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scintillyyy · 1 year

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I can’t believe I had followed you this long without realizing you had a whole >100k word fic you were working on. I spent the past few days reading My Baby, You are a Gift, One I Will Cherish.

Your writing is honestly so amazing. I can’t remember the last time I read something that long from start to finish in such a short time. The characterizations, the reinterpretation of canon events; so many things were just incredible. It really shows how much work and care you put into it.

It’s so nice to have a story that puts so much effort into fleshing out a character like Janet Drake. Was there anything in particular that inspired you when you were writing her?

hahaha, yep, that's me! that fic is my baby lol. thank you, i get very bashful about my writing lmao. im glad the characterization had been decent, i'm always so worried about that. anyways, this answer might get a little long so i'm putting it under a cut lol

as far as anything in particular that inspired me? uhhh, well i guess i'll have to go into something that you're basically almost never going to see me talk about ever on the internet if i can help it so i'll still keep it vague-ish: i actually have a young child of my own. (i mean. if it wasn't super obvious already. people usually don't get into attachment science on a whim. they do it because it's 4:37AM and someone has only slept in half-hour increments since 11:30PM and they've been crying off and on for the past 2 hours desperately hoping that the someone will just fall asleep for 2 hours please and all they do is research everything about parenting obsessively because that's the absolute only thing they can do-). so i have spent a lot. and i mean a lot of time in parenting spaces. i'm part of my local area moms group in all their glory (they're very, uh, special), and i personally know a lot of other parents, and i'm basically immersed in a very interesting and complex culture (marriage and parenting culture). and i have seen my fair share of conplex, not great marital dynamics. and now that i have a kid that's what the majority of my patients talk to me about, so i get to hear a lot about different views and experiences of parenting from a lot of different viewpoints.

so anyways after the batman came out and my husband and i went on a date night to go see it, i ofc got the itch to get back into reading dcu fanfics and comics after not doing it for years since the nu52 (i also saw that they rebirthed tim's original history back, so i forgave dc a tiny bit), so i got myself the dc app so i could re-read all my beloved post-crisis comics. and it was a nice hobby to pick up again because it was very easy to pick up and put down in 20 minute increments and work around, you know, child care. i was devouring all the most popular fics (which 90% are fanon, lbr) while re-reading old storylines, and while the absolute disconnect between fanon and canon was fine for me at first because it's all fiction and i really didn't care that much, i eventually started to personally get a bit...discontent at fanon in general and the fanon drakes, especially janet (but jack too. like it or not, he does have an established characterization!). like. i read the comics!! she wasn't necessarily a great parent by any means, but the five panels she got prior to being fridged for tim to officially become robin basically showed her being physically affectionate, caring, and generally supportive of her son. who was this weird, cold woman who never once held her son and didn't care about his well-being at all?? she was unrecognizable to me. and as i started to make my way through post-crisis, i also became a bit mad at dc for killing her for tim's character and then basically making her a non-entity that barely got mentioned. despite her failings, tim was legit devastated when she died (and he later said he can't let himself drown in his grief for her--he clearly must have loved her so much) and then they did nothing with it. what was their relationship?? who was she?? why was she a generally loving mother yet left with jack?? did she think tim was okay?? what were she and jack constantly arguing about?? why did jack say to tim that his mother wouldn't want them to be so far apart?? did she maybe have some misgivings about traveling, did she not necessarily like being far away from tim?? how does this woman become the mother she does?? what were her intentions?? she deserved to have more character development in my mind! why does this woman basically get flattened into the worst mother ever? i know a lot of imperfect mothers who are in complex marriages and are just trying and not always succeeding. what exactly did that look like to me? how do i marry the two ideas?

another thing that interested me immensely was the idea of a difference in perception from tim and from his parents regarding tim's childhood. obviously, we know tim's pov. but what did his parents think? did janet think everything was going fine?? did they have a rosier picture of tim's childhood than he did? and thus, the first fic was born. me blathering for 27k words trying to showcase janet as a parent who was trying her best, who was semi-isolated by life circumstances, but was simply unable to balance work, kid, marriage and was unintentionally making tim feel abandoned by her, something she never would have wanted if she had realized. and that was going to be it.

and then i got sad about her, because janet as i view her (i like to think a lot of tim's good traits come from her) i think would have done a lot better with a second chance with tim than jack did! like, she, as a mother, might have a very different response to the tragedies and loss of her husband and try to focus more on her son than jack did. she as a widowed mother would also face very different judgments than jack did (society is obsessed with the idea that boys need a father figure--so she'd probably be more likely to let tim hang out with bruce rather than jack fighting their relationship at first because "it's good for him" to have an older man he can look up to) she's more supportive in her appearances, after all, saying that tim could be just like dick when he grows up. i think that she'd find out a lot sooner. and i think her surviving wouldn't have changed any of the big events, and i became obsessed with the idea of "but how would she deal with this canon event vs jack". she is, after all, a different character who deserves her own internal feelings and motivations. the drakes weren't great, but i don't think they're that irredeemably bad. and i think tim would want them redeemed too!

and nobody else was writing the canon-but-with-janet fic in my head that i couldn't stop thinking about, so i figured i'd give it a shot just in case there was one other person who felt the way i did and wanted to see it lmao.

anyways tl;dr a lot of inspiration comes from the fact that i am a mom and have spent way too many hours dissecting parenting in my head and the fact that i know a lot of moms who are very complex, imperfect humans and i just like stories about motherhood and allowing mothers to be nuanced and to redeem themselves.

#scintilly ask tag #hyperanaemia

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krispydefendorpolice · 4 years

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Once Upon A Miraculous - Part 2

Ok before we even get into the story here’s yet another warning to think twice before you continue. Jason dies. He dies in a gruesome, traumatizing event and even though I think I went over it very lightly I still think it’s pretty fucking graphic. I’m the writer and I. Had. To. Fucking. Stop. And take a break before I could continue with the story.

Violence and the results it can have on the body ahead. Madness from the pit and angst from hurt feeling of being replaced ahead. For the last time. You’ve all been warned so read at your own risk.

I’m going to trust that you all know your headspace well enough and for those that choose to read anyways? Thank you for going on this journey with me. I hope the falls between here and the end are worth the river journey and the lake we reach at the end (yes those are f*ing metaphors. I’m feeling philosophical at the moment)

Previous Masterpost list

————————————

“It’s me Nettie. I’m alive”

****************************

Jason was 14 years old when he met the Batman. He came across an unwatched batmobile. The tires on it could be sold for more than the average car and he had the tools on him.

One last check and he got to work. He was already thinking about the things he could buy for himself and his street siblings that he forgot the number one rule. Always keep a lookout.

The Batman caught him red handed with three wheels off and the fourth half done. After being forced to return the wheels to the car Jason was taken to the underground batcave. He met Alfred and the unmasked Batman. Bruce “fucking billionaire” Wayne.

Less than a month later he’s living in the manor and has been “adopted”. He doesn’t trust it. Rich men don’t want son’s and there are too many kids with stories about the horrors that “nice family’s” hide behind closed doors. But he’s got a roof over his head and food in his stomach. If Wayne thinks that will be enough to buy him he’s going to find out how wrong he was.

