#btw it's been a while since i actually read a book and so far it's so good!

[felizusnavidad]

how are scary things going today? i hope you're feeling okay and if not, here's lin for you:

hi edith!

well, it's funny, because it wasn't so bad actually. i'm always so scared to do things & i'm always fine after all lol. but i bought myself a book today (war & peace), as a treat, cause i told myself i totally deserve it after all those scary things i had to do! 🤣

so now i'm reading & drinking coffee. life's beautiful again.

thank you so much for remembering about me & for the gif ❤️

[daisymylove]

Right, so, I'm an acotar hater with all my heart 😍 and don't care for the other sjm books in the least.In fact, it came as no surprise at all that she's a zionist, considering that her beloved ruler not only hoards copious amounts of wealth while his people is segregated, most of them living in poverty, and the marginalized /brown folks being portrayed as inferior, backward brutes and arseholes unworthy of their precious city and time.Did I mention that over half of his people hates him? Fantastic leader 😍👏🏻☺️🥰😘

Anyway I found out recently that there's a crossover between the series, got the context about what nesta did and went to read the extra chapter online to see bat lord's hissy fit first-hand.

Bryce's mom is low key shitty btw, my own mom is far from perfect, but even if she did want to obliterate me, she would never stand by and let some random fucker say that, let alone bad mouth me to said random fucker.Its odd that she seems to stand up more for a boy that she has known for weeks and a woman she just met than her own kid, also I would file for fucking divorce on the spot if my husband had decided to be complicit on a sexist joke about me and our daughter with aforementioned fucker, but I digress

What I did like about her tho was how she handed lavender eyes' ass to him.Someone has to since apparently feyre has been lobotomized and those cult members of the ic murdered Nesta's fighting spirit

And tbh I feel so bad for her, she seems so subdued for nesta's standarts. I wanted to reach for her hand and tell her that 1 if her husband loves counterfeit Batman so much he can go gag on his cock all day, she'll find something better in no time and 2 she'll do it sooner rather than later bc her sister and her are coming with me.If feyrug wants to bring the devilspawn along its fine too

The thing is the average acotar fan is pretty much Sjms trained dog.They'll go along with everything the narrative says, no reading comprehension skills whatsoever.But apparently all characters from CC who have met Rice bowl dislike him and like Nesta, so I am now wondering if she's not planning to reveal later on that Batfae was the villain all along and completely fried Feyre's brain.Again, I don't expect much from a zionist, but its undeniable that it doesn't add up, to the point that I'm wondering if it's the sake person writing the books.I would like someone who actually read the Cc books I would rather lick a McDonald's slider than subject myself to that togive their opinions

[random-mha-thoughts]

Observant (Todoroki x Reader)

Pairing: Todoroki x fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff, College AU

Word Count: 2,562

Summary: In which Shouto moves to the library to study, but it’s more than the quiet atmosphere keeping him coming back.

Tags: @yamichxn @liviitehe @cyanide9602

*Btw it's been a while since I updated my taglist and everyone's usernames I have are from like 2 years ago, so if you wanna be on it shoot me an ask/DM and I'll update it

A/N: Ok maybe I lied and this took longer to write than a week, but it's a lot longer than I thought it would be!

While I liked this idea in theory, once I wrote it I wasn't as big a fan as I thought. *sigh* The life of a writer... Always hating what you put out...

I hope you guys like it, it's more in Shouto's POV than the reader's which is different for me. I think it's pretty cute, and that's what matters.

-----

Shouto needed a change.  Studying inside an empty classroom or in his dorm room alone wasn’t productive anymore; more often than not, he’s started spacing out or having to reread entire pages of his notes.  It also didn’t necessarily help that his roommate this year caused so much of a ruckus every day - the roommate tended to have loud company over frequently, or he would stumble into the room in the wee hours of the night when Shouto was still studying - that Shouto's normally abundant patience had run out and he didn't want to sour their relationship by confronting him (Also read: he had no more fucks to give and it was getting on his last nerve).

Finding a replacement study space was the best decision he’d ever made.

Izuku took him to one of the school library’s quiet floors, the place he tends to study after class.  The floor looked cozy; among the endless rows of library books, there were rows of desks pushed against a wall covered in windows.  A wider clearing in the middle of the entire floor had a few larger tables to seat about six to eight students.  On the other side of the rows of desks were locked rooms that groups can request to reserve for a few hours.

Izuku couldn’t stand the typical absolute quiet on this floor, so he tended to reserve one of the rooms with a classmate after a long day of classes; the extra privacy was an added bonus.  Iida couldn’t make it, so the freckled fellow was grateful to Shouto for tagging along.  The duo settled into a room with concrete white walls and a simple table, a large plane of plexiglass the only view into the rest of the library.

Shouto didn’t care about the room almost feeling like a prison; there was enough natural lighting from a double window, it was minimalistic, and he was in the presence of a friend if he needed someone to talk to when he took small breaks.  He figured even if Izuku didn’t come with him every day, he could sit at one of the desks in the middle of the room with his earbuds in for a few hours.  A completely focused section of the library with no distractions, just what he wanted.

Until some movement caught the corner of his eye through the plexiglass and made him do a double-take.

A girl with hair reaching past her shoulder blades approaches one of the nearby bookshelves, the white sleeves of her shirt folded up to her elbows and a burgundy skirt sitting just above her knees.  The outfit alone earned a small glance from him, but what made him stare curiously was her actions.  She moved a few heavy tomes aside, revealing a much smaller one hidden behind them.  She plucked it from its place, opened up to a bookmarked page, and proceeded to twist the “bookmark” into her hair, making a neat bun near her nape, before walking away.

Shouto couldn’t help gawking at her receding figure.  She not only hid a book in a secret hiding spot, but she used her hair stick - or fork, or pin, he was too far to tell exactly what it was - as a bookmark when she was done reading for the day.  He’s heard of Fuyumi using everything but an actual bookmark to hold her place, but he’s never actually seen another person with such a habit.  It made sense, one would want to pin their long hair out of their face to read - Fuyumi says she keeps her hair on the short side because long hair is a hassle to control - and Shouto acknowledges how clever she is.  But then how does she spend the rest of her day with her hair down?  Doesn’t it get it in the way the rest of the day?  Going outside with the wind kicking around?  Eating with her hair all over the place?  Catching it on her backpack or her jacket?  Maybe he was getting ahead of himself and this was a one-time thing, she just happened to not have a bookmark and the only thing on hand was her accessory and something was better than simply folding the page down.

Shouto realized he’d spent a whole 5 minutes ruminating about this mysterious girl and her hair and her reading habits.  He’d just found a new distraction, and he wasn’t mad at it.

After a few hours of homework and studying with Izuku in the locked room, Shouto noticed the girl walking slowly back to the same bookshelf, nose buried in the pages, bun still in place.  The boy silently chuckled to himself as she stood completely still for a few beats, he figured she was just finishing up a chapter.

He suddenly stops short and his eyes widen.

In one swift motion, she pulled the stick from her bun and, as if in slow motion, the silky strands were freed, falling past her shoulders as she shook it out.  It was more satisfying seeing it all fall down after she meticulously pinned it up.  And of course, it just looked pretty.

In doing so, her glance catches him from her periphery.  His heart stopped as he quickly turned back to his laptop screen, already holding his breath.  He’s not a creep, he told himself as his face heats up, his mind was just bored and his eyes wandered and he just so happened to catch activity happening.  Simple.  It’s not like he wanted to see her do it again.

Izuku stretches his arms over his head.  “Yikes, I didn’t notice how late it was.  Wanna break for the night and come back tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

~*~

Shouto has come to expect the usual schedule of events: He would settle into the study room with his study partner and unpack as he waits for the girl to come retrieve her book.  He would watch as she’d expertly weave the stick in her hair, give a cute little head shake to make sure it was strong enough to hold, and then disappear into the library to read her book.  A few hours into his work, he’d wait for her to come back to her book hiding spot.  The most satisfying part of his day would be watching her pull the stick out of her hair and letting that cascade of silky hair fall past her shoulders.  He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that.  On his way out one day, he snuck a peek at what book she was reading and inspected her hair stick.  It was a simple enough design, thin and gold colored with a leaf pattern at the very end of it.

Sure, it sounds creepy to an outsider.  But he’s not a stalker, he’s just a creature of habit.

Or, that’s what he tried to tell himself whenever he would accidentally meet her eyes and have to turn his head quickly.  Which has happened more times than he’d like to admit in a 3 week span.

“What’s IcyHot looking at so intently?”  Katsuki’s gruff voice alerts Shouto out of his trance one afternoon as he waits for the mystery girl to appear at the end of the day as usual.  “You’ve been looking over there all day.”

Shouto tears his eyes away from the bookshelf, clearing his throat and staring at his screen.  “Nothing, I thought I saw something.”

Katsuki and Izuku’s eyes darted to where Shouto was looking to find the girl retrieving her book as usual.  A smug look spreads across the blond’s face as he leans back in his chair.  “Ohh, I see.  You’re watching the pretty girl.”

Shouto clamps his mouth shut, not wanting to give the boy the satisfaction of being right.

“You like her, right?”

“No!”  Damnit.  “She just happens to be here every day too.”  He can’t stop the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Well she’s coming over here, be ready.”

As soon as Shouto’s heart lurches, there’s a soft knock at the door.  Shouto glances around to Izuku and then Katsuki, who’s smirking.  “Go on, answer it.  She’s not looking for us.”

Shouto wants nothing more than to punch his smug face, but he hurries over to the room door to open it.  He stiffens up when he sees the girl standing right in front of him.

Up close, she has a slightly rounded face, her black-framed glasses framing cat eyes and long eyelashes.  Her mouth was slightly agape for a split second before stiffly closing it to compose herself and stand up straighter.  “Um, hi.  I hope I’m not bothering you.”

Shouto closes the door behind him.  “No, not at all.”  He shoves a hand in his pocket to try looking casual while his heart flutters at being close enough to someone he’s been watching from a distance.

“I actually wanted to ask you a favor.”  She pushes her glasses up on her face nervously.  “Do you mind hiding this somewhere in your study room?”  She’s clutching her book to her chest, the dark cover contrasting against her white sweater.

Shouto’s eyes couldn��t help taking a quick glance down; the dark book cover contrasts against her white sweater tucked into her black plaid mini skirt ending just above her knees, the rest of her legs covered by sheer black tights and ending in a pair of black boots with a low heel.

“I usually hide it behind one of the sections of books no one reads,” she continues, pivoting a bit to point, letting Shouto glance down quickly to the black plaid mini skirt, sheer tights, and black heeled boots before she turns back around.  “But I figured someone might move it one day.  And I just happen to notice that you’re in this room every day at the same time, I can count on it being in the same place…”  She tucks a hair behind her ear and Shouto nearly melts at the way her voice trails off sheepishly.

Shouto reaches out to take the book she’s offering to him.  “Yeah, I’ll keep it here in the room.  It should be locked overnight.”

She clasps her hands in front of her and smiles at him.  “Thank you!  I’ll come back to get it tomorrow, promise.”

Shouto dazedly smiles back at her.  “Sure…  See you tomorrow, then.”

She gives him a little bow and walks away from him, letting him get a whiff of her fruity-floral perfume.  He stands there a moment to watch her, containing his excitement before collecting himself and ducking back into the room.  He realized his palms were sweaty when he sat back down and wanted to study the book cover.

He feels eyes on him, only to meet Katsuki’s shit-eating grin and Izuku’s eager smile.

The blond is the first to break the silence.  “Well?  What did she want?”

Shouto plays back the conversation in his head.  “She gave me her book to keep in the room overnight.”  She happens to notice me here… Shouto thinks, Every day…  Just like I notice her here every day…  “She must think I’m a stalker or something,” he mumbles.

“Oh my god.”  Katsuki facepalms.  “It means she likes you, you idiot!  She just wanted an excuse to talk to you!”

The clueless boy blinks, causing the blonde to groan.  “Why else would she come up to you specifically and not Deku?”

Izuku gives his childhood friend a hard look.  “I agree with Kacchan, she looked shy to talk to you.  Maybe you should do something nice for her and ask her out?”

When the pieces finally click in place, Shouto’s face turns brighter red than his hair at the prospect of the girl possibly being interested in him too.

“IcyHot’s got such a huge crush!” Katsuki guffaws, hitting the table.

~*~

“Thanks for taking care of my book again,” the girl smiles.

Shouto’s already racing heart squeezes as their fingers just barely brush during the exchange, rubbing the back of his neck.  It’s a regular occurrence, but the gesture never fails to fluster him.  “N-No problem.  I know it’s important to you.”  He coughs.  “I actually read a little bit of it this time.”  He thinks she stiffens up for a moment.  “I apologize if I was intruding!” he says quickly.

“N-No, it’s fine!”  She clutches the book to her chest tightly with both hands, managing a nervous chuckle.  “How far did you get?”

“Just the first three chapters, I didn’t get too far.”  Her nervous behavior makes Shouto sweat.  Did he cross a line?  She must think he’s indecent now if she didn’t before.

“Oh.”  She visibly relaxes.  “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d look.  I thought it looked too…girly for you to be interested.”

“I figured you’re reading it so intensely, it must be good.  I was just curious, I’m sorry.”  He feels his face heat up in shame again.  He keeps glancing at the book, not knowing if he should find some way to take it back from her or not; only adrenaline had let him go through with his plan.

The girl realizes the book feels thicker in her hands, the split created by her bookmark now a small hole.  Her fingers reach inside and open up to that page, eyes widening.

She plucks out a thin golden stick with a burgundy flower at the head, a matching chain tassel with a gem at the end hanging off of it.  “What’s this?”

The boy’s throat is parched and his heartbeat almost deafens him.  “I know how much you like using these sticks to tie up your hair, and you tend to wear reds and burgundy a lot.  I wanted to give you a nicer looking one that matches.”

Shouto almost wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole when she stares up at him wordlessly.  The girl finally smiles warmly.  “It’s really pretty, thank you, I love it!”

The boy lets out a held breath, the cold fear slightly leaving him.  “Oh good, I’m glad.”

She hands him the book to hold as she wraps her hair up and places the stick in the bun.  Shouto’s chest fills with pride as she turns her head to show him.  “How does it look?”

“Stunning,” he blurts out and his eyes immediately widen at his unintentional candor, earning a giggle out of her.  He hangs onto the wondrous sound and the way her warm eyes bore into him.  “Would you grab dinner with me later?”

She slightly tilts her head at him with a smile, sending more warmth through him.  “I’d love to.”

Shouto smiles back, his whole body relaxing and his heart full.  “Great!  See you later, then.”

The girl reaches both her hands to gently retrieve her book, allowing more contact to linger between them as she shyly keeps their eyes locked.  “See you then.”

As she walks away, the burgundy tassel swaying side to side, Shouto leans back against the door for a moment and smiles to himself.  He feels lighter now, looking forward to his date.  As he turns to go back inside the room, he briefly wonders if he should learn how to use one of those hair sticks; maybe he’ll get the chance to weave his fingers through her silky hair and place it himself.  He’ll get the chance to pull it out, eventually.

[whispangleblogger]

I am not somebody that hops onto the "comic discourse" a lot. I usually prefer to talk things through with my friends and share opinions in private.

But since Tangle more or less got ignored so far i take the chance and talk a bit about her appearance in 64

She jumps in as a supportive character towards Whisper and helps her to prevent another breakdown. While yes, there was a scene in Urban Warfare that did the exact same thing, i feel like with issue 64 we finally see how strong of an impact this support actually has on the page. (I talk a bit more about Urban Warfare further down this post.) I don't even dare and call this bait (Edit: Not my words btw. i saw this used in another heated post. I personally never felt baited in any form. If anything, the girls relationship is one big highlight in these comics.) because it simply isn't. Here is a character that cares for her partner and also is uncomfortable with the whole situation to begin with. She has to decide where her priorities lie. Her reaction is to be expected to be focused on a trembling Whisper and all i can say is i'm glad we finally have a good depiction of that.

Tangle has the right to approach Whisper in ways i think no other character is able to, she earned it and it pretty much shows on this page. Softly taking down Whisper's mask and checking on her, the body language in these panels is chefs kiss. She's truly a bouncy girl, but it's good to see her being serious every now and then, i feel like it's a side of her that people usually tend to ignore. (And i really don't know why that is.) Evan Stanley does always an amazing job if it comes to showing Tangle in a different light or how she cares about her friends and loved ones. In regards about the current arc and even the last one, i feel like this post is a good chance to add my personal take to it as well, since it's been on my mind for a good while now. I feel like 64 finally makes a step into the right direction again.

To elaborate a little on that, i wasn't really a big fan of Urban Warfare, simply for the fact that it's pacing is all over the place. There were a lot of things that needed to be covered, to name a few: - new team building - Whisper's trauma - Lanolin introduced as a new character - a LOT of other teams jumping into the scene - the city itself all squeezed into a 5 book arc. One more book compared to a mini series that usually gives full focus to a set of chosen characters.

To make this clear, there are also good things in Urban Warfare as well but thanks to the fact how rushed the whole story felt in it's core it's a bit hard to enjoy the good bits as well...

Misadventures still deals with the same pacing problem and i believe that is where the real issue lies. As a reader/collector of the books and longtime fan of them, all i can say is:

I wish the comics would get their old, well cared, time for details back. Yes, a story like the Metal Virus was a long run but in the end it was a fantastic read. Mini arcs like Trial by Fire (Still one of my favorites), that focus on other things instead of the usual action, are also very important for character development and add a lot of depth to them. Endless Summer is a great example for such addition as well. These books provide insight into character interaction we usually don't see otherwise. Of course i have no idea how much SEGA is involved into everything if it comes to general decisions like how long one arc is supposed to last and when the next one should start.

(The next part is based on my personal taste, this has nothing to do with the general narrative of the books. I just want to share my thoughts about this since i really don't write them down a lot.)

As a little side note, i feel like Lanolin is a great character so far. Her stubborn and rule book like demeanor as a leader is refreshing to say the least. She also seems to be really close to how her creator ABT imagines her to be and i really appreciate that. But i can't help it and feel like her team dynamic with Tangle and Whisper comes of as rather… rocky ? On a combat level of things it works really good but on a friendship level it's somehow lacking atm. There is this boss and coworker relationship going on that feels more like real work. Obviously though she's new and needs more time to get better established. I guess we will see how this plays out in the future. I'm all in for a good or funny team dynamic but i also can't help it and feel like she works better as an addition to Jewel, running the restoration, the navigator typ that sends intel via com instead of a field combatant. Even if she proved she's good at close combat as well during her encounter with Whisper in 64. That being said, i am all open for surprises and more character development on her part. This is really just a "now" opinion and can easily change over time. I like the sheep, i really do.

[clockworkbee]

Why are you so excited for the Seelie Queen? She’s so sleezy to read about that I think I dislike her more than Seb since so much demon blood is his excuse but she doesn’t have an excuse she just.. chose to be bad. And she was shitty to Clary all of Tmi but had sex with her brother behind everyone’s backs while hoping they’d all die in Edom... But I know we got some villain lovers over here so not shaming here! Just curious about the intrigue. I even hate Ash being around her..Yet we’ll probably read about them having sex or planning to have ash as a “weapon” to build up the Ash TWP lore I guess?

Hello, (sorry about my late response, you've probably even forgotten you asked). Thanks for clarifying what you're actually asking, tho! I'll start this by showing the answer in your ask itself (this could be long, idk):

The Seelie Queen is so sleezy to read about. She doesn't have an excuse she just.. chose to be bad. Had sex with our protagonist's brother behind everyone's backs while hoping they'd all die in Edom.

She is by no means among any list of my favorite characters, but her character does interest me immensely. She's one patient, word-twisting, magic bitch, and also the first cool faerie villain character I'd ever read about. Her trickster nature and word games really fascinated me, and I have always been curious about her story. I've wanted to see her perspective (which we could be getting or not), and I've wanted to see her as the main villain (not a side one) ever since TMI.

Now, about why I'm so excited about a story that's supposed to be about her and Sebastian, and I admit, I didn't think about what this story could be (I just didn't have time to wonder 😭) so I never got as far as "reading about them... planning to have Ash as a weapon to build up the Ash TWP lore..." That could be it, tho; a story of them making horrible plans for their wonderful, powerful future in their most desired, terrible world with a baby to make sure of everything and strengthen their united rule! Awesome!

But coming back to your question, I've been curious about how Sebastian even formed that alliance with the Seelie Queen (and no matter the flattery, I never believed either was in love with the other) and what really was it that she saw herself benefiting off of that she supported him. Was it that she could see the potential in his plans of bringing down a part-human race that shouldn't have any power to control her people yet does? Or was it just about an heir symbolizing a strong and scary rule while also getting back at the Unseelie King? Did she plan on betraying Sebastian after she got what she wanted? Or was it all that and more that I'm unable to think of?

