#that it makes more sense for alfred to have taught them

[oifaaa]

Neutral about Alfred but didn’t he encourage Bruce to blame Jason for his own death? That’s kinda fucked up. Why doesn’t Jason have beef about that?

Alfred said some absolutely awful things towards Jason it's one of the reasons I've begun hating the whole "Alfred Jason besties" narrative they've been pushing in the comics more recently - but writers kinda want you to have a positive outlook towards Alfred especially since he died

[blughxreader]

platonic yandere batfam thoughts...

how you end up integrating into the family.

I think we often forget how insidious the long-term effects of kidnapping are. Your whole world narrows and you have nothing fulfilling outside of them.

Realistically, how many weeks straight can you do nothing but look at your phone/watch TV? I know we do this every day, but we have school/work/friends/family to provide actual fulfillment and joy. But when you take that away? And have to decide whether you should scroll through monitored social media or talk to your captors?

Especially because the TV doesn't distract from the cold, hard gaze of the surveillance cameras in your room.

Even if you read and craft and cook, it's so difficult to keep your mental health in-tact without having a positive interaction with another human being.

It would start small.

It's morning and Cass smiles at you from across the breakfast table. Not wanting to be rude, you smile tightly back.

Jason wordlessly slides you a book. You take it.

After a few months, you feel slightly more comfortable about taking up space in the manor. Alfred is out of town for the weekend, so you make a sandwich with Tim.

Bruce talks to you about the new scientific breakthrough at Wayne Enterprises and keeps you relatively up-to-date on major world events. You begrudgingly learn more interesting facts than public school has ever taught you.

Soon, you've watched everything good on Netflix. You exhausted your tolerance for social media. You've given yourself headaches reading so much. You've hit an art/writers block like never before because your input has run dry.

With no other source of entertainment, you become more attentive to the Bats.

Of course, you've always watched them out of fear. But as months tick by and you've learned their hearts (and delusions), it's obvious that they would never hurt you. Furthermore, operating within their expectations is easy enough as long as you never challenge them, so the constant danger-sense slowly turns off.

However, because you don't have any outside noise to occupy your mind, drama in the house becomes almost life-and-death to you.

Peace is so fragile, and it's all you have.

Damian and Bruce return from patrol in a rage one night. Damian's furious echoes bouncing upstairs, followed by Bruce's low, indistinguishable scorn.

Fuck, you think. Now your and Bruce's talks are going to be stilted and uncomfortable. Now Damian is going to sulk in your room for hours, unwilling to talk about what happened yet wanting some kind of reassurance.

You can't keep them from fighting, but you want to protect your peace.

When you first arrived in this dreadful manor, you never would have imagined you'd offer them kind words and affection. However it's the only thing you can do now.

There's conflict. The house is tense--your world is tense.

Should you call Dick? He has a day job again, so he can't come over until tomorrow night. It's up to you to ease the tension.

So you do, slowly, with homemade food and Bruce's favorite coffee blend and Damian's favorite hot chocolate. You sit with them individually, shoulder to shoulder (much closer than you would normally sit), and pretend everything is alright. They're surprised but very quick to snap back into a good mood.

The house is suddenly back in order and you did it all by yourself.

And with these vigilantes, conflict is ripe. There's always people coming and going, fighting and playing, and you're unwillingly the most in-tune with the well-being of everyone's relationships.

You protect your peace. You protect the house.

this shit makes me gnaw at my enclosure. if you're fem, it's worse because ✨ stereotypical woman archetype ✨ anyway this has been on my mind because i've been taking care of my baby chicks and cooking dinner most nights, so i'm like 💁‍♀️ i could be a captive house wife click here for my yandere batfam masterlist

[devine-fem]

What do you think about Damian’s relationship with his parents?

Bruce.

One thing I do notice is that he treats Damian way differently than he treats his other Robins. Whether or not it was because of how writers treated his blood relation to Bruce or them thinking Damian deserved little to no compassion.

He calls Jason, Dick and Tim petnames when they’re Robin, not always cutesy but still hold mentor-like charm but… he just will refer to Damian as ‘boy’ and not even son.