Jason starts small at first. If he can just get the man angry enough to throw him out he won’t have to worry about being brought back. Setting all the alarms in the house and making them unfixable was a bit of a challenge. Seeing Bruce’s face when he changed the passwords was brilliant.

It continued that way for a few months until Bruce finally decided if Jason was gonna be a little shit he could learn to fight better instead. Jason decided that if he was going to learn to fight he would take over the abandoned Robin role too.

Dick was not happy. The first time Jason got to meet the man was after he was seen as Robin. He came to the manor and yelled at Bruce, saying he had no right to give his costume and name to someone else. Jason listened from the second story.

As angry as the two men got neither came to blows over it. Dick ended the fight by storming out and he put the older hero on radio silence for months after but neither had any injuries from their disagreement. If Jason had ever even looked at his old man funny as a kid he would have a black eye and welts on his back to show for it.

Maybe Bruce could be trusted after all?

****************************

At 15 years old Bruce is engaged to Selina Kyle. Their on again off again thing as hero and thief where they danced around each other had been driving Jason and Alfred batty. It was nice to see them actually settle into their thing as each challenged the other and kept them on their toes.

When Selina said she was going to be spending the summer with the daughter of an old schoolmate of hers Jason didn’t think much of it. He knew she had a legit degree she used to assess the potential spoils of her criminal activities.

He arrived at Wayne Enterprises a little early for their lunch meeting. Bruce had told him they’d meet in the lobby so after greeting the receptionists he looked for a place to sit. In one of the chairs facing the doors a small girl looked up at the windows before going back to her book and writing something. No she was probably drawing with long pencil strokes like that.

Curious he walked over to see if he could look at her drawing. He could see what looked like an image of the stained glass windows on the page but the lines through them gave it a softer, almost flowing shape. Which was weird cause glass wouldn’t follow those lines.

“What are you drawing?” He found himself asking her.

She jumped so he’d obviously surprised her. His thoughts were captured by her bright blue eyes. In the light coming from those stained glass windows she’d been admiring they almost seemed to glow.

She said she was designing a dress while she waited for her guardian and the fiancé to return. This must be Selina’s friends daughter.

Lunch was a fun affair where the girl shared she would be designing costumes for Jagged stone to wear during his concert tour this summer. She would stay with Selina in Gotham from Monday to Thursday while she designed and created clothes she would fly to whatever city Jagged was playing in from Thursday to Sunday to be on hand during the concerts for any costume repairs that would be needed.

Bruce volunteered Jason to show Marinette around the city since it wouldn’t be safe for her to be alone. Jason agrees because it’s summer break and he likes the Marinette he talked stained glass windows with and wonders what other beauty she will see in his dark city.

He is breathless by the beauty she sees all around her. The joy and happiness she shines as easily as she breathes. Everyone she meets becomes a new friend. Even the tamer of the Rogues and the Siren’s who meet her are enthralled by her smile and her charm.

Kissing her was a completely spontaneous action. He had thought about it for weeks by then but she had said there was a guy back home she sort of still had a crush on though she wasn’t happy with how they wanted to deal with the liar situation. So he was resigned to keeping his budding feelings to himself so that he could see her happy.

It had been the night of the last concert. Jagged had Marinette come on stage where he officially introduced her as his designer and the creator of all the tour costumes to the world. She had beamed with a smile so wide that when she threw herself into Jason’s arms after walking off stage he had just pulled back and placed a kiss on her lips.

He froze when he realized what he did. Marinette had stood on her tiptoe to start their second kiss.

For a week they were blissfully happy and free with their affection. Multiple paparazzi got pictures of them holding hands, kissing each other or just cuddling when they were waiting. Jasonette and the Sunshine of Gotham blew up on social media.

Saying goodbye to her was a really hard thing to do. So Jason went shopping for something he could give her to remember him by. They had decided they would try a long distance thing but he was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. If they did fall apart from distance he wanted something she could use to always fondly remember the summer fling they had.

It was perfect. He knew it might be impractical but he was convinced that it would be the perfect gift for her someday.

************************

They made it work. They had talked everyday and he spent every chance he could in France with her. He met her parents and they met Bruce as well. Marinette had her school situation resolved following her return.

He was proud of her for sticking up for herself when all her classmates seemed ready to abandon the liar just because Marinette had a connection they could use again. Nathaniel, Rose and Juleka were all artsy like Marinette and he could see how their creative energies inspired each other and themselves.

He was a week away from his departure to spend the summer in France with Marinette and her family when it happened. A false lead led to his capture by the Joker.

(Begin Angst)

The first break hurt but it was bearable. He had broken bones before. His bio dad had broken them frequently when he was still alive. The fifth hurt as bad. He also had a concussion and several burns at that time as well.

What felt like days, weeks, years... minutes?, passed in a haze as he jerked with every new hit. He was a mess from vomit, blood, piss and shit when his body couldn’t follow his commands any longer.

He held to the belief that Batman would come for him. That his father could still save him.

When the Joker left, Jason was lying on the concrete floor looking at the bomb countdown. He knew he had to get out of there, he pushed his battered body past the point he could feel pain and struggled to the door. He pulled on it but it wouldn’t open. The rattle of chains on the other side told him why.

He collapsed to the floor, tears streaming as he watched the numbers countdown.

10, 9, 8...

I’m sorry Alfred.

7, 6, 5,...

I’m sorry Bruce.

4, 3,...

I’m sorry Nettie.

2, 1,

I love...

(End Angst)

He was only 16. He would never see 17.

***************************

It was dark. It was small. It was hard to breathe. He was in some kind of box. He screamed and hit the walls around him trying to get out, trying to find some air.

It surprised him when cold pieces fell from above him. It had a new smell. He focused his determination on that spot. More of the new thing came down into his cage. He pushed it away from him and continued. There. Briefly a breath of clean, fresh air.

With new determination he pushed harder towards the life giving air. He was able to pull his head and shoulders out of the box. He rested for a moment swallowing greedy gulps of air into his starved lungs. When he was able to continue he pulled himself from the ground and looked around. As far as his eye could see were stones standing from the ground around him and beyond those trees and underbrush fading into shadows.

He picked a direction at random and began to walk.

It was familiar. Grab an item, run. The actions came without conscious memory. The streets were cold but he was big enough to scare off the worst of the predators. There were a few small people, kids, that came to him for protection from the bigger people. He did what he could but it never seemed to be enough he thought, as he stood over another small, broken body.

“I can give you a way to protect them.”

He looked up. She was beautiful but her eyes were cold. Empty and unfeeling. But she had promised to give him a way to protect the little ones. He was willing to try anything for that power.

What was his name? How old was he? He didn’t know.

****************************************

Jason.

He remembered his name as he lunged from the sickly green waters that Talia had led him to. He remembered Bruce, his father, but he didn’t save him from the Joker. He remembered the Jokers laughter ringing in his ears as he stood over another broken child on the streets. And the new shadow following the shape of the Batman when he was an amnesiac wandering the streets of Gotham.

He had been REPLACED!! He fumed. The anger and resentment over Bruces inability to save him, to avenge him and his replacing him as if Jason meant nothing, festered and boiled in his mind.

When he left the League of Shadows his only plan was to go back to Gotham and get revenge for his own death and to hurt his so called father as badly as he could. If Jason meant so little to him then he would show how little Bruce meant to him.

