#we're pretending i know what i'm talking about

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

I am not EVERY autistic person so this probably won't be a total coverage approach, but here's what I have learned:

People like to feel that you pay attention to and remember little but important things about them. And when someone is "small-talking" with you, it is often because they either want to offer you some of that info about themselves, or they want to pearn it about you so they can "return the effort". I think of it a bit like call and response with my cats! They don't understand me, and I don't understand them, but when I walk into the kitchen each morning, Lup runs towards me excitedly making her tiny little squeaks and trills. That's kitty small-talk! Many words of all varieties just say "I love you! I missed you! I'm happy to be here with you today!"

So I answer her! Sometimes I mimic her little sounds, and other times I pretend we're gossiping like church ladies (*gasp* NO, you're KIDDING, he said THAT?? What a scandal!") But whichever I do Lup gets excited and continues her little "conversation" with me.

People are harder. I had to really take time and practice different ways of responding before I found appropriate "call and response" for small talk, but I found that there are genuinely more options than you'd think. And the same thing happened! As I learned how to "call and respond" to small talk, I found that people would excitedly approach me to have it, and gradually we got to know each other enough that the "calls" coming from both sides got less general, more tailored to our personal preferences and interests, and I didn't have to small talk as much (but when I did it wasn't as scary either)

This isn't just my personal theory either! A fair amount of research in interpersonal/social in-group dynamics suggests that "bids for attention" like small talk function in this way of call-and-response intimacy/connection building. I have found that a LOT of social etiquette gets less scary to navigate when I at least understand the function of it. It also gave me some understsnding of why people might be hurt when I visibly don't WANT to "respond" to a "call" they've made: I'm the same way about my "calls" I just use different ones! The way I feel when I ask someone "would you want to hang out with me in the kitchen while I make lunch?" (Sad, a little anxious or vulnerable, maybe hurt if they've said no to a LOT of recent calls, etc) is the same way others feel when I decline theirs! That doesn't change if it was MISSED rather than DECLINED, but it can be repaired! Ao another thing I've taken to doing is naming for people the calls I have learned I'm most likely to miss. I know I have a hard time understanding/recognizing small talk as a call to attention, so I let people know that! And generally the people I connect best with are the ones who notice I missed a call and offer me an explicit/direct opportunity to reject it before internalizing what I've done as a rejection. This isn't really an option for everyone! And while I'm always delighted when someone is compatible with me in that way, I don't get upset if they're not, and work to not take it personally as something I'm doing wrong either.

Anyway, this got rambly at the end there, but the point is, most social interactions have a FUNCTION and while being autistic frequently means that we struggle to learn and interact in these systems as they currently exist, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we don't also depend on those functions. I think it can be easy to forget that part of the "disabling" effects of social/communication symptoms in autism is how it cuts us off from systems of support, care, and human interconectedness (things we still NEED) and it can matter to our quality of life to be able to find compatible alternatives to fulfilling those functions even if the original mechanism (small talk in this case) doesn't suit us.

Being bad at small talk doesn't mean you don't need friends, but it will probably make it very hard to MAKE friends. And we each and all deserve to decide for ourselves what to do about that.

I'm trying to figure out a good way to say "you really should actually learn the basics of small talk" with sounding like I'm biased against autistic people.

[genderqueerdykes]

genuinely why do you believe in this transandrophobia bs. it’s MRA for trans people. We are affected by transphobia but misandry and "androphobia" aren’t real. We are not oppressed as a result of being men. plus most transandrobros always speak over transfems. - a tired transmasc

because it's real and i've faced it. friend, you do not need to hate yourself that bad. you do not have to self flagellate and pretend you do not experience a specific type of transphobia. you have been persuaded by rad fem pilled people to hate yourself and deny that you suffer a specific form of oppression. transandrophobia does exist, and pretending it doesn't for the approval of rad fems won't make you any safer or enjoy your trans manhood.

