#Which is a far cry from 'totally unknown'

[maeamian]

About to go insane trying to find sources for this, but starting to develop a theory that the idea that the bottom of the ocean is totally unknown is pretty outdated, but is an extremely compelling factoid and as such has persisted longer than it is true.

[blackjackkent]

@astreamofstars suggested my next dive into the parsed dialogue files should be looking at the various Vicious Mockery lines available for player characters, and the ways the different companion character VAs speak them. This turned out to be quite challenging, as there are a LOT of them!

There are a total of 97 unique Vicious Mockery lines, each of which was recorded by all ten companion character VAs PLUS all twelve custom character VAs, for a total of 2,134 recorded lines, which is wild. (This is not including Ethel's 60 unique Vicious Mockery lines as well, which brings the total to 2,194.)

In this video, I've collected all 97 VM lines across all ten companion VAs, along with notes (where applicable) on things like

references to Shakespeare (or other pieces of media)

places where BG3 continues a time-honored tradition of the series by butchering archaic English grammar

interesting inconsistencies between the VAs or with the written dialogue

(If you notice any references I missed, please let me know and I might edit the video! :D )

In making this video, I ended up listening to all these lines a LOT, and I do love that some definite patterns emerge which are very on-brand for the characters in question.

Astarion often sounds deeply disdainful and at times almost bored. He barrels through some of the lines as if he doesn't think the recipient of his insult is even worth his time. (Also him calling someone a "parchment-pallored villain" is a bit rich, don't you think? :P )

Gale is deeply pleased with his own cleverness and laughs at his own jokes.

In my opinion, Dave Jones by far most Understood The Assignment; Halsin bellows out the lines like a Shakespearean actor playing to the back row and really relishes the language.

Jaheira is in full mother-tiger voice and clearly ready to kick ass and take names; she's not messing around. (With one exception - I have been laughing over Tracy Wiles's reading of "Mouthier than an arse, twice as full o' shite" for the entire duration of this project, because solely for that line she sounds like she's been possessed by some unknown force and is utterly baffled by the words coming out of her own mouth.)

Karlach reads most of these lines as either battle-cry or schoolyard taunt and seems utterly delighted in both cases. I enjoy that she adds a fun roll on her r's to sound all mockingly fancy.

Lae'zel generally sounds like she's about to rip someone's throat out and often seems completely oblivious to the humor involved, even on lines like the delightful pun, "As the leg, you'll end in defeat."

Minsc definitely doesn't know what most of these words mean but he makes up for it in enthusiasm. I enjoy that "Mouthier than an arse" becomes "mouthier than a butt" only for him. XD

Minthara, like Lae'zel, is mostly not coming at this from a place of amusement; she's MAD. She sounds like a judge handing down sentence in the most disdainful manner possible. (That said, she has my favorite deliveries on some of the lines with timing-related humor: "Thou art saucy... as gruel," "Thine eyes! Pools of tepid piss," "Like a summer's day... thou art sweaty," etc.)

Shadowheart just sounds deeply offended that her target is existing anywhere near her. She's practically spitting on all her plosive consonants and it's delightful.

Wyll sounds remarkably fierce given how nice a dude he is, but a lot of his lines have some righteous indignation (appropriate for a former noble and the Blade of Frontiers) - or he just sounds like he pities his opponent. His reading of "It vexes me to know of you" is my favorite of the whole cast; he just sounds so disbelieving of his target's stupidity.

Overall I think my favorite of these lines is towards the end: "Your body's a temple - to an idiot god!" All ten companions really stick the landing on that one. :D

Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoy.

(Got requests for other investigations into BG3 dialogue? Drop me an ask and let me know! )

[bylrlve]

Warning! Potential Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5! Exciting for Bylers!

Total confirmed M*leven scenes so far: kiss in a field in episode one, and rooftop conversation, also likely in episode one. There is a staggered time skip through episode one - unclear if chronological, or through flashbacks, but it means we have no idea when this kiss actually takes place in the chronology of the show.

Despite what Alex insinuates, that is literally it, as far as leakers know, until episode 3. Everyone is at the mansion set in that episode for at least one scene, prior to splitting off into groups and venturing into the upside down in episode 4. One presumes they may interact in the mansion scene, but even that is unknown. That literally is it up to episode 6, which is what they’re filming now - as far as leakers are aware, but it’s pretty clear when you look at Finn’s schedule vs Millie’s.

(Gifs from a video by @byler-endgayme)

Meanwhile, this is what has leaked about Byler so far:

Episode 2; the bike ride. Ep 2 according to the Twitter stranger things update account. If this is a school run in the morning, Will may be living at the Wheelers - supported by the bts pic with seven chairs at the table. If not, he’s likely just visiting Mike at the house - but it still shows that Will is part of Mike’s domestic routine, and that he occupies a partner role.

A lot happens for/to the wheelers in episode 2: karen possibly gets injured here, holly gets taken here apparently, Mike gets hurt at the hospital along with several other people (confirmed) and Will shows up crying and blaming himself. Rovickie, jancy, and byler are there: Will is there for Mike, El is not.

Episode 3: everyone is at the mansion set before breaking off into UD groups. This includes Mike, Will, El, and it’s notable that, from context, it seems like it dovetails into Mike and Will choosing each other as partners for… (life) the Upside Down.

Episode 4: the flashback with 8yo Will, 8yo Mike, and 13yo Jonathan. Will and Jon don’t speak, Mike does.

Episode 6: a scene at a church covered in vines with just Mike and Will.

The scenes at the farm with Mike, Robin, Will, and apparently Vickie happen around 503-4, and Mike a and Will are wearing the same clothes in the hand-stack picture as in the leaked Duffer birthday video from early February - see @will80sbyers and @justmy-account’s excellent production masterposts. Mike apparently has his own subplot with Robin, and we know Robin and Will have 1:1 scenes…

There’s been some kerfuffle over a an actor named Jacob Moran being followed on Instagram by Noah recently - but he’s followed Noah, Caleb, and Jamie for years, and as he was working on a project in Atlanta until recently, it seems more likely that he’s a friend of Noah’s than that he’s Will’s NPC Love Interest. Once again, that trail goes cold…

Speaking of, it’s amusing and frustrating to me that when some random acc on Twitter says Will has an NPC Love Interest people pay attention, but when Mytimetoshinehello, a reliable enough leak account, first says in May that he has a love interest and then privately DMS people saying it’s a new character, only to privately tweet to paid subscribers (ie not for attention) saying that they hear it is Mike, people don’t pick up on it. Of course, the UpsideDownScoops account did delete their tweet and proceed to bullshit about why it’s not Mike, so…

Big Screen Leaks is a very reliable general spoilers acc that announced they had st5 spoilers in may 2023. They said on Sunday, during a q&a, that they’re not sharing anything… something weird is going on. They also follow MTTSH.

Noah and MTTSH both had a similar trajectory. The latter went from privately saying in DMs that it’s not Mike to saying to their subs that it is. The former went from being pessimistic when he had the first few scripts to going on TT live right before filming in january and saying ‘byler endgame byler kiss’ very excitedly - he had up to episode 6. They got the ep 7 script in March, and on March 27 he liked a tiktok showing Mike and Will’s BTS pics with a boyfriends 💙💛’ caption.

The statement by the duffers that we’re returning to s1 dynamics is interesting, given that Mike and Will are together so much while Mike and El aren’t. Re: Mike, perhaps they mean that his primary focus is keeping Will… with an ending of finding new romance, perhaps? All in all? I’m so hyped.

TLDR: Bylers are eating no matter what, in terms of screentime and content. M*levens… sad trombone noise.

UPDATE TO ADD: https://x.com/byrhop/status/1811804426492907787?s=46

[cultofdixon]

From being alone…to having a family of your own

Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • You were alone…with your son and dog…struggling to survive. But then comes the archer • ANGST/SFW • TW: Past Abuse / Anxiety / Malnutrition / Nightmares / Sleep Deprivation / Mentions of Canon Violence

Requested by: Anon

“Hey, don’t be out too late. We all deserve a good night’s sleep after…the afternoon we had” Rick frowns holding Judith close as he told such to Daryl who was going to go on a run which was more a glorified walk to clear his head.

“Who’s on watch tonight?”

“It was Aaron but he has a baby now so it’s Rosita. I’ll let her know you’re going out”

“Alright” Daryl frowns making his way out of Alexandria shortly after that conversation.

The archer didn’t know exactly where he was going but he needed to just go. There was barely any sunlight left and kept walking until it felt alright to take a breather somewhere. Which happened to be another abandoned gas station, not the one he had met Jesus for the first time, but a similar looking one.

Except what he thought was odd, was the windows being boarded when the door was wide open. Daryl decided to sweep the place and listen in for any walkers but none are inside or near the place. As the archer stepped back out, he noticed a dog. Looked like a GSP, a German Shorthaired Pointer, not like Daryl would know that exactly but he’s seen dogs like such before in the old world. This one was a puppy though and at first was cautious of Daryl before immediately approaching him and sniffing his feet.

“Where did you come from?” Daryl frowns kneeling to the puppy’s level, noticing the bandana. An indicator that it’s someone’s.

The GSP continued to sniff Daryl until he dubbed him a friend instead of a threat. Then he suddenly booked it into the woods. Daryl being his cautious self weighed his options before deciding and sprinting after the dog. At this point he needed his flashlight to see through the darkening forest as the time went by.

Then he heard a voice…

“Frank!” The voice had some power to it but the closer Daryl got to the unknown just from following the dog, he heard the struggle that followed the shout. “F-Fuck…Frank where are you?”

Daryl suddenly stops before a small clearing within the woods finding a woman with her back turned. But she turned toward him when the GSP, or Frank from what the archer put together, approached her feet happily.

“You son of a bitch…” She exhales happily as the GSP jumped on her leg when she completely faced him. Daryl noticed the baby sling she had that carried the sleeping child as her noticeable injuries made sense to why she’s that beaten up. To protect her baby and possibly the dog given how young he is.

It didn’t click right away that she was being watched until she heard walkers nearby. She looked up locking eyes with Daryl for a moment and before he could get a word out, she picked up the dog with her free arm that wasn’t supporting the baby and booked it. He turned toward the sound of the walkers taking them out with his crossbow before tracking her down.

Which…wasn’t very far.

Daryl slowed his steps when he heard crying from the baby the woman was carrying and the GSP howling. He approached the sound noticing the woman on the floor propped against the tree holding her baby protectively while every ounce of her body ached and wanted to give up.

“Please don’t hurt us…” She begged the second she heard his footsteps as Daryl ignored every cautious thought he had and knelt beside her assessing her injuries.