(Mild violence ahead)

Their first reunion was in a fight over drug dealers selling heroin to kids. Jason looked directly at the bat, pulled his gun and shot the dealers in the forehead.

(Violence over)

“These are my streets now. I won’t tolerate kids getting hurt on my watch.”

He disappeared before Batman could restrain him.

For weeks they danced around. Batman trying to catch him and Jason using every trick he learned from the Bat himself to avoid him.

Blood flowed freely from the wicked and the corrupt. He was a villain in his own right bringing judgement and execution down upon the criminals of Gotham.

Batman always appealed to the better side of him, to stop his madness. Didn’t he understand that part died? The child that trusted in heroes to protect the innocent died at the hands of a monster. A monster that his father couldn’t chase away.

The RedHood was risen from the pits and unleashed upon the evil of Gotham.

He was 18 years old.

******************************

Months of their back and forth dynamic between RedHood and Batman passed. The Batman couldn’t arrest the RedHood but the RedHood couldn’t stop tweaking his cape to get a reaction.

Didn’t he care? Wasn’t he going to stop him? He was doing everything wrong so why wouldn’t Bruce do the same for him that he did for all the other criminals in Gotham?

It was when Jason had the Joker at the business end of a gun that he got his answers.

“Don’t do it Hood,” Bruce pleaded. “It will change you beyond what you can come back from if you do.”

“I’ve already killed, B,” his words caught as he gasped, fighting back tears of rage. “My hands are dripping in blood.

He laughed madly then, “‘Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?’ Who knew that bitch knew what she was talking about.”

“It’s the madness that’s done it Hood. You’ve barely held control before. But you’re fighting the killing urge and directing it to those that do deserve it.”

“And yes,” he interrupted before Jason could argue, “no one deserves it more than Joker for what he’s done to you. But if you do it then the madness will win. Please I can’t lose my son again,” he begged.

“WHY DOES THAT MATTER NOW?!” Jason screamed. “He killed me. I was dead in the ground and you let him walk. WHY COULDN’T YOU KILL HIM?! AM I THAT MEANINGLESS TO YOU!?!!”

“I COULDN’T!” Bruce yelled back. “If I killed him I wouldn’t be able to stop killing. It wouldn’t just be the Joker that died, it would be every criminal in Gotham who dared step out of line. I wanted to. I still want to. He took my son from me but I know that once I start I won’t be able to stop. I’m sorry that I’m so weak, but I couldn’t.”

The Batman, no Bruce Wayne, stood before him, head bowed in defeat as he admitted to his greatest shame.

Jason looked away before dropping the gun and walking away. He knew Bruce would take the Joker back to Arkham so he just needed to get away and think.

They worked to build their relationships anew. He couldn’t be the son Bruce remembered anymore, too much had changed, but he could be the son he was today. He could do what he could for the Replacement and make sure the kid didn’t get himself killed on the streets. The girl that joined them got the same measure of protection though she was better able to defend herself.

When he finally let go of thoughts of revenge he could think about a time when a stray spark of living Sunshine found its way to cold, grey Gotham. He finally looked up news of Marinette to see how she was doing. He broke down and cried when her wedding announcement to the son of a Parisian fashion house was the first thing to pop up.

Selina, Bruce and Alfred all encouraged him to take a trip to France anyways to get some closure, to say goodbye. But he refused, the smile in her eyes as she looked at her new husband in the picture convinced him that she was happy. And that was all he ever wanted for her, even if it couldn’t be him giving the her the world.

He was 19 years old when he made peace with his past.

****************************

He was 20 years old when news of the villain Hawkmoth and his defeat hit the international press. He was livid to realize that his beloved Nettie had been in so much danger just living in a city that should have been safe. That the Justice League had done nothing when the citizens pleaded for help.

It felt like the period after his revival in the pit as he stormed the halls of the WatchTower. His vision was in various shades of red and his thoughts just kept turning back to how Marinette might have been killed in one of the villain’s monster attacks. Hell, she probably did die once or twice only to be revived by the hero’s magic.

If he ever got to meet LadyBug he would shower her in appreciation for defending the city his Nettie lived in.

The door crashed and nearly fell off the hinges when he threw it open and stormed through into the Leagues council room.

“RedHood,” Batman said calmly as he stalked up to the table.

Slamming his hands down and leaning over the collected heroes he asked what he’d wanted to since the news broke.

“Who. Screwed. Up?”

“When footage of the attacks first reached the League, investigations were done. No lasting damage was left from the attacks so it was written off as a publicity stunt and subsequent messages were ignored,” Batman explained. “It was a phone operator that fielded these calls. They went based off the assessment done by the League and deleted them.”

“She could have died B. I was dead and couldn’t do anything but you should have been keeping an eye on her. You know what she means to me.”

Batman nodded, “I should have. The messages never reached me but I should have been keeping a watch on her regardless of that.”

“You’re going to make amends to those heroes for ignoring them,” Jason stated. “All of you are,” he added, including the other heroes in the room in his statement.

“Yes,” Batman agreed.

Jason jerked his head in a nod and left the room. Going back to the cave where he can do his own check and make sure Marinette was safe.

********************************

It wasn’t just the League that failed Marinette. Jason knew he was as much to blame. If he had gone to Paris? If he had seen her? If he had told her he was alive? Would she have suffered under Hawkmoth? If, if, if.

News of the divorce of up and coming fashion designer MDC and the son of the fashion mogul and former villain Adrian Agreste hit airwaves like lightning. In the beginning people claimed it was Marinette who left because of Hawkmoth’s identity. Adrian was fast to shut that down and own that he was the one to ask for the divorce for personal reasons. With what seemed to be an amicable break up the world turned its attention to the next sound bite.

He’d failed her again. Jason just sat by his empty grave as he cried when he learns about it. He argues with Alfred and Selina when they bring up him visiting Paris afterwards. This time Bruce supports his decision. He doesn’t approve and lets Jason know it, but he supports him.

Returning to the cave after patrol, Jason was the last to arrive. He didn’t know why everyone was gathered by the computer so he went to take a look. He didn’t hear what Alfred said as he walked over. Momentarily blinded by the helmet as he removed it, he froze when he finally saw what, no who, had his family’s attention.

She had grown since their first meeting, not in height but in maturity. She had traded the fun pigtails for an elegant braid, and jeans for a sundress obviously of her own design.

“Hi, Monsieur Alfred introduced the others but I haven’t gotten your name yet. I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she introduces herself as if she were meeting a stranger for the first time.

It hurt his heart that she would do that with him, though he realizes why she did. She didn’t know. She couldn’t know that it was him under the mask.

The words wouldn’t come though when he tried to find them and tell her. He finally settled for showing her, hoping she would believe her eyes.

After she gasped in reaction to his reveal he thought maybe his approach was a bit boneheaded after all. Nothing to do but go forward from there though.

“It’s me Nettie. I’m alive.”

Marinette teared up but instead of breaking down and crying she ran to him and jumped into his arms. Burying her face in his neck she just murmured “You’re alive” over and over.

“Yeah,” he admitted. He held her as tightly as he dared. A little worried he might hurt her by accident.

When she pulled away he reluctantly let her go but it was worth it.

She gave him the biggest smile and he saw it again.

He was 21 years old and the sun was shining in cold, grey Gotham once more.

