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padfootdaredmetoo · 1 year

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hi! i'd like to ask a one shot on thomas shelby in which y/n is a girl in her early 20's who's his girlfriend. lately he's been super busy with work and they haven't spent much quality time together. during one of his dinners at arrow house she purposely acts flirty with some of the male guests just to make tommy jealous and get a reaction out of him. it works and after dinner he confronts her about it but she acts clueless. they have an "argument" during which he understands she actually did that on purpose. that soon turns into a heated makeout session cause they're both craving for each other and where he gets kinda "possessive" (in a good way).

thanks :)

Hey Love!

Thank you for the request! I hope you enjoy it. The ending is a bit different, hope that's alright. I also may have thrown in more than kissing...

An extra super duper big thank you to @theshelbyslimited not only did Cass approve this outline and get me motivated to write it she also cooked up the best line in the story!

Warnings: smut, spanking, possessive dom, nothing super descriptive (compared to my other stuff), mentions of potential cheating, sad childhood vibes.

You woke up and sighed heavily at the neat blankets on the other side of your bed. Well, your boyfriend's bed. You looked around the massive room and felt a dreadful feeling start to creep up the back of your neck again. The hangover you had was making the room spin slightly as blood pounded in your ears.

You and Thomas had been going out for almost 7 months. You had nothing personal at his house as you rarely slept there. Most of the time was spent at your flat in London. You’d spent the night last night because everyone was too drunk to drive you home.

You rolled over onto your side running your hands over the silky sheets, missing your bed back home. Remembering that the big charity gala was tonight you realized you would need to get home soon in order to be ready in time.

You moved to the bathroom and then pulled on last night's dress.

_______

Your head was pounding as you moved down the stairs. Walking down the hall you heard a sound that made your stomach drop.

A very feminine giggle escaped from Thomas’s office. You knew you should barge in there, all of Esme’s warnings flashed before you. A feeling that had been stuck inside you since childhood started to take over making you feel small and worthless.

Stupid man.

You knocked on the office door.

“Come in.” Tom’s voice called out quickly. He was sitting at his desk looking unamused at his guest who was thankfully fully dressed and sat opposite to him.

He introduced you and you immediately disliked the woman lounging in the chair. She was sprawled out looking much too comfortable, but there was something off about her. Her gaze and smile were eerie.

“Sorry to bother you, I should probably be off.” You siad keeping your voice neutral.

“I’ll take you.” He gave you a nod. “Thanks for coming by Diana.”

“I’ll tell Mosley you got the message. It was nice meeting you.”

She left the room and a maid took her towards what you assumed was the front door. Mosley? Anything to do with him is an absolute problem. The man was twisted and the evil sensation that clung to her like a cloud suddenly made sense.

However, the woman was young, blonde, and reminding you of Tommy’s late wife Grace. Your mind had already started to prepare you for the breakup. You were caught up in your thoughts and suddenly you were in the passenger seat on the way home.

“You alright?” Tom asked eventually sliding his hand across the seat to grab yours.

“We haven't spent a lot of time together.” You blurted out. It was easier than asking him if he was cheating. You knew his reputation when you had started going out with him, it wouldn't be unlike him to break promises.

“Been busy.” He shrugged. “Lots happening with work.”

“Is Diana just for work?” You whispered unable to speak clearly.

“Yes.” He answered seriously. “Do me a favor?”

“What?”” you asked still trying to decide if you should trust his answer about Diana.

“Wear the red dress tonight eh?”

“Alright.” You said thoughts spinning. He kissed you and you ran up to your apartment wishing you had someone to talk to that wasn't related to him.

______________________

You were late to the party but as you weren't engaged or married to Thomas it didn't really matter. No one took you very seriously anyway.

You wore the red dress paired with an elegant diamond necklace he had gifted you for your birthday. They felt heavy resting on your neck. No matter how much you tried to reassure yourself that he was just busy with work, the pain in your stomach wouldn't budge. Walking up the steps you saw a couple flirting with each other on a balcony.

Watching them laugh you had an excellent and horrible idea. Maybe you could make him jealous? Then he would pay more attention to you, while also confirming that he is faithful.

You decided it should be fine as long as you were subtle and nothing got too out of hand.

Scanning the room your eyes landed on Tom’s favorite business partner and you smiled. This was going to be fun.

“You're late.” His voice caught you as you turned around.

“Takes time to look this lovely.” You smiled up at him as Tom’s blue eyes devoured your appearance.

“What a lie.” He kissed the top of your head and for a moment you felt like maybe you wouldn't need your plan. “I have to keep a close eye on Mosley. Try to keep yourself out of trouble.” He whispered in your ear as he held you in an embrace. To anyone else, you would have looked like two lovers sharing a moment.

You couldn't help but frown as he pulled away from you and moved into the sitting room. He didn't even introduce you to anyone. You stood there awkwardly watching all the wealthy people, a great deal older than you laugh and socialize.

You looked around for your original lifeline and caught him by the window with a disgruntled face.

Once reaching him you enjoyed the exasperated sigh he let out. Tommy kept you far away from all things related to the business, but no matter how hard he tried you had ended up running into Alfie a great deal.

“Alfie!” You said in a cheerful voice. His eyes looked you over for a moment and for some reason you felt he already knew what you were planning.

“Here to piss off your man then?”

“How did you - Never mind. You stay by me it will prevent you from having to talk to the rest of the people here.”

“And make Thomas angry.” He said with a smile and a glint in his eye. He reached out his rough calloused hand for you to shake.

The rest of the evening you held on to his arm and enjoyed the stories he told you. You didnt need to fake laugh because his description of Tommy in most of his stories was genuinely funny.

You saw Tom's eyes land on you a few times throughout the night. Other times tipsy men would come up and try to steal you away from Alfie’s side making you all the more grateful for his presence.

You didn't want to fight off all the creeps alone. Another reason to be angry at Thomas.

The night passed quickly as you and Alfie chatted about family, history, the world, conflicts, and religion. You enjoyed his company and started to dread the end of the evening.

But the time had come when he had to leave. He gave you a large bear hug and wished you the best of luck with a wink.

The rest of the guests left including the family which you thought was odd. Normally for late parties like this, they would spend the night.

Polly gave you a hug and told you how pretty you looked in your gown.

“Certainly made an impression on Thomas! He’s kicking everyone out. Have a good night!” She kissed your cheek and winked at you.

He kicked everyone out? Your stomach twisted, this wasn't going to go over well.

Your goal was to go to bed next to him, but your prize was appearing to be more of a night on the couch.

You stood in the dining room watching the drunk socialites stumble out of the house. He shook hands and thanked people, but soon it was empty. Just the two of you.

You watched him look you over from the doorway to the dining room, eyes dark, expression shut down. You thought about being the first one to speak but decided against it. He was the one that started this whole situation.

“Had a lot to say to Alfie tonight.” He said in a cold voice.

“Well, sue me for actually enjoying someone listening to what I have to say, unlike a certain someone who’s barely spoken to me in a fortnight” Your words were equally as cold despite not wanting to fight.

“Ah, and Alfie listened to what you had to say eh?” He laughed darkly.

“Yes, he even did me the favour of keeping the creeps away. Should hire him for every-” Something flashed in his eyes preventing you from finishing your sentence. He caught you off guard by coming towards you. He walked towards you with such confidence and anger you had to fight your instinct to run away.

His hands raised towards you and you flinched. You were relived to feel the nature of his touch was not something to run from. His hand squeezed the back of your neck tightly, forcing your lips up towards his mouth.

His lips crashed against yours with passion and you let him take what he wanted. His other hand gripped your rib cage holding you in place.

"Mine." He breathed between kisses making your heart feel like it was about to explode.

You kissed him back feeling yourself start to slip away. He kissed down your neck, and suddenly your dress slipped down your body. Your mind briefly wondered when he got the buttons and zipper undone - all mysteries were banished as he tuned you around. He pushed you against the table and you shivered when your breasts pressed against the cold polished wood of the table.

