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watsondcsj · 2 years

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Superman, Son of Kal-El is an Apology, Actually

Superman: Son of Kal-El (to be referred to as SoKE) is an apology for what happened in the Superman books and DC in general from 2018 to 2020, and I can finally prove it. I've had a visceral gut feeling that Tom Taylor and DC at large were up to something since March of this year when the Superman & Robin Special was immediately followed up by the SoKE/Nightwing crossover. Both of these stories had me pouring over the comics trying to find the point in publishing them after multiple years and seemingly strong faith in their creative decisions long after Brian Bendis left the Superman line. Now that the first arc of SoKE is over after seventeen frustrating issues where events just seem to happen to forward a very shallow plot, I've found the angle that explains these comics in an interesting way and gives them purpose to push towards a future I am desperate to see. This is by no means an argument for the series’ quality as while there is a basic plot that can be followed easily without metatext, it spun its wheels and flatly refused to develop Jon himself beyond one big change despite the title of the book. It’s a disservice to his past, but that is to be intended and will come perfectly clear by the new year. I believe that most readers have not been experiencing this book in the proper context, especially when discourse tends to start and end with strawman arguments over ships and Comicsgate talking points. SoKE recontextualizes the turmoil behind the scenes with Bendis’ transition into DC Comics and the failed universal relaunch pitched and pushed by Dan DiDio as well as plants hints for the future through fictionalizing and sensationalizing events, actions, and plot points (scrapped and published) known to the public.

1. A Retelling of Questionable Material

Since issue 2, the main antagonist of SoKE has been Henry Bendix, a character from Jim Lee's Wildstorm imprint who made his DC debut in Steve Orlando's Midnighter during the DCYou Era just before Rebirth. It's been speculated that Tom Taylor chose this guy because his last name is a single letter off from Brian Michael Bendis's name whose creative decisions across DC's entire line from 2018 onward were almost universally panned and whose caustic internet presence and writing inclusions turned him into a public menace. I was hesitant to believe this was anything more than Tom poking a jab at the former writer at first. Taylor didn't choose him for his name, though. This would have been the character he would have chosen for what he's doing regardless at least for the one big change to Jon is concerned. Orlando's Bendix is less of the straight-up arms dealer from the Wildstorm Universe and more of a megalomaniacal, "I'll save the world from itself" kind of villain with a dollop of veiled homophobia, so he is the perfect choice for what Taylor had in mind for issue 5. That's not to say he isn't also being used as an analog for Brian Bendis, because he absolutely is and is used to give Brian a dose of his own medicine along the way. Utilizing an established character rather than a completely original character also gives Tom a smokescreen or plausible deniability should someone start to catch on. The same can be said for the nation Bendix takes over, the island of Gamorra, especially when you realize that in this story it is an embodiment of DC Comics itself.

It's been said that Tom Taylor is just writing SoKE to collect a paycheck or internet brownie points or worse that he does not care about the characters he is writing about, and that can't be true. First, the latter argument is baseless and has been said of any and every writer the Internet doesn't agree with the direction they take. As a disenfranchised Rebirth Superman fan myself, I get the urge to lash out and I have in the past. Tom has written many critically and general-audience acclaimed Elseworlds tales in the DCU. Second, you simply cannot write to that reception without some admiration for the world your stories take inspiration from, and no self-respecting writer is going to just ride on their own hype despite how smug they may act on Twitter. Last, the fact that he took an exclusive contract with the publisher should on its face discredit that statement. He's not Scott Lobdell. I've read enough for him to know the difference. No, Tom is doing something here, so, again, why Gamorra? Because both it and Bendix are Wildstorm and Jim Lee is now the sole publisher at DC? Probably since he chose to use Bendix, but Gamorra does not resemble what it did in its DCU introduction in 2012's Team 7 book. I know because I read it to make sure. It was a dictatorship under the thumb of Kaizen Gamorra I and later ruled by his son. Suddenly now it's a democracy with a presidential election and everything, so I don't think it was chosen for a purpose related to its continuity. The important thing is that Bendix overthrew and now has control over an entire nation, and DC Comics was once known as National Comics.

Brian Michael Bendis was brought into DC in 2018 to revamp the entire universe, and everyone hated his choices including but not anywhere near limited to the decision to make Jon Kent a teenager in a way that should also saddle him with an immense amount of trauma but deciding to ignore that instead of capitalizing on it. In issue two after Jon saves some Gamorrean refugees from capsizing, Bendix is introduced by saying that Jon has incurred his wrath because "people fleeing the country does not fit his expensively constructed propaganda." We are not shown how Bendix operates his government at any point during the story or indeed the propaganda described so the reader is left to trust the narrator however untrustworthy his vibes are initially. (The weird vibes are also intentional, but more on that later.) Assuming the allusion to Brian Bendis is sound, this propaganda could be several things: most likely the giant ads DC ran ahead of his start threatening that “Bendis is Coming,” but could also reference that one Tweet he put out that said Super Sons was a childish waste of time and you were stupid for enjoying it or any of the numerous times he would complain about fan backlash through the mouths of the characters he was writing. In issues 7 and 8, a huge sea monster moves towards Metropolis that Jon attempts to coax back into the ocean, stating that “it’s not an immediate threat. It’s kinda meandering, rather than rampaging.” Bendix calls Lex Luthor telling him of the leviathan coming to Lex’s front door. Lex tells him he’s aware but seems confident that he could handle the threat on his own. Both of these things could be said of Brian Bendis’s world-spanning whodunit event, Event Leviathan from 2019, which could more accurately have been titled "Discussion Leviathan" as a host of high-profile DC characters stand around accusing each other for six issues. Henry takes the opportunity to show off how effective his experimental troops are, failing miserably and pushing all blame off onto Jon, which Brian also did in the final pages of his Action Comics run. The experiments that Henry does to give people powers are completed with a mind control device that allows Bendix to speak directly through his soldiers. A common criticism of Brian’s DC books is a lack of distinct voices between the characters he writes and that they all sound the same, but this could also be another reference to how he would plainly print complaints of criticism of his work in his comics. The metaphor of two bald men plotting against the world to change it to their whims one loudly in public (Brian Bendis) and one more subtlely behind the scenes (Dan DiDio, former publisher at DC and noted villain to many readers) is not lost on me either.

So assuming this is all the writer's intent and not pure projection, the symbolism should go even further than Bendix and Gamorra. It does, and every plot point with confusing outcomes can be explained in this context. If in this alternate take on comic industry drama Henry Bendix is Brian Bendis and Gamorra is DC Comics, then the first family of Gamorra, the Nakamuras, are the first family of DC Comics, Superman’s family the Kents. The son in the Nakamura family is named Jay. In an interview with The Superman Homepage, Taylor says his son is a big fan of Super Sons and understands the feelings of fans of that comic and that he quickly became a fan too, so it's not a stretch to think that Tom is aware that "J" is Damian Wayne's nickname for Jon Kent. Furthermore after Bendix deposed President Sarah Nakamura and separated her and her son, Jay tells Jon that he was experimented on by "Bendix and his people" for six months. Incidentally, the sixth issue of Brian Bendis's monthly Superman comic was the same issue that Jon returned from space as a teenager. After being changed, Jay immediately joined up with a group of young, activist superhumans not unlike how the first thing Jon did as a teen was join the Legion of Super-Heroes. Even if these two plot points are different enough to be a coincidence, you cannot ignore that Tom Taylor has given two of his original characters nearly identical backstories and put them in the same panels in issue 4. Jay Nakamura, the child of a usurped elected official who was experimented on by Henry Bendix gave him powers of mobility, shares a lot of that with The Aerie, one of the Revolutionaries from Tom Taylor's Suicide Squad: Bad Blood. In fact, The Aerie’s backstory was altered from having a faceless evil give them wings to it being specifically one of Henry Bendix’s laboratories that gave them and a few other of their comrades powers.

Writing is a deliberate act. One does not put pen to paper by accident. Saying otherwise is like the high school debater that attempts to make the hypothetical argument for a hot-button political issue that a sexual encounter could happen “by accident.” It’s nonsensical, equally so to say that Tom forgot the plot of his Suicide Squad that has claimed multiple awards. Furthermore, Tom is no stranger to inserting his own opinion in this series as I have shown. By making the histories of his own two characters so similar, Tom is saying that aging Jon was unoriginal. In fact, just before 2011 when DC fully rebooted their entire universe, Clark and Lois had an adopted son who was introduced as a child and disappeared for a while only to return as a young adult hero.

I’ve retold this as it happened chronologically, but the book does not reveal it exactly in this order. In fact, until issue 13 after all of this was relayed I was certain that another shoe was about to drop showing that some or all of this was incorrect because it made the villain, Bendix, out to be inept and all of this was told to the reader verbally by Jay Nakamura himself. At that time I wasn't convinced of this theory of a complete one-to-one retelling of behind-the-scenes drama, but there is no longer any doubt in my mind. Since his introduction in issue 2, Jay gives off a bad vibe. He runs a shady internet news organization. He hides his face behind a creepy mask. He runs with known killers and claims to have a plan to make Jon join them, that plan being becoming romantically involved with Jon which was initiated in a kiss with dubious consent. The kiss was rushed in the story for marketing purposes, as Tom has said in an interview with AIPT Comics, but it does strengthen the feeling of unease. Jon as written by Brian Bendis also led the readers into distrusting him explaining how he aged seven years in three weeks in a manner that should have left him broken mentally, but left him largely unchanged in demeanor and did not explain why if he was in space for at least the span of a season why they could not retrieve Jon before he was thrown into another plane of reality given they should have about two months to do so before he was lost.

In the issue following the kiss, we are meant to be put at ease when Jon’s best friend Damian Wayne immediately accepts Jon’s boyfriend without looking into him at all. The decision to have Damian trust Jay without investigating Jay just for the sake of his best friend’s happiness did not sit well with some fans including myself, saying that it was out of character for him, but it’s not unlike how he came to trust this Jon implicitly who was suddenly three years older than him over the course of a single issue in Bendis’ Superman #16. Jay was never meant to be a bad person and was always intended to be on the right side of things as he would be instrumental to the climax of the arc and the emotional core was dedicated to him rather than Jon. Tom said in an interview with ComicBookResources.com in April that this was “Jon's comic, but it's still very much Jay's story.” This sentiment got stuck in the craw of a lot of readers, myself included. We were all thinking it, but we were hoping it was not true until this article was published. I hope by this point I have discerned and can convince you of the reason why.

2. Dreamer and the Future

Issues 12 through 15 shift the focus from the past to the present and future with the introduction of the TV original character, Dreamer from the CW’s Supergirl. Since early 2021 after Dan DiDio’s severance through the time of this writing, DC Comics has maintained the “Infinite Frontier” initiative. The most recurring accomplishment of this has been the introduction of television and film original characters to the main comic continuity, most notably The Phantasm from the animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm in Tom King’s epilogue to his Batman ongoing Batman/Catwoman and Red X from 2003’s Teen Titans animated series in Tim Sheridan’s Teen Titans Academy. Dreamer is introduced much later than most of her contemporaries indicating this shift in narrative focus in the story, and her ability to see into the future speaks for itself.

By the end of SoKE issue 12, even Jay’s secret identity as the masked reporter Gossamer was indirectly revealed to the entire world by Henry Bendix, exactly like how Brian Bendis had Clark Kent lay it all bare and reveal his secret to the press in his Superman #17. One angry Alex Jones type, shouting internet man begging the public to see Jay for who he has been revealed to be (and perhaps another reference to Brian Bendis’ behavior) later, and Jon flies Jay over to his father’s Fortress of Solitude where Dreamer sits waiting for them, quickly showing them a potential future Henry Bendix is prepared to bring that Jon and Jay must help avert. This vision includes the death of current Robin, Damian Wayne, and the poisoning of Jon himself, a reference to how it was planned for Dan DiDio’s 5G to have Damian turn away from the side of good becoming the ultimate evil (predicated by the events of Teen Titans Annual #2 by Robbie Thompson and hinted at in Bendis’ Legion of Super-Heroes #3) and the further twisting of Jon Kent away from the character readers have come to love since 2015. Jon is shown to believe Dreamer’s intention despite her shady actions based on a conversation between himself and one of Dreamer’s descendants on the Legion of Super-Heroes not shown during Brian Bendis’ run. To coin a phrase, “makes it easy” on the narrative front, but the inference stands on its own.

The end of the comic confirms what I had been hoping to this point to be wrong, Jay Nakamura is the son of President Sara Nakamura who is still in the custody of Henry Bendix. While frustrating at the time, this is about Brian Bendis’ treatment of and changes to Clark Kent continuing after Jon was put into the Legion of Super-Heroes. The monstrous results of Bendix’s experimentation could be a reference to the aforementioned secret identity reveal that indirectly affected Jon, Clark’s non-response to Jon’s sudden aging with an obvious loophole allowing for quick correction if acted upon, or rumored plans for Clark in the 5G initiative that would have made him into an authoritarian all of which figuratively turning Superman into a monster.

Issue 14 begins with a meeting between Jon, Jay, and the Revolutionaries, whom I have been wary of since their introduction in issue 4 due to some very violent tendencies. Introduced in Tom Taylor’s Suicide Squad at the same time there was a push to publish more stories leading towards 5G, the group is known for toppling evil government regimes, and more importantly to me, their leader Osita was shown to have a firm mistrust of costumed heroes, especially laying into someone who she believed to be Superman to his face. Her conversation with Jay, Jon, and the magically appearing Damian Wayne, however, leaves her with a new, more positive outlook indicative of a more positive treatment of the established heroes of DC by the company itself.

During the assault on Bendix’s complex in Gamorra, Jay convinces the people held hostage there to mutiny by lowering the forcefield around the country and letting the Revolution commence. At this point, I feel I should be able to relay this without the need for further explanation of the symbolism, but Bendis seemed to have trouble keeping artists on his projects. The artist for his Young Justice relaunch, Patrick Gleason, left abruptly after five issues. This is notably two months after Jon became 17, and Gleason is well known for his work with both Jon and Damian. The eighth and ninth issues of Bendis’ Legion of Super-Heroes are a convoluted mess of a new artist on almost every page. It was marketed as a “Once in a Lifetime All-Star Artist Event” on the covers, and I certainly hope I never see that attempted again. This is complete speculation, but it feels less like this was what Brian intended his comic to be and more so DC trying whatever they could to get the book from their marketed savior out without delays. I also assume Ryan Sook does not list that book on his resume due to it being such a critical and commercial flop. The final acts of Brian’s Action Comics feature some of the quickest, dirtiest art from John Romita Jr. I have seen. This is an artist well known for their speed and routinely hired for a time-crunch, whether it was him or the inker it really feels as if someone’s heart was not in it for those twelve issues. As Bendix flees, Tom takes a page out of the Bendis playbook and speaks through Lex to the stand-in he’s positioned for over a year to admit straight to Brian Bendis that he is taking his work and using it for his own. In the end and completely on brand for him if his Twitter feed is anything to judge by, Tom Taylor gets the last laugh for using Brian’s outline to create an original character with a strong cult following which is more than can be argued from the at best tepid response to Brian’s Superman. Lex caps off this interaction by throwing Henry into the vacuum of space stating “It’s space, Henry. I can’t hear you complain.” I’ve taken this to be a direct response to Bendis’ miniature tantrum in Justice League #66 about DC undoing everything he attempted to contribute to “a new generation.” With 5G proverbially avoided, the issue ends with Jon and Jay sharing a kiss in front of the entire world, one far more tender and genuine than in issue 5.