————————————

So I really got into the structure I used for the first chapter and exuded to use the same for this one. They end at different ages because Jason’s a few months older and this happened in that in between time (the real reason is sections were getting too busy so I add another year to his story. How do I rationalize it? Well birthdays are a thing so there you go).

I hope everyone enjoyed this wild ride. I do plan to do an epilogue chapter but that will have to wait until next weekend. Anyone have any ideas you can send it to me.

@pepelachanel @mellownieice @kris-pines04 @zebrabaker @two-faced-biatch @vixen-uchiha @mandy984 @shamefullove @mycupisbroken @dawnwave16 @abrx2002 @mochinek0 @tbehartoo @fertileleaf @thanks-captain-obvious @ravennightingaleandavatempus @hinata3487 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @zalladane @dast218 @miraculous786 @18-fandoms-unite-08 @moonlightstar64 @mooshoon @ladybug182 @iggy-of-fans @legendaryneckjudgestudent @megawhitleycalderonpaganus @finallyaniguana @tog84 @mystery-5-5 @evil-elf16

#jasonette #marinette x jason #violence and angst #extreme violence #torture aftermath #angst #madness #DLDR #dead dove don’t eat #I’ve warned you multiple times so don’t come at me #violence

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daringyounggrayson · 5 years

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hold me (i’m falling apart) part 2

Summary: The aftermath of Dick’s confession and how they survive moving forward.

(part 1)

“I didn’t have a choice!”

“There’s always a choice.”

“It’s not like you were the only person I didn’t tell.”

“Like that makes it better?”

“I’m sorry, okay? I was just trying to do what was best for the mission.”

“Was it worth it?”

Dick used to look at Wally and think he didn’t deserve him, but in that “how did I get so lucky?” kind of way. Now he looks at Wally and knows he doesn’t deserve him, but in that “how can he stand to look at me?” kind of way. The kind that makes his empty stomach churn. Wally yells at him after he finishes, and it’s not enough. He knows he hurt people—he knew he would before he did it—but dealing with it is something he could never truly prepare for. He doesn’t bother mentioning that it wasn’t just him that came up with the plan because it doesn’t matter at this point.

He expects Wally to leave after that. Break up with him, cuss him out, punch him even. But Wally doesn’t. And that makes it worse.

No. Instead, Wally glares at him and shakes and goes quiet. He re-stitches the wound on Dick’s stomach and fixes him dinner before he says he’s going out. Dick is told to stay put. And for once, he listens. He crawls into their bed and cries. He doesn’t deserve to break down, not after what he did and the pain he caused, but he does anyway because the look Wally had in his eye was enough to push him over.

About an hour later, he hears Wally come home. He opens the door to their bedroom, probably just to make sure that Dick didn’t run off. He stands in the doorway, just watching him. Eventually, Dick sits up and looks at him. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sleeping on the couch.”

It hurts. But he deserves it. He deserves so, so much worse.

Dick wakes up early the next morning and finds that sure enough, Wally slept on the couch. He doesn’t wake him up. He leaves a note on the coffee table letting Wally know he went to Gotham to check in. He knows Wally will be mad, but there really is a lot of work to be done. Taking last night off put him behind, and he can’t afford to fall even further behind.

When he gets home later that evening, Wally is there. The couch is being used as a couch again, but the pillow and blanket are still close by. He wonders how long he’ll have to sleep in that cold, empty bed.

“Where have you been?” Wally asks, and Dick doesn’t know if he’s relieved or terrified that he’s speaking to him.

“Um, I went to Gotham to check in on how things went with Riddler last night, then I went into the station for a few hours before heading off to the Bludhaven base. I did some training with the Team, and then I caught up on some files and tried to track down Kaldur, Artemis, and M’gann.”

Wally clenched his fist but doesn’t comment. Instead, he says, “I want your case files. Everything you’ve been keeping since this little scheme of yours started.”

Dick swallows. “Okay.” He puts his bag down on the counter and pulls his laptop out. He doesn’t open it right away, just rests his hands on it, frozen. A beat passes, then he turns his head halfway towards Wally and says, “You didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

“Seriously, Dick?”

He bites his lip but doesn’t look away. Because this is important; they’ve come so far, and they can’t risk it all blowing up in their faces when they’re so close.

“No, okay? I kept your little secret for you.”

Dick nods, holding back the “thank you” that Wally doesn’t want to hear. He opens his laptop and inserts a USB. He walks over to Wally and sits down on the couch, but not next to him (half on top of him) like he normally would. He opens the necessary files and hands them over to Wally. “This is our communication record, and then the other files are Kaldur’s log, the intel he’s retrieved, records specifically about the Light and their partner, the Reach, the Team’s interactions with Aqualad, and then all of the precautions taken to keep this a secret.”

Wally scrolls through it wordlessly, and Dick just sits there, unsure of what he’s supposed to do with himself. Wally side-eyes him every now and then, but other than that—nothing.

He kind of wishes Wally would just yell at him some more.

“Have you eaten today?” Wally asks, but there’s no concern in his voice. It’s still anger, and Dick thinks his actions might have made it permanent.

Dick has to think. He doesn’t think—wait, yes, he had a protein bar that Alfred had handed him when he left the Manor. But that was hours ago, and that probably explains the dizziness Dick’s experiencing at the moment. “Yeah.”

“What?”

“A protein bar, a few hours ago.”

Wally scoffs but doesn’t have to say anything else for Dick to kick into action. He pushes himself off the couch, mumbling an “I’ll find something in the fridge.” as he does. Wally doesn’t say anything verbally, but there’s this sense of “you better” that hangs in the air.

Wally spends the next hour and a half reading through the files, and when he finishes, he doesn’t say anything. Just closes the laptop calmly and slides it onto the coffee table. He stands, looking almost dazed, and announces that he’s going on a walk, that he needs some air. Wally clearly went on more than a walk, though, because he’s gone for almost two hours. He comes back with windswept hair and flushed cheeks. He has a paper bag of takeout held in one arm against his chest, and he doesn’t even tell Dick to come to the table, just gestures at him impatiently. They eat in silence—Dick chewing slowly as he watches Wally out of the corner of his vision, waiting for him to snap at him—and it’s not until they’re halfway finished that Wally finally says something.

Wally lets his fork drop with a clatter and looks up at Dick with an angry expression. “Has it ever occurred to you that Kaldur might be playing you too? That he’s a triple agent?”

Dick glares at him, already getting defensive. “Kaldur wouldn’t—”

“He almost killed you!” Wally yells as he stands, eyes wild.

Right. The explosion. Dick lets his shoulders drop; he can explain this. “It was all in the flash drive. He knew we would have to pursue to make it look legit, and that’s exactly what happened.” Dick stays seated, tries to remain level-headed and calm. “But he gave us time to get out. We just—we got caught in the debris field.”

“Do you even hear yourself?”

“The cave is—was—just a place!” Now he’s standing, and his defensiveness is turning into anger. “Worth sacrificing if it means advancing the mission,” Dick huffs. There are tears building up in the corners of his eyes and he so wishes he was wearing a mask. “Look, I’m sorry you lost all of your souvenirs.”

“Are you serious?” Wally shoves him back into his chair. “I don’t care about that junk; I’m worried about you!”

