#did not like the cat woman character assassination

[tim-drake-scholar]

Sorry but Tim referring to Bruce as “dad” kills me bc I think he’s like 18/19 here so he’s only been legally adopted for a couple years or so? They really are all siblings and they really are a family! I love that Damian looks so confused about physical affection!!

[catastrophicalcat]

Reasons Valmont Sucks (Catwoman 2018)

Valmont was a terrible character. And I really want to dissect why and how he is terrible - not just to get it off my chest and onto the collective Internet, but also because I think that Howard made some questionable writing choices that doomed him.

A quick intro - Valmont is Selina's love interest from the 1st two arcs of Tini Howard's Catwoman (2018) run. Inspired by some version of the Dangerous Liaisons character, he is a quasi French assassin who appears in Selina's life when she is trying to take on the Five Gotham Crime families, stalks her a bit, gifts her a stolen cat, fucks her, and eventually get murdered by her while he's trying to kill Batman. BatCat are on a poorly defined break during these events (with Bruce clearly thinking that they're somewhat committed to each other). Valmont is a dork. He looks like this:

More stuff under the break since I don't know how to write succinctly...

Valmont is a possessive stalker. It's obvious that Howard wanted to create a character who is different from Batman. Just look at him - Batman wears black, Valmont wears white. Batman strives to be a good person, while Valmont is an unrepentant murder. Bruce tries to be a gentlemen, while Valmont.... Almost immediately, Howard is in a pickle - how can she recreate a 17th century romance about assholes when, at the moment her run begin, Selina has no reason to be into this guy? And, this phony goth poser, by definition, cannot be upfront and just ask Selina out. Bruce would have done that. He's not Bruce. Solution? She gets rescued by him. A lot. Some examples:

While getting rescued frequently may be a way to fall in love, it makes Selina just so incompetent. Like I think that almost every single issue where Valmont appears, she needs to gets saved by him in some fashion. I don't think that Bruce rescued her that often, at least not in her own run! I went from reading about a savvy cat-burglar to an eternal damsel-in-distress.

Maybe I missed it, but I literally just read through all of his issues to find these screencaps, and I can't find any reason for him to be there other than to stalk her....

2. Making sexy French man is hard, OK! Prior to this run, I did not realize just how hard it is to write a sexy man instead of a creepy man. But seriously, this guy is GROSS, and Selina being into him makes her come off as dumb floozy. Who in the world would get turned on by lines like:

Maybe I'm fascinating, Catwoman. (Spoiler - he isn't)

I consider myself a citizen of the world. (Is he "my parents live in Ohio, I live in the moment" Ted Mosby?)

I wanted to help. But I did not want to chase you, or do what those boys had done. So I simply waited, where I knew you could find me. ("Those boys" - Tim & Dick, who tried to offer reasonable assistance and advice).

Fascinating? Interesting? Dangerous? (Describing himself.)

But I won't assume that just because a cat has sat in my lap once, it will do so whenever I call. (He then proceeds to bang her on the roof).

Have you ever had anyone encourage you to chase your desires? Just for your own pleasure? (Yeah, this is like a famous trait of hers...)

The sharp pleasure of waiting until I see you again is enough. (See, normal Selina - or a normal woman - would just never see him again).

Related to the above - their sexy times? Not sexy. First, they try and fail to hijack a cannibal's plane and parachute jump. Maybe adrenaline got their heart rate up, but still - poor planning! Second, and more egregiously: multiple characters comment on how Selina is deliriously tired. Valmont is one of those characters! He then bangs her on the roof. I don't want to kink-shame, but sleeping with someone when they're falling off their feet from exhaustion is like, not great?

3. He's a freaking murderer! This guy kills people and drops their bodies in the harbor. He's friends with Flamingo, a cannibal who tried to eat Robin (Damian, but still!). And yet, this is how Selina feels about him:

What happened? Really, what happened? Selina used to be smart and not boy crazy. Sure, she has a wide variety of unfortunate love interests despite these traits (post forthcoming!). But never has she fallen so fast, so quick, so off the deep end for someone who deserves it so very little.

I have other substantive issues with this run, but wanted to start by dissecting Valmont. A non-Bruce love interest is already an uphill battle in a Catwoman comic. Burdening him with all of these negative traits did not lead to a good story. Instead, Selina came off as stupid and immature for ever liking this guy in the first place.

I know that this post was super negative - these are just my thoughts, and I'm open to critique. If folks feel positive about Valmont, or other things I touched on here, I would be really interested to hear it.

[deadsetobsessions]

Once more the hallucinations hit, and once more I am here writing it out.

My brain is fucking terrifying and I want out, so bad. This came to me in the form of a nightmare.

Also, please don’t take the timeline into consideration, because I have no idea what’s going on. Again, nightmares and dreams tend to not have the best coherency when it comes to plot and timelines. The reincarnation doesn’t have a name, I was too busy feeling terrified. Shit in parentheses was how I experienced the nightmare. Everything else is just me adding sprinkle sprinkle.

——

Ra’s al Ghul.

Talia al Ghul.

Two names that she had been aware of, in the peripherals of her hyper fixation. Two characters meant to enhance the story of the Dark Knight. Side characters, on a good day. Perhaps, a main antagonist on a better day.

On a bad day?

Main characters. Real, living people. Real, living, breathing assassins.

Unfortunately, they’re her new family. One she remembered coming into, bathed in a pool of blood and screams.

She was not a baby.

She is now, a baby. The first of Talia al Ghul’s children. The eldest, once Damian al Ghul was born.

Swaddled in emerald green and gold silks, she was presented to a man with silver streaked hair and a receding hairline. He too, was robed in green and golds.

“A daughter, Talia?” He rumbled, the smooth Arabic flowing out of his mouth failing to hide the acrid disappointment. The child, past the haze of confusion of suddenly being deported from her own adult body into one of a helpless child, felt a stirring of irritation. It’s good she learned the language, because now she knew exactly how Ra’s felt about her. The child grumbled a displeased sound. Not that she would have ignored the fact that her grandfather was Ra’s al Ghul. (He smelled like moth eaten fabric and blood- but I think that was because my cat accidentally scratched me.)

“My apologies, father.”

“Do not tell the young detective of this. Had it been a son, perhaps things would have been different. No, a daughter would only hinder him.”

Talia bowed, hands tightening on her daughter. “May I raise her, father?”

“A resource is still a resource. Go ahead, Talia.”

“Yes, father.” Talia took the dismissal and bowed before leaving.

On her way back to the room with the reincarnation’s crib, Talia al Ghul stroked her daughter’s head.

“I wish you were born a boy, my daughter. I am sorry my beloved will never know of you.”

The reincarnation looked at her new mother. She’s young, the woman-child realized. A teenager.

“You’ll have to be useful, my daughter. Your grandfather is not so kind as to keep the useless. I… do not wish for your death,” her mother muttered.

Great. She got new life and it’s already in danger.

——

She learned to swing a knife. Swords. She learned and devoured the teachings. She learned to be useful.

But then they asked her to take the life of a man who did her no wrong.

Her baby blues clashed with her grandfather’s Lazarus green.

She was still young. A child.

“No.”

“No?”

“He did no wrong.”

“He failed, granddaughter.” Ra’s smiled down at her, patronizing. Cruel. “Perhaps you possess your father’s heart, and you are foolishly sentimental, as women and children tend to be. But in the end, you are an al Ghul and you will obey. Plunge in your blade and I will reward you.”

The reincarnation looked at the man kneeling in front of her, resignation and a hint of pity in what little she could see of his face.

She’s already died before. What did she have to be afraid of?

“No.”

They tried to beat the weakness out of her. It didn’t work.

——

The reincarnation stared at the mirror, left alone in an opulent cage of gold and emeralds and precious stones that meant little to her now.

Her hands traced her back, small fingers finding purchase in soft skin. Her mouth opened fruitlessly, noise refusing to escape. She still felt the burning magic, the brand her own blood had carved into her skin and soul because she refused to kill. The chains her grandfather had shackled around her with magic and cruel amusement.

She had killed him, in the end. Obey, or be punished. Her body had moved without her permission, the reincarnation a prisoner in a body that refused to do as she commanded. The knife swung, a life taken, her hands dipped in red.

She learned a valuable lesson that day.

There were things worse than death.

“This is an order, granddaughter.”

The Magic had flared a searing heat at her neck, forcing her to kneel on broken legs. Ra’s loomed above, authority in his voice. She was bound to obey, regardless.

“You will never speak another word of affection, you will never speak another word to anyone unless I allow it. Perhaps this will teach you of your folly, and your place in this world.”

The loss of her freedom and the fear that came with it was a bitter and devastating lesson.

——

Ra’s al Ghul was so much worse than what little she knew of him.

She was right to be afraid for herself.

Her mother had worried, when she’d withdrawn and refused to speak to her. Even if she could, the reincarnation would not have wanted to. The reincarnation had felt furious, back then, when she thought of Talia. Her mother who refused to protect her. Her mother, who claimed she loved her but refused to see the chains Ra’s wrapped around her neck. She who plied the reincarnation with a supportive hand but forced her into the fighting pits.

But, as the reincarnation stumbled out on bruised and used legs from Ra’s al Ghul’s meeting chambers where he had allowed his business partners to partake in her, she realized that Ra’s was a monster in a human’s body and her mother was a victim of his making.

The lesson Ra’s taught her that day was that if she was not useful, if she did not kill, he would take what was left of her and make use of her.

Hate flared in her heart, and the beginning of Ra’s downfall began the day he let her go from the chambers alive. Injured, but alive. Injured and violated, but alive and furious.

——

She carved her hate and rage and helplessness and fear in the bodies of the people he bid her to kill. Her silenced screams were expressed in the way she splattered blood, the way she covered herself in it. A killing machine first, a stress reliever second, and a child… wasn’t on the list of things she was allowed to be.

His enemies were felled, one after another. He gave her his approval, something she detested.

But still, she continued, bodies racking upwards, tens turning to hundreds, hundreds edging into thousands.

The red in her ledger became ichor and guilt. Her language became violence and obedience.

“You have become a sharp tool, granddaughter.”

She was a genius, after all. And now, she could not disobey. A blade that Ra’s believed will never point towards him. She kneeled. She obeyed.

“Thank you, grandfather.” Her words were only allowed to come out- without searing, terrible pain- when she was thanking him. She tried not to do it as often as he wanted. He thought he broke her when he read the obedience she carved into her body language.

But she never bowed. Never. Not to him. Never.

——

“My weapon could learn much from your granddaughter,” David Cain sat across from Ra’s, wine in their stupid goblets. How she detested the green and blacks he’s seen fit to dress her with. She’s dressed provocatively, not of her own choice. She doesn’t have much of those- doesn’t have much in ways of choices- these days.

She was twelve, and Ra’s al Ghul deserved to die.

“Her combat is a higher form of what my daughter has achieved. How did you do it?”

When Ra’s began to reply, she slipped away.

She found the girl. She found… the cage- the black box- the child was placed in. The child flinched from her when she opened the metal box, fear only easing as the reincarnation kept her body language neutral and kind. (It was pitch black, and about the size of like, a closet. No light. Only from whatever door the box had.) (Cass’ hands hurt from banging on the walls to be let out)

David Cain’s daughter, her mind whispered, the memories of another life once more making itself known.

