#I've been wanting to explore her character

[brucewaynehater101]

Did Jack Al Ghul Drake's parents love him or the money that was sent to them?

Insert the clip from el dorado with the main characters pointing out that both would be good

They were Gothamites, they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, they got a son and a regular payday? They considered themselves lottery winners. The minion that took Jack away did try to look for a couple that actively wanted a child and also wasn't too awful. The mom was a bit of a karen and the dad was very... traditional. The minion that was tasked with taking Jack away knew Jack was a complete failure but the boy still carried the blood of his master and that blood had worth in the minion's eyes when nothing else about Jack had worth to the league.

Ra's does not at all encourage siblings getting along or having more loyalty to someone in the family other than himself. Talia was responsible for at least one instance of Jack having to be dipped in the pit, possible more but only the one could be proven. After Jack was sent away, Talia did not think of him anymore. He was a failure and deserved no place in her thoughts.

If she discovered that Tim was her nephew? It would be a toss up as to whether it would make her want Tim dead more or less. On the one hand, this makes the young detective a candidate for her father's vessel rather than Damian and some small part of Talia does love Damian and would rather not see her father's soul overtake her son's body. On the other hand, Tim is still very much a threat in her eyes in relation to her son's rightful place and now he has the added edge of having the blood of the al ghul family which to Talia's mind makes him that much more of a threat since it could be argued that she's inherited her father's dismissive attitude towards women but considers herself an exception because she's "not like other women".

Of course this AU still leaves open any sort of interesting heritage on Janet's side of things, a heritage that Jack likely dismissed and that Tim might want to explore since it's a heritage that's NOT related to a crusty old creep and an assassin cult.

At least probably not related to an assassin cult.

Thank you for answering all the questions!

Thr explanations for Jack's parents as well as Talia certainly check out. I am curious if Talia's feelings about Tim affect how Damian views Tim. Also, after Bruce adopts Tim, would they consider themselves brothers, cousins, or coworkers?

It would be cool for Tim to connect to both sides of his family's heritage. I've seen some rad fics that discuss Janet havung various home countries (I've seen Phillippines, South Korea, and Russia) and carrying some of those traditions with her to Tim (such as making certain foods, celebrating certain holidays, etc). I've also seen some that indicate she was Christian while Jack was Jewish, and they thus celebrated both winter holidays. That, or Janet preferred a Jewish funeral with all of the procedures that typically go with it. I'm not sure what Janet's heritage is in this AU, but I bet Tim could compare how he's been deprived of both his mom and dad's culture growing up.

#dc comics #tim drake #dc universe #thank you for the ask!!!! #dc au

[dr-futbol-blog]

The Storm/The Eye, Pt. 5

Believing that Weir is dead and McKay is in mortal peril, Sheppard proceeds to go on what amounts to a rampage.

The first scene of The Eye (S01E10) seems to continue the show's meta-commentary. McKay, brave toaster that he is and possibly at least partially motivated by the desperation that they can all hear in Sheppard's voice over the intercom, places himself between the gun and Elizabeth. The dialogue tells us what's going on (with the show and where it's heading):

Kolya: Sheppard put you in this position, not me. McKay: You can't do this. This is crazy. You need her! Sora: She's right, Commander. McKay: I'm not kidding. There are codes required to activate the shield – codes that only she knows. You can't do it without her! Well, you can't do this without me either. I mean, we're a package deal. You take us out of the equation and-and-and-and you don't have an end game.

The fact that Weir and McKay are a package deal is emphasized by their placement, McKay coming to stand in front of Weir and obstructing her. That is to say, the show needs to imply attraction between Weir and Sheppard to be able to explore the relationship between Sheppard and McKay in subtext, to blur the lines between the characters and their relationships. The first they could easily have done without the latter, but the latter they could never have pulled off without the former (re: the shows ties to the USAF and DADT still being a thing when it aired). It offers the cover of plausible deniability while allowing people attuned to homoerotic subtext to easily be able to recognize the narrative undercurrent.