These are just some things I've thought of since reading TDA and barely seeing the Seelie Queen make an appearance in other books or stories (TID, TLH, TFTSA, GOTSM, TBC) so the moment I read her name with Sebastian among the ten stories, I was like "finally! Some tea! Something to look forward to that might hold some of the answers I've been waiting for" (or leave me with more questions, lol). So yeah 😅

Thanks for this ask, btw 💗

[leliosinking]

Hot take I guess but the fandom was way too hard on this book (and still is tbh) and for what? Because it isn’t interested in fan service? If anything Anne’s writing was at its best when she ignored what fans wanted, and I think it’s time for a reevaluation of my boy Vittorio the Vampire.

I just think this was such a promising start to New Tales (more than Pandora, even) and I sort of hate all of you for boycotting it or telling new readers to skip it. (as far as i’m concerned TVA, Merrick, B&G, BF and BC are all unofficially New Tales anyway.. TVL-MtD are the only proper vampire chronicles, everything else falls into different categories, but I digress).

With regard to Vittorio, however, we were given a true blue Ricean vampire hunter novel (the only one mind you) with an actual, functioning plot and some of the best action she’s written since TVL… and you all shunned it. And I get it, we don’t read these books for conventional, commercial plot contrivances, but for the florid language and richly crafted characters; but this is the rare Anne Rice novel that’s just.. fun for the sake of fun?

And no, I’m not blind to its problems. It absolutely needed another draft or two (as do a lot of the later VC entires) and no, Vittorio is not her strongest protagonist by leagues. But what we got was still filled to the brim with good ideas?

The Court of the Ruby Grail cult, especially, is one my favorite of Anne’s inventions. Like their dynamic with the local human villages feeding them their castoffs was legitimately disturbing and IMO better executed than most of the times she retreaded the Children of Darkness post-TVL.

And while Vittorio the character might be kind of boring, Florian and Ursula carry this novel and deserved to enter the larger narrative tapestry on their strengths alone but “waaah Lestat and co. aren’t here” so “it’s bad” or whatever.. I really can’t stand some of y’all.

Anyway, this is long enough and I really didn’t set out to write an essay in defense of what is ultimately a mid-tier entry into this series. But. I still feel that much in the way that MtD and Blackwood Farm have been recently reassessed as good novels that happen to be bad VC entires I think it’s time for some of you to similarly reevaluate Vittorio the Vampire, because this is a good vampire novel, it just isn’t a good vampire chronicle (well I think it is and yet and yet and yet). But it’s still part of the series and it does fit into the larger picture despite what some will have you believe.

If this is your first time, I personally like to read VTV between Body Thief and Memnoch. I think it is better thematically situated there than between TVA and Merrick as initially published. The archangels that enter later in the story build nicely upon David’s vision of God and Satan in TTOTBT and make for a strong intermission full of angels and demons that assist in setting up the Dantean finale of MtD. (I have more suggested reading orders btw, some other time perhaps).

I dunno.. if you like this book please let me know lol like I could use the solidarity because I feel like I’m the only one (I have it ranked #6 out of 15). But yeah, I think Vittorio is probably the most underrated and most unfairly slandered entry in Anne’s entire catalogue if I’m being completely honest.

[terristre]

I hope for everything you haven’t been terrible spoiled like I have with book 7 🥲

Made de from that, did you play book 6? What did you think of it?

THE RIDE NEVER ENDS

book 6 was actually what made me go "hm this probably wouldve been cooler if i experienced it myself" & start avoiding spoilers. AND IIRC IT GETS LONGER TOO DOESNT IT TwT (even still im shocked by the amount of ch6 i apparently wasnt spoiled on lol)

im bellyaching about the sheer length but as someone with a degree in humanities its Weenie Hut Juniors by my standards lmao ive just got my feathers ruffled that reading it took all morning orz but yeah its not too much of a chore especially when the writings THIS good- ill try not to go into too much detail but theyve been juggling cool fast-paced story action with some BIG lore drops & its just *chefs kiss*

HUGE highlight for me has definitely been the character writing- theyve pulled out damn near everyone so far & its a TALL task writing-wise since having so many people running around means some are probably gonna fall to the wayside & just be there To Be There with nothing else to offer- but just about everybody's been at peak characterization & had a fun opportunity to shine, from the shroud brothers to even the professors

OK ONLY SPECIFIC EVENTS ILL DESCRIBE for example jesus christ when riddle was being captured & he got stunned but was so pissed about it he FOUGHT TO GET BACK UP & SET THE WHOLE PLACE UP IN FLAMES & HAD TO BE STUNNED A SECOND TIME (the only person who had to be stunned twice btw) i was like YES KILL KILL BITE MAIM KILL THERES MY BOY THE ABSOLUTE MADMAN LOCAL BOY LITERALLY TOO ANGRY TO DIE LETS FUCKING GOOOOO

and there were times like that for just about every character where i was like LETS GO THATS MY FUCKING BOY even for characters im usually not that crazy about like vil & leona!! i just need to stress the character writing has been SO GOOD & its been SUCH a treat that we get to have this!!! while also moving the plot along in cool & active ways!!!! AND learning crazy lore stuff!!!! all at the same time!!! so yes overall ive found book 6 to be not JUST good but SO good that it reminds me of what hooked me on this game in the first place Holds Up The Gay Little Culinary Crucible Sign That Says 10

[the-blind-assassin-12]

WIPS ON WIPS ON WIPS

So... over the last week or three, I've been tagged *checks notes* NINE (9) times in various wip posts, and I responded to *checks notes unnecessarily* NONE (0) of them. 🤦🏻‍♀️I am so sorry to everyone who tagged me for not responding sooner, I very much appreciate the tags and the interest/support. My brain has been down the drain for a while, so I've not really had anything worth sharing. BUT! I'm fixing that right here, right now, because better one to three weeks late than never, right?

Last Line Tags:

1- @something-tofightfor tagged me after sharing an upcoming part of Fool's Gold (which I have been LUCKY enough to read a few parts ahead on, and let me tell you guys, we're all in for a TREAT with this story), specifically looking for Jack or Marcus snippets. So let's go with the cowboy, shall we?

“I read you, Jack.” You waited a beat, heart slamming at your ribcage as you stared at the back of his seat in front of you. “Everything alright?” Well that’s a dumb question that I already know the answer to.  He let out a small humorless laugh that sounded far too flat to come from the man you knew. “Oh, just peachy.” You winced, closing your eyes and focusing on his voice. “Listen, I know Champ and Ginger want you to stick with me on this one. But I…” He swore under his breath. “I need you to stay with the Pony when we land. Can you promise me that?”  What? Your eyes flew open, brow creased with confusion. “That’s not…” You shook your head even though you knew he couldn’t see you. “Jack, that would be a violation of a direct order. I can’t-”  

2- @djarins-cyare tagged me in a sneak peek of a Din story she's working on, so I figured I'd reciprocate with some tin can man of my own.

You gasped as you stepped out from the cavern, mouth dropping open and eyes going wide as you took in the sight of the open sky, illuminated by Concordia’s silvery green glow, for the first time in your life. It’s real. You took another step, chin tilted upwards as you spun in a slow circle. A tear rolled down your cheek and slipped over your lip, your tongue flicking out to lick it away. It’s… “Beautiful,” you whispered. 

3- @oonajaeadira tagged me when she shared a snippet of Leave Off Your Wandering, which I cannot wait to catch up with because I adore that story so so much. The next thing I have cooking in my own Joel story is actually an Ellie interlude, so let's see what that girl is up to.

The faces that graced the pages of her notebook were all familiar ones, all people that mattered, all people that she loved. Working cameras were scarce in Jackson, and finding film for them wasn’t exactly easy either. But even if she could indiscriminately snap photos of everyone she cared about, she’d still opt to sketch them instead. To her it was a labor of love, capturing their features as she saw them through her eyes, using her own hand to create each likeness.  Joel on the porch steps with his guitar. Dina smirking with her arms crossed. Jesse with his teasing grin. There was a sketch of her and Kat from when they were together that still made Ellie smile even though they’d decided to go back to being friends. She’d even drawn scenes and images of things she’d seen around town or out on patrols. There was a whole page in one of her earlier books dedicated to her birthday trip to the Wyoming Museum of Science and History, including a side by side comparison of Tommy and the thick-skulled dinosaur that Joel swore was the spitting image of his brother. 

4- @burntheedges spoiled us by sharing TWO snippets - one of Girl Dad Frankie and one of Ballet AU Din (which I am very interested in, btw) and since I already shared some Din, let's see what I have for Francisco. (this is from a very nebulous wip for a Dog Rescue AU)

Standing from his desk and crossing his arms loosely over his chest, Frankie shifted his weight to one leg and called over his shoulder. “Hey, Ben?”  “Yeah?” The other man’s footsteps grew closer until he was standing in the doorway, one hand leaning on the frame. “You need somethin’? What’s- oh.” Frankie moved aside so Benny could see what - and who - he was looking at. “Well I’ll be goddamned.” The grin he wore was audible, causing Frankie to roll his eyes. Cocky little shit. “Guess I was right. She came back.”  “Yeah,” he said, letting out a small huff that was just as much astonishment as it was amusement. She sure did. He watched as you finished parking in the same spot you’d pulled into two days earlier, directly next to his truck, and then pulled a box out of the back seat. 

5- @stealyourblorbos tagged me in some wip drawings of Miguel O'Hara - a character who I only know through and because of her stunning artwork of him - and what I know I like very much. Gonna be *vague* here and post a couple bullet points from notes of something foolish I'm working on:

You’re co-starring in an action movie with Dieter. It’s your first time working together, but you get along really well and have instant chemistry. 

You’ve already filmed ⅓ of the movie - including a pretty hot sex scene - and now you’re working on scenes involving stunts and SFX.

Out Of Context Line Tags:

6- @littlemisspascal tagged me and shared a mystery snippet, so here I come with a mystery of my own. (this is fun. it's like tossing a confusion grenade and running away laughing.)

Normally, this was where he would veer away from the truth or else avoid it by changing the topic. It was a defense mechanism, putting up fences so tall he couldn’t be seen. In his mind, there was no point in delving into such deep character analysis. Not when the expiration date was already stamped on whatever skeletal relationship he was in with the mere asking of such a personal question

7- @burntheedges tagged me again but this time with no context. So I trade you one secret for another, Kate!

Despite the fact that you hadn’t fallen asleep until well after two in the morning, you were wide awake before sunrise the following day. For a moment, when you first blinked your eyes open, you thought - hoped - that it had all been a very vivid dream.

8- @keldabe-kriff came in hot with something that I truly have no context for, so in that vein, here you go.

“I can’t fucking believe it, Joel.” She plopped down on the seat beside him, drawing one leg up and resting it over his thigh. Hands coming up to the sides of her face, she blew out a breath that broke into a laugh. “Two offers? I-”  She laughed again, stopping only when he reached over to encircle one of her wrists with his fingers, pulling it down and away from her face. “I can.”

9- @rulexofxnines tagged me and shared a moodboard for an upcoming fic, and while I don't have a moodboard, here's the main inspo picture for the @dieterbravobrainrotclub May server challenge that I've been fiddling with:

THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO TAGGED ME!!! I promise I am digging myself out of this deep funk and things are going to start moving again!!

[mikodrawnnarratives]

y'know what.

fuck it

Happy Birthday, dear Evie Artino

Renegades Trilogy - Word Count: 17092

Summary: It's been 12 years since Nova's family was murdered. After the previous year of being a renegade and the aftermath of her uncle's actions, Nova gets a moment to breathe. To grieve. Though, it's a little more than difficult to do that once she's told her baby sister's corpse was never buried. Never found. And now she has to search for the infamous thief, gone rogue, Magpie. As if she didn't have enough problems to deal with. Let's just get this over with...

Before you read!

This fic is going off of the assumption Magpie was 11 months old when her family was killed, therefore ten years later would mean she is 10 and 11 months old, 12 years later would be 12 and 11 months old (close to 13 years old) etc etc.

(I say assumption bc I'm not sure how canon Maggie being 11 months old at the beginning is. It makes sense since she was around the age she'd start to move around but still, just want to let y'all know)

I’ve done my best to show this on a timeline image in the end notes but I wanted to be clear with that! The timeline also goes off some assumptions and guesses for how much time passes from book 1 to the end of book 3.

BTW I'm sorry if ages and time stuff get confusing

I confused myself in the middle of trying to figure this out and, even though I think I've gotten everything fixed, there may still be issues

Check ao3 for tags

Nova took a deep breath, focusing on the wind gently tossing her hair. Better to focus on that than the heaviness in her chest. Leroy smiled and patted her shoulder in comfort.

“I’ll stay” Nova whispered, but then chuckled “But I’m crashing with you. The Renegades' campus rooms are terrible!” She straightened and let her tired smile relax.

Leroy shrugged, “As far as I’m concerned, the couch has been yours for a while.”

“Thank you, Leroy” She smiled. Leroy chuckled and pulled her into an odd side hug, her eyes blowing open from the action initially. She made a sly smile on her face to hide her apparent awkwardness, “I never took you for the cuddly type, Cyanide.”

“I’m not. But this is an exception.” He rubbed her arm, “You did good, Nightmare. Don’t beat yourself up about the rest.” Nova resisted the urge to fully melt in his touch, fully embrace it. Like she deserved it.

“If only it were that easy.” 

“It never is. But that’s how life goes sometimes."

"Look at you being all noble and wise! Haha! You haven't been taking classes from Simon have you?"

Leroy's smile lessened a little, something crossing his mind, "Nova?"

She broke away from his hug, "Hm?"

"Have you visited them yet?" He adjusted his glasses, “They did give them actual burials, right?” Nova appreciated the dark look that donned his face. She knew that look, and the revenge schemes it carried if he so chose.

It’s been a year since Ace Anarchy was defeated for good. And a year since Nova’s actual family was revealed to everyone. Who her uncle actually was. Her motivation for becoming an anarchist in the first place. One whole year of recovery from the remaining damage, and of tearing down a faulty system and trying to rebuild a new one. 

And it’s been twelve years since the murder of her family.

She pursed her lips and admitted what had also been on her mind, “No, no they did. I just haven't gone yet. There are gravestones and everything from what I've heard." She chewed on her lip.

Leroy tilted his cup around to watch the coffee swirl around. "Would you like emotional support?"

"You say that like a joke but please heh…" Nova laughed and turned to Leroy. She gripped the railing. "It's… gonna be weird. What do I even say?"

"They're graves,"

"Their graves."

“Right… my bad”

She fiddled with her fingers and Leroy placed a hand on her shoulder.

The chemist shrugged, "You don't need to know immediately. You don't need to go immediately, believe it or not."

Nova looked at him and opened her mouth to say something before a notification on her phone made her ears perk up the ever so slightest. She pulled it out to see the team group chat yapping about some shop opening. Leroy rubbed her back, "Just tell me when you want to visit."

"Thank you"

Nova spares a passing glance to the calendar and clock as she stands in the waiting room. She shifts from foot to foot. Discontent with standing, she paces. She wrings her hands as she does so.

It’s a miracle she hasn’t fled already. To procrastinate on it all for a little longer. But by this point it would be pretty idiotic to turn back now. Nova fidgets with her hair, waiting for her name to be called by the front desk.

It was taking longer than she would have liked to find out where her family's graves are. Leroy left with someone after they, not so discreetly, began to whisper. The renegade at the front desk kept passing weird looks to her. She couldn’t discern what emotion they had on their face. Maybe they were a prodigy, and gifted at masking. She didn’t get too good of a look at Leroy’s face either before he abandoned her in this desolate room. The cold blue light covering the room.

There’s no way they aren’t keeping something from her. Now she just wishes she had followed them. Anything to beat this trepidation.

Whatever they are hiding, she doubts it could be anything that Leroy would react better to than her. She keeps her ears peered just in case Leroy explodes something in reaction. There really wasn't a lot that Nova would take worse than Leroy, in her most humble opinion.

Footsteps running are her only warning before the front door to the establishment bursts open. Three hands all trying to cram through. Their bodies follow close behind in a clumsy, un-organized effort. 

She jolts her head to the noise and stares at the multiple people who crash through. Adrien, then Ruby followed by Oscar, Danna, an-

Wait. Danna-?

"Nova!"

"We heard-"

"We're so sorry!!"

Roxy and Oscar charge past Adrian and run at her full speed. They knock her over before she could blink. She groans and sits up, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"

Adrian opens his mouth and-

BOOM

Leroy…

Danna comes over to the three of them on the floor, and yanks them up to their feet. She places a hand on Nova's shoulder, "You haven't been told?"

"Told me what?!" Nova would have kept her attention on Danna if Leroy literally hadn't just made something explode, "Leroy, do you want MORE community service?! What's going on?"

Leroy yells something Nova can't make out. But he's pissed. She frowns, her guard rising.

"Nova" Adrian walked up to her, maintaining her eye contact. "I think you should see it for yourself."

Nova's eyes soften and she takes Adrian's hand, "Why can't you tell me?"

"BECAUSE THEY FUCKED UP AGAIN THAT'S WHY!" Leroy's hair was still poofy from his rage just moments prior. He marches straight to Nova, forcing her to part from Adrian when he grabs her by her shoulders. She flinches and he pauses, immediately apologetic for his abrupt action, he sighs. "You said you had a sister, yes?"

Adrian inhales sharply and Nova's frown deepens, "What does Evie have to do with this…?"

Danna speaks up, "Are you aware of one of the latest villains, that has been flaunting their superpowers everywhere? They are going by the name “the Terror" (if they couldn’t get more corny)" Danna sighs. "Just this morning they went around terrorizing all across the city. Everywhere and anywhere they liked."

"I heard about that, but I didn’t think they’d be able to wreck this place too. I thought these cemeteries had measures in place to protect them." 

Adrian answers this time, rubbing his arm "Normally yes, but more Renegades have been needed to handle the new prodigy accidents and villain attacks ever since we defeated Ace Anarchy."

Danna speaks up again, "Resources for protection have been focused around civilian homes and shelters." 

Nova blinks and her eyes widen slightly, "What happened."

Leroy smooths his hair out as he takes a deep breath, "The Terror robbed several graves. The Artino's were one of them."

Nova's face shifts from one of confusion to one of anger and horror, "Where are they." She practically snarls.

Leroy chuckles without humor, "That isn't the only thing, Nightmare." His hands shake.

"There's more??"

The Sketch team is quiet, allowing Leroy to speak.

Leroy chokes at first but clears his throat to speak clearer without his emotions in the way, "Your parents' caskets and bodies have been recovered and will be reburied and their graves fixed once they catch the culprit."

Nova loses her breath, "You said Evie earlier. What happened to Evie!?" She looks around, "What. Did. He. Do."

"Nothing" Adrian says, "Her body was never there."

“What?” She stared at Adrian like he was making an uncharacteristic sick joke. He wasn’t. Nova's eyes widen but in confusion more than any horror or shock, "What do you mean? If she isn't there then the graverobber must have taken her!"

"The motive doesn't match up. He wasn't interested in any of the bodies. Of all ages." Danna says.

Oscar chips in hesitantly, "Her casket doesn't have any evidence of where a body would have been for 12 years."

Nova pauses and after a long silence takes a deep breath. She shakily sits on one of the lobby chairs and hugs herself. She pinches the bridge of her nose, "Are… are you saying… that Evie's body-" she hesitates, clenching her teeth before swallowing the lump in her throat, "Evie was never recovered from the crime scene. For twelve years, she has been missing."

Adrian's face crumples slightly, hesitating to reach out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry"

Leroy's murderous face makes too much sense now. Hot burning coals threaten to boil her alive just underneath her skin. Her breath slowly leaves her.

She was so close.

Nova had grieved before. She never thought her family would get the graves they deserved and had become okay with that. Or at least, grew used to the ache. Learned to be okay.

But, hearing they did. They did get graves. To honor their final rest. One they deserved when Captain Chromium failed them. Nova heard she could see them, even if they wouldn't be alive. Even just a gravestone above where their body rests forever. For a moment, a raw piece of her felt as if it could heal after being hollow for so long.

And it's been ripped away again. 

Nova wants to be angry. She is angry. Angry at all the renegades who failed her family all over again. Who got to go home to their perfect, happy homes, in their rich lives, with their complete and happy family.

Everything feels fuzzy. In slow motion as she vaguely sees renegades exit the room one by one. Plans over the radio to recover from the graverobber underway. Mentions of names. The Artino’s. David… Tala…. Nova…

Evie…

Adrian slowly sets a hand on her shoulder, and she doesn’t jolt. He makes circles with his thumb as she breathes. Heavy breathes that keep her from gasping. She slowly lifts her head up. Her lip twitches and Adrian doesn’t say anything.

She’s furious. 

She’s trembling. 

She’s frail. 

She’s weak.

She failed. 

She failed them.

She failed Evie.

Logically, both her and Adrian know that’s not true. She tried her best. She was only six. A six year old couldn’t be blamed for what happened. He knows his father messed up. Which is more than Nova could ever ask of him.

