#HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS

[might-be-tiny-gt]

Welcome to Chapter 1 of the TAoLaW "dramatic" reading

What can I say, the theatre kid in me needed to record this in audio format.

Have I mentioned how much I love this fic? Yes? Well I'm saying it again, I LOVE THE ART OF LOVE AND WAR!!!

If you haven't read it please go read it. Index Page | Chapter 1

The Art of Love and War Is written by @fireflywritesgt and the audio reading is recorded and posted with permision.

#OK IM ACTUALLY DOING THIS #I’ve been wanting to record dramatic readings of GT fics for a LOOOOOONG time now #but have been admittedly self conscious of my voice #but I finally bit the bullet #I did it #I recorded this chapter while I had the house to myself #Personally I still hear flaws in the audio which I assume were from getting too close to the mic #none of my edits were able to fix it so I guess I have to live with it now #if and when I have time I might re-record this chapter to fix this later #I recorded chapter 2 in the same sitting so that audio will be ready sooner rather than later #personally I think it sounds better #Hope you guys enjoy this #it was really fun to do and I’d like to do more in the future #g/t #giant/tiny #gt #giant tiny #borrowers #g/t fluff #Mighty Records #the art of love and war #taolaw #taolaw audio drama

[aliensupersyn]

Ranni the Trans Analogous Witch

For starters, I do not mean to make any wild claims about Ranni or if she should be considered transfem. Put those fears to rest, dear reader. That's for my eventual breakdown of Miquella's character. Instead, I offer a lens to see Ranni's story from a different perspective than one might not immediately be familiar with.

When people allow themselves to see the world in other's eyes, they can learn to focus on the similarities shared between them instead of the differences. Allow my analogy for Ranni's story to be a mirror, holding space for both the real and fictional.

Rennala and Radagon conceived three children between the two of them: Rykard, Radhan, and Ranni. The two fingers chose Ranni to become an Empyrean, alongside Miquella and Malenia, and each were candidates to succeed Queen Marika.

Though, what does it mean to succeed Marika and become the new queen? The queen would become a vessel for the Elden Ring. To be chosen as an Empyrean means that the Greater Will commands one's body from the first moment they get chosen, and it maintains that power until the Empyrean's end. Elden Ring places significant emphasis on the importance of the body and its connection to one's identity. For example, when the player reaches Queen Marika who betrayed the the Greater Will, you do not fight her. Marika's hair changes color, her dress becomes a skirt, signifying that you face someone else: Radagon. Though they share a host, they have different identifiable traits apart from one another, and their respective forms indicate the one currently present. In the cinematic, the golden haired Marika shatters the Elden Ring; Marika's Hammer reveals that Radagon attempted to repair it. Marika and Radagon may share the same host, but they cannot truly be the same person. The differences in their forms accentuates the differences in their ideals and personalities. Marika cannot escape her destiny as a God and vessel in any ending, and always ends as the Greater Will's puppet. Ultimately, becoming an Empyrean means that the Greater Will controls your body, and therefore your destiny.

The Greater Will's power has both literal and figurative demonstrations throughout Elden Ring; it encompasses militaristic, religious, and political power throughout the Lands Between. The Greater Will created the Erdtree, the Elden Ring, and the god Marika. It created its own God to be worshipped, defeating and alienating the other gods, who have been deemed "Outer Gods." The term "outer" signifies their alienation and their forced dissociation from the Greater Will's own God and other extensions of its power. The Greater Will exists in Elden Ring as an all powerful creation god who influences the written and oral histories and culture of the Lands Between.

The Tarnished Archeologist compares the Greater Will's influence to that of Catholicism. When comparing the Greater Will to the Catholic hierarchy, he says that "the Greater Will would be God, the Fingers are the Pope, those that hear the the words of God directly, and the readers are the church bishopric and clergy.[1]" His comparison demonstrates the the ways that the Greater Will dominates the Lands Between as its most influential God. Marika's own words reiterate my point:

The Erdtree governs all. The choice is thine.

Become one with the Order. Or divest thyself of it.

To wallow at the fringes; a powerless upstart.

Marika's tree, the power of the Greater Will, acts as the ultimate sovereign. It's will acts as the law of the Lands Between, and all must adhere to Marika's rule.

