#all decision making is finalized by Harley

[aroaceleovaldez]

the way the cabin counselor system at chb works is so funny to me, especially the later into the series it gets. Annabeth is cabin counselor at 12 because she’s been there the longest, so her siblings who are literally all older than her have to listen to her. Piper challenges Drew to be cabin counselor only to immediately leave, making Drew the counselor again. Nyssa and Jake play hot potato with being counselor only to pawn it off onto their presumably second-youngest and newest sibling (Leo), who then also immediately dips. There can be multiple counselors at one time with no reason required other than “Eh, we felt like it.” Theoretically there is no upper limit to counselors per cabin. Everyone is cabin counselor. You are cabin counselor. What is happening.

[thepenumbrapodcast]

We've gotten a few asks lately regarding how we planned out some of the details of our finales... but why settle for a vague summary when you can see it for yourselves?

Yesterday on Patreon we dropped a special commentary for ALL paying Patrons: a ninety-minute commentary in which Harley and Kevin debate about the final five seconds of the podcast. If you want to know how we make our biggest creative decisions, head over to Patreon and listen!

Thanks for your support, Travelers, and we'll see you Sunday for our post-series Q&A!

[vmpiires]

﹆₊ 乗車‧₊˚ RIDE IT LIKE A HARLEY, KAMO CHOSO

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ﹆₊ 概要 ‧₊˚ you should be heading to uni for class but your driver has other plans. wc, 1.76K. dark mode recommended.

␥ note. wrote this in advance despite the results of the poll ;) i just really wanted to write something and i was getting bored (i was also gettin agitated by the banner pic cuz i’m running out of the pics that look like the one on the previous post and idk if i like this one..) ANYWAYYYYY hope ya enjoyyy. reblog to support meeee

␥ tags. biker AU, smoking, smut, female anatomy, etc. lmk if i missed anything

␥ misc. masterlist AO3

you grew increasingly anxious as you waited for your driver, your heart pounding in nervous anticipation at the thought of being late and having your professor give you a scolding. as if the situation wasn't bad enough already, the acrid smoke from the person behind you only further stirred up your sense of dread.

"ya look like a damsel in distress," the voice behind you said. you cautiously spun to see an imposing figure, a cigarette hanging from his lips.

your gaze fell upon the intricate tattoo displayed on his forearm, a symbol that you instantly recognized with a flicker of fear and awe. it was the insignia of the most notorious biker gang in japan, synonymous with power, rebellion, and danger. the black lines and bold design seemed to pulsate with a life of their own, drawing your eyes in and leaving you both captivated and wary.

"can give you a ride if ya want." he offered.

the words hung in the air for a moment before you finally replied, "i guess that's fine."

your grip on your bag tightening with tension. your tone was hesitant, unsure of what to make of the situation. the silence around you amplified the sound of your own breathing and the rustling of leaves in the wind. you could feel the weight of his words lingering between you, like a heavy fog that refused to dissipate. your heart raced as you tried to process the implications of his statement, unsure if everything would be okay or not.

his gaze roamed over you, taking in your appearance. you were the complete opposite of him; a sweet and cheerful girl who looked like she'd break if someone breathed on her wrong. the thought made him scowl.

still, there was something about you that he couldn't put his finger on. even though he knew your fear was palpable, he felt some sort of urge towards you. like you were a forbidden fruit that he shouldn't be touching, but desperately wanted to taste.

he watched you with a faint flicker of appreciation, taking in your frame. his gaze ran up your legs, appreciating how short the length of your skirt hugged your hips. you were a delicate flower. soft and easily manipulated, waiting to be plucked.

'damn, she's fine.'

"don't be all tense," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "i ain't gonna hurt you. just don't be all talkative. i'm not in the mood for small talk." he took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke, the faint scent of tobacco lingering in the air. your eyebrows furrowed at his words, unsure of what to make of this mysterious stranger who had just saved you from imperil.

but you knew you didn't have time to hesitate or argue. with a deep breath, you made your decision and strode over to the blood red harley parked nearby. the streetlights glinted off its shiny exterior, making it look like it was straight out of a magazine cover.

you climbed onto the black padded seat, adjusting your bag on your shoulders as you rolled your shoulders to get comfortable. the engine roared to life beneath you, simply ready to get the day over with.

your driver started the engine which sounded rumbling and thunderous, the smell of fuel and oil from the vehicle lingering in the air. he gave a low whistle before peering behind him to look at you, his ponytail slinging over his shoulder.

"alright, we're going, so keep your arms tight around me if you don't wanna fly off." he warned with a bored expression, not bothering to give you any pleasantries whatsoever. "name's choso, by the way."

you eagerly nod your head and wrap your arms around the man's body, pulling yourself in close. his back is broad and strong, and you bury your face into his warmth, inhaling the intoxicating mix of cologne and cigarette smoke.

despite the thick leather jacket he wears, you can still feel the defined muscles of his back beneath your fingertips. the scent of him fills your senses, adding to the overwhelming desire that pulls you towards him.

choso could feel your frame snuggling up to him, which amused him. it reminded him of the times when he had his previous girlfriends wrap themselves around him while they rode. he was used to the feeling, but he didn't complain; it felt nice to have a woman against him, especially one with your frame. his grip on the bike handle tightened as he shifted speeds.

he turned his head, catching another glimpse of you behind him. "so what's your name, darlin'?" he asked in a soft, inviting tone. you couldn't help but feel drawn to him as you told him your name. he nodded, a small smile forming at the corners of his lips, followed by an acknowledging hum that made your heart skip a beat.

"mm...nice name for a pretty princess," choso's words lingered for a moment before an idea appeared in his mind. as the bike approached a red light, he'd look back behind him to look at you again. "what do you say we go somewhere else, hm? i know you're heading to class but what's wrong with being a lil late?"

choso's question caught you off guard, wondering why a man you barely knew had been asking you to go somewhere with him besides dropping you off to uni and driving off. but, you didn't understand why you even said yes to his query.

the entire time, you were so worried about your professor scolding you because you weren't on time for class yet here you were, making your way into this man's apartment and to his bedroom.

as you lay on the bed, choso's lips trailed down your neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses in their wake. his hands roamed your body, exploring every curve and dip as they slowly made their way down to your thighs. you could feel his nails digging into your skin, leaving a slight sting that only added to the pleasure. with each passing moment, your body grew hotter and more responsive to his touch.

his voice whispered seductively in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. "you know what would be cute?" he began, his breath tickling your sensitive skin. "you with your legs wrapped tightly around my waist, your hands grabbing at my hair, and your nails digging into my back… do you think you'd like that, baby? because i'm sure as hell gonna love it…"

with a gasp of anticipation, you nodded eagerly and pulled him closer. your heart raced as you awaited the ecstasy that was sure to come with choso's skilled touch and wickedly sweet words.

your feet danced lightly in the air as you tried to maintain some semblance of composure, despite the marks and bites left on your skin by choso. you managed to reach a shaky hand up to his head, pulling out the elastic band that held his jet black hair in a ponytail, causing it to fall down over his broad shoulders.

choso's smirk widened as he felt his hair come loose. He stopped his teasing and looked up at you, before deftly flipping both of you over so that you were now on top.

you sat there in confusion for a moment, unsure of what choso was trying to get you to do. you had never been intimate with anyone like this before. but as he placed his hands on your hips and gave you a mischievous look, lifting your skirt slightly to get another glimpse of your body, you understood.

"don't get all shy now," he chuckled lowly, assisting you in removing both his pants and boxers. "it's just like riding a bike…except this time, you'll be riding me." his words sent shivers down your spine as you straddled him, ready to take control.

choso pushed himself into your sopping wet core, his length surprising you as he attempted to bottom out. a low groan escaped his lips as he filled you, and you instinctively grabbed onto him for support.

"quit whining," he scolded, waving a dismissive hand. "you'll get used to it in a minute." he placed his hands on your hips once again, guiding your movements. "you go like this, okay? keep your eyes on me."

as he rocked your body, you let out a soft moan, trying your best to follow choso's instructions. But your gaze kept wandering away from him, unable to focus with the overwhelming pleasure coursing through you. sensing your distraction, choso moved one hand from your hips and placed it under your chin, forcing you to look at him.

"i'm right here," he murmured, locking eyes with you. "not over there." his intense gaze held yours, grounding you in the present moment.

choso's lips curled into a smirk as your full attention became fixated on him. the room echoed with the sounds of your moans and groans, mixing with the creaking of the bed frame and the wet slapping of skin against skin. your fingernails dug deeply into the soft flesh of his shoulders, urging him to push into you harder and faster.

as the intensity built, your breath hitched in your throat, matching the increasing pace of your movements against him. choso's strong arms pulled you closer, his grip on your hips becoming tighter as he matched your urgency. every thrust was met with a powerful response from your body, driving both of you closer to the edge of pleasure.

you both collapsed onto the bed, your bodies tangled together in a sweaty, orgasmic haze. you could feel choso's hot breath against your skin as you panted for air, your bodies still tingling from the intense release. slowly, his hands released you, his fingers trailing down your body before coming to rest at his sides. he let out a deep sigh and gave you a sly smile.

"next time," he said in a husky voice, "we'll see if you can handle it without my help." his words sent shivers down your spine and the smirk on his face only added to the thrill. "but for now, go clean up so you can make it to class. i think you can handle a quick scolding. being late ain’t gone hurt ya none."

you nodded, feeling both ecstatic and exhausted from the recent experience. as you made your way to the bathroom, you couldn't help but reminisce every moment in your mind, already counting down the minutes until you could be with choso again.

⠀© vmpiires | like, reblog & follow.

[littleredwing89]

FAMOUS - PART ONE

Bodyguard!Jason Todd x Singer!Reader

Warnings: Language. Mentions of death threats.

A/N: So part one is finally here!!! Woohoo!!! Enjoy all. More to come soon xoxo much love xoxo @offendedfishnoises thanks again for all of your help with this - all the love xoxo

————

DEATH SHALL FIND YOU

————

The Gotham Sirens.

You never imagined that this would happen to you. Not in a million years. The group had taken off almost instantly and you’d become world famous. You stared up at the stage, the neon blue of your band's name glowing. Several technicians ran past you and smiled, altering the mic stands and taping down the wires so no one would fall. You loved the hustle and bustle just before the performance. Even standing on that stage in front of millions of people, nothing made your soul buzz like the beginning set up of a show.

You, Selina, Ivy and Harley had met at Gotham University majoring in Dance and Music. At first it had been nothing more than just a class assignment. Create a song. But Harley uploaded it onto Instagram and it blew up the internet. The next thing you knew, Mr Roman Sionis - headhunter for Dent Sounds Record Label - himself had arranged a meeting with the four of you.

And well, as they say, the rest was history. That was over 3 years ago now. It had been a complete blur. You were still catching up. You were no longer having to scrimp and save for cash. No. Now, now you had everything. Everything you’d ever dreamed of. Everything but your privacy. Especially after the meeting this morning with Roman.

——

“You’re not being serious are you?”.

You looked into the mirror whilst the make up artist finished off your eyelashes. Your manager, Roman, stood behind you with his arms crossed. A stern look stitched onto his face.

“Of course I am”, he huffed and his stare burned into you, “You’ve received another death threat and someone tried to break into your condo last month. You need more security. Something more personal”.

You rolled your eyes and the make up artist scolded you by smacking her brush on your wrist. You grinned cheekily at her before resting back in your chair, putting on your sickliest, sweetest voice, “Romy…”.

Your little nickname for him. It worked every time. He’d never allow anyone else to call him that. Just you.

“No”, he growled, “This is my final decision. You’re getting a personal bodyguard. I don’t want to find you chopped into tiny pieces”.

“How come Ivy doesn’t have to have one? Or Selina...even Harley doesn’t! So why me?”.

