#in memory of Talia Joy

[butterflyinthewell]

Happy birthday in Heaven, Talia. She would be 24 today.

Here is the tribute event to memorialize her in 2013. It’s been ten years. Time sure flies…

I’m going to let this go, but I will continue to paint my toenails mint every summer in memory of her.

May her memory be a blessing forever.

[kaleidescopic]

do you think ocean was worrying about how she had to get home soon because there was school tomorrow as she boarded the cyclone? do you think constance was super excited about finally going on her favorite ride after looking forward to it the whole day and the choir just went along with it because she wanted to so bad? do you think mischa was reaching out for his phone that was falling out of his pocket as he fell to his death in one final desperate attempt to contact talia? do you think ricky wished he could scream more than he ever had before as he watched the girl sitting next to him's head fly off? do you think in his final moments noel was worrying about his mom and how she would have no one left if he died? do you think ocean was the first one to notice how something was wrong with the track and could only listen as her choirmate's screams of joy became screams of fear? do you think about how hard mr and mrs blackwood probably cried when they found out their baby girl was dead? do you think that was mischas first time on a roller coaster? do you think about how ricky died the youngest of them all, having turned 17 only 3 months earlier? do you think constance was gripping the hem of her skirt, like she does in the show, as the cart was flying off the tracks out of pure adrenaline? do you think penny had brought ezra with her and he was on the ground, watching the ride his sister was on break and kill everyone in it? do you think he was desperately trying to tell the medics that the unidentified body was his sister and they brushed him off because of his age? do you think constance was laughing as she fell to her death, more focused on the beautiful sunset and memories than she was on her imminent doom? do you think about how because of the canadian school schedule, that was literally only their second week of senior year? do you think constances baby brother was scared when his big sister just stopped coming home one day? do you think about how mischa's final text to talia was probably a good night text and she slept through the love of her life's death, only to see no new messages from him when she woke up and "rest in peace" comments all over his social medias? do you think ocean was stressing about a quiz they had at school the next day in the moments before the cart derailed? do you think rickys cats felt his absence after he died and just knew something bad had happened to him? do you think, as he bled out, mischa was smiling because he would finally get to be with his mom?

[hello-eden]

Dcxdp #24

I have two ideas for Danny reincarnated as Jason Todd.

 The first idea is Danny getting his Memories Back after the Lazarus pit. Talia tries to manipulate him and he believes her for a hot minute but he gets caught up in learning a bunch of new things but it kind of forgets. I never see Danny very motivated by Revenge. None of his loved ones were her so he sees no reason for Revenge. Danny just one day forgets he's supposed to be mad at Bruce as well as the fact that he's dead and just calls him. The conversation carries on for at least 20 minutes back and forth before Danny remembers that he's supposed to be dead. He ends the call once he realizes but the damage has been done. After that call he's just decided that any chance of prank or Revenge is impossible anymore and keeps calling. no one would be able to trace the calls because Danny is not that stupid but once the cat's out of the bag Danny's just too busy to care. I don't think he'd even come back to Gotham until like 2 years after Resurrection. The entire bat family is like holy shit we weren't hallucinating and Danny's like did you think you were.

The second idea is normal Canon happening until Jason almost dies again but they wake up from what should be life-threatening just like the afterlife is too much paperwork. He gives zero context. anytime someone asks he keeps making vague pensions of the fact that the afterlife isn't fun if you're managing the place and leaves it at that. I think they would find out later but Danny being vague about it just brings me much joy.

[spookibird]

Some thoughts about if RTC was ever adapted to a film and what I think would be interesting:

First of all Karnak as an actual animatronic or puppet, it's doable

Each of the choir kids' songs would be visually different as well as different music styles

Hype up Jane's creepiness, they could put a lotta effort into the makeup

The kids would still be the backup performers, but their costumes can be more intricate, not just their school uniforms with accessories

WTWN would be very much exaggerated, like a mix between a pop music video, a gameshow, and an influencer's travel video, it would feel too staged and perfect, very much trying to hype up Ocean and push down the others

Noel's Lament would be in black and white, very much inspired by old cinema, particularly French tragedies, for obvious reasons, somewhat gloomy, but also oddly beautiful, plus a film could go all out with the costumes for this one, bonus if they change how the film is shot specifically for this song to emphasise the old cinema vibes

TSIA is just an over the top music video, not in the same way WTWN is tho, it's flashy but it's like a music video made by a small youtuber (for obvious reasons), feeling a bit homemade but they rock it

Talia would completely contrast TSIA and be exceedingly beautiful, think gorgeous paintings and historical romance films, it would absolutely be about a wedding, just completely opposite to the flashy materialistic TSIA

tbf TSIA/Talia could also be like a mini romance film, going from Mischa living his awesome life, to meeting her in the club, then getting married

SABM would be 100% like early sci-fi films, including cheesy effects and costumes, I want Ricky's outfit to look absolutely over the top as well, inspired by some 70s/80s prog rock looks, give him a cape, and incorporate his mobility aids there's so much potential

TBoJD would be very gothic, with minimal colours, portraying a tragic funeral for the mystery victim, attended by faceless guests and the choir, until the music picks up

bc its such an iconic part of the show, Jane would still fly around, and the setting would become a surreal interpretation of the cyclone accident, the one memory and subsequently the one defining factor Jane has to reflect on

Sugar Cloud would be a celebration, hyping up Constance and her newfound joy in life, a stage in the sky where she can freely perform and dance with her friends

The recorder solo stays as her giving someone the mic and the rest headbanging to it

I feel like it has potential to be really cool but also they could just as easily ruin it,

Finally Ocean would be the obligatary mainstream singer casting, and WTWN would be really hyped up and it would be really cursed

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🖤 Black History Month ❤️

💛 Queer Books by Black Authors 💚

[ List Under the Cut ]

🖤 Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender ❤️ Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta 💛 Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa 💚 I'm a Wild Seed by Sharon Lee De La Cruz 🖤 Real Life by Brandon Taylor ❤️ Ruthless Pamela Jean by Carol Denise Mitchell 💛 The Unbroken by C.L. Clark 💚 Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova 🖤 Skin Deep Magic by Craig Laurance Gidney ❤️ The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 💛 That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole 💚Work for It by Talia Hibbert

🖤 All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson ❤️ The Deep by Rivers Solomon 💛 How to Be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters 💚 Running With Lions by Julian Winters 🖤 Right Where I Left You by Julian Winters ❤️ This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender 💛 The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum 💚 This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow 🖤 Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa ❤️ Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia 💛 Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 💚 The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

🖤 Pet by Akwaeke Emezi ❤️ You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 💛 Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole 💚 Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron 🖤 Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann ❤️ A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney 💛 Power & Magic by Joamette Gil 💚 The Black Veins by Ashia Monet 🖤 Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon ❤️ The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow 💛 Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James 💚 Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett

🖤 The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta ❤️ Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee 💛 A Phoenix First Must Burn (edited) by Patrice Caldwell 💚 Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson 🖤 Things We Couldn't Say by Jay Coles ❤️ Black Boy Out of Time by Hari Ziyad 💛 Darling by K. Ancrum 💚 The Secrets of Eden by Brandon Goode 🖤 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé ❤️ Off the Record by Camryn Garrett 💛 Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers 💚 Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

🖤 How to Dispatch a Human by Stephanie Andrea Allen ❤️ Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans 💛 The Essential June Jordan (edited) by Jan Heller Levi and Christoph Keller 💚 A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark 🖤 A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney ❤️ Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo 💛 Dread Nation by Justina Ireland 💚 Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome 🖤 Masquerade by Anne Shade ❤️ One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite 💛 Soulstar by C.L. Polk 💚 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell

🖤 Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender ❤️ Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby 💛 Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair 💚 The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 🖤 If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann ❤️ Sweethand by N.G. Peltier 💛 This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron 💚 Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon 🖤 Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett ❤️ Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez 💛 Memorial by Bryan Washington 💚 Patsy by Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn

🖤 Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon ❤️ How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole 💛 Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackosn 💚 Mouths of Rain (edited) by Briona Simone Jones 🖤 Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia ❤️ Love's Divine by Ava Freeman 💛 The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr 💚 Odd One Out by Nic Stone 🖤 Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden ❤️ Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas 💛 The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons 💚 Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

🖤 Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert ❤️ My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson 💛 Pleasure and Spice by Fiona Zedde 💚 No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull 🖤 The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus ❤️ Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor 💛 The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 💚 Peaces by Helen Oyeyem 🖤 The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk ❤️ Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh 💛 Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San 💚 The Heart Does Not Bend by Makeda Silvera

🖤 King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender ❤️ By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery 💛 Busy Ain't the Half of It by Frederick Smith & Chaz Lamar Cruz 💚 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo 🖤 Sin Against the Race by Gar McVey-Russell ❤️ Trumpet by Jackie Kay 💛 Remembrance by Rita Woods 💚 Daughters of Nri by Reni K. Amayo 🖤 You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour ❤️ The Summer of Everything by Julian Winters 💛 Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi 💚 Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyem

[morgansunflower]

Can I request a story where y/n is Bruce's sister and trained with him with the league of assassins where a male version of Talia fell in love with her and they had Damian and then in the future he comes and tells y/n that Damian is her son just like Talia did with Bruce thank you in advance

Broken Heart

Male! Talia X Wayne! Reader

Warnings:suggestive content, explicit language, angst

Words:1469

Arthur's notes! This version of male! Talia is set before Morrison wrote her. Everything is completely consensual. No drugging whatsoever. Good male! Talia. Bad Ra's al Ghul.