Yet Ranni refused to be controlled by the Greater Will, let alone Marika. Ranni broke away from the bonds of her own flesh and freed herself, forging her own path and eventually, her own reign, free from the control of the Greater Will. Here, I will focus on Ranni's flesh. After her armies defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen's, Marika sealed the Rune of Death away. Ranni salvaged the Rune of Death, used her body as a canvas, and sacrificed her half-brother Godwyn. While her flesh died, her soul was freed and lived on; in contrast, Godwyn's soul died, but his body continued to live.

Ranni's corporeal death can be read as a transitioning allegory. Not only because of the implication of modifying one's body and literally transitioning to a new one, but also because of what she sought freedom from. Once she was forced to become an Empyrean, she no longer held autonomy and control of her destiny or body. She would have to walk the path laid for her, just like everyone else, forever at the whim of the Greater Will. Ranni ultimately sought escape through the flesh. She "would not acquiesce to the Two Fingers. I stole the Rune of Death, slew mine own Empyrean flesh, casting it away. I would not be controlled by that thing," emphasizing how her body was directly connected to her sense of autonomy and control. Similarly, Marika's ideas, physical traits, and actions contrast to her other half's. Yet, Marika could not escape the Greater Will, and her body remains a vessel for its power in the end. Ranni's transition from a corporeal to a spiritual form emphasizes her individualism and rebellion against legislative control over her body.

Ranni takes control of her life and autonomy of her body back by transitioning into a spiritual form. One's body plays an important role in how they view themselves in and apart from the world. As a vessel of the Elden Ring, Marika saw herself as a puppet to the Greater Will, and knew that her body was what chained her to it. Ranni also understood the importance of the body and its connection to one's identity. She changed her red hair that signified her father, and instead donned a blue appearance that shines like that of the moon's light. Her transition was only the first step to her forging her own path and finding some kind of happiness, despite the mess in the Lands Between.

#elden ring #elden ring lore #ranni the witch #queen marika #rennala queen of the full moon #My friend and I were talking and we both gasped after I made a joke about Ranni being trans #dw miquella #I promise im gonna get to you!! #hope you guys enjoy this #lgbtq #trans

[emails-i-cant-send]

Hey Stephen - taylor swift // she plays bass - beabadoobee // jack antonoff via his twitter // writer in the dark - lorde // sweet nothing - taylor swift // joshua bassett for zach sang // cupids chokehold / breakfast in America - gym class heroes // fame < infamy - fall out boy //

#Este.jpeg #HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THIS #hey stephen #Fearless #Fearless TV #She plays bass #beabadoobee #space cadet #jack antonoff #Writer in the dark #melodrama #Lorde #Turbulent #Sweet nothing #Taylor swift #To #Joshua bassett #Fame < infamy #Fall out boy #Fob #Infinity on high #usercruel-style #usernothingnew #userkirars #usersarh #tsuserkatie #userafterweglow #tsusermeggie

[priscilla9993]

Currently not what I wanted to find on my blasted tumblr gif search, but damn, Rogers looks good in a long trench coat and I wish we got to see more of it!

#someone save me from this tumblr gif searching hell #oh wait #hope you guys enjoy this #his little badge on the belt #black outfit of justice #they really said black on black wins on this man #detective rogers #ouat 7x16 #ouat s7 #once upon a time

[f1-disaster-bi]

You stole my boat (and my heart)

“Won’t he be mad when he realises you hijacked his boat?” Lando just hummed, offering Tom a mischievous grin as he lay back on the deck, soaking in the sun as the breeze off the sea ruffle his hair. “If he wanted his boat, he should have paid more attention to me”, Lando argued, eyes closed under the sunglasses he was wearing as he dried off from having taken out the jet-ski half an hour ago.

#hab lando au #HAB lando au #norstappen #lando/max #max/lando #hope you guys enjoy this

[thatartiststudios999]

Been forever since I posted some of my fic since I've been working on another wip mostly, so here's another extra long snippet, as a treat!

   The playful banter continued, laughter filling the air as they learned not just about each other’s abilities but also about the trust and camaraderie that were slowly but surely growing among them.

   The group settled into a circle, their diverse backgrounds evident in the way they carried themselves. Carter, with his Egyptian heritage, admired the craftsmanship of Rayla’s Moonshadow Butterfly blades.  He pulled out his Khopesh, the curved Egyptian sword glinting in the sunlight, and examined the intricate carvings along its blade. 

   “Impressive blades you got there, Rayla. But there’s a certain elegance to the Khopesh,” he commented, a touch of pride in his voice.