Returning to Alexandria in a foreign vehicle he managed to Hotwire but it didn’t have headlights, Rosita was cautious about opening the gates until Daryl stepped out flashing his flashlight at her.

Next thing they knew, Siddiq was taking care of this total stranger in the infirmary while Daryl held this baby that wasn’t his sitting on the porch with the dog currently taking up Rosita’s attention. Rick heard of the news and came quickly over to see his brother with this baby and dog.

“Where the fuck do you find these things?”

Daryl shrugs looking down at the baby that instantly calmed in his arms. Rick was about to pass him to check what was going on inside but the archer quickly grabbed his leg to stop him.

“Let him work”

“You brought a total stranger—-“

“That had no weapons on her person” Rosita adds. “Not even a knife, Rick. She’s not a threat so far. Just let Siddiq do his job” she hissed slightly as the dog licked at her face to try and return her good mood.

“Where the hell she gonna stay cuz we need somebody to keep an eye—-“

“Carol’s old place. I still live in there. She, her baby, and her dog can stay there. I’ll keep an eye on’em” Daryl states and before Rick could even say another word, the archer glared at him reminding him that he’s holding a baby and now wasn’t the time for anymore of his not well thought out plans.

No more discussion happened and this woman didn’t wake until two days later. She woke to an IV and a raging headache from the blood loss. But she was patched up and everything…by total strangers. Then she remembered.

“Frank…Leo…” She swung her legs over the edge and tried to get up but immediately went down. The sound of her hitting the ground resulted in quick paced steps and the man from before coming into view. “Where’s my baby?! Where’s my dog?! Wheres my family?!” She snaps only to hiss to a sudden radiant pain bringing her hand to her side.

“They’re safe. You’re safe here” Daryl frowns quickly helping her to her feet with a bit of a fight from her as she sat back down on the infirmary bed. “My friend Aaron is currently watching your baby boy. Along with your dog. They are safe…no one is gonna hurt��em or you”

She felt the tears come suddenly as she covers her mouth to stop the audible of it all to escape. Her body hurt. Her anxiety ached her. She didn’t know what to feel in that moment.

“Uhm. Can I…at least get your name? Don’t think yea wanna talk about what happened to yea”

“Y/N…I’m Y/N…”

“I’m Daryl” He replied with watching her wipe away her tears even if they continued to fall. “How long have yea been out in the woods for?”

“…two months? Or what felt like it”

“Siddiq, the doc, says your baby is about six months from whatever fucking military doc training has babies involved” Daryl scoffs playfully as his smile threatened to break out when he heard her laugh.

“You’d uh…be surprised” Y/N smiles for what felt like the first time in over a year. But it was quick to fade when she realized. “Oh…”

Daryl’s expression fades instantly as he tried to read hers to understand what the sudden change was about. Then she sighed.

“You want us out huh…now that I—“

“No! No…uhm. You will have to talk to the leader of this community about…what happened. But ‘sides that, you and your family are welcomed here…” Daryl reassures watching her shoulders relax but she still held herself a moment.

“…Can I get my son?”

“Doc says to finish the IV. But I can go get’em and your dog for you…uhm. Their…?”

“Leo, my son. And I think you’ve heard me call the dog Frank”

“Right. Just making sure, sunshine” He says unexpectedly as he quickly left on that note, leaving Y/N alone as she couldn’t help the more tears that fell but she kept a smile.

The archer didn’t appreciate being kicked out of the meeting with Rick. But he hovered and so did Michonne.

“I know yea didn’t tell Daryl what happened but I gotta know in order to feel better about having you here”

“Where should I start?” Y/N’s attention was obviously on her son in her arms instead of giving Rick eye contact.

“How yea ended up in the woods with a baby and a fuckin’ dog”

“I ran away from this place called the Sanctuary, I used to be Uhm. One of the big guy’s wives until one of his “right hands” showed him promise and he literally gifted me to him…” Y/N tensed when she held her son not wanting to talk about the rest anymore and it took the retired sheriff a second to connect the dots.

“You don’t have to go further. I can assure yea though, a lot of Negan’s men are dead and he’s been put in his place”

But not dead Y/N thought to herself, knowing that meant he’s contained at least. She can put a few things together in terms of the Saviors are now gone, the Sanctuary still exists, and most of the residents branched into other communities. Some still stayed but she didn’t know that much after Rick went on to explain everything. He even told her where she’d be staying with her family.

“Is this man still alive? From what—-“

“I killed him. He was the first person I ever killed. I took out a lot of walkers and did everything to avoid people before I put my trust in a group that I didn’t know until a sick way of showing power was a part of this debt collection”

“You lost people?”

“Yes, and no. I don’t know what happened to the other remaining person from that group. I will say, I don’t want to find out either”

“Bad blood between the two of yea?” Rick asks as he leaned back into his seat, his anxiety easing the more they talked.

“He knew what happened to me and there was a moment to help, but he just. Walked away” She tensed once more, hating to have to rethink it even if talking about it all would give her and her family asylum. Rick was about to talk further when her son started crying. “I gotta feed him and I’m not comfortable with—“

“Right right. I’ll leave yea to it”

The retired sheriff steps out watching both Michonne and Daryl quickly stand as he was a bit confused why they both were there. Decided not to think too much of it.

“Verdict?”

“Get her properly armed, Daryl.” Rick stated making his leave with Michonne as Daryl went off to get everything ready.

It’s been about nine weeks of having Y/N within their community. Everybody likes her, a little more because she does her part. Leo is a little attention whore unintentionally, but every moment he’s in his mother’s lap while they’re out on the porch. He’d scream at everyone that passes by and make grabby hands as his way of saying hello. Frank has become Daryl’s hunting buddy once he was trained a bit by the archer to do such. He even sneaks into the man’s room at night when Y/N has her door closed, he only scratches if both their doors are closed.

Honestly. If you squint, Daryl got his own little family. Hell even Carol pointed it out once.

“Shut up”

“What! You’re protective of them, especially her.” Carol smiles walking through the forest with her best friend and her dog. “Admit it, D. Something about her cracked open that heart of yours that you want to do more than protect her”

“You’re fucking crazy” Daryl scoffs, watching Frank go in a full blown sprint toward a rabbit inevitably catch it.

“I’m not the one that takes her dog out for hunting trips and always bring back something from the catch just for her”

Daryl was starting to regret inviting her on this hunting trip. But was she wrong about his hidden feelings? No.

Arriving back to Alexandria, Frank immediately made a beeline for Y/N who was helping with the farming that day. She took her gloves off before kneeling to the dog’s level and giving him some loving pets. Daryl made his way over and watched how Y/N instantly smiled in his direction causing his mind to short circuit a bit.

“He wasn’t trouble was he?”

“Nah, he actually caught a few things”

“Wow, good boy Frank” Y/N smiles as Frank pulls away from the pets to go sniff and lay next to Leo who was sitting on a blanket nearby. “Feel free to always take him out. Just as long as you both come back in one piece” she straightens up continuing to smile before getting back to work.

Daryl lingered for a bit, still thinking about what Carol said and implied earlier. He left when he felt awkward for standing there too long and once he did, Michonne came up to Y/N as if she was waiting for him to leave.

“So, how are you liking being here?” Michonne smiles as she helped Y/N finish planting a new line of tomato seeds they found on a run.

“It’s nice. I’m grateful, to all of you. Especially Daryl even if we weren’t that talkative in the beginning”

“You were getting used to new people and how we do things around here. It’s understandable”

Y/N glances over to check on how her son was doing, to notice Daryl checking on both him and the dog as she couldn’t help the warmth she felt seeing her son’s eyes light up at the man. Michonne smiles watching the same display as Daryl eventually brought himself to sit with the two for a moment. Which prompt her what to say next, to see something.

“You know, you can get your own place here. Just you, your son, and dog”

“Oh”

“Oh?” Michonne questions watching Y/N tense, something she didn’t expect to happen.

“I don’t know. I just feel safe knowing he’s there”

“I don’t think he minds having all of you there. It was just something I thought I’d bring up”

Hours passed since that conversation but to Y/N it felt more like…well she didn’t exactly know how she felt. She knew she felt safe and happy. Something that hasn’t happened together in a long time. It felt like Michonne was prompting something to get her to say what she needed to hear. But that doesn’t matter anymore. For now.

Y/N comfortably sat on the couch with her legs up and son laying on her chest peacefully sleeping. She heard the front door open watching Frank trot right in noticing her and heading over to join them on the couch while Daryl follows shortly behind.

“Hey” Daryl kept his voice low noticing the sleeping child as Y/N gave him a smile. “Yea hungry?”

The second she said yes, Daryl went ahead to making dinner as Y/N got up to put Leo down to sleep further with Frank trailing her the entire time. Once he finished cooking, the two found themselves eating in the silence and Daryl usually finishes first finding himself watching Y/N eat everything he’s prepared. He would look away whenever she looked up, thinking he was slick, but she always saw and fought back a giggle.

The two found themselves cleaning the dishes together and Daryl prepared a bowl for Frank while Y/N finished hand drying her plate.

“This feels so…domestic” Y/N laughs a little. “Makes me miss a little of the before”

“Did yea expect to have a kid and a dog in the before?”

“I had a cat before the outbreak. Makes me wonder where the fuck he’s at” She smiles opening the cabinet to put the clean dishes away. “But no. I didn’t expect this…it’s…good though. I love my little family”

“Uhm. Can I ask yea somethin’? If it’s too much yea don’t have to answer”

“Go ahead, D”

“Does…Uh. Your son have a dad out there lookin’ for him and you or…” Daryl asks watching her expression fall for a second as he instantly regretted it. “Forget it. I—-“

“No, no…it’s okay to ask that. And no he doesn’t have one. He wasn’t a good man so. I wouldn’t have wanted him anywhere near Leo…or me”

“I wouldn’t let him near y’all any way just from hearing that” He states, didn’t expect that to come out of him so easily as Y/N was taken back by his protectiveness which brought back that warmth she felt earlier.

“He’s dead so. Don’t have to worry about him…” She says softly, leaning back against the counter as Daryl straightens up after giving Frank his bowl.

“Still. I’ll protect yea always” Daryl locks eyes with her a moment as it felt as if it was…that moment. He brought himself close to her as Y/N pushes herself off the counter.

Her hands instantly find themselves on his hips as he gently brushes the hair away from her face about to make his move when the baby monitor picked up Leo’s crying.

“I’ll go—“

“I got it” Daryl finally gave her a full smile of his as he took a different chance by kissing her cheek. “I’ve got him sunshine” and left to take care of the little one.

