#rrs long form

[aroaceleovaldez]

I was reading a post about CoTG and I realized: Rick has seemingly started to write every character pairing with the exact same dynamic, and he's not good at writing that dynamic and it doesn't make sense for 90% of the characters he writes it for.

It's that very specific dynamic of one half of the pair who is almost aggressive to the other party - "teasing" them constantly/insulting them, affectionately punching/judo flipping/maiming/etc, seemingly almost always exasperated with the other - and said other party usually just accepts this treatment or blanketly views it fondly, and may generally be framed as more incompetent than their partner and a little bit of a doormat (particularly relating to being insulted/teased/etc by their partner).

We start seeing this dynamic in HoO with Percy and Annabeth, as a sort of semi-inconsistent twist on their rivals-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic from the first series. Then the dynamic pattern develops further with Leo and Calypso. Then Magnus and Alex. Then Nico and Will, particularly in TSATS. And now in CoTG, it's Percy and Annabeth again but even more in this direction.

I know people have talked about Nico and Will's relationship over the series rapidly being shoehorned into Percabeth Two™, and it's extremely apparent in TSATS that Rick's doing it on purpose (including directly quoting Percabeth scenes but minorly tweaking them to be Solangelo). But recognizing it as an overarching trend in Rick's later books honestly reminds me a lot of how Rick started trying to apply the "Percy Formula" so-to-speak to nearly every protagonist in HoO (and then try to replicate similar character archetypes with Magnus and Apollo's narrations - moreso Magnus in being jaded and sarcastic, very much trying to be first series Percy. He only sounds unique because Rick failed at making him Percy 2. Apollo is more akin to later-series Percy characterization of being goofy and incompetent. Apollo [and Zeus] even got retconned to give Apollo a more similar backstory to Percy's). Rick seems to have decided that he thinks the audience wants this specific dynamic but 10 times over, except he's not good at writing it the first time because it's a bastardization of the time he did a different thing okay.

And Rick also seems aware of that too! Because he retconned Calypso and Leo at the end of TOA, probably because he realized how absolutely awful it was reading when they were written with that dynamic of Calypso just functionally hating Leo and constantly being aggressive towards him! The only time Rick's actually made the dynamic even semi-successful was with Magnus and Alex, because it actually fits within their characters, their dynamics with each other, and their environment. Alex beheading Magnus on the regular works out fine because there are no repercussions to that in Valhalla, Magnus will be fine, so it does genuinely come off as humorous. And Alex has been effectively established to be abrasive at times but have her genuine feelings shine through regularly, and that meshes well with Magnus' jaded-and-aloof-but-quietly-very-empathetic character. And Magnus has been established to, yes, not be great at combat, particularly compared to Alex. They are the only time that flavor of dynamic in that form was effective and cohesive.

Percabeth is no longer rivals-to-friends-to-lovers badasses on equal levels with shaky pasts who finally found some form of permanence with one another. Now it's super smart doting and affectionately aggressive girlfriend and her silly goofy 50%-of-the-time incompetent boyfriend who she judo flips/pushes off cliffs/etc - but affectionately~! Solangelo is trying to riff off of the early series "Poseidon & Athena are enemies" dynamic that Percabeth had but with Apollo & Hades being "opposites" but learning to accept each other, except it ends up with Will just coming off as a huge asshole and Nico being retconned to a complete doormat about it - when prior to that those characterizations would be completely contrary to their established characters (even just from TOA!). Calypso in HoO gets retconned from her PJO characterization to being snooty and aggressive, and Leo's false persona gets merged into his just normal personality except he just also becomes a doormat but more goofy than Nico with occasional haha-dark/depression-humor! Which Nico also got. Which was also a bastardized Percy trait that got redistributed.

It's exhausting. Rick write more than one relationship dynamic you can do it I promise

[thefriendlyneighborhoodqueer]

sometimes i think about how funny it would be if bruce had a slight english accent as a result of alfred being the only adult in his life for most of his formative years. that or he just says british slang instead of english.

this either drives his children insane, or they think it’s the most hilarious thing ever.

__________________________

Bruce: Can you pass the chips?

Dick: Sure, B. *passes over the potato chips*

Bruce: No, the chips.

Dick: ???? … yeah? here?

Bruce: NO! THE CHIPS! *gesturing wildly for the french fries*

Damian: Father, are you having a stroke?

———

Batman: Alright, this mission is very important. It is imperative that everything goes to schedule. (shh-edule)

*red robin and red hood snicker*

Batman: *glare* As I was saying, it all must go to shh-edule…

RR & RH : *uproariously laughter *

Batman: *harsher glare* Is something funny?

RR: Oh nothing, B, don’t worry.

RH: Absolutely nothing wrong, “left-tenant”

RR & RH: *dying of laughter *

———

Bruce: *reaching the end of a long rant about responsibility and making sure you are keeping yourself and others safe* And what do you have to say for yourself??

Duke: … You sound like Alfred…

Bruce: *horrified look over coming him* … what

Cass: *furious nodding*

*Some time later, after B has been fished out of Gotham Harbor, which he jumped into after declaring that he “couldn’t turn into his father”*

Alfred: *reaching the end of a long rant about responsibility and making sure you are keeping yourself and others safe* And what do you have to say for yourself??

Bruce: *white as a sheet* … Sorry Alfie…

*Steph is heard furiously cackling in the background*

_______________________

anyways i just thought this was fun

[unwanted-house-guest]

A Little Late (DPxDC)

“You have the absolute worst timing ever, as always” a familiar voice shocked Batman and made him stop and turn around, ready to fight who ever spoke. Only for him to suffer yet another shock that made his insides cold, almost unable to fully register what he was seeing.

Batman stood frozen looking at a Ghost version of Jason as Robin carrying a bleeding Phantom in his arms. Ghost Robin gave the Living Counterpart to his Batman a disbelieving look then glanced over the other Living heroes. 

A flair of anger and irritation flash through Ghost Robin. “How dare they!? How many times did his Beloved and his friends have called for help for the Justice League? Sure, the other times there’s a world ending shit to deal with so they are busy and his Beloved was able to fight the ghost. BUT THIS, they had been hounding about the Anti-Ecto Acts for months, this is Living Government Experimenting on HIS PEOPLE and worse they moved on to Liminals! the Living who cannot withstand what the dead could.”

“We had been calling about the Unethical experiments on OUR people, For MONTHS over and over again. It was fine as we could attack and free the ghosts but we increased the calls for help when they started taking the Living. What took you so long.” Batman flinched as Ghost Robin visibly glitched as Ghost Robin seethed. “Just listening to those bastards without checking things.”

Sam stood by Robin’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. She was wounded wearing a hospital gown and holding on a badly bandaged Tucker. Red blood seeped into the cloth, showing everyone how very alive and human the two ‘specimens’ Ghost Robin had liberated. Robin took a deep breath and sighed, though he didn’t need it, it helped regulate his anger.

“Technus, Send the info and videos to them. Not just the Ghosts experiment but the Liminals as well.” Robin held the bleeding Phantom closer to himself. “If they don’t give a fuck about the ghost, at least i hope saving the Living liminals might make them stop these Bastards.”

“Lord Consort, I’ve freed all of the ghosts in the facilities and are ready to leave. What do we do with the Amity residents that are too injured?”

“Lead the heroes to them, let them see and do their jobs. I’m taking my King to Frostbite” Robin replied. He took a spectral crowbar and pried a tear into reality, a portal to Far Frozen. “Sam… I”

Sam shut Robin up. “Just take Danny to the healer. Tucker and I will talk to the Heroes who Finally decided to show up.” She then glared at the heroes standing around. “If push comes to shove, we’ll carry one without them.”

“Indeed, we’ll handle it. Take the young king to the royal healer.” Technus stated.

“At least, your Other Self seems willing to help us blow these bastards up.” Tucker chimed in. Of course, Tucker was referring to Red Robin since they knew the Neverborn was the Spirit of Robin. The term Other Self is one Ghost robin used to refer to any of his living counterparts.  Never realizing that yes, RR was willing but it also could also refer to Red Hood whom they didn’t know was a former Robin, just standing there as well. The Red Hood who was once the current ‘Robin form’ the Neverborne was wearing. Red Hood who died and came back.