“Cassandra.” She whispered, regretting it immediately when pain wracked her body. She fell to her knees as the punishment for disobeying an order slammed into her.

The girl looked at her in concern, but did not move closer. The reincarnation stared at this girl and saw a reflection of herself.

David Cain would be here for a month. She will free Cassandra in those days.

——

The weapon stared at the girl in front of her, kneeling in pain.

She did not understand.

-

The girl came back. Water. Food. Kind.

The weapon felt warm. The girl was quiet. No sounds. Good. The weapon knew the girl understood. The weapon thinks that the girl is a weapon too.

-

The girl comes back, again. This time, she makes a sound. It hurt her, but she did it again. The weapon understands when the girl points at herself and repeats the sound. The sound means the girl. The girl expects something from the weapon.

The weapon makes the sound, flinching to see if the owner will come to punish it. The girl purposefully sits, relaxed but vigilant… and protective. Of the weapon?

The weapon relaxed. It repeated the sound, pointing at the girl.

The girl smiles, in pain. But approval. The weapon feels- the weapon is warm, like under the blanket. Approval.

The girl teaches her to make sounds but the weapon communicates without it. It does not like the sounds, does not need them, but the girl seems to think it’s important.

The weapon likes the girl, so the weapon learns. They still understand through no sounds, through reading each other.

-

The girl comes back, silently. Secretly. The weapon does not notify the owner. The weapon feels- does not want to.

The girl- the girl with the sound- she says a different sound. Her body tells the weapon that it’s important, this sound.

And when the girl points at herself and says her own sound, then points at the weapon and says that new sound again, the weapon begins to understand.

The girl had given the weapon her own sound.

“Cass—n- ra.”

“Cass,” the girl said, and Cassandra understood.

“Cass.” Cassandra pointed to herself.

-

The owner wanted- wanted Cassandra to end a life. Cassandra watched the owner kill and gesture to the dead thing.

Cassandra did not want to.

When Cassandra is placed back into the pitch black box, she waited for the girl.

The girl came.

“Don’t want.” Cassandra clung to her, reading the welcome and the sadness in the girl’s body. Cassandra tucked her face into the girl’s shoulder. She is cold. The girl is warm.

The girl hugged her back. The girl understood. Sadness hardened into lines of determination. Cassandra felt… light. Felt hope.

-

Cassandra slipped away from the place, water in her pack for the dessert and money to run from the country. The girl stayed behind, seeing her off. The girl tells her to never come back.

Cassandra did not want to leave the girl behind, but the girl could not go.

“Be free, Cass.” The girl had whispered through the pain. “For the both of us.”

——

Her grandfather knew. He allowed David Cain to break her, not kill because she was of use to him still, as a lesson. She found that she hated his lessons. But, she hated his attention more.

And still, she could not regret. How could she, when Cass trusted her with what fragile hope she had?

So, she lets him beat her, and provokes him with smirks and fearless eyes because the longer he’s focused on her, the more time Cass has to run.

Then, he gets too angry, and insults Ra’s, whose eyes grew cold. Her grandfather gestured and while she usually hated the command that followed that gesture, she could not feel that hatred now.

She got back up, legs broken and arms twisted once more, and attacked David Cain.

Ra’s would not follow Cass. Not when she was not his business to deal with, and not when David Carin’s fury amused him so.

David Cain would not follow Cass. Not while she still drew breath. The reincarnation stood, and threw herself at one of the best assassins of the century.

She tore his throat out with nothing but her teeth. She felt, for once, not like a monster. Not even when Ra’s nodded in approval and ordered for David Cain’s broken body to be cleaned up.

——

She’s been granted a mission in New Jersey, once her months of discipline- of torture- ended. She does not get ordered to find Cassandra. She’s fourteen now, and as silent as ever. Her mother had adjusted to her silence by then- long ago, actually, taking it as a quirk her daughter had developed. She hadn’t been a terribly vocal child, after all. Talia praised her for being useful even as a woman- the self degradation something the reincarnation had no doubt Ra’s had insidiously trained into Talia- and for being loyal to Ra’s.

Sometimes, she hates Talia for being- for-

Never mind. She couldn’t afford to hate anyone else.

She killed her targets early, determination and wistfulness urging her movements into sharp . Then, she made her way to Gotham and slipped into the city of darkness- where her father was.

She watched as he hid in the shadows almost as easily as she did. She watched as he flew and glided with the younger Robin. (He was younger than her by a year. She checked.) He was free. They were free.

She wished…

As she turned away, she saw a child tumbling from the edge of a roof. It was an instinct she’d thought Ra’s had managed to bury after the months he’d spent making sure she killed only children.

She hated him.

She caught him, swooping in and tucking him against her side as she plucked him from the air and plopped him back onto the crumbling roof of Gotham’s slums.

“Oh, thank you! So much- are you a vigilante?” The boy asked, looking at her masked face. It’s a good thing she wasn’t exactly dressed like a regular League operative.

She shook her head. Her eyes fell onto his camera, faint memories rising once more. She had an inkling-

“I’m- uh- Tim!” The boy introduced himself nervously, edging away from her silence. “Thank you for saving me…?”

She nodded. She pointed to the camera, tilting her head.

“Oh- you… want to see it?” He clutched his camera closer. Oh, he did have some sense of self preservation. She wondered why a seven year old was allowed to roam these streets… but she did worse at seven.

She held her hand up and back up. The boy hesitated, and then showed her the camera. “Uh- I took pictures of Robin and Batman!”

They sat on that roof for hours, and she let Tim Drake tell her stories about her father and his son. Ward. Son.

She could tell that Tim didn’t have anyone to listen to him.

She didn’t have long until she had to go back or risk severe punishment, but… she could make time for Tim, to listen to him.

She wondered if Cass managed to escape completely. She wondered if her sister all but in name and blood learned how to smile.

——

Tim had never had a friend before!

She listened to him! And gave him hugs the one time he was brave enough to ask! And she seemed to like Batman and Robin as much as he did! No one who didn’t like them would listen to his endless rambling otherwise, right? (Tim was super skinny, like ribs poking out skinny. He looked like a sickly Victorian child and he was kind of cold)

“And then, Robin went like this,” he pantomimed the awesome punch Dick Grayson did on a Joker goon. “And the guys got knocked out just like that!”

His new friend nodded, looking interested.

“Sorry, am I talking too much?” Tim asked anxiously. He didn’t want to make his friend hate him!

She shook her head, and gestured for him to continue.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

His new friend was so cool! She even taught him how to throw a punch and to fight!

——

When she had to leave, she prepared Tim for it.

“Do you have to go?”

She nodded and placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. Her other hand held a duffle bag with an assortment of weapons she carefully kept from him. (One of the blades still had guts on it, which, ew.)

“Try not to fall off anymore roofs, little photographer.” She said, smiling at his shocked look before leaping away.

“Wait, you can talk?!” He shouted at her back. She smiled a little wider.

——

“A son, this time.” Ra’s al Ghul’s voice echoed in his disgustingly flashy throne room. It rings of approval.

The reincarnation stood behind her mother, eyes cast downwards.

“Well done, Talia. I finally have a worthy heir.”

Damian al Ghul cooed.

The reincarnation was scared. But… she could not allow her younger brother to be trapped like she was. She’s fifteen now, a decade of slavery having worn her down and nearly broken her. But with her brother… no, she could not allow it.

She met her mother’s eyes and knew then that they agreed. Protect Damian, at all costs.

She ignored the sting of envy. So what her mother could not find it in herself to protect her daughter? So long as she protected Damian, it didn’t matter.

Maybe she didn’t matter. Maybe she wasn’t worth anything. Maybe- maybe- maybe.

She also ignored the seed of disgust she had for mother’s actions in conceiving Damian. She couldn’t do anything about it. Talia was also a victim.

A louder voice in her asked if she could really excuse that, when Talia had a choice and she chose to hurt and violate Bruce Wayne like that. She wondered if she could truly ever forgive Talia. She wondered if Bruce Wayne got therapy.

——

She stared at the tome in front of her, eyes blank. (Actually, she had no eyes. Like? Empty sockets, but then later she had eyes???)

The brand- the shackles- the chains could only be broken if Ra’s died. She wasn’t opposed to that. But if he died, so did she. She couldn’t even kill herself to get out, because the chains would be there even if she died. If she was revived- a high chance, thanks to the fucking pits- then the chains would still be there.

Perhaps… she could use the pits?

Her mind turned and turned.

——

“This is your ukht.” Her mother pointed at her. Damian stared up at her, and she melted. Her brother was too damn cute.

“Ukhti?”

She nodded as her mother smiled in joy. “Yes, habibi.”

She was better at hiding the pain, now. She was better at enduring it, too, that fucking burning feeling. She spoke more, but only to Damian.

It would not do for her brother to grow up not knowing how to receive verbal expressions of affection. Not like she did, in this life.

Still, it hurt to speak. But then, she had an idea, based on Cassandra.

She could not speak, but speaking wasn’t the only way of communication. She’ll teach Damian sign language- standard, as commanded- but also her own version. Yes, she could do it. It wouldn’t be hard.

She was a genius, after all, and creating languages wasn’t as hard as people seem to think.

——

Damian copied her, small fingers patting his hand four times.

She did it back to him. “I love you.” She tells him, with sounds and with motions.

He does it back, excitedly, because he had a secret with ukhti!

——

Sometimes, she dared not to touch Damian. She wants to ruffle his hair and give him hugs but the ichor on her hands reminds her to not get to greedy. She did not deserve it.

Not when her hands were stained with the lives of so many people.

——

Another mission.

She was twenty now, and not much closer to escaping her bonds. Though, once she hit her majority, Ra’s lost interest in her in that way. A blessing, even if she had to seduce his “business partners” into giving him better deals more often now.

She stops by Bludhaven. The Robin she watched so many years ago- six, by her count- had grown new wings and moved. She wanted to see if he could fly still.

He could. He flew as free- no, freer than his days as Robin.

She dipped away to complete her mission (nuclear weapon trading, really?) and swings back to see a spider trying to break the former Robin’s wings.

“No.” Nightwing whispered, staring upwards at the cloudy sky blankly. “Please, stop.”

She didn’t need to hear any more. She saw red, and dove feet first straight onto the spider’s head, knocking her out.

She picked up a near-catatonic Nightwing, and helped him to his apartment. She left Tarantula in the rain and felt zero guilt about it.

He changed mechanically, some kind of instinct keeping him from removing his domino, but it was a bit pointless considering she escorted him to his personal apartment.

She watched as Nightwing slipped into an exhausted sleep before leaving. She had a spider to squish, and traces to hide.

——

Dick wakes up, drained and exhausted. He… someone saved him.

He sees a scrawled note, handwriting impeccable enough to be a font, written with his pen. He picked it up from his table, and his eyes tiredly read the message.

“Don’t worry about Tarantula. Or your identity.”- A friend.

He remembered- the mask- the mask of the stranger that saved him vividly. He’d remember. And he’d thank them if they ever came back.