Nova’s angry. And she’s sad. She’s so tired.

She’s hurt.

Her baby sister was so close.

But it was a lie.

###

Nova dumps the final bag of confetti in the recycling bin, marking the end of cleaning up after the parade a couple of days ago. It was to mark a year's progress after Ace’s second defeat. The permanent defeat. With confetti. 

After all that work to clean up the streets from the last villain attack. Confetti. Suffice to say, she wasn’t the one to come up with the littering party idea.

The parade itself was an attempt to stir up some more positive attention to the renegades’ name. Or rather, to honor the work done so far to keep everyone safe. Not that any positive attention to the renegades couldn’t hurt their shambled reputation from the last couple years.

That’s how Nova thought of it. She wouldn’t have agreed to participate otherwise. Not when she could continue working on the case of her sister’s disappearing corpse. It was quickly going cold. 

It was like the body walked away. Some kind of twisted magician’s act. And it was up to her to figure out how the magician did it. Where the magician is.

She purposefully avoided looking at Captain Chromium in the meantime. It only added salt to the wound to hear his involvement at the crime scene. Once it was a kind gesture for him to be so involved in her family’s death. Only after Nova learned Ace was responsible for sending the assassin. Now the gesture left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Surely he would have seen. Surely, he would have seen Evie’s body go missing. Footprints of a thief could have been documented. Her sister should have been put to rest. There should have been enough renegades at the scene to catch them!

It didn’t help that Adrian's father was on rocky terrain with Nova even before this revelation. And to think they had been getting along better over the last year. Now all that progress has been wiped clean. Who knows if it’ll be the same.

She felt the bag crunch in her grip. She let herself dig into it just a little more, just to get some of her fury out before dropping it.

Adrian talked to his father about what was remembered at the scene. Nova knew the man had been trying to talk to her to apologize for a while now but she just couldn’t face him. She wouldn’t want to punch her boyfriend’s father’s mug. Not that he’d actually be affected by it. The same applied to his husband as well. 

Nova pulls out her phone. She clicks open the group chat she shares with the rest of her team. She scrolls back through the messages, looking for updates for what must have been the thousandth time. 

Danna and Adrian have their time split between their own duties, so she couldn’t blame them. When they were available, they mostly worked on finding the negligent heroes (aside from the obvious) at the crime scene who were responsible for Evie’s disappearance. Danna’s been more helpful than Nova ever thought she’d be, seeing as they haven’t always been on the best terms. Understatement of the year.

She appreciated it nonetheless.

Oscar and Ruby have been incredible whenever they were free. They either joined her in what they deemed “detective business” (she really didn’t know how to feel about the name) or used their own efforts to search and track down where the body ended up. 

Evie’s birthday is coming up soon.

And it’s been a few weeks since Nova learned about the absolute incompetence of the clean up crew. The current leading theory was a bias, which didn’t seem too far off. Adrian has been working with his father to see if this has happened to anyone else. Despite the rest of Sketch’s team trying to help out, Nova could feel her hope dwindle. 

It was ambitious from the very beginning. To find the body of an 11 month old baby, twelve years after her death, but Nova really did let herself hope at first.

She couldn’t help but begin to sag around after any reminder of her sister. She felt conflicted between joining the efforts to find her, and distracting herself from the ache in her chest. It was like she was 6 years old all over again, and processing her sister’s death for the first time.

And it's certainly not a helpful attitude for actually finding her.

She’s begun to pack her schedule with numerous duties as of late. 24 hours every day allowed her to split her time between distractions and facing her current dilemma. No one was complaining from the extra help. The only real downside was the whispers about her. Nothing new. Everyone wins in the end this way.

Maybe she shouldn’t have been so open to any request in hindsight.

Nova stares at Thunderbird, “I’m sorry. Repeat that again?”

Thunderbird sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, the hero seemed much more fidgety than ever now that Nova paid attention, “Nightmare. Magpie’s missing.” Her feathers fluff up as she articulates this fact to Nova. Like she should care.

Nova scoffs, “No, no, the other part. You want me to-”

“You aren’t busy, are you? Then we need all the help we can get.” Thunderbird looks seconds away from shaking Nova senseless. “Look. I… I know about your sister and it’s all the campus can talk about. And-”

“Really?” Nova blinks, “I didn’t think I was that popular.”

“And. I’m sorry to ask you this when you’re grieving.”

Nova shifts uncomfortably where she stands. Thunderbird rarely talked to Nova when she wasn’t furious. To come to her when she’s desperate is… different.

Nova clears her throat, “Are you her mom or something? Why are you so pressed where she is?”

Thunderbird blinks at her, and squints. Oh that really ruffled her feathers. Nova could see veins popping out. “No, I’m not. However, I sponsored her and got her in to be a renegade. (In hindsight, a very poor decision…)” She glares pointedly, “She’s barely a teenager! Isn’t this concerning to you?”

Nova laughs. “I was taking care of myself by eight. I know jack shit about what’s 'normally' concerning.”

Thunderbird blinks and settles down slightly. “Right. Right… you were raised by villains-”

“Anarchists.” Nova corrects.

“Sure. But that was for you. Surely you can understand why we are worried for her. The Bandit is her age by now.”

She's got Nova there. Thinking about it, Max going missing would frazzle Nova too. She folds her arms and gives her attention to Thunderbird. “Don’t the renegades require contact information from a guardian?” Nova asks, “They should know where she is?”

Thunderbird’s lip trembled slightly, “Margaret’s… a special case. Her orphanage approved her residence and I paid for her fees and expenses.” Nova blinks, she remembers now the previous residence where she found out the kid used to live. It was pretty much useless at the time and now a year later, it’s been brought up again.

“How do you know she’s not brooding and being a problem on purpose. Running away from any responsibility she had.”

“Nightmare.”

“What?” She raised her hands in defense before placing them on her hips, “Magpie isn’t exactly thrilled about authority. This could just be avoiding the consequences of her actions somewhere, and being the moody brat she is.”

“Margaret… yes, she is very… temperamental.” Thunderbird sighs, “But even Magpie doesn’t disappear for weeks.”

Nova does a double take, "Weeks?! And you haven’t started looking sooner??"

Thunderbird scowls, "Do you really think you're the first renegade I've told?"

Nova cheeks pinken slightly and she frowns, “Then who else knows?”

Allegedly: Captain Chromium, Simon, and most of team Sketch are all the heroes Nova is told has been notified. Thunderbird doesn't specify who is looking. Orders to send out missing posters were underway until there were complications with schedules. 

Now that Nova thought about it, she may have heard Adrian’s parents discussing the 12 year old’s sudden absence a while ago. Thunderbird didn’t mention her friendgroup’s lack of involvement. She did note Adrian’s efforts to search for Magpie too. Nova bit her lip, she knew how much Adrian still cared about Magpie. Despite her sticky fingers.

“Is this the only reason you’re here?”

Thunderbird sighs, "You're needed for your familiarity in the locations listed here." She hands Nova files detailing the locations, "You may be interested to hear The Terror’s movements have been narrowed down to these districts."

Nova takes the files, "What about Magpie?"

"...All I'm asking is to keep an eye out for her. Report if you see her. Talk to her if you can. Try to convince her to come back, please.” Nova resists the urge to roll her eyes at the idea of peacefully talking with Magpie like Thunderbird is suggesting, “She grew up in that neighborhood, y'know."

Nova blinks, “She did?” Thunderbird nods and Nova hums. She already knew the whereabouts the orphanage Magpie went to at one point wasn’t too close to her neighborhood. It was plausible Magpie went to the elementary institution Nova vaguely remembers from the area.

Thunderbird folds her arms and Nova notices her feathers fluff up slightly. Oh now the birdie needs to be all stern and professional huh. Got it. No sentimentality here. “Your task is to search the area for The Terror already so… keep an eye out for Magpie. Report back to me.”

Nova deadpans, “Is that an order, Thunderbird?”

“It …is a request.” She took a deep breath to level out her pride, “Please, Nightmare. I know Margaret wasn’t the nicest-”

“Oh she was a complete turd.”

“Watch your language, Nightmare.”

“We’re both adults here, Thunderbird.”

“...right.” Thunderbird sighs, “But do you have to be so casually insulting. And in the workplace?”

“I’m sure Magpie’s called me worse behind my back.”

“How immature can you get…” Thunderbird deadpans.

“I’ll tell Magpie you said that.”

Thunderbird’s lip twitches and her feathers lift slightly, “oh, so you’ll look for her now?”

“No promises I’ll find her. Or bring her back. I doubt she’d come back easily if she ran away.” Nova scratched the back of her neck, “But Adrian cares about her. You care, I know Danna cares, and from what you tell me, even more than them. So why not.” 

Nova won't like coming across the thief again but she supposed there's no other option with the mess the tween's caused.

“...then call me Tamaya.”

Nova makes a double take, “What? Where did that come from?” She stares at Thunderbird for an explanation.

Thund- Tamaya frowns, “We aren’t on the field. And we aren’t strangers. We’re coworkers. And Adrian is the closest thing I have to a nephew so…" She clears her throat. "And… Nightmare, if you help me find out if Margaret is safe you’ll have my deepest thanks.”

“...” Nova really could only stare. Tamaya is almost bowing. BOWING!?!! For her help. Someone she despises. Really? “Magpie matters that much to you?”

Tamaya straightens, “She’s fierce when she wants to be, and when I met her… you should have seen it, Nightmare. Her determination despite how young she was…” She cleared her throat, “If only I had done things differently, maybe she’d still be here. I’d know where she is.”

Nova’s eyes soften slightly and she sighs, rubbing her arm. She really hopes she won't regret this. She stashes the files away in her bag, “I’ll help. Promise.”

Tamaya deflates from relief, Nova could see the tension in her posture after being so vulnerable about this request. More like a plea than anything, really.

“And call me Nova, Aunt Tamaya.”

“I’m going to regret this, aren't I.”

“Likely!”

###

Adrian and Nova met up before she had to depart to search the district. Adrian squeezed Nova's shoulder in comfort when she sucked in a breath at the sight of her old neighborhood. She squeezed his hand back before they went separate ways.

The only pretty thing to look at here would be the setting sun and a darkening sky that is right behind it. The buildings fare much worse off, with buildings crumbling, the sidewalks are uneven from the large tree roots. Many of the homes sit with broken glass and lay abandoned. 

Most people in these areas stick to the new apartments nowadays. They're the only buildings that are still structurally sound and have the least risk of break ins. Made to be less vulnerable to villain attacks due to the design of the buildings. Even the renegades have been trying to finish up repairs on one of their more elaborate renegades apartments.

Nova would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought of running away to live here when she was younger. Find an abandoned house to camp out at. Especially when Ace got angry. She never did, she didn’t want to abandon her only family. Even when he hurt her. He saved her after all.

Honestly, if she had lived here, it probably wouldn’t have been too different from living underground.

Growing up here couldn't have been nice.

Nova thinks about what Thunderbi- Tamaya said. Before she left she was told in depth about the process of resigning the Renegades, and it wasn't as simple as walking out unless you were arrested or were okay with losing any final paychecks and insurances offered.

Maybe Magpie did. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Nova pulls the collar of her jacket closer, she really should have picked out a jacket with a hood. She needs to look casual though. There should be a coffee shop down the street that she plans to make a stop at. If anyone has eyes on her then it'll be her “motive” for snooping around the area.

She adjusts her black medical mask. Her movements are careful not to reveal the weaponry she’s hidden underneath her clothing. Her ears twitch from a garbage can jostling. A raccoon.

Nova makes it down the small stretch of suburbs still remaining, finally making it to the urban districts. She could hear the noises of city crowds up ahead. Lovely. Coffee shop right ahead. Either this villain shows themself and becomes a quick turn in, or she gets coffee. Classic on the job look there, huh. Maybe she’ll get hot chocolate, coffee is too bitter to be worth it.

"The terror" was becoming "the pain in the ass" to her honestly. The anarchists had their collections of thieves, sure, but on the other side of the coin turns them out to be more nuisances. 

She takes one step onto the sidewalk and a figure runs into her, Nova is shoved straight into the brick wall behind her and they bounce back onto the ground “OOF-” She wheezes and scowls at the figure, “Watch where you’re goi-” The black clothed figure’s hood fell back. 

There sat Nova’s other objective. 

Magpie rushes to pack up all the things that had fallen out of her bag from the tumble she took when colliding with Nova. She freezes when Nova guffaws her name out loud.

“Nightmare?!” Her eyes bulge and she stares at Nova. Nova takes in the kid’s choppy haircut, now longer than the bob she wore when Nova first met her. A cloud of dirt has stained the mostly black clothing she has on, and Magpie clutches a passenger bag as she collects her last scattered item. A diamond bracelet. 

Wait a minute. “What did you-” 

Magpie bolts, cutting through the next crowd as Nova runs after her. “Get back here!”

Magpie takes a sharp turn into the nearest alley, Nova apologizes to all the citizens as she parts her way through. She sees the sewer lid slide into place when she gets to the alley. Oh, does that brat think she’s clever?

Nova pries open the lid and jumps inside, cringing from the smell immediately. Her shoes splash in the water the moment she gets down. She equips her flashlight though it’s almost unneeded when she hears more splashing up ahead.

She catches up and grabs the kid’s hoodie, ignoring her cry of shock. “What do you think you’re doing!?”

Magpie snarls and turns around and successfully pushes Nova away. “I could ask you the same fucking question!”

“I asked first.”

Magpie sneers, “Oh look who’s high and mighty by using playground rules.” She turns around to walk away only for Nova to keep up pace with her. And that kid has the nerve to count her little collection of stolen goods in front of her. Nova runs up and tries to grab the bag out of Magpie’s hand, she curses under her breath when the brat dodges. 

“Hey!”

“You’re stealing again, aren’t you! I bet that jewelry doesn’t even belong to you.”

“Belongs to me now.” But her eyes widen like dinner plates when Nova makes another grab for the bag, slowed down only by the sludge in the bed of the sewer, “Watch it! Some of this is mine for real!”

“So the thief admits it”

“Oh, will you shut the fuck up!” She complains once Nova stops making grabs at her bag so she could search it. Nova folds her arms and Magpie gives her a pointed glare, her nose scrunching, before returning her attention to her collection.

Nova returns it and pinches the bridge of her nose, “I swear to god, if you’ve been missing because you’re off playing the act of the latest thorn in our side ‘The Terror’ I-”

Magpie turned around with a deadpan, “Who?”

“Oh how convenient. You don’t know about the graverobber who appeared just around the time you disappeared.” Nova points at Magpie, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cuff you right now on suspicion of theft.”

“Wow, the Anarchist has turned full cop huh. What a shame. Newsflash, I’m not a graverobber. Do you really think these arms could lug around a shovel?” Magpie grips her bag tightly in the defensive.

“Your powers could easily help out with that, I'm not stupid.”

“And last time you knew exactly what my powers could do was…?” Magpie blinks several times on purpose at Nova, putting a hand next to her ear to mock signal the action to help hear better. “What was that? Never? Who knew!”

“Not funny.”

“Besides, modern day graves aren’t even worth robbing for the amount of effort it takes. No gold or silver is ever buried with those crypts anymore. The highest prices you could get would be from the organs.” The girl gags. Magpie fiddles with her passenger bag’s strap, but Nova can see she has been eyeing their whereabouts for an escape for the past few minutes.

Nova puts her hands on her hips, “Should I be concerned how you know this? Actually nevermind, you always say weird shit.” Maybe she was exaggerating here but she didn’t care too much at the moment.

Magpie whips her head back to Nova, scowling. “What are you even doing here. Shouldn’t you be after The Teapot or what's his name?”

“I’m here because you disappeared without a trace.”

Magpie rolls her eyes. “Please. Like anyone cares. I’ve been gone for two weeks and haven’t seen a single one of you hypocrites.”

“"No one cares"??” Nova guffaws.

“That’s what I said. Yes. Congratulations, your ears function perfectly.”

"Several people care! Do you think I'd be here looking for your ass if people didn't!? Adrian, Oscar, Thunderbird, Tsunami, both of Adrian's dads. You can't just disappear like that!"

"I quit." Magpie bites. "And, well, you found me! You can go tell them to mind their business."

Magpie begins to walk away in a huff, and Nova's mouth opens and closes like a goldfish before recovering enough of her brain cells after the audacity of the comment.

"What. Is wrong with you?! They don't just want to know you're okay, they want to SEE you're okay." Nova waves her arms around to emphasize her point. She subconsciously remembers and notes how she had picked the habit up from Leroy. 

"Besides" she pinches her nose, "you can't quit the renegades without a conference and before handing over your equipment" Nova makes a pointed glare at the cleanup crew uniform Magpie wore under her hoodie, only barely visible. The clothing was less of an issue than the tech-advanced gloves and shoes Nova knows Magpie smuggled from the other techies in the renegades. She just knew that the uniform allowed the girl to carry more than usual.

Magpie's face pinkens slightly but she lashes back just as quick. "I'll do what I want, Miss Juliet."

"…What did you just call me?!"

“You heard me!”

Nova growls in frustration, “GOD why does anyone want you around when all you do is cause trouble and spout insults like it's a competition!?”

“You tell me! I've made it plenty clear that I don't want to be anyone's friend.”

“Magpie-!”

The girl had the nerve to try and dash away again, using her powers to rip herself out of the muck and stick to the walls. Nova reaches in her jacket and pulls out her netting gun, and in a second the projectile stretches into a web and stops Magpie in her tracks, trapping her foot temporarily. Magpie growls as Nova readjusts herself, prying away from the stickier filth.

“Are you even listening?!?! You’ve been missing for weeks!! You can’t just disappear like that.” She sighs “You worried a lot of people. Good people. Frankly, good people that have much better things to be worrying about than a thief.”

Magpie groans, “You’ll NEVER drop that will you.” She shakes away the net from her foot and Nova collects it with a frown.

“Maybe when you show actual change for once.” Nova scowls and points to Magpie’s satchel. “I bet that bag is full of stolen goods, huh. A thief in the renegades.”

“Did you already forget I QUIT” Magpie grits out as she gets up.

“Again. Not OFFICIALLY! You’re still associated to them-!” Nova fumbles, “Them- us. The heroes.”

Magpie doesn’t seem to notice her fumble and solely focuses on what she said before. “OH like I’M gonna deal so much damage to the renegades reputation” She sneers and kicks aside some trash.

Nova takes a deep breath before practically shouting, “Yes!”

“I don’t go around flaunting my story unlike someone.”

Nova grits, “You are infuriating.”

“Thanks, I try.” Magpie brushes dirt off her clothes like it’ll make a change to how muddied they’ve become. “And besides, the renegades don’t need help soiling their reputation.”

Nova sighs and rubs her forehead, “I’ll never understand what Callum ever saw in you.”

Nova expected a snarky comeback immediately. Some snappy retort spat back at her like Magpie had been doing.

But Magpie stays quiet.

Nova looks over and sees the way Magpie's fists clench. She considers saying something again but Magpie brushes ahead of her.

Nova tilts her head to get a better look at Magpie and sees the kid’s fists clenching. Nova considers saying something before Magpie grunts and continues to search for the sewer exit. Preferably one that Nova isn’t in the way of. Nova still follows close behind.

“Maybe that’s why Callum was better than you hypocrites.”

Nova frowns, she really shouldn't be surprised anymore. “You’re one to talk.”

“Why do you think I left.” The heat was rising in her voice again, and Nova gladly met it.

“What else? Selfishness!” Nova’s hands swung around to exaggerate her point. “You didn't even think about how the people around you would worry for your safety?? All so you can indulge in a life of crime.”

“That’s not why I-”

Nova deadpans, “Sure.” Nova walks ahead of the tween in a spurred heated pace, turning the corner and checking the area. Magpie’s appearance had distracted her from the fact they were in territory many new villains loved to travel through. Must be the "aesthetic".

Despite walking ahead, she didn’t go so far where Magpie would be out of her peripheral vision. Her ears remained keen for if Magpie would try to dash off again.

“If you'd just let me talk-!”

Nova turns around, about to open her mouth when something large shoves her into the wall. She hears a shriek and draws her weapon blindly. It’s ripped from her hand almost immediately and she whips her head up, finally seeing their attacker.

A tall boney figure of a man stands right across from her, holding the small tween in his grasp with a maniac smile on his face. He’s giggling. The dagger Magpie had tried to grab in a last ditch attempt to protect herself had been pried out of her grip. The man brings her dagger to the kid’s neck, only centimeters away from slicing skin. Magpie trembles, trying to squirm out of the sickly skinny man's hold. His grin stretches from Nova's attention.

"If it isn't the famous hypocrite, Nightmare" the villain drawls out. When Nova steps closer, he shifts the dagger dangerously close to Magpie's neck. She stops. "Yeah that's right…" the villain giggles deliriously, twitching. "You can't do anything."

