#I do love the ninja costume but coming up with one off the cuff is super fun too!

[vargaslovinghours]

Halloween collab with @cherry-207 (Check out her part here!)

[starspatter]

Heroes and Thieves, Ch. 15

Title: Heroes and Thieves Fandom/Universe: BTAS, pre/post-RotJ flashback

Summary: A story about second chances, healing, and having hope.

Rating: PG-13, for references to character death, child psychological torture and trauma.

Genre: Romance/Family/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 4,800 Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Also on ff.net and AO3. ...I lied.  This is totally a harem story. *flees*

She held onto my coat that night, like a kid lost in her sleeves Oh we warmed the ground, we hushed our sound We slept on walking feet Oh Darlin’, pardon me Can you help me remember When we were all flying free

-Gregory Alan Isakov, “Living Proof”

————————–

After.

Barbara breathed out as she stood before the large, warehouse-like building, gazing anxiously up at its second floor (and watchful security cameras she knew were installed overhead). The reinforced structure still seemed relatively sound despite the recent disaster. The… original occupant certainly knew how to choose a hideout location and prepare for all potential outcomes. …Must've been a habit he picked up from his previous landlord.

With a wary hand, she buzzed the doorbell.

Sooner than she expected, the entry flew open to reveal an unfamiliar face: a young man with a short crop of mane spiked in the front like flames, similar in color to her own.

"Well hellooo there," he greeted with a wide grin, eyeing his guest up and down. "What can I do you for, miss?"

Barbara stared at him in surprise.

"Er, is Tim home? He… does still live here, right?"

The stranger licked his lips, resting toned muscle casually against the doorframe.

"Who cares about him? What say you and me get to know each other a bit first, as fellow redheads, hm?"

He loomed towards her, admiring her luscious saffron locks. Barbara grimaced, getting ready to give the kid a good taste of a police twist hold (if not taser) – when a voice she recognized interjected from behind.

"She's a cop, Roy. And she used to be Batgirl. I wouldn't try anything if I were you."

Tim emerged beside the other teen, regarding the two dully. Unfortunately the statement only seemed to fuel his friend's lust further.

"Hot damn. You here to arrest me, officer?" He waggled his brows. "Slap some cuffs on me and take me down to the station? I wouldn't mind that on the first date."

"Roy."

"Kidding, kidding. Jeeze, you really have no sense of humor now, do you?" He lowered his limb dejectedly. "Anyway, you didn't tell me you were acquainted with such a gorgeous babe. Ain't you gonna introduce us?"

Tim sighed.

"Roy, meet Officer Barbara Gordon, the Commissioner's daughter and former Batgirl. Babs, this is Roy Harper, a.k.a. Speedy, Green Arrow's ex-sidekick."

"Ex-partner," the other boy corrected. "And it's 'Arsenal' now."

"Whatever. Now could you please give us some privacy?"

"A'ight, I can take a hint to take a hike," Roy smirked with a suggestive wink. "I've got a 'date' myself anyway. I'll leave you two alone. Don't wait up~"

He whistled and growled as he passed by Barbara on the way out, who shot him a dirty look before resuming attention to Tim.

"I see you've been keeping company. Honestly, he's worse than the Flash." (What was it with all the male copperheads she met giving her ginger brand a bad name?)

"We know each other from the Titans," he replied in a dry tone. "He needed a place to stay after Queen kicked him out – again. Dick said it was okay."

Barbara paused.

"You talk to him recently?"

Tim shrugged as he moved aside to allow her in.

"We keep in touch. He calls every so often to check up on… things."

She studied his backside as they started heading upstairs to the loft.

"And? How are 'things'?

"Fine."

She glanced around the interior of the room as they approached the top; it looked pretty much the same as she remembered. There was the ornate wall of Asian-styled checkered windows overlooking the city, and the ninja sword rack hanging next to a decorative dragon panel (behind which she knew there was a concealed compartment that used to contain Nightwing's costume). Dick did always have a flair for the Orient.

Running her hand wistfully along the armrest to the sofa, she recalled how she and Dick used to sit and cuddle together on it, enjoying late-night Chinese takeout and talks, among… other things.

A frown settled on her face as she noticed something… "off" about the couch cushions.

"'Fine', you say. …Is that why you have 'this'?"

Tim's eyes immediately narrowed as she stretched behind the seat and unzipped the foam, removing a bag of greenish-purple powder from deep within.

"It's not mine."

He answered, a little too hasty.

"Whose is it then?"

"Roy's," he stated flatly, seeming nonchalant about selling out his flatmate.

"And you're telling me you've never used any?"

He hesitated, eyes slanting aside in silence. She scrutinized the stash, recognizing to her horror that it was likely the popular new drug that was being distributed in the streets amongst decadent youth; an isolated chemical strain similar to Joker toxin, but more mild. Not strong enough to cause permanent psychological damage (at least when taken in minor doses), but enough to mimic the euphoric high for hours on end.

"Have you been doing deals with Jokerz?"

"Like hell I would," he snapped.

She reached out to sternly grab his wrist, trying insistently to meet his eye.

"Tim. Be honest with me. Please."

He yanked his arm away, glaring fiercely in anger.

"What is this, some kind of bust? Fine, go ahead, book me. I don't care. Why don't you just charge me with murder while you're at it?"

"Tim…"

"You don't get it, Barb." He clutched at his sleeves, digging digits deep into his skin. "You don't know what it's like, living with fucking laughter inside your head all the time. At least when I'm laughing louder I can't hear him."

She swallowed, biting her lip. Gently, she set the plastic down on the table.

"I do understand," she whispered softly.

He blinked at her.

"Tim, the reason I came here, is because… Lately, I've been having these… visions." She sank down on the lounger, steepling fingers in front of her. "You remember the time Scarecrow gassed me and left me in a hallucinogenic nightmare state?"

He nodded.

"It's like that, only now, I get them when I'm awake as well, at complete random. Ever since the quake, I'll experience these abrupt panic attacks, and see all kinds of terrifying shit. Then, the flashbacks start, and there's one that's always recurring…" She closed her eyes, reflecting reluctantly. "All of a sudden I'll see myself back at Arkham, fighting against Harley. We go over the edge of the cliff, and I'm hanging on like before, and she starts to slip… Only this time, I fall with her. I – I die, just like that time in my dream."

She hunched in on herself further as she continued.

"It doesn't end there though. It keeps going, and I can still see everything else play out, like when I visualized my dad going after Bruce afterwards. I – I see him and Joker, and you – JJ – there with the gun – and – and… The shot hits Batman instead."

Her speech tapered off as she finished the sentence. Her audience was deathly quiet as she carried on in a tremulous hush.

"Then you and the Joker – he – he makes you do all these horrible things – so many deaths – including Dick's – and finally my dad's the only one left – and he has to take you both down by himself – and it ends with either him shooting you – or you shooting him – and either way everyone I love is… gone."

She looked at him, tears starring her eyes.

"I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear any of this. I – I just had to come see you…"

"To make sure I haven't gone on an insane murder spree?"

Barbara lowered her head in apology.

"I didn't mean it like that…"

Tim exhaled, unlinking his limbs as he leaned back against the table.

"For what it's worth, I don't think I've done anything recently that would land me a spot in Arkham. …Anyway, shouldn't you go see a doctor about this or something? Or someone else who can help, like…"

The weight of unspoken word hung heavy in the air. She shook her head.

"I'm scared. What if they can't treat it, say my condition's permanent? I'm no good to the force like this, I can't function out in the field. I'll have to give up my badge, after I worked so hard to finally get here..."

Tim rolled his eyes slightly.

"Gee, I wonder what that could possibly be like?"

Contriteness crossed her countenance again.

"…Sorry. That was dumb, I shouldn't have said that. I was being selfish, only thinking of myself. I shouldn't have bothered you with this. You've got enough to deal with, you don't deserve to have my issues dumped on you as well."

Tim held up his hand.

"Look, it's okay, Babs. …Is there anything I can do?"

She lifted timidly, chewing her lip.

"I – I was just hoping maybe we could… I don't know – talk for a bit?"

Tim remained mute, mulling for a moment, before turning and walking over to the mini-fridge. Opening it, he retrieved two chilled beer cans before revolving back.

"You want a drink?"

