#even if they didn’t know about the fact that Bruce was an avatar of some aspect of Lady Gotham

[raineydays411]

My Father's daughter pt 3

Tony Stark x daughter!reader

Summary: Back at the Tower, Y/n has a talk with Pepper.

a/n: ohhh another part finished!! some new characters will be revealed next part and i’m so great full for @social-media-imagines-by-me fir helping me create them💕💕

You were furious.

You stormed into your room and slammed the door, finding satisfaction in the loud bang it produced. You then ripped through your drawers and closet, pulling on some work out clothes and some gloves. You then marched out of the room, slamming the door again, startling Sam and Bucky who happened to be passing by.

"Geez kid, slam it a little harder I don't think it fell off the hinges yet." Sam jokes, but you were in no joking mood so you swirled around with fire in your eyes.

"You okay doll?" Bucky softly asks, pushing a frightened Sam to the side. You sigh, knowing it's not fair to take out your anger on them.

"Sorry Sam, it's just...my biological mom is here and wants me to move in with her."

"Oh..." Bucky says, not good with things like this, " Do you want me to like...kill her or..."

"NO" You laugh, " It's just I haven't seen her in nine years and she has the audacity to come up here like it's nothing?!"

Your anger returns, " She thinks that just because she pushed me out of her vagina"

The two men cringe at the words

"That she can just claim me? That's not how it works!" You shout, " And, she brought her fucking husband. The man she left us for! Who does that?!"

Bucky looks at Sam, mentally asking him what they should do. Sam just rolls his eyes and turns back to you.

"Come on kid, it looks like you wanna punch something."

and with that he lead you to the training room where Steve was training with Peter.

"Come on queens, you gotta stay on your feet" Steve k=jokes as he, again, trips Peter.

"Mr. Rogers, do you think we should take a break?" Peter pants.

You stride pass them, not bothering to say hi. They look at Sam and Bucky for an explanation and just get a shake of the head.

"Hey Y/n that's my punching" Steve started to say when he saw you throw a hard punch to the bag, "Nevermind..."

You ignore the group behind you, opting to pummel the poor punching bag in front of you.

Your mind flashes back to your mother and her words.

"A girl needs her mother"

*punch*

"Oh petal I wanted to call"

*punch* *punch*

"Come to Gotham. Meet your siblings!"

*BANG*

You look down to see the punching bag flew off the hook and is spilling sand on the floor. You were confused, as you knew you weren't strong enough to do that, not even when you were angry.

"Wow, I guess Cap didn't secure that hook again."

You jump, not expecting someone to be there, as you heard Sam, Bucky, Steve, and Peter leave. You turn to see Pepper there looking at the bag in surprise. You sigh, stepping away from the mess and taking off your gloves. You make your way to the bench and take a swig of water.

"Did you need something Pep?" You ask, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, i was just wondering if my kid was okay. But given the fact that you punched that bag like it would restore your honor.."

You knew you shouldn't have showed her Avatar.

"I'm assuming your not." She finishes.

You give her a half smile, looking down at your hands.

"Y/n" She says, " Talk to me."

You finally speak, "Why now?"

Pepper frowns, understanding that small phrase, ' I don't know."

"She's not my mother." You state, " She...she might have been once but now?"

Pepper nods," I love you."

You smile, the words reassuring you, " I love you too Pep."

"Come on, your messing up your manicure." She says with a smile, standing and extending a hand towards you. You feel your demnor soften and your mood lighten. Pepper always managed to make you feel better.

"Yeah okay..thanks." You say, taking her hand and letting her pull you from the bench, " Are you hungry? Cause I am>"

"Y/n we just ate!"

"Like an hour ago"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Days went by and you hadn't heard a peep from Christine. It was like she went off to lick her wounds and just decided not to reach out again.

Which didn't bother you one bit.

But apparently the universe wanted to fuck with you because when you came home from a day out with Peter, there was your mother, Bruce Wayne, and all six million of her fucking kids sitting on the couch.

"What the fuck?" You say causing the attention to turn to you.

"Language" Peter says, You smile softly at him before then turning to glare at Tony.

"Don't look at me, it was your moth-uh Peppers idea." Tony stumbled, looking rather uncomfortable sharing a drink with the man that his...wife? girlfriend?... whatever she was left him for.

"Pep what?" You asking, softening your glare because you'd be damned if you disrespected her.

"I just think it'd be best if we clear the air and get everything out on the table." Pepper said in that tone she uses when she's dealing with difficult people or the press. You called it her CEO tone.

"Now, go take your bags upstairs and wash up. And I'll pretend that you aren't an hour late"

"It was Peter's idea..." You mumbled and walking to the stairs that lead to the bed rooms.

"It was not!" Peter shouts following you to the rooms to help with the bags.

Christine watched as her daughter walked out of the room, playfully arguing with Peter. It was as if she were a whole different person, carefree and playful. Totally different from when she was glaring and stiff when talking to her. It broke her heart hearing Tony refer to Pepper as her Mother rather than Christine. But what did she expect?

Damian scoffed catching her attention, "Mother I do not see why you've dragged us here, that girl didn't even acknowledge us."

"Damian, enough" Bruce said, not looking away from his awkward conversation with Tony.

"Gee if only I could do that with our kids." Tony mutters into his drink.

"Does Y/n argue often?" Bruce asks trying to engage in conversation.

Tony laughs before fondly speaking, " Sort of. She isn't the type to back down when she thinks something is right. There was this one time I caught her arguing with one of my business partners about his "condescending tone and misogynistic attitude"."

""And did she apologize after?"

"Hell no. She glared at me and told me apologizing just for his ego would be demeaning her experiences as a woman. Although to be fair he was an asshole."

Bruce chuckles, " She sounds like a well rounded young woman. How old was she then?"

"Ah about 10, it was funny seeing this little girl argue in a Justin Bieber shirt argue about the patriarchy with a full grown man."

Bruce and Tony shared a laugh, picturing the scene.

"You must be very proud of her." Bruce mentions after they quieted down. Tony let a small smile escape.

" I am. She's had a rough life, and I..." Tony trails off, " She means everything to me. Without her...I don't think I'd be the same person I am today."

And with that, Tony downed his drink and stood, " Want another?"

Bruce smiled and accepted, watching Tony leave. He can tell that the man was close to his daughter. A bond that formed due to a loss, they both grew from it and grew closer. He understood, thinking about his own children.

Pepper and Christine were having a somewhat similar conversation, although it was a little more tense.

"So...Pepper-"

"Virginia." Pepper said, cutting her off.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Virginia. Pepper is a nickname my family calls me."

"Oh. Okay, Virginia, how long have you known Y/n and Tony?"

"Oh about nine or so years. I was promoted to assistant when I saw how much of a mess Tony was." Pepper said casually.

Dick and Jason tensed, overhearing the tense conversation between the two mothers. But before Dick could interrupt Jason sat him back down.

"I wanna see what happens."

Christine continued, " And when did you become a..more permanent around the house?"

"When I saw that Y/n the one taking care of Tony." Pepper said in a serious tone, "She was the one making sure he didn't choke on his vomit and eating cereal as his flings walked out the room. Then he got kidnapped...and y/n was alone. So I made sure she’d never be alone again.”

Christine heart sank. She knew about the whole kidnapping thing. Why she didn't step in, she doesn't know. It's just another thing she regrets to this day.

Before Pepper could continue, she heard two sets of footsteps and voices

"All I'm saying is, if he looks at me funny, I'm fighting him and that's that."

"Yeah maybe not the best impression on..." Peter cuts off when they reach the living room. Eyes again on the two of you.

"Let's get this over with." You muttered, saying bye to Peter and making way over to the couch to sit next to Pepper.

"Y/n!" Christine says happily, " I'm glad you're here. We brought you something!"

She pulls out a box and she carefully hands it over to you.

You look at it suspiciously before getting a nudge from Pepper.

"Thank you." You grit out. Earning a glare from Damian and Cassandra.

You open the box to see...cupcakes.

"They're the peanut butter strawberry cupcakes you used to like. Remember? I used to bring them when I came to see you." Christine says, trying to bring up good memories.

You frown and close the box, " I'm allergic to strawberries."

Lie.

Pepper casts a glance towards you, "They look lovely, let me take them into the kitchen, I'll check on dinner."

And with that she takes the box and leaves into the kitchen. Leaving you and Tony alone.

"So...Stark" Damian started fixing his gaze on you.

"Yes, Wayne?" You said, matching his energy.

"What exactly is it you want from my mother?" He asks, earning a groan from his older brothers.

"Well, I'd appreciate it if she left me alone." You say with a straight face.

Christine frowns but before she says something Damian speaks up again.

"Tt, all this drama for the likes of you? It's honestly disappointing" He drawls, trying to get under your skin.

"Damian!" Christine scolded.

"Well, I apologize for not meeting your standards. I'd try harder if I cared what a toddler thought of me."

Jason let out a surprised chuckle while the rest of the family looked on in shock. Tony just rolled his eyes.

"I do not understand why Mother insists on rekindling her relationship with you. You obviously weren't worth the effort the first time around." He spits, causing the rest of the family to gasp.

You however, just laugh, " When you figure it out, let me know. It's probably the same reason she puts up with you."

Damian glares, about to start in again when Jason cuts him off " Shut up Demon. She got you man."

"Tt"

"I'm Jason, and anyone who can out that brat in check is good in my book." He says sending you a smirk.

You smile back, " I'm friends with Loki and Wade Wilson, I'm hardly affected by anything anymore." Your dad rolls his eyes again, he’s not exactly enthusiastic about your choice in friends.

You like this one. Probably the one you're gonna be able to stand in this family.

"Don't hog her Jason!" Dick shouts pushing him away before turning to smile at you, " Hi! I'm-"

"Dick Grayson. I know, you spilled your champagne on my dress a few years ago at a New Years gala." You say, still a little bitter about it.

"Oh. heh, right, sorry about that. Again." He says sheepishly.

You turn to Cassandra, " You're Cassandra. You and your friend cornered me in the bathroom."

Cassandra scowls and looks away.

Then you turned to Tim, " And you need to learn how to secure your fire walls better."

Tim looked at you confused, "Um excuse me?"

You smirked, " Just a suggestion. I assume you don't want people to know about your...bats in the attic?"

The whole family froze.

You knew? There was no way.

"Kid, are you hacking again?" Tony said exasperatedly, " You promised you'd stop after the last time."

"Hey it's not my fault Shuri didn't think about changing her password." You say defensively, “ and it’s not like you were complaining when you had me hack into SHEILDS databases”

“What was that!?” Pepper shouts from the kitchen.

“Heheh, nothing dear.” Tony shouts back then in a hushed voice scolds you, “ I gave you fifty bucks to keep that a secret.”

“I didn’t say what you had me retrieve.” You said smugly leaning back in your chair.

Bruce didn’t know how to feel.

On one hand, this teen that objectively hates his family, knows their biggest secret. She can singlehandedly destroy their family and expose them. And she has the means to.

But on the other, she’s a perfect fit for their family. She gets along with Jason, doesn’t let Damian get under her skin, and from the looks of it can definitely take care of herself. Only thing is, again, she hates his wife and by association, his family.

“I’m sorry, hacking? You know that’s illegal right?” Tim asks, still in shock that you got past his security systems.

You turn to him and in a bored tone replied , “Yeah? and?”

Tim stuttered for a bit before going quiet with a blush. It was adorable really.

You had to hold back a laugh, it was fun getting this stuffy family all riled up. Especially when you can see the disapproval in Christines face.

“Tony, you let our daughter participate in illegal activities??” Christine asks with a raised brow.

The table goes silent at the tone of her voice. Knowing that when she uses it someone is really in trouble.

But you roll your eyes because how are you supposed to know what that tone means?

“I let my daughter express herself in a ...healthy way. She knows her limits.” Tony replies cooly, taking a drink and looking back into the kitchen wondering where Pepper went.

”Obviously not. Tony she has no regard for the laws at all! You think i didn’t see the headlines last year?!”

Ah yes, last year you had a slight scandal where you may have punched a pap for trying to get a picture up your skirt but who wouldn’t?!

“ And you let her hang around criminals and terrorists?!”

You scoff, “ Oh please everyone in the Avengers was a criminal or terrorist at least once.”

“Not helping kid.” Tony says, “Christine, you and your family have no right to come into my home and judge my family. I’ve been civil. Hell maybe a little too much. Mainly because if I wasn’t, my wife—err Fiancée, would kill me.”

You snicker, earning a few glares.

“Look the point is, don’t tell me how to raise my daughter. Especially because I was doing it all alone.” Tony finishes with a sigh.

The table goes silent. You were getting tired of all the tense silences today.

“ Look.” You turn to Christine, “ I get that you probably feel guilty or something because you ditched me. And I appreciate that or whatever.”

You were not good at this.

“ But I don’t wanna live with you.”

Christine looks down sadly, “ Y/n I just...I just want to get to know you again. You’re my baby.”

Before you could answer you heard a crash come from the kitchen and smoke fill the rooms.

“ Pepper?!” You cough, “ Dad what’s happening?!”

“ I don’t know. Stay here” He says summoning his suit.

“FRIDAY?!” You shout, but not hearing the AI.

The Wayne’s all looked at each other in panic. They didn’t bring their suits, thinking it was just a dinner.

You turn to them and shout “ Come with me, and stay low!”

You start to lead them to the stair case, knowing that the rooms were relatively safe.

“Come on!” you yell when they don’t follow you.

Christine stands from her seat and makes to follow you before being stopped by Damian.

“Mother we cannot..”

