#please ask if i need to add tags

[warcats-cat]

Thoughts of a Fox

A/n: hey friends! Long time no see. This is a little original fiction, written as my half of an art trade for my wonderful Cherry Blossom Friend: @kwiatekfretka 💜💜💜 (Check out her ADORABLE art of my OC here!!) I had a lot of fun writing this one; it's very different from what I usually write, and it was a nice challenge for me ☺️. And my wonderful Cherry Blossom Friend also didn't mind me slipping an homage to an IRL friend of mine who passed away a few weeks ago; a friend I was close with but far away from, and I miss very much. I hope that her spirit is where she wanted to be, and I know she will be in my heart for many years to come. 💜 So please enjoy my little piece!

---

The other humans told Dana she could not bring her “pet” to the new place, and they took her away from our home. Her brother's children did not understand that she had me to care for her, she did not need other humans watching her like the hawks at the edge of the neighborhood watched small squirrels in winter. They did not understand that without me she would whither faster, her great age and wisdom chipped away by the mundanity of the unknowing humans around her.

They did not understand that I am not a pet; I am the other half of her soul.

I have missed her, several months now. She is not gone yet, but fading fast. She is where I can no longer reach her, and I must mourn her on my own. I visit the old places we used to go, but they feel hollow without her presence. Her magic is fading.

She asked me, before she was taken away, that I watch her only niece, and see if the Pup has any magic in her. I tried first to go to her home, in this form, but they rejected me as a wild animal.

Although I saw the Pup, watching me from the window; curious to look at me. I wondered if she knew me, recognized me as Dana would have. It would take time to find her again, but I had promised my Witch I would, and it was a promise I would not forsake.

~~~

It took many moons to find a way to speak to her; many more than I would like, certainly, and many frustrations along the way. The humans see me as a pest, and kick and yell like barbarians when they see me. To fulfill my promise, I would have to take on another form, and find other ways to approach the city, away from the familiarity of the woods.

But I am not human, and I know that a clever human would notice. I don't look right when seen up close.

My hair is dark with shadows pressed over the red of my fur; sometimes the light shows my true colors, but it is rare. My eyes are green, but perhaps a shade too bright, and dappled like the leaves of the home I have left behind. I know that my smile is sly and crooked, but that can't be helped; my magic comes from a human witch, and their legends of Foxes being Tricksters does bleed over a bit into my nature. My teeth are just a touch too sharp when I grin.

The first time I approached the Pup, she did not seem surprised to see me, and her eager, determined eyes reminded me of Dana’s when she would succeed with difficult spells. We sat a long while and spoke of her aunt, and I finally learned the Pup’s name - Melanie.

She named herself after the goddess Melinoe; an excellent choice, and one I was sure her aunt would have approved of.

We watched the rain patter to the ground awhile, the droplets swirling and sliding along the edges of leaves and off delicate flower petals. She asked me if my approaching her meant she was truly a Woman, and I asked her why she would have any doubts of who she is. I was saddened to learn that humans would be so stubborn and narrow-minded about the infinite complexities of life, and bother themselves on something so trivial as another person's gender.

We are misfits, she and I; but that is fitting.

I had to watch awhile from afar; even I know that a stranger appearing on your doorstep would be startling for any human. I could not follow her to school, either, for much the same reason. It took many weeks of us looking at one-another through windows and doorways, cautious and hesitant to communicate. Finally, she left a message in green chalk on the paving stones of a local park - the address for a cafe she had taken a job in for after school.

And now we meet each day in that cafe; a warm, glowing little shop run by another Witch who perhaps doesn't really know she is one. One who channels crystals and incense into the atmosphere of the little shop and creates just enough magic that I can taste it on the tip of my tongue.

As a human, my senses are not quite as sharp, but I have noticed the world is much more interesting in spite of that. There are books to read and drinks to taste, and I have found that I don't miss the woods as much as I first thought. I sit in a small corner in the back, close to the counter that Melanie toils at making coffees and teas and many things in between, and I guide her as she works.

Not in making the drinks; I know nothing of that, but in her intentions. In her manners, in controlling her impulses. I remind her not to stir a bad luck charm into the iced tea of the man who made rude comments to her, no matter how badly I want to cast a spell of my own. I whisper the words of a comfort spell to her, which she gently swirls and foams into a young girl’s hot chocolate, when the poor child comes in crying after being “stood up” from a date. Melanie is talented enough that she could do these things without realizing, and perhaps had been for a while before we met; but I know having guidance on the matters will make the intended spells more powerful, and the unintended less chaotic.

In return, she pours warm, thick chocolate drinks for me, heady with cinnamon and allspice; things that I couldn't have even wet my muzzle in as a fox, but now drink with an almost defiant (and certainly decadent) glee in this form. The shop keeper sits with me sometimes, and reads my fortunes from tarot cards and carefully carved runes. She is good, and I do my best to encourage her practice, even if it is in mediums I am not necessarily connected to. I read through books of astrology and realization of the self; Dana and I were connected through the magic of the Earth and Nature, and the magicks of the sky and stars are so interesting to me.

I never imagined myself a teacher of pups, even as Dana had aged.

I miss my Witch dearly, but I do not visit when Melanie offers. It would hurt us both too much; Dana’s heart would recognize me where her mind would not, and it would only bring frustration and grief. But Melanie visits, and on occasion brings me small drawings that Dana has made.

My Witch had a beautiful hand for art and sketching, and though her hands shake now, I am glad to know she still draws. Melanie tells me that she speaks of dreams about a little red fox stumbling around a warm kitchen, and getting it's head stuck in more than one pot of honey. I tell Melanie it is impolite to laugh at the misfortunes of others, even though I smile at the memories as I say it. My own puphood was so full of curiosity and stumbling, and the memories are warm and vibrant as the taste of honey on my tongue.

I keep the little cards with wavy sketches of my fox-face in a booklet that Melanie has gifted me, with notes of different human things that I have learned.

