#see? get it? get what I did there? him not being an enemy and also not being a helpful npc? do you get the metaphor ??

[peanutpinet]

OK HAI I HAD AN IDEA FOR INNOCENT READER X SYLUS (or normal reader), so. innocent reader and sylus just had a baby (like around crawling age) and mc is cooking and the baby just crawls off because she saw sylus for like 2 seconds and follows him into a meeting and sylus notices her (she starts babbling) and he laughs as his daughter is now apart of the meeting and when mc finds them shes knocked out on sylus’ chest while the twins coo over her (maybe covered in bloodddd)

Little Dragon - Father Sylus x Mother Innocent Fem Reader

A/N: Hi anon, thank you for requesting! Sorry it took so long and if the story doesn't match your request exactly but I hope you still enjoy the story

Question, do you guys think I should make this into a series? If so, would you guys like to send in more requests of Sylus x Innocent Fem Reader? Let me know!!

Also, imma need to know what you guys think of Caleb's return? Did not expect a blunt yandere/possessive theme for him like, can 22 January come any sooner?!

Warnings: fluff, slight aggressive tone (not sylus), implied "torture", overall wholesome story of Sylus x Innocent Fem Reader with their lil dragon

Disclaimer: I do not own the images nor the characters or you (the MC). All images were taken from Pinterest and credit goes to the image's respective owners.

“Sweetie, I’m sorry for not being able to help you for dinner. A sudden meeting came up but I’ll make sure to make it up to you” Sylus murmured as he wrapped his large arms around your small figure, burying his face in the crook of your neck as you were cooking dinner

Though it’s been years since you first dated and two years since you both got married and had a baby girl, you still get goosebumps whenever Sylus is close or does anything intimate

“Sy…it’s okay…but can you like umm, get off? You’re umm…you’re distracting me. I need to cook” you stuttered while you felt Sylus’ warm laughter right at your neck, sending a wave of goosebumps all over your body

“Oh sweetie” Sylus tightens his hold slightly around your waist, not so much that you couldn’t move but enough for you to know his slightly attachment towards you. “Even after all these years, you’re still easily flustered. I thought you would have gotten used to me being clingy”

Sylus pressed a soft lingering kiss on the side of your neck right between your neck and shoulder. “What would your business partners or enemies think off when they see you being clingy like this” you barely uttered, trying to keep composed while Sylus chuckled and gave you a lingering kiss on the side of your neck before reluctantly pulling away

“Who cares about what they think? As long as you and our lil dragon are always with me, I could care less about what everyone else thinks” Sylus mentioned, now standing beside you, rubbing your shoulders

You looked over at Sylus smiling and kissed his cheeks while you were on your tiptoe with Sylus’ hand around your waist to stabilize you. “We’ll always love you, sy. You’re both our first love, our protector, our home”

Hearing you say all this, Sylus couldn’t help but gently hold your chin and softly kissing your lips. To him, your lips were more addicting than anything he had ever tasted; including his collection of wine. “You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. It makes me want to just forget about the meeting and spend more time with you and our lil dragon”

Hearing Sylus’ words, you turned off the stove and turned to face Sylus. “I know love. But you also need to handle your businesses. You have to make sure that everything is running smoothly. I’ll reward you with lots of kisses afterwards yeah?”

Hearing your bargain, Sylus smirked and pulled you closer. “That better me a promise, sweetie. You know what I do to liars” Sylus leaned down so his lips were right by your ear as he nibbled them a bit. “I’d punish them”

Feeling the heat rushed to your cheeks, you immediately shoved him backwards. “Okay okay, I get it. Don’t forget to kiss your lil dragon before you go to your meeting”

Sylus let out a rough sigh as he kissed your cheek once more before walking to the playmate where your daughter fell asleep after playing for a while. Seeing your daughter sprawled across the playmate with her crow and dragon plushie, Sylus kneeled down and lifted her, bringing her closer to him as he placed a gentle kiss on top of her head, nose, and cheeks.

“Sorry lil dragon. Daddy got some work to finish off but I promise I’ll finish up quickly to come back to you and mommy. Don’t trouble your mommy okay? Otherwise, daddy is going to get punished by mommy”

Sylus chuckled as he gently placed his daughter back on the playmate, making sure to not wake her up as he pulled her blankie on her then slowly got back up and headed to his meeting room; not knowing that his daughter was actually awake when he kissed her.

Neither you nor Sylus noticed but when your daughter felt Sylus’ lips on her face, she started to wake up but knowing your daughter, she was quite a calm baby that sometimes the both of you would often miss when she was awake unless one of you actually paid attention closely.

Without either of you knowing, your daughter crawled to follow Sylus into his meeting room which he didn’t close, allowing her to crawl into the room which didn’t go unnoticed by everyone in the room, including his business partner.

“W-what the? A baby?” Sylus’ business partner and men who were on guard, worried that Sylus brought in additional security all of a sudden

“D-dadda!!” the baby crawled over to Sylus, ignoring the presence of powerful men in the room because she only had one thing on her mind and that was getting to her dad

“What on earth is the meaning of this, Sylus?” his business partner scowled

Sylus didn’t even bother to reply to his business partner and kneeled on the ground, waiting for his daughter to crawl over to him before scooping her up and praising her for crawling. “That’s my baby girl. Such a strong and resilient little one just like her mom”

The baby giggled in Sylus’ arms as he sat back in his chair, letting his daughter cuddle with her father, ignoring the unpleasant stares in the room and played with Sylus’ necklace. “What? Never seen a baby before?”

“No. More so irritated that our conversation is interrupted. You’re not the only one that’s busy around here” his business partner scoffed and Sylus held back using his evol when his daughter is around

“Is that so?” Sylus tried not to sound irritated to not scare his daughter as he patted her back, bringing her to his chest where she snuggled closer

“One can never be so sure with you, Sylus. Who knows, that little menace of a child might actually be someone that’s shapeshifting. Or is this part of your plan, Sylus?” the business partner went on to the point that Sylus’ daughter cried as she was able to detect that she was being called out and insulted

The moment his daughter cried, that was Sylus’ breaking point. He cooed his daughter, telling her sweet things in her ear while patting her small back, making her cuddle him like a baby koala to its mother.

“The deal is over. See to it that these low lives are punished for talking about my daughter like that” as Sylus stood up, both Luke and Kieran along with his other men pointed their weapons at his business partner.

“Come lil dragon, how about we go play for a bit, yeah?” Sylus cooed his daughter who giggled and snuggled her cheeks against his while Sylus brought her to his special room in his office that he built when you were pregnant with his daughter

Sylus built the extension room to his office specifically so that you can take care of your daughter if you ever got bored waiting for him during a meeting or anything else. Sylus made sure the room had everything that you would need. A big enough bed, baby clothes and essentials, a small connected bathroom (when we say small, Sylus meant the size of a regular apartment bedroom) along with some books and toys. But the best thing about it all was that it was babyproof, soundproof, and safe from potential disaster.

By the time you finished cooking dinner, you went over to the playmate, about to wake your daughter up when you realised she was nowhere to be seen.

Immediately, you frantically rushed to Sylus’ meeting room where Luke and Kieran were cleaning up the place and pointed at the extended room. Without wasting anytime, you opened the door to see your daughter fell asleep on Sylus’ chest while he patted her small back, watching some cartoons for babies.

You smiled at the sight, walking closer and grabbing a blanket to wrap around yourself with your husband who welcomed you with an open arm and smile and your baby girl.

Sylus kissed the side of your head, apologising for not bringing your daughter back when he noticed her coming into the meeting room. “Sorry sweetie, I can’t help it when she crawled all the way to me and even extended her little hands at me. You know I’m weak for her and you”

Smiling, you shake your head and kissed his cheek. “As long as there’s no violence or cursing in front of her, right?” Sylus immediately shook his head. “Never. Not while I’m around”

“Then all is good” you laid your head on Sylus’ shoulder while he used his free hand to stroke your hair. “By the way, where’s your business partner? How did they react when they saw our babygirl in here?”

