#i know this canon scene is fightin words for some

[eri-cheri]

Now that we have reached the last chapter of the year. It is time to do a 2020 roll call of what I like to call, “State of the Shippers”:

1. IzuOcha. Status: Placated.

-IzuOcha’s could celebrate several cute tidbits throughout the year. Mini moments as they say.

Anime Highlights: The OVA’s came in clutch with moments for shippers all around and IzuOcha is no exception. We got a cute tidbit where Izuku and Ochako bumped into each other and were flustered.

Manga Highlights: Christmas kept on giving to this fandom as the AM doll Izuku gave Ochako made many appearances. A cute fist bump between the two was also exchanged and Mina was right there bouncing with y’all.

Heroes Rising: Izuku super man carried Ochako to safety. And was Angy she was injured. Fans could enjoy the small Lois Lane moment.

Troubling Signs?: Ochako said “I would like to be excluded from this narrative” when it comes to her feelings for Deku. She’s a hero damnit! So if they are in for something, probably won’t be while they are still in school.

II. DabiHawks. Status: Yikes.

- Dabi and Hawk’s very public breakup set this fandom in disarray but also kind of disayay?

Anime Highlights: None yet. This fandom was cruelly cock blocked by Bones. Sorry DabiHawks stans.

Manga Highlights: Where to begin, my goodness. With these fans, I guess the good and the bad is a plus in this homoerotic double agent relationship. We have the notion that Dabi may have known Hawks when they were kids, which may be a positive? Hori sure loves his childhood friends. Other than that. The GIRLS WERE FIGHTIN’. Hawks is now permanently scarred by Dabi and I don’t think it was kinky folks. Tokoyami inserted himself in the middle to White Knight Hawks, Dabi broke up with him via YT expose and overall, shippers could anguish in the absolute MESS that this ship endured this year. But I’m sure that’s part of the appeal. So...yay?

Heroes Rising: They were both in it.

Troubling Signs?: The entire relationship is a troubling sign which again, is part of the appeal. Maybe Hawks will cuddle up with Dabi’s father after the war. That’s troubling! Speaking of...

III. EndHawks. Status: Yearning and Burning.

-If there’s one thing Endeavor couldn’t stop worrying about, it was his hot (in more ways than one) new side piece who probably should have looked at the fine print when signing a contract to be a recurring guest star on “Keeping up with the Todoroki’s”.

Anime Highlights: A fateful meeting finally in high definition for all our eyes to see! Hawks’s unwavering support of his biggest hero was endearing to watch and their shenanigans together spurred the anime onlies to finally jump on the biggest May-December ship in the series.

Manga Highlights: Endeavor’s admiration and concern for Hawks seeped through the pages as we entered our most exciting arc in the manga yet. Fate split these two up yet entwined their downfall together. And that Fate’s name was Dabi...or should I say ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ or should I just say Touya!

Heroes Rising: “Don’t bite my head off, Endeavor.” Geez, can you flirt a little less loud Hawks?

Troubling Signs?: They say never meet your heroes and Hawks is in for a rude awakening. We shall see just how deep his admiration runs or if Endeavor’s past will split our dynamic duo up for good.

IV: TodoDeku. Status: “Precious”

-Shoto’s “Midoriya is in Danger” radar was highlighted in both manga and anime. 4th User’s quirk, who?

Anime Highlights: “Midoriya hasn’t returned yet.” “Where’s Midoriya?” “Midoriya! Grab my hand!” “Have some of my Soba Midoriya.” Shoto gets it. His emotional support friend is a danger magnet. TodoDeku’s also enjoyed tiny tidbits in the OVA such as a hand grabbing scene. Gotta hold tight to those crumbs.

Manga Highlights: Two Words. “Precious Friend.” Deku comes in w/o arms or legs fighting for Shoto and Shoto’s honor. These two spent the entire year worried sick about each other, and going against all odds to save each other. Precious Friends indeed. TDDK fans ate.

Heroes Rising: Shoto kicks some dog ass and then faints thinking of Deku (and Bakugo but shh. Let the shippers rejoice.) On the bright side, we have a 3rd movie coming featuring “The Three Musketeers” so shippers of TdDk can HOLD TIGHT to what’s to come.

Troubling Signs?: Shoto still doesn’t know about OFA and he’s gonna have LOTS of questions after this arc. Will Deku finally tell him? If not, it could make or break the ship.

V. TodoBaku. Status: “Shining through the city with a little funk and soul.”

-Who knew the greatest comedy duo we needed was Shoto and his hot headed “friend” or not friend? It still remains unclear to Shoto. Regardless, these two had a fun year.

Anime Highlights: “I wanna see your cute face”, disco dancing, and more fun in the provisional license training. Plus the OVA added some cute moments between the two such as Bakugo staying behind to save Todoroki during a dangerous excercise and his adorable plan neatly animated for us. I’d say TodoBaku’s really were resurgent and energized this year!

Manga Highlights: Shoto, that is not how you properly Catch a Kacchan, I’m sorry. But at least you did it you mad lad. As with Deku, Shoto spent the year worried sick about Bakugo. While the anime let us have our fun, these two were suffering in the manga.

Heroes Rising: Again, Shoto put a dog down and then fainted with Bakugo on his mind (and Deku but we ignore that. Shush.) TodoBaku’s have the 3rd movie to look forward to which is bound to have some amazing content!

Troubling Signs?: They have a lot of trauma to deal with. And a lot of Deku to worry about. I also imagine Shoto will be hurt about being left out of the OFA secret. We shall see what 2021 has to offer.

VI. KiriMina. Status: Unbreakable.

-Changing your hairstyle to match the gal who inspired you in middle school? Sorry y’all but if Mina were a guy, I’d say that’s gay af.

Anime Highlights: We got that backstory Bois. Red Riot’s origin might as well make him be called Pink Riot. Again with Hori and the childhood friends though I wouldn’t exactly call them friends. They just went to the same middle school but Kirishima was highly influenced by Mina’s Chivalrous spirit! A ship is born!

Manga Highlights: The influence is mutual! Mina creates a move based on Kirishima’s unbreakable and we all let out a collective “awwww”. Also in the war arc, we got Kirishima making sure Mina’s chivalrous spirit shines through right into Gigantomachia’s mouth! KiriMina may just be the unsung MVP’s of this arc.

Heroes Rising: They were in it.