Again, note that McKay is lying to save Weir, claiming that he absolutely needs her help to save the city. Also, it's Kolya mentioning Sheppard by name that initially makes McKay dive in front of the gun. He says "Sheppard put you into this position, not me" which has the implication that if McKay allowed Kolya to shoot Weir, Sheppard would have to live with the guilt of it for the rest of his life, and McKay wasn't about to let that happen. He hears Sheppard's name and he immediately reacts, does something really brave and heroic without even having time to think about it. Because, as I've discussed previously, he is a Big Damn Hero and this very characteristic of his is what Sheppard admires and loves in him so much, even though he doesn't even get to see it this time.

Halfway through his rant McKay realizes that he just put himself into jeopardy, and this is when he starts consciously doing the same thing he has been doing with the Genii ever since their first encounter: trying to convince them of his invaluability (and it's striking that it's always in the service of trying to save someone else, not just or even predominately himself). He has self-esteem issues, he doesn't actually believe he's invaluable. But probably since he was a child he's had to project invaluability, has had to prove to people that he is a valuable asset, to gain acceptance. He thinks that he will only be tolerated if he proves himself irreplaceable.

The characters continue lying to one another. Kolya lets Sheppard know that Weir is dead.

I want to point out two things. Where Sheppard was extremely agitated just a moment ago, willing to do anything, he is extremely and exaggeratedly calm when he tells Kolya that he is going to kill him. Of course he is very upset that Weir should have been killed on his watch. Of course he cares about Weir and is upset by this. But again knowing the outcome changed his demeanor. Sure, responding in a cool and collected way is a performance to hide the fact that he is internally shaken. But he still manages to pull it off.

Then Kolya continues with "Stay out of my way or McKay will join her." That is when we get a brief glimpse at how Sheppard is actually feeling, his internal conflict and anguish (and which is something that he has no intention of letting Kolya know, hence putting the radio down):

Now. My friends. When you desperately need something, you need something so badly that you're willing to kill for it, you start killing off things from the least important to the most important. Like when a parent starts counting down from ten when they're warning a child that unless they cease their behaviour, they're going to "get it". You don't start from one, you start from ten and count downwards.

If Kolya had thought that Weir was Sheppard's main motivation, he would not have started by killing her off. Never mind how important McKay may have been, you keep the ace up your sleeve as long as you can. And Kolya had decided that the ace up his sleeve was McKay, which is why he reminds Sheppard that he is, in fact, still very much holding him hostage.

Again, the main stream audience is going to watch the show thinking Sheppard's entire upset has to do with Weir and Weir alone. And yet we always seem to find McKay between references to Weir and changes in Sheppard's demeanor. And once more, given what we saw of their interaction in the previous episode (Sheppard barely saw Weir when the three of them were in the lab together; he was so focused on McKay it's as though she weren't even there for him; we've really had zero indication of him harbouring some hidden secret passion for her that would explain this reaction; she is not the love of his life and a budding interest would not even begin to explain his reaction here), it makes so much more sense to interpret this reaction and the events that follow as motivated by McKay. Especially in the context of him having lost Captain Holland to enemy combatants in Afghanistan, as we later learn.

Also notice that once Kolya mentions McKay, Sheppard doesn't respond. There are probably a hundred things he could have said, maybe even wanted to say. You can read it all on his face. But he doesn't say anything because he doesn't dare do anything that might provoke this sociopath further. He actually has to stop himself from saying something he might regret. He can't risk responding. Like, he physically has to force his hand down to keep from say something that McKay might end up paying for.

Sheppard was afraid that he wasn't going to be able to save the people he cares about from the storm before, but this is a whole new kind of fear. This is a nightmare of the kind he had never even thought to have. But he's going to move heaven and earth to save the man. He's even willing to kill to save him. Kill a lot of people to save him, as it turns out.