Oh.

oOo

The next afternoon, Dick sees Wally come out of their room with a bag slung over his shoulder.

Shit.

He quickly sits up from his lying position on the couch, but he can’t bring himself to stand up and move towards him. “Wally, please don’t leave. If you need to be away from me for a bit, I get it. But I’ll go. You don’t need to.”

“I’m going to Central. Bart and Barry asked me to come over, and I’m planning on staying there tonight. Either Barbara or Tim will cover Nightwing’s patrol route. I told them to stop here first for a debriefing and to check in on you since I won’t be here.”

“Wally, I’m fi—”

“Can we agree that you’ll stop lying to me?” Wally snaps. “At least for the rest of the week?”

Dick pushes himself deeper against the arm of the couch.

“Do you have any idea what you put us through?” Wally continues. “What you put me through? Just because you don’t care about what happens to you doesn’t mean I don’t. And after everything that has been happening—or not happening—you are not putting me through losing you. So, you’re taking a few days. Clear?”

Dick nods, eyes glued to the floor because he can’t bring himself to look at Wally.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

oOo

After two weeks, things significantly calm down. Wally and Dick are sleeping in the same bed again, and Dick is able to do vigilante work without Wally’s gaze threatening to kill him. They’re not back to normal—still tense, hurt feelings and arguments lingering in their air—and Dick is starting to realize that they won’t be for a while. He knew that going in, but he didn’t realize just how long “a while” was going to be until now.

When he gets onto the apartment’s fire escape after Bludhaven patrol that night, he sees that the lamp in the living room is on. He crawls in, surprised to find that Wally isn’t there studying. He does that sometimes, most nights if he can. He’ll stay up studying while he waits for Dick, just to make sure he gets in okay and that nothing is wrong. It’s not really something he used to do, but—he’s worried. He thinks Dick is doing too much and it’s like he’s waiting (preparing) for Dick to slip up. Dick’s kind of waiting too.

“Everything go okay?”

Dick jumps. He’s off his game. “Thanks for the warning.”

“Sorry.”

Dick waves him off, starts taking off his suit. “How long have you been standing there?”

“I was in the kitchen and heard the window open.”

“Oh.”

“Are you still heading to Gotham?”

Dick nods. “Yeah, just need to change.” Wally’s still watching him, he looks like he wants to say something. “What?”

Wally shakes his head. “Nothing, forget it. Just—be safe tonight, okay?”

“Yeah.” Dick looks at the worrisome bags under Wally’s eyes. “Get some sleep.”

Wally nods, a silent promise. “Are you coming home tonight?”

“Probably. I’ll text you either way.”

“Okay. Night.” Wally waves at him and heads for the bathroom.

Dick heads to their room to change into his Batman uniform, not wanting to waste time going to the Cave to change. He wasn’t expecting a kiss or a hug, but still, not getting one makes him feel hallow.

Wally’s still in the bathroom when Dick leaves, and he hears the shower running. He leaves through the window again, still not feeling like himself but feeling less empty now that he can focus on night’s plans instead of his and Wally’s fragile (but healing) relationship status.

But within two hours he’s inhaling mouthfuls of Joker gas and he can’t get enough oxygen in. His laughter is filling the room, blocking out all of his other senses. He’s choking on the sound, stomach contracting so painfully he wonders if it’s still possible to pull Wally’s stitches. Joker’s getting away, and by the time his vision fades out, he’s still alone. All alone.

oOo

When he comes to, there’s a needle in his hand and a nasal cannula in his nostrils. He turns his head to find Alfred. “The others okay?” Dick asks, and damn, his throat hurts.

“Both in good health, Master Dick. Miss Barbara went home shortly after you were stabilized, and I sent Master Tim up to bed about an hour ago. You, on the other hand, received an unusually large dose of Joker gas.”

Dick grunts in approval. His chest and stomach definitely hurt enough to prove that. “Joker?”

“Recaptured and being moved back to Arkham as we speak. And thanks to your efforts, he wasn’t able to release his venom upon the rest of Gotham.”

Right, Dick had set it off in the warehouse. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to get to Joker fast enough, so he shot down the hot air balloon and released the gas in the warehouse, hoping the gas wouldn’t travel too far out of the lot’s vicinity. It had just been him and Joker in there; no harm done.

Calculated and hopeful as the plan was though, Dick had to admit, it was still reckless. Effective yes, but reckless all the same. Wally wouldn’t be pleased. “You didn’t call Wally, did you?”

“Why, of course I did,” Alfred says, raising an eyebrow like he doesn’t know Dick and Wally are . . . tense. “Once you were stabilized, I called Master Wally to fill him in on tonight’s escapades. I told him you were stable but that I would like for you to stay here for observation. He’s on his way here from Bludhaven now.”

“He’s driving?”

“Yes, he did,” Wally’s voice sounds through the Cave.

“Ah, Master Wally.” Dick didn’t even hear him come down the stairs. “Can I get you something to eat? Or perhaps a warm beverage?”

“I’m good, but thanks, Alfred,” Wally says, smiling, turning the keys in his hands.

“Very well. If everything is alright, Master Dick, I shall take my leave.”

“I’m okay, Alfie.”

Alfred nods, standing up from the chair at Dick’s bedside. He pats his shoulder once, and then he’s gone.

Wally doesn’t speak until Alfred’s footsteps become inaudible. Then he sighs, looks at Dick and says, “You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah.” He wasn’t sure, actually. After all, you can be worried about people you don’t love. He does it all the time as Nightwing. And you can definitely be mad and angry with people you don’t love. After the betrayal that Dick put Wally through—after he made Wally mourn one of his best friends—well, Dick wouldn’t blame him for hating him. “I love you, too.”

“You just—you scare me sometimes, babe.”

Wally hasn’t called him that since their big argument, and it feels so amazing on his ears.

“I’m sorry,” he says, because what else can he say?

“It’s who you are,” Wally tells him, walking closer. “This is your life, and no matter how much I hate it sometimes, I can’t ask you to give it up. Or the things that go with it.”

Dick’s heart is racing from the uncertainty of not knowing what Wally will say next.

“But I can tell you that I’m always here for you,” Wally says, grabs Dick’s hand tightly in his own. And Dick squeezes it back, clings to it like the lifeline it truly is. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still pissed and I don’t think I’m ever going to be happy with how this played out, but—” Wally shrugs “—it’s a tough situation, things are complicated. And I know this has to be hard for you, too. So, I’m here for you, and I’m asking you to let me be there.”

Dick tugs on his hand, pulls him into a hug. It feels like home. “I miss you,” Dick tells him, whispers to him.

“I miss you, too,” Wally says back, and Dick knows he means it.

“This is almost over, I promise.”

Wally nods, breathes him in. “Good. Just don’t die, okay?”

oOo

For the first time in a while, Dick is able to keep his promise to Wally. But Wally doesn’t return the favor.

He feels like someone punched a hole through his chest. He’s on his knees somewhere in the Arctic, right where the love of his life just vanished.

“Wally!” Dick chokes out in this broken voice that he can’t recognize.

“He wanted me to tell you,” Barry is saying, his hand resting on his shoulder as if that can keep him grounded.