His hand came down on your ass hard enough that the sound bounced around the empty space. Pain and pleasure ran through you like electricity.

“Don’t. You. Ever.” He said in between blows. “Go. Looking. For. Someone. Else. To Listen.”

Embarrassment flooded your face as you felt the wetness between your legs begin to drip down your thighs.

Looking up at the large space, knowing that any of the staff might wonder in caused a weird sort of chaos to swirl in your veins.

“I - I Won’t” You breathed. You expected another round, still unsure of why this was making you so turned on. His hand gently caressed the red flesh.

“Please.” You whimpered with tears starting to spill over on your cheeks. He didn't waste any more of your time. He took you roughly on the table. Relentlessly forcing orgasms from your body. When you felt spent and overstimulated his words would soothe you back into doing exactly what he wanted and needed.

Eventually, he wore himself out and you laid there on your back looking up at the chandelier, mind only processing the twinkles in the crystal. Your whole body was floating and you couldn't really think well enough to sort out what was going on.

You felt rested. He laid on the table next to you, out of breath with his chest heaving.

“You on the table like that really brings the room together.” He said with a smile on his face. You remember his family's hate for the room and let out a laugh.

"I'm sorry," he said after a long while.

"What?" You must have imagined him saying it because there was no way Thomas Shelby would be apologizing to you. He never apologized for anything - ever.

"I'm sorry, for being busy. For the party - and well -" his voice trailed off.

"Oh don't have to apologize for that." You laughed. His eyes roamed over your body and he rolled onto his side placing a softer kiss on your lips.

After that he carried you up to bed, settling himself next to you.

____________________________________

@theshelbyslimited Thank you again for “Well, sue me for actually enjoying someone listening to what I have to say, unlike a certain someone who’s barely spoken to me in a fortnight”

#peaky blinders fic #thomas shelby #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine #tommy shelby imagine #thomas shelby imagine

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brucewaynehater101 · 8 days

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I want Duke included in batfam family fics. being the older sibling Damian needs, relatable yet guiding. Tim being ‘Dukes robin’ and having lots of respect for Tim yet he’d also steal his slice of pie. Duke and Jason hanging out, and Jason appreciating how he never tries to lecture him. Duke and dick matching vibes (or as much as they can) when on patrol and somewhat in the family, and both trying to make their brothers calm tf down. Bruce trying desperately to not fuck up with Duke like he did his other sons, only serving to confuse and slightly alarm Duke. Alfred and duke being the only ones with more then *1* braincell.

he also has so much potential for angst of being a meta in a family everyone thinks hates metas, and people somehow forget him???

(I have more just don’t have the energy to write it all down)

Heck yes! I agree that Duke needs to be included in more batfam fics (and especially as a more pivotal role). I personally try to add him a bit, but I fear I do not include him enough as a key member of the batfam.

Duke is hella important and should be treated as such. I'd love to see more fics with him pissing off GCPD for fun. Just chaos and pranks against GCPD, rogues, Batman, and the Batkids. Also, he should he allowed to punch (or kick) as many JL members as he pleases (Hal was just the first).

Duke and Dick having similar fashion ideas is a cute idea I've seen in the fandom. I would also just love to see more fanart of Duke rocking some fun outfits for galas (especially if the galas follow the AU of Gotham being super weird with their social norms). Duke being featured on magazine covers, being asked to model, and being interviewed would be cool fanwork ideas to play around with. I've seen so many of the other batboys and none with Duke as a magazine cover.

Here's my ideas on how Duke could interact with different batfam members. Feel free to reblog if you have ideas yourself or think the dynamic should be different.

I feel like Duke and Cass would get along really well as chaos gremlins who get away with their shenanigans. Messing with Commissioner Gordon is a favorite pass time of theirs. For some reason, even when presented with evidence, Bruce doesn't believe that Duke and Cass would do the things they get away with. It's both impressive and annoying to the other batkids.

Duke could have a weird relationship with Tim. On one hand, Tim is Duke's Robin. The cases he's solved, feats he's accomplished, and respect Gotham has for Tim's Robin in general (for being Batman's therapy kid) are unfathomable. On the other hand, he's seen Tim walk into the same wall four times within three minutes. They both share a love for riddles, but Tim can be an idiot at interpersonal relationships.

For Damian, Duke has seen how the world picks up kids and spits them out. He's seen kids lashing out, how they merely want to defend themselves, and how fantastic they are once you get to know them. He's been angry and spiteful at the world too. For Damian, Duke's hella impressed at the kid's heart despite all the shit he's been dealt. Duke would encourage chaos, talk with the kid about how different emotions have impacted Duke's actions and life, and is an overall supportive figure. They can often be seen doing both wild stunts and "common for their age group" activities for fun (although the game Sorry is banned because of them).

Jason and Duke would probably have a complicated relationship due to Red Hood's actions. Their similar childhoods (as far as economically and location based) would lead to jokes and shared customs that they chat with Steph about (such as Creepy Toe Joe or that specific gas station or the phrase they say as they passed that one pothole). Despite that, they have different viewpoints on Bruce and murder.

Duke is probably one of the more emotionally intelligent and communicative batfam members. If Alfred is the sassy version, Duke would get a good laugh out of those remarks and the astute observations.

Bruce and Duke angst could go hard. Bruce is trying so hard not to make his past mistakes. Duke and his perception of Bruce (he holds Bruce in high regard) and how that affects their relationship.

As far as Duke being in a "perceived to hate metas" family, that could either be hilarious or angst. I imagine people trying to intervene or "save" Duke from the Bats would be infuriating and sad to see.

Duke could also laugh at the batkids' superhero friends and how they, even as adults, are banned from entering Gotham. Duke is free to live in the manor and come and go as he pleases. Any of the batkid's meta friends have to be snuck into Gotham.

#dc comics #dc universe #duke thomas #thank you for the ask!!!!

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the-batcomputer-project · 8 months

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Batfamily (and other) Headcanons that will be canon in my DC timeline:

-Dick is Pansexual. Show me this man in romantic relationships with more than just woman. I also feel like he has potential to be a sex positive icon which I feel is important. Sex portrayed as something that can be fun and casual, not explicitly reserved for romantic partners and situations.

(edited to rephrase and remove offensive language towards the pan community)

-Jason is Asexual. Get some ace representation but also give him some healthy romantic relationships where sex is not the center or a necessity. (I’m partial to Jason/Roy but to each their own)

-Jon Kent is dyslexic. Insert Percy Jackson reference about his brain being wired for kryptonian, but no, the dyslexia comes from Lois.

-Jason was absolutely theater kid before his death who managed to get the lead role almost every time, and somehow maintained a healthy schedule of theater rehearsals, good grades, and patrols.

-building off of the last one, Jason is Bruce’s favorite allowing him to get away with pretty much anything, but no one notices this because Jason is convinced Bruce hates him, and everyone else (understandably) believes Cass is the favorite.

-Cass took up gardening after watching Alfred tend to the rose bushes out front, and is now responsible for the very impressive garden on the Wayne Estate. She loves being to create and nurture life instead of kill, like the was born and raised to. Jason also taught her the language of flowers and she has little flowerbeds for each member of the family. Only Jason knows what they mean (also Alfred but he knows everything)

-Tim isn’t a caffeine addict, but he does have severe insomnia and ADHD. Because of that, caffeine typically has the opposite effect on him, hence why he always seems to be drinking a cup. Either for the placebo effect to stay up and finish a case, or to make him tired enough to fall asleep.

-Damian struggles to connect with people and express gratitude, appreciation, and love. He asked Cass about her garden one day and very intently sat and listened while she taught him about the language of flowers. Each family member woke up the next morning to a drawing of a bouquet of flowers pinned to the door with a knife (Jason has his framed in a safehouse he is fairly sure none of his family knows about)

-The batcave has a secret vault of “bad ideas” which was started by Dick as a child with the original Robin suit Bruce designed (it had pants) along with videos of Dick wearing said costume and falling off of gymnastics bars. (Think of the video explaining why strippers don’t wear clothes with the person falling off the pole over and over)

-Bruce is autistic. He gives off tism vibes (you’re trying to tell me that a man who dresses up as a bat and fights crime as a trauma response to watching his parents be murdered in front of him is neurotypical?) and I also want to see more a positive autism representation in main characters in media.