Y/N watches the archer head upstairs as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Her thoughts rushing until Frank jumped on her snapping her out of them.

“He’s a good one huh?”

[trans-axolotl]

" “In the year 2024….” read the headline of an editor’s message in a 1970 issue of The Presidio, a publication out of the Iowa State Penitentiary. Even for people in prison, whose primary currency is time itself, the date felt far-fetched. Something so distant, it was more the setting of a science fiction novel than of a real-life possibility. Al Ware, the paper’s incarcerated editor, had just experienced the solar eclipse of the century, though Iowa was outside the range of the total eclipse. He whimsically mused on whether he’d be around for the next one—if he meant alive or still in prison is up for interpretation.

People travel for hundreds and thousands of miles to view total eclipses and consistently have difficulty describing the experience fully with just words. But even a partial eclipse can be a stunning spectacle. For those in prison, whose lives are often drudgery punctuated by fleeting moments of fear, being able to experience something collectively with people beyond the walls is the type of reprieve that buoys the psyche for quite some time.

I sat in prison for the partial eclipse of 2017. A far cry from how Florida prisons handled a total eclipse in 1970, the Federal Bureau of Prisons decided a dusk-like darkening of the sky was a security threat that warranted a total lock-down. Never mind that for half the year the sun set at dinner time, and we were allowed to continue going about our business, jogging on the rec yard, grabbing a book from the library, and just generally moving about the compound. Perhaps some nefarious actors would use the few minutes of diminished daylight in the middle of the day to orchestrate a prison break, or perhaps the reverse, introduce contraband.

It felt like my life came to a screeching halt the moment I was arrested. No longer did I feel like I was living, an active verb, I was merely existing. If I vanished off the face of the Earth, not a single thing would change in the world, so minimal was my presence, so isolated was my life. Headlines flashed across the television screens, one of my only tethers to the outside world. Floods in Houston, fires in California, a mass shooting in Miami. It was as if these events were happening in some other world, one to which I only had the narrowest window...

...And with that, she led us outside. She didn’t ask where the colander had come from, and I did not tell. Its round holes somehow cast crescent shadows, illuminating the laws of physics. The sky darkened but nothing like dusk, a bizarre energy filling the air—or perhaps it was the abject fear that I was risking time in the hole to watch odd-shaped shadows dance on the ground, unable to even look at the eclipse directly.

For days to come, we tried to explain to our friends what it felt like, what those colander hole shadows looked like. It was simply too difficult to describe.

Whether Al Ware is still around to see this eclipse—he would be eighty-two—is unknown. What is known is that at least a few hundred people that experienced the total solar eclipse from prison in the United States in 1970 are still in prison. The next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous US won’t be until 2044—and unless that’s your release date, I’m sure it feels just as abstract as 2024 felt to the men at the Iowa State Penitentiary back in 1970."

- Watching an Eclipse from Prison, by Morgan Godvin

[who-datgirl]

Okay y’all so I have been thinking about the finale since Friday and the more I puzzle on it, the less I believe Ruby’s fairy tale ending was genuine. I of course was a big proponent of the “Ruby is River’s daughter theory”, but I am starting to be one of those people who think she is an unknown member of the pantheon. More specifically, I think she may be the daughter of The Trickster, I’ll go into why.

Let’s start with Ruby’s “mom” in the flashback, her hooded face with humanoid lips visible gives me serious Trickster vibes from SJA. A constant lament was “WHY CAN’T I SEE HER FACE?” Well, The Trickster really doesn’t have much of a face aside from ruby-red lips and sharp teeth. Honestly, why would a 15 year old have such an ominous cloak and where did she get it between the maternity ward and abandoning Ruby at the church? Granted a 15 year old still high on painkillers from giving birth could definitely do some zany shit, but it seems like a stretch to me. If my hunch is somehow correct, I would go so far to say that in the time window they did not see Ruby’s parent crying under the hood, but rather laughing maniacally. In fact, I honestly thought she was laughing when I first watched that scene. If the “mom” is actually The Trickster, then he would definitely have been laughing as he takes great pleasure in messing around with The Doctor and their companions.

The Trickster is the god of traps, which typically involves some narrative that a person falls prey to in order to be ensnared by the trap set for them. Ruby as the child of that entity could totally be able to create narratives that people would happily believe and become a part of, or to put it succinctly: a story. It isn’t any further of a stretch than the god of games having a child that is the god of music.

I think as the season went on, Ruby subconsciously created her own happy ending and bio parents piece by piece. Finding her parents seemed to be a process of creation as it unfolded. The DNA scan in 2046 only showed Ruby’s DNA twice. After defeating Sutekh though, 2024 UNIT was able to seamlessly find some ordinary and flawed woman eager to reconnect with and apologize to her abandoned child. Her bio mom is even willing to reach out to a presumable one night stand from 20 years ago, catch up with him, and see if he wants to become a father figure after two decades. Also the origin of Ruby’s name through a street sign that seemed to not exist in the footage, until it suddenly did, felt like an actual change to the timeline. I have nothing against this ending per se, it just all felt deliberately too perfect as if reality was bending entirely to Ruby’s deepest desires. To top it off Ruby somehow pulled the exact narrative of 10 and Rose’s goodbye for 15 and herself, almost as if unconsciously she tuned into one of The Doctor’s deepest heartbreaks to reflect how horribly she felt about leaving them.

I don’t think Ruby’s real story is close to done. I think her perfect ending will start to show cracks, and the reality of it will seem more created than true. Eventually we may even see her wake up to the truth of her power in time for The Trickster to come in and truly fuck around with things for her and 15. It would be interesting to see her owning her power to send her own bio parent into a narrative that The Trickster could never escape.

There is just too much that went unaddressed. How did Ruby conjure snow? Why was Maestro so disturbed by her hidden song that they said there was something seriously WRONG with her (Maestro literally refers to her as a CREATURE)? How did she fold her own timeline back in 73 yards? Why were people so terrified of or infuriated by the apparition that we now know was Ruby? Did the Ruby in the distance tell people about her ties to the Pantheon of Discord? Did the apparition know the truth of Ruby that is hidden even from herself? Why would Sutekh care about the hooded parent more than anything else he creeped on during his centuries attached to the TARDIS? Is he a Jerry Springer fan, obsessed with “you ARE/ARE NOT the parent” reveals?

One final thing that makes me think they may pull a child of The Trickster into the story. In SJA before Elisabeth Sladen passed, they were planning on revealing that her adopted daughter Sky was really The Trickster’s child all along. The episode never aired as SJA could not go on without Elisabeth. I could see RTD honoring her show by making that story canon through Ruby. After all, Ruby too is an adopted daughter.

[somberjoon]

METANOIA [10]

✩ pairing: wolf hybrid nj x cheetah hybrid reader (f) - eventual ot7 x reader

✩ genre: soul-searching , romance🔞 , found-family , healing , angst , happy ending

✩ word count: 6.1k

✩ chapter warnings: uncertainty in behavior and emotions , anxiety , crying and loss of a grasp on what to do , SA without major details !! Please look out for * at the start and beginning of the conversation she has with Namjoon. It is not detailed in a way that would tell exactly what he does, but it's more of a panicked description of what she felt. Lots of mentions of suffocating feelings and her skin being touched and hurt and feeling gross, but nothing more than that. Please go into this understanding that this conversation with nj is put in a way that I resonate with / would prefer in my experience, so it obviously won't be preferred by everyone! Please take care of your mental health, and skip that section if you are not up to reading of these themes. Blood mentioned, knife and stabbing mentioned but not detailed.

✩ summary: She doesn't know. There is so much about her and her cheetah that she hasn't had the privilege to understand. Unknown backgrounds and unknown emotions clash with feelings of want- hopes of being herself unapologetically. Namjoon seems to be someone that can help her- but can the rest of his pack truly be what she has wanted and needed?

✩ cover: me

ch.1 , ch.2 , ch.3 , ch.4 , ch.5 , ch.6 , ch.7 , ch.8 , ch.9 , ch.10 ...

Y/N

To wake up refreshed, warm, and content seems totally cliche. It’s unreal and shouldn’t be Y/N’s reality after everything she’s been worrying about. She faces the window where the early morning sun is rising to greet her. She remembers the night before, turning in the bed to find Taehyung in the same spot he was before, but this time his head is propped up and sniffing towards the door. She must’ve awoken to something outside her door if Taehyung is also paying attention to it. 

“What is it?” She asks, her voice still groggy from not being used. One of his low energy ‘chuffs’ tells her exactly what she needs to know, already recognizing how he feels about Namjoon in her space. 

“Is it only him in the house?” His head lifts to give an too-human head shake that takes her aback only slightly. 

“Who else?” She asks, wondering how he’ll respond. Taehyung stretches towards her nose first. The light touch of his snout digs into her stomach, his head lying atop her lap to make sure she understands. Her stomach. Food?

“Seokjin?” Another ‘chuff’ leaves him and closes his eyes to try and push himself into her lap farther. She sits up and crosses her legs to accommodate the weight he pushes onto her. She can’t help but smile at the sweet gestures of his cheetah. He wants her to scratch here and there, which she does with no issue. It doesn’t take long for a loud purr to rumble through him and into her own skin where he lies. A light knock at the door doesn’t bother Taehyung, so she waits for a voice. 

“Y/N?” Namjoon. She pulls herself out from under Taehyung’s weight, earning a disappointed chuff as he sprawls out in the now empty space. She slips on her slippers and hurries to unlock the door to find a tired Namjoon still in his PJs. 

“Hey. Sorry, was I loud?” 

“No, not at all, just wanted to make sure Taehyung wasn’t bugging you.” He leans in to look at Taehyung and Y/N only hears that same annoyed chuff. She lets a puff of a laugh out at him. 

“He’s fine.” She assures, staring far too long at his soft morning features. It should be odd seeing him in this new way, but all she feels is content mush. He looks well-rested and carefree. Safe- just as she felt last night. She doesn’t care to control her dopey smile aimed up at him. 

“That’s good.” He looks down at her with his own soft smile, “You want some breakfast? Seokjin and I are the only ones here at the moment.” 

“Yeah, are you-?” 

“I’m gonna eat right now as well.” He answers with a nod. “Let’s hurry before it gets cold.”

The house outside of the room she slept in smells wonderful. It always seems to- whether it’s from scented candles or colognes and clean home, or just the lingering scent of every homey meal. She’s hesitant to step into the kitchen with her bruises and scratches so on display, but she makes an effort to stay in stride with Namjoon, placing herself behind him slightly just so they’re not the first thing Seokjin notices. Luckily, she rounds the kitchen island and sets down on one of the stools next to Namjoon without Seokjin turning around. 

