#toxicology childhood

[justiceiswater]

Ok ok ok. I’m totally relaxed. I’m totally normal about this.

But also!!! Nothing makes more sense in this world of heroes and villains than these two children and their innocent love! The purest! The most beautiful!

I love reader so much, she is so delicate and raw and true. And I love that she is what is affecting Damien! It seems like when two people get as close as these two, personality traits and affectations get shared. Sometimes moods and tempers get shared. But Damien’s hardness, his anger are getting chipped away but readers very good nature. He is learning to care not only for reader but for Jon too! They are friends now! He trusts him!

Gosh I’m so excited!

Childhood – Toxicology 1/4

Damian Wayne x Daughter of Poison Ivy!Reader

He was an arrogant boy, struggling as he was pulled between the legacy of being born to kill and the promise that he could change for the better. She saw the world through the eyes of her fatalistic mother, but was forbidden to make sense of it on her own. They shouldn’t work together. But Gotham made their lives align despite all of that.

Word Count: 7,000+

Damian sprinted through the streets of Gotham. It was just another average criminal, which was why his father allowed him to go after them without his supervision. But they still needed the man for questioning. And right now, he was their only lead.

Suddenly Damian came to a stop and growled.

“What is it?” Batman asked in the comms.

“He ran into Robinson Park,” Damian sighed with annoyance. “As if he has some sort of death wish. Clearly he doesn’t realize it’s 3 o’clock in the morning…”

“Or he doesn’t care,” Batman offered darkly. “Should I send backup?”

‘Backup’ as in Damian's older brothers.

It made the 8-year-old boy roll his eyes.

“No,” Damian shot back. “I can handle it.”

“That’s Poison Ivy’s territory, Robin,” Batman warned.

“I’m well aware.”

But the park had only improved since Poison Ivy had claimed it as her own. It used to be filled with junkies and creeps. Ill maintained and unloved, Pamela Isley changed the park almost overnight. She had made it her own personal oasis, and then remained completely uninvolved during the Gotham turf wars between crime bosses.

However, that didn’t mean the park was safe – especially for Robin: the sidekick of the vigilante that tossed Poison Ivy in jail more times than anyone could count.

As soon as Damian crossed the threshold, he felt like he was no longer in Gotham City.

Dare he say the park was... beautiful?

The intention during its creation was to give Gotham its very own Central Park. But the city once again proved that nothing good lasts in Gotham. It was quickly ruined by disrespectful patrons, lack of funding, and criminals that saw it as theirs for the taking.

But now Damian saw the original vision.

Somehow the sounds of Gotham almost completely disappeared. Mumbled by the thick forests. And the air didn’t smell of sewage. No, this was what fresh air smelled like. Damian had almost forgotten.

“Do you have a visual?” Batman asked.

Damian blinked and refocused. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the area around him.

The park was over 300 acres of land. But the guy Damian followed wasn’t all that fast and he could easily catch up to him.

There was a shadow disappearing into the distance.

“Yes,” Damian confirmed as he returned to a sprint.

“Stay alert. Poison Ivy doesn’t appreciate visitors,” Batman warned.

The boy didn’t bother responding. He didn’t need to be babied.

“I have to handle something. I’ll be off comms for the next 20. If you need backup, call Nightwing,” Batman grunted, clearly fighting someone.

Damian rolled his eyes again. Dick would just baby him even more.

Finally he came across an enormous willow tree. The branches were so thick with leaves that he couldn’t even see the trunk. It might be one of the biggest trees Damian had ever seen – at least in Gotham.

The slender and agile branches swayed a bit.

But then Damian realized there wasn’t even a slight breeze. Nothing should be making them move.

As he looked around, Damian realized he was being watched.

Had the criminal double backed and snuck up on him?

No, he was far too much of an imbecile to pull that off.

But Damian felt on edge and unsheathed his sword from behind his back.

As soon as the metal caught the reflection of the moon, the tree seemed to come alive.

The branches rose into the air, like a million tiny arms.

Damian swore under his breath as he looked up at the now animated tree.

“Put your sword down,” a voice called out, almost like it had travel to his ears by the wind. It wasn’t demanding, but softly suggestive.

“Who’s there?” Damian growled. “Show yourself!”

But before he could get a response, his sword was ripped out of his hands by one of the branches. Then another whacked him across his middle, knocking him to the ground. He landed on his stomach.

Damian jumped to his feet and flung a batarang to the branches that were now holding his sword hostage, 25 feet in the air above him.

His shot landed, cutting through the branches and freeing his sword. It embedded itself in the earth.

“Stop! You’re hurting them!��� The same voice called out. This time it didn’t sound timid. Now it was angry.

“Come out and I won’t cut this monstrosity to pieces,” Damian warned as he quickly dove for his sword as he dodged the branches that tried to snatch him.

The tree calmed all of the sudden. Which was somehow more unsettling than when it had come alive.

Damian held his sword at the ready. Maybe this person was one of Poison Ivy’s minions. And he wasn’t going to let his guard down.

There was a slight hesitation before the branches parted like a curtain. A figure was clearly hiding just behind them. The night still protected them, holding them in shadow so Damian couldn’t make out any features.

“Who are you?” Damian shouted.

But his tone seemed to make the figure take a step back in fear.

Damian wasn’t known for his conversation skills or diplomacy.

But he suddenly heard Dick’s voice in his head. ‘Sometimes people are more scared of you than you think, Damian. Ya gotta be patient.’

Damian sighed and thought of how Dick would handle this situation.

He slowly sheathed his sword again and held out his hands to show that he didn’t have any weapons. But clearly they were hidden all around his body still.

“I won’t hurt you,” he called out.

The words sounded so unlike him.

But apparently they were enough for the figure because, after hesitating, they slowly walked out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

It was a little girl.

Her eyes wide in fear. Leaves and tiny flowers were woven into her y/h/c hair. But it looked so natural and beautiful. She was wearing a white cotton dress, simple and light. Her feet were bare. Her petiteness from being a child made it even more obvious that she was slightly shaking. Even in the night, Damian was still able to see the y/e/c of her eyes.

Was it because…Were her eyes glowing y/e/c?

“Who are you?” He asked bluntly.

She narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?” For how terrified she looked, her counter was surprisingly confident.

“I’m Robin.”

Her eyes seemed to flow brighter when she asked, “Batman’s Robin?”

“Sure.”

Then Damian took a step toward her.

But the willow tree didn’t like that one bit, and instantly erupted back to life.

Just as Damian reached for his sword again, the girl jumped forward and held up her hands.

“You’re scaring them!” She cried out. “They’re just trying to protect me.”

Damian froze. But stopped reaching for any weapon.

The girl seemed to finally relax and smiled at him. “I don’t really know why they’re so scared,” she giggled. “You’re just a boy…can’t be older than me, even.”

“Just a boy,” Damian repeated in a growl. “I was trained to be the ultimate soldier. I was born to be a master assassin.”

Instead of getting scared or even apologizing, the little girl once again giggled.

“Stop laughing,” he snarled.

She managed to contain herself and stepped forward another step.

But Damian took a step back. ‘Always keep a certain distance between you and your enemy,’ he was reminded of his training.

“You still haven’t told me who you are,” he told her.

But just as the girl was going to answer, Damian was tackled to the ground.

When he looked up at the body that was on top of him, he realized it was the thug he had tracked into the park. When the hell did he get so bold?

Damian growled as he shoved the grown man off of him, putting distance between them so he could get back to his feet.

When the man tackled him though, Damian didn’t realize how close to the girl and the tree they’d gotten.

Then everything happened so fast.

The girl’s skin erupted into a green glow, her y/e/c eyes flared the brightest tonight had seen.

Vines appeared from the ground out of nowhere and latched onto the criminal.

The man cried out in fear and fought the vines that wrapped around his limbs and torso. But they looked to be stronger than metal chains. Before Damian could help him, the ground opened up and dragged the man down, swallowing him whole. The opening in the earth closed and the vines disappeared as if they had never appeared.

“I’m sorry!” The girl shouted out in fear. “I-I-I didn’t m-mean to!” She sounded both terrified of herself and what Damian would do to her now.

“Where did he go?” Damian asked in shock.

“I-I-I don’t know.”

“Did you just kill him?”

It was a stupid question. Clearly he was either buried alive or asphyxiated by the vines.

“I don’t know,” the girl started crying. “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She kept repeating it, getting more and more hysterical.

Damian didn’t know what to do. He stepped forward as if he was going to comfort her. But who was he kidding? He had never done that in his life. And he had no idea how to start now. Dick would know what to do. Hell, probably Jason even would.

Suddenly, the girl gasped. Her entire body tensed with alertness and her eyes zeroed in on something in the distance behind Damian.

The boy heard nothing but whipped around to see what she was looking at.

There was nothing.

When he turned back around, the girl was gone.

Damian looked to the tree, but there was an emptiness there now. Somehow he knew the girl wasn’t hiding in there.

“Robin,” a voice said behind him.

It was Batman.

“Where is the fugitive?”

Damian hesitated.

“I lost him,” he mumbled.

Batman narrowed his eyes. “You OK?”

Maybe it was his parenting senses going off that made him think Damian looked a little bit shaken.

“Fine,” Damian huffed.