-Dick’s use of made up words such as “aster” and “whelmed” come from the fact that he spoke very little English when he was first adopted by Bruce, and decided that using obviously made up words made his slip ups less noticeable, or people would assume he did it on purpose. Even after he mastered English, he continued using his made up words because they just made sense (the batcomputer and jl database have a hidden file called the “DICKtionary” unlinking all his words and their meanings)

-Jason can’t drive. He died when he was 15 (you have to be 16 in Jersey to get your permit), was revived in Nanda Parbat so there was no need to drive, and was too embarrassed to mention it by the time he returned to Gotham and the Batfamily. This is his deepest, darkest, secret.

-As a child, Dick was convinced Batman was a vampire (and still isn’t entirely convinced otherwise)

-Tim collects little trinkets. Dick noticed this early on, and made sure to get a little souvenir trinket for Tim every time he went on a trip. Bruce noticed and started doing the same thing, and so did his friends after a while. Tim proudly displays his collection, because to him, each trinket is a reminder that people are thinking about him and care about him. (Most of his possessions in Drake Manor were necessities like clothes, or things he had bought for himself. Barely anything was a gift)

-Jason has OCPD, and needs things to be an exact certain way, and struggles when they aren’t. It’s one of the biggest reasons why he is often so frustrated with Bruce, who tends to do things in a different, certain way.

-Cass is actually the most neurotypical in the family, though because she has learned how to be a person through observing, she has picked up on many neurodivergent traits, specifically stimming.

-Steph’s aesthetic is retro pastel pop, mixed with maximalism. She loves bright colors and loud designs (though purple is still her favorite by far)

-Alfred keeps guns stashed all over the house in case of emergencies. Bruce hates this and has tried to remove them, but has given up as he can never seem to find them all. Alfred also brought up the good point of “I am not a vigilante like you, Master Bruce, and I am not quite as young as I used to be. If there is ever an invasion of the manor, I would quite enjoy the security of being able to protect myself.”

-There is a list of who is banned from the kitchen. Bruce is at the top of the list, Tim isn’t allowed to make anything more complex than instant food, Cass and Damian aren’t very good, but at least make an effort to learn so are therefore allowed with supervision. Dick has a partial ban. He is an absolute disaster in the kitchen, except for soups, and sarma (his mother’s recipe was one of the few things he brought with him from the circus and was obsessed with perfecting it as a kid, leading it to be one of the only things he can actually make) Steph isn’t allowed to cook, but she is a proficient baker. Duke isn’t a horrible cook, but mainly avoids the kitchen, preferring to stay out of Alfred’s way. Jason is the only batfamily member who is not banned from the kitchen under any circumstances. He has a tendency to stress cook, and likes trying new fancy recipes, because on the streets he only ate what he could find. This gives him a sense of control.

-Superman wasn’t a great dad to Connor at first, opting to send him to the farm to stay with Ma and Pa, but after a stern talking to from Bruce, came around started making an effort. Connor is an excellent big brother to Jon.

#dc comics #dc universe #batman #batfamily #headcanon #batfam #batfam headcanons #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #duke thomas #stephanie brown #cassandra cain

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aalghul · 1 month

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Gosh though, Cass encountering Red Hod and knowing its Jason after having had Steph who is dead/she thinks is dead compared to him.

The thoughts that could have, the vibes directed at Bruce for that comparison, such potential!

she would be so angry at bruce for disparaging one of her only friends by comparing Steph to someone who’s now a murderer

#very honestly I’m sure she would be so angry #whether or not that’s fair to bruce bc he didn’t know about jason being This when he said that #i think her initial reaction would be hurt on steph’s behalf

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bubbydarkstar · 7 months

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Hi there! Hope you don't mind me asking a little story question about the spooky train game. I love Subway Midnight a lot, but I always wondered something about Benny.

All the ghosts are confined to their own set of cars, right? Kiki is doomed and can't escape the last car where she died, after all. Why does it seem like Benny can move freely around the whole train? He's in Victoria's, Cass's, and Kiki's levels along with his own. Does he have some special bonus ability or something? Or am I just overthinking it? Benny's also my favorite character so I'd love to know if there's some story reasons why he seems so extra and special on the train.

hello! yes, youre right, the ghosts are confined to their little set of carts. basically like, the carts they were in when they died is where they can wander around was the general idea.

the reason benny is different is because the dozens of little benny clones are separate entities to him. so, the floating benny we see in cass's carts, and the one inspecting the painting in victoria's carts, and etc. aren't actually the real benny, but instead just the weird little apparitions he creates to be the audience for his play. the REAL benny is basically just putting on his little play for all time and never leaves that stage (until lizz acknowledges him and grants him his soul back)

i'm not gonna get into too much detail about this bit, but i imagined for the potential sequel (which would continue after the GOOD END), the benny apparitions were left behind and now wander the subway, purposeless, and slowly becoming corrupted by the train's bad vibes

#subway midnight #benson t. reeves #benson t reeves #benny subway midnight #subway midnight benny #bubby talky

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autism-swagger · 2 months

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On those tall Steph panels (Yes tall Steph is amazing) but also I kind of doubt its intentional but I love the vibes that come from her & Jason being kind of buds.

Cos it radiates a sort of "We come from a very similar place regarding life experience, family's & trauma, we can see it in each other and that let's us kind of get passed a lot of walls others would struggle with."

I recall a meta post comparing Stephanie's efforts to warn Jason to how one sibling might warn another their abusive parent is on the warpath and to get out of dodge while they calm them down.

Obviously Bruce isn't Steph's dad and nor she doesn't want him to be, but the general vibes fit.

This panel particularly gets me.

Something about specifically Steph going against Bruce's orders to warn Jason.

There is so much wasted potential in their relationship! Criminal fathers, addict mothers who (mostly. lookin at you Crystal) try their best but still fall short, becoming a vigilante because you have no other choice, it's this or nothing. Even their tenures as Robin end in incredibly similar ways!

They're direct parallels. It's even acknowledged in canon!!

(Something something Jason starting off loving and kind and a bleeding heart, and morphing into something driven by fury and revenge, who's violent and hateful and wants to burn the world down just to get back at the people who hurt him.

Something something Steph starting off wanting so desperately to kill her father to get back at him for everything he's done to her, starting off angry and violent and (quite frankly) more than a little bit bloodthirsty, and rising above it all, refusing to let it win.)

(Also in regards to siblings who warn each other about an abusive parent, Jason and Steph are really the only ones who understand that, aren't they?

Dick and Duke had loving parents and then Bruce. Tim's parents were occasionally absent at worst (no matter what Tim stans believe). Cass had such an insane, unique childhood that I don't think she would, or could, relate in that specific sense, even if she does relate to abusive parents/upbringings. Same with Damian, even though Talia is (depending on who's writing her) a good mom. Barbara still has her dad, and he's a good father.

I feel like Jason and Steph are really the only ones who understand each other in that way. In a lot of ways, really.)

#or at least it's acknowledged that she reminds people of Jason #society if DC capitalized on their parallels #hell society if the FANDOM capitalized on their parallels #they are so that one lyric from Fool by Adrianne Lenker coded #'if I were him / would you be my family too?'#Steph tag #og fandom post tag

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vanoincidence · 5 months

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Do You Believe in Magic? || Van & Milo

TIMING: current LOCATION: sly slice. PARTIES: @escudofracturado & @vanoincidence SUMMARY: milo visits van at work and they have a conversation about magic. CONTENT: sibling death tw, parental death tw, suicidal ideation tw.