~~~

From my nook in the back corner of the room, I watch my Pup dance around the tables, cleaning them and singing to herself. Today she is happy, wearing a badge with stripes in bright pink and blue and white, and many of the humans who visit today wish her happiness and pride; well-wishes that she returns eagerly. The air around her sings, the cookies baking in the little oven behind the counter become vibrant and sweet, certain to lift the spirits of any who taste them. Humans in many rainbows of color pass in and out of the doors of the shop, drinking their coffees and living their lives.

She hands me a little pin, which I clumsily attach to my sweater. Her face is alight with joy when I do so, and I thank her for the gift. It's a simple circle, black, gray, white, and green. I do not understand it, but it makes her happy, and that, in turn, makes me happy.

The more days that pass, the less I miss wandering the woods on my own. Hiding in the dark, cold places between the shadows of the trees. Yes, much of the time I had lived with Dana, but even then, it was my nature to follow the form I had taken. Now, in a human form, I can enjoy all the warmth and soft glowing lights that I had always watched from afar.

Melanie and I sit together on her breaks and discuss all manner of things; she tells me of schoolwork from the hours before she comes to work at the shop. She tells me of Dana’s family, how some of them are “making an effort”, as she says, to learn about her and the humans like her. She tells me of a little gecko that has been making a home in her garden, and I wonder if the beginning of a connection between Familiar and Witch might be blooming there. Her Familiar could take any shape, and could appear any day now with all of the knowledge I have given her.

I have given her everything I can, she will need to form a bond of her own someday. But it will come when she is ready.

We sit at the back of the shop while it is quiet; midday with no customers in sight. And I drink hot chocolate with cinnamon and allspice, and reflect upon how happy I am now; to have a Pup to protect and care for, and a warm place to stay, and all of the humans’ knowledge at my (admittedly dull) fingertips, and I cannot help but think this was all planned.

And I feel, in that moment, the leaves rustle in the woods outside the window, the wind softly singing to me, as Dana leaves the earth, and her soul returns to its home in the warm summer woods.

And I know that all I have now was one last gift from my Witch.

[makiswirl]

can i just say. and this is probably a niche hill to die on. that i am so gobsmacked every time someone vaguely hints at the idea that jotaro doesn't care meaningfully for the other crusaders, usually particularly kakyoin and joseph, when those two actually tend to be the ones he reacts to being hurt the hardest

like he cares for his loved ones!!!! that literally plays into his character motives in every single part he shows up in!!! stop lying to me!!!!!!!

[57sfinest]

theoretical entroponetics: the post

okay. LONG post incoming. i have summarized all available information on the pale, separated into confirmed objective truth & in-canon speculation that may or may not be true, and then appended my own very detailed theory on the pale! this post is meant as a resource; please feel free to add things of your own in replies/reblogs (please tag me if you do!) or point out any errors i may have made. you’re welcome to use any of my personal theory in your own work but please credit me if you do!! (and tag me in that/send it to me, i really want to see what you do with it!)

Here’s what we *know* about the pale, according to in-game and concept art: 

It erases data, at least the kind stored on radiocomputer filament and magnetic tapes.

It has no dimensions of its own- pale latitude compressors serve to force dimensions on raw pale and allow navigation. 

The pale is referred to in the context of entropy

It arrived with mankind, but not immediately- there are 8000 years of written history, but the pale was first recorded 6000 years ago, implying that pale either didn’t start forming immediately or that it was so insignificant/distant that it went unnoticed for 2000 years. 

There exists a group of people who are actively trying to expedite entroponetic collapse; the ideology is called entropolism

To this point, pale isn’t immediately visible. Pale has molecular structure, but manifests as a waveform, and only becomes visible at a certain distance from the origin, once wave frequency is sufficiently high. 

During pale exposure, people experience “sense objects”: visual or auditory hallucinations and/or vivid physical recollections of memories. These hallucinations may originate from their own consciousness or someone else’s. c

People require physical and mental examinations before interisolary travel and are allotted a certain number of days per year as their pale exposure threshold. 