And it is also noteworthy that he immediately springs into action, here. We've seen previously how characters are incapacitated when they lose someone important to them (cf. Cowen sitting down with his legs giving way when he mourns Tyrus). Sheppard is the opposite of incapacitated (in fact, we see him incapacitated in this particular fashion in Doppelganger, S04E04, when he thinks McKay is dead, so we see what Sheppard is like when he's lost the most important thing to him; he's slow, sluggish, going through the motions). This is not a man going through the motions, this is a man on a mission.

Again we get a transition from Sheppard's emotion to the raging storm to indicate that there's a storm also raging within him. The storm is a metaphor for what's going on inside him. And the calmness with which he then proceeds to take out the Genii is him being in the eye of the storm. Because the show is subtle with the symbolism like that.

Sheppard is moving fast, he's being strategic. He's not someone that's blinded by rage on a revenge mission because someone just killed the love of his life. He's also not acting reckless, putting himself needlessly in danger and this is not because he has some payback to do and someone to kill but because he has someone to save. You can contrast all of this with Sora's behaviour later on with regards to her vengeance against Teyla.

He even stops to check his watch at one point because he remembers McKay's words about them being under a time element, that there's a deadline looming over them all -- this is reinforced by the fact that the previous time Sheppard checked his watch, it was on the balcony right after McKay had just checked his watch (unwittingly mirroring someone's actions, again a sign of attraction; although synchronizing watches is also a very military thing to do, to be sure) and told them they have just over four and a half hours until the storm hits.

We are literally told that it's McKay he's thinking about when he stops and actually asks himself, "What would McKay do?" Again reminding us of the fact that for Sheppard, McKay is a hero. That McKay is constantly on his mind.

I also need to emphasize that he is killing actual people here. Yes, they're enemies but they are also human. This is the first time we see him kill humans after the mercy killing of Col. Sumner.

McKay starts fixing the grounding station and it's really quite sweet how he attempts to make it look like Elizabeth is vital to the process to keep her alive. It's not that he's trying to be a hero, it just comes naturally to him. He's not very good with people, though, so Elizabeth both has to explain to him that they need to stall and to actually lie on his behalf. When they overhear that Sheppard has killed some of the Genii strike force over the intercom, it's again only McKay's reaction that we get to this, not Weir's. He made a mental note of it albeit he does not seem to know what to think of it. Sheppard is alive, yes. He's being hunted by people with guns. And he's having to do terrible things.

McKay really is quite rattled, never having been in this kind of situation before. And it's interesting that Weir uses Sheppard to kick McKay into gear. She actually mentions Sheppard by name: "Look, from the sound of it, if we can buy Sheppard enough time, it seems like he can take care of the rest of them on his own." Not only had she figured out that this is what would motivate McKay the best, she is actually getting him to focus by appeasing him, pointing it out to him that Sheppard is really doing quite well for himself out there. She's not telling him that they're going to be alright, she's telling him that Sheppard is safe. Because for some reason she thinks that that's what will motivate him.

And Kolya does the opposite. He's trying to demoralize them by mentioning Sheppard by name: "If you're hoping Major Sheppard can diminish our numbers, you are mistaken." And notice that he is saying this to McKay. He glances at Weir a few times but when he is saying this, he is looking directly and only at McKay. An angel and a devil on his shoulders, they're both using Sheppard to get to him. I find that really interesting. Now, Weir knows him and has been able to observe them for a while now. But these people are complete strangers to Kolya, and he's still figured it out.

Now, if earlier Sheppard had to stop himself from saying something that might cause McKay trouble, McKay seems to be doing the same thing. And keeping quiet isn't the easiest thing for him, does not come to him naturally. But he keeps quiet because he's trying very hard not to make things worse for the Major.

If both Kolya and Weir are using Sheppard to motivate McKay, Sheppard himself is using McKay to motivate himself:

He has a dilemma here. He's trying to think of what McKay would do in his situation but he's come across explicit instructions from McKay not to do what he's thinking about doing. That's quite the pickle! (Also hilarious that the sign can be read as implying that touching McKay is dangerous, telling him not to do it). Are you thinking about touching McKay right now? Because this is not the time, my friend.