Ghost robin stepped through and closed the portal behind him. Only then he vaguely realised that the Heroes probably assumed he was Jason’s other self rather than all the Robins, yet he had pressing matters to attend to such as keeping his Beloved half alive. They can deal with complicated human and Living politics later. Robin’s form started cycling through various Robin now that he doesn’t have to hold himself and his emotions in check as he watches Frostbite start healing Danny.

~~~~

The idea won't leave me, so I'm planning on just posting things that I've written about the Idea I have for the fanfic that I never wrote, "Just a Simple Wish." a DPxDC crossover where Danny accidentally spoke a wish to have a proper mentor and a friend that understands him, only for Desiree to drop him in the Cursed City Infinite Realm Gotham in front of Cryptid!Batman and Spirit!Robin who just came to being after death of Jason, hence Cryptid!Batman raising the two Ghostling in the Ghost Gotham. 

 I figured Someone else might like to give it a try. so im throwing the idea here and hope someone else adopts it.

[idontcaboose]

Haunted car au part 9

Previous Masterpost

“O, please tell me someone is close by?” Red Robin hissed into his comm.

“Batman and Signal are on the way, 6 blocks out.”

“Neat, see if they can use the 109th st entrance, I will try to lead my goons that way.”

“Rerouting their gps, stay safe RR.”

Tim wasn't sure how to stay safe with a bullet wound in his leg, and a few grazes across his body. Part of the job he supposes. He wasn't sure which god or entity was enjoying his struggle, but he would not hesitate to smack them in the face with his bō. Tim took a small breather after losing his followers for a moment. His leg has a hole, his arms couldn't keep a strong grip on his grapple, not that it really mattered. A goon got an extremely lucky shot and destroyed the thing. So, grounded, with a barely functioning leg, and about 15 goons, and if the leaders of the group didn't flee already, then them too, looking for him. Not great odds. Oracle said Batman and Signal were on their way, and hopefully heading to the street closest to him that would work for some form of ambush.

“I'll go out a bit early, they won't be expecting it. Nah, they only set up to catch Signal, you know, the meta. The meta that can all but shadow step like a freaking d&d character. Such a great plan Tim.” Tim had started to mutter to himself as he attempted to tie on a better bandage to his leg than the slap dash one he did while on the move. He was just done securing it when a goon appeared.

“I found some blood over here!”

Tim almost screamed expletives on par with Jason or Duke, but he had some self preservation.

“ETA, hopefully it's NOW?!” Tim growled onto the comms.

“We are set up Red Robin, bring them through.” Tim could have cried in relief at Batman's voice, but he had some goons to lead.

Tim ran, not bothering to hide as he did. Luckily the goons did not think about surrounding the alley he was in, and they followed blindly into the bat's trap. He trusted that Bruce and Duke could handle the group, and limped to the Batmobile. It wasn't until Tim got to the driver's side passenger door did the universe have one last laugh at him.

“Well, well, we'll. Let's make a deal, little red bird.” Out of all the people to corner Tim, it had to have been the wannabe leader of the small time gang.

“Depends, is the deal you turn yourself in?” Tim automatically snarked.

“Nah, open the Batmobile, or I shoot you here.” The man sneered.

“Fine, fine.” Tim opened the driver's door and scooted away, his hands away from his sides.

“Good, keep backing up Red.”

Once Red Robin was far enough for the man, he turned and went to get into the car, only for the door to close on the man repeatedly. Tim could not help but just watch as the car kept smacking the guy until he managed to get into the seat. Unfortunately for the gang leader his hand was not fast enough and got slammed between the door and frame. Based on the crack and responding scream, the hand was very much broken. With a last open and close, the engine started, and the Batmobile drove straight into the group of goons and vigilantes.

Tim watched in morbid curiosity as Batman and Signal heard the car roaring towards them. Watched as they grappled upwards with just a small moment from them getting run over. Watched as 3 goons did not have time to move out of the way and got tossed onto the hood, only to slide off at the jerky stop of the car. It wasn't until Batman barked “Report.” over the comms did Tim snap out of his daze.

“The leader of the gang got into the Batmobile, and proceeded to try to run you guys over.” Tim slowly responded. “He held me at gunpoint and I couldn't move fast enough to do anything but let him. How did the failsafes fail at keeping him from driving?” Tim's voice petered out with the question.

The car door then slammed open and the leader fell out of the seat, and tried to scramble as far from the car as he could. It didn't take long for Batman to grab the man for questioning.

“Hey man, you good to move?” Tim startled when Duke appeared in front of him.

“Ya, ya. I have a GSW to my right calf, got grazed a few times in different places, possibly going into shock.” Tim dutifully reported.

“Got it, up and at ‘em.”

Duke carefully walked Tim to the Batmobile and settled him into the back seats, tightened the bandage on his leg, and put bandages on his other wounds. It wasn't until Duke went to go help Batman clean up and triage the remaining goons did he say something strange.

“Stay put, Red Robin. Keep him safe ok?” With the second request, Duke patted the driver's seat and left him alone in the car.

“What?”

Next

@kizzer55555 @sebas-nights @candeartist422 @trappednyourheart @fandom-life-corrupted-me @tkiesai @2lbballpeenhammer @admiralwidow @rewrittenwrongs @whotfevenknowsanymore @symmetricalastigmatism

@thespacedragons

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[flaresemily]

ɮǟȶ ʄǟʍɨʟʏ Ӽ ռɛɢʟɛƈȶɛɖ ʀɛǟɖɛʀ քǟʀȶ 3

ղҽzմkօ-líkҽ ɾҽαժҽɾ

mᥲs𝗍ᥱr ᥣіs𝗍 : ⍴rᥱ᥎і᥆ᥙs :⍴ᥲr𝗍 2 ᥴᥙrrᥱᥒ𝗍 : ⍴ᥲr𝗍 3

It's been two weeks. Two weeks! They have been training nonstop. In the daytime they train with ‘Sensei' and at night they go patrol as usual. The only thing different is they can't go back to the manor. Bruce doesn't allow it as long as they still have training to do.

“Ugh Timmy~ can we go shopping?” Y/n ask him. As he practiced his swinging. His eyes shine brightly because that means he can get out of this hell.

“Sur—” “he's not allowed to go out. Not now, not ever," Sensei replied. He's just sitting there drinking his black tea. There's one thing about ‘Sensei' that Tim is curious about.

Why does he love black tea?

Why does he call himself ‘Sensei'.

What is his real name?

Why does he always stay at a darker place whenever it's daytime?

Why do Conner and Jon seem to be the favorites?

and last but not least.

Why is ‘Sensei' so pale? Like incredibly pale?

He snaps out of his thoughts when y/n grumble. Weird. When did his little sister start to become a brat?

Shuffle shuffle

He heard from the room next to him. The ‘house’ he's living in is the same concept as a Japanese house. He wondered why. Seeing his sensei wearing a yukata. He wondered why.

“Ugh when will this end!” Jason who just returned from ‘climbing’ the mountains signed tiredly. He and Dick were ‘sent to climb the mountains’ from sunrise. And it's already sunset!

“It just a mountain? Why are you so worked up” Damian rolled his eyes.

“Just a mountain? JUST A MOUNTAIN!” Jason shouted. “YOU DON'T KNOW THERE'S A F*CKING TRAP THERE!”

Thwack!

A wooden sword hit Jason at the back of his head. “Who the f*ck did that!” As he turns around he flinches. Behind him ‘Sensei' stands while holding up a traditional Japanese umbrella which covers his face. (Until now they still didn't know sensei face)

“You can leave—

he started

And they all listen.

----if you can beat me” he finishes. “Deal! Let's do this!” Jason says. He gets ready with his wooden sword.

They bow towards each other and finally their sword clashes. Creating a big wind blow.

Shuffle shuffle

Tim heard it again from the direction of the same room.

He glanced at it and returned his attention back towards the fight.

“Come on Jason! Use your breathing!!” Dick cheer him up.

“Wind breathing : first form : dust whirlwind cutter!” Right after Jason said that. They all could feel the slight pressure in the wind. And—-

Whoosh!

Thud

Jason got knocked down. “Your breathing is still sloopy. How can you help Bruce in Japan like this?” ‘sensei’ scolds Jason who's groaning. “Damn that hurt old man”

At night

‘Sensei’ walks inside the very room that makes noise. Inside he saw a figure biting her arm preventing her from eating the meat he prepared for her.

“You must eat… you are starving yourself”

He pushed the food toward the figure. The figure immediately slapped it away.

“I̶ r̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ d̶i̶e̶ s̶t̶a̶r̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶a̶n̶ e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ m̶e̶a̶t̶!̶” the figure said. The figure suddenly started to shrink in size becoming a kid. Their bright pink eyes glow in the dark. Their mouths are dirty with their own blood. And the arm which they bite? It instantly heals itself.

Sensei just looks at her and walks away. As he closed the door he looked at the figure one last time. Memorizing it's face.

Morning

Apparently sensei let them rest cause he has work to do. Meaning…

No training = can go out

So they did. Y/n who hear this quickly get ready with her dress and makeup and so on.

Sadly Tim couldn't go out. His reason is

“Sorry guys I got a stomach ache” y/n just grumble. She Ignores him and clings to Jason. “Come on let's go~ it's been a long time since you guys spent time with me~” she whined.

They all nodded and bid Tim goodbye. As soon as they are out of sight he quickly walks towards the room.