“Come on. Let’s get back to the cave.”

“But it’s still early,” Damian shot back.

“Nightwing and Red Robin will handle the rest of the patrol. You and I are going home.” Batman’s tone left no room for argument.

Damian tried not to sigh as he followed his father.

Just before getting too far away to see it, Damian turned around and looked at the willow tree.

Who was that girl?

And why did he lie to his father for her?

Damian was never one to put his on the line for others – especially a literal stranger. His actions were out of character.

The girl’s ability were similar to Poison Ivy’s. Was she experimenting on children now?

The obvious thing to do was for Damian to explain what he saw to his father and the family would investigate together. But there was something inside telling him not to keep this little girl a secret.

Robin would handle this on his own.

Sneaking away from his family on patrol was the real challenge. Being 8 years old meant that they all felt the need to babysit him. Even Jason, who acted like he hated Damian, would keep an on the kid.

Damian saw an opening when he knew his family would be preoccupied and in their own patrol territories.

He quickly deactivated his tracking device. Well, he froze it, making him appear to be sitting still on a map. A tactic he learned almost immediately when he arrived in Gotham. He hated the idea of his father always being able to track him.

He had about 30 minutes before Bruce noticed he hadn’t moved.

Damian hurried to Robinson Park.

Since he knew exactly where he was going, he made it to the willow tree rather quickly.

“Hello,” he called out to the tree, feeling rather stupid.

The tree swayed in greeting, almost like a wave.

“It’s Robin. I just…I came to talk.”

He already felt like an idiot, since he was notorious for not talking at all.

To his surprise, the willow branches opened their curtain once again. But the girl wasn’t walking out. Instead, it was telling Damian to go in.

He hesitated before walking forward.

Was this a death wish?

But his concern vanished when he looked around.

Hidden behind the thick branches of the willow tree was the most elaborate and beautiful treehouse Damian had ever seen. It looked so natural as it snaked around the wide trunk, almost as if the house had grown with the tree and was a part of it.

There were fairy lights wrapped around it, making it look even more magical. Apparently, the branches were thick enough to completely shield any and all light from escaping beyond the leaves. So no one would ever know the treehouse was there.

“Are you here to arrest me?” A tiny voice interrupted Damian from his observations.

He looked up to see the little girl looking down at him from what appeared to be a little balcony.

She looked so scared and…ashamed.

“Should I arrest you?” He asked.

Even though he had no such authority.

She didn’t seem to know that, though.

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to,” the girl quickly defended.

“OK,” Damian said surprisingly gentle, trying to prevent her from falling into another panic attack. “Can you tell me who you are?”

She just stared at him for a moment.

Suddenly the same murderous vines from that night and appeared. They crawled up the trunk, wrapped around the girl’s waist, and then gently brought her down from the balcony so she was standing just a few feet away from Damian.

“Y/N,” She answered. “My name is Y/N.”

“Are you a prisoner here?” He quickly asked.

“Prisoner?” She laughed. “Does this look like a prison to you?”

“Guess not,” he admitted. “Did Poison Ivy do this to you?”

'This' clearly meaning her...abilities.

The mentioning of Poison Ivy seemed to wipe all amusement off the girl’s face.

She didn’t respond.

“Look, I’m not here to turn you in. I just want answers. Did she kidnap you?”

“She didn’t kidnap me.”

Damian could see that he shouldn’t push her, so he waited.

“She’s my mother.”

He couldn’t control himself as his eyes grew three sizes.

“She gave birth to you?” He sputtered out.

Y/N giggled again. “That’s usually how it works.”

“Huh,” was all Damian managed to let out.

“Would you like to come inside?” She suddenly asked softly.

It was in that moment that Damian realized one of the biggest things about the little girl.

She was lonely.

Where was Poison Ivy? Did she just let Y/N have free reign of the park and go about where she pleased?

Damian felt like he should say no. Y/N was technically the daughter of an enemy. Poison Ivy had somewhat of a moral compass and wasn’t blindly evil by any means. But she was still a criminal, and one that faced off with the Bat family more times than they could count.

But the yearning in the little girls eyes. It felt so familiar to Damian. An emotion that he refused to let himself reflect on.

“Sure,” he finally answered. “But only so I can ask all my questions.”

‘Good. Give yourself an out. Make sure she knows you’re only here on bat business. This isn’t a social call,’ Damian thought to himself.

Y/N beamed when he agreed to stay. Her y/e/c eyes glowed brighter, making Damian realize that their brightness must correlate with her emotions.

“Uhhh…Where are the stairs?” Damian asked when he realized there wasn’t so much as a ladder.

His head tilted back down, and he jumped when he found Y/N standing just inches away from him.

She smiled at him.

“Do you trust me?” Y/N whispered.

“Of course I don’t,” he snapped back.

“Well then…sorry.”

Next thing Damian knew, the vines grabbed the two children and carried them up into the air, carefully plopping them down at the balcony of the treehouse.

It made Damian uneasy being grabbed by the same things that killed that man. But he wasn’t one to show any fear.

“Would you like some tea?” Y/N asked.

She seemed so delighted to simply be able to offer it to someone for the first time.

“So you can poison me?” He countered with a glare.

Her face immediately dropped and she looked so heartbroken by the very idea.

“Why would I do that?” She mumbled quietly.

“That’s what your mother does. In fact, she probably planned to have you poison me to get back at Batman.”

“My mother sometimes does bad things, yes. But she only does them to people who deserve it.”

“Deserve it?” Damian challenged with a scoff.

“Yes,” she snapped back. “People that have hurt her or the people she loves. And people that stand in the way of her cause.”

He rolled his eyes. “And what cause is that? Crime?"

“Saving the environment, obviously.”

Damian huffed.

“Would you like some tea or not?” Y/N asked, less polite this time.

“Fine.”

“Good. I promise I won’t poison you.”

Damian looked around. The treehouse was like a tiny home. More like a studio than anything. He noted the full bed tucked into a corner. And then the tiny nook of a dinner table with three seats. There was a little kitchen with a sink, stove, and small fridge. Somehow there was running water and electricity available. There was even a small, enclosed bathroom off to the side.

“You said you had questions…” she hummed as she boiled water.

Apparently she’d already gotten over Damian’s poisoning accusation.

He hesitated, thinking of where he wanted to begin, “Who’s your father?”

“Don’t have one,” she answered with a shrug.

But Damian didn’t believe her. “How is that possible?”

“Mother is a renowned scientist. So…she figured it out.” Then she smirk, “And she would rather die than depend on a man to conceive a child.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Do you not know how babies are made?” Y/N asked with a teasing smile.

“Of course, I do!”

“Well, she used bone marrow stem cells in place of sperm to fertilize her eggs. It’s rather fascinating, actually.”

“If you say so.” Damian scratched his chin. “I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised. Batman said Poison Ivy used to house so many orphans. But that was years ago.”

Y/N frowned.

There was silence as she poured the tea and then handed a mug to Damian before she sat down at her tiny table. She gestured to the other sit, silently telling him to join her.

“What happened to them?” He asked.

“My mother’s story is a sad one,” she said as her eyes stuck to the floor.

Damian stayed quiet.

“She had been experimented on by a terrible man. She didn’t know the full extent of her new powers. She always loved children, wanted to make a home and take care of the ones that Gotham spit out.”

Her eyes glazed over as she tried to remember a past that existed long before she was born.

“She didn’t know,” Y/N whispered.

“Didn’t know what?”

“That she was slowly poisoning them. And she couldn’t stop it – didn’t know how. Some of them–” She hesitated and swallowed, her throat clearly dry. “Died. The others… well, she sent far away. Found them homes away from Gotham.”

“I didn’t know that,” Damian admitted. “I don’t think Batman did either.”

“They were all orphans. Or came from broken homes. My mother said Gotham didn’t care about them. So...who would report them missing?"

A silence settled in the treehouse as they both processed that.

“When were you born?” Damian asked, quieter this time.

“A few years after that.”

“And you have the same… abilities as your mother.”

Y/N smiled at his observation. “My mother wanted a guarantee that she wasn’t a danger to me. It would’ve broken her heart. So she made sure I was immune – did a bunch of experiments and research.”

Then she frowned. “But she didn’t think I’d be twice as strong as her.”

“Is that why you can’t control it?” Damian asked darkly.

Y/N’s head hung as soon as he said it.

To Damian’s shock, he suddenly felt guilty for what he said.

Guess there was a first for everything.

“Y/N?” He pushed softly.

The only other time he spoke like this was when he was talking to his pets.

When Y/N finally lifted her head, she was crying. “I don’t mean to,” she whimpered. “I’ve been practicing. I don’t want to h-h-hurt p-p-people.”

Damian didn’t know what to do.

He had never even tried to comfort someone before.

But his stomach hurt. Why did it hurt?

Why did it bother him so much to see this girl cry? This girl that he hardly knew.

“You’re going to arrest me,” Y/N sniffed.

“No.” Damian surprised them both with how steady and strong his reply was. He sounded like his father.

“No?”

“Like you said, it was an accident.”

“But what…what about Batman?”

“He will never know,” Damian shrugged.

“But jail is what I deserve,” Y/N whispered.

“How old are you?”