“Damian, I’ve had about enough of you. Let’s go.” She says sternly and follows you. The rest of the family following behind as Bruce nudges Damian.

“ Come on son.”

“Father we don’t know where she’s leading us.” Damian says stubbornly.

“There’s nothing we can do right now.” he coughs.

The sounds of punching and the blasts come from the kitchen.

“Let’s go.”

They finally join the rest of the family. You have them crouched in the hallway.

“ This is James’ room. Dad had it modified just incase he was ever triggered into the Winter Solider again. No ones getting through this door when it’s locked.”

You usher them in.

“Come on Y/n” Christine says reaching a hand out to you.

You smirk, “ What? and miss all the action?”

You close the door and lock it before leaving. Laughing at their surprised faces.

The room is silent.

“ She’s awesome!” Jason says with a laugh.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Mon 12 April ‘21

Liam enjoyed the rest of his BAFTAs night post show; while the good reviews of his performance flooded in and Midnight re-entered the itunes charts he had some drinks (“a rum or two deep celebrating”) and had some fun posting with the BAFTAs filters and his digital avatar-- he posed with the digital Liam avatar (“not often you get to take a picture with yourself!”) which, again, looks even creepier and worse with the contrast of real Liam looking cute and like, HUMAN, right there! Later in the night he turned against the stand in, posting a pic of it scribbled up with glasses and moustache and devil horns and more, quite right. Burn it with FIRE!! Ghost hunter pal Zak Bagans also has some doubts about that uncanny imposter and commented about how you aren’t supposed to meet your doppelganger-- “exercise me spiritual guide,” said Liam, (which I personally think is a VERY funny typo for exorcise) and “ghost adventures honorary member when do I start,” well if you ask me Liam you can start by bringing back Cornelius, ANYTIME. He also got official BAFTAs posed pics, he looks like a proper movie star himself! Nice to see him again, and he enjoyed being back too- today he posted a pretty selfie captioned “still on a high from yesterday’s performance felt like a lifetime since I’d been onstage.” And not only that, he posted some art! The beginning of a drawing of a person (“beginning something really special I hope”) and a pretty older piece. A+++ Liam content all around, even with that scary fake!Liam!

A picture was posted of Niall out playing golf and may I just say DAMN NIALL that’s a lot of LOOK for the golf course!! The Fashion, the Hair, wow. But that would be where he would care about Bringing It, idk why I’m surprised. He also congratulated both the winner of the Masters and a fan whose fantasy league picks were good, but no word on the Anne Marie collab- the agency that worked on the shoot visuals posted about it but no new info.

Louis didn’t show his face but we got to see it anyway- a huge collection of outtakes from his House of Solo photshoot from late 2019 was posted! The photog from that shoot has posted outtakes before a few times and it’s been a little pointless, just almost exactly the same as the posted ones, but this batch is different and way more exciting! There are actual behind the scenes shots of him breaking the Serious Model Face, and also plenty of brand new seriously gorgeous posed shots. They were posted not by the photographer this time but by a fan burner account?? Very mysterious! Louis himself just commented on a post by his keyboard player Zak of him playing music, a cover- “YES LAD”.

And the girl that took the pic of Harry at the park the other day posted more from that encounter and announced that in fact he was with Olivia! Very unlikely given that… well mostly given that they’re not actually dating but also, you expect me to believe this person is someone who wants us to know they were together but didn’t take a pic of her and also didn’t mention it until just now? Come on. I mean even if she was there they still aren’t dating so w/e, but I just find that EXTREMELY  hard to believe. Olivia has been seen many times lately (because she keeps getting herself papped) over by the house she and Jason are sharing in South London, but not near Harry’s place. Eleanor was over near there though! She, like many Londoners, celebrated today’s re-openings by heading out- she went to the Spaniards Pub with friends (and Bruce, her dog.)

[yeenybeanies]

28. “I won’t let them find you.” For any characters you think it fits!

PROMPTS! PROMPTS! PROMPTS!

28. "i won't let them find you." just some quick explanations: dead knight is an ex-decepticon that’s taken on the batmobile as his disguise, unbeknownst to the batfam. he’s also an outlier with pretty significant technopathic abilities. dc x transformers | damian wayne / robin & dead knight ( oc ) 710 words mild language warnings thanks for reading!

Knight snapped out of his recharge when he felt something––no, someone––hop into his cabin. The weight landing in his seat was too light to be Bruce or Dick. No, this was Damian.

What was the kid doing up at this hour? He had school in the morning!

Knight scanned the human. He was wearing his Robin uniform.

Ah, shit.

Robin slammed the ignition button. Knight forced himself not to jump on his wheels. Clearly the kid was sneaking out; Bruce rarely let him drive Knight––er, the Batmobile, and he certainly never let him drive without supervision. The fact that Bruce was also sound asleep upstairs further supported his theory. Knight had to make a split-second decision: did he allow himself to let Robin sneak out and get into whatever trouble he was going to get into; or did he pretend to malfunction and stop his escapade right here?

Well, with the former, at least he’d be around to supervise, unbeknownst to Robin. With the latter, he suspected Robin would just find another way to get out (Primus knew there were plenty of other vehicles on the property), and then he really would be alone.

Ugh, it was tough being a secret alien robot with this group of humans. 

Knight’s engine flared to life. Robin yanked the gearshift and steering wheel, making Knight grimace. Ouch. Little bastard.

So much for a joyride. They were headed into the city for business. 

The whole drive was unpleasant for Knight. Robin was impatient, and tough on the controls. It took everything he had to keep from fighting him. What the hell was the little guy up to that warranted such secrecy and blatant vehicular abuse?

Should he alert Bruce? Knight pondered the question. He didn’t know what they were getting into yet, so he figured he could hold off––for now, at least.

Robin slammed on the breaks, bringing the Batmobile to an abrupt, screeching halt. They were in a junkyard. Old, rusted vehicles sat stacked on top of each other in long rows. On the surface, the place looked uninhabited, but a scan revealed a surprising amount of activity. There were a few homeless people sleeping amongst the scrap, but, more interestingly, there were several armed people wandering about.

Okay, that was weird.

Robin hopped out and ran off into the maze of metal, despite Knight’s silent protest. He knew the kid was talented, and more than capable of handling himself, but it didn’t make Knight feel any better to see him go off alone to face... whatever this was.

Then again, he wasn’t alone. Dead Knight was here.

Knight tapped into anything on the guards’ persons––anything electronic that he could listen through, and anything that he could dig into for information on what was going on. He also made a note of where they all were, and where Robin was going.

Something something... weapons smuggling... drug running... human trafficking... Ew. Why wasn’t Batman in on this?

Knight noticed one of the guards walking towards where Robin was headed.

“I won’t let them find you,” he said to himself. He fired up his holomatter avatar generator and threw out a holoform, just something nondescript, but physical enough to manipulate the environment. With that holoform, he grabbed a pipe and slammed it against the nearest metal surface, making a loud CLANG! The guard stopped in his tracks and spun around, weapon at the ready. Robin seized the opportunity and ran on in silence.

Every time a guard even looked vaguely in Robin’s direction, Knight subtly redirected them away. No one was going to lay a finger this kid as long as he could help it.

Hopefully they could get through this night without any trouble, and without Knight needing to alert Bruce. Doing so could put the Batmobile under scrutiny, and risk exposing––

A truck pulling into another part of the junkyard caught Knight’s attention. His scanners detected a lot of bodies inside––more armed humans, and a stockpile of unusual weaponry. Knight realized with no small amount of alarm that the tech in that weaponry looked Cybertronian.

Okay, he’d seen enough. He sent off an alert to Wayne Manor, giving out his location. Silently he apologized to Robin, but Batman needed to know about this.

[anothertimdrakestan]

Batfam Reactions To Watching Avatar The Last Airbender

req: “Hi I was wondering if you could write the boys reactions to watching Avatar: The last airbender for the first time?” (anon)

YES! THIS IS TOO CUTE!

- long story short, Dami got hurt during patrol and to make sure he didn’t sneak out the entire family had to settle in for a movie night

- you made the epic recommendation to watch ATLA and yall basically binge watched it for a week while Dami healed, here are each of the boys reactions

Damian

- this mfer grumbled that it was stupid and gave Katara shit for being a bad waterbender at the beginning, especially the first episode

- he was hardcore crushing on her at the end specifically her fire nation outfit and that she learned how to blood bend, he’s a simp for powerful women what can i say

- during the first season he was pretty stoic and annoyed, blame it on the painkillers

- second season he was gettin’ into it, flinching with the epic fight scenes, calling himself the batfamily Toph, he let a rogue tear slip during leaves from the vine and no one noticed but you and Dick

- he got extra cuddles that night

- he lost his fucking shit during appas lost days- like full on screaming about appa and burrying his head in your chest while you quietly tell him appa will be okay

- he denies all of this too this day though (of course) but he loved it, and you’ll hear him humming leaves from the vine when he thinks his comm is off now on patrol

Cass

- she wasn’t really paying attention to the show at the beginning,  more soaking in the family bonding moment and spending each night sitting next to a different person to understand more about them

- she liked watching tim because he gets really into it but steph is also a fun watching buddy because her reactions are sooo intense it’s like watching a movie watch a movie

- a month after showing Cass she came up to you with all these epic fan canon ideas for the future or the past, talking about what the avatar state meant and spewing crazy little facts you thought no one noticed

- turns out it’s her comfort show now, she watches it to remind her of Jason’s shitty sex jokes, Dick’s screeches, you’re silent tears, Babs failed plot predictions, and everything else from the week were for one you were all just kids

Tim

- For some reason I just think Tim’s seen it before

- he’s your buddy for laughing at his sibling’s reactions when you both know what’s coming

- the giddy smile he gives you before Katara does the epic water frozen save on Azula or Aang yeets into the avatar state

- him and cass are your lore buddies, you’ve all got all these crazy awesome ideas about the plot and what-not

- Tim crushes on Zuko hardcore, like that scene where he throws off his robe Tim’s cheeks are completely flushed, eyes stuck to the screen and you’re dying laughing

- sometimes you’ll come into the batcave and tim will be working while ATLA plays in the background and you’ll both silently rewatch it together making little quips about a funny moment from when the family watched it together it’s all so wholesome

Steph:

- Steph is a Sokka simp and you can’t tell me otherwise

- she’d pass out when his hair is down and everyone would roll their eyes

- she’d buy a boomerang for patrol and bruce would give a hard no but you can find her throwing it at shrubbery when bruce is out

- She also thinks Tai Lee is adorable and deserves the world

- “EVERYONE SLEEPS ON THE NON BENDERS OKAY SUKI COULD GET IT”

- “steph you came into my room at 5am for this?”

- steph honestly just says the thoughts we all have, when watching she’s totally immersed and falls for all the jumps and scary moments- her and dick are constantly being told to shut up while you die laughing at their reactions

Jason:

- dick basically had to chain him to the couch to watch at the beginning, he’d claim he had better stuff to do but eventually he’d be the one dragging people to the couch for the next episode

- would develop a bromance with zuko in season three

- convinced he’s a firebender and plays with wayyy too many lighters for a week to bruce’s concern

- thinks Mai is hot as fuck but claims he wouldn’t date her “cuz bro code” with his new imaginary best friend

- Roy comes by actually asking if he can meet zuko that’s how much jason talks about him it’s so cute

Babs:

- she’d slip in and out of watching while doing research or helping bruce during patrol, so she’d always sit next to you while you refreshed her during the episodes she caught

- she’d think aang was adorable and would try to convince dami to shave his head and get an arrow tattoo cuz he’d be cute

- she’d be the one to bring everyone water and sandwiches from alfie when you’ve all been binging for hours

- everyone needs a babs when they do a 3 season binge in a week, everyone say thank you babs RIGHT NOW hehehe

Dick:

- he’d be the one who got everyone there and he’d love being surrounded by his family

- granted, it was painful at first, giving constant death glares to dami and jason when they tried to get up and trying to get you to reveal plot secrets while you giggle, but in the end he was loving it

- he’d be crying 24/7

- when Mai and Tai Lee attack Azula and give the speech about loving Zuko more than Mai feared Azula he’s be screeching “GO OFF QUEEN YEAH SIS” while everyone tells him to shut up

- he’s a cabbage man stan and I love him for it

- his favorite season was season 2 because he loves toph because she reminds him of his siblings and he likes bumi and is convinced he’ll be a bumi when he’s older even though everyone tells him he’s such an iroh

- Dick would look back fondly on that week, surrounded by family who wasn’t fighting and could each have their own personality highlighted while all being together, he’d forever be thankful you brought up the idea : )

Bruce:

- it was a tough week for bruce, he hadn’t actually been alone on patrol for a long time

- it made it all worth it when he got to tiredly plop onto the couch with his kids

- he wasn’t watching the show he was watching them, the way they were invested in the show but also still took the time to bond even if they didn’t quite know it

- he got the best sleep of his life that week, passed out on the couch while his kids cuddled him, his white noise was Tim screaming at Damian and Steph babbling about Sokka, it was truly perfect. They were his family : )

I hope you enjoyed!!! Love you!

[awhitehead17]

Batfam Alphabet: E - Elements 

Summary: Dick should know by now that a simple question will never be easily answered, not when it comes to his assortment of siblings. What starts out as a simple question soon escalates into loud petty arguments which leaves him wondering what the hell is going on.

Enjoy! :D 

“That’s stupid and you’re totally incorrect!”

“I am not! That’s exactly how it would be with you guys!”

“Well I disagree.”

“You always do! This time I am right no matter what you say.”