He gently gets closer and places his ear to the ‘door’.

Shuffle shuffle thud!

He heard something like clothes shuffling around before falling down with a soft thud.

He quietly open the door. Before he could peak inside…

“BOO”

Someone jumpscare him from the back making him let go of the door. As he turn around.

“Conner f*cking Kent!! Stop doing that!!”

“Bahahaha you should see your face Tim!” Conner laughs at him. Tim grumbled. “Where's the other?” “Shopping”

Conner nodded understanding.

“Where's Jon?”

With Jon

He softly knocks on the door. As he pushes it gently he peeks inside it. There he could see a dark figure sleeping. And the tray of meat is empty.

‘I'm glad she eats, it's tiring to hunt a deer at the mountains’ Jon sighs in relief.

"̶w̶h̶o̶'̶s̶ t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶?̶” the figure gets up from the bed. Sadly it's too dark for Jon to see but! The figure's pink eyes shine brightly in the dark. Those pink eyes stare deep into his eyes. “Hello, I'm Jon” he introduced himself.

“What's yours?” “n҉a҉m҉e҉"҉

“Hm? I can't quite hear you?” Before the figure could repeat her name. Conner calls Jon from behind.

“Come on Jon sensei out right now!”

Jon quickly turned to his brother and nodded. He turned around and waved to the figure.

Another two week past

This time they are all ready for a new mission with Bruce.

As soon as they got to their destination. Japan (just imagine) Sensei brought them to a villa he owns. (Yes he's rich)

The people that goes to Japan with Bruce is :

-Dick

-Jason

-Tim

-Damian

-Alfred

-Y/n

-and a heavy box which Damian was forced to carry by sensei.

-Sensei

inside it was filled with different types of painting. It's a mix of purple, black and white. It was pretty. keyword = was

Now the painting has so much dust on it.

“ alright this is it” Sensei turn towards them

“This will be your place to stay for the months. 2 month to be exact” sensei told them before putting his bag down.

“And Damian the box? Give it to me " "finally! What did you get here?” Damian asks. “ nothing you be taking this along with you tonight on your mission”

The boys reaction - 👁️👄👁️ “tonight!!”

“Yes tonight now go to sleep and meet me at 7 pm we will be eating dinner first then we go out hunting!”

“So demons do exist?” “They aren't…” they all turn their attention towards him.

“They are already extinct. Except for—” a knock interrupts them.

“I go get it” sensei reply

Shuffle shuffle

Again. Tim heard the same thing now. But this time it was in the box Damian had carry out

‘I wonder’ Tim stares at the box. Y/n just rolled her eyes in annoyance. No one saw this of course. After all she's the perfect daughter her father raised her to be. Why would she let the mask crack?

I wonder why too? Do you guys know why?

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

ɮʏ : 𝐹𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

ԵαցlísԵ :

@darktrashpoetry @fortunatelydifferentqueen @floathyblues @kyuumeee @bunniotomia @sirenetheblogger @seemeee3

[ukelele-boy]

I was rereading some of my posts from 2021 and was reminded of how much meta I used to write so imma share my crazy headcanon/ theory which i thought up as plot for a revolution fic:

RR verse is on the "Olympus will fall" timeline and Zeus' actions are speeding it up.

In the recent decade there has been several great prophecies back to back. And people have remarked how weird it is that there have been so many. What if the reason is because of Zeus?

Remember, in greek mythology there is a major theme of how Your Fate Cannot Be Defied. And Zeus, king of Olympus, has a major Fate: being overthrown. However he managed to "defy" it by eating Metis.

My idea is that he has been forcefully clawing out a future where he is still king of Olympus. By doing this, he is literally changing the flow of fate. And obviously fate wants to correct itself, so the harder he fights it, the more counterforce he triggers. All prophecies meant to lead to his overthrowing are suddenly sped up. Olympus begins to lose power. Zeus is aware of this. He is also aware how people are becoming suspicious. And he needs a scapegoat. And who better than the god of prophecy who is also a threat to the throne?

Apollo mentions that Zeus blamed him for his oracle revealing a prophecy "too early" and therefore causing it to happen early. However, everyone knows it's not possible to actually cause a prophecy to happen early...so why would Zeus even have this weird line of thought? everyone probably dismissed it as Zeus being irrational, but there a juicier theory this ties into:

Apollo being the one to overthrow Zeus.

The idea of "fall of the sun, the final verse". What if this is the final prophecy that is meant to happen before Zeus is overthrown? And what if the fall this speaks of is actually when Apollo fell close to chaos? When he pulled himself together there?

What if he reformed different from his original godly form. He was literally almost gone, his body was disintegrating. Maybe he pulled himself together using the energies of chaos. Apollo himself isn't aware of this, due to a suspicious memory gap between him clawing up from the cliff and him waking up next to Artemis.

And this adds to another headcanon of mine, the fates choose Apollo to be the god of prophecy on purpose. At first glance, this is a horrible match. If they wanted a good servant, why would they choose someone so closely tied to his heart and so likely to fight fate? Someone who dares get them drunk just to extend a human's lifespan? UNLESS... they WANT him to eventually try and defy fate??

Imagine if fate was a compass and Zeus had forcefully wrenched the needle point at a bleak dark future where Olympus falls with him. And this river direction has been set so deeply in stone and run on for so long, it has worn a grove and become the mostly likely future.

you need someone willing to fight, someone to wrench the needle out. SOMEONE FAMILAR WITH FATE AND Prophecy. Someone who has the power to fight it and win. Someone who has the will. Perhaps a baby god who was willing to fight Python, and who would have likely died there. But if he successfully did take on the powers of prophecy, one day that same godling would fight Python again, would absorb the powers of chaos to recreate himself.

Perhaps not today and maybe not even for the next four thousand years

but one day that godling would stare down at that wretched compass hand and decide to yank the flow out of its place. And maybe, that godling means a chance for Olympus to have a different future.

Anyways that's my crazy theory i hope it wasn't too confusing. It also links up with my other story theme idea about fate, hope and apollo blah blah blah, which i rambled about in a different post.

Edit: just remembered my other crazy thought, what if ZEUS PURPOSEFULLY TRIED TO GET RID OF APOLLO NOT ONLY CAUSE HE IS A THREAT TO THE THRONE BUT ALSO BECAUSE AS THE GOD OF PROPHECY HE IS MOST LIKELY TO REALIZE SOMETHING IS WRONG AND THAT ZEUS IS MESSING WITH FATE?!???? Basically pulling a imma say you're the murderer before u realise im the murderer. (i cant remember the actual saying Lmaoo)

[risestarkiss]

...So, I don't know if you know this, but...

I won't be making written "Rise Ramblings" posts anymore.

That era has come to an end...

Oh, but that does NOT mean the end of "Rise Ramblings."

No way, fam. We're just getting started.

Instead of clogging up your timeline with extra super long posts and gifs out the wazoo, I'm now condensing my incessant ramblings about little green men into a convenient visual package!

....videos, they'll now be videos y'all. 😌💜

Plus, I have SO many never before seen ramblings just for this occasion!

If you liked my old Rise Rambles, you're going to love these!

Actually, I want to make SURE that you love them, so...

I have a question for you:

There are two types of Rise Ramblings - long form and short form.

An example of each is now on my channel:

○ "Petty" is a short form Rise Rambling, reimagined exactly as I’ve always envisioned it. 😌💙

○ "A Raphael Character Analysis" is a never before seen, long form Rise Rambling. It does not exist on tumblr in written form. It is a video exclusive.

SO, I'm asking for your critique/advise:

For these two videos, what do you like or dislike about them? What would you like to see done differently in future videos?

You see, I have several more RRs in the making. However, I want to be sure to apply your critiques to those videos so that I know that you will love them! 😁

SO let me know, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can take it!

💜💜💜 THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!!!!💜💜💜

○○○○

YOUTUBE | KOFI | 🎵 BANDCAMP 🎵

[trishxtrix]

The Bench Across the Street

AO3

Part 1 | Previous | Part 13 | Next

Summary: What if Abby is hurting and forcing Frank to take benzos to “control” his ADHD?

What if few hours after the argument, Frank is brought to the ED on a brink of an overdose and some unexplainable injuries.

TW: Abuse, Overdose, Suicide Attempt

Tags: Dark!Abby | Frank whump | Frank-centric | Miscommunication | Abusive!Abby | abusive relationships | threats of violence | implied/reference child endangerment | is this considered AU? | spousal abuse | men can be victims of abuse too

——————————————————————————————————

Frank

“It’s Langdon’s son.”

The world tilted sideways.

I didn’t move. 

Couldn’t. 

It took a full second—maybe two—for the words to hit.

Langdon’s son.

Tanner.

My Tanner. 

Someone called out for the trauma bay to be cleared. Nurses started moving faster, shouting for peds consults and crash cart. 

The noise in the ER sharpened and blurred all at once. 

I was still standing there, coffee dripping from my hand, forgotten on the floor, when Dana appeared by my side. “Frank,” she said quietly, touching my elbow. “Go.” 

That broke me loose.

I ran.