“No.” He can’t listen to this, this isn’t happening. This can’t be happening; Wally wasn’t even supposed to be here. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“He wanted me to tell you that he loved you,” Barry finishes, and he sounds like he’s on the verge of tears, too.

Dick leans into Barry, letting himself sob, not caring who’s watching. It hurts too much, this is too much.

He doesn’t know how long he’s there, but at some point, numbness starts to mix with the pain. He ends up at the watchtower. Batman is there in front of him.

“Wally,” Dick sobs, leaning into Bruce.

Bruce wraps his arms around Dick and holds him tight, but they’re not the arms Dick needs. Bruce knows that, Dick thinks, but those arms are also the only thing holding him together. He’s shaking so hard, and without those arms, he thinks he’ll fall apart and shatter (and maybe that would be best, maybe then he could be with Wally).

When Dick's shakes and sobs finally let up, he feels numb and wrong and like part of him (all of him) is missing. Before he has time to reflect on that, Bruce rumbles, “Let’s get you home."

Dick lets himself be led out, he lets himself be taken back to the manor. He changes into sweats and an old t-shirt. He lets Bruce tuck him into bed and smooth out his bangs like he used to do when Dick had nightmares as a kid. He closes his eyes and lets himself be taken away by those same nightmares he used to stay awake to avoid back then, hoping that, by some miracle, they’ll replace this nightmare.

Because the light in his life is gone, his home is gone. And it’s his fault. His fault.

#birdflash #dick grayson #wally west #nightwing #kid flash #young justice #yj #dickwally #elizabeth writes

