#i love his robin suit it’s my favorite to draw

[spidertams]

Damian from back in november!

[solarmorrigan]

Hands Where I Can See Them, Part 6

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

The days pass like cold mud – slow, uncomfortable, and relentless.

But they do pass.

Eddie had said he could give Steve the time he needed, and he’d meant it; he would wait out the two weeks and be there on the other side to talk to him. To hope for a second chance.

They see each other here and there, mostly in passing: Steve comes to pick a few of the kids up from a gaming session; Eddie stops in at Family Video with Jeff, Gareth, and Oliver to grab a movie (where Jeff and Steve exchange a surprisingly friendly greeting); they occupy separate sides of the room at a group dinner.

Each time, Eddie is sure to at least acknowledge and wave at Steve, in spite of any protective hovering and scowling Robin might be doing if she happens to be present. Steve gives cautious nods in return at first, but as they near the deadline, he’s returning Eddie’s distant greetings with a hesitant smile and that ridiculous little finger-wiggle wave that Eddie had been reluctantly charmed by in the beginning.

And in the meantime, Eddie plots.

He is not, by nature, an optimist (strangely, between the two of them, that’s Steve’s area), but in this instance, he plans for the best: the idea that Steve will say yes and let Eddie take him on a proper date. And as improvisational as Eddie likes to be, he’s also a veteran dungeon master and plotter of all sorts of campaigns; if you want long-term plans to go off without a hitch, it pays to be prepared.

So, he plots.

He brainstorms and makes lists of all of Steve’s favorite things and schemes out elaborate romantic gestures and draws on all the knowledge he’s retained from the romcoms he’d whined about having to watch with Steve but had always given in over when Steve gave him that puppy-eyed look that Eddie has no defense against.

(And somehow, he’d continued to think they were just friends. His lack of awareness should be studied as a scientific anomaly.)

He thinks Steve would be proud of his accumulated work (and Eddie himself isn’t ashamed of it, but all the same, he makes sure to hide the notebook where none of the guys will ever, ever stumble across it, because they would never, ever let Eddie live it down).

In any case, the ticking down of two weeks finally comes to an end, and Eddie stands in front of the phone earlier than he’d normally care to be awake, hoping that his work will pay off.

Steve picks up before the fourth ring, just like he always does, and answers the phone like a dork, just like he always does.

“Harrington residence, Steve speaking.”

This is where Eddie normally makes a joke – says he’d been trying for the funeral home and asks if Steve happens to have a shovel and some time on his hands; says he thought he’d had the number for the Hawkins Gentleman’s Club and asks if Steve is much of a dancer; once, he’d even affected a terrible New York accent and spun some lines about how he’d been trying to call a speakeasy. He can always hear the laughter caught behind Steve’s dry responses to his nonsense, and he always loves it.

But now is not “normally,” and Eddie only just manages to sound like himself as he replies, “Steve. Just the Harrington I was hoping would speak.”

“Eddie,” is all Steve says for a moment; he sounds almost surprised, but not displeased. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Eddie says back. “So, I know punctuality has never been my strong suit, but it’s, uh. It’s been two weeks. Pretty much on the dot. And you said I should come talk to you again, so…”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, no, did you – You can come over. If you want to talk, still,” Steve says – stammers, really, like he’s been caught off-guard, like he really hadn’t been expecting Eddie to call.

“Well, if I didn’t change my mind in two weeks, I’m not gonna change my mind in the fifteen minutes it takes to get to your house,” Eddie says.

“Sure,” Steve says, a little steadier now. “Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit, I guess.”

“You definitely will,” Eddie assures him. “See you in a bit, Steve.”

“Yeah. Yes. Bye, Eddie.”

It’s awkward, but – it’s something.

The only reason Eddie doesn’t break an egregious number of traffic laws on his way to Steve’s house is because he simply couldn’t bear the irony of getting arrested now, of all times. With his luck, he’d get sent up the river and Steve would be left waiting and waiting at his house before coming to the conclusion that Eddie had never really cared about him after all, only to be found surprised and jaded several years later when Eddie is finally released from prison and makes his first stop the Harrington house and – Christ, Eddie’s had romance on the brain too long. He’s going to have to binge reread Lord of the Rings or something to get his head back on straight.

He pulls his head out of the clouds and his van into the Harrington’s ridiculously massive driveway and heads up to the door with a vibrating surplus of energy sustained entirely by nerves and determination.

It seems like he’s not the only one running on anxiety power, though, based on how quickly the door opens after Eddie rings the bell.

It’s the first time Eddie’s really seen Steve up close since the trailer two weeks ago. He looks– better. He’s still tired, Eddie can tell; he’s got that slightly droopy look around his eyes and an almost painful set to his jaw that’s nearly impossible to spot if you don’t know what to look for – and most people don’t (but Eddie’s spent a lot of time learning Steve, even if he hadn’t picked up all the right tells). But he still looks better, and Eddie finds himself relieved.

“Hey, there,” he says, giving Steve a nod. “Just happened to be in the neighborhood, y’know. Thought I’d drop by.”

Steve shakes his head, a tiny smile quirking up at one corner of his mouth. “Come in, jackass.”

“Fine way to treat your guests,” Eddie drawls in return, gratified when Steve’s smile grows just a tiny bit more.

He takes off his shoes at the entryway (Steve hardly ever asks anyone to take off their shoes, because worrying about the state of your floors isn’t cool, but it bothers him all the same, and so Eddie takes them off) and follows Steve through to the living room, where they both perch awkwardly on the couch and sit in an equally awkward silence for about thirty seconds.

“So… you said I should come talk to you,” Eddie says finally.

“I did, yeah.” Steve nods.

“You said to tell you if this was still something I wanted,” Eddie goes on.

“I did, yeah,” Steve says again. “And… you’re here.”

“I told you I wouldn’t change my mind, Steve.” Eddie’s hand twitches, almost instinctively reaching out for a spot on Steve’s knee, or around his wrist, or threaded through his fingers, but he doesn’t think he can take Steve freezing up or pulling away again. “This – you, us – I still want it. I want to do it right. If you’ll give me the chance, I want to treat you how you should be treated.”

Steve nods. “Okay.”

Eddie blinks. “Okay? As in – just, yeah, okay?” He knows he’s not making much sense, but he’d been sort of prepared to have to make his case – to extol the virtues of the perfect dates he had planned, to sing the praises of all the things he knows now that he should appreciate about Steve, to lament the loss of trust and ease between them, but instead Steve is just sitting there, watching him with a funny sort of smile on his face.

“I was… I was never going to say no, Eddie.” Steve shrugs. “I just really needed you to think about it. To make sure this—a real relationship with… with me—is really what you wanted. Because if it’s not, if you took it back again, I don’t think I’d– I just really needed you to be sure.”

“Steve,” Eddie says, low and serious, “I have never been more sure of anything in my life. A real relationship with you is exactly what I want.”

Steve’s smile twitches, changes into something a little more familiar, a little warmer. “Okay.”

“You’re never gonna regret it, sweetheart,” Eddie says, can’t help bouncing a little in his seat as his nerves turn to excitement, to elation. “I have the corniest, most romantic dates planned, I swear, I’m going to knock your socks off. We’ll unlock your inner Molly Ringwald.”

Rolling his eyes, Steve shakes his head at Eddie. “You really don’t have to do all that. I’m not– putting you through a trial, or whatever, we can just go back to what we were doing, right? Just with… I dunno, more awareness.”

“Noooo, no.” Eddie shakes his head right back. “You said you didn’t want to pretend nothing ever happened, and you shouldn’t have to. I want to do this, Steve. Let me take you on a real date.”

Something unreadable flashes across Steve’s face, and suddenly his smile is wrong again. Sort of plastic – like he’s trying, but it’s not quite reaching his eyes. But before Eddie can ask what’s wrong, Steve is shrugging.

“If you insist…”

“I most certainly do,” Eddie says firmly. “I’m gonna romance the shit out of you.”

At that, Steve releases a helpless snort of laughter, and the plastic smile is gone, blown away by a real one.

“You’re making a super good argument for it,” Steve says, and Eddie grins.

“Aren’t I?” He bats his eyelashes. “So tell me: you free on Friday night?”

“I’m working, actually. Someone has to dole out dumb romances to other people out on dates,” Steve says drily, as if he himself hasn’t seen most of the films he’s maligning.

Eddie hums. “Saturday?”

“I could probably get someone to cover my shift,” Steve hedges, teasing and flirty and everything Eddie’s missed in the last few weeks.

“So you’ll be free?” Eddie asks.

“As a bird – as long as that bird isn’t a robin, considering who’s going to have to cover for me,” Steve says, and Eddie pulls a grimace.

“Yeah, maybe don’t tell her why you need the shift covered. I get the feeling she wouldn’t be as agreeable if she knew I was involved,” he says.

“I don’t think Robin’s ever been agreeable in her life, and she’d probably resent the accusation.” Steve smirks. “But as long as she doesn’t think I’m sneaking away to see you, and if I take the Monday morning shift she really hates, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Let’s plan for Saturday?”

“Saturday it is!” Eddie pops up off the couch, both unwilling to sour the mood by overstaying his welcome, and suddenly overflowing with the need to set preparations in motion. “Six o’clock, sharp! I’ll pick you up.”

“Do I get to know where we’re going?” Steve asks, one eyebrow cocked.

“Absolutely not. The surprise is part of the experience,” Eddie says.

“Dress code, at least?” Steve wheedles, and Eddie supposes that’s fair.

“Casual. And bring a jacket,” Eddie says.

Both of Steve’s brows go up now, as he rises from the couch to follow Eddie back out towards the door. “Telling someone to bring outerwear to a date is usually a red flag, man,” he says, watching as Eddie shoves his shoes back on.

“But you love being outside,” Eddie counters, glancing up at Steve with a grin.

“I,” Steve pauses, blinking at him. “I guess.”

“And no more hints,” Eddie says, rising from the floor and reaching for the door handle. “I’ll see you on Saturday?”

“Yeah,” Steve says, his voice warming around a small, pleased smile, “I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“Can’t wait.” Eddie throws one last grin at him before stepping out into the brisk, late fall air.

He doesn’t stop smiling the whole way home.

Part 7

-

Tag List (Drop me a line if you'd like off the ride): @bushbees @y0urnewstepp4r3nt @gleek4twd @hellfireone @westifer-dead @anne-bennett-cosplayer @starman-jpg @mugloversonly @swimmingbirdrunningrock @alycatavatar @y4r3luv @rhapsodyinalto @vinteraltus @lilpomelito @tillystealeaves @noctxrn-e @pearynice @giverobinagfbrigade @novacorpsrecruit @hotluncheddie @strangersteddierthings @alongcomesaspider @theheadlessphilosopher @jettestar @rajumat @garden-of-gay @jamieweasley13 @dam28lh @oldwitcheshat @lololol-1234 @perfectlysensiblenonsense @salty-h0e @r0binscript @mavernanche @back2beesness @a-lovely-craziness @paintsplatteredandimperfect @redbullgivescaswings @emmabubbles @heartstarstar-blog @thesuninyaface @thatonebisexualman @fruitandbubbles @erinharvelle @m-owo-n @theystoodandplayedwithsilence @surroundedbyconfusion @luthienstormblessed @3ldr1tchang3l @pansexuality-activated

The tag list is full at this time, but I'll be posting this fic to Ao3 soon, so hopefully people can subscribe there if they want update alerts?

[celaenaeiln]

hi hi hi who would you say is your favorite nightwing artist?

Ooh tough one!!

But I think my favorite nightwing artist is a tie between Jorge Jimenez and Yasmine Putri!

Batman (2016) Issue #137

Batman (2016) Issue #127

I'm just in love with the way he looks so ridiculously pretty. And his snatched waist?? Jorge Jiminez understood the assignment.

Yasmine Putri

Nightwing (2016) Issue #39 Variant

Nightwing (2016) Issue #41 Variant

Nightwing (2016) Issue #54 Variant

🤌✨💘

Absolute perfection. She does pretty boy, beautiful boy, ethereal boy Dick Grayson justice.

But super close second favorites verging on first anyway:

George Perez!

Nightwing (2016) Issue #100

It's a crime how no one talks about how absolutley, incredibly pretty George Perez's Nightwing is.

The New Teen Titans (1984) Issue #13

The New Teen Titans (1984) Issue #37

Pretty, pretty, pretty!

Dan Mora obviously!

Nightwing (2016) Issue #100

Nightwing (2016) Issue #107 Variant

Jim Lee

All Star Batman and Robin Issue #1

Batman (1940) Issue #615

Robert Teranishi

sex on legs Nightwing

Brett Booth

Nightwing (2011) Issue #20

Nightwing (2011) Issue #20

He shows exactly why people swoon left and right over Dick.