From the pleased look on Rodney's face, Sheppard was able to correctly intuit what he would have done in the situation when he shuts down the naqada generator. It's like they're working together as a team even when they are apart.

Continued in Pt. 6

#stargate atlantis #sga meta #sga #john sheppard #sheppard is bi #rodney mckay #rodney is gay #ep. the storm #ep. the eye #ep. doppelganger #genii

[sasusc]

WIP Whenever

Thanks for the tag @galadrieljones !

I've been slammed and busy and May is a very eventful month. I haven't had time to write lately But I decided to just carved out a little bit of time.

I wrote this little bit today for a Bethyl fic that's been in the works for awhile. I've jumped 4/5 years into the future of that fic to write a little scene that might possibly be an AU to it--timelines aren't set. Beth and Daryl makes it to Alexandria with Mika and Judith years before Team Family finally shows up. And they've become a family there. This is just a possible version of how the Dixons and Tream Family reunite. The original plan was to reunite them sooner but I started writing and Mika wanted to be 14 or 15. I just went with it.

Mika blended into the forest, walking softly as she had been taught. She watched the small group of people from afar. She couldn't catch their conversations, and she was wary of getting any closer to them. They weren't heading towards Alexandria at the moment, but it wouldn't take much for them to turn into the right direction. She wanted to learn as much as she could before she reported back. “Hi,” a man said softly. His hands were raised slightly when she whirled around and pointed her crossbow at him. “Sorry. I'm not here to hurt you.” She frowned at him. He looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't place his face. Pretty face, brown hair and blue eyes. Taller than her in dirty jeans, a dark t-shirt, and a plaid shirt over it. He had to only be a few years older than her. He didn’t live at Alexandria but maybe she had seen him at one of the neighboring communities? It wasn't often that she visited them with Beth or Daryl. She kept her crossbow pointed at him. “What are you doing out here?” He tried to appear non-threatening. He slowly pointed towards the group she had been watching. “Those are my people. I'm exploring…scouting around. Do you live around here? Are you alone?” Mika frowned, but her arms held the crossbow steady at the man. “My dad is out here. I'm not alone.” He glanced around trying to locate another person. He couldn't find anything to indicate someone was nearby. The girl could be lying to protect herself from strangers. It was better to be safe than sorry. She was a pretty girl. Long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. Distrustful brown eyes stared him down across her crossbow. There was something about her that seemed familiar. She was a couple years younger than him, but the end of the world had a way of turning kids into adults before their time. “We aren't bad people. Me and my family. We have a community… It's a couple days walk from here. We're looking for other communities to trade with.” Mika wanted to trust him. She knew Beth would want to trust him. But would Daryl? He was always a better judge of character. It was why he was a recruiter with Aaron. What would Daryl do? Keep them from Alexandria for now. Maybe direct them to a safe location to talk with the group.  A bird call alerted Mika that Daryl had arrived. The man in front of her started to reach for a weapon but paused and raised his hands higher in the air. His own group used bird calls from time to time, and this sounded similar to what they used to check in on others. “That your dad?” He didn't give her time to answer. “I mean her no harm. We're seeking communities for trade. I'm Carl Grimes.” Mika gasped and lowered her crossbow. “Carl? He frowned at her. “It's me, Mika! Mika…Samuels.” They stared at each other, wide eyes and comparing the images they held of each other when they had lived at the prison together.

Tagging: @not-so-austen @whovianlili @olpie @sweetz1919 @rckyfrk and anyone else!

#the walking dead #twd #wip #wip whenever #my fic #mika samuels #carl grimes #bethyl

[misakistaircase]

If I made a rp blog for my OCs, would you guys be interested?

#something I'm considering if for the future #the one I have in mind is a somewhat newly-turned vampire who is a bit like Mairu #bold outgoing silly eager #no boundaries all adventure #but without the twistedness #and doesn't fully grasp the weight of her needing to prey on people to survive #I've been wanting to explore her character #ooc.