Bruce kind of refused to get Damian any normal psychological help and throughout his childhood, he was just very absent. He expected so much of Damian but at the same time would expect nothing from him and he constantly feels like he needs to be better for him or else he will not be loved.

That doesn’t mean Bruce isn’t there when it counts, I do think he cares for Damian greatly but just has his own way of showing it which must be so confusing for a little boy.

Writers are trying to make it so Bruce is this picture in the frame kind of Dad but I don’t know if this does their characters any good as charming as it seems.

Talia.

Firstly, I would like to say that if you think Talia is this emotionally abusive, manipulative mother to Damian then you’re very much wrong. She’s not free of her actions in canon but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love him with her whole heart.

She does. The whole point of letting him become Robin was to give him foundation, and choice in his path because she loves him so and wants him to have the freedom she never had.

She’s a victim herself. She’s the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, but everything she has ever done for Damian has come from a place of love and adoration of him. It has to make sense to her.

She’s a mother. She’s crawled out of hell for that boy.

He’s always sought acceptance. He wants to belong and I don’t think either of his parents see him as enough.

Bruce most of the time either ignores him or yells at him. Bruce is the one who demands for him to be better, not Talia, she wants him think that she loves him as he is but this isn’t always true. She’s not exempt from the trauma and abuse she put Damian through but that doesn’t mean she’s to blame for her own abuse as she’s a victim herself and that’s why she acts this way. That’s why at times he chooses to leave to escape this.

Damian has been taught by the blade, by servants and assassins, that coupled with his craving to be perfect has driven him emotionally into a pit where he’s cold and distant.

Speaking of which, people like to talk about Dick and Damian’s relationship of being parental but I think that’s more of a batfam stan fanon thing. I don’t think this would do either of the characters any good.

If you want to seek familial and fatherly relationships that Damian has then look to Alfred.

Even early into his development, Alfred was one person who was willing to hear Damian out and be there for him. When Bruce wasn’t around, Alfred was, as it was like this for many Robins before him but… Alfred’s passing is a great part if Damian’s character because with what he’s been through - it makes him care greatly for him as if he was a father.

[brucewaynehater101]

Fake Uncle is brilliant! Love it!

Bruce: so the uncle was real?

Tim: yup

Bruce: but he's an evil uncle???

Tim: yup

Bruce: why did you never tell me??

Tim *blinks: it never came up. Duh.

Well, for the Drakes. I was thinking they'd be aliens as well. But even within their culture they were aloof. Like maybe as strategists but not someone with a family circle. They had no clue what to do with a child. But, their king handed them a baby with his final breath. Earth looked safe, so that's where they went.

I'm sure they were baffled by earth human customs. I imagine raising children is different on earth. They were, however, good at negotiations, so they worked their way up the social ladder, hoping to give Tim a better life (not quite princely, but close).

I really like the idea about them searching for artifacts to teach Tim about their home!!! Good idea!! I'll have to use that!

The Drakes tried, but I think they mostly threw money at Tim. New bike? Sure. Want to learn Mandarin? Why not? Want a new nanny cause the last one was rude? Of course, your highness! Immediately!

New nannies happened all the time because timbo was a brat and fired them for petty stuff as a little kid.

Kori would be a fun add-on! Maybe she offers Tim slightly wrong advice culturally.

K: -and do this! It's very important!

T: does it.

Staff: Noooooo! This is WRONG!

T and K: confused.

Tim was trained that he was a prince, but he also was taught that it was very, very unlikely that he would take the throne. (The Drakes died later)

EXACTLY! That's along the lines I was thinking, but I'm not super great at making up funny traditions yet. Lol.

You are CORRECT about Tim "not being able to change rules" and "unstable position". It makes sense for the AU.

Ridiculous subjects are in the plan!

Subject: I have brought you this gift Your Highness. *bows with jar of slime.

Tim*is concerned: it's moving?!

Subject *shocked: Of course, Highness! I would only bring you alive Grummk!

Tim: .....ok....thank you?

Damian would be fascinated and JEALOUS me thinks.

I am so vibing with the Drakes trying their best and being so clueless as well. I'd love to see a scene or two of Janet and Jack just arguing with each other as toddler Tim causes chaos in the background.