Dick pauses from where he’s walking past the library as he hears what sounds like to be a petty argument happening. The two in there, Tim and Steph, continue to argue backwards and forwards about being right and wrong for several minutes and it’s certainly long enough for Dick’s curiosity to peak and wonder what they’re arguing about.

Deciding to find out, he walks into the library and observes the younger two. They were sat on separate couches facing one another and were both using wild hand gestures to go along with their statements. As soon as he enters their attention zeroes in on him and Dick freezes, suddenly regretting his choice of walking into the room to begin with.

From her couch Steph perks up as if spotting a perfect opportunity for something. “Dick can you settle something for us?”

Dick raises an eyebrow, feeling wary of what’s about to come. “Sure. What is it?”

“Who would bend what elements from Avatar out of you, Jason, Tim and Damian?” Steph asks eagerly.

Dick throws her a look. This is what they’re arguing about? Surely this kind of thing would be about a matter of opinion. This is on the same lines of what Hogwarts house you would be in.

“Well?” Steph prompts impatiently. On the other side of the room Tim is also looking eager for his answer.

Dick runs a hand through his hair. “Well I guess I would say I would bend air or water, Jason maybe earth or fire, Damian fire and Tim either earth or water.”

There's a moment of silence before the two teenagers explode at him and at one another.

“Ha! I told you! Dick agrees with me!” Steph exclaims loudly pointing at him.

“Excuse me! He didn’t even choose one element, his choices are invalid and ridiculous and so obviously wrong.”

“You just can’t admit you’re in the minority.”

“That is not true!”

Dick watches them bicker for a long moment, his head going from right to left like it was a tennis match. However his attention is broken away from them when Jason suddenly appears at his side. He gives his brother questioning look about it and Jason shrugs in response as he observes the scene in front of them.

“I heard yelling and it sounded interesting so I came to investigate.”

Steph and Tim continue to argue but it didn’t take long before they pulled Jason into the conversation too.

“Jason!”

“What element would you, Dick, Tim and Damian bend?”

Jason doesn’t miss a beat in answering them. “I would bend fire, Dick would bend water or air, Tim would bend earth or even fire and Damian earth.”

His opinion sets off another round of loud exclamations from both Tim and Steph. Tim jumps up to his feet with his hands in the air. “Thank you! Finally someone who agrees with me!”

“But he still agrees with some of what I said so that doesn’t count. Jason’s answers are 50/50.” Steph points out.

Dick rubs a hand across his face. He doesn’t know what is happening anymore or why this really matters. Why are they so passionate about it? Dick sends an exasperated look at Jason who merely rises an eyebrow in return.

“You know what, we need to get Damian in here and get his opinion.” Steph declares getting to her feet.

Tim glowers at her. “Why? The demon spawn isn’t going to have an answer, hell, he probably doesn’t even know what Avatar is!”

“Tim!” Dick scolds which of course goes ignored. He wishes his brothers would stop calling each other insulting names but he has a feeling it’s not going to be going away any time soon.

“Once again I am unsurprised to hear nonsense coming from you Drake.”

Everyone in the room turns to see Damian now entering the library, as if he had been summoned. He’s wearing his usual scowl and glares at the each of them in turn. He moves until he’s standing in the centre of the room where he could easily see all of them.

“I do in fact know what Avatar is. It’s a children’s programme Jon is rather obsessed with and is something he will not stop talking about.”

“Okay great, there’s one problem solved,” Steph beams at everyone, she turns to Damian expectantly, “So Dames, out of you, Dick, Tim and Jason, what elements would everyone bend?”

“Call me that again Brown and I will choke you in your sleep.” Damian snarls at her. Steph isn’t at all bothered by the threat, she smiles and continues to look at him waiting for an answer. “As for your question, I would bend the earth element, Todd would bend water, Drake would bend fire and Grayson would bend air.”

As patterns would have it, there’s a moment of silence before the room explodes into loud exclamations once again, only this time Jason adds to the fray of things. Dick watches unimpressed as the lot of them argue amongst themselves about their choices and why they are either accurate or inaccurate.

In the end Dick decides he’s had enough and exits the room, no one seems to notice his escape and Dick is more than happy with that outcome. He enters the corridor and starts making his way to the kitchen, the sounds of bickering slowly reducing in the background as he walks away.

Within the corridor Dick bumps into a lost looking Bruce. He shoots the man a grin. “Hey B, what’s up?”

“Have you seen your siblings, I can’t seem to find them anywhere.” Bruce says sounding put out.

Dick jerks a thumb pointing behind him. “All gathered in the library, but I warn you now, enter at your own risk.”

Bruce sends him a questioning look but Dick ignores it. Not elaborating what he meant, Dick continues his journey down the corridor and away from all of the crazy happening. He’ll let Bruce decide whether he wants to risk his sibling’s fury or not.

[bigskydreaming]

I’d say the thing about some characters lending themselves better to some stories than others actually can apply to the Batfam as well, and is a sign of how well-developed they actually are. I know I’ve ranted in the past about the tendency to try and fit the Batkids into niches like the smart one and the angry one and all of that, but in terms of story TYPES, I think they do have certain niche-like feels that mean some of them are better suited to certain GENRES of story than others.

For instance....I didn’t love Grayson, but that was more due to the overshadowing circumstances and the fact that I just think King and his writing suck. A lot. But the basic premise was not at all out of Dick’s wheelhouse. He IS well predisposed to kinda globe-trotting, spy versus spy, switching disguises like they’re outfits, making the most out of his ability to make friends everywhere he goes and turn enemies into allies.....those types of stories. Not saying these should be his only stories, by any means, or that he can’t center in all kinds of other types of stories, but I’m just saying, these kinds of stories do have more of a Dick Grayson feel than they do various other Batkids.

Similarly, Jason is better suited to gothic horror types of stories than the others, just in general. His history with the Lazarus Pit, his general disposition, his THEMES, like....they speak to the same kind of aims and tones that gothic horror both births from and embodies.

This might just be me, but to me, Tim is best suited to kinda oddball, off the wall sorta stories, and that’s part of why I’m so meh on him just being shelved into the uber-genius, mini-Bruce, heir to the best detective mantle kinda thing. I’ve spoken before about how much I miss 90s Tim, but to me, Tim was always at his best, and at his best-defined, most feeling like uniquely HIM, when he was playing the underdog. When he was just this well-intentioned kid who plunged into this world that was so much larger than viewing it through his camera lens had prepared him for, but he had spunk and determination and he wasn’t about to back down or let anyone think he was in over his head so he was gonna make it through whatever the superhero life threw at him even if flying by the seat of his pants the whole way. So to that end, I mean, I think Tim is at his best when just dealing with totally WTF kinds of stories. The cross-dimensional capers, the time travel mishaps, the ‘great, I was abducted by aliens on my lunch break and now apparently I have to save planet FUBAR with nothing but my pocket knife and scathing dry wit.’

I would fucking kill for Cass at the center of noir type stories where its like, idk, the Maltese Falcon and she’s the jaded but still optimistic-at-her-core PI when trouble walks into her derelict office wrapped up in an eggplant shawl and the name Stephanie. Maybe its just that I don’t think there’s enough focus on the fact that Cass is SMART and she’s as much a detective as any of the family, does plenty of investigative work and if she’s heir to the cowl she’d be just as good at the mystery side of things as Bruce is, but just......noir stories just FEEL like dappled shadows and eerie shades of blue and black with hints of moonlight spilling through slatted blinds and all of that just screams Cass to me, faint notes of jazz in the background, a wry smile on her lips as she plays her informant like a fiddle when chasing down clues.

Duke is another globe-trotter in feel to me, like his backstory and his family and his stories with the Outsiders, like, I really want to see Duke on more superhero teams than just the Outsiders now that that’s over, because he’s better suited to stories not confined just to Gotham, I think? Like, Duke fits the conspiracy theory chasing niche to me, like, his character really comes to life when pursuing leads all across the world, digging into his past, his family’s past, seeing how it all connects to various mysteries of the DC Earth that are generations old but still affect the present....like I don’t know how many people have read Planetary, but that to me is a PERFECT fit for Duke, and I would love to see him with his own Planetary style team or even just part of one.

Damian is best suited to coming of age stories, which sounds vague, but the thing is, it really is its own genre. So much of Damian’s character, the best parts I think, are about Damian FINDING himself, DEFINING himself......he more than any of the others, debuted so clearly defined by his origins, his parents, who he was CREATED to be.....and so he more than anyone else is perfectly poised to star in stories that are all about him breaking away from that mold, from parental expectations or preplanned destinies, or even just searching for things to define him on his own terms rather than through the eyes of others. Stories that are about choosing your own path, making a self-realization or having an epiphany about who you truly are or what you want to do with your life....that to me, is Damian’s best niche. Again, doesn’t mean that other characters can’t be great in these kinds of stories as well, just that if I’m pairing one character to one genre they lean into best, this is what’s that for Damian, IMO.

Steph is a bit of an oddball for me, and I don’t quite know how to describe this, but she’s best suited IMO to those kinds of stories that like......there’s not really a specific NAME for this type, but you know them when you see them. The best comparison I can think to make is like.....the kinds of stories Harley Quinn stars in? To be clear, I’m not drawing parallels between Steph or Harley or saying they’re the same kind of character at ALL, I’m just saying like.....Harley is another character who overall is very hard to pin down in specific concrete terms, but nevertheless is centered in various stories and adaptations that are nevertheless very clearly HER.....and that’s the kind of thing I picture for Steph. She fits that niche that isn’t really a niche for anyone BUT her, because nobody else can summon that type of feel for it......the kind of story that you can’t switch anybody else in for her because the story only works with her specific kinda....energy. Bleh. I really wish I could describe it better, like its very clear in my brain, but its a story that’s more of a kind of FEEL than it is a specific description? If that makes sense like at all? LOLOL. Whatevs.

And Babs, like, I would love love love to see her centered in a proper cyberthriller. I mean, they’ve done stories kinda like that with her as Oracle, but not to the extent I’m thinking. I mean just full on cyberpunk dialed up to 11. Give me Babs enlisted by the JLA because Brainiac is loose in the internet and she has to go into cyberspace utilizing different avatars of herself and calling in allies as needed as she relentlessly hunts a villain through landscapes of data she maps and molds and turns into traps. Babs hyper-fixating on her task, her hunt, to the degree that she has to be reminded to pull herself out at times and take care of her physical needs, has people grounding her so she doesn’t get lost in cyberspace and the lure of it all, this place that’s her domain and where she shines the brightest. And so it balances that razor edge that makes for the best cyberthrillers IMO. The ones where all the possibilities of the future as embodied in technology and cyberspace are balanced with the necessity of remaining human, of being human and with roots and history embedded outside of it, in the real world. And with there being a clear juxtaposition between the two even as the protagonist goes back and forth between the two extremes of their existence, the physical and the ephemeral.

Anyway. Like I said, you can mix and match and its not like Dick can’t star in gothic horror and Jason can’t do off-the-wall dimensional hijinks or noir detective stories and Tim and Cass can’t do coming of age, etc.....its just in terms of what I was talking about, how some characters lend themselves MORE easily to certain kinds of stories than others.....this is how I perceive the various Batkids.

[worstloki]

Wait...ATLA AU with Waterbender!Loki, and FireNation!Asgard. Mayhaps the spirits are more relevant in this AU, so people especially blessed by non-main/non-elemental spirits (so anyone other than La, Tui, Agni, uhhh Guain and Shu are the earth kingdom ones I think, and The Autumn Lord or air) can have some manipulation of Qi, but it works differently and is very, very rare, depending on the power level of the spirit, a bending blessing can last 1 generation without renewing it through more bending blood, or like 20 generations but it skips a few. So you can have Non-bender (but actually water bender Loki), or Insert Cannon Spirt that can give him some shape shifting blessed and maybe still Water bender but figures that that out waay later Loki. This ask is a little bit of a mess, but just Water Tribe Loki (who’s stuffed full of ‘water Tribe’s are barbaric’ propaganda) Living in Fire Nation Asgard.

because Loki, like me, simply must be the center of the universe:

- Asgard is the fire nation, obviously, and Odin has 3 kids: the fire-bending lightning-bending prodigy daughter, the spare fire-bender who is good but not as good who will strive to do what his father asks because Father simply must be right (even if he’ll realize later and switch sides), the non-bender who is the dishonorable family disgrace who freaks out and makes a run from home when he realizes he can water bend and neither of his parents can and realizes he was adopted? stolen?? and is maybe the avatar and oh frick Odin’s razing the other nations trying to find the avatar and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

- The “air nation” can be four temples/realms (svartalfheim, alfheim, vanaheim, muspelheim) which were wiped out on by the last Sozin’s comet, so the cycle moved on to the water nation (southern water tribe/jotunheim) (northern water tribe/nifleheim) and there ain’t no way he’s going there those people are barbaric monsters... aren’t they?

- he joins a Midgardian (earth-kingdom) circus road-trip that’s touring across the realms (yes, he juggles) that’s actually just the Avengers and maybe they’re all non-benders? maybe some of them are? None of them are too flashy but Loki’s trying to observe the mix of bending styles and pick up on bending techniques without making it too obvious that he’s not a non-bender

- cue Loki getting in touch with the Earth spirit and getting some neat blessing gifts with bending and now he can Earth bend too and suddenly BAM Thor attacks the circus and Loki water bends to defend his circus friends from his fire and they make eye contact and Loki is so scared/devastated at having to go up against Thor who is angry at Loki for leaving home and has been tasked to retrieve Loki - the water bending throws Thor off and in his confusion Loki freezes him to the ground and apologizes and runs for it.