She boosted an eyebrow, but nevertheless gratefully accepted the offering of booze.

"I'm not even going to ask how you got these."

She muttered as she popped the tab and started to chug it down.

…

A nearly emptied six-pack later, they were both more than a bit tipsy, but Barbara especially so. Turns out she wasn't very good at holding her alcohol.

"I mean, who do those jerks think they are?" she slurred as she slammed her container down. "I'm not some little girl or someone's possession. I can date whoever I damn well please."

Tim perceived her lurch lopsidedly as she groped for another, growing concerned.

"Don't you think you've had one too many?"

"I'll be the judge of that," she hicced as she swatted his hand away. Tim persisted however, prying the prize firmly from her fingertips.

"That's it. I think you've had enough."

As he stood up to put the beverage back, he simultaneously fished out his phone and began dialing with his free hand.

"I'm calling your dad to come pick you up."

He felt a pressure on his lower waist, and he looked down to see Barbara clinging to the back of his shirt, burying her flushed forehead against his spine.

"Please," she mumbled into the fabric. "Just let me stay here a little longer."

He gulped, but submissively sat back down. She warmly nestled her head against his shoulder, causing his chest to beat rapidly in confusion.

"…What the hell happened to us, Tim? How did we end up like this? The four of us, hardly even speaking to each other? Dick would never return my phone calls, and Bruce – God, Bruce – I don't even know where to begin with him."

"To be fair, he was never much of a conversationalist to begin with," Tim griped bitterly. "Besides, don't you, uh, have a new boyfriend now?"

He cleared his throat, and Barbara sighed as she sat up, hugging her knees close to her for comfort instead.

"Sam's great. He understands, but… He doesn't really 'get' it, you know? What we've been through."

She traced a rim of condensation on the counter.

"Hey, you remember that time Bruce almost married a plant-woman? That was wild."

"Yeah? What about when Farmer Brown unleashed a bunch of giant mutant insects on Gotham? That's got to be the craziest adventure we ever had."

"Please. You weren't there when Baby Doll and Killer Croc teamed up and nearly nuked the city. I mean, can you imagine those two together? You can't compete with a weirder pair than that."

It was startlingly simple, to slip so smoothly back into nostalgia. Swapping stories, trying to one-up each other's exploits. Barbara would even fondly describe some of the times she worked with the original Dynamic Duo, back during the "good ol' days" – of colorful costumed villains, wacky crimes, and ridiculous motivations. Telling increasingly tall tales and amusing anecdotes that almost made Tim laugh. …Almost.

"So let me get this straight," she repeated, "You flew the Batplane all the way to outer space… to the Justice League Watchtower… by yourself?"

"Yup," Tim responded as he sedately cracked open the last metal vessel still in his lap and took a sip.

Barbara shook her head in disbelief.

"You always were a risk-taker. I still can't believe Bruce went missing and got brainwashed… again. How come I never knew about any of this? Why didn't you contact me?"

"You were off at grad school. I figured I could handle it."

Barbara propped her elbow on the plush, leaning her cheek thoughtfully against it as she tucked her legs underneath her.

"...It's good that you went to them for help."

Tim peered down, picking absently at the paper label, peeling off aluminum.

"Mr. Kent told me afterwards, that Bruce did call him in secret. The operating room's walls were lined with lead though, since they used to take X-Rays and brain scans there. Even the curtain and that stupid apron Joker wore had lead shielding. He had hench-spies stationed everywhere, in Metropolis as well, so he could render me unconscious as soon as Superman showed up and I wouldn't be able to scream. …He really was prepared for everything."

Barbara couldn't believe it. Just how long had that disgusting sicko been planning this?

"What about the Martian? He's a telepath, isn't he?"

Tim shook his head.

"Apparently the last time he attempted a city-wide psychic sweep to look for Luthor, he wasn't able to shut it off. The flood of thoughts nearly drove him mad afterwards. Bruce didn't want to risk it."

"That still doesn't excuse-"

"What's done is done," Tim curtly cut her off, crushing the canister in his grip to transfer his own resentful rage, before tossing it in the trash. "I've accepted the damage. There's no use in going back and flinging hindsight accusations at this point."

Barbara surveyed his sullen expression in overwhelming sympathy.

"…There's one thing Joker didn't count on."

"What?"

"You fighting him off in the end. You were stronger than him. You won."

Knuckles balled on Tim's kneecap.

"That wasn't a win. We lost the moment I confessed everything to him."

"That's not true, Tim."

He shook his head.

"I killed him, Barb. I did what none of us were ever supposed to do. And the worst part is, I – I was glad about it."

She extended her palm to wrap reassuringly around his wrist.

"So? You have every right to be, after what he did to you."

Tim's fist only tautened further as he avoided her eyes, ashamed of his own ugly sin.

"You know, it's ironic – Batman got gassed by Scarecrow once too. Only instead it took away all his fear. He was seriously out of control, to the point where he wasn't even afraid to kill criminals. I had to take him down myself. I… managed to keep him from making a big mistake."

He laughed then, though it sounded hollow. His eyes had such a pained look, moreso than anything physical could've caused him. The hurt was in his heart and soul. Barbara's own heart broke to see him like this. Her brain swam, swarming with remorse. Wishing there was something she could do to help heal him, convince him that he had a good heart, one that was still worthy and capable of loving others, and of being loved in return…

…

Slowly, she inclined forward – and kissed him.

…

For a second, all Tim could register was the flavor of liquor mixed with black licorice – lush and luscious on her lips – before panicking and pushing away.

"What are you doing?"

"I… don't know."

"…I think you're making a big mistake."

Barbara bristled.

"Who says?"

From their positions, she was practically on top of him. He grasped her shoulders, keeping determinedly at bay.

"You're drunk. And probably hallucinating."

"I'm not hallucinating."

He sighed, scraping a hand through his hair.

"I'm not Dick or Bruce, you know. …I'm nobody."

"You're not nobody."

Conflict clouded his eyes.

"Look, this is all kinds of wrong. What about Sam? Besides, your dad would probably kill me…"

The whites around her blue irises widened.

"Kill you…?"

…Shit.

"Babs, no, I didn't mean-"

She slid off, seizing arms around herself, impressing into her flesh.

"He'll kill you. You'll kill him. …Everyone's going to be killed. And it's all my fault."

Shit. Shit shit shit. He should've known better.

"No one's dying. We're all still alive." (…If what they had could be called "living".) "You're just imagining it."

Her claws only clamped tighter.

"Sam… What if he comes after Sam? I'm putting him in danger. Oh God." Her pupils contracted, zoning into the distance. "Sam, don't open the door – he's got a gun!"

This was not good. He was losing her. He tried to twist her around, get her to see him instead of… of… whatever it was she was trapped by.

"Babs? Hey, hey, look at me. Look at me. Whatever you're seeing right now, it's not real. You hear me? It's not real."

She stayed stiff as a board though, staring far off into vacant space.

"Dad. Oh my God, what's he doing to Dad? He's trying to turn him crazy too. No, no, make it stop!"

Worriedly, Tim shook her shoulders.

"Babs, hey, c'mon! Snap out of it!"

Her eyes were glazed, no longer glued to one spot but rolling everywhere else. Darting frantically to and fro. Features contorted, seemingly in some kind of phantom agony.

"My legs. I can't feel my legs. He took my legs."

Nails curled around her abdomen area, clenching cloth in anguish. Scrabbling, scratching, as if searching for something.

"Babs!"

"The baby," she sobbed. "I lost the baby. I couldn't protect him. Couldn't protect… im…"

The last part was muffled by a wounded choke, but… From the way she said it, it kinda sounded like…

His name.

Helpless, Tim looked on with an aching empathy as the normally tough, take-charge woman he always knew coiled into a fetal form, crying miserably. He mused if this was how he must've often looked to the others back then. He didn't know what to do, how to help her. He felt so utterly useless.

Running over options, his mind halted at one possibility. Something that used to help him deal with nightmares as a kid, before… everything. It was probably dumb and desperate, but it was worth a shot.

"Wait here. I'll be right back."

He dashed to the bedroom, opening up the nightstand drawer and fumbling around inside. Withdrawing the object from the far back, he considered it grimly for a beat, before gritting his teeth and resolutely taking it back to where Barbara was now rocking herself.