Troubling Signs?: I can’t think of a single one. KiriMina’s can enjoy a peaceful sailing.

VII: KiriBaku. Status: Crumb Collectors.

-2020 was an uneventful year for KiriBaku but Bones made sure there were crumbs aplenty! Thank God for OVA’s!

Anime Highlights: KiriBaku’s did thrive in one episode! Kirishima reflects on the sludge incident and evolves his quirk based on inspiring words from Bakugo! Hooray! KiriBaku’s can thrive in their blossoming friendship. The OVA also has Kirishima (and Kaminari but shh) once again following Bakugo’s lead when it comes to the training excercise. How can you not? He’s so manly!

Manga Highlights: Not gonna lie. There is nothing much here this year. I did find a teeny tiny flake in Aizawa’s flashback. Kirishima and Bakugo are sitting next to each other. Oh! And at the hot pot gathering, Bakugo sits next to Kirishima! Eat your crumbs KiriBaku’s! There’s always next year!

Heroes Rising: Kirishima hangs with a lazy Bakugo and delivers the most hilarious line in the whole movie. “Silly Bakugo, there won’t be villains here!” Hahah... Silly Bakugo. Oh you~ KiriBaku’s can inhale the fact that those two sure love to hover around each other!

Troubling Signs?: With great crumbs come little responsiblity. No trouble if there’s no content! 🤔

VIII: KamiJirou. Status: Singing their hearts out 🎶

-If there’s any ship that’s coming close to canonization, I think this is it, folks! “Think of the person most important to you!” Can’t argue with Midnight!

Anime Highlights: Kaminari does non stop encouraging of Jirou and her hobbies! He works super hard to learn guitar for her sake! We love a king who can encourage his queen!

Manga Highlights: Kaminari thinks of the most important person to him and surprise! It’s Jirou! All of the feels can commence.

Heroes Rising: They were in it!

Troubling Signs?: Kaminari does love his women. And men. Kaminari overall is a huge flirt. But Jirou appears to have his heart strings. ❤️

IX: BakuDeku. Status: Rising. 👑

-Alternative Statuses include Winning, Thriving, Soaring. It’s just been non stop content this year. 2020 is truly the year for BakuDeku. The shippers can rejoice.

Anime Highlights: Three words. Be. My. Cane. The OVA’s helped fan the flames of the BkDk hearts with a surprise! Deku tops! Not only that, we got a lovely shoulder tap of encouragement in the canon material. While in season 4, Deku’s primary focus was Eri. Bakugo and Deku still had their moments to be hella gay.

Manga Highlights: Where do I even begin? I guess we’ll just cut to the chase with Bakugo Katsuki: Rising. We finally saw Bakugo’s true feelings manifest for Deku and if getting stabbed for him isn’t the ultimate showing of love, then idk what is. BakuDeku’s rounded out the year with the Volume 29 cover AND the volume 29 cover drafts to eat at our heart strings. Overall, their relationship got the spotlight in the manga this year. And we’re bound to start 2021 with a dramatic confrontation. Hand holding seems to be the key with these two and it didn’t stop with Heroes Rising...speaking of.

Heroes Rising: The entire movie. Like....yeah. That’s it. [OP, your bias is showing. You have to be SPECIFIC.] {But random criticizer in my head, if I lay out the entire plot of the movie, my post will be too long} [OP....] UGHHHH Okay okay. The POPSICLE MELTING. THE HAND HOLDING. THE CHARACTER DESIGNS OF WHAT MIGHT AS WELL BE THEIR LOVE CHILDREN. Did I mention? “It’s fine if it’s you?” CAUSE YEAH. Oh and All Might randomly officiating their wedding in their heads like idk. Isn’t it just simpler if I say the whole movie??!

Troubling Signs?: Well these two’s relationship is extremely delicate and while it has non stop soared this year, Deku might not take too kindly to Bakugo almost dying for him. Will they stop pushing each other away? Time will tell.

That’s all for this year folks! Happy Shipping and good luck to everyone next year!

[themockingcrows]

Doki Doki Grist Panic! Ch. 1

pairing: John/Dave Characters: John Egbert, Dave Strider, Bro Strider cw: Canon Typical Violence, magical boys, more tags to be added as needed

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27802735/chapters/68066416

The life of a magical boy is a tough one, but Dave doesn't really have much of a choice in the matter. It's the fate he was handed, and the fate he'll cope with. With new enemies spawning in his city left and right, Dave has his hands full trying to maintain the peace and little time for much else. That is, until the cute boy he rescued turns up in his college class and seems to share all of his interests. Is love on the horizon? Or is love too much to hope for in this line of work?

     There were nearly too many to count by the time Dave arrived on the scene, dark creatures that looked like they were born from an oil slick, their shoulders and head decked with odd looking colorful scraps of fabric collars and hats. Most of the people had fled the area when the hungry beasts had turned up, but a few victims had been downed by the creatures, their bodies lying limp surrounded by bright colorful gems of energy in a rainbow of colors.

     Grist. It was the energy of this planet, the energy that powered every living thing, and as such it was a tasty target for most enemies from beyond the asteroid belt who wanted a quick powerup. Dave had run into plenty of creatures before, both from home and from beyond, who were a threat to the populace, but he’d never seen beings act this efficiently before.

     Everywhere the creatures jumped they left behind an oily mess, even soiling the grist their greedy hands reached for, wanting to throw the delicate candy looking items into their mouths. Were they just going to eat them to further their own power? Or were they eating them to transport them? It didn’t matter. They weren’t going to get far. Dave was planning on doing a silent takedown, a sneak attack, but he realized there was a risk. A lone person was standing in the midst of the carnage, dark hair and tanned skin stark against a blue sweater the color of the crisp autumn sky itself and a bright white shirt collar.

     He had to get them safe, before they fell to the same fate as the scattered bodies.

     Right. Showy it was, then.

     “STOP RIGHT THERE,” Dave cried, bounding out of cover and out into view in a flash of red. His black and white knee high boots, black buttons shining on the side, clicked on the concrete as he landed safely from the larger than life jump he’d performed. The black leggings he wore beneath the red, gear pattern edged tunic were pristine from the recent transformation, the same material coating his arms and chest like a second skin. The dark red cape he wore fluttered in the wind, hood down and back, white hair windswept. It was quite the impressive appearance, all things considered.