——

She was in charge of training assassins, these days. A year and a half later after Bludhaven, she was back in Nanda Parbat, and she’s devoured every magical tome she could get her hands on. They all say the same things.

Her assassins were trained well, and Ra’s praises her with more responsibilities as he followed the pit in his obsessions. Her mother began to splinter the group, not knowing that as Ra’s began his descent into madness, people looked towards her instead of Talia for leadership. They did not know that her unwavering presence by Ra’s side wasn’t voluntary but it is their true that she became his right hand out of pure skill. And flawless obedience, of course.

Then, someone new joins.

Someone with pit rage and empty eyes that goes rigid when she approaches.

Then again, most of the operatives freeze up when she walks towards them.

Her memories roar. A child.

He bowed, and her eyes followed the streak of white hair at the forefront of his skull.

She gestured at him to follow, and ignored the pitiful eyes the rest of the assassins gave to the kid- they act like her training was hard when she went easy on them (it was)- and led the kid towards the training rooms.

She knew who he was, even if her grandfather and mother didn’t think she knew.

Her… Bruce Wayne would probably appreciate his son being returned relatively sane.

But first, she had to beat the Pit out of him. Then, she could assign body guarding duties to him, in an attempt to protect him.

——

“Grandfather, I will take Damian’s punishment.”

“A whipping girl, granddaughter?” But he nodded anyways. He made Damian watch.

She kneeled and allowed the punishment. She couldn’t always protect him from Ra’s, but this she could do anytime. It’s not like she was unfamiliar with the torture. (The whip had barbs. Rusty. And they sprinkled salt.)

——

“I liked poetry….” Jason Todd tells her after a training session. “I think.”

“Sure. I’ll call you Grave, then.” Pain. But she was used to it.

He tilted his head, eyes going blank once more. She sighed. There went his memories again. (His eyes were blank and glazed. Like looking at someone you love and knowing they’re looking through you.)

——

“I would not trust her,” she says to the air, next to a Red Hood emerging from Talia al Ghul’s chambers. She could see it, the beginnings of Gotham’s new crime lord. But still, “Talia al Ghul is known for her lies.”

She pushed away from the wall. It was up to Grave if he listened. It was out of her hands now.

——

She’s twenty-five, and she’s helping Damian pack for his first meeting with Bruce Wayne.

“You must not tell him about me.” Because he’d come rushing here, and she had worked too hard to save Damian for her fool of a father to come and ruin all of that effort.

“I promise.” Her little brother said solemnly. Ukhti said it out loud, which meant it was important and she expected him to keep that promise.

The only other time he’d heard her speak was to tell him she loved him.

The reincarnation smiled and told him through their special sign language, to treat the current Robin with respect and to try his best to get the current Robin to pass down his title.

‘Robin is earned. They have different rules, over there. Try your best to learn those rules.’

Her brother was sheltered. She loved him, but he was spoilt and sheltered. Of course she was worried. Talia barely mothered him.

“I know. You do not have to remind me so often, ukhti.”

She smiled, and patted his head.

“Be safe,” she whispered. “I will miss you.”

Damian darted in for a hug. “Of course. Goodbye, sister. See you soon.”

She hoped not. It was hard enough to convince Ra’s that Damian would learn more under Bruce Wayne.

(She was locked in a small closet- like Cass- for about a week, because she brought up the idea first.)

——

She found it.

The answer to pit rage laid in an old, all but crumbling tome from Atlantis- answers “from a ghost.”

——

Bruce Wayne died. Months after Damian came to live with him. That- irritating- she sighed and worked with her mother to turn Ra’s al Ghul’s attention away from Gotham, lest he called Damian back in Bruce Wayne’s absence.

The little photographer caught grandfather’s attention. She stood vigil as he played chess with Ra’s. His interest in Damian wavered. Anticipation blurred in her veins.

She saved his friends. Her assassins. She let them go, telling them to wait for the little photographer’s plan. (Y’all miss girl had fucking bloody handprints on her pants like someone tried to grab it.)

The first few people who had an inking she might not be loyal to Ra’s… and it was them.

When her other assassins attacked Red Robin, she cut them down before they could touch him, helping him with a furious League of Spiders or whatever operative. She hated spiders.

“What…?”

“You’re a lot of trouble, little photographer.” She sighed. His jaw dropped.

“It’s you!”

“Go,” she cut him off. “Blow this place up. I left a surprise for you outside.”

——

“Owens?! Z?!” Tim trembled, exhaustion and shock and wonder hitting him at once.

“Heya, boss!” Z chirped. Owens helped Tim up while Z helped Tam. Pry walked around them, looking out for further threats. “The nightmare trainer let us go. She knew you, I think.”

Tim smiles, all shark teeth and zero hero. (In the background, the song zero to hero from Hercules 2, played in reverse.) “Tell me more.”

——

Damian grunted, bracing himself for the magical creature’s attack.

“Robin!” His father barked out, panicked. Damian hoped he’d survive-

Shhhlk!

He looked up and there stood his ukht. She bounded forwards, using the odd fauna of the magical plane to bolster her movements as she sliced the creatures apart with her swords, magic humming brightly as she cut through them… and the magicians attacking them.

“What- what are you doing here?” He asked. She greeted him, three fingers curled over her shoulder.

‘My question is,’ she signed. ‘Why were you here without a magical weapon.’

Damian sighed as father stepped in between them.

“Who are you.”

“Batman. Cease your excessive worry. I trust her with my life,” Damian snapped. He stepped around a shocked Batman, looked him in the eyes, and unsheathed his katana. He handed it over to his ukht, who took it with amusement.

‘See?’ His eyes seemed to say. Father tensed when his sister unsheathed her own blade and handed it to him.

‘Are you here for a specific reason?’ His sister signed to him.

“Uh, you gonna introduce us, little man?”

Damian sent the Flash a derisive look and ignored him.

“We’re looking for a magician. He set a squadron of demons loose into D.C. last night. He has a tower.” Damian added.

“Robin,” Father growled. “Who is this.” Damian shot him a look and turned back to his sister.

The reincarnation tilted her head. ‘Tower… it’ll have to be that way.’

“Could you take us there?” Damian asked. Truthfully, he could find the way himself. But he wanted more time around his ukht. She nodded and Damian straightened.

“I feel like we should be concerned that Robin’s friend just murdered a bunch of people.”

His sister glanced back and ignored them.

“Silence, incompetents. Speak another word against her, and Batman’s no killing rule will be applied creatively.” He hissed. (The fucking surroundings hissed with him y’all what the fuck)

He turned when his sister ruffled his hair (Superman muttered a super shocked “what the fuck.”) and Damian allowed it. He had missed his sister.

——

[yukiwhitetm]

DR Characters Assigned DC Roles

The main premise of this is that Shuichi Saihara as Robin 3 is both dating civilian Kokichi Oma as Bernard Dowd and flirting/being flirted with by his alter ego Stray. Shuichi has no idea Kokichi is Stray but Kokichi definitely knows Shuichi is Robin 3. What order do these events happen in? Who knows!

The Bats and Birds

Batman (The Bat): Kyoko Kirigiri

Agent A: Makoto Naegi

Robin 1, Nightwing: Kaede Akamatsu

Robin 2, Red Hood: Hajime Hinata

Robin 3, Red Robin: Shuichi Saihara

Spoiler, Robin 4, Batgirl (Batboy): Kaito Momota

Robin 5: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

Batgirl, Oracle: Chiaki Nanami

Black Bat, Batgirl, Orphan: Maki Harukawa

Batwoman: Aoi Asahina

Signal: Yasuhiro Hagakure

The Cats

Catwoman: Celestia Ludenberg

Stray & Bernard Dowd: Kokichi Oma

The Rogues

Joker: Junko Enoshima

Punchline: Mukuro Ikusaba

Harley Quinn: Toko Fukawa

Poison Ivy: Komaru Naegi

Blackmask: Mondo Owada

Penguin: Kiyotaka Ishimaru

Scarecrow: Miu Iruma

Bane: Nekomaru Nidai

Mr. Freeze: Teruteru Hanamura

Riddler: Hifumi Yamada

Mad Hatter: Angie Yonaga

Deathstroke: Tsumugi Shirogane

The League of Assassins

Ra's al Ghul: Haiji Towa

Talia al Ghul: Korekiyo Shinguji

Prudence Wood: Peko Pekoyama

The Outlaws

Starfire: Sonia Nevermind

Arsenal: Nagito Komaeda

Bizarro: Ibuki Mioda

Teen Titans

Beast boy: Gundham Tanaka

Raven: Himiko Yumeno

Wonder girl: Tenko Chabashira

Superboy 1 a.k.a Conner Kent (Supergirl): Akane Owari

Kidflash: Mahiru Koizumi

Cyborg: K1b0

Aquaboy (Aquagirl): Hiyoko Saionji

Superboy 2 a.k.a. Jonathan Kent: Masaru Daimon

The Justice League

Superman (Superwoman): Sakura Ogami

Wonder Woman: Kirumi Tojo

Green Arrow: Byakuya Togami

Aquaman: Leon Kuwata

Martian Manhunter: Ultimate Imposter

Green Lantern: Kazuichi Soda

Captain Marvel: Nagisa Shingetsu

Flash: Chihiru Fujisaki

Zatanna: Sayaka Maizono

Black Canary: Mikan Tsumiki

Most of these characters have been assigned DC roles based on their personalities, regardless of gender (except for Superboy and Bizarro since they're clones of Superman so have to be the same gender as him)! I included some Rogues, League of Assassins, Outlaws, Teen Titans and Justice Leaguers because the Batfam interact with them a lot.

In my mind, Kyoko Kirigiri is together with Makoto Naegi and has been for the long term but her as the Bat and Celestia Ludenberg as Catwoman share some flirtatious banter.

Hajime Hinata as Robin 2 died and came back, and when he did he came back different. How much you want to lean into Jason Todd's backstory or Hajime Hinata's and whether you want to include Izuru Kamukuru is up to you.

Kaito Momota may or may not have had an unsuccessful romantic relationship with Shuichi when he was Spoiler and Shuichi was Robin 3. This can be prior to Shuichi meeting Kokichi or Robin 3 and Stray could have had some playful banter going on during this time (this works because Shuichi actually dates civilian Kokichi, which could be after he and Kaito break up). Kaito could be with Maki now!

Yes, this character assignment does mean that Masaru Daimon is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's best friend. Yes, that is hilarious.

I was running out of DR characters near the end so I started swapping some around to find suitable Justice Leaguers. Masaru was originally Captain Marvel but then that only left Kotoko Utsugi as an option for Superboy 2 and I thought Fuyuhiko would hate her. So, Masaru became Superboy 2 and Nagisa Shingetsu Captain Marvel. Byakuya Togami was originally assigned as Lucius Fox, the manager of WE, but I had to swap him to Green Arrow because he was just too perfect for that!

I hope you enjoyed! Please like, comment and reblog. Your support is much appreciated.

[flowersandbigteeth]

Meeting and bath time with your Alien Catman Boyfriends: Part One

Alien catman assassins x female reader

Qhen and Ceth

T: Some blood and violence, kidnapping, assaults, slight nsfw, yandere behavior, pet names, magic, blood drinking, minor character death

General Plot: You've been kidnapped by cat men who have made you their princess!