   Rayla nodded appreciatively. “It certainly looks deadly. I’ve witnessed Callum forge his runes on the battlefield, and they possess a lethal grace of their own.”

   Callum shot a grin at Carter, recognizing a kindred spirit in their shared knowledge of their respective worlds.

   “You know, Carter, Xadia boasts a rich history of magical runes and spells. I’ve delved into ancient scrolls, deciphered forgotten tomes—” He was interrupted by an exaggerated eye roll from Rayla.

   Piper smirked at Rayla’s antics. “I suppose you could enlighten us about his research?”

   Rayla cast a playful sidelong glance at Callum. “Oh, can I ever,” she said, feigning a groan at her mage, who huffed in mock offense.

   “You say that as if you don’t enjoy it,” Callum retorted.

   “I didn’t say I don’t enjoy it,” Rayla replied, her tone teasing. “I’m merely pointing out that I only grasp about 40% of your ‘scholarly musings.’”

   Callum chuckled, his emerald eyes glinting with mirth. “Well, that’s 40% more than most people. Understanding runes is an art, after all.”

   Sadie, ever curious, leaned forward. “So, what kind of spells can you do, Callum? Anything impressive?”

   Callum exchanged a glance with Rayla, who shrugged nonchalantly. “Well,” he began, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “I can summon lightning, create barriers, and even manipulate the elements to an extent. But my favorite spell? That’s tough to choose.”

   “Then just pick one to show us.” Jason suggested.

   Callum nodded as an incantation came to mind, “Alright, then,”

   Callum stepped forward, a determined glint in his emerald eyes. He set his mage staff down on the deck, taking several steps back to create distance. With a focused expression, he traced a blue rune in the air and stretched his hand forth and spoke the incantation, “Ventum Magneticus!”

   A whirlwind of air erupted from his outstretched palm, snaking its way towards his staff. The gust of wind enveloped the staff, lifting it off the ground, and drew it back to Callum’s hand with swift precision. His mage staff twirled gracefully in the air before landing securely in his grip.

   The group watched in awe, captivated by the display of Primal magic. Leo let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. 

   “That’s some handy magic you got there, Callum. Imagine the possibilities.”

   Piper grinned, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, “Can you use that spell on anything? Or is it just for your staff?”

   Callum nodded, a confident smile playing on his lips. “I can use it on various objects, as long as they’re not too heavy. It’s one of the basic wind manipulation spells for Sky magic.”

   Sadie leaned forward, intrigued. “Could you use it in combat?”

   Callum nodded again, his eyes alight with enthusiasm. “Absolutely. It’s great for disarming opponents or retrieving objects from a distance. The key is precision and timing.”

   Carter chimed in with his thoughts. “It’s impressive how you seamlessly blend magic and strategy. That’s a valuable skill to have.” The admiration in his voice was evident, a recognition of Callum’s prowess.

   Callum then decided to direct the spotlight to the Kane siblings, “What about you guys? You said you’re both magicians, right? Is that anything like a mage?”

   “Sort of. I certainly think that Egyptian magic is the closest to Primal magic, in terms of the glowing runes—Hieroglyphics, and having to speak the spell,” Carter replied.

   “Would one of you like to demonstrate for us?” Leo asked.

   A mischievous grin traced its way across Sadie’s face. “I could demonstrate—”

   But before she could speak the incantation, she was interrupted by a profuse “No!” from Carter.

   Sadie just rolled her eyes, “Honestly, brother, you didn’t think I’d actually do it, did you?”

   “I wouldn’t put it past you,” he huffed.

   “Like I’d try to blow up the ship we’re on.” She shot back.

   Sadie stood up and grabbed a teacup from one of the cupboards in the meeting room and brought it back on deck, letting it smash.

   “Hi-nehm,” she spoke, and small gold hieroglyphics appeared in front of her as the remains of the teacup reformed in her hands. The precision and finesse with which she performed the spell were impressive, leaving the others in awe of her mastery of Egyptian magic. Carter, despite his initial reluctance, couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride for his sister’s skill.

   “Now, that’s impressive!” Leo exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement. “Imagine fixing things that way!”

   Piper grinned, her curiosity piqued. “You think it’d come in handy during a combat situation?”

   Sadie tilted her head thoughtfully. “Huh, I’ve never thought about that. I suppose it could though.”

   “That sounds incredibly useful,” Callum remarked, clearly impressed by Sadie’s demonstration. “It’s amazing how different our magic systems are, yet they all have their unique strengths.”

