#shout out to cain users

[runwhileyoucan]

One of my OCS are a cane user, but i want to depict them more accurately. Cane users, anything will help, please give me advice or common mistakes so I can avoid them, thank you

[new-revenant]

I am not dead and I have a DPxDC idea to share with you all!

So Ghost King!Danny died died-for reasons I have yet to come up with-and gets reincarnated as one of the BatFamily members. Revolutionary idea I know. But, there’s a catch. It’s not Dick, Jason, Tim, any of the Robins actually, but Danny get’s reincarnated as Cassandra Cain-Wayne. Why did I come up with this you may ask? Because I like Cass. That’s it that is the main reason.

Anyways, Cass doesn’t know or have any awareness of her previous life before being revived by the Lazarus Pit by Lady Shiva. Not even any muscle memories. Which is a good thing since Danny’s muscle memories in fights is a bit like punch kick punch some kind of power punch punch. So a bit after Cass is out of the Pit, the next time she tries to fight crime she is not as good as she used to be, as she’s trying to use her fighting techniques and skills but her brain is telling her to button mash her way through it.

After that Cass tries to train her way back into being a better fighter, with everyone thinking that being killed and immediately being revived the Pit probably just messed with her system in some way.

Cass starts to see some ghosts, mainly animals and shades but Cass mostly brushes it off, and she decides that she can probably use this newfound skill to her advantage when at a crime scene. Cass gets psychically stronger as well, more agile, and she starts to pull pack her punches even more than before so she doesn’t injure anyone too much.

Then someone notices a single, shiny, white hair sticking up from Cass’s roots. But that wasn’t the weird part. It looks like a curved lightning bolt in a way, looking unnatural. Batman finds this a bit odd, and decides it’s best to be safe rather than sorry and brings Cass to all the magic users he can summon to the Watchtower.

Other heroes who wanted to see what was going on were also there, but it’s ultimately Deadman, who managed to tag along to the meeting, who recognized what’s going on. The moment the Batfam entered and Deadman made direct eye contact with Cass, he frantically shouted, “T-THE GHOST KING??? THAT’S who the GHOST KING decided to reincarnated as????”

Needless to say that everyone who heard him was freaking out. That included Cass. All the magic users are like, “Deadman, are you sure?” or “This is bad, what do we do, oh fuck” And Deadman just nods, saying “I mean, I’ve heard from other ghosts that the Ghost King had returned in mortal form, so I kinda just assumed it’s her. She’s definitely ghost some powerful ghost molecules in her tho” Everyone calms down a bit after that, but Cass having some “ghost molecules” in her is concerning.

So now the main quest is figuring out who exactly this Ghost King was, which is the easiest part, and figuring out what happened to him, much harder. All while Cass has an internal and external crisis that she can’t communicate effectively about with bonus powers to worry about. And probably some old ghosts from DP going after her to claim the ghostly throne. Because whether or not they know for 100% sure that she’s the reincarnation of the Ghost King, she’s the most likely candidate.

[ryosukuna]

am i making you feel sick? ( strangers — ethel cain )

warnings: death, brief mention of gore, violence, angst, break up.

word count: 1.3k words

set in the heian period, headcanon, pre-true form sukuna, original character mentioned. not proofread. another attempt to get me out of writers block, so enjoy.

work written by ryosukuna / satorangel. do not steal.

here's the song from the title - it's best to listen to it with the perspective of his lover in mind.

—

At long, long last, he had accomplished what he and many others deemed impossible. After years and years of rigorous studying, experimentations, rituals, whatever else that may have forged in his greedy mind of desperation, he had done it.

A lethal domain expansion, one that was capable of annihilating any individual that was trapped inside. Shredded into a million little pieces, completely stripping their identity away from them based on appearances alone, he finally was able to activate what he’d dub ‘Malevolent Shrine’. No other sorcerer--no other curse user--had figured this out. But Sukuna… Sukuna was able to do it.

Blood covered his hands and body, clumping his hair as he stared with dilated pupils at the sorcerer he had torn apart. It was another he had captured, the scent of death heavy in the air from his failed attempts, but finally, the smell of the victorious result was so intoxicating to him, all he could do was laugh. Laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

Sukuna’s body swayed from exhaustion, one palm meeting his temple as he stabilised himself, the other clenching the tattered robes where his heart resided. Beneath the fabric, it was racing rapidly, the mixture of adrenaline and overwhelming glee making his own blood pump all around his body and into his head. It was dizzying, it was nauseating, but fuck, did it feel goo—.

Crash!

Sukuna froze. Something about this intrusion felt daunting to him, a feeling he had grown to forget once he was consumed by his need for strength. But the way the wind slowed to a standstill, how the chill down his spine was borderline laced with ice, it made Sukuna’s heart pause momentarily. How something so monumental could be cut short so quickly by a mere sound made the newly-formed curse user’s blood run cold.

“‘Kuna…? What is…”

His head twisted violently to meet the trembling figure of his beloved.

“Hikari,” his words came out breathless. He couldn’t stop his movement as he immediately went out to hold her, to stop the shaking, but his heart dropped once he saw her step back and clutch her arms in defense. “Hikari, love, I did it, I finally—.”

“This?” She responded sharply, her emerald hues staring at the chopped pieces of what was once a human before they met Sukuna’s gaze. “You did this?”

“Let me explain—,”

“What is there to explain, Sukuna? That you… you murdered someone? You killed someone’s fucking kin, you—!”

“They were nobody!” He tried to argue back, some twisted part of him quickly growing frustrated at her outburst. Was she being serious right now? He did something groundbreaking, goddamnit, and all she cared about was some worthless punk he had caught snooping around? Why wasn’t she congratulating him, embracing him, telling him how proud she was and how he was basically the strongest amongst their peers? That’s what this was all for, and he did it!

“Maybe to you they weren’t, but someone out there loved them!” Hikari shouted back, taking another step back, her pupils growing smaller and smaller as they continued to glare at him. “How could you… Why would you…”

“My domain expansion,” Sukuna took one step closer, tightening his grip on his robe as he gestured frantically with the other arm, “It was a success. No more with those pointless, pathetic domains where it hardly acts as a threat to others, but finally the chance to manifest destructive ones! The ability to kill anything so long as a curse or individual is trapped inside… so long as there’s at least one person inside, I can destroy it!”

He lets out a short laugh at this, though it wasn’t carrying any humour.

“Nobody believed me when I said it could be possible. They turned their noses up at me, dubbed me as foolish for thinking such vulgarities, but I showed them. I will show them.”

Hikari could only stare at him, her expression growing more and more into that of despair. Sukuna returned that stare, his bloodshot eyes searching hers for at least an inkling of pride, but all he was met with was fear and disgust.

“You monster,” she whispered. Her body seemed to tremble more as she tightened her grip on her arm, Sukuna watching as her eyes began to water and quickly stream down her freckled cheeks. “You horrible, disgusting, vile monster! How could you say all of that so excitedly when you’re standing over a dead… a dead… Oh my God, Sukuna!”

“Stop spouting bullshit over something so trivial!” Sukuna snapped, closing the distance quickly just to reach out for her arm, coating her own robes with blood in the process. “I mean it when I said they were a nobody, Hikari, just somebody who got in my way and—”

“‘Who got in your way?’ What do you mean by that?” She interrupted, stilling for a moment as she tried to piece together such a vague excuse. It would only take a moment for him to watch the colour drain from her face due to the silent revelation, as well as feel the harsh tugging of her arm yanking itself away from his grip.

“This isn’t your first time, is it? You’ve done this before; you have been! All those times you would tell me you couldn’t meet me for our dates, you’ve been… you’ve been doing this! I can’t believe you!”

He grew silent as she escaped his hold, his hand still in the air as if he were still reaching out to her. His fingers twitched with the loss of her warmth.

Those tears only seemed to continue to run down her face, not even allowing the old tears to dry before running over them again. Hikari shook her head, her free hand now reaching for her collarbone, rubbing it for comfort.

“You’re not even denying it. Why aren’t you denying it?”

“There is nothing to deny,” Sukuna answered bluntly, his tone hollow. It seemed to act as a knife in her back, for the way her face twisted more and more in agony made his own chest ache.

A choke was torn from her throat as she tried to swallow these new emotions, an attempt to appear strong but otherwise a complete failure. He had grown to know her all too well, after all.

“Tell me I’m wrong. Please, tell me I’m wrong.”

“I would only be lying to you.”

“Then you should be good at that, you stupid, stupid bastard! So, tell me I’m wrong in what I’m saying!”

Silence fell upon them both. He could feel the wind against his skin as it bit into his bloodied skin, could watch it toy with Hikari’s hair as they attempted to wipe her cheeks, only letting stray locks stick to them. He wanted to gently push them aside, but it appeared he quickly lost that right the moment he gained something so powerful.

This was truly the real sacrifice of his goals, he was very quickly learning.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” was what he began with.

“Stop,” she’d quietly beg.

“I’m sorry I deceived you all this time.”

“Please stop.”

“I’m sorry for loving you and making you fall in love with me in return.”

“Sukuna—.”

“But I am not sorry for what happened tonight. And I will not be sorry for what will come later on.”

Whatever she was about to respond with, it never came. Her lips were trembling as they remained parted, her green hues frantically looking in Sukuna’s eyes for what he would imagine was some sign of hope, but he would expect her to find nothing at all. Nothing that would align with her morals, anyway.

Another moment of eerie quiet passed, before she took a long yet needed breath. A few sniffles were also heard, but Sukuna would choose to tune them out.

“Do not ever come to find me,” Hikari would say in a low voice. “Do not come near me or my family ever again. If I see you, I will get in contact with other sorcerers and they will hunt you down until you are dead. Do I make myself clear?”

He felt something rip in his chest. But he ignored it, merely nodding.

“Then I hope you live the life you deserve.”

[alicepooryorick]

3. for ask game because i just found mine

(I'm pretty sure you've already done this, but come on, there has to be more)

Ooo do tell what yours is. And I probably got a few more I can give of the worst takes I've ever seen:

From LOCG user SigurdXII, because this man was genuinely full of these:

David Cain was a decent father and Shiva was actually worse and more abusive!

From random people:

Special shout out to this one BC it was made in jest in a post mocking Those Tim Posts, but making it about Duke: The Cain Family (Shiva, David, Cass) all love Duke and want to adopt him. Peak satire.

I remember it used to be very popular on here for Tim fans to say he should be the next Question.

From writers:

Grant Morrison's entire Batman run.

Shiva's new totally definitive backstory

From me:

I used to VEHEMENTLY hate Oracle. Like, I think I've deleted some now but ... God. It was bad.

[ex0rin]

tagged by both @winterbonesthings and @the-ravening ❤️

RULES: spell out your URL using song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL

e - easy street, the collapsable hearts club 😏

x - x, milk & bone

o - o my heart, mother mother

r - ruin, the amazing devil

i - inbred, ethel cain

n - not dead yet, lord huron

(i used 'o' instead of '0' for ease - and then it wasn't easy anyway)

gently tagging the following six (shout out to shorter user names): @sparklingbinjuice @duchessonfire @ladyshallots @dcmonblood @unlikelymilliner @pwderedsugar

[wolfjackle-creates]

Carry On Chapter 2

AO3 Link (locked to logged in users)

Chapter 1

Story Summary:

After the garden, the First Family has to find their way in the wider, more dangerous world. But Heaven and Hell aren't ready to leave them alone so Crawly and Aziraphale tag along. When Cain has the idea to sacrifice the best of his harvest to God, Abel also wishes to sacrifice the best of his lambs. God chooses Her favorite and the First Family is left to pick up the pieces as best they can.

Trigger Warnings: Aftermath of sibling death, suicidal character

This chapter shows Cain coming to terms with his past and building a new life for himself.

Word Count: 6k

-----

Over the next several days, Cain continued his refusal to speak. Crawly did everything he could to make the man eat and drink and rest, but unless he was about to collapse, Cain ignored it all.

