#he looks silly i might change the cape

[sparkcentralis]

Pleaseееееее draw Parrot

Of course anon................ This bird

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #1 by Juni Ba rambling about why every time i open this book, i stare in wonder...HAHA and ofc!! how cute Damian is!!

Juni Ba’s style is so absurdly effective in telling a fairy tale for the ages. It’s a stunning blend of simplicity and complexity I'M GRIPPING THE PAGES AGAINST MY EYES…

Before getting into the interiors, THE COVER!! It associates autumn leaves to Damian's Robin title through the iconic cape shape/color; and on top of that, for a Robin going through a big transition in his life...a season of change one might say...Juni Ba your brain...

Damian and the leaves being the only colored parts of this cover is nice in focusing on those elements, but i also like to think by not coloring the background it prepares you to expect impressive inkwork in this book.

On that note, the interiors!! Starting off with Ba's backgrounds of Gotham as it establishes the strange new world that our young hero has been thrust into:

We get a neat tracking shot following a champagne glass that gives us a glimpse of Gotham from the upper echelons to the downtrodden in "Underwell"

This opening sequence quickly lays out the environment Damian will be traveling through in this series! It also sets the tone for some silliness with the cute zoom on the champagne glass before it BOKs the robber lol. Along with Ba's inks, O'Halloran's colors makes every part of Gotham pop - especially love the golds of the higher society shifting into the blues of the underbelly!!

Besides Damian’s personal conflict, Gotham feels like its own entity that he has to contend with. The dialogue speaks for itself, but within the art as well!!

"This city of ours swallows and crushes everything it can" -> a gargoyle's beak over Damian, crowds of people, and walls of advertising

"You've seen it too...the way it coils around one's mind from below." -> bridges and a passing train on a rail viaduct towering over a civilian

"A dark voice calling as if to say..." -> literally, "FEED ME"

LOVELY SHOT OF MOVEMENT... and i love how Damian's venture into Gotham opens with him passing a tree - its branches and leaves are the most organic element on the page before getting into the gritty details of the city! Some yammering because the inks are. so cool: the delicate lines of the leaves in the tree to the thicker/bigger lined ones closer to the camera on the right; the background inks allowing space around Damian's form + the fine line of his grapple!! More O'Halloran praise - PRETTY, and love his coloring over Ba's bg lines, particularly here, keeping the leaves darker on the right.

It's not only a pretty page it's just a really clean layout!! Ba exhibits this throughout the book but i really enjoy it here - from Damian nyooming, we head into these last 3 panels. his cute lil "Robin" shape easily draws the eye to the tops of the panels as we take in Gotham's liveliness alongside the lettering/narration

and the "Robin" shape?? SO CUTE. it's instantly familiar to us as Robin!! bold outline and filled with yellow...it's a Robin in movement!!...AN AUTUMN LEAF IN THE WIND... yeah, still not over that 😭

Damian's inciting incident is introduced in the former panel with a gorgeous backdrop of Gotham in the distance (plus itty bitty Trinity cameo haha). The shot parallels!! beautifully!! in the final page!! Damian is now in the depths of Gotham, his objective out of reach. The colors are of note too, where the familiar yellows of Gotham are suddenly a startling green after the demon makes its appearance. The Gotham land looks even more unfamiliar, which prompts Damian to seek help.

Some speculation, but the green could also be associated with the more mythical side of demons and such (like the ghost?? of the thief), but it could even imply there's a connection to the Al Ghuls themselves as it's the only other time green is so prominently used.

Now that the land of Gotham is established, popping in other fav bgs!

More lovely mix of Ba's inks and O'Halloran's colors!! especially allowing some of the brush/marker strokes to show faintly as part of the twinkling sky...STUNNING!! 😭 i love this whole page but this panel gets me weepy, SMALL DAMIAN IN THE VAST UNIVERSE COMBINED WITH THIS LINE "He knew he could be great. How unfair of the world to make him feel so small." KICKS MY ASS... i need to lie down

YAPPING AT MORE WONDERFUL INKING: the suggestion of windows offscreen from the frames casting these thick lines over the walls and stairwell; the minute shadow details over the railing; the hatching on the suits in the portrait; the framed portrait being its own panel!! cute hooded Damian in the gutter space looking in on the portrait/panel!! CUTE HOODED DAMIANS!!

SPEAKING OF PANELS, along with general effectiveness and efficiency, there's more whimsy in others!! like this kickass page of Nightwing whipping his escrima from first panel -> afterimage lines going POWPOWPOW hitting demons from a distance to ones closer to the camera -> and back into his hand!! IT'S SO GOOD AND SO FUN!!

Ba's action employs more diagonal panels, and characters are less restrained within boxes - there's more energy and freedom across the page!

not necessarily focusing on the action for this one, but THE WHIMSY!! the border itself is goop!! Also gotta point out that looming hammer shape!!

Nightwing's critical hit spans the entire page!! from silhouettes of a flip -> flashy stomping pose/Clayface -> to a distant shot of Dick landing

and a smooth finisher page!! love the motion lines on Dick's arms and waist + his head and arc effects popping outside of the borders; then the smaller panels for quick activity, and the final WOOB WOOB WOOB LOL i can hear this sound effect just as much as i can see it

Along with O'Halloran on colors, Aditya Bidikar on lettering works seamlessly with Ba's vision!! The text boxes for the fairy tale narration are like strips of yellowing pages from an old storybook!! Had to look up the term for this lol, but also reminiscent of those storybooks, there's even a use of "drop caps" - the big fancy capital letter!

Smaller things of note, but the bit of "Weakness" text from Ra's has a kind of. grandiose feel to it. Then the cute B< Damian behind the window!! Love how the bubble and text are faded behind the glass too! The end of the bubble tail is a nice touch as it matches well with Ba's bg inking :0

Otherwise, it seems Ba has done a majority of the lettering - dropping a couple of my favs below!!

also just this whole page: the very loud AAAH! text draws both Damian's and the reader's attention to the panel below!! it's a cool transition to a new shot where you can see Damian's silhouette on the building! The final panel is cartoony violence off-page through the bold POW BOOM SLAM haha + DAMIAN'S LIL FIST!!🥺 and the guy's tooth RIP

Pure speculation - Juni Ba's concept art included Carrie Kelley, so i'm wondering if the hostage in the beginning could be her and we'll be returning to this moment in time by the end. The worn Robin colors are similar to the design + their head is conveniently covered.

In terms of story, I'm obviously heavily biased, but the initial read got me rolling in emotions with how it has you caring for Damian. Damian as a character is so fantastical in essence - it’s part of his individual charm in the batfam cast! an heir of two kingdoms, born and raised with great expectations suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar land. he has a sword. he has a dragon bat for a companion. he is haunted by the sins he has committed. he is two apples tall. he's truly fairytale material!!

LIKE...past the panels of only his silhouettes, this is our introductory appearances of Damian. It's laid out clearly in the narration, but this parallel is SO GOOD: from the powerful and ornate visuals of Damian and the Al Ghuls -> to a simple panel of Batman's shadow behind a boy littered in scars, stripped of his home and status

Damian is out of his element and proves himself in the way he knows how!!

just kick me down a flight of stairs why don't you. i don't know which messes me up more, the top 3 or bottom 3 panels. His facial expressions!! his expectations for approval dashed!! Damian's hand reaching for his father!! only to be left alone with the body. The page after this is the final nail in the coffin in feeling just how lost he is in the world before he acts on it. And you root for him the entire way!!😭

Despite Damian's fanciful background there's so much heart to be shown in his struggles and discoveries - and this classic form of a fairy tale lays it out so brilliantly!! It's shaping up to be an amazing balance of heavier elements and whimsy based on this first issue, and it leaves you wanting more!!

Besides being a thoroughly enjoyable read, it's inspiring work!! i've ordered Juni Ba's other books to consume more of his storytelling, and here's the ones i've found so far if you're interested in checking them out as well!!

Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo

Monkey Meat

Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic

The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber

okay shockingly, i didn't blab about how cute Damian is as much as i thought i would, but i think the collage at the top speaks for itself lol

this is all you need to know how cute Damian is in this!! his cheeks are so pinchable, it was done on page!! 🥺 these panels obliterate me

[thearkman360]

How Batman: Caped Crusader wasted Firebug

(MAJOR SPOILERS for Batman: Caped Crusader & Batman #318)

Hoo-boy, this is gonna be a long one...

When I heard that Firebug was going to be used in Batman: Caped Crusader I didn't pay it any mind outside of "Oh, using an obscure Batman villain that's like Firefly who isn't Firefly" and when I watched the episode with Firebug I found him to be a funny little goober villain played by Tom Kenny, that might as well have been Firefly, and nothing more. I was a bit shocked by his death since it was very sudden but other than that I didn't care.

