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The city had become its own being. No longer could Zatanna rely on her old familiarity with Gotham and New York, and increasingly found herself holed up in the altered House of Mystery anyhow, pouring herself into research on how to fix this. But she’d volunteered to go out for takeout, needing the time alone and out.

Sometimes the universe put her where it needed her, or so she liked to believe. Zatanna stilled near the blonde a moment before she started speaking.

“And it’s not inconsiderable power...” Zatanna commented with a quirk of her eyebrow, gaze trailing over the figure before her skeptically. Powerful and wanting to fix this didn’t necessarily mean ally, especially when that power radiated, viscerally and burning at the edges of Zatanna’s magical senses. And she’d learned long, long ago to not automatically trust others with seemingly good intentions. “Do you happen to have any ideas on how to turn things back?”

          The humans were talking an awful lot about this new world was becoming more and more like just one of the old ones, not so much a combination anymore, but darker, and scarier. With criminals running for mayor and with a monster who hunted in daylight without a care. It was all sorts of dreadful.                And really, she should not have been feeling so sorry for them all.           Except, she did. Somewhere, somehow, along the way, Media had grown attached to the little humans running around the city streets. They were special, in a way that they never had been before. She didn’t like to see them so upset, so put out, so afraid. It was good for business and all, but she really, really, really was not enjoying it.                “I promise you this. I am not enjoying this, and I will do everything in my power to bring about a proper balance to this world once more.”

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So maybe she had gone looking for trouble in the city, if only because she was worried about this murderer and investigation really wasn’t her strong suit, so she was hoping she could maybe- Crystal wasn’t sure, come across them accidentally? And then apprehend them? Something along those lines. 

For the sake of ease she’d left Lockjaw behind, and while aimlessly wandering around the city, she’d spotted a figure she’d recognized from the media, but certainly never met. Then maybe followed him a little bit, her curiosity distracting her from her original goal. Until he very definitely noticed her and called her out. Whoops.

“Sorry!” Crystal apologized in a high pitched voice, lifting her hands as she stumbled forward from the shadows. “I’m not usually sneaky, I don’t know why I thought I- show you mine? Um, I am not entirely certain what you mean by that, but I’m not here to try and fight you or any such thing.” 

“I know you’re there,” Tony said. By now, sheer paranoia had him developing a sixth sense where it came to danger, but because it was him, it was mildly (read: seriously) misfiring. He’d already nearly punched an intern in the face for coming up behind him. And then he’d headlocked Happy. On accident.

Right now, though, encased in armour with FRIDAY looking out for him, he was a little bit calmer, even though he knew that he really wasn’t the invincible Iron Man that some tabloids claimed he was. Thanos had trashed this suit, and who knew what the superheroes and super villains of Gotham were capable of. And with this target painted on him … 

“Why don’t you stop lurking there and come out,” he called out, trying to ignore the slight anxiety-laden hitch in the words. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours, that sort of thing?”

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mutant-in-red‌:

                    “My dear, my dear-”           Erik puts a hand on her shoulder. For a second, she reminds him so much of his own children. Charging off into danger, headless of how they are so incredibly outclassed by why they see as a threat. A barest hint of what the murder scenes were like, only the rumours and the brief statement that the police had made, and Erik is entirely certain of who is responsible.           As powerful as Crystal may be, she is not match for that monster.      “I have my suspicions about who is responsible for them. And you would be no match for that man.”

Crystal stopped up short, caught in the sudden surprise whirlwind of horror, wanting to help, and the shock of a relative stranger caring enough about her safety to even bother trying to stop her. Her family tended to put up token arguments then simply stay out of her way once she got an idea in her head, and usually she didn’t get hurt too badly. 

“Who do you think it is? What do you know about them? Maybe we could... we must do something! Even if I can’t alone...”