Overexposure results in a pale “addiction”- these individuals crave pale exposure, and it’s unclear if this addiction can ever be broken. It’s also unclear whether there is a point at which pale exposure becomes lethal, but given that it dissolves matter, we can be fairly certain that a given length of continuous exposure will kill. 

Radio signals, cold plasma torches and anodic sound are all used to manage the pale to permit travel through it. Plasma torches destabilize the molecular structure of the pale to create gaps, anodic sound widens and maintains these gaps, and radio signals rationalize the pale into recognizable dimensions.

Radio signals are, in return, susceptible to corruption by the pale, resulting in entroponetic crosstalk, where signals from the past or the future are transmitted to the present. CCP is one such phenomenon and is directly related to the formation of new pale through magpie interpretation.

There is a dedicated Union for people who work in and with the pale (the Pale Workers Union). They have two slogans; “The light purifies; The sound absolves; The pale no more” and “Son et Fureur” (sound and fury)

Here’s what we may choose to believe about the pale, based on the thoughts and beliefs of in-game characters:

In conversation with Soona, the pale is described as a “curdling milk” phenomenon: “repulsive, but natural”

In this same conversation you can theorize that the churches were meant to contain the pale origins; out of the seven churches, six were destroyed during the suzerain or the revolution

The phasmid and whatever other lifeforms it’s communicated with believe that entroponetic collapse is comparable to an oxygen holocaust (i.e. the great oxygenation event), implying mass extinction due to a toxic overabundance of sapient thought

Harry refers to it once by saying “The wolf is at the door. It’s going to eat the sun.” so take that as you will

It’s likely that Tiago’s “Mother” is some manifestation from the pale, if you choose to believe that the 2mm hole is in fact a pale origin point (the concept art does confirm it’s a pale origin, but the game offers other explanations, so I won’t say it’s the only answer)

Inframaterialists believe that revolutionary action (NOT thought) may create a counter-force that will prevent the spread of pale; it’s unclear if any reversal is possible.

The world will be fully consumed by the pale in 27 years (I put it here because you may or may not believe that shivers and harry are reliably sourcing this information)

And now my personal speculation about the pale:

A quick and easy point: it’s confirmed that the pale has a measurable EMF “exhalation” frequency that varies with proximity. Strong enough EMF pulses can actually tamper with magnetic storage- radiocomputer filaments! Electronics! Fortress Accident data loss! This gives us a tangible explanation for why pale can delete data :)

This may also explain its ability to cause radio interference- radio frequencies are just a subset of EMF frequencies, so it’s possible that pale exhalation on *just the right frequency* is what’s responsible for the entroponetic crosstalk we get on radios sometimes

The pale canonically has an atomic structure, but it also has wave properties, so it’s possible that the pale has wave-particle duality on its subatomic level, like photons do

Based on this, entroponetics is likely a very similar field to quantum mechanics, which might be an interesting source of ideas for anyone (like me) who wants to explore pale-related possibilities

The pale could be a manifestation of raw patterns. That’s why math “forces dimensions” on it- it rationalizes or “tames” the patterns, which allows it to be manipulated to a certain degree.

There are several references to the pale that refer to mathematical concepts and patterns, saying that the world dissolves into “a tangle of azimuths and cosines” as it blends into the interisolary pale- more on this later

Steban comments that the pale is commonly theorized to be nostalgia or “historical inertia”, but it’s largely agreed that it’s “the past” in a broad sense. Thinking about the idiom that history repeats itself, it could be that history/the past is part of the pattern that comprises the pale, and that it’s also the type of pattern most readily perceived by people (people don’t viscerally *perceive* math, for example, but we experience memories)

To first define entropy: Chemically speaking, “the measure of a system’s thermal energy per unit temperature that is unavailable for doing useful work. (per encyclopedia britannica).” Physically speaking, it’s a measure of randomness or disorder in a system. Less work/less order = more entropy; it’s a physicochemical “winding down” of a given system

It’s commonly thought that pale is the entropic force, but what if it’s the opposite? (Keep in mind the chemical definition: less ability to do work = more entropy) Consider: the pale as less entropic, a cleanup force, recycling the potential lost by death and destruction in the universe. This in part explains why a dead person’s memory is present in the pale- their potential has been recycled into the pale in the form of their memories (their life’s *pattern*)

Enthalpy is a related concept to entropy and is defined as the total energy contained within a system. Holding the system enthalpy constant- saying the universe will always have the same amount of total energy, no matter what, according to thermodynamics- results in an entropic tug-of-war between the pale and the world. The pale wins through sheer inertia (again, inertia is mentioned specifically in game)

Overall: think of the world as “cooling”, losing heat and energy through war and death and complacency. Think of the pale as steam and heat, melting down old materials to start it all over again. (Kim says, *through entroponetic interference*: “it’s been a long, cold winter.”)