Sylus stopped stroking your hair for a moment before giving you a shrug. “That’s non of your concern sweetie. But I’ll tell you this much. Anyone who made our lil dragon cry will get the wrath of her dragon father”

Shaking your head, you decided to not further question him and enjoyed this moment with your little family while Luke and Kieran secretly cooed at the sight, taking lots of pictures to keep for all of you.

[grandline-fics]

Immune To Your Charms

DESCRIPTION: Soulmates are incapable of harming the other in any way. Normally that would be a good thing but not when you're meant to be enemies.

WARNINGS: It's Doflamingo so that's it's own warning if you don't like reading fics featuring him. Soulmate! AU, Enemies to Lovers. Some descriptions of illness and death

CHARACTERS: Doflamingo

WORDS: 3,518

A/N: Hope you all like how this chapter turned out. I'm not too keen on it personally, feeling like it wasn't my best but that's just me. We've got more denial as feelings are developing but with Doffy these things take time.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

DIRECTORY | PROMPT LIST

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve(here) | Chapter Thirteen (coming soon)

——————

For the first couple of weeks of taking medication for your illness you spent most of your time sleeping, the rest of the time you were awake long enough to eat the light meals planned for you and very little else. You were exhausted and sluggish, barely able to manage out a few sarcastic comments but even they lacked your usual tone or maintain your focus long enough for it to be considered fun for either you. Doflamingo had expected to see some sort of change by now and in his eyes this lack of results was bordering on unforgivable. As he ate his breakfast his face was like thunder and everyone could feel the heavily brewing storm under the surface. 

His grin was gone and the vein against his head throbbed at the slightest sign of annoyance. Even his family and elite members felt at risk of facing the brunt of his anger when he would eventually snap. Doflamingo’s gaze sharpened on the clock and realised he’d spent too long in the dining room. It was already time for the doctor’s to conduct their morning check. Sharply he stood, ignoring how everyone in the room flinched at his sudden movement and left the room, heading straight to your quarters. With every step he took his fingers flexed and cracked, ready to lash out if he didn’t get any sort of satisfactory news. 

Throwing open the doors he set his glare heavily on the two doctors who paled and froze at the sight of their leader. Against your propped up pillows you blinked tiredly and followed their stare to watch Doflamingo let the door close behind him. Now that you were regularly taking medication you no longer needed his constant presence to avoid being in pain but you felt constantly drained and your body aching but it was bearable. With a sigh you looked to the doctors. “You two can go.” The doctors quickly looked to you, visibly relieved to be given permission to avoid Doflamingo when he was clearly close to committing murder. They hesitated slightly and you let out an annoyed sigh, forcing yourself to glare at them. “Leave him to me. Go and do what you said you would.”

At your instruction the doctors warily moved towards the door, glancing at Doflamingo with increasing nervousness the closer they got. Doflamingo said and did nothing to stop them and waited until they left and heard their hurried steps echoing down the corridor before he glared at you as you slowly sipped at the herbal tea the servant had left along with your untouched breakfast. “Explain yourself.”

“Morning to you too.” You muttered with another tired sigh. Doflamingo could’t help but notice that your breathing seemed improved, was he imagining that the rattle in your chest had lessened? “I’m not in the mood for guessing. Explain what?”

“A few things. Explain why you’re telling the doctors to leave. Why you’re not eating your breakfast and explain why there isn’t any medication for you to take.”

“I told the doctors to leave so they can go and make a start on the next course of medication and also so you didn’t get a chance to kill them needlessly.”

“Why change the medication?” Doflamingo asked, approaching the bed to stare at you intently. You didn’t seem worse . Were they trying something stronger to get the results he wanted? Or was there something they were withholding from him? Was that why you told them to leave?

“According to them I’m no longer ‘critical’ and now they need to make something less intensive. It’ll continue to fight the infection but it won’t leave me feeling like I’m in a coma all the time.”

“I suppose I can allow that explanation.” Doflamingo muttered, still not happy that his doctors didn’t tell him themselves before fleeing, though with the mood he was in there was a big chance he would have killed one of them before they could have told him everything. Still his mind fell to the one question you hadn’t answered. “And your food? What’s your excuse for not eating?”

“They were fussing over me so much with their tests and checks I didn’t get the chance.” You explained before taking another slow sip of the tea. You eyed the bowl of untouched food and pulled a face. “The sooner I’m recovered the better, the repetition is driving me insane.”

“You’re not really in a position to be picky.” Doflamingo chuckled, perching himself on the edge of your bed. “Strict diet until the doctors say otherwise.”

“Oh so now you want to listen to them?” You asked dryly, watching him get comfortable and start to relax. “They’ve been terrified for the last few days, some wanting to draw straws to see who will be treating me when you’re awake.”

“Fear’s a good motivator in my experience.” Doflamingo shrugged unapologetically and uncaring about the visible panic he brought out in his servants and subordinates. His methods always yielded results, at least most of the time it did. You were the anomaly that he chose not to count. 

Out of habit at this point he pulled the tray closer and lifted the bowl into his hand, offering the spoonful of uninteresting purée towards you. Thankfully after that first time you never insisted he say ‘please’ to comply. Today though you regarded him silently for a moment before allowing him to feed you. You ate in silence before finally speaking what was on your mind. “Why doesn’t it bother you? Feeding me?”

“Should it?” 

“I know I can’t get you infected but the whole sick person thing seems like something you’d avoid where possible.” You explained. You recalled Doflamingo’s initial declarations that he was ensuring you recovered because he wasn’t letting an illness kill you instead of him but still some things didn’t add up. “In the beginning you could have used your strings to feed me and when I stopped being in constant pain you could have ordered a servant to take over. Doesn’t seem in line with your kingly reputation.”

“Probably not but no one would breathe a word about it so my reputation is safe.” Doflamingo conceded before grinning broadly at you. “Besides who would even believe them I’d do something so kind?”

“That’s them though, this is me asking.” You pressed. “Strangely it feels like you’ve done this before.”

“A little. There wasn’t much food and they didn’t live long after getting ill.” Doflamingo’s answer was low, oddly soft. It was a tone you’d never heard from him before and one you’d really never expected to experience from him. Whoever it was he was talking about, you could tell it was a heavy loss for him to speak of. 

You could only guess it was a relative, as much as he claimed those in his inner circle were part of his family, you knew they were a chosen family and not connected to him by sharing the same blood. The man was still very much a mystery to you and as curious as you were, to want to get to know him more would be only a complication down the line. Instead you decided to change the conversation after you took the last spoonful of food. “So strict diet aside, when can I leave this room?”

“Not until you’re better.” Doflamingo’s answer was simple as to be expected but not what you wanted to hear and you didn’t hide your disappointment or annoyance. You had been confined to your room the entire time you were ill and you only got to the bathroom and bathed with the help of a servant because your body was so weak to move. It was a relief that the doctors knew what they were doing because if they hadn’t given you the medication to lessen your pain you would have relied on Doflamingo for that aspect and neither of you were in anyway wanting to broach that level of reliance or intimacy with each other. Needing to sleep in his arms had been more than enough for you both. “Stop pulling that face, can’t risk you managing to hurt yourself and you know it.”

“I’m bored. Y’know for a moment I actually missed Diamanté and Trebol?” You grumbled, narrowing your eyes when Doflamingo began to laugh just as the door opened and the third doctor of the day cautiously entered. You watched as their eyes flickered from you to Doflamingo, nervously trying to assess the mood in the room and prepare for what they expected to happen. They seemed to relax slightly and came closer, your gaze falling to the vial of new medication in his hand. “So what can I expect with this one?”

“You’ll have to take it three times a day. You won’t be as lethargic but it will take a lot of time for your previous energy levels to return. We’re hopeful that after another week we can begin to reduce the treatment again. You’ve been responding so well, it’s a good sign.”