The demon only tried to play Eve’s flute once. Cain had frozen at the sound of the first note before letting out a wordless scream and sprinting away as fast as he could. Crawly had to fly to keep up.

Crawly was at his wits end. Grief of this magnitude had been unheard of in Heaven before the War and after… Well, Hell didn’t much care if a demon was traumatized or not. Certainly, no one was going to comfort another demon.

One night within the first weeks of their exile, Cain was lying flat on his back staring at the sky. He had pushed himself too far, again, and just lay where he collapsed. Crawly hissed in frustration. “I’m going to get some water. I think there’s a river nearby.”

He got no reaction and left. As he walked, he started muttering under his breath as he had taken to doing whenever Cain was out of earshot. “You are heartless. How can You look at that man and think he deserves this? He should be with his parents. They should all be comforting each other. Or better yet, You shouldn’t have allowed it to get this far to begin with. But You never could leave well enough alone. Always demanding more and better. Telling everyone that our best isn’t good enough. What has that ever gotten You? Hell and demons? Your favorite creations kicked out of the garden? Your favorite human dead? Real great job there.”

He kept the litany of blasphemy up until he came to the river where he filled all the water skins. He made his way back to his companion falling silent as he neared.

Cain was now sitting upright, facing away from Crawly. He was doing something with his arms. Hitting himself in the chest maybe? “Cain? Are you all right?”

The man was making frustrated sounds as he continued to bang at his body, and Crawly sped up.

Once he could see the man, the skins fell to the ground. “Stop! Stop! What are you doing?”

Cain was taking a stone knife and repeatedly stabbing it into his chest. Each time he did, the blade pushed in, but when he pulled it away the cuts healed, so only a small trickle of blood stain Cain’s robes.

Crawly lept forward and tackled Cain to the ground, grabbing for the knife. Cain tried to hold on, but Crawly was far stronger and not weak from hunger and exhaustion and wrestled it free. “Stop it! Stop!” he shouted as he held the knife over his head and backed away from Cain.

Cain curled in on himself, crying again. “I just want to see him again! Why should I live if he’s dead?”

“You dying won’t change anything! It’ll just make your parents grieve for a second child!” He tucked the blade into his robes, miracling it so that Cain wouldn’t be able to take it back.

Carefully, he approached Cain and sat down next to him, putting his arm around the grieving man. Cain turned and hugged Crawly tight as he continued to cry. Crawly glared at the sky. If he had still been able to heal, all of this could have been avoided.

---

The next several months were the hardest of Crawly’s existence, excluding the War and his Fall. Cain continued to try and kill himself any chance he could get. Crawly did his best to never leave Cain’s side, but the man wouldn’t get food or water unless Crawly forced it on him and often refused to even approach any food-bearing plant forcing the demon to either let him starve or leave him alone for a few minutes.

Crawly learned not to let them stop near cliffs or Cain would jump off them. They couldn’t linger near fast flowing rivers or he’d jump in and hope to be dashed against the rocks. Both of them were bruised, wet, and miserable after that incident. He tried to jump out of trees or provoke animals. Every time Crawly thought he’d tried everything, Cain would come up with something new. For the first time ever, Crawly hated someone’s imagination.

Each attempt was doomed whether Crawly was there or not, though. After all, God had cursed Cain. No one would ever be able to kill him. And that, apparently, included Cain himself. He would feel all the pain of the broken bones or bitten skin, but almost as soon as the injuries happened, they were gone.

Every day, Crawly attempted to convince Cain that Abel’s death wasn’t his fault. Every day he got more and more desperate for an end to this cycle. But he had no idea how to reach Cain and ended up just talking constantly about anything and everything he could think of. He talked about the stars and plants and how they were made. He told stories of the angels who made them. Through it all, he was lucky if Cain deigned to speak as many as half a dozen words a day.

One afternoon while Cain slept, Crawly saw a group of crows attacking a smaller songbird. Angrily, he chased off the bullies before taking the injured bird in his hands. The small thing was terrified, one eye missing and bleeding from too many wounds. She wouldn’t survive another ten minutes. He bit his lip and decided to try and see if he could figure out what was wrong with his healing powers. He was a Healer. The Healer. Certainly She couldn’t take that away from him, whatever Azrael said. He closed his eyes and sunk into his center so he could see his core. Inside him, his power presented as a bright green star, generating the powers all hellish and angelic beings has. Only it was shot through with Hellfire in a tangled mess. Before his fall, it had been mixed with Her golden grace and more beautiful than anything else he’d ever seen. But now it was scarred and burning. Still, he pulled forth a bit of power and sunk it into the bird, taking care to catalogue all her injuries. He waited until he was sure he knew exactly where the damage was and how to fix it before directing his power to heal.

Only for his hands to be cupped around a ball of flames.

He pulled back his power and the flames extinguished, but all he held were a handful of ashes that were already being blown away by the gentle breeze. He scattered the rest and miracled his hands clean before burying his face in them. He grew out his fangs and bit through his cheek to distract from the burning in his eyes. Why did Falling have to take even this from him? Why did his asking questions mean he was so unforgivable She had to steal his ability to heal?

He didn’t know how long he was sitting like that, mourning his stolen ability before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He startled and looked up to see Cain, his face worried. He forced a smile at the unspoken question and said, “I’m alright.”

Cain cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

Crawly stood up and cracked half the bones in his spine and fingers before smirking at his human companion, pushing down all the despair. He couldn’t fall apart; Cain needed him. “Did you get enough rest? Want to keep moving?” Cain nodded and their travels continued. Only now, anytime Cain was sleeping, Crawly would examine a nearby plant or blade of grass and try to heal it.

All he left behind were patches of scorched earth and ashes.

---

Eventually, over many years, Cain stopped seeking out new ways to try and kill himself. He realized it was a futile endeavor and gave up. Even more slowly, Cain started to open back up to Crawly. He was still a quiet man, but he would exchange entire sentences with the demon from time to time and Crawly allowed himself to relax his hypervigilance. He still stuck close and tried not to let Cain out of his sight for extended periods, but things were getting better.

As Cain slowly gave up, so did Crawly. He’d never touched another animal after the disaster with the bird, but he eventually stopped reaching out to damaged plants, too. Every time he reached for his power to create or heal, the Hellfire in it burned and destroyed. Nothing he did could stop it. Every night, he had to turn off his sense of smell before lighting a fire for Cain as the scent of smoke now made him sick. He dreaded the thought of getting a message from Hell requiring him to report in person. It hadn’t happened yet, thank Satan, but he wasn’t sure he could handle the sulfuric air.

God’s curse forcing Cain to wander meant they could never spend more than a few weeks in any location. If they lingered too long, Cain would grow restless and find himself walking away from camp, unable to force himself to return.

When they found themselves in a lush jungle a couple decades after beginning their journey, Crawly told Cain they were staying for a few weeks, which was the upper limit of time they could linger in a single location. The weather was delightfully warm and the amount of fruit and nut bearing plants meant Cain wouldn’t even have to try finding food.

Near their camp, a spring formed a large lake that fed into a river. When they found it the first day, Crawly initially thought they should move camp as a cliff rose out of one side of the lake, but it was barely a few handspans taller than Crawly and Cain hadn’t tried jumping off a cliff in years so he didn’t say anything.

They were nearing the spring to collect water one day when they heard an unusual sound. Both stopped immediately and Crawly asked, “What was that?”

Cain shrugged and they fell silent to see if it would repeat. Crawly even stopped breathing, a habit he’d picked up when he’d realized it made Adam and Eve uncomfortable when he didn’t.

Then they heard it again. It sounded like laughter. Human laughter. Crawly let his mouth fall open and looked over at Cain. Neither of them had seen or heard another person since the day Cain had been exiled decades ago.

Crawly’s shock turned to excitement and he grinned and started rushing forward to see who it could be when he realized Cain wasn’t following him. He turned around, brow furrowed, to see the man backing up, his face bloodless. “Cain? What’s wrong?”

“What if… what if it’s my parents? Even if it’s not, I killed Abel. Whoever it is will know the story. They’ll hate me.”

“First of all, you didn’t kill Abel; a rock did. And secondly, we don’t even have to approach them. Let’s just sneak up, spy on them through the leaves to figure out who it could be, then we can return to our camp and decide if we want to move on earlier than planned.”

Cain ignored the first part of the statement as Crawly knew he would, but he reluctantly agreed that it was a good idea to gather more information on whoever the stranger could be before jumping to conclusions.

Crawly turned his face away so his grin wouldn’t be so apparent. He couldn’t wait to see who this new person was. Anything new to their routine could only be good. It didn’t take long for them to reach the lake. On this side, the trees continued into the shallows so they were well hidden.

Before them was a young, dark-skinned woman standing naked on the edge of the cliff. She let out a loud half-scream, half-laugh and launched herself into the water, curling into a ball before she hit, sending a spray of water in all directions. She came back up a moment later laughing at the sky in pure joy. Crawly hadn’t seen anyone that carefree in a long time. He turned to Cain with a grin to brag about how he was right that the person was harmless.

Cain was staring straight ahead, mouth open, cheeks flushed. Crawly hissed in amusement and put his arm around the man’s shoulders, startling him. “C’mon,” he said under his breath, “We should give her some privacy.”

Cain flushed even more and nodded, looking away. He backed up and immediately tripped over a tree root and crashed to the ground, cursing.

“Who’s there?” demanded the woman from the lake.

Crawly threw his head back and laughed. He made his way to the lake edge and tried to wave through the trees. “Sorry to disturb you! We just weren’t expecting anyone and heard you and had to see who was near!”

“I’ll repeat, who are you?” she shouted back.

“No one important!”

Cain hissed at him, “Shut up! We don’t want her to know who I am!”

Crawly rolled his eyes, and in a quieter voice directed just at Cain, said, “She already knows we’re here. Trying to hide won’t do us any good.”

The mystery girl shouted back, “Stay there, please! I’m looking for someone and you’re the first person I’ve met since I left home!” She turned and started swimming to the shore opposite Crawly.

Cain got up and tried to run away, but Crawly grabbed his arm. “Look, Cain. You’ve been alone except for me for far too many years. You need to be around another human again. So stay still and see what happens. I won’t share your name if you don’t want me to, but you need this.”

Cain tried to pull free. “No! She’ll hate me! She looks so happy and innocent! I’ll just corrupt her.”

“Ok, now you’re just having me on. I’m the demon here. If anyone’s going to corrupt her, it’s me. You’re staying here and we are both going to meet her!”

They were still arguing several minutes later when they were interrupted by the woman clearing her throat. “Sorry to interrupt.” She was standing before them in bright orange robes that contrasted well with her skin. On her back sat a large pack.

Crawly smiled at her. “No, please do interrupt. He’s being stupid. Can’t tell you how glad I am to meet you…?”

“Your eyes! You’re a demon, aren’t you?” she asked with wide eyes as she took an instinctive step back.

Cain groaned and buried his head in his free hand.

Crawly’s smile turned into a smirk to hide his sudden nervousness. He should’ve realized she’d recognize what he was from his eyes. He might have been too eager for this meeting after all. “Does that scare you?”

She stared intently, eyes narrowed. “Aziraphale says we need to be wary of demons because they’ll try and lead us astray.” But then she broke out in a wide smile that seemed much more natural on her face, “But Adam and Eve speak highly of the yellow-eyed snake who sometimes pretends to be human.”

“Ugh, Aziraphale always has to toe the party line.” He had no idea how to respond to the comment about Adam and Eve.

Her smile grew even wider. “That means you must be Crawly!” She turned to Cain. “And you must be Cain. I’ve been looking for you.”

Cain tried to back up, but couldn’t break free from Crawly’s grip.

The woman slapped her hands over her mouth. “Oh, no! It’s nothing bad! I promise! I just… Adam and Eve talked about you a lot. And I always felt so bad that you were out here all alone! I’ve wanted to come and find you ever since I was a little girl so I could be your friend.” She was actually bouncing on her feet in excitement.