you're hurting other trans mascs & men by saying the oppression they face isn't real. reducing it to "just transphobia" is denying that those people are specifically being targeted because they are TRANS MEN and nothing else. you are hurting your trans brothers and siblings when you say this. you're hurting YOURSELF to say this. please be kinder to yourself. please stop telling yourself that what you're going through isn't real. you're not helping anyone except conservatives to deny that trans men & mascs face specific forms of oppression

i know you're tired, but sucking up to rad fems will not make your life as a transmasc easier. denying that you face a specific type of oppression is not only hurting you, but every other trans man and transmasc around you. if you care about other transmascs and trans men, stop denying their pain and suffering and telling them how to phrase it. you are legitimately hurting other people when you say this, why do you not care?

you do not care anywhere near as much about yourself and other trans men as you think you do, especially if you say "transandrobros". if you view other transmascs standing up for themselves as being "transandrobros", you really do not respect yourself or transmasculinity at all. and no, "most" trans men are not horrible to trans women. "most" trans men do not talk over trans women. trans men talking about their issues is not "talking over" trans women. please upgrade your opinion on other transmascs. you have a TON of internalized transandrophobia to get past. being a transmasc does not mean that you do not harbor internalized transandrophobia. because you clearly do as of right now.

hating transmascs and denying what we go through doesn't make transfems and trans women like you more, just so you're painfully aware of this. this kissing up to transfems and trans women by throwing transmascs and trans men under the bus is so old and tired. you're not getting transfem brownie points by being transandrophobic. all you're doing is hurting other people.

you don't have to self flagellate and pretend you don't have a specific struggle for the approval of people who are not transmascs or trans men. you're holding yourself and all of your siblings back. i'm a proud trans men's rights activist. we're something that's needed. we are not magically cis men who face no oppression after coming out as trans men. be kinder to yourself. this behavior is hurting trans men and sucking up to rad fems at the same time. why do you WANT to throw other transmascs under the bus? why do you WANT to shit talk other transmascs? it doesn't make transfems like you more.

i'm sorry you've been brainwashed into thinking that ALL mascs and men are inherently dangerous predators that can never be oppressed, but it's just not true. do better for yourself. do better for your siblings. do better for your family. kissing up to trans rad fems will not make them like you more. they're just using you as a tool to spread their propaganda. this is conservative behavior, and you're just plain wrong if you pretend that transandrophobia doesn't exist. being smug doesn't make you right.

[beardedmrbean]

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York's 14th Congressional District, recently appeared on The Weekly Show podcast with host Jon Stewart. In the interview, AOC challenged "Democrats who need to walk the walk and talk the talk," highlighting the "insane amount of hypocrisy" regarding Congress and insider trading. Stewart seemingly agreed when he threw his arms up enthusiastically and said, "Dude, YES!"

She continues: "Like people think everyday people are stupid. Do they really think that people don't see this ----?" Steward doubles down on her admission, stating, "They sit on a committee, they get information about a drug or a contract—they immediately make a call, the stock broker changes things, and their portfolio swells."

AOC goes on to emphasize that the trading undermines public trust and misuses taxpayer funds. "You're regulating the market you're trading on." She then tells Stewart, and we're expected to pretend that only Republicans are corrupted by money? Give me a ------- break, she exclaims.

This is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has gone live to discuss such issues. In October 2024, she and Tim Walz filmed a live episode on Twitch. They responded to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, known for his podcast Killy Tony, who spoke at a Donald Trump rally in New York, where he made many racist jokes.

"There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico," the comic said.

"Who is that?" Walz immediately asked.

"I actually think that's Tony Hinchcliffe, which is super disappointing," replied AOC, who holds Puerto Rico close to her heart.

"It's super upsetting to me; my family is from Puerto Rico, I'm Puerto Rican... the thing that is so messed up that I wish more people understood is that the things that they do in Puerto Rico are a testing ground for the policies and the horrors that they do unveil in working-class communities across the United States."

"That's just what they think about you; that's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them; it's what they think about the people who serve them food in a restaurant," she added.