- now the circus folks are all “um, dude??? the prince of the fire nation just attacked us and you didn’t tell us you could bend?? what’s up with that???” so he tells them he may or may not be Fire Nation Prince Loki and they all feel betrayed because “those colonialist jerks??” but Loki explains how he’s actually a water bender... and may also be an earth bender... and they’re all totally on-board with the avatar returning because it’s about time and the earth kingdom is on thin ice with them (ba sing se is Svartalfheim btw) and yes the reason we’re a mix of benders is because this circus is actually the white lotus the avengers and were touring the realms to low-key try finding the avatar who is supposed to be the saving grace and end of this war please

- now the circus folks are helping Loki meet all the other nation spirits (yes they venture into the terrifying Jotunheim and Nifleheim while searching for the spirit (”what do you mean you don’t know where the spirit is?? how’d you find the last ones??” “I only met one!! and it came to me!!” “well I guess we’re stuck searching everywhere in this frozen wasteland then”) and additionally he only gets to meet the spirit who grants him the bending after he accepts parts of himself and others (for example, the water bending was a result of him finally realizing that he didn’t stand a chance at the throne and it wasn’t until every shred of hope that Odin could one day be proud of him was gone that he was messing with the turtleduck pool and maybe saw the water spirit in the reflection and bent water) (the earth spirit comes to him when he accepts that there are people that will still be proud of him and he can move on with life because the circus folk like him for who he is and were excited when he successfully landed a bunch of throwing knives on targets and decided on that as an act he can do)

- The circus folk are also trying to teach Loki what little they know about bending btw since he’s admitted to copying and mixing their techniques together (he does all the bending in one style and yes it’s as chaotic for the opponent as that sounds because you can never tell what he’s going to bend) but there 100% has to be an episode where he steals the water-scroll  

- Thor chases them down and Loki can bend water now?? and he’s just trying to bring Loki back like Odin asked him too and then one time he catches up to them and Loki panics and bends Earth too and Thor realizes and stops fighting and tells Loki to just go. Thor goes back to the Fire Nation and argues with Odin and calls him out because Loki is the avatar?? he’s from the water tribe?? and he feels betrayed and does the Zuko-Ozai-Black-Sun-Speech-Without-The-Black-Sun about how neither Loki nor Thor need to prove themselves and he won’t tear this family apart any further (Frigga is in fact an absent mother here btw) and then Thor goes and chases Loki down over weeks and saves him (blue mask hero?? except... feathered-helmet hero??) from Fire Nation soldiers who got their hands on him and the circus folk are NOT happy to have him around (air bending comes to Loki when he finally forgives Thor for being an arrogant self-righteous meanie to him for years because Hela is attacking them now and this is so much worse and Thor gets his eye burnt by Hela and Bruce isn’t that good but he can water-bend and heal a bit so it’s not too bad and he takes a moment to breathe and goes for a walk and BAM air spirit) 

- they get attacked a few more times, loki tries getting over the trauma that is realizing the harm that the fire nation has done to all the other realms (and thor is learning this too by the way so when hela attacks you bet they try mentioning the damage and loss of culture the fire nation is resposible for even if she doesn’t care because she’s the heir she needs to be perfect because her two brothers weren’t and look what happened to them they were exiled and live with a blasphemous blend of peasants (and rich-kid-metal-bending-earth-nation-runaway-royalty tony (”WHAT?! SO THAT’S WHERE YOU GET THE MONEY?? I thought you were scamming people not selling cool metal toys and what are we doing that attracts all these royal snobs to us??”))

- Loki has a dream where the fire spirit tells him to keep searching and then one day Hela goes to burn Thor again and Loki just goes ahead and fire bends right back at her and hoo boy his fire isn’t blue but it sure is a lot and Thor does the “........YES!!!” thing and Hela gets stuck in a ring of fire while everyone else laughs and leaves and she can’t lose so watch as her “close friends” end up not being ty lee and mai but the valkyries (the kyoshi warriors are the Red Room Assassins in this AU and no it’s not a childhood torture house it’s just a mostly-women midgardian protection group (maybe Nat trained there so if the circus ever bumps into them she’ll know them? Jane should get to be one of them too even if she’s more into inventing... she and tony should Talk... maybe she and Pepper can beat him up and give him some Respect Women Juice the same way Sokka got his?)) 

- epic chase across the realms since Loki can bend all the elements now he just needs to figure out how the Avatar state works but until then the gaang is struggling to stay ahead of the Valkyries and get Loki trained up to take down Odin (Thor teaches Loki fire bending so that’s covered but no one else except Tony who is a metal-bending expert really learnt properly and Loki isn’t even a metal-bender)

- eventually Hela snaps from all the losses and as she becomes more unhinged Brun jumps sides and Hela kills off (or fires, if we’re staying PG) the rest of the Valkyries and now Brun is super guilty but she’s fighting to avenge them now 

- blah blah blah Sozin’s comet day and Loki goes up against Odin with the help of the Avengers (maybe Thor can take down Hela with the help of Brun and Nat?) etc. etc. 

- so anyways Loki takes Odin’s fire bending and that was the first time he’s entered the Avatar state and when everyone asks how it felt Loki goes “oh i’m not the avatar” 

- “you’re WHAT” “not it” “but you JUST went into the avatar state and everything” “yeah and kyoshi gives good head pats but I’m not it” “but-- you mastered ALL THE ELEMENTS?!” “yeah because I was gifted them by the spirits” “but you needed to renew the cycle after it was gone from the world for so long--” “nah I think the spirits just liked me and wanted me to have it” “they... just... like... you...??” “yeah” “so you actually ARE a non-bender Brother??” “oh yeah definitely I was, but not anymore :)” “so you ARE the avatar” 

- [twenty minutes later] “I just went into the avatar state and they just told me i’m not it” “...this happened while you were in the avatar state though???” *shrugs* “eh” “don’t SHRUG this off is there an actual avatar out there or no???” “maybe the real avatar was the friends we made along the way” “shouldn’t we go find them???” *cue everyone setting out on another grand quest to find the ~actual~ Avatar*

[batfam-rewrites]

Batfam During Quarantine: Update 2

So I know I disappeared again, which is because Bruce was on my ass about getting stuff done, there was this entire gymnastics competition I wanted to compete in, and I messed up middle of the semester which resulted in the current state of “OMG, I ALLOWED MY ADHD/DYSLEXIA/ TO GET THE BEST OF ME, I FUCKED UP AND NEED TO FIX SHIT” state of mind (funny how when you are born with ADHD it’s like ‘buy one, get 2 free”), which led to 2 mental breakdowns and probably would have been many more if I was doing this by myself. April in general was also a hot mess so that didn’t help. Fortunately Bruce and Babs helped me out a lot with my assignments and I might get most of my assignments done as well as the fact that I got to compete (and not to brag but I killed it) in the gymnastics meet! I’m sorry I couldn’t keep up with my stuff its just that it was too boring and I wanted to continue to entertain you with the shenanigans that have been going on in Wayne Manor.

Second thing I want to address is that I know things are starting to get back to normal in some parts of the world, and some countries are even lifting mask mandates, especially here in the U.S., so for anyone who might be concerned that the series might end, fear not because my flighty ADHD ass has fucked up this timeline so much that I literally have so much more to tell you (if you’re lost on how I messed this up, read Batfam During Quarantine: Avatar or Retirement, then read the Thanksgiving special and try to connect how Babs and I went from taking a break to being engaged) along with stories I promised to tell and didn’t get to because of school or working on it only for it to somehow delete itself while writing (Batfam During Quarantine: Black Friday). Not only do I have so many more stories to fill you in on but starting in June Bruce is starting up Batman Incorporated again since it shut down a bit before the pandemic so you’ll be getting some stories about that, too. And even when this ends, I have plans on fixing a few of the stories up because there are some perspectives missing, along with details that were just left out at the time.

Long story short, I still have some more stories to tell, but I’m going to need to get through the next two weeks first before I get to publishing the weekly (shorter) and monthly (longer) stories. Until then, if you have any questions for any of us or just want to ask something random, ANYTHING from whats been going on at the manor, what is Tim’s favorite stuffed animal, does Jason secretly love Crazy Rich Asians, what is Bruce’s favorite batsuit, what is my favorite batsuit, go ahead and ask. It doesn’t even have to be a question, it could be ANYTHING. We are more then happy to answer/respond.

Anyway, I got to get back to my papers and studying for finals, so I’ll fill you all in when that is over.

Yours Truly,

Dick

[daminwayne]

PLEASE SHARE YOUR BATFAM/ATLA HEADCANONS I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED THEM UNTIL NOW PLEASE

OMG IM ACTUALLY THINKING OF WRITING A WHOLE FIC SO LMK WHAT U GUYS THINK!!!

So @ttitans and I were thinking about this and these were our headcanons:

This is the same universe as ATLA... and DC. This is just so far into the future after ATLA and LoK that no more nations of benders exist... it’s just our current world. Benders still exist, but they’re not divided by nation. In fact, benders barely show their bending, because they’re a bit more rare than before.

Bruce is a non-bender

Alfred is an Earth bender (the cave under the manor ‘magically’ existed? come on)

Dick is an airbender

Jason is a firebender

He used his fire out of anger as a kid. 

BUT GET THIS: His outburst at Joker (when the asshole captured him and had a bomb ready to go off) with fire is what causes the bomb to detonate a bit early... and even tho Joker was planning it anyway, Jason kinda blamed himself for it after he came back

He hates Bruce even more now because  Bruce didn’t understand bending and didn’t even know Dick or Alfred were benders. If he understood, if he trained them.. maybe Jason would have survived

Anyway this results into him being way more careful & skilled with his bending afterwards

Tim is a waterbender

Damian is an airbender (as was the League)

and for more juicy ideas:

Since nations don’t exit, bending depends more on how the bender uses it. For example, Damian is angry, rash, and hardheaded. So, he uses his airbending that way––he’s not a monk, not like the airbenders in ATLA. His airbending is fast, harsh and violent. 

Dick’s bending comes from a place of art & peace––as his parents taught him. The reason they didn’t survive their act was because someone (think Ty Lee style) temporarily disabled their bending.

Jason is surprisingly calm with his bending, bc of what happened. He’s a firebender, yes, but he is so careful with it. He channels it with patience, calm & levelheadedness. He knows it can cause destruction, and he feels he’s caused enough of that without fire. 

Jason to Damian: "I use guns, Damian, because if I don't? I'm afraid I'll burn everyone down."

Tim is actually the angriest, in his bending. He has so much pent up anger––so even though he’s a calm guy, his bending is the opposite. He hates bending. He was a good bender, and he was still never enough for his parents. He never fit in with the other ones. There was no place for benders in the upper circle––it was all about your money and connections.

Finally... Damian becomes the avatar after his death.

Not right after he comes back, but a few months later. He doesn’t understand. Why him? He’s not a good person. He’s just an angry 11 year old whose mom killed him. Whose dad hates him. Whose favourite older brother is now gone.

Whose dad doesn’t even know he has bending.

So Alfred helps Damian first, and Earth is the hardest for him to master. Because Damian likes to think he’s headfast & strong, that he confronts problems, but the reality is he avoids them. Like an airbender. He can say harsh words, insult people, yell, but that doesn’t mean he confronts the REAL issue.

Alfred ends up helping Damian confront his death. His past. All of it. Because being an Earthbender is about connecting with life and the earth itself, about learning to stand your ground and know who you are. Damian is none of that, when he starts.

Jason helps him next. Damian is surprised at how peaceful Jason’s bending is. Much like earthbending, Damian has to learn to be calm and to use his mind before lashing out with bending––because with fire, unlike air, you can cause far more damage.

They don’t even know Tim is a bender (he hides it) until Damian sees him bloodbending one day. Dami becomes terrified of Tim––and Tim doesn’t understand why Damian suddenly avoids him, no longer fights him, etc.

VGHSJAKJDHSJ sorry it’s a lot but omg if you have more you should add some!!!

[swisssadge]

Hand-to-hand martial arts for the Gold Saints

Yes, I decided to focus on weaponless martial arts only. n.n Because I know two or three Saints, which would be SO obvious otherwise (wink wink). I mean, come on: Aiolos would totally do Kyudo (Japanese archery), and Shura would be so doing Iaido or Kendo. Those would be the styles for Sagittarius and Capricorn Saints in EVERY list. Anyways, I tried my best to find the martial art that fits personality and or fighting style of each one. Or, if this doesn’t work, can be connected to the Saint in question in some other way, however farfetched. Like if I can picture him doing a certain martial art really, really well.

HOWEVER: If a martial art does include a weapons training, but has the main focus on hand-to-hand combat (like for example Aikido), it still qualifies as candidate here.

 So here goes this little list. And do not hesitate to tell me what martial arts you would give the Saints.

 P.S.: I am an Aikidoka and also know single tidbits about other martial arts as well.

 Mu: Tai Chi

We all know that Mu is quite a calm person, especially for an Aries. In my mind, when imagining him doing some martial arts, I've always pictured him doing Tai Chi. And with his psychic abilities, a martial art that is nicknamed "meditation in motion" would be perfect for him.

 Aldebaran: Hung Gar Kung Fu

So, those of you who know a bit about martial arts might think: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu no question! Alde is Brazilian! Well, yes, he is. However… As I had to find out, BJJ doesn't fit his personality or fighting style in the slightest. Sumo was not viable either, since Aldebaran is not fat at all. So, after some thinking, I finally got it: Hung Gar Kung Fu. It has powerful stances and blows. Also, it was the style on which Avatar's Earthbending was based on. (I think the pieces fall in place now for everyone who knows Avatar.) And so, for actually multiple reasons, I think Hung Gar fits Aldebaran much better than BJJ. Hm… a style where speed is of the essence would of course be great too, since it is said Aldebaran, despite his size and strenght, is actually the fastest Gold Saint. However, except Wing Chun with its rapid-fire punches, I couldn't think of any. And Wing Chun doesn't really fit Aldebaran.