~~~~~~~

The ambulance bay doors swing open with a crash.

The gurney wheeled through. Small form strapped down, oxygen mask covering most of his face, pale arms limp at his sides.

Tanner.

Tiny. Motionless.

The paramedics rattled off numbers as they pushed him into the trauma bay.

BP 72/38

HR 50s

RR 13 and shallow.

“Collapsed after snack time. Teacher reports clumsiness, weakness over the past week. Down for about 3 minutes before EMS arrival. Oxygen saturations in the low 80s. Glucose normal. No witnessed seizure activity.”

I moved without thinking—snapping gloves on, shoving past the nurse reaching out for the monitors.

I had to touch him.

I had to be sure that he was still breathing.

“Langdon!” Robby’s voice, cutting through the chaos. 

I didn’t stop.

I squeezed Tanner’s tiny wrist between my fingers, felt the sluggish thud of his pulse.

“Langdon!” Robby barked again, stepping in front of me.

I tore my eyes off Tanner long enough to glare at him. 

“You know you can’t,” Robby said, quieter now. “You know you have to step back.” 

The rules.

The stupid, goddamn rules. 

I stared at him, breathing like I’d ran a marathon. 

Logic warred with instincts, hot and brutal.

I could save my son.

I could fix him.

If I just—

No.

No you can’t.

You’re not his doctor.

You're his father.

Slowly, mechanically, I peeled off the gloves. Dropping them on the floor. Stumbling backward, feeling like I’d been ripped out of my own skin. 

Dr. Shah had already arrived—peds attending, PICU trained and steady as stone—took my place immediately, issuing orders, seamlessly taking over the case. “Two litters by weight, wide open please!” Shah ordered, “Start second line access. Blood draws for labs—CBC, CMP, ABG, LFTs. Someone call CT. We need to get his head checked. Can we also get radiology in here for x-ray, please? Add an ECG to the order. ”

He wasn’t shouting.

He wasn’t panicking.

The team around him moved efficiently.

Doing everything right.

Doing everything I should have been doing. 

Tanner’s teacher hovered near the door, crying into her hands. 

I didn’t hear a word she said.

I fumbled my phone out of my pocket. 

Mia. 

I had to call Mia.

It rang once.

Twice.

“Frank?” She answered, immediate and alert.

“It’s Tanner,” I rasped, voice breaking. “Collapsed. Bradycardic. Hypotensive. I—Mia, please.”

“I’m coming.” 

I didn’t have anything left to say. I just stood there, watching the team work over my son. 

~~~~~~~

They were clearing him out of the trauma bay when I saw her.

Mia.

She was wearing hoodie and sweats, hair pulled back in rough twists, moving fast but sharp, eyes sweeping around the ER.

She caught sight of me, frozen just outside the peds room they’d just wheeled Tanner in. 

Her steps barely slowed. She didn’t call my name. Didn’t ask questions. Just brushed her knuckles against my sleeve, steady and sure.

“Come here,” said said quietly, steering me towards the peds room. The walls were painted in bright cartoon forest scenes. Foxes curled under the tree. Bears smiling from behind the bushes. Deer with wide, glassy eyes.

It should have been comforting.

It made my stomach twist.

The nurse was adjusting the fluids.

The portable monitor beeping sluggishly. 

The tech was setting up the mobile x-ray as we stood just inside the door. 

Dr. Shah scanned through the early blood work orders, typing quick notes. 

“Vitals still unstable but improving slightly with fluids. Oxygen holding at 90%. Well start with basic pannels and imaging before considering expanded tests.”

I clung onto the doorframe, watching every twitch of Tanner’s body under the blanket. 

Mia stayed by my side, arms crossed, calm as stone. Holding me in place when the world wanted to tear itself open.

Mia guided me to a chair shoved by the foot of the bed.

Not speaking.

Just pressing me down with one hand on my shoulder until I sat, knees wide, elbows on thighs, hands dangling uselessly between them.

I stared at the floor.

At the pattern of cheap tiles, scuffed and dirty.

At the rubber wheels of the IV pole.

anywhere but Tanner.

Because looking at Tanner would break whatever scraps were holding me together.

The clock on the wall ticked loud and slow.

Every second scratched too long.

Every breath scraped raw against my ribs.

Mia sat next to me, close enough to feel the heat of her body, solid and still.

She didn’t speak.

She didn’t move.

She just stayed.

An anchor in a storm too big to survive.

~~~~~~~

A nurse came and went, checking the monitors.

Another tech drifted in with the portable ECG, electrodes sticking to Tanner’s tiny chest like spider legs.

The beep of his heart echoed through the room.

Too slow.

Too fragile.

~~~~~~~

I didn’t know how long we sat like that.

Thirty minutes?

Ten minutes?

Time lost meaning when every second weight a thousand pounds.

I didn’t speak.

Mia didn’t push.

The only thing moving in the room was the slow, sluggish drip of fluids into my son’s veins.

~~~~~~~

The door creaked open.

I didn’t look up.

I couldn’t.

But I heard Robby’s footsteps crossing the tiles.

He cleared his throat once—awkward and brittle. “Mia,” he said first, like he wasn’t sure who he was speaking to, “Frank.” 

Mia tilted her head acknowledging him.

I stayed silent.

Robby shifted his weight

“The hospital contacted Abby,” he started quietly. “Standard procedure. The school also called her too, before we even got the ambulance report.” 

The words hit like a punch to the gut.

Of course they had. 

Of course.

I stared at the tile a little harder, willing it to crack open and swallow me.

Robby lingered like he might say more. Then he gave up and left, pulling the door shut behind him with a soft click.

~~~~~~~

Mia stayed with me.

Waited.

She didn’t offer comfort.

She knew better than that.

She knew there was no comfort left.

Only the waiting.

Only the dread.

~~~~~~~

The bloodwork came back next. 

Dana came into the room, holding the tablet containing Tanner’s chart.

I stood up, barely stopping myself from snatching the tablet from her hands.

CBC – normal.

CMP – normal except slight hyponatremia.

LFTs – mild transaminitis.

ABG – mild metabolic acidosis.

ECG – normal sinus rhythm, slow but stable.

No answers.

Nothing that explained why my son was lying unconscious in a bed under painted trees. 

I gave the tablet back.

My legs gave out a second later.

I dropped back into the chair.

Mia moved closer—but not touching—but close enough that I could feel her breathing alongside mine.

The door stayed closed.

The machine kept beeping.

The walls pressed closer.

Every cartoon fox. Every smiling bear. 

Watching.

Waiting.

The air felt too thick to breathe.

I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to stop the burning.

Trying to stop the scream building low in my throat. 

Trying to survive the next second.

And the next.

And the next.

Because if I stopped even once. 