“Good morning.” Seokjin greets them, still chopping away at something Y/N can’t see. 

“Good morning.” The two say at the same time, causing them to share an intense look for just a moment. They melt into matching smiles that Seokjin turns to find. 

“A sleepy pup and a sleepy cub- my favorite customers.” Seokjin pokes at them, setting matching bowls in front of each of them. “Chicken porridge, lean meats for Y/N’s stomach and extra of it for strength.” He finalizes with a smile, obviously proud of himself. He should be proud, it smells delicious, and the green onions sprinkled on top make the presentation look so pretty. 

“Thank you, Seokjin.” Y/N shyly thanks. Unlike last time, Y/N is ready to dig in. It must be how good Seokjin’s food always is- or maybe she realizes it’s because she actually feels safe in their home, at least in the presence of the three at home at the moment. She takes a few hungry bites before saying anything, content with filling her desires of just eating in comfortable silence. 

“It’s very good.” She hums, looking up at a content Seokjin. He looks even more satisfied, seemingly only waiting for her opinion to continue his morning. He rounds the corner of the Island, greeting Namjoon with silent gestures that she decides to give them complete privacy for- focusing only on her food. Seokjin leaves after that, mumbling something about Jungkook and giving Y/N a little wave. 

“Did you sleep well?” Namjoon asks after a few moments of eating in silence. 

“Really well. I don’t even think I dreamed. It was- peaceful.” Y/N admits now that they’re alone. 

“I’m glad to hear that. I know Taehyung doesn’t take his presence in your room lightly. He was mostly there to guard you more than anything. He can sense it more in his cheetah form, like smelling out your emotions.” Namjoon explains. 

Her thoughts get the best of her- still set on wanting and yearning to meet her cheetah. 

“Is it like that for all animals, or just him so far?” 

“Do I think you’ll be able to do it, you mean? No clue. But, all of us have our own little thing in our animal forms. Taehyung can sense when we feel certain ways, without us wanting to admit it. Seokjin somehow knows when something bad happens, his fox always waiting patiently  and then- poof, someone cuts themself on accident or sprains their ankle on the treadmill and he’s right there.”

“Wow.” She can’t help but listen in awe. 

“Hoseok’s tiger is a guardian, as well as my wolf- but I’m a lot more…active.” 

“What do you mean by that?” 

“It’s the reason I wouldn’t want to shift for a while if you decide to stay with us, at least not if you’re uncomfortable with what I do. I just get really- protective. Unnecessarily protective. I’ll want to groom and nag and be glued to anyone  I feel needs it most. He would definitely pick you at the moment, and it would be more overwhelming than anything.”

“That’s very sweet, though. That they have you two in the pack as protection, I bet it makes everyone feel safe.” Y/N tries her best to make their protectiveness be a positive to him, not an overbearing thing he thinks it may be. 

“I hope so.” His smile is aimed at her but she feels as though he’s thinking about his pack, not including her at all. 

“Anyways,” he continues. “Yoongi is also protective but his panther is a lot more…cuddly.” 

“Really?” It’s a little surprising having his personality a contrasting thing despite Namjoon saying he’s not the talkative type. She can’t say she’s any different though, more set on touch and active attention rather than talking all the time. Maybe she can become closer to him. 

“Oh yeah, he’s like that in human form too though.” He gives her a smirk before continuing. “Jimin is very active in his wolf form, he wants to get everyone into trouble and be a pest honestly. But, he knows how to have fun, even if it is overbearing sometimes, he’s not pushy- he’s just…wanting. He wants to do so many things and he’ll drag anyone along to join him. Finally, Jungkook. He’s actually not one that has displayed anything major. He’s still trying to get used to everything, but he’s a lot more confident in his bunny form. He’ll not speak all day but the second he’s a bunny he’s all over you, wanting the attention he didn’t want in human form. That’s normal by the way.” Y/N turns to give him a questioning look.

“The confidence in your animal form. You’ll find that whatever you don’t allow yourself to do in human form, your animal form will absolutely get what it wants if the other is okay with it. It’s normal and shouldn’t be anything to be embarrassed about.” 

She understands him and feels as though there is something he’s not specifically saying. But he is saying something. Something she can’t quite pinpoint, though. 

“I would never judge. Taehyung was really sweet, and was taking care of me. It felt…nice.” She admits. “Really nice. It’s all really nice. It feels too good to be true.” 

Namjoon seems to hold his breath at the statement, waiting and waiting for Y/N to say the unsaid. It’s morning, they’ve eaten and they’re very well rested. It’s all pointing to her wanting and hoping she can stay here and have a safe place to live. But, she still needs to tell him. 

“I still want you to know. I thought about it a little more and- I’d want someone to know anyways. Even if I took advantage without making sure the pack leader knew what I did, I’d want someone that I trusted to know. Just so I had a place with someone where I don’t have to worry about this thing haunting me and everything I do.” 

“Let’s finish up and we can go wherever you’d like. You can still wait if you’d like-” 

“I really need you to know, Namjoon.” He gives her a long, observing look. Maybe he’s really savoring this last normal moment they’ll have before she pulls the rug from underneath him. Maybe she’s doing the exact same thing, looking over this pretty, just awoken Namjoon that’s comfortable in her presence. It’ll probably be the last time she gets to see it. 

“Okay.” He finally whispers. 

*

The guest room she used is now empty, Taehyung nowhere in sight. ‘He’s probably in the sunroom.’ Namjoon told her without having to ask him. She doesn’t question it, content with only telling Namjoon right now. 

“I don’t know where to start.” She says after some time of quiet thought. Namjoon sits on the edge of the bed near the spot Taehyung settled the night before. 

“Can I ask something? It may help.” Namjoon confesses. She only looks at him with awkward question. “That night you seemed fine, and then- you weren’t. I was very hesitant with leaving you home alone, and I really regret it, honestly. I just- I guess I think that’s when something happened.” 

His confession causes her heart to ache in remembrance. That was exactly when it started, but honestly- she could go farther back in time. 

“There’s this man. He’s Richard’s coworker.” Namjoon shifts uncomfortably in her peripheral vision, but she’s too focused on her thoughts to pay attention. She shifts and paces, biting at her nails as she recalls everything. “I met him that first night Maria was out of town over the weekend, and he- he called me ‘exotic’. He-” She stops, not wanting to give those specifics yet. “He made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t see him after that so I thought that would be the last of it.”

There’s no ‘right’ way to tell him the rest. She just needs and wants to do it. 

“The night I was here, with Maria gone, I was glad to be out of the house. I didn’t want to chance having dinner without Richard with his coworker there. It was pretty late, and I thought Richard would have already had him over, eaten, and had gone to bed. Richard had texted me and I checked it in the car. His coworker needed to stop by and grab some tools from the unlocked garage.” 

She thinks and thinks, her breathing picking up. She wants to calm slightly before she goes on. 

“I was hoping- praying- that he had already come and gone since the text was a little old.”

“Y/N…” Her breathing picks up despite her recent stop. Namjoon notices, but tries not to interrupt her. His plea is soft, asking more than anything. 

“I really wanted you to stay. I was so scared. Something inside of me knew. It’s like, my cheetah knew I needed you.” She honestly confesses. “I stayed by that door before heading to my room. I was stuck there, my cheetah wouldn’t let me settle. But, I ignored her.” 

“Y/N.”

“When I heard his truck, I thought- I thought it was Richard. I memorized the sound of their cars. It sounded just like Richard’s. I was so relieved, so happy to have someone slightly familiar there. But, he didn’t come into the house, and it confused me. His truck was shut off and he’d been in the garage for so long. I thought he was putting tools away, maybe- I don’t know.” Her eyes start to water at the stupidity she feels recalling those thoughts. Why else would he be in there for so long. If only it was Richard in that garage.

“I was so desperate to see him and feel at ease. I heard the garage open finally, but he didn’t turn on the lights. So, I met him in the kitchen, asking for him, searching.” She has to stop and breathe, her voice becoming louder and her words more unstable. “I didn’t see anyone, but…I felt him. His hands. His body. He was on me before I could even blink. He held my mouth shut.-”

Y/N That Night

Panic sets in immediately. She thrashes against the hold, desperately trying to get away from the grimey hands- one keeping her quiet, one keeping her arms at her sides. She doesn’t know how, but she gets loose.

She fights. 

She yells and pushes herself away, trying to scramble for purchase on anything. Why would Richard do this? He must be drunk- this can’t be what she thinks it is. He doesn’t give up, reaching for any body part he can get to as she trips over his waving arms. She pulls and pushes away from him, her voice a loud plea that she can’t even understand herself. She can only hear him, him and his scrambling body trying to get to her. 

She finds herself pushed into a counter as she finally stands. The counter- she can grab something. Grab something. Grab Something. As her hands roam blindly, the man is on her again, his nails being used to dig and dig into different parts of her. He pushes her down once again just as she grabs onto something with a handle. She’s able to twist so her back lands on the ground underneath him instead of face planting. The handled utensil clatters to the ground and a wail of irritation falls from her mouth. 

He just tries to pry at her, touching her here and there with hands that aim to hurt her. Nothing is gentle about his touches. But neither are hers. She pushes and pries his hands from her face, her body, her arms. 

“Stop. Please- Stop!” She begs. He’s so much stronger, though. He sits up, his knees bracketing her torso in place as he pushes her arms to the ground. She just about goes limp, her legs the only thing free enough to keep fighting for her. Her hand stretches out onto the floor, hoping something is within reach. As she loses the will to try, his hands move down as she tires, feeling her body underneath him. Her wet eyes wouldn’t even be able to see in the light- but within the dark she still searches and finally-

The knife. 

He’s choppy and not attentive, as if he thinks she’s just giving in to him after a short while of fighting. She still can’t see him, can’t aim or direct this properly. She has one chance. 

-

Y/N Present Day

“I struck true. I don’t know what I hit, but the second my adrenaline got the knife sunken into him I pushed and pushed and he just fell to the ground. I- I thought it was Richard and he was limp- I was more worried that I killed my guardian. I was fucking terrified.”

“I turned on the light after some time. I had just felt the blood on me, I felt his hands still all over me- it took me a while to finally decide to see him.” She lets out a shaky sigh. “It was his coworker, of course.”

“Is he?” 

“They said he’s in critical condition.”

With telling him comes the feeling of those hands upon her, his body pressing into her. It’s the worst part every time she recalls it. She doesn’t remember what she said or how hard she yelled. It’s the feeling of him that stuck. The worst part stuck. Her tail wraps so tightly around her it feels suffocating. But it’s just not enough right now. She can’t get the feeling to go away. 