[dreammeiser]

🪄 Dear Mad March Hare, Sweet Rose of May 🌈

#Hehehe you get to see it first tumblr #I wanted to paint the quiet hilly valley where Mae lives in Dreamalong Country! It's called Sleeper Valley :oD #I've also been exploring hers and Teddy's friendship while working on both of their character arcs #It's been a blast writing for these two! Feels like a treat!! They both compliment each other in unexpected but welcome ways #Also wahoo a real background waugh!! Looked at a ton of superblooms and Moomin background art for this #dawm project #dream along with me #original character #character art #cartoon art #illustration #cartoon characters #puppets #puppet oc #puppet character #nostalgic aesthetic #nostalgic cartoons #nostalgic art

[mayasaura]

Going into Alecto, I think it's important to expect that the series won't conclude with a clear lesson. Either about morality—what makes a good person, evil getting their just desserts, ect—or a thesis on decolonization. It's not that kind of story.

Deep down, this series is two drunk girls bearing their souls in a dark corner of the bar. An hours-long conversation that wheels wildly through pop culture, past trauma, theoretical physics, dreams and aspirations, global warming, hairstyling, friends, family, gender, personal insecurities, world history, favorite foods. It has a lot to say, and a lot of it profound, but it's not trying to teach anything. At the end of the night, the point was how fucking cool that girl was, and the potent electric potential for something lgbt to happen

#the locked tomb #alecto the ninth #ofc this is just my perspective #but I've been thinking of how the author said that the way she stays true to her story is by giving herself permission to not be a teacher #and that one of the driving forces behind her writing is the rpgs she played as a kid #and how everyone online made fun of the girl characters like they were weak and not good for anything #when she had played the game levelling them up and properly equipping them and beat the boss with them #and how she wants to be able to tell those stories where girls are just really fucking cool and get to have the adventures #so I'm kind of nervous about the idea that tlt is about the evils of colonisation or about taking on God as a symbol of the patriarchy #bc.... I think it might be exploring all that while really being about how girls are really fucking cool #and I'm worried about the potential fallout if a large portion of the fandom goes into the finale expecting those priorities to be reversed

[codacheetah]

If I made some kind of post related to my mirasif/miraisiloop thoughts would you guys trust me. Would you trust in my arospec sieve of projection. Would you guys kill me

#i think there's something interesting to be said regarding mirabelle and the way she views siffrin in conjunction with her lack of awareness #of isafrin as well as her very. tropey way of thinking of other people and herself? #and it's something i've been wanting to explore in a fic for a while #likewise i have thoughts regarding her potential orbital involvement in the isiloop polycule as a nonromantic but not Regular Platonic #(one may even say queerplatonic) participant #however i am anxietybeast so i'm afraid ppl might think i'm just making an aromantic character smooch for the hell of it #but mirabelle being aro is very important to me and i like using her as a vessel to explore nontraditional intimacy and dealing w #very allonormative expectations. #i'm not very good at articulating myself so i am very afraid of being misconstrued. so would you guys be interested in this #or should i just not lol

[asimovsideburns]

are you playing bg3 and if so can we see your character 👁️👁️

I am!!! I have started multiple characters but I'm trying to stick with my shield dwarf Dark Urge warlock and actually play the game instead of just playing the tutorial eight thousand times fkjddkf

I was messing with the camera trying to get a good angle on her and then went "oh right maybe if I talk to someone" and the lighting in these woods is honestly not bad, although you can't really see her freckles

(also I'm still in act 1 and taking things kind of wildly out of order I think, so no spoilers please fsjdhfkd)