After this I decided to look up Firebug and discovered that he has this whole backstory and motive not used in the show. In the comics, Firebug is a veteran named Joey Rigger that targets and burns down apartment buildings in Gotham City not out of rabid pyromania but out of a sympathetic cause; the buildings are deathtraps! (well at least the first two, the third was just bad luck)

His baby sister was killed after ingesting lead paint chips from the walls of the apartment the Rigger family lived in, his father was killed after falling through some stairs and breaking his neck in a different building they moved into after Rigger's sister died, and his mother had a heart attack when the elevator she was in got stuck.

Joey was serving the military at the time when all of this happened, leaving him with a strong sense of guilt. After coming back home, now with demolitions expertise, he decided to ensure that nobody would ever be harmed by the apartment buildings again and that's why he burns them down as Firebug. His plan is to just destroy the buildings that killed his family and then go back to normal. He even sends anonymous tips to the police so that people can evacuate in time, though he first encountered Batman when he was saving people that were still stuck in the building. Not saying his actions are morally correct, the third building was literally just a bad elevator, but you can't really blame him.

Eventually, Batman foils Firebug from destroying the skyscraper that killed his mother and Firebug tries to suicide bomb himself, Batman, and the skyscraper but jumps at Batman, who dodges, and Firebug falls out of the skyscraper and explodes.

Firebug is a really interesting and sympathetic character. In a way he's a dark parallel to Batman; their families were killed by a part of Gotham City, they have expert training in their field, and put on a silly animal costume and try to enact vengeance on the part of Gotham that killed their families.

In Caped Crusader, he's Firefly with a name change. They have Flass and Bullock mistakenly call him "Firefly", he's a deranged pyromaniac, and he has nothing more than that. Why?! Why not just have him be Firefly? Firebug has had two successors, Harlan Combs (a suburban father that murdered his kid's babysitter) and the third Firebug was some asshole that bought Joe Rigger's shit from an auction.

In the Caped Crusader episode "The Night of the Hunters", Firebug targets the slums of Gotham and tries to burn them down. Why not incorporate his backstory and have these slums be where his family died? In the comics, Joey Rigger was depicted as African-American in his first appearance and then white from then on. I'm surprised they didn't have that be part of the plot. Joey's neighborhood was a slum overlooked due to its African-American population and that resulted in poor living conditions that killed his family. But nah, they just had him be bootleg Firefly.

TV show screenshot: Batman: Caped Crusader

Comic screenshot: Batman #318

[angermango]

"I'm not cooking or anything, this is just a silly idea- (looks down at canvas) ffffuuuu--"

...

so, first I only wanted to draw Professor Layton with a Reiterpallasch from Bloodborne because haha funny hat man with gun-sword, but then i ended up drafting concept art for "Laytonborne", apparently.

"Puzzles all over the shop... You'll be stuck on one of them, sooner or later."

extra artist commentary:

Layton

yes, this really did just start with me wanting to give Layton a Reiterpallasch because he's a canonical fencer and Bloodborne trick weapons absolutely slap. The Reiterpallasch is literally a rapier with a pistol attached that can mechanically switch to prime either the blade first or the gun first so you can stab and shoot someone at the same time.

Giving Hershel the Bloodborne makeover was kind of funny because he wears such a simple look in canon it was hard striking the right balance between his recognisable look and BB aestheic since Bloodborne loves embellishment especially via lots of belts/buckles and those weird shoulder-cape things. I tried to keep it simple enough though because as much as i think he could pull off a hunter ensemble i don't want to have to keep track of all the funky bits. the Top Hat Stays, of course.

Aurora

Aurora is eerily good a fit in a Soulsborne-esque setting considering she fits the criteria for a "Soulsborne maiden" classic archetype sort of character: After all she's a mysterious pale-haired young woman with mystical origins/powers and a foreign-sounding accent and may or may not have some connection to the wider lore and powers that be of the setting. hell even her whole thing being a golem works in a way as even Bloodborne has artificial humans existing as a concept.

i got a little lazy with changing up her dress for both time and lack of inspiration. I thought maybe i'd really do her up but then I chickened out that her costume wouldn't be recognisable any more so just slapped a belt and some patterns on the shawl bit and called it a night :P (if i'd been braver/more motivated she'd probably look good in an approximation of the White Church set, something like that)

and yeah so as the sketches off to the side are like, no real clue how/why it might be triggered but imagine her having the potential to be an optional boss or something (and she'd whoop your ass)

Flora

idk tho Flora also seems like she could be a good contender for the "Soulsborne maiden" position too in a way, or even if not her whole character and story fits into the world quite well. especially with Bloodborne having the Plain Doll who is a sentient doll made in the image of someone her creator loved/was obsessed with and Flora living in a village of human-like robots which started after her father tried to build a replacement for her dead mother.

Her dress is a combination of all her canon costumes across the games. The fur-trim shoulder cape is from one official art of her, the short shawl and white sleeves and bit around her waist is based on her first dress, and the rest of the dress design is based on her second and third game appearance.

The 'Doll Flora' concept there at the end is just some idea of a false/clone Flora running around as well. She's got some little differences including elements of other parts of Flora's designs over the years that aren't on OG Flora, such as the sash and shoes.

Anton

Anton fits in scarily well to the Bloodborne-y setting, perhaps not too surprisingly given the whole 'vampire' thingy. I sort of envision Folsense and Herzen Castle being a bit like the Castle Cainhurst area of Bloodborne which leans more into the classic gothic horror of a remote and looming haunted castle occupied by a sinister enigmatic character.

And yes, that is a reference to the infamous "LAYTOOON" scream from his canon 'boss fight' in the second game - imagine the whole steaming up and screaming thing being like his boss phase transition animation.

The whole 'withers to an old man/husk' concept seems so very Soulsborne-y it really just fits yknow. like if you defeat him he shrivels up/ages to dust or whatever. RIP gassed-up grandpa.

I partly rizzed up his suit using inspiration of the Cainhurst Knight set because like. come on. it's too good to pass up the chance to pretty up with and looks a lot like his canon suit in parts.

Did I trace the foyer background art for Herzen Castle for the mockup just for laffs, only to realise partway that 1) Layton and Anton actually fought in the ballroom, and 2) the ballroom would actually make a much better boss arena setting because it's wide open and the arch from the front room leading into the ballroom could totally be the 'boss fog door' part better than the front room?

...so yeah I then drew the ballroom background without tracing this time like a true madman and had a hell of a time with perspective but the plus side is we also get the sword collection from the game there as a cameo because in Laytonborne the good professor brought his own already.

The Masked Gentleman / Randall

Had a bit of a time deciding how to Bloodborne-ify this guy because his suit in canon is actually really. really boring. it's just a white suit like cmon. so to give it that Bloodborne makeover I fell back on the classic shoulder-cape thing that almost all Bloodborne characters have, added some patterns and accessories based on the Mask of Chaos' patterns and the Decorative Old Hunter's set from the Old Hunters DLC (in the leg brace, forearm guard and the hints of gold chains around the upper arms).

He also gets a Threaded Cane, another trick weapon of Bloodborne fame which is as it suggests: A cane weapon that works a bit like a baton/sword combo but in its alternate form it's a whip covered in serrated metal blades which form the cane itself when locked together.

It seems very appropriate for Randall to be like a boss who starts out as the Masked Gentleman and then at half-or-less health you break his mask, reveal Randall and then wings burst out of his back as he enters his second phase rage mode. This concept part felt more DSouls-y than Bloodborne-y to me i think since Bloodborne is less fantastical and leans more into the body horror/monstrous kind of boss transitions? But at the same time it was too good an opportunity to pass on at least sketching out, plus get you some sick fallen angel imagery out of it.

Also the hanging arm pose miiight be a bit inspired by Artorias of the Abyss. just a bit.

Descole

i recall seeing a post somewhere once with this very low-res rare art of Descole sitting in a throne from somewhere i have no idea what it was for. and I remember it kinda reminded me of Lady Maria's promotional art for the Old Hunters DLC so that's why the last picture of Descole exists.

mf already dresses so extra i legit could think of nothing to add to make him more Bloodborne-y unlike the others. I also used his canon sword's design from the games with a custom sheath because again couldn't really think of anything more to do to make him fit more when he's already got a cool signature weapon to show off.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

HI ITS ME gvxzggsgjfh ok look this is. i know this is a weird one it is SO specific and so obviously something i should just write myself if i want it👏but👏but👏BUT i decided to shoot my shot when a perfect chance has arisenderised for you to pick and choose from anything you like AND in any form, and to see if this one maybe by any chance just so happens to spark anything fun in u too xD

ssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooo RANDOM EVENT ROLL D20 mc gets bitten by a werewoof or some other kind of "contagious" monster species (....cant really think of anything else other than vampirs, now that i say it) but WAIT THERES MORE because. what if mc insisted that they dont want any potential existent cures, they just wanna stay monstery >:3 JVDTHGLN who's considering it, who would absolutely go in the "its either me or this" direction, who's enthusiastic🤣 this is silly as hell but in the case it sparks joy id love to hear ur any and all thoughts because this idea has been haunting me for forever lmao honestly the best way ive imagined it is like one of your own selfinsert pieces youve posted before where its just all of them together bickering heeheehee💘💕🩷💞💖

love u have fun!!