"Babs? Hey, look: Remember this?"

She ceased instantly when she saw the Batarang suspended in front of her.

"You always felt safe whenever Batman and Robin were around, right? Nothing… bad can happen to you as long as they're there."

Sentiment welled in her ducts as she reached out tentatively for the reminder, cradling it close to her breast.

"Just in case you run into trouble up there."

"Dick… Bruce…"

Tim drew her in towards him in a compassionate embrace, soothingly stroking her quivering back as if she were the child.

"It's okay, Babs. It's okay." He reiterated the phrase in her ear. "You're okay. I'm… okay. We're okay."

They stayed like that for a while, and eventually the shudders and sniffles subsided as she seemed to fall into a fitful sleep. While she still whimpered occasionally, holding the Batarang nearer did appear to help somewhat.

Just then, he heard the opening and closing of the front door as Roy returned from his "date", bounding up the steps and stopping short upon witnessing the scene before him.

"Whoahey, am I interrupting something?"

He grinned, and Tim scowled at the guy's terrible timing.

"This isn't what it looks like. Just hurry up and help me get her to the bed."

Roy was about to open his mouth to make another snide remark, but promptly shut it upon seeing the searing look Tim speared at him, and the sweat and tears on the moaning visitor's visage. Switching into serious mode, he lent a steady hand with supporting her to the mattress. He was still a hero himself, after all, always available to aid any damsels in distress.

As he agreed to take over looking after the patient for the time being, Tim thanked him and left the bedside temporarily, pulling out his cell again as he traveled downstairs. Inhaling deeply, he began to punch in another number he knew all too well, forever engraved in the back of his skull.

After a couple rings, the other end picked up with a gruff greeting.

"…Yes?"

The cold, almost impatient lack of pleasantry was all Tim needed to confirm he had indeed reached the right person.

"Bruce, it's me. …Barbara needs help."

…

When Barbara finally awoke, the first thing she spotted was Tim sitting on a reversed chair next to her, chin reposed idly on his forearms.

"Hey."

"…Hey."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, I guess. …How long was I out?"

"The whole night. You were tossing and turning a lot."

She elevated gradually, sensing a moist towel fall from her crown onto the sheets in the process. Had he been nursing her this whole time?

As she tracked its descent, she saw she was still adhering to the Batarang as well. She blushed a bit at how babyish she must have seemed, to have to rely on something like this to calm her down.

"Um, thanks. …You can have this back now."

He relieved her of the improvised crutch, and in exchange he handed her a small vial of medication.

"Here, take this. It's similar to what Dr. Thompkins used to give me, but more concentrated. It's not a permanent cure, but it should help with the terrors. It'll likely knock you totally out for a few more days, but you won't have to suffer nightmares during it. If it doesn't work or you're still experiencing symptoms afterwards, call her and she'll adjust the dosage."

"You got this from Leslie?"

"Bruce did."

She gaped in astonishment.

"You actually spoke to him?"

"He just told me what I needed to know, then hung up and sent Alfred over with the stuff. …Typical, huh?"

His jaw drooped a little further into folds, as did his tired-looking lids.

"You're not the first Scarecrow victim to undergo relapses like this. It's rare, but everyone responds to the fear serum differently. Yours is a more severe case."

Barbara thought about how many others had to live their lives in a compromised state (or lost them entirely) all because of some psychopath who kept breaking out of Arkham – no matter how many times they put him back in – if not released through the revolving door due to (hell, courtesy of) all the corruption in the system. How many lives were really spared, while others still suffered because of their incompetence? Inconsequence.

"You know, sometimes I wonder: If what we were doing was ever really the right thing? After what happened with the earthquake… God, I don't know. Maybe this city is beyond hope. …In the end, did we even make any difference? Was it worth it – any of it? We've saved a bunch of people, sure, but at what cost? I mean, just look at us… We're a mess."

Tim simply shrugged.

"At least Dick's still doing okay over in Blüdhaven. And Bruce seems to be handling things fine on his own. Besides, it's not like he ever really needed us anyway. Because he's Batman."

Barbara observed as Tim toyed with the Batarang in his hands, balancing the tip on the chair back. She dropped her view towards the blankets.

"…You're not him, you know," she pronounced harshly. "You'll never be him."

Her own fingers fumbled with the damp napkin, and bottle of medicine, before looking up again with a smile.

"But, that's not a bad thing."

As she said this, she extended out to pat his cheek, noting the dark bags under his eyes. Had he even slept at all, she wondered? …Then again, she was probably taking up his bed, she realized with sudden embarrassment.

Tim seemed even more embarrassed by the affectionate contact, turning away with a cough. The memory of what she had done surged back to her cheeks, and she hastily detached, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, which bloomed a matching humiliated hue.

"Listen, about what happened last night…"

Tim merely waved off whatever she was about to say in advance.

"We were both drunk. It doesn't count."

"…You're awfully quick to dismiss." Detecting his fidgeting, she gleamed in comprehension. "Ah, don't tell me – you've never kissed anyone before?"

A pure pink tinge faintly colored his complexion, corroborating her suspicion.

"Ehehe, did I steal your first kiss, Boy Virgin?"

"Sh- shut up."

His flush deepened further.

"It's not like I've exactly had much opportunity to try it," he murmured in his defense. "…Besides, if we're counting that kind of thing, technically my first time would've been with Dick."

"Oh."

He sniped a sulk at her reaction.

"I gave him CPR once. What were you thinking?"

"Nothing," she declared innocently, hand hovering over her mouth to obstruct a snicker. "I bet this time was a lot better though. I'm sure you must've thoroughly enjoyed it, if not to some extent."

Tim averted his eyes again as she winked at him.

"Wh- who knows."

"Oh please. Don't deny you were the least bit curious. You think I never noticed you sneaking peeks while we were getting changed?"

Tim burned burgundy as he shifted sight down to his toes.

"I was 13. What'd you expect?"

She nodded sagely.

"You are a boy, after all. It's only natural for these things to occur."

She giggled in entertainment at his expense. When the chuckles died down, she checked the time on the alarm clock by the pillow.

"…I guess I should get going now. I'll need to call in to the station to tell them I'm taking the next days off."

He helped see her out. Standing awkwardly in the entrance, he rubbed his neck before addressing encouragingly.

"You're a great cop, Barb. You're gonna do a lot of good things for this city. I know you'll make it a better place."

She beamed.

"Thank you, Tim. …I'll start by confiscating 'this'."

She held up the contraband, which Roy had taken the liberty of hiding again, but there was no way he could outsmart a Bat, even if she wore a different symbol now.

"And I better not catch you with anything like this again, or I will take you in. Got it?"

Tim winced at the strict lecture and slap on the wrist, but nodded. Barbara softened as she reached around to envelop in a broad hug.

"…Don't be a stranger, Tim. You're the only one I can still talk to about all this."

He wavered, but kindly reciprocated the gesture. As she withdrew, she raised an arm to lightly pet his hair, discerning he had finally hit that growth spurt; he was almost at her height now.

"Listen. Someday, you're gonna meet someone special, who loves you just the way you are. And she's gonna be so lucky to have you in her life."

Tim scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Like that's ever gonna happen."

She took his hands in hers. Hands that still twitched and trembled every once in a while, as if afraid to even be touched. Hands that had, in his opinion, committed the greatest act of transgression, taking another's soul and doomed toll on his own – but had also toiled all night to keep changing her cool kerchief, tending and tenderly wiping her temple in enduring devotion to charitable ideals. That had prostrated and prayed, begging for a favor from "God" for her sake, subjugating self in spite of whatever spiteful feelings he bore towards said sore subject. …That had rescued so many lives at the risk of his own, without asking for any reward other than to have a place to call "home", and a "family" who cared for him as much as he did for them. (And even that had been mostly taken from him too, something for which she regretfully shared the blame.)

"Don't give up hope. Things will change. It's gonna get better. I promise."

She stooped forward to peck his cheek, before letting go.

"Thank you, again, for everything. I'll see you around, Tim."

"Yeah. See ya."

She left with a wave, and he halfheartedly did the same as he watched her go.

…

About a week later, after she'd fully recovered and gone back to work as good as new, she received an urgent call from Roy at the hospital.

…

Tim had tried to kill himself.