[thevoidstaredback]

Week Three

Bruce and Barbra were in charge of arranging the security detail, just as they were for every gala. They had a system down, one that they followed meticulously no matter how vague it actually was.

Bruce finds the men, Barbra screens them, they have James Gordon approve them, then they go through Tim and Jason. It's a system that works.

Normally, they don't start looking for security until the week of, but they have to double the amount of bodies for this particular gala, so they've given themselves extra time.

They don't technically have to double the manpower, but it's to keep face. Though, Jim's going to have questions, but they've prepared a cover story. They would just tell him, because there's no way he doesn't know who Batman and Oracle are under the mask, but the chief of police would very much like to keep plausible deniability.

Most of the people they find are the some ones every time. Some of them they cycle out, depending on which part of the city got hit the hardest during the latest attack, but they can't afford to skimp out on the security for this event. Yeah, half the people they've invited are superheroes, but they aren't going to put their identities at risk. Hell, they aren't even supposed to know who're under the masks, but here they are!

THe gala isn't set to end until just before the Bats are supposed to head out on patrol. But, because there's a gala going on, and there's no way that a quiet rumor hasn't started and reached, that means that someone is going to have to go out early. Duke will be handling the day shift, as normal, but Damian will be out will him just in case. Then, just after dinner ends, Luke, Kate, and Barbra are going to leave and start patrol. An hour after they leave, Steph, Selina, and Jason will head out to help them. Everyone else will head out after everyone's gone home.

While Barbra's screening their security personnel, officers of the law included, Bruce was looking for press.

Everyone had agreed that three people with press badges would be allowed in, but they wouldn't be allowed to take pictures. So, Bruce looked for bloggers. Tiny bloggers who didn't have more than a few hundred subscribers. He would screen them himself before having Tim and Barbra take a look at them. If they were clean, then Tim would reach out to them with the offer and the pay.

So far, he'd found five potentials. They're all clean at a surface glance. Digging deeper counted off one of them, so his list fell to four. One of them was too clean, so now he was left with three. One from Tumblr, one from Reddit, and one from the Daily Planet.

All three were pretty small blogs, and the one from the Daily Planet was forever stuck in the page four margins. This would be good for their careers. As long as Tim and Barbra cleared them, of course.

***

Week Four

Selina and Cass were put in charge of decorating, with the offered help of Dick and Duke. It was either the worst decision or the best decision.

Everything was on Bruce's dime, so the two were fully planning on going all out.

The chosen theme was 'Hero'. Most people would first think of the Justice League and any of the other hero teams, especially if they live in one of the cities where the heroes live. However, superheroes aren't the only heroes. So, the girls were going to decorate with the smaller heroes in mind; the doctors and soldiers and good law enforcers. Vigilantes, too, obviously.

They started with the room Duke and Dick had chosen to offshoot for the kids that would be coming. 'Kid' meaning anyone under the age of eighteen. This room was going to focus on the protege teams.

Cass hung streamers across the ceiling in the colours of the former Young Justice team. Across the walls, she and Selina hung the symbols of every member of the Titans Team. Naturally, the snack table they'd put in there was decked out with merch from every Robin and Batgirl. Home team loyalty and all that. The snacks were all going to be themed after the Justice League Dark, just because they could get away with it.

Inside the main ballroom, Selina took charge. Every table was themed after different heroic occupations, sans superhero. Doctors, nurses, teachers, officers, lawyers, non-profit directors, soldiers, veterinarians, et cetera.

Again, streamers were hung across the ceiling, sourced from the chandeliers, in the colours that the BatFam wore across their chests. Grey for Batman, black or Black Bat, blue for Nightwing, orange for Oracle, dark red for Red Hood, red for Red Robin, purple for Spoiler, yellow for Robin, gold for Signal, scarlet for Batwoman, and white for Batwing.

With the help of Dick and Duke, a banner in the Justice League colours - blue and white, very creative, Bruce - was hung on the wall behind the stage. It was a blue banner with the words "Charity for Justice" in white, the font was what had been chosen for the Justice League logo.

Again, a very creative choice, Bruce.