“8.” She was the same age as him.

“Exactly. You’re a child,” it came out harsh, even though Damian didn’t mean it that way. “Furthermore, the man you killed was a criminal. He had over 15 sexual assault allegations against – amongst other things.”

"Mother says rapists should have their penises cut off," she managed to say as she sniffled.

Damian smirked.

She tried to rub the tears from her face. “How old are you?”

After everything, Damian still felt like he shouldn’t even share that.

“Same age as you.”

She smiled at that. “You seem older.”

“Thank you,” he crossed his arms arrogantly.

Y/N giggled. “I wasn’t complimenting you.”

Damian huffed at that.

“Why don’t you live with your mother?” He changed the subject, looking around at the treehouse again.

“I do,” she answered, as if it were obvious. “The park is our home. She let’s me have my own space. Mother mostly sticks to the greenhouse. I'm there a lot, too."

He slowly nodded.

Damian knew his window of freedom was quickly closing. He had probably already spent too much time here. And surely his father would notice his faulty tracking device soon.

“How can you just tell me all your secrets?” He blurted out.

Did this girl have no self preservation?

Damian had been raised by both his mother and father to never fully trust anyone. Yet this girl held no suspicion towards him. Even when she thought he was there to turn her in, she still invited him into her home.

Y/N shrugged innocently. “I figured the way to make friends is to trust them. I don’t think keeping secrets about my life is how you give trust…”

The truth was, Damian didn’t really know how to make friends. For a long time, the closest thing he had to them were his brothers. Even that was pushing the actual definition.

It took awhile until he got a real one: Jonathan Kent. Though Damian would never call him that.

Clearly, Y/N didn’t have any friends. But she seemed to have a better understanding on how to make them – at least far better than Damian ever did.

“But I didn’t tell you anything about myself,” Damian argued.

In Damian’s mind, everything was a score, a game. And this new affiliation was not an even playing field. He knew Y/N’s life story. She gave him enough information for it to be used against her. And in return, he had given her nothing.

Y/N gave him a shy smile. “Maybe you can come back another time and tell me then.”

Damian just stared at her with amazement. “I…I have to go,” he managed to stutter out.

Instead of waiting for the vines to grab him, he gracefully jumped over the railing of her treehouse balcony and landed in a controlled roll.

Y/N rushed to the balcony to look down at him, worried that he hurt himself. But quickly saw that he was perfectly fine.

“Robin!” She called out before he could disappear past the willow tree’s branches.

He turned around.

“Thank you for listening to me,” she told him shyly.

That wasn’t the last time Damian and Y/N saw each other.

They continued their secret little meetings, always at Y/N’s treehouse.

At first Damian convinced himself that he was on an undercover mission. That he’d find a point of weakness of Poison Ivy – and maybe even Harley Quinn – through Y/N.

He could prove his independence and full capabilities to his father.

But he couldn’t lie forever. Eventually, he allowed himself acknowledge that he’d grown fond of the little girl.

Little girl. She was the same age as him.

Maybe Y/N seemed younger because of her innocence and her kindness. She wasn’t stupid or naive, that’s for sure. She was just as smart as Damian. Poison Ivy clearly had prioritized her daughter’s education – even if it was through her own gaze.

Both Damian and Y/N could probably be college students in another world.

Y/N loved reading books. And she loved watching movies even more. And despite being shielded from the world, she knew an impressive amount about it.

She was a romantic, sometimes allowing herself to only see what her heart wanted to and ignoring the dark realities.

But often she would have moments of clarity, clearly coming from the teachings that her mother and Harley Quinn had made sure to ingrain in her young and impressionable mind.

Y/N hated the government. She understood that not only was it the reason for the planet slowly being destroyed, but that was just the beginning of the issues. It also oppressed so many groups of people, including women and people of most sexualities.

And she had a certain distrust towards men, as well – also compliments of her mother and Harley. Both of them had been in abusive relationships with a man, and had no hesitation on telling Y/N their tragic stories.

“But I’m a man,” Damian explained once.

Y/N giggled. “Not yet. You’re just a boy, Robin. Whether you like to admit or not.”

“So, does that mean you’ll stop seeing me when I am?” He challenged.

Her eyes teared up from the thought alone.

Damian immediately regretted even suggesting such a thing.

Y/N was sensitive and not afraid of her emotions. ‘Hiding your emotions was a disease started by the patriarchy,’ Harley once told her. Y/N cried openly and without shame. She knew it didn’t make her weak.

“We’ll always be friends. You’ll never be like them,” Y/N clarified.

“Always,” Damian repeated. “You can’t promise something like that.”

“Of course I can,” she shot back.

“And who said we were even friends,” Damian scoffed. “You don’t even know my real name.”

Y/N glared at him.

She understood that Damian had a hard time opening up. But she knew what was real and what was the walls he put around himself. But that didn’t mean it wasn't exhausting to constantly hear him in denial.

“You just haven’t told me your real name,” she tested.

Damian whipped his head in her direction.

“Damian Wayne,” she whispered, watching his reaction closely.

Damian's entire body tensed. “How long have you known?”

“Months. I’m not as stupid as you think,” she added.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Y/N shrugged. “I didn’t want you to stop seeing me. I thought it would scare you away.”

Damian was lost in thought. Should he panic? Should he leave Gotham? Was his identity out in the public? What would his father think?

“Damian,” Y/N said softly as her hand reached for his. “Your secret is safe with me. I’ll never tell anyone. Trust, remember?”

He quickly shot to his feet, making her jump.

Hearing her say his name for the first time had done something to him.

“I have to go,” he blurted out without making eye contact.

“Damian, please. Stay.”

“Stop saying it!” He shouted.

“Why?” There was nothing but sincerity and innocence in her question.

“Because. Because…”

But he didn’t really have a reason.

Because he knew he could trust her. She had never given him any reason not to.

Y/N slowly stood up now, too. “We are friends, Damian. Even if you refuse to believe it. That’s what we are. And friends trust each other.”

Then she held out her right pinky.

“What are you doing?” Damian asked.

He had never seen this gesture before.

“A pinky promise,” she answered as if it was obvious. Because it was. “When Harley does this, I know she’ll keep her promise to me – no matter what it is.”

Damian was still confused what he was supposed to do.

So Y/N gently grabbed his hand and adjusted his fingers so they matched hers. Then she grabbed his pinky with hers and pulled them closer.

“Pinky promise,” she declared.

"Sometimes, if ya really mean it, you kiss right where your thumb is," she explained with enthusiasm.

"Gross."

Y/N giggled at his reaction and did it just to mess with him.

Instead of being disgusted, he was taken aback.

And Damian finally acknowledged that Y/N really was his friend.

His best friend.

The two children thought they could live in their secret bubble forever.

In that sense, they were both naive.

To their credit, they almost made it year without being discovered. But it all came crashing down eventually.

Y/N and Damian were laying in a field late at night.

Bruce and Alfred were out of town, which meant that Damian was left under the supervision of Dick. But he’d received a called from Barbara that she was sick. Dick immediately went to her place when she refused to be taken care of at Wayne Manor.

It left Damian unsupervised. He packed a backpack and made his way to Robinson Park with the intention to have a sleepover with Y/N.

Damian tried to hide his smile as he sat on the ground. Y/N was running around him, giggling, with her hand outstretched. With her powers, she surrounded Damian with Moon flowers. They glowed in the dark and even the Gotham smog couldn’t stop the moon from making the flowers brighten the space around them.

“Do you ever get tired?” Damian pretended to be annoyed with her antics.

“Nope!” Y/N called and continued making herself dizzy with her circling.

Finally she had to catch her breath and threw herself on the ground beside him in a fit of breathy giggles.

“They like you, you know.”

“Who?” Damian asked.

“The plants. The trees. The flowers. All of them. They like when you come to visit.”

Little did she know, they liked that he made her happy when he visited.

“You can talk to them?” Damian asked with skepticism.

He always had thought she was just able to control them, that they were just an extension of her.

“Of course,” she laughed. Then she tilted her head. “It’s not like we have conversations about philosophy. But it’s like…I don’t know how to explain it. I know what they’re feeling. I know what they need.”

“Huh,” Damian sighed.

Suddenly, the surrounding flowers disappeared, burrowing into the ground as if they were hiding in fright.

Y/N looked around in a panic and Damian realized it was not her doing.

Next thing they knew, roots shot up from the ground, latching around Damian's neck, pulling him off his feet to hang and strangle.

Y/N jumped to her feet and turned to find her mother walking towards them.

“I knew you’d been keeping secrets from me,” Poison Ivy growled to her daughter, “But I never expected this.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Damian managed to choke out.

Poison Ivy brought him slightly down, closer to her face. “Well, you should be.”

“Mother! Please!” Y/N begged. “Let him go! He’s my friend!”

“You choose him – him – over your family!?” Poison Ivy yelled.

“I’m not choosing anyone over anyone!” She cried. “He’s my friend. My only friend. Please, mother, please don’t hurt him.”

Poison Ivy had never seen her daughter react in such a way. Suddenly she remembered how Y/N was so used to hide in the trees, watching kids playing in the park. Y/N had always been cautious of the outside world, scared she might have an episode or accidentally entrance someone with her powers – or worse, poison them to death.