Nightwing (2011) Issue #21

He also gave us the iconic waist holding mark-*cough* a sweet Nightwing suit.

But just the art of drawing Nightwing itself is interesting to look at because given how canonically beautiful Nightwing is and how much his beauty is repeatedly emphasized throughout the comic universe, it's fun to see what artists think the most beautiful man in existence would look like in their point of view 💕

[gatitties]

Hi 👋😊.

I just had this a idea for almost a whole  year and it about a young teen female Reader who have a father figure or mother figure from the pirate they like the most but~~ I want them to be the older version from the future like when they are at the age of 40 or 60 . ( Strawhat pirates & white beard pirates & kid pirates) 

And if you don't write about the whitebeard pirate's it okay .instead of it I would like it to be the heart pirates 😊♡.

Edited!\ take your time okay, love your writing by the way👋😊♡

─Strawhats, Heart Pirates, Kid pirates & Whitebeard Pirates x teen!fem!reader (Platonic)

─Summary: some headcannons with your mother/father figure and the rest of the crew

─Warnings: the characters are older, like in those 40/60 year old drawings (reference)

Well yes I write for whitebeard and as a bonus you will have all four crews, ty!! ;)

─ You're like the baby of the crew, no matter how strong or smart you are, for them it's like a duty to keep you safe even though you don't need it.

─ Luffy, Chopper and Usopp are your best allies when you get bored and want to play or play a joke on others, although they are not so young for their usual games they can always make a small exception for you.

─ As for family roles… Sanji was like a father to you, he was the most attentive to everything, he controlled that you had a balanced diet, that you hydrated, and he made sure that nothing and nobody could bother you or harm you, physically or mentally.

─ This cook already has an age and a past that makes him want to protect every possible child, and despite the fact that you were not a child, in his eyes it still seemed that you were 5 years old and not 13.

─ You called him 'dad' once by accident and he cried after you left the room.

─ Sometimes he just walks into your room to tell you something random "did you know that swordfish can swim up to 100 km/h? They are great hunters" and leaves without saying anything else, he doesn't even wait for you to answer, "Close the door!" of course he never closes the door after that.

─ You spend a lot of time in the kitchen and he teaches you to make your favorite dishes.

─ Despite being forty years old, the fights with Zoro won't stop, and he always puts you in the middle to give him support, "yellow looks much better" "green is better, it doesn't look like piss" "Of course not, honey, what do you think about this? Yellow is better isn't it?" "I guess?" "Ha! see, my little girl is always right marimo"

─ Franky and Brook are like the uncles who spoil you.

─ Now… if you're looking for who won to be your mother figure, the award went to Nami, despite not being as young as before and having lived more adventures, she will never stop being like a scared cat and tends to separate you from danger when she sees it.

─ She earned most of your affection pretty quickly.

─ Typical mother who makes you save as much as possible, she'll lend you her old clothes if still in good condition, "this shirt suits you better than it did when I was your age, you'll be a beautiful girl when you grow up!"

─ Although she doesn't mind pampering you a bit if she wants, it's practically difficult for her to deny you something if you really want it, overall, she can always put others in debt to get more money.

─ Lots of relaxing baths with her and Robin, you like to gossip about everything you see when you stay on an island for a while.

— Many moments of shopping together, it doesn't matter if you like it or not, she will simply drag you down because she needs the opinion of someone younger to stay "in fashion".

— She'll also teach you everything she knows about cartography and navigation.

— Father figure Law lives under stress, his night schedules are still as shattered as when he was young and now he has a teenager under his wing to care for.

─ He is very strict with everything, he wants you to maintain a healthy life so you will have many restrictions, ranging from not spending much time inside the submarine to correcting your posture when you're sitting wrong. "You look like a shrimp sitting like this, correct your posture or you'll have back pain" "You look like an emo in your forties and nobody says anything to you" "…"

─ He's worried because teenagers are so carefree and stupid sometimes, he'll have Bepo supervise when he can't.

─ You have many arguments with him for small things, but don't worry, if he punishes you Shachi and Penguin are the uncles who get you out of trouble.

─ This duet with you by their side only means one thing to Law and it's headache.

─ Whenever you're in a bad mood, the crew jokes that Law has infected you with his continual sulking disease, and that now you are like father and daughter.

─ Law is a proud dad inside of him, he won't show that he is proud of you out loud, but in his mind he has you as someone smarter than half the crew.

─ He will teach you everything he knows about medicine, unless you don't like it or are too squeamish about operating or dissecting, however you are required to learn everything about basic first aid.

─ Ikkaku is the only woman on the whole ship so she was the mother figure who helped you not go crazy among so many men and an adorable bear.

─ You're always welcome in the kitchen to help or observe, but mostly to gossip, sometimes Bepo joins.

─ She has small details with you, like buying some matching pendants or bracelets, she also likes to comb your hair with different styles, definitely your personal hairdresser.

─ Unlike Law, Ikkaku will always let you know that she's proud of you for any little thing, like if you've only managed to take down a few guys on your own without help and will yell in mid-battle "Well done, that's my girl!"

─ God bless you with this crew because you will not have a day off, just because they have aged doesn't mean that they are not as chaotic as before.

─ Although they will respect you, you are not in this crew for nothing, and also, all these guys are afraid of an angry teenager with little hours of sleep. "Dude, shut the fuck up if you don't want me to insert this knife as a new piercing in your forehead" "Yo… ok, chill kiddo"

─ The closest thing to a mother figure that you found was Heat, because he was the one who acted the most like a mother hen with you, apparently he was the most concerned about your physical integrity because he was at that age of wanting children and you were the closest to that.

─ It's not like he was depriving you of potentially lethal weapons for a teenager, but he was more afraid of what people would do with someone young like you.

─ Because being in this crew most of the time means fighting and going to clubs, so yeah, he always had an eye on you just in case some nasty person tried something weird with you.

─ Wire always took care to relax Heat when you'd rather just walk around the village than be in a bar because you weren't much of a fan of drinking alcohol at your age. "What if she gets kidnapped? She can be there all alone being scared" "She literally dismembered a guy last time we fought, she'll be fine."

─ Wire is the cool uncle who lets you do whatever you want as long as your worried mom doesn't find out.

─ And if we talk about a father figure… Killer, Killer acted like a responsible father most of the time, not as worried as Heat but always watching over you and above all that you didn't let yourself be influenced by some of Kid's stupidity.

─ Because Kid was like your demon on your shoulder, despite already being of an age, this man wouldn't stop being impulsive and you're an easy-to-influence teenager, so you and Kid have a sibling relationship.

─ Killer just watches the two of you while he looks disapprovingly, you can't even see his face and you already know that he is disappointed with your decisions. "You guys broke what? oh okay." a lot of passive-aggressiveness whenever he scolds you.

─ But he will always scold Kid more because he is of legal age and should be responsible, he definitely doesn't leave you alone with him because the last time you ended up drunk.

─ And despite not being of many words, he's like the presence you need by your side at certain times, someone you can turn to if something bothers you and that you know that he will be there for you.

─ Overprotective squad in general.

─ Everyone sees Whitebeard as a father, however in your eyes he is like your grandfather, because Marco had earned the position of father figure.

─ This man wanted to establish a life a few years ago, start a family etc, then one day you just arrived and he decided to take you under his wing, literally.

─ He is the least worried if you compare him with the men of the other crews, he knows that he has many people who protect you by his side, so he is calm in that aspect.

─ He will still scold you for your bad habits. "Eat slower you'll choke if you keep eating like a turkey" "Don't you have a nest to make or something? I know how to eat, I'm not Ace" "Hey!"

─ Ace may have matured a lot more but he'll still be a bad influence on you, so Marco always asks Izo to keep an eye on both of you, because the last time he left you two alone you ended up in the stomach of a sea king.

─ His chest will swell with pride if you call him 'dad' in front of people.

─ He's the kind of dad who tells all the shits that have happened to you and he embarrasses you in front of the crew just because he wanted to tell a funny anecdote about you, although he later apologizes to you if he really upset you.

─ As for a mother figure, this crew is short of such things, but the closest thing was Izo, because without a doubt, within this crew full of testosterone, he was much more elegant and careful than the others.

─ And more than anything because you could steal his makeup to use it, although you didn't know how to apply many of the things he had, he helped you with that. "Honey you're spreading the makeup wrong" "Can you teach me Izo?"

─ He taught you a lot about self defense in case someone bothers you more than necessary, like using guns, you should know how to protect yourself just in case.

─ Proud mom watching you kick ass.

[the-batcomputer-project]

Batfamily (and other) Headcanons that will be canon in my DC timeline:

-Dick is Pansexual. Show me this man in romantic relationships with more than just woman. I also feel like he has potential to be a sex positive icon which I feel is important. Sex portrayed as something that can be fun and casual, not explicitly reserved for romantic partners and situations.

(edited to rephrase and remove offensive language towards the pan community)

-Jason is Asexual. Get some ace representation but also give him some healthy romantic relationships where sex is not the center or a necessity. (I’m partial to Jason/Roy but to each their own)

-Jon Kent is dyslexic. Insert Percy Jackson reference about his brain being wired for kryptonian, but no, the dyslexia comes from Lois.

-Jason was absolutely theater kid before his death who managed to get the lead role almost every time, and somehow maintained a healthy schedule of theater rehearsals, good grades, and patrols.

-building off of the last one, Jason is Bruce’s favorite allowing him to get away with pretty much anything, but no one notices this because Jason is convinced Bruce hates him, and everyone else (understandably) believes Cass is the favorite.

-Cass took up gardening after watching Alfred tend to the rose bushes out front, and is now responsible for the very impressive garden on the Wayne Estate. She loves being to create and nurture life instead of kill, like the was born and raised to. Jason also taught her the language of flowers and she has little flowerbeds for each member of the family. Only Jason knows what they mean (also Alfred but he knows everything)

-Tim isn’t a caffeine addict, but he does have severe insomnia and ADHD. Because of that, caffeine typically has the opposite effect on him, hence why he always seems to be drinking a cup. Either for the placebo effect to stay up and finish a case, or to make him tired enough to fall asleep.

-Damian struggles to connect with people and express gratitude, appreciation, and love. He asked Cass about her garden one day and very intently sat and listened while she taught him about the language of flowers. Each family member woke up the next morning to a drawing of a bouquet of flowers pinned to the door with a knife (Jason has his framed in a safehouse he is fairly sure none of his family knows about)

-The batcave has a secret vault of “bad ideas” which was started by Dick as a child with the original Robin suit Bruce designed (it had pants) along with videos of Dick wearing said costume and falling off of gymnastics bars. (Think of the video explaining why strippers don’t wear clothes with the person falling off the pole over and over)

-Bruce is autistic. He gives off tism vibes (you’re trying to tell me that a man who dresses up as a bat and fights crime as a trauma response to watching his parents be murdered in front of him is neurotypical?) and I also want to see more a positive autism representation in main characters in media.

-Dick’s use of made up words such as “aster” and “whelmed” come from the fact that he spoke very little English when he was first adopted by Bruce, and decided that using obviously made up words made his slip ups less noticeable, or people would assume he did it on purpose. Even after he mastered English, he continued using his made up words because they just made sense (the batcomputer and jl database have a hidden file called the “DICKtionary” unlinking all his words and their meanings)

-Jason can’t drive. He died when he was 15 (you have to be 16 in Jersey to get your permit), was revived in Nanda Parbat so there was no need to drive, and was too embarrassed to mention it by the time he returned to Gotham and the Batfamily. This is his deepest, darkest, secret.

-As a child, Dick was convinced Batman was a vampire (and still isn’t entirely convinced otherwise)

-Tim collects little trinkets. Dick noticed this early on, and made sure to get a little souvenir trinket for Tim every time he went on a trip. Bruce noticed and started doing the same thing, and so did his friends after a while. Tim proudly displays his collection, because to him, each trinket is a reminder that people are thinking about him and care about him. (Most of his possessions in Drake Manor were necessities like clothes, or things he had bought for himself. Barely anything was a gift)

-Jason has OCPD, and needs things to be an exact certain way, and struggles when they aren’t. It’s one of the biggest reasons why he is often so frustrated with Bruce, who tends to do things in a different, certain way.

-Cass is actually the most neurotypical in the family, though because she has learned how to be a person through observing, she has picked up on many neurodivergent traits, specifically stimming.

-Steph’s aesthetic is retro pastel pop, mixed with maximalism. She loves bright colors and loud designs (though purple is still her favorite by far)

-Alfred keeps guns stashed all over the house in case of emergencies. Bruce hates this and has tried to remove them, but has given up as he can never seem to find them all. Alfred also brought up the good point of “I am not a vigilante like you, Master Bruce, and I am not quite as young as I used to be. If there is ever an invasion of the manor, I would quite enjoy the security of being able to protect myself.”