Just like the other room, the symbols of every hero affiliated with the Justice League was hung on the walls. The symbols of deceased heroes were hung on the doors, their birth and death dates written on them.

The small details are where Selina and Cass really amped up their mischief.

The entrance that the guests would be taking lead directly into the hall with the ballroom. Selina and Cass, with Steph's help, hit tiny bats and birds everywhere. The birds were blue, red, and yellow; the bats were grey, black, dark red, scarlet, white, orange, purple, and gold. And, just to mess with the Lanterns and the Supers, they hung fake kryptonite tied with yellow ribbon from the ceiling. The pictures in the hallway were replaced with pictures of the skyline of every city where a hero operated.

They hung up a picture of Atlantis, too. No, they won't be answering any questions.

With the decor done and Alfred approved, all that was left to do was wait for week four to come to an end.

Part 13 Part 15

[ritualcaster]

I know we're at totally different spots still but i read the article and it i think i've generally figured out what about me pissed you off so much.

Tone policing is a subsection of ad hominem. I'd like you too reread your posts to see if ur making that mistake too.

And yeah i mean it makes sense for the most part I was aligning with the "usually used by" section especially with how i was talking, and for the record i dont usually talk like that that, i just try to punctuate n stuff when it feels important to me i guess.

Im not trying to dismiss anything at all, I'm trying to help somewhere i felt like i could help. And idk why we aren't clicking rn but just read that sentence like 15 times.

Continuing

Yeah i said the equivalency was wrong right in those parantheses right there, yk what just stop looking at the red text in that image just pretend there is NO text there. I was using sex because i felt like you would get what i meant better, but it seems like it just sparked misunderstanding.

Continuing

Sorry for rexplaining all the stuff you already knew i just thought that that was what you were talking about me not getting. Like i just wanted to say it out loud so that its on record that i know too? Like that's something we are agreed upon.

Continuing

I'm not mad that you can't "transition into intersex" and honestly I highly regret using sex as an example like. At all. You guys are crazy. Sorry.

Honestly I have a pretty lax stance right now on people who would "want to be intersex" (so i can change it if need be) because even after research i just don't really have experience. As an intersex a mean. Like there are a seriously high amount of medical complications, theres all the oppression, all the forced "surgeries" that are an insult to surgery as a concept, nearly complete infertility, and plenty of general pain an unpleasent sensation. so this time I'm asking you a more personal question.

Do you feel like there is anything about being intersex that would make it prefferable to being perisex.

Any positives at all worth metioning? Or would it be better to have the term as something like being disabled. Do you feel like it's just something from birth that just inherrently sucks?

Continuing

I mean this so sincerely i'm honestly just not even sure how to word it, do you just want me to stop? Like replying? I can delete everything right now, or do you think I better serve as an example? If my stances seem to shift or contradict ir just completely change as we keep going back and forth, its because they are, and you changed them. I'm actually trying my damndest to listen and fix my shit man.

I thought you were here because you wanted to change my beliefs, but if you're just here out of anger i'd feel pretty bad.

on this subject, youre the one who knows everything. If youre here to tell me, ill listen, and if you aren't, then? Im not sure why youre still talking to me at all, and id like to hear about that too

I know that i shouldn't correct even tone on subject im unqualified for

I know that being intersex isn't something to be sought after, even for those who are non-bianary

I know that i am a hateful tar pit whos going to hell

And man thats just all the shit i learned in this convo alone so id say im learning plenty already

In case anyone needs a reminder…

Being transgender does not make you intersex.

Going through HRT does not make you intersex. Surgery cannot make you intersex.

Intersex people are born with atypical variations of physical, biological sex characteristics. That is what makes someone intersex.

Perisex trans people (especially on Reddit) have been recently insisting that just being transgender makes you intersex, and therefore able to speak over intersex people on issues that specifically affect us, especially when it comes to dangerous and offensive terminology. This is not true.

Also the idea that you can somehow “make yourself intersex” is untrue. You can make your body more androgynous through things like hormone treatment and surgery, but that does not make you intersex.