————————–

That sky glowed all calico, like phosphor in the sea To the ground we fall, she owns us all Kings and boys and beast Kings and boys and beast

[miss-m-calling]

Yuletide 2019 letter

Requests:

Jack Irish (TV) -- Simone Bendtsen, Jack Irish

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV) -- Lenny Bruce, Miriam “Midge” Maisel, Susie Myerson

Starred Up (2013 movie) -- Oliver Baumer, Eric Love

Dear writer,

Hello and thank you for writing for me. I’m very excited to read whatever you come up with. I hope whatever I put down sparks your creativity, and feel free to reach out through the mods if you have any questions! My likes and DNWs are all the way on the bottom of the letter.

Without further ado…

Requests:

Jack Irish (TV)

Simone Bendtsen, Jack Irish

What is this canon: Australian TV show comprising three 90-minute episodes (with individual titles, like TV movies) in the first season, followed by two seasons of six hour-long episodes each. Guy Pearce plays the titular character, a hotshot Melbourne lawyer whose life goes down the drain when his wife is murdered, he quits his job, starts drinking and working as a debt collector. Despite not being a licensed PI, he keeps investigating suspicious disappearances, deaths, thefts, you name it, and getting into loads of trouble along the way. One of his sidekicks is Simone, played by Kate Atkinson, a fast-talking, snarky computer whiz and all-around odd duck, whose very existence on the show delights me endlessly. If you are in Oz, you can probably track this down easily, and if you’re in the US, the whole show streams on Acorn TV and the first two seasons are also available on DVD.

I enjoyed this show a lot: how often and unexpectedly funny it was, how absorbing the mysteries were even when I didn’t buy every plot twist, how the canon treated complicated adult relationships as complicated and adult, how everyone wound up in a better place by the end of every season than they’d been at the start but this didn’t always (or almost ever, really) mean a conventional HEA. I liked the intricate plots and all the Australian details of the setting, but I loved especially the character interactions and the ensemble cast, and these two reminded me of couples from old screwball comedies in how they played off each other.

Jack: dryly funny, always deadpan, tragic backstory but not overburdened with it, bit of a lone wolf but also with a lot of very different, good people in his life, sometimes his own worst enemy, not an alpha male at all and that’s just fine by him. And Simone, oh I loved Simone: smart, snarky, motor-mouthed, independent but also wanting to be taken care of a bit, somewhat socially awkward, hypercompetent, self-deprecating. I started shipping them right at the start (the “do you always talk this fast?” “do you always listen this slow?” exchange), loved how they keep needling and bantering easily, how during the time skip between seasons they become super close and rely on each other as both coworkers and friends. If you prefer to keep it platonic between them, I am also 100% on board for a really-close-friends version of their canon dynamic of mutual snarky respect! I have various, low degrees of tolerance for their canon relationships, so feel free to ignore or handwave those (in fact, please do ignore or handwave those!), and anyway: despite being clueless about pop culture, Jack knows Simone well enough to buy her a vintage Han Solo figurine in original packaging as a wedding present – and then promptly gets mistaken for her new husband!

Prompts:

-Casefic! Between Simone’s investigative skills and Jack’s willingness to get beaten up a lot and his sorta action skills, there’s no mystery they can’t solve. Possibly one or both go undercover in a dodgy company, or a dodgy government office, or at an ethnic wedding, or in another tight-knit subculture like the ones we see at the race track and the Prince of Prussia. Plus Simone in her ninja costume breaking into a medical research facility with a blasé Jack and a nonplussed Cam delighted me. Or how about an adventure which also includes Cam, Harry, Cynthia, Gus, Stanley and his Cherry Blossom…

-Jack brings Simone along (or Simone invites herself along) on a stakeout or a road-trip to run down money Harry’s owed. There’s banter. Lots of banter. And possibly falling asleep in the car.

-Simone gets to interact more with Cam and Harry, or with the old codgers at Jack’s local. Whether she and Jack are together or not, everyone can see it.

-Show me them growing close during the time between seasons: how they went from him calling her always “Miss Bendtsen” and teasing her about her dating profile handle to her wanting him at her wedding.

-Canon divergence: Jack goes to Manila to investigate the Holman-Dang Bank and brings Simone along, or calls/Skypes her for snarky consultations and finally asks her to fly out and help him. Danger, thrills, bringing down an international crime syndicate, and possibly sex ensue. Bonus points if they work together with Marek/Orton, he of the dry wit and the extensive local knowledge. Or Jack and Simone take part in some handwavy local ritual and wake up married.

-Takeout and movie night. Jack’s cluelessness about pop culture gets an airing, as do Simone’s definitive opinions on the merits of various movies and TV shows. There is banter, of course. All the banter. And probably some whiskey too.

-Instead of the council forcing Jack to move his horse out of his yard, he enlists Simone in helping him smuggle the horse (to a paddock on Melbourne’s outskirts, or another temporary shelter as ill-suited as Jack’s yard had been) in the middle of the night. If one or both of them end up riding the horse, all the better.

-Simone spends so much time and energy trying to be “normal” (get married, hold down an office job, be happy happy shiny happy), even as her true self keeps shining through, I would love to see her embrace herself for the square peg she is and just run with it, and with Jack trying to keep up, as he tends to do when she really goes off.

-Their first time. Especially if it’s a little awkward, and a little funny, and maybe they had a few drinks to psyche themselves up, and maybe they’re still figuring out whether they’re better as friends or they have real potential as a couple – and it ends up being enjoyable despite their hang-ups and insecurities. Then the morning after is its own special kind of awkward and defensive, but things still shake out alright.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV)

Lenny Bruce, Miriam “Midge” Maisel, Susie Myerson

What is this canon: Dramedy about Midge Maisel (played by Rachel Brosnahan), a young 1950s Jewish housewife from New York whose husband has delusions of talent as a standup comedian. When he abruptly leaves her for his secretary, Midge gets drunk and performs a hilarious off-the-cuff set at hubby’s favorite Greenwich Village dive, attracting the attention of Susie (Alex Borstein), the perpetually over-it club manager who offers to be Midge’s agent and help her build a career as a professional standup comedian. Also in the mix is Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby), yes that Lenny Bruce, already an established comic and a sort of mentor (and bail buddy -- it makes sense in context) to Midge. Much fast-talking hilarity ensues, as does some family and relationship drama with Midge’s parents and husband, which IMO isn’t nearly as interesting as Midge building her career and interacting with Susie and Lenny. This is an Amazon Prime original show, so you can stream it there. Right now, it’s two seasons of 18 episodes in total; a third seasons drops in early December, and you absolutely do not need to watch that if you are writing me a fic for this canon! In fact, I would prefer it if you didn’t, as I may not have time to watch the new episodes before the Yuletide collection is revealed. Just use seasons 1 and 2, easy peasy.

I’m here for Midge’s adventures in the intoxicating, foul-mouthed, and often-frustrating world of comedy, so her dynamic with Susie and Lenny is where it’s at. Shippy or platonic, I just love the interactions between these three, and between every pair combination among them: Midge and Susie bantering and swearing and tits-upping even when they irritate each other, Midge and Lenny bringing the pathos as well as the humor, and Lenny and Susie both being hardened old pros with still a little glimmer of starry eyes. I am good with L/M/S or L&M&S or L/M & M/S – so, if you go the shippy route, either a V-shaped triad or hey, Susie (whom I absolutely read as gay) might find a way to be good with a full-on triangle… If you want to keep it platonic, True Companions all the way, always there for each other, even when they want to strangle each other. And as much as I like the comedy inherent in the characters, I also love that they’re all three, each in their own way, messed up people and dysfunctional to various degrees. So yeah, I just want Midge to hand the kids over to her parents, ditch Joel once and for all, marry (interpret that as literally or as loosely as you want) both Susie and Lenny, and for the three of them to ride off into the sunset to make comedy history.

Prompts:

-Does Susie manage them both? Does Midge open for Lenny on tour? Does he open for her??? Or they become equal stars on the comedy circuit?

-Maybe Lenny joins Shy Baldwin’s six-month tour, or they run into him while touring Europe or the US, and they all tool around, and yes I would love as much period detail and geography porn as you can throw at me. And while Lenny and Midge have seen the world, Susie hasn’t – her reaction to different foods, languages, customs, landscapes would be spectacular to witness. Especially if “different” is someplace as close to New York as Jersey or Connecticut, or someplace as far away and different as, say, Japan.