Talin carried Y/N as she was unconscious from the nontoxic substance....

Talin knew if he left Damian with her.. Ra's would hurt them or worse. Only a few hours after Damian was born. Ra's had found them, after they had been in hiding. Which truly terrified Talin as not even Bruce knew where they were and that he had a nephew.

So as she laid sleeping recovering from childbirth. He let her breath in a substance that would make her unconscious and that would not hurt her.

He can't let the life he desperately wanted to let go, free. If he did Ra's would certainly target his family.

He stands holding her, in her old room after sneaking into the Manor. He kisses her lips softly with a bitter smile. He gently placed her on the bed and laid the blanket on her. He placed a letter containing only lies on her nightstand.

"Master Talin?" Alfred gasps seeing Y/N laying in a unconscious state "what happened to her? Is she alright?"

"she will be.. Keep her safe Alfred" he requested and before Alfred could utter a, word.. He was gone...

......

Y/N gently stirs in her sleep only remembering holding her newborn and her lover. "Talin?.. Talin?" she muttered.

Her baby! She opens her eyes and gasps realizing she is in her old room. She searches for both her lover and son. She sees a letter from Talin. She impatiently reaches for the first letter.

~Dear Y/N

I know writing to you about this, is highly inappropriate. I should have told you myself with my own words but I don't know how I can. Our son is gone. He died shortly after~

She gasps covering her face to muffle her impending sobs and forced herself to continue reading.

~he was in my arms. The Dr said there was nothing they could have done. They knew not of the cause of his sudden passing. I know you will blame yourself and I beg of you not to.

Do not try to find me. I do not wish to be loved again nor do I deserve to be loved by you. We don't belong together and I must not leave the life I belong to. Find someone who is worthy of you. Please find peace and joy where you can.

Sincerely, Talin~

Y/N's hands shake. She lost her breath. She let out a helpless cry. The letter falling from her hand. She feels her body was aching all throughout. Her sweet baby she could never hold was gone. Her truest love didn't want her.. In the simplest way, her heart was broken.

Bruce hurries to his sister hearing her heart wrenching sobs. He finds her in her bed shaking vigorously. She began to hyperventilate as her emotions worsen. She felt she was going to pass out.

"Y/N! Y/N! Y/N listen to me!" Bruce touched her arms still unable to gain her attention. She looks at her brother with such brokenness, it brought a grieving memory to the dark knight "listen to my breathes. Okay?"

She nodded listening to her brother's breathes helping her calm down. Bruce did not hesitate to comfort her as her arm's hold onto him. He kisses her head as she cried in his arms.

Y/N grew bitter as her heart was brittle. Bruce tried to comfort her in the best way he could. She still was not herself even years later. Nights were spent with dreams of Talin's arm's holding her and her baby cuddling against her chest. She often cried during night's that felt so real.

.....

With his father killed by Slade. Talin stood there bitter that so much had changed in his father. Though now Y/N and Damian were safe from him however Slade was a, new threat. Dusan offered his brother passage to leave the league of assassin's in exchange that he become the new leader.

Talin and Damian made there way to Gotham. The two sat on the couch on his yacht. Talin sees Damian reading not having turned a, single page in over a hour. He knew his son must be in despair.

Talin reaches to take the book.

"tt" he scoffed annoyed his father saw his turmoil.

"you have asked me continuously, prying for information about your mother ever since you could speak. Why do you seem unhappy now?"

"will she be.. Happy.. To see me?" Damian asked his father

"happy? She will be thrilled to see you again. I know she loves you very dearly"

"why did you take me away from her? Tell me what happened?" Damian asked

Talin sighed finally able to tell him the truth as it did not jeopardize his safety "well years ago.. Your uncle and your mother came to us. I trained with your mother frequently for many months.. We let our hearts overflow.. Shortly thereafter they left. She returned to me telling me that she was pregnant with you... I would not allow you to have your childhood ripped away from you. However.. Once you were born--" Talin sighed guilted by the memory "we were discovered by my fath.. By Ra's. He knew he could still use me to do his bidding and use you as his successor... He demanded I be rid of her or he would end you.. I could never hurt her so I took her to her family"

"you did it save mother and my own life.. Does she know I'm alive?"

"no she.. She does not know"

....

Y/N's heart leaps seeing the message from him. Part of her was genuinely happy but a part of her was angered. How could he leave her after losing their son? Why was he reaching out to her?

Y/N enters the yacht seeing Talin. He wore his dark green trousers, lace up boots, a dark green cloak and a black long-sleeve shirt. Her eyes touch his heart. So much time and she still made his body crave her and his heart feel so much love.

"I cannot imagine this is to be a social visit" she bluntly said her hands nearly shaking

"I wish it were.." he wanted to say he loves her and still wants her but he can't. She hates him he's certain "Ra's al Ghul, is dead. Slade is hunting us and wishes to kill us"

"us?..."

"not you and I beloved--" the word brought shame as she looked angered at him. "me and.. Our son"

"Talin..." she gaps her heart beating rapidly against her chest "our S-Son.."

Talin moves the curtains Damian steps from the shadows.

"mother..."

She looks at his eyes remembering the moment he was born. He's alive! "my baby" she cried his knees buckling beneath her. "my sweet baby boy"

Damian slowly approached her. She slowly reached to him with her arms shaking... He hugs her. So long had he wanted to meet her, to know she truly loves him... He was finally able to be held by her.

She looks to Talin to overcome with her emotions to fully understand. He knew the look in her beautiful pleading eyes. He explained everything to her unable to look in the face but only a few times...

As the two part able to calm down from the overwhelming reunion. Y/N stands on her feet kissing Damian's head. Talin kneels down to his son. He touches his face..

"you listen to your uncle. I know you will feel strange in such a different place but soon it will feel as home"

"you're not coming?" Damian asked appalled

He glanced to his past lover seeing her soft smile but looked back to his son before he became too emotional... He can't make her bare to be around him especially after he broke her heart.

"I know you always wanted to have a family that was complete. I'm so sorry I could never give you that. I am not abandoning you son. I will be there for you whenever you need me.. I will visit you" Talin promised..

He raised to his feet kissing Damian's head. The little boy hugged his father goodbye tightly. Talin's heart was breaking to leave them.

"Talin.. I don't.. I don't know if I can.. If we--" Y/N's lips begin trembling, missing him so dearly but she needed time "I don't want Damian to be without his father. Stay in Gotham, please"

He touched her chin kissing her forehead. He was devastated she did not want him but he couldn't blame nor stop loving her.

"you have spared me worry. I desire to be close, only for his safety and your own.. I am here for you should you ever need me or you wish to be at my side again"

[cookiesupplier]

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Thirty-Five (nsfw)

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, online bullying, panic attacks, stalking, mental health issues.

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. For everyone involved.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

To read from the beginning, check out the Masterlist Here!

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram @sunsshinesunny @malerieee @talialovesmiw @shilohrosechicken @thatchickwiththecamera @tamtam-elizabeth

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

Once dinner was over, Talia went back to Vinny’s, staying with Chris and Ricky was not going to happen. Being around the two of them was entirely far too tempting for her, and it wasn’t just physical. Being around them, she was drawn to them, both of them. Sitting there in her bed thinking back to the last couple of weeks, when she was around Chris, she always felt so vibrant, so alive. He made her feel joy in living again, when she realised now that for so many years, she’d just been going day by day, just putting one foot in front of the other. She’d been living her life, as if she were, an echo of herself, ever since she managed to leave the institute. 

What did that say about her life, everything she’d done? Her friends, her family? Oh, no, she knew what it said about her family. Her blood family anyway, they hadn’t mattered to her since before they’d forced her into that institute. Looking back, she felt like she was a better person for that. Her family had always put too much stock in money, and where people stood in the social classes, it was one of the reasons that they weren’t allowed to bring friends on their snow trips. Saying family only might have seemed a bonding experience, but from her memories, it always felt like a way to push down those that they felt were ‘lesser’ than they were. Talia would have preferred to stay home for her holidays with her friends, any time, but she never got that choice, always dragged along, every year. Sure, there were plenty of trips that she actually enjoyed, but that didn’t mean she didn’t wish she didn’t wish for things to be different.

Her life before the institute, her life before everything had been turned on its head, before her family questioned her sanity, had always been privileged. Sometimes admitting that made her feel, disgusting. It made her feel, repulsive, like she didn’t deserve anything that she had in her life, anything that she’d had before.