3. Teen Jon Pivot

Jay has effectively replaced Jon in-universe (at least from the standpoint of the changes after Action Comics #1000) after issue 15. It then begs the question: what does that leave for the now redundant Jon? The comic throws hints at this as well. These were the things that I discovered before anything else I will present here. After January brought us the tonally strange Superman & Robin Special #1 and February brought the first half of the SoKE/Nightwing crossover in Nightwing #89, I decided I would go back and read every story about both of the Super Sons Damian Wayne and Jonathan Samuel Kent including any proto or rough-draft type material. By chance, I came to the knowledge that the New 52 Superboy series eventually became something like that for Jon. Little did I know at the time that this wholly unenjoyable comic would turn out to be a very fruitful trial.

The first thing that tipped me off was Dick Grayson is drawn in his New 52 outfit during a touching flashback of Jon when he was young. The canonical timeline for Superman especially was all kinds of confusing after two subsequent line-wide continuity adjusting events and the “Superman Reborn” crossover joining the histories of the New 52 Superman with his Post-Crisis counterpart, so I didn’t think much of it at the time. Like everything else, though, it’s just one piece of this puzzle. It would be a few months before I’d realize that there was another big hint in the second half of the crossover, SoKE #9. Jon offhandedly mentions to Dick that his juggling only worked as a distraction when he was nine. The previous issue made it clear that he got lost flying around when Batman and Nightwing were called in to assist in the search and rescue. That’s a pretty clear change from what we know from Peter Tomasi’s time on Superman and Super Sons where Jon was ten and struggling to fly. Again these two things on their own didn’t have to mean anything, so I dug deeper supposing Jon was not the same Jon created by Dan Jurgens while still keeping in mind that Superman’s Kryptonian technology confirmed that he was “ a seventeen-year-old Kryptonian Earth boy named Jon Kent.” This is where the New 52 part is important.

At the start of the 2011 relaunch, all the signs were there that the Superboy being written by Scott Lobdell in the pages of Superboy and Teen Titans were the new iteration of Conner Kent, the previous Superboy and spliced clone of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor. Come issue 19, that was disproven with an abrupt shift in the expected outcome. This Superboy was not Conner Kent. He was a clone of the son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent from an alternate future where they were together as they were not during the New 52. His name was Jonathan Lane Kent. As a holdover from information given to the reader during Geoff Johns’ Superman: Last Son, the incompatible DNA of his parents caused Jon’s premature death, but a bigoted man from the future retrieved and revived the boy raising him as his own and passing on his hatred of powered people called metahumans. Despite his advanced technology, Jon eventually succumbed to his disease again causing his kidnapper to put him in stasis as he returned to the present to collect the DNA needed to stabilize his “son.”

Returning to what the reader perceives as “the present” proved difficult on two fronts. First, when he arrived he found that Lois and Clark were not married or romantically involved. Second, his body was not accepting these jumps through time with his early time travel technology of the 30th century. (Don’t ask how the body of Jon survived unscathed. They don’t attempt to explain that.) Marred and disfigured, the man made himself an edgy outfit, began going by Harvest, and tried to create a perfect clone of Jon with samples of DNA from Jon, Lois, and Clark with the 21st-century technology of the DCU. It is a bizarre explanation and barely explains the events of the last 18 months of publication, but it’s what they ran with for the next 18 months that Superboy was still in print and beyond when it came up again during the DC You era Teen Titans comic.

Yes, I decided that this was the best explanation despite the knowledge of how despised these comics are. Weirdly enough, there’s enough evidence that I can confidently state that one way or another the sixth volume of DC’s Superboy series contains the context for how the teenage Jon from SoKE is the clone of an evil, alternate future version of Jonathan Samuel Kent. Names are important in Taylor’s comic. Bendix perhaps not completely intentionally references the previous writer on Superman. Jay Nakamura references the Super Sons. In the second issue of SoKE in an attempt to go to school anonymously, Jon puts on a bad blonde wig and gives himself the name “Finn Conners.” Finn is an Irish name that translates to “fair.” Someone who is “fair-haired” is blonde. Therefore this civilian name is essentially “Blonde Conner” or “Blonde Kon” in reference to how the New 52 Superboy was identified. There’s more. In issue one, there is a flashback to the Justice League attending Jon’s birth in the Fortress of Solitude. In Superboy #19, Jon was shown being born there as well. Jonathan Samuel Kent was shown to be born in the Batcave during the event Convergence, though at the end of “Superman Reborn” there is a small panel showing a similar birth in the Fortress. In SoKE #4, Jon laments the destruction of his grandparent’s house. His grandparents, Jon and Martha, are characters readers have not seen him interact with as they returned to existence during the event Doomsday Clock, making this page a little confusing and a lot frustrating to have what could be a new status quo for Jon’s first ten years being relayed in three panels. Comparing the page to Jon Lane’s history in Superboy #19, one can see some similarities in the choice of coloring Jon’s clothes and the choice for Jon not to appear older than four on any part of the page. In an interview with Comics Beat from June, Taylor reveals he was approached by his editor to make Jon bi stating she said: “there’s been this idea floating around at DC.” In the New 52 Teen Titans book, Superboy shows interest in a relationship with Wonder Girl, Cassie Sandsmark on multiple occasions, but in the relaunched comic he gives his final goodbye to Tim Drake with some pretty not-straight subtext. Lastly, when Bendix attacks Jon in Washington D.C. through a senator transformed into a cephalopod monster, Henry calls Jon an “abomination'' in reference to his mixed races. While this could also be taken as Bendix being homophobic again, Jon had not at this point been out to the public about his relationship with Jay. More importantly, it was written in Lobdell’s Superboy #6 that “Kon,” previously the Kryptonian moniker for Conner Kent, translated to abomination in English. This fact would be stated numerous times throughout the comic.

If this is true, then the explanation for how Jon has so many memories that readers of the Rebirth comics might recognize comes handily in that same issue. When the Superboy has his first encounter with Supergirl before she gives him his deprecative name, Superboy is flooded with memories of Krypton when he touches her. In the final arc of the book by Aaron Kuder, he has ample amount of time to come in contact not only with his evil original but many other versions of himself from across Hypertime and the Multiverse, but the only time in SoKE the reader is reminded of an exact reference to what was published before in 2016 was not told to the reader through Jon’s voice or thoughts but third-hand through his grandfather to Batman while Jon was not present in SoKE #11. Never has Jon called Damian “D” nor has Damian called Jon “J” in the main continuity since Infinite Frontier even in Peter Tomasi’s Superman & Robin Special. This is intentional. Just a small thing to make their relationship read a little differently.

The New 52 Superboy (to be referenced as Teen Jon) has disappeared from the comics since his goodbye in 2015, but he has still in play to come back. You can thank long-time DC editor Paul Kaminski for remembering him. He has worked most notably on the Rebirth Superman books including both of Peter Tomasi’s books, Superman and Super Sons, as well as the 2015 Teen Titans and most recently SoKE. He has also plainly said on Twitter that “Jon will not be de-aged.” If my theory holds, this will be technically correct. All Jons will retain their current ages, including the eleven-year-old being held in editorial limbo while they iron out the creases in the universe.

Teen Jon was able to be inserted back into the canon retroactively because of Jon’s absence in Geoff Johns’ Doomsday Clock, the same story that goofed with reality and reintroduced Clark’s adopted parents Jon and Martha alive and well. The effect of so many reality shifts has been confirmed to have caused significant memory alterations for those who have lived through them. It’s said as much in the final pages of Flashpoint Beyond. With his psychic abilities and having lived through the last arc of his own book and the two most recent events Doomsday Clock and Dark Nights: Death Metal, Teen Jon could have a ludicrous amount of confusion between his ears. What’s more, the rest of his book is no cakewalk. It can explain how he could have walked away from an experience, real or imagined, as he relays to his genetic parents in Bendis’ Superman without much significant change in his attitude or demeanor.

4. A Prediction Based on Precedent

It would mean little for all of this subtext and metatext to be there without a promise for Jon’s younger counterpart to return to the fold. For the longest time, I was sure it was going to happen in the pages of Dark Crisis, but it now seems much more likely for it to happen in Action Comics #1050 which will publish this December. To understand my reasoning, I once again must go back to the Superman & Robin Special #1. On first read, its melancholy tone and chosen plot line seem like a strange choice to win readers back who may have been spurned by the 5G lead-up. On second pass after I had read the SoKE/Nightwing crossover, I realized the trip to Dinosaur Island referenced here was also the first time in Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s Superman (issues 8 & 9) that were are reminded that Jon is unable to fly and that he was "only ten." So I reread more Jon and Damian comics and kept up with both of their ongoing comics and I remembered something else. The same device that sent Jon and Clark to Dinosaur Island, the Hypercube, was used in the second Super Sons series, Adventures of the Super Sons, and developed into a sentient, omniscient being capable of seeing beyond the fourth wall. In the Special, the same Hypercube then sends two things to the boys for them to deal with, an alien that ages rapidly before their eyes and a squad of Nazi soldiers.

The alien being caught my eye first. The aging immediately had me suppose this was supposed to be symbolic of Jon himself and brought me to the conclusion Jon would be revealed to have aged perhaps only to thirteen during Dark Crisis and returned to his family old enough to be able to join the Teen Titans as he wished when he left Earth. This was a false conclusion based on incomplete data. I would not know this until Dark Crisis #4 was released.

I had made this assumption because of the at the time newly announced Superman tie-in that seemed to feature Clark and Jon together in the prison Pariah trapped each member of the Justice League in Justice League #75 and the alien in the Special spontaneously births a child before Jon helps them return to whence they came, but the book came out and it was as advertised. Clark was trapped in a world of his desires. I held out hope that the tie-in issues in The Flash would show Wally West or Michael Holt discover every world Pariah had in his possession or perhaps Barry Allen would in Dark Crisis #4. All of these came and went without the payoff I had hoped for.

Interestingly enough, though, there has been an announcement of a book releasing on October 4th that could hint at Teen Jon’s mind being cleared of clouded thoughts and confused memories. Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green was announced at San Diego Comic-Con with a picture of Jon fused with Swamp Thing. This is notable because Clark did the same thing in Peter Tomasi’s Superman Annual #1 to fully calibrate his body to the New 52 Earth he now called home. Alec told Clark during this process that “the only way to rectify this is to cut the emotional and psychological tether that you still hold tight to. Free yourself from the past.” Whether or not Teen Jon is the New 52 Superboy, the only way I can accept Jon aged is if they erase the trauma of Earth-3 (not that anything came of it anyway), but if he is the Superboy then this is how Teen Jon will figure it out.

After rereading Adventures of the Super Sons and finishing Joshua Williamson’s Shadow War spinning out from his Robin ongoing about Damian Wayne I realized what the random Nazis were symbolic of. I had blocked Brian Bendis’ Legion of Super-Heroes from my mind for many reasons, but most of all for his insinuation in issue 3 that Damian would become analogous with Hitler sometime in the future. It is plain now that this was paving a path forward for DiDio’s 5G stuff, but at the time it was enough for me to stop buying that book. Even in what seemed like his last hurrah with the boys he had given so much of his time and energy, Peter Tomasi would let Damian admit he could be the greatest evil if he wanted to in Adventures of the Super Sons. So when Damian is the one to suggest pounding the Nazis sent by the Hypercube, the message is clear. Damian is a hero. This is cemented in Shadow War when Damian berates Geoforce for killing people, shouting that “Heroes don’t kill!”

Then what of Jon and the alien? The Hypercube did not replace Damian in his metaphor to the readers allowing him to participate, so it would track that the alien is not alluding to Jon himself. It’s not as if the Hypercube would necessarily be trying to talk directly to the audience. Despite seeming to know it is in a comic when it spoke to Jon and Damian in Adventures of the Super Sons #12, it only addressed the boys in front of it in doing so. It allowed Damian to participate in his metaphor, so it should be doing the same for Jon. Jon does have another alien who seemed to be prematurely aging, too. Clark appeared to be dying in the issues collected in Superman: The One Who Fell by Philip Kennedy Johnson which leads directly into his run on Action Comics. Jon was worried to the point of tears that he was about to lose his father and Clark was losing his powers and getting hurt in a situation he otherwise wouldn’t have. The stress of losing him worsens as Clark leaves Earth to liberate a group of slaves in both Action Comics #1035 and SoKE #3, looming in the minds of both father and son until they are reunited in the upcoming crossover. So supposing the alien in the Special is Clark, then its child could be a young Jon that Teen Jon is pivotal in helping return both of their lives to a state of normalcy. When? Action Comics #1050.

Starting September 27, SoKE and Action Comics will be having a crossover celebrating Clark’s return to Earth and the milestone 1050th issue of Action Comics publishing in December. The solicitations for the books involved have been more vague than average for comic book advertisements. Before the final issues were solicited, all that we knew was that Lex Luthor and Metallo would be the main antagonists and that Clark and Jon would be reunited with the solicit for SoKE #18 suggesting Jon not feel as enthusiastic about it as he should (Super Swamp Thing fallout?), but there are two very interesting things that DC has let us know about SoKE #19 and Action Comics #1050. The first is that Lex has taken something from Clark’s life, “something so important it will change the very planet itself.” I believe this is the missing young Jon, and I believe this is truly why Lex Luthor was introduced into SoKE in the 2021 Annual issue only to lurk in the shadows for the majority of the story. Like what is known about the crossover, it also features Lex teaming up with Metallo. More importantly, it gives Lex a reason to hold an extra petty grudge against Teen Jon or allow himself to add him to his preexisting grudge against his father. During the New 52 Super Book crossover “H’el on Earth,” Lex met the Superboy and insinuated he knew the source of his genetic make-up even if it was written as though he was the same as Conner and Lex was stroking his ego. Being the smartest man on Earth and armed with the knowledge that Clark Kent is Superman, Lex should be able to figure out that Jon should not be as old as he is currently. Even if DC had planned to falsify documents in-universe to explain how Jon is seven years older, Lex met the younger Jon twice before and the second time would have been impossible for Lex not to easily understand who he was. With Clark’s entire life out in the open, Superman plus “let my mom and dad go” equals duh. The second thing they revealed is in SoKE #19, Jon will face a villain who calls themselves “Red Sin,” one letter off from the Elseworlds tale Superman: Red Son. I think this is a red herring. When the Superboy disappeared from the New 52 continuity, he was taken by his creator, Harvest. When there were rumblings from Tom Taylor that Jon was finally about to get a brand new villain to call his very own, I thought it may be an alternate take on this character to finally drive the hints home. Harvest would eventually be found dead in the Rebirth relaunch of Lobdell’s Red Hood and the Outlaws, issue 17. Death is so meaningless in comics, though, that this meant nothing to me despite what a dead-end character Harvest is especially since another universe-altering event was going on with worlds living, dying, and never being the same, yadda yadda. Harvest looks the part of a fallen angel with red flesh mostly covered in the edgiest, Liefeldian black robes complete with scythe. A rebranding to “Red Sin” would fit him like a glove. Then it occurred to me that Harvest was found crucified. I’m pretty sure Red Sin will be a totally new bad guy mostly free from the past, as Swamp Thing would like, the only connection being they strung up Harvest on the crucifix as Teen Jon escaped unseen leaving a trail for Lex to pick up when he finds that the two boys didn’t line up chronologically. Brazenly hopeful prediction, I know, but I grew up on Shonen Twitter. One Piece Twitter, at that. It’s in my nature.