Janet: "Is he climbing the tree in the backyard?"

Jack: "Yeah. I saw an article about human kids and trees or something."

Janet: "Is he climbing the tree that the gardener sectioned off for safety?"

Jack: "Yes?"

Janet: ".... I'm sure it'll be fine."

Tim ended up with a broken arm.

I liked the court scene you had! Stuff like that would be hilarious to read ^^

Are there any differences between Tim/the Drakes and humans? It would be funny if it's something small, especially that all humans have (like the ability to taste cinnamon or something). Just traits that Tim is able to get away with by leaning into his "I was neglected by my 'parents' and thus have no clue how to do normal human things like the human I totally am." Any physical traits (like a blue birthmark) could be cool as well.

Tim, if you wanted, could also bond with Kara and Clark about being an alien raised on Earth.

I think Damian could become an advisor for Tim. That would be kind of cute to see. They could also bond about being heirs of empires that they thought they would never actually inherit.

Dick could charm/be a court performer if he wanted to do that. Alfred would definitely get his hands on the kitchen staff to ensure Tim is properly being fed. Barbara would beef up Tim's security.

Cass would probably play pranks on Tim's "army" while Steph gathered blackmail on the planet's high society (and pull pranks on the ones that pissed her off).

I don't know enough about Helena Bertinelli, but maybe she would treat it as a fun vacation to intimidate rich people?

Duke might be interested in learning more about Tim's home world and what it's like to space travel. He would also be the one to accidentally set half the castle on fire.

I don't know if you'd like your AU to have all the Bats, but there's some stuff they could do.

[dairy-farmer]

Presented to you as if I was a cat and this idea was a dead mouse:

Scent is incredibly important in the world of omegaverse. Interestingly, it is a well documented, if not necessarily well known or publicized, that pups actually have the best sense of smell of anyone in Omegaverse: and it does make a lot of sense! Sure, Alphas need to be able to pick up on what other Alphas feelings are so they don't accidentally cause a territory dispute (those should only be done intentionally), but don't necessarily need a vastly more well developed nose compared to the other two dynamics to pick out when an Omega is in heat - if they are interested, the Omega will let them know with actions as well as scent.

What this kind of thing means, very broadly speaking, is that while all dynamics have fairly good senses of smell when it comes to identifying this person or that person or picking up on some of the more strong emotions, being able to tell what someone else's dynamic is can be nigh on impossible with even a mild scent blocker... Unless you're a pup. Because it is incredibly useful, especially in the past when people weren't perhaps as civilized as they are now, to be able to tell quickly and with very high accuracy whether the person you are approaching for help was an Alpha that may be territorial or aggressive, a Beta with little 'pull' in their pack (remember, only things developed tens of thousands of years ago before society was even a thing), or an Omega who is vastly more likely to be protective and nurturing toward pups, and also hopefully has milk.

So! The point to which I am building up: Tim had been hiding that he's an Omega for whatever reason - maybe he's worried old style sexism would have prevented Bruce from letting him be Robin, or maybe he was worried about the optics of a young Omega boy hanging out with a pack of Alphas (Alfred is a beta, but outsiders generally just consider him the help so he wouldn't really count). Heck, maybe Tim just thought it was funny that he managed to hide his secondary gender from Batman... And then Damian shows up

He's small and angry and secretly scared about having a place in a pack of Alphas. Even the Beta, Timothy, is supposedly incredibly skilled and competent according to his grandfather. So Damian is ready to bite people (Dick and Jason mostly), because one thing the League taught him was that the proper response to fear and unease is violence against the thing causing that feeling. So Damian had been at the manor for a couple days, everyone is stressed and snapping at each other, when Tim finally returns from a mission/hangout with YJ. Damian is prepared to meet this final rival for his father's regard with violence, sneaking up on him when Tim is alone after being deprived of the Damian situation... Except he gets one tiny whiff of Omega and is instantly calmed. The pack Omega would never harm him or allow one of the Alphas to do so! So instead of attacking, Damian allows his footsteps to be heard -sneaking up on his new Mama wouldn't make the best impression- and as soon as he has Tim's attention he basically plastered himself against him.