The Arcana Drabble: MC transforms into a "monster"

In the spirit of things, I though a long drabble/short oneshot would work best to keep the madness going XD

Asra's getting stuck in their "one focus and one focus only" mode and right now that focus is making sure you're okay. He'll decide how he feels later, which isn't being helped at all because Julian keeps calling on him to help him slow down the process and get you to think about this a little more. However, it's hard to tell what exactly Julian wants your decision to be because in between him trying to get Asra to make you think about it some more, he's having all kinds of medical epiphanies about how your anatomy is adjusting to the new monster form:

"MC, let's think about some more, shall we? I'm sure Asra agrees with me - don't you, Asra? Asr - oh, whats this?! Your finger's joints are rapidly adjusting to accommodate for - I need a pen and paper -"

"Right here, Ilya." It's Portia's dismissive tone as she digs a small notebook and pencil out of her pocket that keeps you grounded. Not for long, though, because she can't wait to see what happens next. "Accommodate for what, anyways? Are you growing another joint?? Are you going to get claws??? Talons???? Show me!"

Between Julian jotting down unintelligible notes while he studies your elbow's range of motion, Portia's excited exclamations, and Asra's attempt at soothing touch as they rub your shoulders and ask how you're feeling, it's a miracle you can notice Muriel's quiet mumble in the background. He's clearly overwhelmed and very concerned that the physically-altering substance in general got to your brain first, making you so seemingly okay with turning into a monster.

"MC, do you remember your name? Do you need to take a nap? You don't have to be okay with this -"

"I believe this may warrant far more than a nap to recover from." Nadia's doing her best to keep Lucio calm, holding him back from tackling you much like she might grasp a leash. You can practically see the headache building behind her eyes. "We have yet to determine what the extent of this transformation is and therefore whether our dear MC is even capable of fully agreeing to the current process. MC, darling, did the source of this transformation give you any indication of what the end result would be?"

You'd try to respond, but Lucio's excited yelling is too noisy to shout over. He's fumbling at the fastenings on his cape, distracted by your ongoing changes, and very annoyed at Nadia's interference.

"Where did it go? I want to see if it can give me powers too - OW! Dammit, Noddy, I'm trying to help here! You're keeping me from finding the monster and getting it to give me cool - I mean, getting it to tell us more about what's happening! Don't you want that? Don't you want to help MC, Noddy?! Let me go -"

It's with a loud RIP and subsequent "that was velvet, you know!" that Lucio finally breaks free and sprints off in the direction of your new monster friend. You can feel yourself slowly settling in to your new form as the process shows signs of slowing and reaching completion.

Nadia's facepalming. Portia's looking at you with eyes shining in wonder. Julian's still trying to nag Asra into reversing this as he takes notes. The magician in question is still ignoring him as they ask you how you feel for the nth time. Muriel's eyeing the nearby closet in hopes of taking a nap and waking up to it all being a dream. Lucio's a distant, spiky golden speck at this point.

Faust is quietly trying to sneak her knife into your hand, for crimes.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Pick a fic 2/5

Green In My Costume: Dick Grayson talks about his parents' death to Donna, referencing an old circus superstition to place the blame on himself. (batam/fab five)

Quintennial: Tim invites Owen to visit their fathers' graves on the fifth anniversary of their death. (batfam/flashfam/flash rogues; canon divergent)

the ticking of the clock: Jason doesn't remember enrolling or arriving at his new boarding school, but he quickly realizes he's more of a prisoner than a student. (batfam; dark academia/boarding school AU)

under an indigo sky: AU where Natalia Knight is a movie star who does a movie with rags to riches actor, Jason Todd. She develops a close bond with him, wanting to become his mother. (batfam; actors AU)

Never Clearer Than This: AU where Jason witnesses/causes Bruce's death the night he steals the wheels off the Batmobile. (batfam; canon divergent)

Stage Lights: Lonnie works the lights and special effects for the Gotham Dance Academy. He notices something strange going on with one of the dancers, but he's conflicted on whether or not it's a good or bad change. (batfam; JayLonnie; ballet AU/no capes AU)

Shuttered Windows: On-again off-again couple, Jason and Laney meet up for a family trip after a prank forces them to share a room for the weekend. (batfam/superfam; JayLaney; no capes AU/no powers AU/vacation AU)

✨Fic Previews Under The Cut ✨

Green In My Costume:

“I think back to when everything started to go wrong, and it started with that costume,” Dick whispered. Donna reached out to touch Dick’s shoulder, but she drew back, knowing it would only make things worse. He drank orange juice out of the bottle as he took an aspirin. 

“You know that’s not—.”

“What if it is? Maybe I’m cursed because I dared to laugh in the face of tradition. I told my mom it was a silly superstition. I insisted on it. Now, she’s dead. Dad’s dead. Jason is dead. What do I attribute that to? Do you really believe it’s a coincidence that everyone I love that puts on that costume dies?” Dick interrupted. Donna sat on the other side of his kitchen island, frowning as he took swigs from his orange juice bottle. “Jason was fifteen years old, Donna.” 

Quintennial:

“Oh no, I don’t drink—.” 

“You do tonight. Just hold onto it if you don’t want to,” Owen replied. 

Tim took the flask, holding onto it as he sat on the rooftop of the mausoleum overlooking the graveyard. Owen sat beside him. “Why did you invite me?” Owen questioned. “I thought I was the last person you’d want to—.” 

“We both lost our fathers, Owen. It wasn’t your doing. It wasn’t mine. You tried to put it aside for me the last time I saw you. I wasn’t ready but I am now,” Tim confessed. 

“Okay. I know we might never be friends, but I—. It’s okay to grieve together. Isn’t it?” Owen questioned. Tim nodded, and Owen took the flask.

the ticking of the clock:

This doesn’t make sense. The only time we don’t hear the white noise machines is during lunch. I thought I heard a metronome in the background the first day, but I’m not so sure now. 

I sit at a table with children my age, and I wonder why they’re so calm about all of this. I’m so nervous I realize I’m not breathing, but everything in me feels tense and tight. The four girls at the table talked amongst each other, but one of them stopped to look at me. I caught the look in her eye. It wasn’t flirtatious or malicious. She acknowledged my worries. “Look for the breaks,” she whispered, “But for now, they’re talking about the morning bulletin.”

I took a breath, trying to relax, and she smiled before returning to her conversation. I didn’t understand what she meant, but I knew she saw the same problems in the school that I did.

under an indigo sky:

“It’s a lot of work, but I liked it. Actually, there was a minute where I was a little bit scared… Because there was a minute where I really had to tear into her, and they cut the scene, and I couldn’t stop shaking and crying. I was under the assumption that you cut the scene and it just stops, and you go back to normal. That was something 

“I had to get used to it during filming, but Natalia was super supportive. After scenes, she’d sit with me for a minute—. And she insisted on it. She would take me to wash my hands, and it was like um—. It was like we were washing our characters off. Natalia’s great with the mental part of it,” Jason complimented me. I smiled at him.

Never Clearer Than This:

“I know it’s my fault,” I whispered. Nightwing looked at me, blinking hard. “I can’t turn myself in because the whole city’s gonna want me dead. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared to go home—.” 

“Hold on. Hold on… Wait. How do you—? I’m sure it wasn’t your fault,” Nightwing interrupted. 

“I stole his tires last night. I know—. I know he would’ve been safe if he could’ve used his car. I took his tires… He couldn’t get away. I didn’t mean to get him killed. I—. Honestly—.” 

Nightwing extended a hand to me. “You can’t stay here by yourself… Do you wanna come with me? I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” Nightwing promised. I don’t know why, but I believed him. I took his hand, and he led me out of the boiler room. I followed him up the stairs and out into the alley. He gave me a helmet. “I’ll get you something to eat once we stop… And how do you know Batman’s dead?”

Stage Lights:

His lithe form glides across the floor, his arms stretching out toward a blur of color. The girls sped around him, but he was the star of the show. There was an agony on his face that could not be feigned. Starry sparkles of dewdrops in his eyes. I hate to say it, but every time I switched the lights from blue to purple, I hungrily awaited the single perfect tear drop that escaped his eye. I loved rehearsal because it gave me an excuse to watch him in all his glory. Mysterious and more raven-like than boy. 

Every moment on stage felt special. After rehearsal, I’d turn the lights off, and he’d stay. Sometimes, he’d sit downstage and eat a sandwich, letting his feet dangle. I wasn’t afraid to approach. I knew he didn’t want to be bothered. Something kept him separate from everyone else, and it wasn’t any of my business… Until it was.

[marshallpupfan]

More Movie Thoughts Again...