-If they do go to Europe, somehow or other they also tour the Soviet Bloc. Cue culture clashes, getting followed (or thinking they’re being followed) by the secret police, getting hammered on vodka and herring and pickles, and then when they get back to the States, the Feds grill them. It’s all dead serious, and Midge and Lenny refuse to take it as seriously as they should, while Susie is trying but the whole thing is really pissing her off…

-Lenny’s burned out, and Midge is just getting started. This dissonance may or may not find some sort of resolution. One thing’s for sure: Susie has limited patience for both Lenny’s depression and Midge’s need to make everything pretty.

-Instead of going to Joel for a no-way-is-that-closure fling after the Steve Allen Show taping, Midge goes to have a drink or seven with the two people who have, in their own ways, always been there for her and never let her down.

-Midge goes on TV again, this time as the star: longer set, prime time slot, dressing room, the works. She’s dying of nerves. Lenny and Susie coach her through it.

-Midge and Susie head out west to make it big and stay with Lenny once they’re in Los Angeles, and it’s marvelous (ha ha) and disastrous in equal measure.

-They all three get drunk, maybe with a hint of sadness if it’s the holidays (you can ignore my DNW about holidays, but please let that be just the background, not the lynchpin of the story) or someone’s birthday, and there’s a bar fight, running from the cops, eating greasy food at ass o’clock, and possibly kissing, not necessarily in that order.

-One or two or all three of them get arrested/have court appearances all over America and have to bail each other out, or find someone to bail them all out, or secure legal counsel – you get the drift. Or all three of them are trying to explain to a single lawyer what happened, talking over each other, the two pros not being able to resist landing zingers and Susie not being far behind, and the lawyer just getting more and more confused.

-They get in trouble some other way – offended patrons, surly management, shitty hotels, tour bus breaks down in the middle of Wyoming – and have to have each other’s backs because no one else will.

-Three-person road trip or tour, and only Susie knows how to drive. So Midge decides to learn, right then and there. And Lenny… Lenny may or may not be too lazy/hungover/lying about not knowing how. There’s supposed to be a rotation so everyone gets to stretch out on the back seat for equal lengths of time, but you know the system doesn’t work too well in practice. Also, they play games in the car to while away the time, and they do it their own way of course: I spy, cows on my side, yellow car, never have I ever, 20 questions, or riffing on whatever’s playing on the radio…

-They sit down to watch the moon landing (you can move it up a bit so it’s not happening a whole decade after S2) – by which I mean, Midge is all gung-ho about the moon landing, and Lenny and Susie are like whatever – and things don’t quite go to plan, but a good time is eventually had by all.

-It’s Yom Kippur again, and Midge wants to do the whole production: synagogue, breaking fast, the lot. Lenny and Susie would rather eat glass. Midge gets her way, of course. Does she decide to bring Susie and Lenny home to meet – or meet properly – her parents??? I bet Abe and Rose’s reactions would be something to see. (This too is an exception to my DNW about holiday settings – I just want stuff to get as crazy as it did the two times we saw Yom Kippur celebrated on the show, and for everything to still somehow turn out relatively OK.)

-Midge and Lenny have cheered each other up when the going got extra rough. I want for Susie to be especially down in the dumps – maybe her boozehound of a mother died, maybe some asshole told her she’s a shit manager and got her right in her insecurities – and Midge to rope Lenny into trying to cheer her up. And for Susie to fight them every step of the way but still be glad they care enough to try.

-Inspired by Susie’s brother looking just like her, by which I mean she and he and their sister look nothing alike, and by Lenny’s “she’s my mother” quip about Midge at the TV studio – Midge, Susie, and Lenny pretend to all be blood relatives, or mafiosi, or spies, or something else they’re not, while out in public, say in a restaurant. Just to be assholes and see how long they can keep it going before they break character or people figure them out, or call the cops, or something. There’s totally a bet on who corpses and breaks character first.

-Lenny and Midge do a (comeback) tour of the Borscht Belt, and all the Steiner Mountain Resort guests (especially the gossipy old hens from the beauty salon) and staff go to see them – and heckle.

-Stuff happens and they end up performing at some hole in the wall place where no one knows who they are (or no one believes it’s really those people they’ve seen on TV) – tough crowd, but a good workout for the two comics, and if Susie gets to threaten to rip off someone’s head, all the better.

-Lenny and Midge honing their routines – and maybe developing a double act – and Susie being all “oh my fucking god, what the fuck!!! … They’re actually good. I’m so proud.”

-Sharing a bed with two other people is an ongoing project: who sleeps (or refuses to sleep) in the middle? Who gets up during the night and why? Who starfishes across most of the bed? Who snores, and how does this get handled? If alcohol or pot have happened, how does that affect the sleeping arrangements? Also, Susie and Lenny witness and react to Midge’s beauty routine, ‘nuff said. Or, for various reasons one person after another ends up decamping to another room/bed/couch, but it doesn’t help them get much sleep or even stay there very long (this is inspired by my love of Shirley Jackson and her short story/humorous essay “The Night We All Had Grippe”). If you prefer to keep it platonic, most of this would work if they’re just sharing a double bedroom on tour (I leave the reason for why Lenny is bunking with the women up to you).

Canon-specific DNWs: S3 spoilers, explicit sex, and pairing any two as a / couple with the third as a & hanger-on. I’m here for equality in this three-way dynamic and the banter and the surprise!feels and the companionship. And of course all the comedy, situational or stand-up. Oh, and Lenny can still be his RL messed-up, drugged-up self – albeit the gentler version the show gives us – but it would be good if he didn’t kick the bucket a handful of years down the line.

Starred Up (2013 movie)

Oliver Baumer, Eric Love

What is this canon:

Gritty British prison drama about Eric (Jack O’Connell), a violent young offender who gets “starred up” (sent to an adult prison before he is legally an adult) and quickly gets into conflict with several other prisoners as well as guards and staff. He also gets roped into participating in a therapy group run by Oliver (Rupert Friend), a well-meaning if sometimes out-of-his-depth “posh boy” who sees Eric as something more than just an incorrigible thug. Not helping matters is the entire prison system, as well as the fact that Eric’s own father is doing a life sentence in the same prison and has very narrow views on how Eric should be behaving -- and talking about his feelings is not a part of it. The free-flowing conversations in the group therapy scenes are easily the film’s highlight, for me, as is the complicated dynamic between Eric and Oliver. So far as I can tell, this movie isn’t available to stream (well, not legally), but it is available on DVD.

More about this canon and these characters: Yes I do ship it, I do, I do!

Ahem. Don’t get me wrong, I liked what the movie did with the father-son relationship and its influence on both men’s character development – but I really wish they hadn’t got Oliver out of the action before the story’s climax (not like that!). The final denouement with Love father and Love son was great, as was the hint at the end that Eric learned something in anger-management group and has a support network that will help him a lot. But. I would have wanted to see more of the intriguing dynamic between Eric the intelligent, semi-feral, yet not-incorrigible, young thug and Oliver the educated, dedicated, kind yet aware of his own potential for violence (what was he on about with “I need to be here”?), slightly older counselor. They had me at Oliver’s “I want him” and Eric later telling his father that Oliver’s a better man than Love Sr. Also the not-flirting and the push-pull in the scene when Oliver picks up Eric from his cell - yowza!

Prompts:

-I would love to see Oliver return to holding his group in prison, so the two of them can interact more, either in the movie’s immediate aftermath or years down the line, as it’s implied that Eric will be serving a long sentence. Give me more scenes from anger management or the ribald, honest, free-flowing conversations in group, either with the other men present (I liked Hassan and Tyrone especially, among the group members) or a one-on-one session.

-An oblique or open-but-undramatic admission/declaration that they both know there’s something there, even if they don’t know what to do with it. Or, one or both of them knows exactly what to do with it, and the push-pull that would result from that.

-Dirty talk: used for arousal, as a defense mechanism, as a form of flirtation. Eric using slurs to assert dominance, and Oliver not letting him hide behind profanity, when he can use colorful language to express emotion and/or sexual interest. There could definitely be some verbal taunting/flirting about who wants/is eager to do what or is good at doing something. There may be some sniping comments about logistics and (lack of) condoms and barebacking and what men get up to in prison. There probably wouldn’t be deep discussions about sexual identity.