#mine #ask #rogueofcrows #bg3 #she's very pretty #also I went great old one chainlock for build #I'm just fucking around on explorer mode though because I figured it would be easier if I ended up alienating all my companions or somethin #(Forgot about hirelings) #but so far things seem to be going well! except for the fact that I [redacted] at gale's portal thing so he's... no longer available #I have also managed to talk my way into everywhere so far hfkdsfhd #I do want to do a high strength character soon though because jumping and throwing shit is really fun #I made laezel an eldritch knight and I just gave her boots that increase her jump range so I've been living vicariously through her

[pekoeboo]

hm;; i'm kind of at the point right now where I'm not sure if i'll end up actually continuing/finishing the Journal?? I've had a basic outline written out for the entire rest of the story in one of my notebooks, so I know exactly what happens from the point I left off... but actually writing it hasn't exactly worked out very well for the past several months or so. >n<;; there's also a lot of new lore changes that have taken place and i'm ?? kind of not sure how to implement them into what i've already written without rewriting a bunch of stuff as well;;

idk if anyone's even still interested in the story anyway so it probably doesn't matter if I don't update it again. I just wish there were a way for me to still share what happens for anyone who is still curious, but writing new entries just isn't in the cards for me right now. maybe sometime in the future I'll get hit with the inspiration to continue with it? but as of now, probably not.

I guess I'm cool with spoiling the rest of it tho if anyone wants to know what happens - just send me an ask regarding the story and I'm more than willing to share that info :0 don't think i'll be able to really draw much art to explain stuff either so asks are probably the best way for y'all to figure out what happens. if not, then i'll likely just keep a lot of that to myself since i have no idea how else to share it.

anyway, it is what it is I suppose. these things happen with long-form creative projects, and I'm not the kind of person who is really good at keeping up on stuff like this for extended periods of time, unfortunately. hope that's ok tho;;

#feels bad but like #i just can't force it if it's been hard for me to write more of it you know? #i've thought about just writing like. khalan's perspective once he's feeling better #but that cuts out SO much important content that happens in between #and i loved the idea of exploring aya's personal viewpoint on everything #i just haven't been able to actually figure out how to write her side of things #and it's been difficult for me to write in general so keeping up on this story has felt more like an obligation and like;; #i dont want it to be that. i want it to be something i enjoy writing for the sake of it like it was when i started #so yeah #i'm planning to still make content of these characters through art but just don't;; be expecting journal updates i guess #my ramblings #text post #update #writing

[gingerslemonade]

I don't think I can even, like, begin to describe all the ways and levels in which SSGN makes me mad.

#spy school #like on the one hand what *are* you doing to erica #and what are you doing to Zoe #and what are you doing (or more specifically not doing) with trixie #because why did you introduce her and give it some complexity #only to drop it like a hot potato when there was a chance to explore it #and even with zoe there #why does she need??? any kind of romantic relationship???? #it's not that it's rushed #it's that the idea that that is what she needs is *rotten to its core* #and I've been saying that since SSAS #''what can you expect from a middle grade book'' i can expect what the author implicitly promised books ago #okay maybe promised is not the right word #but i wanted SSPX to pick up on the threads that SSAS left in the same way that SSAS picked up on the threads that SSAS left #that's what i expected that's what i wanted #and the two threads that SSPX left that i kind of wanted explored (what actually happened between erica and joshua #and trixie being involved in a mission) were 100% abandoned #in favor of what? zoe (a character who got ruined *six books ago*) not going through any character development #no acknowledgement of what she did wrong #but gets a romantic relationship

[aroseyetbloomedwrites]

[[ Picture by my friend, permission to upload was granted. ]]

#I've been running around as a different character with a friend and we went to a photo booth #somewhat based of a rp where Francel gets hired as a little maid and becomes such an important part of Grinnaux's life #that he wants him to be a part of his family photo and pulls him in despite Francel protesting how inappropriate it is so he's surprised #but he melts soon after #grinnaux de dzemael #with his hand on Francel's waist so he feels timid... #he has since been restored to his station and they come to work together at the Firmament #Teaching my Grinnaux sensitivity and bestowing calm and lighting a path for him to control his own destiny #not so easily pointed at others enemies and used to fight others battles #He learns how to protect and comes to do what he was always destined to do! Serve Ishgard and all her people! Not just those in power #He might still have some sourness #but I think he's growing from that jaded outlook... AND will have picked up a hobby that isn't his axe! #ramble ramble just one of many stories being explored #anyways its been fun writing as Grinnaux if a little hard but if you see a Grinnaux running around on the weekends it might be me! #been world hopping with my Francel friend! #francel de haillenarte