Consider: the pale as a sinusoidal function, eternally repeating. The pale recycling the universe to start a new cycle, “spending” itself, resulting in pale not being present in the beginning. Then, as the new things begin to settle- with the advent of the human mind, specifically- the pale reforming, slowly reclaiming potential, eventually ending the cycle to start again.

In comes CCP and magpies. Consider: CCP as a backwards transmission from the next “cycle” (after all, pale has no sense of time). Magpies as *pattern-sensitive* people who are able to decode CCP into something useful called novelty. They reach into the potential of the next cycle to build the potential in their current one- this paradox could be what creates more pale, because (and this is where it gets weird, I apologize) doing this retroactively increases the total amount of energy/work/potential in the current cycle to have been reclaimed by the pale for the next one.

Think of the pale as the compost bin for every single thought in the universe. The pale is the exact right size to compost every little atom and thought in the universe, and can hold nothing extra. But magpies reach into the future, the next cycle, and bring in extra. This paradox forces the pale to grow to accommodate the additional material, which also increases the starting potential of the next cycle. This process allows each cycle to accumulate minor changes from the previous one, which can snowball over many cycles.

Furthermore, to the inframaterialists’ point: revolutionary action would be such a radical shift in inertia that it would increase the potential in the world, forcing the pale to pause/shrink to “balance the equation” in terms of pale-vs-world thermodynamics. So maybe they’re right after all :)

And some diagramming, to explain the utter bullshit I’ve just dropped:

[batbabydamian]

Hey, I started reading Robin son of Batman because of your recommendation (I literally have a print of your post on my phone to not forget lol). Honestly? One of the best things I ever read!!!

Thank you for opening my eyes! Damian has been one of my favorite characters for over a year, but I didn't read/watch much of him because of school, life (and probably an executive dysfunction in the mix).

Maya is incredible. I loved her.

I haven't finished all the issues yet, but do you have any other recommendations?

WAH this makes me so happy, i'm glad you still gave it a shot even with how busy life is!! ;v;

i’d love to give reccs, and i’ll try to go a beginner friendly route! tbh you can pick up whatever here, but since you've read R:SOB i’d immediately follow up with Batman and Robin (2011) #1-8! this first arc is what’s referred to in Maya’s introduction, and it's just. so good.

Main Books

Batman and Robin (2009)

Dick as Batman with Damian as his Robin!

#20-22 Tree of Blood: Dark Knight vs White Knight arc is done by Tomasi and Gleason, the team for the next Batman and Robin series

*Batman and Robin (2011)

Bruce and Damian figuring out their relationship as both Batman & Robin and father & son

imo you can enjoy the ride and read straight through this but i’ll add context to avoid as much confusion as possible since there’s the occasional tie-in or offscreen events, like Damian’s death nbd

Batman Incorporated (2012) #1-10

events leading to Damian's death - affects Batman and Robin (2011) from issue #18

kind of a tough read especially with how Talia's written, but a lot of iconic bits like Batcow, Damian's vegetarian declaration, Alfred the cat, "We Were the Best, Richard."

Robin (2021)

another self-discovery adventure, particularly after Alfred’s death and a fallout with Bruce (and questionable writing choices from his last Teen Titans run)

Batman and Robin (2023)

currently ongoing! after a number of events, Bruce and Damian are back as a duo

Damian Dynamics!

Batman: Streets of Gotham (2009) #7, 10-12

arc where Damian meets one of his first Gotham friends, Colin Wilkes

Batgirl (2009) #5-7, #17

Steph and Damian dynamic! "the bad cop, worse cop" dysfunctional duo

Red Robin (2009) #13-14

early Tim and Damian dynamic that of course includes fighting haha. funny enough, accidentally my first intro to Damian LOL

Teen Titans (2003) #89-92

Dick!Batman has Damian join the Teen Titans. Start of Damian and Rose Wilson dynamic that’s extended in Robin (2021)

Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)

Damian meets Cass and has a brief team up

Gotham Academy (2015) #7

Damian meets Maps Mizoguchi! they have a few other meetings, but outside of that the series itself is a great read!

Robin War Event (2015)

Robin War (2015) #1, Grayson (2014) #15, Detective Comics (2011) #47, We Are Robin (2015) #7, Robin: Son of Batman (2015) #7, Robin War (2015) #2

Duke and Damian dynamic! not exactly beginner friendly but these are the main issues in order for the event! you can also read the TPB version for everything including Tie-Ins

Nightwing (2016) #16-20, #42, #43

#16-20 Nightwing and Robin arc!

#42 Dick on a mission to save Damian! the one appearance of "Wiggles" the dragon

#43 Dick, Roy, and Damian team-up

New Talent Showcase 2018 "Catwoman: Pedigree"

Selina, Damian, and Alfred the cat

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding - Robin vs. Ra's Al Ghul (2018)

Selina, Damian, and Cheese Viking - Damian's fav game shown in Nightwing: Rebirth (2016)

Monkey Prince (2022) #1-4

Marcus Sun Shugel-Shen's main comic, but Damian features as a fun dynamic here before they're in more serious circumstances in Batman VS Robin (2022)/Lazarus Planet event

Superman (2016) #10 - 11

the beginning of the Super Sons! featuring Maya!