"What do you want?" Nova says cautiously, her eyes stayed glued to the dagger. Under her breath she whispers “250cm. Shabby haircut and facial hair. Notch in right ear, scarring from corner of the ear to top of-”

“Are you tattling on me? …heh …hehe continue! Not that it will work~” The villain strangely allows her to note the details and send in the report for back up “They won’t get here in time.” He sniffs and blinks lazily. Is… Is he drunk? His grip on the dagger laxes ever so slightly but Nova doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet.

“You haven’t answered my question sir.”

“Drop your bag pretty little lady” The man uses his foot to slide Magpie’s passenger bag over to him, “This one’s getting lonely~” The raven-haired child squirms in his hold but he tightens his grasp on her, creating a striking cut across Magpie’s neck. Magpie cries out in pain.

“That’s what this is? A robbery? Drop the kid you don’t need to-”

“Stop talking, or I’ll slit her THROAT!!” The villain screams seemingly out of nowhere. Nova halts immediately, giving the villain more satisfaction than she’d like to. She grits her teeth, plotting how to handle this. “There we go~ That wasn’t so hard was it? Can’t ignore me now huh heh… heh heh”

Nova prays he’ll start to monologue. Oh please let him start monologuing! She needs the tim-

“You may be wondering why I’m doing this…”

THANK GOD

Magpie looks to be in pain but even she rolls her eyes in annoyance. The man giggles and his body seems to spasm like static. Nova squints. His hair shifts from orange to black to brown in a matter of seconds. 

“Do you like my power, little Nightmare?” Nova jolts and sees the scruff and build of Ace Anarchy right in front of her. An unstable form that shifts back into a stretched twig in the next second. “I’ve been meaning to give it a test run.”

“How are you-” Nova barely gets a word in before the villain continues.

“My form appears differently to all who see me. I appear as the people you’ve feared, who you’ve hated and cowered under in the past. I am fear. I am terror.” 

“Wait- You??” Recognition hits Nova like a stack of bricks and she groans internally. The graverobber.

A grin stretches across his face. His eyes hollow out and he takes on a sickly gray appearance. It almost looks like Ace Anarchy… but not quite. His eyebags stretch down his face for forever and he almost appears undead. His teeth appear chipped and stained with alcohol. His lip appears blistered, bleeding, as if a smoker’s lip.

Magpie screams when she sees his new appearance. With the villain’s attention away from her, she almost escapes his hold. She kicks wildly at him with the heels of her feet.

The Terror growls and makes a wild jab at Magpie before she escapes his hold, he nabs her cheek but Nova jumps in to restrain him before he can do anymore damage. Magpie falls to the ground as Nova grabs a hold of the villain. Nova rips back his (real) sleeve but the man shoves her off him before she can activate her power. 

The villain trips her and Nova curses when he attempts to keep her down by kicking her. She grabs his foot and yanks him down into the sewer’s sludge. She gets one good punch in before he returns the blow.

The man grabs the dagger but before he can strike, the dagger is ripped out of his hands and heads straight into Magpie’s. The Terror snarls at the child but gets caught up in wrestling Nova for her netting gun. Magpie dashes the other direction.

His face shifts to Adrian’s and Nova falters, immediately losing her advantage. Her own netting gun fires from The Terror’s hands, and pins her to the ground, knocking her head to the side.

She jolts up to get out of her own net casing, furiously searching for the other dagger on her person. She does her best with the newfound dizziness. The adrenaline pulses through her veins, allowing her the luxury to ignore the growing headache. She has no doubts it'll be an issue later, unfortunately.

The man fires the net at Magpie next, pinning her down for good measure as he searches her bag and nabs what he finds shiny. Magpie kicks and swears up a storm. The villain shoves her into the muck to shut her up. He takes her bag and runs.

Nova curses herself for her design choices. The net only closes around its capture, leaving no room for correction. She severs the net around her with the dagger the villain hadn't gotten a hold of in his hast, but it takes her longer than she’d like to retrieve it.

She clutches her head once she gets onto her feet, stumbling only slightly. The tunnel's few and far between lights flickered. The villain got away.

Nova almost considers going after him but Magpie's struggling takes precedence. Nova beelines for Magpie, kneeling down and cutting the ropes that trap her face in the sewer's waste and water. 

Nova cuts away the last piece that kept the child down, and Magpie jolts up to gasp. She sputters and coughs for a few minutes, gulping precious air. Procedure mandated Nova check with Magpie if she swallowed any water and (at least from Magpie’s testimony) she’s fine. Wouldn’t hurt to check out later.

Nova frowns toward the direction the villain went but shakes her head. Not yet. She helps pull Magpie to her feet and helps her down on the dry (not dry, moist actually, but considerably dry-er) concrete that sits above the sewer water. Nova pulls out a med kit, paying attention to the gashes the villain landed on Magpie. Her own could wait.

When Nova attempts to clean the gash on the kid’s cheek, Magpie jolts backward. Nova sighs.

“If I don’t do this, the wound will only get worse. Trust me, you don’t want to get an infection.” She says sternly. “And the quicker we do this, the sooner we catch that bastard.”

Magpie frowns, her eyebrows furrowing. She isn’t whining anymore at least, and she braces herself when Nova pulls out the antiseptic again.

Magpie winces from the sting of the disinfectant. Nova frowns and sympathizes with the kid. Using this disinfectant wasn’t the most preferable way to deal with these cuts, she’ll admit. But after the wounds’ contact with the sewer water, infection was definitely a greater concern. Nova will probably need to haul Magpie over to headquarters just to make sure the kid didn’t get any diseases from the sewage.

The cut on the kid’s cheek really only needs a simple bandaid but the laceration on her neck requires gause. It’s hardly a pretty sight but at least it isn’t bleeding too badly. Likely surface level.

She, again, cleans the wound and ignores Magpie’s winses. She applies the gauze to her neck and gently wraps the bandage around. 

Nova lets out the breath she had been holding in, “There. That wasn’t so hard was it?” Despite what she said, her tone was only half heartedly snarky. The villain had caught her off guard and she wasn’t enthusiastic to fail helping the kid again.

Magpie doesn’t respond. Instead, she chooses to stand up again, stumbling in the process. Nova catches and steadies her. Nova tries to check the kid’s head for a bump but the kid bats her hand away. The child frowns and looks away, feigning strength that contradicts her dependance on Nova to keep her steady.

Nova turns her attention away from the ex-renegade and back to the sewers. Inside her jacket, the thrum of her tracker comforts her of the villain’s whereabouts. She pulls it out and watches the flickering red spot’s movements. The blinking green dot marks where she is.

“He hasn’t gotten far. Keep a hold of my arm and on my sig-”

“It’d be easier if you left me behind” The ex-renegade gruffs.

Nova looks at her, “He took your stuff too.” And Nova didn’t want to risk the kid running away the moment she left her sight. But one appealed more to Magpie’s wishes than the other.

Magpie huffs and her attitude returns, “I don’t carry anything too important. I’m not stupid. He just snatched today’s income.” She mumbles something about finding a new bag.

Her nonchalance couldn’t help but make Nova bristle, “Income? Really. You mean what you’ve stolen today.”

“I’m using my powers for something useful now, aren't I?”

“Something useful would be helping people.” Nova couldn’t help the bite that came out in her voice. “Not causing a bigger issue for the Renega-”

“Why would I help them?” Magpie snarls, “Their reputation can go die for all I care. They didn’t help me and they aren’t entitled to my help”

Nova blinks, “What?”

“I know you heard me, don’t lie.”

Nova deadpans, “Oh? Clarify for me.”

“Why should I.” Magpie shoves herself away from her, getting her balance back mostly. She keeps one hand on the sewer wall.

Nova sighs, giving up on getting an answer for her question. Better to not beat around the bush. “What do you mean by ‘they didn’t help’? They were always reaching out! Callum was-”

Magpie scoffs, “Exactly. Callum. Everyone else was in it for my powers.” She grumbles something inaudible and then, “He was too but at least his power let him see past that.” 

Magpie winces in pain and stumbles, Nova rushes to her side to catch her again. Magpie doesn’t bother fighting her again but she does scowl. Nova ignores her and focuses on helping her walk. The kid’s right foot must be sprained or something.

Nova sighs, “Renegades are chosen because of their skillset.”

Magpie huffs “Yeah, well. I signed up for history. Artifacts.” 

“And you barely did anything.”

Magpie blew her hair out of her face. “Then good thing I’m out of your hair now. You don’t have to spare a thought to think about how worthless I am to you lot.”

Nova groans internally. She’d give anything to just drop the kid. “No one thinks you’re worthless. You haven’t been applying yourself so-”

“I have.” Magpie defends.

“Really.”

“Really!”

Nova heavily doubts that but chooses just to roll her eyes. “Well if we’re going to talk about this, why did you leave.” The villain wasn’t too far ahead but he had still made a substantial run for it. They were hardly close enough for their voices to be heard by him yet. From what the tracker suggested, he had paused to look at all his newfound treasures. Likely, he hadn’t noticed the tracker yet. Amateur.

“The renegades are hypocrites now.”

Oh this argument? Nova takes a breath, “They always have been.”

Now it was Magpie’s turn to be skeptical.

Nova continues, “But these kinds of organizations will always have flaws. That’s why good people need to be there to improve them.” Nova never thought she’d see a day where she’d so adamantly defend the renegades but here they were. 

Magpie pipes up again, “And yet they still flaunt the idea everyone is equal” Her words taunt the idea itself in an almost singsong way. “Nobody sees that’s the furthest thing from the truth”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No one is equal just because everyone and their mother has powers now.” She shifts slightly as they walk to turn the corner. “No power comes with the same strength as another. And now prodigies aren’t people who earned it.”

Nova chokes and whips her head around to the kid, “Earned it??”

Magpie puffs her chest out, defending her claim with no hesitance, “Becoming a prodigy comes from survival!” Her fist tightens, “And now there are new “prodigies" that flaunt their power like it’s the same thing!” She pointedly looks at the tracker with the villain’s location. Nova had to admit, she was right for this case.

Despite that, Nova refutes Magpie’s previous claim, “Not all ‘previous’ prodigies got their power out of necessity.”

Magpie bites back, “The majority did. And yet, everyone’s trying to act like nothing has changed for the worse.”

Nova frowns, “What does this have to do with you quitting?”

Magpie shuts her mouth and remains silent. They walk a good chunk for a good chunk of time before Nova opens her mouth, “Oh now you’re silent on me again. Great.”

Magpie groans something closer to a whine. “Why are you so interested anyway??”

“Maybe I want to know what’s in that skull of yours to think it’d be a good idea to disappear for weeks! You worried-”

“I don’t care.” Magpie mutters.

Nova still heard it. “Say that again.” A challenge really.

“They don’t actually mean it.”

Nova barks a humorless laugh, “Yes, (oh boy) yes, they do!”

Magpie whips her head back to Nova, “I was a nuisance! I burdened everyone. I used up resources.” She listed them like they would obviously affect how others would think of her. 

And it did. Not always the way Magpie believed though. 

Nova agrees with her, “Yeah, you were. What does that have to do-”

“Everyone should be happy I’m gone. I’m no longer a stain on their reputation.” She shoves her hands into her pockets. “But then again, they ruin their reputation well enough without me.”  

Nova doesn’t bother trying to interject and correct her again. Instead, she listens to Magpie spout off. She’s fessing up now. 

“I’m on the side that matches my character now, right? At least in their eyes. You should be happy.” Magpie quips, continuing her spiel.

Nova doesn’t say anything for a moment. Taking in the kid’s words. She isn’t really sure if she regrets making Magpie talk again. It was easier when she was silent honestly. Easier on her headache. Regardless, Nova speaks up again, “...That’s it? That’s why you made everyone worry?”

Magpie speaks firmly, “They aren’t actually worried. I can guarantee they just want my superpower and labor. Why would they be worried about me?” 

Nova takes in a deep breath, hopefully warding away her oncoming headache. “Honestly, I have no clue.”

“Told you.” Magpie grunts.

“But.” Nova breathes out, “They are worried regardless. Thunderbird herself asked me to go looking for you. And she doesn’t even like me!” Nova hoped her emphasis on Tamaya’s desperation would convince Magpie but it had the opposite effect.

“If anything that proves my point they don't care.” Magpie chuckles. It wasn’t funny. “Leaving my fate up to an ex-anarchist. If they are so concerned, where are they right now?” It almost sounded like a genuine question. One that flabbergasted Nova to no end.

“Busy! And they have been looking for you. They just also have more important things to do than-”

“Look for a shitty kid?” Magpie finishes for her. Nova’s eyebrows furrow at the wording. “I know you don’t like me. Nobody likes me. I made sure of that.” Of all the things for the thief to be honest about, Nova didn’t think admitting her self fulfilling prophecy would be one of them. “Callum was the only one that- …”

“That what?” Nova pries.

“That…” Magpie’s face scrunches up, a pattern when she’s forced to be vulnerable. “I mean that he was annoyingly persistent. He had a good superpower that… could have changed the world.”

“It did.”

Magpie laughs sourly, “It didn’t.” She shakes her head. “He died.”

“He inspired the people around him.” Nova insisted.

“And look what happened to him.”

A silence falls over the two. An uncomfortable one. Nova honestly isn’t sure what to do. Magpie never seemed the sentimental type in any shape whatsoever. She wouldn’t believe the kid even cared about Callum if she hadn’t seen her sobbing over his dead body last year.

Nova breathes in and breaks the silence, “He… was a martyr.”

Magpie’s voice comes out raw. “So? The wonders he saw shriveled up.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. Barely anyone in this city has a shred of pity in their soul.” She spits. “Not without profit. Without glory.”

Nova puffs her chest out, “Bold of you to criticize this of the city.”

“Bold of you to assume I give a shit. I know my hypocrisy. I’m just telling it as it is.”

Something in the way Magpie uttered her last statement makes Nova pause. A sort of Deja vu waving over her. The echo of their footsteps quickly replaced their voices and filled the halls of the concrete and waste maze.

“...sounds pretty lonely.”

“Nice try, Nightmare. I’m not falling for that.”

“I’m not trying to trick you.”

Silence. Nova isn’t surprised by this point. In the corner of her eye she could see Magpie avoiding her gaze, entranced by the mesh of components that make up the concrete below them. Nova briefly glanced at her tracker and chewed on her lip. 

Nova sighs, “Just… Give me a reason to tell Tamaya and the others why you left when I get back.”

Magpie turns to her, squinting her eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Dead. Dead serious.” 

Nova looks at Magpie a second longer and flicks her attention back to the tracker. Magpie opens her mouth and Nova places a finger against it. Magpie's face twists in offense until she realizes what they've stumbled across.

Nova cautiously leans forward to see two men and the lanky villain from before. The lanky villain has donned a new mask, covering his face and neck entirely, masking his ability but protecting him from Nova’s. Magpie freezes and Nova moves her hand to the kid’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

She taps Magpie’s shoulder once. Twice. Magpie blinks and perks up to look at her with a surprised recognition. Nova continues relaying her instructions.

The girl squints her eyes at Nova.  Nova gives her a look and the girl huffs.

"..-. .. -. ." she taps back. The Morse code didn't translate her tone, but Nova could tell from expressions alone the girl’s grumpy agreement [Fine.]. 

Nova places her hand on the wall and points to one of the individuals The Terror stands next to. The one that looks about ready to fall over from nerves. He's holding a hefty chunk of concrete, the torn reinforcing steel at the center. It’s hard to miss the gaping hole in the wall, light shining through it. 

Magpie gives one gentle attempt to pull the bag away from him, it's across the shoulder of the man, but she slumps and gives up soon after. His arms are in the way of cleanly stealing her bag back.

Nova’s head lifts up and she points to the gravel and shards from the mess the group must have made in their haste into the sewers. The girl activates her powers and gathers the shards at her feet. Magpie moves them slowly into the water.

The movement startles the timid man ("Crocodile?!") into dropping the concrete, it breaks half once it meets the ground. The halves splash into the sewer's muck and liquid. One of the dealers smacks him in the head and the Timid dude straightens.

Magpie and Nova breathe a quiet sigh of relief once the merchants return to deciding the price they’ll pay for The Terror’s stolen items. Magpie lifts one slab of concrete slowly, breathing in. The water decreases the difficulty of carrying the concrete slabs, the only challenge will be getting it out.

Nova stays tense. She keeps a finger on the activation tigger of the tracking device. In the past she’s designed and built in the function to employ a heavy magnetic force, stuck to whomever she aimed it at. The corresponding magnetic rope weighs heavy on her gear belt.

“460. Final offer.”

“Deal.”

“Mack, get the fucking rocks, we’re going now.”

“Yes!”

Magpie jolts and lifts the concrete into the air, throwing them at the three. One thwacks the timid man, and he collapses to the floor. The second only grazes the Terror and the other dealer.

Nova activates the tracker, the metal presses tightly against his leg and expands to his knee. Magpie uses her power to shut the messy entry/exit hole. The Terror backs up and the second dealer curses Nova’s hero name. He opens his hand-

Nightmare shoves Magpie out of sight at the corner and dodges the dart flown her way. She runs up and kicks the second dealer into the sewer water before tackling the Terror to the ground. Her netting gun falls from her person in the process.

Magpie pulls her bag to her person, as well as the other (much larger) bag of trinkets and valuables stolen by the graverobber. She pays no attention to Nova punching the Terror and his strikes in return. Roughhousing. None of her business now.

She rummages to check her own stuff is still present, and then peeks through the other bag of belongings. Her eyes catch a card and she fishes it out.

A drivers license, with the name Oliver Berk listed next to a picture of a man.

Magpie doesn’t get to examine it for long. The second dealer hacks up the disgusting “water” and pulls himself out. He grabs Nova’s netting gun. Nova’s too busy keeping the Terror from escaping to notice. The Terror’s clothing covers up her options to force him unconscious in a split second.

Magpie jolts up to her feet and runs out of hiding. “Hey!”

The second dealer looks up just before she shoves herself against the man to grab the gun. He yells in shock and she scrambles to rip the netting gun out of his hand. He grabs her hood and lifts her into the air. “What the hell is this kid doing her-” She aims the netting gun and pins him down.

She goes down with him, only outside of the net. He lets go of her hoodie and she knocks against the concrete. Nova looks up in a panic from the sound, wide eyed and distracted. The Terror kicks her in the stomach and abandons the scene. But not before smashing the tracker device, prying it off of his leg.

###

Nova groans and gets to her feet. The pain eases after a moment. She looks up and breathes a sigh of relief to see Maggie getting to her feet. 

Nova slides down into the gutter between them to reach Maggie sooner. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Breathes Maggie.

Nova strides toward the kid and grabs her shoulders. Magpie freezes. Nightmare checks her head for bleeding, only finding a goose egg. “You got knocked twice in the head today.”

“I’m fine, Nightmare.”

Nova sighs and lets Maggie go. Choosing to walk over to the second dealer, she puts her hand through the net and forces him to fall unconscious. Nova’s phone pings with a new message and Maggie uses her power to snatch it and view it as Nova collects the other dealer from where he dropped.

“How come you didn’t run earlier?” Nova asks Maggie as she looks through the two villains' persons for identification, not before tying them up just in case.

“When?”

“When you grabbed the loot.”

“...ahuh.” Nova scratches her cheek. “And you ran out of hiding because…?”

Maggie pauses and shrugs. “They… could have had more on them”

“If- if he got you then I’d be fucked!” The girl defends herself. “Who here is more experienced with fighting and winning?”

“Okay okay, that’s fair.” Nova collects two identification cards. “These will be helpful at least.” 

Nova accidentally pulled out a photograph when she had searched the man's pockets. She stares at a photo of kids barking a resemblance to the man. She sighs in sympathy.

“I found another.” Maggie pulls over the large bag and hands Nova the driver’s license. “Oliver Berk. No powers recorded on it as of five years ago.”

“It’s outdated?” Nova examines the identification. “It doesn’t match either merchant.”

“The Terror?”

“It’s more likely to belong to someone who died in the past few years.”

Magpie’s nose scrunches, “Why would you steal a driver’s license? They’re worthless.”

Nova gives her a look, “Actually, they’re worth a lot. Especially if you need a new identity.”

Maggie blinks and her cheeks pinken ever so slightly out of embarrassment for not thinking of that possibility. “Well… won’t a dead person’s ID catch eyes? Someone would notice that right?”

“...Who knows anymore.” She sighs.

Maggie pulls out Nova’s phone she snagged earlier and looks at the message. 

“Oh. Her.”

“Who?” 

Maggie shows the screen to Nova. Nova sours for a moment to see Maggie stole her phone. She perks up in interest the moment she recognizes Thunderbird’s contact.

"Was she the one who put you up to looking for me?"

"Yeah why?"

Maggie walks over to the side of one of the men to sit down, crossing her legs. "She, especially, doesn't care. Not really"

"Sounded like she cared to me."

"She cares about my power. How it can be used. She was jumping to sponsor me after I tried out. Though, I bet in a heartbeat she'd want it to be someone else's." Maggie fidgets. "...she’s the reason I got out of the orphanage and a place with the Renegades when I did."