You didn’t need a bodyguard. You knew the second you got one, you would be kissing your freedom goodbye. They’d be with you 24/7. Your apartment would be shared. You wouldn’t even be able to sneak off to McDonalds for a McFlurry at 3am without having to confirm it with them. Or even worse, have them go with you.

“They haven’t had any psychotic stalkers”, Roman rested against the wall, sighing deeply, “yet”.

You scowled and refused to meet his eyes in the mirror. This was a complete over reaction.

“Look, I know you’re not happy but this goes way over my head. Mr Dent, the CEO—insisted. And to be honest Y/N, I think it’s a good idea. You girls are only getting more popular and that means more weirdos will crawl out of the woodwork”.

“Romy…”, you tried once more, turning to him and fluttering your dark, thick lashes at him, “Can’t you talk to Mr Dent?”.

He pressed a hand to his forehead, the muscles in his forearms contracting. You noticed the dark shadows under his eyes and silently wondered when he last got a good night's sleep.

“I’m sorry”, he muttered, “But I agree with Harv on this one, I’ve already been in touch with a firm. They’re highly recommended…you’ll meet them tomorrow”.

He turned quickly and strode out of the changing room as his phone rang, ending the conversation abruptly. You could hear his booming voice bouncing down the corridor and you glared at yourself in the mirror.

Fucking perfect.

————

Dumping a wad of paperwork down onto the desk, Jason sighed and took a long sip of his coffee. He knew high profile clientele came with difficulty but the stack of paperwork Sionis had sent him was nothing short of ridiculous. They even wanted to know where he’d bought his new leather jacket from last month.

“Alright?”, Roy sauntered over with his own coffee cup shuffling some of the papers. He was awfully chipper this early in the morning. Jason hummed in response and grabbed a pen from the side beginning to fill in the required forms.

He’d started this business with Roy a few years ago. Dropping out of university was tough but it wasn’t for him. Jason remembered worrying about telling Bruce. What his family would think of him but they showed him nothing but support. Unconditional love. They’d both managed, with countless hours, to build ‘Outlaws Security’, into the most successful security firm in Gotham.

Roy’s eyebrows lifted upon seeing a photo of the new client, “Isn’t that the chick you had on your wall at uni?”.

“What? No!”, Jason bristled and shoved the photo of you back under the documents. He inwardly cursed. Fucking Roy.

“So, you're saying that if I look inside your office locker, I won't find a poster of her?”.

Jason heard the cocky smirk on Roy’s face and groaned in irritation running a hand over the front of his face, “Touch my locker and I’ll break your legs”.

Roy cackled loudly and sat on the edge of Jason’s desk, “Ok so you do still have it. Better not let her find it”.

“You’re a real jackass you know”.

“So I’ve heard...maybe she’ll sign it for you if you ask nicely”, Roy continued to mock Jason, making kissy faces at him.

“Why don’t you shut your mouth before I shut it for you”, Jason scowled and turned his chair around pretending to look for some files in the cabinet behind him. Hoping Roy would get the hint and leave him alone.

“This must be like your dream job come true, pretty boy—better not screw it up”.

Jason sighed deeply and threw his head back in exasperation, “I need a new best friend”.

Roy gasped dramatically and held a hand over his heart, “What?! You love me and you know it!”.

“Whoever told you that was lying”.

————

[pray-montana]

As someone who is also a despicable me fan I’d love to hear some headcannons for Valentina (as someone who struggles with making headcannons I’d like to hear some from another persons view)

Thank you very much for your question. I couldn’t even imagine that someone would be interested in my opinion about the DM characters!

Unfortunately, the summary about Valentina is quite vague, but this has its advantages. So the field for thought becomes much wider ✍️✍️✍️

I'd like to start by saying that Valentina is an ally, but also independent of Maxime and his views on villainy (not like Harley and Joker.) This makes her not only a modern woman but also a strong character if the writers aren't lazy. It’s a pity that her summary and explanations contain no specific facts, other than the fact that she is cool and a proponent of a healthy lifestyle💀

• I think that in her relationship with Maxime, she is the voice of reason. Even if he believes that he's the head of the family, he makes the final decisions after considering her reasonable arguments. She's able not only to convince Maxime, but also to cheer him up in the worst times, even if it doesn’t seem so at first.

• Compared to Maxime's bright appearance and eccentric behavior, she silently shows who is trash here.

• She, unlike Maxime, is a perfect pilot of their giant ship. Plus, judging by her emotions in some of the shots, she really enjoys it! In this, I understand her 🏎️💨

• Sofía Vergara claimed that Valentina's arrogant personality also concealed a soft side. I believe that this side is personified in her dog, who, in contrast, looks very friendly. At first I even thought that it would be better for them to even swap pets with Poppy.

• I think she was that rich straight-A student in high school. BUT! It wasn't for nothing that she was considered the coolest girl at the Lycée. She looks very intelligent, reserved, and calculating, which is perfect for a villain. C'mon, she got her boyfriend out of jail?!?!?

• She has a whole ritual of preparing for going out, from beauty procedures to choosing outfits and combing her pet's hair. But Maxime still gets ready longer, even though he has half as much to do.

• Valentina looks like a trendsetter. She probably has a whole collection of branded shoes, handbags and other luxury items.

• Valentina is SINCERE in her relationship with Maxime. Have you seen the shot of her smiling enthusiastically when he shows her his invention? God, I want to wish this dynamic for everyone who wants to find a healthy relationship.

• I'm convinced that she knows a lot about humor, and in a way that not everyone will understand: Valentina will joke with the same serious face and voice as usual. You just need to listen to the words. (Perhaps her vibe is somewhat reminiscent of Daria series?)

• I think she actually doesn't treat Gru badly and may even enlist his help in the film. At the meeting, she simply doesn't care about Gru and everyone else. But she'll only help to take revenge for the sake of Maxime... as long as it's sounds like a good idea

• I think that before her relationship with Maxime, Val was disdainful of insects. However, she then worked through the issue and became neutral with it. By the way, she vibes like a dragonfly, don’t you agree?

• Val had to get used to the fact that her partner was special not only in personality but also... Well, in general, at the moment she has no problems with Maxime's features. Great message about accepting other people. I respect that!

• She may be soft on the inside, but she doesn’t act like she’s being overly cute. She looks like an adult woman and shows gentleness, attention, and care like an adult too.

• She often has to save Maxime from trouble, even from the stupidest ones, like a flytrap. But it doesn't annoy her at all🤲

• I am convinced that Valentina was the one who instilled self-confidence in Maxime and offered him a way to present himself, based on his hidden qualities!

In any case, I am sure that the relationship between Valentina and Maxime will be harmonious not only within the framework of being villains, but also as ordinary people. They don't look like people I'd want to wish bad things upon.

[docgold13]

Batman: The Animated Series - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Poison Ivy (New Adventures)

Following an absence from Gotham City, Poison Ivy returned looking quite different.  Her skin had turned a greenish shade of pale and her physique was more slim and nymphlike.  Pamela Isley had used plant-golems as surrogates for herself in the past and it is possible that the Poison Ivy who reemerged in Gotham was actually just another of these floral golems.  Conversely it is also possible that continued exposure to plant-based mutagens had transformed Isley, making her more of a dryad-like being.  

Whatever the case, Poison Ivy was up to her old tricks.  She created a series of plant-based replicants each of whom exuded invisible spores that made them incredibly desirable.  Each of these golems were designed specifically for an individual victim, all people who were wealthy and influential throughout Gotham and its surrounding boroughs.  Bruce Wayne was among these targets and he found himself having fallen head over heels in love with a young woman named Susan.  The spore-based pheromones Susan emitted made Bruce feel a sense of peace and contentment that he had never in his life experienced.  She was the perfect woman: strong, accepting, beautiful and compatible in every way.  

It was only after his marriage to Susan and decision to forsake his life as Batman that Bruce finally discovered the terrible truth of who (or rather what) Susan actually was.  A heartbroken Bruce resumed his guise as Batman and brought down Ivy’s schemes, destroying the various plant golems who were planning on killing their new spouses and leaving ivy in control of their fortunes and influence.  Ivy herself seemed to perish, but she would resurface soon thereafter.  

Hiding out with her partner, Harley Quinn, the two were visited by the escaped super villainess known as Live Wire.  The three of them went on a destructive crime spree that was ultimately stopped by the combined efforts of Batgirl and Supergirl.             

Some time later, Poison Ivy teamed up with The Floronic Man as part of a diabolical scheme to transform all life on earth into plant-based creatures similar to the Swamp Thing.  Although Batman and Nightwing fought hard to put an end to this plot they could not prevail and the day was actually saved when Harley Quinn pleaded with Ivy to stop.  Ivy and Harley’s love for each other turned the tide and Ivy chose not to go through with the plan.   

Actresses Diane Pershing and Paget Brewster each provided the voice for Poison Ivy, with the villainess first appearing in the ninth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Pretty Poison.’

[movie-nite]

Building Blocks of Arcane Women: Mel Madarda

The League of Legends series "Arcane" depicts some of the most well written and built characters I have ever seen. It seems like almost everyone can agree that this series is absolutely beautiful with the storyline, but with this post I'm going to deep dive into just the writing and creation of the female characters alone.

Mel is the "femme fatale" noble of Piltover's council who is seen using her noble status, beauty, and overall reputation in order to manipulate and convince others to side with her on various conflicts. She truly values Piltover and wants to see it prosper and thrive, and she is going to do everything in her power, and beyond it, to make it happen. The main factor that makes her such an empowering and overall inspiring character is agency, or the ability to change the course of events by making crucial choices and the exercise of that ability alone. Mel is a character who uses her ability to change her environment so she doesn't truly have to adapt. With most female characters who sit in a position of power in popular series, they don't frequently exercise their ability to change... well anything. A lot of the time, they get tossed around by the plot of the story or let men influence and impact every little decision or just let them make the decisions instead. Or, in the worst cases, they get killed off before they make a change. In Arcane however, Mel and pretty much every woman in the show has some sense of agency. All of their decisions make a pretty big impact on their communities, their families, and basically the societies of both Zaun and Piltover. In Mel's story, she has the final say in Hextech and where it expands and chooses to promote Hextech weapons and to use them for war, then for peace, and on top of all of that, she managed to push the council however she wants and wherever she needs to. The other council members are simply her pawns in some cases, allowing her to get what she needs done and get it done when she needs it. This can be seen the countless times she glares at other council members, causing them to also vote and raise their hands. This is due to her tremendous political power she has had since the beginning as well as the overwhelming control she has over other council members and a lot of that stems from the wealth that she has, despite being the least wealthy of the Madara family. Even with that, she is continuously looking to expand about her wealth and income. The thing is, she starts out in the same position of power that many other women do. Those other women however, end up losing their agency. They manage to fall into some ridiculous circumstance that magically makes them unable to make big decisions. Somehow, there are very common scenarios where this happens, like in Star Wars where Princess Leia somehow creates or gets involved in conflict that causes her to lose her power. Another scenario is when the power one woman has is taken by another woman, sort of like in Heathers where the dispute is between one naturally powerful woman like Heather Chandler and one woman having to work her way to the top like Veronica Sawyer or even Heather Duke. It's almost like there is a "limited supply" of agency when it comes to women in fiction. And lastly, the scenario where power and agency also get lost or taken, is whenever a man or a romantic interest get involved. Whether this weakens the woman or makes her more vulnerable, she still manages to lose her power (as seen in DC with Harley Quinn, who was one a respectable psychiatrist and human prior to her falling in love with the joker, who ended up making her submit to him and corrupted her and her values). Many viewers and fans were scared of this happening when there was signs of Jayce and Mel's relationship. People thought that Mel was magically going to let Jayce take the reigns, but no, it only empowered her more. She used that relationship as an opportunity to succeed and bring home the bread. Her connection to Jayce allowed her to convince other council members to side with her and work towards and with her goals and morals.