Super Sons (2017)

solitary arcs but there’s a few event tie-in issues later

Adventures of the Super Sons (2018)

literally more Super Sons adventures lol galactic shenanigans yeehaw

Challenge of the Super Sons (2020) 

Super Sons time shenanigans feat. the Justice League

Robin 80th Anniversary (2020)

"Boy Wonders" - brief Damian feature as Tim considers his next step in life

"My Best Friend" - Jon's thoughts on Damian and their dynamic

"Bat and Mouse" - refers to Damian's unfortunate Teen Titans (2016) run at the time of release which follows up with Teen Titans Annual #2 where Damian briefly gives up Robin

Extra Comics!

Superman/Batman (2003) #77

Kara and Damian in a Halloween team-up! also the appearance of "Li'l Matches" lol

DCU Halloween Special '09 "Cavity Search"

Damian out on a solo mission for Halloween night. Immediately after is Tim's Red Robin story "Then and Now: Our Father's Sins" which is more somber in contrast but also a good read!

DCU Halloween Special 2010 "Robin the Vampire Slayer"

a Dick!Batman and Robin story featuring the vampire Andrew Bennett

Cursed Comics Cavalcade (2018) "The Devil You Know"

Halloween themed comic with a sweet short story of Damian alongside Solomon Grundy

DC's Terrors Through Time (2022)

"Trick or Treat" a Super Sons Halloween story

"The Haunting of Wayne Manor" Damian and Deadman story - in the end, Boston kinda refers to Nezha's possession of Damian in Batman VS Robin (2022) which was happening at the time of this release

Batman: Li'l Gotham (2013)

lighthearted series that instantly makes me smile with the silliness and Dustin Nguyen’s art i love this dearly

Secret Origins (2014) #4 "A Boy's Life"

a retelling of Damian's origin story

Detective Comics (2016) #1001-1005

Batman and Robin vs the Arkham Knight (unrelated to the game)

Truth & Justice (2021) #6/#16 - 18 Digital First version

cute story of Damian’s birthday! Juni Ba’s art is so fun!!

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration (2021) “Special Delivery”

short story about Damian! and poisoned pizzas. completely forgot the artist Sami Basri drew Rebirth Damian here before catboy Damian lol Cass’s story “Sounds” is also cute! Marcus makes his first appearance in "The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes"

DC VS Vampires (2021)

Damian makes appearances throughout this elseworlds book, but the one-shot DC VS Vampires: Hunters (2022) is vampire Damian-centric!

Batman: Black and White (2021) #5

“Father & Son Outing” short story written and drawn by Jorge Jimenez!

Batman: Urban Legends (2021) #20-23

#20 “My Son” Talia and Bruce focus

#20 - 23 “The Murder Club” 4 Parts

Tiny Titans (2008) #33, #39, #45, #47

a few appearances but SO CUTE, LOOK AT HIM

*Batman and Robin (2011) reading guide

i'm mostly trying to avoid the "what did i just walk in on?" kinda feeling when i first started reading comics LOL i'll list the comics where events take place, but you don't necessarily have to read them to go through this book since things are usually explained as quickly as possible in the first page or so

#0 Someday Never Comes

Talia and baby Damian before he grows up to meet Bruce

#1-8 Born to Kill

just an incredibly solid arc for Bruce and Damian!

#9 Court of Owls Tie-In Issue

Damian VS a Court of Owls Talon. While Bruce is occupied with a home invasion of Talons, Alfred makes a call for allies to protect targeted Gotham public figures from Talons. During Batman (2011) #1-11

#10-12 Terminus

Damian challenges the previous Robins sans Steph

Batman Incorporated (2012) is occurring at this time where Talia has placed a bounty on Damian and there's small mentions of that

#13-14 Eclipsed/Devoured

mostly solitary arc! end of it leads into the Death of the Family event

#15-16 Death of the Family Tie-In Issues

Damian and Joker face-off... Alfred's been kidnapped by the Joker, and Damian goes looking for him. During Batman (2011) #13-17

#17 Life is but a Dream - Death of the Family Epilogue

a sort of subconscious check-in through the dreams of Damian, Alfred, and Bruce. Nightwing (2011) #17 features Damian encouraging Dick after Death of the Family events

#18 Undone "Requiem"

Bruce dealing with Damian's death from Batman Incorporated #8

other reactions to Damian's death: Dick in Nightwing (2011) #18, Tim in Teen Titans (2011) #18

#19-23 Denial, Rage, The Bargain, Despair, Acceptance

Bruce through the stages of grief with some batfam appearances in each. also introduces Carrie Kelley into continuity as Damian's acting tutor.

Batman (2011) #19-20 also addresses Bruce's loss

#23.1-23.4

these could be skipped - villain stories, also related to Forever Evil event.