     “Wh-what?” said the soon to be victim. His eyes were pretty to look at behind the thick glasses he wore, black frames perched on his nose. He didn’t look nearly as terrified as he should have, but then again shock can do a lot to a person.

     “Get to cover!” Dave barked, a gloved hand pointing to the clear area he’d come from. As planned, the creatures focused on him, pausing in their gorey gathering ritual to flock his direction. Another flash of red, the afterimage of a slowly ticking gear hanging behind him for a moment and Dave had summoned his weapon of choice, a long silvery blade with a gilt crossguard, broadsword firm and true. He bounced on the balls of his feet for a moment, hyping himself up as he shifted his grip, before pointing the sword at the incoming beasts.

     “You will not best me. I am a warrior of Earth and you’re not gonna get in my way!” he shouted.

     Time slowed around him briefly, the clock gear flashing in the air behind him as he darted forwards, giving him enough speed and delay to get in the heavy strikes he needed against the inky interlopers. Their bodies felt solid at first hit, but when they collapsed it was into grist and oil slick once more. Darting around this way, the creatures slower than usual, gave him an upper hand that was in some ways criminal. They were low tier creatures judging from their density alone and the lack of a fight they put up, but their numbers were still worrisome to Dave. He was panting by the time he finished the slicing and dicing, black gunk coated grist littering the ground behind him.

     He held the sword as he caught his breath before slowly straightening, loosening his grip on it and willing it back from where it had been summoned. The released grist was slowly beginning to move, rolling and bouncing back towards the limp bodies they had come from. With luck, they’d wake up soon. No doubt the police would be coming shortly, ambulance in tow, if only from the amount of people that had run away in terror.

     Right, where was- Oh. Good, there he was. The fellow from before, mister blue sweater, seemed fine and dandy. A little wide eyed in shock now, but who could blame him? It wasn’t often that Dave had to make appearances where people could see him. It was far, far easier being a magical boy out of view of the populace, guarding people from a distance, not having to deal with aftermath even if he was capable of making quick escapes unseen. Mister blue sweater might have been hit if he hadn’t exposed himself as he had.

     Actually, speaking of-

     “What’s your name?” Dave asked as he clicked his way closer to the bystander’s side, glancing him over. No sign of damage. A little oil on his shoes, when he looked closer, but otherwise unharmed. Good.

     “John,” said the black haired fellow. “Who are..?”

     Dave smiled a bit, reaching a gloved hand up to flick his bangs away from his face. “Doesn’t matter who I am. John, you got really lucky. Do me a favor: when the cops get here, make sure that the people who are still asleep get help. They should wake up soon, but some might be feeling sick for a while after this. Grist doesn’t always redistribute evenly, when there’s a lot scattered like that.” Pain in the neck, really, but what could anyone do? Somehow have an inventory of how much grist people had at the moment of attack then inventory reclaimed grist and distribute it evenly? Impossible.

     He smiled then, blue eyes crinkling at the edges, and showed buck teeth that were actually pretty charming when taken in with the rest of the whole. The upside of this duty Dave had, this burden in some lights, was that he got to see all kinds of people. Even the really cute ones. Charmed, but needing to beat feet, Dave smirked and turned around, making a series of difficult leaps to reach the top of the buildings before speeding away, flash stepping out of sight and allowing the magic to slowly fade. There were no more feelings of intense wrong, nothing on his internal radar nearby, at least for the night. Safety had returned. Time to relax.

     By the time Dave was closer to home, his hair had changed back to blonde from the stark white it had been during the fight, and the uniform had returned to the clothing he’d been wearing before the change, a simple t-shirt and some jeans with rips in the knees, sunglasses, high top sneakers and a chain wallet, his keys with the stupid heart keychain Dirk had given him that he’d never bothered to get rid of. He made his way up the long sets of stairs before unlocking the door with his key, waving to his Bro where he sat on the futon in front of the television, playing a video game.

     “Hey.”

     “Hey,” he heard back, ignoring the sound of familiar game music in favor of carefully raiding the fridge for something to eat. “Very big of a mess this time?”

     “Nah. Nothing I can’t handle,” Dave said, settling on a bottle of juice. Instant ramen sounded better than the leftovers that were available, even if it was mostly salt and carbs. He was tired and needed something hot. “Y’know, if you thought it might be a big mess you could’ve at least bothered to cook.”

     “You’re a big boy, you can handle it,” Bro said casually. “When I used to run around on the beat, I-”

     “Flew uphill both ways in the snow,” Dave said flatly, annoyed, but breaking his noodles into a bowl and adding water and the powder before slapping it into the microwave to cook.

     “No, I was gonna say I didn’t have anyone to run me a bath and cook me stuff, I was on my own. If I could do it, you can do it. Who knows when I won’t be here to help back you up anyway?”

     “Back me up?” Dave said, brows lifting over his shades. “You can’t back shit up when it comes to some of these things!”

     “Please, Dave. I might not be magic anymore, but I still know how the fuck to fight some monsters.”

     “If anyone could back me up against monsters, it’d be Dirk, but he’s off bein’ a prettyboy ninja stud fuck knows where. You need magic to beat this shit, or at least the shit that’s turned up in the last few years. You know that. You knew that before you gave everything up an-”

     Bro was quiet for a moment before he paused his game and sighed, leaning back against the futon, interrupting Dave’s train of words. “Yeah, yeah, I know. C’mon, man, at least let me pretend I’d be useful to your ass beyond fightin’ practice.”

     “I don’t need fighting practice! You always wanna use katanas, I use a broadsword! A broadsword!” Dave said, looking to the microwave when it beeped before aggressively popping it open. He grabbed a fork and his hot noodles before heading for the hallway. “I’m gonna go eat, shout if you need me. Or text, or whatever.”

     Bro frowned, but let Dave go without a word. Not that he could really say much. He knew how much stress Dave was under, knew he could probably help in some ways that would matter a lot, but knowing there was no way to gauge how much longer he’d even be around to begin with, it made it hard to know when to try being close and when to push further away.

     Probably better to just keep things at arms length like they had been for a few years now, make it easier for them both. The last thing Bro wanted to do was become a source of weakness for Dave, after all.