   Jason spoke up, “How does Primal magic work, exactly? Is it like Egyptian magic?”

   “Actually,” Callum began, his voice carrying a sense of reverence, “in Xadia, there are six primal sources of magic. The Sun, The Moon, The Stars, The Sky, The Earth, and The Ocean. Each source is tied to a specific Arcanum, a kind of primal connection that allows us to harness its power.”

   He paused for a moment, his eyes distant as if recalling memories etched in magic. “So far, I’ve connected to three Arcanums. The Sky, which grants me access to Sky magic like my mage wings, The Ocean, which lets me control water and ice, and The Moon, which enhances my ability to see in the dark and allows me to perceive and cast illusions.”

   Curiosity flickered in Jason’s eyes. “Connecting to each of them must be hard, right?”

   Callum nodded, his expression thoughtful. “It’s not easy, as humans were never meant to do it. Each time I connected to an Arcanum, it was during a trial, a profound moment of understanding the secret of the primal. It’s about unlocking the knowledge of the primal source, learning its essence, and forging a connection. Only then can you wield that type of magic.”

   Piper chimed in, her interest piqued. “So, it’s not just about power, but understanding and respect for the primal sources?” 

   “Exactly,” Callum affirmed. “Primal magic isn’t just a tool; it’s a bond, a harmony between the mage and the essence of the world. To wield it responsibly, one must grasp the essence of the source and the balance it maintains in nature.”

Next Part

And that's the last of Chapter 2! Hope to post the first bit of Chapter 3 tomorrow, so stay tuned!

#rayllum #tdp callum #tdp rayla #hoo jason #hoo leo #hoo piper #kane chronicles carter #kane chronicles sadie #current wip #current fic project #tdp #hope you guys enjoy this #I hope to finish the fic by new years #then it's just a matter of posting bits regularly #that is if I can remember

[viiwid]

My comfort boy

#been feeling like shit so i figured i'd feel better after drawing him :) it worked #i haven't drawn anything for a while #hope you guys enjoy this #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #legend of korra #art

[waywardsunlight]

Belos is that annoying edgy kid who thinks being upsetting is cool and does upsetting shit to the people around him which got him the attention he wants. He clearly grew into having... Handmaid’s Tale Serena Joy energy but as a man with power. I think that’s pretty clear in how he talks to Luz, he really enjoys upsetting her. He waits for her reaction and if it’s not big enough he tries to get her to be more upset. He’s like... giddy at the idea he’s about to upset her and inflict trauma on her because he’s getting the validation and attention he wants. He’s able to switch back to his :) personality very fast but it leaks through

He wants Luz’s reaction so badly because she’s the only person he even sees as worth of his attention because he recognizes traits in her that he has, he recognizes how smart she is and compliments her in a condescending way. And Luz can’t help but buy into it because she’s a 14-year-old kid and what he’s doing is fucking upsetting. I think she’s catching onto it but he’s not going to stop, he just escalates until she has a big enough response to him. He doesn’t care about Hunter’s reaction as much as Luz’s because Hunter is just an extension of him that he finds uninteresting. He does take joy in harming Hunter but maybe it’s getting a little old or Hunter, because he’s so used to Belos’ bullshit, just doesn’t react the way Belos wants anymore. Luz is something new so he spends his time waiting for her reaction.

I’ve seen criticisms that he’s kind of a pure evil villain but I disagree. I think he reflects some of the worst behaviors of real people. People truly act like this. Belos has two personalities and two mindsets, he’s got his Chosen One Good Guy Heaven-Sent personality + goals and he’s got this one, the very desperate desire for attention and love that comes out in violence because he doesn’t want to get it any other way. Because he could stop hurting people. He wasn’t born evil. He’s just unwilling to change or seek positive relationships because those take work and he is definitely suffering from trauma and his own issues that make him not want to put any effort at all into getting better. Belos also assumes that because he had a positive relationship that ended in someone leaving him that this is going to happen every time, ignoring the fact that the person who left him did so perhaps intentionally and was very happy to see him again and wanted to let him into their life but he refused because he couldn’t imagine a world where he didn’t have that person wholly and completely his and that is his fucking mistake because then he lost them forever.

#long post #the owl house #toh meta #toh spoilers #toh #emperor belos #tw death mention #tw swearing #I rewatched some old episodes today and my brain ate it up and now I'm insane again #hope you guys enjoy this #i love hating on him but in a meta way

[faytelumos]

Last Chance

cw: gun

Hero held up his hands, hoping he was the only one who noticed the way his fingertips were shaking. He kept his chin down, low, watching his attacker through his eyelashes.