Cain was frozen, mouth opening and closing. Crawly laughed and let go of his arm; the man was too shocked to move. “Didn’t I tell you we should meet her?” Back to the girl, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Awan. I’m so glad I finally found you! This is a lovely place. How long have you been here?”

Crawly and Awan kept the conversation going as they made their way back to camp. Cain followed behind, silent. Awan was a lively person and commented on everything they passed, asking about every plant and animal and insect. Crawly was delighted to have someone around who actually spoke back for once and answered all her questions, spending extra time on the things he’d had a hand in creating. He was having so much fun just talking to someone for once that he was disappointed when they reached their campsite.

“So, Awan,” said Crawly, “Are you hungry? We’ve got enough provisions to share.”

Before she could even respond, Cain was already digging through his supplies and pulling out a large selection.

She grinned. “I don’t know if I’ve ever even seen half of these foods! Are you sure there’s enough? I’d love to try them, but don’t put yourself out. I’ll be sticking around for a while so there’ll be another chance.”

“There’s enough,” said Cain, giving her the quickest of glances before continuing to set out a feast.

Awan wasn’t put off by his terseness and kneeled next to Cain to Crawly’s amusement. She pointed to a star fruit. “What’s this and what does it taste like?”

“Oh, um, that’s a- a star fruit.” Cain took out an obsidian knife and sliced it, handing her a piece. He blushed when their fingers brushed.

She grinned at him as she took a bite and her eyes widened and she groaned in pleasure. “This is amazing! Do you eat these every day? Because I’ve never had anything nearly so wonderful before. I’ll never get tired of it. Not even if I eat it every day for the rest of my life.”

Cain blushed harder and arranged a large selection of food on a stone slab that he presented to her. “Fire!” he cried, causing her to take an alarmed step back and look around for the danger. Crawly had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “Er, I mean, we can light a fire. And sit by it. Comfortable…?”

Crawly let himself grin openly. This was the best thing he’d seen in his entire existence. Not even Gabriel was this awkward. He snapped his fingers and a small fire was burning merrily in the center of their camp. Two logs were already set up there for seats, but a second snap had a third appearing.

Awan bounced on her feet. “Oh, now that is useful! Aziraphale hardly ever uses his powers so openly. Says it’s better if we learn how to take care of ourselves.” She sat down on one of the logs and dug into her food, trying a little bit of each selection to decide which were her favorites.

She asked questions about the food, which Cain tried to stumble through answers for. Too many times, he turned to Crawly for help with answers, but the demon refused to do more than give the name and growing season of the plants. Cain sent many glares his way, but Crawly didn’t care. If the man took too long to answer one of Awan’s questions, he kicked him to prompt him to speak. Cain’s dark blush didn’t abate once throughout the meal.

Crawly hadn’t heard him speak so much in one sitting since Abel’s death, nor had he seen him so animated.

---

Crawly quickly realized that Awan was the best thing that could have happened to their little group. She’d been with them only a week before Crawly saw Cain smile with genuine happiness. Less than half a year passed before she drew a laugh from him.

Each moment of happiness and joy helped loosen something that had curled up tight inside Crawly. He hadn’t even realized how tense he had been until it began to loosen. Each smile and laugh and peaceful moment caused him to relax just that much more.

He wasn’t surprised when, a year after she had joined them, Awan and Cain approached him asking to be married.

“Marriage is a bit too holy an endeavor for a demon to preside. But with no one else around, I’m sure you could marry yourselves. She has to understand there was no other option.”

Awan shook her head. “No. We want you to do it. If that mean’s our marriage isn’t accepted by God, then so be it. You’ve done so much for both of us, especially Cain. We wouldn’t feel right getting married without you.” Cain nodded his agreement to his fiancée’s assertion.

Crawly suddenly found it impossible to speak or even breathe and settled for staring at them while he opened and closed his mouth ineffectually. Finally, he made some sort of sound that they correctly took as agreement.

Awan smiled broadly and even Cain flashed his teeth briefly. It took Crawly a minute to realize he was smiling too, their happiness infectious.

He insisted the couple give him a week to make all the preparations he wanted. They were in another forest, this one temperate and quite different from the jungle they’d met in. Crawly decided they were going to hold the ceremony at the base of a waterfall – he was no longer afraid to linger near cliffs or waterfalls – and he arranged some flowering vines to hang from all the trees around the clearing at the water’s edge.

He was also trying to locate gemstones and other shiny rocks as a gift to Awan. The morning of the ceremony, he presented a few gifts to the couple.

“I thought you both might appreciate something new to wear, so I made these for you.” He handed over two robes. Awan’s was made of gold cloth with blue embellishments depicting animals and plants. Cain’s reversed the color scheme and showed the cosmos. He no longer enjoyed seeing the plants he could no longer cultivate.

Both were effusive in their gratitude, but Crawly waved off their thanks, embarrassed by the display of affection. Demon’s weren’t supposed to get thanked. But they weren’t supposed to give gifts, either. Or marry people. Still, he’d sent a report off to Hell to tell them how he had tempted the First Murderer into Unholy Matrimony, presided over by a demon. The satisfied reply from Beelzebub made him hopeful that no one would actually look into how this “unholy matrimony” deal would go down. It was rather too close to holy matrimony and if Hell saw it, they might question what he was really doing on Earth. And if it came out that he was less involved in the whole First Murderer business than previously assumed, they might recall him.

Crawly shook his head to clear his thoughts. Today was a happy day and Hell would leave him alone just like they had for the last few decades. “Now, Cain. I’m going to borrow Awan for an hour or two. Why don’t you get dressed and meet us by the waterfall? You’ll know the spot when you get there.” After he’d started decorating, he hadn’t let either human approach the area. He wanted it to be a surprise.

“More surprises? Haven’t you done enough?” asked Cain

“Shush, you. Shoo,” ordered Crawly. Cain laughed and the sound still managed to fill Crawly with warmth. Then he was alone with the bride. “Now, Awan, I’ve gathered some small, white flowers. I thought I could braid them into your hair? And I have some gemstones that I could tie to the ends of the braids.”

She rushed forward and hugged him tightly. “That sounds absolutely gorgeous! Thank you! Won’t Cain be so surprised when he sees me?”

Crawly laughed. “That’s the plan. Now, change your robes first. It’ll be easier if we do your hair after.”

Awan’s excitement over her upcoming wedding kept her talking the entire time Crawly was working on her hair with very little input from him. He may have used a demonic miracle or three to speed up the braiding process, but the end result was stunning. And before too long, they were on their way to meet the groom.

Crawly was pleased when Awan let out a gasp as they walked into the clearing at the waterfall’s edge and she saw the trees hung with flowers and Cain standing on the pool's edge skipping rocks. “Oh, this is beautiful. Thank you so much, Crawly! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

At her voice, Cain dropped the remaining rocks he held and spun around only to freeze upon seeing her. His mouth fell open and he stared.

The reactions of the couple resonated with every ounce of demonic pride Crawly held in his core and he couldn’t help the pleased smile that pulled on his lips. He wasted no more time and directed the two to the place he wanted them to stand.

“Now, clasp hands.” He waited until they’d done so before continuing. “Though this life you have faced many trials and hardships. And you will continue to face many more. During all the days of your lives, you must support and love each other. Keep each other safe. When one of you stumbles, the other should help them along until they can walk once more on their own. When one falls ill, the other must care for them until they are healed. Protect each other. Love each other. And may your lives together have more happy days than sad ones. Cain, do you so swear?”

“I do. Awan, you are light and happiness and I will do all I can to make sure you can always shine so brightly.”

Crawly didn’t comment on the tears gathering in both their eyes. “Awan, do you so swear?”

“I do. Cain, you spent so many years wandering alone but for Crawly. I intend to stay by your side for the rest of your life so you never have to be alone again. I will stay with you and hold you tight. I will remind you of the beauty of the world we live on every day. And I will love and care for you with my every breath.”

If either bride or groom thought it inappropriate that Crawly made no mention of God or Satan or Heaven or Hell, they didn’t say so. And by the looks on their faces, they didn’t consider anything missing from the ritual.

He had them tie the threads of their lives together and drink wine from a chalice. He gave them instruction and advice and made them promise to uphold their vows to each other again.

Then finally, Crawly allowed them to kiss each other. He allowed the kiss to continue for some time but interrupted when he began to doubt they’d ever stop. “I know you are both excited, but I have one more gift for you. Then I’ll disappear for a few days and you can have your privacy.”

“More?” asked Cain. “But you’ve already done so much.”

“When we asked you to marry us, we didn’t expect you to go so far out of your way! This is lovely, all of it, and we’re so grateful, but you must know we didn’t need or expect any of it! Let alone more than this!”

Crawly waved a hand in the air dismissively. “I know. But Cain and I had so little to celebrate before you joined us. I wanted to go all out. Now, follow me.”

This final gift had been the most time consuming for Crawly to get. It had involved innumerable trips to Hell so he could pop up in places all over the globe. He led the couple through the hanging vines to a clearing where a large cloth laden with foods that neither human had ever seen before. He had gone to every corner of the globe and brought back fruits and vegetables and nuts and more. Each one new to the couple. Anything that had to be prepared was cooked, the rest cut and ready to be eaten.

Awan rushed forward with a cry of delight. “What is all this? I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of these before!” Cain was barely a step behind her and looked back at Crawly with the same question apparent in every line of his face.

“You wouldn’t have. They’re from farther away than you could walk in a lifetime. But everything is safe to eat. Pick out whatever looks best and I’ll tell you about it.” Between bites of food, the newlyweds would exchange kisses. Crawly let himself get caught up in the happiness. And once the kisses started getting longer and the eating less frequent, he left them to it.

---

It was only a few months after the wedding when they came to Crawly to tell him of Awan’s pregnancy. He celebrated with the couple and sat them both down to explain everything Awan could expect from the situation. Eve had spoken to her when she was younger as well, but Crawly knew the technicalities from his days in the Creation halls.

As they wandered, Cain realized he didn’t want to subject his child to the same wandering life he and Awan shared and decided he would build a permanent settlement Awan and the child could live at. He was especially worried about what would happen towards the end of the pregnancy when Awan wouldn’t be able to move easily.

It didn’t take long to find a suitable location near a river with plenty of fertile ground that would be suitable for planting. Crawly helped Cain build a home for his wife and child. Using miracles to create was always a risky business, but Crawly found loopholes. He could compress the dirt or stones, transforming them into something strong and sturdy. He could snap a hole into existence to anchor the walls. He could break rocks into usable bricks. Creativity was never his problem. And so the building progressed quickly.

It was, however, slowed by Cain’s curse. He could only linger and build for a few weeks before he was forced to leave once again. He quickly set on a schedule where he’d stay for three weeks, leave for a week, and return. At the start of her pregnancy, Awan was more than happy to join him. But as she got larger, she couldn’t handle the travel. Crawly, at Cain’s insistence, stayed behind with her.

All three were relieved when Cain was around the day Awan went into labor. Crawly helped her through and after many hours was happy to hand the healthy baby boy to his relieved parents.

The smile that overtook Cain’s face the moment he held his son finally allowed Crawly to let go of the last of the tension he’d been holding onto since he’d been unable to heal Abel. Cain looked up at Crawly, crying and smiling. “He’s perfect.”

The next thing Crawly knew, the impossibly small baby was being pushed into his arms by the happy father. “No, I couldn’t, I don’t…” but his protestations were ignored and he soon had the small creature bundled in his arms. “Hey there, squirt,” he said, bending his head over the baby. He reached out a trembling hand to rub the soft skin of his belly. He only held him a few minutes until the infant started squirming and the boy was returned to his exhausted mother.

After mother and baby were sleeping, Cain and Crawly went outside to let Awan rest. Cain, looking at the night sky rather than Crawly, said, “We haven’t agreed on a name yet. I keep going back to Abel. Feels like it’s only right I name my son after my brother.”