     It was the least he’d be able to do.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - -

      The last face Dave expected to see on Monday was a familiar one. Amidst the chatter of his classmates filling the lecture hall, Dave spotted messy dark hair and shining blue eyes, black glasses with thick square lenses. When he spoke, when he grinned at someone, he saw the buck teeth that had finalized the squirm in his stomach on the weekend. It was still early enough in the semester that students were dropping and adding classes left and right, so it wasn’t unthinkable that there’d be another handful of new faces in the class for a while. The fact it was this one, though, was surprising. More surprising still was the eventual way the tall guy made his way towards the back, towards Dave’s table, and pointed at the seat beside him.

     “That open? Everyone else has their bags on their chairs, I guess they’re saving them for someone else,” he said.

     More like trying to deter randos from sitting beside them, Dave thought, realizing he’d forgotten to do the exact same thing. Whoops. Oh well, not the worst person in the world to want to sit beside him and listen to the professor prattle on up in front of the lecture hall.

     “Yeah, it’s open,” said Dave after a moment of processing that… shit this guy was pretty fucking cute up close. Sounded nice too, when he wasn’t high off adrenaline. He kicked his backpack further under the tabletop and glanced down at his laptop, making sure he wasn’t on anything embarrassing without realizing it. Nope, youtube and a flash game till the class started (and for during class if the guy went off topic and wouldn’t get back to the relevant things for class, as was this Professor’s apparent specialty).

     “My name’s John,” offered messy hair as he sat down. “What’s yours?”

     His name didn’t matter.

     “Dave,” he said, grinning a bit. “Nice to meet you, John.”

     “Oh man, you’re subscribed to them too?” he asked suddenly, pointing to the screen. “I’ve been watching their Lets Plays for years, it’s kinda amazing how much they break the games they play. And it’s neat to see two girls running a channel that big, normally it’s guys as far as the eye can see.”

     “Yeah? I feel ya,” Dave said, glancing to the screen again and clicking to pause. Rose was in the process of executing a risky near game breaking glitch that would speed them towards the ultimate weapon of the game, while Jade was explaining the process and the details, as well as the history of the game itself, and giving real life comparisons to the events and reality. He’d seen this episode at least a half dozen times, but the duo were charming as hell and really knew their shit. Cut throat and cut throat, and yet entertaining and casual. “Space Needle is kind of a weird name for a channel though. Isn’t that a landmark somewhere?”

     “I know, but have you heard Jade go on about space and technology before?”

     “Oh yeah, her science corner,” Dave mused. Shit, this guy really was a fan. ...Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being distracted by him after all, they’d managed to break the ice without even a second thought.

     The professor had finally made his way into the classroom, however, and Dave nodded his direction to John, who hurriedly dug into his bag for his own laptop. Right, time to focus now. They could geek out later. Dave didn’t miss the Space Needle sticker on the back, along with an impressive amount of other insignia that Dave could only guess at. Dude seemed into pop culture to a wicked degree, there were even memes on display, up to date ones too.

     They were hard cut to focus though, finding it much more fun to whisper back and forth about their favorite episodes, their favorite quotes, in jokes and memes. John apparently had started watching fairly recently but was already die hard, and was living for Dave’s deeper lore on the channel. The whispering only stopped when the professor focused enough to catch them, calling for quiet in the back. They exchanged guilty smirks and went back to actually focusing, taking notes from the display and trying to decipher what would be most important from what was being said to note down as well.

     When the class ended, it was back to business as they packed up and headed out, deciding to hit the cafeteria for more conversation and a snack before they had to go their separate ways. Dave’s eventual regretful time to leave came all too soon after he’d finished some fries, and he was surprised  when John handed over not only his discord information, but his phone number on a scrap napkin. His handwriting was messy but clear, and on his way to his next destination Dave took care to gently set it into his bag for later.

     He’d gotten a cute guys details without even asking. Discord was one thing, but his phone number? Holy shit. The fact that it’d be difficult to remain casual with him was going to be the next task at hand, what with his duties and all, but Dave had confidence he’d manage it.

     He could handle saving the world. Of course he could handle a cute guy at the same time.

     Somehow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

     Somehow seemed a lot further away when Dave was busy. A lot less possible. How could he juggle a friendship casually, much less with a really cute guy, while dealing with shit like this every other day? Another attack had laid low several people, with the creatures showing they could reproduce with enough of the inky substance on the ground. Someone had unleashed another flow of them, but this time they seemed prepared to fight back.

     They had sharp claws that cut at the fabric of Dave’s cape, and his usual speed didn’t seem enough for dealing with them with such a heavy weapon. He vaguely wished he had the skills to use a katana like Dirk or Bro properly, one handed and speedy as sound itself, but alas. His mantle was the royal deringer and no less. Fate seemed to think he could handle a broadsword, so a broadsword he was dealt.

     When a group of the imps managed to knock him over, sending him flying into the air and then skidding along the ground till he came to a halt, Dave knew he’d need to change tactics. Slowly getting up onto his scuffed white boots once more, Dave began to circle the creatures, biding his time and waiting till he could strike properly. They were mindless before, but this time they seemed to be working as a team, occasionally using each other as weapons or sending projectiles made of sludgy oil Dave’s direction. He’d dodge, dance backwards, flash step sideways to avoid. He needed to act quickly, though. It appeared as though there was potentially a way for them to combine themselves, to become even larger. Deadlier. Finally though, they left themselves open.

     Gritting his teeth, Dave felt the surge in his blood as the gears activated in the air behind him, flashing brightly as they turned. He flash stepped forwards and angled his blade, slicing clean through four in a go before flash stepping another direction and backstabbing another. He bounced about this way for a good thirty seconds of real time, dodging slightly slowed attacks and striking what he hoped were key points of these taller, more deadly imps. Grist showered the ground with the falling oil, a slow motion wave that only grew in intensity as he finally shouted and beheaded the final creature and came to a knee to catch his breath.

     His arms burnt, his back ached, and the ticking throb in his head only seemed to get more and more intense as the gears slowed and finally disappeared following his strife. He was coated in oil, and was thankful he didn’t need to worry about cleaning and detailing his weapon as he sent it back where it had come from, let alone cleaning himself or his uniform. He ran a hand through oily white hair and grimaced, looking at the fallen grist, the fallen people, and shook his head.

     A repeat attack so soon, escalating no less, meant that this foe wasn’t just another one and done mission. Something felt… wrong. Intensely wrong, really. Dave couldn’t put his finger on it, but his instincts were telling him to be wary of the situation.

     With the sound of sirens on the horizon, Dave bolted from the scene, taking to the building tops with some parkour and extreme jumps, flash stepping some distances and simply taking cover for others till he could return to the ground in a desolate area. Away went the magic, a gear appearing overhead and quickly whipping over him to the ground, returning him to his normal clothes.