-There is a list of who is banned from the kitchen. Bruce is at the top of the list, Tim isn’t allowed to make anything more complex than instant food, Cass and Damian aren’t very good, but at least make an effort to learn so are therefore allowed with supervision. Dick has a partial ban. He is an absolute disaster in the kitchen, except for soups, and sarma (his mother’s recipe was one of the few things he brought with him from the circus and was obsessed with perfecting it as a kid, leading it to be one of the only things he can actually make) Steph isn’t allowed to cook, but she is a proficient baker. Duke isn’t a horrible cook, but mainly avoids the kitchen, preferring to stay out of Alfred’s way. Jason is the only batfamily member who is not banned from the kitchen under any circumstances. He has a tendency to stress cook, and likes trying new fancy recipes, because on the streets he only ate what he could find. This gives him a sense of control.

-Superman wasn’t a great dad to Connor at first, opting to send him to the farm to stay with Ma and Pa, but after a stern talking to from Bruce, came around started making an effort. Connor is an excellent big brother to Jon.

[missingnightwingsmullet]

What do you miss about nightwings mullet? Or why do you like mullet era nightwing?

hello, my lovely anon, thanks for asking!

one thing about me?

i LOVE a man with long hair. genuinely. mm mm mm!

so, for my favorite robin and vigilante to have a run, a character design where he’s..lusciously locked?

i’m gone. i’m cooked. they’ve got me, i’m hooked.

i can’t say i LOVE the suit that goes along with his mullet, but i really adore this redraw/modernization of it they did:

(i love the yellow incorporations and i think the glowing palms are so sick. he looks so cool.)

now let’s get more specific:

THIS? good. very, very, good.

like, okay george michael!!!

hell yeah!!!

moving on,

it gets a little less mullety here, so less good:

(maybe it’s just the lighting?? idfk)

and this is just. oh my god, FOUL.

it’s foul. i’m a little scared?

he looks like he’d like flirt with me in a gas station and try to take a bite out of me and i’d walk back to my car with my keys between my fingers and then peel out of the parking lot in my 2004 toyota camry.

…..just me?

like this is HAUNTING!!!!

kori GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!!

(i’m being dramatic. i’m just more of a feathery mullet girl than a slicked back mullet girl.)

(make sense?)

ANYWAYS.

to conclude, i love long hair. i love nightwing. the two together is like some sort of supernova in my brain. i think comic artists kinda started drawing male superheroes very similarly, and this is an era of nightwing that is just so a. iconic and b. makes him stand out. NOW. i am not at ALL. bashing current nightwing. i love him. we know this.

so, that’s all.

love you anon! keep the asks coming!

love, missingnightwingsmullet

p. s.

EPIC bonus mullet!!!!!!!

[kyber-kisses]

A Glimpse of Us

Steve Harrington x Reader

Warnings: severe angst? Blood, tears, I can’t give too much away

Summary: when you’re trying to save the world, not everyone walks away unscathed

A/N: I would literally sacrifice myself for Steve Harrington, y’all do not understand. If the duffers kill my boy I will be raising hell.

Steve didn’t want to be here.

Hell, if he was being honest he knew no one wanted to be here. It wasn’t exactly an event that people got excited over. If anything it was one that people dreaded.

He can sense Dustin shift on his feet besides him, every once and while giving him a slide glance as well. He knows Dustin wants to say something, try anything to comfort Steve—but the kid remains silent.

And internally he thanks him for it.

Robins here too. It’s the first time Steve sees her quiet for such a long period of time. He knows she’s trying to process too.

Everyone is.

Despite the fresh spring air and the bursts of color sprouting from the flower beds and tree branches, Steve feels like he’s drowning in a sea of black— but he doesn’t try to paddle or reach for the surface. He allows it to settle around him.

Usually he would play notice to the soft chatter of voices around him, but today he doesn’t. Instead he lets his brain block it all out.

The only thing Steve is focusing on is the large portrait set against the stand several feet away, the base of it overflowing with lilies and daisies and hydrangeas.

God was there a massive amount of hydrangeas.

Then again they always were your favorite.

As he stood there he could see you beaming back at him from the framed photograph, completely unaware that your life like so many of those before you, was drawing to a close.

Despite everything that had happened in the past four years, Steve thought he would be immune to being caught off guard and surprised. . . Yet here he was. It had been two weeks and yet he still couldn’t wrap his head and heart around the fact that you were gone and not coming back.

He would have to walk back into work Monday morning with Robin and act like everything was normal even thought it wasn’t. You wouldn’t be stocking the shelves from all the Sunday evening movie returns or stealing his milk duds. All you would be is a headline article and a picture in the Hawkins Post.

He takes a painful glance at the headstone a few feet away, only to move his eyes back to his shoes. Your life could never be marked by a gravestone, something so cold and immobile. Perhaps a tree with a wind-chime in the branches could do you more justice, or a simple song sung into the wind. What lied in the ground is only flesh and blood, and that was never what you were.

You were so much more than that.

You were sunsets and big smiles. You were rose colored sunglasses and hand written birthday cards. You were pressed Pennie’s and never remembering to set your alarm. You were warm summer nights and loud contagious laughter.

You were. . . You.

And Steve loved every bit, he was just to late to realize it. And when he did he was ready, he was so ready to tell you—

And then you slipped through his fingers like grains of sand.

And now he was here.

Watching as your casket was lowered into the ground The fact that he would forever be six feet apart from you settled heavy over him.

Six feet never felt so far until now.

Feeling a hand squeeze his shoulder, he lifts his head- eyes till stuck to the casket. “Hmm?”

“Dustin and I will meet you at the Y/L/Ns. Take your time though.” Robins voice was gentle and soft as she gave him one more squeeze and departed his side along with Dustin.

Sticking his hands into his suit pocket, he squeezed a fist around the piece of paper tucked inside- trying everything int his power to ground himself to reality before he slipped back into that nightmare of a memory.

*. *. *. *. *. *.

“You son of a bitch!” You yelled, giving Steve a firm shove as you inhaled deeply, slightly out of breath.

“Me?! You were the one that just went running headfirst into danger!”

“Only because you were in danger to begin with!” You jammed a finger into his chest. “Could you not make me worry for five damn minutes Harrington?”

If someone told you a week ago that you would be standing in the middle of some back road outside Hawkins in the middle of the night right after climbing out of a nasty ass hell gate you would have emmediatly nodded and gone and raided your parents liquor cabinet—-

Yet here you were, covered in dirt, blood, and god knows what else.

A few yards away lay the damn portal, glowing a henious red and smelling like literal sewage. Things had gone sideways on your return trip to the upside down, leaving you and Steve spectated from the rest of the group and running for your life as those stupid bats flooded across the landscape.

Luckily Dustin had figured out earlier that a portal opened up every time Vecna took another victim, which had you and Steve aiming for the one were Fred had died.

It was a whole other miracle that no one in Hawkins had stumbled across the gate that was smack dab in the middle of a road.

Taking in a shuttered breath, you stumbled slightly back. With the adreline in your body starting to wear off you were beginning to feel all the aches and pains of the last two hours.

Grabbing at your side you winced, god did that hurt.

Seeing the change expression, Steve’s face shifted. “Y/N?”

And then like a switch being flicked, your knees buckled and Steve was rushing forward to catch you before you slammed into the pavement.

“Y/N!”

“Must be more tired than I originally thought.” You breathed, allowing Steve to lower you gently to the ground, unaware that you had now soaked Steve’s hands in deep crimson, making his face fall all the more.

“Oh god.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Looking up at Steve you felt your own face fall and then you saw his eyes directed at his shaking palms, thick red blood coating his fingers from where he had caught you.

So maybe one of those bats had gotten you way worse than you originally thought.

The pain wasn’t the worst part though. No, it was the look of sheer panic on Steve’s face.

Steve. The boy you’d been friends with since first grade, who used to share his snacks with you at recess and ride bikes with you. The Boy who pulled pranks on you and would push you into his pool when you were kids.

The boy you fell in love with a few years back but never had the courage to tell.

“We Uh, shit- we gotta get you to a hospital. He breathed, running bloody hands through sweat drenched hair.

“Steve let’s think rationally here. My side is literally ripped open, the hospital is on the other side of town and we have no way of getting there.”

He was silent for a moment and then his eyes widened and he was scrambling across the pavement. Then there was the distinct hiss of static and Steve playing with the dials of the walk-in talkie the two of you had.

“Dustin?! Come in Dustin!” The panic was so heavy in Steve’s voice it made you slightly wince. You didn’t like seeing him like this.

Within another moment he was back at you side, peeking off his shirt as he tried to staunch the flow of blood coming from your abdomen. The walk-in crackled to life besides him.

“Steve?! Thank god, we thought we had lost you guys! What the hell happened?!” Dustins voice breaking through the heavy breathing coming from your friend.

“Dustin! I’ll fill you in later, but I need you to grab Max and get down here to Dawson Road as fast as you can?”

“What’s going o-“

“Nows not the time Henderson! I left my keys on Eddie’s counter, have Max drive-“

“Wait now you want Max to drive?”

“We don’t really have another choice! Just get your asses down here! We need help!” At this point Steve was practically screaming into the walkie, the pain in his voice only getting stronger.

“Copy that. We’re on our way.”

With a heavy sigh Steve tossed town the walkie yet again, before returning all his attention to you. With one hand pressed firmly against your abdomen and the other gripping your hand tightly, he tried to fight back the nausea stirring in his belly.

You looked so fragile in this moment, your eyelids drooping as you weakly held his hand. Your pulse growing weaker by the minute as he kept one of his fingers pressed to your wrist. Despite how dark it was outside he could still see the blood on both of your sets of hands. Real blood was nothing like movie blood, just as real death was nothing like movie death. There is no amount of horror that can prepare a person for seeing the life ebb from another, the hopelessness.

“Hey talk to me Y/N, you gotta stay awake.”

Humming a response you brought your eyes up to look at Steve, “how bout just a little nap?”

“Nope, nope-“ he shook his head, still trying to keep the fear from bubbling up. “Come on, stay with me.” Steve paused, trying to think of anything to keep you talking and awake. “Hey, tell me about one of your favorite memories.

“Memories?”

“Yeah, there’s gotta be one. You’ve lived a pretty exciting life.” He mused, giving your hand another squeeze as he moved to brush a stray hair away from your face.

You answer came quick, so quick in fact it caught Steve off guard. “Probably that time we sat in that empty parking lot of that gas station off I-20 and ate shitty gas station snacks.”

“Wait really? You could have gone with anything and you went with that?” He cracked a smile at you, fortunately getting a weak one in return.

“Yeah, cause that’s when I realized I had fallen in love with my best friend.” You voice was so quiet but the words so loud.

It was enough to stun Steve Harrington into complete silence.

“Wait, you—“

“Since junior year.”

“Why- why didn’t you ever say anything?” He breathed, trying to ignore the war raging between the fear of losing you and the euphoria you saying you loved him.

“Monsters we’re taking over Hawkins, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“Oh well that’s kind of lame.” He tried joking, only to fail miserably due to how you shot him a glare.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What’s your favorite memory?”

Falling silent yet again, Steve squeezed your hand even tighter. “The night after Starcourt,” he slowly admitted, “when we sat in your living room and ate that pint of cherry jubilee. Despite everything that had just happened you still managed to find a way to smile and crack jokes. That’s when I realized I had loved you way longer than I thought I had.” He paused, glancing down at his hand in embrassment. “Sorry, that shit was cheesy as hell.”

“I’ve known you since first grade. I’m used to it.” You mused weakly, finding it increasingly harder to keep your eyes open.

You knew they weren’t gonna get here in time. But you stayed silent.

Letting out another rattled breath, you casted your eyes towards the night sky. It least you were here and not in the Upside Down. Here there were stars, a whole canopy of them just beyond your reach.

“Y/N?”

The sound of your name brought your eyes back to Steve, his big brown irises locking onto your own.

“It’s not such a bad way to go.” You admitted, giving him a weak and tired smile, “at least I’m here with you.”

“And you said, I’m cheesy?” He smiled, before feeling his face slowly drop. He could feel you slipping, even though he had been trying his damndest to ignore it.

In that moment you knew you were saying goodbye but neither of you want to admit it. Because of you said it out loud it was real. Steve locked his eyes onto yours and brought you into his chest, each of you bathed in your blood. Steve felt his face crack into the look he had seen at the hospital several times before, that point of no return, when love is torn apart. Your hair tumbled over your face and so he swept it back, feeling the coldness of your skin, before gently leaning down and placing a delicate kiss to your lips. You smiled so briefly before your breathing became a noisy rattle...

And then you were gone.