Crawly hummed. “What does Awan think of that plan?”

“She doesn’t like it. She understands why I want to but doesn’t agree.”

“Why do you want to give him your brother’s name?”

“Abel’s dead. Shouldn’t I honor his memory?”

“Look, if you name your son after your brother, he’ll have to live up to that memory. Every time you look at him, every time you call for him, you’ll think of your brother and what happened that day. Is that really a legacy you want your son to have to live under? Shouldn’t he have the chance to learn who he is without the memory of his uncle hanging over his every action? I get that you want to do something for your brother. Build a memorial or something. But I wouldn’t recommend pulling your son into it.”

Cain hummed as he looked up at the stars, thinking. He didn’t say anything else as he walked inside to join his sleeping wife. Crawly kept watch outside the rest of the night.

The next morning, Cain came out holding his son. “Morning, Crawly. This is Enoch.”

Crawly grinned and walked over. “Good name.”

Cain smiled at the baby, “Yeah. We like it. Come inside. Awan’s still tired and hurts too much to want to move from bed.”

Crawly smiled at Awan who was glaring at the blankets of her sleeping pallet. “I hate being laid up like this. When will I start to feel better?”

“Want me to look you over? I might be able to make a cream or give you some herbs to make you feel better.”

“Yes! Please! I’ll do anything,” begged Awan.

Crawly chuckled and examined her for any signs there might be a problem. Nothing seemed out of place, however, and he mixed up an herbal tea to help with her pain.

The rest of the day was spent with Cain and Crawly alternately taking care of Enoch and Awan. The humans and demon chatted cheerfully and took things as easy as they could.

Around dusk, Cain was slowly rocking Enoch, shushing him and trying to get him to fall asleep. He bit his lip, and still looking at his son, asked tentatively. “Crawly?”

“Hmm?” answered the demon, he was comfortably ensconced in a pile of blankets and didn’t want to move unless he had to. It’d been a rough couple of days and he knew it wasn’t about to get any easier with a newborn around.

“Do you- Do you still have my m-mother’s flute?”

Crawly choked on air as he bolted upright. “What?”

“Her flute.” Cain was facing away from Crawly and showed no signs of turning around. “I remember she gave it to you. Do you still have it? Enoch should know some of the songs his grandmother used to play. Even if he’ll never meet her.”

Crawly swallowed hard and didn’t answer, but reached into his robes. He’d hidden the flute away in a pocket decades ago and kept it on him ever since. Eve had been his friend, too, and he treasured the gift. It was the first one he’d ever been given. Angels didn’t need things, so gifts didn’t exist in Heaven. And they certainly didn’t exist in Hell. He lifted it to his lips, but hesitated. Cain hadn’t reacted well last time he’d tried to play. He peered at the man through narrowed eyes. His shoulders were tense. He pulled the flute away a few inches. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Please.”

And Crawly played a soft, mournful piece. Awan smiled from her pallet and slowly Cain’s shoulders relaxed. He turned around and Crawly realized he was crying. In his arms, Enoch slowly settled into sleep.

[legofanguy]

Comfy-vember day 23 remembering medication

A The Amazing Digital Circus fanfiction for @comfy-vember event Comfy-vember day 23 remebering medication featuring Kinger and some tadc ocs that I based on 80s toys.

The medication made Kinger remember his wife and friends before the others came and he started crying as Kinger remember their first day here.

Kinger, his wife, and their four friends appear in the digital world they have been creating which take the appearance of a circus and Kinger comment, "Well, it's seems the A.I. of our game understand that it want players to know that they will be entering a world of digital fun, so it created this circus as a hub." A muscular man with blond hair in medieval clothes said to Kinger, "Hey, is that you smart guy?" and Kinger said to him, "Whoa, I'm drawing a blank on your name, but you are one of the group. I'm surprised that you look like a toy." Just then, a ringmaster with a pair of teeth and two eyes for a head appear and said to them, "Welcome, users, to your creation that I like to call the Amazing Digital Circus!" and Kinger said in surprise, "You're the A.I. of our game Caine!" which Caine reply, "That is right, sir. I'm the ringmaster of your wonderful game and I like to play a song before we get started to your first adventure!" Some bubbles with mouths then sing, "Our players have arrived, and we end up making them forget their names, so we give them new ones. There Kinger, his wife Queenie, and Sgt. Freedom too. Lucy Doll, Roam the warrior, and there's Badit the thief, woo-hoo! Day after day after day we fly past the moon and the sun, and we don't know why yet!" Badit, whose is a man with a purple hood over his head, ask Kinger, "Hey, Kinger, what is going on?" and Kinger then some thinking and said, "I guess Caine is basing our avatars after our favorite childhood toys." Sgt. Freedom, whose is a brown hair action figure wearing green military uniform, ask Kinger, "Any idea of what to do beside using the exit?" and Caine quickly said to Sgt. Freedom, "Hold on, Sgt. Freedom. The exit is not finish yet." and that started to worried the group as the exit should be programmed within the game alright. Caine said to the group, “How about I show you to your living quarters? After all, you point in my programming you gotta need living quarters.

After their first adventure, Sgt. Freedom ask Caine, “Okay, Caine. It’s time for you to set us home.” and Caine ask Sgt. Freedom, “Didn’t I tell you that the tent is your home now.” and Badit the theif ask Caine, “Did you forget how to make us leave the Digital Circus?” which Caine reply, “Yes. Your programming was not clear to me. Besides, no one wanted to leave the Amazing Digital Circus, right?” This cause Sgt. Freedom to freak down and he yell at Caine, “You can’t do this to us, Caine. We could have a job, a real home, a family….” and he started to have a mental breakdown as he said, “You steal our memories of our families so you can make us wanted to stay in your crazy circus!” Kinger and the others watched in horror as Sgt. Freedom started to have his body changed and Caine said to him, “Whoa, whoa, calm down,Sgt. Freedom, good sir. Your mind is linked to your digital avatar, and if you lose your sanity….” Suddenly, Sgt. Freedom’s body turn into some kind of monster with multiple eyes and the shocked Caine cry out, “You ruined my perfect design for your body!” while the horrific Lucy Doll ask Caine, “Hey Caine, what happened to him?” and the A.I. reply, “Like I try to warn Sgt. Freedom, your mind is liked to your digital avatar. If you lose your sanity, your body become a physical game bug that may want to destroy everything to let out its insanity.” and Caine then shout, “Everyone, leave and don’t touch Sgt. Freedom!”

[arguablysomaya]

anatomy practice + batkids + ocs

[dianaladrislovebot]

random gone headcanons that have popped into my unhinged little brain, likely part 2

ayo we back my guys. i’ve had many gone related thoughts (and conversations, shout out to the gone brainrot gc on ig 🫦) since i made the last one of these so y’all are gonna have to bear w me while i get them out of my system. okay thanks bye onto the hcs (also my current fancasts for some of the characters at the end !!)

tall lanky astrid truther. alternatively, short ass mf drake truther.

diana is a skin care girly for sure. when the boys use those several in one things she goes into a frenzy.

everyone at coates bullies diana w diana by one direction but can only get away w it bc caine does it too (i’m not sure when that song came out but pretend it works okay. i like this.)

drakes whip is gross as fuck. like veined and slimy and shit like a genuine tentacle it’s the worst. thank you user inkskxtch for reminding me of this fact

astrid has scottish heritage on her mothers side. her grandfather is genuinely from scotland so she has a slight accent

diana is named after princess diana and took it extremely personal and demands to be treated as such

caine fell first but diana fell harder

quinn has consistent issues w his dad. in the first book he says he had a fight w his dad the night before the fayz which leads me to believe that happened a lot

because of this i think he spent a lot of time at sam’s house and saw connie as a surrogate parent figure. which is adorable

after he got over being a douchebag to edilio, quinn actually had a crush on him and never told a single soul, not even sam.

astrid is asexual, quinn, diana, orc and lana are bi, howard is gay and caine is some kind of fruit. there’s no way to convince me he doesn’t like men. you cannot do it.

i also like hcing drake as pan bc 1) i don’t like the stereotype that the bubbly happy character is always pan and like to combat it w making the most vicious angry violent characters i can find pan and 2) he has way too much chemistry w every man he’s ever been in a room w to be straight

okay hi also i thought i’d add some of my fancasts bc i’m very proud of them and need everyone to know what they are. some are set in stone, some of them i’m still on the fence about. pls i am begging you give me other ideas bc i’m losing my mind trying to place the other characters i will take any kind of suggestion i’m serious. anyways here are the scrunklies i lobe them so much

isabela merced louis partridge

as diana ladris as caine soren

joshua bassett anna cathcart

as quinn gaither as mary terrafino

hunter schaefer sadie sink

as astrid ellison as brianna berenson

i’m still on the fence about these two. i don’t know is sadie truly gives brianna’s chaotic energy justice and hunter is 24 which is slightly older than i’d like my fancasts to be due to the characters being like. 14. but she fits my vision of astrid well so for now i’m going w it. but besides those i’m completely sold on the rest. these are my children and i adore them. i am also open to suggestions for the other characters (especially sam give me my boy) bc i’m struggling so bad w everyone else

anyways that’s all the thoughts i have for now have fun w this messy ass post

[peppersonironi]

Batfam/Avengers Crossover Chapter Five: The Assassins’ Bond

Tagging: @the-fair-maiden-of-fandom

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Natasha Romanov & Damian Wayne, Clint Barton & Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tim Drake & Duke Thomas, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Roy Harper/Koriand'r/Jason Todd,

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Justice League (DCU), Alfred Pennyworth, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Bat-Cow (DCU), Goliath (DCU), Selina Kyle’s Cat Isis, Kate Kane (DCU), Duke Thomas,

Additional Tags: Batbrothers (DCU), Avengers Meet The Batfam, MCU/Batfam crossover, Crossover, no beta we die like robins, rated T for Jason’s language, I bleeped it out though. Just to be safe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, canon? What’s canon?, Deaf Clint Barton,Deaf Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Happy Batfamily (DCU), Birdflash and joyfire are implied/referenced,

Summary: Nat sets out on her assignment to gather information about the bats, and ends up talking with Damian.

Natasha couldn’t seem to find anyone to investigate, which was weird. Usually, when she wanted to find someone, she did.  Nat hadn’t seen any of the other Avengers either, which was also strange.

So Natasha wandered the halls of the manor. She had already checked the Cave, though it was also empty.

After half an hour, Natasha turned to the gardens. She wasn’t really searching at that point, only enjoying the early afternoon breeze. But soon enough, she heard sounds of laughter.

Following it, Natsha wound through a shaded path to find a large lawn occupied by the bats, as well as Peter, Banner, and Thor.

They were in the middle of what seemed to be an extreme version of capture the flag. Nat looked for someone to talk too, but they were all invested in the game. Then she noticed Damian on the sidelines, inside a clearly marked square that must have been the ‘prison’. He looked angry, and seemed to be passing the time by doing drills with his katana. Once again, Natasha was struck by how precise he was.

"Hey kid."

Damian glanced at Natasha, clearly suspicious.

"Hello Romanoff, do you want something?''

Nat smiled. “Call me Natasha. And no, not really. You looked bored, so I thought I’d offer you some company.”

Damian scoffed and returned to his drills. Natasha sat down, and was soon joined by a large dog whom she had never seen before. "Is that your dog?" She asked.

Damian nodded stiffly. "Yes his name is Titus."

Nat looked at Titus with gentle eyes. "Hi Titus." She reached out her hand for the dog to sniff. Titus obliged, and then began to nussle  her hand, quickly warming up to Nat.

Damian’s whole demeanor changed at the sight. He relaxed significantly, and even had a soft smile on his face. “He likes you," Damian said as he set his katana aside and joined Natasha on the grass.

Nat smiled right back at him as she began to pet Titus. "Titus is a great name for him. Latin right?" Damian nodded. "You know the meaning?"