Nova hesitates to respond. She wishes she knew what to say, but she can't think of anything. Nothing that would make anything better. She doesn't know Tamaya well enough to argue or agree.

"...sorry about that, kid."

Maggie shrugs and places the phone down. Nova retrieves it quickly but Maggie's already reverted her attention to searching the merchant's pockets as if it were Christmas.

"You should probably tell her how you feel." Nova tries. "Might help clear up some things…"

Maggie pauses. She changes the subject.

“About your question earlier? About what you should tell them? Yeah… tell them don’t bother.” Magpie says as she packs up her once stolen trinkets, “It’s best for everyone if I stick to being a ‘villain’. If you’re shocked-” she searches the knocked out pawnbroker’s pockets for cash or anything of value, waving around the items to examine them “Don’t be! It’s been a long time coming.” 

Nova at Magpie. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Is that so hard to believe?”

Nova snorts, “No it isn’t. I’m being validated.”

Magpie deadpans as she shoves a very fancy trinket into her bag, “Congratulations. Would you like a metal?”

Nova blinks, “Did you just-”

“MEDAL! Medal. Gah forget it!” Magpie’s face pinkens and she stands to her feet in seconds. She secures her bag in its place, keeping her eyes away from Nova’s amused expression. “Anyway. You know I only care about me.”

“That’s true”

“Callum was the selfless one.”

“Yep”

“And he was wrong about me.”

Nova clicks her tongue, “I mean, I didn’t know him for very long all things considered, but I have a hard time believing Callum could be wrong about something like that.”

“Well, he was.”

She raises her eyebrow, “What exactly did he say about you anyway?”

Magpie scoffs, “What? The potential he saw? The wonders his power “revealed”?”

“Well, yeah. What else.”

“Stupid stuff…” The tween mutters.

Nova pries more, “And that stupid stuff is…?”

“...” Magpie relents after a moment of silence. But not after taking the time to roll her eyes. “He made me think that I could help people… the way I wanted help once.”

“This is stupid. You don’t care.”

Nova pauses and can’t find anything to say about what Magpie just uttered. Nothing that would help. She waits for the kid to say anything more on the subject.

“No- well…” Nova grimaces and sighs, “Why don’t I tell you something.”

Magpie whips her head back to Nova and squints her eyes. Eventually she bites and asks, “Tell me what?”

Nova took a breath and before saying something she hopes she won’t regret telling the 12 year old, “After we defeated Ace Anarchy, I wanted to quit.”

“Quit?” Magpie looks over to her, dumbfounded expression and everything.

“Yep.”

Magpie’s expression lessons. “...Why?”

“I felt I’d do more harm than good staying on the team.” She chuckles, beginning to fidget with her bracelet out of the need to do something with her awkward hands. “After all, my mistakes led to Ace running free for so long. He’s… the reason my family is dead.”

“What? Your…”

Nova nods, pursing her lips, “He hired the assassin. Shot my Mom, Dad, and sister.” Mentioning her long-dead sister made her heart ache. And at the same time, it was odd. She never imagined telling all of this to Magpie one day, and here they were.

Magpie’s eyebrows shoot up, and after a few seconds she utters “oh…”

“Yeah… turns out he kept me ‘cause I was a prodigy. I never knew.”

Maggie’s eyebrows furrow but she doesn’t say anything. The silence draws on longer than comfortable for the two of them. 

“Anyway…” Nova clears her throat. “I’ll always carry the guilt of what I could have done. The deaths I could have prevented are on my shoulders. I could run away, and suffer for what I’ve done and didn’t do.” She then smiles, “Or stick around. Stay with the people that care about me. And try to be better now. Make things better. That’s what the Rejects have been trying for the past year and counting.”

“The rejects?”

“Narcissa’s the leader. I’ll give you a fair introduction to them later if you want.”

…

Nova coughs, “Anyway, I guess what I’ve been trying to say is, it gets better. You never know where people that get you, show up. And that more people care about you than you ever realize.

“Y’know, when things to crap.”

###

Nova sends a quick text before her and Maggie leave. It's to heroes in their area, notifying them of their location, the situation, and the pawnbrokers. She trusts them to handle the two fairly.

It didn’t take very long to find The Terror's next planned location once they rummaged through the two pawnbroker’s pockets and found how they had been communicating with The Terror. 

And the fact The Terror was actually Oliver Berk. The grin on Maggie's face for being right didn't leave for a while. Nova could only sigh. Of course the amateur villain would keep his identification with him.

The amateurness didn't stop, and his weak security both hurt Nova and made her want to laugh. How could you screw this up so badly?? From there she and Maggie had tracked him down to his next location and ambushed him, making quick work of tying him up.

Maggie holds her lucky bullet in her hand and close to her when she stands against the sewer wall and slides down into a sit. She fiddles with it a little and looks at Nova who is finishing up her report to headquarters. Nova rubs her head to ease her headache as she writes. She types up she has apprehended the villain, their location, and a promise to return to hq soon after denying a ride back.

“...My family was murdered too”

“Hm?” Nova turns to Maggie.

“When I was a baby. I don’t know too much. I was found by the landlord or something.” She holds up the bullet. “I just know this gave me my powers.”

Nova blinks and lets her mouth form an ‘o’ shape. Out of all the things today, this wasn't one she thought Maggie would talk about.

The kid holds the bullet closer to her chest, "This is my power. I don't care what you think about me. What anyone thinks. This power is mine and only for me. It is me. It's… how I survive" she grits out.

Nova breathes out a sigh and shrugs, "I mean… I get that.”

“You do?”

Nova nods, “The anarchists weren’t exactly buddy-buddy with me. Even after the age of anarchy, it’s common advice, you could say, to keep your guard up. Just in case.

"And with hindsight, I was only kept alive by my uncle because of my powers…"

Nova couldn’t help but fidget slightly from Maggie’s persistent attention. That stare. Now that the kid was actually listening it was almost unnerving. The kid’s piercing blue gaze only assisted the look.

“And some shitty things have happened to me. No surprise there. My new friends help me out with that now.”

Maggie’s concentration on what she says breaks the next second, and she snorts, “What are you even suggesting. Getting cheesy friends may have worked for you, but it won’t fix anything for me. We aren’t the same.” Maggie looks away from her with a scowl. “I have nothing. Nothing of my old life. Blurry memories maybe. But no photos. No gravestones. No names.”

Nova pauses and frowns. Maybe sympathetically. She doesn’t really know. “You don’t need those to move on.”

“Says the renegade with photos, and memories, and names, and graves to say goodbye to.” 

“I lost most of the photos a long time ago. And,” She raises her finger to emphasize her point, “my sister’s corpse was never recovered so watch your mouth.”

“At least you know her name”

“Will you please just work with me!? I just” Nova breathes in. “I want to hold out an olive branch. Because… you aren’t nearly as alone as you think.”

Maggie stays quiet. Nova fills the space.

“Look, we definitely got off on the wrong foot” She pauses and bites her lip. “Pun, not intended.” Nova ignores the incredulous look Magpie gives her.

“But. I don’t want to see someone else go through what I did alone.”

“We. Are not. The same.”

“No, we aren’t. But pretty damn close, dontcha think?” Nova chuckles lightly, but is met with Magpie’s continued silence. “Yeah okay, that wasn’t funny.”

Nova heads over to where the villain had been tied up and readjusts the knots, she needs something to do with her hands. “We can leave soon and forget this ALL happened if you want. Just know this, I am lucky to have gotten back so much.”

“I could have told you that.”

Nova ignores her. “But for the longest time… I didn’t know I had that much to be returned. I thought everything about my past died that night, aside from my memory. Even my bracelet wouldn’t be as important to me, without that memory. That memory was my drive and it still is.”

Maggie’s quiet when she responds, her overgrown bangs hover over her eyes and shade them. “I tried moving on.”

“Did you?”

“I moved on… by staying alive.” Maggie lets out a breath. “Who cares if they didn’t come back. Or if I have nothing left. It’s me now. Those pieces are dead and I’m the one who’s living.”

“Good. Stay alive. But that living person can’t have any friends? Any support?”

…

“I can’t say goodbye to my sister.”

Maggie looks up at her, “You were telling the truth?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Maggie doesn’t answer and lets Nova continue.

“They have a gravestone in place, but she isn’t there.”

“They couldn’t find a simple corpse? That is… hilariously incompetent.” Maggie almost deadpans.

“Yeah well, doesn’t change I can’t say goodbye. Or hello. Tell her about my day. About an awful coworker. A competition for kids that… she’d be the same age as. And,” Nova blinks, “I can’t say happy birthday, either.”

Maggie’s eyebrows furrow.

“She… uh… Evie. Would have turned thirteen this week…”

“...thirteen?” The silence could only be described as all consuming. And Maggie’s tone was undecipherable.

“Yeah.”

Maggie only stares at Nova. Her eyes focusing on her like a hawk. In disbelief? In sadness? Nova never would think of empathy to be an emotion Maggie would display before tonight, but she’s been surprised on the contrary before.

Maggie’s lip twitches. Her lips form into a scowl, bringing the rest of her expression with it. Her hackles raise. “Oh yeah. Very funny.”

Nova blinks in confusion. “What??”

“I’m not gonna fall for that.” She pushes herself off the wall she had been leaning against.

“I’m not lying.”

“You’ve done it before, Insomnia.” Nova squints her eyes and Maggie continues, “Twelve years after a home invasion? Murderer on the loose with a gun?! Yeah, as if. You just want to trick me!”

“Why would I do that??” Nova returns Magpie’s volume, “Why would I lie-”

“I am thirteen years old.”

Nova blinks incredulously, “...W-what?

“And whatever sick trick you’re playing on me isn’t funny. I won’t go back to headquarters. You can’t fool me. Is this what they're training Renegades to do now? Fuck with people’s heads?!”

Nova’s mouth remains wide open out of offense, and she has to remember to close it as her expression heats up. She’s speechless from this accusation before she speaks up, “You’re talking nonsense! Why are you- what does-” she flounders to make sense of the conclusion Magpie has come up with “You- You’re thirteen?”

Magpie scoffs, “Yeah. Thirteen. Just short a month after I was admitted to the orphanage. After- …after my family died.” She quiets but keeps her glare on Nova. “But you already knew that didn’t you.”

Nova’s furrowed expression stays put until she digests what Magpie is saying. Her expression slowly lessons and her eyes widen. She steps back.

The thirteen year old blinks, “What?”

“I’m not making this up, Magpie.”

“What do you mean you aren’t making this up.”

“I… I’m telling the truth. I wouldn’t lie about this.”

“Well I’m not lying either.” Maggie intended to spit the truth out but the moment she said it the more it seemed Nova’s words were also ruminating in her head too. Her eyes widen but it doesn’t match Nova’s expression.

Nova’s face pales and her eyes dart to the hand that Maggie grips her bullet with. A… a bullet?

“It can’t be…”

###

Life, has been a nauseating rollercoaster for Maggie.  Especially for today. A day she thought wouldn't be stressful for once. Calmer even. 

Sure, she planned to snag more than a few trinkets to pawn but today she didn’t want to have to run away from annoying heroes. The ones that get upset with her theft. Frankly, she didn’t want to think about them either. One stop at the food drive was plenty of that interaction.

Maggie didn't think about the heroes that saw her at the food drive and did nothing. The ones who've been in the area enough to know only people in poverty end up here. She didn't think about never seeing Sketch's team once.

Not… not that she'd want to see them! They'd only nag her.

The point is… she didn’t want to run, or get hurt. The last few weeks she's stayed away from ugly fights and for a reason. Her goal is to survive, not get some wound infected and die from a disease.

And yet, she had to run from the annoying Nightmare and was cut up by the latest piece of gossip, The Terror. Who… she also had not been keen on running into. The sting on her cheek and pain from her neck were sour reminders of that failure.

But even when she had been shoved into the sewage, her foot stomped on, Nightmare still helped her. Hell, Nova looked concerned after the second fight.

And she never expected Nightmare to… be nice to her. Like, ever. In the beginning she was just as annoying as before but… Maggie never would have predicted it.

Maggie also never thought she and Nova could work together. 

It unnerved her a little when Nightmare told her things that, Maggie would never tell if in Nova's position. Why would Nova trust her with all this information? 

Heck, Maggie thought she had it figured out for a moment. That Nova was actually backstabbing and exploiting her knowledge of Maggie’s past to trick her. It made sense. 

Her mind was eager to brush aside the last hour. It was all fake, right?

But this. 

This isn’t how a fucked up villain would react to being found out. For lying the entire time.

Maggie grips her lucky bullet in her hand. 

Today has been a rollercoaster. And Maggie hates rollercoasters.

The silence between the two stretches on for hours. Or a minute. Who was she to tell? 

Nova? 

Nova’s her… sister?

The thing about Maggie is, she hates hoping. She despises the very concept. When she was younger, she hoped all too much. Too many nights she spent staying up listening to the grownups and their phone calls. Waiting for someone to call, asking for her. Someone to walk through the doors one day, and call her theirs.

Waiting for her sister to burst through the doors, apologizing for leaving her with one big hug.

The very thought makes her nauseous nowadays. How could she have been so naive. Wasted all that time hoping. Focusing on a what if rather than what she could do. She could do so much. 

She left.

And now she’s here. And now her sister is here. Well, maybe her sister. 

Nova is murmuring something Maggie can’t quite follow, her hand is over her mouth as several emotions flicker across her face. She looks about ready to barf, and Maggie couldn’t blame her if she did. The kid feels ill enough to join her, honestly.

She wants to shut down the possibility all together. That her sister really is gone and she’s not right in front of her, staring at Maggie like she’s seeing a ghost. The hope and trepidation in Nova’s eyes that Maggie stomped in her own a long time ago.

Nova pinches the bridge of her nose and walks over to The Trashbag and hoists the villain over her shoulder. She mumbles something under her breath, Maggie can't make out.

Something grabs Maggie’s hand and she jolts, ripping her hand away and whips her head toward- Nova. Nova’s hand is shaking and she seems to be trying to keep her calm. Upon further inspection, Maggie realizes she’s trembling too. Why is she doing that?

“Maggie…”

Maggie clenches her fist, and lets Nova hold her hand in a tight grip, before exiting the sewers.

###

Nova jumps out of the cab with Maggie close behind, she rushes out a “thankyousomuchsorry!” to the cab driver still frozen from the two renegades and villain that hitched a ride. She makes a mental note to pay them back later.

She sees headquarters' front entrance light up the darkening sky as she approaches. Her head throbs once she walks in and meets the fluorescent lights. Nova unceremoniously drops the villain on the ground and ignores the shocked staff when she beelines for the medical suite. She never once lets go of Maggie's hand.

Her mind notes the sound of heroes telling Mr Berk his rights before they take him away for interrogation. Nova opens the door to the medical suite and the bustle of the front lobby muffles once the door is shut.

Maggie lags behind as Nova reaches the counter, asking for a kinship test. 

Nova's breathing feels wrong. She could see from the rise and fall from her chest that she wasn't hyperventilating. But it felt too slow. Every breath was too big. Suffocating her.

The person from behind the counter hands her the box containing the test. She holds it carefully and can only stare. After a moment the person at the desk looks at her in confusion and gets her attention.

"It's just a mouth swab, Sweetie. Don't worry" the person offers her a smile. Nova's cheeks pinken and she mutters a thank you before practically running back to where she left Maggie.

Nova takes another breath. It, is just a saliva test. When it comes down to it, it won't even be painful.

Her eyes catch the labeling. Sibling kinship test.

Her gut twists from the word. 

…could Maggie really be…

"What's taking you so long?"

Nova whips her head up to look at Maggie's furrowed expression.

"Ah, nothing nothing. It's fine." Nova opens the cardboard box, the thick paper glowing the box closed tears apart. She presses the flaps aside and dumps the innards onto the small table offered in the room. Maggie eyes the tests with trepidation.

Nova takes a deep breath in, "Magpie"

The thirteen year old looks back at her.

"I… if. This confirms anything. …We don't need to do anything about it immediately. If, you don't want to." Nova hands the tween one of the still packaged swabs. "I don't want you to think… that you're obligated to anything."

The thirteen year old grabs her own sleeve to tug on slightly as she stares at the test. Not touching it.

"...what if it doesn't…"

"Doesn't… confirm anything?" Nova finishes. "...well. Still, you don't have to do anything." Nova rubs the back of her neck "but, feel free to talk to me."

Maggie looks up at her with a skeptical squint. "Why?"

"On the streets, support systems are vital if you don't want to end up dead within a month" Nova smiles. "It could just be a phone number, okay?"

"No, I mean, why do you still want to talk after all the times I stole your bracelet."

"I have a funny feeling you won't be trying that again. Not unless you want the Renegades on your back" Nova shoots the girl a look that says 'right?'. Maggie can't refute that.

From the many years of technological development and the growth of prodigies, some things have taken less time to analyze than before. What would have taken a few days could now receive results in a couple hours or so.

Maggie hesitates before opening the plastic package and retrieving the mouth swab.

An agonizingly long couple hours. Better than the alternative but still an infuriating amount of time to wait for DNA testing results. 

Nova convinced Maggie to have the wounds she received by The Terror checked for infection in the meantime. 

Though one of the nurses nearby grabbed her as well to be patched up. Maggie laughed at her, and her initial shock and realization of what she neglected to do. It didn't take long for the nurse to finish patching Nova up. Sent back to the cold waiting room soon after…

It was easier to forget what they were waiting on with the distractions.

Nova looks at her phone again. She doesn't unlock the screen but she does view the time. And the texts she's received from Adrian and Tamaya. Both have been caught up in an incident downtown and would be there as soon as possible. Though, she warned Tamaya to wait until Maggie wanted to talk to her. Nova decided against telling Oscar, Ruby, and Danna what happened.

It could be completely coincidental. More doubt settles in Nova's mind the longer she waits. 

When Maggie returns, Nova doesn't look at her. She fiddles with her hands, she almost wishes she had one of her inventions or something to do.

Finally, someone calls for them. Nova whips her head up and stiffens. This… is really happening. Her brain feels like it's still trying to catch up to the events around her. She stands up and looks at Maggie. The girl tenses and freezes up.

Nova goes to check the results without her. She could almost hear the quiet sigh of relief.

Someone, with a stereotypical lab coat, on hands her the envelope containing the printed results. 

Nova doesn't catch much of the explanation of how the DNA match results were determined, but she appreciates it nonetheless.

She leans against the wall and slowly wills her fingers to open the letter.

It's been a little more than 12 years since her family was killed.

Her hands tremble as she slowly takes the folded paper from inside.

She remembers every gunshot. 

BANG! 

She remembers hiding in that cramped closet.

BANG!

Nova takes a deep breath.

Evie's crying was cut short with one final…

…

BANG!

She unfolds the paper.

Ace never let her see Evie's bloodied corpse. The last time she saw Evie was when she left her sleeping body to check on her parents. When everything changed.

They never got to see a funeral. Nova never knew what happened to the bodies. Ace never gave up any details on the subject.

Looking at the paper was disorienting at first until her eyes caught onto the letters and began to read. Alleged Sibling was typed at the top of two columns, above "Nova Artino" and "Margaret White".

She keeps her thumb over the results number but the more she looks, the more numbers that match. 

Nova moves her thumb and stared at the paragraph beneath the total index.

Her eyes are dragged to the nines in the percentage listed. 

DNA testing done to determine siblingship of the alleged siblings. Based on testing results obtained from analyses of the DNA loci listed, the probability of full-siblingship is 99.8%. The likelihood they share a biological father is….

…not a coincidence then

The air leaves Nova's lungs the next second. She couldn't even read the rest before she began to sway. She braces herself against the wall and does her best to lower herself to the ground safely. 

Nova took in another breath but it came out as a strangled sob. Her face is wet. When did she start crying?

Maggie's Evie.

Evie is Maggie. Magpie.

Evie's… alive.

How??

Her mind remembers the bullet in Maggie's hand. It… gave Maggie her powers…

She hears Adrian come through the doors before she sees him in her blurry vision. His Sentinel uniform is mostly covering him still.

Nova holds a hand over her mouth and stumbles to her feet. 

"Nova-"

Nova runs past her confused boyfriend, who voices his confusion and concern immediately after.

She runs out into the waiting room and her eyes dart around, looking for-

"Nova?"

Nova whips her head to the source of the sound. Her eyes first catch the shiny gleam of the cold blue light reflecting a choppy hair cut, greasy and dark, donned on the thirteen year old.

Evie looks up.

Her eyes are her mother's. A piercing grayish blue. The same ones that sobbed her heart out due to a fever twelve years ago. The little baby girl who's crying was cut off. Cut off by the same gunshot that has echoed in Nova's head since she was six.

"Nova?"

Nova's world spins slightly but she continues to stare. She feels frozen, her hands possessed when she tightly clutches the warm printed paper.

Evie's eyebrows furrow in apprehension, her hackles raising. She stands up. "What? What is it?!"

Nova can only stare. 

A beat passes.