For Talia, while her tattoo had destroyed her life in so many ways, it had also freed her from her family too. Freed her from them, from their expectations, from the way they would bind her and trap her to their ways, without any escape from the way they wanted her to live their lives. The problem was, looking back now, she hadn’t really, had she? She’d been living for so many years, under that shadow, the shadow of what they had done to her, hiding in herself, and withdrawn from how she really felt about it all. Not telling a soul? How was that free at all. She might have gone out, looked like she was living freely with her friends, her found family, her new life, her new home, her new freedom, but she’d still been trapped.

She’d blamed the tattoo and how other people reacted to it for so long, first there had been the jealousy at school, high school, college. Whether they believed her or not didn’t matter, people that once called her friends suddenly treated her like she was a freak, like she was mental. Oh, Talia thinks always thought she’d better than us, she has to have a famous soulmate, and went out of their way to crush her down, each and every day. It went from person to person, and she had felt so alone if it went for Ava, Jordan and Kyle, why they’d stuck by her, she’d never really understand, but they had. She asked them once, and all Ava had done was shrug and say that when she’d needed her, Talia hadn't blinked, nope, she hadn’t blinked about helping her. Sure it hadn’t been about soulmates, it had been about losing her parents, but Talia had always been there for her, supported her, so why wouldn't she be right by her side when she needed her too, no matter whatever the reason, ever.

Yet she’d been hiding, hiding in the shadows of her life, hadn’t she? Telling herself it was because everyone treated her differently because of her tattoo had been far too easy. When she tried to meet new people or date, most of them were just looking for their soulmates, and she could never be that, so it was, always, wrong. There was always an excuse not to put herself out there, not to take risks, and yet, now here she was. She was terrified, not sure if she was ready to take such a risk on Ricky, and Chris.

While Ricky didn’t want her, her soulmate tattoo was just as it had always had been, nothing but a nuisance to her. Now with the change that Chris might be involved, she wasn’t sure what that was going to do to the situation. Ricky seemed to think Chris would want her, but Ricky had kissed Chris himself before even considering they’d be connected, right? Chris certainly didn’t seem to have had a problem with that either, what if she didn’t need to be a part of the equation at all? The very thought sent a searing feeling she could only consider contributing to pain to her tattoo, breathing through it, it hurt more than it ever had before. Talia didn’t want to lose… she didn’t want to lose either of them. Yes, she knew Ricky didn’t want her, and what Chris wanted, she didn’t know that yet. Yes he'd kissed her so eagerly, but that was a kiss. A kiss was easy, a soulmate? A soulmate was so much more than a kiss. They didn’t even know what was truly happening with his soulmate tattoo. Maybe it would have no connection to their, but considering the sensations involved, it seemed unlikely.

Just thinking about this afternoon with them, the joy, laughing over cooking dinner, teasing Ricky over his dessert, it calmed her down enough for the scorching pain in her tattoo to ease. Considering how painful it had been, she was sure that it had happened faster than ever before. She shivered, however, just thinking about the dinner, and everything that had happened during it, most noticeably, the end… dessert. Ricky bringing out his dessert. 

Thanking about that moment, that moment that they’d sat there eating his dessert, those messily decorated strawberries, the chocolate smearing her lips. Remembering the way she had spied, the way Chris watched as she licked over them, his eyes following the movement of her tongue over her lip as she swiped at the chocolate. Talia felt her face flush with a tingle of warmth flush through her all over again. Only this time it felt like so much more than her just her face when she’d blushed seeing Ricky watching her lick her lips as well. Both men had had their eyes trained on her last night, and laying there in her bed, all she could think about, was imagining them watching her now.

The need that rushed through her now was like a thrum of heat, and the tingle in her tattoo was no match for it this time. Before, Talia had been struggling to handle the feelings in her tattoo when this happened, the intensity. This time, she swore that thinking about the way both Ricky and Chris looked at her last night, closing her eyes with a soft groan, her fingers slipping down into her slip shorts, it was no match. A whimper escaped her at the aching throb she felt burning between her thighs, her fingertips slipping under the flimsy material to find herself already wet just thinking about them. Gasping, why was she so surprised, these men had been consuming her thoughts for, for far longer than she wanted to admit.

Stroking her thumb over her clit, her thighs confined in her shorts but far too wrapped up in this feeling to give thought to taking them off right then, so just gave in to how far she could move. Her fingers rubbing along her slit, on sliding into her with a groan as she rubbed over nerves as thought about the feeling of Chris lips on hers. How would it feel to have him be the one touching her like this? Thinking about his finger pressing inside of her, his tongue circling her clit instead of her thumb.

“Chris.”

His name escaped her with a moan as she pressed a second finger inside herself. Feeling the way her inner walls fluttered just at the thought of Chris fingers inside of her. Of course, as the sensation washed over her completely, the fingers of her other hand twisting in the sheets of the bed, a shudder running down her spine. Talia’s hips arched slightly into her touched as she pumped her fingers inside herself, rubbing against her sensitive skin, moaning, chasing her pleasure. Her eyes fluttering closed as she just gave herself over to the thought of it being Chris there with her, Chris fingers inside of her. Ricky kneeling on the bed beside her, her other hand moving from the bed and massaging her breast over her top in his place, his voice low, and rough whispering against her ear,

“You like that Sweetheart, look at you, such a good girl, going to come for us, aren’t you?”

Keening at the sound of his voice, oh god, it was so different hearing it now, so different when she wasn’t fuelled by the panic of the tattoo. The tingle in her neck was still there, reminding her, but it wasn’t ruling over her body, it didn’t feel like it was controlling pushing her this time. Not when her fingers curled inside of her and she heard Chris this time.

“Going to come for us, aren’t you, Baby?”

The moan that ripped from her throat at his question, hearing that, would Chris even call her that, oh god, please, please,

“Daddy, please!”

Rubbing at her clit furiously, imagining Chris mouth on her, his fingers inside of her, pressing at that spongy spot against her inner walls as she cried out when she almost wailed as she came undone on her own fingers.

Panting for breath, blinking her eyes open as she came crashing back down to earth. While consciously Talia knew she’d been alone this entire time, all the same, the effect was jarring as she glanced to where she had imagined them for those barest of moments, wishing they were there, and her bed was empty. Her hand slid from her breast, the other slipping out of her shorts with a whimper. She to god, if that was the tattoo making her hallucinate, that was a whole new layer of freaky, and she was going to scream. No, no, she wasn’t going to consider that, it was just her over active imagination and two irresistibly sexy men staring at her over chocolate covered strawberries, that was what had done it.

Oh god, she needed to cool off.

After a few deep breaths, she climbed out of bed, took a moment to change her underwear for comforts sake and made her way to the bathroom. Washing her hands in some cool soothing water, she then continued to splash some against her face, looking at her flushed warm features in the mirror.. What had she gotten herself into?

It was as she's walking back to her room, that was Talia runs into Ava, who seemed to making her way towards the kitchen.

“Can’t sleep either? Just getting a glass of water.”

Shrugging her shoulders a little,

“Bit of a strange dream actually, needed to splash some water on my face.”

Smiling softly to Ava then, but at the same time, her stomach twisted at yet another little white lie. She was always doing that, twisting the truth just enough to be tell the truth, but not tell her the entire truth..

“Actually, no.”

Sighing, no she couldn’t keep doing this, she needed to tell her the truth, she needed to tell her everything, finally. Maybe even Kyle and Jordan, but she could have those conversations later, this one she needed to have first.

“Not quite anyway, Ava, can we talk?”

Dividers: @saradika-graphics (roses) @cafekitsune (MDNI)

[sydneyofalltrades]

so a while back i made a poll asking if ppl wanted to see my rtc themed bracelets, and y’all said yes! now bc of my goldfish brains, i forgot, but here they are now while i can remember to post them!

ocean:

colors: orange and blue. orange bc of her obc hair color and blue bc.. ocean.

word: changed. despite her attempts at being the winner, ocean had to change her perspective on life and her attitude towards her peers and grew into a more caring person

noel:

color: blood red. look, noel’s lament is usually always done in red lighting, it’s like noel’s main color, the color of passion and romance, it is

word: seen. noel’s wish was to be viewed as tragic, and he never achieved that in life. mischa saw him as tragic as he wished to be, and the others saw the deepest parts of himself he never could show

mischa:

color: green and orange. the green is more “this song is awesome” coded, especially gus halper’s rendition of it. the orange i wanted to based off the soft yellow lighting of talia’s videos bc i love that song

word: burned. negative enough, it shows how mischa favored passion and anger over all else, and when the chances of seeing the one he adored more than anything escaped him, his anger and his love burned him over.

ricky:

color: this kind of super dark purple (idk the official name, sue me). space age bachelor man always was otherworldly and purplish lighting really hit it home so that’s ricky’s color

word: heard. i don’t really need to explain but i will. ricky never got to voice his opinion or say anything due to a disease that took over their life. never getting to express himself in life, in death, they’re finally allowed to say the words he kept inside for so long

jane/penny:

color: green. for savannah’s brilliant green eyes. i had to headcanon ezra also had green eyes, and it’s something jane barely remembered

word: loved. and loved she was. jane had no one and nothing after death, no name, no memories, no head. the choir made her feel loved and accepted, and even as she came back as penny, she probably still felt that love, even if she could never remember where it came from

constance:

color: cotton candy pink and bubblegum blue, the colors of sugar cloud!

word: grown. throughout her life, constance hated living. she was utterly depressed and had no feelings towards the things that used to bring her joy. after death, she grew to remember all the good that came out her life, and found a sort of peace in their deaths.

and that’s all of them you’re welcome byeeeee!