So much of Y/N childhood was filled with isolation and fear.

And her mother suddenly had a depression realization: her daughter was lonely.

Poison Ivy’s anger was traded for sadness.

Slowly, she lowered Damian to the ground.

He fell to his knees and was overcome with a coughing fit.

Y/N rushed to his side and comforted him.

“I’m fine,” he told her, feeling how stressed she was for him.

Then Poison Ivy’s feet walked into his line of vision.

Damian looked up to see her towering over them.

“Listen to me and listen to me carefully,” she hissed. “If you do anything to hurt her – anything – I will end you.”

Damian wanted to say he would never do such a thing. But he didn’t want to validate such a threat with an response.

“I know who you are now,” Poison Ivy added as she looked him up and down. “And I’m not above using it against you if you should do anything to my daughter.”

“He won’t,” Y/N spoke for him as she glared at her mother.

She now shifted her glare to her daughter. “And you…we’re going to have a long discussion about keeping secrets from us and fraternizing with the enemy.”

Y/N was smart enough to at least look guilty.

Her attention shifted back to Damian. “I think it’s time for you to go home.”

It wasn’t a suggestion.

“I’ll walk him out,” Y/N said gently.

Her mother hesitated before nodding.

As Y/N escorted Damian to the edge of the park, a silence had enveloped them.

They didn’t speak until Damian reached his hidden opening.

“Please come back,” Y/N almost whimpered, frightened by the idea that her mother might’ve scared off the only friend she'd ever had.

“I meant it when I said I wasn’t afraid of her,” Damian promised.

Y/N pulled him into a tight hug, holding on for dear life as if it was their final goodbye.

“I’m not leaving you,” Damian whispered into her hair.

Slowly, he was getting better at comforting others. Well, he was getting better at comforting Y/N. He didn’t really care much for trying with anyone else.

Finally she allowed him to pull away from her embrace.

“Believe me,” Damian smirked. “It would’ve been much worse if my father found out.”

“Well, I hope we never have to worry about that,” Y/N sighed.

“Will your mother really allow us to be friends?”

“I know you only see my mother as just another criminal of Gotham,” she muttered. “But she is still my mother. And she only wants me to be happy and safe. And you make me happy, Damian. She would never take that away from me.”

“And she’ll keep our secret?”

“Well…” Y/N cringed. “Yes. But that means telling Harley, too.”

“Oh, great,” Damian moaned.

“But they are overprotective of me. And they’ll know telling your secret is more dangerous to me than anything else.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I promise.”

Damian nodded, believing her.

Even though all his training was screaming at him that this was the worst possible outcome.

He shook his head. “Hey, I was planning on giving you this tonight.”

Then he pulled out a cellphone and handed it to her.

“I know you don’t like technology,” Damian shrugged. “But this way we can keep in touch. It’s completely untraceable, and all of the calls and messages will be encrypted.”

Y/N seemed shocked at first, and a beaming smile slowly formed on her lips.

She tackled him into another hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“It’s not a big deal, Y/N.”

“Yes, it is!” She argued.

And by the time Damian returned to Wayne Manor, he'd already received a message from Y/N, asking him to tell her when he got home safely.

Y/N hadn’t been lying about her mother and Harley keeping her friendship a secret and keeping Damian’s identity a secret.

It made the children’s friendship easier. Who knew it was better to only keep it a secret from one family instead of two? And who would've thought the family to be the first to accept it would be the villainous one?

But Poison Ivy made it clear she still hated Damian. But at least she tolerated him.

Now that the two kids had phones to communicate, they grew even closer.

Everyday, Y/N would send Damian videos of flowers she’d magically grown or her trees waving hello.

In return, Damian would send photos of his pets. Usually it was Titus playing in the yard or Alfred the cat sleeping in his lap.

Y/N fell in love with all of Damian's pets and constantly begged him to bring them on his next visit.

Harley thought the two of them were adorable, but Poison Ivy would roll her eyes and scoff whenever her girlfriend made that known.

Y/N Isley and Damian Wayne's friendship continued for years.

Damian never told a soul about her.

And Y/N kept Damian’s identity close to her heart.

3 YEARS LATER

“This is ridiculous!” Damian growled as he paced in the cave.

“Our dads said it was pretty dangerous,” Jon offered with a shrug.

“You might as well be a pet for how compliant you are,” Damian snapped back. “I’ve trained my whole life to be capable enough to handle missions like this. We could be helping them right now. But they treat us like we’re children!"

“We are children,” Jon deadpanned.

“We’re 11 years old.”

Jon rolled his eyes.

Damian was going to continue his tangent, but something on the cave’s monitors caught his attention. He shot forward to get a better look.

There was a fire – a huge one – in Robinson Park. Then he zoomed in on the live feed of the news broadcast that was reporting it.

“The Joker,” Damian growled.

“The Joker? But that’s not who our dads are dealing with.”

“This is Gotham, Kent. The Joker is probably using that as a distraction to make a move on Poison Ivy.”

“Poison Ivy? What beef does he have with Poison Ivy?”

“Harley Quinn,” was all Damian had time to explain.

He whipped around and tightly gripped Jon’s shoulders, staring into his eyes.

“Jon, I need your help.”

“Okkkkk,” he said slowly. “I’m not gonna like this, am I?”

“I need you to fly me to Robinson Park.”

“Dami, I don’t know. Dad’s told me about her before. She was strong enough to hypnotize and control him! He almost killed your dad because of it!”

“Do you trust me?” Damian challenged.

“I-I-I…”

“Do you or not?” Damian didn’t have time for this.

Jon glared. “Yes.”

“So then take me there.”

Jon had never seen Damian desperate before – or even stressed.

The boy didn’t fully understand what was going on. But from Damian’s reaction, he could tell it was important.

“Fine. Hold on, OK?” Jon asked before wrapping Damian’s arms around his back.

They shot out of the cave.

Damian managed to scream directions to Jon, but the boy already knew where the fire was from his super hearing.

Jon managed to land right in front of the Y/N’s willow tree.

Damian was horrified when it was completely engulfed in flames.

“No,” he gasped. “No, no, no.”

He jolted into a sprint.

“Damian, no!” Jon tried to cry out.

But he ignored him.

“Y/N!” Damian screamed at the top of his lungs.

In a panic, Jon started blowing out the fire with his freeze breath. He knew there was no stopping Damian, so all he could do was try and help – even though he didn’t really know what he was helping with.

Why was he worried about a single tree?

The willow tree should’ve been protecting her. It should’ve been keeping her safe. But the branches hung limp. The fire had already killed it.

Damian’s Robin suit barely protected him from the heat of the fire.

“Y/N!” He screamed again.

Once he got through the flaming branches, the treehouse had somehow remained untouched by the flames… for now. But behind the branches, smoke had taken a home.

With the fire, the vines wouldn’t bring him up to the treehouse. Damian quickly put his gas mask into his mouth. He would do no good if he passed out from smoke inhalation. Then he grabbed his grappling hook and shot it upward.

He perfectly landed onto the balcony.

When he walked into the treehouse, he found Y/N on the floor, unconscious.

She must not have noticed the fire and her creepers were already killed before they could get her out.

Damian rushed to her side and checked for her pulse.

Y/N was alive.

But she wouldn’t be for long if he didn’t get her out of there.

Damian picked her up in his arms and used his grappling hook to bring them back down to the ground.

With Jon’s freeze breath, there was a window in the fiery branches for Damian to escape.

As soon as he emerged, Jon rushed to them.

“Who is she?” He asked.

“A friend,” was all Damian supplied.

“Is she dead?”

“No.”

“Y/N!” A voice screamed.

Jon shot up with wide eyes to see Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn sprinting to them.

They were both covered in blood, proving that they had to fight through Joker and his men to get here. They must've been on the other end of the park with the way they were panting.

“She needs to be taken to a hospital immediately, I found her passed out from all the smoke. She needs treatment,” Damian reported to her mothers.

“No hospitals,” Ivy explained. “I have the necessary equipment here.”

Damian just nodded.

“I’ll carry her,” Jon chimed in as he lifted Y/N into his arms. “Tell me where.”

Harley took over, giving the boy directions as she ran after his flight.

It left Damian and Poison Ivy, surrounded by flames.

“You saved her life,” she whispered. “I tried to get here. But Joker–”

“I saw the attack on the news,” Damian interrupted.

Poison Ivy kneeled so she was at the same level as the boy. She slowly put her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Damian. I can never…there’s nothing…just…thank you.”

To his shock, her eyes filled with tears.

She had been scared. Terrified.

When she and Harley had arrived, she probably thought they'd been too late. And they almost were. If it hadn’t been for Damian and Jon, Y/N might be dead.

Jon landed a few yards away, trying not to interrupt.

“I must go before my father realizes what I’ve done,” Damian told her.

Ivy nodded.

--

When Jon and Damian returned to the cave, there was an awkward silence.

Jon didn’t know what to say. And he didn’t want to push Damian to explain. Clearly he was still distressed from tonight’s events.

Out of all their years of friendship, Jon had never seen Damian scared – not once.

Until tonight.

“Jon,” Damian had never sounded more serious. “You can never tell your father about this. Do you understand me? He can never know about her.”