"Put the gun down," he whispered.

"No," Sidekick hissed. Her cheeks were still wet with tears. "Not until you promise."

Hero licked his lips. Between Sidekick and Villain, he was running out of options. He was running out of ways out. He swallowed, trying desperately to come up with another way out, another lie, anything to give him another inch to wriggle free.

Sidekick's eyes flashed again with their piercing light. She tightened her grip on the gun.

Keep Reading

#Fayte writes #writeblr #writing #hero and sidekick #barely edited #gun #hope you guys enjoy this #I kind of just slapped it together

[stratos-sphear]

SPOILERS FOR QUACKITY’S STREAM, “THE END OF LAS NEVADAS”

Anyways, this was based off of an idea/ conversation between me and a friend.

  It had been.. Years? Over a decade, he was pretty sure, since he was last in this desert, barren from almost any buildings, aside from the large and sprawling country that laid before him. It was the place he had first learned the basics of being human, all the good and the bad.

The large sign now seemed so small compared to the city that had grown so much. There was almost a pride in his heart as he stepped forward.When he had left this place, he had taken a life from two different people, sending them sprawling into the dark pavement below that tall tower. He had been angry, upset, felt used and terrified, all at the same time. Because until that point, he had never been his own person. He had only the name that had been given to him.

Passing under the sign of neon lights, it all felt so familiar yet foreign at the same time. The city was bustling, a lot more than it had been when he left. But then again, the country hadn’t really been open to the people at that time. But years had passed since then, and things were bound to change within the winds of time. He had seen it before, and this time was no different as he made his way into the ever growing country.

He kept one hand on his sword, sheathed at his hip, and the other on his bag that was slung across his shoulder that held his food, supplies, anything he felt that he might have needed for his journey. Even if this place had once been his home, he knew not everyone was friendly, it was one of the first lessons he had learned, and something he had seen personally.

Though in particular, he was looking for a certain someone. A noiret, with yellow wings that sprouted from the middle of his back, and a scar that ran from above his eyebrow down to his mouth. The person who had taken him in and shown him a lot of what it meant to be human. And this person was Quackity from Las Nevadas.

He hadn’t told the other that he was returning for a visit, because frankly he didn’t know how it would go. He didn’t know if Quackity would have held onto his shitty, and quite frankly negative, morals, or if Quackity had actually changed as a person. Because it was clear that in this server, a lot of people clung onto the bad side of their lives, and let it overtake them. He had seen it too many times to count, or to remember them all if he was being honest.

He looked around, up at the towering buildings and at the street around him as he walked, making mental notes of what was different and what was not. Because he figured there was one specific place he would be able to find the person he was looking for. The Casino. The main attraction of the country. A grand building, he remembered. Multiple floors, a hotel built into the top floors for specially paying guests, or for the citizens of Las Nevadas, which back then there were very few of them, who didn’t have a place to go when the sun was setting or the sun was rising.

He got lucky though, that he didn’t have to go all the way to the casino, because soon he saw a figure with yellow wings folded neatly against their back, dark hair slicked and combed backwards, gray hairs scattered in the dark strands, leaning mainly on a cane as they overviewed what seemed to be the repairs of a building. Taking a glance upwards, he recognized this building. It was the same one he stood atop all those years ago when he pushed not one, but two people, to their demise, costing them each a life.

His eyes went back to the person with the yellow wings, who was talking to someone now, slightly taller than them, with orange horns atop their head, and hair just as dark, pulled back into a low ponytail. He watched the one with orange horns glance at him for a couple moments, before gesturing to him as he said something that he couldn’t quite make out.

The person with the wings turned, and sure enough, it was just the person he was looking for. Quackity, from the country of Las Nevadas, His face had grown tired, crows feet and smile lines showing his age, his hair steadily graying, especially at the front of his hairline. And the large, iconic scar that left his eye blind.

Quackity blinked for a couple moments, as if he couldn’t really believe what he was seeing, before his face broke into a smile. It was a kind, yet tired, smile. Not one full of vengeance or the need to get back at someone that he had worn so often all those years ago.