5. Conclusion

I began writing a very open and vulnerable script in April about SoKE and my experiences with Jon focusing heavily on my disappointment with the current status quo. I never got to finish it because this was fresh off of the devastation I felt after SoKE #9. It was hard for me to find the silver lining even if something deep within me felt that it was being corrected or those three books from January to March would not have been published as they were. There would have been more acceptance of the past or something to move past what was done if it was while the rest of the ongoings DC was putting out seemed to be undoing Bendis and DiDio’s manipulations at a rapid pace. I had so much conflict within me. No more. I promised to be classy if I was right about any of this. Fuck that. I’ll say it here so I won’t have to do it anywhere else: I told you so.

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nox-artemis · 2 years

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Berserk 365/366 Thoughts

So I got around to reading the new Berserk chapters. Wasn't really on the edge of my seat waiting but again - got other IRL shit to do and worry about in the meantime.

Firstly,

When they said that two chapters were going to be released at once, I knew there was a catch. And yes, we didn't get the typical 12-ish paged chapter but double, rather we got about 6-ish pages for each chapter which adds up to the usual chapter release count. I guess they announced a two chapter release to draw people in. I mean, I'm not complaining because I pretty much suspected that there was no way they were release 20-something pages of pure plot and story after Miura's last written chapter. Again, for this continuation to work they *really* need to take things a lot slower.

But I'm not disappointed with what the new team put out, and I think they have a good handle on things story wise (art wise it's still compelling and engaging and any differences are very subtle. We'll have to see how far the team's imagination will go with grandiose concepts and structures). We're introduced with that sense of tranquility being smashed to smithereens, a classic in Berserk. A day filled with peace, nostalgia, optimism but bittersweetness upon the extended stay of Moonlight Boy is instantly shattered when it's revealed that the boy and Griffith are one and the same BUT also when, in typical neo-Griffith fashion, he wipes away any trace of his humanity. Jerk even gives the most smug-ass smile to Guts in 366.

If Griffith had kept crying from the memories of being Moonlight Boy - of being Guts and Casca's lost son - would Guts have reacted so? It's hard to say since Guts' berserker armor - if we're to be honest - has helped to set him off for a little less in the past. Note that I say "helped" because with or without the berserker armor one of Guts' primary struggles is his violent reactionary nature particularly after the Eclipse. A lot has helped to quell that side of him but the physical presence of Griffith is obviously still going to be a main source of conflict for his character development.

And it's hard to say if Guts would have stayed from attacking because it's not made clear if he had the revelation that the Moonlight Boy is his son in the same way Casca has (it's more likely that he's doubly infuriated because this boy who was so unassuming and nonthreatening around him and his group turned out to be his mortal enemy in "disguise" rather than it is likely that he's mad because Griffith body-hijacked his long-lost son).

Speaking of which, this turn of events is extra heartbreaking for Casca in particular, considering that the previous chapter had her in a rare moment of happiness and that it's heavily insinuated that bonding with the boy has helped to heal her heart/soul, if just in bits and pieces. I'm kind of a *bit* confused if the new team kept with the continuity of the last chapter, saw in the second to last panel of chapter 364 that Casca made it to the doorway to see Moonlight Boy transform into Griffith, while in 365/366 it seems like she made it to the doorway when Griffith was already transformed. It's very minor, but the result is the same as poor Casca is spiritually assaulted by the reactivation of her Brand. I only hope that when she pulls through, she'll retain her constitution in that Moonlight Boy isn't Griffith in disguise but that Griffith essentially corrupted and stole her baby, along with so much in her life. I hope that getting her boy back will be her motivation to get stronger and to more importantly overcome her trauma.

It's immense for the story concerning Griffith's presence on the island. Although not officially canon, neo-Griffith is ultimately the result of the Idea of Evil, so apparently the magic of Elfhelm even has its limits for protection (even Zodd is there!). Not only is Casca basically reduced to unconsciousness just for being in Griffith's presence (which is a far cry from her when she was in her lucid state: recall that, under the influence of the child (a detail that's now pretty much confirmed) Griffith protected Casca and she was able to withstand the immense pain of the brand to even then), but her protective amulet also breaks. Maybe it's more of a result of Griffith leveling up to about 100,000 since meeting Casca and Guts on the Hill of Swords way back when (since a literal SHIT TON has happened). Griffith is still literally on a whole other level.

The fact that I'm able to say all this is proof of my satisfactory with this chapter, and I think that Kouji Mori and his team are headed in the right direction with keeping Miura's vision for Berserk up to task.

And yet Guts powers through despite the immense pain his body must be undergoing but the berserker armor is allowing him to ignore. Mentioning the berserker armor again - since the Beast of Darkness is also making its presence known at the same damn time as Griffith - is bringing implications of its own, as Guts will not only have to contend the external enemy that is Griffith but the internal-external enemy that is the Beast. Guts is granted the endurance and resilience to go after Griffith but at what cost (update: for instance I just noticed that his vision failed again in one panel. It's very scary considering Guts only has one working eye left).

(And yes very good that the plain serious Puck made a rare appearance! Hope we'll see more of that going forward!)

#berserk spoilers #berserk 365 #berserk 366 #berserk stuff #guts #casca #griffith

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hzj04 · 11 months

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ODDITY Masterpost

A story about how 5 friends went out on a little ghost hunting excursion.

The main gang! Maggie is the protagonist but they all have their own POV in the game. She is more sensitive to supernatural presence since she's a spiritual medium. Jeremy is the scaredy cat, Michael is the abnormally optimistic one (to the point of being delusional), Collin is the cranky but sensible one. Ivana.... She's just there to wreak havoc and be cute mostly!

They snuck in school due to ghost rumors and curiosity, and fucked around and found out.

Protagonists of the 2nd game: Miss Kimberly & Callen

Miss K is the main gang's literature teacher and a witch in search of mysterious powers. Callen is Maggie's dead brother/sister who aids Miss K in her search due to unfulfilled promises (tbh she just wants to pew pew handsome guys with water)

Protagonists of the 3rd game: Nao & his merry band of dead kiddos!

The red one is Naim who lives in and dies under an evergreen tree. Joas, the only sorta sensible one who has woosh woosh fire power. Callen (again!) the boygirlboss who likes to drench handsome guys with water; and lastly, May and Juno who died and then forgot all about their living experiences.

Finally, let's get on to the side casts

Edward, the music teacher who died having his aspirations unfulfilled, and Mark, his previous problem student who went on to become the principal of the same school.

Ian, Ivana's 2nd elder brother who was Joas' bestie up until he died.

(mukanya kalem tapi kelakuannya hehe)

Alvaro, Clyde, and Ren, who usually got dragged by (or be the one dragging) Ivana's mess. Ren is more mature & mild-mannered than the other two, so he is usually the one covering for them to the principal so they all don't get caught!

(oyea in game 1 chapter 3 Varo & Clyde got horror-isekaid with Ivana, and in game 2 they tailed Miss K to the wilderness out of curiosity...)

Game 2's supporting casts! C, Ren's shady elder brother who followed Ivana's gang out of worry. He contacted Ray, the forest ranger (and Ivana's brother, but he didn't know about that), just out of concern to the kids.

Noa, the hospitalized boy who became good friends with the ghosts due to loneliness & illness. Nia, Nao's younger sister, and Miss K's witching student who still can't summon her broom on command. Yori, the meek-looking farm girl who are in the same class as Michael and co, who ended up paddling a huge raft on her own in the pouring rain, hauling Miss K & her entourage back to safety after a disaster.

(Nao also became infatuated with her after seeing this feat in person)

Viola, or as previously known as Keiko. Nao & Nia's eldest sister who ran away from home. A quiet woman who is not all there in the head. After one of their other siblings tattled on where Nia & Nao went, she went on her own to find them both and ended up helping Yori.

Zero, another one of Ivana's gang who initially wanted to tag along in tailing Miss K, but got ditched due to doxing off and arriving late. He then tattled on them to Mr. Principal & Coco, Clyde's younger sister.

Mios, the god that Miss K tried to evoke power from, and Sortez, a ghost of ancient civilization, and Naim's caretaker. In the end, it turned out that Sortez was trying to use Miss K's power to end her own life and reawaken the sleeping goddess, bringing destruction to their entire island.

It's unknown what happened to Sortez afterwards, but she sure is gone...

Miscellaneous kids who didn't have much screen time in the main story lol. I'll think of a side story for them someday...

Charles & Charta, the twin millionaire whose mafia dad got killed when they were young & on their way to plotting a revenge. Jihye, a girl whose pretty face and melodious voice puts her on the path of being an opera singer, and a target of many jealousies.

Though in the main story, their job is mainly scaring Jeremy & pestering Maggie & Collin.

#jia's oc

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gadgetsboy · 1 year

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HTC is Looking to Get Back into the Android Game with the U23 Pro

It's been a while since we've seen any significant market presence from HTC, at least as far as smartphones are concerned. Many years ago, the Taiwanese electronics giant won the hearts of many Android fans with its M-series devices, and even gained a cult following with its X-series handsets. However, the company's 2016 entry - the HTC 10 - was a sign that the once successful Android player was now at odds with emerging market forces, in an ever-changing market. So it was a bit of a surprise when we saw a couple of affordable HTC-branded devices launch a while back, although these weren't exactly the big "comeback" that hardcore fans were expecting. That all changes now though, with the launch of the HTC U23 Pro, a mid-range device which does come with some rather compelling hardware. Priced to take on the likes of the Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy A54, the U23 Pro was finally announced to the public today. What does it bring though? Let's take a look. External Design and Display In terms of design, the U23 Pro plays it safe - you won't find the bold camera design seen on Google's Pixel phones, or the circular camera modules that's been popular on a number of Chinese Android brands. Instead, HTC has designed the U23 Pro to look a bit more "standard," with a rear camera island that resembles a number of recent Galaxy S-series flagships. This setup does come with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, which is a nice bonus. The phone also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, a rarity nowadays. There's also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, in lieu of an under-display solution. The phone's OLED display measures in at 6.7 inches wide, with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1080x2400 pixel resolution, and 20:9 aspect ratio. For protection, the display comes with a layer of Gorilla glass Victus. Internal Specs and Cameras The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, working in tandem with an Adreno 644 GPU. This is also supported by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Despite the "Pro" name it seems that HTC intends the phone primarily for midrange buyers, and the 7 Gen 1 is evidence of that. The phone comes with a 4,600 mAh battery with support for 30W wired charging speeds, 15W wireless, and even 15W reverse wireless charging. The phone comes with a quad camera setup, consisting of a 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a couple of 2MP depth and macro sensors. The front meanwhile houses a 32MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. The main camera does support optical image stabilisation, and can record video at a maximum of 4K resolution at 30fps. Pricing and Availability If you're in the United Kingdom and are looking to get your hands on the U23 Pro, you can now order the device at a price of £499. The U23 Pro comes in a “Coffee Black” variant, which ships out on 5th June, and a “Snow White” version that ships out on the 18th of June. Early buyers will also get a free bundled-in pair of HTC wireless earbuds along with their purchase. Read the full article

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alexanderrekeda1 · 1 year

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Which countries cannot be invaded?

A few countries are virtually impossible to invade. These countries have the world's best defenses. Switzerland is the first country on this list. The landlocked country is a great world power.

The United Kingdom, or UK, is a world-leading country with significant economic, cultural, and military might. It is also a nuclear power with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Britain is an island country in northwest Europe, bounded to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel, to the east by the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea, and to the south by France and Northern Ireland. It consists of England, Scotland, and Wales.

The legal systems of England and Scotland are based on common law concepts, while Northern Ireland's judicial system is mostly based on civil law. Scots Law is a different legal system in Scotland that is essentially a combination of English Common Law and civil law.

Bhutan is a small, landlocked country in the Himalayas' east. It is bounded to the north by China, to the east by the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, and to the south by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

A king rules the country. It is a Buddhist state dominated by Ngalops, with Sharchops and Lhotsampas being the main ethnic groupings.

Ngawang Namgyal, Bhutan's first monarch, founded a government based on combining monastic and civil authority. Religious institutions were managed by a Je Khempo (head abbot), while civil concerns were handled by the Druk Desi (regent of Bhutan).

Bhutan began to emerge from its seclusion during the rule of his son, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, with a National Assembly and a code of laws. Since 1971, the country has also been a member of the United Nations.

Canada is North America's second-largest country by land area, with 10 provinces and three territories ranging from the Atlantic to the Arctic. Invading this country is quite difficult.

The Canadian people have a distinct history and worldview. They have a close bond with Europe and a deep aversion to the United States.

This is evident in their political thought as well as their culture. They prefer organized government to individualism and are less likely to conduct war overseas than Americans.

Australia, the world's smallest continent and largest island, has a diverse population, including Indigenous Aborigine communities that had lived in the area for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.

It is located in the southern hemisphere, between the Pacific and Indian seas, with its capital, Canberra, in the southeast, between the larger and more prominent cities of Sydney and Melbourne. It is ruled by a federal government with limited authority over the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia.

The Australian government is increasing its military presence, particularly in Northern Australia, in order to establish a naval base and improve cooperation with friends and partners. It has agreed to construct nuclear-capable assault submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles with the United Kingdom and the United States.

With a population of 1.44 billion people, China is the world's most populated country. It has the world's second-largest economy and the third-largest territory, covering 14 countries.

It possesses significant military capabilities. It spends the most on defense of any country and has a wide range of military capabilities, including aircraft, missile technology, and cyberattacks.

However, in the event of a military war, the PLA would need considerably more troops to protect Taiwan than it could send to invade. Furthermore, there is a significant space between the two sides.