“Y/N.” His voice is steady but kind. “Is there anything I can do to help you right now?”

Just as he was in the hospital, just as he knows whenever she needs literally anything, he knows when to ask. She can't give in just yet, that's not all that haunts her. 

"He was so easy to hurt, Namjoon. It was so easy to get him so close to death. What if I- what if I hurt someone else?" She whispers the last question.

"You're not dangerous Y/N. He is. People like him deserve to be hurt. People that hurt people deserve to be hurt." Namjoon tries to explain and explain as Y/N tries her hardest to see it that way. 

"I would never think of hurting you guys." Y/N whispers to him. 

"I believe you'd never hurt us. You are not the one that did anything bad. You protected yourself, you did exactly what you needed to do." Namjoon urges a bit. 

"I'm just so scared that I could hurt someone. I don't want to hurt anyone. Not like they've done to me, I can't let that happen to you guys. And if everyone else in the pack doesn't know I did that- and I live here- I feel like I'm betraying them."

Namjoon gives a heavy sigh at all her confessions. She understands it’s not towards her, but she can’t help but feel split open and raw at the sight of him assessing her and thinking about the consequences she’ll have to face. 

“We all have secrets. We’ve all kept secrets from each other. Each one of us has a complicated history of regrets and shameful acts. Yours isn’t shameful- at all- but I want you to know that we aren’t perfect. None of them would judge you for this. None of us would feel unsafe with you here. I would feel much better if you were here.” She watches as his finger points directly in front of him at the ground to emphasize his wants. 

Her cheetah seems to take him literally, urging her forwards. She halts, though, not understanding why she would need to quell something like that within her. The last time she disobeyed her cheetah she ended up hurt. Really hurt. Maybe she is questioning it too much. Maybe her cheetah is trying to truly help her more than she realizes. 

She takes a few steps forward, watching as Namjoon waits for her. 

“I want to be here. I want to feel safe and- I want to stop feeling him on me.” She explains with her stilly misty eyes and shaky breaths. “I don’t want to rely on others all the time, least of all someone that pretty much got stuck with me. But I want to rely on you. I want to be with you all the time, and I want to find comfort in you whenever I need it. Because you comfort me.” She’s now right in front of him. 

“I don’t want to feel him on me anymore. I hate it so much, Namjoon.” 

Namjoon’s hands reach up for her, clenching in the air with questions and unsure placement. 

“What do you need from me?” He whispers. 

“Can you hold me?” She whispers back, just for him. Can you make him go away? Can you hold me together so I don’t fall apart? 

“Of course. Always.”

*

“So, Your contract already states that this decision will nullify the opportunity for rehoming services, but we still have a few papers for you to sign just to show this was finalized with your consent.” Mila shuffles through a few manilla folders in one of her drawers, finally pulling out a set of papers. 

“This one states the home you’ve picked is one that you’ve found on your own and is not under the organization. Meaning, it isn’t the organization’s fault if you chose this home haphazardly, and you have to find your next home on your own as well.” She slides the other paper on top of that one, “And this one is your consent form, saying that you are the one that is choosing this home that is not under the organization.” 

Y/N looks over to Namjoon with one more playful question in her eye just before she presses the pen to the paper. Namjoon can’t help but watch her with a content smile, playing along with her giddy emotions. 

After Namjoon held her with no qualms, no questions, it didn’t take long for the adrenaline in Y/N’s body to dissipate into mush and playful giggles. Namjoon made sure she was fine and then gave into whatever she wanted at that moment. She knows she needs to work on how she handles her ups and downs, and how she copes with everything. But Namjoon calms her so well, makes her feel so safe, he’s not too much for her right now- she’s afraid to make it a full-session of her talking about it. That would be too much too fast. 

She signs both papers confidently. 

“Perfect. Also, I wanted to apologize that your last doctor wasn’t well-equipped to handle hybrid patients. We updated the list we have to exclude her as well as went over all the ones we hadn’t checked up on in a while. We’ll cover all the doctor fees still and will be for any other medical, mental, or herbal health you seek out. Namjoon suggested his doctor’s office if you’d like to give that one a go.”

“I’ve tried a few out, this one I’ve been using for a couple years, though.” Namjoon explains. “The whole pack goes there.”

“If it’s trustworthy that’s fine.” Y/N gives her approval. 

“Okay, I’ll fill those papers out and send them to the healthcare team by tomorrow so that you can make your first appointment as soon as possible.”

“Thank you so much, Mila.” Y/N genuinely tells her. “I appreciate the work you put into everything, and I really appreciate that you’ve been caring through- everything.” 

“I want you to be safe, Y/N, I’ll make sure I can provide you with all the options you have no matter what, and I’ll always give you honest advice.” Mila gives her a smile she hasn’t seen before, making her feel shy under the attention, but Namjoon helps end the meeting with the attention on him. 

-

Y/N didn’t realize their day would end here after she watched Namjoon finish the minimal work he had for the day. A couple hours of meetings later, Namjoon is hauling her into the car with a borrowed jacket and clothes that fit her horribly. 

“The budget you get for clothing, essentials, and all that are your own to spend. But, I wanted to celebrate your decision a little bit.” 

“Namjoon.” Y/N warns. 

“It’s not that bad, I promise. But, you will need a new phone ASAP and you will need new clothes and stuff sooner than later just to help get you settled.”

“I don’t find this celebratory.” Y/N moans into the air, her head leaning against the headrest of the car’s seat. 

“Oh, that’s more because it’s extra time you get to spend with me.” Namjoon says with absolutely no sarcasm. He buckles himself in and doesn’t give a second glance to her. 

“You’ll be the death of me Kim Namjoon.”

“Don’t die on me yet, that ruins the fun.” He coos. 

-

It shouldn’t be anything special- Namjoon doting on Y/N like an experienced pack leader, suggesting this and that and making sure she’s on their phone plan even. Shopping for socks and toothbrushes isn’t something fun at all. It’s far from special or romantic but it’s- domestic. Domestic in a way that makes Y/N speechless until Namjoon turns to ask her a question with his gaze on her, obviously not having asked the question just once. She can’t pay attention to anything when his hand brushes against her with silent comfort. The touch doesn’t make her recoil or think of anything else but the butterflies in her stomach. She doesn’t understand why people call them butterflies, though. They feel thunderous, like dragons more than anything. 

“Are you hungry?” Namjoon is stopped in front of her, looking down at her with concern. “Are you alright? You seem a little out of it, I’m sorry if I rushed this, I just didn’t want you to be overwhelmed when the guys got home and needed my attention suddenly.”

“I’m fine, just a little tired.” She speaks the first thing she can think of. Her cheeks pink, causing her to dip her head so he hopefully doesn’t notice. 

“I just have one more stop, is that okay?”

“Of course.” He turns to walk with her again, making sure to keep in time with Y/N as she wants to walk slower to prolong her time with him before-

‘He has a pack’, she thinks. He has a family and people that need his time and attention much more than you do, more than you deserve to have it. 

You could be pack. I’m not. You could be, I want to be. 

Dread washes over her at the realization, and suddenly her limbs feel heavy, her skin not something that’s her own. Butterflies and dragons are long gone. She follows alongside him, this time with more space in between them. How could her cheetah want that, how could she think she has any place such as that in their home. Y/N needs to stay in her place to be able to keep her spot there, she needs to be a guest. A good one. What would they think of her if she tried to wiggle into their lives for good?

“Go ahead and look around, I’ll just be a few minutes.” Namjoon cuts her out of her thoughts, now standing in front of an electronics store. She listens, fascinated with all the little things in display cases that let her head ponder in wonder instead of that dread. Maybe she’s been staring at something for far longer than she realizes, or maybe he took less time than he’d thought- Namjoon is already ready to go with a sleek black bag added into the pile of bags. 

“Let’s go home and eat, yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

Home. 

-

Y/N is surprised to find she isn’t as nervous to see the pack this time around. She’s much more nervous with the fact that she still doesn’t know her place around them. Without Namjoon or Taehyung doting on her, what is the relationship supposed to be comprised of?

“Hyung!” Jungkook runs up to Namjoon who enters in front of Y/N, she hides behind him, her head down and hoping her bruises and cuts aren’t something they want to focus on. Jungkook clings to Namjoon, obviously having missed his wolf after not seeing each other all day. ‘I missed you.’ Y/N can hear the younger whisper as she hastily puts on her slippers. It all seems to weigh on her more now that she can hear them, smell them, and put excited or content expressions onto the pack’s faces. 

“Y/N,” Jungkook draws her attention away from the floor, her surprised expression matching his own. “It’s nice to see you again.” He shyly admits- his bunny ears dropping to cover his pinking ears. 

“It’s nice to see you as well, Jungkook. Thank you for, um, letting me be here.” She slips in before he can turn away. She needs to tell them, all in her own ways at the right time, whenever they offer her the time. She wouldn’t want to intrude on their unknown schedules. 

“It’s safe here.” He says quieter, as if he knew she wanted to hear why he allowed her to be there, in his home. She gives him a shy smiling nod. 

“Y/N, if you’re hungry, we are all going to eat right now.” Seokjin pulls both of their attention to him. Jungkook moving out of her way allows her to finally see the open living room and all the eyes setting on her. She immediately looks down again, not wanting to see their reactions to her. 

“I, uh, I-”

“She said she was pretty tired, hyung, I’ll get her settled and grab her some to eat up in her room.” Namjoon jumps in to help her.

“No worries. Have a good night.” Seokjin says with a smile in his voice. 

“Goodnight.” Y/N says in their direction, not knowing what else to say. 

She can’t help but feel a bit defeated at her failed attempt to be normal. She was less nervous before walking in. But, the second she realized that only Seokjin had seen her that morning, she immediately deflated into an anxious ball. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispers at Namjoon as they enter her room. 

“What for?” He genuinely asks. 

“That you had to save me, and that I didn’t greet them properly, or- I don’t know.” She wants to tell him more, but after the realization earlier, she has to put some type of distance between them. She can’t just give into her cheetah now that she knows what she wants. 

“You don’t have to worry about any of that. They know you need time, and I know you are trying. You are strong for doing all of this and even stronger for letting me know how you feel.” Namjoon explains, separating the things in the bag he dragged in for her. 

“I’ll do that. You should go have dinner with them.” She urges a little, still slightly timid from her earlier interactions. He pauses, not immediately responding to her or giving in. But he soon faces her with a smile. 

“Just take the tags off and then we can wash everything before you wear them. And I’ll bring you food before settling in with them.” Namjoon almost rushes out after instructing her. 