You weren’t exactly in the mood to share their overall optimism. You hadn’t lied when you told Doflamingo that you were bored. You hated being sick at the best of times but to suffer through an infection like this, stuck in your room and only able to sleep or eat, it was irritating and now that you were changing your medication that meant less sleeping and more time just being stuck in your bed. Already you weren’t looking forward to the next few days. With a click of your tongue you took the opened vial offered to you and threw it back in one go, pulling a face at the strange taste. Seeing you take the medicine seemed to release the final thread of tension in Doflamingo’s body and his grin spread into place. As you shifted to get comfy against the pillows you scowled out of the corner of your eye. At least one of you was happy.

————

Doflamingo had allowed his work to pile up while you were ill. Calls from the different corrupt leaders he was supplying weapons to had gone unreturned, shipping manifests from the different warehouses and docks notifying him of his share of profits and resources had piled up and gone unchecked. He was sure there were some Marine calls he’d missed but he couldn’t bring himself to care about whatever it was they wanted. He’d done his part by showing up to their nonsense meeting. Sitting back in his office chair he put down a profit report from one of the many businesses he’d placed an investment in and kicked his feet up onto the desk, feeling his eyes grow heavy under his glasses. 

It had been a long time since he’d dreamt of the horrid little shack but he knew it instantly. Looking around at the sound of tiny but devastated sobs he tensed to see his little brother clinging to his younger self in the next room, both aspects of his memory and imagination unaware of his presence. Not that he was even paying them much attention, every part of his attention was solely on the bed in the middle of the room. 

As much as he wanted to turn away and leave the sorry excuse of a home, as much as he wanted to force himself to wake, it wasn’t in his power. Instead his heavy limbs brought him into the room and he felt slight relief that his subconscious didn’t show his father in this version. His relief didn’t last long though because already he was at the bedside, staring down at the outline of the body completely hidden by the dirty, frayed sheet. Roughly he grabbed a fistful of the fabric and ripped it away, freezing to see it wasn’t his mother under the covering but you. 

With a jolt Doflamingo woke, staring at the ceiling and working on keeping his breathing even and forcing himself to ignore the tremor in his hands. Pushing away from the desk he rose and made his way to your room. For yet another instance since you fell ill he found himself seeking you out in the middle of the night, at least this time he was fully conscious of it. His plan was simple, go in check on you, leave. 

Doflamingo opened the door only to stop to see you already sitting up in the bed with your gun pointed at him. When you saw who it was you sighed and put the weapon back into the drawer of your bedside table. At least this helped shake him of the dream he had but now he was more confused than ever about what you were doing. Your fever had broken already so you no longer had any moments of delirium and even when you did, you’d never tried to reach for your weapon. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“I’ve slept enough, don’t you think?” You asked staring at him carefully. “What’s wrong?”

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” 

“Deflecting question for one thing.” You stated with a frown. “You haven’t stayed to help me sleep since the medicine first started taking effect so it can’t be for that. You look tense…your hand’s twitching.”

“You know part of me liked it better when you were too ill to notice things.” Doflamingo muttered, staying close to the wall. “I’m fine, nothing to worry about. Now are you going to tell me about the gun?”

“I thought you were the doctors and I’ve reached my limit of their fussing and increased checks for one day.” You explained in frustration. You weren’t really going to shoot them but you had been so frustrated that the temptation to threaten them had reached the point you’d gotten to. Now that you’d had the moment to reflect on it thanks to Doflamingo’s arrival you let out a sigh. “I know they’re doing their job but enough is enough at least until tomorrow.”

“Any reason for the increased fussing?”

“They claim they’re ensuring the new medication isn’t bringing a risk of unforeseen side effects but the real reason is you. They’re checking for the smallest improvement so you don’t kill them.” You said only to glare when he smirked at that. “Don’t get smug, it doesn’t suit you. So are you staying or going?”

“Oh? If that’s your way of asking nicely you can do better than that.” He teased, grin returning in full force when you let out a huff and rolled your eyes. “You do like to cling to me, it’s adorable.”

“Not as adorable as you oh so sweetly saying ‘please’ Doffy.” Your retort was quick but still not as sharp as you usually could muster. You were glad you could see the results of the treatment but it still hadn’t brought you back to your full strength. 

“You’ve been calling me that more often, did you notice?” Doflamingo observed, watching your eyes narrow slightly.

“Because I’ve been too drained to waste energy on your needlessly long name, Doflamingo.” You explained with a sweet smile before deciding that it was time to get back into the old routine of going against him, illness be damned. Pulling back the covers you rose out of bed, still feeling the heaviness in your limbs but you were determined and defiant now. By the time you’d walked the length of the bed Doflamingo was already in front of you, leaning against the bedpost and stopping you from stepping any further. Adopting your most casual expression you looked up at him. “Yes?”

“Get back into bed.”

“I don’t want to.” 

“I don’t care what you want.” Doflamingo told you evenly. “Either get back into bed or I’ll put you back.”

“Do it and I’ll get back out. Like I told you earlier, I’m bored and tired of staying in bed.” You ground out in annoyance. “I don’t care where I go I just need to get out of here for a little while. A little bit of walking isn’t going to kill me.”

“We’ll talk about it in the morning with the doctors. Get back in bed.”

“No we won’t because your doctors will be too scared and just go along with whatever you want. I’ll go back to bed when I’m ready.” You argued and stepped around him with your sights set firmly on your door. Even if you got as far as the hall it would have been enough to count as a change of scenery and proof you still had some control over your actions now that you were feeling somewhat better.

“You’re so fucking difficult.” You rolled your eyes at the Warlord’s comment from behind you only for a yelp to break from your lips when you were abruptly lifted off of your feet when you were about to grab the doorhandles and thrown over Doflamingo’s shoulder. “You have five minutes but you aren’t walking, pick where to go.”

“Kitchen.” Your answer came without hesitation. Secretly you were relieved to be lifted, the shake in your limbs becoming hard to ignore but you weren’t going to let the moment of Doflamingo letting you leave the room go to waste. You said nothing as you were carried through the corridors and into the darkened kitchens. 

After the lights flicked on you were set on the counter you let out a long satisfied smile, stretching out your arms and legs. Reaching over you lifted the domed lid covering what remained of one of the many cakes and desserts prepared for the family’s dinner that night and pulled it closer. You looked up when Doflamingo stopped beside you, offering a fork for you to take while he used the second in his hand to take a forkful of the cake you’d decided on. Wordlessly you took it and helped yourself to some for yourself, savouring the sweet and rich taste that flooded your mouth. The cooks in the palace were talented and make everything taste amazing. It was thanks to their skills that made being on the limited menu while ill bearable but this? Getting to eat something new again and eat it while you weren’t meant to make it taste even better, like it was something forbidden but so satisfying.  

“Happy now?” Doflamingo asked after a few minutes of calm silence, setting his own fork aside and leaving the last few bites of cake for you to help yourself to.

“Yes, actually I am.” You smiled at him, your mood lifting for the first time in a long time. Taking the last bite you let out a content sigh and looked to Doflamingo. “So happy I could dance, but sadly I’m not allowed to walk.”

“Now you’ve got my attention, maybe save the dancing for when you’re fully recovered.” Doflamingo grinned, turning slightly to watch you smirk at him. “Now back to bed.”

“Fine, killjoy.” You grumbled, knowing you’d already had longer than the initial five minutes he’d promised you. Resigned to your fate you held out your arms to let him lift you only to scowl further when he stood in front of you and chuckled, lightly tapping your lower lip with his finger. 

“Stop the pouting, you got what you wanted.” He reminded you with a grin, lifting you off the counter and taking you to your room. 

When you neared your room you looked at Doflamingo. In spite of being annoyed you weren’t able to be out of your room for long you still appreciated the time you did get out. “Listen…Thank you, I mean it.” You began and thought back to how he’d unexpectedly came to your room that night. Something had been on his mind and given the earlier conversation you had a small inkling what it was. You don’t know why but you wanted to say something to help him. “I know it doesn’t need to be said but, whoever it was you lost. I’m not them.”

“Of course you’re not.” Doflamingo tensed slightly, his stride not breaking even as the image of you lying in place of his mother on her deathbed from his dream came back.

