are fully aware that they’re selfish and destructive.

the truth is that while jason is acting out and murdering people, he’s still bound to bruce. he is autonomously making decisions, but fundamentally he is choosing to stay. he’s choosing to be tethered. he’s choosing to care. seeing the indentured recruits of the suicide squad would be confronting to him.

i don’t think the happy family fanon dynamic will ever be possible without ruining every included character simultaneously, but that’s okay. that’s not what jason truly wants anyway.

specifically, i don’t think he’ll ever be able to work with bruce, which is why i find the jason + dick dynamic so interesting. you’re right — bruce’s fundamental mission is about restorative justice, and he would continue to reach out. dick, however, is a realist, and is extremely protective and territorial of the people in his care (tim, damian, the titans, etc) all of whom jason has hurt. jason has been shown on page to respect dick and his position, and simultaneously think he’s pathetic because he refuses to lose control.

for me ideally, he’d be someone on the very outskirts. i feel like dick and babs would be his point of contact — dick because he’s keeping an eye on jason, and babs because she has way less hangups about working with killers. otherwise? i think he’s lost the chance to properly bond with anyone who knew before he died. that’s the risk he took when he decided to become the red hood. that’s the tragedy.

but to be perfectly honest, the most restorative thing jason could do would be to leave the game entirely, and relearn how to live.

[lucygriefer]

Apothecary AU - Killer & Nightmare Goofing Around: Draft

Can't leave Killer out of the chaos. I'm working on more mini comic drafts, and working on some possible story drafts. Like not just side comics of interactions but like an entire fanfic. IDK if I'll make it as a comic or leave it as a typed up story at the moment. Oh well future me problem.

Enjoy the mini comic draft story!

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Killer chuckled to himself as he finally managed to get away from his Ladies in waiting. He also gave Horror, Arch earlier so he could take a break. Arch had a hard time sleeping last night and he had been up for a while last night.

Killer thought as he watched Nightmare for a moment. The apothecary monster sitting in the apothecary hut. Next to the other apothecary. The fox monster and skeleton were both working on making some antidotes for poisons. From what he could see. They were making antivenom for snakes. He could see a mamushi (Gloydius blomhoffi), habu (Protobothrops), and yamakagashi snakes (Rhabdophis tigrinus). Three of the main venomous snakes known to Japan.

Killer stared at Nightmare’s back for a moment. Glaring at the restraints that were there. Then grinned slightly. “Nightmare ya free?” Smirking a little.

The dark skeleton looking back at the other from over his shoulder. Holding a habu snake in his hands. “I will be free in a moment… unless you're in need of my services now?” They questioned while gathering the venom from the snakes fangs. The fox monster made a sound as he was working.

“Oh I can wait.” Killer grinned while sitting down. Watching the two apothecaries as they worked with the wild snakes. He thought and stretched out a little. Leaning on the door frame and keeping quiet.

Nightmare had filled a cup with the venom and placed the cup aside. The snake continued to hiss loudly at them. He simply ignored it and stood up. Pulling the tall vase closer before dropping the snake inside. Watching the snake slither around before it looked up at him and hissed once more before he partly covered the top of the jar. Leaving an opening large enough to let air in but not open enough for it to possibly escape. Sure the jar is too tall but at the same time they need to be careful.

He walked over to the entrance and looked at Killer. The Prideful Sinful concubine was grinning up at him before standing up. The higher ranking skeleton stood only a few inches shorter than him. “What is it that you need?” He slightly tilted his skull at the other. Raising a brow as he looked the other over. Blinking before looking around. Just realizing that Killer’s ladies in waiting weren’t around.

Killer laughed a little. “Relax. They’ll find me… eventually.” He grinned a little before standing next to Nightmare and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Now come on.” He lightly pulled the other along.

Nightmare blinked a little in surprise as he walked along with Killer. Slightly wondering if this is why Killer was also known as the Undignified concubine to others? He tried to not think about it too much and walked with the other.

Killer glanced at Nightmare. “So what sort of stuff are you working on?” He raised a brow. “Like all the medicines and things. Making any more of those aphrodisiacs?” He slightly grinned at the question.

Nightmare blinked a little. “Right now we are working on making different antivenoms. Using the snakes venom itself as the key ingredient. Right now we are waiting for some mice to be captured to start working on some of our theories on how to use the venom to make the cure.” He explained to them. “Then after that? We are thinking of making some medicine to help reduce fevers.”