#24-28 The Big Burn

optional Batman and Two-Face/Harvey Dent arc, #23.1 is part of this story!

Damian's resurrection and return

#29-32 The Hunt for Robin

Ras took Talia and Damian's bodies from their graves, and Bruce goes after him.

-> Robin Rises: Omega

continues events from #32. if you don't want to jump to this, basically, Glorious Godfrey and a bunch of parademons from Apokolips are here for a chaos shard which Ra's put in Damian's sarcophagus. at some point, Bruce gets a hold of the shard where he sees a vision that leads him to believe Damian can be resurrected. Godfrey ends up taking the shard, along with Damian's body since it was emitting the same energy.

#33-37 Robin Rises

Bruce hellbent on retrieving Damian from Apokolips and reviving him

-> Robin Rises: Alpha

necessary to read and continues events from #37! Damian's back with a bang lol

#38-40 Superpower

Damian adjusting to having superpowers and being alive again

Annual #1 2013 Batman Impossible

sweet (and funny) one-shot of Damian sending Bruce on a meaningful scavenger hunt around the world while Damian gets to be the cutest Batman for a bit

Annual #2 2014 Batman and Robin: Week One

one-shot takes place during Damian's absence. after Bruce and Alfred find a mystery gift left for Dick, Dick recounts a story he had told Damian from his Robin days.

Annual #3 2015 Moonshot

one-shot Batman and Robin adventure on the moon!

...and of course after Batman and Robin (2011), Damian's story continues in his first solo Robin: Son of Batman (2015)!

[zombiecleodoodles]

Request for some Cleo and bigb hurt and comfort based on what happened in last life

I offer no comfort, only hurt :)

[pekoeboo]

another Ravenwood RP thing based on this concept I briefly touched on before. Antony ends up dead (again) as a result of this whole ordeal, as Melvin's undead form attacked him (it's kind of a long story but yeah. an undead/possessed Mel is the one they're fighting in all of this fdjkgdfg - he does get reverted back to normal eventually, don't worry).

kinda pushed myself out of my comfort zone a bit with this one, considering that like, "Mel" ended up going for Antony's throat and the idea is pretty gory in nature. but I'm quite squeamish so I couldn't really bring myself to draw much detail. still a super messed-up concept tho. ugh my poor boy;;;

this RP is always just really intense tbh, but I've been trying to get over my fear of sharing some of the more angsty or painful arts regarding the stories me and my friends come up with. these kinds of arts are usually the ones I put a lot of emotion into, so hopefully that comes through the most... even if I don't do a great job explaining things sometimes ><;;

please do not remove caption or repost. also on deviantart

[the-holy-ghosted]

(mockingly) youre gay AND irish

[jtownraindancer]

top 5 burn characters go

Good gods Anon this is evil. Only five!??? 😭💕

I spent like three days trying to make up my mind on this, and I'm still not satisfied, but as of the moment, in no particular order:

The Best Boys

Mr. William Guppy of Kenge & Carboy, Bleak House

He's awkward, he's manipulative, he has no real social skills to speak of, and he's in love. I actually really disliked this character when I first read the book circa 2011, but as Burn seems wont to do, I ended up being completely won over in the end. ^_^; His Guppy is expressive, less a comic relief and almost sympathetic. I mentioned in a conversation with @synthapostate about how Guppy is technically an antagonist, but he's played in such a way that you really can't see it (unlike the book). Also the camera is half in love with Burn this entire series, and it makes it very, very easy to fall in love with this dorky, curly-haired puppy of a man.

Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, Pacific Rim & Pacific Rim: Uprising

I could write sonnets about Hermann for how much I've come to love him. 😅 He's one of the Characters of All Time for me. From his passion, his stubborn resilience, and his sharp humor, to his unwavering loyalty for those he cares for and his ability to care so deeply, how could I not irrevocably fall for him? (Also singlehandedly the cause of the 2023 Burn Binge.) Hermann found his way into my heart from the very beginning, but I never realized how at home he had made himself until the day I turned around and he was patiently waiting for me to see him. I think I fell for him and Newt in the same fell swoop, and my love for both of them is unwavering.

Dr. Owen Harper, Torchwood

I've been in love with this bastard since 2013; I've been repressing that adoration for 10 years. I- I don't really remember the exact moment that my opinion of Owen shifted from extreme dislike to him carving a permanent place in my very being, but there it is. He's sarcastic, an incorrigible flirt, and has one of the biggest, kindest hearts I've ever come across in fiction. At the time, I was pre-Med, and I aspired to be half as compassionate a doctor as him. After Exit Wounds, I gave up Torchwood (I couldn't, not with Tosh gone too.), but I've slowly been dipping my toes back in via Burn's reading of some of the books & the Big Finish audios. It's been 10 years, yet I think I'm more in love with this bastard than I ever was before. (And okay, I admit, he might be my favorite-favorite ^_^;)

Sgt. Detective William Blore, And Then There Were None

Bill, Bill, Bill... He's a crooked cop, he's tired of everyone's nonsense, he's filled with regret, he's probably gay. Detective Blore is yet another classic lit character that I first met back in the late 20-aughts, early 2010s who I really didn't care for. Then 2023 rolls around, and not only did I come to love him in this adaptation, but I've ended up going on an Agatha Christie bender because of it. Burn made me... well love would be too strong a word, but I definitely rank Blore as "a poor little meow meow."