The very idea clearly made Jon uncomfortable. Secrets were slim to none in the Kent family. Jon’s relationship with his father was built on honesty, patience, and understanding.

But Jon understood how important this was to his best friend.

So, he nodded.

Damian stepped closer. “No. I need to hear you say it.”

“I’ll never tell anyone about her, Damian. Never.”

Damian still seemed nervous.

“Pinky promise,” Jon added as he held up his pinky.

Damian blinked.

After that night, there seemed to be a significant shift.

And there seemed to be one surprising benefit from Y/N nearly dying…

Poison Ivy no longer just tolerated Damian Wayne.

She grew to care about him. And she swore she’d protect him after what he did for his daughter that night. It made her realize that Y/N befriending a hero was a good thing.

And that was the beginning of the Poison Ivy and Wayne alliance.

However, no one from the Wayne family knew about it beyond Damian.

And that was the problem.

--------–

I'm very, very excited about this serious, so please let me know if you liked it. 🍃

If you're new here: I don't do taglists and I don't have a publishing schedule.

Follow the series masterlist.

Juvenile – Toxicology

[ultimatraditor]

Russian military has bombed the largest children's hospital in Ukraine

Okhmatdyt (Охматдит in Ukrainian is short for охорона материнства й дитинства = protection of motherhood and childhood) is known to most Ukrainians, even those who have never has children or have never been to Kyiv, as the main children treatment facility in the country.

In the morning of July the 8th, about 60% of the facility have been destroyed by a Russian missile Х-101.

As of now, it is known of at least two dead adults (one of them was a nephrologist at the hospital) and several injured children, and there still are people under the rubble (yes, including children). Lots of medical equipment has been destroyed, much of it cannot be found anywhere else in Ukraine.

The toxicology department is the most damaged one, which is also the location where children have been undergoing hemodialysis at the time of the strike. Many of the patients did not have the option of being transported to the bomb shelter promptly after the air raid alert, as they require intensive care treatment (such as kids on life support, lung ventilation, in sterile boxes etc.)

Patients are being evacuated to other hospitals around the country, rescue operation at the strike sight still underway.

In case any one of you is willing to help, I'm sharing a link to the Okhmatdyt charity fund (the page is in Ukrainian, but there are instructions for foreigners as well — please scroll until you see info in English).

I just have to add that it was a direct and deliberate strike — two other hospitals have been under attack that day as well (one in Kyiv too, and one in Dnipro).

May the good people of the world live in safety without fearing for the lives of their children, and may those who bomb children's hospitals answer for their crimes

[thomasthetankieengine]

In honor of Krampusnacht, here's a really odd post I found awhile ago.

I don't want to be too snide, but I seriously wonder if the OP has ever seen a goat before. They can, in fact, be black and always have tails, horns, and hooves.

While the origins of Krampus are not precisely known, using goats and other hooved animals like horses as a symbol of the wild and chaotic aspects of nature as a long history in most European cultures. It's why Pan, Silenus, the Fauns, Centaurs, and Satyrs were so often depicted as goat and/or horse men and it's why they were portrayed as raging ids who enjoyed getting rip-roaring drunk, carrying off women, and having orgies.

Such traits lended themselves well to the conception of the demonic after Christianity was adopted in most of Europe. Admittedly, though, in this case, it's hard to know if Krampus was a post-Christianization figure formed from Christian conceptions of the demonic or if he was based at all on an earlier figure from Germanic paganism. We're really fudging around in the dark here, because our knowledge of Germanic paganism, especially that of the non-Norse, is extremely incomplete. Here may had similar origins to the Yule goat and the Finnish Nuuttipukki, but even that is speculative.

One thing that can be pointed out is that Krampus is similar, in many ways, in the European conception of the Wild Man, which overlapped considerably with the Greek Satyrs and the Roman Fauns. It is worth noting here that Krampus celebrations in Germany and Austria frequently involve the men who dress as Krampus ingesting a great deal of alcohol — and remember what I said earlier about how the Satyrs and Fauns were often depicted as constantly drunk? Before modern toxicology came about, alcohol was often conceived of as something slightly magical and becoming drunk after drinking it was understood as being literally possessed by its supernatural and/or divine creators. In ancient Greece, of course, this was understood as being possessed by Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, nature, insanity, and ritual ecstasy.

There's another post made a friend of the OP who appears to be trying to argue, amongst other things, that any mythological creature with horns and tails has antisemitic origins and was definitely influenced by antisemitism.

And ... um... I don't want to be too dismissive here, but I believe they are reversing cause and effect. To be blunt, Jews obviously do not actually have horns, cloven hooves, and tails; they were given them by medieval artists to make them seem inhuman and associate them with demons. In other words, those associations already existed before they were applied to Jews. Admittedly, though, you do have to walk a fine line here.

In any case, part of this post is just plain old wrong. Krampus generally didn't eat children; instead, he usually beat them with birch rods for being bad or dragged them off to hell. Similarly, I'm less than comfortable with the common sentiment on this site and that every folkloric and mythological creature said to attack children must be antisemitic in some way.

I don't want too dismissive here, but I think it should be understood that much for the reason for why mythological and folkloric creatures were said to specifically attack babies and children because infant and childhood mortality rates in the pre-modern past were incredibly freaking high. It's generally estimated that, for most of human history (by which I mean "up until the 19th century), around 50% of all children born would not live to see their 16th birthday.

Furthermore, pre-modern people did not have microscopes or modern biology at their disposal and thus they know anything of microbiological worked or why it was that babies and children tended to catch and die of illnesses far more often than adults did.

This is not a folkloric motif that you see only in European cultures and Europe had its fair share of evil creatures who preyed on children before the idea of the idea of the blood libel was formed in 12th century England.

Witness the Mesopotamian Lamashtu and Akhkhazu, the ancient Greek Lamia and Mormo, the Malay Penanggalan, the Filipino Manananggal and Aswang, the Arabic ghoul, the Germanic ogre, the Afghani Madar-i-Al, the Japanese oni, the Azeri Div, the Inuit Ijiraq, or the Egyptian Abu Rigl Maslukha.

Many of these creatures have also had their dual purpose of frightening children to make them behave Which, funnily enough — is exactly what Krampus' purpose was and is as well.

One more thing, though. When doing research on this topic, I found out that parents in Syria and Lebanon would often tell their children to be good and go bed on time or the Anglo-Norman king, Richard the Lionheart, would get them. Not sure if they still do, though.

[dertaglichedan]

Fragrances may seem harmless. But the research is raising alarm

Q: I love perfume, but I’ve heard a chemical used in fragrances may be bad for my health. Is that true?

A: A spritz of perfume may feellike such a minor chemical exposure compared to the pollutants elsewhere in our environment – microplastics, air pollution, PFAS. But scientists and clinicians are increasingly raising alarm over a group of chemicals used in many personal care products: phthalates.

Phthalates – found in popular perfumes, nail polishes and hair care products – have been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes: insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and impaired neurodevelopment. A study published in JAMA Network Open found that higher urinary concentrations of phthalates from personal care products was linked to a 25 percent increased risk of hyperactivity problems among adolescents. Another study of the same cohort found that increased phthalate exposure was also associated with poorer performance in math.

The concerns about childhood exposure to phthalates are high enough that in the United States, certain types of the chemical are banned in children’s toys and items such as pacifiers and baby bottles.

For Andrea Gore, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin, who runs a laboratory studying the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the harms are clear enough that she advises everyone to try to reduce their exposure, especially parents starting a family and those with young children.

“I recommend avoiding added fragrances altogether – in perfumes, scented lotions and shampoos, even scented detergents and antiperspirants,” she said in an email interview.

[angeliqueiguess]

Dear Professor…

[Student Profiles] one

Y/N L/N

•24 years old. Forensic science and toxicology student, following in her father’s footsteps. Y/n considers herself an efficient person, though anxiety occasionally eats away at her from within. Likes dark humor. She doesn’t get along very well with her chemistry teacher. Her best friends are Donghyuck and Sooah.

Lee Donghyuck

•24 years old. Aspiring actor and film directing student, Lee Donghyuck is a film enthusiast and a lover of Quentin Tarantino's works. Loves acting in small plays (theatre freak). His explosive personality impresses everyone around him. He is childhood friends with Y/n and Sooah.

Ahn Sooah

•24 years old. Writer and film directing student, she loves the smell of new books. Creative when it comes to writing, she is very straightforward and trustworthy (she knows how to keep secrets). She can be a bit intimidating but is friendly. She is best friends with Y/n and Donghyuck since preschool.

Profiles two

[mightyflamethrower]

The Truth About the COVID Vaccine Is Finally Becoming Known

Our understanding of COVID-19 vaccinations and their impact on health and mortality has evolved substantially since the first vaccine rollouts. Published reports from the original randomized phase 3 trials concluded that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could greatly reduce COVID-19 symptoms. In the interim, problems with the methods, execution, and reporting of these pivotal trials have emerged. Re-analysis of the Pfizer trial data identified statistically significant increases in serious adverse events (SAEs) in the vaccine group. Numerous SAEs were identified following the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), including death, cancer, cardiac events, and various autoimmune, hematological, reproductive, and neurological disorders. Furthermore, these products never underwent adequate safety and toxicological testing in accordance with previously established scientific standards. Among the other major topics addressed in this narrative review are the published analyses of serious harms to humans, quality control issues and process-related impurities, mechanisms underlying adverse events (AEs), the immunologic basis for vaccine inefficacy, and concerning mortality trends based on the registrational trial data. The risk-benefit imbalance substantiated by the evidence to date contraindicates further booster injections and suggests that, at a minimum, the mRNA injections should be removed from the childhood immunization program until proper safety and toxicological studies are conducted.