Since learning that Van worked there, Milo had been avoiding going to Sly Slice. After their disastrous initial meeting and the awkwardness at the party he had been invited to at her house, he hadn't been keen on the idea of running into the girl. However, after a bit of messaging back and forth, it seemed that things were kinda okay now? Maybe? At least, as okay as they could be when she knew that he knew that she had been involved in a murder. It was definitely kind of a weird vibe, but it was better than her being scared and pissed at him, and melting everything around her.

Also better? She seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that she had magic. Hopefully that meant she'd be up to learning and training soon, because it was clear that her magic had the potential to be incredibly dangerous. With power like hers, she needed to learn how to control it before… well, before she landed herself into a situation like the one that had destroyed Milo's life.

He slowed as her rolled up to the pizza spot, grabbing his board as he went. Upon entering, he quickly noticed a familiar face, and gave her an awkward little wave. “Hey.”

—

Van wasn’t sure why she had invited Milo to visit her at Sly Slice. She’d been so busy and stressed out with the expo that working at the actual shop was a means for relaxation, all things considered. She didn’t want to be afraid of everything, much less Milo. Nobody else seemed concerned with him, even if she still felt like she couldn’t trust him completely.

Maybe there was something else the others knew that she didn’t. Honestly, she couldn’t be sure, and what was the point in recoiling from it? She’d already melted things in front of Nora, Cass, and Ariadne, among others. If she didn’t figure out what was going on, something like what happened with Diana might happen again, and Van didn’t want that to happen.

So when the door opened, Van braced herself for the tension that came with the majority of their meetings (even those online), but there was something different now. Maybe it was acceptance on Van’s part. She raised a hand in greeting, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips in an attempt to be friendly.

The anxiety that usually bubbled up, creating an effect where she needed to clear her throat one too many times was absent, so at least that was good. “Hey. You just missed the lunch rush so uh, good… on you.” She clasped her hands together, not sure what else to say. Van looked over her shoulder towards the back window wondering if Jett would make a mistake that she’d need to fix. Rocky really needed to hire more people.

“Do you um– want a slice? It’s on the house.”

—

She smiled at him, which was definitely a new development. Maybe things were really starting to become okay? He wasn't sure, but this was a nice change of pace from their previous interactions, at least. He chuckled, his smile turning somewhat crooked, ”Right, thanks, I totally did that on purpose.”

The offer took him a little by surprise, but it seemed that they were both making an effort here, and that was something. ”Oh, I mean, if that's cool.“ Milo had been planning on getting a slice anyway, and he wasn’t one to say no to free food. And certainly not when it seemed like kind of a peace offering. Maybe?

”Are you still on the clock?“ He didn't want to get her in trouble or anything if her manager happened to be a hard ass or something. ”I can, like, fuck off for a bit if you are.“ Or just in general, honestly. He really didn't want her to feel nervous around him. He was just an idiot who spoke without thinking, his desperation making him do something as stupid as confront someone you had definitely just seen cover up a murder. Honestly, he was lucky she hadn't melted him, especially knowing now that she had no information or control over her abilities.

—

“Did you?” She didn’t realize he was kidding, so she quickly amended, “right, you totally did.” Van didn’t know where to look. At him, at the register, at her hands… she wanted to be polite, needed to be, considering he was one of the only people who knew what the fuck she was going through. He had mentioned something about himself being scared, too, but she wasn’t sure why. He’d known about his magic for quite some time now, whereas she was just being introduced to its world.

“Yeah, no, totally cool. I get free slices, so like, it’s my lunch for you, but it’s not stale or anything.” She bit the inside of her cheek, and with a deep breath she turned around to the warming rack before grabbing a paper plate from the shelf. “Which kind did you want? I can grab you two. Um, we only have four kinds, but I think you knew that already…”

At his question, she shrugged, “yeah, but it’s no big deal. Rocky doesn’t actually care if people come and hang out as long as I’m making sales.” This wasn’t a sale, but not that that mattered.

—

He smiled at her, trying to push through the awkward energy surrounding the interaction. Milo wasn’t quite sure how to prove to her that he didn’t mean any harm to her or her friends– if there even was anything that he could do aside from just wading through it. Or rather, talking through it. He was good at that, at least.

“Yeah, I came with Ariadne once,” he nodded. And then he’d avoided the shop because of their disastrous encounter. “Not to be the obnoxious New Yorker, but, like, I was surprised how good it was? There are a lotta places that don’t really hold up. And, like, pizza is pizza, and I will eat any of it, but never know what to expect in other places.” Mmmm… that was maybe too much talking. “But, uh, pepperoni, please?”

It was good to hear that her boss was chill, though. “Oh, that’s really cool. As long as I’m not gonna get you into any trouble– I know some managers have absolutely zero chill,” he grinned. “But you wanted to talk about stuff, right?” Milo looked around the shop, checking to see if there was anyone within earshot, but it seemed he had, indeed, missed the lunch rush, as there weren’t many people there.

—

Obviously Milo knew Ariadne. That made sense. They’d all been at the same party, even if Ariadne had been more concerned with being close to Wynne. That was fine, though. Van could understand it, it was a new relationship, and if she ever let herself love again, then maybe she would have been the same way. She didn’t for-see that happening, though.

Her mind wandered, as it always did, and she snapped back into the reality that was Milo standing across from her telling her what kind of pizza he preferred. “I’ve been to New York! The pizza is really good there.” She didn’t like to think about her summers in the city, all they brought were bad memories. “But Sly Slice is good, too. I think Rocky is from New York, that might be why.” She didn’t actually know if that were the truth or not.

She nodded at his requested and plated up two slices of pepperoni pizza before turning back to him. This was so weird. If this were a few months ago, Van would have gone running for the hills, desperate to evade the one who knew they killed Debbie. The one who knew she had magic.

“Nah, no you’re not.” Maybe. Sometimes Rocky was cool, sometimes he was weird. She pushed the paper plate towards him across the counter before bundling up a few napkins and sliding those across, too. At his question, she tensed. That was why she had asked him here, he was right.

She nodded slowly, wringing her hands together. She looked past him towards the door. “I know we.. um, we talked a little bit online about it, but…” Van took a deep breath before motioning towards a table nearest the register. If somebody came in, she could get up and easily go and assist them.

Van took a seat, crossing her ankles together against one of the chair legs. She waited for Milo to sit down before she started speaking, trying to keep her composure, or what was left of it.

“I… you remember what I did at the Common? That keeps happening, but like, a lot. I keep getting scared or upset or angry and it keeps happening and I don’t know how to make it stop. I want it to stop.” She paused, uncertain of how to proceed, “is… is there a way to get rid of it? Magic, I mean.”

—

“Oh, cool! Were you, like, on a trip or something?” He assumed Rocky was the chef. Or maybe the owner. Both? Either way, he was grateful that there was a fellow New Yorker doing the lord’s work here. It would’ve been a bummer if the pizza here wasn’t good. “That makes sense,” Milo nodded. “Props to Rocky, then.”

Okay, that was good. The last thing he needed was to get Van in trouble just as they were trying to come to a truce.

“Thanks.” He flashed her a smile, hoping his sincerity came through.

Following her over to the nearby table, he sank into the seat across from her, taking a quick bite of his pizza while she gathered her thoughts. He most definitely remembered what she did at the Common– he hadn’t exactly been expecting her to make her lunchbox evaporate or turn a bird feeder into a pile of molten plastic. He hadn’t known what to expect, hadn’t even thought it through before opening his mouth.

But this, he had expected. It was the same conversation that they’d been having online, after all.

“I’m sorry,” he frowned. While he couldn’t entirely understand what Van was going through, he certainly empathized with feeling out of control and worried about what he was capable of– now more than ever.

“It’s… scary, not being in control. Especially with that kind of power.” Everything he’d read and learned about elemental magic was that it was difficult, temperamental, and, especially for those with an affinity for fire, it could be incredibly destructive. The most Milo could manage was a small flame. It was a party trick more than anything, helpful in the moments he couldn’t find a lighter. But even that was difficult to maintain, to tame. And if he tried now… Well, he wouldn’t try now. That was beside the point, though.