It's been a few months since The Mighty Movie released to theaters. Currently, we know a third movie is on its way, and it's due to release in 2026. What we don't know, however, is... well, anything else about it. We still don't even know yet which pup it'll focus on, or if it even will at all. We know the year, just nothing else.

If the story does focus on a single pup again, much like The Movie and The Mighty Movie before it, then the question is... which one will they go with? If you ask the fans, the answer seems to be quite obvious. Just take a look at the above poll from the PAW Patrol Wiki.

And even this poll on Reddit, too. Rocky's the most popular on the PAW Patrol subreddit, yet Marshall still won by over twice the votes. It seems fans really, really want to see the spotted pup in the spotlight this time around... which may even lead to him finally getting some sort of backstory. Of course, what we want isn't always what we get, but it's possible the folks at Spin Master, Brunker, or whoever with influence might be aware of this.

As many of you know, despite my mixed feelings about the theatrical films, I am rooting for Marshall to helm the third movie. After season 7 and 9 of the TV series were so bad to him (season 8 wasn't exactly great to him at times, either), I really want to see something propel him back into the spotlight. Becoming the star of the next theatrical film will undoubtedly accomplish this, as even Skye has seen an increase of attention since The Mighty Movie hit theaters. Assuming the third movie is about him and it turns out good, I've no doubt the same will happen to Marshall, too. And, if we're lucky, the TV series will finally go back to using him more again, instead of calling someone with her helicopter to save a kid from a tree as her harness cable magically passes through a bunch of branches to do this, instead of calling the firefighter pup with his ladder like they should've.

However, I have some reservations here. I've talked in the past about how I feel the theatrical films haven't handled Marshall all that well, my "caused vs. because" argument with the way they portrayed his clumsiness, and the fact that he's rarely involved in comedic moments because of Brunker's obvious preference for Rubble. Even if Marshall's the focus on the plot, I don't know if these things will be any different.

This is just a theory, so it may be far from the truth, but... I have a bad feeling that Brunker may not like or care about Marshall. I hope I'm wrong, but due to the way he's portrayed in these theatrical films, the fact both movies continuously refuse to give him his elevator wipeout running gag, among other reasons, I just can't shake this belief. And the thing is, I've noticed over the years that when a writer doesn't like or care about a character, they often try to change them... drastically, at times. It's not uncommon at all, really. And if any of this is true, then I fear what this means when/if Brunker tries to write an entire film around the pup. It's possible he may act completely different, or portray his clumsiness as the result of some devastating event in his past. Marshall's a silly pup who always means well but sometimes trips over his own paws, but Brunker might try to change the meaning behind that. And should the film become popular and these newfound characteristics spill over into the TV series, well... I honestly dread the thought.

Then again, this might happen anyway, no matter who the focus is. You see, a few months ago, I was chatting with someone on the PAW Patrol Wiki who said their favorite pup is Skye. When The Mighty Movie got brought up, they admitted to me how they felt Skye was really out of character during it... not to mention, they were also quite disappointed to see the film ditch her unique Mighty tornado & wings, in favor of a cape and simply turning her into a Superman clone. The thing is, if Marshall, Rocky, Zuma, or whoever turns out to be the focus next, will the same happen to them, regardless of how Brunker feels about these characters? Did he dislike Skye, or did he just write her in a way he believed was good? Is that Skye fan in the minority? Am *I* in the minority with any of this?

...I don't know. Do you? Does anyone know?

As usual, all I can do is wait and hope for the best. Should Marshall be the focus, I really, really, really, hope that Brunker takes his time with understanding the character, learns the way he acts and behaves, and comes up with something that's both good and not out of character. I also hope that, should we get a backstory for Marshall, it's not another "and then they almost died" plot, just like Skye, Chase, and even Surly's backstory from Brunker's The Nut Job 2. I want Marshall's history to stand out and truly be something good, not just... more of the same we've already seen. And if Brunker does insist on changing the character, I hope it's nothing extreme. In all fairness, change isn't always a bad thing, when its done right.

As I often say... only time will tell.

[hanrinz]

A PUPPET WHO BEARS NO HEART.

pairing. wanderer x fem! reader ( word count. 0.9k ) genre. past lovers

synopsis. betrayals were so familiar to him, yours were far more special.

content. angst & small fluff, death mentioned, small spoilers for lantern rite & possible spoilers scara's story quests, minimal proofread.

notes. first time writing for genshin, i'm starting with scara!! i kin him lmao

"come on, kuni! the lanterns are fleeting,"

a hand clutched to his, warmly he noted. as you tighten your grip hoping to keep it with yours. confused by your statement about this 'lanterns' you speak of, nevertheless he lets you drag him away from the comfort of your own home.

up to the cliff he's oh so familiar with, the times the both of you have spent there coming to him, as he finally see the lights that float above the sea like the stars of the sky. lanterns from the lands of liyue, a once in a blue moon taking.

your grandmother used to tell you the stories of it, how the anemo archon blows the wind from the city of freedom, through liyue and taking every lights of wishes to other nations, a reminder of those who have passed, it was a message she says, a farewell that has long been said.

"quickly, make a wish kuni!" as you look at him excitedly.

a wish, you say? he doesn't understand humans that well, but the joy in your eyes tells him that it wouldn't hurt to try.

"i wish-"

"don't say it out loud, silly!" you giggle as you poke his cheeks and he looks at you confused once again.

your eyes telling him 'follow me' as you look up at the sky — him copying you, but his eyes still focused on you.

"close your eyes, kuni" speaking so softly, as you followed suit by whispering your wishes into the air. he didn't hear it by any means, but he hoped to catch whatever you had told the wind.

࿐ ·

he has no name anymore, it was long gone; dead and buried with his past.

alas, the memories of a girl who you were once with him stays. the world may have forgotten you and him, but your name stay within him — a secret he had to take from the irminsul tree, the god of wisdom did know, but knowing he had paid the price a new birth gift it was for him.

he will never know what you have whispered to the wind on that day, he had hoped it would be true.

as for him, he had wished for your eternity. falsely, it had never come. as he bore holes to the lights on his hands the traveller has given to him, he couldn't help but still wishes to see you for the last time.

"ah, a wanderer from another nation? say, what does your heart urge you to own?" his clothing in green, a cape that accompanies it — a bard he presumes. how laughable, he doesn't have a heart and yet he yearns for something, like a human.

"tsk, i have no interest in humans stupid traditions, an archon in a bard's clothing how does one dwell in such a foolish occasion?" though, he might have changed, the same venom drips from his lips.

"how cruel! and here i thought i could be of service to the calls of your heart." dramatic, as always. "one that belongs have wished from the past, wouldn't one be curious for the things that last?"

he could've said something, he could've rejected the offer, what was stopping him from doing so? silence fills the air as the bard himself hums a melody.

"i wish to keep kunikuzushi away from any pain."

and there you were like the very first time, in front of him. eyes closed like the memory he had once remembered.

he stayed there, not moving afraid these fragments of your time might break and he'll have to see you go again. isn't your wish ironic? you've been the one to cause the pain, his pain.

aren't you cruel? still beautiful as ever, still the same, it's still you.

he doesn't realize it, his eyes now glittering with tears. the time he has cried again, once when he was abandoned. but, no you didn't abandon him. fate was rather jealous, taking you out of his grasp.

death was inevitable, yours was something he couldn't fathom. you were something so precious and pure, a human who the world doesn't deserve one bit.

as he sees you smile once more, turning to him. he felt like he was himself from years ago, the kunikuzushi who you had showed the wonders of the world.

"i'm sorry, kuni" oh, he remembers this now all too well. it was just a simple thing, so why did it feel like he couldn't breathe and his heart was being stabbed so slow?

he hates how all these years, you still have that effect on him. humans were nothing, fragile and useless. how did such a human like you evoke such feelings from his non-existent heart?

and then, you were gone.

he looked around once more, he was still at the outskirts of liyue, a lantern in hand, the bard was gone. no one in sight, as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

you were very fond of the anemo archon, he remembers. always talking about how one day, you'll visit every nation and come to the land of freedom. asking him one time if he'll join you.

of course, he would if he was still the same kuni you've known. he'll say it out loud and take your hand to everywhere the wind will take you.

but, those were all memories from the past and yet, he keeps it like a treasure.

one more wish and he'll never ask for anything again, not the gnosis, not his name, not even his own mother.

nothing but you.

he whispers to the wind, like a fool. but, what can he lose now? like a desperate prayer, he released the lantern to the sky.

"come back to me."

— ♡ is he a little ooc?? im gonna cry lots. likes & rb's are much appreciated!!

[winged-self-indulgence]

Dread Pirate

The urge to write is upon me, and I have decided to make it a @stnaf-vn problem. Riding this goddamn wave of creativity until I inevitably crash and die. Inspired by the picture of Friend as a pirate. Fem!MC (though it's mostly neutral). 1.4K words.