“I’ll get better and then you’ll get right back to finding a way to kill me, right?” You tried to stay casual about everything but the longer you stayed in Dressrosa and around Doflamingo, and now with how he was taking care of you from your infection it got harder to convince yourself that things were going to stay the same as they had when you first crossed paths with the man setting you down onto your bed.

“That’s the plan.” Doflamingo answered and it took everything in you to ignore how his hold on you tightened lightly while he also sounded like he was trying to convince himself of the same thing too. Saying nothing more you watched him turn and leave the room. When the door clicked shut you lay back with a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. Why did you have to open your mouth?

——————————————-

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[bludstein]

Hear me out. So... y'all know how Moon Knight is often correlated with Batman? And there happens to be a Mesoamerican bat-like spirit(s) named Camazotz?

An AU where Bruce, on his journey to become Batman, stopped a smuggling and came across Camazotz's artifact. Camazotz, who sensed vengeance and rage exuding from this mortal man, revealed themselves to him. They tried to manipulate Bruce into accepting their offer to be their avatar/vessel, even bringing up the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne. It either succeeded or failed, whichever options didn't matter because he ended up being Camazotz's vessel anyway.

He is stronger, faster, and sharper. He aged slower, healed quicker than normal. He even has bat-like powers. Of course, this all came with a cost. Bruce suffered from thirst of blood every night. The beast inside him yearns for bloodshed. The beast always tempts him to cross that line, to behead their enemies and revel in their blood. Bruce knows that's not him, knows he wouldn't do that. If he did, that beast will consume him, drown him in their darkness.

He kept on saving people no matter what because saving them saves HIM. Every act of kindness. Every meaningful words. Every dime spent on bettering the city and it's people. Every time spent with his friends and family. All of them kept the beast away, grounding Bruce to his humanity.

Imagine the angst between him and everyone. The Justice League are wary of him not only because of his contingency plans but also the fact that he's drawing power from spirit(s) symbolizing the night, death, and sacrifice. Imagine how much Bruce is teetering on the edge of losing himself for his kids but they just don't get it.

Imagine Jason visiting another timeline where Bruce killed the Joker and the streets are... quiet, too quiet. Gotham always have red sky at night but this sky screams bad omen. And then he smelled it, saw it. Blood. Too much blood, paving a crimson road which expand more and more as he followed it's trail.

Finally, he stops in his tracks, seeing a mountain of beheaded bodies. From the Rogues Gallery to small-time criminals, standing atop of it is a monster in his mentor-slash-father figure's image... That is the moment when Jason finally understands what Bruce meant by never coming back, what happens if he cross that line.

The beast will consume him.

(I would like to explore this concept but I'm not well-versed in Mesoamerican mythology. Please correct me if I'm wrong!)

[galaxymagitech]

What Makes Robin Magic?

For @jasontoddweek2025 Day 7:

Return | Outsider POV | Crime Alley

Summary: Jason shows Damian around Crime Alley and explains his own interpretation of Robin's magic.

Characters: Jason Todd, Damian Wayne

Warnings: Shockingly, none this time!

You can read it here or on AO3!

When Damian steps outside of prison—sorry, school—he expects to see Alfred’s sleek black car waiting for him. Instead, he sees the standard line of flashy cars and, near the front, a beat-up red Honda Odessey that looks like it has seen far better days. For a moment, Damian thinks he can get away with ignoring the abomination and call an Uber home, but then Todd waves at him from the window.

Grudgingly, Damian marches over to Todd’s dubiously-safe car and slides into the passenger seat. He notices that, instead of Red Hood garb, Todd seems to be wearing a simple leather jacket, a Green Lantern T-shirt, and jeans. “You,” Todd says, “are eleven. You need to be thirteen to sit in the front.” Damian glares at him and does not move. Todd raises his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, it’s just the law.”

Todd does not care about Damian’s safety. No, he simply wants to humiliate Damian, for the sole crime of having obtained fewer years of age. “Tt. Need I remind you that murder is also against the law?”

“Went cold-turkey—try again.” As usual, Todd is making no sense.

“Why is this turkey cold?” Damian asks, tilting his head.

“Cold—it means I quit immediately,” Todd explains. “Eleven means backseat.”

“I am not a child,” Damian insists. “I am a highly-trained agent of justice.” Todd will not convince him to concede on this point. He is no doubt gathering blackmail—perhaps even giving it to Drake.

“Legally,” Todd says, “you’re eleven.”

Damian sniffs. “Legally, Todd, you are a corpse.” Satisfied that he has won the argument, Damian leans back in his seat. “And corpses cannot drive.”

Todd chuckles. “Fine then, brat. But the seatbelt’s going on at least.”

Damian buckles his seatbelt with the distinct feeling that he fell for some sort of trick. “Where are we going?” Damian asks as Todd pulls out of the line of cars.

“You’ll see.”

“Are you holding me for ransom, as you did Drake?”

Todd chuckles. “No. But if you wanna consider this a kidnapping, feel free.”

“If this is a kidnapping,” Damian says, “I will activate my emergency beacon.”

“Kidnapping is a…loose term. You’re being detained for a fun afternoon outing.”

“Is this how you got Drake too?” Damian asks.

“I’ll tell you a secret,” Todd says, leaning slightly towards Damian. “Tim didn’t even realize he was kidnapped.”

“How?” Damian is aware that Drake is often lacking in common sense and survival skills, but Red Robin is still a detective. Failing to realize you’ve been kidnapped while your enemy ransoms you back to your…guardian, because Father is not Drake’s father…seems to require uncharacteristic idiocy.

“Well, he just showed up at my safehouse because he thought I might be plotting something, and then fell asleep in the middle of said investigation. I managed to ransom Tim back to Bruce before he even woke up. Kid was shocked when B showed up, all worried. It was hilarious.”

“…I suppose,” Damian agrees. He will need to speak to his ally about this, as he has also noticed Drake’s tendency to fall asleep in bizarre locations. It could be dangerous, in the field. Although, he supposes it would be Father or Richard’s role in that case, as he has been repeatedly informed that he does not, in any way, outrank Drake. “Where are we going, then?” Damian asks.

“Home,” Todd says.

Damian arches an eyebrow. “This is not the way to Wayne Manor.”

Todd raises a hand towards Damian’s head. Damian stares Todd down, daring him to finish whatever patronizing gesture he was intending. Todd retracts his hand. Wise move. “Not your home, Demon Brat. Mine.”

“Crime Alley,” Damian surmises.

“Yeah,” Todd says. “Now shut up. My driving skills are for high speed car chases, not local traffic laws.”

It is foolish of Todd to admit such a weakness, but as Damian desires to keep his life and limbs intact, he remains silent until Todd pulls the car to a stop in a dirty alleyway. “You wanted to show me…cigarette butts?”

Todd rolls his eyes. “C’mon, demon.” Warily, Damian follows Todd out of the car. This is looking like more and more of a trap. He thought Todd was on decent terms with Father at the moment—primarily due to what Todd had called a ‘cold turkey’—but perhaps Todd needs leverage. Or, worse, he has regained his vendetta and is going after the current Robin. Perhaps Damian should have returned the mantle to Drake, if it is a target for Todd’s wrath… “Calm down,” Todd says, ruffling Damian’s hair and then dodging out of the way of his punch with a laugh.

“Why are we here?” Damian asks, composing himself.

“Well, I wanted to show you something.” Damian follows Todd as the man leads him through the Alleyway and down a street. They turn into a second alleyway, and Damian immediately sees what Todd wanted to show him.

The first thing that Damian notices is the color. The alleyway’s concrete walls are covered in a rainbow of bold, striking colors. Mostly reds, yellows, and greens, but there are accents in multiple shades of orange, pink, blue, purple, and white. The paint consumes the walls, eating away at the darkness and transporting Damian and Todd to a dimension of color.

The second thing Damian notices is the recurring image of boy in a leotard, tunic, and cape, leaping into action with a grin on his face. Although Robin’s likeness features red, yellow, and green, the unrealistic colors complement these and bring the mural to life.