Time to meet your alien catman boyfriends! This is part of a much longer story about Qhen and Ceth X female reader

Words: 4K

“Goodnight (Y/N)!” you coworker at the grocery store you worked at said, as you slipped out of the door. You waved her goodnight and turned into the dark parking lot. It was winter and the snow fell outside in a gentle flurry. You smiled up at the dark sky, glittering with sparkling petals of snow as they fell towards you. 

Work had been tiring, but it was nice to come out to fresh snowfall. You breathed in the cold air and pulled your threadbare jacket tighter. You didn’t have much money for anything better than a thrift store jacket and it wasn’t the warmest, but if you wore a warm sweater you could be comfortable. 

Your boots were old but good, which was nice because you had a long walk home through the deserted town you lived in. It was the same small, nowhere town you'd grown up in. You'd gone to college, with high hopes of studying history. You'd done great in school, but after graduation, there just wasn’t much out there for you, so unable to afford to stay in the city, you had to move back home and you'd never left. It wasn’t the bright future you'd dreamed of when you were a young woman. You lived in the only thing your alcoholic dad left you when he died of liver cirrhosis, an old house on an empty cul de sac in a dead neighborhood. You'd made it nice with a fresh coat of paint and new shutters, but it needed a ton of work done. 

After all the factories in town closed with the last economic downturn, the town was almost empty. You barely got by working full time at the small grocery, because that and the gas station were two of the only stores left open. 

“Hey there (Y/N)!” a male voice shouted to you from over your shoulder. You peeked to find the unwelcome face of Larry Dwindle. He’d been a jock in high school, if you remembered correctly, and had hardly noticed you, but now that you worked in the grocery store you saw him much, much more often than you would have liked. He had a lumpy face and sagging neck that wiggled like a turkey when he talked. 

“Where you runnin’ off so fast, little bunny?” he asked, sidling up to you. You looked up at his dishwater blonde hair and dim blue eyes. 

“The same place I go every night Larry,” you grumbled, “home.” 

The street was empty, with only every few street lights on. He walked with you, nattering on about something or another while you left the town center and turned down a side street heading to your house. 

“Come on bunny,” he said, grabbing your arm, “let’s go get a drink.” 

You gave him the same look you always did. 

“When will you take no for an answer?” you asked, your eyes flaring with annoyance. You weren't a frightened little teenage girl, blushing over a football player’s attention. He was really bothering you. He gave me you slimy grin. 

“You can’t resist me forever,” he said, “you and I make a great couple. You can’t deny that.” 

He leaned in to you and you could smell the alcohol on him. You swayed back, jerking out of his grasp. 

“Leave me alone!” you shouted, marching down the street, “if you keep this up I’m calling the cops!” 

“Hey don’t walk away from me, bitch!” he snarled, snatching you by your ponytail and jerking you suddenly to the ground. 

You squealed, the cold cement smacking into your tailbone and looked up to meet his watery eyes. 

“You’re not too good for me you know,” he went on, grabbing his crotch lewdly.

Your ass hurt like a mother fucker and you had never done it before in your entire life, but you hopped up from the ground, balled your hand in a fist and swung at his nose. Your fist made contact and pain shot through your knuckles. You cried out, tears forcing their way to you eyes. There was a thunk and when you could finally blink your eyes open, Larry was crumpled on the ground, blood pooling around him in a scarlet lake.  

You stared at him, your mouth dropping. Did I-?

“That was a good try, but you need to work on your form. You probably broke your little hand,” a deep voice said. You screamed as you glanced to the side to find two large figures looking down at Larry’s body. One toed it not too gently and then his mis-matched eyes, one blue and one black, flicked up to you. 

Your mouth fell open and you blinked rapidly trying to process what you were seeing. Cat men! Giant cat men! In front of you, just past the shadows stood two, almost identical men with pointy black cat ears sticking out of their heads and fluffy black tails lashing eagerly behind them. They were absolutely huge, standing at what must have been seven feet tall and completely shirtless in the winter air. They were also quite blue, their bodies the color of rich sapphires. 

You were having trouble focusing, between the shock of being presented with blue cat men and the pain radiating up my arm you started to feel dizzy. Black spots appeared in front of your eyes, so you squinted. 

“Are you okay, princess?” the one with long, messy hair asked. 

You didn’t feel okay. You felt your body swoon and everything spun. The next thing you knew the ground was rushing up at you very quickly and blackness overtook you.

--

You rolled around in fluffy, soft sheets and stretched. 

“Mmmmm,” you moaned, happily. Your body felt like it was drenched in warm honey. It must have been Saturday. Your alarm hadn’t gone off so you'd slept in. You smiled. You would make some coffee and some apple butter toast, maybe read a book. 

Your eyes popped open and you shrieked. You were not in your cozy childhood bedroom! Two blue faces peered down at you. One had short, neatly cropped hair and the other’s was long and fell over his shoulder in waves. The one with short hair was dressed in a tidy suit. It wasn’t exactly like the western suits you were used to, but it was obviously more formal with a high collared neck and crisp pleated sleeves. The other one had no shirt on and was just wearing a pair of tight black pants and boots, showing off his broad chest. The cat men! 

Your eyes flew around the room. It was lavishly decorated, but the style was foreign to you. It was vaguely oriental, but the patterns were all wrong and with different details. The room was draped with starched sheets displaying motifs of strange flowers and animals. 

The one with the long hair gave you a feral grin, revealing sharp fangs. 

“You’re awake princess,” he purred. 

You blinked up at him. 

“Who are you?” you asked. 

He seemed pleased by the question. 

“Qhen and Ceth Khavul, we are at your service,” he responded, waving a hand at you. You suddenly felt lighter than air. You floated out from the covers and drifted over the bed, coming to rest gently on Qhen’s lap. You looked up at him, quite stunned. You’d never experienced anything like that in you life. You'd floated! Was it magic? Were they aliens? Mystical creatures? Were you dreaming? 

“Wh-what…is going on?” you murmured, unsure what to ask first, exactly. You weren't even sure if this was real. You felt like Alice in Wonderland. A large circular window in one wall revealed a thousand pinpoints of light that could only be stars. We were in space? 

“That’s a big question,” Qhen teased, “but I’m sure you mean, your current situation. To put it simply. We’ve abducted you. You are our mate and we are taking you home with us where we will have a ceremony to introduce you to our Guild. There they will swear fealty to you and will be yours to command. With you at our side we will drench the galaxy in the blood of purification, all to honor you as our princess and guiding star.” 

You blinked at him. 

“What?” 

Ceth sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“One thing at a time, please, brother,” he muttered, before turning his eyes to you, “the most important thing to understand is that you are our mate.” 

You looked at him. 

“And you are Ceth,” you said pointing at him, “and you are Qhen…and you are twins...” 

Ceth frowned and glanced at Qhen. 

“Did you let her hit her head?” he asked. 

“I did not harm our mate,” Qhen snapped back. 

“You must have knocked the sense out of her, she’s speaking strangely,” his brother grumbled, his ears going flat on his head. 

You shook your head trying to sort my thoughts. Were you talking to the mad hatter? You were still wrapping my mind around the thoughts spinning in your brain. Cat man twins? Mate? Wait…mate? 

“Mate?” you asked. 

Qhen looked down at you and revealed a fang, one of his ears went down and he cocked his head, looking like a very curious cat. 

“Are you disappointed?” he asked. 

Your eyebrows went up. How could you be disappointed? The two of them were gods. They both had more muscle than you'd ever seen on a human man and though they were blue, they were both incredibly handsome. Their jet black ears and fluffy tails reminded you of the stray cats you used to feed that lived in the dilapidated barn behind your house. No one like them had ever looked your way before, but what did they mean by mate? 

“I don’t think I understand,” you said, quietly. You were frightened and didn’t want to provoke the creatures. 

“You are ours,” Qhen said, as if that explained everything. 

You narrowed your eyes at him. 

“Both…of yours?” you asked, your mouth going dry. 

Qhen gave your his maniac smile. 

“We’re brothers. We share everything,” he said. 

“Why me?” 

He licked his rather large fangs, thoughtfully. 

“Fate guided us to you,” he said. 

Your eyes widened. Madness. This was madness. Fate guided the cat men to abduct me? They want to purify the galaxy with blood?  

“Ummmm…fate? So…that means…I can’t go home?” you asked. 

“No,” they both said at the same time. 

You looked between them. What were you to do? You'd been abducted, apparently taken to space by insane cat creatures…you just had to roll with the punches. 

It wasn’t like you had anywhere in particular to be. You were a homebody with a few friends that you didn’t see often and no family. Your coworkers would probably miss you, and there would be a search, but in the end you weren’t an important person. It would end quickly and you would be forgotten. 

“So what now?” you asked apprehensively. 

The two creatures' eyes flashed. 

“Now we bathe our mate,” Qhen announced, “you stink of that human male I killed.”  

Bathe me? He killed Larry?!

You reflexively hopped out of Qhen’s lap, but before you feet touched the ground you felt again like gravity had reversed and you were floating. You tried to get your toes back on the floor, but you only managed to turn yourself upside down in midair. Qhen grinned at you and plucked you out of the air, carrying you like a princess. 

“That’s really unnecessary,” you babbled, “I’m perfectly capable of bathing myself. I don’t need any help!” 

“Nonsense,” Ceth said, “it is our right to bathe our mate and we want to see your body.”

See my body?

You started screaming bloody murder, but Qhen merely clamped a large hand down over your mouth. 

“It’s good to see that your lungs weren’t affected by your injury,” Ceth said as he led you through a doorway into a pretty bathroom, "you're welcome, by the way. We injected you with nanites that healed your broken hand."

In other circumstances it would have been romantic. The room was lush and warm with a hundred potted plants, bursting with flowers in a rainbow of colors. Low light emanated from the ceiling in a soft glowing ring and smaller shapes, like origami flowers of light littered the floor. In the center of the room was a large bath, steaming with hot water that smelled something like jasmine, but not quite.

Qhen floated you in front of him and started to strip you of your grocery store uniform. You shrieked and struggled, but it was like fighting a ghost. You couldn’t quite grab onto anything and wobbling aloft like that you couldn’t get any traction.  

The brothers stood back staring at you as if you were some fine art piece, as you hung in front of them, trying desperately to cover yourself. Your cheeks burned so hot you thought you might actually catch fire. 

“She’s shy,” Ceth said. 

“How sweet,” Qhen commented. 

You floated across the room and were gently deposited into the bathwater. Happy to have some cover, you quickly retreated to the opposite side and sank down to your neck in the pool, glaring up at them. 

They made themselves comfortable at the edge of the bath. Qhen dug around in a chest for some colorful bottles, while Ceth found three glasses and what must have been some kind of wine. Meanwhile, you watched them carefully from the water. 

How does one deal with complete insanity? 

“Your little glares are quite stimulating princess,” Ceth said, his eyes flashing at you over his shoulder as he distributed the dark liquid into the glasses, “every time those (E/C) irises flicker at me, filled with fire, I find my heart beats faster. Aren’t you impressive for having such an ability?” 