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flutesarah56 · 2 years

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Passports And Visas

However, you should also contemplate time to transport your paperwork to the embassy after which receiving the visa from their office. Three weeks also offers further time in case the embassy asks for more documentation or requires a private appearance. In 2018, the passing of the "Act for Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals" created the Taiwan Employment Gold Card. In addition to being a visa, the Gold Card contains an open work permit and residence permit allowing a holder to reside and work in Taiwan for up to three years. All international nationals, together with everlasting residents from Hong Kong and Macao are eligible to use. The card aims to draw experienced professionals in the fields of Science and Technology, Education, Culture and Arts, Sport, Law, Architecture and others useful to Taiwan's economic system. Since 12 January 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROC began to implement the eVisa Program. Citizens of the next nations can apply for a single-entry eVisa to visit Taiwan for less than 30 days. On 7 October 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROC additional expanded the list of nations eligible to use for eVisa. Permanent residents of Hong Kong and/or Macau, could also be eligible for an Exit & Entry Permit upon arrival for NT$300 or could apply for an Entry Permit on-line without charge to go to Taiwan for less than 30 days. This may be obtained prematurely both through a government diplomatic office or via a web-based software. Certain documents should now even be legalized and authenticated earlier than it will be accepted by Chinese authorities and your permits could be processed. Both the police clearance certificates and the diploma of an applicant are required to be legalized and authenticated. Chinese law enforcement authorities have little tolerance for illegal medication, together with marijuana. Penalties for possessing, utilizing, or trafficking unlawful medicine in China are severe, and convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences, heavy fines, or the demise penalty. Police regularly conduct unannounced drug checks on folks suspected of drug use and have been recognized to enter a bar or nightclub and subject all patrons to quick drug testing. Police might force you to supply a urine, blood, or hair follicle sample on short notice. A constructive finding, even when the drug was authorized elsewhere or consumed prior to arriving in China, can result in quick detention, fines, deportation, and/or a ban from re-entering China. What Is The Main Objective Of Your Visit To China And Which Is The Most Applicable Visa Category For Your Software Chinese leaders soon determined to invite the group to visit China traditionally. I was National Security Advisor to President Nixon at that time. We engaged and communicated with the Chinese authorities, leading to the invitation for me to go to China which came afterwards generally recognized as the “secret visit”. We welcomed any initiative that would improve the connection. Visa utility online for countries where there is no Consular presence. Both Washington and Beijing would benefit from good relations, however there’s a lot muddy water flowing underneath the bridge that the bridge itself might collapse. The way forward for relations is dependent upon many things, but amongst them is Washington’s capability to understand that Beijing’s persistent suspicion of American motivations is rooted in historical past. Critics say that U.S. complacency in the face of China’s rising regional ambitions within the Pacific islands area threatens to upend the strategic order. The settlement makes Campbell’s warning in February of “certain sorts of strategic shock, basing or certain kinds of agreements” in the Pacific inside two years appear prophetic. Campbell called for the us, together with regional allies and France, “to step up our game” in the Pacific. After 1949, controlling migration was a key concern for the Chinese authorities. With the post-1979 reform policies, China developed from a country of limited migration into one in many ways defined via its international interactions, although it continues to treat migration warily. While the nation has turn out to be older, extra urbanized, and wealthier, it struggles to rebalance financial needs and political concerns. The thought of vaccine passports already faces criticism for exacerbating inequalities in worldwide travel, given some nations have been in a position to stockpile doses for all their residents whereas others have not. Research Appointments & Visa Info We make each effort to provide accommodations to individuals with disabilities and medical circumstances. Reasonable lodging differ, depending on the scenario and the person’s wants. Reissuance of immigrant visas that expired between March 2020 – August 2020. If you've any questions regarding the consular foreign money trade price, pleaseclick right here, create a profile, reply 5 brief questions so that we are able to determine the correct quantity you should pay. Government sponsored program (programs whose codes start with G-1, G-2, G-3, G-7) usually are not required to pay the SEVIS fee. Really impressed with Gerry's providers and their dedication to promote folks to people connection between Pakistan to different nations, including Indonesia. “Remote notarization” is a type of notarization where the notary officiates the doc remotely via audio-visual know-how and other security protocols. Remote notarization may be carried out by a notary public by conventional ink (e.g., pen) or electronic signature. A newly appointed notary public will receive an identification card inside four to six weeks of the date that the Division of Licensing Services receives his or her software. The identification card will indicate the notary's name, handle, county and commission term. A reappointed notary will obtain a replacement identification card from the Department of State within six to eight weeks of the date the county clerk receives his or her renewal software. It is important to make use of the identical passport for both the net type and to travel to Malaysia. Consular officers reserve the proper to request additional paperwork as deemed needed and likewise reserve the right to reject any application without having to supply cause. All persons wishing to use for visas to visit Malta have to make an appointment. It is necessary that flights usually are not booked earlier than an appointment is made. The visa purposes could be submitted at Malta High Commission in Canberra, Consulate of Malta in Melbourne or Consulate of Malta in Sydney. CR1 visas are given to applicants who, when arriving in the United States with their green card, have been married for lower than 2 years. If you’re married to a U.S. citizen or green card holder, and you’re seeking to obtain a marriage-based green card whereas dwelling overseas, you’ll want to apply at your native U.S. This course of — called “consular processing” — lets you get hold of both a CR1 visa or IR1 visa, both of which is ready to permit you to stay and work within the United States, albeit on slightly different phrases. The Malaysia eVisa is a multiple-entry visa and a short-term visa type. For long-term stays, international nationals must at all times seek the assistance of with their closest Malaysian Mission to verity the kind of visa required. The complete software process is completed on-line, due to this fact, all a traveler needs to apply is connection to the Internet. Turkey Online E That is as a result of, for example, they plan to undertake actions not coated by the ETA and eVisitor visa, or because their nationality just isn't eligible to apply. Those arriving by boat as part of an international cruise can even use an eVisitor visa or ETA to disembark and enter the country. All applicants should meet the relevant Australian visa requirements that apply to their visa.Each Australian visa type presents totally different requirementsas properly as phrases and circumstances. You should submit utility to the embassy or service center charging the area the place you reside in, in all probability not the nearest one. If your personal home is just too far-off from the embassy/visa center, you'll have the ability to entrust your good friend, an agent to submit your utility. Applicants may must submitadditional paperwork, relying on their nationality and/or objective of go to. In order to acquire an eVisa for the ROC, international travelersmust meet a quantity ofrequirements. The particular necessities for a visa rely upon the applicant’s circumstances and travel plans. The NZeTA is required for journey from 1 October 2019 for residents of Visa Waiver nations. Maximum validity refers again to the period over which you are allowed to enter a given nation. The kind you'll fill could additionally be checked on the borders of China whether or not you have filled on this form or not, and If you haven’t stuffed in the type or made deceptive statements, you might face legal and administrative sanctions. three.3 Clients are required to undergo the Chinese Visa Application Service Facility all of the related Clients' Information required for any visa application, and make certain that the knowledge offered is true, dependable and full. Clients acknowledge and agree that acceptance by the Chinese Visa Application Service Facility of the Clients' Information provided does not imply that such Clients' Information as is supplied is deemed sufficient. The Embassies and Consulates have the proper to request a consumer to provide further supporting paperwork or request the applicant to attend an interview. 2.2 To present shoppers with intermediate enterprise companies, together with laptop entry of fundamental info, and transmission of passports, visas and Clients' Information between Embassies and Consulates and the Chinese Visa Application Service Facility. Chinese Embassies In A Minimum Of 20 Countries Announce Eased Visa Coverage For Receivers Of Chinese Vaccines In March 2021, the PRC introduced relaxed eligibility necessities and other useful guidelines for work permit functions in Shanghai, specializing in international nationals in scientific and technological occupations, foreign nationals in innovative entrepreneurial occupations, and particular specialists. The precise new necessities are on the discretion of the authorities. Previously, these candidates needed to be below 60 years old, have no much less than two years’ work experience and a bachelor’s diploma. From March 2021, the PRC began offering visa facilitation to overseas nationals that have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines produced in China and that had been planning to travel to China to conduct important business actions or to visit family members. Foreign nationals and their members of the family visiting the mainland of China for resuming work and production in various fields want only to provide the documents required earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic when applying for a visa. The Invitation Letter , Invitation Letter or Invitation Verification Notice issued by the foreign affairs places of work or the departments of commerce of the provincial governments or the headquarters of central state-owned enterprises are not required. China has largely introduced the coronavirus beneath management at home because it first emerged within the central Chinese metropolis of Wuhan in late 2019. The country recorded simply 5 new infections on Sunday, all imported cases. Travellers “should abide by China’s related rules on quarantine and statement after getting into China,” Zhao stated, adding that China was prepared to hold out mutual recognition of vaccination with other nations. If a diagnostic check is ordered by a doctor, it goes to be covered by the GeoBlue international medical insurance plan through Middlebury. If the take a look at is not ordered by a health care provider, the value of a take a look at is 80 RMB (about $14). Pupil Visa Requirements It might happen that the coed's actual program end date falls earlier or later than what the student expected. It is important that a new I-20 be issued reflecting the present program finish date, each prior to this system's actual finish and previous to the stated program finish date on the Form I-20. Apart from biographical information about the scholar (including the coed's name, date of start, citizenship, and so forth.), there are two main items of information that must be entered within the student's SEVIS report and the initial Form I-20. Receive the notification that your residence allow is ready to be picked up. Give 台胞證高雄 by stating your highest acquired degree from a school or college. Do not start talking about each faculty and academic institution you attended earlier than, solely in case the visa officer asks you to do so. Simply confirm the possession of this letter out of your employer and provide it to the official. In case you do not have such a doc, it is worthless trying to verbally convince the official about having your employer’s authorization to leave the job through the journey interval. If the visa is denied, you will not be able to return to the United States as a scholar. However, in SEVIS, you will be an Initial pupil. You must pay the I-901 SEVIS payment, and you'll lose any time that you have constructed up towards qualification for sensible training. However, some nations have an settlement with the United States that allows you to enter on a present passport as a lot as the actual date of expiration. You must know your country’s rules for renewing passports as well as the amount of time it'll take. 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The information of candidates other than that from EU may be stored in VFS GLOBAL methods either inside the EU boundary at data middle in UK or at knowledge heart in India . Visa applicant/user agrees to not hold VFS GLOBAL liable for other users' actions or inactions, including acts or issues on account of which there may be loss of connectivity, loss of dates and/or lack of knowledge furnished. 6.three Chinese Visa Application Service Facility may have interaction third get together entities corresponding to courier companies for the motion of paperwork between visa applicants and the Embassy. The visa applicant agrees and accepts that the courier acceptance and delivery service by way of which the documents are received or returned to users by Chinese Visa Application Service Facility is operated by an independent third-party. Chinese Visa Application Service Facility doesn't management or function such courier corporations or their companies, neither does it control nor function any facility/ service provided by such courier corporations. It is hereby clarified that the courier providers are organized only on the request of the applicant/user. If you don’t obtain your visa on time to journey on the deliberate dates, both your flight tickets and lodge bookings become useless. Sometimes it could be potential to get a refund from motels and airways, however in most cases a huge chunk of money is lost as cancellation charges. And typically, if you don't cancel your reservations before a sure variety of days,it is rather troublesome to get any refund at all. S2 visa requires a copy of the inviter’s passport, legitimate resident permit, and marriage certificate or start certificate. 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ESTA has an utility payment of $4, and if approved, an additional payment of $10 is charged. Once obtained, the authorization is valid for as much as two years or till the traveler's passport expires, whichever comes first, and is valid for multiple entries into the United States. Passengers are suggested to apply for ESTA a minimum of seventy two hours earlier than departure. If not a U.S. citizen, each one that enters the U.S. has both an immigrant or nonimmigrant status. Siam Legal provides complete legal providers aimed at making certain you a hassle-free entry and retirement in Thailand. Get in contact with us now and get started on your retirement visa software. You can't have a history of having a U.S. visa refused or denied. You may also need to prove you have robust ties to your house nation and won’t overstay your visa. Your visa validity could last between three months to 10 years and depends on your personal home country. 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cayofdreams · 4 years

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A Succubus’ Dilemma

Summary: Succubus!Reader is struggling with her identity as she gets closer to Kirishima. She wants to continue being the diligent, strong-willed hero that he praises her for being but the presence of Eijirou Kirishima is making that unbearably difficult. She just can't pretend to be quirkless anymore…

Words: 4.5k

Rating: 🌊 Explicit, Smut

Warnings: cursing, virginity (but there’s no explicit mention of it), oral (receiving), aphrodisiac, heavy overstimulation, a bit of corruption, kinda dark ending?

Notes: ~Welcome to another steamy piece from your favorite island resort~

This one is pretty straight-forward. I feel like I kicked up the smut on this one. Also, I based the ending off one of the endings of one of my favorite yaoi visual novels :-)

You were lying down on Kirishima’s bed, deeply engrossed in the romantic scene transpiring on your phone’s screen. You had decided to entertain yourself with an episode from your favorite show while your best friend was in the shower.

‘I love you, Jake. But…I just want to wait before we get intimate. I’m just not ready, right now’

‘Of course, Kathrine! I’ll wait however long it takes! You’re so much more to me than a warm body!’

‘You say that…but what if I choose to stay celibate forever?’

‘Then you can live with the confidence that I, Jake Petersmith, have wholeheartedly loved you for the wonderful human that you are!

‘Oh, Jake!

‘Kathrine!’

You were tearing up at the cheesy displays of affection since you were a sucker for all things romantic. You loved how characters seemed to have an undying love for one another. Often, you fantasized about sharing that kind of ethereal love with someone yourself. How it would be to run together through a field of sunflowers, or skip hand-in-hand on the sandy surfaces of the beach, or even make couple pranksters YouTube videos that were so obviously not faked.

But that kind of future won’t happen for you. It can’t. Not in the gross body you were in. Surely you were easy on the eyes, but what lurked inside was a demon that constantly bewitched your thoughts. Making you see people around you as simply meat sticks and sticky caverns to be engorged in.

Simply put, you were a succubus. Or at least had a succubus-like quirk. You never told anyone though, only being known to your parents. You tried so hard to reign in these feelings on a daily basis while pretending to be quirkless. But it was becoming increasingly difficult as you got older and as you hung around the likes of…Kirishima.

Oh Kirishima. He was such a beautiful human on the inside and out. Always praising and encouraging you. Being there for you when it seemed you were at your worst low points, and then being there to pick you up and trophy you around when you succeeded at doing even just the bare minimum. You wished you could return even half the happiness to him that he gave you throughout your days at U.A. You wanted to do all the romantic things you saw in movies and books with him. Kirishima was just such a sunshine in your life and you wanted him to continue warming you for the rest of it.

There was a time where 90% of your thoughts toward him were like this…and then as time went on, they became more savagely. Where all you wanted was for him to sink those sharp teeth in your flesh, ravaging your body with a cock that could probably barely even fit inside you, holding you within those arms- those beautifully muscular arms that glistened provocatively with sweat when he trained. You wanted him. Needed him. Please desire me, Eijirou.

You were about to slip your hands down your underwear when you heard the creak of the door open.

“L/N!! Did you miss me?! I’m back!” Kirishima bursted through the door with that wide grin you loved so much.

Of course, I freaking missed you, Eijirou. You were only gone for 11 minutes, 35 seconds, and 23 milliseconds. But I missed every moment.

You covered up your lust with a chuckle. “You weren’t even gone that long.”

“Aww don’t say that!! I missed you, you know.” He teased at you.

Don’t tempt me, baby

“Haha, whatever, Kiri…” You sat up as Kirishima slumped down on the floor next to his coffee table and pulled out his laptop. “So what are we watching, tonight?”

“Hmm…not sure! What do you wanna watch, L/N?” He turned his head to smile back at you. He was so cute. So gorgeous. And your erotic thoughts seemed to be running rampant right now. Especially at the fact that the two of you would be huddled up alone together for who knows however long a movie marathon is. You had to find a way to quickly rid yourself of these thoughts.

“Mmm, let me look up some! Hold on.” A blatant lie. You were going to google get-dry-quick schemes so you could enjoy the rest of the night safely with Kirishima. It was the least he deserved after training so hard today.

HOW TO NOT BE HORNY??!!1!

You analyzed your search results before clicking on a forum where someone seemed to be going through the same dilemma as you.

‘Hello, my name is [redacted] and I’m horny all the time ☹. I’ve lost so many boyfriends because of it and I truly want to find a husband, but it would be silly of me to expect them to drop everything to please me. How can I stop these feelings?’

Someone just like you! You weren’t alone in this cruel abyss. Perhaps she also had a succubus quirk!

Looking through the answers wasn’t much help for the most part. Most of the replies being trolls who asked where she was so they could “help” her. Even worse were the ones that chastised her for her feelings. Saying she was impure and needed to change her ways.

But your eyes were intrigued at the first comment that seemed to provide some kind of helpful information.

‘You might be a nymphomaniac. Have you tried talking with a professional?’

A nym- what? What was that? You opened another tab.

What is a nympomiac?

Too concerned with research to get the correct spelling, you saw articles for definitions of the auto-corrected word.

Nym∙pho∙ma∙ni∙ac

Noun: a woman with uncontrollable or excessive sexual desire

Gasping at the accuracy you divulged further.

How to not be a nymphomiakc?

A lot of the results for this returned with solutions that were too time-consuming. Prescribed medication, cognitive therapy, and even some evil medieval treatments that involved leeches.

But you needed something now. Why were all these long-winded answers so abundant?! Couldn’t they just give you something to do now? What the fuck would you have to do?? Shove an iceblock your pussy?? Should you go ask Todoroki for a favor??