Falsely claiming intersex identity based on these things isn’t *always* malicious (though it is often done to speak over us) but it is always harmful.

[rmbunnie]

I am alone on this barren earth (Jason Todd liker and Mia Dearden liker who honestly thinks issues 69-72 of the 2001 Green Arrow run are fun and good and would really like to talk about them beyond "Jason Todd was ooc and irredeemable there because he was trauma-dumping on Mia but also everything he said was fake and made up and he was manipulating her to become his sidekick and he blew up her school in retaliation because she didn't so really we should ignore the whole comic as bad writing /or agree he should just be read as an sadistic sidekick killer" (None of which is true and over half of which is directly stated to be false in the comic's text) but all people ever have to say about the comic is weird wrong takes about the three pages in which the gym fight happens ripped out of the very interesting and fun surrounding context)

[pardonmydelays]

it's so funny when someone tells you you look happier now because you smile all the time when in reality you know damn well you couldn't get out of bed today

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

haven't had to make one of these for a while...

um okay anyways i'm not doing too hot mentally today!! so i'm gonna take a break for tonight and ask that you please send me Foul Legacy asks (or Arlecchino. honestly i'll take anything at this point) because lord knows i sort of need them

[apoloniaspiegelgold]

All my life I've been told by all kinds of people that they can never really tell what I'm feeling or what's going through my mind because apparently I'm always just hiding everything behind a smile so that I've become rather unreadable. And then he just. Takes one look at me and goes 'Yeah. I know that face, oh here we go again, she's about to unleash her thoughts. She's gonna bash that theory I just showed her so hard. Where's my popcorn?' I hadn't even said anything yet and he was already laughing.

And to be honest. It's quite nice to be known, actually.

[rolandkaros]

election thoughts

calling trump voters 'dumb' is ignorant. some of these people are dumb but a lot of them are just selfish.

blaming third-party voters is ignoring the issue re: over half the country was willing to vote for trump anyway. likewise, pointing out that trump won the popular vote and that third-party votes wouldn't have made a difference is ignoring the voting system. conversations about third-party voters in general are not fruitful. some people are just going to vote third-party and expecting them to suddenly not do so is naïve. there is no scenario where third-party voters should have been the 'tie-breaker' to begin with.

a lot of people (americans and non-americans) don't understand how the electoral college system works and in general i'd advise you to do some research before you share your take. americans you should know this anyway and don't use the excuse of "i wasn't taught" if you have tumblr then you have the internet so look it up and start reading. i don't expect non-americans to know a foreign country's voting system but if you want to share an opinion please take a bit of time to learn about it before you do. i'm tired of seeing the same dialogues by people who clearly just don't understand the actual structure of the voting system.

pointing fingers at different demographics you think are to blame is useless. if you're going to find a group to blame, then blame the majority, i.e. white men and white women. otherwise your blame is completely unhelpful and misplaced.

saying she only lost because she's a woman or a poc (or both) is also misguided. its not entirely wrong but once again you are misunderstanding some fundamentals of how extremist politicians find success, and likewise are ignoring some obvious issues re: the democratic party and their campaign strategies.

equating education to intelligence to voting preferences in general is ignorant. you are forgetting how many factors go into someone actually receiving formal education. you are forgetting how many factors go into someone's state of residence. i was going to explain this further but i think no one cares so i'm not going to bother because the explanation got too long. also, see point 1. there are plenty of very smart people who vote for trump anyway.

talking about abandoning the south or red states is pointless and if i hear or see anybody suggest such measure i am automatically assuming you are a foul person. equating democratic states to morally or inherently good and republican states to morally or inherently bad is such an unbelievably superficial and foolhardy judgement and goes against all principles of unity and community that we should be fostering at a time like this.

americans ignorant to the effect that us politics has on the world need to wake up.

i don't blame non-americans for their resentment against the sphere of influence of us politics but i wish they would be less dismissive of the genuine effects this election will also have within america.

acting as though anybody doesn't have the right to be scared about the implications of this result is shortsighted at best. my concern goes beyond my own afflictions – how can you say that concern is misplaced?

i have more but i think that's it for now bc its kind of exhausting to talk about. and i guess what's done is done. idk. i'm not hopeless at all. but i'm fearing more and more than the hope i insist on having is childish. but the alternative is complete self-destruction and i have no intention of going down that road again. so childish hope it is.