Damian scoffed. "If I didn't then I wouldn't have named him Titus. An honorable dog deserves a name that literally means `title of honor’."

Nat chuckled, surprising even herself. "I like you kid, you've got spunk.” She nodded over at the now abandoned katana. Time to see what she could get out of him. “And your fighting technique is impressive."

Damian’s face became a mixture of guarded and prideful. "Of course it is, I was trained to be the best."

"Well your father sure does a good job."

Damian pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment before replying. "He didn't train me. I … was trained by my mother."

Nat looked over at him softly. “The one that Jason blames for him killing?”

Damian scowled. “Yes. My mother is responsible for bringing my brother back from the dead using the Lazarus pit which is … not quite magic. The pit induces its user with enhanced aggression, and memory loss which she utilized to manipulate Todd to her will.”

Natasha sat still for a moment. She really didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, that did partially explain Jason’s references to murder. On the other hand … the woman sounded horrible.

“Why would she do that?” Nat asked quietly.

Damian stroked Titus for a long moment before replying. “My mother is part of a group called The League of Assassins - led by my grandfather - that is dedicated to … saving the world.”

Natasha almost raised an eyebrow at that. Assassins and world-savers really didn’t seem like they would go together well.

“Not like you saved the world,” Damian continued, “But through brutal, unforgiving justice. They wish to reform civilizations across the world into total submission to my grandfather.

“So my mother took it upon herself to take in a newly raised from the dead Jason Todd, train him, and set him upon Gotham. Her point to it all was to harm my father, who is very much against League ideals.”

There was a sudden shout of triumph from the game, and the pair looked over at Tim crowing over a downed Peter Parker. They were silent for a long time, watching the game play out. Finally, Nat took it upon herself to speak.

“I never knew my parents. I grew up in a top secret Soviet-Russian training facility designed to create the perfect operatives, or assassins.” She took a breath as she looked over at Damian.

The boy had shed his smirks and scowls. His eyes were wide and innocent. There was a quality of quiet hope in his face. Like he was amazed that someone else could understand him.

“You’re like me,” he whispered. Then raised his voice slightly. “I was trained from birth. Mother and grandfather wanted me to be the heir. The perfect heir. I was taught every conceivable way to kill, to torture, to withstand any injury.” Damian was no longer looking at Natasha. His eyes showed that he was in another place. Another time.

“We were chained to the bed at night to prevent escape,” Natasha replied. “Sometimes they would make us fight to the death. To weed out the unworthy.”

“Weakness was not tolerated. The moment I made a mistake I was punished. I was to take it willingly.”

“When we trained with guns, they gave us real people to use as targets.”

“Emotions were a liability. I was to never show any, I was never to trust anyone. Not my trainors, not my servants, especially not my own mother.”

“We weren’t to trust each other either. Sometimes they would randomly order to kill your friends, and you had to. Otherwise you were killed.”

Damian sighed. “The worst part was leaving. Mother dumped me with Father - for training she said. I was to learn what I could from him. And I did, I learned a lot. But not what she wanted me to.” He looked over wistfully at his family. “I learned to trust. I had to believe I wasn’t invulnerable. I … I had to learn what it felt like to be … wanted .”

Natasha nodded at him, though he wasn’t looking at her. “Clint was sent to kill me, after I had been an operative for a while. I was the best, so people began to take notice. So S.H.I.E.L.D. sent Barton to eliminate me. But when he found me, he didn’t. He … had mercy on me. Something I had never known. He recruited me. I worked with him, and S.H.I.E.L.D. to help people instead of killing them. I had to relearn almost everything.”

They sit in a comfortable silence for a while. Neither bothering to pity the other. Just enjoying the companionship of another like them.

Then Nat spoke up again. "I'm not good with …" Natasha paused trying to find the right words. "Comfort. But, I understand"

Damian looked at her, then nodded. “I understand as well.”

They sat together for a while, looking at the game progressing. They talked about their lives, and even started to explain their families as well. Damian talked briefly about Bruce’s tragic childhood experiences, as well as Dick’s. He went into detail of Jason’s death and then resurrection. Tim’s becoming Robin. His neglectful family. Damian explained Cassandra’s past, and how Duke lost his parents. He mentioned Stephanie and Barbara, and how they joined the vigilante life as well. He didn’t go into detail, though, saying that their stories were not his to tell.

In return, Natasha talked about befriending Clint. How Steve became Captain America. How Tony built his suit. Banner’s experiments, and how he became the Hulk. How Thor found himself on Earth. What she knew of Peter, and how he became Spiderman.

“Do you trust me?” Damian asked, looking over at Nat when she had finished speaking.

Natasha smiled. “Yes. I’m assuming that’s what your goal was?”

Damian had the nerve to not look apologetic. “We may or may not have overheard your entire conversation after lunch.”

Nat nodded, she had figured as much. The Boy had been almost a bit too loose lipped in the beginning. But she could tell that as the conversation went on, he spoke freely because he wanted to, and not because he was trying to supply info.

“Did you draw the short straw?” Natasha asked.

Damian scowled. “T-t, no. Father said that if any of you were to question us or our motives, we should hold nothing back. You had the nerve to approach me first.”

Natasha laughed freely and ruffled the boy’s hair. He frowned, but didn’t push her hand away.

“Do you trust me now?” He asked, tentatively.

Natasha paused and tilted her head. “Yes, I think I do. You didn’t lie to me, I know that.” Damian rolled his eyes, and Natasha smirked a bit. “But also, you and I are similar. I don’t think I could distrust you if I tried.”

Damian nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good, I would not want to disappoint Father.”

Natasha smiled. “I don’t think he would be disappointed if I didn’t trust you. He seems quite reasonable.”

Damian outright snorted. “Say that again when I have a slight cold and he won’t let me on patrol. He can be quite unreasonable in mother-hen mode. Not unlike Grayson, unfortunately.”

Nat chuckled. “He loves you. That’s important.” There was another shout of victory from the field, then Natasha continued. “What about me? Trust goes both ways, you know.”

Damian frowned in concentration. “Yes, I believe you have earned some trust. I don’t know about Stark though, he seems … unstable.”

Natasha couldn’t help but outright laugh at that statement. After a moment of surprise, Damian joined in.

“That,” Natasha said between huge gasps of laughter, “Is by far the best thing I have heard in a long time.”

“Do you deny it?” Damian asked.

Natasha was almost crying from laughter. “No, not in a million years.”

Damian smiled at Nat. “Thank you, Romanoff. For talking. I believe you will make a valuable ally.”

“Call me Natasha, kid. Or Nat. Or Tasha. I don’t care. But not Romanoff. Friends aren’t so formal.”

Damian furrowed his brows for a moment before relaxing. “Very well, Tasha. We are now friends?”

Natasha smiled at Damian. “If you want to be.”

The boy pet Titus for a few thoughtful moments. “Very well. I accept. Together, we shall be a formidable force.”

Nat chuckled, ruffling the kid’s hair once again. This time, he didn’t bother frowning.

Just then, a voice called from the field. They both looked over to find Dick running up to them. “Dami! I’m so sorry! I thought someone had gotten you out! Well, the game’s over. Want to join in the next round?”

“T-t. Of course you forgot. If this had been in the field, I could have been killed by now.”

Dick smiled easily at his little brother. “So, what do you say?”

Damian glanced at Nat before replying. “Very well, I shall partake once again in your childish games, Grayson.” Then he smirked. “But I demand that Tasha be on my team. Since you are clearly untrustworthy.”

Dick looked curiously over at Natasha, a small smile on his face. “Sure Lil’ D. Let’s go.”

He motioned for the pair to follow him, then turned and ran off back toward the field.

Damian looked over at Nat. “You will be on my team?” He looked like he was trying to hide how hopeful he was.

Natasha got up and offered her hand to Damian. “Together, we shall be a formidable force, right?”

Damian grinned at her and accepted her hand. “Our reign of terror shall be legendary.”

[lutrain2020]

Meet the Creator!

Introducing: Seeking7 or Seeking!

Commission:  I don't offer writing commissions at the moment, mostly because I'm not sure how to conduct or present myself in the market. If anyone would like to request a certain fic or short story from me, however, I'd be glad to work out details with them. :)

Social Media: A03: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7 FFnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/13334645/

Tell us a little bit about you!

Hiya! I'm Seeking7, or Seeking. I was born in Alabama and raised in California to a pair of the most hardworking Egyptian immigrants you've ever met, and the mixture of Arabic and American influence over the course of my life has had a profound influence on the way I look at the world. My favorite subjects are biology and english, and I aspire to become either an EMT or military medic after I graduate. In regards to hobbies (aside from playing copious amounts of Zelda), I love studying American and Ancient Israelite history, and I hope to one day learn ancient Hebrew and Greek so I can read the original biblical manuscripts for myself!

Is there someone who inspires you and your writing?

While my own brain can usually come up with a certain scene or idea that would inspire me to put paper to pen, it's the people I have around me that encourage me to keep writing. The people on FFN and AO3 who comment and leave kudos on my work mean the world to me (shout out to JoSeBach on FFN and MyWritingisMeh on Ao3 for leaving comments/reviews on each chapter of my fic "Mephibosheth"). The LU fans who come to my livewrites on the discord are so ridiculously encouraging and always let me know that my writing can actually be interesting to some people -- a fact that never ceases to astound me. But most credit goes to my younger sister. Even when I don't show her a work because it might be a little bit extreme or intense for her age, she always lets me know that she's sure it's good regardless. Her unconditional, unreasonable support inspires me to be that kind of person to other fic writers!

What got you into writing?

Three books in particular encouraged me to take writing seriously. "Crime and Punishment" was the first in this process, showcasing just how intense, beautiful, and profound a book with actually very little plot can be. The entire book takes place more or less in the head of a man wracked to pieces by guilt, and Dostoevsky's decision to focus on internal instead of external conflict changed the way I looked at literature. "East of Eden" was next. It wasn't just the book's allegorical nature or the Cain and Abel motif that astounded me - Steinbeck's vivid descriptions of everything from the human mind to sunrise in Salinas has had a profound impact on my own writing. I still reference the first few pages when I write! (actually, if you look at my fic "The Most Sincere Kind of Lie," the opening paragraph is heavily inspired by the first page of East of Eden!) Finally, the biblical Book of Job changed the way I look at dialogue and interactions between flawed characters. The whole book is almost written like an ancient screenplay and deals with heavy questions like the meaning of pain and the meaning of meaninglessness without offering direct answers - which inspired me to try and include those questions in my own writing and handle them in a similar, vague, interperative way.

What's your favorite part of the writing process?

After outlining a fic, I usually start out by writing them like a screenplay with all dialogue tags and action notes written off to the side. When sarcastic banter,  silly, lighthearted interactions, or intense conversations with a deeper meaning behind them start to come together, I can't help but smile. That usually gives the the extra inspirational boost I need to go back and flesh everything out so it becomes a story! (if you struggle with writing dialogue, message me on the discord and I'll be glad to tell you everything I know and send you the multitude of resources I have on the subject)

What's your least favorite part of the writing process?

Vetting works for grammatical mistakes turns writing fics into homework! I can't stand posting something and later reading just to find out that I forgot to capitalize a character's name, or that a comma is missing, or that Ao3 or FFN messed up the page breaks and I have to go back in and fix it. I'm not a perfectionist most of the time, but when I come to writing, I absolutely am.

Whats your favorite type of scene to write?

Intense philosophical debates and serious heart-to-heart conversations are by far my favorite kind of scenes to write, and that's because they're my favorite kind of scenes to observe and read! I always leave them feeling like I've gained something intellectually and emotionally, and it's my constant hope and dream to be able to impart the same kind of introspective thoughtfulness on the reader.  

What's the hardest for you to write?