You were in the middle of texting Todoroki when Kirishima pulled you out of your frenzy.

“You find anything, L/N?”

“Gyahh! What?!” You dropped your phone and looked at Kirishima like you were a deer caught in his headlights.

“Woah, you okay there?! Did I scare you? Maybe horror isn’t a good idea, then.” His worried face could send you to the grave. How could you let him worry about you like this?

“Ohh..no Kiri. I’m fine. We can just watch whatever you want.” You eased your breaths, desperately trying to sound normal.

“You sure?! Awesome! There’s this zombie flick I’ve been meaning to watch but I get kinda scared watching stuff like that alone.” He clicked around happily through some tabs on his browser. “I think if its with someone as courageous as you, I’ll be less scared.”

Was he trying to make you cry? Saying something so beautiful like that with a face like his. Shame on him, honestly.

“I’m gonna play it now, you ready?”

“Mmhm”

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

The movie so far was just as you hoped: grotesque, gory, horrifying, and most importantly, non-arousing. It helped that you stayed on the bed while Kirishima sat on the floor, so I guess that was cheating, but nonetheless necessary.

“You doin’ okay up there, L/N?” Kirishima checked up on you. You had probably been suspiciously quiet due to concentrating on waving away any little lewd thoughts.

“Oh yeah, what about you, Kiri?”

“W-Well! I was kinda thinking! That maybe uhh…I could possibly join you up there?” He scratched his head in nervousness at his slighty flirty suggestion.

Oh no

“Up where?”

“On the bed. Y-you know…with you?”

At this point you didn’t really know whether to praise or curse the gods above you. If there was one thing you could be sure to thank them for, it was the dark room that hid the flustering of your facial expression.

“I-Its your bed after all…”

“I know! I guess its just- heheh..nevermind! I’m hopping up!” Kirishima rugged his massive body on the bed next to you. Even taking some of the blanket you had so you’d be forced to share with him, he just softly smiled as he did so.

This was way too much for the hellion within you to handle. You could smell his strong scent from beside you. His breathing more pronounced in your ear drums. And its like you could feel his heartbeat within you. Pulsating inside you…

Things would take a turn for the worse when it seemed like a sweet romantic scene was about to show up. The two main leads were alone in a bunker and one of them had just revealed they were bitten.

“Samuel, Nooo!”

“Lilia! Listen to me! I need you to hear what I have to say.”

“We don’t have time, Samuel! We- We need to get you medicine. We have to! We have-“

“Stop, Lilia! There’s nothing that can save me now! You and I both know what happens from here.”

“Samuel…”

“Lilia… I want you to be the one who does it.”

“I can’t…Samuel..I can’t”

“You have to, Lilia. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.”

“Don’t do this, Sam…”

“I love you, Lilia.”

“Oh Samuel! I’ll never be with anyone else! Ever!”

“Lilia…”

The words lingered in your head as the movie continued on.

‘I’ll never be with anyone else’

Was such an option available to you? Even if you did take away the innocence of your love, Kirishima Eijirou, who’s to know how your body would react? The best result would be that your body would finally be satisfied and you’d no longer have these perverse thoughts.

On the other hand, maybe you’d just sink further and further down. Drowning in the suffocating waters of lust. And then what? Kirishima can’t just drop everything to cater to your needs. No. He was going to be hero. An amazing one at that.

But Kirishima wasn’t just a hero, he was your best friend. You felt awful every time he would praise your strong-willed persona. Saying how amazing you were despite being quirkless. He’d even say you were more manly than him at times. It was like you were betraying him. You were betraying that innocent smile he wore for you everyday…you couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Kirishima.”

He looked back at you, surprised at your rare use of his name. Sensing something was wrong he paused the movie and turned his entire body to face yours.

“L/N, what’s wrong”

You were doing it again. Making him worry over you. But you couldn’t keep holding in this secret. You needed to tell him.

“I have to ask you something…”

“Please ask! I’m listening with all ears, L/N” He perked up at you. He looked just like a puppy, waiting for your every move like that.

“What do you think about…impulsive people?”

“Huh? Impulsive people?” He scratched his head at the question. “Well…I guess they’re entertaining to watch? Kind of like Bakugou. But I suppose being too impulsive is bad. You could get yourself or others in danger.”

Your head lowered at his statement, eyes closing shut. Of course he would say something like that. It’s only natural for humans to be mindful of their indulgences. They had to. It’s a part of social conformity after all.

Yet still, it hurt.

He noticed your displeasure in his answer.

“What’s wrong, L/N? Why did you ask that? You’re not impulsive at all!” He was trying to cheer you up, but it only dug the knife further into your chest. “You’re one of the most dignified, tough, and resilient people I know!”

Tears were starting to form in your eyes and before you could object him he continued.

“A-and that’s why…That’s why I love you, F/N. I want you to be my girlfriend.”

As much as you wanted to pull him close to you and pamper him with kisses, you needed to come clean. You shot up from the bed, your back faced towards him and your handing closing into a clenched fist.

“That can’t happen, Kirishima! It won’t work!”

Kirishima followed you by jumping up from the bed, grabbing you by the arms to get you to face him. “Why, F/N?! Why can’t it happen? Is there something wrong with me?! Please just tell me!”

“Nooo…nooo there’s nothing wrong with you, Kiri..” The waterworks flowed from your eyes and violent sobs escaped from you. You slumped down on your knees in sorrow. Kirishima joined you on the floor and tried to pull you into him, but you’d jerk your body away. “You know nothing about me, Kirishima…I’ve- I’ve lied to you.”

“What do you mean, F/N? What did you lie about? I’m sure its not that bad!”

“I’m not quirkless, Kiri…” A couple more sobs came out of you. “I-I’m a demon…a succubus. A filthy succubus! Just a filthy disgusting succubus!!”

Not being able to stand your self-hatred, he grabbed you by the jaw to force you to look at him. His blazingly crimson eyes met your beautifully wet e/c ones. “Stop that, F/N! You’re not disgusting! Or filthy! You could never be those things!”.

You gripped his wrist and pulled it harshly away from you. “What would you know?! You don’t know the things I deal with inside this wicked head of mine! I encompass the most obscene thoughts about people! About you! Every morning I think about how I’m going to seduce you and get you to desire me just as much as I do! Every training session I look at that beautifully sculpted body of yours and I mentally defile it! Thinking of you as nothing more than a walking, breathing dildo! I see you when you’re smiling with your friends and all I want to do is just steal you away make you mine forever! And every night, I cry at the lack of pleasure I’m getting. The lack of warmth that I only want YOU to give to me. The lack of feeling your hot, meaty cock inside me! It drives me insane, Eijirou! I hate having these thoughts! I hate them! I hate them! I ha-hmmph!”

Kirishima had suddenly kissed you, and you had returned it by ravaging your tongue around his. You didn’t care about the cuts you might receive from his teeth grazing against your delicate flesh. You could only be swallowed by the pleasures overtaking your mouth. You drowned in each other, but only briefly before you had placed your hands on his chest and pushed him away from you.

“What are you doing?! Didn’t you just hear what I said?” You struggled to catch your breath as you wiped away the remnants of his saliva from your face.

“Why didn’t you tell me this, F/N? Did you…did you not trust me? Did you not think of me as manly enough to handle this?” His hands gripped tightly at your shoulders, craving a reply from you.

“You know that’s not true, Kiri. You’re the best person to ever come into my life, and that’s why I had to withhold this secret from you. I didn’t want you to abandon me.”

“I could never aban-“

“But I also didn’t want you to get wrapped up in me. I want you to continue your goals of becoming a hero, Eijirou. Who knows what sanity you’ll be sacrificing by being with me. It’s not a chance I’m willing to take.”

“That isn’t your call to make.” Kirishima’s uncharacteristically cold reply created an atmosphere that overwhelmed you.

“What do you mean? Hiding my quirk was the best decision.”

“Did you really think about me?” Kirishima’s hands glided from your shoulders to your upper arms, still holding a tight grip. “Did you think about how I’d feel if I knew you were holding yourself back like that? What if you’re killing yourself and you don’t know it? I’m supposed to be a hero, F/N. Your hero.”

Before you could reply he had stood up and lifted you back on the bed. He layed you down and positioned himself between your legs, squeezing at your thighs. They were so soft, so delicate. All of you was soft and delicate. And nothing you had told him tonight would change the way he felt about you. There was nothing you could say or do to change his feelings for you. Nothing.

You tried to pry his hands away from the meat of your thighs, but you were admittedly weak from his confession and the thick, encompassing atmosphere that was Kirishima’s presence around you. “Kiri-“

“Eijirou. Call me Eijiirou.”

“…Eijirou. We can’t do this. It’s dangerous…”

“It’s dangerous if I do, its dangerous if you don’t. But I’m telling you right now, F/N, I’m not letting you continue to do this to yourself. Knowing that you’re hurting like this and not being able to do anything? Not doing anything to help the one I love? What kind of hero would I be?...What kind of man would I be?”

Kirishima then leaned down to capture your lips in another kiss. You tried to move your head away but he took one of his hands against your jaw to hold you in place. It felt so good. So fucking good. His lips, his tongue, his rough hands. You teared up just at the pleasure of it all.

He then took his other hand to lift up your shirt, revealing your bra that contained the softest bust that any man could ever lay his hand upon. And right now that man was him. And he’d make sure it’d always be him.

Letting go of your lips, he roughly caressed your breasts before completely pulling your shirt over your head. Faint thoughts of resistance would slip away as you lost yourself in the pleasure you’d been craving for so long.

Struggling to get your bra off, Kirishima impatiently ripped it himself, using a bit of his quirk in the process.

“Eiji…”

“Sshh, baby. I’m gonna take care of you so well.” He slipped off your shorts along with your underwear and threw them unmindfully on the floor. Gripping the flesh below your inner knee, he spread your legs wide enough to slightly sting.

Your pussy was overflowing with juices for him and he barely even touched you yet. He took a moment to relish in the view, taking in deep breaths to smell your intoxicating aroma. He was inexperienced at sex but he knew this erotic perfume you were exuding could only have been the work of your succubus traits. He leaned down to give an experimental lick, his tongue curling to make sure he could gather as much of your juices as he could. He let your flavor sit in his mouth as if trying to enjoy the last sip of water on a mission in the desert.

His lewd behaviors made an unbearable heat rise to your face and you cowered behind your hands. Irritated, Kirishima jerked your hands away and looked at you as if you just insulted his entire lineage.

“Don’t you dare cover up that beautiful face of yours.” He leaned his head back down, this time capturing all the folds of your pussy in his mouth. “I want to see every expression you make. Hear every seductive sound that leaves that your throat.” The vibrations of his voice on your pussy drove you crazy. The rapid moving of his tongue against your clit was immediately sending you to a heavenly dimension.

“Ohh Eiji…Eiji I’m gonna cum…”

“Cum for me, baby. I want it.”

Your orgasm was so intense you could’ve passed out, but you couldn’t. Not with Eijirou still licking all over your clit like that.

“Oh my god, Eiji! Eijiii” Your hands gripped at his spiky hair, tugging tightly trying to get him to have mercy on your sensitive bud. “F-ffuckk! I can’t, Eiji, I can’t!”

Still not letting up, he continued to overstimulate you with his relentless tongue. “I’m sorry, F/N.” He slurped up your juices before working his tongue again. “You taste so fucking good. Like the freshest fruit from a garden.” He rotated between drinking up your fluids and licking vigorously at your clit. “I can’t stop, baby. I need more. Just cum again, okay?”

And cum, you would. A second orgasm was on the horizon and the overstimulation of it was making you shed tears. “Eiji…I’m gonna cum again. Oh my fucking god, I’m gonna cum againnn- Hnngh!!“. Intense waves of pleasure rode over you. However, Kirishima was still lapping up at your folds. “Eijirouuuu!!!”. Your moans became more high-pitched and erratic as you were overstimulated now for the second time.

“Just one more time, baby. I promise”. “I swear I just-“ Slurp. “Never tasted-“ Slurrp. “Anything so fucking good before.”

You were left with no choice but to cave into your third orgasm and Kirishima seemed to show no mercy for you. “Fucckkk.” You sniffled through your sobs as your next high came quicker than the previous ones. Finally Kirishima had lifted his head from between your lips. He had the most animalistic and erotic face you could have ever dreamed of seeing.

“Damn, that was so good. You did so well for me, baby.” Kirishima gleamed with the shine that was your juices. He leaned down to entwine his tongue with yours. You could taste yourself on him and it made you delirious. You had just cum three times, but you wanted more. You needed more.

Kirishima felt the same way as you as he backed up to give himself space to take his shorts off. Cock now springing free, you could see the beast of a rod he had and it made your mouth water. You whined at just the thought of the pleasure you were about to become entranced by. He lined himself up at your sopping entrance, but before he could slip in, you lightly pressed on his chest to get his attention.

“Are you sure, Eijirou? You can stop right now if want. I won’t be mad at you at all. You’ve already done so much for me, tonight.”

His cheeks faded into a deep pink as he moved your hands to be at his shoulders.

“I want you, F/N”. He stuck the tip of his cock in you, grunting at the tightness of your entrance. “I fucking want you.”

You let out a guttural moan as he slowly stretched your pussy to fit his cock. You finally felt it. The warmth you’d been craving deep inside. The stingingly sweet pain of his cock stretching out your drenched pussy. You could die right now. Right here in the arms of the man you loved. And your ghost would be perfectly okay with it. But your flesh craved even more. You needed him to reach the deepest parts of you. You needed him to destroy your greedy pussy.

“Fuck me, Eijirou. I want you to fuck me like the greedy slut that I am!” You looked directly into his dazed eyes, whining at him to give you what you wanted. “Please, I want you so bad. Mark this pussy with that cock of yours. Make me unable to think about anyone else like this. C’mon, give it to me! ”

Too aroused by your begging, he silently obliged. Sinking the entirety of his cock inside you, he twitched at your pulsating walls. It was like your pussy was a breathing organ, sucking him in and tightening around him so he could never leave. And he wasn’t going to. He’d stay like this forever with you.

Not giving you time to get used to his size, Kirishima started thrusting brutally against your hips. You let out the sweetest moans as you littered his back with scratches. His thrusts becoming smoother and smoother as your pussy got used to him. His cock ferociously grazed against your g-spot as the tip teasingly nibbed at your cervix. The perfect mix of pleasure and pain, you felt your now fourth orgasm approaching. You let go of his shoulders to lay your head back deep in the cushions of his pillows.

“Eijirou, you’re gonna make me cum again! You’re gonna make me cum all over your cock-!”

“Oh fuck- me too, F/N”. The rhythm of his thrusts became more faltered as your walls inhumanely squeezed the life out of him. He looked at your cock-drunk face, pleased with his performance. “Where do you want it, baby?”

You raised your head to reestablish eye contact with him. “I want it inside! Cum inside me! I need your cum so bad, need to feel it in my-Hmmnghh!!” Your orgasm overtook your speaking as you groaned hysterically.

Kirishima not far behind you, quickened his pace to chase his own high. “Shit, F/N! I’m gonna cum inside you! Fucking take all of it, baby! Don’t let any seep out, okay?”

You moaned at the hotness of his seed spurting inside. It was so deep inside you and you wondered if it was either easier or more difficult to get pregnant as a succubus. Either way you wanted more and your walls clenched once again against Kirishima’s cock.

He grunted before leaning down to bury his face in your neck, once again starting to thrust inside you. He was overstimulated but your pussy was driving him crazy. Perhaps your juices were an aphrodisiac, making anyone a slave to the area between your thighs. He kissed along your jaw and brought his hand up against your throat. He didn’t squeeze tight, just enough to get your attention.