“Hey, Quackity”

“Welcome back to Las Nevadas, Charlie”

#Hope you guys enjoy this #might make a part 2 #quackity #dreamsmp #las nevadas #slimecicle #dsmp lore #dsmp #dmsp spoilers #slight spoilers #Might make a tag list for stuff I make if you guys like this

[zackcollins]

Sweet Stimulation || BOS vs TOR || 06/29/22 || For: @acesofspade​

#jays lb #i asked my brother (whom i tagged) whether zack was stimming or relaying #he said stimming because he that all the time #'must tippy tap or will die' were his exact words #and yeah i can see zack having adhd or something similar quite honestly LOL #anyways #hope you guys enjoy this #my brother too!! #<3 #zack collins #gabriel moreno #kevin gausman #bradley zimmer #alek manoah #vladimir guerrero jr. #jose berrios #teoscar hernández #toronto blue jays fic #baseball #mlb #major league baseball #mlb regular season 2022 #not hockey #not mash #r.t. makes gifs #r.t. posts gifs #babygirl trailer trash #babyboy mamas boy #babyboy mouthguard #babyboy special lettuce

[buggachat]

something so fucked up about Chat Noir’s whole deal is that he is in a lot of ways Adrien playing a character. Like Adrien picked up his miraculous and was told he’d be a superhero so he was like “ok, time to act like a superhero!” and he lets himself have fun w it and play up the role and let loose and kind of just allow himself to be silly and goofy and have fun and for once in his life not care about performing Perfection™.

But. But none of the other characters KNOW THAT. So everyone just sees Chat Noir and is like “look at this guy’s ego. He’s so full of himself. Surely it’d be fair to knock him down a few pegs” without being aware of how few pegs he actually HAS. He’s like the “insecure character who overcompensates in ego” trope except he’s really not doing it unironically, he’s just having a fun LARP pretending to have self worth in his off-hours but nobody else is on the same page about it being a game and he refuses to tell them. He just dramatically pouts about it and lets them laugh and pretends like he’s not internalizing it and it is almost 3 am and my brain forced me to write this instead of sleeping I’m gonna take a melatonin

#writing this my brain was like: what if he actually likes it? #what if he likes people openly criticizing him in ways nobody actually does to Adrien agreste? #because Adrien Agreste is perfect and can do no wrong. maybe he enjoys being insulted or something #and then I remembered chat noirs multiple breakdowns about feeling unworthy and yknow what yeah I don’t think he likes it LOL #do normal people actually fall asleep when they lie down #if you can’t tell I recently decided to make my random ml musings your guys’ business instead of keeping it to myself #hope you enjoy

[little-eye-guy]

"this is too raw of a line to come from—" shut up. beauty and meaning is everywhere

#eye guy speaks #i need that phrase to be removed from everyone's vocabulary Please #why are you so convinced that such things cannot be discovered by or found in the mundane #1/1/23 edit: hope you all have enjoyed yourselves bc im ready for some peace and quiet *turns off reblogs* #1/4/23 edit: please don't comment about wanting to reblog. the experience itself may be fleeting but you will have your memory of it #(aka i turned them off for my health and you will be ok. it's just a post)

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

the most anticipated comic from this blog: White Boy Goes Dancing (follows directly from this)

Everyone's been sending me asks for this! I have a second part to this planned for the future. Watch this space!

#tintin #adventure of tintin #comic #chang #tinchang #fanart #swing dance #long post #probably the least tintin feeling comic ive posted here lol #must be the colour palette and genre shift #i put so much detail into this one it took a lot out of me lol #i hope you guys enjoy this! #my stories

[caffichai]

Polar bears are like, legendarily chubby! So here's my artistic take on Aurora

#I can but I can't believe they made the polar bear girl so skinny! :P #Hope you guys like winter stores and spare tires! #Man it was a brutally busy December. I was gonna draw sooo much and then I got sick on top of everything else so this is all I got Q_Q #But I hope y'all enjoy it! #aurora #arknights #pixel art #pixel #digital art #polar bear #ak

[hailsatanacab]

Family Dinners - dpxdc

"Holy shit, you're Bruce Wayne!" Danny gaped, jabbing a finger at the man sitting at the head of the table.

The bustling dining room goes silent as everyone turns to look at him.

"Danny, who did you think was going to be here?" Tim asks, disbelief plain in his voice and Danny feels his face flush red.

"Sorry, I, uh, I guess I just never put it together. Tim Drake-Wayne. Wayne Manor. It, uh, makes sense now." He laughs sheepishly and scrubs at his neck before slumping back down into his chair.