[huhustuff]

‎

𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬___𝟖𝐭𝐡𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

🍂🧸💫

‎

______________________________________

‎

Simon remembers his first-ever interactions with you. It was just a usual GTA game with his friends, but this time you were added as well. He did not think much of you at first and just enjoyed your comebacks when the other guys were tryna give you shit for being bad at the game.

The friendship between the two of you has always been mostly chill. When you both started living in the same house it took him a bit to get used to you, but that was inevitable and would be easily conquered with time. 

One of Simon’s favorite things to do with you is to jokingly go after someone else with you. It is known that he is a bit evil. But when it comes to you most people remember your kindness rather than the same mischief you possess as well.

When the both of you start tearing at someone with those goddamn smart remarks there is no escape or a way of defense for the victim. There is always a shock in the person's eyes when you join Simon cause even though you have done it so many times they still find it surprising. And Si finds it extremely amusing. 

The most often victim of the two of you would be JJ. There is a compilation on Youtube titled “Y/N and Simon gangbanging JJ for 16 minutes” that got too many views for that title alone. 

The playful beef between the two of you is nice too. The both of you know each other well enough to be aware of what topics are off-limits and know that the other will not bring them up. It is just pure fun, such a comforting simple joy to have in your life with your dear friend. 

It has also become a habit to gently annoy each other physically. So whilst Simon pinches your sides or tickles you, you flick the back of his head or rough up his hair a bit.

Little poking battles will occur even when you tell him that he should stop this kind of behavior since he is soooo old now. But Simon knows well you do not mean it and pokes you twice for calling him old.  

Simon was glad that you got along with Talia until you and her started teasing him together just like you and he did to others. He was betrayed and needed some time to recover /hj. 

He is very supportive of you. Encouraging your ideas and goals. Congratulating you on your milestones and accomplishments.

The two of you would sometimes go on late-night drives. They had no strong purpose, just to rest your minds from making content and editing. Every so often you would capture him in his driving glasses on camera knowing that it will drive the fangirls crazy.

You also helped him with being a good boyfriend sometimes. He was not doing badly on his own, but you would sometimes give small pieces of advice in aspects where he was a bit clueless. He just needed some assurance as well lol. 

So many cameos in each other’s vlogs. Mostly just fooling around or randomly jumping in the frame.

'Subscribe to Miniminter on youtube.'

'Don't, go leave a dislike instead'

'HEY!'

When you were younger you used him for his age. He got you energy drinks (no alcohol promotion on this blog) and one time he accompanied you to get a piercing which you were oh-so thankful for.

It was a condition that a parent had to be present, but you convinced the person that would do the piercing that any adult would do since you’re parents were far away. Josh and Tobi both said you were too young, but the third time was a charm and Simon agreed.

When they were getting it done Simon held your hand, but also laughed at you on the same time.

Dying his hair some kind of crazy color for a video, only for the color to not exactly fit him. (Atleast the color is even because you applied the dye instead of him-)

You have so many nice memories with the guy. Like the other brother/the brother you never had. 

‎

Hope you liked these headcanons and that you have a sunny day or night 🌤!!

[ellieexoxo]

WORLD UNDERNEATH 3 SUMMARY

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Rafayel's story. Anecdote 3 (Siren's Song) and Chapter 7 of the main story must be read prior to this one for better understanding.

Long story short:

Set after the events of Chapter 7, World Underneath 1 follows Rafayel as he commissions flowers and a wedding venue for Talia’s wedding. His interactions with Charles, the garden’s owner, and Talia reveal more about Rafayel’s character, showing his emotional complexity, role conflicts, and a hidden past. These facets manifest in his struggle to trust temporary comforts, a conflict between his duty as Lemuria’s protector and his personal desires, and the darkness that envelops him when memories of his past resurface. Throughout the anecdote, a secret girl is mentioned to have enamored Rafayel—either in the past or present—that he can’t let go of. Talia emphasizes the importance of having an anchor, to which Rafayel asserts that Lemuria has more importance. Despite Raymond’s death, he remains vigilant, unable to trust temporary comfort. Later, they attend Raymond’s funeral to pay respect to the Lemurian he kept in the fish tank. His mother accuses Rafayel of being a murderer, but he remains unfazed. Raymond was only 39. He had an opportunity for a fresh start and rebirth, only for it to be snatched away from him because of the painting. Reflecting on Talia’s words regarding an anchor, he takes flame lilies from Charles and wonders if the person he associates with it can be his anchor. He’s not sure. But while the darkness has yet to come, he’ll get good sleep before the nightmares arrive.

Charles, a garden’s owner, and Rafayel look at which plants will be good for Talia and her lover’s wedding. They met through conservation work for endangered plants and animals.

The owner says that choosing flowers is a psychological process akin to trying to understand another person, and giving one is said to be a surefire way to their heart. He is hinting for Rafayel to give it to MC.

Rafayel and Talia talk. He is acting aloof, despite being the one who commissioned Charles for her wedding. She asks for his blessing, but he is stingy about it, saying that he has already done it before.

He tries to hang up and shows Charles a sketch of a flower bouquet for the wedding, matching Talia’s favorite gemstone and the color of her wedding dress. To her elation, Rafayel didn’t hang up properly, so she looks forward to his presence.

Rafayel is annoyed. Charles says there’s no point in hiding it if he’s going.

The garden owner points out that his plans will be harshly criticized, to which Rafayel becomes lost in thought. Charles thinks that maybe he’s thinking about his lover.

Rafayel observes the guests’ interactions. They are praising Talia. At a table, a group of Lemurians whisper to each other. There is a familiar face he hadn’t seen since “the disaster,” who is cheerfully playing an ancient Lemurian instrument.

Talia’s husband likes whatever she likes, and says that he designed her dress for her. Rafayel thinks that choosing a dress may also be a process of understanding that person. He’s silent, then mentions that Raymond is dead.

Talia seems relieved, saying that they can get a good night’s sleep for now. Rafayel repeats “for now.” He doesn’t want fleeting happiness. When pointed out, he avoids it.

Despite the happy occasion, the Lemurians’ joy seems to have a looming darkness. She says that she married not because she forgot the past, but because she wants to live in the present. Every Lemurian is looking for an anchor—a reason to live, and she and others have found theirs. She pointedly refers to Rafayel as someone who doesn’t realize how important it is to have an anchor.

To him, Lemuria is more important. She asks him if there is anything that can pull him back when his heart is devouring him. Then she asks if he can let “her” go. This is implied to be MC.

Rafayel’s eyes darken. Talia asks if he ever thought about his own wedding. He leaves the scene that doesn’t belong to him, saying no.

Screenshot links here.

Yellow gardenias symbolize freedom, happiness, and rebirth. Rafayel intends to give it to a relative’s daughter. For a funeral.

He attends Raymond’s funeral, which is being held at the living room. Upon passing the butler, the man scrutinizes Rafayel. He ignores the malicious glances and moves in front of the Lemurian skeleton within the fish tank.

After pausing very shortly, he turns to the coffin. He puts the gardenias on top of it, making sure the beautiful side faces the fish tank. Rafayel silently recites a eulogy.

Talia sings a dirge. Sunlight passes through the fish tank, and the skeleton is described to be gazing at the sky in a frozen pose.

An elderly woman calls him a murderer, claiming that her boy was only 39. It was supposed to be a time for rebirth, a fresh start, but because of a painting that didn’t make any sense, he died.

Reporters surround him. With her son dead, her anchor was taken by a dark tide. Rafayel is calm as he leaves the room full of cameras.

A week from then, Rafayel visits Talia in a small house in Verona. He asks if her husband ever designed a wedding dress. She says he hasn’t, but if Rafayel wanted to commission him, she could help him get a family discount.

Talia tosses him a bouquet of flowers, the remaining of what she wanted to give him that day. An unknown flower reminds him of someone.

He remembers what Talia said about looking for an anchor, which is why they’re still here.

Screenshot links here.

Charles wraps up the fiery flame lilies Rafayel chose. The Lemurian says he is giving them to someone. The gardener asks if he is giving himself away. Charles has a hunch that there must be someone in Rafayel’s heart he didn’t want to mention.