     If only it could take away the fatigue, too.

     And the sense of loneliness that cropped up not long after as he was walking back to where he’d ditched his backpack originally tonight, passing by a gaggle of people out having fun, unaware of the danger that lurked around them. Unaware of just how great they had it, being able to go to the movies with friends whenever they wanted to instead of forever being on call.

     Would he be like that someday, somehow? Find a way to get peace for extended periods, or peace everlasting? Not eternally being on call? Or would he be like Bro, powerless and essentially alone, traumatized and waiting for his timer to tick down. ...No. He’d never be like Bro, probably. Bro had given everything up for him. It was his fault he was-

     A chirp from Dave’s phone alerted him that he was near his bag, and just in time to boot. He rummaged in the pocket to dig it out, and blinked at the screen.

     John. 

     That’s right… He had a friend now. ...Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. He actually smiled as he lit the screen up and tapped out a reply, shouldering his bag before heading home. It was more discussion of Space Needle, which was a welcome distraction from how Dave felt, and how his thoughts had begun turning.

ectoBiologist:  so like i was saying, i just heard about their next lets play and i’m freaking out a bit! turntechGodhead:  yeah?? whats planned ectoBiologist:  they’re going to cover SBURB! can you believe it?turntechGodhead:  sburb huh turntechGodhead:  seems their style i guess turntechGodhead:  didnt it get kinda mid reviews though ectoBiologist:  some people rated it sub par but i don’t care, i think it sounds great. ectoBiologist:  i don’t know what would be better, if it was a great game or if it was a spectacular piece of shit they can tear apart on screen. turntechGodhead:   think theyll stream any of it ectoBiologist:  oh shit i hope so!

     The banter carried Dave all the way home, up the familiar stairs, and into the apartment where he was surprised to smell food cooking. The room was warm from the stove and oven being on, catching Dave out of the conversation and into reality once more, freezing and lifting a brow.

     “Okay, what’s happenin’, you don’t cook.”

     Bro, sprawled out on the futon again with his long legs crossed, smirked from beneath the brim of his hat.

     “Excuse the fuck outta you, I do too. It’s just been a goddamn long time.”

     “Okay, you don’t cook for me though,” Dave clarified, setting his bag down.

     “Who said it’s for you?”

     “...”

     “I’m fuckin’ with you. There’s a casserole in the oven and some sides on the stove. Eat up.”

     “I need a shower first,” Dave said, remembering all too well the feeling of oil in his hair, oil hitting his face, the bittersweet smell of the inky sludge. After warning John he was going offline for a bit, Dave dropped his bag in his room and went to clean himself up. It’d be the first night in a long while he felt secure, comfortable, warm, clean, AND full all at once.

     There were worse ways to spend an evening than falling asleep on his phone after too much supper. Though, right then, Dave couldn’t really think of any. All he could think about was the cute boy on the other end of the discord handle, his favorite gamers prepping for a new title they could experience at the same time, and the lulling comfort of sleep seeping into his bones.

[rainonglass]

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻.

Repost, don’t reblog.

BASICS.

full name.  quirrel...... of hallownest?? hallownest doesnt really do surnames

nickname.  nin canon, he’s been called “mask”. i hc he probably got called “monomon’s assistant” and “that bug following monomon” a lot, even though. both of those are longer than his actual name

gender.  male, he/him

height.  tentatively 3′9″-ish. canonicaly he’s taller than hornet without her horns and shorter than hornet with horns so take that as you will

age. for sure older than 50, probably around 65-70

zodiac. doesn’t remember his birthday, but i hc he’s an aquarius. fun fact Bring Your Child To The Library day is the first saturday of february

spoken languages.  whatever language was most common in and around hallownest, plus bits and pieces of many languages from the world beyond

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair color.  does not have hair follicles but his antennae are black

eye color. beady and black, if you google pillbug face you will see his eyes

skin tone.  whatever skin isn’t covered by carapace is a desaturated dark blue

accent.  uhh his voice actor is a guy from chicago if that gives you anything. ok for real though i think he has kind of a muddled accent, like the way he says “cat” doesn’t quite rhyme with “bat”. stuff that kinda clues you into his background in the wilds, where his speech patterns were shaped by the different places he went. despite that, he’s pretty easy to understand when he talks. something something being monomon’s assistant included teaching classes something something he retained that enunciation. fun fact one of my friends cobbled together his voice clips to make him say Words and the resulting accent sounded.... french? do with that what you will

voice.  i have it right here! specifically, near the end of the video but before his Fightin Words. he sounds his age, he’s pretty tired. still, there’s something very friendly about the way he talks

dominant hand.  ok so in game they just flip his sprite so you can’t definitively say what hand he holds his nail with, but in the prequel comic it looks like he favors his right both for combat and for general stuff (ie, he waves with his right hand)

posture.  i genuinely cannot tell if he’s slouching in-game or if his body’s just shaped like that, but i’m gonna go ahead and say he slouches a lot nowadays just because he’s old and his center of gravity is lower

tattoos. his position in hallownest wouldn’t have allowed it pre-amnesia, post-amnesia he wouldn’t have been keen on the recovery time given he was fighting to survive in the wilds

birthmarks. nope

noticeable feature(s). well, he’s obviously wearing a mask on his face, and he wears a kerchief over his antennae. if you got both of those off him you’d literally just be looking at a normal roly poly but i thought i’d mention them. uhhh he’s kinda leggy and he’s shaped like a kidney bean

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth. god i dont know. i hc quirrel was prrrrobably around middle-class? he doesn’t look like the aristocratic bugs in the city of tears and we know hallownest had a pretty strict caste system, so it was. probably kind of weird when monomon made him her assistant, but not inconcievable (for comparison, lurien’s butler/assistant was a member of hallownest’s high society). anyway that’s all to say i think he was uhhhhh probably hatched at home, in a city near but not part of the city of tears?

birth weight.  im sorry i cannot find the average birth weight of a pillbug but they look like this as mancas/babies

birth height.  like a milimeter or less

manner of birth. hatched from an egg!

first words. “outside”

siblings. so, so many (most didnt survive infancy though it’s tough for a pillbug)

parents.  two moms (it is MY headcanon and i give quirrel the two moms!!!)

parental involvement.  his parents tried their best but it’s tough when you have a bunch of pillbug babies running around. once he got a little older and survived molting though, they took more direct care of him. they made sure he got a very good education and worked hard to make him Refined in hopes he’d get a good job in the capital. he got in trouble pretty often even though he was a really sweet kid, he’d just forget the rules and run off to play outside. once he got his position with monomon, his moms talked about him a lot at like. the quilting circle.