"Well," Tim says with an indulgent sigh, "at least I know you're not just friends with me for my connections."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, I just never thought about it, I guess."

Danny sinks lower as everyone around him laughs. Come to dinner, he said, the food is the best, he said, ignore the family, he said. Danny really wishes he'd listened to Tim and just ignored them—almost as much as he's regretting accepting the offer in the first place—but... he's having dinner with Batman.

Ancients, that's so weird!

The last time he saw Batman was in the future and, suffice it to say, it was not going well. There hadn't really been time for family dinners there.

Wait. Family dinners?

He peers around the table, openly gawking at everyone as it all clicks into place.

"Everything alright, Danny? Now realising who everyone else is?" Tim asks with a roll of his eyes.

"Uh... something like that..." Danny mumbles as everyone laughs again.

From further down the table, the smallest Wayne scoffs and clicks his tongue.

"I thought you said he was smart, Drake?"

"So, you all do it, too, then?" he asks, ignoring the jibe. Danny's only a little bit jealous as he thinks of how much easier they must have it, how much easier it'd be if his family had been on his side, too. "You all work together?"

"Nah," Dick says from across the table with a brilliant grin. "Tim's the only one that works with Bruce, we all have different jobs. I'm a police officer in Bludhaven."

"Disgusting." Danny blurts out without thinking—because seriously, what kind of self-respecting vigilante would also be a police officer?—before clapping a hand over his mouth. "Sorry."

The whole table laughs again, the loudest being the blonde girl a few spaces down from Dick. Look, Danny wasn't really paying attention to names when they were all paraded in front of him. Dick only gets remembered because his name is a joke.

Come on, Danny, recover!

"That's, uh, not what I meant, though."

"Oh?" Dick asks, cocking his head slightly to the side. Is it Danny's imagination or does his smile tense slightly?

"Yeah, I mean like, you know, in costume. It must make it so much easier to have everyone together like this."

"Costume? What do you mean?"

Yeah, Danny's not imagining it, everyone tenses up at that. It's really only now that he's realising that this probably isn't how he should bring up that he knows about their... night time activities. In fact, he probably shouldn't be bringing it up at all.

"Uuhhh..." Danny looks wildly around the table as he continues making his stupid noise. Think, think, think! There must be a way out of this!

"Danny?" Tim asks, looking concerned.

"Oh, Ancients, this isn't how I wanted it to go at all," he mutters, slipping even further into his chair. He's almost on the floor now and he so, so wishes it could just swallow him up.

His real first meeting with Batman was meant to be cool! He had planned to be Phantom, maybe save them from a tight spot, prove his worth as a mysterious and powerful ally as thanks for the help Batman gave him in the future.

"Danny, what are you talking about?" Tim starts tugging on his sleeve in an attempt to pull him back up from his pit of despair.

Eventually, Danny relents and sits up straighter, hiding his face in his hands and whining all the while.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't expect him to be here and it threw me off so now I look stupid and it's so embarrassing!" he wails, flailing his arms wide. "Why wouldn't you warn me that Batman was your adopted dad, Tim? Couldn't you have let me know?"

"I'm sorry, what? Danny are you alright? There's no way Bruce can be Batman, look at him!"

"Yeah," the blonde girl laughs from the bottom of the table, "look at him! That's a wet noodle of a man! Batman can actually do things, B is incapable of pretty much everything."

"Thank you, Stephanie," Bruce sighs, massaging his forehead.

It's... Those are the first words Danny's heard Batman say since everything went down and it's enough to knock him out of his embarrassment.

It's really good to hear his voice again. Especially now, when it's strong and healthy and full of personality—even if that personality is little more than a tired father right now—far better than how it had been, at the end.

Danny sits up, back straight, and grins. He's got this. He remembers it perfectly. Some people count sheep to fall asleep, Danny repeats his mantra to be certain that he'll never forget it.

"Gamma alpha upsilon tau iota mu epsilon, 42, 63, 28, 1 colon 65 dash 9."

Once again, the whole table falls into silence.

"Holy shit..." breathes the other D name (Duke? Danny's pretty sure he's Signal) from opposite Stephanie. "Isn't that...?"

"The time travelling code." The littlest Wayne says stiffly. "We have met in the future?"

"That's not just the time travelling code, Dami." Dick says, looking between Danny and Bruce. "That's the family time travelling code."

Danny's grin freezes in place.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"1 colon 65 dash 9." Dick explains, still flicking between him and Bruce. "It means you've been adopted into the family and we should all treat you as such, no questions asked."