-An emergency in the prison requires a lock-down, so Oliver gets temporarily stuck in Eric’s cell or another room with only Eric for company. Things get porny and/or emotional.

-Eric is eventually released (you can handwave this so it happens soon after the movie or have it happen years later) and crashes with Oliver while he adjusts to the outside world. You guessed it: things get porny and/or emotional.

-How do they get to the point where both can cross that line from friends/whatever the hell they are and become, to lovers? (There’s Eric’s personal history and general discomfort with vulnerability, plus all the ways prison sex can be or make things complicated, and if it helps, I headcanon Oliver as either gay or bi and at least somewhat closeted, at work especially.) Who initiates and “directs traffic”? How does their always-contentious dynamic shift during and after sex? Is the sex an isolated (series of) occasion(s), or a progression/escalation over multiple encounters (how would I love especially an escalating series of encounters, let me count the ways)? Eric might seem like the logical initiator and/or dominant partner as well as using the possibility of sex to manipulate and exert control, but then Oliver might (or might not!) surprise him and is definitely the one more in touch with himself as well as aware of his custodial duty toward the men in the group.

-At some point in their intimate relationship (probably not right at the start, and probably not in prison, though if you can make it happen in prison, more power to you!), Oliver decides he’s going to take his sweet time and make Eric fall absolutely apart with pleasure, while using dirty talk to both arouse and empower Eric to own his desires – by that point, Eric is in a place where he can let that happen and enjoy it, even if he still talks tough.

-Role reversal: Oliver as the con (jittery, shut off, sticking out like a sore thumb in prison with all his fancy learning, yet no pushover) and Eric as the newbie counselor (kid from the wrong side of the tracks made good? Youthful hoodlum turned around his life, now trying to help others via tough love and lots of swearing and maybe a bit of manipulation when called for?)

 Likes:

I love pre-canon, canon, post-canon, canon-divergent, and missing-scene stories. I love character-driven and plot-driven stories equally, and I love fics which mix humor and angst/serious business when appropriate for the canon.

I love stories about characters at work and play, group dynamics, family dynamics (including constructed families), professional partnerships, friendships, alliances, rivalries, intimate couples (new lovers/first times as well as long-term/established couples), UST-ridden couples who are not just UST-ridden but connected in other ways too, etc.

I love irony, snark, humor as well as angst arising from the characters rather than the plot crowbaring it in, linear, non-linear, and 5+1 stories, hopeful endings, happy endings, bittersweet endings, worldbuilding, spiky characters who keep their jagged edges and spikiness in adversity as well as when their lives are going well, square-peg-in-round-hole characters, characters who are their own worst enemies as well as those who can get over themselves when the occasion calls for it, characters with conflicting values which may or may not be reconciled/resolved, characters who treat each other with respect and as equals even if they hate/annoy/can’t stand/love to dislike each other.

I especially love workplace stories (this can mean anything from an actual workplace/casefic/procedural setting to anything that revolves around the canon world in which the characters live) in which the characters are competent and dedicated to the job, and while they may not be exactly friends and they may well irritate one another, they still manage to rub along to get the job done and maybe even grow to care about one another (much to their surprise and sometimes reluctance/discomfort). Or, if they can’t get along, show me why not and what’s preventing them from finding common ground.

In terms of ship dynamics, I love (where it fits the characters) banter, competitiveness or antagonism shading into attraction (this tension need not be resolved), oh-god-why-did-it-have-to-be-you-what-did-I-do-to-deserve-this, bickering yet loving couples, characters who are serious about their romantic interests, characters who think they are much better at flirtation than they actually are, characters forced to work together only to prove much more compatible than they initially assumed, fics which mix an exploration of characters’ professional and everyday lives with shipping. A dynamic I cannot resist is shipping a couple who are incompatible in some important way (they are ideological enemies, cop and criminal, spies from opposite sides, one betrayed the other or they betrayed each other), and while they love and want each other they’re also not willing to change sides or surrender/compromise their identity for the other’s benefit, and how they might (or not) make their relationship work anyway.

I don’t have any very specific likes for smut, other than smut fitting the characters – show me how their canon dynamics spill over into the bedroom (or other place of congress). I also like sexual scenarios that subvert expectations a little and surprise the characters themselves (e.g., the person who’s usually quiet or more passive taking charge, the more aggressive person goes with it possibly snarking or commenting on it as long as they can). And I like sexual scenarios that contain an element of competition, antagonism, oh-god-this-is-a-bad-idea-but-we’re-going-for-it-hammer-and-tongs, not wanting to admit feelings or show vulnerability except oops it happens anyway, whether the characters acknowledge it or not, or just people getting way more into it or being more affected by it than they thought they would. When it fits the characters and their canon dynamic, you also can’t go wrong with we-both-wanted-this-for-forever-and-now-we-both-know-it-so-here-we-go-diving-in-headfirst. For het and/or slash, oral, vaginal, anal incl. pegging, manual (ifyouknowwhatImean) – it’s all good. You can go as veiled or as explicit as you like, but please avoid excessive medical jargon – I don’t find a lot of mention of “penis” or “clit” sexy.

 DNWs:

MPREG, A/B/O, knotting, D/s, kinks, incest, underage, genderswap/genderbent characters, xeno, non-/dub-con, torture and abuse (this and non-/dub-con can be mentioned if the story needs it, but please don’t dwell on it in loving detail or subject any of my requested characters to it), dwelling on bodily fluids (mentions of gore/blood and come are fine), toilet humor, character bashing, issuefic, gender/sexuality/race/ethnicity/religion/ability/identity headcanons, unrequested ships, soulmates and soul marks, major character death, serious illness or injury, pregnancy and children, holiday or wedding setting/theme, secondary characters shipping the main pair like it’s their job, reference to RL current events, 1st/2nd person POV, unrequested crossovers or fusions, AUs which have nothing to do with canon

[recentanimenews]

BTS is Conquering the World, and They’ve got Anime on Their Side!

  It’s hard to escape the pull of BTS; even if you aren’t a K-Pop fan or don’t know what it means when someone says that they’re ARMY, you’ve still probably heard of this top selling group. BTS has become inescapable, appearing in Time magazine, Saturday Night Live, and even winning 2 Billboard Music Awards yesterday along with doing an amazing performance with Halsey at the awards show! "But why am I reading about them on Crunchyroll?" you might be asking yourself. Well, as you may have guessed, the BTS guys are big anime fans! Although not a very well kept secret, you might be surprised at just how much anime is not only a part of BTS’ downtime, but also their music, influencing their songs and even some of their concert appearances. As we said in our article about wrestlers and anime, you can find anime fans everywhere, even at the top of the music charts!

  One of the most visible instances of BTS revealing their anime and manga fandom came in an episode of RUN BTS!, a show where the members chat about things that are going on both in their lives and in the performing world. In one episode, the boys end up at a manga cafe, and use the manga on hand to affect the mini games they’ll be playing on the show. Suga, a devout Slam Dunk fan, immediately searches for the manga while proclaiming that “Slam Dunk is the best.” When he finds the volumes of it on the bookcase, he immediately starts humming the show’s theme song! V asks the other members if they know about Law of Ueki and then fawns over the power of turning trash into trees! J-Hope finds a Naruto volume, which automatically gets him, Jimin, and RM singing the show’s theme song. RM even Naruto runs over to them enthusiastically!

    In 2018, a rumor started spreading online that Jungkook had deleted Twitter off of his phone in order to make room for Crunchyroll (we even made a little video about it!), and while we may never know if that rumor was true, Jungkook does indeed use his phone to catch up on anime! The official BTS Facebook page even featured some candid shots of Jungkook relaxing, watching episodes of Haikyu!! on his phone during some downtime. 