(sidenote: quirrel remembers literally none of this, if you asked him any of these questions he’d have no idea except stuff that could logically be deduced from his species. he doesn’t remember his family at all)

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation. bisexual

romantic orientation. he’s bi all the way down baby

love language. playful debates, small touches, traveling together, saying exactly what he thinks about something, letting them see him sleep

relationship tendencies. asking a lot of questions, tends to hold his partner to a higher esteem than himself early on, learns a lot from his partner. not great at living with a partner because he’s so used to living outside

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song. doesn’t have one in-game, unless you count the archives theme (literally just ambient bubbling and spooky noises) or uumuu’s boss theme aka decisive battle (which is a general boss theme and isn’t unique to uumuu). i think uhhhh wait fuck i lied. closest thing we have is this, which is the city of tears indoors theme but is best known for playing in the scene where you sit on a bench with quirrel

mental illnesses. depression, some degree of anxiety, general dissociative problems, you know the deal. autism isn’t a mental illness but uuuuuh i’m gonna mention it anyway, i’m autistic so no matter what if i’m roleplaying a character they’re gonna end up with some autism in them. he’s got some issues with grief but like he doesn’t have a diagnosis and i don’t know what that would be anyway

self-confidence level. low! very low! he knows he’s old and he can’t remember much about being monomon’s assistant so he doesn’t have much going for him, in his eyes. his (implied) death at blue lake kinda gives you a look into that

vulnerabilities. grief. showing physical weakness. being shown pity. being trapped.

[wasabicakes]

harry and uma are friends: a scene analysis

aka why you’re wrong about harry solely being around uma because she’s a “tyrant” and he’s a “brainwashed follower.”

i also thought of calling this “did you leave the room when uma rescued harry from the shark infested waters instead of going after mal?” or “uma brings harry food as soon as he steps in the door of her mother’s restaurant” but im not because im gonna focus on harry here. harry cares about uma. not solely as a leader (“tell ‘em whose in charge so they dont forget”), but as a person and  a friend. he doesnt want to see her upset like any normal friend would. not once do we ever see him tremble or appear intimidated by her. not once do we see him actually get scared when she gives him directions, i.e, when she tells him to stop taunting ben and leave him be. she does this twice when they’re on their ship. she tells him more forcefully the second time after she says she wants to talk to ben alone and his expression doesnt change once. disney movies are pretty explicit about showing this power imbalance - henchman clearly terrified of the villains they work for - and none of that is displayed in uma and harry’s dynamic. like at all. “but uma’s so toxic!” the voices shout. lets travel to some of the first scenes on the isle with uma, harry, and gil where mal is first brought up. mal’s on tv and uma is irritated. she takes food from harry’s tray which he doesnt mind her doing and she throws it at the screen. he laughs and uma calls her a poser. harry says shes a traitor. keep in mind, he says this completely unprompted! but uma has to tell the whole crew to join in and then they throw food at the tv. “that little traitor who left us in the dirt.” - uma “who turned her back on evil.” - harry gil opens his mouth, “who said you weren’t big or bad enough to join her gang.”

bringing up the shrimpy nickname? thats fightin’ words. harry is maaaad. uma goes to hold harry back without even looking at him. she knows he’s gonna react, so she signals for him to *ahem* let it go. (anybody remember the hyenas going to bat for scar? those two dudes standing up for cruella? no? hmm.) mere seconds later, uma huffs at gil and turns back to harry telling him, “that snooty little witch who grabbed everything she wanted and left me nothing.” they proceed to stand there after that, staring at each other, while gil talks. neither of them are paying attention to him at all. neither even acknowledge him.

it appears harry’s trying to take uma’s mind off of the anger and hurt mal caused her just through his stare and it works for a second or two (look at her face. does she look mad anymore?) until their attention slides…

“…said that you could have the shrimpy shovel.”

and uma immediately turns to gil in annoyance:

even harry turns around irritated by gil (note: he doesnt speak to jonas, just quickly turns) because right after uma speaks to gil, he turns back around to talk to uma. to try to make her feel better. again. (it doesnt actually work because she’s got more ambitious goals but my point still stands.)

all of which is perfectly in canon with harry’s characterization from the books. here are some samples from it, rise of the isle of the lost, because i am a ho for using more than one source to support my pov if its available: “MAL! you dont always get to win!” uma screamed in fury. “i think she just did,” said gil. “didn’t she?” “shut up, gil,” said harry, sighing as he put his black tricorn hat back on his head. – “listen, we might not have the trident, and we might not have a way off this island,” said harry. “but we’ve got a serious crew here.” uma looked around at the pirates on the ship - desiree, jonas, bonny, even gonzo. they were hers. a real crew. “we’ve got a lot to do,” said harry. “so much trouble to start, eh?” he slung an arm around uma, and another around gil. […] because harry was right. they might not have much, but they were each a part of a crew. and on the isle of the lost, that was more than something - it was everything. “one day, when those bore-adon snobs least expect it, we’ll pounce,” promised harry. “they’ll make a mistake, maybe even wander into the wrong neighborhood. fall into our net! and you know what we’ll do then!” he said, making a slashing motion across his neck with his hook. “um, what will we do?” wondered gil. “we’ll have our revenge,” uma declared, her eyes glittering with malice. “mark my words. this isn’t the end of our story. its only the beginning.” would someone who is only there out of fear or bitterness do or say anything i mentioned above? of course not! he doesnt act scared because he’s not. they are real friends! each other’s oldest friend on the isle, as a matter of fact. its genuine canon. miss me with that “the books arent canon” comments i keep seeing when uma and harry’s friendship is brought up. if thats the case, then why does disney clearly base the movie’s sequel off of the events of the book? harry is first mate of uma’s crew because he wants to be. he wants to be there. that’s all there is to it.

**gif credits - w, x, y, z

[renaroo]

She Works Like Clockwork

Disclaimer: Batman and associated characters are the creative property of DC Comics. Warnings: Canon-typical violence & language Pairing: Cass/Brenda Rating: T Prompt: ( @lego-joker ) "Almost Got 'im". Only with Cass. Use whatever villains you like. If you don't feel like writing full flashbacks, just them talking about her being terrifying is fine.