[thormanick]

that's how it goes right-

#i've been thinking about this for ages and FINALLY #i am yet to learn the event-related silver-ash-family-lore if it even exists but i do remember from character files #that pramanix and her brother do not really see eye to eye #i want to send them to a family therapy. all of them. cliffheart can hang out with amber and klee in the meantime- #genshin impact #arknights #genshin impact diluc #genshin impact kaeya #arknights silverash #arknights pramanix #btw does anybody know the name of diluc's bird?? it drives me crazy that silverashe's one has a name but diluc's doesn't lol #afinna explores teyvat #dr afinna and the rhodes island #genshin impact meme #arknights meme #on a completely other note midnight and kaeya WOULD be friends #thanks for coming to my ted talk

[feywhimsy]

hmm. i haven't made ambrosia's playthrough spicy enough when it comes to durge things, i think. i need to replay her anyways because i missed a bunch of stuff, and maybe this next one will be more... tragic

#hi sorry i haven't been here i've been making a lot changes in my personal life that have left me exhausted #but i have had Thoughts and idk where else to put them #durge spoilers in these tags i guess #but like. listen. as much as she hated herself for killing alfira #i want her to SNAP and kill isobel too #which is so sad because i LOVE HER #and i will cry through the whole thing #but i've just seen a video of how jaheira reacts and MMMMM good shit #GOD i just. ambrosia's story is such a tragic one and i think this would really make her doubt herself #and when i played her in campaign i was always looking for a chance for her to snap and lose herself momentarily #durge was basically written for her lmfao #so glad i get to explore the character more with it

[tamarin-opal-eyed]

OOP Tam's a bun now! Long story, will put in the tags, but aside from an adjustment in name/backstory/colors, she's still the same grump.

#tamarin opal-eyed #jesus how many name changes has she gone through lmao #v'tamarin kihb #just for the transition #I spent like uuuhhh all last week really struggling with tam #because I've really wanted to nail down her backstory and develop her more but I don't love how she meshes with the weirdness of suncatte t #and no matter which way I looked at it I couldn't get it to work to my satisfaction so it was starting to feel like a real 'kill your darli #plus I'd been fighting to find things in her color scheme that looked good with her skintone in game etc etc #so in an effort to fall back in love with my character I grabbed another character of mine--a gothy viera made more for ff12 #and I smooshed them together 'cuz they were already pretty similar lmao #so here's tam in bun form! she has opal-y eyes (hence the name) and considers herself unlucky #went from having a complicated mom relationship to a complicated relationship with The Wood ff12 style #I saw someone theorize that 14!viera don't listen to the wood exactly like 12 but more like hearing the elementals in gridania? I like tha #anyway she can't do that lmao so she threw a young person tantrum and left to explore and find new horizons #in just like...so many desert places lmao she's still a desert dweller at heart after going from dalmasca to thavnair to thanalan #but now with a lil more goth hehehe #so while the name and race might've changed at least a lot of her aesthetics and home-feels are the same

[nitonitonito]

          I KNOW I KNOW BUT HEAR ME OUT-

#I KNOW I JUST MADE S.AITO NOT TOO LONG AGO BUT!!! #hear me out i've always wanted to write n.ito but never thought the day would come #it was a distant dream- -clenches hands on fists- #it was between n.ito and a.sh tbh #ash... so dreamy... #maybe someday- #oh and j.inako/g.anesha #BUT BUT BUT!!! #NITO!!!! #SHE'S SO COOL #i love her- #and she's such an interesting character!!!;; or to me there's so much to explore #i love reading/researching #in the past i tried writting c.leo but didnt know what direction i wanted to take with her #Im having so many thoughts but AGH that'll be for another time #its been so long since i've written a female muse #well on her own blog i mean #im so used to grumpy emotionally constipated male muses or smug bastards #this is a fresh breath tbh