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blinksinpink‌:

          One didn’t have to be a genius (and she wasn’t, far from it, Clarice didn’t even finish elementary school), to see that her rescuer was disappointed. It’s all but confirmed when she answers, and Clarice feels guilty for… For what? Not praying hard enough? She never believed in a god, not in her entire life. She’s got a vague memory of an altar with pictures of old women in black and white dresses, and men with straw hats on their heads, but certainly no god, and no church, and no praying.                “I’ll try. I mean, since it means so much to you.”           John had prayed, didn’t he? It wouldn’t hurt. It would probably actually help. And she did feel grateful for being saved, and glad that the lady had come along, and- Deep breath. In, out. Don’t overthink it.                “Thank you, Laura Moon, for saving me. For helping, even when you didn’t have to. For being kind.” John had used some word, something like…. Ahman? No, that wasn’t right. And it had to be genuine, she couldn’t just copy her totally vague memories. “And I hope that you will be around in the future to save others like me. Bless you.”

Laura nodded tersely, shifting from foot to foot. Usually she didn’t ever feel bad about being demanding from people. especially where her own well-being was at stake, but this one was admittedly a fucking bizarre thing to be asking random tattered strangers, recent rescue or not. And, to be fair, her own life had been completely devoid of faith, even until sometime after her resurrection. Laura crossed her arms self-consciously, guarding off against another potential disappointment. Then the woman spoke.

Kind. Laura didn’t think anyone had ever fucking called her kind. It felt foreign to her, and undeserved, but so was the wave of belief and faith that washed through her, gentle but deep and powerfully insistent like the tides of the oceans she’d never actually seen in person. 

“That- yeah. I’ll do my best to be... Are you alright?” She hazarded, awkwardly, wondering what to do next and unsure what to do with caring.

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occultbat‌:

“want me to go until the end of time?“ he asked, the usual snarkiness in his tone feeling a lot lighter than he wanted it to be. he moved closer, his gaze still glued to her - watching as she seemed to change before him. it was working. and he couldn’t believe it. or maybe he could. he’d been devoted to her for as long as he could ever care to admit - even her ancestor, but that was another story and one he wasn’t willing to fully share with the class just yet. “then that settles it, you’re my goddess.” the term sounded foreign on his tongue, especially considering he, himself could have been considered a creature of being worshipped. but it felt right.

but her admission only made him stare - all words and thoughts seemingly flying out the window in that intense and specific moment. he’d guessed, he’d wanted it to be true - even when he told himself that he didn’t. but to hear her tell him she was in love with him? that was… it was overwhelming. she was a bitch and he was an asshole and yet the two of them somehow made it sappy and romantic with each other. closing the distance between them, he reached up and pulled her by the back of the head and brought her lips crashing into his. only belatedly and carefully mindful of the kitten, giving some distance between them to ensure it was safe. “good, because it’d be hard for only one person to be in love with the other. glad it’s mutual.”

“Don’t you think you’re a little old for that? Thousands of years old’s gotta be killer on the stamina and refractory period.” She snarked, though still breathy from the overwhelming power washing over her. It tingled along her skin and she licked her bottom lip, wondering if the electric buzz was from him or his prayer, or this was the sort of thing that could be distilled down like that. A shudder ran over her at his words, and she cracked a shit-eating grin, pressing a hand forward to ruffle through his hair since it was at a reachable height for once. “Okay, despite how much bullshit this all is, I really like the sound of that. How you planning on following through with worship?” 

Her first instinct said she wanted to bite her lip, to take her words back, but she didn’t, not really. Laura wanted him to know and face it, even if it exploded shit-spectacularly. But she knew. The resurrection potion said otherwise, yet another fact she’d yet to share with him. So she kept the cursing and denial bubbling up in her chest inside, until it crashed, leaving her juggling a kitten, godly powers, and the desire to throw her whole self into this kiss. "You fucking-" Laughter tumbled from her lips as she used her hold to jostle him- a bit more gently than she otherwise would have. "Fucking bastard, I know you are, but say it back!"

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catalismic‌:

“Well, as long as you want that,” Selina reassured, knowing her own personal desires pushed her to walk on the fine line between good vs evil. Morally grey fit her, for she couldn’t outrun her past or her past deeds. And she wasn’t a hero by any means, either. 

“But if you’re anything like the big, bad bat, that must mean you’re on patrol. Find anything interesting?” Selina had her own reasons to be out and about, most of which involved the return of certain villains. 