Suddenly, every layer she has on is itchy and suffocating. She strips off the oversized clothes Namjoon found for her, immediately heading for the shower to try and melt off the gross feeling coating her skin- she chooses a pair of new sleepwear she doesn’t care to have cleaned beforehand.. The water isn’t overwhelmingly hot, but a temperature that numbs her well. It’s nice not feeling anything, being scrubbed clean and warm. Afterwards, she’s dressed and leaving the bathroom to find the tray of food Namjoon promised, set on the side table near the space she sleeps. 

‘I’ll wish you goodnight after everyone’s settled.’ A note near the bowl of porridge similar to this morning’s sits. A side of veggies and cooked tofu sit on a plate next to it, accompanied by a chilled glass of water. She doesn’t deserve the attentive gestures. Not when she knows deep down how she really feels about this home. 

She takes to brushing her own hair and wrapping it up into a bun similar to how Namjoon did for her. She eats quickly, listening for the sound of five or six sets of footsteps to make their way to a bedroom down the hall. Then, she’s slipping out of her room with slippered feet, careful not to drop the tray with empty dishes. The coast seems clear, a way for her to clean up after herself without bothering anyone or getting in their way during their nightly routine. The kitchen light above the stove is one of the only things that lights up her path. It’s enough to get her to the sink, setting everything on the counter before slowly opening the hot water. 

A light clicks on above her, causing her to squint up at the entrance she came in from. 

“I didn’t realize you’d finished up, I’m sorry for getting to your room too late.” Namjoon. 

“It’s okay. I can finish up by myself.” She starts her work on the dishes, following the steps she remembered Namjoon and Hoseok took to clean the dishes. She basically ignores Namjoon as he rounds the island to meet her at the sink, watching intently as she washes and rinses, setting them aside to dry once she’s done. He’s too close, practically breathing down her neck with something primal and new she hasn’t felt from him before. 

Just as she’s finished washing and rinsing, Namjoon nudges her a little to the side. She doesn’t budge as easily, though, set on finishing her task. Namjoon gives an unfamiliar huff, and takes to gripping underneath her shoulders. Suddenly, her feet are off the ground and she’s set down butt first onto the counter near the sink. Namjoon wordlessly dries at the dishes she just washed. Her bewildered expression goes ignored. A scoff leaves her at the happenings. 

“Aren’t you gentlemanly?” She bites out. He doesn’t answer, in fact, he seems to not care at all for answering. It’s not until he’s finished and the dishes are put away that Namjoon finally gives her attention. His hands land on either side of her legs, bracketing her in on the counter. 

“I told you I’d take care of you.” Is all he huffs up at her. It’s an unfamiliar look for him- but not entirely uncomfortable or foreign feeling. 

“I can do simple things. I told you I’m not living here to be a cub you can dress up and buy things for as you fancy.” 

“I want to do everything. Right now, while you’re not feeling well, I want to do it.” He gives with another huff. 

“I don’t want to be a bother, especially during the time you should be with your pack.”

“You are-” He stops himself, cutting off what he was going to say to calm himself a bit. “I told you I’d care for you. I need to, Y/N.” He sounds pained in some way, his gaze not on her face anymore. Y/N remembers their conversation from before. His wolf. 

“Namjoon,” She tries to pull his attention up. He grumbles with an animalistic sound she hasn’t heard yet. She tries harder, finally allowing herself to touch him once again. Her palm gently pushes up on his chin to catch his gaze. “Is your wolf wanting this? Or are you?”

“My wolf is me, Y/N. We are not separate things, but two parts of one whole. Just as your cheetah will want and not want, and it will be connected to you with more intent than you realize.” It’s as if he knows. She shrinks under his words, a dry gulp being heard from her in the silence. 

“You really don’t mind caring for me like this? Like I’m something that needs- deserves- all this extra stuff?” 

“Even if our fates were different- I know I’d always want to care for you. Let me, just so my wolf can be satisfied a while longer, okay?” 

“Okay.” She whispers into the space- or lack thereof. He doesn’t back away, instead staying there to make sure something in him is quelled. 

“Okay.” He whispers back. “Let’s get you to bed, it’s cold out here.” He stretches out his arms for her, his want to carry her obvious and unforgiving this time- unlike this morning when he didn’t show his obvious want to soothe her. She could feel him against her once again. A feeling she’s growing to want more and more of. You would think that the constant small touches and the one-off hugs would put an end to her want. But, really, it just makes her yearn for more. It’s dangerous and bound to get her hurt. 

She clings to him still. Her arms tight around his neck, his arms tight around her back, her legs tight around his waist. 

“Don’t drop me.” She whispers, a little nervous once he starts up the stairs. 

“I won’t.”

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Okay so👏

* unlikely because as far as Solomon is concerned his & Thirteen's relationship is still going strong (which honestly I got to agree with - she obviously cares about him deeply in her own way)

** She was visiting the human realm often enough that it wouldn't be totally out of the realm of possibility. Plus the only thing we know about Solomon's friend is that they had a family and were probably not originally from his country as they possibly didn't hold the same fear towards magic that was common within humans during his time. Also it'd be cool if the two known human rights activists had met

**** under the assumption that the grave doesn't belong to one of the other listed options and instead belongs to a completely new/unheard of person

**** CRACK, CRACK, PURE CRACK BUT I COULDN'T RESIST

Pls reblog for a larger sample🐸

[moss-covered-thoughts]

Hey moss balls!!

So to my absolute HORROR, I never posted the announcement for chapter 8!! Of course most of you have already read it, but still, for consistency's sake, here we go.

BatPham fic - No Questions Asked

Ch 8 is up and comes with some gnarly angst and fighting. Update was a couple months ago (woops). Chapter 8 was my favorite to post, by far the chapter I was most proud of so far, which is why I'm shocked I never posted this!

But alas! Chapter 9 is finally written~ :3 I'll be posting tomorrow. So in the meantime, enjoy eight chapters of angst

Chapter 8 snippet:

Batman was not one to be fazed by gore or death, but seeing the figure move despite the obvious death-shot was unnerving. The woman recording screamed horribly, shrieking and crying but nonetheless, continuing to hold the phone shakily, as the Unknown leaned back while he held both hands up to its face, feeling the wound while keeling over in obvious pain, based on the shuddering movements. Several more blasts were being shot towards them now, but were all stopped by the barrier, shielding both the Unknown and the crowd alike. Each spot they hit glowed brighter before fading to the normal, translucent green.

Batman paused the video to zoom into the figure’s face. The video quality had quickly deteriorated again, he noted with frustration—he would have to go back and see if any cleaning could be done to the file. But zooming in, Batman noted the insides of the gunshot(?) wound were that same green-glow color, and seemed to be totally lacking any distinct form—no bones or muscle he would expect to see. It almost looked like a swirling pool of—liquid, like—like Lazarus pits. Batman felt himself grow cold at the comparison, as the color drained from his face. He quickly resumed the video, zooming back out to full view.

The green liquid-substance (it looked thicker than water) was dripping from the kid’s face. Bruce felt his stomach twist watching the Unknown try to catch handfuls of the green substance, holding his hands cupped like one would when drinking from a faucet, but missing as most of it dribbled down his arms or fell onto the ground. Transfixed, Bruce watched as the remaining goop (semi-solid substance, green, radiating glow, he marked in his notes quickly), slowly started to reform, shifting unerringly back into place to re-form the boy’s face—eyes first, green irises, blown wide—until the nose was back and eventually the mouth too. He gasped loudly as soon as he could, it seemed.

[shinystealingbirb]

hey so I watched the genshin video, the Road not Taken. And I have a lot of thoughts and I think the internet needs to know what my brain has cooked up

For context on the title. The road not taken is a poem by Robert frost. It’s a short poem that describes a critical point in his life as a path, and he’s looking back in his mind, peering as far down one of them as he can- guessing at what and where it may have led to- before taking the one less traveled, and in the end he comes back to who he is at the present, and he is satisfied with his choice.

I’m not sure what to make of that, honestly, comparing this meaning to the animation. I’m still thinking on this one. So I’ll move on.

The animation is so sweet and painful to watch, honestly but why I’m more interested in is the lore implications and background on our abyssal twin.

We learn Dainsleif was a distant companion, that Lumine was around for pivotal moments, probably before khanriah was destroyed, given how easily she walked through mondstadt. I don’t know if a fugitive, a princess of a targeted/collectively bombed and wiped out nation could wander the world without consequences, so I think she traveled and ended up in khanriah last. Like us. Which means all that chaos that seems to have always happened five hundred years ago, Lumine was around for. You know how shit always seems to go down the instant we enter a nation? There’s a chance the same thing happened to her and higher powers simply decided to fuck with us both, but I just think that part is interesting.

Now, the part I really care about. The part where we see lumine and Aether braiding hair and eating food together. It’s sweet, it made me sad and I swear I was crying in public. But that’s not the point.

The point is that Aether, the current-time twin, our MC, is putting flowers in her hair.

Inteyvats, specifically.

Which only grow on, obviously, Teyvat. In khanriah. If I remember right it’s like taking a piece of your home with you.

So when the hell did Aether have time to do that? Didn’t they enter the world and instantly get ganked by some god? That was after all the opening cutscene..

I’m beginning to wonder if they journeyed part of the world together. They arrived in a world up in flames, supposedly, and we’re assuming that’s the destruction of khanriah, right? And then the unknown god yanks away Lumine.

But the timeline isn’t timeline-ing. If khanriah was destroyed then, lumine wouldn’t have become their princess. The flames were of a different civilization then, probably, maybe an earlier one? I’m not entirely clear on the procession of early Teyvat lore, past the dragons. But the way mihoyo has given us the timeline so far is very clearly from Aether’s point of view, and because of that inconsistancy, at least partially jumbled and spotty in several areas. Whose to say we didn’t travel togethe?

Who’s to say we weren’t the ones who put flowers in her hair? In the opening cutscene of the game, lumine has inteyvats in her hair. They’d been in this world for some time already.

What did they see or do that made the unknown god consider them such a threat?

What did we see that we forgot?

Please comment, I’m sorta spitballing and collecting my thoughts at the moment, especially since I haven’t heard anyone talk about lumines flowers and how fucky they make the timeline… if I’m not totally misunderstanding it.

[ametistacollinsworld]

☆ V x Semi-AbsoluteSolver! Female! Murder Drone Reader ☆

My 45 request! Hope you like!

◇───────◇───────◇

You were a strange drone, confused and uncontrollable to say the least.

You were a normal female Murder drone like any other, until you had an unfortunate accident and almost overheated, that in a desperate attempt to get oil you hit your head, which caused your special AbsoluteSolver to activate, and unfortunately it didn't go away..