[artbyblastweave]

There are a lot of ways in which Bonesaw seems to be in conversation with Harley Quinn. They’re both blonde, perky minions with an exaggerated affect and an affinity for black comedy, the girl-fridays to their respective society-dwelling chaotic-evil middle-aged masterminds. Both of them have sympathetic backstories in which they were brought to their current sorry state through deft and continual emotional abuse and/or torture. Both of them are painted as arguably more competent and creative than their respective bosses, and both of them ultimately receive redemptive arcs in which they rediscover their sense of personal agency and get out from under the thumb of their abuser. And neither of them has a valid license to practice medicine.

One thing I don’t see brought up a lot, though, is that Harley Quinn as she’s currently written and marketed is already subverting and deconstructing a character archetype- namely, that of Harley Quinn. She was originally introduced as a relatively flat and uncomplicated minion of The Joker, for a gendered sight gag they didn’t even go through with in the final cut of the episode. She verged on being a stock character. I’ve always parsed Mad Love, the comic/episode that fleshed out her backstory, as the writers subsequently sitting down and seriously considering the whole moll archetype; asking themselves how someone ends up the sidekick of someone like The Joker, and how dysfunctional that relationship would be behind closed doors. Harley Quinn is already thoroughly subverting Harley Quinn, to the extent that it’s now possible to go your whole life without consuming any Batman media that contains the original dynamic being subverted.

So what Bonesaw is doing is that she takes that subversion and cranks it up a notch. Bonesaw is a version of Harley Quinn who, in my opinion, is vastly more sympathetic than Harley herself, but she also (very reasonably!) gets handed much less of a pass by the narrative despite this.

Harley was a grown woman with a doctorate. Bonesaw was Six. Harley breached professional ethics by becoming involved with her patient. Bonesaw was Six. Harley (I think @zoobus brought this up recently and got me thinking about this) was, as the Joker’s doctor, and thus at least initially was the more powerful party in regards to the power imbalance. Bonesaw was six. 

But! Despite the fact that Bonesaw was six, and was dealt an unabashedly terrible hand, the redemption arc is significantly more uphill because she, you know, she did torture and murder scores and scores of people in the most horrifying ways possible! And at a certain point issues of culpability have to take a back-seat to questions like “Are we physically capable of stopping her if she changes her mind and starts doing this again?” Pound-for-Pound I’m pretty sure she’s much worse in terms of raw bodycount than Harley Quinn, regardless of how much choice they each had in the matter. No real way to elide that. No marketing-based impetus for the author to do so.

Her redemption arc doesn’t happen because people within the setting idealistically recognize her as an abused child who’s deserving of a second chance on principle; instead they get her in their custody, they need something from her, and extend her the courtesy of not killing her because that’s the only way to get what they need. They never trust her; they never will trust her, (I personally don’t feel like they’re under any obligation to ever trust her) and her readmission to society is so knifes-edge conditional that from her perspective it was only barely worth it to return to the fold. She is not happier for her decision. There’s no just-so story about how doing good makes everyone forgive you and become your friend, or at least become cautiously indifferent to you. This is, like, the most cynical, harsh and bitter redemption arc possible. And in spite of all this, there’s also a level on which Bonesaw is lucky, because her “redemption arc” is so mechanistic; so dependent on timing and circumstance, on people needing something from her instead of just killing her, on being young enough that “she never had a chance to be anything else” is an argument that lands with people despite being also reasonably true for a lot of adult supervillains who got fucked over as early and as hard as she did. 

This has been sitting in my drafts long enough that I don’t have a good sense of what the final takeaway should be, so I’ll just end with this- Bonesaw’s situation, as melancholy and cynical as it makes me feel, is definitely in line with one of the big recurring beats of the book- that regardless of questions of what one deserves, you get away with a lot if you have something to offer and if you play ball. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Taylor’s visit to Sophia in prison comes right on the tail of the Bonesaw sequence; Shadow Stalker could have gotten better, if anyone had cared enough to put in the legwork, and probably could have done so with much less work than Bonesaw. But nobody entertained that idea, because at a certain point she stopped being worth it. And Taylor, who probably did do a lot more harm to a lot more people just because she was running free for longer, gets a seat at the table because she made herself useful, and a charitable assessment from the fandom because we live in her head. And after a sufficiently long bout of fruitless plate-spinning and sin-weighing, kindness and mercy and the extension of second chances inevitably come out in the wash, as a knot-cutting measure if nothing else.

[black-arcana]

"Rock'n'roll is alive, and I need it to stay that way": The Pretty Reckless are on the road with AC/DC, and Taylor Momsen is more than ready to rock

Supporting the Rolling Stones and AC/DC in the same week? Sounds like a pretty good few days

(Image credit: Sergione Infuso / Corbis via Getty Images)

Fronted by model/actress-turned-singer and rhythm guitarist Taylor Momsen, The Pretty Reckless formed in New York City in 2009. With their critically praised fourth album, 2021’s Death By Rock And Roll, the quartet ventured beyond alt.rock boundaries to embrace a more mature sound. Below, Momsen talks about the band’s current European tour as guests of AC/DC. 

How did you greet the news that The Pretty Reckless would be opening for AC/DC? 

One of the band members was driving when he heard, and he almost crashed his car [laughs]. Here’s a great story. Last November my agent asked me about touring. We were starting to make a record, and told him no – not unless AC/DC, The Who or the Rolling Stones called. Christmas and New Year passed, and we were in the studio. Then I get a text from Neil [Warnock, the agent] that says: ‘AC/DC, plus The Pretty Reckless. All [European] shows.’ And I go: ‘Oh shit.’ So we put the record on hold, and I guess we are going on tour. 

That’s amazing. 

Yeah, but here’s the thing. A week ago, the Rolling Stones called too. We are playing a stadium with the Stones in Las Vegas, then flying to Germany to join a tour with AC/DC in the same week. My mind is truly blown. 

AC/DC’s audiences can be pretty unforgiving of support acts. Does that bother you? 

We just get up there and do our thing. In that sense we have the same ethic as AC/DC. We’re loud – almost a bar band at the core. I can’t control how others view or perceive us, so I’m not really worried. I get to play music and then watch my favourite band every night. What’s not to love? 

You quit acting for music at the age of fourteen. What was the reason? 

Being in bands and writing songs was something I’d done since before I could even remember, but finally I reached an age where I realised I could do it. It was a bit of a fight to quit my day job, but I did it and it was the best decision I ever made. 

There’s probably a type of person who thinks of you as ‘playing at’ music, rather than playing it. 

Actually, I think the hate and negativity has kind of gone away. I was on a TV show that was a hit across the world [Gossip Girl], but we’ve been a band for almost sixteen years, we’ve toured the world relentlessly and made four records. To all those people who doubted us… [laughs] did I mention we are touring with AC/DC? You don’t get an AC/DC tour for being on a television show. It comes from paying your dues.

Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron from Soundgarden both guested on The Pretty Reckless’s most recent album, Death By Rock And Roll, as did Audioslave’s Tom Morello. Do these elder statesmen offer advice? 

Not really. We just play music together. I don’t see music as a business. It really isn’t like that any more. 

The Death By Rock And Roll album seemed to take The Pretty Reckless up several levels. 

I really like all of our records, but Death By Rock And Roll is my favourite. 

Of the track Harley Darling, Classic Rock said: “If someone said this song had fallen off Neil Young’s Harvest sessions, you’d believe it.” 

That’s an amazing compliment. Thank you. 

When might we hear the follow-up?

The record’s on hold, but we’ll get right back on to it when we finish this tour. 

Our legendary older bands are retiring, and older heroes passing away – the latest, recently, was Dickey Betts from the Allman Brothers. 

That was devastating. We had Warren Haynes [former Allmans guitarist, now with Gov’t Mule] play on Back To The River from our record Who You Selling For [ 2016]. 

Do you feel a responsibility towards keeping rock’n’roll alive? 

Rock'n'roll is alive, and I need it to stay that way. So if I can contribute to that, it’s what I’m going to do.

The Pretty Reckless are currently supporting AC/DC in Europe, with London shows on July 3 and 7, and Dublin on August 17.

[batfsm]

So this gave me an idea.

What if Talia became an actual Rogue in Gotham? She found Jason/was given him and decided to stay. Talia saw how bad Bruce was getting and saw how even with Tim, he was getting worse not better. So she decided to take over Crime Alley.

We say Jason was Red X, an assassin for Ra’s while he had amnesia, so why couldn’t he do that in Gotham?

Talia becomes the head of the Reds and Jason her second in command. Damian comes over once and decides to stay and become the BOSS. He still wants to be Batman but he also wants to be Talia.

Tim’s the first to run into Damian and Jason. He’s the one to figure out who they are and the one who starts to convince Talia to use the Lazarus Pit for Jason.

Dick finds out when Alfred does. Tim drags Talia into the cave because she got hurt protecting him as his civilian self from one of Firefly’s traps. Damian and Jason are called to the cave where Talia explains how and why she’s taking over Gotham. She also explains about Jason and maybe using the Pit, which Alfred agrees to. (Dick doesn’t but Alfred has the final decision.)

Bruce, by the way is with the Justice League during all of the talks. By the time Barbara calls him back, she’s running interference for the others until it’s over with, saying he’s got a couple of children who need him now, Jason’s been in the Pit, talking to Harley, became the muscle of the Reds, and he, Damian, and Talia are back in the Manor. Tim has also been adopted by Talia making him an Al Ghul instead of a Wayne. In fact Dick has been also. Bruce has no children since Talia took them and if he wants them, Bruce has to marry Talia.

(Cass was in the midst of becoming a Wayne but followed her brothers into becoming an Al Ghul. Duke will be an Al Ghul later on also. In fact all of the children are known by ‘last name’ Wayne-Al Ghul. Bruce still pouts that his last name is not behind Talia’s.)

Ra’s is still not allowed in Gotham but Talia’s people are. What the family ignores is that Talia’s people are also Ra’s who is protective in his own way (the guards for his grandchildren and the help for Talia that is actually for Alfred).

[themuppetagenda]

Has anyone else ever noticed that if you listen to Lungs (Florence and the Machine) backwards it's a story about a young woman who becomes a werewolf and works to save herself from her fate? Let me explain. The clues are all there. We start with a little backstory and world building.

13. You've got the love: she's in love with a dude. Pretty normal song writing stuff, little more elaboration in track 12.

11. Hurricane Drunk: boy cheats on girl, more classic heartbreak songwriting, but we do get one nice bit of foreshadowing in this line, "But I like to think at least things can't get any worse". Well bestie I have some bad news for you, you're in a piece of media. You might as well have coughed after a background news story about a mysterious illness.

10. My boy builds coffins: she gets involved with some new dark brooding death obsessed guy who literally builds coffins.

9. Cosmic love: oh she's falling for him, but it's not good. "Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too. So I stayed in the darkness with you". Not a great relationship tactic, feels a little red flaggy.

7. Drumming song: ok the next three songs are just a whirlwind of passion, and it's unclear exactly where she's turned. Personally I believe it's right here, "I swallow the sound and it swallows me whole. Until there’s nothing left inside my soul. As empty as that beating drum. But the song has just begun" Even if she's not literally losing her soul she's starting to lose control, her life is just swept into the tempest of her werewolf rebound.

5. Kiss with a fist is better than none: ok Harley Quinn that's a totally normal thing to say.

4. Howl: yeah here's the part where I start to question the detective skills around here, this is pretty on the nose. "If you could only see the beast you've made of me. I held it in, but now it seems you've set it running free. Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart.." it continues even more explicitly but I think you get the point.

3. I'm not calling you a liar: finally she starts to question some of her decision making. There's a lot of regret in this song.

2. Rabbit heart (raise it up): Florence is finding the strength to atone and move past this dark time, but at what cost?

"I must become a lion-hearted girl. Ready for a fight. Before I make the final sacrifice.. This is a gift, it comes with a price. Who is the lamb and who is the knife."