Rafayel doesn’t know if he should give away the bouquet, nor has he come up with a good excuse.

He remembers what Talia asked about what could pull him back when his heart is devouring him, but is avoiding the underlying meaning. He wonders if the flame lily bouquet could become his anchor. He’s not sure.

The black waves haven’t fully rolled in. He still has a chance to get good sleep. Before he has to face the never-ending tsunami in his dreams alone.

Screenshot links here.

[sardonic-sprite]

Ok ok so @quotidian-oblivion has been (lovingly) pestering me to make something of my/our comment thread on "bane" where we were talking about the whole "Ra's wants tim's babies" thing, and what if that actually happened, so here it is 😂 (tw for referenced rape)

So obviously this could only happen if Cass didn't save Tim from Ra's's half-sister so. Hella angst

Poor Cass is devastated that she was too late to stop it. She blames herself, even tho everyone tells it her its no one's fault but Ra's and his sister. She becomes ridiculously protective of tim in response, even well beyond the time she forgives herself

Dick clings to Tim for an entire day when he finds out, trying not to feel rain on his skin, promising it'll be ok someday, that he's there, he'll do anything he can. He's guilty too, wishing he'd been in better contact, gone with Tim, done anything that could have spared him Dick’s nightmares

Damian’s world has shattered. Grandfather... does not want Damian. As his heir. He wants a previously nonexistent child. DRAKE's child. And he has stooped to the lowest low to get it. The carefully built family around Damian is in mourning for something he doesn't fully understand, and Drake now flinches when Damian, in what was supposed to be a peace offering, calls him "Timothy"

Steph and Tim make up as friends when she comes to support him with the shock of knowing that he has (will have, bc they are NOT leaving it with Ra's) a child now that he was not ready for. She doesn't touch him once while she's there, stays at arm's length, and that, Tim thinks, is what makes the visit feel as comforting as a hug

Jason is horrorstruck and breaks out of the rage/aggression and channels it towards hunting down League assassins bc what the fuck how DARE ra's? Tim was fucking 17 and Jason does not care how powerful this bastard is, he's going the FUCK down because NOBODY messes with Jason's baby brother but Jason himself

Barbara is ranting about how Ra's cant even know the genetics are going to fucking WORK how he wants them to, but breaks off abruptly as Tim's eyes well up, changing to enumerating all the baby things she's ordered and telling the dumb science jokes on the onesies because she NEEDS to see Tim laugh

Alfred LOOKS composed but every night he grips that shotgun real tight and has to remind himself that these kids need him, he can't risk himself for vengeance, what matters is Master Tim and the new little master or miss to be. He asks Tim privately if he'd like to choose a room to be the child's nursery. Tim doesnt know, but that's ok, dear boy, that's ok.

Bruce comes home and instead of the joy of reunion (or well, after it) has to struggle not to cry bc God his poor little boy... Damian was a shock too but at least Bruce and Talia loved each other. At least Bruce fucking consented. At least bruce was a goddamn adult. He doesnt think he will ever be rid of the guilt that Tim only found his way to Ra's by looking for Bruce

And Tim himself...

He can't go underground, at all. He redesigns his costume so that he can only unfasten it with a biometric lock, and doesn't tell anyone where it is except Alfred (medical emergencies). Some days, he can't look the girls in the eyes. Some days, he can't look at them at all, not without memories of things he isn't supposed to have seen or. Or felt. He's kidnapped as Red Robin once and chained to the wall, and he dissociates until someone (Jason this time, and who'd have believed THAT a year ago?) comes to save him. He can't get a good night's sleep anymore, not that he ever could but still

He feels paralyzed. There is no putting this off, no playing for time, nothing. They were able to confirm that Ra's's sister IS pregnant, and he knows damn well it's his, and nature waits for no one. In less than nine months now there's going to be a squalling, breathing, tiny, fragile, entire child, and unless he steps in, Ra's is going to raise it. Which means torturing it into a killer.

Every part of Tim screams NO

So they use those months to plan. How do they get in, how do they get out, WHEN is this supposed to happen because they can't well kidnap the child from the delivery room, the poor thing has to be in some kind of stable health, they need to KNOW these things, and thats when Bruce gets a call

Because Talia is fucking livid. She knows Ra's is an asshole, that's why she got Damian to Bruce, but this was a whole new low, her goddamn AUNT pregnant by her teenage non consenting STEPSON? She can't stop that any more than the others now, but she knows what she CAN stop: another tiny child being twisted and corrupted by this absolute monster. They need a spy, right? Well they got one

So there y'are, Q, the horribly angsty beginnings of this Dad!Tim AU. It doesn’t look pretty right now, but it will slowly get happier bc babies are adorable, dammit.

Edit: Part 2

[butterflyinthewell]

July 16, 8:22am pst, 11:22am est.

I can’t believe it’s been nine years since Talia took her last breath.

Talia Joy Castellano tried to put a face on childhood cancer and encourage people to focus more research on it.

She loved makeup and fashion.

She was hilarious.

She was only 13. Too young.

The world is darker without her.

Here’s a video of her being silly with makeup.

[buckybarnesss]

May I purpose a fourth woman haunting the Teen Wolf narrative: Talia Hale?

Arguably, it was her Alpha spark that really started all this. Laura inherited it, Peter lured/killed Laura to get it and turned Scott with it, Derek came back to find out who had it and inherited it himself.

She was the one to tell Derek that just because they were predators they didn't have to be killers. In season 2, Deaton says he promised Talia to protect Derek because he was her emissary. She was deeply entwined with the Alpha pack, mostly Deucalion. She was there at the nemeton after Derek killed Paige and took his and Peter's memories of it, furthering the plot to frantically find it in 3A. Derek and Peter risked their lives to find her claws in 3B, so that Derek could hear her again. She was there to tell Malia's bio-mom, the Desert Wolf, the joy of motherhood. She helped hide Malia and cover up her adoption. She took Peter's memories of Malia, paving the way for Peter's attempt at a redemption arc in 6A (when he wakes up from the Wild Hunt after Malia calls him Dad) and Malia to find her identity beyond Peter and the Desert Wolf during season 5A.

(There was a bit in a fanwiki that said Talia might have been Peter's main guardian after losing their parents according to a flashback, but I don't actually know if this really happened)

The speculation that Talia may have been Peter's guardian is due to the fact they brought back Michael Fjordbak for Visionary. Michael had played a younger, more high school aged version of Peter in season 2 as part of his manipulations of Lydia. This led to him appearing much closer to Derek's age rather than Talia's.

Ian Nelson would've been about 18 playing young Derek, Michael Fjordbak was about 24 playing Peter and Alicia Coppola was about 45 as Talia.

This along with Peter and Cora's comments in the episode about werewolf aging led to speculation that there was a significant age gap between Talia and Peter. My personal opinion though? It's Peter's vanity. We have to remember he's telling a biased story in Visionary. Peter's age from Monstrous and the plaque from the basketball trophy place him roughly about 35 years old which is much more reasonable and seems more in line with Derek's comment about getting him thrown off campus.

I've always considered the Hales as ghosts in the story itself. The destruction of the Hale family by the Argents upset the balance of nature. Deaton alludes to as much. It's like the genocide of the Airbenders in ATLA or the loss of the Jedi in Star Wars. It's a crime against nature and left a gaping, bleeding wound behind.

I think we could consider Talia as haunting the narrative too for all the reasons you said. I say Laura haunts the narrative because her murder was the inciting incident that kicked off the events of the show and due to how often we revisit her death. I think of Laura's death as immutable, fixed point. Malia being found and returned to her family is even an inverse of Laura's fate. One Hale girl died in the woods and another was returned.

Talia is a character I desperately wish we'd gotten a bit more on. It still chaps my ass that the person who speaks most on her is Gerard Fucking Argent. Arguably the architect of her death.

@dear-massacre and I have come up with the theories that she wasn't necessarily as benevolent as we are led to believe.