The moonlight shines through the gaps in your curtains, lighting up the cracks on the wooden floor of your bedroom. Tomorrow is your wedding day, for all the good that does you. If you could run you would, and you had. That was why you were locked in your room, unable to so much as stick your head out the window without one of the patrolling guards reporting you to your parents.

They had said that it was for your own protection. Apparently, pirates had been sighted prowling along the coast. Surely the future spouse of a noble would be certain to fetch a high price.

Sighing, you close your eyes and try to fall asleep. Suddenly, from outside your window you hear a melody you haven't heard in years. A song that only one other person would know.

"Friend?" You creep over to the fluttering fabric, too afraid to hope and yet hoping still as you just barely peer through.

The sight that meets you sends your mind is reeling, as you open your window. Down below, illuminated by strands of faint silver, is him. A long black cape brushes the ground, and Friend tips back the tri-corner hat covering his eyes to smirk up at you with a wink. He whistles again, that same silly little tune. If you weren’t so overjoyed to see him, you might have punched him in the gut.

"What are you doing here?" You hiss, stunned by his appearance. You hadn’t seen Friend in years, not cine he'd suddenly vanished along with his family. Yet here he was, lurking outside your window like a bonafide stalker. "Get up here before the guards see you!"

“Well, if you insist,” he calls back, and – with surprising speed and dexterity – he scales the walls of the building until he’s sitting on your windowsill. Once there, he waggled his eyebrows teasingly. “Did ya miss me, sweetheart?”

“Don’t act like this is a game!” You barely remember to keep your voice down but decide that punching him is no longer off the table. “Where the hell have you been?!”

"Ow!” He doubled over in pretend agony. “Is that how you say hello after so long? Is that the welcome your best friend gets? I feel so unloved.”

“Start talking before I make you feel even more unloved,” you threaten, but you still look him over nervously for any sign of injury. You lean away, finally taking in the myriad of changes; bright yellow hair struck through with jewelled clips to keep back the strands, the inky bags beneath his eyes that only made the obsidian irises stand out even more. The clothes, a large black jacket draped over his shoulders, unbuttoned to expose the red lining.

A cutlass dangles from his waist, the edge razor-sharp.  

The man before you is a far cry from the bright-eyed boy from your childhood. “I can't explain all of it, just yet," your friend says, his voice still low and sultry as he reaches over to touch your cheek. "But I needed to see you. I needed to see if you remembered me."

"Of course I remember you!" You catch his hand before he can draw it away. "You fool! You absolute-! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?! All these months-!"

"Ah-ah," he kisses the back of your hand again with a smile. "I’m sorry I left you alone for so long, but believe me, sweet thing, you were always in my heart.”

You laugh, your fears briefly swept away by Friend's easy charm. "I see you some things haven’t changed,” you joke, pulling your hand away and poking his nose. “You haven't stopped being such a flirt."

He can't help but laugh, too. Your touch is electric to him. He wants to grab you, and never let go.

"And I see you haven’t stopped being so beautiful," he banters, opening his arms invitingly. "Come here, precious. Let me hold you close."

The request makes you stop, and the butterflies in your belly shrivel up into husks as you remember where you are. What tomorrow is. "I...we can't do that anymore."

"Right. Because of your wedding," Friend says, and you're surprised that he knows. "Don't look at me like that, sweetheart. I have my ways of learning things."

"Believe me, I’ve tried to get out of it, but I have nowhere else to go,” you stare out the window to where the surface of the sea shines like a mirror. “If I could leave…”

Friend steps closer, his breath warm on your face, the smell of honey-wine on his breath. "Then at least let me hug you once. Just once, for old time’s sake, huh?”

With a sigh, you lean into his arms, breathing in the scent of leather, saltwater, and something so familiar that it transports you back to being a child again. Memories of you and Friend race through the streets, him in his fancy clothes that made it difficult to run over the perpetually damp pavement.

You are so caught up in the memories that you don't notice the expression on Friend’s face. You don’t notice what’s in his hands. You don’t notice the odd scent in the air, or the haze of grey smoke joining the night fog.

"Do you trust me, sweetheart?" Friend asks softly.

The question surprises you, and you suddenly find that you can't pull away from him. The arms around you are deceptively strong beneath the thick fabric of his coat. Twisting, you manage to lean far enough away to stare into those impossibly black eyes, and you could have sworn that they were glowing.

"Do you trust me," he murmurs again into the space between your lips. Somehow you have enough presence of mind to nod, and the way his lips split into a wide grin gives you the feeling that you’ve just signed a deal with the devil.

Perhaps you have, because the next thing you hear is someone screaming about a fire, and then nothing else.

When you awaken, you are curled up on a bed in an unfamiliar room. The floor rocks beneath you, a telltale sign that you're not on land. You have no idea how much time has passed, but it must have been hours because you can see the sun through the porthole window.

You try to stand up, only to trip over something and nearly brain yourself on the nearby table. A glance over your shoulder sends ice trickling down your spine: thick iron shackles your ankle to the wall, just long enough for you to walk around the room and no further. Oddly enough, although it’s clearly unused, signs of aging are clear on the surface of the metal. Whoever had trapped you had even added padding to the interior so that your skin wouldn’t be scratched or bruised.

The sound of echoing footsteps draws your attention to the door, and you scan your surroundings for a weapon, but there’s nothing. A suspicious lack of nothing in fact, as though someone had gone through every inch of the cabin and cleared it of absolutely anything that could be potentially harmfully.

It dawns on you that this hadn’t been a random attack or a careless crime. No, this had been premeditated. Were pirates normally so meticulous in their planning?

“Good morning, sweetheart!” Friend bursts through the door, narrowly managing to dodge the pillow projectile you’d flung. It hits the doorframe and falls to the ground with a sulky thump. “Hey, what was that for?!”

“Friend?!” You gasp, relief inflating your lungs and filling you up with bubbles. “Oh, thank goodness! Quick, help me get these chains off-!”

“Sweetheart, why would I do that?” A hand catches your own, chillingly gentle as the person you’d only moments ago been so happy to see firmly pulled your fingers to his lips. “It took me so long to have those commissioned. To outfit this whole room just for you.”

“You…” Ants skitter over your skin as those gleaming eyes meat your own, above a smile made no less honey-sweet by the naked greed swimming in every curve and corner. Sharp teeth flash at the corners of lips, and the memory of them at your throat burns through you. You swallow hard, and ask, “Friend, what are you doing?”

“Exactly what want me to, sweetheart,” he cupped your cheeks tenderly. “I’m taking you away.”

[nmzuka]

working on redesigning the Avatars might still change them a bit (I at least really like how Arik turned out)

in-game designs under the cut

so many of their in game outfits are so silly to me ffff I couldn't get the spike Sinjin has on the top of his head to not look really bad so instead styled it to the side (to kinda mimic the spikes I give Diablo) I just wanted to try to make him look cooler... Arik I didnt really change (he does have a cape in game in his victory animation) I guess the purple on him is suppose to be tattoos?? but I styled them more as scars and also made him loose an arm (its lore related haha) Malyssa... they gave her pretty much no fucking clothes and I really hate it... also just wanted to give her a bit more color to her outfit

[jesncin]

5 days long anon again. Yeah, it took a while because I kept reworking and trying to find the right words. words are hard. Plus anxiety. Constantly worrying if it would be right or sound right. Right now I'm riding the high of "it WAS fine!!" so I'm feeling more confident in sending this.

The whole "oooh superhero lied to someone how bad" when it's about their identity? One thing I clipped from the previous ask was talking about how of course a hero should not disclose their civilian ID because that would put any family or friends in danger. A reporter SHOULD understand that! Or at least a kind one. Of course Clark wouldn't be going around telling people if only because he wants to keep his parents safe. Yet you can't look me in the face and tell me that the Kents wouldn't be leery about telling people their son's origins as an alien regardless of when the story is set because technically? Illegal immigrant baby. Illegal immigrant alien baby, whom any spooky group (military/research/???) might want to get their greasy mitts on. I can see that kind of worry leaving marks on him too, even though he is trying to be kind and good.

Maybe it was "too soon" but Kal-el is talking to someone he's grown to know as both Clark Kent and Superman. Who he feels he can take that risk with. And with something... not small, exactly, but not as harmful to his life as he lives it on Earth? It's not quite a test of trust because that would be too calculated for it but it is something more honest and raw and the little voice in the back of the head going "do you understand? do I understand?".

"I've had to justify fanon to canon" is... odd. Have you had to with the Martians or is it specifically your take on Lois? I admit I haven't been able to read all the comics and random sketches yet but everything I've seen has been built on the trend of compassion and care whether it is for it or in spite of it. ...and sexy abs. (Rudy.)

Run out of steam/focus so hope you have a good night again.

Hiya 5 days anon (Here I am responding now after the strike)! And no worries, I appreciate people taking their time thinking of what to say.