[ochibrochi]

spontaneous magic manifestation was NOT mentioned in the parenting handbook 😬

I know this isn’t how magic in dc works, but the fact that Damian’s ancestry includes some pretty powerful magic users is… INTERESTING 🤔? Drabble under the cut!

I wanna preface that I'M NOT SAYIN' that Damian should/does have magic powers, but there’s still so much unexplored potential with Damian's character, and the thought that he has a dormant adeptness in magic is somewhat compelling to me. Most importantly it would FREAK! BRUCE! OUT!!!!! What is this, magic puberty 😭??

By DC laws, anyone has the ability to learn magic, but it is also possible to be an innate ability. The Al Ghuls are no strangers to the occult-- Ra's has had increasingly been portrayed as a magic user, and the recent establishment of his mother being a sorceress/witch?? Even Talia dabbled in a bit of magic, I think. There is a catch that their power is suggested to be due to Lazarus exposure, but for arguments sake let's say the Al Ghul lineage is inherently proficient in magic (and Lazarus exposure simply enhances it).

I can't recall "magic" being a part of Damian's training/upbringing (I'm still slowly catching-up on Damian comics so apologies if I miss any canon examples of magic use). Not sure why Talia wouldn't want her little "heir to an ancient assassin empire baby" to learn magic, but it would at least give reason to Damian not knowing about his magic potential, or lack of interest in it.

Through the power of pseudo storytelling, what if Damian's encounter with Mother Soul could have triggered a manifestation of magic that was once dormant; like a pressure cooker waiting to explode with energy when it hasn't been given a safe outlet.

I've yet to read a satisfying arc where Damian truly gets to contemplate his Al Ghul roots outside of "dad is good guy, mum is bad guy". Damian's initial character growth stems from him running away from, and renouncing his association with the League (i.e. "I'm nothing like you, mother and grandfather!").

The most recent thing I've read was Robin (2021), and whilst Damian is much more cordial with his mother, there's still an emotional distance and sense of distrust/resentment (for good reason, even if the context was some cartoonishly evil writing). But there is a silver-lining that they still appear to be fond of each other, in a melancholy kind of way.

Realizing he's "genetically" primed for magic would be especially confronting to Damian. There's no denying his Al Ghul blood, forcing him to confront a facet of himself he can no longer ignore or reject. A family that he likely has to approach for help/guidance.

Damian is put in a position of acknowledging this power could be used for good, to be stronger, to fight crime, balancing it with the implication that what he possesses could be rooted in dark magic (Lazarus enchantment).

If he decides to embrace it, would that be too much of an endorsement of the Al Ghul's dark occultism? Can he separate the two ideas? What if he can't control it? What if he accidentally hurts someone? What if has the ability to save someone where his other skills fall short?

Ideally, I'd love for this hypothetical story to lead into Damian exploring his Al Ghul heritage more intimately, historically, and spiritually (à la RSoB: Year of Redemption adventures). Another little coming-of-age self discovery journey.

I have my own little personal thoughts on what Damian decides to do with his magic powers, but I'd like to leave that open to interpretation... By the end of it I hope that he will at least find some forgiveness over resentment, and a balance between accepting that side of his family a little easier. It is finally a sense of inner peace :)

Any thoughts? Did I get any characterisation wrong? Let's talk over on my DC blog @arkhamochi! I'm currently trying to read all Damian-centric comics until I catch up with the current run. I'm hungry for discussion and analysis!!!!!!

#batman #batman and robin #damian wayne #bruce wayne #dc comics #P.S. drabble is kinda LONG so DO NOT read more unless you want the inconvenience of scrolling