Your cheeks burned hot and you averted your gaze quickly. You weren't sure what Ceth was talking about, it just sounded like nonsense. Your heart thumped in your chest so hard you could hardly hear what he was saying clearly anyway. 

Without warning you drifted through the water backwards towards the edge of the tub until you bumped softly into the side with your shoulder blades. Large warm hands sunk into your hair and you could smell the sweet scent of some kind of soap as Qhen drizzled it over your head. He pulled your head back with surprising gentleness and wet your hair, before lathering it with his long fingers. 

Ceth sat prim and proper, sipping his glass as he watched your hair being washed. You tried not to look at him, but his eyes were arresting. The two brothers both had mismatched eyes. One powder blue, so that it was almost white, and the other rich black like infinite space. They were each other's mirror images so each brother had the blue eye on the opposite side. 

Ceth’s gaze was calculating and sharp, but not clinical. He was like a predator admiring his future catch from a distance. Unlike his brother, there wasn’t a bit of insanity in his smile. It was all ice, his lip tipped up slightly at one end, but not a bit more. His every expression was carefully selected and presented. He was a whole different kind of psycho than Qhen. 

You could see the tendrils of darkness that flickered in and out of existence around him in delicate whorls. The aura surrounding Qhen was erratic and fiery, but Ceth’s was smooth and fluid, like a steady pillar of water spilling silently from the heavens. Yet, you wouldn’t call it soothing. There was electricity wrapped around it that exuded deadly power. 

He extended his long arm and handed you a glass, which you took in your trembling hands. You knew it was probably drugged or something, but in your nervousness you took a big gulp right away. The flavor was complex and bitter-sweet, almost nutty like baking chocolate. It went down easily and made you feel warm when it hit your stomach. 

“Do you like it?” he asked. 

“What is it?” you replied with a question. 

“Trevin blood,” he stated matter of factly. 

If your stomach didn’t feel so warm and tingly you would have spat it all back up. 

“Blood?” you whispered, unable to hide the horror from your face. You begged the gods that whatever you had just put in my body was not something cute and fluffy. His smile deepened just slightly and something in his eyes flashed purple. 

“Do your people not drink the essence of your enemies?” he asked, swirling the dark liquid around in the glass in his hand. 

The blood fled from your face and your hands trembled so hard around the cup, you thought you might drop it. 

“Is a Trevin an animal?” you asked, voice hoarse. 

Qhen chuckled. 

“You can call those bastards animals if you want.” 

So not an animal then. Probably something walking and talking. 

You shakily passed the glass back to Ceth, which he kindly took from your hands. 

“I think I’ve had enough, thank you,” you said as politely as possible. 

You still weren't sure what to make of these kidnappers. They hadn’t hurt you, but they were obviously insane, even for aliens. You'd never met any other aliens but they couldn’t all be bent on galactic conquest and blood drinkers…could they? You certainly didn’t want to piss them off. You could feel and see the wild energy rolling off them in waves. It was nothing you'd ever experienced before. It was as if their presence filled the whole room to the brim and they felt dangerous. 

Qhen tipped your head back and poured warm water over your hair to rinse it. 

“Your hair matches my drir,” he mused.

“Is that what’s floating around you?” you asked, pointing out the fiery aura that he put off. 

He smiled as if you'd asked the right question. 

“Yes, drir is the destructive force of the universe harnessed into our bodies,” he explained patiently as you felt him carefully put your hair into sections and apply some nice smelling oil to it. 

“Were you born that way?” you asked. 

“No,” he went on, “we were abandoned in a place very far away from here when we were born and adopted by a hermit. She raised us and when she died, she gave us a gift to share. The gift of drir. Fire and darkness. It took us many years to be able to use it properly, but now it is part of us.” 

“Mate,” Ceth said, getting your attention, “these are our secrets. They should not be shared easily.” 

You nodded at him. You had no idea who you would share these details with, but you agreed anyway. It was best not to upset them and who were you going to tell? 

“My name is (Y/N), not mate,” you snapped at him before thinking better of it. 

You didn’t like being kidnapped and declared a girlfriend. It wasn’t exactly romantic. 

“(Y/N),” they both said, trying it out at the same time. 

Qhen spun you around to face him, your hair slapping your back in two damp pigtails that he’d surprisingly managed to braid. 

“Do not let anyone else call you by that name,” he said, his eyes boring into yours, “it is for us alone.” 

“Okkkaaayyy…” you agreed, again, trying to placate them, “what should everyone call me then? I’d rather it not be mate, if I’m allowed to have a preference.” 

“Princess or your highness will be sufficient,” Ceth said tightly. 

“In my language, princess usually means royalty,” you said, “are you royalty?” 

“Royalty can mean many things,” Qhen answered, brushing a curl off of your forehead, “we swore when we accepted our power that we would never become kings, but you are our princess.” 

It was as if they only spoke in riddles! You nodded weakly, unsure of what any of Qhen said meant. Perhaps “princess” was just a nice nickname? If they weren’t royalty, what were they? What was their world like outside of this warm room? Were they just teasing you?

You drifted back closer to Qhen, but this time you could see the tangles of drir that pulled you towards him and your eyes widened. It seemed as though time passed, the aura became clearer and clearer to you. At first the power had just been a feeling, but now you could see it plain as day. 

Ceth’s eyes tracked yours. 

“How strange. Most can’t see it, but it is clear you can. It must be because you are our mate.” 

Qhen lathered up his hands and wrapped one around your neck. You drew in a ragged halting breath as his large, clawed fingers circled your throat. There was a wild glint in his eyes.

“Your neck is so thin, (Y/N),” he said softly and squeezing, “how much force would it take to snap it?” 

Your heart picked up in your chest and you flinched, preparing to jerk away from him, but his fingers loosened and drifted down your shoulder, applying soap. You were so frightened, you couldn’t do anything but sit there and tremble as he gingerly washed you. 

“I want to make you cry,” he said, casually, as his hands moved deftly down your sides. 

“B-b-but…why…?” you asked. 

He looked at you, smiled, and shrugged. You felt a chill go down your spine. You had to get out of this place. These aliens were going to kill you. But how? You had no idea where you were or who you were with or anything about the galaxy other than that you were in a bathtub with two complete psychos that fed you blood. You took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself. You needed more information. That was all. You needed to get your bearings. Then you could form a plan. 

There was a trill at the door and a voice echoed in the bathroom. 

“Masters, we’re approaching Yoldrir,” a voice said. 

“Time to get out, we’ve arrived home,” Ceth said, standing and neatly replacing the glasses and decanter. 

You stared at them both unsure of what they wanted you to do, but all at once you drifted out of the bath and a sheet large enough to fit around you wrapped you body. Then you landed lightly in Qhen’s arms. 

“I can walk,” you snapped, peevishly. You were hungry, frightened, and confused. Your patience was running thin. 

“It will be a while before I’m ready to put you down,” he said, plainly. 

[utilitycaster]

Because I still have Midst's most recent episode on the brain, it really is a little frustrating to see how characters like Jonas Spahr are so frequently maligned over a single incident and characters like Liliana Temult are so frequently given infinite excuses. I say a little frustrating because I think by and large the respective fandoms of Midst and CR do find Jonas a flawed but ultimately sympathetic and heroic character, and Liliana a person who perhaps began with good intentions but has been so warped by years in a cult that she is now openly manipulating her daughter, so this is about a relatively small group. But it is very much an extant group.

I think for me the real hangup is that the reason the Jonas Spahr archetype (of which, for those who know CR and not Midst, Fjord is not quite the same but similar enough for this particular example; this post is definitely about him as well) receives criticism for being harsh towards, for lack of a better term, a wetter and sadder cat of a character. And how is that different from Liliana, who is at the very least staging a public shaming of her daughter? For all their methods, and for all their personal history, characters like Fjord and Spahr have never been terribly manipulative towards the sympathetic protagonists, just openly angry. And when they've been angry, it's always come out that they are consciously holding back from what was visited on them.

But Liliana. Liliana isn't trying to shield Imogen. She says she is, but she continues long after it stops working. She won't listen to the daughter she says she's doing this for; she treats a grown woman like the toddler she abandoned. I don't think Liliana means "did she know there were children in this music hall" because she told Imogen that last episode. She invoked that there were children here to try to excuse her own behavior. She knows Imogen knows about that. This is about the assassination attempt. She wants to know if her daughter knew this was coming. And the answer is that Imogen did, and she tried to stop Liliana, and she tried even to advocate for a more measured attempt with a group for which she lacked the built-up good will. Unlike Liliana leaning on her ultimately useless showy warnings and claiming she does this all for a greater good, Imogen didn't try to curry favor with her mother (nor should she have to; Liliana's the one who left). I doubt Liliana would have taken kindly to being captured, but Imogen still tried and didn't try to score points with her mother for it.

The response to Liliana when juxtaposed with the response to Spahr does feel like this trend, again of a small subset of people but certainly a subset often unaware of how to act reasonably online, that craves the most basic subversion and simultaneously fears and hates conviction in those characters who are not part of this childish "what if the BAD GUYS were RIGHT" group. Specifically they hate an individual conviction that allows one to break out of a larger ideology - one that Spahr has and Liliana clearly lacks.

I'll admit this is really more an observation - I don't have a thesis statement or true conclusion, at least not one I'm going to share widely - but it still sits so strangely that people will hate characters for a single harsh word to their favorite and then try to brush away the decades of harm Liliana has, ultimately, visited on Imogen. Did the word "Run" ever comfort her? It certainly didn't work. Did Liliana ever answer a direct question? At some point, when you're dealing with a fully functioning adult, you can't just say "I'm doing this for you" without their input and be taken seriously and yet Liliana does, repeatedly. At least with Spahr I believed the people who disliked him liked Phineas, but here, I don't think the people defending her care that much for Imogen except as Liliana does - a sweetly misguided morality pet whom they're doing this all for, hush, don't interrupt my noble sacrifice for you with your actual needs and wants. It feels like the campaign-long denial, within some of the fandom, of Imogen's agency, down to how people talk carefully around how the reason Bells Hells wasn't at the assassination is because Imogen chose not to be (and told the others they could not go either, and they respected this). I think we're reaching a point where those who have been so scornful of leadership are fighting against the fact that that is how Imogen is positioned: as leader and as a hero. Ironically, as we've learned from how they treat characters like Spahr, there's nothing they hate more than that.

[epickiya722]

As antagonist who do you think is better between Sukuna, Kenjaku, or Toji? Why? How will you rank them?

Now, out of the three, Sukuna is my favorite. But to say who is the better antagonist? Yeah, I don't have a definite answer really.

Each of them severed/serves their role well as an antagonist to the other characters.

I'll start with Toji. He was more of an... "arc villain". He's not there for the whole plot, but he's still important to it and played a part to someone's arc and development. In this case, it was for Satoru, Suguru and Megumi.

All three of these characters were affected some way because of Toji.

Satoru and Suguru's relationship changed because Toji played a part. Had not Toji been assigned to assassinate Riko and succeeded, they would have went down a different path.

Megumi would probably have been a different kid if Toji had been present in his life.