I knew I’d never start again.

~~~~~~~

I didn’t want to leave the room. 

Every cell in my body told me to stay planted next to Tanner’s bed, to watch the slow rise and fall of his chest, to measure the gap between each monitor beep like I could predict what would happen next.

But I still had my job to do. I’m still part of the ER team until 16:00.

And even if I wasn’t cleared to treat my son. I still had to do my shift handoff.

So I stood in the hallway outside the peds room, barely upright, going through the motions while Samira reviewed the final updates on the triage board.

I nodded at the appropriate times.

Maybe.

I think.

I honestly couldn’t hear half of what she said.

My eyes kept darting back towards the peds room behind her.

Every breath felt like a countdown.

Samira was kind about it—gentle even—but I could see the discomfort in her eyes.

She knew.

Everyone knew.

That my son was on the other side of that glass door.

She reached the end of the board and paused, tapping softly on the tablet. “That’s everything,” She said softly, “I’ve got everything from here.” 

I nodded, swallowing down whatever the hell was caught in my throat. 

“Thanks.”

She didn’t say anything else.

Just gave me a careful look and turned down the hall.

I barely had the time to breathe before I heard the echo of fast steps coming up the hallway. 

I turned already knowing.

Already feeling it in my gut.

And there she was.

Abby.

Coat flung open, shoes loud against the tiles, purse bouncing at her hip.

I didn’t breathe.

Didn’t blink.

Just stared at the glass door of the peds room, where Tanner lay still under too many wires.

And waited for her to reach me.

She spotted me the moment she turned the corner.

Her face tightened immediately. Not grief. Not worry.

Something colder. Sharper.

“What the hell happened?” She snapped as soon as she was close enough.

I stepped forward, blocking the door out of instinct—a move so small, so quick, I barely knew I was doing it until we were shoulder to shoulder.

She stopped abruptly, eyes narrowing.

“I should’ve been called the moment it happened,” she hissed “Why didn’t you call me?” 

My hand was on the door handle.

Not turning it.

Not letting it go.

She reached for it, but I didn’t move.

“Abby.” I said, voice too thin.

She paused.

A flicker of suspicion passed through her face.

And in that single beat, I realized just how badly I didn’t want to be alone in that room with her. How much of me still didn’t know what she is capable of. And just how terrifying that is to truly admit.

“Frank,” she started slowly, “move.”

“He’s barely stable,” I managed. “They’re running tests. They’re—he’s okay for now.”

She stared at me like I was speaking a different language.

“He’s my son,” she snapped. “Let me in.”

“I’m not stopping you.” My hands tightened around the handle, contradicting the words. “I just–need you to be calm, Abby. Don’t make this about us. Just be his mom.” 

There was a moment

A breath of silence between us, just long enough for the air to thicken.

Then she nodded once, too sharp to feel genuine.

“I’m always his mom.”

I stepped back.

Let the door open slowly.

Abby entered the room without another word and went straight to Tanner’s bedside.

I didn’t follow her in.

I couldn’t.

I hovered near the threshold, caught between panic and disbelief, every inch of my body poised to intervene if she so much as shifted the wrong way.

Abby leaned down over Tanner’s bed, brushed his hair from his forehead and whispered something I couldn’t hear. 

She didn’t scream.

Didn’t lash out.

Not yet.

But I watched her with the kind of attention I usually reserved for unstable trauma patients.

Waiting for a sign of escalation.

Waiting for something to crack.

Mia’s voice came softly behind me, “I need to step out. Make some calls.”

I turned toward her, barely able to nod.

She lingered for a beat longer than necessary. Eyes sweeping Abby. Then me.

Then she left, the door hissing quietly shut behind her.

And I was alone.

With Abby.

With the pressure in my chest mounting like a collapsed lung.

It wasn’t long after Mia had left that I felt the air shifted.

I could still hear her steps echoing down the hallway, then nothing. Just the quiet buzz of machines, the beep of the monitor, the near silent his of Tanner’s oxygen.

And Abby, sitting perfectly still beside him, like she’d never moved from that spot. 

She adjusted his blanket softly.

Methodically.

Like it was something she had done a hundred of times— like there were eyes watching and she needed to be seen doing the right thing.

She didn’t look at me when she spoke.

“You must’ve been so scared.” 

I blinked. 

Wasn’t sure if it was a question or a trap.

I gave her nothing.

She turned just slightly, enough to just glance over her shoulder.

“I know I was.” She added. “When the school called. My heart just dropped. I was already halfway out the door before they even finished the sentence.” 

Still watching me.

Waiting for something.

“Did he seem off to you this week? Before this?” She asked, voice light.

I swallowed.

Hard.

“I didn’t really–he was with you.”

Her smile was small.

Too small.

“Right,” she said, nodding slowly, “of course.”

She turned back to Tanner. 

Brushed his hair from his forehead with the back of his hand again.

“I guess he didn’t mention anything to you. About not feeling well. Or being dizzy. Or tired.”

I couldn’t tell if she was asking or accusing.

My throat was dry.

“No,” I said. “He didn’t say anything to me.” 

“Strange,” she murmured. “He usually tells you everything, doesn’t he?” 

My stomach twisted.

She kept her eyes on Tanner, her voice soft and syrupy.

“They said he collapsed after snack time. That he’d been acting clumsy, weak, off. All week.” 

Her fingers played with the cuff of his hospital gown.

“I guessed you missed it.”

I flinched.

Just barely.

But she saw it.

Of course she did.

Her smile returned—barely a curve of her mouth.

“I mean, I don’t blame you,” she said. “You’ve been under a lot of stress. You were even—what was it? Admitted for seventy-two hours?” 

I felt heat crawl up my neck.

My heart pounded too fast.

She stood up slowly, like she was rising from something sacred.

“I only bring it up because maybe…you’re not seeing things clearly. That happens sometimes. After something like that.”

She moved towards me.

Not quickly.

Not threatening.

Just enough to close the space.

She lowered her voice, pitched it like a secret between old friends. 

“And I know how much you love him. I do. So if you're worried—if you think something happened—you should tell someone. You should be honest.”

I opened my mouth, but the words died there.

She reached out.

Touched my arm, gentle as wind.

“And if it was something at school,” she added, “or even something he got into at our place—no one would blame you.”

That was it.

That was the knife.

Wrapped in silked.

Pressed just deep enough to make me bleed.

I stepped back.

Barely breathed.

“I didn’t—“ my voice cracked, “I would never—“

She nodded, serene.

“I know,” she said, “but you’ve been…struggling. We both know that.”

She turned back toward the bed.

Sat down again.

Took Tanner’s hand like it belonged to her.

And smiled like she hadn’t dismantled me with a dozen perfectly measured words.

The room was still vibrating with what she said. 

The sound of her voice clung to the corners like smoke.

I stood frozen by the sink, one hand gripping the counter so tightly my knuckles burned. Tanner’s monitor beeped on—slow and steady—but my own pulse was too fast. 

She didn’t say I did it.

She didn’t have to.

She said enough to plant the seed, coat it in sympathy, and leave me to drown in the silence that grew from it.

Then-

A knock.

Soft.

The door creaked open.

“Hey,” Dana said, stepping in with her usual calm, like a storm could never touch her. “I’ve got to grab the second round of labs. CT’s holding. Result’s not back yet.”

Her voice was casual.

But her eyes-

Her eyes moved like scalpels.

She looked at Tanner first, then me.

Paused for just a second longer than usual.

Then shifted her gaze to Abby—sitting upright, a little too composed, like she knew how to sit in grief but not feel it.

Dana’s mouth pressed into a neutral line.

“Frank,” she said gently, “Mind giving me a hand real quick?”

I blinked.

She wasn’t asking for help.

She was giving me an out.

Abby straightened.

“Oh- do you need him?” She asked quickly. “I’d…I’d rather not be alone right now. Frank’s his father. And I’m scared. I haven’t even gotten to speak to the doctor treating our son yet.”

Her voice just trembled—just enough.

Not too much.

Practiced.

Polished.

Dana raised an eyebrow.

Didn’t speak for a second.

Then turned to me.

“You can stay,” she said. “Up to you. Just thought I’d check.”

The offer sat there.

Thick in the air.

I looked at Abby—sitting like a glass doll perfectly arranged.

And at Dana—waiting, quiet, knowing.

My voice barely worked.

“I’ll stay,” I answered because I didn’t know what would happen if I left.

Dana nodded.

But she didn’t drop it.

Her eyes locked on mine for a moment longer.

Not pushing.

Just steady.

Seeing.

Then she turned back to the bed, snapping gloves on as she prepped the vials.

Abby leaned in and brushed her thumb over Tanner’s hand again, like she was painting the image of a mother.

But Dana didn’t look at her again.

She only looked at me.

And I knew—

She’d seen it.

All of it.

[brucewaynehater101]

Hello again I have an idea that might–i guess– interest you so here we go :))

I have this idea where Tim has a scythe in his Bō staff and everyone is just confused and concerned because he is starting to look like a grim reaper. Also the weapon + his fighting style is like a character named Arlecchino from genshin impact (if you play it), so he can do some cool poses and when he fights everyone sees that his fighting style look dangerous but elegant as he dances with his scythe while humming a tune which makes any rouges or enemies off guard by his calm demeanor (but they won't lie that Tim looks absolutely stunning with his staff/scythe that has some sort of black magic in it, idk).

Anyway— getting sidetracked, when Tim got asked by the Bats how he got it and he just said "I make this weapon all by myself without anyone helping me, so if you wanted this baby? Make it by yourself" he huffs while turning away with a proud look.

Also I think the JL will have these shocked faces as they look towards batman to gain some answers of how RR has a scythe and he just said "he was bored so he makes it by himself." And just like that every JL member started calling Tim "Reaper", which for Tim is weird and too dark.

But anywaysss, the YJ also have the same exact expression as the JL but they quickly brush it off and let Tim do his "Grim reaper" things. And they also would sometimes brag about their friend, Tim, that they have a cool leader who is graceful, amazing, sometimes annoying, smart— and yadda yadda, bcs who wouldn't want to brag that they have a fuckin Reaper as a Leader.

Idk if Tim actually has powers that actually take people's souls but the imagination is there :33

Ooh!!!! A retractable scythe in his Bō staff?

Okay! I treasure when the Bats have cryptic/eldritch rumors about them that they purposefully feed into.