He rose his head up to get a good look at your face. You looked liked a corrupted angel beneath him. He couldn’t believe you withholded him from these pleasures for so long. Were you just gonna go fuck other guys? You were going to let other men taste what has been his all along? He needed to hear you say you belonged to him. He’d give up anything to hear your sweet voice tell him everything from your insides and out belonged to him.

“Tell me who you belong to, baby?”

You replied with no hesitation, willing to say and do anything to milk more of his cum inside you.

“You, Eijirou! I belong to you! My flesh, my womb, my guts! Everything belongs to you Eijirou!” You felt another orgasm filling up in your stomach. “Please don’t ever leave me, Eiji. I want you with me forever. “

Of course, this was something he had no qualms about doing. He was ready. He’d give up school, his goals, his life to please you at every waking moment. He’d keep you pumped full of his cum so you’d never think about anyone else. You wouldn’t even remember what it was like to live like you weren’t a succubus. You’d be happy like this. With him.

Because he was your hero.

#kirishima x reader #kirishima eijiro x reader #eijirou x reader #kirishima x reader smut #kirishima #kirishima eijirou #kirishima smut #kirishima eijirou smut #mha x reader #bnha x reader #mha smut #bnha smut #my hero academia smut #boku no hero academia smut #i was supposed to just be doing drabbles #i just couldn't not make this dark #the vn is called room. no 9 #cayofdreams #cayfanfic

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shini--chan · 3 years

Note

OKAY IMAGINE THIS - by some mirracle, s/o get teleported back in time to the pirate era and suddenly just drops from the sky as Antonio and Arthur are battling! Everything comes to a halt because a friggin woman fell from literally nowhere - Arthur is quicker and he captures s/o first, DEMANDING to know where she is from, how did she get here. Poor s/o tries to tell him the truth but it just isn't working. How stupid do you think Arthur is, huh?! He's not buying what you're selling love! (1/?)

Oh blazes, my dear. You’re trying to seduce me into writing a novel for you, correct. Well, not today (sadly) so I’ll be going ahead with my usual mixture of headcanons and snippets. Also, to everybody out there: Requests are still being accepted – I just can’t bring myself to close my ask box.

Also, I wanted to write Arthur’s and Antonio’s lines in an older English, but then I remembered what it was like having to read books from the 19th century for school and decided not to inflict the torture upon you.

Yandere Love Triangle: England vs Spain (Historical Pirate AU!)

As mentioned in the ask, you would be minding your own business, more or less, when you would suddenly be granted two of the wishes many harbour in their hearts: to time travel and have an adventure. Unfortunately for you, that wouldn’t happen with a forewarning and you wouldn’t have any chance to blend in. I wouldn’t say the battle would completely stop – with all the smoke and gunpowder and bangs going on only those close by would have a chance noticing.

Antonio was having a wonderful day. Yes, extremely wonderful. Life on the ship had been very good as of late, supplies running high and spirits even higher. They were reaching their climax now, with Spain showing England the business ends of sword and cutlas and cannon. It was a fitting sort of revenge being able to rob the lilly-livered bastard after he had stolen so much Spanish silver and gold.

The runt in question was baring his teeth and snarling like a cornered dog while their blades were interlocked, when Antonio heard a loud crash from behind England. It was probably just part of the ruckus of a sea battle, yet something – his fantastic intuition most likely – advised him to take a look. Of course, making the other combatant to move just how he wanted proved to be tricky, because Arthur had always been an uncooperative like blight and liked to fight dirty.

Yet he wasn’t a famed duellist for nothing. The sight that caught his attention when he got the opportunity to see it nearly caused him to lose an arm due to inattention. Men of both sides had briefly abandoned the battle to crowd around a failing figure that was desperately trying to free itself from a tangle of nets and torn sails. The onlookers whispered amongst themselves. The chorus of voices only grew louder when a very confused woman.

He found himself remarking: “It seems like you’ve finally started to develop a good taste in bed mates. Say, when did that happen, fishy. I always thought that you’d have luck to get a starved old tramp to warm your bed.”

“Shut up, Anthony!”, came the immediate reply, proving that the island nation wasn’t aware about what he was playing at. “Let’s not get on about you. Or should I tell your precious monarch about what you do in the stables when all the servants are gone?”

Pathetic little weasel. Enraged, Antonio brought the hilt of his sword down on that pale, cruel face and busted a pair of thin lips. “You should guard yourself from spreading lies, English pigdog. Or else the Almighty himself will smite you.”

Naturally, being the cunning demon he was, England used the opening Spain had provided him to barrel into him and send him flying overboard and into the sea.

That action would be quick to turn the tides, especially with so many men coming to aid their captain and help him out of water. This would result in Arthur then discovering you on his ship, probably when his first mate would rush to him and explain that a very strange women in a strange get-up had just suddenly appeared on the ship.

England would go and investigate and discover you surrounded by his crew, each of them having different responses to your presence and hence causing quite a commotion. He too would find you utterly alien – in your attire, in your mannerisms, even in your speech. But Arthur would be ever the pragmatic and reason that there would have to be another explanation to your appearance, one that doesn’t include miracles. But because he wouldn’t have either the time or the head space to deal with you at the moment, he’d have to thrown in the brig with strict orders to leave you alone. That would also be a way for him to torture you and force you to wallow in your worries and terrors.

The brackish water of the brig had long since made your feet wet, cotton soaks completely soaked through and chilling you. The stench it all emitted, and Arthur’s relentless questioning only further enhanced your discomfort.

He was prowling in front of your cage-like cell, like a tiger in the zoo. Only that he didn’t want to break out, rather that he was being continuously tempted to drag you out of your cell and onto the deck to be flogged for your insolence.

“At every turn you say to me that you’re from the future and that you don’t know how you came here”, he rehearsed the main points of your conversation with him. There had been a snarl on his face the whole time throughout the interrogation, his anger only making his voice curl tightly around the vowels and roll the r’s harder until you had to strain to understand him.

Mutely you nodded – you yourself had come to the conclusion that he understood you better when you kept your words simply, underlay them with gestures and expressions and spoke slowly.

In return, England shook his head and spat: “I do not believe you. Going backwards in time is impossible, it only goes forward.”

In any other situation you would have been inclined to agree with him. But you were living proof that there were glaring exceptions to that rule. Having unexpectedly landed in a long-gone era, you had first found yourself desperately grappling with your new reality. You had pinched yourself and read the letters on crates and barrel and closed your eyes and read them again to see if anything had changed – everything to assure yourself that you were dreaming.

You weren’t, nor had you taken any psychedelics, so this was painfully, gruesomely real. A fact that Arthur wasn’t excepting even with evidence right past the tip of his nose.

“Then how do you explain the ripped sails then? How do you explain my strange clothes?”, you questioned him. Then, after a brief pause, you asked: “How do you explain that I know who and what you are?”

You knowing that he was a personification of a budding Empire was a sore spot for him and made him even more suspicious of you. Something that was now backfiring on you.

He waved your words off with evident irritation and countered: “There are more reasonable explanation for all of that. That you’re a spy from a foreign country for example.”

Arthur would never cease with side-eying you and constantly be on the look-out for more logical explanations for your otherness. He would find them as well. Yet there would always be a little voice in the forefront of his mind nagging him that you are telling the truth and that he was wasting the opportunity of the millennia by blowing your words in the wind.

Those doubts would be the main reason he would keep you alive, along with his quest to extract the “truth” from you. However, there would be times when he would be tempted to fetch those thumbscrews from his quarters to see if you’d crack under pressure. Yet he would still restrain himself.

That wouldn’t mean your stay on his ship would be pleasant. You’d constantly be wet and cold, with rats crawling around the brig and your meals being a near inedible gruel that would be set aside for you.

Therefore, it would be an absolute relief when Spain would swoop in to rescue you. It would be an even greater wonder when he would actually listen to you and take into consideration what you would say.

“Tell me if I’ve got this right: In the future, you don’t send letters anymore that take months to reach another country. Instead, you send messages from small machines which the other person can read only after a few seconds, no matter how far away they are”, Antonio summed up what you had just cautiously explained to him.

You had been so shy when he had taken you aboard his vessel, so afraid he would just maltreat you like Arthur had. It had taken its time for him to convey that he was different from that godless brute, that he was civilized and patient. He wouldn’t disregard miracles and let them slip through his fingers. It had taken its own sweet time to coax you into telling the truth, but now you were sitting across him in his quarters, nodding enthusiastically.

“More or less, yes. There is a lot more to that, but that is the start of it”, you affirmed his words. You were relieved that you finally had somebody to talk to in this time were you previously had nobody. The food being served helped you weigh yourself into safety – fresh fruit and other perishable treats, an absolute luxury onboard a ship with a sizable crew. Indeed, you were becoming so comfortable with your host, your lifeline at this point, that you were betraying things about your future that you otherwise wouldn’t have.

And wasn’t yet about detail concretely concerning him, but you would both get there eventually. Spain was sure of that.

Meanwhile you didn’t notice the hungry gleam in his eyes when he purred: “Fascinating, my dear. What else can these things do?”

Being a Catholic, Antonio would be far more inclined to believe you on the time-traveling thing. He would also add two and two together on your strange clothes and their material, not to mention your different attitudes and behaviours and realise that you would be telling the truth. He would treat you kindly as a way of getting you to talk to him, eventually becoming the only person you could trust.

He would guard you jealously and ensure that you would only speak to him – having knowledge of the future would be a right he would reserve for himself alone. It would also cause him to become obsessed with you, keeping you in his quarters or leading you onto the deck at night for short walk. Of course, he would paint the whole isolating thing as he keeping you safe, saying that Arthur was after you.

The argument with Arthur would have far more validity then Antonio would even imagine. The wisdom that you don’t know what you really have until you lose it would be especially true in his case. It would finally dawn upon him that you were telling the truth the whole time and that would lead Arthur to beat himself up over it. A pursuit to recapture you would ensue.

Not to mention that it would make his blood boil to think that Spain would be courting you, persuading you to tell him everything he could ever want to know about the future. Besides being a threat to his future existence and ongoing success, England would like to have all that knowledge himself and for himself only. Knowledge is power, after all.

Arthur would also miss you for your wit and endurance, fantasizing and dreaming of you to the point of obsession and never quitting his chase for you.

#yandere spain #yandere england #yandere hetalia x reader #yandere hetalia #x reader

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twstedimagines · 3 years

Text

I think MC/Yuu could have beaten Azul without going into a contract themselves

I’m basing this assessment on from my understanding of Japanese law. The reason I’m applying Japanese law to this situation as that’sthe law for the main intended audience for Twisted Wonderland, and I wanted a basis of law to look at that would be reasonable to implement in Twisted Wonderland.

So I know a lot of students who had to take standardized testing (in the US at the very least) are incredibly aware of the fact that legally a minor cannot sign and be held accountable for a contract, because we all joke about it every time those tests come.

So I was thinking about Azul’s contracts since he does state that it’s legal/an official document (episode 3 chapter 5), and so I wondered if this kind of law would apply on the island, since that would be the jurisdiction that they signed the contract in.

So if we go off of the idea that Japanese law applies to the island then the first thing to look at is what constitutes a minor and whether or not in Japan there is law saying that they can or cannot sign a contract and be held to it. (In general a minor usually can’t take juristic acts (common example of this is signing contracts) on their own but just to be certain we’re looking into what the law states anyways)

According to what I was able to find a minor in Japan is under 20 years of age and unmarried (apparently they plan to bring it down to 18 in 2022) meaning everyone besides the staff and Leona who was held back is a minor (reminder age of consent is not the same thing as age of majority although they often coincide)

Anyways so this means we can safely assume that all of the anemone students are minors.

So what does this mean for these contracts?

The contracts can be rescinded after the fact since at least one party was a minor (technically both in this case) when the contract was signed without their statutory agent’s permission/presence.

The only anemone I’m not sure this would work for is Grim, by not being human he likely wouldn’t fall under the same laws as the rest of the students do. I also am uncertain if MC/Yuu should they have gone into a contract would be able to use this argument either, because they technically have no statutory agent, you could argue that they’re the ward of the school but I think that would require legal documentation that I’m just pretty certain Crowley wouldn’t have done.

Sources:

http://www.law.tohoku.ac.jp/kokusaiB2C/overview/contract.html

https://oharalaw-japan.com/2016/02/23/can-minor-sign-contract-without-parental-permission/

https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/human/child/report2/definition.html

#I don’t know y’all #I just love the idea of them completely wrecking azul via legal argument #twisted wonderland #azul ashengrotto #disney twst #twst disney #twst octavinelle #octavinelle #twst azul #ace trappola #twst ace #deuce spade #twst deuce #twst grim #twst mc #twst yuu

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miracleonice87 · 4 years

Text

Begin Again

a Mathew Barzal song fic

a/n: a one shot based on “Begin Again” by Taylor Swift. obviously I don’t own any of Taylor Swift’s music/lyrics! I’m not even a big Swiftie anymore (edited: lol dying bc I wrote that before she released folklore and evermore and sucked me RIGHT back in) but I love her “Red” album and always listen to it in the fall. also, the NYC traffic/parking/location situation in this is purely fantasy BS, lol.

summary: Mat Barzal meets Hayden Parker (fictional) in a coffee shop, and they start something new.

warnings: swearing. talk of a concussion/migraines/weight loss — otherwise, complete and total fluff.

______

With a deep breath, you glanced at your reflection in the mirror hanging near your front door before you left your Brooklyn apartment. You hadn’t worn these heels for several seasons now — he hadn’t liked it when you wore high heels. You had let his opinions — on your clothes, shoes, music, books, movies, and friends — dictate how you lived for too long. You smirked now, admiring how the pointed-toe snakeskin stilettos looked paired with your raw cut black jeans and silky pink blouse. He would’ve hated this look (“too gaudy,” he would have said), which made you love it that much more.

You popped in one AirPod and flipped the inside lock on your door before pulling it closed. You made your way down the hall as the lyrics started to flow.

There is a young cowboy, he lives on the range

His horse and his cattle are his only companions...

You fought the urge to roll your eyes thinking about your former flame’s constant unwarranted comments about this classic ballad which often wafted through your apartment from the record player in the living room.

“I don’t get this song — like, is he singing to himself?” he would ask. You never bothered to tell him the real background and meaning — you loved the song, and you got it. You always had.

Emerging from the main entrance of your building, you hummed along to melodies from your favorite playlist, and walked the three or so blocks to your destination. Soon, you were stepping in from the bustle of the street to find solace in an only-slightly less busy coffee shop, one you had come to frequent because of its location — sandwiched within the six blocks between your apartment and the fashion magazine where you were interning this semester.

“Hi, one large double shot mocha, please?” you requested, stepping up after the man in front of you paid for his order. You tapped your AirPod to pause your music, just in time to hear: “Nice shoes.”

You lifted your head and glanced toward the pick-up section of the counter, where a classically handsome man in his twenties stood donning a well-tailored navy blue suit. Your heart lurched in your chest as you realized he was looking straight at you.

“Me?” you inquired softly, just to be sure, as you slipped your bank card back into your wallet. He nodded, smiling. “Yes, you. Nice shoes.”

You bit your lip involuntarily, slowly walking his way to wait on your coffee. “Thanks. You’ve got nice style yourself,” you complimented, and you were surprised by your own boldness in that moment. Something about his confidence made you confident, too. And something about his model good looks seemed unsettlingly familiar somehow.