Also, how he carries himself during his time in the story is amazing. I know, many people say the same thing, but Toji was some boring villain. This man's introduction was him in slides, sweatpants and a sweatshirt while smiling all devious. Dude is a deadbeat, yet got reasons. Not an excuse! He lost the woman he loved and that resorted him back to his old self. He sold Megumi to the Zenin clan because he believed if Megumi inherited the technique, which he did, he would have a better life than he did with the Zenin clan. Was it right? No, but it was to Toji at the time. He cares about Megumi to some extent because even with coming back to life and fighting his son, he had been acting on pure instinct. Yet, looking Megumi dead in his face is what snapped him out and once he learned Megumi chose to use "Fushiguro" as his surname, Toji with out a smile for his son.

During his time on screen, there hadn't been a moment that Toji wasn't entertaining. (Can't believe that's DIO BRANDO that voices Toji.)

Next, Kenjaku, they're like... the villain behind the villains. They're responsible for a lot of what happened to the others. Hell, their intellect is part of what kicked off the plot. If Kenjaku did not know how to make curse objects, Yuji would not have eaten Sukuna's finger. Kenjaku is a cunning, evil individual. Playful, manipulative, aloof. Yet, Kenjaku ain't no coward. Someone challenges them and Kenjaku is about it now.

How do they move in those robes the way that they do in fights? I don't know. (Yeah, that's a question I have for Suguru, too. Like, are those robes heavy or... nevermind.)

Like, Toji and Sukuna who I'll talk about later, Kenjaku doesn't bore me. While Toji is more of that bloodthirsty active kind of villain, Kenjaku reminds me of a villain that will sit in a big chair with a cat on the lap and monolgue. Then it's like when they get up, they show you why you should have your guard up and not take them lightly.

But the thing with Kenjaku is, they don't try to make others fear them or even follow their plans to be worshipped. They just do whatever they want. They're unhinged but not in a feral, loud way. It's more sly and unexpected because when you think Kenjaku has done something wild, here comes something even more wild.

There's also the fact that the mangaka took the classic tropes of the MC having an absentee father (parents in Yuji's case) and evil dad and played with them here a bit.

Oh, Kenjaku is someone's evil dad, alright. But they ain't Yuji's. Yuji's dad, we know Yuji has some recollection of him that he doesn't really remember much of, but the mom? Not so much. I wonder, Kenjaku, as to why that is. I know you know the answer!

Now, for Sukuna!

As I said, he's my favorite out of the three.

He is downright evil. I doubt there is a single drop of good in that demon's heart.

A while ago, I saw a video of a guy reacting to a post about which out of the selection of characters is the best inner demon and he said Sukuna (if I remember correctly). His reasoning is why I so. Kurama was a choice, too, that I remember. And with Kurama, he got better and got along with Naruto. That's good and all (I don't hate it), but when I see the word "demon", I think of "vile, evil, embodiment of pain and anguish".

That's what Sukuna is. He is a "good demon" for the simple fact that he just is evil. He doesn't care to get along with Yuji and vice versa. It's what I love about their dynamic. They stand on far sides of a field, opposing the other without the need or want to find some common ground.

Mahito was great as someone who made Yuji question his morals and his part in the battle curses and humans. But Sukuna? Yeah, he's the source of Yuji's suffering since the start.

Sukuna is sadistic, immoral, selfish. Dude immediately wanted to paint the streets red and not with paint when he was reincarnated.

Folks call him "Fraudkuna", but no. He's not a fraud. Sukuna ain't stupid. He has intellect that he does use. He grasps onto things quickly. He witness, he learns and applies. He's not faking anything. A fraud is someone who fakes. Sukuna doesn't do that.

Yeah, Gojo put in work, of course he did. He wasn't titled "the strongest" for nothing. Sukuna even acknowledges that.

That's also another thing with Sukuna that interest me. He's evil, but at least he'll give you your props if you impressed him. Which honestly, I rather not be praised because it seems if you're someone if he acknowledges as strong, you either die by his hand or possessed. Except for Yuji, who he hates with every fiber in his body and does not respect.

But that's fine, because Yuji ain't looking for it. (Yeah, those two are my favorite two. Funny, isn't it?)

Also, bonus points, but I also love Sukuna's nails (when he has them painted and long) and pink hair (which he apparently had in his OG form). And the tattoos are nice.

I just...

Toji, Kenjaku, and Sukuna all have so much we know about them, yet still don't know much about them.

How did Sukuna become the King of Curses exactly? What is Kenjaku's true form? Toji's history with Megumi's and Tsumiki's moms? So many other questions.

They're all human, but not too human.

Overall, yeah, all three of them play/played well as antagonists for me.

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

whenever high profile men are accused of domestic violence nowadays it’s just a nonstop disinformation blitz on social media and gossip blogs and tabloids from his team like literally a nonstop stream of conflicting claims or irrelevant “evidence” that does not meaningfully prove his claims or disprove hers but provides rage bait for men who hate women and their apologists and then also nonstop positive PR for the man no matter how ridiculous it is. look at this video she’s not injured! *security footage from several feet away* *dishonest claims about her injuries that usually involve claiming a higher severity than she or initial police reports ever did* *close up photos of some cat scratch she gave him* *outlandish and irrelevant claim about her so-called bad behavior* *character assassination* *race card if necessary* *irrelevant security footage* *more irrelevant material* *outright lies about the legal process or pending legal action*

and then on the other side it’s literally basically radio silence from the woman and her legal team besides a brief fact check on something procedural from her lawyer.

quite literally the johnny depp playbook but also borrowing a lot from how OJ’s team moved

[shaakyhaands]

Hear Me Out:

Court of Darkness but MC is an investigative journalist.

Do we ever really get any details on what MC did on Earth?

Like no, deadass— we know she had an apartment and Robin. How is she paying rent? How is she buying cat food, or paying Robin’s vet bills?

I’m willing to bet the devs intentionally didn’t give us much detail about MC’s occupation, specifically so we the reader can ✨ project ✨ onto her.

That being said: let’s make up some occupations for her!

I think an investigative MC would be fun! She’s in a whole new dimension, there’s a ton to explore. Reality itself behaves differently, allowing magic! There’s an entire history of this world’s inhabitants! Wars, art, culture, food, philosophy, sciences, MAGIC! This would be fucking paradise for an exploratory personality.

Some headcanons:

MC always has questions. About everything. From the tangible and quantitative (“what is this?”) to the conceptual and abstract (“interesting. You seem to feel very strongly on this subject, am I reading that right? Can you tell me more? What influenced your judgement?”).

When she’s not peppering one of the consorts with questions about life in this world, she’s reading. What is she reading? Everything. Everything she can get her hands on. Especially books on history.

Speaking of reading and asking questions— MC bonds with Toa in her pursuits of knowledge. He helps her learn how to read and write (language barriers). While Guy, a man of action more than words, might get tired of MC’s incessant questions (and I really mean incessant, this isn’t shade at Guy. This MC is straight up annoying, never shuts up)— Toa has more patience.

Speaking of history— she studies historical events and the relationships between the kingdoms. Important players on the world stage, what they did, who they were cool with and who they pissed off and why. Why, why, why, MC is very interested in learning why things are the way they are.

So much so, she looks into events deeper than most native inhabitants would probably have any reason to. She wants to find the information not in the history books. She wants to know what actually happened— who pulled what strings, who is connected to who else and how did those connections play out, etc.

Through her research, MC learns about a lot of royals before they’re otherwise introduced. Not only does she learn of their existence (“Toa has a sister? Toa has three sisters? 👀”), but she, through the lens of various historical accounts (that she certainly cross referenced with each other), learns of their character. What they’ve done. And, reading between the lines, what some books failed to explain or navigated around, she’s able to get a better sense of their real personalities.

For example: Reading several accounts of her behaviour, if MC is piecing together the information correctly, than the picture her research is painting of Idina is a very, very cold one. Thinking about the implications makes MC shiver. To think this woman is related to Toa, it actually make too much sense.

Speaking of her research: MC definitely has the magical equivalent of a conspiracy theory pin board in her bedroom— one mapping out the connections between the kingdoms and powerful individuals.

This ^ This, but it’s MC, and the red string is connecting Idina to several assassinations untimely, very unfortunate and super totally accidental deaths of government officials. Toa is the person in the foreground.

“Okay, but why” you might be inclined to ask. “Why is MC asking all these questions, what’s the point”

The point is, she is an investigative journalist. So far, I’ve really emphasized the “investigative” part. But, my sweet summer child, there’s an entire second half of that title.

The point being, MC is recording all of the information she’s gathering.

The history, the art, the culture, the sciences, the magic— all of it. All of it, she is making an immaculate record of. How, you might ask? Well, you have some options:

Personally, I’m a huge fan of MCs who got transported with some of their earthly tech on their person. I have more than once gotten home and straight up passed out after a long day, still holding onto or wearing my daily gear. Let me put it this way: if they were able to bring her god damn cat with her, I see no reason why MC couldn’t bring, say, a backpack with her. Maybe a satchel, or a crossbody bag. If it was on or near her person when she fell asleep, I can imagine it getting caught up in the process.

Say this MC did have her bag with her. That means she has a myriad of technology potentially at her disposal. Laptop, tablet, camera. If you really want to lean into the “investigative reporter” side of things, she could even have an old school hand held tape recorder. At the very least, she definitely has a phone.

“Tech would die, though, how is she going to charge it” magic, babe. Via Roy’s consort path, we learned that inhabitants of the magical realm make magical weapons out of silversmithing. The reason Roy gives is that silver is a good conductor of electricity and magical energy:

(Please ignore the shit image quality, YouTube is being mean)

My point being, you understand the implications of this statement? People in Salagia know what electricity is. At least, on some level. So if MC just made one friend out of the S ranks, or Sherry, I’m sure they could come up with some way to keep any of MC’s earthly electronics permanently charged.

Outside of tech— remember how MC has to pretty much learn how to read and write? Because the Salagian language, it’s not English. In the American server, it’s hinted that the Salagain language is some derivative of Latin, and magic helps translate speech between MC and everyone else. In Toa’s path, MC can sort of read? But it’s not like speaking, and she pretty much has to relearn from the ground up (Warning: mild spoilers for Toa’s route, maybe?):

Point being: if MC can’t really read Salagian writing, then I doubt Salagians can read anything in MC’s native language (be that English, Japanese, or anything else).

So, theoretically speaking, MC could just write in her native language and no one would really be able to tell wtf she’s writing. Whose gonna teach them, her? Not if she doesn’t want them to know, she won’t.

So, to recap:

Our little investigative journalist MC is given the scoop of a fucking lifetime, being transported to a different universe.

With her tech, raw determination, and the help of some new friends, she gathers intel and writes up reports— be that literally writing, recording speech, or making video essays.

Photos, videos, any documentation she can make, she does.

The knowledge she gains enables her to move through this new world with a bit more discretion. She’s better able to navigate social settings (“everyone with blue eyes seems to hate me?… Oh yeah, the red, Avari, got it. I’ll just be cool, then”), and potentially avoid shady characters (“note to self: avoid Idina. Also, Toa needs therapy.”)