[permanentreverie]

books read in 2023

1) get a life, chloe brown -> talia hibbert: jan 1 - 3

2) the night circus -> erin morgenstern (reread): jan 9 - 11

3) lost in the never woods -> aiden thomas: jan 6 - 15

4) on earth we're briefly gorgeous -> ocean vuong: jan 12 - 15

5) clap when you land -> elizabeth acevedo: jan 17 - 18

6) comfort me with apples -> catherynne m. valente: jan 18

7) not here to be liked -> michelle quach: jan 19 - 23

8) night sky with exit wounds -> ocean vuong (reread): jan 25

9) time is a mother -> ocean vuong: jan 27

10) anatomy: a love story -> dana schwartz: jan 28 - 30

11) babel, or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translaters' revolution -> r.f. kuang: jan 24 - feb 2

12) next of kin -> hannah bonam-young: feb 3 - 4

13) tokyo ever after -> emiko jean: feb 5 - 6

14) once upon a broken heart -> stephanie garber (reread): feb 2 - 6

15) the ballad of never after -> stephanie garber: feb 7

16) tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow -> gabrielle zevin: feb 7 - 11

17) tokyo dreaming -> emiko jean: feb 11 - 13

18) the cruel prince -> holly black (reread): feb 15 - 16

19) the no-show -> beth o'leary: feb 17 - 20

20) time is a mother -> ocean vuong (reread): feb 20

21) sweet bean paste -> durian sukegawa: feb 22

22) before the coffee gets cold -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 24

23) the wicked king -> holly black (reread): feb 23 - 24

24) the queen of nothing -> holly black (reread): feb 25 - 26

25) tales from the café -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 26 - 27

26) daisy jones & the six -> taylor jenkins reid (reread): feb 28 - mar 2

27) before your memory fades -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 27 - mar 4

28) ninth house -> leigh bardugo: mar 3 - 6

29) hell bent -> leigh bardugo: mar 7 - 9

30) a good girl's guide to murder -> holly jackson: mar 10 - 11

31) portrait of a thief -> grace d. li: mar 12 - 15

32) good girl, bad blood -> holly jackson: mar 15 - 18

33) the last children of tokyo -> yōko tawada: mar 19

34) tiny pretty things -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 20 - 21

35) the youthful you who was so beautiful -> jiu yue xi (reread): mar 22

36) shiny broken pieces -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 23 - 24

37) the scarlet pimpernel -> emmuska orczy: mar 25

38) as good as dead -> holly jackson: mar 26 - 28

39) addicted to you -> krista ritchie & becca ritchie: mar 29 - 30

40) one of us is lying -> karen m. mcmanus: mar 30 - 31

41) kill joy -> holly jackson: apr 2

42) carrie soto is back -> taylor jenkins reid: apr 1 - 3

43) human acts -> han kang: apr 4 - 6

44) tender is the flesh -> agustina bazterrica: apr 6

45) this time it's real -> ann liang: apr 6 - 10

46) idol, burning -> rin usami: apr 11

47) i'll give you the sun -> jandy nelson: apr 12 - 14

48) the boundless -> kenneth oppel: apr 14 - 17

49) the great gatsby -> f. scott fitzgerald (reread): apr 17

50) beautiful little fools -> jillian cantor: apr 18 - 19

51) schoolgirl -> osamu dazai: apr 20

52) the witch haven -> sasha peyton smith: apr 22 - 23

53) the witch hunt -> sasha peyton smith: apr 24 - 27

54) a little life -> hanya yanagihara: apr 28 - 30

55) beach read -> emily henry (reread): may 1 - 2

56) no longer human -> osamu dazai: may 2 - 3

57) my dark vanessa -> kate elizabeth russell: may 3 - 4

58) the setting sun -> osamu dazai: may 5 - 6

59) the bridge kingdom -> danielle l. jensen: may 5 - 8

60) king of pride -> ana huang: may 8 - 10

61) happy place -> emily henry: may 11

62) the vegetarian -> han kang: may 10 - 12

63) the red palace -> june hur: may 14 - 17

64) the traitor queen -> danielle l. jensen: may 13 - 22

65) the sky is everywhere -> jandy nelson: may 22 - 23

66) beartown -> fredrik backman: may 24 - 25

67) deathless -> catherynne m. valente: may 26 - 28

68) notes on an execution -> danya kukafka: may 29 - 30

69) once upon a k-prom -> kat cho: may 24 - 30

70) almond -> sohn won-pyung: may 30

71) the white book -> han kang: may 31

72) my mechanical romance -> alexene farol follmuth: may 31

73) a room with a view -> e.m forster: jun 4

74) the poppy war -> r.f kuang: jun 5 - 6

75) the dragon republic -> r.f kuang: jun 7 - 10

76) the drowning faith -> r.f kuang: jun 11

77) the burning god -> r.f kuang: jun 11 - 15

78) emma -> jane austen: may 30 - jun 16

79) greek lessons -> han kang: jun 16 - 18

80) when marnie was there -> joan g. robinson: jun 18 - 20

81) bandstand -> richard oberacker: jun 21

82) white nights -> fyodor dostoevsky: jun 21

83) twisted love -> ana huang: jun 20 - 22

84) twisted games -> ana huang: jun 27 - 28

85) the bloody chamber -> angela carter: jun 28 - 29

86) my deepest secret -> hanza art: jun 22 - 30

87) coraline -> neil gaiman: jun 30

88) twisted hate -> ana huang: jul 1 - 3

89) sadie -> courtney summers: jul 4 - 5

90) twisted lies -> ana huang: jul 5 - 6

91) take a hint, dani brown -> talia hibbert: jul 6 - 7

92) better than the movies -> lynn painter: jul 16 - 17

93) act your age, eve brown -> talia hibbert: jul 18 - 20

94) beyond the story: 10 - year record of bts -> kang myeong-seok & bts: jul 17 - 20

95) love and other words -> christina lauren: jul 19 - 22

96) diary of a void -> emi yagi: jul 23

97) in five years -> rebecca serle: jul 24

98) us against you -> fredrik backman: jul 24 - 25

99) sirena -> donna jo napoli: jul 26

100) small things like these -> claire keegan: jul 26 - 28

101) exit, pursued by bear -> e.k. johnston: jul 28

102) red, white, & royal blue -> casey mcquiston (reread): jul 29 - 31

103) conveniance store woman -> sayaka murata: jul 31

104) the hurting kind -> ada limon: aug 2

105) one true loves -> taylor jenkins reid: aug 2 - 3

106) the deep -> rivers solomon: aug 6 - 7

107) all the lovers in the night -> mieko kawakami: aug 9

108) caraval -> stephanie garber: aug 6 - 10

109) we hunt the flame -> hafsah faizal: aug 16 - 18

110) we free the stars -> hafsah faizal: aug 18 - 19

111) i'm glad my mom died -> jennette mccurdy: aug 20

112) the ballad of songbirds and snakes -> suzanne collins: aug 21 - 22

113) kim jiyoung, born 1982 -> cho nam-joo: aug 22

114) legendary -> stephanie garber: aug 11 - 24

115) king of wrath -> ana huang: aug 23 - 24

116) the sisterhood of the traveling pants -> ann brashares: aug 27

117) out on a limb -> hannah bonam-young: aug 29 - 31

118) the winners -> fredrick backman: aug 1 - 31

119) the second summer of sisterhood -> ann brashares: aug 28 - 31

120) girls in pants: the third summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 4 - 5

121) forever in blue: the fourth summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 5

122) strange the dreamer -> laini taylor: sep 3 - 9

123) crying in h mart -> michelle zauner: sep 9 - 10

124) sisterhood everlasting -> ann brashares: sep 7 - 11

125) finale -> stephanie garber: sep 13 - 14

126) little thieves -> margaret owen: sep 11 - 16

127) les misérables -> victor hugo (reread): apr 3 - sep 18

128) business or pleasure -> rachel lynn solomon: sep 17 - 19

129) out there -> kate folk: sep 23 - 24

130) wuthering heights -> emily brontë: sep 18 - 24

131) painted devils -> margaret owen: sep 20 - 27

132) the foxhole court -> nora sakavic: sep 24 - 27

133) the raven king -> nora sakavic: sep 27 - 29

134) the hate u give -> angie thomas: sep 29 - oct 2

135) the king’s men -> nora sakavic: sep 30 - oct 3

136) the dead romantics -> ashley poston: oct 4 - 5

137) a discovery of witches -> deborah harkness: oct 6 - 12

138) mexican gothic -> silvia moreno-garcia: oct 13 - 14

139) the haunting of hill house -> shirley jackson: oct 15 - 18

140) the girl from the other side (vol. 1 - 11) -> nagabe: oct 19

151) fourth wing -> rebecca yarros: oct 22 - 26

152) king of greed -> ana huang: oct 26 - 29

153) yellowface -> r.f. kuang: oct 30 - 31

154) a curse for true love -> stephanie garber: nov 1 - 3

155) a study in charlotte -> brittany cavallaro: nov 5 - 7

156) dracula -> bram stoker: may 5 - nov 8

157) the joy luck club -> amy tan: sep 9 - nov 9

158) the murder of roger ackroyd -> agatha christie: nov 9 - 10

159) the last of august -> brittany cavallaro: nov 10 - 12

160) kamila knows best -> farah heron: nov 12 - 13

161) the case for jamie -> brittany cavallaro: nov 14 - 15

162) a question for holmes -> brittany cavallaro: nov 16 - 17

163) howl’s moving castle -> diana wynne jones (reread): nov 17 - 18

164) if we were villains -> m. l. rio (reread): nov 18 - 19

165) masters of death -> olivie blake: nov 20 - 22

166) jane eyre -> charlotte brontë (reread): nov 22 - 29

167) the name drop -> susan lee: dec 2 - 3

168) divine rivals -> rebecca ross: dec 6 - 7

169) the lightning thief -> rick riordan (reread): dec 9 - 11

170) the sea of monsters -> rick riordan (reread): dec 12 - 13

171) the titan’s curse -> rick riordan (reread): dec 14

172) the battle of the labyrinth -> rick riordan (reread): dec 16 - 18

173) the last olympian -> rick riordan (reread): dec 18 - 19

174) a study in drowning -> ava reid: dec 23 - 29

175) little women -> louisa may alcott (reread): dec 21 - 29

176) shadow of night -> deborah harkness: nov 1 - dec 30

177) the upside of falling -> alex light: dec 30

178) slade house -> david mitchell: dec 31

179) much ado about nothing -> william shakespeare: dec 31

180) romeo and juliet -> william shakespeare (reread): dec 31

[littledead-ridinghood]

"he's jesus coded", other cultures have resurrection tales, Jason is whatever flavor of pagan i find funny that day, hes definitely NOT """christian""", sorry, i DO make the rules <3

Hey, man, ya, I agree! People are allowed to project whatever they want onto characters. I love it when other people bring their own cultures into characters. I don’t know if this was sent in bad faith or not so I’m going to treat this ask as you being light-hearted but also as an excuse to share allusions!

