#we're a year into this now

[obsolete-stars-if]

Happy Anniversary

I know I'm late.... like over a month. LISTEN, it just slipped my mind. but to celebrate, how about a side snippet. The original anniversary is like, uhh 28th of May, but like.... it's only 1st July. gimme a break.

ANYWAY, i have been meaning to write this for some time now. But before chapter 8 came out, i couldnt and pushed it back a lot. and i finally had the motivation to do so. the next demon fight wont take me another year, so dw its not gonna be another anniversary snippet again.

So like... Mikhails POV of his fight. 1143 words, about 5min read time

“Mika..”, his voice sounds like it is about to break. It snaps you out of your frozen state. You haven’t seen him like this often, or before at all. "Are you abandoning General Vi? If you do now, her life shared with you is meaningless. Those who died for you, are meaningless. You will go out there and defeat the monster." Anyone else might have thought of it as an accusation. But you understand the meaning.

Save those who love you. Be good, defend your family, for they will die for you. It has always been like that. Your soldiers became your siblings at heart, the General as your father, General Vi has been a mother to you. Your kingdom was the home to protect, to make room to let all your family members spread their wings. As they deserve, and you’re turning your back on them. You really try to run away from them, the people who will die for you. Who love you more than any blood could offer. Who listened to your woes, celebrated your victories, and loved you in ways you never knew possible.  It is not an accusation, but a plea, from father to son. "You are not a soldier anymore, but you are their sibling, and you will defend your family." You know this all too well. You’re afraid your voice breaks if you speak, so you offer a nod.

He pulls you aside one last time before you return, he kneels to your height, and the folds that have scarred his face to nothing but anger and rage, turn into worry, it is way too much like…  “Do you remember my first battle?” Your voice is barely above a whisper. He nods, “Saving you, it is haunting.” His hand travels to your hair, and he takes a strand and pushes it behind your ear, “But I do not regret it.” “Isko…” His name feels foreign in your mouth. “Now it is my turn to save you.” Isko lets out a soft breath, “You already have, my child.”

The fall back into the line is shocking, it feels like nature, being told where to stand, how to arrange yourself, get your weapon, and scan the fields. You never wanted to bring the war back home, you would smile through the pain, just to see your family, your people, happy for your return. And now you brought the war here. You wish you had flashes of those who died to your blade. But it has been too many to bother your mind.  You can’t have Adam in this mess, nor your siblings, let alone your spouse, you gave all up, swore to protect and submit to them, and you are the very thing threatening you.

The sound of the soldiers arriving travels not by air, but through the ground. It is just a show, you know it is, practiced movement, synchronized. And while it may strike fear into your people, watching them hide away, it has long lost its charm. What is training worth if you can’t bear to kill at the end of the day? When you stop right before you kill again, and the face of another young child clears in your vision, you decide that you cannot do this again. What was so special about the kid? Trying to recall their face is impossible, yet it feels so clear. And a whisper in the air reminds you, that you gave up on being a monster.

You dare to take a steadying breath. You’re not afraid, you haven’t been in years. The soldiers are children, you realize by nothing but their height. And the leader amongst them all, they stand at your height. Is that truly what it means to protect your family? To kill those who you’re stealing from. You don’t know. 

The sky is clear, the sun shining down on your skin, hot, burning you alive. This is nothing like the winters you spend up north. Those behind you stir when they realize what you already have. Children soldiers. And when you cross glances with it, it is the visage of those you ended. You cannot let your heart ache, as much as it desires to, it is not about want, but need. You need to protect those you love.

You push ahead, it does not matter if you know their faces or not, for they have already died before. They can die again, die an amount you cannot count, if it means protecting those you love, you would not trade a world in which you were not a soldier.  In which you stayed home, and not became siblings with every person your blood rules over. You must serve your people. Your family.

You only stop at the leader, steadying your sword, and you watch it take the helmet off. His hair falls below his shoulder blades, hair a rich brown, and eyes much too like Isko, much too like your own.  Never have you seen him before, but it is like a mirror, to who you are, who could’ve been, or maybe what you avoided. He takes his time watching your face, drinking in how you became frozen. 

“What a poor replacement,” his voice is like silk, “You killed me for this?” “I have not,” You answer. But he is unfazed by you.  “You killed me.” He repeats, “You killed the memory by claiming it. You took all these children and denied them a future. You claimed parents, children, lovers, and friends, in the name of your parents, siblings, lovers, and friends. Not only did you destroy their family by fire and your blade, but so did you destroy your family.”

Lies, these must all be lies.