After this song I was very worried for my girl, does she need to be the sacrifice? Peak storytelling, I'm gripped with suspense. Hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Will she be ok?

1. Dog days are over: she got better, whew.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk. Please watch out for your favorite artists, there's apparently a werewolf in London.

[grifff17]

Audiodrama Sunday 5/5/2023

Most of what I listened to this week was binging season 2 of Mockery Manor, but there was some new stuff too. I decided to get on the boat I missed the first time around and listen to the Re: Dracula rerelease.

I spent a lot of time listening to season 2 of @longcatmedia's Mockery Manor. I finished the season, and I really liked it. I love Margot, she is such a good character. This show does a great job distinguishing character voices, especially with so few VAs. There is a very large cast but it's still always clear who is talking. This show also has great music, you can tell that this team also made a musical (Check out The Ballad of Anne and Mary if you like gay pirates!). Give Us a Smile Love has been stuck in my head for the last week.

The first episode of @midnightburgr miniseries Welcome To The Horizon came out! I can tell that I'm going to love this show. I'm curious how it's going to tie in to the main show. Young Leif became relevant in the finale of the last season, so we'll see where this goes. Related to that, what is Verge doing here?

This week's @midstpodcast was a lot. The narrators just fully losing control of the narrative was very funny. The visceral descriptions of Weep as Imelda fawned over him were so dissonant. Highly recommend checking out this week's bonus content, it's very entertaining.

Spout Lore this week was really funny. I laughed out loud at the Swamp Heron and Morgan Freeman jokes. I also can't wait to see Billie's hometown, we're so far into the show to have never gone there. I guess we've kinda seen spirit Billie's home, but this is the other half of Billie's home.

We're nearly at the end of the Dear Liisphyra season. This was a fun episode, making fun of online personality quizzes. I'm excited for the callback episode, it's going to be changing up the format of the show which is interesting.

I decided to listen to @re-dracula this year! Last year I didn't hear about it until it was half over, and it felt too late to start. I know very little about Dracula, so it will be an interesting experience.

New SCP: Find Us Alive this week too. I liked Love and Harley improvising silly party guests, which also made me realize that this show has not referenced pretty much any other SCPs, including the well-known ones. I think that this was a cool decision, to intentionally focus on a small aspect of the world and not acknowledge the rest.

That's all for this week. Next week I'm probably going to catch up on Breaker Whiskey, listen to some Skyjacks: Courier's Call, and maybe listen to the Mockery Manor miniseries.

[finniestoncrane]

Your One True Nemesis

Chapter 27: also on AO3 Masterlist Here Arkham!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 1.3k womp womp he fucketh up because it's all he KNOWS 💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: literal high school fuckin drama, angst, jealousy for real

In the kitchen, you prepped the tray of coffees. You laughed softly at the fact there were enough mugs to serve Eddie’s guests, something you’d never noticed before. He struck you as a “one plate, one fork, one knife, one cup” kind of person, extending it to two of each thing when he begrudgingly accepted you into his space. But he was prepared. Typical.

Still, the discovery that he was open and ready for socialisation wasn’t as surprising as the fact he was actually willing to socialise in the first place. Of course, it was an effort of communication and information swapping, bartering pieces of gossip, facts, and possibly materials and aid, all in the name of mutual benefits. It was exciting. You hadn’t known Eddie to speak to any of the other well-known criminal mainstays in Gotham, and the first time you had seen him interact with one was Oswald. And that didn’t exactly go well.

Carrying the tray as carefully as you could, not wanting to embarrass yourself, or Eddie you supposed, in front of his rare guests, you made your way to Eddie’s office, just as he was welcoming the final invitee on the attendance list of his makeshift get together.

“How nice to see you, Dent. Still relying on that coin to make decisions rather than faultless logic and cognitive prowess?”

You stifled your small smile as you waited behind Harvey Dent, Two Face, waiting to enter the room and place the coffees and the milk and sugar on the desk. Harvey noticed you as you shifted around him, raising an eyebrow and turning to Eddie, making a questioning face, who in turn shifted his focus to you with a scowl.

“Yes, thank you, hurry up. You can go now.”

Rolling your eyes, you left the room with a quick, polite smile to the others in the room. Harvey, Harley, and Jervis Tetch all stood awkwardly in Eddie’s small office, the only place he was willing to let them see. You waited outside, listening in as best as you could. It was annoying that Eddie hadn’t let you stay. You were his colleague after all. But you were apparently not on the same level as these people who were strangers to him, compared to you. At the very least, you deserved to know a little bit of the gossip. As you strained yourself to listen closely, you could only make out Eddie’s voice at first, delivering one of his signature rants.

“Well, my so-called peers, how kind of you to join me. I note that you all made it here today, which means you have passed my test. I cannot help but admire the spirit with which you must have thrown yourself into the task of solving the riddle on the invitation card, for which you are woefully under-equipped for, mentally speaking. I almost felt guilty when I contemplated organising this get-together and then hiding it behind a level of intelligence none of you possess. But not so guilty that I was going to call it off. So I will accept your silence and attention as thanks for my dumbing down of the riddle. You’re welcome.”

Even through the door, you could feel the others cringing and rolling their eyes.

Eddie was on the receiving end of these looks, poorly hidden. He furrowed his brows in irritation at the others in the room. As he opened his mouth to speak, Harvey interrupted him.

“First things first, Nigma. Who’s the goon with the coffees?”

There was an awkward pause, too long to remain unnoticeable, before Eddie spoke again.

“She is an assistant. My assistant. She works for me. Does things I don’t have time to waste doing.”

“Is that so?”

Harvey’s face portrayed a smirk, the tension suddenly thick. He shook his head slightly in response to Eddie’s silence, speaking up again, the inflammatory statement giving Harley an excuse to let out a giggle.

“Are you two… y’know?”

“Are we what?”

“Together… or at least… is she doing things you don’t have time to waste doing so your hands stay free?”

“What a ridiculous sentiment.”

Eddie spat the words out, his cheeks feeling suddenly warm. Harvey narrowed his eyes, focusing in on Eddie.

“Oh come on, it’s hardly far fetched, Nigma. You think there isn’t a precedent for this kinda thing?” I mean, Harley was definitely sucking Joker’s cock on the side.”

Suddenly enraged, Harley slammed her palms on the table.

“HEY! That was different! We were in love. Plus, I wanted to be with Mr J.”

Harvey nodded, sagely, with a cruel smile.

“And you don’t think that she wants to be with Eddie. I get it. You’re smarter than you look, Quinn.”

Jervis clasped his hands together softly, resting his elbows on the table, his chin on his hands, and smiled as he watched the argument unfold. Eddie stood up from his chair, throwing a finger in the direction of Harvey, pointing at his stiffly, finger trembling slightly as he hissed his retort.

“Oh, is that so? Well, I’ll have both of you know that she goes want me, in… a carnal manner. At least I am fairly certain of that. And given I am far more intelligent than the two of you, and Tetch, I would trust my own assumptions first. But I can tell you concretely and factually that she is 100% beneath me, and I wouldn’t offer her, or anyone else for that matter, the time of day, let alone my body. Because I can afford to separate the wheat from the chaff, unlike some of you people who will pounce at the first opportunity to expunge your OH- Hello… we were just getting into the meat of the discussions. Why have you interrupted us?”

At the climax of his grotesque rhetoric, you decided to open the door and put a stop to it. Without speaking, and under the guise of providing more milk for the table, you walked in and disrupted his flow. Without looking directly at him, you could see that Eddie’s cheeks had reddened. You could tell he was trying to determine how much you had heard of his rant, without admitting that he cared whether you knew or not.

“I’ve brought more milk, in case anyone needed it. Sorry to interrupt.”

Stuttering, lips quivering, Eddie tried to act as though everything was entirely normal.

“Yes, well… be quick about it.”

“Of course, Eddie.”

In his embarrassment, Eddie tried to usher you out of the door with trembling hands, worried that you might say something to take him down in front of the people he needed to look strongest for. And beneath that, suppressed by his own habit of ignorance, he was concerned that you might be hurt by his words. But your pleasant and neutral demeanour gave him a sense of security. Until you turned at the door way, smiling at him as you spoke.

“For the record, I was interested in Eddie. In fact, there was a physical aspect to our relationship. But there’s no need for him to worry. I’ve moved on.”

With a cold smile, you closed the door behind you, sighing, almost comforted by the recognition in the feeling of being let down by Eddie. Typical. But at least you got your shot in this time.

Beyond the door, Harvey turned to Harley, shrugging at her.

“I guess he wasn’t lying then.”

He turned to Eddie.

“You gonna gloat now, Nigma. Or can we get on with what we came here for?”

Eddie remained silent, staring at the closed door, unable to shift his mind from the questions that screamed inside his skull.

What did that mean? Who had you moved on with? And how could he get you back on side?

[dessarious]

What Comes After Pt5

Beginning   Previous  

Mari sat at the table with Chloe next to her, and the Sirens opposite. She had no idea how to even start this conversation.

"If you want us to leave because of what happened, we understand." She could only blink at Harley in confusion. Leave? Oh.

"Batman would have shown up at some point whether you were here or not, and I'm the one who said Red Hood could stay." She paused and glanced at Chloe, but the all she got was an encouraging smile. Not helpful. "This is actually about what Batman said about the Miraculous."

They all just stared at her, waiting. No questions. Nothing she could use to jumpstart her brain or her mouth. Harley was giving her an encouraging smile, but the other two were blank, and that was just creepy, especially from Selina. Finally, Chloe took pity on her.

"I know we haven't talked about it, but what do you know about what happened in Paris?" Harley and Ivy shared looks, but Selina just frowned at them. It was a good question, though. Given what they'd said in the beginning, the Sirens hadn't really looked into it at the time. Mari wasn't certain how much research they'd done since. Harley ended up answering.

"Not much, to be frank. A lot of the media we found, we aren't certain if it's reliable and don't want to make any assumptions. Other than the basic information on the villain and all the statistics from the final battle and aftermath, we were honestly waiting for you two to feel comfortable enough so we could ask." That was good and bad. Mari took a deep breath and kept her eyes on her hands as she began speaking.

"The Miraculous are magical jewelry that grant powers to their holders. The first Akuma was Stoneheart. A boy in our class named Ivan was being teased about his crush, and that's all it took. Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared to fight him. Ladybug screwed up and didn't capture the Akuma after the fight which led to a much larger problem. When that escalated, Hawkmoth made himself known to the public. After that, the people of Paris were in constant danger of their emotions being weaponized until he was defeated. At some point, Chat defected to Hawkmoth's side. Hawkmoth and Chat Noir were both killed in that last fight and revealed as Gabriel and Adrien Agreste. Gabriel's assistant died a week before from using the Peafowl Miraculous." She let out a sigh. "Those are the official facts that are known to the public."

"That's... that's not very much." Mari could only sigh at Selina's observation. She still had no idea how much secrecy was necessary, but fewer people knowing the details certainly made things easier to contain.

"No, it's not, but for most people living it, it was more than enough, given what they went through. Honestly, I think everyone was too relieved to question anything, even if Ladybug was willing to share, and she wasn't." Chloe started rubbing her back, but it still took everything in her not to cry. Mari wasn't even certain if it was grief or anger.

"But you know more about it?" It wasn't really a question, and Harley kept her voice soft.

"I know everything." She couldn't help the dead tone, not that she tried very hard. Chloe actually scooted her chair closer so she could pull her into a hug. "But, before I tell you anything, I need to know if you're willing to help fix the problems that Ladybug and Chat Noir caused." Mari put a hand over Chloe's mouth before she could argue. This wasn't something they were going to agree on, and it wasn't relevant for this discussion. Granted, the Sirens didn't look happy with her wording either.

"We'll do whatever you need us to." Mari was surprised that Ivy was the one who spoke, but they all nodded. There was no hesitation and that, more than anything, made her decision.

"I need you to be part of a team of new Miraculous users."