A/N: Okay I had WAY too much fun writing this, because I just really wanted to touch on all the amazing mercenary defeats that Cass had while in Blüdhaven anyway and tie it into Brenda and femslash february (man I’ve gotta pick up my game in a MAJOR way, c’mon, Rena). But this was great fun and thank you very much for the prompt. If anyone’s curious about the battles and villains referenced, check out Batgirl (2000-20006) #33-36 & 58-64

The name of the game was being inconspicuous. The name of the game was being patient. And the name of the game was being bait. 

There was a part of Cobblepot that had to admire the new Batgirl’s tenacity. He hadn’t had the pleasure of dealing with her much in Gotham, not outside of the times she accompanied Batman in roughing up the Iceberg Lounge’s clientele. 

But she was still a problem that had to be addressed. 

A problem he had thought he was addressing already. But things had been curiously difficult as of late, and all of his last ten shipments had been foiled by Batgirl, no matter who had been on the case. 

So the only answer it seemed was to meet where they would be least expected, to meet in the heart of Blüdhaven at a shop which the mercenaries had themselves named, just before closing, and get the explanations he so desperately desired. 

By the time he walked through the cafe’s door, the Penguin was greeted to the looks of the hired guns he had spent so much time and money on over the last few weeks, all sitting at a table in the back corner of the cafe. 

Behind the counter was a single worker, a red-haired woman with glasses who made a point of cleaning mugs while watching Cobblepot carefully. 

He crossed the cafe and sat at the open seat. “I want a cup of Earl Grey tea,” he said loud enough for the working woman to hear. 

“Right away, sir,” she said before turning around and busying herself.

The Penguin then looked to the mercenaries around him. “I also want to know why no one has been able to collect that handsome bounty have left on Batgirl’s head,” he announced. His eyes glanced toward the Trigger Twins. “You two came to me highly recommended, you were the first of my investments upon moving operations to this city. And you could not even bring me Batgirl’s cowl when I all but hand delivered it to you at my own home! What excuses can you have?”

The two glanced to each other and then back to the Penguin. 

“You see, sir.” “We would have had her, sir.” “We almost got ‘er, sir.” “But...”

Sir, it’s not like we’re exaggerating our record. Y’see, we actually are pretty transparent. We worked for Blockbuster before you, ‘n his concerns were always about Nightwing. 

That’s a difficult challenge. He’s like Batman himself -- we’d know, Sir. We fought them both. 

So when you told us that we needed to protect your assets from some girl and some boy who wore costumes, we didn’t think nothing of it. Not compared to Nightwing and Batman.

They’re just kids.

But you didn’t tell us, Sir, that when we were patrolling the halls that night, that those weren’t kids we were fightin’ but straight up demons!

Robin used his usual tricks, we’d seen him back before back when we crossed paths with Batman in Gotham. But the girl... The girl’s not anything like we’ve seen before.

When I’d shoot, she’d already be from the spot where I’s shootin’. And before I’d shoot, she’d be back in his sights. 

That’s not an easy trick to pull on the Trigger Twins, hoss. We aim to shoot where people’ll be, not where they are.

It’s like the Batgirl saw that. It’s like she knew that. And when she went from one spot to the other, we got ourselves all mixed up 

And that’s how Robin hogtied us from behind. 

Couldn’t even get sights on her, Sir. That’s what fighting her’s like, I swear. 

You’re shooting against the wind. 

But that was with two of them. And even if there’s two of us, it was a little unfair to compare us to these other guys when they lost her on her lonesome, but we lost her when she was teamed up with the other Batbrat!

Maybe without him...

Well, the point is, we had unlimited ammo. And her luck might’ve ran out just any minute then. We almost got ‘er...

The Penguin tapped his fingers against the table, unimpressed. His other hand stirred the readied tea the cafe worker had gotten for him. 

“I recall how you failed me at my grande entrée, Trigger Twins. It was probably a miscalculation on your end to remind me of that wasted retainer you both have,” he snapped at the two of them, causing them to recoil in their seats simultaneously. 

He then looked to the next group at the table. “And you? The four of you were supposedly unstoppable -- top tier, a veteran force of evil, as you had sold it to me. How did you fail me?” 

The Brotherhood of Evil was represented only by the youngest member, Gemini. The replacement for her own mother on the team, according to what little research Cobblepot had bothered to do in looking into them. 

He had thought battling the likes of the Doom Patrol and Titans -- teams of super powered heroes -- that they would be capable of handling one bat stuck up in the Penguin’s belfry. 

“We are an excellent force, the Brotherhood of Evil,” Gemini assured him. “It is why we are the highest billing.”

“Were, my dear,” the Penguin corrected. “Your colleagues are still in detention centers. I believe one is even in Belle Reeve, the poor devil.”

Gemini lowered her head, anger still clear on her face. “The Brotherhood of Evil did deliver on its promise to you. We defeated her, just as you had instructed on the ship you gave us--”

“But she survived,” the Penguin reminded her. “Very much against plan, I should recall quite clearly.”

“We almost got her,” Gemini insisted. 

I may be fairly new to the business, but my partners have been veterans of the Meta scene. They knew how to cover their tracks. 

Once I had tricked Batgirl, we all took the fight out of her. She was completely taken by surprise, out of her element. And when we left her, there wasn’t a chance she was getting out alive. 

Especially not after we blew the ship she was on out of the harbor. 

The amount of damage she had to have taken, the blow to that obvious ego she was wearing when she burst into the room -- even if she wasn’t dead, she wasn’t showing up the next night. My partners were sure of it.

I had no reason to doubt it. 

When we set out to supervise your next shipment, Mister Cobblepot, there was no sign of her. 

Until there was.

I don’t know how she got past the Brotherhood of Evil, but her ability to read movement had its limits with me. I had seen them on the ship. 

That was when I shaped into an entirely inhuman form to continue throwing her off. 

At least, that was my plan. It was a good plan, got me a few hits. 

But then, somehow, she saw through my metamorphosis. She saw through the monster I had become and hit me exactly where I hurt. 

After all that work, after she had been on the ropes, she took us all out. Right there. And had called the police to back her up just to add injury to insult. 

The worst part, though, was the way she looked at me when they handcuffed me. The way she looked...