Evie backs up slowly and before Nova can say anything, the girl runs out of the room like a startled deer. Shoving past everyone in her way of the exit door.

Adrian's voiced confusion snaps Nova out of it. He tries to say something to her but she can't articulate what exactly. She runs after the kid.

Nova throws open the door and bursts outside, looking around wildly. Her heart is thumping, ready to burst from her chest. She curses her eyes for blurring her vision with streaming tears. She feels sick. 

Steps skidding around the corner alert her attention and she follows in haste.

Her breathing is heavy, and she can see each hot breath she pants dissipate into the cold air.

Curses flood Nova's head when whips around her corner and doesn't see the kid. Where…

Her eyes dart around as she catches her breath. She… she couldn't have imagined Evie… could she… is Maggie still in-

Her eyes finally catch a huddled figure in a more obscure section of the wall. If Nova's thoughts weren't running wild, she probably would have caught the kid immediately.

The wall is uneven, a section jutting out, allowing someone to hide right one of the walls. The girl sits next to the large garbage bin. Honestly, it's a half hearted attempt at hiding. Maybe she didn't even mean to hide.

Just needed to get away.

Nova's shoulders relax and she stays where she stands. Nova keeps her eyes away from the twelve year old girl, willing herself to stop trembling. 

Nova takes in a shaky breath and squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. She only needs a moment.

The silence is deafening.

Nova wipes her eyes and clenches the printed test results.

"Is…" She starts and stops, clearing her throat. Come on Nova! Be at least somewhat composed about this! "Is that the bullet… the one that…"

That killed you. Killed her. Almost. It almost killed her, now. It almost killed you, didn't it?

"...how would I know." The twelve year old looked like she meant to spit the sentence out, but it came out more exhausted and dim. "I was a baby." The girl holds the bullet tightly in her palm, curling into herself.

Nova's mouth opens and closes for a moment. Magpie's skin prickles when she stares for too long.

Magpie bites, "what?"

"Look. It- … it's hard to go from believing your baby sister was shot and murdered to finding out she's been alive and… well… you"

Maggie weakens slightly and turns her head away…

"Is it disappointing?"

Nova's features furrow after Maggie's question. She responds, with a question. "Is it disappointing that I'm your sister that disappeared?" Nova's voice is sore. This day has been exhausting for the two of them.

"I… I don't know." Maybe it would have been before today. Or if Maggie was still searching for her sister even when she met Nova. "I just thought… I didn't have anyone left…"

Nova sat in silence for a bit, biting her trembling lip, "... Me too."

Nova, uncomfortable with looking down at Maggie, decides to walk over and sit beside the kid. Not terribly close, but close enough that after a long pause, Maggie sort of leans onto her shoulder. 

Nova can barely feel it, like Maggie's hovering just the slightest so that she wasn't actually pressing fully against her. 

Ready to flee.

Nova doesn't comment. And Maggie speaks up, in a vulnerable tone unlike any Nova had heard from Maggie before. Even compared to tonight's dizzying developments. 

Closer to a whisper. 

"...you really thought I was dead?"

"Maggi- Ev- '' she breathes out. "...yeah. When I heard the gunshot and her… your crying stopped…" Nova has to stop herself, she purses her lips. She locks her eyes on the lamp hanging in front of the brick wall parallel to them. Studying how it reflects.

"…so. You didn't mean to leave… me? You… you would have stayed?"

Nova looks over, her eyes are wide and she tells herself to not get emotional. Don't. Her head whispers lingering doubts that… this isn't even real. "Yeah… " Nova feels a little breathless. 

It certainly doesn't feel real.

Magpie turns away, staring blankly at the same brick wall. The wall behind them feels the same. She blinks, trying to make sense of it all, "so…"

"So?"

"You were here…the whole time…"

"Yeah… Sorry. …that I couldn't have been before"

"Okay…" Maggie hunches closer into herself. "This sucks."

Nova looks over, "why's that?"

Maggie doesn't answer her question. "Do we know for sure that the blood samples matched? Test it again!" Maggie pulls her sleeve down, holding her pale boney arm out to Nova. Nova blanches.

"Wh-what?! Maggie, you know the equipment they have is the best in the city. It's not a mistake." Nova frowned at her. "Plus, they're saliva tests, not blood."

"Well-! Well… …" Maggie purses her lips, holding them shut as her mind thinks and catches up. Nova's mind still hasn't, truth be told. "Then what are we going to do now,"

Nova takes a deep breath, "I don't know." She fiddles with her bracelet, "...Do you want your records updated?"

Maggie blinks, "You have them?"

Nova weakly smiles in a wistful way, "Yeah. The renegades made sure to file them. Let's just say… they felt guilty" she couldn't help but grunt the last part out.

Maggie blinks and looks up, "Really?"

"Yeah. You, uh, wouldn't remember, but Captain Chromium promised our family's safety and… you know how that played out."

Maggie pauses and then huffs, “That’s not surprising” she pauses again to think. “Does that mean… I have a birth certificate?”

Nova sat up a little straighter, “Yeah. Evie Artino…” She wet her lips and wiped her tear stained cheeks, "...twelve years now. They brought her- you home a few days after. I got to meet you at the hospital already. Along with… our uncle."

Maggie frowned. "Ace Anarchy. Lovely family bonus points I guess…"

"He didn't seem so bad at the time."

"That's how they trick you."

"Yeah,"

Maggie just slightly nudges closer to Nova, "what day?"

"The…" Nova opens her mouth only to close it again. "...well. I guess this means happy birthday." Nova's small smile stretches as far as it could on her face. Not much considering the amount of restraint she had to not cry. "Happy Birthday, Evie Artino."

Nova remembers being a kid and ecstatic for her sister's first birthday. She fully planned out the cake and decorations right alongside her mom who had to remind her they couldn't afford to go all out. 

She was sad at the time but she was determined to sing super loud for her sister when the day came. And give her even better gifts when Evie gets older.

After the final gunshot, Nova threw all of those hopes away. Burned them to ashes, really.

Maggie frowns for a moment and looks away for a moment to wipe her eyes with her fist. She turns back and without a word, sits her head back to where it had previously been close to Nova.

Nova feels the weight this time.

"I don't know… I don't know what I want…" Maggie thought she knew at one point. She knew exactly what she wanted. To be a little orphan Annie, found by her full family and welcomed with big open arms. It didn't matter who found her. As long as someone found her and loved her.

But now? She's given up on that fantasy for so long that anything remotely similar is… unfamiliar. She can't navigate this. It still… doesn't feel real.

Nova shrugs and says, "That's fair. I don’t really know either” she chuckles softly “Never thought Evie… you could be alive. Much less a prodigy.” 

She straightens slightly, not enough to nudge the girl off her arm though. Maggie's (surprisingly) skittish enough that Nova could even say she's like a bird, quick to fly away. 

Nova frowns, “I can only imagine what Ace could have done if he knew…” The arm Nova had subconsciously placed around her sister tightens slightly before she reminds herself it’s okay. He’s dead. He can’t use Maggie like how he used her.

Magpie blinks and cringes, “Working for that crusty old terrorist? Pass.”

“You wouldn’t know any different.”

“I grew up in an orphanage.” Maggie grunts, “They aren’t exactly known for their good conditions. I learned that and didn’t know any different.”

Nova sighs, “I know. Were they… bad to you?”

Maggie shoves a hand into her pocket, fiddling with her bullet. “They weren’t good, let's just just say that…”

Nova frowns, her chest tightens and she has the strangest feeling of… protection come over her? 

Would it have been different before she knew who Maggie was? Maybe… maybe not.

"What did they do?"

"What do you think? Everyone was either wasted off their arses or busy setting fire to the nearest building out of some petty revenge…" Maggie pauses, "They… uh… somehow never set fire to the orphanage itself. I bet they wanted to."

"I get that. Honey frequently downed bottles of booze when she could."

"I didn't think the anarchists had the money for that sort of thing"

"We didn't. I ran, er, 'errands' a few times"

Maggie blinks, "Wait, you stole??"

"I was an anarchist, kid."

The kid huffs, "Hypocrite."

Nova chokes, "I- that's different."

"Is it?"

"Yes, actually. I'm an- was. Was an Anarchist." Nova coughs. “You were stealing as a Renegade”

“Same difference.”

“I… Whatever.” Nova rolls her eyes. “Drunk bastards raised you?”

"Meh, they don't deserve that much credit."

"Fair." Nova frowns and looks over at Maggie. She notices Maggie tense and returns to the topic, "Anyway, just say the word and I'll pull the strings I need to get your records fixed."

"...thanks" Maggie murmurs, "Maybe later."

Nova rubs Maggie's arm as she relaxes. Nova's head buzzes with questions but she'll save them for later.

Then. Maggie asks. "canIhugyou?" Rushing out the sentence before she could chicken out. Her cheeks pinken ever so slightly.

Nova blanches, "er, Sur-?" Maggie cuts her off and hugs her tightly, squeezing her for a moment. Nova blinks and slowly puts her arms around the 12 year old too. She doesn't even mind the spot on her clothes getting wet from where Maggie has buried her face. 

Nova rubs her back and squeezes back too. She presses her lips thinly together and hugs her close. The kid's body weaves with silent sobs. Nova lets the tears fall from her eyes as she rubs her sister's back.

"Hey" She says softly, "You good?"

Maggie nods lethargically, not moving from the hug.

"Do you still want another test done?" Nova's lip twitches up slightly.

"I… don't want to head back inside yet"

"It's getting late"

Maggie makes a noise, it tells Nova she really doesn't care. At all. 

"It's warm inside"

"No" Maggie huffs quietly.

"Okay" Nova chuckles and rubs Maggie's arm, "thennnn…. how about we go somewhere else… warmer preferably."

Maggie pulls away a little bit to look at Nova.

"It's your birthday so, how about we head over to a restaurant or something. Your pick." Nova suggests, "We can hang out there till you're ready to talk to everyone else."

"I thought restaurants close earlier than that"

"Kid, I don't sleep. I know a few All Night Open places if your pick closes too soon."

Maggie pulls away completely and fiddles with her bullet in her pocket. "I… don't mind that." She whips her head up. "You have to promise not to make the waiters sing."

Nova blinks and laughs, snapping her fingers, "Darn, there goes my plans!"

Maggie scowls and squints at her.

She sighs dramatically, "I promise I won't."

"Won't what?"

"I won't make them sing" Nova smiles and stands up, opening her phone and sending a quick text. "Everyone inside can wait a little longer now that they know you're breathing. No promises they won't try to sing to you later."

"They're not allowed."

"I'll tell them that." Nova holds out a hand to Maggie, offering to help her up. "Got any restaurant requests yet? Fast food?"

Maggie hesitates and accepts her hand, "...your favorite. Whatever it is…"

"Okay"

###

Nova sets the finished food dishes to the side of their booth's table. She rubs Maggie's arm as the kid breathes in and out slowly. Her eyelids twitch from dreaming. She puts her coat back on Maggie after it slowly slid down.

Their private booth's light flickers from the fancifully decorated lantern. The warm light thankfully gentle to her, albeit dimming, headache. A waiter had offered to find some ice earlier but she declined politely.

Nova's phone lights up again from another text. She sighs and clicks her phone off. They can wait for a little while, she's already explained enough for now. Though she's surprised by their resilience to check up on them. It's been hours since they left.

Her hand plays with Maggie's hair. Moving it out of the kid's face, not bothering too much with some of the tangles. She does her best to keep her thoughts off of how tonight's events will change everything in the future. 

Nova is more than content with staying with her sleeping sister, the one that is unconsciously hugging her. On her birthday.

After texting Adrian, he thankfully understood and avoided texting questions, despite the thousands Nova is sure he has.

Someone knocks on a clipboard outside and the booth's curtain opens a little. The waiter waves apologetically and notices Maggie is sleeping before they speak. The waiter smiles and takes the dirty dishes, handing Nova a to-go box like she requested earlier.

Before the server leaves, they put two plates on the table. Both with a slice of chocolate cake. Nova quietly thanks them and hands them the paid check, along with the generous tip.

After the waiter leaves, Nova carefully packs up the remaining food for leftovers without waking Maggie up. Her phone lights up from another text and she sees the time. 

Nova pulls out a candle and a matchbox. She sets them both to the side. She grabs her phone and decides to open up her camera app. She takes a picture.

Showing her, the cake slices, and Evie.

She puts out the match and takes a quick picture. Showing Evie, her, and the candle.

…she stares at it. The candle ended up in the frame. A single candle. 

She wishes she could've gotten the number of candles accurate to her sister's age, but this was all the restaurant had left. Plus, 13 candles wouldn't fit in a single slice. 

Yet, strangely, it almost feels poetic now. One candle for the first birthday they missed. God, now her thoughts were corny. Must have been the Everharts' influence on her.

But she accepts the cringe. And she thinks about herself 13 years ago. Little six year old Nova, excited for her baby sister's first birthday.

Nova loved the idea of celebrating her sister's birthday the exact time she was born. Her parents, not so much, given Evie was born close to midnight. Nova's still not completely sure where she heard the idea from at six years old.

Nova hums a little, and remembers practicing the song they would sing once it was time to. The one she still hasn't sung in a while. She smiles a little.

"Happy birthday… to you"

Nova grabs the candle and places it in the center of Evie's cake slice as she softly sings the lyric. She lights the match.

"Happy birthday to you"

Evie's eyes blink awake lethargically, shifting a little bit to adjust her position. The girl sleepily looks at Nova as the ex-anarchist lights the birthday candle. 

Nova didn't need the waiter's assistance after getting permission earlier. Perks of saving the owner she supposes.

"Happy birthday, dear Evie."

She lets out a breath, saying her sister's name with a smile. Nova tucks a few strands of hair behind Evie's ear. Evie tiredly nuzzles into Nova's arm to get closer, but she does keep an eye on the candle as it flickers. She doesn't look at her, but Nova knows Evie is paying attention.

"Happy Birthday to you"

End notes:

[jackoshadows]

can you tag your sansa stark posts as anti sansa stark? I’m not telling you to remove the main tag but just add the anti one

Just block me and move on.

It’s weird how fans of the character feel that canon Sansa quotes from the books is anti Sansa.  Meanwhile Arya and Jon stans have to deal with murder baby Arya and incompetent Jon or unrelated quotes randomly put together to rewrite relationships. Maybe that's why the Arya and Jon tags are so full of headcanon Sansa that most of the time feels like an unrecognizable OC.

And then in the comments there is someone who has ‘not read the books in years’ telling me that I lack reading comprehension  😂

And this is while there is so much racist Arya fanart from Sansa stans on the Arya Stark tag despite repeated requests from poc to stop doing this.

It's honestly so depressing to go on the Arya Stark tag and see fanart on the tag or sidebars - because racist art is so popular in fandom!! - where canonically white Arya is differentiated from her more classically beautiful sister by simply drawing her in darker skin tones. At this point it's clear that artists are aware of the racist implications of doing this and still continue to do this because they don't care.

And yet using a Sansa book quote is supposedly 'anti Sansa' and needs to be tagged as such. I guess the tags should only be used for headcanons of racist caricatures of ‘ugly’ Arya and beautiful blue eyed, whitey white Sansa being the best sisters ever and nothing else.

I think the problem for many Sansa stans is that they stay in their echo chambers with their made up headcanons so that when they do venture outside that chamber to posts by other readers on the tag using the books, they are shocked and think there is some sort of unfair crusade going on against their fave.

I am not saying staying within fandom spaces is totally wrong btw. We all curate our fandom experiences on Tumblr. This app in particular allows us to block out ships or opinions we don’t particularly like. I am sure my group of mutuals and fans, including me, who reblog and follow posts have a similar kind of groupthink.

However, what’s fascinating with Sansa stans in particular is that Sansa is so much of a self-insert at this point that 90% of the character is headcanons. Her most popular ships are crackships, her relationships with her siblings has been re-written, she is now the underdog and outcast etc.

This has happened to me so many times -  I make a post, a Sansa stan responds saying I am wrong, I don’t know how to read, I am a hater etc., I respond with book quotes and ask them to read the books, I am called uncivil and then immediately blocked (they just have to get that last word in!) Rinse and repeat.

Take the post that got me the above message for example.

“I’m not like Arya,” Sansa blurted. “She has the traitor’s blood, not me.”   - Sansa, AGoT

This is really not what happens in that chapter at all. Sansa does not really think of Arya, admits to forgetting about her at the end and it’s only in the next chapter she thinks that Arya may have gotten away on the galley Ned had arranged for them (Which does not happen thanks to Sansa’s tattling of Ned’s plans and Cersei placing Lannister guards on the galley).

At this point Arya is still trapped in KL trying to get out and it���s only been 3 days since Ned has been arrested. However, as per this person, Sansa is begging them not to torture and kill her and therefore names Arya, who she thinks is already safe in Winterfell, 3 days after the Starks and their men are taken down....

In the OP, I have used the most basic quotes, but in the actual chapter it’s far worse. Sansa is actually still dreaming of marrying beautiful prince Joffrey when she is taken to meet Cersei:

That night Sansa dreamt of Joffrey on the throne, with herself seated beside him in a gown of woven gold. She had a crown on her head, and everyone she had ever known came before her, to bend the knee and say their courtesies.

“Sweet Sansa,” Queen Cersei said, laying a soft hand on her wrist. “Such a beautiful child. I do hope you know how much Joffrey and I love you.”

“You do?” Sansa said, breathless. Littlefinger was forgotten. Her prince loved her. Nothing else mattered. (---)

“She is a sweet thing now, but in ten years, who can say what treasons she may hatch?”

“No,” Sansa said, horrified. “I’m not, I’d never … I wouldn’t betray Joffrey, I love him, I swear it, I do.” (---)

“And yet, I fear that Lord Varys and the Grand Maester have the right of it. The blood will tell. I have only to remember how your sister set her wolf on my son.”

“I’m not like Arya,” Sansa blurted. “She has the traitor’s blood, not me. I’m good, ask Septa Mordane, she’ll tell you, I only want to be Joffrey’s loyal and loving wife.” - Sansa, AGoT

And then at the very end of the chapter:

It was not until later that night, as she was drifting off to sleep, that Sansa realized she had forgotten to ask about her sister. - Sansa, AGoT

So yes, Sansa is scared of not being able to marry Joffrey anymore, frightened of being accused as a traitor like her father and therefore throws out Arya’s name as the traitor - when as far as she knows Arya is in KL and Lannisters could have Arya, the same as her.

Next,

This is the funniest part! - ‘I haven’t read these books in a few years, however, it’s you who is very much lacking reading comprehension’ 😂😂😂

Make it make sense please. And then we are back to the usual Sansa is just a child, she’s 11 goddammit! She’s a teeny tiny baby! It’s totally justified for her to throw her even younger 9 year little sister under the bus as a traitor to be tortured or killed by the likes of Joffrey and Cersei instead of her.

And then finally, the predictable conclusion:

And block! 

Because of course made up headcanons are ‘alternative interpretations’ and if we point out it’s fanfiction then we are being uncivil.

I can only say that I am glad that my side of the fandom don’t engage in this much fanfiction, projections and headcanons. It’s frustrating as a book fan to be told that I lack reading comprehension because I don’t accept their ‘alternative interpretations’ of how Sansa thinks Arya is safe in Winterfell three days after the Lannisters massacred all the Stark men and imprisoned Ned stark. And while Arya herself is still stuck inside KL unable to leave.

At this point I really do think there is no point in engaging with these stans because they are not doing this in good faith. Just block rather than waste time discussing. They seem to think that we need to accept their headcanons as book canon and if we don’t then we are simply anti Sansa posting anti Sansa stuff on the tags. It’s certainly a fascinating fandom aspect of a self insert fan favorite. It’s the reason she wins polls above more complex and well written characters in the books, the popular version of her is entirely about what fans project onto the character rather then actual written version in the books.

[snowangeldotmp3]

last + current + next read tag

tagged by the beloveds @figthefruitfaeth & @judasofsuburbia <3 thank u sm for the tag 💓💓💓

last read: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell. studies about the language used in cults, and how common it is in our everyday lives, whether we realize it or not. she coins a term called "thought terminating cliche" and explains how language is our most powerful tool. absolutely fascinating read btw.

current read: a few right now!!

Carrie by Stephen King. watched the movie like a week ago and the wonderful @lionydoorin convinced me to get the book :3 and its so good so far !