"What?" Ivy seemed surprised the word came out and immediately cleared her throat. "I thought Batman said the Ladybug and Black Cat had to be active."

"Batman knows nothing about the Miraculous. While having a balanced pair wielding those two is one option, it's not the only one. Given what happened the last time, it's not worth the risk." Harley was frowning at her, but Selina seemed to be trying to analyze her.

"Okay, so this other option doesn't require balance?" Mari let out an amused huff. She should have expected Ivy's question.

"All life requires balance, but there are different types. Finding two people who balance each other exactly for the most powerful Miraculous is extremely difficult, and that doesn't account for how people change and grow. I'm not sure exactly how long it would take to restore the balance, but the chance of making things worse is higher than the other options. Our current plan only requires the team to have a common goal."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, restoring the balance for one. Other than that, it's something for us to discuss and figure out among ourselves."

"You're going to be part of this team?" Harley tried to hide her worry, but all three of them looked concerned.

"I am. Five people are needed, and having us all living and working together will reduce any chances of someone breaking from the group and causing issues."

"You don't trust us?"

"I don't trust anyone, not with this. With that in mind, you'll also have to agree to being put under a spell that will make it impossible to talk about anything you learn about the Miraculous with anyone other than the five of us. The spell should be powerful enough to sense if anyone is listening in covertly as well." None of them seemed comfortable with that, but they didn't say anything. "This isn't your problem, and I understand if you don't want to do it."

"It's not that. We want to help you, but having some random person casting magic on us isn't exactly smart for us." She could only blink at Selina in confusion for a moment. Oh, of course they thought it was someone else.

"Not some random person. I would be doing it." That just got more blank looks. "I'll be able to explain a bit more once it's done."

"If you're sure this is how you want to handle things, we'll do it." Harley didn't seem to like the idea, but Mari wasn't certain how much of that was the magic, and how much they were just worried about her and Chloe.

"Want is not the issue, unfortunately. This is the only option that isn't likely to end with the universe imploding." Ivy let out a short laugh, but it seemed more of a reflex than anything else. The other two were just exchanging frowns.

"What do you need us to do?" Selina sounded resigned more than anything else, and honestly it was comforting. The fact that they weren't excited about wielding a Miraculous made her think this plan was likely to work. She pulled three vials out of her pocket.

"Drink this." They all took them, but waited for Ivy to smell it and nod before they drank. It was good that they were cautious. Given the look Ivy was giving her, she knew about the 'special' ingredient in it as well.

"That's all?"

"That's all you need to do for the spell. Now you won't be able to speak about what I tell you. For everything else, it's only the beginning." She knew she sounded tired, and far more grim than she should have, but this wasn't something she could be happy about. "I suppose it's best to start with what the Miraculous really are. Each one is powered by a god tied to it. They grant their users abilities based on their aspects. We will be using Miraculous that give powers based on emotion, metamorphosis, subjugation, deceit, and protection."

"Gods? Like one of the old pantheons?" Selina's nose wrinkled as she talked, and Mari could understand why.

"No, the Kwami predate all of them. The gods you're thinking of were actually created by the Kwami in an attempt to have better control over the physical world. Not their best work, I'll admit. Honestly, it's right up there with Plagg wiping out the dinosaurs in an 'oops' moment."

"You're kidding." Ivy's tone was dry and Mari just tilted her head. "You're not are you? And you want us to just let these gods use us as they see fit?"

"That's not how it works. The Kwami that bound themselves to Miraculous gave up their autonomy for the most part. They have to obey their holders, which is why Hawkmoth and Chat Noir were able to do the damage they did." Chloe hugged her tighter, and the Sirens were shooting them both concerned looks. Mari could only wonder when thinking about Paris wouldn't feel like someone was ripping her heart out of her chest. "You guys can come out now."

The Siren's confusion turned to surprise as the five Kwami made their presence known. Pollen went to sit on Chloe's shoulder, while Nooroo hid under Mari's chin. Even if she hadn't been the most suitable for them, she wouldn't have given the Miraculous to someone else. Nooroo needed to be with someone they trusted. Wayzz, Dusuu, and Trixx settled on the table studying the Sirens, who, in turn, were just blinking at them. Trixx broke the silence by giggling.

"This is going to be fun. It's been a long time since I've had a suitable holder." Mari felt herself flinch. While Alya had been a good person, and now a lot less nieve, pairing someone who wanted to get to the truth of things with the Kwami of deceit wasn't her best decision. Especially since it had actually made her more susceptible to Lila's lies.

"This isn't about fun, Trixx. But I'm glad you approve." Now all the Kwami looked worried too. Wonderful.

"I'm sorry Guardian, we know this isn't easy for you." All the Kwami cuddled up to her. She'd forgotten how nice it was to have them around. Well, when they weren't driving her insane anyway.

"Guardian?" Harley's soft question brought her attention back to the discussion at hand. The question was how much she wanted to tell. Even knowing they couldn't tell anyone else, she wasn't certain.

"I'm the Guardian of the box of Miraculous that all these Kwami belong to."

"Just these five?"

"No." She could tell they wanted to know more but were afraid of overstepping. "There's currently nineteen, including all those used in Paris."

"So Batman's assumption that you could get him in contact with Ladybug was correct?" Selina looked like she wanted the words back as soon as they came out.

"Ladybug no longer exists." None of them knew how to take that. Even the Kwami were giving her odd looks. It was true, though. Even if she had to use the Miraculous again, she wouldn't be Ladybug anymore. Too much had changed. She'd changed. "Batman is chasing a ghost, and I'm more than willing to let him." Honestly, she was glad that the magic users in the league either didn't know, or didn't feel the need to tell him, about the order or Guardians. That or he just felt finding Ladybug was the only way to get to them.

"When you say she doesn't exist..." Harley didn't seem to be able to finish the thought, and Mari tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"The hero no longer exists. The person who was forced into that role is alive and as well as they can be." She looked less than thrilled with that explanation. "Right now, we need to figure out how this is going to work, or rather, how we're going to work together."

"I still vote setting off explosions in the Batcave." Chloe's words just made her roll her eyes.

"While I certainly don't have a problem messing with Batman, going after him on his home turf isn't wise. We could have all sorts of fun with him when he's on patrol, though. We know Gotham just as well as he does. Some of it better." Chloe pouted at Ivy's suggestion, but Mari knew it was a much better plan. He was already going to be pissed that they were in his territory. Going after his base was just going to get all the others riled up as well.

"I'd prefer that our main goal be helping people, rather than just trying to see if we can get steam to come out of Batman's ears." Mari's voice was dry, but she couldn't help it. "The last thing I want is for us to only be thinking about petty revenge." Would it be a good uniting factor? Absolutely. Did she want it to be the main one? Absolutely not. The Sirens softened at that.

"There are certainly more than enough people in Gotham that could use the help. Did you have any particular person or groups you want to start with?" Harley's question caused Mari to pause. She hadn't thought about it, but the answer was obvious.

"Kids, and people who have suffered the loss of family, blood or otherwise." She honestly wasn't certain what to make of the looks she was getting.

"That's definitely something we would be happy to help you with." 

Beginning   Previous  

Tag List 

@ladybug-182​​ @transheso​​ @scorchdragon88​​ @jayjayspixiepop​​ @frieddonutsweets​ @mizzy-pop​​ @boardgamer88​​ @smolplantmum​​ @unoriginalmess​​ @craftgremlin​​ @jayphoenic​​ @jeminiikrystal​​ @tank3335 @pale-lady-dreamer​​ @sassakitty​​ @aespades​​ @greatcatblaze

[cranes-menagerie]

inspirations for Superman: Man of Tomorrow as well as overall set up

I am......

T I R E D

of the evil superman trope

my favorite superman comic is smashes the klan because it understands the character so so fucking well. Clark's personality was almost Identical to that of the superman Identity. My Adventures with Superman nailed not only Lois Lane but also stuff like the Daily Planet and Jimmy Olsen and hell, HIS FARMBOY DORKINESS

I'm also gonna do a reverse kingdom come

in kingdom come the older heroes stoop down to the younger heroes level and become darker and more brutal. In the titanoverse it's gonna be a reverse. Superman is gonna be a beacon of hope in a world full of dark and brutal heroes. He needs to stand out in a world of darkness.

I chose Christian Borle as lex's voiceclaim because his portrayal of Vox is both smug, overbearing but also shy and insecure of Alastor because people like him more than they like vox

similarly to what gunn is doing, Superman to me is a symbol of hope....like he is supposed to be. as someone who suffers with mental health issues, I want superman to be a character that is all powerful and has everything, but still uses it to be a beacon of hope and to tell you "hey, things are horrible right now, but you will get through this, everything will be ok"

I want to see second chances....this decision might be a tad controversial

I'm keeping the snyderverse actors for Clark and Bruce wayne.

The titanoverse is essentially gonna be "what if the snyderverse was faithful to the comics instead of edgy fanfiction" (except for the rest of the cast like jessie Eisenberg as lex "totally not the riddler" luthor and z!onist wonderwoman)

henry cavil is one of the best superman castings just...ever

he's dorky, he's got the voice, he loves the character and I think it really sucks how he wasn't given a second chance(though I also cannot wait to what David will bring to the role)

and same case with Bruce Wayne. Affleck was perfect for the role of bruce wayne but he needs to be more optimistic, one of my favorite things done with batman is the storyline of crisis of 2 earths. in that story Batman is shown that his opposite is the ultimate nihilist.

Batman is Batman because he cares about people and believes people can change, its why he looks for job opportunities for Harley, and why he sends people to Arkham and not jail.

as you can tell, these 2 characters mean so much to me and especially in the dark place I am in as well as a lot of other people are in,

we need a character like Superman

I'm gonna leave you all with this last quote

We need a hero, couragous sacrificing people, setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero, people line up for 'em, cheer for them, scream their names, and years later tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who told them to HOLD ON a second longer. I believe theres a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble. And finally gets us to die with pride.

that is what we NEED in a superman

[boygiwrites]

Harley D. Dixon 15

An amazing edit inspired by this story! (Cred to Cora_Line99) Harley D. Dixon's Pinterest Board! Harley D. Dixon's Playlist!

📖Chapter List.

Author's Note. As usual, please enjoy reading, everyone :) <3

Title might give it away, but we've all been waiting for this chapter winky wink

"How long's this girl been lost, exactly?"

"This'll be day five, now."

This'll be day three of my Dad bein' unconscious, I muse to myself solemnly, sitting nearby. It's the next morning, now, and with Dad's treatment more promising and Glenn taking iron supplements to help replace all the nutrients he lost from the blood he gave, people have decided that it's time to resume the search for Sophia. It's not gonna be an easy task, no matter how you spin it. By now, she could be anywhere. If I had five days to walk anywhere in the world, I could be halfway across the country already.

As I watch a brown butterfly flitter elegantly along the edge of the truck bed, lost in thought, Rick smooths a map out across the hood.

"Country survey map." He announces. "It shows terrains and elevations for fifty miles. We'll grid the whole area; search in teams."

"Finally get this thing organized." Dale hums, nodding.

"So far, we've covered this lower region, here, all the way up to this part of the river." Rick drags a finger this way and that over the page. "This is 'round about where we found Harley, down by this slope. Carol said Harley told her she followed this whole bit here and found Sophia's doll somewhere close by. Maybe around this part, here. Between everything that's been goin' on, we haven't gotten a chance to check it out until now, but I'm thinking we start today. Should take about a couple hours to cover, I reckon, with two people."

"And who are you suggesting goes with you?"

"I was thinkin' Glenn, but he needs rest. How 'boutchu, Shane?"

Shane, who's been mostly staring at the grass this whole conversation, looks up.

"Nah." He shakes his head. "My ankle's still pretty busted, man. Best if I hang back on this one."

"Okay, sure."

"Looks like it's just you, then, Rick." Herschel says.

The butterfly chooses this moment to fly away, leading my gaze up, and then onto Shane. His ankle's fit as a damn fiddle. I saw him doin' push ups this morning, but I don't say nothin'. He's been hovering around me since yesterday afternoon like a little insect that I just can't shake, staring at me, pokin' around. Something about Rick's return with the supplies seems to have affected him in a way I can't place.

Few days ago, I would've felt so safe having Shane this close to me, but now I know that's like a bunny feelin' safe around a coyote.

"Actually," Rick butts in, "Harley?"

I snap out of it, suddenly, meeting his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna come with me?"

"Huh?"

I didn't expect him to ask me that, of all things.

"I could use your help, y'know." He adds. "You'd recognise more of those woods than any of us will."

"That's a good idea." Dale agrees aloud, mainly just for the sake of convincing me. "Doctor, you think she's good to do some exploring?"

"As long as she doesn't put too much strain on those stitches," Herschel nods, "I don't see why not."

"Perfect. What do you say?"

Wow. They really wanna get me outta here today. I guess a few hours away from the house won't be so bad. I'm sick'a Shane breathin' down my neck, anyways.

"Okay," I eventually decide, "I'll go."

Shane suddenly looks like he's regretting his decision to stay here.

"Attagirl. You don't need t'be cooped up in that room, worrying all day." Rick smiles. "Your Dad might even be awake, time we get back. You wanna go getcher hat?"

Dale nods. "Hot out."

"Okay. I think I left it by the well when I was playin' this morning."

"Go take a look, then."

Herschel and Dale help me hop off the truck.

"We'll leave in five minutes, okay, Harley?"

"Okay!"

I make it across the dry field, where Carl is peering down into the pit of the water well.

"Hey, Carl," I say, approaching. "You seen my hat 'round here?"

"Harley! C'mere!"

"What is it?"

"Down here. Look." He leans over the cobbled wall, and I follow his pointing finger into the stinky, murky depths below. "You see it?"

I don't, at first, but then I get a whole big whiff of rotting meat and dead insect-mush, and I make out somethin' moving around down there in the dark, which makes me squeak a little in disgust. Might be an ogre down there. Ogres are gross. I saw in a movie that they pick their noses.

"Hell's that?" I ask, scrunching my nose. "Stinks."

"A walker, I think."

"A walker?!"

There it is. I see it, now. Those shiny things are slippery limbs, and those lumpy ones are big, gross pustules.

I cringe loudly. "Eugh!"

"I know, right?" Carl exclaims, somewhat excitedly. "I think it fell in somehow."

"Well, we best not mess with it."

He straightens, only now registering why I'm over here. "Wait, where are you going if you need your hat? You wanna play tag again?"

"No. I can't. Your Dad's takin' me out to look for Sophia."

He looks confused.

"What? Not Shane?"

I make a face. "No. He's stayin'."

"Aw, man. Why didn't Dad ask me?"

"I'on know."

"Well, can I come, too?"

"No, Carl."

We both spin around to face Rick, who holds up my flimsy green bucket hat in the air as he approaches.

"It's just me and Harley today. Sorry."

When he's close enough, he fixes the hat onto my head.

"You found it?"

He nods.

Carl whines. "Why can't I come, too, Dad?"

He helps me drag the little bauble of the jaw-string all the way up under my chin, since it's kinda tough to do with little hands.

"Harley's goin' through a bit of a tough time right now, Carl. She could use some time away from the house. You're good right here."

Carl pouts.

"Besides," Rick shrugs, "Who's gonna protect this place while we're away?"

He rolls his eyes. "Be serious."

"I am serious."

"No, you're not. Dale's the one who keeps watch. Not me."

"Well, how 'bout you go ask him if you can join him today, huh?"

His eyes widen. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm sure he'd appreciate that."

As Rick stands up, Carl considers the offer.

"Yeah, okay. I'll do it." He sticks up a finger. "But only if I get a gun."

"Woah. No, no, no. One step at a time, okay?" He laughs, nodding me back toward the gate. "Come on, Harley. We're goin', now."

Carl stomps his foot.

"But, Dad!"

"No. Go ask your mother!"

I can't help but snicker. Poor Carl.

"I can still be useful, you know. It's never stopped me before."

When we make it back to the main gate, where a few of our group are waiting to send us off, we walk into a small argument between Herschel and Shane. We stay out of it for the most part as Andrea hands Rick a backpack filled with useful supplies and one of our rifles.

"You push your ankle now," Herschel warns, "You'll be laid up in bed for a month, no good to anybody. I thought I made that clear."

"You did." Shane nods, playing along to get what he wants, "But I just feel like they could use an extra pair of eyes out there, that's all."

Rick raises a brow. "Thought you said you would hang back."

"Well, compared to what Harley's got, this is nothin'. Just a... a damn twist." He laughs it off. "Should be fine."

"I'm not comfortable with that." Rick firmly states, going back to loading the gun.

Shane just stares at him, annoyed with this conclusion.

"How about you take the car?" Herschel suggests. "It's better than walking. You can head back to the interstate; search for Sophia that way."

He sighs. "Yep. Yeah, okay. That's fine."

"Alright, then. And remember, no guns on my property."

Rick nods. "Loud and clear. We're guests here. We understand."

"Cute hat." Maggie grins, pinching the brim.

I giggle. "Thanks."

"Okay. We're off." Rick slings the bag over his shoulder. "If we're not back by dark, start worrying."

"Sure thing." Andrea smacks his shoulder. "Be safe."

Lori gives his cheek a kiss.

"Look after her, and be careful."

He smiles, nodding as Maggie opens the gate for us. "I will."

Even when we make it all the way to the treeline, I can still tell that Shane is pissed.

"Step over this rock, here. You got it?"

"Yeah."

"There we go. Nothin' stops you, does it?"

"Nope."

"Thought so."

Hiking with Rick ain't all that bad. We make our way into the woods, trailing the creek together for about an hour, before I start to recognise some of the oddly shaped tree trunks, mushroom clusters, and peculiar boulders out here. It reminds me a little of hiking with my Dad, especially when Rick stops to make me drink some water every once in a while, or tells me to watch out for a hole or snag in the ground. I never thought Rick could be like this, but he is a Dad, after all. He's got Carl. Everything I've found Shane's tried to do with me, Rick does it a hundred times more naturally.

He doesn't even make me uncomfortable when he does it, neither. It's almost like this is what it's meant to feel like, all this time.

"Good to be away from the farm for a bit, ain't it?" He muses, avoiding saying, away from Shane.

Up ahead, I notice a log caught in the stream.

"Hey, Rick."

"Yeah, Harley?"

"I saw this." Some frogs hop into the water when we reach it. "Yeah. This is where I found Matilda. She was in the water, right here."

He glances at me.

"Who?"

"Matilda." I repeat. "Sophia's doll."

"Oh. Right. Yeah. I knew that was her name."

"Did ya, really?"

"Not a clue. Let's look around a bit, huh?"

We spend some time combing the dirt and mud near the creek for tracks, but most of the imprints we uncover either belong to woodland animals, thirsty birds, or me, from when I was lost. We can tell 'cause when I step on 'em, the size and patterns are a perfect match to my boots. Just by pure luck, we eventually find some different, slightly bigger markings that could belong to Sophia, hiding under leaves.

We follow them into the trees.

I feel bad for not doin' this the day I came across the doll. If I did, we might've found her by now.

As we walk, I think more about Shane, and how Carl got made to stay behind today, even though he's older, and he ain't even hurt.

"How come you didn't bring Carl with us?"

Rick looks back at me.

"I just thought you could use some time away from everybody; get your mind off everythin' for a while, that's all."

"But you could'a done that without takin' me out here. Maggie did. We went peach pickin' in the orchard yesterday."

"I know." Rick sighs, reluctant to elaborate.

"But?"

"Well... One difference between the orchard and these woods is that there ain't no way for Shane to bug you out here like he can back there."

I almost trip over a pebble, but I save myself just in time.

"Soon as he brought up that ankle of his, I thought it would be a good opportunity." He raises a brow. "You know, don't think I haven't noticed all'a this. Not just the recent staring and the... the whatever-else he's been doin', but something's been goin' on there for quite some time now, I think. Maybe even before the CDC. I don't know. Whatever it is, I wanted you away from it for a few hours."

I always knew Rick was sorta smart, but I guess he's been paying more attention than I thought.

I don't say nothin', so he prompts, "Am I right?"

Yes, he's right. I wish he wasn't, but I can't change things like that.

"Yeah." I awkwardly shrug. "I guess."

"Care to clue me in?"

"Not really."

"Your Dad said the same thing when I brought it up with him. What? Is it some deep, dark, Dixon secret I'm not allowed in on?"

I giggle a little. "No. Not that."

"Then, what is it?"

"I don't know. A different type of secret."

"And what type is that?"

"A..." I put some thought into it. "It's a big secret."

He glances at me again.

If he's having a hard time navigating this, or he's feeling uncomfortable, then he's not letting on at all. In fact, I think he planned this.

"A big secret, hm?" He muses casually. "What makes it so big?"

"Because if I tell you even a little, tiny bit of it, then you'll need to know the whole thing, and I'm not allowed to tell you that."

"No? How about you try?"

"What? Tell you a little, tiny bit?"

"Just a little, tiny bit."

Something tells me no matter what I say, Rick's hanging on my every word and he's gonna remember 'em. I guess this is it, then — The moment I finally tell someone. His back is turned to me, walking just a couple feet ahead, which makes it much easier to treat this like it's nothin'. Wonder if he's doin' it on purpose. I never imagined it would be him I'd talk to about this, but here I am, anyway.

Okay. Just a little, tiny bit. Here I go.

"I think Shane did something really, really, bad."

I wish I could see Rick's face.

Unconfident, I stammer, "There you go. That's a little, tiny bit."

I think Shane tried to murder my Dad. I think he shot him. He shot him for beating on me, but that's another little, tiny bit for another day.

"Okay." Rick says, like he's digesting everything he's thinking; everything he's assuming, concluding, planning. He nods. "Okay."

Shane did something really, really bad, and so did my Dad, and so did I.

"Can I ask you one more question, though, Harley?"

"Yeah?"

"What would happen if you told me the whole secret?"

Oh, that's easy.

"Something even worse would happen."

We make it to a church.

An old, knobbly tree leans over the side of it.

"This the one?"

"Sure is."

When I told 'em about the faint ringing of church bells I heard that day, they explained that there really was a church out here, and that they even stopped at it for a while that afternoon, thinking one of us girls must've been causing the noise, but we weren't. The sound is on a timer.

The door creeks sorely as we step inside, immediately struck by a wall of pure dust and the smell of mothballs.

"Pleh." I mutter.

With a quick look around the barren room, it's obvious that Sophia isn't here.

Never one to be discouraged easily, Rick sets the bag down on one of the wooden benches, and gestures for me to take a seat.

"Trail ends here, I suppose. Maybe we can pick it up again later." He sighs, passing me a cloth filled with pear slices. "You gettin' tired, yet?"

"Not so much. Sittin' on this bench-thing is helpin', though."

He chuckles, "You mean a pew?" 

"Pew?" I exclaim. "Pew, as in, like, a gun? Goin' pew-pew?"

"Exactly like that."

"Weird. Why not just call 'em benches?"

"'Cause churches like to be fancy."

"Well, I ain't fancy."

"Nobody is, anymore. Except maybe Herschel."

He settles down beside me on the pew, and we take a short lunch break together. I unwrap the fruit and begin eating the slender pieces of fresh pear, which are kinda warm from sitting in the backpack all morning — Ew — while Rick snacks on his slightly lesser portion. I look around the church. It's much smaller than the one from our hometown. Ours had a classroom and a foyer and everything, but this one's more like a really big, dirty bedroom.

"Did you ever go to church?" I ask Rick, for no reason other than I want to. "Back when you could?"

"Sometimes," He answers, "But not always."

"We did. They used to give out free stuff. Every time we went, Dad was sure they was gonna tell us we had to leave, but it never happened."

"Did you enjoy going?"

"No... The other kids were always lookin' at us funny."

He smiles sadly. Then he says, "Carl didn't like going, either. He hated having to dress up."

"Did he ever pray?"

"Not really, no. I don't think he believes in all of that."

I don't know what someone like Carl would need to pray for. I bet he had a whole heap of toys, and all the friends he could ever want.

Rick catches me staring at the statue of Jesus at the head of the room, a dull hunk of wood more than anything, lent a pretty, fractured spotlight by the stained window behind it. Carol told me she prayed here, for me and Sophia to be found. She said she convinced my Dad to pray, as well.

"Do you think he's lookin' after everybody?" I ask. "That's what they say, ain't it? Up in heaven?"

"I like to think so. It's a nice thought."

Sophia might be there already. That's a not-so-nice thought.

"Morales, I reckon he's in heaven, 'cause he lent me his toothpaste tube one time."

Rick chuckles. "Yeah. He was a good man."

"And our dog, Tank. He's in heaven, too. I know so, 'cause the vet sent us a letter sayin' he was, after he died."

"Did they?"

"Yep. I don't get how they found out, but that's where he is."

"Must be. All pets go to heaven, you know that?"

"Not all people, though."

"No. No, not all people."

My Uncle Merle's gotta be in Hell, if he's anywhere. I love him, but just 'cause you love someone, it don't make 'em a saint. Uncle Merle used to kick Tank, sometimes. He enjoyed tricking people for money, and he was in jail a lotta the time. I remember one time he was there for somethin' so bad my Dad had to sell his guitar and the TV so he could pay to let him out. I was real mad when he got home.

You ain't happy to see your old Uncle Merle, baby?

No. I ain't got no cartoons no more 'cause of you.

Aw. Sappy little thing, ain't ya? Always told you, you're too soft on her, Darylina.

Rick can tell what I'm thinkin', 'cause it weren't no secret back then that my Uncle wasn't anybody's favorite person in camp.

"I told you before," He takes a chance at saying, "But I'll say it again. I'm very sorry for what happened to your Uncle."

A long time ago, I would've gotten angry at that, but there's not much of that left in me, anymore.

"It's okay." I utter, pleased with how good it feels to say; with how two words can take two tonnes off both my shoulders.

He smiles fondly. "You're not gonna wish death on me, this time?"

"This is a church." I scoff. "I can't do that."

"I won't push my luck, then."

"I'll take some of your pear, though."

"Okay, there. Now you're pushin' your luck."

"Not even half a slice?"

"Fat chance, Dixon."

When we've packed up and are just about to head back out into the sun, I take a last look at the statue.

"You got somethin' you wanna say to him?" Rick suggests.

"Yeah." I decide, and then I shout loudly, "You best wake my Daddy up soon, you sum' bitch!"

A rat scuttles away under the floorboards at my sheer volume.

"Okay." Rick ushers me out the door, trying not to snicker. "Come on, now."

"I got shot in the stomach, too, once. Did you know that?"

I glance at Rick as we step over a rock, sceptical. No, I didn't know that.

"Did ya? When?"

"About a week before I turned up at the quarry." He tells me. "It was a work accident. Put me in a coma for quite a while."

I was too busy hating everybody — hating Rick, especially — to ever really ask about what happened before that day, but there's my answer.

"Don't need to ask if you survived, then, I guess."

"I guess not." He smiles. "No, I'm still kickin'."

"You think that'll happen with my Dad?"

"I'm sure of it."

For once, I want my Dad to be a little like Rick, the man I used to want dead.

When we break through the treeline some hours later, we see Jacqui at the top of the hill, waving her arms around.

"What's she shoutin'?"

"I don't know."

Rick starts jogging forward on instinct, pulling me closer with one hand and grabbing his revolver with the other.

"What?" He shouts back, shaking his head. "What is it? What's goin' on?"

She calls out once more, and this time, her words are clear.

"Harley! Get over here! Your Dad woke up!"

Rick stops running all at once.

We look at each other, astonished, until I start to let the realization sink in, and my eyes well up.

"Go on, then." He nods, excited for me. "Go, go, go. Get up there."

I turn, running all the way to Jacqui.

"When?" I ask. "When?"

She grabs my hand. "About twenty minutes ago."

"Is he okay?!"

We hurry toward the house together, setting off small droves of orange and brown butterflies that were resting in the grass.

"He's okay." She grins. "Threatened to burn the whole farm down if I didn't bring you to him right away, though! C'mon!"

"Dad!!"

I race up the porch steps, squealing.

"Daddy!!"

The door to the Greene house almost falls off its hinges when I push past it. It smacks into the wall with a loud, loud bang, and the next door that stands in my way receives the same treatment. If I burst holes into the plaster, I'll just have to apologise to the Greenes later. As soon as I see my Dad — Awake and breathing, and even sitting up a little in the bed — I throw myself onto him with the force of a thousand lifetimes. He tries to say my name, but grunts when he catches me. He recovers from the pain almost immediately, wrapping me up in the biggest darn hug he's ever given me. All them times I ever waited for him to come pick me up from school, or I thought he didn't turn up for one of my tournaments — That's nothin' compared to this moment. I thought he was dead. Dead and gone, forever, but he's not. Glenn, Rick, and Andrea saved him.

They got me my Dad back.

I sob like I've never sobbed before, overcome with relief that consumes me like a tidal wave, hiccing, moaning, coughing into his shoulder.

I can't believe it.

"He's awake?" I hear Rick asking in the foyer, panting slightly from the walk up the hill. "He's alright?"

"He's going to be sore," Herschel answers, "But yes, he's alive."

"He woke up?" Shane asks, sounding almost offended.

"Yes. Seems those supplies really helped."

My Dad buries his face into my neck, shushing me gently as he soothes my back.

"Dad." I bawl, like he's about to leave me again at any moment, and I have to will him back into my arms. "Daddy-y-y-y."

"Shh, sh, sh, baby." His voice is hoarse in my ear, but it's the best sound I ever heard. "Daddy's here, baby. I'm okay. I'm okay."

I just keep wailing it over and over again until he's crying, too.

"Daddy's here, baby." He shudders, then, mutters, fuck, in embarrassment. "I— I'm here, baby. I'm here. Lemme get a look atchu, huh?"

He pulls back with a kiss to my cheek, steadying me with both his hands.

"You hurtin' bad, still?" He asks. "Your stitches?"

"I thought you was dead, Dad."

His chin crumples ever so slightly as he looks at me, and then wordlessly, he embraces me again. I'm cocooned tightly in both his arms, my ear pressed up against the faint buh-boom buh-boom of his heart. He lays back into the pillows, taking me with him, shushing me some more. I should be a little more embarrassed about how hard I'm crying, but he don't mention it.

If there was ever a time I'm allowed to cry, it's now.

The IV tube gets tangled up a bit, and I think I'm hurting him, but it just makes him chuckle between tears.

"Careful, chicken." He sniffs. "You're gonna— Gonna mess me up, here, in a second."

Herschel comes in to fix it up a bit.

"I'on know what the fuck this is. Sorry." Dad mutters as he tries to help him, clumsily de-tangling all the equipment. "Here. I'on know."

"Gave your little one quite the scare." Herschel smiles over the sound of my ear-piercing cries. "Gave us all quite a scare, I think."

"You're Herschel, right?"

"Yes. Herschel Greene. This is my farm you're sat up in. Did Glenn tell you everything?"

He nods. "Think I owe you my life, if I heard right."

"Well, it wasn't your ears that got damaged in the accident, young man."

"Da-a-a-ad!"

He turns his attention back onto me at an especially pained sob.

"Shhhh. It's okay." He jokes, "I'm right here, girl."

That makes Herschel chuckle. "I'll give you two a moment, then."

Dad lets me cry as much as I want in the privacy of this little room. He smooths down my hair, tucks it behind my ears, plays with it, kisses my scalp, all the while murmuring sh, sh, sh, like I'm a newborn baby needing coddled. I let him rock me side to side. I let him hum little tunes to me quietly, and smack firm but soothing pats through the back of my shorts. After what feels like forever, I calm down, reduced to whimpers.

"You know, I thought I told you not to go nowhere." He tries making me laugh, cradling my face as I look up at him. "Remember?"

"Shut up." I complain, struggling to breathe properly. "You al-al-almost died."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry."

"Every morning, I was so scared you wouldn't be breathin', no more. I had to check."

"Everybody take good care'a ya?" He asks. "Nobody needs a whooping?"

"Maybe T-Dog." I sniff, playing with his chain necklace. "He ate all the pretzels."

"Did he, now?"

"Yeah."

"When I'm all better, I'll sort him out for ya, then."

"Uh-huh." I mumble. "You better."

I can only hold back on asking the question I've been wanting to ask him since the moment I heard that gunshot for so long.

"Daddy, what happened out there?"

He pauses for a moment. I expect him to rat Shane out without a moment's hesitation; to get angry, to want justice. But that's not what happens. He doesn't swear, or shout, or even get that little, glinting look of fire in his eyes. It seems to have fizzled out, somehow, leaving only a wispy hint of what used to burn there so violently and for so long. It's strange to me, this tranquillity. It's like a biting dog that's given up his tricks.

"Baby," He sighs, stroking my cheek fleetingly. "How much you figured out?"

I've figured out lots of things in the past month — Enough for a lifetime.

I've figured out that being beaten by your Dad is wrong, but only to some people, and only if they happen to walk in on it. I've also learnt how to think for myself, a lesson taught by someone who promised I could trust him but ended up just another liar. I've learnt the feeling of a kill; the name for benches in a church. I've learnt my Dad is two people at once, like a mirror with a hidden edge. He's him, but he's all the men that came before him, too, all echoing their last laugh through a swing of his fists. I've learnt that loving your family above all else is a hereditary disease.

"Almost all of it." I settle on saying, thinking of all the things life has yet to throw at me. "Almost all of it."

He chews his bottom lip. Then, he pinches my cheek.

"You're my smart girl, huh?"

I smile under the weight of everything.

"Well, one thing at a time. Your old man can't hardly keep up." He lowers his hand, returning my faint smile. "For starters, it was Shane that shot me." I feel like I've been slapped. "I don't know what he's told you, or... or y'know, what yarn he's been spinnin', but it was him."

"Wh-Where? How?"

"I left that day to look for Jim. I didn't tell nobody where I was goin', 'cause I was— I was gonna kill him, baby." It's a tough thing to admit, but it's nothing I ain't heard before. When they first told me Ronnie was dead, and that my Daddy killed him, all I wanted to know was when I could see him again. "I's gonna ask you where his camp was that day, but seein' yer— yer little face, all fuckin' sun-burnt an'— I'on know. Plan changed. I asked Shane instead. And uh... Some walkin', I almost made it. I knew he was followin' me. He walks loud as Hell. Like a fuckin' Yeti."

I giggle. Shane don't got my Dad's finesse when it comes to slinking through the woods.

"I guess I's kinda hopin' he'd..." He takes a deep breath. I wait patiently for him to continue. "Anyway, he did."

"You lured him."

"Yeah. I walked 'bout two hours out before... 'fore I knew I'd waited long enough nobody would find us straight away, and then I spun around, and I tackled him to the ground. I could'a shot him, point-blank, but I wanted it to... W— I wanted it to hurt."

"'Cause he's a bastard cop?"

He falters when I ask this, pinching the bridge of his nose, like this is physically hard for him to get through.

He finds the courage to look at me again. "Yes, Harley, 'cause he's a bastard cop. 'Cause he made things difficult for us, and I wanted him to suffer for it. I got his nose again; fucked his ribs up. I was about to shoot him in the brains when he snatched the glock off me."

"And then he—?"

"Then he shot me."

"And... you didn't get anywhere near Jim's camp? You didn't see him?"