I know the Batgirl doesn’t really have a face with that mask, but I coulda sworn she pitied me. 

She shouldn’t have pitied me. I don’t need pity. 

After all, we almost got her...

Resting his half empty cup of tea on its saucer, the Penguin wasted no time in glaring at Miss de Mille. He reached for a handkerchief and wiped down his lips and chin. “Of course you shall receive no pity because, like everyone else, the only thing you’re truly offering me here is a bloated excuse as to why I am still dealing with the menace to my personal affairs that is Batgirl!”

Still young and lacking confidence, Gemini flinched back at the accusation and lowered her head. 

“Honestly, this meeting is nearly pointless save that I remember that old lessons can teach new blood what not to do in the future,” he announced with a dignified shake of his head. 

It was during the uncomfortable shift that his words had caused that the Penguin noticed the girl with platinum hair sitting coolly in the corner and recognized her almost immediately. 

“And what of you, girl?” he asked. “Did Slade have a good reason beyond sheer embarrassment to send you to this meeting and explain his incompetence  rather than himself? After all, I was assured multiple times over that the mighty Deathstroke was the best that the industry had to offer. Was I told wrong?” 

Wilson’s daughter glared up at the Penguin with only one eye, her arms still crossed. “No,” she said back almost angrily. “He almost got her...”

Deathstroke is the best, but the reason he’s not here right now and the reason he did not finish the job then are one of the same. That would also be why I am here instead of him. 

The way he fought her it was obviously the first time in a long time she had been on the ropes in a purely physical battle. That was because Deathstroke’s fighting style was more than physical, it was mental gymnastics. 

It was difficult to predict from muscle memory alone when Deathstroke was leading her from one trap to the other. 

Ultimately, though, it was not an exercise for Deathstroke to prove himself, it was an exercise for someone else to prove themselves. 

That was when I stepped into the fray. 

Batgirl was to be my quarry, and my introduction to the underworld as the new Ravager after my failure to live up to expectations against the Titans. 

The reasoning was that Batgirl was but one person and not a team of individuals. She was good, but she was not a meta. And getting to her would get to both Nightwing and Batman ultimately. It was a way of letting them know a message from Deathstroke -- that his family was greater than theirs. That his methods were more just than theirs. 

I was eager. But Batgirl was not. 

Gemini spoke of pity -- you haven’t seen the meaning of the word until you saw what looks I received in my fight with her. 

I wished for pity compared to the sympathy and outreach Batgirl tried to hand out to me. She saw herself in me and she fought me that much harder because of it. Humiliated me in front of my fath-- in front of Deathstroke. 

And if it wasn’t bad enough, she used my rage and anger and impulsiveness to keep my father from completing his quarry. She cut my jugular and forced Deathstroke to chose between completing his objective or saving his legacy. 

He chose. And to justify that choice he told me to come here today and humor your asinine request to have former mercenaries under your employ justify themselves before you in a ridiculous, unnecessarily quaint local set up like this. 

Because he almost got her, and it’s not his mistake to excuse...

"Yet it’s an excuse all the same,” Cobblepot sighed, with a frustrated fling of his hand. His tea was done. “And for the record, my dear, regrettable former investments, the idea for this réunion is not a choice invitation of my own, but that of the untested among you.”

The four mercenaries turned their attention to the shadowy figure in the business suit who had been silently sitting and waiting on them the entire time. His reaction was hidden behind his sunglasses, an interesting choice considering being indoors. 

“My newest hire had heard, through your ever leaky community that I had attempted to address my issues with Batgirl before in the past, and thus set up this entire arrangement before acting on his own to fulfill my request,” the Penguin said, lacing his stubby, malformed digits together. “He wanted to learn from mistakes of the past and whatnot before acting. A sign of wisdom one would think.”

Wilson’s daughter narrowed her visible eye. “And just who are you supposed to be? I’ve never seen you before, and I have studied all the big names in the industry.”

“You’re not from Blüdhaven,” a Trigger Twin announced. “We’d know you if you were,” the other completed.

The mystery man smiled and raised his shoulders in a shrug. “The only thing you need to know about me... is that my name is Alpha. And I’ve been closer to getting Batgirl than any of you,” he explained. “But that’s not my story to tell.” He got to his feet and nodded back to the redhead behind the counter.

Alarmed, Cobblepot began to stand, but the redhead dropped below the counter and suddenly sirens and lights began shining in through the windows. 

Shocked, the mercenaries reached for their weapons and Cobblepot garbled for words, near squawking when Alpha tisked at them all, shaking a finger. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned before nodding back to the storage room door. 

Batgirl flung the door open, eyes narrowed. 

“Boo,” she said before leaping into action. 

With the FBI and police all finished up, I was at last able to close up shop. The mysterious Alpha guy that had been part of the whole scheme with me from the beginning and had been somewhat of my guardian as I recorded the conversations and served the dangerous lot told me I had quite the angel over my shoulder. 

I just took him for his word as I finally closed up shop. I was disappointed but also had expected the exciting night to end like it was just the same. 

That was, until Batgirl proved to be beyond expectations once again and was right behind me as I locked the door. 

“Oh god,” I breathed, putting a hand over my heart. “You scared me. You--”

“Sorry,” she said, hands up in a soothing way. Her voice, though deep seemingly by force, was full of genuine apology. 

“It’s fine,” I said back, nervously stroking some bangs behind my ears. “Just hope you can get out of here with the door locked and all.”

“Wanted to... thank you,” she explained softly. “You were brave.”

“You and that Alpha guy did the hard work,” I said with a shrug and a smile. “I’m a big fan, by the way. You’ve really helped to start turning this part of the city around. You probably won’t get thanked much for it -- Blüdhaven natives are stubborn like that -- but you can hear it from me whenever you want.”

“Thanks,” Batgirl said hesitantly. She then stepped closer. “You’re... turning it around, too. I’ve seen you... you’re a good person. People notice. People I know very well. You feed and shelter and help them. They don’t forget it.”

I couldn’t help the smile on my face. “Well, there’s only one person I can think of who fits all those bills. You that familiar with just one girl around the corner?” I knew my voice was a touch too suspicious.

“Yes,” Batgirl answered all the same, backing off. “Have to go. Thank you... Miss Miller.”

“Thank you, Batgirl,” I replied, watching her disappear into the shadows. 

With a huff and a smile, I shake my head. “Almost got her.”