Major Edmund Hewlett, TURN

How could this list be at all complete without including my beloved major? (Just picking a gif for this made me realise how badly I've missed him. 🥺) Edmund is... How do I explain how much I adore this guy? How do I possibly pin down the levels of pride I have in his journey, in his growth, explain the way my heart aches at the twists and turns that will tear him apart and build him back even stronger? How do I possibly do justice in conveying how damn aspirational he is, how merciful, how delightful? I can't, really. He's a force of nature that one must experience for themselves. (And I need to resume my rewatch methinks~)

Runner-Ups

(or the characters who have been spinning in my brain nonstop like rotisserie chickens and absolutely deserve mention)

Ben Jarvis, Cheat

I... I have entire essays I want to write about this guy. I have theories I want to discuss, but as most of them are... I can't. Yet. Maybe soon? I- Anyway. Ben was a huge surprise, and definitely nowhere close to what I was expecting when I finally got around to watching this show. I would be lying to say it wasn't a pleasant surprise, and I absolutely love how Burn was able to do a lot of solo work this series, with a lot of focus on body language and his uncanny knack for killer expressions.

Jacko Argyle, Ordeal By Innocence

This... This beautiful little shit ♡ One of the first Burn movies I actively chose to seek out, my second in his Agatha Christie adaptations, and my first dive into gif making. And Jacko-! Oh, Jacko... You stole my heart then broke it in only a few, few precious moments of screentime and backstory. He haunts the entire film, he haunts me still, and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet him.

Martin, Up There

(Oh look yet another one of my gifs 😅)

Martin is absolutely one of my favourite characters, especially for his absolute growth during the film. He crawls out of his downward spiral, he finds himself again, and ultimately discovers that there can be life after death. He just- He's grumpy, he's beautifully sarcastic, he's depressed, he's loved, and he just- Seriously I love him. Martin feels like a friend who I haven't seen in an age, and it's always a good day to bump into him again.

Reverend Benedict Marley, Lark Rise to Candleford

I almost forgot my favourite clergyman??? D:

Benedict Marley came into my life just to shake my very foundations, send me on an existential journey of self discovery, and waited for me at the end of it all with a soft smile and encouraging words. He only had one episode in the show, but his story was so easily woven and understood, his humility humbled me, and in ways that make me almost afraid to admit aloud- I felt seen in a way that I ever so rarely am. I connected to him; I understand him. He has depths that I could hardly explain in a single paragraph, but I can say that- out of all these characters- my feelings are birthed more out of a very deep respect and admiration.

I can't say this list will stay the same- I'm far from through with Burn's portfolio- but for his on-screen roles, these guys firmly remain top-tier for me. :)

(If you'd like to hear about his voice work instead, please let me know; I could go on for Hours about some of those lads. ♡)

Thanks for the ask Anon, and if you haven't seen any of these yet, I definitely recommend them!

[oraclebell17]

hey so this game. obsessed.

[narugen-moved]

keep thinking abt hoshina and mina GOD.. (spoilers for manga and kn8 bside)

given what hoshina said about his previous division treating him like a burden/parasite just because he can’t handle firearms and specializes in his swords… how tiring must it have been to have to work with those people each mission despite having a common goal?

and how tiring must it have been to be constantly told off by his own father for wanting to continue his family’s tradition, or to be told to give up on being part of the jakdf by his own teacher -

before mina, a high ranking commander personally reached out to him, to recruit him into her team?

the fact that she didn’t see him during joint trainings and think: why bother with that? why bother with blades when bigger kaiju will appear? when she personally deals with bigger kaiju herself.

but she instead saw him and thought: he can help me, he can cover my weaknesses (mina not being able to handle a vegetable peeler is hilarious) and he’s someone i can trust

she sees potential in him, she sees how he can excel within her division, she saw hoshina and as captain - has probably heard everyone talk shit about him but she was still certain that he’d be one of her division’s greatest asset

(and even when platoon leader ebina refused to let hoshina help out, mina stood firm on her decision and her claim that hoshina would be useful. when she asked him if he could take down the big kaiju, and he could only promise saving the child within it - she believed him, took his word for it and waited until he carried out his promise.)

and now hoshina is the vice captain, putting faith in a new recruit whom most people wouldn’t have believed in… full fucking cycle..

tldr: it makes me rly fucking emotional to think about how hoshina was given a reason to continue improving with his swords after being told to give up all this time… and how mina had never once thought his abilities were useless 👍

also makes me crazy how protective he is of his position as vice captain, as the person who stands by captain ashiro’s side…

[mandareeboo]

Dude I’m sobbing pls talk about the ending of inside job I need to know wether or not it’s bad I cried hard, for a 30 minutes, while eating a cookie

Listen I was NOT expecting to be so invested in Regan and Ron and I was and I was heartbroken even though I'd figured it was coming.