 Saga and Kanon: Judo

This one… I don't even know why I always picture the twins doing Judo together. I could have given them one of plenty other martial arts… but for some reason, it was Judo who stuck with me. Perhaps because of those instances in which one of the two Judoka has a blue gi instead of a white one…? Unfortunately, I don’t know of any martial art heavily using distractions (like through movement of hands and/or feet). Cause that would go perfectly with their illusionary techniques.

 Deathmask: Mixed Martial Arts

I don't mean it in a negative way, but MMA has always had a bit of a rogueish vibe to me. And I think Deathmask is the type of anything goes anyways. One who doesn't necessarily stick to the rules. Winning at (almost?) all costs. So I think, MMA, which throws many different techniques together, fits him better than any of the more, hm, structured martial arts. And let's be honest, MMA practitioners can give off a bit of a bad boy vibe sometimes, no? ;)

 Aiolia: Muay Thai

Well, in my head, Aiolia is similar to Regulus. A strong and skilled fighter, and somewhat a natural at it. Of course not in the child genius way of Regulus. And as the Leo Saint, I imagine him to have some inner wildness and ferocity that comes out when he's in combat (though we haven't really seen that in manga or anime). So, I think one of the most devastating martial arts which even uses knees and elbows in addition to arms and legs suits him quite well.

 Shaka: Aikido

If there is one martial arts that fits the buddhist mindset the most, it is Aikido. And were he not a Gold Saint, Shaka might even be as big a pacifist as Shun, if not even bigger. So, I think he'd be right at home in Aikido, a non-competitive martial art which is all about using an opponent's energy against him, and if possible not getting into fights in the first place.

 Dohko: Tiger Style Kung Fu

… Need I really explain this one? XD Really, when I tried to come up with an alternative, I wasn't able to. Though, without the tiger on his back, any other Chinese martial art would have been a candidate. Though which one? He just hasn't really a distinct enough fighting style for me to close in on anything specific. So,Tiger Style it is. And for Specter!Dohko, there would be even the style of the Black Tiger Fist.

 Milo: Eagle Claw Kung Fu

This one was actually a bit frustrating. I wanted to give Milo either Dim Mak or Kyusho, as it is known in Japan. Because come on: Pressure points would be on point with his Scarlet Needle technique (pun fully intended). But no, they turn out to be concepts, not full martial arts… Unfortunately, there is no martial art that focuses so heavily on pressure points. And while according to Wikipedia, there is a Scorpion Kung Fu style, I didn't find any other info about such a style. So I have to go with my gut a bit here. A style I can absolutely picture Milo doing. One I know does in fact exists and does use strikes to pressure points to some extent. I present: The Eagle Claw Kung Fu style. Which apparently is THE martial art focusing on pressure points more than any other.

 Aiolos: Jeet Kune Do

For one, Bruce Lee, the inventor of JKD, was a Sagittarian himself. And they were both incredibly skilled, Lee as a martial artist, Aiolos as a Saint. And as if the mobile game Cosmo Fantasy wanted to strenghten my opinion, there is a version of Aiolos in it with God Cloth and Libra weapon. Which weapon did he get? The freaking nunchaku. XD It all just screams Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do. Also, I do think that the style would fit him otherwise, too.

 Shura: Karate

Karate-do literally means way of the empty hand. And if there is one Saint whose hand is a weapon, it is Shura. And since Karate has kicks too, it would even fit with his Jumping Stone technique.

 Camus: Savate

I had actually two possible candidates for Camus. Savate from France and Sambo from Russia (he did train in Siberia, after all). And of the two, Savate is the style fitting Camus more, because it has a touch more elegance than Sambo. I doubt that Camus would be in for any kind of brutal martial arts, and in Sambo, apparently things can get really, really rough. That Savate is from France is just the icing on the cake. And as the example of Aldebaran showed, it was by now means a given that the martial arts of his homeland would have suited him.

 Aphrodite: Crane Style Kung Fu

*big facepalm* I originally put Ninjutsu here, because of how Aphrodite uses his roses. However… I think I said weaponless martial arts. So scratch that. Ninjutsu has its hand-to-hand combat, but it uses way too many tools. Also, the way Aphrodite wants to showcase his beauty, I doubt he'd appreciate having to work hidden in the shadows. And since Aphrodite is all about beauty and grace, he needs a martial art linked to that. Unfortunately, I haven't heard of a martial art called "beautiful but deadly." There is only one style that comes to my mind when talking about grace. I give you: The Crane Style Kung Fu. Of all the animal styles, the Crane is the one representing elegance the most.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Supercorp SAO AU, Pt 3

Kara hasn't ever met Lena's husband. Honestly, she isn't entirely sure Lena has either. He's never home, Lena's apartment very much her own from the art to the books to the furniture. If not for the occasional tabloid photo, the wedding portrait on Lena's mantel, and the rings on her left hand, Kara might have assumed the husband to be a specter to dissuade would-be suitors. Even so, she can't help but notice the way Lena's smile dims when she sees his number on her phone during movie night. "It's nothing," Lena says, when Kara works up enough nerve to mention it. "He likes to pick fights. I used to enjoy the debates we'd have, but lately... I don't know. It doesn't feel like debate anymore. And at the end of the day I don't have the energy for it." Over the weeks and months, Kara learns about him in bits and pieces. That he was a friend of Lex's, and that they fell in love over the course of several summers. That he had his own tech company, who had just migrated to a new market on another continent, hence his absence. One time, Kara arrives to movie night to hear Lena almost shouting into her phone. Her tone is the kind Kara only heard once in all their time in Aincrad-- when she'd been on the verge of committing murder, against a player who had nearly poisoned Kara to death. Dark, menacing, and inhumanly cold. 

"Come anywhere near my company again, and I will slap you with enough lawsuits to keep you and your pathetic excuse for a firm underwater for the next thirty years. Do you understand me?" She barely pauses long enough for her victim to open their mouth before interrupting, her voice pitching even lower. "I said-- do. you. understand. I want to hear you say it."

Lena hasn't registered Kara's arrival yet, and so Kara shifts awkwardly as she waits, trying not to watch as Lena's lips twist into a cruel smirk. "Good boy." She ends the call shortly thereafter, and starts in surprise when she turns to find Kara standing in her foyer. "Kara! Gosh, you startled me!" She sounds like herself again, but Kara eyes her warily. "Is tonight a bad time? I can come back--" "Don't be ridiculous!" Lena beams, rolling her eyes. "Marital squabbles might be a bitch, but it'll take a lot more than that to keep us from movie night. What's on for tonight? Die Hard?" Before long, Kara is curled up against Lena's side on the couch, sharing a blanket as Bruce Willis yippee-ki-yays across the screen. The call lingers at the back of her mind, and she decides right then and there that if Lena's husband is someone who brings out that side of her.... he doesn't know Lena at all. Perhaps Kara's favorite part of their friendship is their party. It happens by accident-- Kara stumbles across her during a trial period of a new VR. She's an elf this time, and her username is Kieran, but her avatar still looks mostly like herself. "I didn't know you played," Kara says, scuffed her dwarven boot against the ground. She's a little hurt that Lena hasn't ever mentioned it. "I should have told you," Lena admits. "I'm sorry I didn't, but after what you told me about your time in SAO, I was worried if we connected in a game, I... I guess I worried I wouldn't measure up to her. It sounds really silly to say it out loud. I really cherish our friendship, Kara, and I was scared I might lose it if you spotted too many differences between us. Between me and her." Kara smiles, and throws her short, but strong arms around Lena and squeezes right. "Not possible." After that, they're inseperable in the VR world. They try new games together, and the nature of Lena's position grants Kara beta access to countless games still in development. They explore entire worlds together, and Kara finds that Lena needn't be worried at all. She is Lena. The Lena Kara loved in Aincrad didn't stray far from the template of her creator's personality and fighting style, and in VR Lena comes alive in a way she doesn't in the real world-- as though anything could top that. In VR Kara watches Lena lead raid parties with expert precision, sharp and intense but also warm and inviting. More than once Lena helps inexperienced players level up, and shares the secret spawn points for creatures that drop rare items. Kara misses Lena-in-Aincrad, misses what they shared together, but she loves this Lena, the whole of Lena, with her entire being. Eventually, they beta test ALO together, by virtue of the fact that Lena's husband headed the development team that produced the matrix for it. It's a world that rivals Aincrad in beauty and scale. Better yet, it allows magic use, and every race has the ability to fly. One day, they spend an afternoon simply flying through a rainstorm, dodging lightning bolts and collecting thunderbells to smith armor with. Somewhere between the rain on her skin and laughter that gets swallowed by thunder, Kara simply stops and watches as Lena loops into a tight corkscrew to snag an escaping ingot. Her grin is as bright as the lightning, and when their eyes meet Kara's chest tightens at the heated expectance that opens Lena's features into something intimately familiar. Before either of them can speak, the in-game alarm alerts them to the end of their scheduled session, Kara immediately wakes and rolls to her phone. I love you. She almost hits send, but the phone buzzes in her hand before her finger can tap the button. Not a bad way to spend the last day of beta, Lena texts, with pulsing dots following to warn of an incoming note. I think that might be my favorite quest so far. Catch you next rainstorm? Kara deletes her previous message. Launch Day is marked on my calendar. Can't wait. The pulsing dots appear and disappear several times before Lena's next message finally comes through. You're my favorite. Kara rolls over, clasping her phone to her pounding chest. As she drifts off to sleep, those three words sear themselves across the back of her eyelids. You're my favorite. --- "So when will you be back online?" Kara asks over the phone almost a month later. The ALO launch is coming up, and their standing date (it's not a date) looms in the back of Kara's mind. Across the line, Lena sighs. "I'm not sure." Lena's work has kept her busy since their night chasing lightning. They've barely spoken, let alone lunched or gamed. "Were still on for the ALO launch, though, right?" Silence answers her. In a rare moment of petulance, Kara pouts. "Lena, you promised." "Yeah," Lena breathes. "Yeah, you're right, I did. At this point it looks like I might be traveling that day, but I'll try to reschedule some things. I don't know how much time I can spare though." "That's okay!" Kara chirps, grabbing at the compromise with both hands. "I just want to see you. I miss you." "I miss you too, you have no idea." A rumble of voices on the other end cuts their time short. "Sorry, I have to go," Lena says. "But I'll do what I can, I promise." "Okay. See you then." From that night on, Kara counts down the days. When Launch Day dawns, Kara logs in immediately. She waits for hours, selecting an avatar that looks almost like herself. In fact it's  a dead ringer except for the white feathered wings that fold up snugly against her back, and unfurl between the slats of her armor. As she waits for Lena to log in, she experiments with her new wings (during beta, she'd chosen fairy wings), and revels in the power of every stroke. She feels the most like she did in Aincrad, and it feels like coming home. But as she waits, the faces who greet her aren't Lena's. She passes on joining other survivors for a commemorative hunt, even as the sun dips below the horizon, and in her heart she knows Lena won't make it. Still she waits. Just in case. When she finally logs out, Kara texts Lena, but sends only a frowning emoji. Then she turns it off and goes to sleep, determined to let whatever apology Lena sends sit unopened until she wakes. But no response is waiting for her when she gets up the next morning, and none comes for the entire week that follows. That week spreads to two, and then three. Kara's disappointment shifts to irritation when she assumes Lena is trying to avoid her after missing the launch, but then snaps to concern when even her calls go unanswered until her voicemail is too full to record any more. Something is wrong. She calls Lena's office, her assistant, sends countless emails, but gets nothing except a cagey brush off from Lena's assistant. When Kara goes to L-Corp herself, she's rebuffed at the door. "Orders came down from the top, Miss Danvers. You're no longer permitted in the building." "What? That's ridiculous! Lena wouldn't--" "You'll have to take that up with her, ma'am." "I'm TRYING." But to no avail. Kara gets nowhere, and is left bewildered and hurt and afraid for Lena who she can't quite believe would cut her out so abruptly. Alex doesn't have any advice to give her, except to be patient and keep trying. So all Kara can do is log in to ALO every night, and watch her friend list, praying that Lena will log in. She never does. Then, one night, Kara receives an anonymous message in her inbox. She doesn't know how a player could send an anonymous message, as the privacy on her inbox is set to friends only. Nevertheless, she opens it. "Meet me tomorrow night at 1am." It includes a National City address. She doesn't need Alex to tell her it's a bad idea. But her gut tells her it's about Lena-- maybe even Lena herself-- and so she goes to the location at the designated time with her heart in her throat. It's not Lena. Rather, it's her assistant, Jess. "Come with me," Jess tells her. Kara obeys, and after a furtive drive through the city, Jess leads her into a nondescript building that has more locked doors than Fort Knox. Finally, Jess swipes her security pass over the final sensor, and pushes into a room filled with medical equipment. For a moment, Kara sees her own hospital room, when she woke up from her SAO coma, filled with the same equipment. She's had this dream before. But the figure lying prone in the sterile bed isn't herself. It's Lena. "Oh my god." "She logged in the morning of the ALO launch," Jess informs her, her voice quiet. "She cleared her schedule for it. But she never woke up, and when we reviewed the game data, it never showed her syncing up to the game." Lena's features are slack inside the visor of the NervGear. When Kara takes her hand, her skin is cool, and waxy, like it isn't even human. But it is. Kara recognizes the scar on Lena's wrist, from a soldering accident when she was twelve. "I don't believe them," Jess murmurs. Kara blinks. "What?" "The new Nerv models are designed with multiple redundancies after the SAO incident. If she didn't connect, Lena would have woken up instantly." "Is it possible it could have been tampered with?" Jess shrugs. "Maybe. But the logistics of doing so without Lena noticing just aren't feasible." Kara regards her solemnly. "It sounds like you have an alternate theory." "It would be easier to alter the game data than tamper with the gear. Someone involved with the game's development would have easy access and ample opportunity." Someone involved in the game's development? Like... "Her husband?" "He's already assumed her seat on the board as interim chair. And he's already proposing changes Lena vetoed earlier this year. There enough members who agreed with Lena's veto that they've resisted him so far, but it won't be long before he wears them down." Rage burns low in Kara's belly. Bastard. Gritting her teeth, she meets Jess' gaze. The woman's face is well past angry-- she's exhausted, and at the end of her rope. It's clear that Kara is her last hail mary. "I'm going to lose my job the moment they find out I brought you here," Jess warns. "After that, I won't have any access. But I can't help her from here anyway." "You think she's trapped in the game," Kara surmises. Jess nods. "My guess is there's a backdoor that lets them control a small area of the game. To avoid detection by the moderating algorithms, they've probably built it into the context of the game-- an uncharted area that only becomes available after completing a legendary quest." Or clearing the final floor boss, Kara thinks bitterly. Her hand tightens on Lena's limp fingers. This is SAO all over again, except this time... This time, Lena is alone. "I've been searching every second I spend at home, but haven't found anything," Jess continues. "But I'm certain the answer to waking Lena up is in the game itself. That's why I reached out to you." Kara's head lifts sharply, surprised by the admission. Jess returns her gaze solemnly, her features hard. "If anyone can beat a broken game from the inside, it's you."