“You couldn’t even die for your family. Truly, a pitiful imitation.” But you did not mean to die for them, you just needed the agony to stop, the nightmares, the faces, the pain in your heart when you saw your sibling's corpses, felt their light leave their eyes as you continued to force magic into their body, as you tried to save them. You meant to save them. Save your family. And one day, you knew, you could only save them from this pain if you stopped.

“I am the only one to judge you by the blood running through my veins. Which you so desperately tried to copy, and you may steal my place, my appearance, but Isko only had one child.” He lifts his sword, “You have committed crimes of blood, Mikhail, your own, the one on your blade, and the one you tried to claim. The Gods have sent me to judge you. And I have found you guilty on all accounts.”

[CHOICE]

→ [“May you no longer betray blood, family, and love.”] → [“I have never betrayed my blood, family, or love.”]

[sadmages]

In my mind palace my tav and Astarion are playing the exact same game of 5D chess and they don't realize it yet

[egophiliac]

So I was doing some math, and I THINK Skully is almost as tall as Malleus without his horns

I think the main reference to his height is Epel being surprised they're the same age because he's taller than Sebek, yes? which I find interesting, considering Jade and Malleus -- two of the tallest guys in the main cast -- are also there. and, since I've never been one to not think waaaay too much about the absolute stupidest minutiae about fictional characters, I see two possibilities:

one is that Epel is extremely good at eyeballing heights (I actually do feel like he could be? like. I'd believe he can estimate someone's height fairly accurately by calculating based on the life stages of an apple tree, or how many apples tall they are, or something else apple-related like that.) and Scully does, perhaps, fall into that narrow margin between Sebek and Jade in height.

OR two, out of the three certified Tall Guys there, Sebek is Epel's main frame of reference because he's the only one he's had any real interaction with for, let's be fair, pretty obvious reasons.

SO in conclusion, we still have no concrete answers and will probably have to wait until next year when we get his card profile, alas alas. 😔

[anglerflsh]

"people didn't get canceled before these sjw" Dante put all the people he disliked in literal hell

[psrj]

demon king of salvation

[justvea18]

Phthia's new exile kid

[jinstronaut]

happy 32nd birthday, kim seokjin (김석진) !

[linolinoing]

HOLIDAY SEASON WITH SKZ ▸ 1/❆ ↳ Hyunjin for Versace Holiday

[sualne]

more about the AU!

(timeline)

[hellmandraws]

I, for one, am looking forward to Viking Piece.

[wimbledon2008]

when christopher turns eighteen and no longer needs a guardian in the event of eddie's death and buck and eddie have to come up with a new symbolic legal arrangement to bind them together and marriage would be the obvious option but they're just friends we can't get just friends married eddie if i was going to marry you i'd marry you for love 🥺 so they form a limited liability company

[kottaniq]

This game is called "Pizza Tower" and the tower is not made of pizza, dissapointing!

[aingeal98]

More Jason and Cass thoughts (sorry but also not sorry) but if I was magically given full control over DC and could write what I'd want obviously I'd make Cass Batman but I've been thinking of what sort of reaction and role Jason would have in response. I think I'd write his version of "Congrats on the new job!" as a test, involving the Joker and civilians and gangs and Red Hood and a ton of explosives. Bruce failed me, and now he's given up. You're his successor, let's see how you handle this dilemma that freaked him out so badly he threw a batarang into my throat rather than let me avenge my own death in front of him.

So obviously Cass will overcome the traps and the puzzles. That's the fun part to show how competent both of them are and sprinkle in little character moments as we go. But then we reach the emotional crux of the matter, probably laid out as some sort of saw trap because it's Jason. Here I am, a victim of murder. You say nobody dies tonight but I did, and I want the man who did it dead. Not only did Batman fail to avenge me but he failed to stop the Joker from going on to create even more victims. What right do you have to stop me from getting justice for myself? What right does this man have to life after what he's taken from me and from countless others? I'm not trying to kill a random stranger, I'm specifically demanding justice for my own death that I never got while I was gone.

There are two ways this could go. The straightforward route if I knew my time on this run was limited would probably be a pyrrhic victory like the ones Cass's og series was so fond of. Just like Bruce in utrh, she acts on instinct and saves the Joker (and Jason this time) . A win technically, but she fails the test. Jason is once again vindicated but with nothing to show for it. The story ends with Cass sending the Joker back to jail and going back to the batcave, where the old Robin costume looms judgementally, highlighting her failure. It would be the most fitting end given their character molds, all tragedy and conviction and unstoppable force meets immovable object etc.