Just like that. One minute you were looking up a Steve with that famous Y/N smile, and the next—

That's how Dustin and Max found the two of you. You departed, Steve sitting in a pool of cold blood, hugging your body as if you were still in there somewhere.

You never figured you would die at eighteen. But then again you never figured you’d fall in love with your best friend either.

*. *. *. *. *. *. *. *.

Once the last person had trickled out of the cemetery, Steve found the courage to fish the small paper out of his pocket. Your parents had asked him if he would write a euology for your funeral, and he did. . . He just didn’t read it, not to everyone.

These words were for you.

Only you.

He unfolded it with shaky hands, doing his best to smooth out the creases in the wrinkled paper.

“I’m not very good at writing sentimental shit so your gonna have to bear with me.” He breathed, glancing over at your portrait once more.

“Your parents told me I should do this, that it might help with your passing. . . But I don’t think anything could help with that. I mean, shit- how the hell Am I supposed to go back to a normal life when your not in it. You’ve been in my life since we were kids. You are my normal.

I think I was in love with you for way longer than I realized. I can’t really pin point when it started. All I know is that all of a sudden I was in the middle of it. If I’m begin honest you were the only thing keeping me sane for a long time in this godforsaken town. But then you introduced me to Robin and all three of us became friends. . . And nothings been the same since.”

Each word that left his tongue felt like a weight being lifted off his shoulders. He should have said these things to you in person, but hey- he was a coward so this was as good as it was going to get.

“I know your dead. I mean, I know it in my head, but it doesn’t seem real. I still feel like your here, with me somehow, like one night you’ll be sneaking into family video after close, back from sneaking out after curfew to tell me and Robin about some solo adventure you went on.

I wish you could tell me where you are now. I mean, like I said, I know your gone, but I think there must be something in a person that can’t just disappear.

I guess that’s my formal invitation for you to haunt my ass until the end of time.

I know your out there. Somewhere. Just give me a sign when you can.

In the meantime don’t worry about me. Vecnas gone, and I’m not alone. Robin and Dustin are still looking out for me.

I’m grateful that I got to grow up with you as my best friend, and for all that you showed me.

Yours Forever,

Steve

The End.

[msfcatlover]

Batman Cass

I think this one will be shorter, since I'm iterating on a canon costume rather than creating an identity from scratch.

I know I'm giving Dick his discowing colors (several artists have actually given them to the Flying Graysons over the years, to keep Dick's costume being inspired by them without him just running around Gotham in his performance costume. I think Robin should be the tribute rather than Nightwing, but I'm happy to steal that as an excuse to put Dick in the blue & gold.) Cass's Batman costume was basically designed in tandem with the Moonbeam suit, so the two should compliment eachother.

Cass's cape is jet black, but the underside has a yellow-to-black gradient (ombre) where it's bright up high & fades out towards the edge. I'd actually make that highly reflective, since as Moonbeam Cass learned to use light as a weapon, and it makes her look downright angelic when the cape flares out, like she has a golden sun caught under her cape.

(This is definitely inspired by the fic Loading & Aspect Ratio, whose use of colors makes me rabid. Read it, please.)

(Have a quick & messy bit of concept art I threw together from the "Mark of Cain" cover to show what this cape might look like. Ignore the rest of the suit, we're getting to it.)

Next, Batman is losing about a foot of height. Cass will be compensating for this with ears. Not the super-absurdly-long ears Batman sometimes has, but still big.

(Thanks to broosepayne for literally collecting these. Very handy.)

She'll also be wearing lift-boots. Not platforms, not heels, those both threaten to seriously twist your ankle. But Cass is used to running around in lifts as Black Bat, and it helps make up the difference. Based on my observations of her costumes over the years, Cass genuinely likes fitted knee-high boots. (Is it a "make it more feminine" sexist command from on high? Probably. But it's a consistent part of her design, and I'm using it.)

(Something like these, probably. Maybe with a more emphasized/rugged sole, like these.)

For the cowl itself, I think Cass would probably still stick to her mouthless look. So probably something like Batman 1,000,000's cowl:

...which, now that I'm looking at it, I love the detail of the cape-clasp. And the shoulder pads kinda work too? She needs to add some breadth/bulk to her build, and their almost pauldron-like look is a nice callback to her Moonbeam days. Cass does wear more traditional shoulderpads under the suit, and then these pauldrons over the cape. I'd make them matte black, just slightly lighter than the cape. The little golden clasp should be bat-shaped, obviously. (This detail probably gets ignored a lot of the time, but it lets her have a bat visible even with the cape closed.)

Solid black body suit (also seen in the 1,000,000 pics) but I do think Cass should have a bat-symbol on her chest. After consulting my favorite chart, I think a slightly stretched version of the 70s bat symbol with a perfect circle behind it would probably be best.

(Quickly thrown together in GIMP. I really, really like the way the gold outline turned out, even though I wasn't leaning towards just an outline when I started.)

I think her utility belt is black, but the pouches are yellow/gold.

(Okay, this is the best version I can find, but I do want to draw everyone's attention to this comprehensive breakdown of every bat-belt because it's very impressive.)

Finally, rather than gauntlets, Cass wears black gloves with a folded cuff. Kinda like the Zero Year purple gloves, but with a much thicker cuff. The top & bottom of the cuff has a gold trim, but I'm going back & forth on whether there's more details (like capped knuckles or wire-thin fingerstripes) or if they're just plain aside from that trim.

(Here's the two best pics of these type of gloves I could find.)

I'm actually really pleased with this look. It helps Cass bridge the gap between her Black Bat (Batgirl) look and Batman, compensating for the difference in build decently well (especially when you remember most people aren't going to see Batman for very long or very well.) The wing-shaped shoulderpads & touches of glittering gold add a hint of showmanship, which means both thematically & color-wise she'll look good standing next to Moonbeam!Dick. The gloves then bring it back down to earth, looking like slightly fancier work gloves, emphasizing utility over flair or combat. Personally, I think the gloves soften the whole look a little, helping to show this is an older, more mature Cass who has taken an apprentice of her own, and especially how much she's healed & grown since donning the stitched-up Black Bat (Batgirl) suit after Steph's death. I even got to bring back my idea of the Shadows wearing Moonbeam's circle to represent their connection, very specifically with Cass's golden ring, to show that Cass is once again part of a matched set---it's just that this time, Cass is the shadow to Dick's light.

[staggersz]

Hope you don’t mind, but what secret talent or talents would TBP characters have?

Omg this got me thinking

Gonna start right off the by saying Griffin is incredibly flexible. Like he’s such a silly little guy he can do THE backbend and he can move while doing it. He’s a really good gymnast! :) Painting and drawing is one of his greatest strong suits. He’s also pretty advanced at playing the piano. (Geez Griffin has a lot of talents actually .) He’s also good at knitting and crocheting.

I feel like Billy would actually be like GREAT at acting he’d love theatre and stuff like that. He’s also great at origami I think someone made a hc about that and I LOVED it it’s so real for him. He’s also like. AMAZING at calligraphy. His handwriting is incredibly neat. He’s also good at juggling, for some reason!

Vance’s talent is that he’s just really handy. He’s good at fixing mechanical issues. That’s all I can think of. He USED to hide the fact he was good at cooking until Griffin told the others because he likes talking about things Vance is good at!

I think Finney’s talent is that he’s able to do that thing where he throws his voice so it sounds like it’s coming from somewhere else. He’s also strangely good at navigating even if it’s near impossible to tell where he is. Another skill I think he’d be really good at is archery. His shots are always dead on the target. (Robin is whipped seeing him practice)

Robin is actually really good at pottery. He would LOVEEE pottery and ceramic units in art classes at school like his projects come out the best. Robin also likes figure skating. He actually would be good at it, I feel like. Like it’s something he thought he would suck at but ended up being like a natural. Finney comes with him sometimes, and he always compliments Robin at his talent.

Bruce is the type of guy to just show off his talent for skipping stones. He gets a LOT of good shots and his skipping stones almost never sink. He also takes woodshop in school, which he is actually really great at. He would LOVE woodworking. He likes making birdhouses, and he liked the unit where they made tiny wooden cars. He made two, and gifted them to Billy and Griffin!

Donna is good at singing guys, I’m calling it. She’s in her school’s choir, and she loves it. I feel like she’d also do ballet or any form of dance like ballet. She’d be very graceful. She also feels even better about it when she sees her family at her concerts and recitals. I feel like she’d also be like the type to just be good at debating without even trying that much. She’s a quick thinker.

Gwen would be good at making jewelry. She makes a lot of bracelets, rings, necklaces, and things like that in her spare time. She once made another choker for Vance! Gwen would also be great at swimming, in my opinion. She picks it up when she’s in 8th grade, and Finney and Terrence come to all of her swim meets. Her times are always really good.

Amy’s favorite talent of hers is roller skating. She goes to the skate part a lot to practice. She knows a lot of tricks, but not just on roller skates. She has a scooter, and she LOVES that thing. She can do a lot of cool things with that. Amy is also good at blackmailing. Not like seriously, but she makes the others buy her silence with candy and barbies if she has some funny dirt on them. She’s also REALLY good at puzzles!

[tickle-bugs]

I’m So Down

Summary: Steve picks up Robin’s doodling habit and shares it with Eddie. Pretty soon, they become each other’s favorite canvases. Loose sequel to Summer Lovin’ but set a while after. (Once again reminding everyone that I have seen ZERO episodes of stranger things and am therefore not liable for ooc content thank u enjoy)

Word count: 4.4k + author’s note at the end!

“You’re staring, Harrington.” Eddie grins. “A picture will last you longer.”

“Maybe I just like staring at you,” Steve fires back, a dorky smile pulling at the corner of his lips. 

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” Eddie presses a dramatic hand to his heart and flutters his lashes. 

“Nah. Just the pretty ones.” Steve kisses the corner of his mouth. Eddie’s quietly stunned for a moment, and it’s always a win to see him even a little flustered. 

“Be still, my beating heart.” Eddie shifts his arm off the back of the couch and drops it properly across Steve’s shoulders. He plays with the ends of Steve’s hair and finally pulls his eyes back to the TV. Steve indulges himself in more staring.

Eddie’s…nice. That’s an oversimplification—he’s nice to look at, to be around, to feel and enjoy. If the relief of a cool breeze, the fizz of fresh pop, and the glittering joy of sparklers could be bottled into a person, Eddie’s it. But, like, if the bottle were spiky and leather and metal as hell. Steve’s still learning about what does or doesn’t define something as metal, but he feels pretty good about this one. 

Of course Eddie’s metal. Of course he is. It’s not a question. Everything that they’ve been through both together and apart is all the evidence necessary. But in these moments where he isn’t, where Steve’s curled into his side and they’re sharing a blanket that’s fraying with love at the edges, Eddie’s gentle and tender and humming under his breath. His black-polished fingers pluck at Steve’s bicep like the fretboard of his guitar. An ostensibly metal package for beautiful contents. Pretty.

“Now you’re ogling.” Eddie rolls his head to the side and raises his eyebrows suggestively. He runs his tongue along his canines idly. It shouldn’t be as distracting as it is.  

“Your tattoos.” Steve dips his head in acknowledgment. 

“What about ‘em?” Eddie shifts to better face him. 

“They’re nice. They suit you.” Steve brushes his fingers over the bats on Eddie’s forearm. Eddie rolls over onto his stomach and props his chin in his hands, kicking his legs like a girl at a sleepover, and Steve can’t help but smile. 

“Well, don’t stop there. Flattery is smiled upon.” Eddie army-crawls across the couch until he can lean up into Steve’s personal space. His nose crinkles around his teasing grin. 

“Stop,” Steve laughs, clasping a hand around Eddie’s face like a catcher’s glove and pushing him back. Eddie, of course, responds with dignity and grace—he licks Steve’s hand. 

“Dude, ew!” Steve wipes his palm on his jeans. Eddie makes his little devil face and hisses, but the sound falls apart into a sparkling laugh before he can finish. He rolls over and deposits his head into Steve’s lap, folding his arms behind his head. 

The ambient crackle of the TV filters back in, busted speakers relaying maybe 70% of The Goonies as it plays. It’s better than nothing, though—Eddie loves this movie. He shakes both their bodies with his laughter, as if everything is bright and novel. 

“What did it feel like to get these?” Steve’s fingers wander Eddie’s arms, poking at the tattoos he can reach. Robin’s been bugging Steve about inking him ever since she figured out how to stick and poke. She draws on him a lot while they talk sometimes, like a fidget or a stim, and the urge must have surpassed temporary art. Eddie’s got a couple of these too—they’re thinner and a little shakier than his professional ones. The small triangle inked between Eddie’s fingers pulls tight on his heartstrings. He’d never noticed it. 