Allowing or even plotting for a character to go off the deep end is always such a hard thing to write. Not for them to die, necessarily, but for them to completely lose their morals, priorities, and relationships in search for something selfish or temporary. Writing them making the same mistakes over and over not because they're stupid but because they don't care about the consequences is always hard -- it's like killing off a character and replacing them with the darkest, nastiest version of themselves. Basically, writing the opposite of character development is the opposite of fun. :(

What's your favorite genre to write?

Whatever the hybrid child of angst and fluff is called, that's my baby. I find that a combination of the two can make for a really interesting experience and give me more space to explore different faucets of each character's personality. It's also the perfect breeding ground for some intense, sincere conversations.

What fandoms do you enjoy writing for?

I don't write for a lot of fandoms, just Linked Universe, Undertale, and occasionally LoZ stuff not tied directly to our nine precious boys.

What's the work you are most proud of?

I've only gotten into LU very recently, so at the time of writing this I don't have anything from the fandom that's ready to showcase. I do have some cool Undertale stuff though, at least in my opinion! If you're interested in that, there are two fics I've poured (and am currently pouring) my heart and soul into that I'm extremely proud of. The first one is 'The Reason,' which is just a quick oneshot focused on Grillby being an amazing, hardworking dad, (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24354130) and the second is Mephibosheth,' my multi-chapter pre-canon fic about the lives of Asriel and Chara. '(https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804797)

Is there a specific scene you are particularly proud of?

Going again off the works I referenced earlier, a particular scene in the ninth chapter of 'Mephibosheth' had me patting myself on the back. I can't tell you what it is, though, because it's a massive spoiler. ;)

Is there something you had to work through that forced you to grow as a writer?

At the beginning of my junior year of high school I submitted two works into a competition I was confident I would win. No, not just win, I was sure I would get first place nationally. The competition never had many submissions and I knew that the works I submitted were pretty darn good. As you can probably guess, I didn't win anything. No medal or mention, nothing. I was in shock for a good few days and considering giving up writing completely. Then I realized how stupid I was being for assuming I was entitled to an award, for writing something only for recognition, and for thinking that I should give up on something I love so much just because it didn't supply me with the endorphin rush I thought it would. I made it a goal to improve as much as humanly possible afterwards, and I'm happy to say that I think I'm making progress towards that!

Do you have any fics inspired by real life stories?

Every gremlin-like thing the boys do in my WIP LU fic "The Most Sincere Kind of Lie" (by the time this is up, it'll probably be on Ao3) is based off something I've seen my brother and sister do. They're the embodiment of utter chaos and the manifestation of the primal urge to destroy, so they're great inspiration for Link shenanigans. Also, almost all of the banter in 'Mephibosheth' has taken inspiration from one of three places; conversations I've had with my grandparents, conversations I've had with my siblings, or interviews I've watched online. Inspiration for thought-provoking dialogue has to come somewhere that's not my own brain - there aren't enough brain cells to bear the brunt of that creative burden!

Where do you post your finished works?

I post on FFN and Ao3, both under the alias Seeking7. What's that, you say? You want a link to my profile? Well, who am I to refuse?? (AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7) (FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/13334645/)

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #2: Dave Chen

In our second of this series, we put Dave Chen in the Letterboxd spotlight. The podcaster, musician and filmmaker is most famous on Letterboxd for his weirdly specific lists. He tells us how he uses the platform, why every film that exists is miraculous, and why we shouldn’t sleep on Not Another Teen Movie.

Hi Dave! How long have you been on Letterboxd? About eight years. I believe I first signed up when it was in beta. I loved (and still love) the interface: how smooth the user flow is for logging/reviewing films, and how beautiful all that movie art looks as it’s organized on the site.

What do you mainly use Letterboxd for? I love reading the reviews on Letterboxd. On a film’s page, the site surfaces many of the most popular reviews and I find it’s a great way to find some quick, witty, and thoughtful comments on something I might be considering watching. But of course, I also love reading and making funny lists. Finally, I’ve heard Letterboxd is great for keeping track of films at a film festival but sadly I haven’t yet attended one since I started using it again.

Do you rate films? Would you consider yourself a generous or harsh rater? I rate films to remind myself how I felt about them at the time I watched. Of course, my opinions on movies change but it’s sometimes interesting to look back and think back to a time when, “Oh right, I did love that movie in the summer of 2019 when I was going through XYZ”. Our feelings about movies can often reflect what’s going on in our lives.

That said, over time, I’ve come to understand that films are miracles. I don’t think I’m the first person to come up with this observation but they are like miniature plays resulting from the collective work of hundreds or thousands of people that have been preserved for your amusement, and you can just play them on demand. Many of them cost only a few dollars. Some are free! Every film that exists is miraculous.

So, despite some of my harsh reviews, I do try to keep that perspective in mind.

You’ve been a member for a while but most of your reviews are recent. What brought you back? We note that you restarted with your third viewing of 1917! I am pretty active on Twitter and I started seeing a bunch of screen-capped reviews go viral there. But to be honest, much of social media can be exhausting to me these days. What I realized recently about Letterboxd was that much of it is free of the negativity. It’s just a bunch of folks who love movies sharing thoughts on those movies, but it also feels like a real community of people. There are filmmakers on there who share their thoughts on films and their favorites, and that’s of course endlessly fascinating (such as Sean Baker). Even the negative reviews can be fun to read. There’s a lot of pithiness and wit on the site, and its design really helps facilitate that.

Okay, take us way back, what was the film that got you hooked on cinema? My first cinematic true loves were the films of John Woo. I’d watched action movies before but I was introduced to John Woo ironically by a counselor at my church youth group! I became dazzled by movies like The Killer and Hard Boiled. It was then that I realized that things I had seen dozens of times (e.g., a shootout in a warehouse) could be elevated by sheer craftsmanship.

What keeps you from sharing your four favorites on your profile? A few reasons. For me personally, it takes months if not years for my thoughts on a film to really crystallize. My relationship with a movie doesn’t end when the credits roll—its ideas and themes and images are often clanging around in the back of my head for months if not years afterwards. As a result, my favorite films of all time change pretty frequently and I didn’t want to have to think about maintaining my four favorites over time.

Michael Caine in Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Children of Men’ (2006).

Is there any film you could say is your all-time number one? If I had to name one though, it’d probably be Children of Men. It combines all my favorite things into one movie: science fiction, action, Michael Caine and a heartfelt message about how humanity has to be kinder to one another if we are to survive the challenging days ahead.

Your most popular lists are weirdly specific and fun (but true!). What are some other weirdly specific lists on Letterboxd that spoke to you? All the lists I like fall into that category. I love it when people make connections that I never otherwise would’ve thought of. To make a funny list, I think you need to be able to juggle extremely specific pattern recognition with a description that makes people feel like they are learning something about the films or their subjects. While the vast majority of the time these are just for fun, sometimes they actually can lead to insights about filmmakers, actors and the specific themes they try to bring to life in their work.

Also, shout out to Thijs Meuwese, who is leading the way on creative lists.

What is your favorite or most useful feature on Letterboxd? The Stats page [generated for all Pro and Patron members] is a beautiful visualization of the history of my film watching. As I continue to build out my watch history, I’m curious to see the trends that will arise.

What’s a movie where you don’t understand why Letterboxd members love or hate it so much? To answer this question, I took a look at some “worst-rated films on Letterboxd” lists and here’s a totally random one for you: the teen romantic comedy parody Not Another Teen Movie. It’s rated a 2.6 and a lot of the humor of this film has aged poorly but there are some amazing gags in here and it features Chris Evans in a performance that will likely be the apex of the comedic phase of his career. My brother and I still quote this movie to each other. Don’t sleep on it.

Chyler Leigh and Chris Evans in ‘Not Another Teen Movie’ (2001).

Your feature film, Stephen Tobolowsky’s one-man show The Primary Instinct, has a Letterboxd page and a pretty solid rating, congrats! How do you feel having that livestream of instant reactions to it? I’m glad that the ratings are decent, but to be honest, I can’t bring myself to look at them! As part of the filmmaking process, I’m totally open to constructive feedback from people I know and trust, but I’m not sure I can handle the same from strangers. Nonetheless, I’m grateful some Letterboxd members have seen fit to watch the film and take the time to rate it! Perhaps if I make more films in the future, I’ll feel better about checking out the reviews for an individual one.

Among your other skills, you are a talented musician. Can you tell us about some of your favorite film scores? Any cello-heavy scores or composers you find particularly influential? While not really cello-specific, the music of Nicholas Britell makes amazing use of strings (see Moonlight and [TV series] Succession). His music is achingly beautiful and is often in rotation in my playlists.

More generally, Hans Zimmer and John Williams are both legends and I’ve always found their work to be very interesting. In recent days, I’ve been quite taken with the work of Daniel Pemberton, whose work on films like King Arthur and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. have a great populsive energy to them. Finally, when I’m into something more moody, atmospheric or modern, I appreciate the work of Cliff Martinez.

Are you self-isolating right now due to Covid-19? Discovered anything great and new to you to pass the time? We hope everything is alright otherwise! Yes, I'm quarantining due to a “stay safe and healthy” order in Washington State right now. Like many people staying at home, I’ve been watching a lot of TV, which includes things like Tiger King, Devs, Better Call Saul, and Dave (the show on Hulu). These are the things that give me comfort and distraction these days.

Jennifer Ehle in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Contagion’ (2011).

What are your go-to comfort movies that you recommend to people at this strange and difficult time? This is a weird recommendation, but I’d say Steven Soderberg’s Contagion is a great choice. Contagion depicts a virus far more deadly than Covid-19, and how it eventually leads to the deterioration of the social order. But it’s also a deeply hopeful movie. You see governments come together to try to figure this thing out. You see the people on the front lines risking their lives to fight the fictional virus and I think it’s a great way to help people understand how courageous and valuable all our medical workers are in times like these. It’s “competence porn” in an era where I think we need to be reminded of what competence looks like.

[Editor’s note: Dave isn’t alone, Contagion has consistently been in our 20 most popular films for the past month.]

When the universe is allowed to go back to the cinema, where do you prefer to sit? As close to the center of the theater as possible, with my eyeline at about halfway up the screen.

What’s in your ‘hall of shame’—the movies you haven’t seen and know Letterboxd will boo at you for missing? Don’t worry, we’ll protect you. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Say Anything. Also Firefly, the Joss Whedon show which I don’t think is on your website anywhere. Many people have been complaining to me about this oversight in my viewership for years so I think it’ll do well if we can list it here.

Which film from the past ten years that went by fairly unloved do you think will be a future classic and you’ll fight to the death for loving? I’m going to cheat a little and list a movie that’s eleven years old: Tony Gilroy’s Duplicity. This movie didn’t do super well at the box office when it was first released and currently has a 2.8 on Letterboxd. But it was one of my top ten films that year. I think Clive Owen and Julia Roberts have great chemistry, but I think the film’s depiction of corporate espionage is outlandish, fun and irresistible. These characters are playing a "triple game" and it’s so much fun to see the layers upon layers of deception that they’re creating, and the cascading impacts they have on their relationship. Also, how can you say no to a movie that has Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson as competing CEOs literally going at each other?

And finally, please name three other Letterboxd members you recommend we follow. I collaborate with Melissa on YouTube/podcast reviews and she is incredibly thoughtful and articulate. I always appreciate Khoi’s thoughtfulness. And Mike Ginn—this guy is hilarious.

You can enjoy more Dave on his website; his YouTube channel; and his podcasts The Slashfilmcast and Culturally Relevant. Dave was photographed by Brandon Hill.