The vaccine destroyed my life. I haven't felt OK ever since I got the JAB three years ago. Since that day I've needed open heart surgery, a radical appendectomy, kidney failure (stage 3) and every joint in my body hurts. Over the last two months I've begun coughing up blood. When my lungs go it won't just be game over....it will be lights out.

[queenofcandynsoda]

Claudia Strife (AU)

(I asked @jknerd if she can drew Claudia with Sami clothes and she delivered~)

Claudia Strife

Other Names: Claudia Myrsky (maiden name), Mrs. Strife, Cloud’s Mom, The Reindeer Killer, The Caretaker of the Nibelheim Orphanage, Raggedy Bitch (by Junio Shinra)

Age: 34

Affiliation: Nibelheim Orphanage

Occupation: Caretaker, Woodworker, Pharmacognosist

Residence: Strife Household (currently), Gamme in the Nibel Area (semi-nomadic, formerly)

Family: Cloud Strife (son), The Nibelheim Orphans (adoptive children), Styrmir Strife (husband, presumingly deceased)

Relationships: Vincent Valentine (friend), Tifa Lockhart (neighbor, eventual friend), Brian Lockhart (neighbor, initially disliked, eventually somewhat friend), Dr. John Lenox (neighbor, employer, eventual friend), Mrs. Esme Shaw (neighbor, eventual friend), Reeve Tuesti (sponsor, eventual friend), Professor Hojo (enemy), President Shinra (enemy), Junio Shinra (enemy)

Abilities: Magic Materia Knowledge (Cura, Fira, Blizzaga, Thundara, and Aeroga), Summon Materia Knowledge, Spear Combat, Trap Creation, Knife Combat, Cold Resistance, Skiing Mastery, Snowboarding Mastery, Fishing Mastery, Hunting Mastery, Culinary Mastery (Sami and Nibelheim cuisine), Baking Mastery, Butchering Mastery, Child Caretaking Mastery, Sewing Mastery, Housekeeping Aptitude, Woodworking Mastery, Herbalism, Medicine Creation, Alchemy

Likes: Her son, the Orphans, Reindeer stew, Tifa’s help, Woodworking, Sleighing, Making medical herbs, Skiing, Performing Alchemy, Vincent being sociable, Ms. Shaw’s protection, Reeve’s aid

Dislikes: Shinra, Hojo, Junio’s Insults, Brian’s Mistrust, Soldiers (initially), Using a gun, The Triplets’ pranks, Tainted medicine, Any potential danger to the orphans

Origins: Claudia Strife is Cloud Strife’s mother and the caretaker of the Orphans from the Nibelheim Orphanage. Before she had settled down in Nibelheim, Claudia was part of a Sami group that used to live in the Nibel Area. She would often hunt, sew clothes from reindeer pelt with her mother, ski and snowboard with her friends and cousins, woodwork with her uncle, and listen to folk songs. Soon after Shinra started to become more mainstream when they put their first reactor in Nibelheim, it became noticeable that the plants and flowers started to wither and die and monsters started to appear around the village. As the villagers saw the Shinra Company as a very benevolent organization that denied that their reactor was responsible, they blamed the Nibel Sami for their “enchantments”. Since then, Claudia’s family has been discriminated against as some villagers even attacked them. 

When she was about fourteen years old, she met a young man, named Styrmir Strife, who was a chemist who experimented with alternative fuel sources and toxicology. The teenage boy empathized with her clan and offered them to live on his field. This led to a conflict between the two childhood friends that eventually caused its breakdown. Brian did not even attend their wedding nor saw the birth of Cloud. After Cloud was born, the Myrsky Clan had left to head northward, which would make their visits less frequent. 

Styrmir taught her alchemy during their marriage in secret from Shinra, mainly for materia and herbs. The couple had since experimented in their basement. Claudia also became creative when it came to creating medicine. She would then sell them to Dr. Lenox for his office. 

One day, when Cloud was about a year old, Styrmir went hiking up to Mt. Nibel to get more herbs. However, he did not come back later that day. Days went by, with search teams, and there was no sign of him. Styrmir was presumed dead weeks later, leaving Claudia as a widow and raising an infant Cloud alone. Brian did attend Styrmir’s funeral but this had led to an argument between him and Claudia. It had gotten so intense that it nearly resulted in physical violence before they got separated. 

Claudia and Cloud were deemed outsiders due to their Sami heritage, furthermore with the Mt. Nibel incident with Tifa. The only ones who were not prejudiced against her were Ms. Shaw, who is a reclusive older woman, Dr. Lenox, Mrs. Lockhart, her daughter, Tifa, and a handful of villagers. Dr. Lenox had hired her to be his pharmacognosist. 

After Cloud had left for Midgar when he was 14, Claudia had become lonely. She would often stay at home and make medicine for a few years until one day, the villagers found a disturbing discovery. A few of the villagers discovered that there were mako tanks filled with young children in the Shinra Manor’s basement. She was one of the first people to clean them up and put them in the temporary infirmary. She even got some reindeer pelts to keep some of them warm when blankets ran out. Unbeknownst to her, she started an emotional connection with them as she noticed some scars on their bodies. 

In the village meeting, Mayor Zander asked for any potential solutions to this sudden discovery. Brian wanted to contact Shinra for an explanation and that they should take the children. However, Claudia was quick to counter that, stating that Shinra was the one who put those children there and their intentions would be bad. She also mentioned that Shinra abandoned the children for the gods’ know how long. She offered to care for the children. Mayor Zander reluctantly agreed with her. While gathering some materials from the manor, she accidentally awakened Vincent. Though she was afraid of him, he managed to calm her down. After his explanation, she told him about the orphans and Shinra’s connection to them. Vincent decided to help her and the orphans, knowing that Hojo was connected. 

Once the children awakened and recovered from mako poisoning, Claudia gave the children their names and the old clothes donated from some of the villages. She soon discovered unusual traits they have, such as how some of them either look like siblings, have deformities, or have strange abilities. Despite this, Claudia has grown attached to them. When the Turks tried to collect them back, the caretaker quickly called in Seldon, who is the village’s photographer and record keeper, to take photos of the orphans and send them to the newspapers as blackmail against Shinra. From this, Claudia can protect the orphans as the company does not want to hurt its public image. 

Fortunately, this had worked. Though a bit too well. 

This had drawn out Junio Shinra, the second wife of President Shinra, making her Rufus’ stepmother, and the PR executive. All she cares about is her public image and seeing herself as being above others, especially when it comes to Rufus. As soon as she saw the orphans, she was disgusted by them and angry that people sympathized with them. However, she used them as an opportunity for Shinra’s public image to avoid any discussion of war crimes. She decided to be a sponsor but with conditions. Reeve, knowing Junio, decided to be a co-sponsor, just to make sure that Claudia and the orphans were safe. 

That is just the beginning for Claudia as the caretaker.

[buffporcupine]

tell me abt kiyomi fellow Canada loather

why hello there 😋 it’s infodumping o’ clock ig ‼️

tws for death, abuse, descriptions of gore, all that

Kiyomi is an OC I’ve had for at least two years. She’s taken on several different forms and her design has changed a whole lot but she’s one of my favorite OCs!!

Her full name is Kiyomi Itō, and she’s this seventeen year old girl from Kyoto, Japan. Her mother was French-Canadian and her father was Japanese. She can speak Japanese, French, and English, and she learned them in the order they are listed.

Okay, the backstory stuff might be a bit confusing because I’m not good with the wording and this is actually the first time I’ve ever written out everything.

Kiyomi has a younger sister named Shoko who was five years younger than her. Kiyomi also had an older half-brother named Akira who is six years older than her. Kiyomi’s mother was named Sakura, and Kiyomi’s father was named Jin.

When she was a kid, her father was both abusive to her, her younger sister, and her mother. He had had an affair that resulted in the birth of Kiyomi’s half-brother, Akira. Akira’s mother’s identity is unknown. Jin, had a deep-seated hatred for his wife and his daughters, and he tried to teach Akira to hate them as well. This didn’t work though, and after deceiving his father, Akira was able to help his sisters run away. Their mother, though, died at Jin’s hand, and Jin was arrested and incarcerated. After running away, Akira, Kiyomi, and Shoko fled across the world to Canada to go live with their maternal aunt and uncle. By that time, Akira was an adult and he could have been able to keep living at the Ito residence, but taking care of Shoko and Kiyomi would be too difficult without assistance.

The move to Canada was when Kiyomi was fourteen. Now, she has graduated from high school and she’s studying for a degree in psychology. She also spends a lot of time with Akira and his wife, Aurelia.