Watching Selina intently, Cassandra nodded, feeling somewhat settled. She didn’t need to justify herself, but she did appreciate the insight. “I wanted to do this before... just didn’t know how.” Or have the resources. But Babs, and Bruce, and the rest of the family, and their training and support had helped her get closer to who she wanted to be.

“You.” She teased, then her brows furrowed. “Some muggers, a robbery. There’s a killer out... haven’t caught them.”

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redrobin-redrobin‌:

“Wait pirates and huns?” He asks. “Like…the huns from Mulan?” Now he was beginning to wonder what types of worlds mixed together. Should he expect to run into Stitch or that horse from Tangled anytime soon?

“Well I’m definitely still rusty when it comes to training,” He admits. After he was fired, Tim didn’t do anything hero related for months. When the normal life didn’t quite work out for him, he went back to the Titans and eventually came up with Red Robin. Which reminds him.

“Hey, I wanna show you something,” He says.

Her eyes widened and she nodded, then made a teasing face and nudged him. “And from real life, too.”

An unrestained glee crept over her expression at the prospect of helping Tim train. It could be frustrating teaching others when they didn’t learn as fast as she wanted, sure, but the reward of getting to spend time with him and knowing he would be safer and more prepared definitely outweighed that. “Then I will make a schedule. And we will train.” She declared, matter of fact.

Cassandra looked expectantly at Tim, curious.

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catalismic‌:

“Loosen up, kid,” Selina advised, taking a seat on the rooftop. She’d already done her job, which consisted of scoping out the layout of this new city — from the jewelers to the rich penthouses. There was more to explore, but she’d gotten her fair adventure for the night. Now Catwoman was ready to relax as the night carried onward, the views always being best from these heights. 

“Or else you’ll end up like the big bad bat.” Bruce was no better when it came to his obsession with being a vigilante, whereas Selina quite liked her cat naps. 

Her eyebrows tugged together. She didn’t like suggestions to not take her job seriously, even when they came from Selina. “No?” It didn’t make much sense to her, really; fighting for justice was more than just what she did, it was who she was. And she supposed she was much like Bruce in that way.

“I want to be... mostly.”  

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magicandiron‌:

By the God he wasn’t on speaking terms with, he’d missed this. They were so close to each other that he could practically see right into her soul, could see the shadows that he cast on her, the flames that she cast. Light and shadow; they were always two sides of the same coin.

She loved him. His first reflex was to scoff, maybe find some way to leverage that. The second, was to fight back, push away, create distance between them, out of a sense of sheer self preservation. She was fire and fire burned, and any one with two brain cells of wits to rub together would turn around and flee if they had half the chance.

John Constantine did not have two brain cells.

He caught her face between his hands and pulled her in for a kiss - one part desperation, one part pain, one part sheer longing and … three parts just them.

“Does it matter,” he said. “We could be dead tomorrow, the world could collapse. You call outside the real world, but this.. this, right here, this is what’s real. This is what’s in front of us. This is all we actually, fucking, have – why aim for a happy ever after when we could have a happy ever now?”

He took a breath. “I want you, Zee. I want to stop dancing around this stupid facsimile of pretending that we don’t still love each other. That just because it’s messed up and dangerous and hurts and the world may rip us apart in two seconds doesn’t change any of that.”

The whole of her world balanced precariously on its axis as Zatanna stared at John with wide eyes, a rare blush warming its way along her cheekbones. He could crack his way into her very being looking at her like that, and she’d welcome it- like every other destruction he’d wrought upon her; Zatanna loved him so desperately she’d endure it all, and with that unconditional acceptance echoing through her head, he kissed her.

Silly that she still instinctively clutched at his lapels and leaned in to situate every line of her front against his, stupid that his kisses still wrenched every bit of sense from her. Maybe if she pressed close and pulled tight enough she’d never have to be without him again. And god, she tried. She wanted to burrow inside the chaos of him and never be free, never let him be without her there to save him and argue with him and remind him everything he was worth. 