Damian allows his gaze to drift around the alleyway. Behind the Robins, Damian sees various settings and objects: bubble-letter names, renditions of storefronts…even a spray-painted basketball. Each one, painted in its own unique style, seems to hold a story of its own.

“Isn’t this vain?” Damian asks, once he regains his voice. The murals are beautiful, but it’s just like Todd to make this about himself. “These are you, aren’t they?”

Todd shakes his head. “Nah. They’re Robin.” Damian steps forwards, reaching out to touch the painted wall. He traces the lines of Robin’s cape, taking in every color that appears within the yellow.

“Robin,” Damian echoes.

“And right now,” Todd says, “Robin is you.”

Damian doesn’t know how long he stands there, his hand resting against the wall. But eventually, he rips his gaze away from the art and steps back. “I didn’t know this was here.”

“Yeah,” Todd says. “I happened upon it when I was—I was in a bad place. It helped, a bit. To know that someone missed me. Even if they didn’t know who I was.”

“Who painted this?” Damian asks. The background is in a variety of styles, but the Robins all seem to have been painted by the same person.

“Olivia Medina. Do you want to meet her?”

Slowly, Damian nods.

As they walk, Todd explains their destination. It’s apparently a restaurant known as a “Diner.” Specifically, it is called “Livie’s Diner.” The owner has lived in Crime Alley her entire life and is nearing retirement. All of her children have moved out of Gotham, but she’s made up for it with a horde of honorary grandchildren. Apparently, her tendency to acquire children is somehow even worse than Father’s. Todd calls her “Livie,” but apparently, most of her own waiters and waitresses, several of the street children, and one very embarrassed cook call her “Grandma Livie.”

When they enter the diner, a bubbly woman with blue hair—grey at the roots—greets them. She kisses Todd on the cheek, and Damian watches in shock as Todd accepts it with a smile. “Is this the little brother you talked about, Peter?” Mrs. Medina asks.

“Yeah, this is little Billy.” Billy, Damian mouths in horror. What sort of name is Billy? He glares at Todd and swears he can see the man smirk. Nevertheless, he gives Mrs. Medina a nod of acknowledgement. “You know, Billy was admiring your work on Doyers Street.”

“Oh, that old thing?” Mrs. Medina asks.

“It was…” Damian searches for the right words. It was not particularly technical art, in the way that he saw in the art museums Richard took him to. But somehow, it seemed so alive, like Robin was really there. Like—as ridiculous as it is—the paint held magic. “It was visually striking.” That feels inadequate, though. “The energy…it felt very real.”

Mrs. Medina smiles. “Thank you. Are you a Robin fan?”

“Yes,” Damian says. He is Robin, so he supposes he could be considered a ‘Robin fan,’ as demeaning as the term is.

“Well,” Mrs. Medina says, “he saved this diner, you know? Mr. Freeze was right there and had frozen half my customers. He said he was going to turn on the permafrost section and was about to kill us all, when Robin leapt in from that window over there. And he said, ‘Freeze right there!’ and dropkicked him through the door. And one of my customers, she was frozen to the floor, but she had this baby and the baby was just bawling her eyes out, poor dear. So, Robin went over and picked up the baby and bounced her until she stopped crying. And then he defrosted all my patrons.”

Todd grins. “You tell that story to everyone, Livie.”

“Well, it’s a good story,” Mrs. Medina says, waving her hand. “Now, you boys go sit down.”

Todd leads Damian over to a booth. “Was that you?” Damian asks, once they’re seated.

“Nah, it was Dick,” Todd says softly enough to hide their words from prying ears. “I, on the other hand, saved the diner from Croc, but that’s not as fun of a story.”

Damian can imagine. If Freeze is in a decent-enough mood and caught early, much of the damage is reversable. Killer Croc, on the other hand…

“You’re vegetarian, not vegan, right?” Damian nods. “You’ll get an omelet,” Todd decides. “Livie refuses to tell me her secret recipe, but they’re amazing here. Want anything else?”

It is not lunchtime, but Damian decides not to argue. He could always use a snack anyway, with the physical exertion required for the vigilante lifestyle. When the waiter arrives, Jason chats with him for a couple minutes in French before ordering their food. He’s mostly silent, then, until the omelets get to their table. Todd was right—the omelets are strangely good. Not better than Alfred’s cooking, but…different enough, that they’re not strictly comparable.

“Why did you bring me here?” Damian asks, once he has taken a few bites of the omelet. He sees why Todd might prize this place—a strangely cozy restaurant in the middle of his crime-ridden territory, run by a talented woman who painted a beautiful mural to honor Robin. But, why would Jason take Todd to this place—to his ‘home’?

“Robin,” Todd says simply.

Damian doesn’t understand, but he certainly doesn’t want to admit it. So, he remains quiet and allows Todd to ramble about the de facto homeless shelter he set up a block away with money from his criminal activities. Damian is uncertain if he is supposed to be impressed or not—Todd is a criminal flaunting his crimes to a sworn crimefighter. And yet, Todd seems proud as he talks about how he bribed the police to leave the place alone.

When they finish the omelets, Todd walks over to the nearby booth and has a brief conversation with the shifty-looking boy sitting there. The man writes down a few notes in a notebook he pulls out of his jacket, nods somberly, and walks back. Damian doesn’t ask. Todd pays for the meal and they leave, walking back out onto the Gotham streets.

Damian trails behind Todd, but this time he looks out at the streets in a way he hadn’t before. Instead of simply scanning for threats and noting the presence of graffiti and cracked pavement, he starts to register each one—the face spray-painted on the pavement beside a bench some Boy Scout troop installed, the dandelion growing out of the cracks in the road, the circle with an X carved into the wooden façade of a bakery that indicates the possibility of food for the needy.

“You know,” Todd says, “when I left the League, I missed the baklava. We could get some from that bakery.”

Damian wrinkles his nose. The baklava he has eaten in America is very different from the Leagues. He says as much.

“Yeah, ‘cos there are different variations. The guy who owns this bakery moved here from Iran, and that’s where the head League chef in Nanda Parbat came from. Trust me, you’ll like it.”

So, they get baklava and walk back to eat the sweet and sticky dessert while sitting on the hood of Todd’s battered car. “Why do you own a mini-van?” Damian asks. “It’s…unbefitting of you.”

“No one suspects the mini-van,” Todd says with a laugh. “Really, there’s just more room to carry guns and dead bodies. Not that I’m transporting any dead bodies, anymore, but…you know. If I needed to.”

“Why did you bring me here, Todd?” Damian asks. Because this was surprisingly enjoyable, but Todd is simply an ally, not a friend or a brother. He has no reason to take Damian around the streets where he grew up and introduce him to the people he knows. This has to be some sort of trick or manipulation, some dastardly ploy to gain Damian’s trust.

Todd frowns, then pulls his legs up onto the hood of the car to sit cross-legged. “Because Bruce doesn’t get it. This is—this is why I’m Hood, why I was Robin. Bruce will tell you all about how this is a Mission, but he won’t show you why it matters. Robin has to…care. That's what makes him magic.” Magic. What a silly word. And yet Damian can't bring himself to disagree.

“I care about being Robin,” Damian says. Of course he does. The position is an honor. He is able to bring justice to the world and fight by his father’s side.

“You have to care about the people too, Damian,” Todd says.

Damian bristles. “I am the best Robin! Except, perhaps, for Richard.”

“I’m not trying to insult you,” Todd says, raising his hands. “Just—you care about your animals, right? You’re not just faking that or something?”

“Of course I am not ‘faking that’!” Damian slides off the hood of the car and crosses his arms. “How dare you imply such a thing?”

“Sorry, sorry. You care about your animals. And you know about what they like—I bet you get a special cat food for Alfred, yeah?”

“Only the best,” Damian says. “He deserves it.”

“’course. And you’d do anything to protect them.”

Damian nods. Is this an attempt to control Damian through his animals? Because Damian may follow Father’s code, but if Todd harms Alfred or Titus or Batcow, Damian will make him wish he was dead.