The thing is. The thing is- even without all the timelines to prove it- Reagan and Ron were clearly not meant to be in the long-term. I don't mean that in a "damaged people aren't meant to be together" kind of way. I mean that in a "their damage repels and attracts them like magnets and it will always hurt when they clang" way.

Ron is passively suicidal when we first meet him. This is not exaggeration- a single blast of a memory gun can wipe an entire life, and Ron tried to chug an entire bin of it. Chances are good that he'd have lost all bodily function, if he survived at all. The season goes to great lengths to show us that, for all his charm and care for Reagan, he's clearly very guilty for the things he's done- to the point he tries to keep Reagan away from it even though she does worse regularly. He constantly blames himself for small shortcomings or mistakes and sabotages any friendships he could make along the way. He goes silent for a solid week to plan an entire new world for them because he's so tired he decides to run.

But Reagan isn't! Reagan is a short woman filled with big rage against the machine and a dwindling patience for bullshit. Reagan doesn't want to run, or to leave Cognito- she HAS to fix it, has to tape that bitch together, has to tear anyone who stands in her way a new hole. It's how she copes with a childhood that was chosen for her.

And in the finale- Ron is basically dead, you know that? His mind is erased, and the script gives him a new name and ambitions and life. The man Reagan loved is fucking dead. Sure, she can see his face, sleeping peacefully for the first time in likely a decade, but it's not him. It'll never be him again.

(There's also the side note to be made here that Ron seems to really want kids- he mentions schools in Appleton, his perfect future has one, etc- and Reagan doesn't seem to want any at all, to the point she agrees to ghost protocol after seeing them mentioned by Rafe, so that would be a massive issue in their dynamic eventually.)

At the end of the day, I still really believe Reagan and Brett are best for each other, friends or romantic. They bring out the best in each other. Reagan's blunt nature helps Brett remember she wants him around and is happy to do family dinners or admit a walking dog onto the team, and Brett's positivity helps ground Reagan's pessimism. Ron and Reagan only brought out the best in each other in private- outside their home it brought out their worst constantly.

[xiaoluclair]

sorry to bother but i am in desperate need of lestappen fanfic recommendations if you have any 🥹🫶🏻

hello my sweet darling, i s'pose i may indeed accept your humble apology 💞✨💗. and in return:

[T] sweet, funny, established relationship, helmut marko get in a bin agenda if that's ur thing: Red Bull Burgers

[T] hilarious, flowershop!charles and streamer!max: so i guess i'll be sticking with you

[T] gorgeous, heartbreaking and heartmaking, non-linear, imagine word vomit but like truly exquisite: love like a fist

[M] depth, true rumination, metaphors and similes to knock you out, do not read this while half asleep (speaks from experience), or maybe do, the english language is but sweet author's measly slave: CUL-DE-SAC

[T] limited lestappen (but such good build for their potential), the most charming office au ever, on-the-fucking-floor-funny lmao lmfao rofl: itch

[E] mouth watering dynamics, basically pure lestappen, denial is not just a river in egypt, and now with a Part 2: (i) monaco malaise // (ii) azerbaijan abnegation

[blackfliesinbluesugar]

I got this shower bath bar thing for my bday and accidentally left it out in the sun way back in August and it melted 😅. Weather cold now and nothing has changed, and I doubt freezing it would help. Anyone know jack about soap... chemistry, to help? I really don't want to chuck it but it's unuseae in this state.

Ingredients below since relevant

Please don't complain abt tags, I need visibility cus I'm desperate

Eff it, I can make them relevant! Fnaf movie was very dumb but fun. The Owl House got pretty mid at the end. Zutara is boring to me but not worth getting mad over, I don't get the ship wars, fandom is meant to have ships. It's literally not toxic, it's fine y'all.

[significant-narratives]

toronto maple leafs i diagnose you with not enough fire signs disorder

earth signs

taurus — 2

virgo — 5

capricorn — 1

total count: 8

air signs

gemini — 1

libra — 3

aquarius — 1.5 (reavo is an aries-aqua cusp)

total count: 5.5

water signs:

cancer — 3

scorpio — 1

pisces — 3

total count: 7

fire signs:

aries — 1.5 (hi again reavo)

sagittarius — 1

leo — n/a

total fire sign count: 2.5

somebody get me brad on the phone we need to have a serious conversation

[head---ache]

NOOOOOOO STOP TAGGING MY ART AS SHADOUGE I DON'T DRAW SHADOUGE WAAAAAAA

[waywardmillennial]

Can you genuinely share your block list? I just can't deal with going in the tags.

If I can figure out a way to do so - I will. I've only just started putting one together. Maybe a link to a gdoc would be good to share? With people individually?

I cannot remember if private tumblr posts are shareable/viewable if posted as private.