  While Jungkook’s Crunchyroll adventure caught fans and media attention, the rest of the boys have revealed in various interviews that they all enjoy anime and manga of various sorts. Noisey did some lightning round questions, with them being asked to choose between One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z; although some members tried to be a bit impartial (citing “all”), the guys all seemed to prefer Naruto to the rest, with Dragon Ball Z coming in a close second! But don’t fear if you’re a fan of pirate action—the BTS members love One Piece too, with Jungkook stating that if he could be a superhero, he’d be Sanji! Jimin is also a huge fan, getting a Zoro figure for his birthday and revealing that when he first saw Zoro as a kid, he wanted to grow up to become a cool swordsman just like him, practicing Kendo for 8 years. Although he eventually chose singing over swordsmanship, sometimes his slick Kendo moves make an appearance in some of their videos! The BTS guys have also stated their love for series like Full Moon o Sagashite, Shugo Chara, Pokémon, and many more, showing off an impressive history of anime and manga enjoyment.

    Sometimes, BTS’ love of anime has bled into their performances and public appearances. During one show, V did a Nico-Nico-Ni, complete with hand gestures, as an homage to everyone’s favorite Love Live gremlin, Nico Yazawa. V also sang the Card Captor Sakura opening song at a public event, doing a pretty good job of singing it off the cuff and acapela! Not to be outdone, RM had a pretty famous run in a Sailor Moon costume, even documenting the transformation he went through to get the look down, while Suga appeared on stage as Naruto, complete with whisker marks, blonde hair, and of course, the signature ninja headband. Jungkook’s also been filmed doing a pretty impressive Naruto run, confirming that Naruto is indeed the one series that all members have a lot of love for! 

    During a karaoke RUN BTS! episode, J-Hope and Jimin (the rest of the gang couldn't contain themselves and also joined in!) sang the Korean Naruto theme song as they did the classic Naruto run and threw paper ninja stars! J-Hope and Jimin did an improptu cosplay of Rock Lee and Naruto, and members did some impressive attempts at jutsu hand movements to channel their inner shinobi for their performance. Naruto is pretty great, so we aren’t surprised that it's the big favorite amongst the BTS guys, but one of their recent hit songs actually has some direct homages to another anime series that may be a little less well known outside of Asia...

If you guessed Anpanman, you’d be right! The song "Anpanman" takes direct reference to the classic series of the same name by Takashi Yanase, featuring a brave superhero who also just happens to have a head made out of bread and filled with red bean paste. Anpanman is a global hit, and its unsurprising to hear that the BTS boys not only know who he is, but are also fans; after all, it's pretty hard not to love such a delicious superhero! In their song "Anpanman," the BTS guys sing about how they may not be superheroes like Batman or Superman, but that they can be your Anpanman, giving you strength and support when you need it, just like the sweet bread-headed anime superhero himself. Through comparing themselves to not the world’s strongest hero, but the world’s weakest hero, BTS stays true to their message with the thought that, rather than being a hero just because you have strength, you can also be a hero even if you’re soft like sweet red bean buns. Of course, the BTS guys might be a bit more attractive than Anpanman, but they are right to idolize a hero who happily shares his deliciousness with anyone who is hungry or in need!

It can be easy to forget that some of our favorite pop stars are also just regular people, and the fact that BTS have such a deep love for anime and manga helps to remind us that, between the world tours and the amazing performances, they enjoy relaxing with their favorite shows, being inspired by their favorite characters, or simply just enjoying the pleasure of Naruto running whenever they get a chance. As BTS continues their world domination of the music and media charts, we’ll hopefully hear more about what anime they’re enjoying on a daily basis; I don’t know about you, but I’m curious to know what shows they’re all watching this season!

Are you going to see BTS during their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself World Tour? Do you have any similar tastes to the BTS guys? Do you also enjoy Naruto running in your free time? Let us know in the comments!

----

Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Her biases are RM and J-Hope. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[manifestationsofawanderings-blog]

Remembering my Father, Things I Never Got to Say

Remembering My Father

It has been 12 years since the sudden passing of my father. To say it had a profound impact on my life would be an understatement. It changed me in ways I never even realized, changes in myself I could not see until I began my journey of self-development late last year. The following post is a tribute to my father, the man who moulded me into the individual you see before you today. Remembering the good times and the bad.  

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to reach back and pluck out my earliest memories of my father. The ones that keep coming back to me are of us doing karate in the kitchen. Well, it was Dad trying to teach us karate and mostly us jumping off of counter tops thinking we were ninja turtles. This memory really got me thinking as to what kind of man my father was, and I can honestly say i now know where my weirdness hails from. Growing up in Balinora, Leaving school early to become a tradesman and winding up being one of the last French Polishers to obtain his papers in Ireland my father was a craftsman through and through. That is still evident to this day within our house. Cabinets all over the house in pristine condition 34 years after being installed, decking towards the back of the house that allows us to host BBQ’s on these wonderful summer evenings (which was completed during a long stretch off work off work thanks to Gout!), Garden furniture etc. His work is also evident throughout the country. Closest to home would be the Bar in Hayfield Manor. Dad constructed and installed the bar for the prestigious 5* hotel which will always hold a special place in my heart having plied my trade there as well. To say my father was a talented tradesman is an understatement. To say he had a wide range of interests would also not do him justice. If the position of Groundskeeper of an estate house, bow and arrow marksman and black belt karate sensei all tied in one were available, he would have been a shoe in. A memory that speaks to the trickster in him brings me back to Halloween circa 1994. We were next door at my uncle’s house and as we were leaving this looking white ghost like figure vaulted the wall with the grace of Shergar and glided towards us! My poor grandmother nearly had her 3rd heart attack on the spot and I dropped my KitKat and bowl of Pringles. Turned out to be dad in a bed sheet! I later evolved this costume to include roller blades to add a better gliding motion but that’s a different story. This is who he was. A prankster.  

Many of my fondest memories come from our family holidays. As youngsters we were taken on little trips to Galway and spent many a long weekend camping in Barleycove. These were special times and the arguments over how to put up the tent were always of biblical proportion. We also went on a number of trips across the Irish to Wales. Garth Brooks song “Ireland” was always the first song played on these trips. We stayed in caravan parks, went on trips to Oakwood Theme Park where the only ride Dad would go on would be the Toboggan Rides. We went to slate mines in the mountain and on a trip to see where King Arthur was buried. To us as kids these were days filled with wonderment and joy. For Dad it must have been boring as hell, but he did it all with a smile and joke and created happy memories for us. To some up the man he was and his sense of humour i have one story I love to tell. When holidaying in France we stopped in a small village to get some lunch on the trip south. Mam was driving and was reversing into a parking space. Dad was leaning out the window doing the “you’re alright, you’re alright back away” routine. Suddenly without warning he yelled “Jesus watch out for the child!!!!!” and he slapped the side of the car. Of course Mam thought she was after killing a young Frog and was going to create an international incident (not sure why she was worried about this, the French would surely have surrendered to us in a short space of time) and was freaking out. After realizing there was no dead child the rest of the trip south was frosty to say the least. The silence was only broken by Dad giving directions, another comical exchange as his pronunciation would not have been the best! But it is by far one of my fondest childhood memories. It also explains where I get my warped sense of humour from as it is exactly the kind of prank I would pull!   

A lot would change in the 3 years after this French Exchange. Within those 3 years Dad passed on and my life changed on a dime. 

The morning my father died will live with me forever. Having come home from work the day before complaining of being sick he spent the entire night in bed. The next morning instead of going to work with my uncle I opted to stay home at mam’s request in case Dad, who was still very sick needed anything. I walked down the lane to tell my uncle I would not be working that day. Little did I know within an hour I would be calling him to tell him Dad had passed. As I was walking back up the lane I had a sudden sense of dread and began to run. To this day I don’t know what prompted me to do so. As I got closer to the house I heard a scream. I ran faster. I got the house to find a scene no young boy should have to face. My mother was administering CPR to my father, also trying to communicate with the ambulance crew en route. Having taken over CPR duties for a few minutes I went outside and waited for the ambulance. They arrived and within seconds were working on Dad. A few minutes my world stopped as they confirmed what I already knew to be true. Dad was gone. 

The rest of that is somewhat of a blur but the mornings events will stay with me forever. Word began to filter out and neighbours and family began to flock to the house. We made the extremely tough phone call to my brother to inform him of the news, he was working in Cavan at the time. The respect and admiration I have for his co-workers at that time is unparalleled. Without hesitation and to the detriment of their business they piled Nigel into a truck and bootlegged it home. I am forever grateful to those men for doing such a thing. 