Todd steps onto the pavement and places a hand on Damian’s shoulder. Damian surprises himself by not trying to shake the hand off. “And that makes you strong, Damian. In a way you can’t get just from having a Mission.”

“But Father does care,” he says.

“Okay, Damian.”

“I mean it!” Damian protests. He remembers a time on patrol when Father found a child sitting outside alone. He knelt down and talked to her while Damian waited impatiently on a nearby rooftop. Father spent nearly ten valuable minutes just listening to the child tell him about her dolls. And then, he lifted her onto his shoulders and escorted her home. Father cares, even if Todd can’t see it through his haze of anger.

Damian hadn’t understood why Father had wasted so much time that night. But now, Damian stares at the brick walls of the alleyway and imagines the Robin murals, with their bright colors and secret stories and magic. He thinks of the taste of baklava still on his tongue, this remnant of his childhood tucked away in an area that no one ever gives a second glance. And he remembers the story of Robin comforting that crying baby in the diner.

He thinks he might understand, now.

“Thank you,” Damian says quietly, too proud to let his voice go above a whisper.

Todd pats him on the shoulder. “I’ve got people to maim and you’ve got homework to do, so let’s get you back to the manor. But—” He gives Damian a smile. “Let’s do this again sometime, alright?”

 “I would be amenable to that,” Damian agrees, with the barest hint of a smile.

[divorcedwife]

Im especially interested in your opinion of the companions! Did you like any, how would you rank them, how did they compare to other games.

I did enjoy veilguard myself cause admittedly im a combat enjoyer (boo me now) and the combat was great to me. But what is usually good in dragon age/bioware even if everything else sucks are characters and their stories and interactions and that was so bad in veilguard imo.

Still I liked Davrin and Emmrich and Bellara myself, rest were very mixed, and these three also suffered from bad dialogue and Bellara also from some overt cutesiness.

hehe noooooo i wouldn't boo you! this game really made me realize that i prefer video games as a form of interactive storytelling rather than purely for gameplay, but i mean, i feel like im the weirdo here if anything. video games are games first... as much as i like the combat (especially when it's in big open fields, with opportunities for cover ; god is it satisfying to slowly take down a mob of enemies through clever dodging and hiding, i wayyyy prefer that to spamming the flashy special moves), it feels empty to me if i dont feel connected to the world. ideally, i'd love to play games where i enjoy both, but if i have to pick, i'll prefer a game that i find unfun to play but where i like the writing

i think it's a pretty weak cast, yeah. individually, but also as a group, they lack chemistry to me. most of them get along just fine, but not in a way that's particularly fun or exciting. their relationships aren't interesting to me because they're very samey, both in that most people are friendly and also that they start out friendly and end up friendly. dai isn't a game i love, but for all its flaws, it definitely had fascinating character interactions to me. blackwall's friendship with sera is so different to his friendship with cassandra or with solas, and he's initially wary of cole but grows to like him after a while. and these people all have their opinion of blackwall changed forever by revelations. that's what's lacking to me in companion relationships! growth... change... i did enjoy davrin and lucanis's bickering at least. i also did like how emmrich talked to companions, his therapy talk was actually charming every time i liked emmrich and davrin the most! my only problem with davrin is how often he felt shackled to assan, like the writers felt the need to remind us that he has a cute griffon every three seconds in case we were losing interest. but as a character, i found him really cool. i like how level headed he is, i love how he can't tell when lucanis is messing with him on purpose, those feel like great warden traits. emmrich, i really liked that he had the flaws to match his qualities - i love it when he complains about needing to teach TEN students (gasp!), or when davrin asks him if he knows how to wash dishes and he responds like someone who hasn't washed a dish in ten years, and so on. that's definitely what i found lacking in most companions - actual flaws! it's mind boggling to me how much of the lucanis banter i heard was spent clarifying how unproblematic he is. like he doesn't kill children, doesn't kill people who acted in self defense, doesn't kill innocents. what??? he doesn't even have flaws from growing up rich in a mansion... or being the ultimate nepo baby.................... that made most of the companions feel pretty shallow to me, like they were born right before the game began and had lived nothing

lucanis has enough little things about him i like that i would still say i liked him, but he's not getting honours from me. i like his design (it's very satisfyin to draw somehow), i liked spite, i liked the idea that he's trapped in the ossuary in his mind, i loved going to the mansion and seeing how barren and sad it is there. but i think his romance is my least favorite of any i've done in any dragon age games, and i would say that he was a worse boyfriend to have than the one who tried to kill me and also than the one who turned out to be an axe murderer in disguise, cause at least these two liked talking to my characters! lol

i'd put neve next but if im being honest with myself, i disliked more about her than i liked. i liked her bitter cynic pessimist traits, but i found her somewhat inconsistent on that and generally too friendly. the remaining characters, i didn't find anything compelling about them, i dont remember any moment that i liked with them :-( i really wish i did! i gave everyone as fair a shot as i could, i didn't start out this game looking for things to hate, but they really didn't do anything for me. i think bellara suffered from the fact that i dont really like all the technology in this game, i prefer low magic sad unwashed fantasy. at least she was very beautiful so she does get point for that

[propenseverbosity]

Warm, Safe [Rook/Spite] (WIP)

I won't get into my thoughts about the Rook and Spite dynamic because they are extensive and I don't feel like arguing with people on the internet about it, but I got the idea of my Rook cuddling with Spite and it would not leave my brain until I wrote it down so here you go. ^_^

Rating: G

Word Count: 456

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

He opens his eyes to find that he cannot move. A warm weight presses against his body, but he isn’t trapped. Not like before.

Smells of fresh linens, and Savar.

Her head rests on his shoulder, arms wrapped around his middle. Unconscious, but not injured. Breathing slow and steady against his chest.

Despite being unable to stand, his arms are free. Some of her hair is covering her eyes. He reaches to move it behind a pointed ear, the way he’s seen Lucanis do it. (How else would she be able to see their enemies?)

She hums in acknowledgement as she stirs.

“Lucanis?” she asks. She’s learned to ask, knowing the answer might change.

“No.” he replies, with Lucanis’s voice.

It takes her a moment to process his response. She shifts atop him, and raises her head to look at him properly. “...Spite?”

He struggles to force words through his host’s mouth, but it’s gotten easier the more Lucanis grows to trust him. “What. Are you. Doing?” he asks her.

“Just sleeping.” Savar tells him. “We have some time, before we head back out again.”

“On. Us?” he clarifies. She trusts them, but she’s never been so close when Lucanis wasn’t in control.

“Yeah.” She remains perfectly still, as if moving might startle him.

“Why?” He’s learned to ask questions too. Rook always listens.

“Lucanis and I like taking naps together sometimes. It’s nice. Comfortable.”

He isn’t entirely sure why, but it is nice. Savar is warm, her clothes soft under his fingertips. Covering them like a blanket, while also keeping them safe. Lucanis would know if they weren’t safe like this. His heart didn't race, his muscles loose. The pleasant warmth of her form draped across him seems to keep his body relaxed, and his mind in the Fade.

“I can move- If you want to get up.” she adds. Her words are hesitant, almost afraid, but he isn't sure why.

He considers the offer. Normally when given control, he liked to explore their new home, but he and Lucanis had made a deal about letting his body rest.

“No. Lucanis. Wants this.”

Savar smiles, relieved by his answer. “Alright then. Are you still comfortable like this? Did you want to switch?”

“How?”

Her smile only grows. She leans heavily against his chest to stand. “C’mere.” she says, offering her hand.

She guides him to move until they’ve swapped places, with Savar against the cushions, and Spite laying atop her. One of her hands glides through his hair, gently smoothing it back.

“Better?” she asks. 

From his new spot, he can react quickly to any approaching threats, while still enjoying the warmth of her arms around him. He soon understands why this makes Lucanis happy. 

“Yes.”

[bluestar22x]

Unfortunately Abby never took the time to find out who she was actually hurting and failed to understand if he was in the wrong, so was she.