Tim is shocked and confused, because everyone had been warning him about what a vicious little hellion Damian was, and here was that same pup greeting Tim for the first time with a big hug! He becomes alarmed fairly quickly though when Damian starts tugging on his shirt and making cute puppy noises asking for milk (getting an Omega to feed them is a sure fire way for a pup to quickly create an affectionate and protective bind with said Omega). Pups being able to identify dynamics regardless of scent blockers isn't a secret or anything, it just almost never comes up because most people aren't trying to hide like Tim is. So now Tim is conflicted because he wants to feed and bond with the pack pup, but he's also been lying to said pack for years and isn't sure how to explain himself.

I picture Tim convincing Damian to keep it a secret (not that Damian needed convincing: if no one else knows Tim is an Omega, there is no risk of one of the Alphas trying to take Tim's attention or get him pregnant!) and the rest of the bats are confused. Why doesn't Damian like them but seem to love Tim? (Obviously Tim is very lovable, but that's beside the point!) It can't be because he's a Beta, because Damian has been just as rude and standoffish to Alfred and Steph. Dick is particularly hurt because he's a nice person! Strangers and pups usually like him, so why doesn't the new pack pup 😫! It's not fair! Tim and Damian sleep together every night, and Dick would love a chance to cuddle his sweet beta brother Timmy and new pup brother. (and No, Dick (and Bruce and Jason) have never had any dreams or fantasies about Tim being an Omega and getting mated! Sure, they could do that anyway except alpha/beta matings can be painful for a bottom beta because they're not really meant for knots, and he/they love Timmy too much to risk hurting him. So stop asking!)

Tim and Damian's sleepovers are just a perfect excuse for Tim to get to relax and be himself and take off the scent blockers, while Damian gets a bell full of milk and cuddles from someone he knows he can trust in this new place: his new Mama would never let anything happen to him, up to and including being sent back to the League!

How do the rest of the family find out about Tim? Maybe he forgets to put his patches back on one morning, maybe Damian calls him Mama in front of them by accident... Or maybe it's after Damian presents and someone walks in on him knotting Tim for the first time, panting and growling about how it's now his turn to look after and protect his mama. The fallout is honestly not as bad as Tim had been worried about: his reasoning is considered silly but understandable so no one's really angry about that. Mostly, they're just annoyed at how much sex and knotting they've missed out on thinking they were protecting Tim! ( Damian is of course Very Unamused at having to share his Omega - he didn't have to share before, why does he have to stay now!?

a gift 🐁!!! i love this so much!!!! one thing i love about omegaverse is how the world has a direct impact on the story- pups having an incredible sense of smell would make so much sense given their needs! and damian immediately forming a connection and trying to bond with the only omega/his new mother who will make sure nothing happens to him in this den full of alphas!!

i LOVE the idea that no one figures out tim's an omega until they literally come home one day and the manor is filled with the scent of an omega very clearly getting mated and of course they do a tally and realize who is present and who is not, they realize the scent is coming from damian's room and initially think oh he's fucking a little omega and then are very quickly filled with horror because oh no damian's fucking a little omega. and that's a very BAD thing, for an alpha, even one as young and freshly presented as damian, to fuck another pack's omega without a packhead's permission that is, at best, a brawl on the front lawn sort of confrontation with the other packhead and at worst a lawsuit and damian ending up on an offender registry so damian fucking a strange omega is very bad for SO many reasons and so they burst in because if they put a stop to it they can save damian from putting himself in a very bad situation. but then they burst in and the squirming whining omega laying bellyside down on damian's bed and getting roughly mated by a panting damian is a drooling and whining tim- tim who they all thought was very much a beta!

it's just so good!!!

[glittering-moonlillie]

Do you have any random headcannon? If yes can you tell us? 🐑

Random Headcanons for the Batboys!

Yes yes yes I love this idea! Here are some random thoughts from my little noggin.

When Damian was younger, he totally would sleep in animal onesies and imitate any new animal he learned about. He totally had a capybara phase where he would dance around like one.