Maybe she discovers some cults earlier than she would otherwise?? 👀

And if/when she eventually gets back home, even if it’s just to visit friends, but not actually stay there— she will have the most epic story of all time. With supporting documents.

Other fun headcanons:

If this MC does pair up with a consort, everyone is like “… bro, your girl… she never stops asking questions” and her paramour is just like “fuck yeah, she doesn’t 😍”

“What are you writing” “a list of workers rights violations, I can’t believe unions are a foreign concept in this world.”

If an animal/creature shows up, MC is the first to jump to its defense. “It’s a siren!” “She’s part of an endangered species, you cretin!” “She can kill you! Aren’t you scared??” “So could tripping and falling over. Bottom line is, I’m not going to let you hurt her!”

“Do you not have kings in your world?” “I mean, they exist, but let me tell you about 1789 France…” *cue the radicalization of the S ranks*

Say a king shows up to the school for an event, oh BOY will she have Words. Not only would she ask a shit ton of questions, she will also have no fucking fear, because she has no respect for their title. “I read about this policy decision, what was this experience like for you?” Whatever prince is the associated son of the king is like “MC, please, I’m so scared for you, don’t incur his wrath”, while the king is just like “you know?… this person?.. this person is bold. To talk to me like this, the blatant lack of idol worship, almost bordering on disrespect, even… this is Different. New. Fun. I almost feel like a normal person, even.” And so, the king engages with all of her questions, much to their son’s potential dismay.

Anyways— god it feels good to get this enormous idea out of my brain and on a digital page. The Thought has been Purged, I am now free. Been a hot minute since I did some long form theorizing for CODVN, feels nice man. 😁

[barbex]

Books of 2024 (2023 or close to it)

@hoochieblues tagged me to list books and in that moment I immediately forgot about any book I have ever read. Did I even read a single book in 2023? But thank you for tagging me, I'll do my best.

“the game is to share 9 of my favourite books from the last 12 months, or 9 books on my tbr list for this year”

I'm tagging: @mareebrittenford, @dyrewrites, @tryingtimi, @tsuraiwrites, @midnightprelude, @lesetoilesfous, @tarysande

Let me list nine books I liked, I don't know if I read them all in the last 12 months, I just went to my Kindle and picked what sparked a good memory.

Band Sinister by KJ Charles M/M romance, regency historical Lots of pining and repressed feelings in this one, until it leads to wonderful sex and love. Kj Charles knows how to do it.

A Game of Hearts and Heist by Ruby Roe F/F romance, fantasy Fast paced and very sexy fantasy heist. So much sex that even I, certified smut queen, sometimes thought "Now? Really? Don't you think you're kind of busy right now?" But I enjoyed it a lot and there's two more books in the series.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree cozy fantasy with a little F/F romance, fantasy This book has started a whole new trend of cozy fantasy. This is a story about what happens if the barbarian warrior lady hangs up her sword and opens a cafe. The romance is not the main story. I would have wished for a bit more introspection from the main character but I know how difficult it is to write a stoic character who doesn't want to think about feelings.

The Calyx Charm by May Peterson M/M romance, trans main character, fantasy, magic Beautiful prose! Sinister magic, darkness and families at war. Two characters so very much in love, the transwoman loved and accepted by her lover. This is the second or third book in a series but I read another book in the series and it didn't feel all that connected. And the prose was not as pretty as in this one.

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian NB/M romance, regency historical The main character uses she/her pronouns but I read in an interview with Cat Sebastian that, would she write the book today, they would probably use they/them pronouns. But it really doesn't matter much for either main character, the main male character already falls for the nb character when they dress and act like a man. A high stakes regency romance with the expected societal problems and lots of love.

Taji from Beyond the Rings by R. Cooper M/M romance, science fiction This book is so good! Cultural differences between species making romance and connection dangerous, feelings, sex, and politics raising the stakes every minute. I read this book again right after I finished it, it was so good.

The Elf Tangent by Lindsay Buroker F/M romance, fantasy A fun story about a human princess who loves mathematics and an elven warrior, trying to stop a war from happening. Nerdy and clever heroes with a bit of enemies to lovers.

The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin F/M romance, set in historic China This is like book five of a series but that didn't hinder my enjoyment. A woman, too smart for her own good, trying to solve a crime in a time when women were not allowed to do anything, especially not investigate assassinations and talk to street scoundrels. Or fall in love with said scoundrel.

---

Phew. That was a lot. Happy reading.

[malewifingonside]

It started as a gag character and now hes an actual peak lord oc 🧍🧍🧍

Info about him below:

Gao Xun 高寻/ Gao Qingxi 高清系, Peak Lord of the Yindao Peak 隐刀峰 (Intelligence Peak).

Has two siblings, Gao Yunhua and Gao Yunlan.

Fun tidbits:

A massive gossip and very dramatic (once a woman tried to set him up to be her child's absent father but unfortunately she choose so gao xun played the role so well it went from 'scumbag lover leaving his wife and son to poverty' to 'star crossed lover together at last sob story'. dw they found the father and have a happy ending) .

If he was born in modern times he would have been a theatre kids and into kpop dances.

Loves wine so much. You could exchange informations for a good baijiu. Would not exchange vital informations about the sect with it tho. He has integrity. Even tho he's crying for that wine on the inside.

He love wine but for the taste? He doesn't like getting drunk bc its annoying but he does love the taste. Often volunteered to Zui Xian peak lord to be the taste tester for her newest wine. The numbers of him going to Qian Cao due to being poisoned by it is uncountable.

Despite the fact that he's hospitalied often due to missions, he's a model patient. As long as he's inside the medical wing that is.

Has mediocre skills in various areas due to his high curiosity but short interest retention span. Unless it involves intelligence gathering, assassination and poison making, his skills are passable.

Is faceblind, but he will never admit it. (The reason why he even know that is bc he tried to paint his shifu's face and it turned out very different. Also the reason why he didn't know shen yuan and shen jiu are twins, even though he has met shen yuan multiple times)

Hate scallions pancakes so much bc he once made so many and ate so many he made himself sick and couldn't look at it the same way anymore

Loves ambushing Liu Qingge under the reason "to make sure our vanguard can survive suprise attacks". So far its working and it did help lqg became more vigilant.

Also loves disguising and crossdressing and has multiple identities to use outside of Cang Qiong. Example: Courtesan Ming, Merchant Jiao, Scholar Bai etc

Has two cats, white one named Qiuqiu and the other black one named Yuanyuan. Found them near the inn his sister owns.

[fuzzy-set]

Name: Thexikas

I wanted to make him look scary with half of his face ruined by Orin, but I couldn't replicate the look in bg3's character creator. So here is my little sketch instead.

Nickname: The Thrice-sworn/The Dark Urge

He swore his oath three times, each for a different purpose. (Details at the back)

Gender: Male

Star Sign: Aries

Height: 190cm(ish)

Orientation: Panromantic

Race: Tiefling

Romancing: Gale

Despite their rather rocky start (the distrust was mutual), Gale won him over with his cooking. After that, they were always there for each other, with Thexikas hunting any magical artefacts that Gale could consume and Gale watching over him when the tiefling was deep in the urge's throes.

Fave fruit: Anything sweet, such as bananas and dragon fruits. He may not show it, but Thexikas has a huge sweet tooth.

Fave season: Mid-summer

He is a tiefling, so he is accustomed to high temperature environment, and for some inexplicable reason he really likes those violent thunder storms with lightning flashes and heavy rain.

Fave flower: Thexikas knew little about flowers, but he did have a preference for roses, especially the red ones. The colour reminded him of blood.

After his memory returned, he was still drawn to roses, but he felt very guilty about it.

Fave scent: Roasted meat, because he liked good food. It was hard to come by during the days when he lived in Bhaal's temple.

After he moved to Waterdeep, the scent of old book/alchemical mixtures became his favourite- because it reminded him of home.

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: Hot chocolate because it is sweet.

Average sleep hours: Eight, but when he was on the road he slept much less than that. Most of the time he would stand guard for his companions.

Dogs or cats: Both!

Thexikas is a bit afraid of Tara, because he knows her fireball is capable of penetrating all his fiendish resistance. (Besides, Tara gave him the shovel talk.)

Dream trip: While he was amnesiac, he wanted to visit Avernus- or any realms belonging to the infernal. He wished to see the source of his fiendish blood, for Thexikas mistakenly thought the urge to kill is due to some sort of a devil's curse. If he could unravel the mystery, perhaps he could either master it or be rid of it.

Amount of blankets: It is either none(summer) or 10(winter), there is no in between.

Random fact(s):

He had been an oath of conquest paladin during his Chosen days, spreading the cult of murder in his father's name. After losing his memory, Thexikas experienced vague flashes of him wielding immense power. Angered by the loss, he took up the oath of vengeance to kill whoever took that power. However, the taste of justice was bittersweet. It was after his sister's death that the tenets of vengeance lost their appeal.

He broke his oath by sparing Viconia Devir. Jaheira told him about the story of the last Bhaalspawn who spurned divinity to be with his lover- a former Sharran drow. Unfortunately, even with all his intellect and arcane might, the Bhaalspawn still lost his life to protect his beloved from assassins. Thexikas intuited that Viconia was the woman whom his predecessor fell for, although the drow seemed not to remember Gorion's Ward anymore. Moved by the tale, he decided to free her again in honour of his predecessor. (Yeah, I am unhappy about how bg3 handles Viconia's arc, so here's my little headcanon as a remedy)

Inspired by the life of the last Bhaalspawn, Thexikas broke his chains. He was no longer his father's pawn, nor was he a blood-crazed madman who killed for vengeance. Now he could truly live, with the one person he swore an oath of devotion for.

Alternative Ending: Fearful of his love life sharing the same trend as the last Bhaalspawn, he made Gale a god. In this way he would not die- at least not in a mortal sense. Then Thexikas went back to the root and became an oath of conquest paladin again, because it was what he good at. Many would know him as Ambition's hound, conquering new domains in his god's name.

tagged by @galedekarios!