(Also: I am not religious. I was simply raised in a religious society therefore this is me not being an expert in the matter, but highlighting what I’ve ingested in my lifetime)

Jason, though, does have a lot of biblical beats surrounding him.

The constant allusion to “La Pietà” is a very common example. The sculpture by Michelangelo is of Mary cradling her dead son after his crucifixion. A la Bruce cradling his dead body after his infamous murder. Talia cradling his comatose body as she dips him into the Lazarus pit in Rebirth. Also cover-wise: Talia on one of the Lost Days covers, Bruce cradling RH's body on Batman Annual V1 #25, and the N52 cover after Jason gets his face burnt off by the joker. Also, Jason sometimes is the one to cradle others like Duela Dent in Countdown and Rebirth as well as Bizzaro also in Rebirth.

Another easy example is the Lazarus pit, earning its name in reference to the story of Lazarus of Bethany who was dead for four days before Jesus raised him from the dead. Different branches of Christianity have stories that say Lazarus never smiled again after his resurrection due to the horrors he saw. (Other stories say he was completely unaware of himself being dead). Similar to how Jason is haunted by his murder, his resurrection, and finds no joy in being alive again.

The story of Lazarus also centers around the idea that his disease was never supposed to end in death. Rather the resurrection was supposed to emphasize the glory of God. Again, similar to role: Cosmic Mistake #3: Jason Todd who was resurrected by the universe as he wasn’t supposed to die as he did trapping him in a limbo of not supposed to be dead, but not supposed to be alive either.

Jason is often referred to as the "prodigal son" which is a biblical parable. I don't fully believe the comparison as the story focus on a younger son who squandered his inheritance. Jason absolutely did not squander anything when he left home. His mother murdered him. Jason held hard and fast to Bruce. He loved Bruce more than anything. Still loves him. He did not waste that love. And if you want to focus the family disapproval around Jason killing, well he doesn't regret the murders, so that doesn't work either. (Jason also was not welcomed back with open arms when he decided to start playing by Bruce's rules for the sake of having a family. So that also doesn't work)

Jason's memorial's famous epithet reads "A Good Solider" as the archangels of heaven are good soldiers to God.

I think Abraham using Issac as a sacrificial lamb to God is a nice, albeit a bit lofty, comparison to Bruce and his mission. Bruce (Abraham) ready to sacrifice Jason (Issac) by slitting his throat so he can't kill the Joker. Here: The mission reads as the scriptures he promises God (Bruce's conscious) to uphold and believe in. Jason is who he has to place in front and kill to have his conscious stay clean.

Being raised from the dead, as you mentioned, many cultures have resurrection stories. The trope is not unique to Christianity. But also Jesus magically rising from his grave after 6 months 3 days of death.

Oh My God, the Lucifer comparisons I could draw to this man! Okay, okay, okay, so bear with me as I talk about the tragedy of God and Lucifer.

Lucifer, the morningstar, the angel of light, was God’s favorite angel who fell after he rebelled. Raising an army due to God favoring his creation, mankind, and wanting the angels to love mankind more than they loved God. Lucifer refused to, depending on the branch and story/translation (as the reblog your referencing was about Catholic stained glass, not Christianity. Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics. It’s a branch of the over-arching theology), bow down to the human race because they had no free will to pick and choose if they worshipped God’s son, Jesus, or not. He believed it made them unworthy of that kind of respect. As well as he couldn't stand to love them more than he loved his heavenly father, God.

This is also why Lucifer acted as a snake in the Garden of Eden, also known as "The Fall of Man", tempting Adam and Eve. As they chose to eat the forbidden apple (i.e. excepting the Knowledge of Evil as that is what it represents), the act cast them out of the garden, and they now had to deal with the consequences of being alive (think Pandora’s box), but, in the process, humanity also gained free will to make the choices we make. You can see it as a gift of agency. Eating the apple allowed us to be tempted by sin, but also make that choice for ourselves.

This act of rebellion, viewed as the original and worst of the seven deadly sins, is seen as the first act of pride (sometimes called vanity or hubris). Lucifer wanted to be seen as more important than God's creation. He wanted God's love the way humankind got God's love. Lucifer wanted God to love him as he does his lord. Thus he rose an army of angels to rebel against God.

So you have this kid, say his name is Jason and he moonlights as this child vigilante, say his moniker is Robin. Robin is supposed to be Batman's "shining light"(an angel of light, if you will imagine). Say this version of Batman's shining light, say this OG 80s run, is where people agree this Batman figure (who just happens to view himself as a god) is seen at his happiest. Say this God-like figure is forever changed due to the snuffing out of this light.

Now, say this God-figure, Batman, as we've been calling him, has this code, this "No-kill rule" where he believes anyone can become better and deserves as many chances as necessary to become a better version of themselves. Repent and forgiveness, if one may say. So even one of the most dangerous murderers in this hypothetical God-adjacent treated character's domain's history, the one who also happened to steal his "love and caring" from this "Batman", also deserves that chance.

Continuing, this "love and caring," this "shining light," returns, but is changed. He has fallen from this "No killing" code and rebels within this God's domain, bringing everything that was the norm to its knees. He stands before his father and demands his love. This love that he shares for all those who sin against him: these greedy money launders, these prideful rogues, these wrathful murders, this fallen son's wrathful murderer. This son is angry--wrathful. This son hubristically believes himself to be more important than his God's creation. He begs his father to love him more, not his creation, his mission, his oath, but him, his son. The son takes a stand for what he believes, will end all the misery himself, will do the deed himself. If the father doesn't want that to be so then he can banish his son back to his grave.

So the father banishes his son, and his son loathes--envies-- the father's creation more than he can ever say.

MY personal opinion on the Morningstar, and please don’t get angry with me Christians, this is just my experience with religion and how I was brought up, is that he just is. He’s an obvious allegory. He exists to represent something. He doesn’t have choice in what he does, he just has a job to do. I have a lot of sympathy for the devil actually. There’s that one Mark Twain quote that always stuck with me: “But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?” Completely, utterly altered my brain chemistry and how I looked at life when 10-year-old me read it. I just feel as though, just as Lucifer deserves help, I believe Jason deserves the help he needs to heal.

[batmans-cheerleader]

discountenance

includes: jason & damian

wc: 2k | rated t | m.list | cross-posted on ao3

warnings: emotional baggage, child abuse, drug usage, addiction, neglect, mommy issues, disrespect of boundaries, angst, hurt/comfort

a/n: hey so this is a) not talia bashing and i will not accept talia bashers in the comments b) reflective of my experiences with my mother and not the end all be all for how the parent-child relationships are in batman nor how they should be dealt with in real life

please reblog!

“Hey, Squirt.”

“Todd, don’t call me such demeaning names. Did Grayson send you in here?”

Jason snorts, sitting on the edge of Damian’s bed. “Obviously. He was worried about you.”

“I am perfectly fine,” Damian sniffs.

“Tell that to the judge,” Jason cracks, raising his eyebrows. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

After a long moment, Damian shifts, looking down. “My mother and I had a fight.” 

Jason looks over at Dick, whose eyes reflect the confusion he feels. Damian had just stomped past them, slamming to door to his room shut in an uncharacteristically loud manner. What had happened? Neither Bruce nor Tim were at the manor, which eliminated the most likely causes.

Dick sighs, standing. “I should go see if he’s alright.” 

“You sure he doesn’t need some time to cool off?” Jason questions, and Dick shrugs. 

“Only one way to know. I’d rather ask him than just assume he does when he really wants to talk to someone.” 

“There you go again, being all mature and shit,” Jason snorts. “Hopefully he doesn’t bite your head off.” 

Dick dissapears down the hall, and Jason returns his attention to his book. Well, tries to, anyway. Despite his flippant attitude, he really is a little concerned about the kid. It’d been a while since he’d had an outburst like that (oh, the joys of teenage puberty) and though Jason likes Damian’s firecracker personality more than he lets on, it’s rare for him to be set off so suddenly, without a trigger. 