[thehealingsystem]

it makes me so pissed off that indigenous people's day is now a nationally recognized holiday, and my school doesn't even celebrate columbus day anymore, but our school sports still celebrates it as a columbus day tournament. like let me get this straight, my school doesn't even call it that anymore, they seemingly disavowed the holiday, but they still refuse to change it to the "indigenous people's day tournament?"

and well I can imagine the argument being "well it'd be weird to celebrate this racial minority in a mostly white community for a tournament! some people may be upset by it!" but like. you're still willing to celebrate a genocidal monster than us? the people who've faced centuries of extermination just to form this country? you'd rather celebrate one deeply evil man than our community, because it'll upset a bunch of sports obsessed yankees who have to deal with, idk, maybe seeing us mentioned on a banner or a shirt?

but hey, guess I shouldn't expect much out of a school system that not even that long ago had their mascot be called a native american racial slur. they only really change things unless they're being yelled at for it

[iceicewifey]

Dhajaj Am I allowed to ask Love 6 and Domestic 7 + 10 for Gigi?

mmm no. /j DNFKJGB ty for the ask caz!

「 SHIP QUESTIONS 」

　LOVE #6 ⸺ Who's the big and little spoon?

most of the time Terence is the little spoon since GiGi likes being the big spoon so much. ;w;

　DOMESTIC LIFE #7 ⸺ Who kills the bugs in the house?

it has to be Terence. GiGi will literally c r y if she sees a bug or any other kind of creepy crawly 😭

　DOMESTIC LIFE #10 ⸺ Who's the better cook?

I'd say they're pretty close to about the same level, but they have different styles of cooking if anything. GiGi's no master chef by any means, but she picked up a few things while living with her French father in Monaco and prefers to do certain things a specific way compared to the way Terence would do it.

[thevoidstaredback]

Week two started off with the RSVPs coming in like a flood. Every single One Percenter that had been invited had accepted the invitation, stating that they'd be there. The heroes that had been invited had yet to respond, though they won't be marked as 'not coming' until the weeks end.

Week Two

Diana had been staring at the invitation for quite some time. She'd apparently been invited to a private Wayne Gala, a charity to raise funds to donate to the Justice League. It was an amusing premis, seeing as Batman somehow funded most of what they did when the U.S. Government fell short, but then she wondered if this was how he did it.

It made sense. He's one man, so he shouldn't have the money to fund the heroes of the world out of pocket. Then again, she didn't know anything about him. The tour of the Bat Cave - a hilarious name, by the way - only proved that point further.

The charity gala is a private event, tighter security than normal, invitations sent out only four weeks in advance, invitation check at the door, no press. But, why was she invited? By random, apparently.

She doubted the odds. 'Random' isn't a thing in Gotham.

Batman probably had something to do with this.

***

Clark was having a hard time believing what he was seeing. He and Lois, as well as Kon and Jon, had been invited to a Wayne Gala? Not even as press. They were going to be actual guests? It was so weird.

When he showed Lois, she'd spent a solid thirty minutes scrutinizing the thing, looking for any sign it was a fake. When she saw the seal, she'd laughed so hard that she fell over, then declared that it was real and that they were going.

He didn't get the joke. She didn't explain.

***

Getting invitations to galas wasn't a new thing for Oliver. He went to at least one in every major city every year. But, getting an invitation to a Wayne Gala that he'd never heard about before? That was a whole new surprise.

Dinah was also surprised by the invitation, but happy to attend. The information on the back said it was a semi-formal dress, and that the theme was Hero.

Ironic.