You managed to overcome overheating, and the head injury, but there it was, your AbsoluteSolver ◇ still active, probably due to a malfunction. You had to deal with it or you were to die- Well, the Solver wouldn't let that go anyway… and as a bonus you'd have lots of thoughts about the company or why you were created- Besides seeing everything always "highlighted" so- Yeah, sad.

Until one day… where you had an encounter with three drones. A female Worker drone, a male Murder drone and a female Murder drone..

You had entered an unknown territory, totally new to you! Having your senses confused by the heat but at the same time mixed with the feeling of just eliminating and eliminating more. You were a total mess.

You found a bunch of hapless Worker drones not too far away, lucky for you..I guess. Quickly hunting them down like they were rats, just dismembering and smashing whatever you could with your powers, a real killing party. And in that, without you knowing it, three drones were watching you from afar.

Uzi and N were both confused and honestly scared of you- I mean- You were a female Murder drone who also had a special AbsoluteSolver?! Some kind of diamond symbol… You were supposed to be very strong and dangerous they suppose!

While V…she was impressed to say the least- a little scared as well…but impressed. You seemed to be a very strong and a powerful girl, maybe… You two could be a duo- Cough- Partners- Cough-

So we can say that V was the first to introduce herself, flying towards you in a defensive way, she didn't know what you capable of okay?

We can tell you stopped when you saw a female Murder drone over there, with your systems "finally settling down" to a more user-friendly mode. And for the first time… V helped N and Uzi talk to someone lol… I don't know how to put this into words, you use your imagination-

" (Y/n)? What are you doing? I'm sooo boreddd- " V asked in a bored tone, just spinning around in your bedroom chair. You snorted rolling your eyes.

" A woman can't have a minute's peace on this hell of a planet- Even if it's cold as hell- Damn- " You snapped in an irritated tone, then heaving a heavy sigh placing your hand on your face 'rubbing' where they should your your eyelids. V just looked at you silently in question.

" Sorry V..I snapped again..I didn't mean to..I'm really sorry " You speak slowly in a low tone, tightening your arms around yourself trying to calm down. V sighed now taking a softer look at you.

" No problem… I would probably explode too if I had as many thoughts in my head as you do- " V said in a calm tone, looking at your figure that seemed to get depressed at those words, which she got up and walked towards you with concern and regret.

You leaned against the cold wall, sliding slowly to the floor, hiding your face in your arms giving a few sobs trying not to cry. You felt a figure sit down next to you, putting its arms around you in a small cozy hug… it was V.

" Look, I'm not very good with this, but I gonna try for you… I like how you don't question me- Or about my past… or even my motives- You're a very sweet and powerful girl.. and I want you to know that..I love you. " V spoke in a soft sweet tone, gently lifting your face with one of her hands to look down at her, what you opened your mouth to speak, but you were quickly interrupted by V…

She was kissing you!

V was kissing you…

You widened your eyes in surprise, but soon ended up melting into the kiss, wrapping your arms around V's neck to kiss her more passionately, which she responded by placing her other hand on your waist and wrapping her tail carefully in your own tail.

You and V slowly pulled apart after a few minutes, just staring at each other in a silent admiration, so after a few minutes you lean on her shoulder feeling more relaxed. V hugs your waist silently, placing a small kiss on your head.

" Better? " V asks in a low tone in your hair, which you snuggle closer to her shoulder.

" Yeah, thanks…can we stay like this a little longer? " You ask in a low hushed tone, which makes V give a soft smile.

" All for you sweet girl " V said giving you a warm smile, then stroking your hair gently and carefully.

You and V would stand next to each other. As friends and girlfriends. Always and forever.

[remyxavier]

I saw this post the other day, and I didn't like it or reblog it, and I very much regret that because I wanted to show it to my therapist tomorrow. I'm going to try and describe it to her using me as an example, maybe. Or just an unknown person. I don't know yet.

I feel like I am very good at looking like I am holding it together. My co-worker will literally call out from work because our job sucks and she's working really hard to cover others' responsibilities and she gets burned out and depressed. I just make jokes and say shit like "my antipsychotics are doing some heavy lifting today!" and continue on. But then something small, something insignificant will happen and I will have a full breakdown. I will be sobbing for hours in my room, I will wonder how I have made it this far in life when all I want to do is lie down and die, I will grieve over the loss of my brother, my cat, my Nana, and my friends, even though I have mourned them many times before, I will wonder what a trauma-free life would have been like, what does a caring and loving mother look and feel like, how different would I be had I not been sexually abused so many times from the ages of 8-24, would I be successful if not for my debilitating bipolar? And then, after a few hours of sobbing and catastrophizing, I will put makeup over my red and puffy face, I will put on a pretty or sexy outfit, put on music, and I will pretend like that never happened. Until it happens again, and again, and again. This is how I have been living my life since I became a teenager. I thought it was normal to just pretend it all away, take the metaphorical beatings of life (whether it was fair or not), make jokes so that no one else is uncomfortable, and then breakdown in private. I have had friends and lovers leave me because I am too "emotional" which, when I look back on everything, I think I did a hell of a job being strong for everyone else in every stage of my life even though no one ever did that for me. I just figured, some people are the care-takers in life, they take care of everyone else and support everyone else, and they deal with their own baggage, separately and alone.

I have been on the verge of a breakdown everyday since I was 13 or 14 years old, and I have just continued to mosey along in life as though this is a completely human thing to do, and now that I am in therapy, I realize it's not. I realize it by how many times my therapist mentions "that must have been traumatic for you," when it was just another fucking Wednesday for me. I understand therapy takes time, and I imagine I will be in therapy for many years, but I have no idea how to untangle all of this fucked up shit inside of my head and I have no idea what kind of person I am without all of this trauma and these horrible coping mechanisms. I just want to continue on, drinking and smoking, sleeping too much to avoid feelings when I can, and having my breakdowns in private so that I can just barely make it through life because I have known no other way and have been taught no other way and what else is there? Life is hard and horrible and long but one day I will finally get to die and that is what I look forward to. That can't be all there is, right?

Anyway, my makeup looks really fucking good right now, I look hot, and I'm trying not to cry because I dared turn the music off for a few minutes and now I can hear my thoughts and I'm being chewed up by them currently, so I'm going to turn the music back on, smoke weed, and pretend today away until my therapy appointment tomorrow when I will have to bring this all up and ruin my entire day, and then begin my work week and act like I am totally cool and have my shit together.

No one protected me all my life and now look at this fucking mess I am. I am what happens when people have children even though they are absolutely NOT qualified for it and then they throw me to the fucking wolves, thinking a small child can fend for itself. Newsflash! It fucking can't.

[jamietaylorenthusiast]

Echoes of Bly Manor: Jamie's Solitude

Summary:

Jamie is looking to escape her current life at which she she finds peace at Bly Manor. Surrounded by nature, she reflects on her past, cherishes the serene environment, and reconnects with cherished memories of the manor and its mysterious beauty.

Notes:

hiii, english is not my first language so please forgive me for any errors or any incoherence. read tags before clicking 'keep reading' total word count: 1047

Relationships:

Dani Clayton x Jamie Taylor, Dani Clayton & Jamie Taylor

Jamie’s plan is crystal clear to escape the hustle and bustle of her current life and move back to a calm and serene side in a quiet time in the countryside. A place which is close to her heart and helps her to relax and in a calm and serene environment. The house- Bly manor is surrounded by bounties of nature, tall mountains, deep dark forest and a peaceful river. The great Statue Garden has left a mark in which the gardener has carried with her since she first met them. The mystery behind these Statue Garden had always seemed to leave her baffled and speechless. The trees that surrounded that and the property had provided a great comfort to her after the penitentiary, which she could not describe at the time. Jamie always had a vivid imagination, in the time she was sad her imagination roamed. Feeling the loss and pain harbored by the world around her; as the sun falls on her soul the world is cast in a dull light. If no one knows the burden of sorrow at least the rain will cry with her, and the wind will wipe the tears away. But she has found that even the smallest bit of happiness is much, much sweeter in light of life’s tragedy, and tears well up in times of joy as well as sadness — it is death in contrast with life which brings beauty into the world.

At one point, she and her brother had camped in the valley near her house, during which her brother and her had resolved that some day she would go up the river that ran through the campground as far as she could in a single day, in an attempt to find solitude. She does hesitate to share the name of Bly with her brother now, because it is after all a secret place. And yet, there are few rivers in the valley as mighty as this one, and anyone can perhaps easily guess its name. Even in the dry season the river had flowed strongly for millennia, cutting a deep canyon out of the hills which ran east for many miles. It roared with laughter as it stumbled and fell over the rocks and pools beneath its many falls — only to bounce back up again like a child who in the midst of its play had immediately forgotten the pain of its fall.

This river was the source of life in the campground and surrounding woods, its life giving powers were to be outdone only by the heavy coastal rains which fuel it. But there isn’t much rain in the summer, and it is at this time in Bly. Jamie had woken up early to make the trip up the river barefoot, carrying only bottles of water. It made for a marvelous adventure, as she forever chased the unknown treasures around each bend and over each of the flora present near the river. She would often walk around the perimeter of Bly, circling the property, while viewing each and every minute detail of the place, from the chapel to the Wingrave family plot and her very own special garden, carefully taking care to not disrupt the flora that hung perilously before their thunderous faces. The greenhouse provided comfort to her, anything about gardening, she loved the care and nurture you put into it and the plant, always reciprocating the love and care it gets. She found it better than humans, no one would treat her badly or wake up to hurt her someday.

The many banyan trees with their prop roots and river had proved interesting to her — She couldn’t help but think of the previous gardner, who had fallen to given her a seat high off the ground, and who was in the process of giving back the strength which he had drawn out of the deep wells of the earth for so many years, perhaps centuries. The greenhouse were much the same, as the mighty trees which hung over the river would die, they would fall and become jammed in-between boulders, creating dams which raised the water level to the roots of their offspring, who rose joyously out of the deep canyons to catch the warm rays of the sun. The trees are not greedy. They only glean from the earth and the sky what they can, and then fall back to give more than they took to start. It was under their shade that she watched Flora and Miles play in as they swam, hiked and climbed, a few miles up river, till sun down, she watched alone from the depths of the woods, the river bearing on its back like a wild horse. The towering cliffs bled cold spring water, and most of their granite faces were covered in hanging moss and fern, brilliantly green and bold. An outsider might have thought the place looked odd and boring but it was much more than that, the voices echoing in the halls of the temple of the giants, as the disturbed the bed of the river and clung to the sun-warmed rocks by its sides.