Kiyomi’s interests include, but are not limited to, psychology, toxicology, entomology, and other things. She really enjoys watching children’s television shows, or reading books about bugs, or watching the night sky. She’s fascinated by activity most consider ‘childish’, and she’s very open and curious about new things. She isn’f very informed though, and she doesn’t get social cues very easy.

She’s fascinated by cute things, and she really likes to look nice. She puts a lot of effort into her appearance, and she prefers scene and grunge dress styles. She’s very naturally attractive as well, but she does wear lots of makeup.

Below are some drawings I’ve made of her. She’s really fun to draw. The first drawing is in my style, the second is in the DRV3 style.

She’s also a bit like a punching bag OC, a bit of a Mary-Sue, but I don’t like to think of her as those.

She’s also schizophrenic, and she’s largely ashamed of that fact. She likes to hide it as much as she can, and she never mentions it to anyone that isn’t EXTREMELY close to her. She’s also got a bit of a fear of abandonment, and she fears that it was her fault what happened to her when she was a child.

She started out as a Danganronpa OC, for a Fangan I had been working on, but now she’s her own sort of character for now. I have the information necessary to insert her into any universe, like Death Note, Stranger Things, etc.. Now she’s just fandomless, and I have enough lore about her to give her her own category.

Below is some useless trivia about her.

She’s allergic to a lot of things, she loves strawberries, she has an obsession with MCR, and she hates it when people try to look smart when they really don’t know what they’re talking about.

She’s actually really short, like five feet and four inches tall. It’s mostly because of stunted growth due to childhood malnutrition.

She’s also a hopeless romantic!! She loves romance novels and movies. She’s very open-minded about who she wants to date, though, and she just hopes it’ll be someone nice and sweet.

There’s the end of the useless trivia.

Now, she spends most of her time studying, helping Shoko study, or spending time taking care of Aurelia. Aurelia is a former secretary turned housewife, well, she was, and then she got diagnosed with this really nasty degenerative neurological condition, and sort of just became a shell of who she used to be.. Yk? So Kiyomi also has to help Akira take care of his kids as a result of Aurelia’s absence.

Kiyomi is honestly living her best life, actually. And at a different, later point in her story, she meets her perfect partner!! I just packed her with trauma so bad I had to make up for it by giving her a happy adult life. Her and Aurelia also have like.. a super cute relationship, so there.

Kiyomi is my CHILD, definitely one of my favorite OCs. I have at least 100 OCs, though, so.. I have a lot of favorites, too.

Maybe I should make more posts about Shoko, Akira, or Aurelia sometime?? I dunno.

Thank you if you read this.

[jcmarchi]

From bench to bedside, and beyond

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/from-bench-to-bedside-and-beyond/

From bench to bedside, and beyond

In medical school, Matthew Dolan ’81 briefly considered specializing in orthopedic surgery because of the materials science nature of the work — but he soon realized that he didn’t have the innate skills required for that type of work.

“I’ll be honest with you — I can’t parallel park,” he jokes. “You can consider a lot of things, but if you find the things that you’re good at and that excite you, you can hopefully move forward with those.”

Dolan certainly has, tackling problems from bench to bedside and beyond. Both in the United States and abroad through the U.S. Air Force, Dolan has emerged as a leader in immunology and virology, and has served as director of the Defense Institute for Medical Operations. He’s worked on everything from foodborne illnesses and Ebola to biological weapons and Covid-19, and has even been a guest speaker on NPR’s “Science Friday.”

“This is fun and interesting, and I believe that, and I work hard to convey that — and it’s contagious,” he says. “You can affect people with that excitement.”

Pieces of the puzzle

Dolan fondly recalls his years at MIT, and is still in touch with many of the “brilliant” and “interesting” friends he made while in Cambridge.

He notes that the challenges that were the most rewarding in his career were also the ones that MIT had uniquely prepared him for. Dolan, a Course 7 major, naturally took many classes outside of biology as part of his undergraduate studies: organic chemistry was foundational for understanding toxicology while studying chemical weapons, while pathogens like Legionella, which causes pneumonia and can spread through water systems such as ice machines or air conditioners, are solved at the interface between public health and ecology.

“I learned that learning can be a high-intensity experience,” Dolan recalls. “You can be aggressive in your learning; you can learn and excel in a wide variety of things and gather up all the knowledge and knowledgeable people to work together towards solutions.”

Dolan, for example, worked in the Amazon Basin in Peru on a public health crisis of a sharp rise in childhood mortality due to malaria. The cause was a few degrees removed from the immediate problem: human agriculture had affected the Amazon’s tributaries, leading to still and stagnant water where before there had been rushing streams and rivers. This change in the environment allowed a certain mosquito species of “avid human biters” to thrive. 

“It can be helpful and important for some people to have a really comprehensive and contextual view of scientific problems and biological problems,” he says. “It’s very rewarding to put the pieces in a puzzle like that together.”

Choosing To serve

Dolan says a key to finding meaning in his work, especially during difficult times, is a sentiment from Alsatian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer: “The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”

One of Dolan’s early formative experiences was working in the heart of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, at a time when there was no effective treatment. No matter how hard he worked, the patients would still die.

“Failure is not an option — unless you have to fail. You can’t let the failures destroy you,” he says. “There are a lot of other battles out there, and it’s self-indulgent to ignore them and focus on your woe.”

Lasting impacts

Dolan couldn’t pick a favorite country, but notes that he’s always impressed seeing how people value the chance to excel with science and medicine when offered resources and respect. Ultimately, everyone he’s worked with, no matter their differences, was committed to solving problems and improving lives.

Dolan worked in Russia after the Berlin Wall fell, on HIV/AIDS in Moscow and tuberculosis in the Russian Far East. Although relations with Russia are currently tense, to say the least, Dolan remains optimistic for a brighter future.

“People that were staunch adversaries can go on to do well together,” he says. “Sometimes, peace leads to partnership. Remembering that it was once possible gives me great hope.”

Dolan understands that the most lasting impact he has had is, likely, teaching: Time marches on, and discoveries can be lost to history, but teaching and training people continues and propagates. In addition to guiding the next generation of health-care specialists, Dolan also developed programs in laboratory biosafety and biosecurity with the U.S. departments of State and Defense, and taught those programs around the world.

“Working in prevention gives you the chance to take care of process problems before they become people problems — patient care problems,” he says. “I have been so impressed with the courageous and giving people that have worked with me.” 

[krscblw]

5, 42, 43 (from the ask thingy you reblogged)

5. is there anyone who can always make you smile?

ok so this is probably not what the question is getting at, but i'm going to say hozier. sometimes i just sit and look at that man... the first and only time i got drunk i just laid on the couch and watched videos of him. i feel like this says a lot about me

42. favorite book(s)

you picked the wrong (or right?) guy for this question, i love books and i have a few favorites (mostly for sentimental reasons)

annihilation by jeff vandermeer (i had year or so of high school where i would just go sit in the public library for several hours after school, and i would just pick a random book every day and read it until it was time to leave. one day i picked annihilation and i liked it so much i actually finished it, and later bought a copy)

the disappearing spoon by sam kean, dead men do tell tales by william r maples and michael browning, the poisoner's handbook by deborah blum (i was really into forensics in high school and i read a lot of toxicology/forensic anthropology books. these were some of my favorites)

ella minnow pea by mark dunn (i read this more recently. it's very well written and has an interesting premise, and is honestly just a linguistic feat. i'm a big linguistics nerd so i loved it)

43. favorite song ever

this is so hard... i might have to do a few. sorry.

square hammer by ghost (sentimental- the first ghost song i heard)

follow you by bring me the horizon (nostalgic (to when i was in the psych hospital lmao- not a good time but i still love that song))

catch by house of harm (idk what it is about this song but i LOVE it)

baby's coming back by jellyfish (song of my childhood for some reason)

thank you for the ask! i'm sorry my answers are so long, this really got away from me lmao

[monroestreetmedia]

“IN-DEVELOPMENT: UJARAK”

UJARAK (2024) • TV Limited Series • In-Development with Ujarak Media Inc. and NFI, the Northern Film Initiative

Produced & Written by Jessica Brown, Co-Written & Produced by Francois Van Zyl and Produced & Directed by Brad Gover, UJARAK is a groundbreaking TV show that presents an Indigenous narrative, drawing inspiration from the acclaimed series, "Dark Waters." The show incorporates lived experiences from Indigenous people, paying homage to the communities and their traditions while exploring modern-day issues. Ujarak's unique storytelling style and emphasis on indigenous perspectives make it a must-watch for those interested in diverse and authentic storytelling.

An indigenous led venture that is told through and indigenous lens, UJARAK is about Amalia, a young Inuit woman, returns to her childhood community in Northern Labrador seeking solace after a bizarre murder on the Goose Bay Military Base. However, her community sees her as an outsider who abandoned her people and culture. Her grandfather, a respected elder in the community, dies unexpectedly, and a toxicology report suggests he may have been poisoned. Amalia suspects foul play by a rival family with a complex history of hostility, and takes on the role of solving the mystery with the help of her cousin, a local policeman, and her younger sister They must face the truth of their family’s past to prevent the families from destroying their years of peace.