I could argue Cee had more reason to kill Ezra (seeing as the shoot out was over "loot" and not lives - and even though I see Ezra killing Damon as a mercy kill by that point since he was already dying). But in shocking news everyone's just trying to survive in these scenarios. Joel was trying to save a 14 year old girl for crying out loud. Seeing the bigger picture is bullshit reasoning.

No good parent would not try to save their kid. Selfish or not. Abby's father would have not sacrificed her - I saw that scene where she asked him if he would in game. It's easy to throw people under the bus if you have no connection to them and you are selfish.

Also, there was no reason to believe it would actually work - they only had a theory - the scientists were no better than those who experimented on children and minorities in the past. It's not fine and dandy even if you say the ends justify the means - for the families of those people it absolutely didn't! There is a reason legal adults are the only ones able to volunteer for science nowadays in countries with humane laws - and why we aren't allowed to sacrifice people even during mass epidemics. Doctors have a rule - do no harm - scientists should have a code too - do the least harm possible. That's not taking someone's brain out before even trying anything else. And let's not dive into how real life doctors have said over and over it wouldn't work. The game's creators gave a stupid reason to kill Ellie. So why shouldn't we be upset by it?

I've said this in one form or another over and over but I can't help myself. The reasoning behind killing Ellie for the cure was flimsy and killing Joel was hypocritical and naive and Abby's friends paid for it more than she did. Nobody's innocent in this but those to blame most were already dead (the firefly scientists).

It should've ended there.

TLOU 2's main plot was a disgrace to the first part imo. Would've been much more interesting Joel and Ellie dealing with their different views on his actions (still), and the main plot being a threat to Jackson, their new home where their loved ones are. If Joel needed to die he could've, by non-revenge, something like helping save Jackson, and making things maybe not right, but doing something majorly good in the end (even if it didn't make up for the past). Much more compelling to me than a depressed revenge plot for a scientist who deserved to die, imo.

At least John Wick is fun because he goes after truly bad people in a non-survival situation who killed the last gift he had from his wife, which happened to be an innocent puppy (truly evil) just because he retired and tried to be a better person for his wife. And then they kept going after him. So they asked for it. It's fun when actual villains get what's coming to them.

Ezra and Cee, Acacius and Lucius, they were intelligent characters/dynamics. Cee saw Ezra wasn't evil and protected her, and Lucius saw that Acacius had been just doing his job and the true enemy was the emperors, an enemy they shared. Lucius adjusted and put his anger in the right place.

what casting directors see when they need some guy to kill a character's loved one for plot reasons

[vaguely-concerned]

thinking about not only the specific people lucanis pulls in to represent the 'locks' in his psyche, but the storytelling that happens in the structure/order of them. the underlying ideas are presented something like:

the lucanis who went into the ossuary never came back out again; he died down there (the boy caterina raised is gone forever) -> you're putting yourself in danger doing this (by being close to me), you should leave because I can't bear it if you get hurt because of me -> it doesn't matter even if we do try this, it won't work anyway (again because of me) ('you know what he's like, you can open the door but he won't walk through it' :'( oofie doofie) -> what if the real secret is that there was never anything but the monster in here from the beginning. you should leave, there was never anything here worth saving in the first place. (implicitly: what if I deserved what happened, all along.)

it runs pretty cleanly from outward-oriented attachment anxiety ('caterina won't even want me back like this, she won't recognize me (the same way I no longer recognize myself)) and gradually deeper inwards until we reach self-image and self worth. or you know, the harrowing basic lack of it lol.

"careful -- they'll know we're not right," spite says in one of their first scenes... but clearly, some very deep part of lucanis has feared or suspected for much longer than that that there's something inherently not right at the core of him, way before any demon entered the picture. and the voice he gives those lines to is the person who should know him better than anyone in the world, who he has loved more than anyone in the world -- and who deliberately chose to hurt him so horrifically anyway. 'It's better if I'm just a monster and deserved what happened than it is to allow for the idea that the brother I love doesn't really exist and maybe never did'. it's better if he's fundamentally flawed in some way that needed fixing to help him survive, and that's why caterina chose to hurt him again and again -- out of love. (this one I think he might have a very sad wakeup call on one day if he ever ends up with the responsibility and care of a child of his own in some way and realizes just how alien the idea of ever intentionally hurting them for any reason is to him. oh buddy. also interesting that he keeps caterina as the outermost lock -- there IS a distance he keeps there that he hasn't with illario. he doesn't resent her 'anymore' he says, but he also keeps her carefully further away from his deepest self.)

as far as I could tell the only note in the mind prison that's fully hidden and needs to be uncovered is the sad painful helpless stupid little truth that even after all this, even knowing what happened... he still loves his brother. is there anything illario could ever do that would make lucanis completely stop loving him, do you think? sometimes the trouble with unconditional love is that it is, well. unconditional, even when some terms and conditions probably would have been in order haha.

that's the pattern you see there again and again; he would rather destroy and abandon and imprison himself at every turn than let go of love, even when it's just scraps, even when there's only ever enough of it to hurt him. it's only when rook shows up and as it were takes his hand and walks along with him that he can entertain the idea of changing the story of what walking out the door might mean in the end.

[soullessjack]

so im on s5 of miraculous and i keep thinking about cat noirs whole “kept at a distance” arc bc it’s genuinely really interesting but gets so wasted by always winding up with him basically validating ladybugs nonsensical decisions and treatment—the same treatment that we were already shown upset him enough to destroy public properly about it. the most consistent reason LB ever gives cat about why he can’t be fully trusted or relied on is that he’s too much of a liability for their partnership to work—either because he’s too reckless, too in love with her, or his cataclysm would be too dangerous to use.

whatever it is, the baseline is that she thinks he’s a liability, and obviously that’s like salt in the wound for cat since he genuinely loves her and enjoys being partners with her, but it’s also just sad to see him continue to respect her decision and act like it isn’t a problem for him when he’s literally upset enough to physically lash out and use his powers to do so. and I know a lot of it can probably be explained by ladybug’s experience in the cat blanc timeline, but 1) she starts holding him at a distance way before that even happens, 2) she’s actively making it worse by not telling cat noir about cat blanc and why she thinks she has to exclude him for his own safety, and 3) SHE SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT CAT BLANC TO BEGIN WITH BECAUSE IT’S LITERALLY A WORLD ENDING SITUATION INVOLVING HIM DIRECTLY‼️‼️‼️‼️

instead she just allows him think he’s unwanted and unnecessary, calls the shots on how he should feel about “having more free time” and ironically makes him even more susceptible to being Akumatized because of it. ladybug might not be aware that cat is adrien and has a terrible home life he actively uses his miraculous to escape from, but she’s playing right into all the key aspects that adrien resents from his father; she decides what he wants without considering or asking him, she trusts him conditionally and still distances herself enough for him to just not know certain things. it’s done with good intentions, but it still clearly affects adrien very poorly, and it’s just such a frustrating glass-chewing miscommunication that only needlessly complicates the situation

don’t even get me started on Kuro Neko where ladybug falls head over heels for the changed version of her partner and narrowly avoiding her having to actually screw up and learn a lesson about accepting cat for who he actually is because catwalker is just “too perfect” for her to function—instead of being an obedient idealized version of her best friend who lets her be in control of everything (WHEN ADRIEN LITERALLY USES HIS DOUBLE LIFE TO HAVE THE CONTROL HE DOESN’T GET AT HOME).

theres so much potential for the base concept of the miraculous of destruction and its Kwami/holder being distrusted outliers among the rest of the Kwami/holders, but the magic system sucks and it kind of loses any chance when the other Kwamis are established to be catastrophic if they use their powers without a holder. and it gets even more confusing if you consider that Fu specifically chose adrien to hold that miraculous, but then encourages Marinette to keep her distance from him and barely acknowledges him as a hero in general. Like why did you even bother testing adrien for his worthiness or whatever if you obviously don’t think he’s worthy of knowing anything about you or the rest of the miraculous OR his best friend’s identity??? but you’re totally okay with her just giving them out to anyone in Paris who’s conveniently around and having her know their identity???? master fu when I catch you master fu

auugghhhfgg I don’t know the magic system thing could be its own separate post but likeeeeee I just think the miraculous of destruction whos constantly mistrusted for no reason and goes Kamehameha Krazy in another timeline is very special and could be treated so much better if the writers were good at their job and didn’t make every character’s sole purpose be validating ladybug/marinette even when she’s in the wrong