However... I think the option I prefer would be a little different. Cass levelling with Jason, a killer talking to a murder victim. She has no right to stop Jason from getting justice, she has no love for the Joker but she knows any death she allows to happen like this would devastate her, just like that death row inmate long ago she tried to break out but ended up letting go once the family of the victim talked to her and demanded justice. I think... In this specific situation, she'd just be honest. Morally she has no right sure. Personally she just really really doesn't want anyone to die. Give her one chance, please. Let her try it her way. Not demanding, not lecturing or insisting, just... Please. Don't do this. Let me try another way.

And then what? Jason asks.

In the end a deal is struck. Cass will take the Joker and lock him up, ensuring he never harms anyone again while also trying to rehabilitate him. But the second she fails and he gets free, Jason kills him and she won't stand in his way. It's the kind of deal that leaves both of them mildly disgusted and dissatisfied with themselves, neither of them naturally creatures of compromise when it comes to this specific topic. But Cass is willing to do anything to avoid death and Jason did not expect the new Bat to be so... Flexible? Kind of? Of course maybe she won't actually hold up her end of the deal and when the Joker gets loose she'll try and stop Jason from killing him and he'll get his miserable vindication, but right now this is something strange and new and he's mildly confused and curious about where it will go. He doesn't believe in her ability to contain the Joker forever but he's willing to let her try because her reaction to that future failure interests him. She's given him a sword of damocles to hang above her head and he didn't ask for it or expect it. It's the type of power he never thought the Bat would just... Hand to him.

The conflict ends with neither of them fully winning or losing. They both don't really know what to feel about this.

The thing is, the second Cass let's Jason kill the Joker she's hanging up the mantle. She's staking the Bat on this, because it's always go big or go home with her when it comes to saving others, even someone like the Joker. In this magical universe where I have unlimited power, Cass would lock the Joker in a secret bunker and have Leslie Thompkins talk to him daily, mostly because I think her pacifism speeches and debates in the comics would make a fun contrast to the Joker's evil sadism. (But what about his rights? Doesn't he deserve a trial and to be held in a regular prison? I'm going to be honest I think Cass would be very comfortable bending the rules on this specific situation. Morally questionable but I'd have fun with it. She's going to let Leslie treat Joker like her personal pet project to save his soul because yes she wants him to change but also she's got a city to save every night so go crazy Leslie, have fun.)

And the Batman series would continue with Cass as the lead, new challenges and new antagonists and every twenty issues or so for the first hundred we'll cut back to the Joker briefly if his chats with Leslie can help highlight some thematic element of the current arc. But bit by bit he'd slowly fade away onto oblivion, maybe getting referenced every hundred issues or so until eventually no one remembers or cares about him because there's so much else going on. Meanwhile Jason's got a good thing going as Red Hood, primarily based in Park Row and a tentative ally on the occasion when their vigilante work aligns. Unlike Joker he's a much more frequent character in the comics, and after say 10 years (this is my magical fantasy universe Cass's batman run is going to last for a very long time alright) when people think of DC characters they think of Red Hood long before they think of the Joker.

Is any of this realistic? Right now of course not. It's why I'd go with the pyrrhic victory if I actually got the chance, because it would be the best way to tell the story in the larger context of the Bat narrative. But it's my fantasy DC editor and writer daydream and I'm going to dream big. They're never going to be normal happy siblings, their personal demons will never fully let them be free and the looming possibility of losing everything they currently have narrative wise if Bruce comes back as Batman will always be there. But it's maybe the closest to peace they'll ever get. Unsatisfying and tame compromise that probably violates several laws and ethical codes but whatever. Cass has never read the Geneva convention and Jason's not going to shed tears over the Joker. Let him die relevancy wise if not physically.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

A new challenger approaches (slowly)

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Batman had just missed them. Again. "Hey B," Bruce grunted, acknowledging Nightwing, "Are we sure these kids need help or do you think they need "help".

Bruce turned to glare at his oldest. He already had ten kids-ten-he was not handing out Kevlar to any more children unless it became absolutely necessary for them not to die. That being said the Nightengale family-two girls and one boy with no parents in sight- were behaving recklessly.

At first it seemed like a fluke. They had somehow managed to twist the Riddlers wording around to confuse him before casually and calmly hearding him away from the other hostages and had him talking so excitedly that he didn't even notice the police were there to arrest him until they were right behind him.

He looked so shocked.

This kept happening in different ways with various rogues. Killer Croc ended up drinking tea with the elder sister, Mr Freeze was caught up discussing Nora's illness and possible cures with the brother and Firefly had been adamantly teaching the youngest sister the wonders of arson and how different materials can burn in a variety of ways.

The Nightengale kids were just so used to corralling dangerous crazy people from dealing with thier parents thats its second nature to them.

Aka they become known as the Rogue Ranglers and Danny once again wants to strangle the press for thier bad naming abilities

[novemberthee5th]

― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets