*At the funeral of a former Gotham D.A.*
Tim: "So how come you brought just me?"
Bruce, nodding politely at other guests: "The others keep daring each other to do stupider and stupider things and I just wanted one night without any--"
Tim, choking on his drink: "Oh shit, oh shit, that's one of my exes--" hides behind Bruce and nearly knocks over a large photograph of the recently deceased
Bruce, forcing a smile and desperately searching the room for alcohol, muttering: "Him? Really?"
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Thinkin’ of This Au where Jason ends up collecting all of the de-aged liminal class which causes his plans to spiral. And am also thinking if he found them even earlier, before he made his big debut with 6 heads in a duffle bag, back when he was a mere whisper. Y’know, something minor the bats seemingly didn’t have to worry about.
Like he still has his goons, even if less than he would because he is still taking over the underbelly, it’s just far slower because suddenly he has like, twelve small children to keep safe along with defending the alley from these government goons.
Like I want the GIW to full on build files on this (to-them) half rabid ghost prowling crime alley whenever one survives to retreat and lick their wounds. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to notice a pattern. Enough to figure out when their lost specimens are not with the very dangerous ghost.
Enough to catch the babysitting goon off guard, to overwhelm them with numbers.
Enough to take his children.
And Jason has seen those labs, he’s torn apart several, but they aren’t in Gotham anymore, they’re goneGoneGone and he needs to get them back. They’re just babies, they’re his babies, and he’s not going to let them be cut into again.
And there is no warning on the Watchtower when the Zeta activates. There is no alarm when a hulking figure enters during their weekly nearly full-team meeting. A figure that could pass as both human or not, with sparks trailing behind barely restrained movements as they get ready to fight this masked intruder.
“Diana Prince, Wally West, Clark Kent, John Jones, Arthur Curry.” There’s this deadly calm as he speaks, because otherwise he would only be feeling rage. “I know each and every one of your identities, and if you don’t help me everyone is going to know them.”
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its heartbreaking how arthur tries, so hard, on numerous occasions, to get dutch to be the man he knew dutch, or believed dutch to be, the man who stood up for the little man, who took from the rich and gave to the poor, who raised him, loved him, is the reason arthur is the man that he is. he continues to try, he begs and pleads with him, no matter how many times dutch spits on his efforts, he tries so hard, having some hope that the man is still in there somewhere, only to be prove wrong again and again. yet, he still holds out hope, he still tries, even when he's dying, he still warns dutch, and pleads with him to believe, even till the bitter end and god.
it's so heartbreaking how loyal arthur is, and was, and how it doesn't matter if he's loyal, if he follows dutch and abandons everything, his love, his family, for dutch, it doesn't matter in the end as he still chose a man so vile, who he only knew for six months, a man who has only ever fed his ego, a man who actively sold the gang out for his greed over his son who loved him.
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So I adore time loops and I think Sampo would be very fun in a time loop AU. Because despite having so many onscreen interactions with so many characters, he almost always seems to hold people at a certain careful distance, so it's fun to imagine what or who he's willing to use a time loop for, how far he's willing to go, how much he actually does care.
At the end of the Masquerade Duet companion quest, Sparkle mentions a catastrophe soon to befall Jarilo-VI. And some players have interpreted this as a past event (the catastrophe being the story quests we took part in there), but other players have speculated this as an upcoming disaster that Sampo is trying to mitigate.
And so, Gepard finds Sampo in Belobog, right after he was supposed to return from Penacony...or whatever it was called, Gepard had almost been too relieved to remember the name after Natasha assured him that Sampo was fine and not missing or dead, just on a trip since the planet was finally open for travel.
He had assumed this was some kind of vacation, or some shady business endeavor (valid), but when he sees him, Sampo looks. Exhausted.
His usual smirk is there, but there's something horribly off about it that Gepard can't put into words. His voice doesn't have the usual bounce in it. His gait slightly off. There are bags under his eyes, his hair is just the slightest bit out of place. Sampo looks exhausted.
His feet move without him really thinking, he goes up to Sampo to say...something. Maybe just ask him if he's ok. But he can't leave this alone and not do anything, because Gepard can feel it, something is wrong.
And that feeling sticks with him, like the persistent cold, like frostbite, all day. Gepard can't seem to shake it. There is a collective unease seeping through Belobog, sinking deep, tangling around their bones. And the only one who seems to be reacting truly different to it is Sampo.
Gepard tries to tail the guy a few times, anything he can do to learn about what's going on and ease this devouring dread, but Sampo seems to know where he's hiding and calls him out every single time.
He dodges every question (normal), slips out of every grab and grasp (normal), barely even looks at Gepard (decidedly NOT normal).
And maybe it's the darkness that seems to hover over them. The way the air feels like it is pressing down and smothering the breath out of his lungs. But Gepard's patience finally snaps, much sooner than he ever would have thought it would, and he finally grabs Sampo by the collar, hauls him up and forces his back against the brick wall of the alleyway. Because maybe Sampo makes his living double crossing and stabbing backs and he wouldn't understand this, but Gepard has a family, he has people he wants to protect, and so he needs to know what the fuck is going on.
And he knows he's crossed a line the moment he says it. He knows it's not true. Gepard has seen the way Sampo and Caelus sneak around in the Fragmentum or meander down the alleys, snickering with their arms slung around each other. He's seen the way Sampo lets Hook climb up his back onto his shoulders while he takes the moles on little adventures. He's seen the way he and Serval rib each other like it was natural, easy, and the way he goes out of his way for Natasha like he wouldn't any other client, had even trusted her with the knowledge that he was leaving off-planet.
Sampo has people he wants to protect, too, and Gepard shouldn't have accused him otherwise.
But before he can even apologize, Sampo does something stranger still.
Instead of telling him off, or taking a swing at him- both things Gepard would admit he deserved- Sampo just. Lifts one hand, lays it over Gepard's fists still balled in his jacket. Like he's keeping him there. Even through his gloves, his hand is warm.
And Sampo doesn't even really look at him, he leaves his head hung low as he quietly tells Gepard to just go home. Stay in with his family. Don't come out. Please. Please.
But eventually, the catastrophe strikes.
And Gepard can't. He can't stay safe inside his home while this is happening. He can't ignore this. He tells Serval and Lynx to stay in. Don't come out. And he dons his armor and marches out to protect as many people as he can.
When it's all said and done, all Gepard can see is rubble piled around him and a blackened sky. He can hear fire crackling. He can hear a voice he recognizes as Serval's wailing and screaming his name, and he knows she's not going to find him in time. She shouldn't even be out here.
A bloodied face swims into view, bright green eyes looking hollowed and haunted, posture weary and defeated. Gepard reaches out a shaking arm, trying to grab at Sampo's pantleg, trying to make any sound other than gurgling the blood filling his throat, because he knows it for certain now, he knew, Sampo knew.
"Not this time either, huh...?" The sigh he heaves isn't theatrical, for once. Somewhere, rubble groans and loudly collapses. Sampo doesn't even startle or turn to look at it. "I'll figure it out soon, I promise. There has to be a way to pull you through this alive. There has to be."
Something materializes in his hand, something red. Gepard's vision dims at the edges as he watches Sampo hold the mask over his face, as it seemingly attaches itself directly to his skin.
"See you on the next go around, Captain."
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imo the thing about ascended astarion is that he does love his LI, but he no longer shows it in any meaningful way. everything he does is out of fear and he thinks he's performing a show of love, but has his vulnerability locked behind so many layers of a role he's playing. He's using this role as a layer of separation to prevent him from feeling weak and vulnerable in the way love makes him feel while also manipulating the LI into complacency so they don't leave him before the tadpoles are dealt with.
he can feel that flicker of what once was, but it's accompanied by feeling small and weak. the ways he doles out affection affirms that he is none of those things. so, no. not showing love, but showing how he's the one in control. like he tells araj, he needs people to know who owns who, now.
it comes back to "I can be yours, and you can be all mine. If only for the night," but instead of the the equal partnership that springs from the Graveyard Scene where they vow to be each other's for as long as the other will love them, accepting the uncertainty of that future because of the abundance of joy living a life worth living can bring when lived together, Astarion has to establish ownership over his LI.
He owns them, body, heart, and soul, but the only piece of him his LI has is the piece that no longer exists. the piece of him that was the sweet, vulnerable Spawn who was starting to see kindness in the world where it once was cold and unwelcoming.
he loves them, but it's locked up so deep, all he can feel is a flicker of remembrance, like he lost something.
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