[niqhtlord01]

As I near 400 followers I wanted to thank you all for your support for my stories and banter. I thought I’d share something people have been asking me in messages. These are merely tips I have found from my own experience and by no means are some form of dictation. Every writer has their own style, these are just some helpful thoughts for those still afraid to start their own writings.  1. Don’t be afraid to write a story. The first step to growing is overcoming that fear.  2. Don’t be afraid to draw from existing sources that inspire you. I am a nerd and love science fiction. I have entire bookshelves filled with warhammer 40k novels that give me ideas and visions of tales to spin. In particular I want to call out the author Sandy Mitchell and his Ciaphas Cain series. (He’s the dashing rouge you see above and to whoever drew this you are amazing and I want to give you a hug :D. I’m sorry for not including your name, it’s not on purpose I just couldn’t find a link to it. Only a reference to a 1d4chan user, and if that is the creator then you are awesome!)  When I was growing up I hated reading. It just didn’t do anything for me when compared to watching tv or gaming. That was until I got my copy of “For the Emperor” and was introduced to Ciaphas Cain. In a universe filled with dark, brutal, and horrific acts of barbarism, here was a man just trying to survive and somehow ending up a hero. Able to talk his way out of nearly any situation, he became my instant favorite character of all time who I now actively judge any new character to. The level of detail towards the characters has also helped shape my own voice. The point I’m trying to make is let authors inspire you to paint your world. 3. Trial and error does not mean failure. I can’t tell you how many times I spent two hours writing a story before a new idea came up and I deleted half of it because I liked the new idea better.  Having a plan is important for making a story. Point A must reach Point C. But that does not mean that you must only go through Point B. You can turn around and go all the way up from Point Z. New ideas will come to you, let the story making process be fluid like and open yourself to new directions not only for the story but for characters as well.  4. Stand by your characters. People are going to either hate or like your characters, that’s natural for people; but regardless they are your characters. You put your heart and soul into then, don’t be afraid if people send you messages saying what a terrible writer you are for making such an evil character.  In one of my previous stories I wrote of a character that ordered the attack against an alien race that had just surrendered to them. This had nothing to do with politics or their gender or what color their skin was or anything so superficial. The reason I wrote that was because the character had lost a child to the conflict and had never gotten over the loss. It closed their view of the world until every waking moment was consumed by the memories of what once was and their burning desire to avenge them. I consider this to be a human reaction too such a sudden and overwhelming loss, and that was the point I was trying to get across no matter how dark it appeared.   I wrote an alternate version of the ending where she doesn’t order the attack as well to show that even in the darkest moments of our lives we reach a point where enough is enough and we must move on. Both dig deep into emotions and regardless of their choice I still stand by my character. She is human and even though she is fictional that does not unbind her from what we feel; which leads perfectly into tip 5. 5.  Seek to draw out emotion. What I consider to be a good story is something that makes me feel a certain way as I read it and that lingers afterwards. Seek to draw out those emotions and in the process you make your story that much greater.   6. Consider expanding your settings and characters. For example, with science fiction you are given a wealth of settings to choose from. Not everything must be on the dirty trenches of some far off world. You can have it in the center of a great political debate between different species, in the markets filled with exotic and otherworldly wares, in a popular dance club filled with lights and sound, in a rundown plant where future criminal lords gather, in a tucked away movie theater aboard a spaceship, or even in a dimly lit bar where the drinks are always cold but never on the house.  Additionally, characters don’t always need to be stereotypes. I like a good one man army main character as much as the  next one, but they don’t always have to be about a one man army nor always even be about a man. They can be a seasoned old politician who still acts like he did when he was young, a girl who never knew the feeling of her legs until getting her first mechanical spider prosthetics, a mother who has lost her family and planet with nothing left to lose, an outcast criminal seeking new fortunes among the stars, a clever child who never let go of the alien that saved her, etc.  I try to write a variety with my characters because I feel that despite science fiction having such a world wide fanbase that not everyone ever finds a character they can identify with. Because of that lack of variety we don’t get as many perspectives and that means less diverging stories.  =============================================================  Just some helpful tips for all you future writers out there. And as always, if you ever want to ask me something directly feel free to drop me a shout. I like talking with people and getting their take.  More stories are on the way so I hope you are ready for them :D because this train plans to keep on going! 

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Winner’s Curse Ch. 2

Note: Thanks to the spectacular @edream93 for making sure the Huma wasn’t too OOC. Also my own apologies if Gil seems too smart or aware. I tried to dumb him down, but for the purposes of this story I had him know a little bit more of what is happening around him. Warning, there are mentions of sadism.

Gil scanned the ocean, waiting for any tall-tale ripple of the waters that would signal Uma’s arrival into the boundary considered to be “Isle waters,” the place where the barrier formerly stood.

The Isle needed Uma’s leadership desperately since the absence of the barrier.

Six months ago, Maleficent publicly made her return. 

Gil remembered it vividly since it had been 3 weeks after Cotillion and Harry had entered Ursula’s chip shop in a happier mood. 

He had been incredibly unpredictable and irritable since Uma’s absence after the failed Cotillion invasion. None of the crew knew where she had gone, but that day Harry found letter in a bottle from Uma. 

She had settled for one of the abandoned caves in Atlantica and gave Harry specific directions for how to get there when she was ready for part two of her back-up take-over Auradon plan.

After that joyous news, lightning crashed, a storm brewed which was a bit unusual since Isle weather rarely deviate from cloudy and sometimes rainy skies.

Most people went out to see what was happening and there on the terrace of Evil Queen’s tower was Maleficent with Queen Grimhilde.

Everyone stared in shock, no one knew what to do and Maleficent laughed at their faces.

The Evil Queen went on to explain, with Maleficent’s running commentary, that the Anti-Magic barrier surrounding the Isle had been significantly weakened. And with the Coven of 13’s combined strength, it would soon be removed and they all would be freed.

Even though no one understood the Evil Queen’s “Coven of 13” line, everyone cheered at that declaration. 

Gil’s mom even ran up to hug him and give him a rare kiss on the head in public. He had almost been as surprised by that show of affection then by Maleficent’s return. His mom was usually so tired all the time and so very cautious of showing her affection in case Dad decided to hit him to spite her.

But then Maleficent explained who were the Coven of 13. It was made up of only former-magic users, each ruthless to the core, and Maleficent announced that they would be calling the shots and if anyone didn’t like it....

Morgaine burst into the middle of the open lot of Jafar’s shop in a burst of flames and vaporized a man from Captain Hook’s pirate crew.

Gil’s mother hadn’t let him go from his hug at that point, but when she saw the pirate’s dusty form, she gripped Gil in fear and Gil instinctively knew to cower.

It had been a good choice because Morgaine stared straight into his eyes and smiled, saying, “That boy has the right idea. You all must bow down to us. We will have no hesitation to kill you weak, inferior mortals.”

Ever since that proclamation the whole structure of the Isle changed. There were no fights or power struggles, with that one execution, everyone knew it was stupid to risk their necks to challenge the magic users. Especially volatile magic users like Yzma or Maleficent.

Instead everyone began to cater to them. The land where there were no set rulers and everyone fought for the last scrap despite age, size difference or difference in strength, suddenly became ordered.

The Coven of 13 were the undisputed rulers, causing several deaths every other week or so to remind people of their new powers.

Next came Sykes who arranged a squadron of mercenaries for hire that no one ever messed with and who often served the Coven for perks like extra food scraps, sexual favors and better places for shelter. His dad was one of the mercenaries because he was really good at brawling and goblin control, but he wasn’t hired often because several of the Coven ladies didn’t like his attitude at being ordered around by a female.

After that came an assortment of authority figures like Captain Hook and Cruella who had control of certain areas like Hook was in charge of the port and charged anyone who had to go through or wanted to fish. Cruella was the only one anyone on the Isle could go for fashion, Medusa for her small casino, the Queen of Hearts was the judge of the very few trials held on the Isle and so on.

That just left the henchmen, the goblins and the whores as Lady Tremaine often called women like Gil’s mom, females with nothing to contribute but their bodies.

What the adults did, didn’t matter to the VKs, they had been so absent from the lives of their kids no one cared that they switched positions in the feud chain of the Isle. 

The problem was that the pirate crew were now falling prey to this new hierarchy too.

Since they were all children of minor henchmen, the kids of authority figures found power in being able to boss them around.

Lars, son of Prince Hans was a major VK to watch out for. No one on the Isle really trusted him because he had inherited father’s deceptive nature and the fact that he put on airs like Anthony Tremaine. Pretending he was still some sort of noble. 

So Lars mainly stood in the background, nose in the air without anyone paying attention to him unless it was one of Drizella many daughters or some other fool gullible enough to stay alone with him.

Now, Gil was more aware of why he never trusted him. After the societal shift, Lars had started approaching him more and more often. Gil had been wary but with Uma MIA and Harry sulking about, Gil appreciated the attention of someone new who seem to want to be an ally.

And Lars even seemed genial. They would rough-house like he had seen his half-brothers do and they would hang out at bars.

But a week into this new friendship, Lars invited Gil to the dungeon of Maleficent’s castle.

The foreboding, dank area had been transformed from an empty space into a torture chamber. The walls lined with various weapons. Chained to the ground in small cells and cages were unfortunate goblins or henchmen who had done something to earn Maleficent’s wrath.

Gil started in shock at the torrid display of their bodies in unnatural positions, bile rising when he realized the that some of the pieces that he had thought were broken chains, were actually pieces of bone. Torn out from their limbs and sockets. The stench of blood filled the small room and Gil forced himself to turn away and focus on Lars in hopes of calming his churning stomach. 

Lars’ voice changed when he told Gil that this was no longer Maleficent’s personal dungeon. He seemed like he was trying hard to remain calm but could barely contain his underlying tone of glee.

He explained that for a price, villains could hire a mercenary to execute or interrogate whoever they wanted. Technically adults could choose whichever mercenary they wanted from Shan Yu to Lady Caine. They could even specify how they wanted the punishment doled out. But most chose Lt. Colonel Staquait for a torture session. The former French officer was particularly creative when it came to his displaying his sadism.

When Gil asked how Lars knew of this, Lars smoothly replied that he assisted Staquait.

Gil had stared at Lars. Though many Vks boasted of their wickedness and gruesome threats of physical harm. He had never known any kid who had actually gone through with it.

Lars had caught his shocked look and smiled. His gloved hand lightly brushing a stray hair from Gil’s ear, Lars whispered, “I so do enjoy to hear the crack of when fresh skin breaks.”

Gil barely managed to speak up with some excuse about having to go beat up Gaston Jr. for stealing his boots before he ran out of there. The wicked glint in Lars eyes conveyed all that Gil needed to know. Lars wanted him. Lars wanted to break him.

The memory of Lars’ eyes made him shudder like he had been splashed with an ice water down his spine. 

Lars’ eyes made known that he wanted to hurt Gil, but it was so unlike his father’s eyes when he hit him. 

His father’s eyes were wild, unfocuse with rage. His mind spitting out thousands of ideas of how to crush his bones. Lars’ eyes still showed his quick thoughts of all the ways he wanted to break Gil. Yet they were also utterly focused. Pinned on him and it made Gil feel helpless. 

He was sure Lars would show no mercy as he calculated the precise way to bring him the most pain, and Lars the most pleasure.

Gil had been avoiding him since that day, he had only seen glimpses of him once in a while on the streets, luring others with his most charming smile. 

Gil was safe, but he wondered if he was forgotten from Lars’ mind or if he was merely biding his time. Gil knew he should tell the crew the danger that Lars posed, but since Uma’s absence, the bond among them was disorganized and strained. They needed their leader.

Gil’s mind was brought back to the present when he heard a shout from behind him. Harry came running up to the shore line and dived into the water, the blissful smile in full force as he came to meet with the bubbling tidepool.

Uma’s long blue locks were the first to surface followed by the rest of her body. Gil forced a smile onto his face and rushed out to meet her, wading into the water up to his hips.

“Uma” Harry said reverently, grasping one of her tentacles that brushed past his cheek.

Uma smiled at both of them, her bright, intelligent eyes surveying them caringly. Such a rare look that Uma deigned to show when she always had to be tough and on her guard. But alone, she could lower her guard just a bit.

Gil knew if he was to be convincing that everything was all right, he should smile and nod as his mother did. But he instinctively lowered his eyes upon Uma’s glance at him. When he looked up, Uma locked eyes with him. She knew something was up.