previous / next

[maddhatterreviews]

So something kinda funny happened a while ago

I was completely unaware that DC Superhero Girls had started airing again. That wouldn’t be that much of an issue, except I also forgot that I set my DVR to record new episodes months ago. So imagine my surprise when I check the DVR and find five new episodes of Superhero girls just there. 

And I thought it would be fun to go over the episodes I saw, since there’s actually some good stuff in them. I doubt I’ll do this again anytime soon, but still. 

Tween Titans: This actually came out after I found the recorded episodes, but I figured I’d throw it in too. Mostly because I don’t actually have that much to say about it. Karen and Jess get a job babysitting Dick Grayson and the other Titans, but they are all around ten years old. There wasn’t anything particularly special about this episode. It was just kinda fun watching Bumblebee and Green Lantern having to deal with a bunch of superpowered kids. 

I will say the time line seems about right. Dick is usually a few years younger than Barbara, and the characters are specifically called tweens, so he has to be somewhere between ten and twelve years old. We also got to see Bruce Wayne first hand for the first time. It is kinda funny to continue to see two of the three members of the Trinity being assholes. Although, to be fair we’ve really only seen Superman through Supergirl’s eyes and she has a pretty strong bias against him. And it’s unsure how much of Bruce’s douche nature is all part of the “Bruce Wayne Act” he usually has going on.

And I have a distinct feeling this episode is a direct response to Teen Titans Go. While most fans of the Titans either actively hate Go or are generally ambivalent towards it. I kinda have a feeling Lauren Faust might be slightly resentful towards Teen Titans Go since Super Best Friends Forever basically got passed over for it. It’s just the fact that they used the most popular version of the Titans, which just happens to be the same lineup as Go. It could be coincidence, but considering the Titans act like hyper-active brats, a fairly common criticism of Go, it really seems like Lauren Faust is taking a dig at Teen Titans Go.

All about Zee: A girl from school nobody talks to or really acknowledges becomes obsessed with Zatanna and eventually takes both her physical appearance and powers. She figures out Zatanna’s other friends are the superhero girls and takes their powers and appearances as well, becoming a hodgepodge of them all. This is easily the weakest episode for me. I’ve seen this premise a bunch of times and it’s never not felt cringy as shit. 

It feels like this was the episode that really felt like it was pulling influence for MLP. People were saying Zatanna was a lot like Rarity, and Rarity’s main thing was generosity right? I don’t know, that’s just how it feels to me. 

I think it is kinda funny that the running joke of the villain of this episode is that no one knows who she is and they can’t remember her name because I can’t either. And I’m also not sure if she existed in the comics either. Maybe she’s a Zatanna villain, I don’t know, I haven’t read many of her books. I thought she was Cole for a minute, but as far as I know, the whole changing appearance thing isn’t something Cole can do. 

I don’t know, this just didn’t feel like this show’s best, you know?

Living the Nightmare: Another Zatanna focused episode, and a marked improvement over the last. The Girls are having a sleepover at Zatanna’s place and they start talking about nightmares, specifically how Zatanna doesn’t have nightmares because she doesn’t have any insecurities or anxieties that can manifest within her subconscious. So, of course the villain of the episode attacks the girls through their dreams. 

I initially thought the villain was going to be long standing Justice League villain Dr. Destiny, but turned out to be a relatively new Zatanna villain named Fuseli. A demon who feeds off of people’s nightmares. And since Zatanna doesn’t get nightmares, she has to enter her friend’s dreams to find the little bastard. 

I usually like episodes like this. It’s a good way to quite literally get into the heads of the protagonists. We don’t get a lot of insight into most of the girls unfortunately. Most of their nightmares are by and large inconsequential. Kara is afraid of cockroaches, Diana is (Inexplicably) afraid of teddy bears, and Babs is afraid of...sharks I think? Karen’s fear has a bit more substance since she’s afraid of public speaking, but that’s to be expected from a character whose main defining trait is being shy. 

The two interesting dreams are Jess’s and Zatanna’s. A common criticism of the portrayal of the characters was the omission of the anxiety and mental issues that were part of Jess’s backstory. In the comics, Jess was an agoraphobic who experienced an extremely traumatic event before having the powers of Power Ring, the evil Earth-3 Green Lantern that’s powered by fear instead of Will power, forced on her. Lauren Faust has openly stated that Jess had gotten over most of her issues before the series began, but this episode alludes to the idea that she hasn’t gotten over them completely. And this could set up for future episodes to further explore Jess’s issues in full context. This episode is about Zatanna after all. 

Speaking of, Zatanna’s claim that she doesn’t have any issues isn’t entirely true. I wouldn’t call it a running joke, but a recurring plot point in the series is that Zatanna’s magic isn’t the best. She usually comes through at the end of the day, but more often than not, Zatanna’s attempts to perform magic will backfire in some way. And after tricking Fuseli out of her friends’ dreams and into her own, It’s revealed that she did in fact have something she was scared of. Zatanna is actually afraid of her own full magical potential, and that if she didn’t have enough control she might hurt someone. The reason she doesn’t have any nightmares about it was because someone, most likely her father, magically suppressed them. 

This is also one of the few times so far that the show brought up and expounded upon a storyline that appeared earlier in the series. Abrakadabrapalooza showed that Zatanna’s powers first manifesting scared the absolute shit out of her. While she quickly accepted her magical powers, I have to assume it still really freaked her out considering she almost destroyed the Green Room she was in, and could have easily developed a complex as she was learning to control her powers. Zatara, seeing the toll the incident in the Green Room was having on his daughter, could have locked away her fears so she could have peace of mind while she trains to become a better sorceress. 

Of course Fuseli, being a nightmare demon, manifests Zatanna’s repressed fears and there’s a big showdown where Zatanna obviously wins. There’s some interesting implications about Zatanna having her fears suppressed; like what will happen to her now that her fears are out and she acknowledges them. This was a fun episode and it does a decent amount to develop Zatanna. 

Dinner for five: Not my favorite of the bunch but it is up there. Dinner for Five doesn’t do much to develop the characters and the only one of the main Girls in the episode is Barbara. It’s just a really fun episode with a lot of action, great interactions and good comedy. It also introduces Deathstroke into the show, which is genuinely surprising. 

The episode is about Babs meeting a new friend in school, Rose Wilson, whose father just happens to be Deathstroke. The fights between Babs and Deathstroke are one of the highlights of the episode. Superhero Girls has some above board animation, but it’s not what the show is known for. This isn’t exactly Avatar, Rise of the TMNT, or even the original Teen Titans. The fight scenes have always been less about choreography and more about Loony Tunes’ esque slapstick and visual humor. And the fights between Babs and Deathstroke are some of the best mediums between the comedic style of fighting this show is known for and more serious fight animation. 

What really surprised me about this episode is the just that Deathstroke was the villain and the show actually named him Deathstroke, kept him as an assassin, and outright claimed that he killed many people, and the entire reason he and Rose came to Mertopolis was to murder Jim Gordon. This is especially surprising considering the reason Deathstroke was named Slade in Teen Titans was because Cartoon Network wasn’t sure they could get away with a recurring villain being named Deathstroke the Terminator. So it’s just kinda funny that DC Superhero Girls did that even though it’s  aiming at the same, if not a slightly younger demographic than Teen Titans. 

The story is also a prime example of the beauty in simplicity. With a premise like “Babs makes friends with Deathstorke’s daughter” I would have figured there’d be some kind of third act twist where it turns out Rose is actually Deathstroke herself, or she takes up her Ravager identity and she and Deathstroke both fight Babs. But no. Rose is just a nice sweet girl that really likes Babs and her dad just happens to be an infamous assassin. She even knows he’s Deathstroke and walks in on him about to murder Babs. And she just scolds him for doing so, and kind of implies Deathstroke has tried to kill her friends before. 

Bottom line, this was a fun simple episode 

Retreat: This is another low point for me. It’s not as bad as All about Zee, but there isn’t much to say about it either. Even though I don’t have a problem with episodes just being fun and not having any relevance to the larger narrative or developing the characters, Retreat especially feels like filler. 

Jess drags Babs, Karen, Hal, and Garth into the woods for a camping trip, and springs on them that she also invited Pam. And Pam immediately freaks out when the others start using various tree parts to do stuff around the campset. Pam runs off into the woods and turns into Poison Ivy to raise a small army of plant monsters to straight up kill the others. As she does this, Babs tells Garth, Karen, and Hal a scary story about a witch of the woods, and of course Ivy’s plant monsters attack just as she finishes her story. 

The rest of the episode is just the heroes fighting off the plant monsters with various shenanigans happening as they try to survive, since Jess insisted that they put all their technology, including all of their weapons, in a bag tied to a tree. And It’s all pretty solid. I can’t think of anything overtly wrong with this episode, it just doesn’t really do anything all that special. It is still a little annoying that the running joke of Aqualad being useless is still going on. But at least they acknowledge that Garth is the only one of the heroes whose powers don’t come from an external source. He still gets taken out pretty easily, but at least they show he is one of the strongest characters in the show, even if he is still a joke. 

It is still funny that Jess is so adamant that she and Pam are friends, when Pam’s antipathy towards her and the other is clear as fucking day. While it is kinda ridiculous that the Superhero Girls and Supervillain Girls can’t seem to put two and two together and figure out who the other is (Especially since Babs put it together that Rose’s dad was Deathstroke pretty fuckin quick) I honestly hope this dynamic sticks around for as long as possible. Logic be damned. 

Ally Cat: This is easily, the best episode of the bunch. And it brings up something I’ve been waiting for since the first episode: Lex Luthor coming back as a villain. And holy shit, was it worth the wait. 

The episode begins with a news report showing Lex digging up Stonehenge to find the mythical Book of Eternity. An ancient tome that Zatanna claims is able to predict the future with perfect accuracy. Because no one in this universe, or at least none of the six main girls, knows that Lex is a massive asshole they’re not too worried about him having a Book that powerful. But Zatanna insists that no one should have that much power and actually suggest they steal the book from Lex. 

Most of the girls are apprehensive, but Babs is surprisingly on board with the idea, and is sure she could come up with a plan to sneak into Lexcorp. Unfortunately, Babs has to go out of town with her dad, and can’t help heist. (And I kinda love that Babs insists that they’re not stealing they’re pulling off a heist, like there’s some kind of difference) So the girls do the only other logical thing they can think of; find Catwoman and get her to plan the heist for them. 

It is a solid plan, and it’s kinda funny that Diana either doesn’t understand the concept of blackmail or is so righteous and good she doesn’t recognize that she and the other girls are doing it to get Catwoman to help them. Either way, Catwoman does come up with a fairly genius plan to get them into Lex’s vault. 

I have to admit I really love what this series does with Catwoman. Making Selina black is whatever, it’s not that big of a deal to be honest. But the fact that Summer Cree was directed to emulate the Eartha Kit version of Catwoman adds a lot to the performance. And it’s kinda great that they made Catwoman the brains of the Villain Girls. Catwoman’s always been clever, but this show almost seems to make her out to be almost, if not just as intelligent as Lex. 

Speaking of Lex, after they just barely manage to get into the elevator to take them to Lex’s vault (Catwoman’s plan almost immediately goes south because the Girls absolutely suck at being criminals) Lex confronts them in his vault, traps the girls, and reveals that Catwoman had actually been working with Lex the whole time. It does make the Girls almost fucking up the plan to get here even funnier in retrospect, since it’s clear Lex wanted them in the vault in the first place. He also reveals that he’s managed to capture the Invinci-Bros and even Superman. 

Lex explains that he read the Book of Eternity, and knew that the Superhero Girls were going to try and steal the book by asking Catwoman for help, so he just got to her first. He was able to predict everyone’s moves thanks to the book, which allowed him to effortlessly incapacitate everyone he’s confronted so far. He claims he needed every hero in the city out of the way so he could enact his master plan. The plan he decides to tell Catwoman, simply because he doesn’t think she can stop him and he’s about to send her out of the city anyway. 