“Like needles in my skin. What’s gotten into you, Harrington?” Eddie pushes himself up on his elbows. His hair falls away from his shoulders, revealing the gentle curve of his neck to the light. 

“Can I give you one?” Steve gets it now. The doodling thing. He’s never been much of an artist but there’s a perfect spot on Eddie’s neck that he fixates on. He’s honestly surprised doesn’t have ink there already. 

“Elaborate.” Eddie squishes Steve’s face and pulls it down towards him. Steve smacks his hands away but doesn’t retreat. 

“You never drew fake tattoos on people growing up?” Steve immediately rethinks the question when Eddie makes a face. “Robin and I do it sometimes. It’s fun.” 

“I think I’m already pretty equipped in the tattoo department.” Eddie pulls at the collar of his shirt for emphasis. His black widow tattoo catches a glimpse of the outside world. 

“Okay, but do you have one of my tattoos?” Steve’s really overselling his abilities here, but there’s no use turning back. Eddie stares at him for a while, just blinking, and then he chuckles. 

“Fine.” He slaps his legs and heaves a labored sigh. “Where do you want me?” 

….

Eddie shivers pretty frequently while he draws, but Steve doesn’t think much of it—some part of Eddie’s always in motion. His legs and fingers shake and tap at all times, even with his head pillowed on Steve’s lap. The Goonies has long since been swapped for The Evil Dead and it’s thus far distracted Eddie wonderfully. Steve’s not a horror guy by any stretch, but the movie has a lot of charm. He digs it. 

He starts coloring in what he’s working on as Ash and Cheryl duke it out. Eddie gasps, and not at the movie. 

“Steve,” Eddie mumbles, scrunching a little. Steve immediately retracts his hand. 

“You okay?” Steve grips his shoulder. Eddie peeks up at him, something unreadable in his big eyes. 

“I…yeah, nevermind.“ He’s suddenly very red. And weirdly quiet. 

“Are you sure?” Steve cards his hands through Eddie’s hair as best as he can. He shivers and hums into the touch. 

“Yes, Your Highness.” Eddie flourishes into a dramatic bow. Steve rolls his eyes and goes back to doodling. Eddie continues to twitch. Every time Steve checks on him, he gets the finger in return. There’s a cagey quality to it, like he’s equally embarrassed and bursting-at-the-seams about something, and for the love of Christ can’t he just spit it out?

“Munson, I can hear your brain sizzling. What is it?” Steve tugs on Eddie’s earlobe. Eddie bites at his fingers.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Keep going.” He settles back down, eyes stubbornly forward. When Steve doesn’t immediately continue, he gets an exaggerated wave of the hand that gets more and more aggressive until the marker touches back down. Eddie keeps shivering, keeps murmuring, but remains still.

It isn’t until Steve leans down to Eddie’s neck and blows to dry the ink that he understands.

Eddie squeaks. That’s absolutely the noise, like stepping on an old dog toy that’s seen a few storms. He turns towards Steve with comically large eyes. 

“Oh.” Steve blinks, then smirks. “Ohhh. Forgot you were ticklish. Sorry.” 

“You done?” Eddie’s scowling with no real heat, still red. Adorable. The twitching and deflection suddenly make so much more sense, all of it stupidly endearing. Flustered is a good color on him. 

“Not yet. Finishing touches.” Steve kinda means it. He’s proud of his drawing, actually—he’s got a pretty damn good copy of Eddie’s guitar printed on his neck. It could be done. But then he’d be done. And that’s unconscionable. 

Steve brings the marker back down with fast, feather-light strokes and Eddie dissolves. 

He clenches his fists and waves them around like a kid having a tantrum at Scoops. He’s a firework of frenetic laughter, exploding in an instant and sparkling afterwards with waves of building giggles. It’s like his body had been waiting for this moment to release all the laughter he’d been holding back, and it washes him away. 

“Stop squirming!” Steve’s more amused than anything. For all his flailing, Eddie’s mostly stationary. 

“It tihihickles!” Eddie gigglesnorts and buries his face in his hands. Five feet ten inches of allegedly-intimidating metalhead and he’s a frizzy pile in Steve’s lap. Steve’s never gonna forget that Eddie snorts for as long as he lives. He’s prepared to chase that sound for the rest of his life. 

“Well, stop squirming and it won’t tickle!” Steve mockingly gasps, as if this is an epiphany they should be sharing together. 

“Oh, I’m so gonna kihihill you!” Eddie’s nose and eyes scrunch as his dazzling smile takes the forefront. He points a threatening finger at Steve, dimple on proud display. 

“Almost done,” Steve hums, drawing lightning bolts crashing behind the guitar. Eddie wails like a broken siren and Steve cracks into snickers at the sound. 

“You are cruel,” Eddie whines, laughter still bubbling out. 

“The cruelest. Tap out if you need to. I’m finishing this sucker.” Steve rests Eddie’s hand on his thigh, threads his fingers into his hair, and pushes his head back down. It looks a little silly, like he’s forcing him to take a nap, but getting Eddie to stay still in any capacity is always an ordeal. 

With Eddie’s beautiful laugh filling the room, it doesn’t take long before Steve’s abandoning his task, tickling up and under his shirt until they’re both flying off the couch into a proper scuffle, then into something much more fun. 

...........................

“This is sick.” Eddie turns in the mirror and grins. The fretboard of the guitar ends in wicked points just behind his ear. It rests eternally within an open coffin, surrounded by thorny roses that are starting to look more like cinnamon buns the longer they’re in the light. A swarm of bats reigns over the whole affair, hanging out in the sky with the best lightning bolt Steve’s ever drawn. There’s a newly-blooming hickey right below it, but neither of them acknowledge it. 

“Yeah?” Steve leans his hip against the wall and crosses his arms. 

“Yeah. Definitely the first time a tattoo almost cost me my life, but it’s worth it.” Eddie pulls his hair away from his neck to get a better look. He’s still flushed a pretty pink and smiles come to him easily. Just like Eddie to be so full of color and life with such a dark wardrobe. 

“Want me to help you get it off?” Steve pats his pockets and finds a crumpled tissue. It’s unused, but the state of it makes him subconsciously start building a case for where it’s been. 

“So forward, Stevie. I thought you were a gentleman.” Eddie makes eye contact in the mirror, then looks over his shoulder to make it in three-dimensions, leaning back until his gaze peeks through his lashes. 

“If you keep this up, I won’t be,” Steve mutters, pulling Eddie closer by the belt loops. He wraps his arms around his waist from behind and Eddie squeezes his hand. Something giddy flutters within Steve. 

“Promise?” Eddie grabs his chin and tilts it toward him. His thumb brushes over Steve’s bottom lip. 

The kiss that Steve answers with has everything but decorum. 

Naturally, Steve doesn’t know how to behave when Eddie gets his stupid little drawing permanently tattooed. The artist added some fun detailing to the piece that makes Steve almost incapable of believing it was ever his drawing at all—the coffin has a velvet lining now and the guitar has some gorgeous shading, but it’s still unmistakably Steve’s. Now Eddie’s. Permanently. 

“Are you sure?” Steve haunts the door to the trailer in case he needs to flee. The other shoe should be dropping any second now, but all he’s getting from Eddie is an amused stare. 

“Oh, my bad. Let me go get this un-tattooed.” Eddie rolls his eyes and sheds his jacket. Steve worries at his bottom lip and stares at the tattoo. He does see something he doesn’t like. Above the art, Eddie’s added a banner that says ‘The Banished’. Steve scowls. 

“If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have it. Quit worrying, you’ll wrinkle.” Eddie pokes Steve’s nose and pops his bubble of disapproval. Steve smacks his hand away, but not without a smile. 

“It looks really good on you.” Steve traces Eddie’s jaw with his fingers, tilting it to get a better look. 

“Yeah?” Eddie pauses, his voice wavering with something fragile and genuine. “…I was worried you’d think it’s weird. I know I didn’t tell you.”

Steve leans in and kisses him sweetly. The way Eddie melts into him will never get old. 

“I love it...but it’s missing something.” Steve snags the marker off the coffee table. Eddie immediately holds his hands out with a goofy smile, excuses spilling from his lips, but Steve slides into his space unchallenged. 

Fending off ring-clad hands from covering this apparently very ticklish spot, which he notes, Steve draws in another banner below the coffin that reads ‘The Brave’. Eddie gets it added as soon as the tattoo heals. 

It becomes their ritual. Steve goes to work and stashes a movie or two under the counter, Eddie comes in and rents them, and they spend their nights in the trailer with good films and good company. Using each other as canvases isn’t always on the agenda, but when it is, it’s an event.

Steve becomes the proud artist of Eddie’s new Lord of the Rings forearm tattoo, though he gets assigned the entire series as required reading before Eddie agrees to get it inked. Eddie’s love for the books is a blessing, however, because he’s more than keen to read the grand passages aloud at literally any moment. The Tree of Gondor is his reward, and Eddie’s tattoo guy turning it into the pommel of an amazing rendition of Narsil, the blade realistically sharp, is a bonus. 

Post-Narsil, Eddie suggests they take turns. He’s apparently caught the doodle bug and Robin has to have something to do with it—she’s been bugging Steve less and less about being her practice dummy. She actually joins them once or twice. But mostly it’s Steve and Eddie watching half a movie, then losing the other half under murmured conversations and drawing on one another. 

Tonight, though, Rocky Horror is watching them.

“Harrington, sweetheart, if you keep scrunching, I’m going to draw dicks on your face.” Eddie doesn’t look up from where he’s perched over Steve like a goblin. His legs hang off the couch in a way that can’t be comfortable and his face is pinched in concentration mere inches from Steve’s stomach. Steve’s shirt has long since been abandoned. 

He doesn’t dignify Eddie with an answer and tries to focus on Tim Curry’s crooning. Eddie’s singing along under his breath, occasionally breaking into louder sustained notes. He squeezes Steve’s thigh when he does this and Steve jumps every time.

Eddie slides to the floor between Steve’s legs and his brain goes places that he isn’t prepared for. Eddie must see something in Steve’s eyes because he leans forward, hands roaming up as he does. Steve’s already there to meet him. Eddie tugs on his bottom lip with his teeth and lets go, leaving their lips to brush, the fuckin’ tease. Eddie’s hands wander back down while he hovers just out of reach. Steve keens closer—

Eddie yanks him forward by the ankle. Steve’s head pomfs into the back of the couch and he groans. Eddie outright cackles. 

“Why?” Steve doesn’t whine, he doesn’t. 

“You should’ve seen your face, holy shit,” Eddie wheezes, melting into Steve’s lap as his shoulders shake. Steve rolls his eyes and moves to stand. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Eddie splays his fingertips across Steve’s stomach and wiggles them ever so slightly. 

Steve releases a strangled laugh, jerking his knees just shy of Eddie’s chin. He manages to get a half-baked apology past the barricade of giggles building in his lungs. 

“Last warning. Stop moving.” Eddie raises his eyebrow in a silent challenge. He pins him back with a strong hand to the chest, bars his other forearm across Steve’s thighs, and gets back to drawing. 

To his credit, Steve lasts a full ten seconds before he starts twitching again, biting the inside of his cheek to quell the laughter bubbling in his chest. The feeling of the marker on his skin is starting to drive him insane. 

“Seriously?” Eddie’s exasperation being as funny as it is doesn’t help anything. 

“Pick somewhere else?” He wishes he at least sounded like he means it. 

“Oh no, nonono, it’s my turn. The dice chose our fate, we cannot abandon it now.” Eddie gestures to his jet black d20 on the table, still sitting pretty on a big 17. 17: pantline/hips. 

Rolling for tattoo spots was a new invention, but it certainly became law a little quick for Steve’s taste. Though, that’s what he gets for dating a guy who threatens his dice and their families before he rolls them. 

“I’ll pick a different spot.” Eddie starts to get up, a poorly-concealed note of disappointment in his voice. Steve makes a vague noise of protest. When Eddie ignores him, he pulls him back by the wrist. 

“I’ll be fine.” Steve frowns. It takes some bickering before Eddie sits back down again, but with a quick kiss and some well-timed flattery, they’re back in business. 

He does last longer this time. He muffles the snickers that do sneak up on him into his fist. He’s doing alright, watching the movie over Eddie’s mop of curls, but then Eddie’s licking his finger and swiping at the art, trying to clean up a line, and a laugh bursts out before he can catch it. Eddie looks up at him with an irritated twitch of his lip. 

“I’m sorry, it—“ 

“Tickles?” Eddie’s annoyance evaporates, all an act, and gets replaced by a wild grin. Steve realizes what he’s doing, the fucking longest con of all time—

“Don’t—“

“Well, then—“ Eddie cackles in triumph. 

“Don’t you dare—“ Steve hits him with a pillow. 