The next few days went by very quickly and the situation was overwhelming to say the least. The one comfort I got from the whole thing was seeing how loved the man I called my father was. People I had never even met came from far and wide to pay their respects. All offered anecdotes and shared stories, at the time they seemed insignificant but in the years after became a comfort. Stories like when he went to see the Boss (Bruce Springsteen) in Dublin with his friend Kizzie (RIP) and Kizzie’s father. Something went down and he and Kizzie’s father ended up in fistie cuffs with some young fellas. Through some miracle he managed to sweet talk the security, get the lads thrown out and managed to get into the vip section right up the front. Silver tongued devil. A trait myself and my brother have both inherited.    

At the time I was very angry. Angry because I felt I now had to step up. At the age of 17 I felt I had to grow up faster than most and it seemed that overnight I went from being a young care free lad to a man. Bear in mind I still had a leaving Cert to do. I was confused. What do I do now? How do I deal with this? Resentment for the fact he was going to miss so much. I looked around and continue to look around and see friends celebrating events with their fathers. Father’s Day pints, going to matches, celebrating weddings, celebrating graduations, becoming grandfathers. I know I will have any of these things and it hurts. All I have are memories. Memories of him coming from work late, leaving the peas boiling in the pot and falling asleep and coming into the kitchen nearly on fire and the worst smell I have ever encountered. Actually no, the worst smell I have ever encountered was when he gave our dog Paddy some left over curry. Sitting room was uninhabitable for around 3 weeks. Seriously it was Chernobyl.  

So I dealt with it the only way I knew how. I buried my feelings. I put on the brave front and became the jester of the group. In recent times we have heard many stories of how comedians mask their pain through comedy. I see a lot of that in myself. I tried to immerse myself in so many things I tried to limit my free time as much as possible. This was easy in the early years. Hurling, Football, Study, Work all helped. Before I knew it i was off to college. Before I knew I was after 2 stints and had completely changed direction on my professional career.     All the while I carried this deep resentment with me. Why did he have to go? At the time of my life when I needed him most? 

I have had many failures and let many people down in the last number of years. Some part of me has always blamed this on the fact I lost my father. It has only been in the last year or so I have realized that losing my father has made me a stronger person, and he gave me all the tools I needed to succeed in life and be the best version of myself. He instilled a work ethic that is unrivalled. To the day he died the man worked himself to the bone. 14 hour shifts are a regular occurrence for me now. I don’t think I would be able for these if he had not set such an example. He was an extremely generous man, many times to his own detriment, but he was always there to help a lending hand. Whether it be helping a neighbour restore a vintage tractor, taking my Grand Uncle to Whiddy Island to see where he grew up, buying a round of drinks in the bar he was always a very giving and generous person, A trait I hope to carry and utilize every day. He was a comedian, always had a joke. Mostly simple puns but he was so quick off the mark. I see this in myself. I know it annoys people when I always have something to say, but it was bred into me from a young age.

All in all my father was a good man. He tried every day to make the world a better place. Not on a mass scale but in everyday life. Whether it be cracking a joke about taking the horse to France, about a suspected terrorist we saw hanging around the boat club in Kinsale (he loved boats, ironically could not swim), helping a neighbour or leaving work early to drop us to a training or a match, in his own special way he was always there. 

In the last year I have made some pretty significant changes in my life. Part of that process of self-discovery has been to let go of my bitterness towards the man who gave me life. Passing on was not his choice, but the brief time he had on this earth he marched to the beat of his own drum. He loved life and took it as it came. He had dreams that went unfulfilled. I plan on fulfilling as many of those dreams as possible. He loved dogs, and always wanted a Husky. This past week we added little Loki to our Family. Dad always wanted to buy a Jaguar, A Jag will be my next car. He always wanted the best for his boys, so i will do my best to live my best life and make you proud. Have a pint of Murphys in heaven and rest easy. 

I will play some Garth Brooks in your honour.     

[malfoycouture]

“I’m bad, and that’s good...

...I will never be good, and that’s not bad.  There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

-Wreck-it Ralph

Back in the saddle after a long hiatus (wait until you see the Slytherin/Malfoy quilt I spent every waking moment for seven months making!!) and (almost) ready to work.  Now I have six weeks to stare at Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy pull off the Lucius Malfoy costume para mi marito.  So, in other words, it’s time to start planning.  As I’ve said before (although it’s been months), I’m making this ^^^  Death Eater costume/armor that Jason Isaacs wears in the end of OotP*.  Also known as the Wizard Ninja by the same.  It is, bar none, my favorite costume, not just on him, but on anyone, in the entirety of the Harry Potter film canon.    

So here we go, head to toe:

We have the wig, as previously discussed.  Everything about it is perfect, the cut, the length, the color, the hairline (lace front!).  i don’t have to do a thing to it.  The pimp!cane can come later, which we’ll get from the Noble Collection, because I am not fucking around with something so iconic; that’s worth $109 plus shipping.  Mr. Malfoycouture is going to order the contacts, to turn his lovely brown eyes gray or blue.  I suggested gray because it is going to look more natural with his own eye color, IMHO.  I don’t want him looking like a White Walker or a werewolf, or a vampire, although he was disappointed that we weren’t going that direction.   

So, basically, I have to construct two pieces for this costume, as most black trousers and shoes will work.  The bad news is that I don’t have a pattern for either.  The good news is that neither is tailored.  Thank. God.  

First is the quilted leather armor.  Luckily, I don’t think it’s going to be particularly difficult from a construction standpoint.  I may even go with this pattern as a base, of course splitting the back in half and adding 5/8″ to each center seam, making it longer, and losing the cuffs for the middle finger (haha) gauntlet thingy. I also need to make it probably at lease six inches longer.  I’m going to guess that it goes on with some sort of fastener in the back, probably a zipper.  Malfoy would have house elves to dress him, after all.  In the Muggle world, that’ll mean a separating sport zipper, preferably one that lies as flat as possible.  And no, we are not going to be grommet-setting and lacing anyone, although it would probably be closer to canon?

The big question is whether to make it out of pleather (which would be cheaper, but would never look as good), or to go all out and actually make it out of leather.  That’s what I want to do, of course; as I said, I don’t want to half-ass it, but it would not be cheap.  There are five big pieces and one small piece to make this: two sleeves, two back halves, a front, and a collar.  Part of my problem right now is that Mr. Malfoycouture is in the wilderness, so I can���t even measure him.  

I am going to make the leather armor at least once, if not twice before doing it in actual leather, or whatever I decide to use.  I will do it in muslin first, to get the fit right and practice the quilting and then probably a second time in leftover vinyl.  I am not going to do the quilting free motion because I’m not insane, and because the pieces will be small enough to be able to turn on the domestic without too much difficulty.  My sewing machine has what’s called dual feed, which means that it always has a walking foot, unless I disable it.

I did order more toner for my printer, because I am absolutely going to have to print out the design so I can draw it, and then mark it, and then quilt it.   I ain’t skeered, but the problem with stitching or quilting leather or vinyl is that there are no second chances.  Once you sew over it, the holes are there forever.   

The next piece is the robe.  I’m going to start with this pattern, less the over-capelet thing and sleeves, obv.  This is going to be black peach skin, because it hangs gorgeously, doesn’t wrinkle, and absorbs light really well for a synthetic.  It’s also easy to come by and not terribly expensive.  I may or may not line it; I haven’t decided yet.  For the embroidery detail, I’m going to have to bug my mom.  We both sew on Pfaff domestic machines, but when we bought them, she opted for the one that does embroidery.  All you need is a flash drive and a little bit of money to find the appropriate border pattern.  More on that later.  

And I almost forgot: I’m going to have to do Mr. Malfoycouture’s make-up.  He’s going to have to shave his beard and mustache and our six-year-old daughter has never seen him clean shaven, so that’s going to freak her out (me too; he looks like his twin brother without facial hair, eesh...).  Mr. Malfoycouture is part Native American, so I essentially have to put him in Whiteface and then contour the shit out of his face to give him glass-cutting cheekbones and a sharp nose.  Practice, practice.  Good thing he’s a good sport.

*Jason Isaacs does wear the costume in both Deathly Hallows movies, but we’re not doing Lucius Extra-Crispy.