Thanks to the Book of Eternity, Lex knows that a huge meteor is hurtling towards Earth that will utterly destroy Metropolis and possibly cause global ecological devastation. Lex plans to let the meteor hit, have millions of people die and come in as the big goddamn hero he wants everyone to see him as, and have his technology save the surviving citizenry and rebuild the city in his own image. 

This is why I think this series is so good. It’s dumb and goofy, but when it wants to get dark, Holy Shit! They do not pull any punches with this plot. Catwoman out right says that countless people will die if Lex does this; and Lex does not give a shit. Lex Luthor’s main defining character trait is being a megalomaniacal sociopath with little to no regard for human life. He’s obsessed with his own self-image and will destroy anyone or anything to make himself look better. And this episode encapsulates that perfectly 

The show doesn’t do anything too extreme, but this plan shows just how evil Lex can be simply by not sugar coating the death toll that will result from it. To the point even one of our recurring villains is utterly horrified by it. But he does seem to scare her off before she can do anything to try and stop him. Fortunately, like in the comics, Catwoman admits that while she’s a thief, she isn’t willing to let an entire city die just to save herself. She doubles back and releases the Superhero Girls so that they can save the city from the meteor. 

Catwoman finds Lex on a boat and tells him that after he hired her to trick the Girls, she took a look at the book herself and figured out what Lex’s plan was. So she tore out the page that said what she’d do after the Girls were captured and double crossed Lex. This is also completely in character for Lex. He is so smart that Lex will always underestimate whoever he’s dealing with, so it’s usually surprisingly easy to trick or outsmart him. Especially for someone as clever as Catwoman. 

Of course, Catwoman tries to take the Book of Eternity from Lex, but the Girls show up and get the book from her. And the episode ends with Catwoman robbing Lex blind, and showing that the male superheroes are still in Lex’s cages. 

This was another thirty minute long special, and probably one of the best so far. It did a great job of showcasing just how dangerous this version of Lex is, while still keeping him kid friendly. He was silly and danced around during his fight with the heroes, but he still planned on letting an entire city be destroyed just to make himself look good. It was also fun to see Catwoman’s more anti-heroic side coming out in this, since DC Superhero Girls has her set up as a pure villain. 

And that pretty much everything. This took a lot longer to write, and I will never try to review five episodes of a tv show again, but it was fun to get all my thoughts about this show out. A new episode came out while I was writing this, but I’m not gonna talk about that one this time. I just want to get this one done. Still, as simple as this show is, it continues to be a fun superhero cartoon that I hope will get more kids into DC’s heroes. 

[perpetuallyfive]

some thoughts on Endgame

I always find it a lot easier to write very long rants about things I dislike than praise about things that I like. It just feels like the good things are obvious, you know? So compiling them in lists feels a little pointless.

It’s why I haven’t written anything about Endgame yet. I honestly thought Infinity War was pretty average at best, so the fact that I fucking loved practically every single minute of Endgame kind of caught me by surprise. It checked so many of my boxes that it’s almost hard to even articulate. 

So much of what was good about it honestly felt almost inevitable.

Mark me down as pretty confused then as I read some of the negative responses. Like... obviously, I’m just being dense. Nothing exists, especially on the internet, without some negative response. And I don’t even mean that in a pithy way. People are really different and what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone.

Which brings me back to my earlier point.

Just because I thought some of this stuff was obvious or amazing doesn’t mean everyone did, so here are a few observations, in an unordered list:

The way that time travel works in the movie is deliberately left a little vague, in my opinion, to allow wiggle room for the multiverse moving forward, especially as they expand into streaming services.

They do however clearly say that you cannot change your own past. Bruce says it. This means that Steve absolutely is not in our timeline, whatever the writers might say about it now. He’s not. In our timeline, he knew Peggy married someone else. That’s in his past. He cannot change his past in his own timeline. Therefor he cannot change who Peggy marries in his own timeline.

Seriously, he’s not in our timeline. They’re just wrong.

This means you have a million possibilities in fanfic for all the things Steve did that sent out ripples in his own new timeline or the many multiverses he could have created. It’s a fucking candy shop.

Try not to be too hard on the writers for having no idea what they’re talking about, I guess; it’s hard writing characters that are way smarter than you.

Am I less than charitable toward the writers because of their dumb takes on Natasha in defending why she’s not a part of the funeral at the end? Yes.

Just put a fucking second wreath there, god damn, would it have been so hard.

Framing Nebula’s storyline as a bad thing, which I’ve seen a few times now, is frankly insane to me. She isn’t, as the daily dot put it, killing herself. She missed her chance to save her sister five years ago and has regretted it every since. The second Gamora is at stake this time, she makes it clear that she would sacrifice anything (even someone who looked like her), to prevent losing her sister again. That’s great shit!

I am bummed we don’t get original Gamora back, but I’m also intrigued by the soft reset this does on her relationship with everyone in the Guardians. I wonder what their plans are with that in Vol 3. In many ways, her healing process away from Thanos was sidelined in the first two films and this allows the possibility of reframing that as more central to the focus in the third. Fingers crossed.

More Gamora and Nebula in general but especially in Guardians 3 please; I might threaten to retroactively like this movie less if this is the last we get of this much attention on their relationship, please and thank you.

The problem with the MCU crossover movies is they have to exist as two things at once. They have to be a movie that works as its own thing with good timing, pacing, structure, and an end that feels conclusive. They also have to pay off minor characters that mainstream audiences might not care about, as part of larger world building and the stories shared across an entire universe. Endgame, in my opinion, did a much better job of it than Infinity War or Ultron. (it’s hard to compare it with Avengers, when the scale was much more intimate.) 

No but really, I don’t think a lot of us in fandom have an appreciation for how many people don’t know any of this shit we take for granted. A shocking number of the people I have spoken to IRL who are entirely apart from fandom didn’t even know what “on your left” was a reference to and were actually a little confused by that moment. 

Just think about that and understand the levels this movie has to operate on at all times. It’s almost enough to make me feel bad for the writers, except they still said dumb shit about Nat, so I’m good.

I did actually love all the more subtle callbacks, like Natasha’s necklace and T’Challa knowing Clint’s name, but the direct quotes were pretty great too, especially Steve’s reaction to “I could do this all day.” Super charming.

Another awkward thing about the crossovers is they have to try to level the playing field slightly and there are some Avengers who are just way more powerful than others. Carol was disappointingly absent, but she’s also insanely OP. It’s why Thor got depressed and it’s why the Russos now say that Hulk will have limited use of one arm. They nerfed some of the classic Avengers, but kept Carol full powered just off in space. That’s preferable, so long as she gets more screen time later and jesus please fix the wig. Or just do the actual haircut now that it doesn’t have to be a secret.

Please dear god the hair is great in concept but seriously if there’s anything about the straight agenda ruining Endgame it’s how borderline soccer mom they managed to make that hair look.

Natasha deserved better and I think we can all agree on that, but here’s hoping that her prequel is deliberately designed to echo the destination we know she’s headed toward and to give her a better resolution more in line with what she deserved. I want to believe that they didn’t give her a full ending entirely because they knew she still had a movie coming up and didn’t want to create that sense of finality that might keep audiences from seeing it. Here’s hoping they can make it work. 

Like specifically with very different writers, please. Hopefully a woman. You’ve maybe heard of them before, one of them wrote Guardians, the movie that nobody thought could work and fucking made it work. Yeah.

Tony and Steve were always headed in opposing directions at the end of their arc. This has been covered. Tony went from living selfishly to living selflessly. He went from a playboy bachelor, to a husband, to a father. His one priority when he decided he had to save the world wasn’t even himself, it was specifically keeping his daughter in existence. He went from a selfish dick with daddy issues to someone whose only priority was being a dad.

it was perfect. Like people can say otherwise... but they’re wrong.

 I’m an expert on this, clearly. Tony’s death was perfect. 

THEY FINALLY GAVE ME RESCUE. I loved everything about it, from Tony planning it carefully for a long time -- like obviously I think it’s because he was customizing the design to be more in line with Pepper’s wants and values, like it is in the comics -- to the fact that it actually does look more defensively focused but still super capable in battle. I want to watch this movie a billion times, honestly, but this scene in particular. I need to know everything about what her suit can do.

Steve was always going to end up settling down. We don’t actually know what he did in his own timeline -- again, IT’S NOT OURS -- so there’s a chance he was still a bit of a troublemaker, but honestly the five years seemed to take a lot out of him. He doesn’t always need a war, and that actually is forward momentum and growth. I get that some people are against the idea and think that getting to be with Peggy was somehow a step back, but I’m not sure I buy that.

Tony taking out the arc reaction at the end of IM3 wasn’t actually about him erasing his trauma or leaving it behind, and Steve getting to be with Peggy doesn’t erase his growth. It was part of it.

Theoretically Sharon was always an option, except the audience (and fandom) response to her was pretty terrible, so actually she wasn’t.

And not to just keep harping on points made in an article that I think is frankly pretty terrible, but Steve going back to the past instead of settling in the present wasn’t about compulsory heterosexuality so much as it was about a franchise that is going to keep making movies needing to keep the next decade of films in mind. 

If Steve is still around in the now, that will always linger as a nagging question. The same way that people can’t shut up about where Carol was for the last decade, Steve hanging around in retirement refusing to help would hang over the next phases of movies like a cloud. Putting him in the past lets him live (which he deserves) and clears the slate.

Let Steve rest but, more than that, dear god won’t you please let Chris Evans rest too.

This goes back to how these movies, especially the crossovers, have to work on almost too many levels and it’s frankly shocking that they manage to do it and still have moments of sincere humanity and sweetness. 

Like I’m not going to try to oversell it, but seriously fucking think about the fact that one of the most successful blockbuster movies of all time actually has quiet moments where people talk about trauma, loss, parental abuse or neglect, failure, and depression. 

Hey remember when the movie gave us acknowledgement of Rhodey and Nebula’s disabilities? In the possibly going to be most successful movie of all time, they had characters with disabilities say how they’re different now but it’s okay, they work with what they got, and they bonded over that and it was so fucking shocking for me and BEAUTIFUL. Just a reminder for us all that THAT happened in the movie that may actually pass Avatar to become the MOST SUCCESSFUL FILM OF ALL TIME.

Just allowing another moment to let that sink in while I try to wrap this up (for now).

ps I can’t believe this movie made me have nice thoughts on Ultron, which I fucking despise with most of my being. 

Actually I might have to take back every nice thing I said, just because of the Ultron thing. How dare you, film.

But still lol at the fact that even talking about Ultron for a few seconds was enough to make Tony Stark pass the fuck out. Hard same, Tony. 

LOOK OBVIOUSLY I LOVED MORGAN STARK. I AM EXCITED ABOUT MORGAN STARK. SHE IS A PRECIOUS PERFECT ANGEL AND I LOVE HER.

SHIT.

So this is a totally incomplete list but here you go. Some of my thoughts on Endgame.

[imagine-your-kh]

Ask Mun Mun ( and personal replies) of the Week

Hahaha ! Both ! This is my avatar for this blog : Mun Mun !

This is a version of me that escalated into a kinda OC-self-insert (even if I already have one) and I have no idea what to do with it

A few infos just for you : 

- I want to try to do the first drawing with the KH3 graphisms by playing with the Render / Data Greetings and Photoshop. It will be a pain in the rear because none of the Foretellers model are in the Data Greeting (and I’m not even talking about the creature) but I still will try one day... !

- Their “true Foreteller name” is Vana

- The creature on the shoulder is the mascot of the blog, a mix of a Unversed and a Heartless

- We even have a Union (Lins) logo that you can see as avatar on the blog (on computer) that I want to put on Redbuble one day with others designs or what but... life

I even have a Ko-Fi where you can request a drawing on this blog !

Hey @rikusqueenofhearts​ ! Don’t worry Sweetheart, I know this is a huge subject and I’m more comfortable to talk about it since the worst is (normally) behind us. I’m also thinking like my mother that we need to call a cat a cat, no need to try to hide it. This is a thing and we shouldn’t be scared to talk about it. To fight the enemy, you need to acknowledge it... !

It will goes better yes! Just a bit more patience and fight, just a bit more... !

You have no idea how much you just put the finger right on the targets *snort*

I have huge problem with stress ; I react bad to stress, I’m anxious, I was subject to panic attack before I started the breath thing (that I now do automatically). The last stress reaction that happened to me is “stress fracture”. My heels just... started to crack. This is why I stopped school because they took half a year to understand what was going on and when I almost took a overdosage of morphine because the pain was killing me I understood I needed to stop. The “fun fact” about this stress fracture is that I... think I’m doing it again. My right heel is hurting for a while now...

Alsooo, karate? My father was doing it some when he was younger and other combat thing (Bruce Lee pal, Bruce Lee) and proposed it to me more than once for the exact same reason than you. And... Nope. Because of some stuffs that happened in my life (I won’t bother you with it more than I’m already doing) I’m not comfortable when someone enter in my personal space if I’m not close to them or if I didn’t initiated the move. If there is any violent movement, like even just patting my shoulder, I feel it like an attack.