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toongrowner · 7 years

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part 3

This is gonna be the last part of this story for now, maybe I will return to it in the future, but for now, that's it. Still glad to see how many people liked it, and it was a nice opportunity to try my self out a little with writting. ^^ Huge thanx to Xenomaster for helping me write part 3 and for helping me with the decission, who to turn into the next girl. My first choice was Joker, but that would be to much of a strech, and someone from batman's family and friends just would be too obvious. Nonetheless, hope you enjoy it, and that it may inspire you to some own ideas. ^^ Part 1: Part 2: Story: Harley could not have asked for a better child. While Charlotte was a completely different person, she still possessed some of Batman's greatest skills, like an efficient use of gadgets, combat fighting and making good use of her surroundings, which often helped for an quick and easy escape. And the fact that no cop nor hero would harm such a young mislead child, was of pretty good use as well. Together they became slowly but surely one of Gotham's biggest crime duo's. And while the cops still tried to figure out from where this new girl was coming from, Batman's friends already had their suspicions. The timing and the way how Charley Quinn's costume was designed where just way to fitting. They knew this girl was the cause of Batman's disappearance. But without any actual proof there was not much they could do, and getting a hold of the two turned out much more difficult than expected. Of course they could not let the public know that their biggest hero disappeared and may even got turned into... but his friends could not give up hope yet. And while they tried to find a way, Nightwing offered himself to replace Batman in the meantime, so Gothman can keep his symbol. Of course not all was just crime and destruction for Harley and her new daughter. At their hideout, they behaved pretty much like a normal family. Even Poison Ivy, who's latest schemes were more than often interrupted, decided to pretend to have started a legit life, to secretly support the young family. Charlotte even started to call her Aunt Ivy. Which I've found highly amusing, especially considering from who it was coming from. When Harley suggested her plans to Ivy months ago, she didn't knew what to think of it. But now seeing the man that used to be so strong and able to resist her pheromones for so long now nothing but a cute little girl, loving her mother and wanting to have fun. remembering how serious and gloomy Batman often was, she kinda felt happy for him. There was just one thing missing in this paradise. As much Charlette enjoyed the company of her mother, she wished for a playmate in her age, someone she could play along when Harley couldn't. And since a certain accident some weeks ago, the Playground was not an option anymore, even with their best disguises. Harley promised her daughter to take care of it, even though she wasn't quite sure how yet. Unbeknownst to Harley and Charlotte, something was closing in on them. One night while Harley and Charlotte were relaxing at home, they are caught off guard by a knock at the door. Harley opens the door while the latch is on, but she is knocked back and the door was ripped off it’s hinges. The late night visitor was Bane. Bane explained that he had been searching for Batman for weeks, and practically every clue leads straight to Harley. Bane demands to know where Batman is, Harley reluctant to do so as she feared for Charlotte's safety and lied while signaling Charlotte to hide. Bane however does not believe Harley and threatens the villainess, who starts to fight back on pure maternal instinct. Bane and Harley begin to tear up the place, only to be caught off guard when Charlotte decided to step in and help her mother. Harley scolds Charlotte as they fight Bane, who slowly begins to realise who Charlotte was. Bane picks up Harley and begins to question her about the child’s connection to Batman. Without thinking, Charlotte throws a random ornament at Bane’s head, and Harley shot Bane with what she thought was a gun. Before Harley realised what she had actually shot Bane with, he began to shrink rapidly, screaming like a wild animal. When it was all over, Bane was no more and a very small child took his place. Oddly enough, the child reacted in confusion and spoke nothing but Spanish, seemingly unaware of what happened. Upon calming down the young girl (as Charlotte has some skill in speaking spanish), Harley and Charlotte take the young girl to Ivy to see what is going on, being careful with the venom pump inside the girl’s head. Ivy explains the pheromones she gave Harley were meant to slowly make someone susceptible to suggestion, but only in small doses. The amount given to the small child once called Bane unraveled his mind by decades. This was confirmed when Charlotte relayed to her mother and aunt that “Bane” last remembered being in Peña Duro, being six years old. The fight Harley and Charlotte had with Bane effectively erased the man from existence. Ivy had also found that Bane’s Venom had altered due to the effects of the ray, it was less potent and with very few side effects. Taking sympathy on the small girl, Harley decided to adopt the transformed Bane, giving her the name “Amalia”. Days to weeks pass and the three are a good family. Amalia loved playing with her “big sister” and doing things with her mother. It was uncanny how the Man That Broke the Bat has changed into such a timid child, one that sought forgiveness for the smallest of transgressions. Some of “old Bane” shone through from time to time as Amalia sometimes took to meditation, unsure why she did, and called a teddy she received “Osito”. Amalia eventually wanted to join her mother and sister on their escapades. Upon accepting the request, Harley and Charlotte began training the young girl. Amalia actually took to it quite quickly, likely some remnant of Bane still left inside her. Harley soon then gave Amalia a new costume, along with the now altered venom. Now Harley is part of the most dangerous crime trio in Gotham, along side Charlie Quinn and her new daughter “Pest”. I should say I only altered what was after the first three paragraphs as they were honestly ok as they were. I also had a very sinister idea: Ivy's pheromone erased "Bane" and left the child that lived in Peña Duro. Before the fall that mentally snapped the kid. Part 3 in dialog form by Xenomaster <Newspapers of how the Quinns were on a crime spree, illuding both cops and heroes alike over the course of weeks to about a month> (In Harley’s apartment, she, Charlotte and Ivy were having dinner together) Harley: And Dent was like “I’ll get you for this, ye pair of-.” before Charlie used adhesive silly putty to gunk his mouth shut! Charlotte: It’s rude to say bad words in front of little girls. *begins to laugh with her mother* Hey, mom. Can I be excused? Harley: Go right ahead, kiddo. Charlotte: Thanks. See you, Aunt Ivy. *runs off, likely to watch TV* Ivy: I must say, it’s uncanny to think that she was the Dark Knight. Harley: I know, right? She’s the most perfect angel a mom can ask for. Ivy: You know, I almost think we did the Bat a favour. Harley: What you mean, Red? Ivy: I mean, look at her. She’s always smiling, very upbeat. Compare that to how she used to be, a very serious and gloomy man. I almost think we did him a favour. Harley: And you said my plan was stupid. Ivy: I will admit, I was wrong. *looks at a clock* Damn it, look at the time. Sorry, Harl. I have to cut this visit short. *walks to the living room and takes a trenchcoat* Charlotte: *turns around while watching TV* Going so soon, Aunt Ivy? Ivy: Sorry, kid. But you know how it is, men to break, pollutionists to stop. *gives Charlotte a kiss on the head* See you later, honey. Charlotte: Bye, Aunt Ivy. (Ivy leaves incognito and Harley comes in to see Charlotte solemnly watching TV) Harley: What’s wrong, Charlotte? *sees that what Charlotte was watching was about having friends* Oh… you’re lonely. Charlotte: I know it’s fun with you and aunt ivy, but-. Harley: *hugs Charlotte* I know, kiddo. It’s just that not many of us criminals have kids in the business. I know it’s hard for you, especially with that ice cream escapade the other week… but I promise I’ll find a way. Charlotte: Thanks, mom. *hugs Harley* (meanwhile across town, some thugs are getting tossed around) Thug: Harley Quinn! You’re looking for Harley Quinn! (the thug gets “knocked out”, revealing Bane was on the prowl) (Harley and Charlotte are lounging about in their apartment. Harley was reading a magazine on the couch while Charlotte was playing about with a throwing knife when they hear a knock on the door) Charlotte: Did you order pizza? Harley: No… *goes to the door, opening it after making sure the chain was on the latch* Who is it? (the door bursts open, knocking Harley back. Charlotte sat in awe as Bane trudged in) Harley: What the heck are you doing here?! Ya better pay for the door! Bane: Where is he? Harley: Who? Bane: The Bat. Harley: *goes wide eyed* Bane: Last anyone heard, Batman was hunting you. Now he disappears? It is no coincidence. *picks up Harley* Now, where is Batman? Harley: L-look, you paloka. I have no idea what you are on about! *gives a hand single to Charlotte to hide, making her run off* Now get outta here! Bane: I would… but I don’t believe you. Tell me, or the niñita may need to find her papa. (Harley reaches for a vase and smashes it right into Bane’s face, dropping her out of surprise rather than pain. The two begin to duke it out until Charlotte interrupts them by tossing one of Harley’s throwing weapons at Bane) Harley: Charlotte, don’t get involved. Charlotte: I’m not going to let this bully hurt you, mom. Bane: She has spirit… Harley: If we live through this, you are so grounded. (the fight continues, Harley and Charlotte proving to be untaggable targets for Bane. as the fight went on, Bane started to recognise something about Charlotte. He then pins Harley to the couch) Bane: That girl, she has something to do with The Bat. Who is she!? Charlotte: *seeing her mother in trouble, she picks up a convenient clown bust and throws it at Bane* (As the bust breaks on Bane’s head, a pink liquid splashes all over him. This disorients him long enough for Harley to grab the laser on mistake and shoot Bane with it, assuming it was a real gun. Bane yells in pain and shrinks down until a small child took his place) Harley: *notices Bane’s Venom tube* Pink? “Bane”: *tries to back away from the two in fear and confusion* ¿Dónde estoy, qué está pasando, quién eres tú? [Where am I, what is happening, who are you?] Charlotte: Tranquilízate, nadie te va a lastimar. [Calm down, no one's going to hurt you.] Harley: I didn’t know you can speak Spanish. Charlotte: *shrugs* ¿Puedes decirme quién eres? [Can you tell me who you are?] “Bane”: Yo... no tengo nombre. [I... I don’t have a name.] *looks around* Esto no se parece a Peña Duro [This doesn't look like Peña Duro] (Harley and Charlotte look at each other before cutting to Ivy’s place some time later. Ivy and Harley were discussing the situation while Charlotte was keeping “Bane” company) Ivy: *rubs temple* Harl… you are either really lucky, really dumb or cunning as a fox. You are telling me that… THAT, is Bane? Harley: Yeah… Ivy: You two overdosed him on the pheromone I gave you and used that same toy you used on Batman. Not a memory left of that burly monster left! Harley: I was meaning to ask about that. Ivy: *sighs* The pheromone was meant to slowly break down any resistance to suggestion. What you did was a complete mind wipe. In his… her case, it seems all the way to the point where Bane wasn’t such a beast. I can’t believe it, you of all people managed to not just beat but erase Batman and Bane! Harley: What about his juice? Ivy: Yes, the Venom seems to be altered. While I can only guess, it seems that the ray you used seems to have regressed the Venom’s potency. I’d need to run some tests to be absolutely sure. (The two women look at the two girls. Charlotte and “Bane” seem to be getting along quite well) Ivy: So, what are you gonna do? Harley: ...Take responsibility. *makes her way to Charlotte and “Bane” and kneels* Charlotte, honey. Can you translate for me? Charlotte: I’ll try. Harley: *turns to “Bane”* I know you’re scared and confused. From what you told me, you had it pretty rough. But I can look after you. Give you a home and food. I can help, but only if you let me. (Charlotte takes everything Harley says and translates it so “Bane” can understand. “Bane” just hugs Harley and cries. Harley picks up the girl and carries her into where she and Ivy were talking) Ivy: Are you sure about this? Harley: Parenthood is it’s own reward. Right, Charlie? Charlotte: *smiles* Harley: There is one last thing, Red. Ivy: And what’s that? Harley: Can we crash here? Bane busted up our place. (Some time later, after Harley’s place was fixed up, she returned with some shopping to be greeted by the former Bane, hugging her leg) “Bane”: Mamá, lo siento mucho! No quise decir a-. Harley: Whoa. Slow down, Amalia. You speak spanish when you talk fast. Amalia: *let's go* S-sorry, mama. I saw a spider… *looks over to a wall with a hole in it the size of a small child’s fist* Harley: *places groceries on the counter* Wow, you have a good right hook. Amaila: Please, mama. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-. Harley: *places hands on Amalia’s shoulders* Sweetie, don’t get yourself worked up. It’s not that big a deal, we all make accidents. Amailia: *sniffs* Ok, mama. Harley: Besides, I got ya something. *gives Amalia a teddy bear* Amalia: *gasps* Thank you, mama! *takes the bear and runs off* Charlotte! Look was mama got me! (Harley looks on at the two girls playing about, a tear coming to her eye before eyeing the clock) Harley: Ok girls, bedtime. Amalia and Charlotte: Yes mama/mom. (the two prepare for bed, changing and brushing their teeth. Harley came in to tuck in Amalia) Amalia: Mama, can I ask you something? Harley: What is it, baby? Amalia: You know how you and Charlotte go out and commit crimes? C- can I join you? Harley: Are you sure that’s what ya want, kiddo? Amaila: *nods* Harley: *thinks* Well… not yet. Amaila: *sinks into her bed in disappointment* Harley: You need to learn the basics first, kiddo? Amaila: *smiles* Thank you, mama. Harley: Starting tomorrow, your sister and I’ll be teaching you how to be a good little criminal. But for now, you need your beauty sleep. *kisses Amaila on the head* Amaila: Wait, mama. Kiss Osito too. Harley: *does so to humour her daughter* Good night, sweetie. *turns off the light before leaving the room and picking up the phone* Hey, Red. How’s the Venom? Ivy: Well, it’s not exactly Venom. More like “Venom Lite”. It’s pretty harmless, but not really the same thing. Harley: Would it be safe for Amaila? Ivy: I guess… what are you up to? Harley: Fam secret. Thanks, Red! *hangs up* (over the next few weeks, Amaila was trained by her mother and sister. Oddly, she seemed to progress faster than Charlotte did. Amaila even improvised some training herself, as if it was instinctual. This went on for some time until one day when the three were lounging about at home when there was a knock on the door.) Harley: *grabs a mallet and walks to the door, checking as she did last time only for no one to be there but a package* Charlotte: What is it, mom? Harley: *reads the note on the package* It’s from Red. Charlotte: Aunt Ivy? Amaila: Tía Ivy? Harley: “Harl. This is the best I can do considering. Give the girls my love, Ivy”. *Harley opens it and realises what it is* It’s for you, Ami. *hands the parcel over to her younger daughter* (Amaila goes into her room and puts on the outfit. Like Charlotte’s, it was very reminiscent of Harley’s but had some details of Bane’s. Most notably a tube full of pink liquid being fed into her body) Charlotte: Looking good, sis. Amaila: *smiles* Harley: So precious! Girls, we are going to rule Gotham! <Newspapers of how Harley and her daughters on a crime spree, overpowering all form of law enforcement. The headlines label Amaila as Pest.>