“—Stop squirming and it won’t tickle,” Eddie finishes, doing a terrible, nasally mockery of Steve’s voice. He laughs and dodges Steve’s next pillow swing, squeezing at his waistline until he drops his weapon and wheezes a surrender. 

“You suck.” Steve curls, his skin buzzing under Eddie’s still fingers. 

“You love it.” Eddie pokes again for good measure. “Now are we doing this the easy way, or the hard way?” He pulls the cap off the marker with his teeth, twirling it like a drumstick. Steve sticks his tongue out. 

“Fun way it is.” Eddie’s grin is just a little feral. Steve swallows nervously. 

Steve has fought all manner of monsters. He’s watched a child explode things with her mind. He’s been through hell and back more than once. All his battle-hardened bravery flies out the window when Eddie goes back in to draw. Not because he’s doodling on Steve’s skin, nono, because when his other hand isn’t occupied with holding his canvas still, it’s actively tickling him. 

“Asshole!” Steve shrieks, burying his face in his hands. He fights the urge to tangle his fingers in his hair.

“Not sure what you mean, Stevie,” Eddie singsongs, pinching at the underside of his knee, the perfect picture of innocence. He’s a fucking menace is what he is, and Steve’s gonna absolutely ruin him once they’re done. 

Steve’s pretty sure his life flashes before his eyes at one point and Eddie must see it, because he murmurs an amused “hang in there, cupcake” and lays off his bullying. But he’s still doodling, and Steve’s far past any measure of pretending he’s composed. 

“Et voilá! Another masterpiece complete.” Eddie pops up nearly 30 breathless minutes later with a victorious flourish. Steve’s chest has a faint, dull ache and his cheeks hurt from smiling, but he does it anyway when he catches sight of Eddie’s gleaming eyes. 

Eddie’s drawn a spiked bat on his hipbone—Ah, that explains the maddening bunch of circles that he drew at the last minute there. An impressive crown rests at an angle on the bat. On the other hip, Eddie’s loopy, geometric autograph curves along his waistband, a little bat dotting the ‘i’. 

“Where are the makeup wipes?” Eddie scrounges through Mt. Stuff on the coffee table, to no avail. He starts to scurry off to his bedroom but Steve grabs his wrist. 

“Don’t bother. I wanna keep ‘em.” Steve traces over Eddie’s signature with his finger. Following the loops is oddly satisfying. 

“Okay. Just don’t do anything stupid.” Eddie sticks his hands in his pockets. 

“Like what?”

“Like get that shit tattooed. Those things are permanent, y'know. Don’t let the troubled youths lead you astray.” Eddie shrugs back on his melodrama like an old, familiar coat. 

“Or what? You’ll ground me?” Steve crosses his arms. 

“It’s not a good idea,” Eddie scoffs, flopping back onto the couch. Something cold and distant settles over his demeanor as he fiddles with his rings.

“Elaborate.” Steve pats Eddie’s cheek until he graces him with eye contact. 

“Ah, he’s learned new words. Henderson teach you that one?” Eddie’s eyelids lower as he snarks, lashing out at nothing at all. He gets like this sometimes, like a storm that’s all thunder and no rain. He’s always on the defensive. 

“You did, actually. What’s got your boxers in a twist?” Steve knocks their legs together. Eddie turns to face him. Steve catches the precise moment that he bites back an innuendo. 

“Tattoos are permanent.” Eddie speaks slowly, as if explaining this to a child. Steve scowls. 

“Yes, we covered this. Quit being a smartass.” Steve pinches his arm hard. Eddie hisses out an apology and backtracks. 

“Rule number one is to never get a tattoo you’ll regret. You’re playing with fire here.” Eddie scribbles at the doodles he’s made and Steve flinches with a huff. 

“I don’t regret them.”

“Yeah, now you don’t. It’s later that I’m worried about. Like when I finally do something to scare you away, but then you still have to look at my name on your skin.“ Eddie hitches his knee up and sinks deeper into the couch. 

“You won’t scare me away, man. I’d literally never get tired of you.“ Steve furrows his brow. How is this even a hypothetical? He loves spending time with Eddie. He loves Eddie. 

Woah, new development. But a good one. 

“Okay, well, in a few years those words are gonna bite you in the ass and you’ll have to get a very creative cover up.” Eddie’s eyebrows lift as he scoffs, picking at the denim on his knee. Steve briefly wonders what or who might be hiding under his tattoos. 

“Alright, this doesn’t seem to be piercing your thick skull.” Steve cradles Eddie’s face in his hands. “I will never get tired of you. Not now, not in a year, not in a hundred.”

“Not even in death?” Eddie’s being dramatic now, taking the low-hanging petulant fruit, and Steve indulges him.

“I’d be honored if you haunted me.” Steve kisses his forehead as tender as he can manage, lingering there until he can feel it sink through to Eddie’s brain.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a romantic, Harrington?” Eddie gazes at him, content to be held. 

“Once or twice.” Steve shrugs. Eddie pulls him forward by the front of his shirt for a kiss, and Steve’s arms wrap around his shoulders where they’re meant to be.

...............................................

“You’re staring, Munson.” Steve grins when Eddie freezes in his peripheral. He’s not exactly innocent here, he is wearing Eddie’s vest and only his vest, but it’s hot out and that seems like enough justification. Not like Eddie’s helping—his hair’s pulled back, bangs hanging in his eyes, and the ponytail is unfairly mesmerizing. 

“You’re distracting, sue me.” Eddie pulls Steve closer a little roughly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“I can’t believe you did this.” Eddie wriggles a nail over his autograph, now permanently etched on Steve’s skin. He immediately squirms away with a huff. 

Robin finally got her wish. It was an ordeal that took all fucking day, but letting her give him a stick and poke meant snacks, good company, and free ink. The only tax he had to pay was listening to Robin gag the entire time over Steve wanting Eddie’s name on his skin. As if it wasn’t a relatively small tattoo. 

“Yeah, well, I thought it’d be nice to have something in common besides this.” He gestures to the rough plane of his demobat scars. “Plus, maybe I’ll finally be promoted to Corroded Coffin’s number one groupie.”

“Throw your bra on stage, then we’ll talk,” Eddie laughs, jostling their shoulders together.  

“So you’re saying there’s a chance.” Steve leans in close, grinning, and Eddie shoves him away.

“You’re fuckin’ ridiculous.” Eddie bites his lip on a silly smile. 

“You’re just scared you’d see me shirtless and I’d be irresistible.” Steve folds his arms behind his head and kicks his feet onto the coffee table. 

“I’ve already seen you shirtless, so check that off the list,” Eddie hums, leaning his head on Steve’s shoulder. 

“Then my work here is done.” Steve brushes his hands together and stands. Eddie grabs him by the waist and pulls him back down into a giggling heap. They roll around a little, Eddie managing to get Steve in a headlock and Steve managing to ruthlessly tickle until Eddie releases him. They land in a heap, legs entangled, and Eddie just gazes at him. 

“I’m glad I got stuck on you, Stevie,” Eddie whispers, brushing his thumb over Steve’s cheek. The way Eddie looks at him is sometimes terrifying, the consumption of it all. As if Steve hung the moon and stars. And he would in a heartbeat if Eddie asked. But he hasn’t, and he’ll never ask, and it’s dizzying to be cared for so unconditionally by someone who deserves it all. 

“Me too.” Steve shimmies underneath Eddie a bit. “I love you.”

Eddie beams like the sun, warm and beautiful and unmoving. He brings his hand to his mouth, thumb fiddling with his teeth as he lights the room with that smile. 

“I love you too.” His voice cracks with emotion around the edges. His eyes glitter like river stones with unshed tears. Steve holds him steady, holds him close, and resolves to never let go. Even when Eddie gets snot on Steve’s shoulder. 

When Eddie shows up a few weeks later with ‘Steve’ tattooed on his chest across a heart pierced by an arrow, Steve chases him around the trailer with a pillow until Eddie’s cackling through an apology. It’s the sweetest, craziest thing anyone’s ever done for him and he doesn’t care if it makes him a hypocrite, tattoos are permanent and Eddie’s an idiot. 

But, just like Steve, Eddie doesn’t regret a thing. 

....

A/N: Normally I don’t do these but I had some little things I wanted to geek out over:

- this was originally a 10k-ish fic that i squeezed down like an orange so apologies if anything felt weird or squished! Realized I do NOT know how to write Robin, Dustin, or Nancy lol. 

- I imagine that Eddie is wearing Steve’s yellow sweater in this. It makes me happy. 

- Get tattoos of anything you want, I’m not the tattoo police, but Eddie has a point: generally not a good idea to get tattoos of anything you might regret down the line. Shit can get expensive. I know so many people who got Game of Thrones and Harry Potter coverups, also people who got tattoos for people who are now not their friends/their exes. Be smart and take care of your tattoos! <3

- Eddie’s signature looks a lot like Ozzy Ozbourne’s! He’s practiced it for years and loves getting to sign stuff at Corroded Coffin concerts (though it’s usually just Steve, Dustin, and Robin heckling him while Will and Mike ask genuinely)

- You will pry Eddie giving Steve pet names, not limited to be including Stevie, sweetheart, babe, princess, pretty boy, etc from my cold, dead hands. 

- Eddie gives me the vibe of someone who’d want a tattoo sleeve or even two, and I like to think the Narsil tattoo starts a Lord of the Rings one for him :)

- this concept is based on something I used to do with friends IRL in high school! We usually only did like hands/arms/ankles and I was voted out as a canvas bc I was too squirmy :/

[firebirds-roost]

o/ have a fruit salad!

🍌Three headcanons about how magic works in your lore 🍊A dragon you like based on looks 🍇A dragon you like based on personality 🍑Show off an expensive regening project 🍐Feathers, fur/fluff, manes: your Opinion

YEAHH I ACTUALLY GOT ONE okay okay let's see

🍌: Three headcanons about how magic works in your lore

Items that magically change a dragon's appearance, like gene scrolls or eye vials, are actually very common and a popular form of self-expression. Switching up your patterns is no different from buying a new outfit or getting a tattoo to better suit your personality! Honestly, most dragons would be shocked to meet someone who hasn't used an enchanted scroll at some point.

All dragons have an internal wellspring of magic that gives them life and fuels their natural abilities, essentially acting as their soul. This is the most potent and powerful form of magic on Sornieth, but trying to harness it for spellcasting is EXTREMELY dangerous and usually results in the death of the caster. Soul-fed spells are only used as an absolute last resort.

Basic elemental moves like fireballs or lightning bolts can be thrown around without much effort, but more advanced spells usually require some kind of ritual component. Specialized runes, spoken enchantments, careful talon movements, things like that. Being able to perform these rituals correctly is what separates trained mages from common dragons.

🍊: A dragon you like based on looks

I'm a big fan of Maelstrom's design! I haven't quite figured out a story for him yet, but I love the black-and-red color scheme and the mix-and-matched apparel sets. Shoutout to the Bloodscale helmet layered over the Ghastcrown.

🍇: A dragon you like based on personality

It's hard to pick just one, so I guess I'll go with a dragon I haven't posted to Tumblr yet: Parmesan! He's a pampered, sensitive sort, accustomed to the finer things in life, and approaches every new experience with the attitude of someone disarming a bomb. What if it's dangerous? What if it hurts? What if it sets him on FIRE?

Still, he's a good guy at heart, and is more than willing to face his fears if it means doing the right thing. He just... might have to do it while crying.

🍑: Show off an expensive regening project

Oh, this one's easy.

Riptide was my birthday hatch a couple years ago, and I got INSANELY lucky with his colors - Jade/Robin/Aqua. I knew he deserved something special, so I saved up for months and months to get him a fancy new look (complete with Coatl breed change, Glimmer, and a couple of expensive apparel items). Totally worth it!

🍐: Feathers, fur/fluff, manes: your opinion

I like 'em! I think hair and feathers are great for conveying personality in a dragon, since there are so many ways to style them in artwork. Great way to switch up the silhouettes. There's a reason Fluffington is one of my favorite dragons to draw.

Absolutely hate the way Spines looks on maned breeds though. Why are Tundras and Imperials like that. Stop.

[floydsmuse]

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE MEGGY!!!!! I come bearing another basket of thought/thots straight from the pantry (lol).

Lets just say you and Rhett keep a very well stocked collection of books (lol). Rhett is a voracious reader, especially during the winter when there's not alot of chores to be done. He'll eat up books like they're popcorn and it actually got to the point where his room was starting to look like a used bookshop.

One summer, the Duttons came down from Bozeman and Kayce, Rip, Beth, Monica, John and Royal all helped you renovate an abandoned barn on the property just up the little path from the house and my God did that thing need some serious TLC. But by the time you guys were done the very next summer, you had the best little library on the property!