But Jamie had never felt alien at all. Rather, she felt very much at home and welcome, although she was tired. And therein lies the heart of the mystery. She used to live her life blinded by the thought of just surviving, constantly worrying about her mother and wondering if her dad would come back. However she now believed that in the absence of nature we too easily forget who we are. The Manor is a home to us older than our houses, or houses in general. And if someone can see through the clouds of mosquitoes, and manage to peer into the dark shroud beneath the thick of the forest, you may find something very much welcoming and wonderful, if you have eyes — and the heart for it. Jamie hopes never to forget Bly Manor. The air seemed to plunge forever upward into the sky, like the chains of many anchors might plunge into the sea. There is a treasure deep in the river, and she wishes to be forever in the river, but the ghost of her lover is all that remains on the ground.

[felidacy]

DC x Jennifer's body

I somehow only ever found one fic like this and it focused on Tim as the unfortunate victim. That feels like a crime somehow. Also why I decided against my bias for Tim and instead give the focus to another batfamily member.

TW: mention of SA and alcohol, death, and gore

In this idea I headcanon Dick as asexual. He is by no means like that in canon rip

Basic rundown

Dick who is sexualized for years and assaulted multiple times before, but is publicly known as ace.

was hanging out with some friends (still mourning Jason and drinking too much) when a breakout happens, they leave to deal with it. Dick gets hurt from one of the villain's attacks and attempts to get back to the cave, Alfred insisted on him getting treated regardless that he doesn't want to see Bruce. That is when he gets captured and taken away

Dick gets sacrificed by some cult followers, unaware that he isn't a virgin

Dick wakes up days later with no memories of what happened in the middle of nowhere and an indescribable hunger

Dick kills and eats a deer with his bare hands, which promptly causes a mental breakdown and a crying session (after also vomiting all of the deer out again as well as if he can't eat animal meat any longer.)

he has no phone or anything on him and his clothes are covered in blood (were before he ate the deer too, but not that he was able to pay much attention to that in his state of shock). Still hungry, desperate, and with no means to ask for help Dick walks on until he comes across a small town.

finds a dying man he wishes to help, but that is when the hunger gets the best of him and he eats from the already passed-out man

Dick flees again until he finds himself in an alleyway

Tim was promised by his parents that they would spend his birthday together and he was looking forward to it. It wasn't worth it. He found himself now in an unknown town with his parents being in business meetings since the early morning, not even acknowledging his birthday so far and making more false promises

Wandering around that is when Tim comes across Dick Grayson, his hero, laying in an alleyway and covered in blood. Crying too, a lot

Tim decides that the ex-robin can only be helped by him and plans on bringing the man back to Gotham where he can ask Batman for help (it will be a whole other issue to explain how he knows their identities)

Dick does not want to accept the help of a child, much less when he seems to have lost all humanity along with his self-control now

that all goes out of the window when chaos gremlin Tim 'accidentally' manages to steal a cop car and Dick steps in to help just because he does not wish for him to crash

Cue a journey through the states as a warrant goes out along with missing person reports on the both of them

Dick barely controlling himself as he battles the demon inside himself that wants Tim dead, along the way that only causing other incidents

Tim and Dick end up in Gotham, and chaos ensues when Tim reveals their secrets just to blackmail Batman of all people to get Constantine or anyone else from the Justice League

Dick is impressed, Bruce is not and Alfred has already taken to him is the one that calls for Constantine.

With a totally willing Constatine they can figure out what happened to Dick (much trauma for everyone) and how to stop his violent urges to eat humans (more trauma and shouting)

Dick is more human-like again with no need to eat humans any longer after the demon gets expelled, however, he is forever left as a bit stronger than reasonable with some healing factors that make him able to bend even more into unnatural positions with his joints never seemingly being worn down

And then everyone gets some therapy and everyone can be a way happier family wuhu /j

[female-malice]

Propagandists are exploiting Syria’s suffering to win the information war in Gaza

Videos of Aleppo – where the Assad regime's tanks fired on my grandparents in their home – are being circulated as clips from Gaza

KAREEM RIFAI 17 October 2023 • 1:24pm

In one video, children cry amid rubble. In another, explosions rip through residential neighbourhoods. The images have gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), purporting to be from the ongoing chaos in Israel and Gaza. They actually originate from the war in Syria – including my family’s besieged hometown of Aleppo, where the Assad regime’s tanks once fired on my grandparents’ home while they were still inside.

They are not isolated examples, and the proliferation of misinformation on X is now so extreme that the European Commission began an official investigation last week. The past week has proved that the site is now unable to effectively tackle the spread of falsehoods in a time of crisis. Elon Musk must act quickly to prevent more harm.

In this case, the images aren’t just being used to delegitimise the state of Israel. Many of the videos are of Syrian cities and civilians, largely due to Syria’s geographic adjacency to Israel-Palestine, and their use constitutes a dangerous form of atrocity revisionism. Attributing crimes committed by the Syrian regime and the Russian government to other regional actors gives way to the erasure of Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin’s culpability in the destruction of multiple Syrian cities.

And yet still the images flow. Just hours after the start of Hamas’ attack last weekend, a viral video purported to show missile fire from Gaza toward Israel. Only after receiving millions of views did a Community Note appeared below the post pointing to the source as a three-year-old video, most likely from Syria. Although this helped to mitigate the unchallenged spread of the video, the lag in its implementation created a window of irreversible misinformation.

In another, now-deleted post, a video of the Assad regime bombing the Syrian town of Ariha, which was happening concurrent to the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, was represented as the Israeli Defence Forces bombing the Gaza Strip. This post garnered over a million views before its deletion, giving cover to the Assad regime in real-time as it used the chaos in Israel and Gaza to amplify its siege of rebel-held northern Syria. These strikes included attacks against at least ten schools and multiple other sites of civilian assembly in my family’s home governorates of Aleppo and Idlib.

The prevalence of misattributed Syria videos only continues to grow as the Israeli offensive against Hamas intensifies, effectively rewriting the Assad regime’s crimes. A several-year-old video of a crying Syrian child during the Assad regime’s siege of Aleppo, purported to be a Palestinian in Gaza, received millions of views in total.

By far the most egregious appropriation of Syrian suffering has been the dissemination of an image of child victims of the Eastern Ghouta gas attacks committed by the Assad regime, which killed hundreds of Syrians a decade ago. An influencer posted the image, claiming that the pictured children were Palestinians “murdered” by Israel, a claim which millions saw. Incredibly, this was even reposted by US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

As the Israel-Gaza information war rages on X, it is all too clear that the Community Note system is unable to keep up with the real-time spread of rapidly viral misinformation — even reaching the eyes of unwitting American politicians. Despite being detached from the hostilities in Israel and Gaza, Syrian civilians like my now-passed grandparents have become the unknown victims of a new revisionist misinformation ecosystem enabled by a platform that incentivises and promotes content made purely for clicks, not truth. They deserve better.

[talesfromtheasterism]

Profile: The Rite of Stars

The Rite of Stars (or the Festival of Stars, the Festival of Lights, or simply the Lights) is an Asteri winter festival where all four realms illuminate the dark months with string lights, candles and lanterns to bring the revered starlight of the night sky to their home on the ground. While the Asteri realms' years are enigmatically synchronised with each other, the festivities were developed independently by the isolated human cultures prior to the Awakening. Each has additional, complex observances to the Rite, but lighting candles in public spaces after dark is universal.

In the Lucid Weave, it becomes customary in winter to carry a lantern of loomstone, a chrysolite-like crystal that glows the same bright yellow as the Skyloom's radiance that replaces sunlight in the realm. Some of this radiance accumulates as loomstone deposits on the edges of the islands during its transit through the star-ocean, and it is perilously mined for use in the Rite and other cultural practices. The lightweight material is encased in a lantern (or simply threaded with a handle, for the budget-conscious Lucida) and worn, carried, or displayed on homes after loomdusk as a corporeal homage of the Starweaver's powers of creation. At the conclusion of winter, the gradually dimming loomstones are symbolically thrown back into the star-seas (or the River of Lights, for many within the Mirror Capital), where they quickly dissolve and resume their circuit as part of the grand architecture of the celestial superstructure.

Perhaps the most unusual celebration of the Rite is in the Flooding Sands, where it is regimented around the Eclipse Months. During the winter of the Sands' 'planet', which is a moon of a low-density gas giant, its path through the sky begins regularly overlapping with the sun's, creating regular midday eclipses of up to an hour's totality near the solstice. To combat this darkness, the entirety of the Floodlands is lavishly decked in warm, phosphoric alchemical string lights, turning both the long nights and dark intervals into a cozy luminescence. The eclipses are a Pandora-sanctified rest period, a sort of anti-siesta, where Floodlanders often retreat into homes or restaurants to eat, nap, or keep warm during the temperature drop. The Rite of Stars lasts through the Eclipse Months and the following Feast of the Night Monsoon.

The Commune of Whispers makes no official observance of the Rite of Stars, due to their abject terror towards provoking the inscrutible forces of the Void Diffuse. But this is a far cry from practices in the outland city of Journey, where it is a grand fiesta of defiant vibrance. Despite having no conventional year cycle (or sun), when 'winter' arrives as tracked by chronometers, the sections of the Void's pale grey sand surrounding Journey are brushed with elaborate patterns of glowing, technicolour paint and pigment. The luminous collective mural spreads outwards from the city borders and in sporadic pockets beyond, as though to challenge the forces of the Void against irrepressible human spirit. Its strange machinations oblige; within a few days of each mural's painting, they have faded and vanished, only to be repainted in short order. The Rite lasts as long as the Journeyers can be bothered to repeatedly laugh in the Mourning Ones' faces. Mural patches sometimes crop up in the Commune, and are rarely reported by outlands scouts, though they quickly vanish - one by the irate hands of man, and the other by parties unknown.

During the harsh, smoke-dimmed winters of the Ash Wastes, the Ashen have repurposed the Rite of Stars as a sombre display of hope. Even without human intervention, the normally dark and blackened Wastes are brightened in winter by a layer of ice and snow, though it appears a gloomy grey in the low light. Throughout all the principal cities and settlements, commonly-treaded regions of the Outer Wastes, and even a few encampments in the Ring of Fire, immense light rigs and floodlights are erected, pointed at the ground to illuminate as much snow as possible for as long as it lies. Its high reflectance, and the rare unification of the warring factions in the floodlights' placement, means the whole of the populated Ash Wastes seems to glow a bright white against the ravaged world beyond, as a symbol of life and endurance; that human civilisation in the Wastes marches on, and always shall. The floodlights are expensive to power, but the Ashen place great value on morale as they rage against the bleakness of the world.

All attempts to bring Christmas to the Asterism have failed. They just love their lights over there.