Tim totally recorded that as future blackmail

I have mentioned before that Damian is a bad cook, but I take that back (only partially). The only food he does know how to make are special arabic dishes that his mother taught him. So sometimes if his beloved is feeling especially tired but still wants something from home, he'll roll up his sleeves and make Kabsa!

We all know that Jason is a literature nerd so it would only make sense that he would write gay Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby fanfiction during his earlier years. No one knows about this except for maybe Alfred.

I am complete stan for nerdy Tim watching X-Files and Psych and Monk and Gravity Falls and such, and creating huge power point presentations explaining the Lebam v Mabel theory (among other such things)

Dick has won Sexiest Man of the Year a few times, perhaps before Bruce himself. The family has the magazine hung up like a museum piece.

Tim exposed Damian to video games such as Pokemon and Animal Crossing and he has been hooked ever since. I like to imagine that Damian prefers softer games like Slime Rancher and Minecraft rather than First Person Shooters or RPG's.

Any batfamily member loves to see their s/o in any of their merch. Especially the more possessive ones. They love the idea of coming home from patrol and seeing you spread out on the bed, passed out and wearing, say a specified hoodie with their branding on it. It probably turns them on, ngl

Dick and Jason really love Disney movies. They could probably cry over the sadder ones.

I want to see Tim have his own coffee brand.

[suppose-i-was-worm]

Iceberg Siren pt 6

**Here we are, lovelies, almost to the penultimate chapter! Hope you like this one!**

“Cricket?”

Danny blinked his eyes open drowsily to look at his boyfriend.

“Hm?”

Jason was propped up on his elbow on the bed, facing Danny.

“You’ve got powers, you told me you do- why don’t you use them?”

Danny blinked again, processing the question for a moment before answering.

“I do use them, though.”

He could tell by the tilting of Jason’s head that his answer wasn’t sufficient, so he thought for a moment more before elaborating.

“My voice is part of it- I cheat a little as the Siren. A friend taught me how to use my voice for mild hypnotism.”

At the other man’s look of alarm, he backtracked.

“I don’t use it for anything bad! Just to make people like me more. I’ve never used it on you, I promise.”

Jason smiled at him and reached out, cupping Danny’s face with one hand.

“I wasn’t worrying about that- does anyone else know about this?”

Danny pressed his face into Jason’s warm palm after a shake of his head.

“No, not even my boss. I only told him about the other powers.”

“Like?”

“Enhanced strength, sensing similar energy, manipulating said energy to a point- nothing I use on a regular basis.”

Nodding slowly, Jason leaned down to capture Danny’s lips in a soft kiss.

“Thank you for telling me.”

His murmur was low against Danny’s lips, and Danny couldn’t help but kiss him again. No, that wasn’t guilt roiling in his gut like some many tentacled beast. He didn’t use his extended powers on a regular basis, and he wasn’t planning on it any time soon.

~~~

Duke was confused. Bruce had insisted that the entire family be at dinner- the first strange thing.

Second? Dick and Stephanie seemed to be conspiring with Tim. Tim, who looked more tired than usual (a true accomplishment) and in a foul mood. Damian looked mildly perturbed, and Cass was signing too quickly at Babs for Duke to translate.

They were all milling about in the main foyer, right up until Bruce walked down from his office.

“Thank you all for coming- Jason and his guest are pulling up in the drive. Please make your way to the dining room so we don’t scare them off too soon.”

Oh. This was about Jason’s boyfriend. Duke dutifully made his way to his seat in the dining room, but he watched the double doors closely even as the others filed in.

He heard Alfred open the main door and watched as Jason stepped through into the dining room, and then another man walked in, lighting up the room. Literally. Duke had to close his eyes and fish around in his pocket for his emergency sunglasses.

When he finally had them on, he found the whole family plus newcomer looking at him in concern.

“Dude, you’re like, super bright.”

The Boyfriend laughed self-consciously.

“Sorry about that, it’s in my blood.”

A meta, okay.

“I get that. Just don’t sit right across from me.”

Duke grinned to show he meant his statement as a joke, and Brighter Than The Fucking Sun grinned back.

Jason picked Tim up by his shoulders and put him in the seat across from Duke, and then sat down in Tim’s spot, leaving the spot across from Babs empty for his companion.

“Guys, this is Danny. Danny, these are the Waynes. None of us bite.”

Danny laughed and nudged Jason with his elbow like Jason had made a joke, and then the family dinner commenced.

For all that Duke would have to wear sunglasses around Danny, he seemed to fit in pretty well!