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. i was actually supposed to read this in high school when i took APUSH and never did. 😅 it's a very compelling read so far. and the audiobook is surprisingly really good too.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman. also watched the movie first courtesy of zoey and the bbs movie and wanted to read the book too! it's not very big and i've been taking my time with it rather than rushing through it, it's the first neil gaiman book i've ever read and GOD it's making me upset that i'd never picked up a book of his before

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Matheus Lopes. this is a comic and a re-read but listen to me. Listen. even if you don't like superheroes or don't really care for comics, i think this is still a must read. it's an 8 issue mini-series but it is genuinely one of the best stories about hope and trying to do the right thing and revenge that i have ever read. also the art is gorgeous.

next read: also a few! mostly Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. never read it and i'm very excited!! i don't know anything about it. so. that's very exciting. probably Harrow the Ninth bc i have a hold on the audiobook at my library (it's been a while since i read gideon, so i'll probably need to re-read that one too...) and i'll probaby try to finish The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, i stopped bc i got Very bored very quickly BUT I MUST PUSH THROUGH!!! anyways! yeah <3

no pressure tags as always <3

@gothbat99 @gideoncharov @cheatghost @kkpwnall @fastcardotmp3 @fragilecapric0rnn @lionydoorin @fishwear @yournowheregirl @silvereyedsankta @verymuchablog42 @netflixnormalthings @el-fandom-birb @laurienotteddy @freezeveganpolice @eskawrites & anyone else who wants to!! <3

[olasketches]

Hello....Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from JJK? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....

Hi there! and sure I never actually got to talk about why I love my favs so thank you for giving me an opportunity!

Sukuna

so fun fact! I actually started watching jjk because of gojo to see what's the hype all about but then sukuna showed up aaaaannd... I knew right then and there that this is MY guy. there was just something about him that drew me in. he intrigues me, makes my head spin. sukuna is evil (a devil incarnate some may say) but he's also more than that. he's not your typical villain. there's actually lots of contradictories and nuances to his character. he’s bloodthirsty but not hotheaded. he's apathetic but reads others like a book. he actually pays attention to his opponents, observers them, calculates their every move, spots their weaknesses while also encourages them and at times even praises them. also sukuna's unyielding sense of self is truly a thing of beauty. he does as he pleases and doesn't proclaim his strength to define himself. he doesn't need to prove anything nor does he seek to be understood. he's chosen to prioritise the self at the expanse of all connections, which allowed him to transcend humanity and became what we know as the king of curses. he's basically the epitome of all that is inherently wrong with humanity and jujutsu society as whole, to the point you can't even think of him as human, but rather, inhuman. or as yuuji would call him a curse "these guys are and will always be curses"... but here’s the thing, unlike mahito, sukuna was born human. and as much as he appears to be this self-serving, cunning and evil god-like being (well he is... definitely.. cunning, self-serving and evil those are all correct!! but god-like? I talked about it here) he still has "humanity". it's corrupted and twisted but well.. it's still THERE and that's actually what makes him so sinister in the end (but also so sooo appealing to me).

Yuuji

he's just THE BEST. I love this dude. one would think he's all sunshine and rainbows, but he's waayyy more than that. for one yuuji is a mess. a boy with a warped sense of self-worth and terrible identity issues who on top of that has a big disdain for his existence as a whole and yet still clings to life. he still manages to keep on going, regardless of what awaits him on the path he has paved... his determination is really something else. another thing I love about yuuji's character is that he’s not at all like your typical good natured, hero most protagonists are framed as. he doesn’t mind resorting to violence when the situation “calls” for it. he is actually someone who also relies on power and strength above everything else. yuuji doesn't really question his actions or the things jujutsu society tells him to do but that's because yuuji is a teenager. a confused teenager who just doesn't want to think too hard about the world he lives in so long as he has something to do. but then again... he's a teenager, which means he's still learning, he's still growing and despite his self hatred and the dwindling feeling of his self worth coupled with the burden he has to carry, yuuji keeps on living. and I think that's one of the most interesting and admirable things about his character. yuuji is completely selfless in his desires which has only made him suffer more as the story progressed, but the most selfish he has ever been is when he chose to live... and he still does btw. he is still choosing to keep living despite all the suffering and deaths it cost him. that's what makes this boy so special to me.

Megumi

now I'll admit, I thought megumi... was kindA bOring at first (little did I know he's been growing on me since day one). but then I GOT it. I had my 'oh' moment. I FINALLY understood!! megumi is kinda... a freak. boy goes unhinged when pushed too far. and I absolutely love those moments when he stops second guessing himself and goes completely off the rails. also there's just something about his character that makes me want to sit down and see what fucked up situation he is going to get himself into next and then watch him figure his way out of it lol anyway. megumi, just like yuuji, has a really low self esteem. he can be self sacrificial, but not because he has some 'hero complex'. megumi just doesn't value his own life the same way he values his loved ones' (tsumiki and yuuji). his major goal in life was to make sure he's sister is safe and well... we all know how that turned out. megumi is an implicitly suicidal character that also happened to have… quite a shitty life, which is why I want him him live. I want him to survive this and more importantly I want him to finally fight for HIMSELF and chose his own life in the end (honestly this person summed it up so much better than I could have <- this is essentially everything what I love about megumi's character).

as for my top 5 fav moments… damn it’s all gonna be sukuna isn't it ToT

1. sukuna’s possession of megumi (best plot twist EVER even tho we really should've seen coming)

2. sukuna and yuuji’s confrotation (their dynamic is actually one of my favourite things about jjk)

3. sukuna rampage in shibuya and then his conversation with jogo

4. yuuji confrontation with jumpei where yuuji ended up reaching out to him (I think that’s the moment that really made me fall in love with his character)

5. megumi during culling game (basically just unhinged and stressed baby)

[fatgumsurpremacy-remastered]

Sup!

I was wondering if I could request platonic yandere riddler trying to teach reader how to make a good riddle.

It would be most appreciated. thx

I would love to, BTAS Eddie btw.

Tw: intimidation, kidnapping, threats of blackmail and violence (slight).

Eddie was little more than a distraction to what you wanted to do now, it was as if every time he got out of Arkham he found his way back to you.

He smiled fondly at your annoyed expression and gave you a hug. The constriction threatened to snap you in half. If you'd been able to feel your fingers you would've felt the blood flow begging for some release.

“Hello my dear friend, it's been quite a while since I'd seen you last.”

“It's been three weeks Edward.”

He shrugged off the comment with a bashful grin. Then took you from the goons he had bring you up, merely waving them off as he rather quickly pulled you over to his desk.

Having been friends with Edward since before he'd moved from New York to Gotham you knew his excitement better than anyone. As he sat you down in the chair, harsher than he'd meant to he made his way over to his side.

“Care to tell me why you can't just wait for another probationary period Edward? I visited you the last time you warned me about the blackmail.” You didn't want to be there at all, and looking into the almost watery green eyes of your friend it was clear he did.

Feigning ignorance Edward rolled his eyes, “Why would I ever actually blackmail you? You're far too important to me.”

“I must be given this is the eighth time you’ve kidnapped-“

He interjected,

“Borrowed!”

You deadpanned before continuing,

“Kidnapped, me.”

His brows furrowed harshly, nose twitching as he shuffled his elbows inward. The tension in his fists were obvious, as was the same tension in his neck.

“I don’t want to play this with you. I just borrowed-“ he stood slowly, lights from outside casting the front of his body in darkness. “You.”

You nodded as you saw him do the same.

“Okay Edward.”

“Eddie.” He corrected dangerously, regaining absolute control of the situation.

You held your breath in for a moment to keep yourself from shaking.

“Okay Eddie.”

He sat back down slowly, never taking his eyes off of you. They seemed to bite into your soul, searching for the very moment you’d decide to flee.

“I'm thinking of my next caper.” he started, strongly.

You fiddled with your pants before nodding, pursed lips.

“Yeah that's uhh, kinda bad Eddie.”

“I can’t exactly control what my mind wants me to do. It becomes so bad I feel the need to pick at myself if I don’t plan.” He stood from his chair and dramatically went through the movements, going on a tangent about how the feelings just build until they burst.

“Is there anyway I can help…” you paused, he turned around intrigued by what you were saying.

“With the… building?” You we’re unsure of how you phrased that, the words coming out awkward. But he seemed to understand.

His eyes widened and he seemed brighter than before.

“Well well well, look who’s coming into their own!” He smiled slyly before turning to his bookshelf, you meanwhile looked for an escape.

Every window was sealed. There were guards outside, Eddie could practically read your mind, and knew that you never actually went to the restroom when you were uncomfortable with something.

“Okay!”

He set a pen and paper down in front of you before nearly organizing the books in front of him. He pulled a map of Gotham out of his shirt right after, setting the paper before you.

You looked up incredulously, desperately searching for an answer as Eddie leaned on the table happily staring at you.

“What is this?”

“Planning!”

“For what?!”

“You’re not stupid my friend do try and fit the pieces in with one another.” He leaned in and kept the map open with one arm and pushed your chair in with the other. From here you could feel him shaking with glee, the previous tension forgotten.

You tried to forget that you were making plans for a supervillain here, and tried to imagine all the times you’d spent with one another.

“How abouuut…” You tried thinking only to feel like your brain was useless. You drew blanks, pushing the paper away with one hand as Edward stared, concerned back at you.

“I’m no good at this stuff Eddie, maybe I can help give you tools, or run you coffee. Like a secretary!” This was partially to arouse sympathy from your old friend, but also to find a way to leave and not speak to him again.

“To have you mitigated to a secretary as my best friend?” He looked bluntly at you, “that’s stupid,” he snatched the pencil from your hand, and grabbed the paper. “You start with one idea. Then add on, you don’t give up if you don’t have it right away. Now throw somthing out there.”

You fumbled, and he began to hum a tune from a game show he knew, counting down your time. It reminded you of nights where the two of you would go over Flashcards for tests.

“Nuclear Fission!”

He ‘oohed’, impressed by the quick and out of the box thinking, and he quickly jotted the idea down

The next few were rapid fire rounds.

“The starry night-“

“Colour theorem.”

“Absurdism!”

“EDWARD PUT DOWN THE DAMN NORTHERN LIGHTS!!!”

By the end of the night the two of you were down a bottle and a half of whiskey, with a plan that only required word play, and machinery.

You leaned against the man with an arm over his shoulder as you reminisced your childhood.

“I missed this Eddie, you always were great company.”

He smiled earnestly, his readers glasses slipping down his nose as he undid his tie. “You were always like a younger sibling to me, it’d only make sense for me to wanna spend time with you…”

He trailed off, then grew somber.

“I’m sorry.”

You tilted your head in confusion, and he put a hand on your shoulder. “For the interruptions, and the blackmail… I really-“ he turned his head as his voice cracked. You could tell he was getting emotional, so you pulled him in for a hug.

The two of you set to sleep that night, Ed in his armchair, you on the couch. And you began to wonder if helping him with riddles would really be all that bad.

[kathren-is-here]

Lil oc intro

Whoa- howdy there it’s been a hot minute whoops, completely forgot to post here

but might as well show of my second favorite oc I made yet 🕺🏻

Meet Brass (Ford) Buzzard! My lil guy!

he was shortly made after I kept on thinking about ideas for Brass Mirror (which I have yet to explain whoops) and I love him!!💖💖💖

Here’s some info on him!

So the story so far is Bradford goes behind Cassidy's back to make a clone hybrid child when he got the chance to, not sure what he was thinking, but it ended up resulting in an angry Cassidy, and he technically got what he wanted? A baby duck/vulture/thing! Cassidy eventually warms up to them both again but not after some heavy angst with Bradford :)

this is after the show events btw! Unless I made an Au that states otherwise!

He's super like his parents, loves to observe people and stuff, generally a quiet kid early on but love to talk about what he's currently into and loves asking questions,

As a little kid, he loves that stringy rubber fidget toy, he finds it fun to play with and it's for his sensory issues:)

He gets into reading at an early age, and his parents keep on getting new material for him to read to keep up his reading level that's always expanding (Cassidy wants to get one of those really long books but Bradford wants to save that for when he's older haha). When they couldn't get more reading material, Cassidy suggests teaching writing to him so they do just that, and so starts his fixation on writing.

He often tends to go out in the world as Cassidy tries to show him how the world works, funny, since Cassidy isn't from this world in the first place, but it works out.

He also likes going to his local library! And spends hours reading there. That's his go to safe space.

Cassidy tries to inadvertently teach him how to sneak and fight, by playing some games disguised as lessons with him!

He gets a music box he likes to listen to! It's entirely made out of un-melting ice! I wonder who gave him that who has full control over ice/water magic🤔 (definitely not Cassidy who I fail to explain him and his story so far whoops)

He loves going to the beach, playing in the sand and water, having enough space to do all sorts of stuff, wonderful!

As he grows up, he gets into Spells! Because Cassidy was partly known for making and using spells! But Brass is mostly interested on what words mean and what meaning they hold when it involves a spell, he just likes words!

Bradford is cautious of him learning spells (can you blame him), but trusts Cassidy enough for him to teach Brass about it and the history of spells. (Totally gonna reference Merlin haha)

He later learns the ins and outs of dulling and fighting with magic, Merlin style😎

Brass, does meet the McDucks eventually! I’m assuming this is after Cassidy finds out about them, so both of his parents try and keep him away from them, without telling him exactly.

he does pass by them once or twice while he’s reading in the local library, he tries to be nice and polite, but will quickly get impatient if they’re causing too much of a ruckus around him.

he actually meets Webby first! And just bc I can, I decided to do a little parallel with him, Bradford, Webby, and Scrooge!

after the kids invite brass over for some sort of gathering one day, they accidentally take him on and adventure! Which his is not too exited about at all. He finds them all overwhelming and a lot, after he leaves as a new rival/in their eyes an enemy, he meets three girls.

Turns out these girls already have beef with the kids over there, and were spying on them, Brass meets up with them and teams up with them!( I personally call them the fake clones haha) since they have a common rival to deal with.

after he teams up with them, he quickly finds out he likes being a leader! Actively working on solving problems and organizing against someone! Definitely a trait passed down by both parents.

I’m still figuring out future stuff but here’s what I got planned so far!

He’s really proficient with magic spells and casting and all that!

His hair gets nicer! Not as clean and tame when he was a baby, but definitely better than when he was a kid that's for sure

His hair gets nicer and longer!

And his feathers get darker! idk if I’m gonna keep the fade from his younger feathers though 🤔

Here’s a few alt designs for him I did! Since I’m running out of things to say!

I have a few more art pieces with him but that’s all for now! Just glad to get all his info into one post so far!

[notwonderlandsworld]

I absolutely love your writing! I wanted to know if you have any ideas on what to write? I am currently reading all the Batkid and thought "what If the dimensions crossover of another batkid who is oldest is taking over as batman then meets the younger batkid who just became their own vigilante?" Or smth along the lines of that concept. I honestly just want batkid baby and then batkid adult being a badass

I've left Batkid open for anyone who wants to request. The intention I had was setting the story up (the prolouge) to help set MY version of how I believe the batkid would turn up. It's really an open book other than that, so anyone can request for batkid, whether that be older or younger!

Made this a one-shot since u didn't really specificy if u wanted a headcanon or something hope u dont mind! I added my own sort of twist to this

SPECIAL NOTE: all of my child fics/daughter/son/sibling fics will be with an adopted reader and not a biological one. Biological would mean that half of these parents/couples would be mixed, so no I won’t be doing biological. Especially when it comes to predominantly white characters.

(Naomi is a made up character btw)

pairing(s): Batfam x Child!Reader

warning(s): way too much use of the word 'you', cursing (I think), little angst, kinda confusing i'm sorry, NOT PROOFREAD

word count: 4.4k

You don’t even know what actually happened, but you were certain it was all Klarion’s fault. How’d it come to this?

Your father never really let you go out on missions as much as the boys, since they apparently all agreed you were too young to join them. That got a rise out of you, which led to a huge argument with all of them.

You were ten, but that was considered too young for this kind of stuff?

Wasn’t Dick like eight when he first became Robin?

Needless to say, it ended with some yelling, crying, and a threat to even run away. After that, you were allowed to join patrol with them, with the exception that you’d return home early on school nights.

Currently, you were told to stay in the car while Batman and Zatanna went ahead to investigate  the abandoned circus. Taking your cape off, you groaned at the horrible substitute over a real blanket.

“Ya alright, lad?” the man sitting in the back asked. Looking back at him, you shrugged, “This cape doesn’t necessarily make a good blanket.”

Constantine chuckled, “I would give ya this coat, “ he gestured to the one he was wearing, “But I’m kind of using it.” You groaned, “Why’d I even get left with you?”

“I’m not really chuffed about having to babysit either.”

Sending him a glare, you sighed while leaning back against the seat. Looking ahead, there were flashes followed by some colors being flickered out into the night sky. Zatanna probably found something, or someone.

You were about to close your eyes before a loud bang erupted from far away. Flinching, you gasped as an explosion appeared not too far away, black clouds of smoke contrasting with red and orange flames.

Constantine spoke up, “They seem to be handling it well. Lovely.” Looking over at him, you hopped into the driver’s seat and turned on the Batmobile.

Gesturing to the passengers side, you told the man to jump ahead. “Looks like they need help.” Before he could make a quick-witted comment, you stepped on the gas and drove to the scene.

Constantine gripped onto the backseat from the sudden speed, “Bloody hell! A warning would’ve been nice!”

“I told you to get in the passenger seat!” you yelled, not bothering to look over your shoulder.

Arriving at the scene, the Batmobile skidded to a halt as a giant piece of cement was thrown in front of you. Constantine was already in the passenger seat, opening the door as another boulder was flying towards the car again.

Yanking you out with him, he ran away from the destruction. You yelped when you felt him teleporting across the circus. Luckily, he stopped in front of your father and Zatanna.

“What happened?” Batman began. Constantine let you go, adjusting his coat. Before he could respond, you beat him to it, “We were almost crushed by some debris! Luckily, Constantine saved us.” A laugh was heard from away, making the four of you look back at the perpetrator.

Klarion emerged from the mess he created, even with Teekl on his shoulder he looked menacing. Looking at you, he let out a pathetic scoff, “Now who’s this?”

You glared at him, “Does it matter?” You were about to walk up to him until Batman pulled you back. Zatanna prepared herself for any possible oncoming attacks. Constantine watched on, secretly on the edge as well.

Klarion huffed, looking down on you, “I was simply trying to be polite. After all, it'd be rude to kill a stranger.”

“Then I'd like to remain a stranger.” you scoffed, reaching behind to activate your electric gauntlets without him noticing. Klarion smirked, at least you had some nerve to talk back.

Eyes turning red along with his hands, he began to glow and threw an arm in your direction. The rest of the group were thrown across the ground as a large construct wrapped around your body.

Zatanna tried to attack Klarion, but ultimately was pinned down by Teekl.

The cat’s teeth were drawn, bare, and sharp, as they slowly were leaning down towards the woman’s neck.

Attempting to use her magic, she winced when one of the claws sunk into her forearm. She screamed as they successfully punctured through.

Constantine was ready to attack with Batman until they were both pinned down as well. Your father struggled hard, yelling out your hero name.

The man cursed at himself internally. He couldn’t fail you like he did with his sons. He won’t. He refuses. Yet there he was, still being held down. Hopeless.

Struggling against the grips the witch boy had on you, there was only one option left. You just hoped it worked as the gauntlets charged up, ready to be used.

Klarion had yet to notice as he laughed, “How sad. You’ll have to remain a stranger when I kill you. And to think, it could’ve been nice to know who was under that cowl…”

The boy snapped his fingers as a book appeared out of thin air. Opening it up, he flipped  through each page, tutting, “I wonder…what spell I should rid of you with.” Further inspecting more spells, he let his magic grip loosen a little.

You smirked, perfect timing.

Squeezing a fist, you super charged one of the arms. Just as the boy turned back to look at you with an ‘aha!’ he received the endside of your knuckles.

Gritting your teeth, you pushed harder, charging up the bolts more. The tingly feeling was beginning to reach up your forearm, but you didn’t care.

Big mistake.

While giving Klarion a piece of your mind, you failed to notice his arm reaching towards your neck. It was until you felt a prick that a big flash banged, knocking the both of you away from each other.

Opening your eyes, you screamed as you were thrown around these odd strings of waves across…well who knows where.

Before you could even regain yourself, you felt something crash into you followed by another scream. It sounded older, yet very similar. ‘Probably dad’ you thought.

Opening an eye, you saw the familiar Batman insignia and wrapped your arms around the figure. Falling into a random portal-door-thingy, you yelped as the figure took most of the fall.

Rolling off them, you remained on the ground. “Ugh…thanks for catching me dad—”

“(Y/H/N)!” a voice called out. Turning your head towards the voice, you recognized the voice as the figure of your father ran towards you. Wait but then who was…

The person who caught you groaned, turning onto their side. Cape torn and helmet thrown across the debris of the ground, they grounded to their knees.

Constantine helped Zatanna up after she healed her arm, trying to figure out what happened. Klarion was gone and nowhere to be found.

The older figure groaned, rubbing at their head. Fuck, that was gonna leave a mark, you’ll have to hear about it from Naomi later.

Flinching, the figure heard a familiar voice call out to them. Seeing the man run towards the small child they saved from…who knows what, the figure’s eyes widened. Both them and the small child called out, “Dad?”

Wait. Both child (Y/N) and adult (Y/N) looked at eachother. “Did you just call him ‘Dad’?” you both said simultaneously. Bruce soon realized the situation, as soon as his eyes landed on the older figure, his eyes widened.