A charity gala for the Justice League hosted by Gotham's White Prince. Did Batman know anything about this? Probably. He seems to know everything. Honestly, Oliver wouldn't be surprised if the man knew who Green Arrow was behind the mask.

Actually, is Batman even human? He claims he is, and so does Nightwing and Robin, but then they turn around and do things that are decidedly not human-like.

But, who is he to judge?

Dinah was already picking out their outfits. She was going to theme herself after Green Arrow, so Oliver thought it fair to theme his own outfit after Black Canary.

Roy would be laughing his ass off at them. Maybe they could convince him to come with them? The invitation said to invite family... He should have him bring Lian, too. Brucie won't mind. He's a family man, after all.

Actually, that's probably exactly why the invite addresses the Queen Family, instead of just Oliver Queen and his plus one.

Also, why does Bruce want him to give a speech? Yeah, he'll do it, and yeah, he's a better public speaker than Bruce, but why? Was it a spur of the moment thing? Probably.

***

Hal stared at the paper suspiciously. Not once had he been to a fancy gala like a Wayne Gala. In fact, the fanciest party he'd been to were the parties thrown for the military vets.

Okay, so, bad example. Those parties are actually pretty fancy and fairly private, but still! A One Percent Party? Why would Hal get invited to one of those? He's perfectly middle-class, thank you very much.

He toyed with the thought of not going, the idea of Batman catching him in Gotham making him even more reluctant to go, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

What was it like at one of these things? Would Batman really bust in and ruin the thing if he caught wind of Hal being there? What was Gotham's One Percent like? What was the Wayne Family like?

All very good questions that he wanted answers to.

He filled out the RSVP. He doesn't have anyone to bring with him, but maybe he could ask another hero? Maybe the other Green Lanterns will wanna be there. He's sure the Waynes won't mind. What'll they do, throw him out?

Well....they might, but they probably won't. That'll look bad.

He's got some calls to make before sending this back.

***

Wally had been the one to find the invitation. He'd been over to visit and stopped to bring the mail in for Iris. He knew that crest like the back of his hand because Dick's the one who introduced it to him.

That's right, he knows who Nightwing is. And he is very upset that he was left out of what's obviously a prank on the Justice League! He was gonna have to give his bestie a call. Tsk.

"We're going to this!" he declared loudly the second the door closed behind him.

"What is it?" Bart asked, meeting him in the entryway.

Wally was quick to hide the seal in his pocket. A room full of geniuses would figure it out in a second and he wanted to see this through completely. "Wayne charity gala in Gotham."

"Oh?" Iris asked from her place on the couch, putting her book down. Wally handed her the mail. "You just want to see Nightwing."

His grin was goofy. "Yeah, but don't go telling people that."

Barry plucked the invitation from his hands. "'Charity for Justice'," he read, "'for Justice League and associates'." He flipped it over. "It's addressed to the whole family, though we'll need to RSVP."

Bart set off in a fast repeat of "Please, please, please!" on 3x speed while Barry and Iris shared a silent conversation. Wally's grin grew. He knew they'd say yes.

***

Arthur didn't know how to react. Well, he did, but it was weird. He's a lighthouse keeper. Why's he getting invitations to some fancy party? He'd understand if he got the invite as Aquaman, but as Arthur? It's so weird.

He was going to accept. Mera was gonna make him accept. Probably on the grounds of 'just because'. But she's scary, so he's not gonna say no. At least they can bring Andy? Probably a bad decision. Like, a really bad decision.

Who'd watch over Atlantis while they were gone, though? Someone's gonna have to stay behind!

Mera won't stand for that.

Kaldur'ahm. They'll bring Kaldur with them. He'll be responsible enough to keep Andy in check when she inevitably slips away.

This is a bad idea.

He's going to regret this.

He sends off the RSVP anyway.

Part 11 Part 13

[sherlock-is-ace]

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[rosalinastan]

unfortunately having standards for how you're treated makes it very very hard to get/keep a job 👍

[dandelionjack]

revolutionary optimism ... wish i had an ounce of it. wish any of it rang true