~~~

Dani floated above Robin’s head, her long dark ponytail dangling just barely tickling his nose.

The young vigilante’s brow was wrinkled, but otherwise he didn’t react to her messing with him. That was the best part about Robin, he was like Danny in that he just let Dani do what she pleased and didn’t react to anything.

“But Rob, I’m booooored.”

“No, Phantom, we cannot go out and look for your brother. That would require civilian gear, and I am not permitted to reveal my face.”

“But I can reveal mine, and then you can help me look! Superboy says you bats are good with computers, right? You could do like, an image search or something!”

“Genetically, unless you and your brother are identical twins, your face will not match his closely enough for an image search.”

Dani grimaced. She didn’t really want to reveal to anyone else that she was a clone, but she really missed her original.

“What name do you think he would be going by, Phantom?”

“Like I told Green Arrow, his name is my name too. If he’s out as a hero, he’s out as Phantom.”

“No other heroes under the name Phantom have been reported, Phantom.”

Dani sighed and flipped over, gravity taking hold and flipping even more of her ponytail in Robin’s face.

“I just can’t imagine why he hasn’t set up as a hero. I miss my brother, Rob.”

“I am sure he misses you as well. If you could give us a name, we would have more success in finding him.”

She shrugged and floated away, flipping over in the air and landing on her feet.

“If he’s here, he’ll hear me, and I don’t want to pull him away from whatever life he’s made for himself in this dimension. He deserves happiness, and me being around might come in the way of that.”

“But you miss him?”

“He’s the only person I have left from home.”

~~~

Bruce sat at the Watchtower computers with Diana and Clark, watching the numbers flash across the screen.

“So, this means that there’s something powerful on the way?”

Bruce nodded shortly at Diana, frowning beneath the cowl.

“Cyborg has reported that the energy fluctuations have been going on for several months now, and indicate a powerful individual either already in our dimension or on their way. We cannot let out guards down.”

“Has Justice League Dark spoken with the new Teen Titans member? She claimed to be from another dimension, is it her?”

“Clark, she’s a child. Despite the fact that she doesn’t like you, no- there is no evidence that she has the power level that this new possible threat contains.”

“She’s a child with unknown origins and suspicious opinions on clones.”

Diana smacked Clark across the back of the head so Bruce didn’t have to.

All three of them had met Phantom, and only Clark seemed to disapprove of the girl.

“She seems very fond of her teammates. I am firmly of the belief that she would not betray them.”

“We can’t assume the best of everyone, Bruce.”

“Nor can we assume the worst, Superman. Phantom is no danger to us.”

“If you boys could stop squabbling, we have better things to think about.”

~~~

Jason watched as the morning sunrise filtered through the blinds, illuminating Danny’s face as he lay sleeping peacefully on his bed. They had talked about moving in together, but hadn’t made concrete plans yet.

It was probably Jason’s own hesitation and the little secret he was keeping that kept them from making those plans.

Danny’s skin glowed in the light, pale and ethereal. Jason would call him translucent almost.

With gentle fingers, he traced the scars that trailed down his boyfriend’s chest, a harsh pucker of imperfection on otherwise flawless skin.

Danny hadn’t told him what cause him to be dissected, and Jason wasn’t about to ask when his boyfriend was so careful about keeping his scars covered when he was awake. They’d been dating for a while now and only in the last few days had the other man stopped wearing a shirt all the time they were together.

It broke Jason’s heart that the man he loved so much had so much pain in his past- he would talk lovingly of sisters and best friends, but never of his parents, and it seemed he was even more reluctant to discuss the lab accident that gave him his powers.

His League communicator beeped, and he let out a heaving sigh. He hated to leave when Danny was still asleep, but he knew that the JL wouldn’t call him unless it was an emergency. At least his boyfriend wouldn’t be lonely- he was petsitting for his neighbor for a few days.