[harrowscore]

why are you, as an adult in 2024, still hung up on reylo. why are you still mocking the shippers. why do you believe yourself to be superior only because you dislike a stupid ship from a fucking space fairytale. girl (gnc) get a grip

[spacebubblehomebase]

And being a doctor is a demanding job. Beyond stressful even. I know, I live with one and another who's aspiring to be one. I saw that they barely get any real "off the clock" hours. That is, if you wanna save lives. How it takes everything from them. Damian already does that as a vigilante, does he really need to do that outside of it too? Everything in his life just dedicated to everyone else? Nothing wrong with that of course and it's a VERY noble goal, but there's gotta be a break. A limit. He's already known as the "artistic" Wayne. Why not be an artist? People say it's symbolic for him to be trained to kill, but grow up to heal. He showed that healing through his own journey already. Is it not also symbolic for him to be raised to DESTROY his enemies with his bare hands, but instead choose to CREATE wonder with those very same hands? Stain them with paint instead of blood? Color the world- the city -that's been so dark and dull in his own way outside of the uniform. He was never the "light" as Robin, because his Batman (Grayson) didn't need that as much. But through his eyes, he can show how brightly Gotham can shine via canvas. If not, he could even be a vet! It's still healing another, but it's also something more attuned to his own personal interest rather than someone else's. (They already did the "exact same job as my predecessor" thing to Jon. This just feels like a different flavor of "becoming like my grandfather" again but instead of on Ra's side, it's Dr. Thomas.) Isn't it better to put Damian in a job he's been showing interest in since he was younger? Be it animals or art or something else. Rather than dedicate what half of his life is left for himself to The Cause, yet again. Plus, while the idea of "being forced to choose between saving a life in his day job versus his night job or fail both" as a dramatic scenario may sound interesting, in hindsight, this entire family has enough angst to last literal decades. He doesn't need to go through any more. Alfred (R.I.)Pennyworth already gave us that extra kick of trauma. Thanks. Let's not add to that. I'm rather tired of the trope. Though if you're saying it's also for him to have a connection to Thomas Wayne, boy, he's more connected to them than any of his siblings already. They're literally blood and if I was a grandparent or a parent in general, I think I'd be happier to see my child pursue their own dreams than just be a mirror of my own when they so clearly have an entirely separate interest. I'm not forcing anyone to agree with me or anything, but I'm just saying. It is something to think about... As for the "not turning your hobbies into your job" thing, yes, it doesn't work for everyone. But I know many others who have found the most fulfillment in going for it anyway. Let's not dismiss the whole for their parts. Because reducing hard-won "passions" to mere "hobbies" doesn't seem very respectful of their efforts. I mean, if you don't hate what you're doing even just a little, then you might not love it enough to push yourself harder for it, yeah? Okay. I'll stop rambling now. I didn't think I'd have that much to say about this until I started writing. Damn... Still, this was a take that's long been on my mind, so it's kinda nice to have it out there.

As an assassin, he kills.

As Robin, he saves.

As a demon, he destroys.

As Damian, he creates.

Something like that. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

-Bubbly💙

Damian Wayne becoming a doctor would is so funny from 'making his own path' point of view that I've seen it framed as, because both his grandfathers were in fact doctors, and both his parents studied medicine, so we're back on the 'destined by blood' path. I understand why people are glad he's getting some life goals other than wanting to be Batman in the future, but actually we're trading one "traditional" family occupation with the other.

[dannybobany]

THE REFLECTION makes itself known

[plus a gif to show what it would look like in an actual battle]

Alrightttt, I’d like everyone to meet The reflection! This was one of the first ideas I had for an enemy in Marzenie, a miniboss based on Hero

It’s meant to embody some of the more general insecurities Basil has, it takes the form of Hero because from Basil’s perspective Hero is like. The GOAL for the kind of person you should be in life, he’s smart, successful, attractive, he’s the embodiment of (from an outside angle) the perfect man (and obviously Basil is wrong to think Hero is perfect, but comparing himself to Hero is one of his self deprecating habits so that’s what all of this is mostly about in the end)

Given the Fear and Hunger inspirations for this AU, there’s probably a form of ‘sanity’ bar in addition to HP, this enemy would do a mixture of both but its mind attacks would be far worse while its physical attacks would do barely any damage, the gimmick of the fight is that before it uses one of its mirrors a text pop up will say something hinting at which it’s about to use, and which mirror its raising is the one you have to shatter before its able to use its attack (basically the whole ‘which limb do I cut off to avoid getting obliterated’ thing in fear and hunger but with mirrors)

PS: if this is the first Marzenie post you’ve seen, it’s a perspective switch au where Basil has an inner world like sunny does except his is terrifying and awful! More info available in tag teehee

[zandrawz]

Finally watched Kung Fu Panda 4, tell me why it unironically changed my life

[hauntingblue]

ENIES LOBBY TIME!!!

Sanji's face here.... he Knows he is going to fuck him up

THAT IS SANJI??? 😨

Holding them in my hands again....

Sanji struck a nerve there akdjaoajkq

Increible trio btw.... look at the evidence

............ me next please 🙏🏻

That is love right there I can see it

What if we all killed ourselves (except usopp is telling her the opposite ajahkdhsakjd)

I need sanji to go insane like this more often.... after the timeskip it doesn't happen as much and I love to see him suffering

This is so funny.... there is no denying to her face card

"It's not like she actually wants to die" well yes she does, but no because you know she doesn't really. It is in a quantum state right now

Luffy is such a menace akdhaksjkaak

TELL EM!!!! THAT'S MY GIRL!!!!

Look at franky worrying about robin.... do not fret luffy is coming and he will NOT lose!!!!!

This is zoro remarking how usopps fear of being left behind makes no sense.... this is so good.....

This is so endearing but it also breaks my heart....

Who is that sultry binch... (I don't recall this attack AT ALL and i'm sure we never see it again)

They botched his bbl.... 😔😔😔

Luffy's face here... he was convinced she wanted to go with them but was compelled to do otherwise but no.... he thought wrong and he can't fight to her.... I've just been staring at this page for minutes like damn.

Nevermind.... this is something your mother would say "you want to die??? Just wash the dishes and you can do whatever you want later"

"If you wanna die, or whatever...." this is so good like he knows what he is doing.... he Knows.... look at her face. After knowing how luffy and ace were as kids this just makes more sense (oda didn't think about this i'm sure but damn does it fit) also the slight manipulation.... look at all of us we're already here and look how we all miss you already... you know that post about luffy being selfish but his selfishness is jusg kindness to others... yesh

Thinking about robin's cinderella lifestyle.... why did her mother leave her with that aunt and why didn't some archeologist take her in?? Because she doesn't complain about anything just like she doesn't respond when that mother accused her of hitting her child without reason... that's so fucked

Alright this is funny (and also true)... I'm sorry fellow women....

*Justin Bieber voice* I like your laugh... dereishi shishishi

SHE'S GONNA ASK HER MOM TO TAKE HER TO THE SEA WITH HER??? LIKE SHE DOES AFTER WITH LUFFY??? MY GOD!!! I just bursted into tears like I got punched in the nose I can't keep going ajdhakajk

I lied i can keep going... but head in my hands over this....

Find out how my emotional stability survives this arc in ennies lobby part 2. coming soon

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

A post in honor of General Jarod Fire Emblem my precious.

[theonlyadawong]

i am on my hands and knees praying, hoping, begging capcom not to retcon the night leon and ada spent together between re4 and damnation. the idea that either of them would have sought the other out outside of their line of work is so good, and it adds so much to both of them