A known trigger, that is. Maybe he and Superboy had fought? Look, Jason's really wracking his brain here. 

Straining his ears, Jason tries to detect yelling or the sound of Dick’s return, but doesn’t hear either. A good sign, he supposes. Means Dickiebird’s got it all in hand.

A few more minutes go by, and right when Jason’s getting back into his novel, he heard Damian’s door open. 

“Everything alright in there?” he asks Dick, whose lips are pressed together thinly. “Wait, don’t answer that. I can already tell it’s not. What’s going on?”

Dick scrubs a hand across his face. “I guess he and Talia fought. He’s really upset, and I can’t really help him. He needs advice right now, not just a listening ear.” 

“And why can’t you help him?” Jason asks, putting his book down. “I thought Richard Grayson was an expert in fighting with one’s parents.” 

“Asshole.” Dick rolls his eyes. “Regardless of the issues Bruce and I have had, I don’t exactly have a lot of experience in the ‘mother’ department. Damian needs someone who does.” 

It doesn’t take long for Jason to put the pieces together. “Oh, hell no! You want me to talk to him about mommy issues? No fucking way!” 

“I can’t force you to do anything, and if you don’t want to think about that trauma, that’s totally valid. But I think out of all of us in the mansion right now, you’ve got the best chance at being able to empathize. And you’ve also spent time with Talia, which might be helpful.” 

“How upset is he?” Jason asks eventually, and Dick grimaces. 

“It’s pretty bad.” 

“Fuck. Fine. Don’t say I’m not a good older brother, alright?” 

“Jay, nobody says that. You’re a great older brother.” Dick just looks so earnest. 

“It was a joke. Anyway, does he need time? Or can I go in there now?”

“You can head in now. But Jason, seriously, if you think talking about this will hurt you or bring up bad memories you don’t have to do it.” 

“Please, you worry too much. But I appreciate it,” he adds after a beat. “Now let me go do my thing.” 

Knocking on Damian’s door, he waits until he hears a muffled ‘you may enter’ from the depths of the room. Shutting the door behind him gently, he takes in Damian, who’s sitting at his desk, a scowl on his face. 

“Hey, Squirt.” 

“Todd, don’t call me such demeaning names. Did Grayson send you in here?” 

Jason snorts, sitting on the edge of Damian’s bed. “Obviously. He was worried about you.” 

“I am perfectly fine,” Damian sniffs. 

“Tell that to the judge,” Jason cracks, raising his eyebrows. “You want to tell me what’s going on?” 

After a long moment, Damian shifts, looking down. “My mother and I had a fight.” 

“You and Talia? About what, if you feel like sharing.” And look, Jason may not be the best at the whole big brother thing, but as Robin, he’d gotten lots of experience talking to other kids or those he helped, so he at least kind of knows what to do. Shoutout to Bruce, for drilling the victim checklist into his head. 

Damian shifts uncomfortably. “Well… she is being unreasonable. And not listening to me.” 

That sounds like Talia. Jason has his own opinions of her, separate from Damian, but even in her best of days, she can be stubborn and disrespectful of boundaries.

“I just wanted to have a nice, insincere conversation with her,” Damian continues, “but she began speaking ill of Father. And speaking of Grandfather. I’ve asked her before to please not do such things, and I asked her again today, but instead of listening, she merely dismissed me and continued on.” 

“That must have been tough,” Jason says, “but hey, kudos on telling her that. Your mom can be kind of a hard person to say that stuff to.” 

Damian inclines his head slightly. “Sometimes I don’t like talking to her that much.” He hesitates. “Sometimes I don’t think I like her very much. Does that make me a bad son?” 

The rare and open vulnerability on Damian’s face makes Jason’s chest hurt. 

“No, Damian. Not at all. Those are perfectly valid feelings to have.” 

“They are? But I feel like I’m betraying her. I mean, she’s my mother! Shouldn’t I love and respect her regardless of what she says or does?” 

“No healthy relationship works like that,” Jason begins, choosing his words carefully. “Believe it or not, I struggle with the same thing.” 

“With Father?” 

Jason chuckles. “With my own mom.” 

This gives Damian pause. “Your mother?” 

Jason nods. “I don’t speak of her often, so you probably don’t know very much about her, now do you?” 

“Didn’t she turn you over to the Joker?” 

Jason makes a face. “Not her. That woman will never be my mother. No, Catherine, the woman who raised me from birth.” 

Damian is silent, and Jason takes that as a sign to go on. 

“Before I was taken in by Bruce, before I was out on the street fending for myself, I lived with my mom. My dad wasn’t really around, since he was in jail a lot, and so it was just her and I for a lot of my childhood. But just because we were together, doesn’t mean she was there, you know? Catherine had a real bad drug addiction and most of my memories involve her being high or drunk, or both, to be honest.” Jason sighs. “Someone struggling with that level of addiction can’t take care of themselves, let along a young child. So I was neglected pretty badly, and also forced to take care of her in various ways. I went hungry, without power or water, and even without decent clothes during my growthspurts.” 

“I knew you grew up in Crime Alley, however…” 

Jason smiles ruefully. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad, isn’t it? You’d think that would be grounds for hating her or resenting her, and believe me, I do, but I can also remember times before she was addicted to drugs, or the few times she’d tried to get clean, and those memories are some of the best times of my life. We’d do things together, I’d have someone who’d take care of me, for once I didn’t have to worry about everything. But those moments didn’t last long, because she could never quite kick it. I still struggle with my feeling about her, because like you said, she’s my mom! How can I hate her? But how can I look past the things she did to me, to her, to our family during the times she was high or mentally unwell? It’s really difficult and something I still struggle with today.” 

“So there’s no fix?” Damian’s tone is raw. “I’m always going to struggle with this?”

“I didn’t say that. There’s no easy fix, at least not in my experience, but it’s something you don’t have to have figured out right this moment. It’s something you can change your mind about when you want and how you want. Talia is a good woman, and I know you love her, but that doesn’t mean you have to listen to her speak about Bruce, or Ra’s, or whatever. You’re allowed to get mad at her, to hang up on you, to tell her your own opinion and ask that she respects it. And if she doesn’t, you’re allowed to tell her that you don’t want to talk to her until she does, or that she’s pissing you off.” 

Damian’s fists clench where they rest on his desk. “I hate this,” he says. “It’s not fair. It’s not fair that I have to deal with this. It’s not fair that I had to have the childhood I had, or that I have to be the one to set these boundaries. She’s the adult!” 

“You’re right,” Jason says. God, he can remember thinking the exact same thing. “It’s not fair. It’s fucking stupid, and kid, I am so, so sorry that you have to go through this. You can deal with it as much as you want or as little as you want right now, and if you want to talk about it, I’m always here, and so is Dick. Or we could even get you set up wth someone on the outside that’s probably a hellova lot better at these types of talks than I am.” 

“What, like a psychologist?” 

“A therapist, yes. I’ve never told anyone this, not even Bruce, but I’ve spoken to one on and off over the years and she’s been really helpful as I work through all of my issues. Do you know Black Canary?” 

“That’s who you speak to?” 

“It is,” Jason confirms. “And you also don’t have to make a decision right now about any of this either. You can sit with it and think about what you want to do. I’m not trying to pressure you into picking a path right this very second.” 

Damian nods. He doesn’t seem completely opposed to speaking with Dinah, which is a pro in Jason’s books. Lord knows their family needs more people willing to ask for help when they need it (though Jaosn can’t really be talking). 

“I’m still upset with my mother,” Damian says eventually. “I do not understand why she cannot simply respect my words.”

“And that’s fine. You can be upset with her. For as long and as much as you want. And sometimes, people have a hard time listening to others, especially when they think they’re right. Your mother is very headstrong, and while that serves her well, it can also make it hard to work with her on an interpersonal level. And I’m not even experiencing the mother-son dynamic you have to navigate.” 

Damian is silent for a long moment, so Jason leans forward. 

“Do you want to talk about it more, or talk about anything else? I can also stop bothering you if that’s what you want too.” 

Pushing himself away from his desk, Damian stands. “I do not wish to speak of it any longer. I want to think.” He turns hopeful eyes to Jason. “And I would also like a hot chocolate from the bakery on fifth and third.” 

Jason chuckles, shaking his head. He’ll let Damian milk it for once. The kid deserves it. “You know what? Hot chocolate sounds perfect. We should probably take Dick though, make him pay.” And assuage his worries before he gets an ulcer , Jason thinks privately.

“If we must,” Damian sighs. “But if he must come, then I also get a pastry. And to use you as a shield to block his hugs.” 

“Brat, we both know you don’t mind his physical displays of affection as much as you claim.” 

“Do not call me ‘brat’!” 

Jason grins, pulling Damin’s door open. “Squirt it is, then.” 

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