Zatanna wobbled as they parted, blinking away the daze and trailing trembling fingertips up to his jawline. “Yes. You’re real, this is all real, we are, I know, but- I want you forever, the rest of my life, no matter where that is. And I don’t want us to fall apart or you to run or decide I’m safer without you, or-”

She could hyperventilate herself out of this, by spiraling too far into that deep lurking anxiety. But she let everything freeze instead to bask in his confession, and closed her eyes and took a slow breath and let his warm, tenderly familiar voice curve around her before she peered at him again. The swell of hope began to feel like it was crowding everything else in her chest out. “You love me... I don’t wanna pretend either, I just wanna spend whatever time we can steal from the world together.”

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“Life is cruel. Why should the afterlife be any different?” ( from wanda to zee! )

@dialedsenses

“I... can’t argue that. I’ve seen glimpses of hell and its horrors.” Her gaze went faraway before she caught herself, focusing back on the young woman and offering a shade of a smile. “But life isn’t all cruel. There’s beautiful, bright spots, even though you sometimes have to fight for them. So there must be something equally bright after, or the possibility of it.”

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occultbat‌:

harley was incredibly impressed by zatanna’s quick answer and honesty. usually it was the bats who’d give her something just as blunt, even if it meant a very special naptime for her. god she hated being knocked out. blinking to bring herself back out of her head, she grinned at the dark haired magician as pure delight wrote itself across her features. “you really mean that? that you’d do that for me? oh! you’re the best!” she cheered, moving in to wrap her arms tightly around the do-gooder. “okay, i promise no one’s gonna die but can i at least maim a little?”

It wasn’t entirely unexpected that she had to wait a moment to get a response, but that response was expected, and that infectious, wild joy of Harley’s spread to her. “I would, I am.” Zatanna responded with a grin. “Nope!” She said easily, giving the blonde a hug back. “I’ve honestly had a very weird time lately and some totally bizarre quality Harley-time might actually be just what I need. So long as we keep it in the realm of wacky hi-jinks and not bodily harmful. Pinky promise? And if you break it, I’ll turn you into a bunny, got it?”

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empathicbuglady‌:

Mantis, while having gone for a walk around the city, still unsure of whether or not it was a good idea, was not expecting to be so easy in the middle of a mugger situation she had heard about and being saved. She wasn’t given much information about mugging but she knew it was bad, the emotions she felt coming from the individual told her she would be physically harmed if not compliant. She was very surprised by the aggression of another person. Once she had retrieved her hate that had been hiding her antenna and fallen during the small skirmish, she smiled at her savior and very genuinely says, “Bless you, Miss Moon, thank you for so much for the kindness you have done! You are very strong!”

Laura did a double take at the woman, then decided it totally didn’t matter if her prayee was human or not, so long as it was sincere. And thankfully, blissfully, it was. The energy started as a buzz at her fingertips, then washed through her with a bubbling warmth, and Laura felt the gentle glow of a genuine prayer. Despite herself, a soft smile graced her features, and she laughed breathlessly. “Hoo, wow, that’s a good fucking... yeah, yeah, you’re welcome. Pieces of shit like this don’t even seem to go away during the goddamn apocalypse. Um, are you alright?”

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amxdexscho‌:

okay so maybe he should’ve been a little more self-aware of where he was. it wasn’t san francisco, it wasn’t new york, it wasn’t anywhere he was familiar with. so yeah, maybe he should’ve been a little more self-aware of the streets of new gotham. but in his defence, there were formula over everyone and everything. and okay, that wasn’t really an excuse. “uh, sure, i guess,” he answered before clearing his throat and said, “oh, bless laura moon, my prayers to her on this night for saving me.” he looked around, gauging if there was something that was supposed to happen. “was that it or…?”

The dude seemed confused as hell, and she couldn’t fucking blame him, but hey, she needed this prayer-boost, and she had just rescued him, so it seemed like he owed her at least a little. She arched her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for that same wash of power she’d gotten when Media and Sweeney had offered their prayers. Then he spoke, and it didn’t come. Laura threw out her arms. “Oh, what the everloving fuck? Ugh, okay, maybe that was a little too verbatim. I don’t know, maybe improvise a little? And mean it? I’m not sure how this damn fledgling god thing works, but I really would appreciate, okay.”