“I–” he inhaled, trying to think of how to phrase this all delicately. “I’ve never heard of any way to get rid of it. I… don’t know if it’s even possible. To be fair,” he added, “I don’t know that it’s not. But, I would imagine that it would be difficult to do. And probably really dangerous.” His mind flashed to Alistair, to healing and necromancy– even mind magic– in general. Manipulating, messing, with living beings like that was risky, and it always had a price. “Your abilities, they’re a part of you. And trying to get rid of them– it seems like there’s a lot that could go wrong there.” He bit his lip, not wanting to say the wrong thing and, god forbid, upset her.

He had always seen his magic as a gift, something that made him special and powerful, something that he could do good with. However, he had grown up knowing the truth of magic, he had been learning and practicing for basically his whole life. It was a wildly different experience from what Van had been going through all by herself, not fully understanding or believing what was going on. And her magic– her emotions– being so destructive had to be a massive struggle. It was something every caster he knew struggled with, keeping their emotions under control, the knowledge that something could go incredibly wrong if you didn’t.

It felt wrong offering to help her find a way to rid herself of her magic, but that wasn’t his choice to make.

“But we could try to look into it more,” he said, finally. “In the meantime, though, I think you need to try to learn how to control it more.”

—

“I um, I had family there that I’d visit.” Van clasped her hands together, pushing both thumbs against each other. Did her grandma even still live there? Had she moved? Did she leave her apartment in Flushing to avoid Van if she ever visited? There were an endless amount of questions that Van had about her grandmother, but none of which Milo would be able to answer, so she pulled herself from the thought by straightening up in her chair. Something about physically changing your position to help ease anxiety– it was something she learned in her few weeks of therapy and she genuinely hoped it would work in this case.

Milo apologized, and Van tried to absorb it, as if it might make a difference. Instead, she only felt a little empty.

Unfortunately, Milo didn’t seem to have an answer for her question– at least, not the kind of answer she was hoping for. Van wasn’t sure what would have happened if he knew. Would he tell her there was some kind of reset factory? Some kind of orb that she’d need to touch? She’d do all of it just to be an ounce of normal– to not put anybody in harm’s way.

“Right…” Van’s throat constricted and she felt a sting in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry, not in front of Milo, and not over this. Couldn’t she just be an adult for once in her life?

“I just don’t want to hurt anyone else.” Her mind flashed to Diana, to the way that she melted the blanket around herself, Cass, and Ariadne. What if she had opened another black hole? What if…

And then Milo told her that they could look into it. Her gaze shifted back up to meet his and she opened her mouth to speak, but his next suggestion made her feel ill. “I don’t know how. I don’t even know what any of this is.” She could learn, and she knew it, but she was being stubborn when it came to her magic– she didn’t even want it, which was the whole point of this conversation. “I just want it to go away. My grandma doesn’t even have it, my parents didn’t have it– so why do I have it? It’s not fair.” She was giving Milo maybe a little too much of herself, but she couldn’t stop, “I just want to be normal, like them– so that my grandma will love me again, and so that I won’t keep hurting or killing people.” She snapped her mouth closed after a moment and she shook her head.

“I’m afraid of killing people, I haven’t–” But Milo already knew about Debbie, and even though her powers hadn’t actually killed that girl, he already knew she was privy to hurting others. “Please ignore that last part.”

—

She had family in New York. It wasn't something he should relate to- he did have family in New York. They were still there, still alive– his friends, his parents, his tía. But, well, his parents hadn't really counted in years, had they? And his friends had pretty much given up on him after he had all but ghosted everyone. He couldn't exactly blame them– it was his own fault, after all– but it still stung. Even more so, considering how long he'd known some of them, and the circumstances that had led to him leaving in the first place. Maybe Anthony hadn't been the only one getting sick of him.

His aunt was the only one left, really, now that Luz was here. Another person he had disappointed, another face he couldn't quite face. But he pushed those thoughts aside, refocusing on Van.

It obviously wasn’t what she had been hoping to hear. Milo watched her face drop, saw how she tried to fight it, keep her face neutral. It made her look even younger, and it just made him think of his sister, reminded him that Van was dealing with all of this by herself. And she had hurt people.

There was a pit forming in his stomach, a feeling of nausea settling in. His chest hurt.

Of course, she didn't want her magic when it was something that she had no control over, when it had led to her hurting others. It's why he was in this damn town, too, why he rarely used his own magic these days. If not for the good memories, the knowledge of what it was like to cast and be in control, if all Milo had known his entire life was this chaotic, dangerous magic he'd been dealing with for over a year now, he would want to be rid of it, too. So, maybe it felt wrong to offer, but not offering seemed even worse somehow.

It wasn't an immediate solution, though. Learning to control it was the only thing that could actually help in the present moment. But that definitely hadn't been what she wanted to hear. She looked panicked at just the idea of it, her response coming off almost childish, a fear and desperation leaking through that made his heart hurt. She was only twenty, and she had lost her parents. That was hard enough already without having magical abilities that she knew absolutely nothing about. She hadn’t even known magic was real. It wasn't fair.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but she continued, words spilling out in a rush. I just want to be normal, like them– so that my grandma will love me again, and so that I won’t keep hurting or killing people.

Jesus fucking Christ.

There was a lot to unpack there, but Van was sitting across from him, looking terrified and hopeless in a way that felt far too familiar for his liking. He took a moment, ignoring the prickling sensation in his eyes as he tried to figure out how the fuck to respond to that.

His voice was subdued when he began speaking again. "I'm sorry that you've had to deal with this by yourself this whole time. And I'm sorry about... what happened. I don't– I'm not– I don't–" know what to say.

He pressed his fist to his mouth, physically blocking himself from speaking as he propped his head up, thinking. And after a moment, he let his arm drop back down to the table. "I used to love my magic more than anything," he admitted. "But I've been– I can't control it anymore. It's not the same thing, obviously, but I kinda–"

Milo looked down, voice wavering as the pit in his stomach grew, the ache in his chest worsening. "I've hurt– My–my sister– my older sister– she was trying to help me and–" A boulder had wedged its way into his throat, making it impossible to finish the sentence. Just behind it, he could almost taste the bile.

His eyes were glued to a scratch on the table as he took a few breaths, trying to focus on the center of his chest, on the feeling of distance between himself and the barrier keeping the brunt of his emotions at bay.

"I've hurt people, too…"

A few more breaths, and he was able to look up at her once again, his gaze sad and sympathetic. "It's–it's not fair, and I'm really fuckin' sorry. I get it, you don't want this, you don't want to ever use your power, but... it's there. And, like it or not, it's part of you. I’ll help you look for a way to get rid of it– I will– but I don't know how long that could take, or if something like that even exists."

She didn't want to hear it, but it had to be said.

"You have to learn to control it, Van, or it's just gonna keep happening."

—

The thing about Van was that she was always going to drop a nuclear disaster in any conversation. The words were always going to roll out, looking for any way to make the situation worse. She didn’t mean to make Milo look so mortified, it was just sort of her… thing. She was capable of making any situation awkward by simply speaking, and it wasn’t ever going to get any better. Like her magic, maybe she needed to figure out how to control that.

Van looked down at her hands as she began to pick at some of the dry skin on her thumb. It probably wasn’t very sanitary for her to do so considering she worked at a food joint, but she’d just put gloves on for the rest of the day, it was no big deal.

Milo offered his apologies as they all did– it was all anyone could ever do.

But he offered something else, too. A look into his own life; into the way he had turned it upside down.

With all of their discussions surrounding magic– or rather, lack thereof, Van had been so sure that Milo was some kind of elite magic user. But there was a distinct fear in his features, and it echoed in his voice. He spoke of the one he had hurt; his sister– and Van felt her chest tighten. Iron flattened over her tongue, anxiety swirling through her. She hadn’t meant to get this kind of story from him– she liked it better when she didn’t know anything, when he was a little bit scary because he knew things. Opening up like this meant something and she knew it, and she didn’t really like it.