So no combat sport for me, this is a big nope *snort*

[anothertimdrakestan]

Saying I Love You For The First Time Headcanons (Batboys x reader)

Dick

- I think it needs to be canon that Dick says I love you first no matter what

- he’s the only slightly emotionally stable bat boy and knows it’s time to express his feelings

- being a total love bird he’d try to be super smooth inviting you to the manor when the boys are supposed to be out

- arriving to see Damian tearing through the garden with Titus 

- Tim and Steph yelling about Avatar The Last Airbender

- Jason shooting literal ammo at beer bottles 

- and poor Dick who looks like he’s going to pop a blood vessel

- wrapping your arms around him because you love him and his family

- the three boys come over to you trying to get your attention to go play with batcow, try the new minecraft server, or turn everything in Bruce’s office upside down 

- they’re greeted with a scowl from their oldest, normally loving, brother

- “why the attitude Wing?”

- “yeah you promised it was my turn to hangout with y/n”

- watching Dick get progressively upset until he just lets out

- “YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AND I WAS GOING TO TELL Y/N I LOVE HER”

- silence

- shooing the boys away and cupping Dick’s face looking him in the eyes

- “Dickie you could’ve just told me, it didn’t have to be grand you know I love you no matter what”

- him giving you a sheepish look and dragging you inside while he made you repeat “I love you” the whole way in

Jason

- the two of you probably went a while before the words spilled out

- living in the comfortable silence of knowing you loved each other was easier than saying it yk?

- you said it first without even knowing, it felt so comfortable that the words tumbled out in a rushed time

- Jason came to you, full hood get up, bruised and aching while clutching a wound that would make your head spin

- you knew he would never stop you just wished he’d be more careful because you needed him to come home

- “Jason for the love of god you have to take care of yourself it kills me to see the man I love constantly bleeding out on my new carpet!” 

- dragging him in onto your couch grabbing wet cloths and bandages you were in work-mode and didn’t even notice his shocked face shift into a loving one and finally land on his famous smirk

- “what are you smirking at idiot? The fact that your stitches from last week opened again? I wouldn’t be laughing” you poked his stomach making him flinch, you never gave Jason an inch, always poking fun and flirting was a key part of your relationship

- “oh nothing y/n except I forgot to tell you something”

- “I love you too”

Tim

- Tim needs to be constantly reassured that he’s your number one, your person

- he saw you hanging out with friends from school laughing and smiling the way he thought only he could make you

- him coming up next to you discretely grabbing your hand, fingers instinctively intertwining

- after saying goodbye to your friends you and Tim began to walk to your apartment and you noticed him slightly upset

- “Timmy what’s wrong”

- we know that boi hates being a burden and he’d try to wipe the jealousy off his face

- “Tim I’ve known you too long for that shit to work on me, tell me”

- Tim failing to make eye contact mumbling that he thinks you’re happier with your friends than him and how he thinks he’s dragging you down and that you don’t even need him really and maybe he should just go work on some cases

- your eyes widening at the thought of Tim ever thinking you didn’t need him

- giving him the speech of a lifetime 

- “Timothy Jackson Drake Wayne don’t you ever think I don’t need you. You are the light of my life, the person I know is there for me when no one else is. I guess this is a better time than ever to tell you I LOVE YOU with every inch of my soul. Timmy I love you so much I couldn’t function without you. okay? Don’t ever think I’d be happier without you, what would I do without my favorite love bird by my side?”

- Tim might pass out ngl

- Even though he’s not too big for pda he’d pull you into his chest and just hold his lover, heart bursting with pride and love whispering “I love you too y/n” into your ear.

- Telling Tim you love him would be an hourly thing, the smile lighting up his face whenever you remind him would make your day.

- you’d probably get a text from one of the bat boys later asking why Tim was still smiling

- “Y/n did Tim get hit by laughing gas or something is he okay?”

-“Just tell him I love him”

- “Y/n you just made it worse”

Damian

- Kind of like Jason the two of you danced around the exact 8 letters for a while

- Beloved, lover boy, and love bird were common nicknames but both of you knew those didn’t count

- you and Damian secretly loved sneaking out and sitting on the tops of buildings talking about life

- Bruce definitely thinks Damian grew out of sneaking out but Alfred knows better and is your and Damian’s #1 fan so he allows it for Damian’s mental health

- Staring down at Gotham tangled up with Damian whispering about your future, past, and present was all you needed in life

- one of the only times Dami let all guard down and felt completely free with you in his arms

- because the two of you are secretly sappy af you told him you loved him with the sun peeking up over the horizon right before it was time for Damian to return you home.

- Pretty sure you’d have to close his mouth hanging open for him

- Him shaking it off only to nestle his face in the crook of your neck, his hair tickling you jaw while he whispered

- “I love you too y/n” and him holding you until you had to peel him off you and demand he return you home before your parents started a search party

- “fine beloved but we must meet tomorrow now that I know you truly love me”

- “Damian you’ve known I loved you since the day I met you”

- “TT”

[cannotgiveafuck]

Shazam week prompt 3

Hey yall! Guess who couldn't finish the prompts on time last week? Its me! I'm gonna do em anyway!

Prompt 3: Dress Up

---

Billy knew what others thought of him and Captain Marvel. He wasn't as stupid as they thought.

Of the League that knew, and after the shock had worn, majority had settled on viewing him as a child playing dress up. When they interacted with Captain Marvel, they didn't see him as a hero for pantheons of Gods' will, as an avatar that had experience from dozens of previous lives, or even as someone who had already been in the hero business for several years. Even though he stood at over six feet with a physical build to match Superman's, the others still treated him like he was that undernourished kid in a baggy hoodie, like he was less than their teenage sidekicks.

They didn't understand.

When Billy played dress up, it was never with a cape. He never pretended to be a superhero.

[MORE]

-x-

In hindsight, Billy should have been a bit more aware of his situation from the start. Maybe then he would have caught on a bit earlier and gotten out of this on time.

As it were, however, he was good and trapped. 

Not physically, of course. Because he could always get away if he needed to. But socially…

That would either mean alerting his not-quite-kidnapper of his plan when he said his quick goodbyes, thus giving the man the opportunity to plan another course of action, or that meant Billy unceremoniously leaving without any goodbyes. And Billy liked to think he had enough manners to warrant proper departures for his friends.

Were they his friends?

He liked to think so.

Though they did help orchestrate his kidnapping.

"You are supposed to go into the water, Batson. That is how water parks function. Unless you lack the basic skill of swimming, which I should not be surprised at, since you lack a lot of skills."

Thoughts startled, Billy looked up at Damien, arms crossed and face carefully blank except for his glare. Or he was just staring really intently. Billy didn't think the other boy had any other expressions besides varying degrees of annoyance and murderous.

"Says the guy just as dry as I am," Billy said, holding back a pout and going for unbothered. The kid was a freaking ninja.

Damien scoffed, but did not deny that statement. A short silence fell between them, but it was far from the cold or intensely invasive inspection Billy was subjected to when Damien first learned of Captain Marvel's identity.

Billy liked to think they were starting to get along now. 

"Besides," and here was where Billy's hubris shone, he couldn't resist a good teasing. "How am I supposed to relax when I've been kidnapped?"

Damien's glare, if possible, became even more poisonous at Billy's cheeky smile. Good thing Robin couldn't shoot lasers. "This is hardly a kidnapping. You willing joined us."

At that, Billy really did pout. "It's not really willing if I'm shoved into a jet and no one told me where we were going."

The eyebrow raise spoke volumes of how lousy an excuse Damien thought of that. A trait he probably learned from Bruce. And Billy could not help but laugh. Despite his efforts, Damien could be very expressive, and often showed more than he wanted to. 

Or maybe it was just what Billy picked up on. 

He was good at reading people, he knew that. It helped that one of his favorite pastimes was people watching. With a quick glance, Billy noted the locations of everyone else. Their life energies easy to find from the crowd, all of them bright and flaring and something Billy fully memorized, took comfort in.

"I guess there are worse places to be fake kidnapped, though."

Koriand'r was easy to spot, her energy constantly blazing, but invitingly warm, in the corner of his periphery. She was currently enjoying the hot tub with Dick and Roy. Somewhere at the lazy river, Jason was enjoying his giant margarita. Connor was also easy to find, his energy similar to Clark's. Him and Tim were going for their fifth ride down the giant tube slide. Clark had managed to convince Bruce to join him at the bar side pool, both of them saturated, both of them carrying mantles everyone knew and believed in. 

(Belief was a powerful kind of energy, when channeled properly. Though, Billy didn't think either of them really knew about all that. Not when they had their own strengths.)

This was probably the safest place to be on Earth, in the whole Galaxy, and yet…

And yet.

"Okay, well, I'll at least take a look at everything first," he said, finally moving off his beach chair at the poolside. 

Bruce had rented the cabin rooms at the far end, a place specifically for their group, so as to not worry about scrounging for seating. But still, Billy worried. What if someone took their stuff? It seemed highly unlikely, but one could never be too sure. Not that Billy doubted Clark and Bruce to take care of everything, to have been extra prepared with security or whatever. They were keeping aware of everyone even now, but…

Being willingly barefoot on the wet ground was a new thing, but Billy had just been gifted the sandals currently under his chair and they still felt odd on his feet. Unsecure and flimsy. He was never one for sandals anyway, when he had a cheap and sturdy pair of sneakers to last him. The swim trunks, as well, were new and strange feeling, but he couldn't do much about that since he didn't have anything else. Well, nothing that was already his. There were clothes that fit suspiciously well folded in the drawer of the hotel room he was sharing with Damien. The only thing originally his was the white tshirt he was currently wearing.

Since he could not very easily walk around bare chested without raising alarms. People tended to notice large scars on children. Especially when those people were concerned heroes and they hadn't yet been told about it.

"You've patrolled the parameters several times already," and Billy was sort of surprised Damien had followed, had stuck around this long. Though he was less surprised at the other boy's perceptiveness. "Do you doubt my father's preparation for our staying here?" 

That was more an accusation than question, but Billy didn't rise to the bait. "Of course not," his tone edged on lighthearted and exasperated. It was easier to tell others what they wanted than to explain everything, anyway. "Besides, we're in a room full of superheroes. I'm not patrolling, I'm surveying."

That was a lie. 

Damien was right, after all. Billy wasn't looking at the rides or the lounging spots, or seeking out social interactions - he was patrolling. He needed to ensure the area was safe, because yes, Superman could punch a bad guy through the roof, and Batman probably had every protocol prepared on hand, but just in case…

What if someone had violent intentions and hurt a civilian? What if a magical attack was brewing? What if a curse was placed on them all? There were so many things that could happen while they enjoyed their vacation.

So many things could go wrong if Billy let his guard down, if he prioritized himself over his duty as Marvel, over the protection of others.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Huh?" Billy looked back at Damien. The boy looked more grumpy than he had several minutes ago, like he didn't choose to follow Billy around.

There was a shriek in the distance and Billy immediately turned his head.

Damien grumbled in a language Billy did not catch, but knew Captain Marvel would have.

Billy focused back onto him after confirming it was just some kids on the raft slide. 

Maybe it was the harsh smell of chlorine or the absolute relaxation on everyone's faces, maybe it was the shorts that felt unfamiliar or the fact he couldn't see all exits from one spot. It was like an itch he couldn't help but scratch, but it only got worse.

"Come," Damien demanded, walking away and fully expecting Billy to follow. 

He did not.

"You cannot stop yourself from being unnecessary, you might as well do it effectively."

That still did not persuade Billy to follow.

"I'm saying I know where the best place in this room is! You can see majority of the entrances and exits, except for the two closest to Kent and my father."

What did that have to do with-

"Oh," Billy followed.

"The chances of us being attacked are incredibly slim, and of those chances my father and I are rightfully prepared. I admit that even Kent has his uses." This was the most Damien had ever spoken to Billy. And Bruce wasn't even forcing him to. "But there is no such thing as being overly prepared."

With that, Damien stopped talking and Billy realized what was happening. Teasing and snark aside - since that was probably all that the other boy knew about communication with peers - Damien's actions spoke plenty. He had been watching Billy for some time now, to the point where Billy found it incredibly creepy and asked Bruce to tone it down. So, really it should not be a surprise that Damien somewhat knew Billy, or had formed an idea of who Billy was. 

Afterall, with his secret out, Billy had lessened his guard around the others, had stopped pretending to be the naive and innocent child they all believed him to be. The act helped with civilians, but with other heroes it was more of a hindrance. Billy did not need or want them treating him like he was helpless or incapable, like he was playing superhero dress up.

This wasn't some game to him

But still, it didn't seem to change their opinions much. In fact, it made some of them more overly concerned to the point where Billy had to figure out an even ground. 

What version of him fit best around them?

By this point Damien may have seen all the iterations and their nuances. Bruce, too, if Billy were honest. All of it left a sort of dread in his gut. Being realized so deeply.

"This will do. It's the best vantage point without climbing to the very top, which I advise against. My father will get upset and make us climb down," Damien said, experience clear.

The location they finally stopped at was the center point of the large room - a playset tower with the lazy river around it. There were slides and waterfalls and stationary super soakers. Children ran around them in joy, some even their own age. 

Billy couldn't remember being so young. He didn't think Damien could either.

"Choose a station," Damien said as he stood by a posting and pumped the soaker up.

"What for?" Billy asked, though he still picked one nearby and copied the motions. It seemed like Damien had done this before.

"So we can shoot at Todd when he passes by, of course. We are small enough that we can use this structure." 

And just in that moment Jason leisurely floated by, lounging on a tube until a spray of water blasted him in his face and toppled him over.

"Uh. Damien? You sure that was-" 

He was gone.

"Billy!" Jason was making his way over now toward him.

"Oh shoot!" Billy ran.

It wasn't until later, after he had been dunked into the pool and made to play chicken atop of Jason's shoulders against Damien and Dick, that Billy realized the other boy's clever ploy. Billy realized that maybe there really was someone he could be himself around.