Right! Even without any Superhero-level fantasy stuff- irl journalists write under pseudonyms or protect the privacy of the people they're interviewing all the time (Lois did this in Girl Taking Over!!). This notion that reporters are Kantian "Lying Is Always Bad No Matter What" people is frankly a caricature. Fun for silver age shenanigans, but not if you want your story to have any sort of depth. And yeah! Clark is an illegal immigrant baby. It shouldn't take much imagination to see why he and the Kents would want to keep that a secret (alas some stories think otherwise- I can't help but call the emotional intelligence of the characters into question at that point).

Yeah! I don't imagine Superman telling Lois his Kryptonian name as something pre-meditated, it's very spur of the moment trust. The idea is that he's not ready to disclose his civilian identity yet, but he is trusting Liando with something far more personal.

It's mostly been my Superman stuff. I don't post my Martian art on twidder especially since well. I've always gotten one or two racist comments on my Clois comics but the Private Interview comic just unleashed the floodgate for racist comments. If I get that much heat for a cishet interracial couple, you can imagine how gross people would be to my Martian stuff. There's a portion of cape fandom that just doesn't understand fanon or interpretations and are vehemently against any sort of change. So I get silly comments asking me to justify the change ("Why is Lois Black??") or backhanded compliments hailing me as "the exception to racebends". It's annoying, but in the end the comic really wasn't for them. It's for people like y'all who get it! (like Rudy)

Thank you and good day/night!

[theminiartblog]

The Storm Will Be Over Soon

The little drabble I made for the DCAH writing contest~ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

One dark, stormy, Halloween night rolled around at the Pizzaplex. The day had been busy, but the evening hours had been even more hectic. Kids were hopped up on sugar and Fizzy Faz, dressed in their best costumes, and waiting to either go trick or treating, or spending time in the Daycare as they waited for their older sibling to have their fill of pizza and fun. 

The lights in the daycare were dimmed for the night too, not for naptime, but to let the dual daycare animatronic play a game of Jekyll and Hyde, and switch as they pleased. Not too dark, not too bright, just right. It wasn't often that the two were able to do so, as it bugged their sensors just a tad, but they were too happy to get to share time together to mind it much. It was nice, seeing them work together, playing switch-a-roo games and voice swaps, and their quick change skills were top notch. Moon was dressed as a true creature of the night, cloaked as a vampire, while Sun was a happy, perky werewolf, with two fuzzy ears attached to two of his rays. The ears were gray in color, with piercings on the side just like Roxy's. He joked that he could give Roxy a run for her money looking like this. The kids argued however that Roxy was always the best, and they liked him just the way he was. That certainly made him swell with pride.

Meanwhile, you, who were almost always in costume on account of uniform, were able to let loose a little; dressed as a spooky little demon with a silly red horned headband. The rest of the outfit was pretty casual however, with a rare Halloween themed Fazbear shirt, and a comfy pair of slacks. You had allowed the boys to choose the headgear the day before. It was either that or become a kitty cat. Sun joked that he might have to chase you, being a werewolf and all, wiggling his fingers at you menacingly.

“Nooo, anything but that.” You laughed, batting him away, “I don't know how many lives I've got left!”

In the end we already know the winner.

All that fun was about an hour ago though, as the last child was now waiting to go home. Moon was keeping that final kid entertained, and you were taking a bit of a breather, sitting on the playmats, hydrating, and even having a few pieces of leftover candy. All of a sudden however, it had gotten pretty quiet. Peeking an eye open, you looked to where you’d had last seen the naptime attendant, he was much harder to miss than a tiny tot, but he was nowhere to be seen. Slowly you stood. Where had they gone?

The rain had picked back up, and there surely must have been a flash of lightning as the air around you boomed with thunder. Startled, you flinched, and a child yelped from nearly right behind you. Turning around quickly you were suddenly met with not only Moon behind you, but what looked like a big spider too. You let out a screech of your own, quickly jumping back. The child, getting their second wind, jumped forward out from under Moon's cape, and the two little jokesters shouted, ”Boo!“

In Moon’s hand was a dangling toy spider, and your face flushed.

”You guys!“ You whine, taking a few deep breaths. ”That wasn't funny.“ You continue with shaky laughter. You try to look mad, but the sheer embarrassment could only provide a wobbly smile. The child giggled wildly, and Moon gave a giggle of his own.

”I told him not to do it!“ Sun chimed in, with a rotation of their head, rays peeking out as the daytime attendant’s voice took over. “Oh please, it was a harmless prank.” Moon replied, pushing back. You could only shake your head.

A knock at the door, and it seemed that the child's parents had finally come to pick them up. The child hurried over, and Sun quickly took charge to follow them and bid them a safe farewell. You watched the two toddle off, and rolled up your figurative sleeves. While that was being taken care of, now seemed like a good time to start cleaning up. Toys back in their places, candy wrappers and empty snack containers into the trash, and blankets folded nice and neat after some kids just couldn’t last the night and needed a good nap. Sun started to help as well, finishing up with the check-out and that made things all the faster.

“Sorry again!” Sun piped up.

You cock your head to the side. “Sorry for what?”

“The joke! Bad timing is all. We didn't mean to scare you along with the thunder.“

”Oh! That, no it’s fine. It was just a prank. Don't worry I wasn't actually mad.“ You smile. ”But thank you anyway, you're so swee-EEP!” 

Another roar of thunder, and you tensed. Shoot. Don’t be such a baby, you chanted in your head. Sun turned his head towards the sound of thunder, before beginning to reach for you. ”You know if you'd like we can-“

Another big boom, and suddenly the lights went out. You let out a yelp, as pitch darkness took over and something seemed to grab you. You dared to open your eyes, and were met with bright red ones, having been swept off of your feet in an instant.

”M-Moon?“ You croaked out.

It only took a moment before the generators kicked in, and the space was filled with light once more, but Moon stayed back from the direct beams of light before sitting down, cross legged and placing you down in his lap. Removed from his embrace, his hands moved to the sides of your face, covering your ears. You could still hear, but a bit muffled.

A gentle tune began to play, quiet and soothing, their music box. You look up at him confused.

“Don't worry, the storm will be over soon.”

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Find the AO3 OC version here

[abbyslev]

𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝒀𝑶𝑼- 𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬 𝑿 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹

A/N: hello everyone! my awesome beautiful talented gorgeous breathtaking friend ( @hangespublicist ) has come up with this wonderful idea and i had to make it come to life!! it shattered my heart in many ways but it’s what i do best. the character does belong to her and it is her oc!! such a beautiful character btw i love writing for clara!! i hope you all enjoy as much as i did writing this. thank you all for reading and supporting!

WC: 952

CREDITS: all credits for story idea and clara (an oc) go to @hangespublicist !! go show this beautiful angel some love !!

      “The titans are headed this way.” Clara nervously played with the edge of her shirt.

        “Yeah, I can see that.” “Hardly.” Clara giggles. “Hey watch it, freak lover. My hand still works.” Levi playfully threatened. “You have to let me change those bandages soon.” Clara mentioned. The blood might seep through soon if she didn’t, and she didn’t want to keep the same dirty bandages on. 

       “I did good, right?” Hange appeared from behind Levi. “Yeah, you did. You did everything I taught you with the minimal equipment you had.” Clara complimented Hange’s work. Hange lightly blushed, a smile peeking through. “Levi, do you mind if I talk to you for a second?” Hange waved him over. Clara waved them off before walking to the edge of the stone path, looking down at the trembling waters. 

        It wasn’t titans that scared her. It never was. She dealt with dead people and worked with blood for a living, of course some giants wouldn’t scare her. It was losing her dear friends that scared her. She already had to patch up to many of her students and close friends. It was getting worse by the second. She was putting her own friends in body bags. Luckily, Levi’s injury was bad, but nothing Clara couldn’t fix. 

           Hange saw Levi’s face form into an angry, heartbroken expression. How could they leave him? Leave Clara? Leave them in such a vulnerable position? But he knew it was needed. This was Hange’s purpose. 

        “What are you gonna do about her, eh? You can’t just leave her here.” Levi held back how he truly felt. He had to be strong, for himself, for Hange, and for Clara. Hange just smiled, a small giggle leaving their lips. 

           “I’ve got my ways with her.” Hange shaking their head. Hange sighed, looking up. “You understand, right Levi? My turns come at last.” They say. Levi didn’t reply. “I’m giddy with the desire to make a cool exit.” Their eyes shine, smile growing by the second.

       “Don’t stop what i’ve got going.” Hange told him. Levi said nothing, but instead pressed his hard fist against their heart. “Dedicate your heart.” He muttered. Hange laughs, looking down at the floor behind Levi.. “That’s the first time i heard you say that.” 

         “But you promise me, Levi…” Hange trailed off, hand clenching over his hand. “You promise me you’re gonna keep my Clara safe.” Hange whispered. “With my life.” Levi muttered through his teeth. 

        “Hey, Clara!” Hange called her over. Clara turned around, wondering why Hange was all geared up. Were there new orders? “Hey!” Clara smiled. “What did Levi say? Why are you all geared up?” Clara pushed her loose hairs to the side. 