"That what he told you?"

"He said you got into a squabble wit' Jim, and that he shot you, 'cause he was mad about bein' left behind. But at first, he said it was Otis."

"Who the Hell's Otis?"

"He was a man that lived here. He was a hunter, like you. They said he mistook you for a deer, or sum', while he was out there."

Recognition washes over him. "Chubby fella?"

"You see him?"

"Yeah. Gunshot drew him over to us. I guess he was out huntin', then, like they say. Shane was gonna leave me there to bleed out, but with this guy fussin' all over us, that weren't really an option, no more, so he made up some fuckin' fairytale about how it was an accident, and he was new to the group an' they'd never take him back if they found out, and he pressured him into takin' the fall for him. I passed out 'round 'bout then."

"Why ain't he just own up to it? Tell everybody he shot you, plain an' simple?"

"'Cause you wouldn't wanna keep bein' his friend if you found out."

My skin goes cold. "You know about that?"

"Yeah, baby. I know. He rubbed in my face so much I ain't never gon' forget it."

He must see my lip wobble, and the way I'm too scared to even blink, 'cause he gives my hair a kiss. I've been dreading this moment ever since I told Shane, Fine, I'll be your friend, and now I've finally been found out. I'm a liar. I betrayed my Dad. Oh, he's gonna pull his belt out right now.

"I'm sorry, Dad." I shake my head, already pulling away, trying to stop what's to come. "Please, Dad. I'm sorry."

"Harley—"

"He tricked me. He made it seem li-like I had to be his friend. I didn't want to, I swear. He j— He just said a whole bunch'a things, and then—"

"Harley, baby, I ain't mad."

"And he— He—? What?"

"I ain't mad." He repeats himself, raising his brows. "I ain't."

"W—?"

This is like finding out the Earth is flat, or the sun is a square.

"I promise you, baby, I ain't mad at you for that. Not even a little bit. Never, ever." He promises, grabbing my shaking hand. "That man, he's... It ain't your fault. Might feel like it is, but it ain't. Nothin' he says or does is your fault. I should'a ended this shit a long time ago. You shouldn't even have to worry 'bout things like this, Harley. You can be friends with whoever you like. Don't fuckin' matter what I say. Don't listen t'me."

Don't—? Don't listen to me?

"Dad—?"

"I know." He says. "Just... I know. Sometimes Dad says confusin' shit, don't he?"

I nod vigorously.

"Well, I mean it. How am I supposed t'be mad atchu for just doin' what you're told? The way I raised you, ain't it?"

"Yeah, but... I mean, you hate cops."

"For a long time, yeah. Every time I watched 'em drag your Uncle Merle away, I hated 'em a little more'un the last time. They ain't very nice in prison, neither. Lots of rules. They got power over you in there. Makes 'em turn into assholes. But that's me, baby. My bullshit is my bullshit to handle, and Shane — Leave him to me, too. Askin' to be your friend an' shit, that's sum' wrong wit' him. Not you. Not your bullshit."

"If I told you this, like, a week ago, you would'a..."

You would'a beat me.

The unspoken words hang pungent in the air, weighing down on him.

"I—" He clears his throat; sighs deep, and hard. He mutters, "I— I probably would'a, yeah."

I've never seen him talk this away about a beating. He was never proud of it or nothing, but he was never proud about washing dishes, either.

It was just a part of life, but for now, I guess, it's not.

"So... you're not mad?"

"No, sweet girl, I'm not. C'mere."

I lay back down on his chest.

"I knew it was Shane," I murmur against him, "'cause the bullet was round."

"They took it outta me, huh?"

"It was real scary. You wanna hear the whole story?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm all ears."

I tell him about the gunshot, and Maggie on the horse, and how Shane and Otis went out for emergency supplies, but one came back empty-handed, and the other didn't come back at all. I tell him about the night of the surgery, and the funeral. I tell him about the chickens, too.

"They got eggs here, Dad. Lots of 'em. Scrambled, too." I smile. "You're gonna love it."

"Haven't had an egg breakfast in months."

We used to go to the diner, sometimes, and get eggs on toast when Merle wasn't around. Those were the best days of the week.

"They don't burn 'em here or nothin'."

He chuckles. "What 'bout two-dollar coffee? They got that here, too?"

"Only if you wanna fight for the last of the coffee beans."

"It's on." He scoffs. "I could use some good coffee right about now."

"You tired?"

"Baby, I'm exhausted." He smiles. "Keep talkin', though. I wanna hear everythin'."

"Okay. You wanna hear about the walker me and Carl found in the well?"

"The what?"

Herschel comes back in a while later to perform a check-up.

He's an animal doctor, but he's still got a real stethoscope hanging around his neck, and a little light he can shine in my Dad's pupils. I hold his hand as Herschel checks over the IV, the baggie of donor blood, and the smaller scrapes and bruises all over Dad's neck and face.

"Looks like you got into a brawl with a bear." He comments, dabbing his slashed brow with a cotton pad. "This'll sting a little bit."

He hisses. "Weren't so far off as you'd imagine."

Herschel drops the wad into the tin tray. "That about does it for now, I think."

"When can I get outta this bed?"

"When you're better." He deadpans, packing up. "Which should be in about a week. Walking, I'd say, would be reasonable in one or two days."

Dad glances at me, unimpressed.

"Doctor's orders." I shrug.

"Listen to my best patient's advice, Mister Dixon." Herschel smiles. "There's a reason her wound's healed up so nicely."

"I'm guessin' it ain't the fishin' line."

"No." The med-kit clicks shut. "It's not the fishing line."

"I can play outside with Carl, now." I tell Dad, proud. "I been takin' it slow. You gotta, too."

He kisses my knuckles, too tired to answer, but agreeing.

As he's about to leave, Herschel notices something on the ground by his feet, and bends to pick it up.

"Is this yours, Harley?"

He holds it up.

Much to my discomfort, it's the shredded get well soon card.

"Yeah." I take the piece he hands to me, confronted by its obnoxious colors. "It was meant to be a card. Not lookin' so good, now, though."

"Lemme see it."

Reluctantly, I angle it so my Dad can take a look.

"It's just a corner." I murmur. "I ripped up the rest of it."

"That looks real pretty, baby. You made it for me?"

"I don't know..." I muse, unsure. "Shane kinda helped me with it."

"That why you ripped it?"

"Yeah. I was angry at him. I didn't wanna look at it, no more."

"Well, I do." Dad squeezes my hand. "How 'boutchu make me another one?"

"But you're all better, now."

"I don't know about that." Herschel chuckles. "It'll be a while before he's one hundred percent again."

I consider this. "How about I just draw you a picture this time?"

"Sure. Draw me anythin' you want."

"I'll get you some crayons and paper." Herschel offers, stepping out the door. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Good to see you awake, man."

T-Dog, along with Rick and Glenn, walks into the room while I'm leaning against my Dad's side, working on the drawing set up in my lap. I got a clipboard to lean against, and a whole bunch of different colored crayons to use. Rick sits in the bay window, near Glenn, who rests in the rocking chair in the corner. T-Dog smacks Dad's shoulder.

"Thanks." Dad nods, joking, "What's this I hear 'boutchu eatin' all the pretzels, though?"

T-Dog laughs, leaning against the wall. "Girl, you snitched on me about that?"

Swallowing down a giggle, I just send him a cheeky glance.

"Whatever, man. Lock me up, then."

"I think I still got my handcuffs in the back'a our car." Rick offers, mock-serious. "I can go get 'em right now."

Glenn interjects. "Woah, woah, woah. Innocent until proven guilty, guys."

"He told me he ate 'em all." I butt in. "That's proof."

"Verdict's in, then, buddy." Dad shrugs.

"I ain't never delved into all'at court stuff or nothin'," T-Dog holds his hands up, "But I'm pretty sure that's hearsay."

Rick shakes his head, changing the subject.

"How you feelin', Daryl?"

"Sore. Stiff. Like shit."

"Gettin' shot in the stomach will do that to you."

"It's a miracle you survived." Glenn adds. "You lost a lot of blood. Thirty percent, I'm sure Herschel said. Something like that."

"You said you been givin' me yours, didn't ya?"

"Yeah. We weren't sure about anybody else's types, so we had to make do with what we had."

"I got Chinaman-blood runnin' through my veins." Dad laughs. "Hell's that mean for me, now?"

Glenn scoffs. "That you're slightly less of an idiot."

"Man, it's prolly true." T-Dog snickers. "What's the capitol of Russia?"

Dad sticks up his middle finger.

"What about you, Harley?" Glenn asks. "How's your side doing?"

I look up from the paper, where so far, I've drawn some spikey, green grass and colored in half the sky.

"It's a little better." I smile. "Y'know, I'm sorry for yellin' at you yesterday."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

T-Dog tsks, "What was all that about, anyway? What's up with Shane lately?"

"Maybe he's just feeling guilty about Otis." Glenn suggests.

"He's got a whole long list of things to feel guilty about." Dad says with distaste. "You wanna know who exactly it was that shot me?"

"No way."

Rick sighs. "I had a feeling."

"Why'd he go and do a thing like that?" T-Dog questions.

"'Cause he's off his fuckin' rocker, that's why." He retorts. "He hated my guts, so he went and shot 'em."

"Man, you think—? You think he left those supplies on purpose, then?"

I never thought of that. It would just add another layer of horror to that night.

"That poor guy Otis, man."

"Nothin' we can do about it, now. 'Less you think he's gonna do somethin' like this again, Daryl?"

He shrugs. "I'on know. Wouldn't put it past him."

"For now, I wanna keep this sorta thing to a minimum. I'm gonna ask Herschel again today about our arrangements here."

"We're only staying a week or two, right?" I pout.

"Until we find Sophia." Rick tries to smile. "But I'm gonna try change his mind."

"You still ain't find her?"

"No. Harley found her doll, but that's about it. We're gonna start grid-searching properly tomorrow."

I look back down at the page again, sad.

"Drawing done, now, chicken?" Dad asks, trying to lighten my mood a little. "Wanna show it?"

Nodding, I grab the sketch pad and turn it around so that they can all see. It's done. I drew me and my Dad in a field of flowers, but we're not holdin' hands or nothin' — We're killing walkers together. I don't think I got the crossbow exactly right, but I tried my hardest.

Dad laughs. "It's perfect, baby. That me?"

"Yeah. And me. That's the sun, and flowers, and a dead walker right there."

"Badass." Glenn approves.

"What that thing in the background?" Rick asks.

"Oh," I happily answer, "That's Dale. He's so scared, he ran away, and now he's just a little dot."

They all chuckle to themselves.

T-Dog offers to sit it on the chest of drawers, and it stands anew against a vase of real flowers, looking like it's belonged there all along.

Author's Note.

Finished this chapter at 5:49 AM 😣 Uuuuuuuuugh

Long author's rant below.

I got a comment the other day about how Shane was being really annoying, and I sort of agree. At first, I actually felt that way about Daryl, but now he's shown regret and apologized, and Shane's still a raging asshole set on taking Harley for himself. I guess he has good motives? Or HAD, at least... considering they've shifted from wanting to help her out a dangerous situation, to now being selfish. Then again... if I walked in on a man about to hit his 8 yr old daughter, I'd go apeshit, too.

It's going to be so satisfying when Shane gets what's coming to him. (I've been excited for it since the very beginning of this book. Rest assured, Shane will not see the light of day come Season 3.)

Started out as Daryl as the villain and Shane as the hero... Kinda switched.

Sophia's still missing... and Jim, he's MIA. Get ready for him to pop back up again.

Also, Harley is finally on good terms with Rick!! Took forever and a half but we got there. I chose to do this so he could replace Shane's role as pseudo-Uncle when the time comes. Glenn's already sort of there... but what's the harm in having TWO pseudo-Uncles? 😌

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.

Please leave your thoughts and feedback below. Sending lots of love!! <3