It meant that there was a weight to this now, the kind that she wasn’t really all too sure she could shoulder, even on her best days. But Milo continued, and Van kept her mouth closed. She listened to him as he spoke, as he admitted he’d hurt somebody too. She wasn’t very tactful at times, but something in her told her not to ask if the person in question had died. She already knew the answer to that.

Van continued picking at the dry skin before she could feel Milo looking at her. She looked up, finally, and looked into those sad puppy dog eyes. He looked like he’d been kicked down a flight of stairs. It was sort of the way she felt inside.

“I’m sorry.” The words felt lifeless, so she tried again, “that you– that you know what it’s like, I mean.” Because nobody should, she realized. Nobody this young should know what it’s like to hurt somebody else, not when they’re the kind of person to do so. Van had originally been worried that Milo would find a way to hurt her with his words; a confession to the precinct, but instead, his physicality– the magic he had, it had hurt someone, too. She wasn’t sure she liked this level of honesty anymore, but everything was already laid out on the table.

“We’ll… I’ll try.” Because it was the least she could offer, even if hurt to say. Try either finding a way to get rid of it, or to control it, Van didn’t articulate. She felt like she should, but she couldn’t get herself to say it. “I’m– do you… more pizza.” She got up from her chair and turned, stumbling back to the cash register. She grabbed a warmed slice and dished it out, but not before washing her hands aggressively. Van returned to Milo with the lopsided slice, half of it smeared across the plate. “Pizza is better than–” honesty, she wanted to say, but instead, she cleared her throat, “than being sad, here’s more pizza.” She plopped it down in front of Milo, still not sure what to say. “You’re… different than I thought you would be. Than when I first met you.” He was a lot more sad, she thought, a lot less threatening. Then again, he had hurt somebody too, so maybe that wasn’t the case.

—

The girl looked anxious and miserable, and he hated it. Milo wished he could do more, say more. He wished he could fix things for her, but even with his powers, that wasn’t something he would have been able to pull off. Van wasn’t having a literal meltdown, though, so that was good, he supposed.

He hadn’t been expecting a sorry from her– he hadn’t known what to expect from her at all, honestly, given their past interactions– but that just made it harder to take in. There was a weight to the words, a quiet understanding that made him feel a little hollow.

It reminded him a little of that first meeting with Finn, that grim feeling of camaraderie once he realized the empath felt the same brand of distant misery that he did. There had been a sense of comfort there, knowing he wasn’t so alone, as fucked up as it might’ve been. That comfort was absent here, though. They had unintentionally hurt people, killed people, and they had to live with that. There was no comfort to be offered to either of them.

Milo could only nod, jaw tense as he tried to keep himself steady. The last thing they needed was for him to have a meltdown now.

He also hadn’t known how she would react. They’d spoken about this before, after all, and he was still there at the shop trying to convince her. He’d readied himself for more of an argument, but it seemed she didn’t have any fight left in her. Not about this. He was glad that she was willing to try, but he couldn’t actually feel glad about anything in this situation. Still, he managed a small smile. A small smile that quickly turned to confusion as she scrambled back behind the counter with a faint more pizza.

The first slice was still on his plate, having been abandoned for the rather serious conversation, and he turned his attention to it as Van took a few moments. He certainly couldn’t blame her for wanting to get away from the heaviness that had settled over them, even if just for a few minutes. It was mostly gone by the time she got back, a rather fucked up looking slice of pizza in hand. Pizza is better than… being sad.

He snorted, lips quirking up into a wry smile. It sounded like something Luci would say while trying to cheer him up. “Thanks.” It came out sounding probably too sincere, so Milo turned his attention to the pizza.

He tried his best to fix the disaster on his plate and salvage as much of the cheese as he could before it became one with the paper plate. Glancing up at the admission, he gave her a slightly sheepish look. “Yeah, sorry again about that. It was stupid of me.”

—

Van wished that this conversation could be pushed into something else, that it could relate back to something normal like exams or friendships, and not the fact that they had both hurt somebody, either with or without their magic. Van hated that this was how she had to relate to Milo, and in the same breath, it was somewhat comforting. It felt a little easier knowing she wasn’t the only mess, especially because it seemed like Milo knew a thing or two about magic. Even with that knowledge, he had still hurt someone. Deep down, Van wasn’t sure if that was actually a good thing or not, but she chose for it to be. It was easier if it was. If she blocked out what it meant; that Milo wasn’t in control either, that maybe he didn’t know everything– that the answers she was seeking would go left untouched.

But she had to choose to trust him– the help he offered, and everything else.

She went to take her seat, but the door opened and the flow of cold air pooled around her ankles. Van gave Milo an apologetic smile before turning her attention to the customers.

Even if it felt like a different world during their discussion, she was still a girl at a stupid pizza shop, and Milo was still the boy who had proof that she was capable of terrible things. Van wasn’t sure if hopeful was the right word to associate with this interaction, but she did so anyway. Maybe they would find a way to get rid of her magic, and maybe Milo would be more sure of himself through that victory– Van couldn’t be certain, but she wanted to be.

#para: do you believe in magic #para: milo #parental death tw #sibling death tw #suicidal ideation tw #wickedswriting

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rewatching-sam-and-dean · 8 months

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Supernatural Seasons 11 and 14

So, I know the later seasons don’t really measure up to the earlier ones, especially Kripke era, but I actually really like Seasons 11 and 14. However, I like them for the brotherness much more than for the plot.

Season 11 is beautiful for how Sam and Dean are finally on the same page and just vibing with each other. Still codependent (especially Dean) but they’ve come to terms with it. All it took was Sam being willing to stop at nothing, not even at releasing a potentially world ending force, to save Dean for them to get there. I love how Dean doesn’t blame Sam for this once because my guy was secretly happy Sam did it and proved his devotion. Psychos 😊 , the both of them.

On the other hand, I don’t really care for how the whole Amara thing was executed, but you can’t have everything, especially in later seasons. I also don’t care about what the angels are doing. Like ever. At least, after Season 8.

Season 14 is also great in terms of Sam and Dean brothering. They are now in the “I’m just chilling with my platonic life parter and I’m good” stage. I also like that this season makes it very clear that Sam and Dean are each others’ number one. Sam is the one who gets through to Dean when Michael has him locked up inside his own head, and Sam is the only person who can talk Dean out of locking literally himself up and giving him hope. Sam is willing to back Dean up even if it means locking Jack away, someone he considers like his kid. Is this all healthy? No. Not really, but I like it anyway. Sam and Dean are determined to be codependent, so let them, I say. Unfortunately, the downsides to this season are … ugh.

The Nick storyline is utter trash and the character outstayed his welcome and then some. I don’t need whole episodes that focus mostly on Jack, and I honestly don’t really buy Dean caring about Jack on the level of him being like his kid, so their bonding scenes are a little meh for me (not a Dean criticism); I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. And when did Cass become Mr. Feelings? He’s a bloody Angel, people! He has no business coaching Jack on how to … soul. He doesn’t even have one himself. This character is practically unrecognizable from Seasons 4-6 Cass, and not in a good way. He becomes a glorified, nurtured house pet and nanny.

Anyway, I guess my point boils down to that, for me, if Sam and Dean are good or having good bonding time, are peaking as codependent brothers, than I can forgive a season a lot of issues. This is what the skip/fast forward button is for, after all. And Seasons 11 snd 14 give me lots of good brother (and Winchester Family) content, so they still have something to offer in my opinion. It’s just too bad that they have to pad the seasons with clumsy plots or pointless characters.

Seasons 13 snd 15 are a bit of a different matter 😞.

#supernatural #sam and dean #season 11 #season 14 #spn meta #my thiughts #not my gifs but i love 'em #sam winchester #dean winchester #castiel critical #it’s about the brothers

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inthe-neighbourhood · 2 years

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Batfamily Fic Recs: Rare Dynamics Edition Pt2

go check out pt1 too if you like these <3

Misplaced By antrax

Words: 3,320 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: General Audience

Relationship: Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne

Summary:

After almost a year and a half, Duke still doesn't quite fit in with his new family and he can't figure out why. Or he can, but the answer is a tad complicated, and Damian is very, very blunt.