[atlaslovesedm]

welp…

[SPOILERS FOR III 14 UNDER CUT]

you know that video GD colon put out about how bad generation retro is? what you’re about to read is about on the same league as that.

of all the object show episodes i’ve watched, III 14 was the first that i walked away from thinking “wow! that was shit!” it had so many of the same pitfalls as the previous III episodes did, but somehow even worse (incredible feat, i must say). but i’ll only cover my three biggest problems. starting with…

springy. not unlike how toppinbot describes noisette, springy is beyond annoying. their voice makes my toes curl, and i die a little on the inside whenever they’re on screen. they also apparently had a “haha im evil” twist, which i saw coming a mile away, even without my glasses on. also, they look like a garten of banban/poppy playtime character, just thought i’d point that out.

melodrama. the latter half of the episode was just melodrama. and i mean JUST melodrama. nothing else besides characters just going boohoo woe is me ówò ;-; and half of it is relating to conflicts and arcs in II2 that have already concluded. it honestly just feels like the guys at animationepic only shoehorned so many II2 references into III so they can go “see? we haven’t forgotten about II2!!” as if they haven’t been DISREGARDING established lore from that season, implying it isn’t canon anymore, coupled with the fact that III only is the way it is because AE decided that II2 was “getting too dawk and scawy ;-; uwu…..” like oh yeah THAT business decision wasn’t at all made for marketing reasons. /s

and of course, i’m saving the best/worst for last.

cabby and bot. both of these characters are known for being handled TERRIBLY. for cabby, she’s mentally disabled (my first guess was some form of memory loss, but i honestly don’t feel like double-checking) but is constantly mistreated by writers and characters for her aid, being the files. and for bot, they had a trans-allegory arc stemming from not wanting to just be bow, but the whole reason they exist at all is because AE wanted bow in III, and their personality is basically just bow’s with some sliders moved ever so slightly. (the cabby problem is more relevant here, but you get the idea) and in III 14, the two were paired up for the challenge. just the two of them, they could make it if they tried, BUT THE WRITERS DIDN’T!! instead they figured out some voodoo magic buffoonery that helped them pull off the unthinkable! because during a scene where cabby requests that bot tells her a little about themself to write down in their file, BOT STARTS MAKING UP RIDICULOUS LIES. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, ANIMATIONEPIC, CUT IT OUT WITH THE ABLEISM, WILL YA?! and during disability pride month of all times, too. what were you THINKING?!

so yeah. a fan-favorite character just tried to sabotage a mentally disabled woman’s aid for shits and giggles.

TL;DR, III 14 sucked ass. the entire 27-or-so-minute runtime was used for nothing but melodrama, cabby mistreatment, character assassination, and mascot horror cliches. (boooo springy booooooo booooo get off the stage boooo fuzz the cat did it better)

that’s just my opinion, though. feel free to share how you felt. i’m gonna go watch TPOT 6.

[solnishkawrites]

So my boyfriend @mikk1n and I have been developing a 1920s Call of Cthulhu AU for Dishonored. This started off really small—I was mostly just desperate to get my boyfriend to play a TTRPG with me, and lured him into CoC 7th edition with the promise of having him play as his Dishonored OC, Moira O’Farrell—with the module “Paper Chase” from the Starter Set. And then, everything spiraled out of control and into this sprawling saga. Some highlights from the primary AND secondary campaigns we have planned:

PRIMARY CAMPAIGN

Havelock and Moira are bootleggers in the early 1920s in America. When they get a tip-off that the police are after them, they flee to Berlin, Germany and become smugglers trafficking archaeological artifacts through the black market.

They also run a bed and breakfast together, because why not.

Havelock and his smuggling partner, Josef, attract the attention of strange cult when a business deal goes awry. They’re captured, and it’s up to Moira (a disabled Black Irishwoman, for those who aren’t in the know) to go and find them.

Josef escapes on his own, but Havelock is transformed via a strange ritual into… something that is no longer human. Something that craves the taste of human flesh.

Even though Havelock retains his memories and capacity for reason, he is losing his sanity as he struggles to come to grips with his new, uncurable condition. Also, the cult is hellbent on recapturing him. Unfortunately for the cultists, Havelock is also hellbent on revenge.

SECONDARY CAMPAIGN

Corvo and Jessamine Attano are a young couple trying to make a new life with their infant daughter, Emily, in Berlin. Jessamine has left her wealthy family in England behind; the only thing she took with her when she left were the clothes on her back… and a small, insignificant-seeming pendant that her father gave her when she was very young.

Little does Jessamine know that the pendant is an eldritch artifact. Euhorn (and the cult he’s cozy with) want it BACK, and they’re willing to hire an assassin named Daud to kill Jessamine and retrieve what they view as theirs.

Daud accepts the job, but finds that he can’t kill Jessamine. This isn’t Miss Kaldwin, a shallow little rich bitch living off of  her daddy’s money… this is Mrs. Attano, a scared young woman trying to make ends meet while caring for her daughter and husband. Daud runs away, but is found by Corvo later on. They talk and compare notes… and then decide to go cultist-hunting together.

I can’t say much more without releasing spoilers that Misha can’t yet know about. More shall be revealed with time.

I’m really enjoying this AU. Without all of their power and influence, the characters have a chance to actually be better people. There’s still a massive initial class divide between Corvo and Jessamine (he grew up in poverty on the streets of Havana, Cuba, while Jessamine was sipping from crystal glasses in her family’s townhouse in London, England), but the fact that Jessamine was able to walk away from that life makes her a better person than she was in canon as an Empress who responded so poorly to the Plague Crisis. She, Corvo, and Emily get a chance to be a real family together.

Likewise, Daud gets a real redemption arc. I’m not a big fan of Daud in canon; I feel like he can’t ruin Corvo’s life the way he did and subject him to the trauma of being accused of Daud’s crime and allow Corvo to be TORTURED FOR MONTHS ON END for that crime and then earn any kind of forgiveness. It doesn’t resonate with me.

I’m not sure if the primary or secondary campaigns will ever intersect. Currently I don’t expect them to, but it’s impossible to say what the dice will dictate. Some more tidbits about the characters and world before the post ends:

Billie is Haitian.

Daud is Moroccan, thereby giving him that French colonial connection to Billie.

The Outsider is the figurehead and puppet of a Great Old One.

The Golden Cat has become a cabaret club.

Havelock is a veteran of World War I.

Moira’s sister, Sian, was a volunteer in Cork, Ireland during the Easter Rising of 1916.

Martin is still a shady priest.

[blodgmonster]

Crown of Midnight reread thoughts and commentary.

-- we give Chaol a lot of shit (and rightly so) for being so shocked that Celeana, a famed assassin, assassinates people. But Dorian is doing it too. Get it together, lads.

-- oh, hey, Mort!

-- Archer is the most beautiful man Celeana has ever seen, with green eyes, a sensual mouth, and a dazzling smile, and he's strong and ruggedly handsome. You know who that sounds like to me?

-- Celaena to Dorian: "So don't expect ME to care when you find yourself nothing more than a puppet. If you aren't one already." Apollo just smashing Celaena in the face with the prophecy dodgeball.

-- What's Hollin's deal? Is he part Valg by birth?? Or just an asshole?

-- Archer: They want to put Aelin Galathynius back the throne! They say she's raising an army!

Celaena:

-- What's with SJM and slightly creepy libraries? We've got the castle library here with a secret door leading to a secret staircase that leads to an iron door where expirements are kept. Then we've got the library in the House of the Wind where Byraxis lives. Then we've got the library in the Torre Cesme, which has those baller cats but is also the site of a dreadful murder. Then we have Jesiba's library which is the Great Library of Parthos and is the site of a vicious attack on Bryce, Shryinx, and Lehabah.

-- "So Dorian closed his eyes, and took another long breath. And when he opened his eyes, he let her go." Tamlin could use some tips from Dorian.

-- the singer listing her beloved dead as the axe falls. CHILLS.

-- YASSS witches!!!

-- there's a guard named Dannan. Similar to Danaan. Interesting. First the Rhunn mountains and now this.

-- "His soul was bound to hers by some unbreakable chain." Buddy, you guys have been fucking for like a week. Calm down. And that chain is about to SNAP.

-oh no oh no oh no no no no no why did I think this happened toward the end of the book? Oh Nehemia. You deserved SO MUCH BETTER.

-- "YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY ENEMY." Oh, Celaena, my love...oh hon.

-- Kaltain and Celaena bonding in their cells. Two young women who have been terribly abused by Adarlan. It's oddly sweet.

-- the slave rebellion in Calaculla. "Silently, she began to recite the names of her dead. And then as the overseer raised his whip, she added her name to the end of that list and swung his ax into his gut." Oh GOD.

-- her lament at Nehemia's grave. Ouch my heart.

-- Dorian's tower room sounds AMAZING.

-- I saw a theory on Tumblr that the creature that emerges from the portal is a kelpie like the one from ACOSF. And fam, IT FUCKING IS. The descriptions are freakishly similar. Which means the portal opens on the Bog of Oorid in Pyrthian. And that's why she's able to shift into her Fae form. Because she's in a world with magic and Fae. Oh my GOD.

-- "Celaena was Fae." HELL YEAH SHE WAS, BABY!!!!!! With blue fire like my girl, Azula.

-- " 'I knew you were a good woman.'...

'No I'm not....but Nehmia was.'" FUCK HIM UP, BABY GIRL.

-- "One of us has to start leading, Dorian." Shut UP, Chaol, you punk ass bitch.

-- "I'll always pick you." No, you woooooon't.

-- And now I can start saying Aelin, which is easier to spell lol

-- and thus the world gets broader, the plot thickens, and we take a step away from the simple plot and on to the meaty stuff.

-- oh! Oh! I just remembered I wanted to talk about this book in particular vs. the ACOTAR series. In this one, a pretty main character dies. And she dies for good. And she's just the first one to die. And as much as we the readers hate character deaths, there's something so much better about TOG for not shying away from killing off characters. In ACOTAR, death is meaningless. Feyre dies and is resurrected. Rhys dies and is resurrected. Amren gives up her life to save everything, and she's miraculously brought back by the Cauldron. Az and Cassian suffer pretty gnarly wounds and are fine. Aside from Papa Archeron and Clare, everyone else is covered in plot armor. You never really fear for them because, for some reason, SJM just won't kill anyone in that series. It isn't like that in TOG. And it feels more genuine.

[randomthefox]

What's your opinion on the 2010s Sonic voice actors?

I think it's really funny that they kept just Mike Pollock despite recasting everyone else, for one thing. lol. It's gonna be a real fucking sad day when they finally have to recast Eggman because Mike finally retired or something.

Roger Craig Smith is obviously a legendary voice actor and brings all of his skill and talent to the role which is incredibly admirable considering it's not really the same kind of material he was given to work with as say for example Ezio from Assassins Creed, especially at the time when the first handful of games he was slated for were a bit more lowbrow. He's definitely the best english voice actor Sonic has had so far. Jason Griffith EVENTUALLY matured into the role by his final game, but Roger Craig Smith just nailed it right out of the gate. That being said I don't really consider him to be the definitive english Sonic voice. I don't think we've heard the definitive english Sonic voice yet. So far nothing we've gotten has been on the same level as Jun'ichi Kanemaru. Jun really just IS Sonic and I don't think we're ever going to get a proper english VA equivalent.

Kate Higgins is a perfectly serviceable Tails. I think she did a good job. Especially given her competition at the time lol. I'm sorry I just didn't like the 4Kids Tails voice actors performance at all, it just felt so generic to me. And I don't know why it took the games so long to figure out that when you're voicing a young boy you need to just get an adult woman to do it, why did they keep hiring actual literal children to do the voices? Children who can't fucking act? So yeah, I think Kate Higgins was probably the best voice for Tails we had gotten THUS FAR at that point, very much like Roger Craig Smith. But I do also feel that she started losing her grip on the voice by the end. Listen to Tails in Lost World and it just starts to feel like he's smoked a bunch of marlboros, you know? Ultimately I think Colleen O'Shaughnessey is THE definitive Tails voice, the actual ideal english VA equivalent to the japanese voice.

Everyone else is serviceable. I think they're totally fine. Laura Bailey as Blaze the Cat amuses me to no end. And Quinton Flynn as Silver is perfect casting, wish they'd kept him on for that character.