He extended his hand as you took your position next to him. “I’m Mat,” he greeted. You couldn’t help but smile, nearly breathless from his innate charm.

“Hi, Mat,” you replied, engaging his handshake. “I’m Hayden.”

“Hayden. Pretty name for a pretty girl,” Mat mused, holding onto your hand for just a moment longer than was customary. You knew it was silly — God, was it silly — but you felt yourself blush at his flattery.

“Large Americano,” a barista called out. Mat stepped forward, thanking her and stuffing a bill — you couldn’t help but notice that it was a large one — into the tip jar atop the glass pastry display. He turned back to you as he unfastened the lid and blew gently on his coffee. Another thing you couldn’t help but notice — his perfect pink lips.

“So, Hayden, are you a native New Yorker?”

Hmm, you thought. Why isn’t he running for the door after getting his drink? You decided to play along, feeling more daring than you had in ages.

“I am not,” you confessed. “I’m from Maine, actually.”

“Ah, still an East Coast girl,” Mat remarked with a grin. “I’m from the West — near Vancouver.”

You arched your brows. “Wow, Canadian, huh?” Mat chuckled.

“Born and raised. You know what they say, though: opposites attract,” he commented, hazel eyes piercing into you even as he took a cautious sip from his cup. You studied his face — he seemed more familiar with each word he spoke.

“They do say that, don’t they?” you retorted, skirting his inference. Just then, the barista set your mocha on the counter.

“Thank you so much,” you said, also pushing a tip into the jar, thankful that Mat’s attention was on grabbing a cup sleeve from the island nearby instead of on the much smaller bills you had to offer the staff.

You turned toward the island, too, reaching for the cinnamon. Mat offered you a sleeve as if it was second nature, and you graciously accepted, trying to relax the muscles on your face that seemed to have permanently turned upward into a smile since you’d been in the man’s presence.

Suddenly, you gasped.

“Islanders,” you whispered under your breath as Mat watched you stir your cinnamon into your drink. He froze.

“What?” he asked with a nervous laugh, wondering if he had heard you correctly. Your eyes darted around, making sure no one within earshot was paying attention.

“You play for the Islanders. Right?” you asked softly. He nodded, silent, ducking his head a bit; you began to backpedal.

“Oh, God... I didn’t mean - I, uh... I promise I’m not like a hockey fangirl, or anything,” you choked out, cheeks flushed. Your hands started to shake slightly as you replaced the lid on your to-go cup. “I just, uh, my brother. My brother played hockey. He always talked about you, and, uh, I just realized that that’s why I recognized you.” You winced.

“This... this isn’t as weird as it sounds, I swear,” you insisted. “It’s just that, my brother played in the Q. He was good, and, uh, I knew about all the other good hockey players, because of him.”

Mat’s demeanor had quickly changed — from slightly uncomfortable to giddy. He was smirking at you while you sputtered, taking a sort of masochistic pleasure in watching you squirm. His grin was infectious.

“What’s your last name?” he asked when you finally stopped talking. “Parker,” you responded, the two of you stepping away from the island and taking up residence near the front windows of the cafe.

“Parker... Parker,” he repeated. You were distracted by how good your name sounded falling from his tongue. Then, he gasped, too.

“Oh shit, your brother’s Nick Parker? Damn, how’s he doing?”

Your brow quirked as you watched the light flicker on in his eyes when he pieced it together. A National Hockey League star recognized your brother’s name, your name. What the hell was happening?

You cleared your throat, attempting to come back into orbit. “Uh, yeah, he’s good now. He, uh... it was a battle there for a couple years. He had migraines every day for about 16 months... lost a lot of weight. It was... it was tough,” you told him, your voice lowering noticeably. Mat watched you carefully, concern written all over his striking features. It was evident that Mat knew your brother’s story.

Your older brother Nick had been a top 20 prospect in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a teen, playing forward for the Halifax Mooseheads. But after a nasty late hit during a playoff game, he had been left with a debilitating concussion and, after a long period of unsuccessful rehab, had been forced to walk away from the game just as he was entering his prime.

Those troubling days hung like a thick, black fog over your family’s history, and you suddenly recalled being 15 again, cross-legged outside Nick’s bedroom door for hours, begging him to let you into the dark room to hold onto him as he cried, both because of the pain and because of the weight of his unrealized dreams. It had taken countless neurologist appointments, physical therapy, and your parents’ unwavering insistence that he regularly see a sports psychologist for him to return to some semblance of normalcy after a long road to recovery.

Now, minus the occasional treatable migraine, Nick was thriving. You beamed at the thought, your well-polished black nail picking at the corner of the cup sleeve on your mocha as you looked back to Mat and continued.

“But he’s finishing law school now, seeing a therapist and keeps himself in great shape, which helps. He’s getting married next summer to this great girl,” you finished, pride swelling in your chest at how far your brother had come. Mat’s eyebrows lifted, his worried expression morphing into elation.

“No shit!” he exclaimed. “Damn, I’m so happy for him. Tell you what, lotta guys wanted nothing to do with him when he was tearing it up. And we were all gutted for him after it happened.” You gave him a grateful smile.

“Thanks,” you said softly. “I’ll have to let him know you said that.” Mat nodded, then pressed on. “Maybe I’ll get the chance to tell him myself one day,” he added brazenly, casually taking another sip.

No response came to your brain, so you curled your fingers around your own cup and took a long draw, eyes darting to the activity outside the window, Mat’s never leaving your unsure face.

The church bells chiming from a nearby steeple were the only thing that could pull Mat’s gaze from you, as he checked his large-face Rolex. He seemed angered by the time staring back at him, and he ran his hand aggressively through his hair as his eyes rolled just slightly.

“Listen, Hayden, I hate to do this,” Mat began with a sigh. “But we’ve got a game in Pittsburgh tomorrow night, and the team plane leaves in like half an hour.”

You’re surprised by how deflated you feel in that instant, casting a downward glance at the shoes Mat had complimented only minutes ago, before you’d started feeling like maybe you’d known him your whole life.

A quiet, “Oh,” was all you could muster, still not meeting his eyes.

His hand then came to rest on your upper arm, and it’s only then that you noticed how big it was, long fingers curling easily around your bicep.

“But hey... I’ll be back late tomorrow night. Whaddya say we grab coffee here the next morning? Wednesday. Maybe 8?”

You turned your eyes upward to take in his face. He looked hopeful. He was hopeful that he’d see you again.

You nodded. “I’d love to, Mat. I’ll meet you here.”

Mat beamed, a relieved breath falling from his lips. “Good,” he commented. “I’ll see you then.” He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek, leaving you reeling when he pulled away.

“Bye, pretty Hayden,” Mat said with a wink before turning and exiting the coffee shop, walking down the block to the Cadillac he’d just unlocked. He was still in sight when he glanced over his shoulder and threw you another breathtaking grin. You smiled back, frozen in place as you watched him drive away.

_____

Mat was going to be late.

At least, that’s what you had convinced yourself at some point within the last 48 hours.

He was either going to be late or he was going to stand you up altogether. So even though you woke up at 5:30 and initially felt the need to rush through your routine to get down to the coffee shop as quickly as possible, you didn’t. You forced yourself to slow down. Because Mat was going to be late. Or, he wasn’t going to be there at all.

So you were surprised when, after throwing on a red chiffon dress with tiny white flowers and a cognac leather jacket, you walked through the coffee shop door at 8:02 and heard, “Hayden!”

Your head snapped up.

At a corner table in the back of the shop was Mat, dressed in a smart grey sweater and distressed black jeans, a silver chain looped around his neck, standing to wave you over with a broad smile across his face.

He came. And he’d arrived before you did.

You walked over to Mat and he embraced you warmly, the two of you exchanging kisses on the cheek. He squeezed your elbow affectionately as you stepped back from him.

“Oh, here. Let me,” Mat said as he pulled your chair out and motioned for you to sit.

“Thank you,” you said quietly, his chivalry catching you by surprise. Once you were seated, he pushed your chair in slightly before taking his place across the table from you.

“I got you a mocha,” he told you, nodding at the cup in front of you. “Double shot, right?”

You nodded. “You’re sweet. Thank you,” you said, the two of you beaming at each other for a moment, lost in a daze.

“So how was the game?” you inquired, pulling you both back to earth. Mat cleared his throat before answering you.

“It was good! We won. It’s usually a tough battle with them but we kinda dominated, which was nice for a change,” he spoke, looking pleased.

“You score?” you asked teasingly as you sipped from your cup.

“Uh, yeah, actually,” he told you with a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head. “Two goals and an assist.”

Your eyebrows lifted on your forehead. “Mat, that’s amazing! So my brother was right. You are good.”

Mat shook his head, trying to shrug you off.

“Ah, nah. I kinda think it had more to do with a good luck charm I met this week,” he remarked slyly. You licked your bottom lip before biting on it gently. Mat took notice, mirroring your motions as he stared at your lips.

“So, how’s work been this week?” It was Mat’s turn to deflect.

You told him how hectic it had been, with you arriving at the office around 9 and leaving at 6 on the day you’d first met, then departing after 7 yesterday, despite it being only a part-time internship in addition to the five classes you were taking online. He asked about your combination of on-campus and online learning throughout your college career in order to accommodate your dream internships, and he was already in awe of what a hard worker you were.

You pointed out that you weren’t the only one at the table with a crazy schedule, and you asked him how he balanced hockey with his personal life. He answered you easily, launching into stories about his teammates and his family and his friends who all kept him grounded in different ways. There was one name he kept bringing up — Tito. He told you that you’d have to meet him. Before you could hesitate, you said you’d like to. His visage brightened at that answer. He reminded you of sunshine.

He continued to regale you with a vast array of stories, stopping often to ask you questions and invite you to tell him stories of your own. It took a bit of time, but soon you were opening up about your own life — your parents’ recent and shocking divorce after 30 years of marriage, and your struggle with your grandmother’s death last fall.

It wasn’t all dark, though. In fact, most of it wasn’t. You also told him about the crazy theater actor roommate you’d had when you first moved into the city to study fashion at NYU, and how her frightening antics had eventually pushed you into accepting your uncle’s offer to pay for your own apartment in the city, as he was single and childless and had always delighted in spoiling you and your brother. You told him about your only two cousins on your dad’s side, two siblings bracketing you and your brother in age, and how the four of you were more like siblings than cousins. You told a slightly off-color joke at your own expense that most of your friends and coworkers would never laugh at, but it left Mat breathless, throwing his head back with boyish giggles flowing from his mouth like your favorite song. This caught you off-guard — you couldn’t believe he actually seemed to think you were funny. The last one certainly never did.

At some point, the conversation shifted to music. Mat’s jaw dropped when you told him that you own every James Taylor album on vinyl, after he told you that that’s one of his favorite artists of all time. He said he’s never met anyone who has as many James Taylor records as you. You simply shrugged. You explained that you and your mom have seen every tour James Taylor has been on since you were eleven and had started playing guitar. Mat’s eyes went wide — he told you that he dabbles in guitar, too.

After this, you quieted a bit. He noticed. It comes off to him as shyness, but you know what it really is. It’s fear. All at once you realize just how far you’ve let your guard down with this stranger. You’ve only just met this person, yet you have more in common with him than anyone you’ve encountered since moving into the city.

He sensed that something was off, so, in the silence, he reached a hand across the table and took yours in his grasp, stroking the back of it with his thumb. You looked into his mesmerizing eyes, and your hesitance melted.

After several more minutes of easy conversation, you check the time. You need to be at work in ten minutes.

“I’m sorry to be the one to break this up this time,” you started, and Mat sat back, looking understanding though disappointed. “But I’ve gotta get to work. Thankfully, it’s just right down the street.”

“Let me walk you,” Mat quickly insisted. You smirked at him, digging in your purse to find your office key.

“Didn’t you drive here?” you asked, chuckling. He simply shrugged. “Yeah, but if pretty Hayden works just down the street, I might as well walk her to the office and spend a few extra minutes with her,” he told you with a smug grin. You felt your cheeks get hot.

“Sounds good to me,” you admitted quietly. Mat nodded, then rose from his chair, reaching for his wallet to leave another tip.

“Thank you,” you said, putting your hand on his forearm tenderly. “For the coffee. For this.”

He smiled down at you. “You’re welcome,” he replied.

The two of you walked out the cafe door, which Mat pushed open even from behind you. You pointed in the direction of your office building and the two of you fell into step, side by side. Your heart leapt when Mat reaches for your hand. It felt unbelievably natural — which terrified you.

Your recent relationship history flashed through your brain all at once, like a film reel. Your brain screamed, “Slow down!” while your heart whispered, “Relax.” You weren’t sure which to believe. You opened your mouth to bring him up, to give a fair warning, to tell Mat that you might not be ready for... whatever this was.

Then, he started to talk about the movies that his family watches every single Christmas. You weren’t at all sure what had brought that subject to his mind — maybe your earlier questions about his younger sister back in Coquitlam — but you’re grateful for the diversion from your own messy mind. You decided to engage him on that topic instead, rather than bring up your last boyfriend who’d shattered you then walked away.

And for the first time in eight months, you decided to leave what’s past, in the past.

Like a pinball machine, Mat had already bounced to yet another new topic — his practice later this morning. As he finished a story about pranking Tito in the locker room after a skate last week, you bubbled over with giggles. He watched you with admiration and wonder coursing through his entire being. You eventually observed how he was gazing at you, and you sensed that he had something more important to say than his joke on his teammate.

“Hey, so, uh,” Mat started, clearing his throat. Your suspicion had been correct. “What are you doing tomorrow night, after work? We have a home game tomorrow at 7:30 and I, uh, I wanted to see if maybe... you wanted to go? I requested a ticket for you... just in case you want it. If you do... I was thinking maybe we could grab dinner after?”

The sentences Mat spoke seemed to be rolled into one giant question mark. His unwavering self-assurance had seemed to falter slightly for the first time since you’d met him, surprising you. You only needed a moment to consider your answer.

“I’d love to come watch you play,” you told him, wrapping your hands around his upper arm affectionately. You watched him exhale, a smile slowly overtaking his face.

“Thank God,” Mat breathed, making you both burst into hysterics as he leaned his head down to touch yours for a moment.

Bewilderment overcame you as you realized that you hadn’t felt this way about anyone in... you couldn’t even remember how long. You’d thought it might never happen again. That for you, this feeling might just be... gone.

You couldn’t believe that on a Wednesday, in a cafe, you’d watched it begin again.

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mischiefandspirits · 3 years

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Damian tugged down his face mask as he looked out over Gotham city. He was finally here.

After two decades of anticipation, after nearly a decade of work, it should have been a happy occasion.

He tugged the mask back up as he heard a scream nearby.

He stopped three muggings, saved a woman from assault, and stopped a robbery by the time a flicker of purple started following him.

He scared off some men that were following a woman then pretended to take off northward before ducking around a water tower and sneaking up on his pursuer as they tried to follow. He took them in before approaching.

They looked about five foot six. The dark body armor and cloak hid their build some, but the way they carried themself proved they were muscular even if not overly broad. As he grew closer, he could see that the armor was primarily black with dark purple detailing that matched the cloak’s color. They also wore a full face mask like his friend Vesper’s, though theirs had white lenses that stood out against the black fabric instead of being completely black like the older vigilante. They were cautious, yet sure-footed as they raced over the rooftops which showed a familiarity with the territory and an understanding of its dangers.

Similarly, their growing annoyance showed they’d realized they’d lost him so Damian swooped in to pin them against an air conditioning unit. They tried to throw him off, but his larger size and superior skills kept them pinned long enough to bind their hands and tie them to the unit.