Review:

I like this fic a lot, in fandom you tend to see a romantized version of family, which isn't bad I love that, but this fanfic shows a realistic family while still feeling cozy and comfortable, like you really are in the kitchen, dressed down in pajamas, talking with your brother. Duke's feelings of liking Damian, but finding him annoying and still reassuring him is so sweet, and at the end I almost started crying by how sweet Damian is. I feel like these two would get along really well and this fic shows what I think their relationship would be like.

2. Hot Pocket Disaster by dandelioness666

Words: 4,063 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Mature

Relationship: Duke Thomas & Jason Todd

Summary:

Jason slumps onto the couch. He pulls a knife out of his thigh-sheath and starts cutting off his undershirt, hissing when the tacky blood soaking through it tugs at his torn skin.

Steph collapses sideways across the cushions next to him and groans, “Literally, I am so bored right now. Does this safehouse have any games?”

---------------------

No need to read any other JTSG works to read this one! It just kind of thematically fits the vibe so I'm tossing it in with the rest. :)

Review:

I love fanfics between these two, there is so much potential for them to be close and so many possibilities for them. The way Jason trusts Duke feels so genuine and realistic considering their relationship, I also enjoyed the domestic nature of the beginning of the fic with the four of them in Dick's safehouse and the Doctor Who joke was pretty funny ngl.

3. Kryptonite By glitter_in_my_eyes

Words: 2,252 Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationship: Cassandra Cain & Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain & Timothy Drake, Cassandra Cain & Dick Grayson

Summary:

The one where Cass finds out she has a food allergy - the hard way...

Review:

It's a good example of what Cassandra's early dynamic would be with Dick and Tim, and it shows just how much Barbara cares for her which is always nice to see considering how close they are in the comics. Also the little reminiscence of her mindset from being with her dad in the way she thinks was a good addition.

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thedawningofthehour · 1 year

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doth!draxum is the type of villain you want to squeeze really tightly in your fist and scream at him in angry tears but at the same time acknowledge his absolute genius.

ngl i see a lot of fics with intentional holes in villains which the protagonists use to save the day and yada yada (which is still obviously important sometimes), or just blunt personality traits that do not add up to the character as a whole when you think about it; like "oh, i, draxum, will hate the very beings i have created and treat them like absolute shit just because i can, despite the fact that if i treated them properly then they'd thrive and be open to whatever plans i have for them because they actually understand what i am doing for yokai and be met with little to no resistance and, /bonus/, have (some) kickass son(s)"

there are still a lot of good fics with this but. idk. it really just doesn't strike me as something draxum would do.

doth draxum is the complete opposite and is just so downright realistic. i haven't angrily loved a villain like this in a good while. fact, i dont even think villain is the right term, since what he's doing could potentially save both yokai and humankind alike from an even worse fate. reality sucks and draxum already knows that, and he taught galois that too. donnie just viewed it as draxum killing off the human race(might be wrong on that part since i need to go re-read) and didn't quite take in the actual crisis approaching.

what i just spewed might be literal bullshit but. it's my bullshit.

anywayssss love the writing sm can't wait for next chapter even if it'll break this poor little heart even more.

I don't want to start ragging on other writers/artists here. They had their own visions for how their creative works would look and Evil Draxum fit that. That's fine. It's just a different vibe than what I wanted, that's all.

I think the point a lot of Grimdark Draxum people get hung up on is the scene where he throws Leo off the roof, with the whole "I will not hesitate to destroy you" thing. (sidenote, I do not have Leo be salty about that NEARLY enough) From there, yeah, he does look like a ruthless villain who would do classically evil things just because he can.

But Draxum is one of those characters whose words say one thing and his actions say another. He does hesitate to destroy them. Not Leo, he legit thought Leo was going to die and didn't give a fuck, (in my canon he did this because Leo is his least favorite-he wouldn't have done it to the other three) but he deals with them all several times before coming to the conclusion that they have to die. And even after he assembles Evil Justice League and does a whole music number about killing them-he stands there and asks them to join him again. He has a group of pissed-off mutants at his back who all really hate the turtles and got all excited for murder. He's 100% willing to burn those bridges and piss those guys off if it means he doesn't have to kill his turtles. And even then, after giving them what he explicitly states is their final, point-of-no-return offer...he's out there trying to convince them again, using Lou Jitsu as an in with them. Draxum does not want them dead. He's willing to kill them, but it's established that Draxum is willing to sacrifice just about anything for his cause, so that's not saying much.

And then another thing is his behavior at the end of s1 when he gets close to the dark armor, with the whole kidnapping the boys and threatening to torture them to death in front of their father kind of thing. Yeah. That was fucked. I feel like the dark armor and the taunting of power really, really fucked with Draxum's head. In my canon Cass kind of snapped him out of that when she told him that the armor would all but kill him, and he realized how far gone he was. Cass and Gale kind of serve as good grounding points for him now.

Also, I just want to point out, this was the face Draxum made when he first laid eyes on his creations:

That is not the face of a man who is ambivalent about them dying.

So yeah, while Draxum's original plan for Donnie was not as fluffy and affectionate as what he ended up going with, it wasn't cruel. He would have still fed him well and made sure he was getting enough sleep because those things would have affected the quality of his work, he would have provided medical care because what use did he have for a sick or injured engineer? Taking care of Donnie was worth the extra time and expense because a healthy Donnie would be more productive and would do better work. Just in terms of numbers, it made more sense to be decent to him. There probably would have been some mental and physical abuse, but mostly just to make Donnie reliant on him and keep him from rebelling.

Also he still absolutely thinks of the change of plans as purely a numbers thing. It would simply produce better results of he did it like this. Feelings never came into play here. Baron Draxum does not get attached, especially not to turtles who cuss him out while strapped to his lab table.

Oh no, Draxum is 100% genociding the human race. He's willing to mutate some of them-mostly kids, because they aren't shitheads yet and he thinks they might be redeemable. This isn't exactly mercy-this is something real-life colonizers do to ethnic groups they're trying to destroy. Take their kids and make them 'their own'. That was the whole deal with residential schools and there are definitely people who utilize international adoption to 'save' and Christianize non-white babies. Draxum genuinely believes that humans are evil by virtue of being human. Most human adults are too corrupted, but he might be able to save some of them by mutating them, and the children deserve a chance to be saved.

It just kind of goes to show what a shit situation we're in that That is actually something that could halt the impending mass extinction event caused by climate change.

#i cannot stress this enough this fic was supposed to be really low effort #now we're integrating commentary on climate change and marxism #doth #doth asks #baron draxum

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blorbologist · 1 year

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do you think canon Percy is neurodivergent / on the spectrum? I personally hc him as such but what is your opinion on this subject? what are things that stand out to you?

Hi anon!

I do as well! Full disclaimer: I am autistic, my brother is autistic and has ADHD, and our father is probably on the spectrum as well but in vehement denial. However, I got Very Good at masking, to the point I rarely unmask and spend all my energy dealing with Social Bullshit, while my brother is... idk, super charismatic in social settings, somehow, but a nightmare with Tasks and Sensory Hell. So I usually project autism onto characters given my lived experience, but can 100% see how he has ADHD vibes as well! I think neurodivergent rep is very important, and it's great that we can see ourselves in these characters <3

I will repeat this a lot, but Percy has also undergone a fuckton of trauma. A lot of his traits that remind me of myself could be due to PTSD. His panic attacks, for instance, are things I'd slot more with PTSD, personally. You can read his character different ways (I read him as having both), and that's good on you. However, I am autistic and I like projecting My Me onto the blorbo so that's what you get.