      “Nothing at all! Just wanted to talk.” Hange scratched their neck. “About them? They’re pretty big. Bigger than I thought.” Clara shivered at the thought. Hange took off their cape, wrapping it around Clara. “What’s this for?” Clara looked up at Hange. “To keep you away from the titans, silly.” Hange poked at Clara’s cheek. 

      “Alright, something’s up. Spit it out, Hange.” Clara crossed her arms. “I just wanted you to see how cool I look.” Hange was really trying to make this easy for their lover. But it wasn’t. Hange had such a big spot for Clara in their heart. No matter how many times Clara would scold Hange for throwing Armin off the roof or testing Eren to his limit, Clara would always love Hange.

        “Cool doing what? C��mon stop being like that, tell me what’s up.” Clara placed a hand on her hip. She had gone into serious mode. One where if you messed with her she’d get pissed off. Hange smiled at this, placing their hands on Clara’s face. Hange’s lips touched Clara’s, molding perfectly into each other's lips.

       Hange pressed their forehead against Clara’s, kissing her nose, before kissing the small freckles on her skin. The same ones Hange used to draw shapes on before kissing each freckle individually. Hange pressed one last kiss on Clara’s lips, to which she finally understood. 

        Her grip tightened on Hange’s wrist, her eyes now glossy. “Stop it.” Clara shook her head. “It’s everything I've worked for, Clara. You know that.” “Hange, stop it right now. You’re out of your fucking mind.” Hange finally freed themself from Clara’s grip, backing up. 

        “I love you.” Hange waved and laughed, before running off into the sky. “Hange, no!” Clara ran towards Hange’s direction. Strong arms wrapped around her, grunts leaving her lips. “Let me go! Levi, please. I can't lose anyone else, Levi! Please!” Clara fell into a sobbing mess.

       “Hange, please!” She cried out, one arm reaching out. “Come back, please! It’s not to late, Hange please.” Their familiar scent blew with the wind. It was from the cape wrapped around Clara. “God fucking damnit!” Clara embraced Levi. He put one arm around her, holding her up. She sunk down, tears staining his shirt. All Levi could do was sit there with her crying in his lap. 

       “How could I be so blind? So stupid?” Clara shook her head. Levi rubbed her back softly. “We have to get on the flying boat.” He helped her up. Levi rushed them to the aircraft, settling Clara onto the seat beside him. Everyone around her was in distress, upset by Hange’s choice.  “Hange.” She whimpered under her breath, fingernails digging into her face. “Oh, Hange.” Was all she could say. 

       Yet, Hange wished nothing more than for Clara to hear their last words. “For you, my Clara.” Hange said, with such pride. With such love for Clara. For the love of their life. Clara grasped the edge of their cape. “For you, Hange.” 

[bunnymermaidsblog]

Hi! So, I had a long car ride today, and I wrote this. I thought it might cheer you up! I apologize for any errors.

It's just silly fluff, but I think it's cute! I hope everyone is in character! Enjoy!

Aiden and Henry belong to @writerfae

Ákos belongs to me

To rescue the king's husband

Summary: Henry has spent the whole day working in the library

When arms wrapped around his neck without the slightest warning, Henry nearly crumpled the important document that was the reason he locked himself up in the library for the past few hours. He was halfway between either using the closest, largest book as a weapon and letting out an undignified shriek. Thankfully, he hadn't done either, taking a long, deep, calming breath instead. The arms weren't malicious, after all. In fact, they were quite short.

"I found you!" Ákos said, trying to keep his voice quiet, for the rules of such an important place as a library deserved his utmost respect. But he was so excited that his silence was hard to keep.

Henry chuckled, still calming down his startled heart.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you were looking for me. I was just working" He had to readjust his crown that got knocked to the side of his head from the boy's excitement.

That was when another set of footsteps appeared, quick as a rabbit, just like Ákos', but with longer strides. Aiden stuck his head out from behind one of the shelves, his cape copying the movement.

"Hi! Sorry, we didn't mean to bother you! We were just playing" he came to them, pulling Ákos into his side, who in turn clung onto his right arm as if it were a swing, once he let go of Henry "I haven't seen you all day!"

The oldest in the room let out the tiredest sigh, slumping down in the velvet chair.

"I know! I really am sorry! I was just working and forgot about time..."

"It's fine!" Ákos tried to reassure "This happens to Endre a lot too!"

Henry smiled at that. Not at Endre having too much work, but at the two boys who were standing in front of him, the younger swinging the older's arm like a horse's reign, the older laughing joyfully at the action. Both requesting his attention without saying one word.

"Still, it is not the healthiest way to work..." he admitted.

At that Aiden loudly snorted, and shook his head:

"Wow, you can teach an old dog after all!"

Henry gave him a flat look. Time to change the subject!

"Why were you looking for me?"

"We're playing seer!" Ákos exclaimed, throwing himself onto the back of Henry's chair. Then he jumped and stood on top of the chair next to that. "I am the seer, and Aiden's my apprentice" he said movements expressive, like that of an actor on stage... then the chair started wobbling.

Henry reached his arms out, ready to catch the child if needed. Luckily Ákos decided to just jump back on the ground, before the chair decided to throw him off like a wild horse. Henry's sigh of relief was silent as that of a flower.

Aiden decided to continue:

"We got an important mission from the king himself! Find and rescue his husband, and make it back in time for tea!" Aiden gave his brother a pointed look."We will be handsomely paid in apple pie for our success!"

"Yes..." Ákos confirmed, but a book caught his attention, so he started wandering toward that.

While the child was distracted, Henry quietly asked, his smile fond:

"And the quest had nothing to do with the apprentice finding his lost brother, whom he missed very much, because he hasn't seen him all day?"

Aiden gripped his shirt above his heart.

"I have no idea what you could possibly mean! My dear master over there got a vision of you in the dangerous maws of the library! After I figured out what you were probably doing, of course"

Henry stood and reached for Aiden's head. His brother tried to duck out of the way, but with little success. He couldn't escape a long, satisfying hair-ruffle!

"And you figuring that out had nothing to do with the power of love?" He smirked.

Aiden rolled his eyes. They both knew very well that was not how it worked.

Finally accepting that he wouldn't escape with his hair untouched, he wrapped Henry in a hug that the older returned. It felt warm and pillow-soft.

"Maybe it did have something to do with it" Aiden admitted. Henry smiled against his little brother's shoulder. Gods, why could he smile against his little brother's shoulder without leaning down? He'd never get used to it! "It was the power of love and passion that I feel for apple pie!" Henry's thoughts stopped right there, like the script for them just got folded into a paper swan."Now come on! If I let you sit back down on that chair, you won't get up till the evening. Ákos! Our quest was a success! Time for sweet, sweet reward!"

[cynicalmusings]

( hi hello i am the previous anon who fangirled in your inbox lmao )

but i did a lil concept of sorcerer!cyno!! i spent hours on the design but i had so much fun drawing it :D

some extra things about the design :

the lantern has multiple stars floatin around :] i remembered how you described the glow of the lantern was related with him stealing the stars and using it as light, so i thought it'd be a nice detail to add

the design initially had an extra long flowy cape to resemble the cyno from the manga, but i scrapped it because it shrouded the silhouette ( i dont mind doing a doodle of it if you're interested to see it heehoo)

wasn't sure if the jackal ears are included to his cape design in the fairytale fic, so i added his earrings from his jackal ears on to his own ears

he initially had a lot of silver to his attire, but it felt like it pulled focus away from his face - so i changed it to gold :]

i tried my best to have his outfit resemble both the in-game outfit and manga outfit, though it proved to be a challenge ;-; i hope that i did well ^^; i would do more concept sketches of the forest and what not, but my shrimp back cries in agony LMAO

anyways i hope you like this silly drawing thing, i might do more doodles, but yea :]]

WWWJDKDANANDOFJSJSBABRR I LITERALLY HAD TO HOLD BACK A SQUEAL

you… you literally read my mind about his design. this is p e r f e c t. literally. i imagined him not having the jackal ears, and the lantern looking like that, and i… i’m speechless. i literally do not know what else to say. you are a legend, you hear me? a legend.

‘silly drawing?’ excuse me this is a masterpiece

(if it helps you picture it at all, i can try to describe the chain-charm around his ankle in relatively decent detail for you: it’s basically a silver-blue very thin/ fine chain— a bit like a charm bracelet— but instead of actual charms it has little cylinders hanging off it, which look (and sound) like tiny windchimes.)