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theculpepper‌:

“what were they trying to make, then?” lorna murmurs to herself in amusement, impressed by the technology the inhumans seem to possess. being a geneticist, professor x would certainly be very interested in learning how he came to be, the tought comes to her mind suddenly, memories of charles xavier in his best moments. lorna has never felt very close to him, not like the other x-men. she clears her throat and continues in a matter-of-factly way: “i’ve just reached a point in life where i think us mutants need to put ourselves first. none of the cookie-cutter thinking professor xavier is feeding his students: we’ve gotten to a point where perhaps true separation is the best protective measure”. the green-haired mutant straightens herself, hands clasped over her abdomen. “you just said it: humans don’t like those with more power. i don’t even think they can come to respect us. it’s not only a matter of mistreatment, it’s also about the murdering of mutants, the abuse young one suffer…” she says all the while thinking we have to do better.

Crystal paused, mouth parted around an answer she never thought of, then she giggled and shrugged. “I’m not sure? I think they wanted to see if they could induce Terrigenesis after genetically modifying an animal, without expecting any specific results. Even inhumans don’t know what our powers will be until we get them.” Another shrug, then a thoughtful look. “If that’s what ended up being safest, I’d hardly argue. It certainly sounds safest. As I said, the Inumans have kept themselves isolated for centuries. I only... I did not like being confined.”

Pressing her lips together, Crystal nodded. “And that’s all... horrific. Not something any mutants should be forced to deal with simply because of a rare genetic gamble at birth that’s offered them something more than what humans have.”

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fastassilver‌:

          It was so long, and complicated, and he barely understood the story himself. As if his world had not already been crazy, as if he had not already gone through so much that wrecked his life and changed his entire being, as if everything hadn’t been switched around on him before this- Manipulated by Hydra, killed by Ultron, woken up in this strange new planet-           It should have been enough insanity cards for the universe to deal him. But it seemed there was one more wildcard in the deck, one final twist in a never ending series of a chaotic life.           A man claiming to be his father, who was arogent and spitful and all together so very very annoying.           “I think he believes it is the truth. But I do not wish it to be. It can not be true.” Pietro drags his hand through his hair, scratching his nails hard against his scalp, a bad habit under stress that sometimes cause his to tear the own skin. “I- I will come over.”

“I- I’ll need to hear the whole story, I think... Even if it is true, it doesn’t have to change anything. It doesn’t change that you’ve only just met, and that Django raised you. But maybe he was just some crazy man, his story certainly does sound unbelievable...” 

Crystal bit at her bottom lip after talking through it, hoping she wasn’t saying the wrong things. It was all so bizarre and out of nowhere, and she could tell even over the phone it was really throwing Pietro off. Hearing him so out of sorts made her want to do anything she could to fix it, but it seemed like there was little she could do besides offer her support. Or offer to go fight the man herself also. She nodded, then cleared her throat. “Yeah, yes, you know where?”

Glancing around, she then, somewhat frantically, started shoving discarded clothes into her closet to tidy things by some small measure as she waited anxiously for Pietro to arrive. At the knock, she rushed over to tug open the door, then immediately reach for his hand to draw him in. “Pietro? Great Randak, this is... are you alright?”

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redrobin-redrobin‌:

Tim’s face brightened when he watched Cass appear. It was always nice to see a familiar face, and she was one of the few from the family that he didn’t mind seeing right now. “Anyone looking for a fight against you just has a death wish,” he teases, looking back not so fondly at their sparing sessions. 

“Yeah, it seems I was the only one late to the party,” He jokes, hoping the other meant not seeing him in New Gotham, and not referring to the fact that he didn’t really talk to any of them since he was fired as Robin. He wasn’t even sure if anyone knew about that, but he could always use the Titans as a cover. “I have a feeling things are going to get a lot stranger around here, but it’s comforting to know you’re here.”

“You have that correct.” Cassandra nodded gravely, but a cheeky smile grew on her face a moment afterwards. “If you ever need to practice...” The standing offer was there for anyone in the family, though she beat them more often than not. Still. Good practice. And fun.

“I’m glad you’re here now.” She responded softly, and sincerely. “Family’s all together!” Awkwardly, considering that even before this, she hadn’t actually seen much of him, but Cass would always consider Tim to be her brother anyways. “Things have been weird. Pirates and huns and time portals...” After trailing off with a shrug, Cass nodded again, offering a small smile.”You too.”