Tim would make his humming into a warning when he's not actively fighting. For the situations that require it, he would throw his voice around the room as his hum rang out. Some goons, upon hearing the noise and knowing the rumors about the "reaper," would lay down their weapons, put their hands up, and slowly walk away. Whatever they are getting paid is not worth the chance of him taking their soul.

I'm not sure what ideas you had for the timeline of when he added the scythe. One route is that, after he trained with Shiva, Tim quickly stumbles upon this option (particularly if it's an added lesson from Shiva).

Here's what I'm thinking instead:

Red Robin was surrounded by assassins all alone until he befriended three of them. He already was breaking a ton of rules and crossing lines for his cause. Yet, he refrained from any that Bruce wouldn't forgive. There's always another option. Tim can figure out how to save the day without resorting to violence.

Under a blanket of stars as the sand shifted beneath his knees, Tim couldn't help but desire a blade. His staff, while it could be deadly, proved ineffective in his weakened state. There wasn't a way he could defeat his opponent. Tim was doomed to die and drag Pru down with him.

He was lucky to regain consciousness long enough to drag them to help, but Tim didn't like resorting to luck. He utilized plans and contingencies, not the whims of the universe. Life is unpredictable, but Tim could at least pretend he was prepared.

So, with LoA knowledge at his disposal, the teen learned how to sharpen his weapon. Tim crafted a tool that could easily kill. Upon its completion, he felt a small sense of that safety he had lacked since he was fourteen.

As fitting to a person so surrounded by death (his mom, dad, Darla, Bart, Kon, Z, Owens, Bruce), Tim fastened a scythe blade to his Bō staff.

When he returned, Gotham, the JL, and YJ learned of the "reaper." Tim is glad his friends accepted him readily.

Later, when Tim has settled into his new forms and fighting styles, he'll sneak on over to Drake Manor. In a basement filed with tomes, research papers, artifacts, and notes, the teen with etch symbols and words into the metal. It's another tool and hail mary he hopes to never use.

He's learned his lessons about instilling limits for the sake of others.

[nicomoon69]

since I am a timberkon truther they are canon in my RR au, so here’s a very VERY brief timeline

Tim along with Kon and Bart form YJ, they have their little homoerotic friendship but before either gets to fully process and realize said feelings Kon dies

shortly after that happens Tim starts going to high school where he meets Bernard and Darla and for a while he lives a normal life since Bruce decided to bench him (Cass becoming Robin for the first few months in his place)

during this period, Bernard definitely had mostly unexplored feelings towards Tim while Tim was feeling guilty because he not only felt like he was betraying his feelings towards Kon (which were still present at the time) but also that he shouldn’t pull some random high schooler into his messy life

around half way through the year when Tim gets unbenched and becomes Robin again he comes into contact with the Joker leading to him finally getting kidnapped, tortured and finally killed the last few weeks of school

around the time Tim is missing Kon returns and he ends up not being able to save Tim. at Tim’s funeral he meets Bernard, who he at first resents but is also inexplicably drawn to. after meeting a handful times they had an explosive fight that led to them making out

Kon and Bernard’s relationship starts of mostly like that. they didn’t talk about whatever dynamic they had created and just let it happen. that is until Bernard gets kidnapped or something like that and it makes both of them realize that life is too short for their messy shit and they get their shit together

when Tim does finally return it actually takes Kon and Bernard a very long time to let Tim back into their lives because of what he’s become, but after a lot of convincing from Jason (who Bernard loves dearly) they end up slowly letting him return and finally also end up getting with him

might go into more detail about some of these parts later cause I feel like I can explain more but I’m lazy rn soooo

[klimkovsky]

Globular star cluster Messier 9

Globular star cluster Messier 9 by Hubble Space Telescope

Messier 9, or M9, is a fascinating globular star cluster located in the constellation Ophiuchus. Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, it’s one of the older clusters in our galaxy, estimated to be around 12 billion years old. It sits about 25,800 light-years away from Earth and is relatively close to the galactic center—only about 5,500 light-years from it, which is pretty tight-knit compared to many other globulars.

M9 contains a couple hundred thousand stars packed into a roughly spherical region about 90 light-years across. It’s not the brightest or most prominent cluster—magnitude-wise, it’s around 7.7, so you’d need a small telescope or decent binoculars to spot it under good conditions. What’s cool about it is its mix of stars: mostly old, low-mass ones, with a good dose of metal-poor stars (meaning they’re low in elements heavier than helium), which ties into its ancient origins.

It’s also got some variable stars—like RR Lyrae types—that astronomers use to gauge distances and study stellar evolution. The cluster’s been shaped by its proximity to the galactic core, too; tidal forces have likely stripped away some of its outer stars over billions of years, giving it a slightly squashed look.

Let’s dive into the history and structure of Messier 9 (M9)

History

Messier 9 was first cataloged by Charles Messier on May 19, 1764. Messier, a French astronomer obsessed with hunting comets, spotted it while charting objects that could be mistaken for them. He described it as a "nebula without stars," which makes sense—through his modest 18th-century telescope, M9 would’ve looked like a faint, fuzzy blob. It wasn’t until later, with better instruments, that astronomers like William Herschel resolved it into a dense cluster of stars in the 1780s. Herschel’s observations helped shift the understanding of these "nebulae" into what we now know as globular clusters.

M9’s historical significance grew as astronomers pieced together its age and context. By the 20th century, studies of its stellar population—especially its metal-poor stars—pegged it as one of the Milky Way’s ancient relics, formed roughly 12 billion years ago. That’s not long after the Big Bang itself, making M9 a window into the early galaxy. Its proximity to the galactic center also hints at a turbulent past, shaped by gravitational tussles with the Milky Way’s core over eons.

Structure

M9 is a classic globular cluster: a tight, roughly spherical ball of stars held together by gravity. It spans about 90 light-years in diameter, though its core is much denser—most of its estimated 200,000+ stars are crammed into the inner regions. The cluster’s classified as a Shapley-Sawyer Concentration Class VIII, which means it’s not the most densely packed (Class I is the tightest), but it’s still got a noticeable core concentration that loosens up toward the edges.

Its structure’s been sculpted by its environment. Being just 5,500 light-years from the galactic center—closer than most globulars—M9 feels the Milky Way’s tidal forces strongly. These forces stretch and distort it slightly, stripping away some outer stars over time. This gives it a less perfectly spherical shape than more isolated clusters, with a bit of flattening or elongation detectable in detailed observations.

The stellar makeup is telling, too. M9 is dominated by old, low-mass stars—red giants and main-sequence stars nearing the end of their lives. Its metallicity (the fraction of elements heavier than helium) is low, around 1/50th that of the Sun’s, confirming its early formation before the galaxy had much heavy-element recycling. You’ll also find variable stars like RR Lyrae types pulsing in its core, which are handy for measuring its distance (around 25,800 light-years from us) and studying its dynamics. No fancy young star-forming regions here—just a quiet, ancient assembly.

The cluster’s compactness and its tidal wear-and-tear make it a great case study for how globulars evolve near the galactic core.

Let’s connect Messier 9’s history to the Milky Way’s formation and then zoom into its core dynamics

History and the Milky Way’s Formation

M9’s ancient age—around 12 billion years—places it among the first generation of globular clusters formed in the Milky Way. Back then, the galaxy was a chaotic mess of gas, dust, and smaller proto-galaxies merging into what we know today. Globular clusters like M9 are thought to have condensed out of massive gas clouds during this early epoch, before the galactic disk fully took shape. Its low metallicity—elements heavier than helium are scarce at about 1/50th the Sun’s level—backs this up. The universe hadn’t had time to churn out much “metal” through stellar fusion and supernovae yet, so M9’s stars are made of nearly pristine primordial stuff: mostly hydrogen and helium.

Being just 5,500 light-years from the galactic center suggests M9 formed in the galaxy’s inner halo or bulge region, where star formation kicked off early and fast. Some theories propose that clusters like M9 could even be remnants of dwarf galaxies or smaller stellar systems that got swallowed up by the growing Milky Way. Over billions of years, as the galaxy settled into its spiral structure, M9’s orbit kept it close to the core, exposing it to intense gravitational forces. These interactions likely stripped away some of its mass—stars on the outskirts got peeled off into the galactic halo—linking its history directly to the Milky Way’s violent assembly. It’s like a fossil record of the galaxy’s youth, preserved despite the chaos around it.

Core Dynamics

Now, zooming into M9’s core—it’s where the action (or what passes for action in a 12-billion-year-old cluster) happens. The core is dense, with stars packed so tightly that their mutual gravity drives some wild dynamics. M9’s a Class VIII globular, so its core isn’t as insanely concentrated as a Class I cluster (like M15), but it’s still compact enough for stellar interactions to shape its evolution. The inner region’s probably only a few light-years across, stuffed with thousands of stars buzzing around at high speeds—tens to hundreds of kilometers per second.

This density leads to stellar collisions and close encounters, though actual smash-ups are rare because stars are small compared to the space between them. More common are gravitational “slingshots” that fling lower-mass stars outward, leaving heavier ones—like white dwarfs or neutron stars—to sink toward the center via a process called mass segregation. Over time, this concentrates the core even more. M9’s core might even harbor a few exotic remnants—maybe a low-mass black hole or binary systems of compact objects—though nothing’s confirmed yet.

The variable stars, like RR Lyrae types, are a big deal here. They pulse with regular brightness changes, driven by internal instabilities, and their presence in the core helps map its structure. These stars also hint at dynamical heating: as stars interact gravitationally, energy gets redistributed, puffing up the core slightly against total collapse. Meanwhile, the tidal pull from the galactic center keeps tugging at the cluster, counteracting some of that inward squeeze and giving M9’s core a delicate balance between contraction and disruption.