“Who are you and why are you following me?” he growled, crossing his arms and looming over them.

They stared at him for a moment, head tilting to the side, then snorted. “No wonder he got mistaken for B a few times. Are you seeing this guy?” the young woman -- judging by her voice -- muttered to herself before saying, “I’m Spoiler and I’m following you because you randomly showed up in Gotham and started playing vigilante. Don’t you know Batman doesn’t like that?”

“And yet, here you are doing the same.”

“Excuse you, I’m Batman’s partner. I earned my place on these rooftops.”

“Right.”

She tilted up her chin and crossed her arms. “I am!”

Damian frowned, but didn’t move to redo the ties she’d slipped. Vesper had told him that his father was a solo hero. Batman worked with the Justice League and the Birds of Prey as necessary, but he’d never had a permanent confidant or taken on an apprentice like some of the other heroes. The closest thing he had to partners were the Batgirls. According to Vesper, though, neither ever developed a close bond with the man. The two might be called in as backup or would team up with his father when their paths crossed, but they never depended on one another. His father was more of an inspiration, patron, and occasional teammate than a partner to either woman.

Spoiler didn’t seem to be lying, however, and appeared too forward to be capable of deceiving him. Had something changed in the four years since he’d talked to Vesper? Perhaps he should have gone with his original plan of waiting to go out until after he’d spoken with her the next day after all.

Hindsight and such were not going to change the present, however.

He looked over the woman again. Girl, he realized. Given her proportions, she was likely in her mid-teens though he could be wrong as the armor was rather concealing. An apprentice, then, which explained why she had not fallen beside her supposed partner. The mission his father perished on must have been deemed too dangerous for her to accompany him.

He carefully thought over his next words. He was not ready to announce his presence yet as clearly he had some research to do and he needed to speak with Vesper. He also didn’t know how trustworthy Spoiler was. Even if she was telling the truth about being his father’s partner, that did not tell him just how far his father’s trust in her went and therefore how far he should trust her in turn.

He stepped back from the girl, dropping his arms and attempting to take on a less antagonistic posture. “Then I am sorry for your loss.”

“Loss?” Spoiler questioned.

“Batman’s death,” he answered slowly. Had no one told her?

“What? Batman’s not dead.”

Oh, no, she was simply trying to hide the truth. “My contacts within the Justice League say otherwise.”

Batman's death had left Flamebird uncharacteristically despondent of late, understandably given how close his father and Damian’s were and the fact Flamebird had been on the mission where Batman perished.

“Someone’s going to get an ass beating,” she muttered, storming to her feet. She poked him in the chest. “So what, you find out Batman’s gone and decide that means you have a free pass to just do whatever you want in my city.”

Damian pushed her hand away, fighting down the urge to stab it. “As I think we’ve established, I had no idea you existed. I simply had business in Gotham and thought I’d do some good for a recently undefended city.”

“Yeah, well, now you know the city is being defended.”

“By a child, yes,” Damian scoffed before he could stop himself and the girl bristled.

“Who the fickle frack are you to judge me?”

After being momentarily stunned by her euphemism, he answered, “I am Ẓill.”

She stared at him and slowly shook her head. “Yeah, no offense, it’s def a me problem, but if I try to say that I will totally beat it to hell and back with a tire iron then set it on fire and spit on it just for good measure. Is that an alien language?”

“Arabic.”

“Shit. Yeah, okay, that’s why I’m sticking to the Romance languages for now.” She glanced to the side. “Do you know Arabic?”

“I-” he started, but she waved him quiet.

“I thought you were going to learn after the last run-in with… Okay, yeah, that’s fair. So… Well of course he can, the little polyglot.” She turned back to Damian as he started to wonder if the girl was insane. “So your name translates to Shadow. Mind if I just call you that because, again, I will not be responsible for the atrocity that leaves my mouth if I try to pronounce Arabic without time to practice.”

“Shadow is fine.” She wouldn’t be the first, as it had taken both Flamebird and Beacon awhile to learn how to pronounce his name properly, and the Ismoian still called him that on occasion as a nickname. More accurately she called him Shadow the Hedgehog, but that was a reference he refused to investigate given Flamebird’s reaction to it. “Who are you talking to?”

She gestured to the side of her head. “Augur. He’s our eye-in-the-sky computer guy. Hacking, running comms, information gathering, strategy, all that fun stuff.”

“I thought Oracle worked with Batman when he needed assistance with that.”

“Oracle? I mean, she helped train Augur and helps out when he needs a hand, but she’s got the Birds of Prey and Vesper, not to mention helping out the Justice League sometimes. I think she used to do a lot more for Batman back before Augur, but she’s got her own shit to do now. Augur’s our main man.”

He really should have waited to speak to Vesper. Clearly his information was more out of date than he thought.

“So, Shadow Weaver, what brings you to Gotham then?”

“Shadow Weaver?” He growled when she nodded, radiating amusement. That was clearly another reference he didn’t want to know anything about. “My being here is none of your concern.”

“Random unknown vigilantes being in my city are, like, the definition of my concern,” she said, cocking a hip.

“Your city?”

“Yeah, my city. So either tell me why you’re here or get lost.”

“And if I don’t?”

She shifted into a fighting stance. “I’ll make you.”

Damian snorted at the threat, then was yanked backward by his hood. He brought his hand up to defend, which was knocked aside.

He froze when he recognized the featureless mask staring down at him.

“I told you to keep your head down,” Vesper reprimanded, poking him in the forehead.

“If you had warned me that Batman had picked up a disciple this wouldn’t have happened,” he huffed and Spoiler pretended to gag.

“Ew, gross, don’t call me that. Makes it sound like I worship B or something, which, yeah, no.”

“Stop picking fights with Spoiler,” Vesper said and poked his forehead again. “Batman is already going to be mad enough.”

Damian’s eyes darted away from his friend and, behind Vesper, he saw Spoiler flinch.

Vesper let him back up and shoved him away. She turned to Spoiler. “I’ll deal with him. He’s a friend. Sorry.”

The girl nodded and left.

“Come on.”

The older vigilante led him to the rooftop of a clock tower. She used a biometric scanner to unlock a hidden hatch and they slipped inside, dropping down ropes into a workspace.

There was an elaborate computer setup in one corner, oddly lacking a chair, and a workout space in the other. Mirroring that was a modest medical area in one corner and a kitchenette in the other with seating at the island. Elevator doors stood between the computers and medical area while a couch and some chairs sat at the center of the room.

Pulling off her hood and mask, Cassandra led him to the couch. He removed his own hood and mask then pulled his katana off his back to lean against his leg as he sat next to her on the couch.

“You look good,” she said, glancing over him.

“You too. It’s good to see you again.”

She nodded, then lightly slapped his arm. “What were you thinking, Damian? I know I told you how protective Batman is of his territory.”

Damian’s left hand came up to trace the phoenix engraved onto his right bracer. “When was the last time you spoke to someone in the Justice League?”

She frowned, studying him. “I have been on an Outsiders mission for the past month, and was busy with a show the month before that. If Oracle has worked with them in that time, she hasn’t said anything. Why?”

“A little under a month ago, a JL team went on a mission. I don’t know the full details, but it had something to do with Darkseid and… Batman did not make it back.”

She didn’t react visibly, but her voice was soft when she asked, “You are sure?”

“Jon was on the mission. He said Batman was vaporized right before their eyes. I’m sorry.”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes. After her moment of silence, she looked up at him, face blank. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Why are you here? Why do you care? You’ve always been interested in Batman, but this is… more.”

He sat up straight, hands fisting on his thighs. “I told you my name was Damian Naji, but that was a lie. My name is actually Damian al Ghul. My mother is Talia al Ghul… and my father was Batman.”

She studied him. “Batman… did not know?”

“Not as far as I am aware. Mother told me she told him she miscarried because I would be a distraction to him and the cause. After everything you’ve told me about him, I think she and Grandfather were just worried he’d take me from them. If she told him after I left, I don’t know.”

“Why didn’t you tell him? You could have come to him for help when you ran away from the League.”

“Tt. You know how I was back then. I was everything Father stood against. He wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me. Not until I could prove I was worthy of him.”

She reached out to take his hand. “That’s not true. He knew my past and he accepted me.”

“You killed one person, instantly regretted it, and never killed again. I spent almost ten years as an assassin. It’s not the same. Besides, you were just an occasional teammate. I’m…”

“His son. Which is exactly why I know he would have loved you. Batman cares deeply for those who he considers his own. Even Oracle and I. He keeps -” She frowned and looked down. “He kept his distance from us, but only because he felt he didn’t have a right to us. Oracle had a parent and was independent, only needing help getting her feet under her. I was an adult, legally, when we met and Oracle took on my training since she was the one who found me and had practice working with younger heroes due to assisting Black Canary with the Justice League’s minor division. Had he found you, though, he wouldn’t have hesitated. You would have been his.

“He would not have been happy about how you were raised, but he still would have loved you. He would not have turned you away, even if you had wanted to continue down the path of an assassin. He would have seen that wasn’t what you wanted, though, and taught you a new way. You would not have had to do it on your own.”

Damian shook his head. “No, I had to prove that I wasn’t what my mother made me. I had to prove I could follow his rules, only then could I present myself as his heir.”

“You wouldn’t have had to prove anything to him.”

He pulled his hand away to trail it against his bracer again. “Perhaps you are right. You knew him better than I. But I did have to prove it to myself.”

She shook her head and wrapped an arm around his shoulders despite him being a head taller and twice as wide. “How?”

“My first kill was on my sixth birthday. I was fifteen when we met and I decided to leave behind the League’s ways in favor of Father’s. It… took me longer than I liked to push through the instincts to kill so on my sixteenth birthday I made an oath. Ten years of saving lives to atone for ten years of taking them. Only if I reached my twenty-sixth birthday without taking another life would I come to Gotham.”

“That is why you’ve come.”

“No, my birthday is still a few months away, but… Jon told me what happened. I realized I was too late so I am here to… I thought if I could never present myself to Father absolved of guilt, I could at least protect the city he devoted himself to since I believed it was now undefended.”

“You did not know about the others,” she chuckled.

“You told me he worked alone,” he growled.

“He did when we last spoke.” She pulled away, tilting her head. “Am I your only source for information?”

“Yes. I did not know if I could trust any other source given his reclusiveness.”

“But I only told you about Batman. What about behind the man under the cowl?”

He slumped back against the couch.

“You do not know who he is,” she said, amusement in her voice.

“Mother always told me I would learn who he was when I’d earned it. The only things I know are that I am his only family and heir. That’s why I asked you to meet me. I wanted to do this properly and cover his responsibilities in and out of the mask, but I can’t do that without knowing who he is. I’d hoped that either you would know or you could help me figure it out.”

She hummed and glanced to the side.

He followed her gaze to see a clock on the wall. It was nearing two in the morning.

Suddenly she hopped to her feet and dragged him up. “You said you are staying at Hotel Belle Monico?”

“Yes, room 3215.”

“Go straight back there and get changed.”

He nodded, figuring she wanted to get some rest. “Alright. I’ll see you later then.”

After getting her confirmation, he climbed up the ropes and did as told. It only took him fifteen minutes to get back to his room and another twenty to change out of his vigilante attire, lock all his gear away, shower, and put on his sleeping clothes. Once that was done he started to debate whether or not to get some sleep or do a bit of research first.

A knock came at his door.

He grabbed the small dagger he kept on him at all times and palmed one of the knives he’d hidden around the room as he approached the door. He peeked through the peephole, then tucked both weapons into his waistband and opened the door.

Cassandra had lost her own suit in favor of a casual teal dress and gold-brown leggings. She frowned as she took him in and started shoving him further into the room before he could say anything. “Get dressed.”

“What’s going on?”

“Clothes.”

Well aware he wasn’t going to get anything out of her, he slipped into the suite's bedroom and changed into some slacks and a polo.

“Good,” she said when he came out, then turned on her heel and left.

He quickly followed after grabbing his wallet and one of the room’s keycards.

“Where are we going?” he asked once they were in the elevator, but she just smiled at him.

The silence continued as they climbed into her car and she drove them through the city. He tried to ask again when they crossed a bridge out of the main city and into a neighborhood filled with mansions and old manors, but she remained tight-lipped until they pulled up to the gate of a larger manor.

She rolled down the window and hit the call button, which was soon answered over the video screen by an older gentleman in a butler’s uniform.

“Ah, hello, Ms. Cain,” the man said in a warm, British accent. “I was told you might make an appearance, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“Hello, Alfred. Should this wait?”

“No, you might as well come in now. They’re all still awake after tonight’s events,” he sighed and the gates began to creak open.

“Sorry,” she said and he waved her off before the screen went dark.

Curiosity itched at Damian, but he stayed quiet as Cassandra drove up to the front door and they climbed out.

Alfred met them at the door. He gave Cassandra a kind smile then turned it to Damian. “Always a pleasure, Ms. Cain. And who is this?”

She looped her arm around one of Damian’s. “An old friend. Alfred, this is Damian Wayne. Damian, this is Alfred Pennyworth.”

He didn’t react to the name, assuming she’d just given him an alias, but the calculating expression on Alfred’s face as he stared at Damian’s had him second-guessing the assumption.

The expression was quickly replaced by a sad smile, however, as the man stepped back to allow them into the manor. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Master Damian.”

“You as well, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“Just Alfred, my boy. Please come in. The others are winding down in the family room.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Cassandra said, then led Damian into the house by his arm. They went up the main staircase in the entrance hall and into the first door on the left where they found a room inhabited by a group of children.

The oldest were a pair of teenagers sitting on the couch.

The girl was white, but tanned with long blonde hair pulled into a messy braid and dark green eyes. She was thin but muscular and he could see her arms were covered in small scars thanks to her Gotham Sirens tank top. She was cradling a sleeping infant who was wrapped in a Wonder Woman blanket and clutching a stuffed Batman.

The other teen was more androgynous, body hidden under an overly large White Arrow hoodie and Supergirl sweat pants. They were Latine with their skin a pale brown and their eyes a silvery blue. Their hair was black and chin-length. They had a video game controller on their lap and a tablet in their hands.

The next oldest was a preteen boy with a book sitting sideways in an armchair, back against one arm and legs draped over the other. He was fair with freckles speckling his face around his navy eyes. His hair was short and a dark red, almost black color. He was thin and muscular like the girl, but there was a touch of broadness to his shoulders that spoke of a bulkiness to come with puberty. A German Shepherd was squeezed onto the chair with him, half-tucked under the boy's legs with his head on the boy's stomach for pets.

The last child was a few years younger than the preteen. He both had the most conditioned and the least combative build of the children, having more of a gymnast's figure. His skin was of a similar olive tone to Damian’s, though a few shades lighter, and his curly hair was brown-black. Damian couldn’t see his eyes as he was dozing on a rug in front of the tv with a three-legged pitbull puppy, both curled around a large stuffed elephant. A video game controller was abandoned behind the boy.

The three awake children turned to Damian and Cassandra when they entered. They all greeted her warmly, but the girl and boy eyed him warily while the androgynous teen studied him with sharp curiosity.

“Who’s your friend, Cassie?” the boy asked.

Cassandra shoved Damian further into the room. “Your brother.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So last month I made a post asking if anyone had written a story where the Robins' ages were reversed as is the trope, but they still got taken in by Bruce in the same order as well as giving some ideas for how that could work. No one ever got back to me on if that was already a thing so I figured I might as well write out one of the scenes that really caught my interest when brainstorming.

#batfam #damian wayne #cass cain #stephanie brown #batman #rabno #fanfiction

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