[arctic-shard]

Outer Child, chapter 17

( And wrapping up this story. I'll put it on Ao3 eventually, after I give it a final once-over. Thanks for coming along on this journey of starting a story with no idea of the ending and taking a silly trope and playing it serious. )

Outer Child, chapter 17

Warnings: none

Words: 2000~

-----

The Doctor had a haggard look to him when Victoria was delivered to his cell. He advanced on her with fevered eyes and long strides that would have terrified anyone who saw threat and not worry. Victoria didn't have time to do anything but reach out to him before he was upon her. When he bent down, Victoria put her arms around his neck, but he straightened up, one arm under her thighs, the other holding her head to cradle her against his neck. "Dr Combs explained some things to me," he rasped. "He said you had been hurt, and that he would permit you to come to me after he was certain you took no serious harm -"

He'd probably been frantic and pacing the whole time. How long had she been out? She nuzzled against his collar. "Shh. Shh, dear Doctor. My dear Doctor. I'm here. I'm okay. Take me to bed and hold me."

The Doctor set Victoria gently on his cot, and paused to take off her shoes. He started to reach for his doctor's bag to retrieve the privacy curtains but Victoria tugged on his robe. "I don't care. Just hold me."

He didn't argue, just as eager to be in her arms. He tucked her head under his beak and tangled his long arms and legs around her. Once secured, the Doctor let out a long sigh, and Victoria felt his body relax.

His fingers toyed with her hair. "What happened, my heart?"

"Can you wait for an explanation?" Victoria asked. "I need this for a little while. I need to accept that this is real."

"D'accord. Shall I sing to you?"

"Please, Doctor."

The familiar raspy tenor filled her ears and lulled her heart. The Doctor rubbed gentle circles on her back and neck as he sang. Victoria's hands didn't know what to do, she just flexed her fingers against his hide, needing contact. Not sexual, not yet, not after two months of looking after his toddler-self. It would be a while before she could think of him sexually again. Now she just wanted to hold him, to remember the feel of his lanky body, wiry muscles, and long limbs, of being surrounded by him.

After a while, Victoria finally calmed enough to speak. "What do you remember?"

"Little is clear to me," the Doctor admitted. "You were there, and Dr Combs, and our friend. Our friend did not seem odd to me. The rest of you were big and strange. Everything was so big and bright and strange. I did not remember who you were or our relationship, but I knew you would keep me safe. And you did." He paused. "There were a lot of snacks."

Victoria laughed against his collar. "Of course you remember the food. Combs and Usher spoiled you."

She briefly filled him in on the previous two months. The Doctor snuggled her closer. "My dear. You went through so much for us. You could have given up."

"Never," Victoria promised. "Even if I could have accepted the change, it wasn't fair to you. You've already lost enough memories - to lose all of them was too unfair."

"As it was unfair to you to be cast as caretaker to your own spouses, even if you insisted." His beak ruffled her hair. "I am sorry we caused you so much trouble."

"You were slightly less trouble than usual. The Foundation is going to be so upset that it can't distract you with muffins anymore," said Victoria. Her fingers brushed against his shoulder-cape nervously. "Was I an okay caretaker?"

The Doctor hummed softly. "I recall contentment. You always look after me very well. I wish I could remember details. I do not have any memories of my first childhood, it might have been nice to better recall my second."

"Most people don't have much in the way of memories from when they were that young," said Victoria. "My brother was born when I was three and I don't remember it. You'd think that was a pretty big deal."

"Yes, but for you that was forty years ago. For me it has been only hours. I should remember," said the Doctor.

"The anomalous object messed with your memories to make you think you were a child. I'm not surprised that the reverse process messed with you again." She breathed him in, that leather-and-chemical smell that she used to find unpleasant. "My Doctor. My husband. I missed you. I missed this."

"Shh. I am here now. I will not willingly leave you. I will look after you. It is safe to rest."

He sang again. Victoria eventually fell asleep, safe and wrapped up in the Doctor.

---

Victoria was in the dream-void again, but was immediately reassured when she looked down and found herself wearing black silk pyjamas. She sighed. "Amica."

A deep voice in the dark: "Mm, I think that name belongs to my transformed self. I will be friend and consort again."

"I missed you, friend."

"You're late, love," 035 whispered behind her, slipping its arms around her waist. Only two arms - it was in its humanoid form, wearing similar pyjamas. "But I suppose I'll forgive you after what you've been through. And that researcher of yours seems to know it, too. I know you're with our Doctor."

"It would only be better if you were there," said Victoria.

It held her for a few moments, humming quietly and swaying a bit, not a dance so much as just enjoying the feel of her in its arms. All it seemed to want was closeness, either because it knew that was all Victoria was up for, or because it didn't want anything more. It was hard to know - 035's libido was as chaotic as its moods.

The porcelain nose nudged her ear. "Not that chaotic, love. When you're not in the mood, I can't get in the mood. I want emotion first and foremost, mia cara."

Then 035 flopped dramatically back on a fainting couch that wasn't there a moment ago, pulling Victoria with it. It sprawled out, drawing her back against its chest and wrapped its arms around her. "Ugh, they've got me in solitary again until they figure out what happened with me and Dolores so they can prevent it from happening again. At least I can visit you in dreams. And keep Odious out of them," it finished grimly. "I can't believe you would willingly return to Alagadda after what happened, and on Odious' invitation."

"It was the only chance I had left to restore you and the Doctor."

It rubbed its cheek against her hair. "My Victoria. You need us that badly."

"I do," Victoria admitted. "Sometimes I hate how much I need you. My life was tolerable until you and the Doctor showed me that it could be good."

"We only give you what you deserve," murmured 035. "And with our give-and-take, after these last months I am deep in your debt."

"How much do you remember?" asked Victoria.

035 chuckled. "My memory is perfect - well, apparently unless it's being suppressed by a surprisingly powerful magical transformation. All the snacks and cuddles and playtime." Its chuckle turned wicked. "And now I have a better handle on dear Myrna's mind. She'd been so careful to stay out of my range, until I was just too cute to stay away from."

"She was kind to you."

"Only because she thought I was harmless." It nuzzled her hair and its voice dropped to a purr: "I remember that you told me you would always love me."

"I was -" I was reassuring a child. But she wasn't, not entirely. She was telling Amica that she wasn't going to abandon it just because she found the situation difficult, but she was also telling 035 that she would love it, regardless of form, regardless of their changed relationship. "I do love you."

035 hummed quietly, pleased. Victoria moved to lie on her stomach, arms folded on 035's chest, and looked down into the comedic mask. "You had never been a child. You're the only Alagaddan who has ever been a child," said Victoria. "What was it like?"

"It was very strange," said 035, aspect flickering to tragic, tone serious. "I knew that I was the Black Lord, but I didn't know what that meant. I was a special, important little princess and I liked the colour black. I had a vague idea of who my King was, and the other lords and the Ambassador, but not much more than 'King good, Ambassador bad.' I vaguely knew that the Doctor was my friend. I didn't remember you. I suppose I hadn't known you long enough."

It drummed its fingers on Victoria's back. "Everything seemed new. I don't know if it was because my memories were suppressed, or if I had the mind of a child. Maybe my memories had to be suppressed so I could think like a child. But even when I was first created and everything really was new to me, it didn't feel the same way."

"Who is Dolores?" asked Victoria.

"I don't know," said 035 slowly. "I met her during a breach. I took a walk in an area I was unfamiliar with, found an elevator, and went down. When I try to think of her, all I think is 'she was sad and boring.' Like someone messed with my memories so I wouldn't wonder about her and go back. And I wasn't in her memories at all. But if the Foundation could change my memories like that so I would stay away from her, why haven't they done more to me?"

"Maybe Dolores did it. You said she was powerful."

"No. She's receive-only."

"You could have taken over the world," said Victoria. She shifted her weight to one arm so she could reach up and stroke 035's hair. "I can't say I want you to, but you could have taken us from the Site, torn down the Veil, and then made it so I can touch you."

"I suppose I'm impulsive. Maybe I argued too well to save the Earth from Alagadda that on some level I permitted it to be saved from myself," 035 mused. "Well. I'm not the end, I'm the beginning of the end, and perhaps it isn't time for the final act."

"Maybe you're just not cut out for godhood."

035's aspect returned to comedy. "Nonsense. I proved my godliness by making you fuckable. Any Greek god would have done the same."

"Ugh, you are not sexy to me right now," Victoria complained. "You were a goddamn baby shoving muffins in your face for two months. That's going to take some time to get over."

035 laughed. "I don't understand you - I'm me again, aren't I? - but I suppose there's nothing to be done for it." It turned its head suddenly, looking out into the void, but its expression remained smiling. "Oh, we have company," it said, lifting a hand. "Welcome, dear Doctor."

The Doctor appeared, hands behind his back. "With all the strangeness that happened I found myself unable to rest, even with Victoria beside me, so I used a sleeping potion."

The fainting couch retained its general shape but now had more width. 035 patted the empty space. The Doctor settled in beside it, then 035 rolled towards it, causing Victoria to fall into the space between them. Long arms reached over her, embracing each other with her pressed between, long legs draped over hers. Warm leather on one side, cool silk-clad chitin on the other. 035 nuzzled her ear. "You asked me to take you home," it murmured. "Here we are."