The project intentions for UJARAK is to create an authentic and compelling portrayal of Indigenous culture and its people. The series aims to showcase the diversity and richness of Indigenous communities, their traditions, and their contemporary experiences. The show also seeks to provide a platform for Indigenous voices and perspectives, highlighting their unique stories and struggles in a manner that is respectful and empowering. UJARAK is grounded in cultural authenticity, with Indigenous writers, producers, and actors taking the lead in shaping the narrative and ensuring the show's accuracy. The production team is Indigenous-led and works closely with Indigenous communities to ensure that the show's portrayal of their culture and traditions is respectful and accurate. UJARAK also aims to provide a space for Indigenous creatives to showcase their talents, both in front of and behind the camera. It would seek to mentor and develop emerging Indigenous talent, providing opportunities for writers, directors, and actors to advance their careers and make a meaningful contribution to the film and television industry. Overall, the project intentions for UJARAK is to create a show that celebrates Indigenous culture, provides a platform for Indigenous voices, and oers opportunities for Indigenous creatives to showcase their talent. UJARAK seeks to educate and inspire audiences while promoting cultural understanding and reconciliation.

[stuartbramhall]

Report Linking Fluoride to Lower IQ in Children Made Public After CDC, HHS Tried to Block It

By  Brenda Baletti, Ph.D The National Toxicology Program on Wednesday released a draft report linking prenatal and childhood fluoride exposure to reduced IQ in children, after public health officials tried for almost a year to block its publication. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) on Wednesday released a draft report linking prenatal and childhood fluoride exposure to reduced IQ in…

[illuminaughti-online]

Thanks for the tag Gnoss! Actually @textsfromthefifthbasement and @battydings were also nice enough to tag me too, but I saw yours first so hey ho.

No contest here, the thing with the fewest views is also the one I did the most research for up until that point, both via translating several stories in French (sidebar: I do not actually know French) and brushing up on other folklore: "Vainement, ma bien aimée." Does this mean anything? Who knows! I have deliberately chosen to not examine this fact in much depth! I also did a lot of research for the fantasy AU, mostly in terms of plant toxicology and mythology, but that one's gotten several more clicks than I expected. I suspect it will get more once I up the rating to E . . .

Also no mystery here: It's not popular because it's Leroux pre-canon Raoul Thoughts from one night when he and Christine are traipsing around in Perros. I remember angsting to Shiny while I was writing it, "it's just Raoul Thoughts and I don't think anyone will care" -- but I wound up caring. That said, if we expand to other fandoms, I do think my Star Trek Lower Decks fic is also underrated in the sense that I wrote it really early on in terms of Lower Decks fan content, and actually mentioned a couple scenarios that hadn't come up onscreen yet, such as a salt vampire attack and a Gorn tankini, so PAY ME MONEY, PARAMOUNT. Will I just give said money back to the WGA and SAG picketers in the form of delicious food and water? Yes. So pay me.

I think most people like me for my romantic comedies, and I totally get why. I am also happy with what I've written there/am currently working on. However, I think "Vainement" might be my best-written from a technical sense. Also? I genuinely like these kids, as well as the folklore and a nice creepy setting. Give Baby Raoul a chance and you might wind up rooting for him after all as he tries to come to terms with the fact that the world is a terrifying place and that Christine intends to plunge into it headfirst regardless. Read it if you value young love, even a young love that knows it's doomed, or if you've ever looked back on anything through the sepia filter of nostalgia and wondered how either you or any of your childhood friends made it out in one piece. Or if you realized as a kid that most adults didn't have the answers you needed, and that the few who did were shipwrecked souls who tended to dispense their wisdom in ways that made no sense at the time. Alternatively, read the fantasy AU if you want a reverse Beauty and the Beast scenario in which Raoul is a hot sword lesbian and someone, not saying who, eventually acquires a dragon.

Tagging @evangelinelark, @box5intern, and @lincolnlogger if they are so inclined to participate.

Speaking of things that are under-read, she only has one fic up YET but you should also check out @forestscribe4 on AO3 and give that story some more love while you're at it. It's a Phantom/Little Shop of Horrors crossover. What's not to like?

Unloved Fic Tag Game

1. Which of your fics do you consider your most underappreciated?

2. Do you have any ideas about why this fic isn’t shown enough love? The premise? The ship? The size of the fandom?

3. What would you say to convince your readers to give this fic a chance anyway?

@shinyfire-0, @battydings, @catcorsair, @les-gnossiennes-fantomatiques, and anyone else who would like to play! 

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

Okay but I can see Jon teaching Damian Gen Z slang and Damian is like kinda new to it. So when Y/N heard Damian and Jon saying gen z slang she is just like 🤔

Oh, the three of them are such a mess when it comes to acting like real kids and then real teenagers.

Damian acts more like a grumpy, arrogant adult. His upbringing made it impossible for him to gage how he should be acting based on his age. And by the time he's old enough to realize that, it was far too late for him to fit in and be a real kid.

Y/N was raised isolated by two feminists who border on being misandrists. One mother is a meta, ecoterrorist. And the other one has a PhD in psychology, but is absolutely off her bonkers.

Jon had the most traditional upbringing. But they can't ignore the fact that his dad is Superman and he himself is half Kryptonian.

Yeah, Jon knows slang in a way that Damian and Y/N do not. But he's not exactly a "cool kid." He's a dork. Just like his dad was. So he really shouldn't be the leader in their friend group of knowing what's cool and hip with the kiddos. But he's the best they got.

But Y/N will get excited when she hears of a new phenomenon or slang she sees on TV or in a movie, and then will ask Jon to explain it. Meanwhile, Damian rolls his eyes and can't understand why Y/N cares so much. Kids are stupid. Teens are stupid. Why does she care what everyone else is doing? They're all pathetic in Damian's opinion.

[mothettte]

I think the biggest problem we have with this whole entire case is lack of psychological documentation.

We know Eric was on Zoloft and claimed the medication was not working. Causing suicidal and homicidal thoughts. Luvox is an Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), which is usually prescribed to those to treat OCD. It’s an anti-depressant overall. Serotonin is a chemical released in the brain that can affect mood and behavior. SSRIs work by enhancing the brain's ability to use serotonin.

It is widely known that SSRI’s in high therapeutical dosages, can cause more psychological issues, issues it’s supposed to treat. (I myself was a victim to shitty side effects of SSRI’s. Finding out they do more worse than good for me.)

It does not shock me that Eric was then prescribed Luvox, another SSRI. Many psychiatrists do end up swapping meds, upping/lowering doses, when one causes issues.

During the time of Eric’s autopsy, 390 ng/ml of Luvox was found in his toxicology report. The highest/average prescribed dosage one can be taking of Luvox safely.

The human brain does not fully develop until the age of 25. Studies show that patients <24 on SSRI’s are known to have an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior. Though from research, we know that Eric truly didn’t want to die per say. Thoughts do not equal action. I have personal belief that Eric needed a more thorough psychological evaluation. Not in the case of a inpatient care, but one on one examination.

Eric wasn’t a psychopath. He just a teenage boy who suffered from mental illness. This is not me sitting here playing as if he was a victim, yes and no, but he was a kid. Think of Ted Bundy. The one person who was officially evaluated and dubbed “The Father of Psychopathy.” (In recent years, Bundy had been dubbed a sociopath instead due to his ability to form relationships with others, having exhibited empathy, which psychopaths are not capable of)

Sociopaths are created by their environmental upbringing. Hence “Socio” as in “Sociology.”

“in the DSM 5 Guidebook: The Essential compassion to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, sociopaths are defined as having a tendency of doing harmful actions towards others.”

Sociopaths feel regret and remorse. But don’t think before acting out. In which is now labeled as ASPD, or Antisocial Personality Disorder.

In brain scans of psychopaths, the area of the brain that feels empathy does not light up. They cannot form bonds with others.

Eric had once stated on April 11th, 1999 in REB’s Tape, “I wish I was a fucking sociopath so I didn’t have any remorse, but I do. This is going to tear them apart.” Followed by “To all you coolios out there still alive, sorry I hurt you or your friends.”

This is not the behavior of someone who is a psychopath. If anything, Eric was exhibiting sociopathic tendencies created by the environment he was subjected to on top of his existing conditions.

Dave Cullen has actively destroyed the narrative of Eric and Dylan. Eric being a psychopath and Dylan being a string along oh so depressed bitch to Eric. Randy Brown is not helping the narrative by claiming the same story but in his own view. Cullen didn’t know Eric and Dylan personally. Randy only knowing a childhood version of Dylan. Each of them are not reputable sources, Randy only on some accounts. Their own views and opinions get in the way of the factual natures of the case, tarnishing the minds of the individuals trying to learn about it.

Randy is too attached to the idea that Dylan was murdered, when his suicidal history lays out in front of him. And the idea Eric is “Evil” is garbage. Yes, he and Dylan killed people. Once again, they were humans suffering prior to the attack. There is reason behind the attack. They became “evil” or “the monster next door.”

Whenever I discuss the case, I will always say “in my opinion” before I end up talking about my speculations. Speculations and opinions do not correlate to facts, unless proven true.

We need to actively straighten out the facts from the opinions. We cannot allow this case to continuously become multiple conspiracy theories. It’s just hurting those affected by it more and more if it continues… and it’s not just the killers conspiracies, it also involves the victims conspiracies and clawing for public sympathy with false story lines.