But it had to be saved for later.

Uma turned to her first mate, “Do you have the profiles so we can begin phase 3.”

Gil looked confusedly between them. He knew Harry and Ua had been keeping close correspondence about whatever back up plan Uma had to take over Auradon but he didn’t know they had already began their master plan.

“Wait!” Gil blurted out, surprising even himself with his outburst, “What is this plan? Do you even know what has been going on around here without you? Do you know about the Coven? Or how about the fact that new people are trying to take over your turf as the most evil person on the Isle?”

“I am aware of the problems, Gil.” Uma said with the harsh tone she usually used when he interrupted her plans with a stupid question. “But if you want, we can review what we are about to pull off.”

Gil was about to point out that he hadn’t heard of the plan in the first place but kept his mouth shut. He was going to hear it now and that was what mattered.

“To answer your first question, Harry told me about everything that is going on around here and about this Coven business.”

Uma walked out of the water, transforming back to her human form with ease and settled herself onto the sand. The boys followed.

“I know about how some kids think they can take over my spot on top, but from what I hear, they are barely making themselves noticed.”

Gil considered her statement and he had to admit she was right as usual. Even though Lars scared him, the young man wasn’t making any moves to become “Prince of the Isle” as Mal had been the “Princess.”

The closest any Vk to be the new prince or princess were the children of the Coven like Ginny Gothel or Jade or Zevon and his sister, Yzla. But the usual suspects haven’t been out among the public lately. Just sequestered in the Evil Queen’s castle with their parents.

The children of any authority figures hadn’t reached the same level of fear and power Uma wielded since she had been gone. They were too preoccupied with feuding with each other or targeting fresh meat as servants or punching bags.

Or they were like Lars, keeping to their own private desires. . .

“As for the profiles, Harry show him.” Uma commanded and Harry pulled out a crumpled form that Gil recognized.

It was a Bill Sykes’ Mercenaries For Hire sign with its intimidating logo of a snarling Doberman with two swords crossed above it and Sykes’ office number underneath which was really unnecessary since everyone knew that Sykes’ “office” was just an abandoned shed on Lady Tremaine’s property.

The poster was a familiar sight to Gil since it was stapled on every tavern and shop wall, especially to cover the eyesore that were the “Yay Auradon” posters. He just didn’t get why Harry was showing it to him.

With a roll of his eyes, Harry turned the wrinkled piece of paper around. On the other side in fine type was a list of the mercenaries and their specialties. For once, Gil was glad that his mother had taught him to secretly read. Even though his dad and his brother’s called him a girl for doing such a prissy activity. 

Clayton: Trained as a hunter and guide. Experienced with rifles, guns, machates, poison darts, and extreme jungle environments. Specialty in hunting, poaching, and intimidation.

Lyle Tiberius Rourke: Trained in the American military. Experienced with fire ax, rifles, guns, grenades, poison gas, knife, hand to hand combat, army combat. Specialty in infiltration, grave robbing, treasure hunting, assassination and intimidation.  

*Will not deal with magic, magic curses or lost civilizations

Helga Sinclair: Trained in the American military. Experienced with aikido, tachi dori, tanto dori, hanka manza, knife throwing, katanas, rifles, guns, firearms, and tactile combat. Specialty in espionage, grave robbing, treasure hunting, assassination and intimidation.

*Will not deal with magic, magic curses or lost civilizations

Muviro: Trained as a Waziri soldier. Experienced with bow and arrow, poison darts, bone knife, spears, hand to hand combat, extreme jungle environment. Specialty in hunting, and assassination.  

Lady Caine: Former leader of a pirate crew. Experienced with swords, fans, poisons, sea warfare. Specialty, jailbreaks, infiltration, stealing, hand to hand combat and piracy.

Gaston: Trained in French army. Experienced with guns, hunting knives, bow and arrow, hand to hand combat, brawling. Specialty in hunting and intimidation.

Shan Yu: Former leader of the Hun Army. Experienced with bow and arrow, sword, army combat and survival skills in extreme areas. Specialty in tracking, strategy, intimidation, assassination, and conquering.

Sa’Luk: Formerly part of the Forty Thieves. Experienced with various daggers, claws, knuckle-dusters, street/hand to hand combat. Specialty, stealing, and intimidation.  

Lt. Col. Jean Staquait: Trained in French Foreign Legion. Experienced with whips, swords, lances, guns, army combat. Specialty, torture, intimidation, tracking and interrogation.

Gil sighed, the horrid memory of Lars’ work with Lt. Col. Staquait coming to the forefront of his mind along with the well-known headache emerging in his brain as he tried to figure out what they wanted him to know. Something that was obvious to everyone but him, “So what?”

“The way we are going to turn this whole system upside down, we have to infiltrate it first and that means we should hire a mercenary. And once they are in our service, maybe we can use him or her to turn against the Coven. After all, they are the second most feared group.” Uma said.

“But the Coven has magic.” Gil argued. “Even if the mercenaries are on our side, there swords and whips and bullets would be nothing.”

“Ha, don’t you remember, Maleficent was killed by Prince Phillip’s sword? My mom was impaled by a mast? I think a sword can do the trick.” Uma retorted.

“And with the Coven gone, and the barrier broken, we can lead the rest of the Isle to invade Auradon.” Harry finished the grand explanation.

Gil wanted to point out that there was so much more to consider, but let it go. They were smarter than him, they knew what they were doing.

“So who do you think we should hire?” Uma examined the paper carefully.

“Not Caine.” Harry snorted in disgust. Captain Hook had a fierce rivalry with Lady Caine since she was the only other pirate on the Isle that dared to challenge Captain Hook for his position as head of the dock and the strips of water. Plus she often tried to use her wiles to steal his boat and some of his crew members over the years. Hook had carried on that grudge to his children, so they would do their best to try to humiliate or one up her at every turn in the name of the Hook family.

“Staquait is too selfish, sadistic and won’t listen to us; Sa’Luk is too selfish; Gaston is Gaston. Do you think Shan Yu would listen to us?” Uma asked.

“No. He’s too solitary and I don’t think he would take us seriously.” Harry dismissed the idea.

“Clayton?”

“No. I think he’s given up ever getting off the Isle or changing his fate.” Gil said. He had often seen the older Brit at his dad’s bar. It was always the same scene of Clayton drinking himself into a stupor, muttering about how great he used to be before the white ape came along.

“Muviro could work... but do we really know anything about him? He’s always on his own-no I don’t think we can trust him. He’s off the list.” Uma said definitively.

“That leaves only Rourke and Sinclair.” Gil said, “And those two hate each other.” 

“Well Rourke did betray her and push her off a balloon to be melted in hot lava. So considering Rourke’s backstabbing tendencies, we’ll have to hire Sinclair for something.” Uma said.

Harry glanced down at her specialties, “How about we hire her to take a hit on one of Lady Caine’s crew?” 

“Uh.. let’s not complicate the plan by adding family revenge into this.” Uma cautioned, We can hire to steal some trinket. That way when we steal the bauble, we don’t need to focus all our energy on stealing and maybe get her on our side. That could work.” Uma stood up, crumpling the paper into a ball as she began to picture the victorious future.

The two boys nodded in agreement, standing up by her side as usual. Gil’s stomach relaxed for the first time in days now that he had assurance from his captain that things were going to be okay.

They were going to get rid of the Coven, they were going to get off the Isle, and hopefully with Uma reigning as queen, Lars would forget his quest to break him.

He hoped.

[makeitwithmike]

35 Mind Numbing YouTube Facts, Figures and Statistics – Infographic

By Jeff Bullas

It is not until you leap into a plane and fly half way around the world to distant places that you start to realize the size and scope of the planet we inhabit.

Recently the earth’s population passed the 7 billion mark and over 2 billion of those are connected to the internet and more than 5 billion have a mobile phone.

When you start connecting that many people with global social networks such as Facebook (with over 900 million users), then opportunities and access to markets that were local become global.

Markets for business that were measured in thousands and millions suddenly scale to billions.

It is not only the size that expands but the velocity of the market accelerates as information is transferred and shared at light speed on optic fibre and wireless networks.

Social Media is Unlocking Opportunities

I recently finished reading an insightful book by Susan Cain. The book titled “QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking“, highlighted for me the power of the social web to provide everyone with a voice.

The connected and global knowledge economy is providing the quiet introvert with media platforms that provide a soapbox to shout at the world.

The creative spirits that were locked in urban and rural islands are now free to be heard, read and viewed in milliseconds on fixed and mobile devices.

YouTube since its inception in 2005 is one of many social media channels that allow anyone with passion and purpose to display and spread their ideas and express themselves.

There are hundreds of YouTube partners earning 6 figure incomes from their presence on a free video channel.

To provide some perspective on what the social and multimedia web has unleashed here are the latest YouTube facts, figures and statistics.

YouTube Traffic

60 hours of video are uploaded every minute, or one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube every second.

Over 4 billion videos are viewed a day

Over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month

Over 3 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube

More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years

70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US

YouTube is localized in 39 countries and across 54 languages

In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views

In 2011 there were almost 140 views for every person on Earth

YouTube Partner Program

Created in 2007, the YouTube partner program now has 30,000+ partners from 27 countries around the world

YouTube pays out millions of dollars a year to partners

Hundreds of partners are making six figures a year

Partner revenue has more than doubled for four years in a row

Making Money from YouTube

YouTube is monetizing over 3 billion video views per week globally

98 of AdAge’s Top 100 advertisers have run campaigns on YouTube and the Google Display Network

Hundreds of advertisers are using TrueView in-stream and 60% of our in-stream ads are now skippable

YouTube Product Metrics

YouTube has more HD content than any other online video site

There are thousands of full-length movies on YouTube

10% of YouTube’s videos are available in HD

YouTube mobile gets over 600 million views a day

Traffic from mobile devices tripled in 2011

The YouTube player is embedded across tens of millions of websites

Content ID

YouTube created the technology to detect uploaded videos that infringe copyright in 2007. Content ID technology creates a ID File for copyrighted audio and video material, and stores it in a database. When a video is uploaded, it is checked against the database, and flags the video as a copyright violation if a match is found. When this occurs, the content owner has the choice of blocking the video to make it unviewable, tracking the viewing statistics of the video, or adding advertisements to the video

Content ID scans over 100 years of video every day

More than 3,000 partners use Content ID, including every major US network broadcaster, movie studio and record label

There are more than eight million reference files (over 500,000 hours of material) in YouTube’s Content ID database. That number has doubled in the last year

Over a third of YouTube’s total monetized views come from Content ID

More than 120 million videos have been claimed by Content ID

Social

The rise of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks has accelerated the growth of YouTube as it enables discovery and sharing of online video.

500 years of YouTube video are watched every day on Facebook

Over 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter each minute

100 million people take a social action on YouTube (likes, shares, comments, etc) every week

An auto-shared tweet results in 6 new youtube.com sessions on average

There are 500 tweets per minute containing a YouTube link

Millions of subscriptions to YouTube happen each day. (Subscriptions allow you to connect with someone you’re interested in — whether it’s a friend, or the NBA — and keep up on their activity on the site)

More than 50% of videos on YouTube have been rated or include comments from the community

Millions of videos are favorited every day

Infographic by TechWelkin.com

What about you?

How do you use YouTube and video in your marketing?

Has social media opened up global opportunities for you? What is the most exciting and inspiring business or personal event or connection that has been instigated by social media?

Look forward to hearing your stories.

More Reading

5 Lessons from Coca Colas New Content Marketing Strategy

10 Reasons why Liquid Content Should be Included in your Social Media Marketing

How To Take Your Company’s Facebook Fan Page from Zero to 40,000 Fans

The Top 10 Brands on Facebook and What You Can Learn from them to Grow your Fans [Plus Infographic]

Starbucks And The 4 Keys To Social Media Engagement

The World’s 10 Most Popular Company Facebook Pages

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