Killer nodded a little as he continued to have Nightmare walk along with him. Glancing around as he thought about where to bring the other. ‘Should I bring them to the flower garden? Or over to the area where ceremony stuff is held?’ He thought to himself.

Nightmare thought and glanced around as they walked. “So where is Arch?” He questioned upon noticing the lack of a baby.

Killer happily grinned. “Arch is with Horror and Mo. They were having a hard time sleeping last night and I asked Horror to watch them over.” He explained and looked at the other. “Anyways.” Opening a door that leads to a different part of the empire. “Aside from being an apothecary and growing up in the sin district. Tell me about yourself.”

Nightmare raised a brow at Killer. “After all, we both grew up outside of these Empire walls. Neither having any fancy title or having been born of royalty.” Killer went on. Looking away as Nightmare for a brief moment had a look. One that held a mix of confusion, worry, sorrow, and acceptance. Though it was gone once Killer looked at him again.

Killer grinned. “I wanna hear some of the stuff you went through. I mean growing up I did all sorts of odd jobs. Trying to get whatever I could back to back. Even took on a bunch of assassin jobs as a kid.”

Nightmare blinked in surprise. “You took on assassination jobs as a mere child?” He stared at the other. He didn’t really bother to learn much about Cross’ concubine when he was taken and brought here. Especially since he had no reason to know this information before. So hearing that caught him by surprise. Then looked up as he saw a cherry blossom tree. Taking notice that they were in the outdoor ceremony area. A line of cherry blossom trees covering both sides of the path to the large clearing up ahead.

“Yeah.” Killer scratched his cheek and went to sit at one of the benches. “Back then I had a brother to care for. We had no parents and he was really really sick.” Sitting down and leaning back slightly. Looking up at the blue sky. “So I had to work to get as much wadokaichin (<--- Autocorrect keeps wanting to change this word!) as I could get. The medicine my brother needed was expensive after all.”

Nightmare slowly nodded as he listened to Killer. Thinking for a moment before slowly joining him on the bench. Sitting next to him and looking at the sky. “Sounds like you’ve worked very hard for a long period of time.” Watching as a cloud slowly moved across the sky.

Killer laughed a little. “Oh yeah I did. I mean me and my brother were both just little bones back then. Had ta learn how to cook, wash our clothes, bath, find shelter, and all sorts of stuff.” Glancing at Nightmare. “I mean it’s a lot for a kid to learn. Sure I figured some of it out by watching others around us. And I did steal some stuff here and there cause well, I didn't have any other way to get it back then.”

Nightmare nodded a little as he listened. “Understandable.” He thought and slightly hunched himself forward. Trying to lessen some of the pressure of the restraints from his body. Looking at his hands just letting his mind wander.

Killer raised a brow as he watched Nightmare for a moment. “Ya good?” He questioned the other. Making Nightmare jump for a second.

The dark skeleton shook his head. “Yes… Sorry. You were saying?” He looked at Killer.

Killer thought for a moment. “Eh it’s fine… So what have you tried?” He questioned while looking at the metal restraints on the other. Then motioned a hand at them. “To get these off?”

Nightmare thought and placed his fingers on the metal collar around his neck. Seeming to stare off into space. “... Lots of things. Sadly nothing has worked.” He huffed a little. “I have simply given up. No lockpicker can unlock it. No blacksmith even dares to try and break it with their tools. And many other things have been tried in an attempt to free me.”

Killer slowly nodded as he looked at it. “Hu… Now that I’m looking at this thing more closely… where the heck are ya supposed to even put a key in?” He raised a brow while staring at the smooth metal.

Nightmare thought for a moment. “... I think… you are supposed to use a spell to make the lock visible?” He scratched his skull as he tried to remember. “... Though I could also be wrong…” He sighed a little. “It is… hard to recall.”

Killer frowned slightly. “I see…” He thought for a moment and wrapped an arm around Nightmare. Grinning a little. Well we’ll figure something out. That’s a promise.” He chuckled.

Nightmare raised a brow at the other skeleton. Simply nodding and looking away. Huffing slightly as he rubbed his neck, the best that he could. All while Killer was looking the metal over. Trying to figure out the best way to go at it to free the dark skeleton from the bindings.