So, M9’s history ties it to the Milky Way’s formative brawls, while its core is a slow-motion dance of gravity and survival.

Grok AI

Constellation Ophiuchus

Globular star cluster Messier 9 (M9) on the star map in Constellation Ophiuchus

A small addition to what AI said

The globular star cluster M9 is observed through the most densely populated regions of the Milky Way, rich in both stars and hydrogen nebulae, as well as interstellar dust, which partially hides this cluster from us. The absorption of light by the cluster and the filaments of dust nebulae against its background were noticed by Lord Rosse in the 19th century. The not quite round observed shape of the cluster is also due to dust screening.

In addition, the cluster is moving away from the Solar System at a very high speed - more than 200 kilometers per second. From this we can conclude that the globular star cluster M9 is not constantly near the galactic center, but only for a short time - its orbit is most likely highly elongated, and for most of its galactic year the cluster is on the periphery of the Galaxy or at an average distance from the core, possibly (and most likely) in the galactic halo, and not in the plane of the spiral arms. But now it is passing through the galactic plane and actively losing stars (but who knows - maybe it is acquiring new ones to replace the lost ones, capturing them on its way... although the mechanism of such capture has not yet been studied by science and is only assumed). But the approach to the core of the Galaxy, of course, greatly weakens the gravitational bonds between the stars of the cluster, which leads to large losses in the number of stars every couple of hundred million years, when the cluster again returns to the central part of the Galaxy.

Astronomers observe the globular star cluster Messier 9. Vision by Grok AI

[love-triangles-au]

What do you think?

Oh I love this!! I love biology and did some school projects on dog and cat genetics, so you're totally speaking my language!

It's probably worth noting that Venuz is not a Euclydian, so his genetic makeup is entirely different from Bill and his family's and they could not reproduce. He is from a line of leucistic Alabasters, so his white is not typical "spotting" but rather a genetic mutation.

My main question with this system is where an "irregular" (non-equilateral) shape would go. We know they exist since Bill mentions rhombuses and trapezoids in TBoB. Also, do all Euclidyans have the same brick patterning, or does it vary?

Regardless, I think this is a super awesome headcanon. Ours are a bit different, but since it's all speculation there really is no right or wrong answer, and I think your interpretation is absolutely fantastic. Since you shared yours with us and clearly spent a long time considering it, I wanted to come up with my own genetic system that fits with Minty and I's hcs to share with you!

(Bear in mind that as much as I adore biology, I have never formally studied it, so if any of this seems like total cap please do let me know so that I can learn more!)

All (physiologically typical) Euclydians actually display both red, blue, AND yellow pigments (alongside melanin) in the form of chromatophores above white! The natural color of a Euclydian (i.e., Bill's yellow) is not actually a result of pigmentation, but determined by the resting state of the microscopic muscles that control the chromatophores.

It took me a very long time to workshop what I think that would look like on the loci, but here's what I came up with:

Again, crucially, this is in a resting state. Even a rrbbyymm Euclydian could flash any color of the rainbow if they consciously chose to do so!

To encourage color diversity, I also wanted there to be a natural inclination towards heterozygous allele pairs (mismatched alleles. i.e., Rr rather than RR or rr). I think heterozygous individuals may have better control over their chromatophores and a better metabolism, possibly use less energy to change color. In fact, I think pure dominance in these loci may result in a higher chance to end up with chronic fatigue due to metabolic strain, maybe pure dominant individuals are prone to overheating as well?

If natural selection was in play, this would naturally make homozygous pairs (matched alleles. i.e., RR and rr) rarer, but, since it isn't, I'm thinking that each pigment allele also has a slight bias towards segregating away from the same alleles during gamete formation (I believe this is called a meiotic drive? Still not entirely sure how it works but I know it does happen).

Instead of a dilution locus, the basal color is white, which allows pastel tones when the chromatophores are more contracted. The reason I chose white as the base is so that they can truly be any color, as pigment mixes subtractively (that is, like paint: mixing every color would create black rather than white as with light).

Limbs are often darker than the main body as chromatophores are denser in those areas. I imagine this may be to shield the flesh as the limbs are softer than the main body.

As for patterning, I'm not totally sure! White spotting as in mammals wouldn't function in this system since the skin is already white, but I did think that maybe a locus that determines how spaced-apart the chromatophores are might be interesting. Something like CC/Cc/cc where CC = high density with rich and smooth color expression; Cc = medium density, maybe prone to speckling or gradation; and cc = low density with patchy coloring.

For shape, I'm even less certain, as I only ever really did my projects on pigments, but I kind go by Flatland rules where equilaterals have a small chance for their offspring to gain a side. Not sure how this would work genetically and I've been working on this for hours so will let you decide lol!

Hope you enjoy, I know I did! Thanks again for sharing, I love your art!

~ Mod Emily 🦇

[doylldonmagar]

So I saw @hermesmyplatonicbeloved 's post and had some thoughts. I agree and disagree. I am a percabeth fan but I also know that some of it is screwy, and if you are familiar with my blog, you know this. I think RR screwed up and wrote out a LOT of trauma, I think he really should have dealt with that better. I think it's not good that he wrote trauma and mental issues and abuse into the foundation of many characters and then has ignored it when it became convenient for the plot.

I would love to see specific quotes and books for these because some of them I have no memory of and would like to revisit them.

I'm gonna talk my way through all of this so I'm gonna text break here

The first point is Percy scaring her to tears. I can only imagine in Tartarus? Like when they're both in their worst state? I don't know. I agree they should have talked about it, but I think they should have talked about all of HoH, which brings me back to saying: Rick really failed at dealing with trauma and processing and long term effects. Honestly, being scared *of* him, yeah I agree that's bad, but is that the situation? If she's scared by his power, then I'm not sure of where I stand on this, I don't know anyone with demigod powers, but I don't think I'd be scared simply because I know someone is capable of hurting me. Plenty of people are capable of hurting me. Like I don't know, what situation is this?

"Percy has been suicidal the whole time annabeth has known him, in BoO Percy attempts suicide and annabeth said nothing, noticed nothing" I'd really like a page or quote because i remember him being suicidal but never attempting. (Im rereading what i wrote, is this maybe referring to percy deciding it would be better if he drowned when hes with Jason? If so, I thought the book said annabeth wasn't told that he wanted to give up) But really my bigger issue with this statement is the fact that it's not necessarily a bad relationship just because a person doesn't realize someone is suicidal, or if their suicidal thoughts are fluctuating. If he's been suicidal the entire time she's known him, how should she know? And why is it the girlfriend's job to stop him from suicide? Like yeah she should care, but that's not her responsibility. No one should feel responsible for a significant other's suicide unless they encouraged the SO to do it.

The judo flip, I agree, annabeth should have been more sensitive to Percy's past and again, I blame Rick for conveniently forgetting that an abused kid is not going to laugh or even take well to being thrown on the ground. This also reminds me of a post I made a while back, because I was so frustrated by media portrayals of women getting upset (usually worried) about another character and shaking them or hitting them or using some form of violence, and that's portrayed as acceptable and normal and as a sign of love. I'm not a fan of that.

"Annabeth likes to keep percy on his toes" this point, I want specific quotes, cause I'd like to go over it again. I agree this is funky. Percy says he feels more comfortable with annabeth and feels like he can talk to her blah blah, but yeah, I think I remember him saying she makes him anxious and that's a problem for me. Like genuinely, to anyone who reads this: if your SO makes you feel uncomfortable, anxious, nervous, or unsafe, please reevaluate your relationship and be safe. That's not good. And back to percabeth, I'm really not sure why RR would say that.

Bringing up abusive stepfather. If annabeth didn't already know about Gabe...I don't know, that says to me that percy was too traumatized to talk about it, in which case, why can annabeth see it in his actions, his comments, his reactions? I don't know that either. But I do know that having met my fair share of traumatized kids, it's not at all uncommon for them to share trauma as a joke and for multiple kids to laugh it off, not to mention suicidal jokes or jokes about their own abuse. Now I want to be clear, I'm not saying that's healthy, I think that's bad, but I also think it's common. And if annabeth doesn't realize what he's really talking about, or is caught up in her own experience, or is uncomfortable, laughing is not an uncommon response. And I don't think that makes their relationship toxic. (And I'm saying it again: I think Rick wrote that so that people could say oh poor percy and feel strongly about how horrible the situation is, but he didn't want to get into the trauma, so by annabeth laughing it off, he can move on with the scene but include little details that show how bad tartarus is)

I don't remember any comments about poseiden, but I agree her interactions with Tyson are problematic. I have zero explanation or excuse, I really don't know what rick was thinking with that, unless it was maybe a way to signify how all halfbloods feel about monsters? (Now that I've said that, that kinda makes sense, if percy sees a monster who was his human friend, but everyone else just sees a monster who is just like the other monsters who have killed their siblings. But still. Annabeth saying he was gross was uncalled for, Rick could have said she was scared or concerned this was a trick or something, but disgust?)

I agree about Percy's unresolved trauma manifesting as fear of annabeth. I already commented on the judo flip, see comments above.