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mrsbluebertgreggleson · 6 years

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So I just caught up on “Breakdown” (yeah yeah, I know, I keep missing eps and watching them way late - people keep hogging my TV and I keep getting distracted, I can’t help it!) and:

1. This was actually a legitimately freaky episode with the brief dip into torture porn. Like the parts with... Donna’s niece, Ginger, whatever-her-name-was (I just watched and I already forgot, lmao), and the poor dude who got hacked, those were super horrific and it felt VERY old-school SPN. Which I really, really loved. But also, jfc. Now admittedly I did try to veer away from spoilers and I did pretty well, but between out-of-context gifsets and the title, I thought the episode would either be A) revolving around Sam and Dean having breakdowns and having to mutually come together and work through them, little-to-no supernatural threat, which would’ve been fun, or B) Sam and/or Dean freaking out at the sight of the workshop and flashing back to Hell and having aforementioned breakdown, which also would’ve been fun. Until the vamp flashed his fangs, I also legit thought the twist would be that it was a 100% human enemy/enemies but SUPER fucked up serial killers and cannibals and evil, evil people, a la “The Benders”, with it just being people kidnapping and brutally killing each other while other people watch on camera as snuff films on the Dark Web(TM) and pay for body parts as trophies, and Sam and Dean once again remembering Humans Are the Real Monsters. But I did appreciate the return to actual horror, so hopefully they keep it up because that’s why I watch SPN in the first place.

2. They also laid on the political stuff pretty thick, huh? lol. I didn’t mind too much, but it got to be a little jarring at times. Kinda reminded me of Charlie. Which... now makes me think Ginger and Charlie could’ve been a cute super-liberal redhead couple, hm!

3. Speaking of cute couples, I really started digging Doug and being like “aw, he and Donna are so cute!” right in the same scene he skadoodled. Dang. Well, maybe they’ll reconcile in the spinoff or something. Also, the mention of veganism by the vamp dude made me think in the part where Doug’s like, “No! I’m not like you guys, I can’t do this, I-I-” and the way the political themes were going in the episode I was fully prepared for him to say, “I’m vegan!” Which would totally be my excuse to get out of having to go kill monsters and get made fun of by demons :c and inevitably die gruesomely for having even glanced at the Winchesters.

4. Why the fuck was nobody reacting at all to Vamp Dude being such an unbelievable over-the-top douchebag, even before they found out he was a vamp? He went from “lololol yeahhhhhh that babe was HOT” -> “lololol yeahhhhhh I arranged for her to get kidnapped” -> “lololol yeahhhhhh I send people to get horribly tortured to death and their body parts auctioned off, check it out” And no one even gives him a dirty look, they just bring him with? Like I get they were focused on Ginger and Dean did rough him up earlier/they did ask why he was doing it, but it felt very much the plot was hurrying along with allowing time for real human reactions and the way all of them failed to react to almost all his comments was just super weird, with how they just let him stay smug and cocky and unbelievably evil when he was supposed to be human. I guess they didn’t have time to bring him to the police, but surely Dean would lose his temper again and beat the shit outta him, Dean’s not a very calm and controlled dude. Or at the very least unleash the angry Batman voice unto him and scare the shit out of him. And he’s responsible for putting Donna’s niece in danger, he just admitted it, so it’s weird she didn’t get much reaction to it either. Like even if he was written and acted less douchebaggily, more outrage and anger from the other characters would’ve been more in-character.

5. LMAO the scene where all the monsters are seeing Sam about to get sliced like “*gasp* yesssssss. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.” Like holy shit, is it happening?? is it really happening?!?! (Dean: no.) It’s weird also that they didn’t show Sam and/or Dean getting one last win over the watching monsters by being like “hey guess what, now we know where you fucks all are and we’re going to hunt down and kill every one of you” or “uh, uh, uh, GAME OVER *take 30 seconds to clumsily shut off camera*” OR “don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, fuckos *shoot camera*” We didn’t even get to see the monsters reacting to Dean saving Sam. Like no screams of rage. Not even one wibbly-lipped monster-pout!

6. Sam mentioning Cass in the last line made me suddenly remember Cass has been rotting in a cage in Hell with Lucifer for... quite awhile now. Probably standing with his face against the bars, staring into space like “Whyyyyyy is it taking so long to get me out of this, Lucifer is so annoyyyyyying, Asmodeus’s accent is so cringyyyyyy” (Poor Cass. Putting it in that light made me be like, damn, he does have it rough. How many other obnoxious characters are they gonna stick him with indefinitely?)

7. FBI Monster Man was actually pretty smart about it (in theory, he could’ve just shot Sam without waking him up and giving him the big speech first, but that’s okay, I appreciate him trying to be smart with the writing forcing him to be dumb) but that would’ve been a spectacularly gruesome fate for a character, holy shit, imagine if a recurring character had actually been killed off that way, that would’ve been so messed up and upsetting. I imagine lots of H/C fics were born the night this episode aired. I want to read em, this concept had a lot of weight for me and I have my own idea for it that I want to use (but it’ll take approximately 20 billion years to get to at the pace I’m writing, I do still got +12 seasons to get through with my SPN fic-verse). If anyone found/wrote any, reblog this (or if you’d prefer, message me and let me know if you don’t want me to reply publicly) with it, I’d dig it!

Overall I’d give it about a 7/10, mostly because obviously I really liked the concept and the execution of the horror a whole bunch. Some flaws but pretty good casefic, especially for recent seasons. (Y’all know I just want teh horrorrrrrr.)

#spn #spn live react #text post

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