"Tell you what, I'm about to ask a question." Danny says, dumbstruck. "You just told me it was a code to identify time travellers, not anything about being adopted! What the hell, B?"

Bruce looks about as shellshocked as Danny feels.

"We must have been close," he says finally, after opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water a few times.

"No! Not that close!" Danny reels back, taking a deep breath ready to refute it all, but... "Well, I mean, you found me when I first got stuck, and you helped me get better despite being... And then we fought together against the, uh, bad guy, before he, um, he... before you couldn't."

An uncomfortable beat passes while they all pick up on what Danny tried so hard not to say.

"So, you're not from the future, then, you travelled there and came back?" Tim asks, breaking the tension and leaning forward with a glint in his eye.

"Yeah, it was a whole end of the world thing, but don't worry about it," Danny says with a hand wave, "It's all kosher now, won't ever happen."

"What did happen?"

"Seriously, don't worry about it, we cool."

"How long in the future was it?"

"About ten years? You were pretty spry for an old man, B," Danny laughs, wishing they'd get off the topic of what happened and get back to the adoption bit.

Everyone shares degrees of a cautious smile as they relax out of the shock, and Dick—whose grin is the biggest—says, "No wonder you got the family code, you're already riffing on him like one of us. How long were you there for?"

"A week, before I managed to get back to my present and stop him then."

"A week? Jeez, B, that has to set some kind of record, seriously."

"Oh!" Danny says, sitting bolt upright and blinking in surprise before pointing at Dick and bouncing in his seat. "You're Nightwing!"

"What?"

"That's exactly what Nightwing said when Batman told me the code! Makes so much more sense now."

Dick laughs and claps his hands, delighted.

"You were not formally adopted?" The grumpy small one—Dami?—asks, his face pinched.

"I didn't even know I was informally adopted."

"And your parents? Are they alive or dead?"

"Damian, stop—"

"They were dead in the future, but they're alive now." Danny says, looking down. He fiddles with the tablecloth, twisting the fabric around his fingers as he fights down the pang of sadness that he always feels when he thinks of them now. He forces a bright smile on his face and hopes it doesn’t look too strained. "I just, uh, can't talk to them much, anymore."

"Damian," Dick warns, "1 colon 65 dash 9. Treat them as family, no questions asked."

"This is Damian treating him as family, the little turd has no manners." Tim scoffs, rolling his eyes, but he gently bumps shoulders with Danny to knock him out of his funk. Danny can't help but send him a watery smile.

"I have the most exemplary manners, Drake, unlike some people." Damian spits, crossing his arms with a pout. "I was merely ascertaining his status to see how he could possibly fit into the family."

"I know this is all a bit sudden, Danny," Bruce smiles, ignoring Damian and reaching out to lay a warm hand on his arm, "for all of us. But if I felt strongly enough to give you that code after spending a week with you in the future, then you are more than welcome in this family, if you so choose it. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we'd like to get to know you a bit more."

"I know a threat when I hear it, Bruce." Danny snorts. "But, yeah, I get it. I'm sorry this is all so weird, it really wasn't how I wanted to find you again, but... I'm glad I did."

"So are we, Danny." Dick says, with a warm smile. "And formally or not, 1 colon 65 dash 9 means you're family. Welcome to the fun house! No take backs or refunds, sorry. You're stuck with us."

#dpxdc #dcxdp #dc x dp #dp x dc crossover #batpham #hailsatanacrab🦀🦀writes #look. this has been in my mind for so long guys so long - and idk if its canon that the batfam have codes for time travel situations or what #but i feel like ive seen it before and if its not canon it should be #so here - how i think that would be funny to go down #i have so many thoughts about TUE and its place in a dpxdc crossover like holy shit there's so many ways it can go!! #i have another wip in the works thats kinda similar to this but with superman and i cannot wait to work on it again #there are so many ways i wanted this to go but i just couldnt get there - i wanted to keep it on the shorter side but like #perhaps ill have to expand #i just love the idea that like. theres a stranger at your table who knows you and knows you well. who knows the secret that youd die to keep #there's a stranger at your table and he says something and you know he's family. you know you're strangers but now... #now you have to be something more #oh man theres so many juicy ways it can go and I KNOW I DID NONE OF THEM #i want to write this whole plot again and make it angstier #(me with everything) #anyway! sorry love you all hope you enjoy it!!