Percy absolutely has horrible self asteem. I'm not sure that's annabeths problem. Yeah she should support him in every way she can, but it's not her responsibility or anyone else's to make him feel better about himself. She should want to, and she should be positive and encouraging, but I don't think Percy's lack of growth is her problem or necessarily a sign of a toxic relationship. It can be, but I'm not certain it is in this case. I think, as I'm sure you know if you've read this much, Rick doesn't know how to write characters who are further along in their trauma- processing, healing, discussing- rick fails to deal with anything besides a currently traumatized kid and a unresolved but out of the directly abusive situation. (This is where I'd like to note, the whole seaweed brain thing, not funny to me, not cute. I'm not a fan because I do think that encourages negative self image. I am aware that that could be link to annabeths childhood, but again, I would expect her to be hyperaware of this sort of emotional abuse. And I blame Rick. Why does she never have her actual abuse mentioned?)

I don't recall annabeth pushing percy to choose between them. I would have said she had doubts about him still wanting to go to CA and he said that he regretted not being there for Estelle but didn't want to be without annabeth (which is kinda cute, kinda codependent to me, and I agree, codependency is not cute)

I would argue the last point "Percy has no interest in going to New Rome or University" is clearly false. In SoN (2nd book of HOO) Percy discovers there are full families living in New Rome, and how it's safe there, and he says multiple times that he wants that, how he remembers he had a girlfriend named annabeth and he wants her to be there and wants to be able to settle down *there*. And in ChaliceotG he's torn, because he does want to stay in New York for his mom and sister, but he really wants to be with annabeth and he loves new Rome. He says multiple times how he wants to go to New Rome. Its true, if the only reason he wants to go is for annabeth, that's a bit funky. But new Rome is the safest place for demigods, and he's been in wars for years, of course he wants that. And wanting to be out of school- okay? New Rome isn't just about the university, not to mention the New Rome university is focused on kids with dyslexia and adhd, obviously. So it will be tailored to him, his struggles are understood, accepted, and aided. Who wouldn't see the appeal in that?

And finally, I agree, that if a character or couple is going to have broad reach, they should be healthy. That's a problem i have with Colleen hoover and all her toxic relationships that have a large audience and are so loved by that audience. And back to this, I hate that the pjo hoo couples are so focused on in the books because fans always pay attention to the couples, but the focus amplifies them, and I think having a relationship be the main focus of a kids/teen/ya book sets up horrible mindsets, and idolizes relationships and all in all is not good for kids. Percabeth or not, healthy or not, I don't think the emphasis on relationships is good.

I might link some of my other posts that I mentioned or that address similar issues in the reblogs

[thesummerstorms]

I can acknowledge that the text SAYS that Annabeth Chase worked out her problems with her dad, that her stepmom seemed "nice", and that her "resentment" is described as seemingly unimportant in Blood of Olympus. I can acknowledge the text SAYS that Annabeth's family problems are resolved.

However. That does not mean that I actually buy it. If RR wanted me to accept that outcome, he should have done the actual work of proving it.

Yes we have the scene with the plane and Mrs. Chase telling Percy that Annabeth has a home.

But those two scenes in TTC don't actually work as a source of a resolution to that plot thread because they don't address the root of the problem- Annabeth being hurt by Frederick's neglect and her step-mother 's blame/callousness.

Even if they ARE trying to do better now (which to honest, feels like a cop out to me, almost as if RR just decided he no longer wanted to write that thread and cut it off quickly) the problem lies in what already happened in the past and how badly Annabeth was hurt by it.

She could have died so, so easily, and even if you want to argue perfect intent for the Chase adults (which I don't) she was emotionally fucked up by what happened for years. This has already happened.

But there's not even a hint of an apology or actual reflection on what caused those events and how things need to be moving forward. It's just assumed that TTC automatically fixes everything.

And yes, I actively have a post going around about how an author has to pick and choose their narratives and what they want to focus on for what characters.

But I would argue that RR already chose to make that plot line an important part of the plot- given how it drives Annabeth's motivations and actionals on an emotional level for pretty much all of TTC- it's just that he handled it badly.

If it was going to be addressed, especially if it was going to be "fixed", then we needed more to convince us that Annabeth had reason to trust her parents again. And again, for me one plane scene that doesn't go into what Annabeth has already experienced doesn't work for me personally.

Especially when you look at things like how Annabeth was still living in boarding schools full time, her description of the night she ran away in HOH, her persistent fear of abandonment.

And before anyone brings it up, I do actually have some sympathy for Frederick Chase. I personally am deeply adverse to the idea of having children of my own, so putting myself in his shoes of having been given a whole infant I never wanted and didn't know was a possibility, freaks me out a little too!

BUT. That doesn't change the fact that he had a responsibility as an adult-

to either choose to raise Annabeth fully as his child and accept the responsibility that entailed

OR

to find someone who could take care of her the way she deserved if he was not emotionally or mentally able to fulfill those needs.

I'm not saying any of it would be easy, but he did in fact have a basic obligation to make sure Annabeth was receiving care from SOMEONE. That's basic decency as an adult with some form of power over a child even if he DIDN'T want to be her father.

But his refusal to actually commit to either path just did MORE damage in the long run.

And he's free to try and make amends, I guess. People can change.

But I just don't feel there's enough to show that he really has long term, much less to give ANNABETH reason to believe he has.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

I was following your post about grim dark comics like The Boys. And sometimes I wonder if people think bad things are more real than good things. Yes, the world is filled with sorrow and pain and injustice and lies. But that doesn't negate the existence of love and joy and mercy and truth. One of my favorite writers has a quote "Don't be led away by those howls about realism. Remember-pine woods are just as real as pigsties and a darn sight pleasanter to be in." to be continued in a second ask

Pt. 2. I see all these progressive activists on tumblr and elsewhere and they all seem so miserable, just desperately unhappy. And I think they truly believe on some level that no one can or should be happy as long as one person is unhappy or miserable. As if it's a betrayal to enjoy a sunset or play with your dog or spend time with loved ones if there are people who can't enjoy that right now. And I hate that mindset, wanting everyone else to be miserable just because you are miserable is evil.

You hit the nail right on the head. You're basically seeing an intersection of two kinds of people. On one hand you have the people who worship at the altar of George RR Martin and think the highest form of art is miserable people being miserable in a world where goodness can't survive. On the other, you have the shirt rending "why won't someone do something" people who inject depressing news like it's heroin and base their entire sense of self-worth on how hard they fight for The Cause--or whatever The Cause is this week. They're the very real embodiment of this:

But all the whining about "realism" utterly ignores that goodness does exist. Misery isn't the default state of the world. At no other point in human history have so many people been lifted out of poverty. At no other point in human history have the poor of the western world had access to luxuries that kings of old would have sold their entire kingdoms just to experience for a day. Every day strangers go out of their way to do something kind for people they'll never meet again. Every day acts of kindness are performed that will go unrecognized and unrewarded. If the Shopping Cart Theory is true, then our society is pretty damn good because people always return the carts.

But you won't hear that on the news. Because the news both makes money and advances its social and political agenda by feeding us the worst of the world 24/7. So people who only consume the constant, never-ending newsfeed on TV and social media and in their schools actually think the world is, by default, what you see on CNN. And I don't know about you, but I'm very thankful that's not my world.

[tf2thoughtdump]

TF2 Thought of the Day

Headcanon? Yes.

Character(s)? Medic and Heavy, mentions of Heavy’s family.

Long or Short? Long with Science.

You're free to use any thoughts of mine in any form of media you make.

Thought

So I thought about it and decided to do a bit of easy science to figure out the hair and eye color of a HeavyMedic child. If Medic can put a baboon uterus in TFC Heavy then he can find a way to make himself pregnant.

Here we go;

Starting with the eyes is easy, they both have blue eyes and studies have shown that two blue-eyed parents will have a blue eyed baby. That was too easy for me though, so I’m saying that Heavy’s sisters and mother have brown eyes, while his father has the recessive blue eyes. Everyone still following? Good! Let’s get our punnet square out now!

Blue is a recessive trait, so we’ll label them “rr,” and brown will be “RR.” I’m also adding in the fact that blue and brown eyed parents can make a child with green eyes, so let’s just assume that maybe by some chance this HeavyMedic baby will get brown eyes from Heavy’s family tree. “Rr,” in this case, will be green eyes or the chance that the baby will have brown eyes with the blue recessive trait.

So! With all that info, here is our punnet square.

Got all that? Good. We’re moving on, share your notes if someone missed it.

Next is hair, which will be a bit difficult since.. Heavy is bald, so we’ll be going back to his family. Yana and their mother has a sort of dirty blonde hair while Bronislava and Zhanna have dark brown hair. Medic obviously has black hair.

Brown is a recessive trait when compared to black, so black is “MM” and brown is “mm.” “Mm” will be the chance that the HeavyMedic baby will be a dirty blonde or have black hair with the brown recessive trait.

Here is what 5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back leads us to.

In conclusion! Use whatever combination you want from my research.

For example, your HeavyMedic baby could have green eyes and black hair while another person’s HeavyMedic baby could have blue eyes and dirty blonde hair! Enjoy making your children and I’m very excited to see them all.

I will be stalking you. I will know.