The Cozy Corner was always the first thing you would see when you'd come in and just behind it was the little kitchen area. The corner had a big giant throw rug and a space for the woodstove, a big stretch of window seat with drawers underneath and low stretches of shelves for some of the little, little children's books you've collected from Rhett's childhood. Of course he still has Goodnight Moon, Peter Rabbit and Winnie The Pooh which he passed down to Amy when you guys adopted her, but there's also some little paperbacks there too, such as Matilda, James And The Giant Peach, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and of course, Rhett's absolute favorite, The Indian In The Cupboard. One story that Amy absolutely loves is called She Was Nice To Mice and it's about the little mice that lived in the court of Queen Elizabeth I and all the shenanigans they caused (lol).

Oh but of course there are stacks and stacks and stacks of books on the shelves upstairs that are suited for everybody in the family. Royal absolutely loves reading The Hobbit to the babies and they think it's hilarious that he reminds them so much of Beorn (lol). You guys have all the Lord Of The Rings books complete with the illustrations and everything. During the summer, you and Rhett will read Treasure Island, The Swiss Family Robinson, Robin Hood and Peter Pan to the babies and they absolutely EAT IT UP!! Tatum and Tanner, your twin boys are obsessed with Treasure Island and anything that even remotely resembles The Goonies (lol).

The girls love the Grimm's Fairy Tales even though some of the endings are a little bit above the PG rating, they love Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. Muchie Lal was always a favorite of theirs which is about a little prince in India who was raised by a nine-headed cobra. Snow White is another favorite of theirs along with The Goose Girl, Diamonds and Toads and The Princess And The Frog. Rhett even managed to get a copy of The Arabian Nights and all the babies love that on top of everything else. The boys can't get enough of Sinbad The Sailor while Aladdin was always a favorite of everyone's (lol).

At Halloween it's almost always Dracula and Frankenstein. The babies might not be at the most appropriate age for it, but you and Rhett couldn't resist when your boys all came running to the cozy corner one day with a copy of Dracula (lol). Rhett will even read them a parody of Goodnight Moon which is called Goodnight Goon and the boys always say goodnight to the monsters under the bed after that (lol).

Dinotopia by James Gurney has always been another favorite of everyone's. The babies love the illustrations in them and how colorful they are and almost always wanna see what it's like to ride on a dinosaur. The babies have even drawn in their own little notebooks as if they were in the world of Dinotopia, pretending to explore and keep track of the dinosaurs and after a while they got really good at it. Even their teachers are a little surprised that they can draw so well at such a young age (I firmly believe that you and Rhett sent the kiddos to one of those hippie schools that emphasizes drawing, outdoor play and all the creative arts, lol).

Meggy there's alot more I could add to this but I don't think I'll have the space for it (lol).

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE MY DARLING <3 hehe yay! more thoughts & thots :) i can’t wait to read them !!!

~ first, i love wifey & Rhett having a book collection! second, i love Rhett being an avid reader & bookworm! i could honestly see that under the rough & toughened cowboy persona! the winter is certainly the best time to read cause you can just curl up under a bunch of blankets, get cozy, & crack open a good book :) Rhett’s room looking like a little bookshop is the cutest thing i’ve ever read please !!!

~ ooh! i remember you bringing this up over our messages & Mary can i say, it’s the best thought ever!! i love the idea of everyone getting together to renovate the barn into a library! like who wouldn’t want that?! it’s just so awesome☺️ lovin’ the name the Cozy Corner! the way you described it sounds so warm & homey :,) the kids books! OMG! i remember Goodnight Moon, Peter Rabbit, & Winnie the Pooh so vividly!! such staples in my growing up🥹 Matilda still remains one of my favorite films of all time & i enjoyed the book too! Charlie & the Chocolate factory being Rhett’s fav just makes so much sense to me ?! idk, but it def works! ahh! The Indian in the Cupboard makes me think about elementary school !! i miss being little haha :)

~ you already know how I feel about Lord of the Rings! im a huge fan hehe🤭 & i love that it’s included in their book collection! also love that Royal reads the Hobbit to the babies & i could even picture him doing different voices for each of the characters 🤣 he could do a spot on impression of Gandalf, mark my words! the twins & Rhett being super into Treasure Island is just so great too !! Robin Hood & Peter Pan are such classics & absolutely essential to the collection :)

~ yess! the Grimm Fairytales are just awesome & i really love all the different princess stories !! ooh Dracula & Frankenstein during Halloween time couldn’t be more perfect! i also imagine all the kids getting together to read spooky stories & cuddle up like a bunch of scaredy cats when they hear a noise, but it’s only because they are literally in an old barn & it’s destined to make all sorts of creaky sounds😭 haha! Goodnight Goon i’ve heard of, it definitely sounds cute! & aww, the boys saying goodnight to the monsters under their bed is so adorable! :,)

~ Dinotopia sounds really cool! i actually had to look it up real quick to see what it was all about & i have to say, the illustrations are just incredible! i could see why they would love the book so much!! the babies getting into drawing because of this story?! Mary! that is so sweet 🥹 the hippie school thing is soo true! i could totally picture Rhett & wifey sending the kids to it!! hehehe!

Mary, thank you so much for these lovely little thoughts! they brightened my day & i just loved reading them like always 🥰 i hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve my love! 💗

[zorosroronoas]

LONG RANT AHEAD (sorry)

lol I'm glad you mentioned Sanji because he's my biggest problem with the manga. Sanji is only amazing in the LA.

I'm on the Wano arc right now and the dude just used the invisibility suit to spy on Nami and Robin naked and had the most dramatic reaction to Shinobu being a kunoichi who dares not to be a thin young girl with big breasts (and he did the same with Kokoro before the time skip... not saying I wanted a 19-year-old to be attracted to somebody's grandmother, but the way she "didn't count" as a mermaid because of her age and body type was gross).

I don't even want to talk about Alvida, or how Big Mom, the only major female villain in the series, is drawn as a grotesque fat woman who's obsessed with food.

Oda can draw Senor Pink, a fat man who dresses like a baby, as someone with women thirsting over him, but he can't have a cute fat girl in the story who is found attractive by Sanji? (but hey, at least Sanji has shown how open-minded he is by liking girls with 3 eyes and fishtails).

If the only women you think deserve to be seen as attractive are girls in their 20s with zero belly fat and a big rack, then you have a limited mindset (and it doesn't help that he also draws underage girls like Pudding, Rebecca, and Shirahoshi like that too). I haven't gotten there yet, but I saw that Shinobu goes back to being young and thin and Sanji praises her "glow up" and I'm just... what fat woman hurt Oda? As a fat woman, am I not allowed to be mad at fatphobia? But if I point these things out, suddenly I'm a weirdo who is "jealous" (sure, I'm jealous of a drawing made by a pervert who is friends with sex offenders. Give me a break, fandom).

Fishman Island has been my least favorite arc so far because of how insufferable Sanji behaved. And let's not even get started on all the creepy and weird things he did in other arcs like Thriller Bark, Punk Hazard, and the list goes on and on because OH MY GOD *Jesse Pinkman voice* HE CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT!

Rebecca is a gladiator girl who's been victimized her whole life, but Oda has her wear a bikini top and a thong the entire time and makes creepy comments in his q&a about how this underage character he wrote might end up naked. Sometimes I got confused because Robin, Hancock, and Tashigi look too much alike. And speaking of Tashigi, she is the definition of "go on girl, give us nothing" because she literally does nothing. She's always losing and being ridiculed, and of course Smoker opened up her shirt when they switched bodies to expose her titties, because what teenage boy doesn't want to see that? (nevermind that any teenage boy that started reading this in the 90s would be a grown-ass man right now, and Oda ignores his Japanese female fanbase when they criticize the way he draws women. It's not just Western women who are not okay with this).

Robin should be on the same level as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji and have the Haki because she's a Devil Fruits user with an incredible power, and yet her character hasn't done much since Enies Lobby.

Momonosuke is an EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY and Oda wrote him as a pervert who likes to grope Nami. And the stuff with Brook is terrible too, but Brook has nowhere near the same amount of page-time as Sanji does, so of course I'm going to complain about Sanji more. And no one in the fandom is trying to brainwash me that Brook is a feminist ally like they do with Sanji lol

I love OP and it has so many emotional moments where I cried reading (Chopper's and pretty much every Straw Hat's backstory, Usopp leaving the crew, Robin wanting to live, Luffy declaring war on the government to save Robin, Luffy fighting like hell to save Ace, Mr. 2 sacrificing himself so Luffy and the other pirates can escape Marineford, Law and Corazon's backstory, the list goes on), but JFC, I can't just sit by and pretend that it's a flawless story and say nothing negative about it because there's plenty of negative stuff on it.

I don't understand why this fandom is like this, but I guess I can't be a "true fan" of OP if I'm not kissing Oda's ass and acting like this millionaire is the ultimate master of storytelling.

It's not okay to teach boys to disrespect women, it's not okay to make fun of fat women, and it's not okay to add transphobic jokes (I didn't even touch on that but you know what I mean). I don't know why people want to shut down that criticism.

I love One Piece. I care about it. I understand that you can't spend all day focusing on the negative. But this story is hardly ever criticized, anyway. It's not an underdog manga. It's one of the most popular franchises in the world.

I apologize that this got so long. -OPLA anon

omg, pls don't apologize, you are so right on literally EVERYTHING.

i've written a minor rant about sanji when i was reading the manga, but my opinion of him has only gotten worse. like you said he is absolutely insufferable & only gets worse with time. what is worse is that his bullshit & misogyny is portrayed as 'charming', it drive me insane. oda tries so hard to continuously push the 'sanji is such a goodhearted & kind boy' & i'm just... really? except if you're an 'ugly' woman i guess.

to each their own, but it also grinds my gears how queer &/or transfem sanji is such a huge headcanon in the fandom. like... sanji... the biggest queerphobe in one piece. give me a fucking break. in general fandom loves sanji way too much considering what he actually is like as a character.

i thank the lord everyday for opla!sanji tbh, he's a godsend & i can't believe i've seen ppl complain about him being 'overcorrected'.

i've said this before, but it's utterly ridiculous how nami & robin (not to mention the other women in op) haven't had a major role or win in several arcs. they're constantly fighting the runt of the litter.

don't get me started on tashigi & punk hazard. it still drives me nuts that oda had zoro hold back on fighting monet bc she was a woman. it goes completely against the point of zoro's backstory. & then tashigi, who's supposed to be an echo of kuina, literally is never able to do shit?? like?? what's the point, oda? that women can't be good fighters after all?

speaking on punk hazard, sanji's entire behavior while he's in nami's body is abhorrent.

both momonosuke being a perv as well as his dad, oden, going to brothels since he was like six or some shit is so goddamn disgusting, like.... again what's the point??

brook is also an issue but i think fandom mostly ignores his existence & admittedly i do too.

& boy howdy, the fatphobia is truly rampant. you have every right to be upset & criticize it. i sincerely hope they keep alvida as a fat woman & skip the whole 'getting pretty & thin' bs altogether in opla. i was watching reactions to opla a while back & to see ppl going like 'does she have the devil fruit powers yet? oh no, she's not thin.' during her last scene in 1.08, like that shit is totally normal & not problematic as hell is just.... wow. they really expect that crap to happen & have no problem with it.

on the subject of shinobu, it really just goes to illustrate what i said, which is that oda never really changes. he still treats fat women like shit decades later & that's a major issue. he hasn't learned or bettered himself at all.

i think it is always fair to criticize the media one enjoys, particularly on things that are actually harmful. i find it necessary even.

nobody is saying that it's not okay to like one piece or that you're a bad person for it, but it is important to look at it critically for god's sake.

sorry if i missed anything, but like i said i agree with you on everything & more, so don't ever worry about ranting at me, i'm more than open to it lmao.