A couple of things stand out to me:

The whole Feywild thing reminds me of a special interest. Less so in the campaign, but given how they play it up in TLOVM I really suspect it's the case. Clockmaking also seems like the sort of very specific, detailed work that'd make my brain go brrr if it was my thing, so? Is that anything?

A lot of how he is described (by himself or by Tal) pre-Briarwoods could align with a little introvert noble with no social skills and a whole fuckton of arrogance, but it also aligns nicely with an autistic kid.

Just. how many times Cass has to imply 'percy I can't handle Whitestone alone' before he gets the memo. is insane. it's either 'his autistic ass isn't getting what she's trying to say' or 'percy stop being a dick and help your sister out you KNOW what she's asking'. either way works for me! But I'd like to hope he's not intentionally shoving responsibility on his little sister and use that as an excuse.

We don't know if he had issues being touched prior to being tortured ("We didn't touch in my family"), and the trauma of what Ripley did to him could 110% account for that! But I like to slot it away into my 'on the spectrum' vibes box.

Layers. Layers. Layers! Again, another potential covariate with the fact he's a poncy noble, and has a vested interest in hiding his scars, but I am Particular about what touches my skin at a given time. I like long sleeves and pants and gloves because then it's always the same sensory things on me and not changing.

Just how slow he is to court Vex. Because maybe he's reading the social cues wrong, and he has to be Obvious about his interest too, and becomes a fancy bird giving gifts because that's the best way he can think of supporting her and expressing interest while figuring out whatever the fuck this Attraction thing is.

Perhaps just a Tal thing (I see it with Ashton too, or I did when going over the Laudna n Ashton convo with a fine toothed comb the other day), but how much he fidgets when talking. Constantly moving.

His entire friendship with Keyleth is very autism vibes. Could purely be coming form her, or shared, who knows! (I am a huge supporter of autistic Keyleth, here n there I'll sneak in a line about her stimming <3)

Might just be a Me thing, but how he turns to Vex when he's feeling big emotions and doesn't trust himself to handle them. What the fuck are these, I think this impulse to lash out at Scanlan is probably bad, dear please keep me from doing anything stupid.

Also it's very funny for me to do the 'me and the bad bitch I pulled being autistic' meme with him and Vex ngkntrjnhrt

#percival de rolo #critical role #ask #cr headcanons #cr meta #I am just one leetol autism so forgive me if these aren't Perfect. i dont wanna pretend my hcs are 100% truth or anything.#i just see a lot of me in Percy #anyways this is why I wanna write a high fic because autism + The Weeds = absolutely insane levels of stimming and brain stuff.#could go very good or very badly. and it'd be fun to write him and Kiki getting high and percy going 'wtf im stimming??? WACK' like I do

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nikethestatue · 1 year

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I'm so sorry this will be long but I have to get rid of this to someone who understands me, your last post brought it all back up 🤧 (I apologize for any grammatical errors, english is not my native language)

Acosf got so much missing potential, I don't even know where to start... There are so many things that could have be done better

Nessian:

Where is the chemistry they already had in acowar? Where is the build up they already had? Why start at zero and make it all about s€x at the beginning. This one scene at the beginning where Cassian should bring Nesta to the river house and when Nesta then opens the door he first noticed her skinny appearance but then is stuck with her tatas like excuse me sir but your priorities are wrong right now 🤨. They had their cute, bonding and hot moments but it could be done better, there could be more. I think there is a reason many simping for Nesta × Eris when one dance had more sparkle than nearly half of the book.

Cassian himself:

That something i noticed only at my secound read because Acheron sisters >> bat boys so I focus more on them but yeah what about Cassian?? We learn nothing new about him and now this is a bit fronty but he sometimes gave me Wattpad Bodybuilder/Trainer vibes 😑 like where is our 500 years old Illyrian warrior, the general of the NC?

The plot (what plot?)

Do I have to say much about the pregnancy plot? like *🥲* You have already written a post or rebloggt i don't remember for sure which summarized it well. But you know what bothers me it could have been good. It was maybe a little fast because feyre has first said in acomaf she wanted to take her time but then came acofas where we have seen her wish for children (we are not talking about Rhys breeding kink💀😂). But why the fish was Feyre's pragnancy in Nessian pov?? I really like Feysand bonus chapter. Rhys crying from joy, they thinking about names and so going on. Cute moments between a couple becoming parents. Why make the pregnancy about Nesta? Why not showing us the joy and sorrow from Feysand's pov?

The blood rite was not better, ngl it was nice to read but glad that so many agree that it was unrealistic that they won. Would they have suvived, sure but win? No. The valkyries won against Illyrian who trained since childhood for the blood rite. Like okay how unrealistic you want to be?

The rest of the plot was basically training and fu€king so yeah 🤷‍♀️. The only aspect i found kinda interesting was the whole plot about the troves.

And when we at the plot,

Illyrian and the illyrian culture:

Two words: MISSED POTENTIAL. (and your post which is the reason i am writing this essay 😂💃) It is not like that we got a love interest who is Illyrian himself. Who suffered under the Illyrian but still wants to reform them, didn't give the hope up on them. Like we didn't get a woman as a friend of the MC who suffered under the Illyrian, who got her wings cut and was degrationed by them. Emerie my love don't get enough resignation. Like we didn't had Nesta training with the priestesses, why limit it only to them why not involve Illyrian women, why only train at HoW? Even why it was just the valkyries they could have made a statement while training in front of the Illyrian woman similar as Nesta did it at the libary to encourage the priestesses (and then they are not the Griel stans saying Az and G will reform the Illyrian like 😭 You know Az who hates the Illyrian and G who isn't quiet ready yet to leave the libary *me taking a breath* )

Nesta's healing jounary:

It was good but again it could have been better. Really i cried at the scene with Nesta and Cass at the lake, where she had her breakdown but there are some points i didn't quiet get. This are just my reading experiences but at the end it was not like she got to control her inner anger but it kind of just vanished like 20 years of rage just puff. Her healing jounary was at some points a bit fast in my eyes but to be fair Feyre had 3 books and Nesta only one.

The relationship between the Acheron sisters:

This is one point that makes me sad but it was disappointing how little bonding time between the sisters we got. Of course Nesta's monologe while saving Feyre was heartbreaking sweet and the end scene where Nesta is running towards her sisters with Nyx sleeping in Elain’s arms is lovely.(Both are one of my favourite scenes) But I wanted more. Where was the dialoge between the sisters? Where was the convertation why Nesta and Elain didn't help Feyre in the first book? Why was Nesta so nasty fowards Feyre?

And lean on that the the friendship between the Valkyries:

I really like their friendship, they all helped each other to heal.

But there's one little thing bothering me and i completly understand if someone disagree on that. This is again my reading experience. The Acheron sisters have a communication problem. I like the friendship between the three but it feels a bit like Emerie and Gwyn are replacement for Feyre and Elain. But to be fair i have kinda the same feeling when it comes to Feyre and the IC. Their found familes are somewhere replacements for their sisters because sisters are not able to talk slove their issues 🙈

(and now also your point that Nessian wouldn't work in canon. They are a modern AU couple and make no sense in canon. 😂🥲 But i still love them 😌)

I am sorry i jnow this was long but i have no one to talk about acotar in my friendgroup, lonely bookwurm here ☕️ plus in the acotar-fandom you need be careful where you criticise Acosf for many is this book the secound bible 💀😂.

If you made it this far, I just wanted to say I love your blog. You were one of the first Acotar blogs I followed back then. Love your posts and fics 💓✨️

Thank you and I pretty much agree with you on every point.

The complete decimation of Cassian as a character, the lack of any meaningful movement and change in the sisters' relationships, everyone communicates terribly, Rhys is an asshole, the IC are failures in just about everything, Amren should've been dead, the 'it's just sex' thing is dumb, NO ONE will ever convince me that Nesta is the kind of person who'd use sex as a coping mechanism.

Honestly, my expectation of a good Elain book, of Elain's character not being foolishly destroyed, is almost at zero. Unfortunately, I expect it to be horrible. Which is sad. Because SJM can write good books.

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