Was…that…is it…

You (adult version) looked on, terribly confused yet worried when you realized you weren’t back home. This wasn’t the Gotham you knew.

You couldn’t hear your butler, Naomi, over your ear piece anymore. And now you were somehow here, looking at…a younger version of yourself?

“Y-You're…” you stuttered out, struggling to finish a sentence. The child version of yourself also was finding it difficult to form words. “Y-You’re…”

“...You’re me?!”

Constantine gave a low whistle, at which Zatanna glared at him, silently telling him to shut up. “I’m too knackered for this…”

-

(IT MIGHT GET CONFUSING HERE SO READ CAREFULLY)

Arriving at the mansion, everyone was left in shock. If Bruce didn’t know how to feel, you can only imagine the rest of the family. Duke was the first to notice as Constantine teleported to the cave with a group in tow.

He was about to ask how the mission was. Fortunately he was drinking his coffee when he asked who the older figure was.

“This is (Y/N).” Bruce introduced the adult version of you. You nodded, still dazed. You couldn’t even look back at yourself.

Cue Duke spitting out his coffee followed by shattering cups as Alfred arrived with a—now broken—teapot and several cups. Both men looked unapologetically at the figure in shock.

(Adult) you on the other hand, was worse then (child) you at the moment. Feeling the need to throw their ripped cape around themselves as more people stared in shock.

You could feel tears threatening to fall when you noticed Alfred. In your universe, he was dead. Naomi took over the legacy.

Bruce ignored the shock on his son’s face, heading over to the computer. “Duke, I need you to bring the rest down here. I’ll try to find any possible trace of Klarion.”

“R-Right…” the boy couldn’t have run faster as he fled up the stairs. Alfred meanwhile snapped out of it and attempted to clean the mess he made. Trying his best not to look at the currently shaking figure, he called out to you.

“(Y/N), b-be a dear and assist me in this mess.”

The awkward silence happened when both (child) you and (adult) you began walking towards the butler.

The older version stopped once they realized, giving a small apology before gesturing (child) you towards the old man. The child version looked back, a slight pang in their chest after realization of the small droplets around your eyes.

Alfred was not in your older version’s world.

A pang hit your chest as you continued towards the butler. The older version slumped before recollecting themselves, heading towards Constantine and Zatanna. “There’s got to be a way to fix this.”

The two of them looked taken aback at how serious (adult) you could become all of a sudden. Zatanna smiled, “You definitely take after Bruce…” she muttered, but (adult) you heard. Choosing to ignore the statement, you asked, “Any way I can head back home, y'know to my universe?”

The woman seemed deep in thought as she began pacing, “Hmmm…”

Constantine looked at her, “What are ya doing?” The woman stopped, “Thinking of a way obviously.”

The man scoffed as he crossed his arms, “Of course there’s a way.” The two blinked at the man expectantly. He looked back before shrugging, “What?”

Zatanna rolled her eyes, “Tell us the way to get…older (Y/N) back home!” (adult) you held back a laugh, swallowing it down when both mages stared back. Ignoring them, you shot a look over the shoulder.

Your father—the one from a different universe—was focused on the big screen. At the feeling of being stared at, he turned his eyes away to look at you. He wanted to look away, that wasn’t his child…

Except it was.

He had so many questions as he maintained eye contact. You were a full grown adult, looking almost his current age. Your eyes were glassy, like the spark he sees in (child) you now was gone.

Completely void of any sort of joy. He noticed the few streaks of gray in your hair. Skin dull and almost unhealthy looking to the point of worry. An appearance anyone could comprehend.

In that universe, you looked tired.

You were tired.

Which is why Bruce couldn’t look at you. He didn’t want to see how he failed another child.

Breaking eye contact, the man continued to look for ways to deal with the situation. Luckily, Constantine said there was a way to fix this.

In the corner of his eyes he saw (adult) you look away, a frown on your face followed with a cast down. Tucking into your cape in an attempt to seem smaller, it gave him all the answers Bruce needed to know.

He did in fact fail you. Didn’t matter what universe it was from.

-

Zatanna and Constantine were going to be at the manor for a week it seems.

Apparently the spell they had both studied was time-based. They would have to wait an exact week before moonlight to conduct the spell.

Constantine claimed it was an easy ritual, but did nothing to calm nerves as he scattered through his book, obvious confusion written over his face.

Zatanna seemed more confident than the man, but at least she knew how to hide her perplexity.

In the meantime, (adult) you was going to be staying with you for a week. It’d give (child) you a chance to properly talk to them. Ask about their dimension, or was it the future?

Oh who knows anymore.

Currently (child) you sat back, eating some mango slices Alfred had prepared in a bowl, as you observed the older version of yourself in the backyard garden. A peaceful look on your face…or their face…or…

Whatever.

(adult) you seemed to be basking in the flower blushes. A day had barely passed and anyone had yet to talk to the other version of you.

It appeared a naturalistic setting was the perfect stress reliever.

Swinging back and forth, (child) you hummed before stabbing another mango slice with a fork.

“Mx. (Y/N) please don’t rock the chair back and forth. I wish to only wash the bowl once you're finished, not blood as well.” Giggling along with a clink of dropping the fork down, you faced the butler. “Sorry Alfred.”

Turning back to the window, the butler spoke again. “Would be a better option to join (Y/N) 2 outside; I'm certain they wouldn’t mind some extra company.”

Biting your lip, you poked at the leftover chunks of fruit. Although it did seem like a good idea, there was some hesitancy on your end. What would even be a good way to approach?

Shrugging, you looked back at the butler. “I don’t know…They’ve been pretty adamant about not talking to me…maybe I’d be bringing back some bad memories, Alfred.” The older man hummed, grabbing the bowl and adding some extra mangos.

“Well,” he began, “I, for one, believe that some communication could very much help; they do have to stay for a week. If (Y/N) 2 felt lonely before, I’d bet on how desolate they must be feeling at the moment.”

You nodded, grabbing the bowl he handed you. It was now refilled with more fruit. Observing the older you from another dimension, they were gazing at a Calluna. A forlorn look across their face.

Taking a deep breath, (child) you nodded. “Alright.”

Bowl in hand, you headed out and began walking towards (adult) you. Their back being the first thing you see, you noticed how they seemed to be still.

Hesitating, you swallowed down the anxiety and reached over to touch their shoulder. They had caught it before you could even touch. It caused you to let out a small scream and drop the fruit.

(Adult) you heard someone approaching and got on the defensive. Before they could even lay a hand, they turned over quickly and gripped the wrist.

Eyes widening they noticed it was (child) you with a bowl that was now on the floor…were those mangos? Noticing the tight grip, (adult) you quickly let go.

“S-Sorry…”

"Um…it's okay." (child) you let out a breath of relief when your wrist was released. Taking a step back, it was clear just how easily the future had changed…well, you.

Technically. Feature wise, you looked relatively the same, except there was a jagged scar running across your eyebrow. Pointing towards the mark, (child) you asked, "What happened?"

(adult) you gasped, attempting to cover the long-lasting reminder. It didn't seem to impress your younger counterpart as they raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Well? I'd at least like to know how I get my wicked scar from the future."

Hesitantly, (adult) you answered, "...I got it from someone."

"So…" (child) you dragged out, balancing on the balls of your feet innocently before asking excitedly, "Who gave it to me?!"

(adult) you raised a brow, confused. "You're not…disgusted by it? Horrified?"

(child) you let out a 'pfft'. Gesturing to your older counterpart you explained, "Hell no! You look so cool! Besides, that scar just gotta make a cool story! By the way, who'd you say gave it to you?"

(adult) you looked away from (child) you. Luckily, the bowl of ruined fruit laid on the floor. Thinking quickly, you grabbed at the bowl, "Uh hey! I think um…your butler might want this mess cleaned up."

Luckily, (child) you fell for the bait and gasped. Kneeling down, you helped your older counterpart pick up the ruined mango slices. Sighing, you explained how fruit was supposed to be a peace offering. Pausing, (child) you asked, "I like mango in your dimension, right?"

(adult) you chuckled, before standing up. "Thanks…how about we just sit down and talk instead?"

"Ok." (child) you nodded, leading them to the small picnic table setup. Once the two of you sat down, (adult) you smiled at their younger counterpart. "So what do you wanna know?"

(child) you smiled back, eyes twinkling, "Everything! Oh I got loads of questions I—"

The older version of you held back a laugh, it was beautiful how bright and energetic their younger self was back then. They'd do their best to explain as much as possible.

As long as the scar wasn't mentioned.

-

The boys were in the batcave, practicing like usual. Nothing major. Right?

Instead they were spilling the current gossip happening in the manor.

"I mean, did you see how badass (Y/N) 2 looks? I don't think Bruce has ever looked that awesome in a suit before."

"(Y/N) 2?" Jason asked Dick. The oldest brother shrugged, "Alfred came up with the name. It kinda stuck." 

"Although we're supposed to be training like Father told us," Damian spoke up while stretching himself, "Grayson is right. Do you remember when Duke called us down to the cave and we first saw them?" 

Tim nodded, "Yeah. It was like I was looking at a whole new Batman. Possibly more intimidating than Bruce to be honest. Although…" the boy sighed, "...kinda sucks how it's (Y/N). I mean, I could almost see how broken they were."

Jason crossed his arms, "I'm just glad there's finally someone other than me with a scar in this family."

"Jason!"

"Ow!" The second oldest brother felt a punch on his arm. It soon led to another following back. Next thing you know a giant rumble happened with all of them.

Reaching downstairs with your older counterpart, (child) you felt their hand grabbing onto yours.

'Hmm, weird' you thought.

Meanwhile (adult) you felt almost frozen at the sight of seeing all your brothers together again. As if the first time seeing them wasn't bad enough.

Hearing them laugh (Jason had Damian in a chokehold, much to Tim's joy and Dick's dismay) felt foreign to older you.

Despair filled in your gut. Your universe doesn't have this, not anymore. The stupid decisions led to loosing this. And the regret solidified every single day.

Seeing just how different your world was from your younger self, it felt like a bittersweet dream. Something you could've had but lost.

It made (adult) you freeze in your spot. You didn't want to take a step further, it was almost too painful. Feeling a tiny hand squeezing your large one, older you looked down to see your child counterpart smiling up at you. A look of comfort. Relief.

A look that says 'its okay'. Almost as if (adult) you could catch a break. For once in so many years. "Come on." (child) you said as you gently tugged them towards the boys.

It didn't take rocket science to tell (adult) you was ready to run back to the solitude of the garden.

But you weren't gonna let that happen.

"Hey guys!" The brothers all stopped at the notice of their youngest sibling along with…their other younger sibling behind them.

Raising a brow at Damian still pulling Dick's hair, (child) you hesitated, "Uh…shouldn't you all be training?"

(adult) you held back a laugh when Tim began flicking at Jason's ears, causing the man to growl at his younger brother before twisting his arm. The boy shrieked and threw a kick. It hit Damian and soon the rumble was about to begin once again.

"Hey! Guys! Stop!" Younger you yelled, but the sound was lost as the fighting seemed to get closer in both you and older yourself direction.

"We should move..." (adult) you gently shoved (child) you behind them. Your older counterpart walked up to the boys, cracking their knuckles before diving in.

With rapid speed, (adult) you first grabbed Jason, grabbing the base of skull and using your elbow to clock his face.

He couldn't even react before the man was thrown to the floor. Next was Dick, who was yanked from Tim and arm got twisted behind him. "What the—"

(adult) you kicked the back of his legs, successfully dropping him. Tim didn't get the chance to run away before he was spin-kicked down, landing on his back with a thud.

Last standing was Damian, who stared at your older self before scoffing. "Fine. We'll stop."

(adult) you nodded while giving the boy a smirk. "Very well." 

(child) you gaped at your brothers on the ground, groaning from all three of them. Looking up at your older counterpart, you took an exhale. "That…was…awesome!!"

(adult) you looked at their younger self, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Um, are you kidding me? That was fucking radical!! The way you dropped Jason down like—" (child) you attempted to imitate the previous moves, "And then you were like! And he was like—"

you continued with your actions, making your older self let out a chuckle, "—And then that move you used on Tim was epic!"

"It was nothing. Honest." (adult) you mumbled, hand scratching the back of their head.

"Don't you dare say it was nothing. I just saw some extreme badass-ery before my very eyes"

"Language, (Y/N)..." Dick winced out to your younger self while still on the ground. (adult) you looked down at the boys, a sheepish yet awkward smile, "Sorry about that I uh…it's just that (Y/N) was trying to get you guys to stop and…"

"No we get it," Tim said, picking himself off the ground, "We were supposed to be training anyway."

"Ugh. I think they broke my brain." Jason moaned, holding onto the side of his head.

"Can't break what's already broken, Todd." Damian ducked as Jason threw a punch at him.

(adult) you watched on as your younger counterpart rushed to stop the rumble about to happen again. It felt nice to be here right now.

It may not have been what your world was like at all, but it was nice to see what it could have been.

Maybe later on when you get back, it could be.

Mistakes were fixable.

Sighing, (adult) you shook your head at the thought.

But not all of them.

-

A week had gone by so fast now that your older self was easing more into the lifestyle (child) you had. It grew nice to see them smile and laugh along with (child) you.

After learning more about one another, the two of you grew closer. It oddly felt like you had gained another sibling.

You liked it.

Hence why it almost broke your younger self’s heart when Constantine and Zatanna showed up on Sunday later that night. Currently resting on one of the walls of the ratty tents of the abandoned circus. Where this whole mess began.

Both in your suits (all-be-it your older self in their tattered one again), all you were waiting on was for Bruce to call you over while Zatanna performed the spell.

“Why are we here again?” (adult) you asked your younger self. Looking up at them, (child) you explained, “Constatine said for the spell to work, he and Zatanna need to conduct it in the same place you were pulled from.”

“Ah…”

There was a pregnant silence where neither of you spoke. Looking up at the broken ferris wheel, your older self began. “Y’know…It felt pretty nice this week. Thanks.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Eyes meeting with your younger counterpart, you gave them a smile, “My world is completely different from yours. I don’t have this family like you do. Or at least I had something like it, but I can never get it back.”

“Oh…” (child) you looked down at your shoes. You felt almost guilty at the idea that you have the privilege of experiencing what your older self could not. Seeing them kneel down, they put a hand on your shoulder.

“You were able to show me the ins and out of your life, with your family and the love you share. Although I don’t get to have this anymore. Just knowing that in another dimension such as someone like you has it…well it’s all that matters to me at this point. Knowing that I, that you, are given this world is all worthwhile in the end.”

(child) you stared at your older self, before going to hug them. They stiffened under you as your tiny arms wrapped around them. “Thank you…”

You felt your older self’s arm hug you closer, “For what?”

“...I don’t know, for everything.” (child) you mumbled. (adult) you swallowed the lump in your throat as you closed your eyes.

You’ll be damned if you let any tears fall.

Pulling away from each other, your younger self took this time for one more question. “Yeah?”

“Can you please tell me…who gave you that scar?” they pointed to the one that ran across your brow. Your older self sighed, responding with only a dull stare. “I wish I could tell you.”

“Why can’t you?”

Because I don’t want you to despise Bruce. You don't deserve it. That’s my world not yours.

“...(Y/N)?” (child) you asked when your older self didn't respond. They were about to say something when Bruce called over the communicator he gave his child.

Voice crackling through the machine, he ordered you both that the spell was ready. Your older self gave you a smile, reaching to ruffle your hair.

“Let’s go.” 

Welp. I've been busy with work, so I won't apologize for taking so long. BUT I WILL APOLOGIZE for not notifying any of you yet on updates. I will say that if you have sent in a request you will get a response, I promise that much :)

[kafus]

story update time! most of this is from yesterday when i was calling a friend on discord lmao. i got to celestic town and after talking to all the npcs i advanced the story

man cyrus really thinks in black and white huh. like there's either full balance with no change, or he has to rewrite the entire world in his ideal image or whatever. can very much see why his, essentially, cult recruitment works so well. it's bold and sounds noble and cuts out nuanced thought lol

at first i was slightly taken aback by the implication that change = bad at all, but after coming back to these screencaps i am pretty sure she means fundamental change with how the human spirit etc works, in reference to cyrus wanting to literally rewrite the universe and the mural of the lake trio behind everyone here

and of course his threat in this situation is the destruction of an ancient illustration of the deities he seeks to control and destroy. not only is that symbolic for obvious reasons but this is an adult man with supposedly more power than you (a child) and the elderly person next to you who is able to fuck up a cave wall with his pokemon or whatever. he's trying to intimidate you. i won of course btw lol

further confirming my thoughts earlier, cynthia's grandma goes on to say that sinnoh is filed with the memories and thoughts of countless people and pokemon... why would anyone want to change those memories or thoughts? the world IS wonderful actually. the indomitable human spirit etc. and pokemon spirit SSFDKSDFKS

anyways ty for the surf HM SDFKSFDKSFD i somehow forgot to take a picture of it but she mentions that the HM belonged to cynthia, but she doesn't use it anymore. i'm assuming this means cynthia either has all her surf users, has spare surf HMs, or literally just flies everywhere. regardless i just think that's cool. my surf HM is the one cynthia used once a long while back. Neat!

oh and last time i posted about story i made a joke about how nonchalant everyone is about terrorism but i forgot this dialogue happens after the encounter with cyrus in the cave LMAO i really wasn't wrong, that was intentional! cynthia says straight out that she thought they were harmless. everyone is treating galactic like delinquent teenagers spouting nonsense who aren't actual threats. especially after the bomb that went off in the great marsh caused little to no damage, i guess. sinnoh isn't routinely experiencing great threats of violence or threats of destabilizing the region.

after our conversation cynthia recommends me to go to canalave city to check out the library and whatnot, which i can now do because i have surf, but first here's the dialogue when interacting with the dialga and palkia murals. i just think it's neat

i did indeed visit the library and since it's been a while since i paid attention in here i actually re-read all the sinnoh myth books. i'm not going to show them as screenshots here since there's way too much text and i don't have interesting things to say about all of it, but all of their text is written out word-for-word here on Bulbapedia if you've never read them before and want to check them out

i do have a FEW stray thoughts though...

in "Sinnoh's Myth" about the lake trio it says:

Bearing with them the power to make vast lands, they rise again.

as far as i know this is the only time that the trio are referenced to have the power to "make vast lands" which feels kind of out of place. like these are the beings of knowledge, emotion, and willpower, not land sea and sky like the hoenn trio or something LOL this really just feels like a throwaway line without much meaning? perhaps you could interpret as them giving people the power to create land but that's a stretch. it is probably not that deep and just awkward writing tbh

in "Veilstone's Myth" it says:

Asked he, "Why do you hide?" To which the Pokémon replied... "If you bear your sword to bring harm upon us, with claws and fangs, we will exact a toll." "From your kind we will take our toll, for it must be done." "Done it must be to guard ourselves and for it, I apologize."

there is the interpretation that this is about Giratina since veilstone is the closest city to Turnback Cave where you can find giratina, and at the end of the myth it says "Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared to a place beyond seeing..." which could be a reference to the distortion world. however, i think there's also a counter-argument to be had here since giratina is considered forgotten by sinnoh as a whole and later in the game cynthia remarks on how it is missing in the myths - she spends a good chunk of the game researching this in the background. so it'd be kinda weird if there was just something directly written about dialogue from giratina in the library.

HOWEVER that being said i think it's definitely still Possible and if it is true that this is about giratina, it puts giratina in a more sympathetic light. i jokingly call giratina Pokemon Satan a lot (in reference to him being the "evil" one as opposed to arceus, not an actual deep reference to christianity or the actual story of satan) but this frames giratina's actions as well intentioned or in self defense, which makes him a lot more interesting as a deity imo. personally i'm not sure whether i believe this is about giratina or not

lastly, while this is well known i still wanna talk about it, in "A Horrific Myth" it says:

Look not into the Pokémon's eyes. In but an instant, you'll have no recollection of who you are. Return home, but how? When there is nothing to remember? Dare not touch the Pokémon's body. In but three short days, all emotions will drain away. Above all, above all, harm not the Pokémon. In a scant five days, the offender will grow immobile in entirety.

this is pretty directly referencing uxie (knowledge), mesprit (emotion), and azelf (willpower) in that order. portraying the lake trio as dangerous and powerful entities that can literally wipe your memories or take away your emotions is interesting juxtaposition to them supposedly being the ones that blessed humans with the ability to feel joy, have memories, and do things... and not only that, they don't seem to want to use that dangerous power either, but it seems to be out of their control - uxie has its eyes always closed (so you can't look into its eyes), mesprit flees from you (that's why it's a roamer) and azelf is able to enter someone else's body (to avoid harm). they're probably so damn secluded in these lake caves so that they don't hurt anyone. they're good natured gods i suppose

sinnoh mythology is very cool and why i love this region so much but anyway i'm going to make a Gameplay Update post as well in a bit SDFKSF