[mayordea]

Welcome!

hi, you can call me mayor or delia, formerly known as mayordoi. i'm an aroace artist who really likes kagamine rin and robin fire emblem. this account is where i post art i make :) while i wanna keep it focused on that, i might expand to making text posts on random thoughts and will still answer any asks that come my way!

things of note

Art tag -> #mayor doidles

instagram, mostly inactive because it gives me brain rot. i log in to post (though this tumblr will likely have more art posted to it than there), but i don't post on my story and i am likely to miss comments and messages

sheezy is where i host my "art portfolio" (with my favorites outfitted with formal descriptions) as well as my blog?? mainly to report my thoughts. it's currently serving as my website with the main stuff i wanna host until i actually get that sorted out

smash prose server info

my "main" blog (which appears in notifs when i like a post or follow someone) is @dois-funnyzone. that account is where i just reblog things. even though it appears as my main, please don't follow that one in favor of this one!!

i don't take comissions

reposting my art is permitted as long as you fully credit me 🙏🏻 you can reblog and all that ofc

personal use is okay!! :D for things like pfps, just credit me somewhere

some more detailed things about me below the cut :]

what i draw

i draw a lot of fanart of whatever interests me! so please don't follow me if you only want to see fanart from one thing haha,, though the most consistent subject i draw is vocaloid (mainly the mascot characters and how they appear in different songs) and fe awakening (mainly robin, of either gender). i also have ocs that i might occassionally subject you to. oc masterpost coming eventually hopefully TwT by the way, all art of my oc can be found in the #mayors ocs tag~

here's some things i generally like as well, though no guarantee i'll be mass producing art for it like the other stuff i mentioned

☆vocaloid (favorite characters are probably rin, miku, una, meiko, and kaito. favorite producers are utsu-p, ghost, vane, and pinocchiop. casual enjoyer of kikuo, nyanyannya, maretu, and kairiki bear) ☆fire emblem (even though it's probably the weakest game i've played, i really like fe awakening, even past it featuring robin lol. i have played and enjoyed all the modern titles! currently playing through binding blade, genealogy of the holy war, and path of radiance. have replayed awakening and revelation TOO MANY DAMN TIMES) ☆super smash bros (heavily intertwined with my enjoyment of fe. i really like the crossover stuff about it and used to write fic about it (unpublished)!! i may occasionally draw some of the characters from that cross over here. be warned though that what i tag as "smash bros" is wildly inconsistent across my page TwT) ☆Miitopia (enjoyer of blorbo crossovers since childhood, Miitopia + Tomodachi Life scratch this itch EXTREMELY well. may post many self-indulgent crossovers based on the cast and events of these games) ☆jojo (favorite parts are 4, 5, and 7!! johnny and josuke are my favorite protagonists) ☆shining/love nikki (don't play LN anymore but shining nikki is one of the only tolerable gachas ive played lol! i love the fashion and might sometimes draw suits from the games or outfits i've made) ☆persona (suuuper casual though, only played 4 and 5) ☆rhythm heaven (i just think it's neat!! also fever's soundtrack rocks my world) ☆stardew valley (cool farming game yeah) ☆animal crossing (though i have much to criticize about NH, i really like using it for background inspo lol)

haha sorry for the ramble. but yeah i draw a lot of stuff pertaining to the things i like, some more than others. all art of that nature can be found in the #fanart tag.

supplies and brushes!

in case you're curious about the things i use to make my art, here it is. i like making both traditional art and digital art depending on how i feel.

traditional supplies

paper - i almost always draw in sketchbooks. for full colored pieces, i'm fond of strathmore's visual journal sketchbooks (the ones i'm using atm are mixed media). for on-the-go sketches and doodles, i use a notebook with dotted paper, nothing fancy. sketching - i like using a red grading pencil (essentially a waxy colored pencil with an erasing) for sketching since markers and paint blend into it which means less erasing. i also use a regular mechanical pencil or gel pen for concept sketches or doodles. inking - there's a lot of inking tools i like! i like using staedtler pigment liners for simple lines and hatching, as well as tombow brush pens for quick line weight. markers - my primary coloring tool. while they're not perfect, i primarily use ohuhus; they're great if you're starting out since they're quite cheap! i also use a grab-bag of other marker brands like tombow or copics, but those are my mains. colored pencils - prismacolors, baybee!! i mainly use these for lineart and additional shading and texture. paint - also far from perfect, but i use the himi jelly gouache for paintings even though i'm kinda ass at it. i also used to use a very crusty windsor & newton watercolor kit. as for brushes, idk i inherited most of mine and they work fine.

digital stuff

program - i use procreate on an ipad to draw digitally. i know it's basic but it gets the job done for me default brushes i like - among the brushes that come with procreate, the ones i like are: HB pencil (sketching), 6B pencil (sketching), technical pen (inking), gel pen (inking), honeyeater (vintage), and campagnia (vintage). would like to make a detailed brush list eventually TwT brush packs i like - i download a lot of brushes, but these packs are ones i absolutely swear by. all are free! jingsketch basics is a must-get for anyone that likes digital painting. i use "soft chalk" to render. rusty rakes is a set of textured line brushes i love to use to add extra hatched textures to my paintings. mainly rely on rr dark. i also use a halftone brush to add texture to my art, but unfortunately i cannot find it or the author! will update when i do~

anyway

thank you for reading. this post might get updated in the future when i think of more stuff to add or change. i would add a new and improved meet the artist, but to be honest i don’t really have a “sona” anymore 😅 maybe yall don’t get to meet me…

bye bye!!

last updated: 6/16/2024

[kirbydots]

🔥

regarding continuity and looking at cape characters as mythologies

Unpopular opinion asks

Part of what draws me to comic universes is the extensive continuity and just how long these stories have been going on. It amazes me that my grandfather might have read about these same characters as a kid, that generation after generation has grown up with these characters the same way I have! Because I very much did grow up with comics and superheroes— my dad introduced me to X-Men as a kid, and I’ve been watching Batman cartoons and other DC shows since I was a baby. I literally cannot remember a time where I didn’t know and love these characters.

A lot of the times — especially by people who aren’t into comics — I see continuity treated as a bad thing or a hamper on the stories. While it can be, such as when an otherwise good run has to reckon with a godawful writing decision made by the previous writer, or a character has a history of being portrayed very poorly, I find that for me it’s a benefit.

I like characters with a rich history, and I especially love seeing how they’ve changed over the decades! Whether it be a character or a mantle, what draws me to it is the meaning and history behind it. With characters, I love to see how they’ve changed as a person, what they’ve been through, who they’ve known.

Take Batgirl, for example— the mantle means nothing to me in current comics. Not Cass being Batgirl, not Steph, none of it. There’s none of the history the mantle had, none of the meaning that came with it being passed down. The exchange of the suit from Helena to Cass, how it was created to represent the Bat, to give Gotham hope during No Man’s Land is so impactful, especially when you take into account Cass’ loyalty to the bat itself. That suit, created to represent not Batgirl, but the bat itself, being the suit Cass wears! The passing of the torch from one disabled woman to another! It’s incredibly powerful, and reading those books is what made the Batgirls my favorite part of the Batfamily.

Now that both Cass and Steph are Batgirl (except when they aren’t) and that Babs is Batgirl again (except when she… possibly isn’t?) there’s none of that history. It isn’t a mantle passed through generations, it’s “when girl is bat” and I’d argue that the mantle no longer works. Robin certainly doesn’t work when there’s two of them, and Batgirl doesn’t either! These titles mean nothing to the characters, and they mean nothing to me, either.

To use another example that nobody except me and four other people care about, Garth. He’s here in the current continuity, and I, a dedicated fan of him, actively want him to stop appearing! Because the writers cut out everything that made him, well, him! The kingdom he comes from is gone, cutting out the heritage he struggled with. He’s got magic, but the person who mentored him and the role it played in his development and understanding of himself is gone.

The romantic relationship that he defined so much of his life by is gone, cutting out so much character development regarding his acceptance of her death and moving on from it that was the crux of his arc in his solo. Also, said character is now his cousin, permanently removing any possibility that this could be restored.

He doesn’t act like himself whatsoever, and how could he? The new continuity removed everything that defined and shaped his character! His suit change, while a minor detail with most characters, really shows how little they cared for Garth’s character when rebooting him. While there are many in-universe details that make it a bad idea, my main complaint is that his original Tempest suit was a tribute to Neal Pozner’s Aquaman design. Phil Jimenez, the writer of said solo, had been in a relationship with Pozner prior to his passing from AIDS, and dedicated the solo to Pozner. This disregard of prior continuity and history cuts out so much meaning, and I’d argue is rather disrespectful to the creator of the Tempest mantle.

While no comic continuity is perfect, I think disregarding the history of characters is not a solution whatsoever, and by doing so you often gut them of meaning. It’s irritating when fan spaces are full of nothing but disregard for the source material, and it’s unbearable when comic writers totally disregard what came before. I can’t stand most modern Fourth World content, despite it being my favorite part of DC, because of a total disrespect for Kirby’s original saga and what it meant. Darkseid is stripped of context, Orion is erased from his own story, it pisses me off!

You lose so much when you disregard a character’s history, and they end up being a hollow shell of what they used to be. Why should I care about this character and their story when the story itself doesn’t? I’m not saying comics need to be dense and full of citations, but when they stop caring about their own history and refuse to engage with the past of the characters they’re writing, I check out. I love Cassandra Cain because she’s Cassandra Cain, not because she’s some random girl in a bat suit!

In regards to comics as modern mythology, I’d say I’m not well-versed on the discussion enough to have an opinion.

[redrobin-detective]

Tribute

It was the annual Justice League Halloween party and the costume theme was to dress as your favorite hero coworker. No one was surprised when Clark showed up in a tacky Batman costume, one clearly purchased at the dollar store but his dedication to staying in character dispelled all doubts of his sincerity. Barry wore a green Ringpop and domino mask while Hal chatted up Diana, who herself was wearing an Aquaman inspired dress, in a Flash themed snuggie. Bruce quietly stood off to the side and made sure no one commented on his Robin costume. At least this version has pants.

But though no one said anything, they were all awaiting a special arrival. Dinah had taken some of the younger kids out trick or treating but would be bringing them back to the Watchtower to enjoy a bit of the party before bed. It was Captain Marvel’s third Halloween with the League but Billy Batson’s first. They were all eagerly awaiting which hero the young god would dress as.

“It’s gotta be Supes, kid is practically an expy of him,” Hal told Zatanna emphatically even if he secretly was holding out hope the kid would come dressed as him. 

“Yeah but Bruce’s kid and him are practically attached at the hip and I know for a fact Jason is going as Wonder Woman so they might try to match,” Zee, as Deadman, commented. She herself thought the little magician would pull off her tailcoat and tophat quite well, perhaps saving the fishnets for when he was a bit older.

“It doesn’t matter who he comes as,” Victor defended as he straightened out his white cape and lightning bolt shirt. “He’s gonna look cute either way but I did tell Billy I’d be dressing as him so...”

“Dinah, baby, love of my life,” Ollie whispered into his phone, away from the others. J’onn in his Supergirl suit leaned in closer as he munched on Oreos. “You gotta tell me what the little guy is wearing, the betting pool is off the charts and I’ll let you in on the action if you just-”

“Oliver, you’re already a billionaire,” Dinah sighed affectionately from the other end of the line. “But we’re on our way back now so you’ll find out soon enough but uh,” she paused, “you might wanna prepare yourself. His choice is quite controversial.” 

While the Leaguers bantered and argued and ate way too snacks, they all wondered what teammate their youngest member would come as. What superhero did Billy Batson look up to the most? Who’s costume would he don for All Hallow’s Eve? Everyone not so secretly hoped they would be chosen. 

“Hey everyone, we’re back!” Dinah announced, brushing off her makeshift Zatanna costume. It was similar enough to her own and she hadn’t had time to shop this year. Jason made a beeline for Bruce, his glittering gold tiara and star patterned pants drawing attention as he chatted with his guardian about his haul. It made it easy to overlook Billy’s much subtler costume.

“Oh my god I’m going to kill that man,” Zatanna groaned into her palm as she took in the boy’s clothing. Her hand helped to conceal the small smile threatening to peek through. Billy certainly wore the rumbled shirt and trenchcoat a lot better than John ever did.

“John Constantine? Really?” Hal asked in a screeching voice. “The guys a two bit con artist and like not even a real member of the Justice League! He’s barely third string!”

“Whut can I say?” Billy said with a rakish grin and a horrific British accent. In his right hand, he held a blue lollipop like one would a cigarette. “Imma nasty piece of work.”

“Hey there Bill,” Clark sighed, also disappointed in the kid’s costume choice. The children’s Superman costumes were just too adorable and would have suited Billy much better than the Hellblazer in his opinion. “That’s an, er, interesting choice there, son.”

“Well, ya know how it goes,” Billy continued, slouching to the side and sliding a lazy hand into the trenchcoat pocket while he popped the lollipop back in his mouth. “We all got our demons, some o’ them are just more visible than others.”

“That’s a little too on the nose for my tastes,” Barry said with a grimace, imaging all the bad run-ins he’d had with the magician. “So we all agree that Bill needs his Constantine visiting hours cut short before he picks up any other bad habits.”

“Agreed,” Hal, Victor and Ollie agreed hastily.

“You wankers will get your knickers in a twist over anything,” Billy said, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. He was very much aware of the stir he was causing and was enjoying it. He loved the League and respected them all but some days Billy felt like John was the only one who understood the real him, a dirty street rat just doing his best.

Billy reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a little flask. He fought back a smile as he undid the cap and took a long swig. He could tell them it was just apple juice but where was the fun in that?

“Constantine!”