Jason leaned down to kiss Danny’s forehead and then he made his way out of the apartment through the window, putting his helmet on as he left.

Time to save the world again.

[northoftheroad]

I know I just gave you an ask and you must be super busy, but what do you think abt Dickory vs Dickbabs?? Personally, I think Dickory is way better but in Tom Taylor’s run and the current runs, Dickbabs is the main ship. Anyways, I just wanted your opinion on it :D

Also thoughts on Tom Taylor’s run? I thought about it and I kinda have mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s great for fanservice and has some super cute and funny moments. On the other hand, the characters and their relationships are kinda one dimensional. Thoughts?? Take your time and thanks if you answer! <3

Hi, As I've said before (and I'm going to quote myself from older posts here quite a lot, if you happen to come across them 😉 ), I'm fine with both pairings as long as it's well written. I guess a lot of fans lean towards preferring what they grew up with and such like. I'm old enough to have started reading Batman when the idea of another Robin than Dick Grayson was ludicrous, and read the NTT in my slightly older teens. So I definitely have a nostalgic feeling for Dick/Kory.

I think they worked well because they were so different; they each learned from the other and grew as people. Being with Kory helped Dick become more emotionally open after some ten years of growing up with Bruce and Alfred. In NTT # 26, he talks about how he is too introspective and that Batman taught him to be guided by his head, not his heart. And in turn, I'd say Kory learned not always to be ruled by her emotions, and Dick helped to ground her on Earth. They had their fair share of problems, one obstacle was their different approach to relationships and sex. While Starfire is fine with being married to another guy, for reasons of state, but live with Dick, it takes Dick quite some time to come to terms with that he loves Kory enough to get over that. Dick and Kory were one of the most stable and loving couples in DC for over ten years. Now, in superhero comics, writers and/or editoral make the rules. There were plans to let them get married, but as far as I remember a change of editorial led to that being scrapped. We got Dick being raped by Mirage instead, and eventually, the couple split up. Disregarding that, I think you could very well see them growing apart. They were young when they started dating. I guess they were a couple for two-three years? At that age, it's not unreasonable to think they developed in ways that made them decide to go their separate ways.

If Dick and Kory were good because they were poles apart, I'd say Dick and Barbara are more alike. They have both worked with Batman; they are originally street-level detectives and athletes; they are used to work in similar ways. I could see them as a slightly more mature couple than Dick and Kory, being more in sync and relaxed with each other because they have similar backgrounds and shared experiences. (Which, of course, could make them a more boring couple in fiction…) I'm not a fan of the retcon that they've been friends since school, but they did work occasionally together as youngsters, so it can still make sense to write them as really good friends, imo. I honestly think Dick and Kory have been written as a good couple more than Dick and Barbara. Maybe things had been different if Devin Grayson had got the chance to tie up her long arc with Dick in Nightwing vol 2. Not that I think her run was without its problems, but it would presumably have been better if she had got the opportunity to finish what she started. The ending (or rather the absence of a decent ending) of her run, and the fact that the first Nightwing stories after Infinite Crisis were downright cringeworthy, has soured my impression of her writing of Dick/Babs. So I guess editorial decisions have ruined both Dick's most important relationships…?

I don't know if you're new to the debate about Dick/Kory vs. Dick/Barbara? Because it's sometimes a heated discussion, with people claiming he doesn't deserve either of them, he mistreated one or the other etc.

(Here's what Barbara herself had to say about Dick, by the way. In Birds of Prey # 71. By Gail Simone, art Ron Adrian and Rob Lea.)

I can definitely work myself up too much about fictional characters myself, but there are a few things I try to keep in mind… Fictional characters have no agency. Creators and editoral use them to tell stories (and sell stuff…). Don't get angry at fictional characters or, even worse, real people who love them. Also, reading comics is a lot about filling in the blanks between panels, and different readers can put a book down with very different pictures of what has happened. You can absolutely find examples where Dick has been written as behaving badly against both of them. Sometimes, it's a reasonable part of the writer's long game, sometimes it actually is bad and out-of-character writing. (And if you look, you can find examples where the women have been written as behaving badly against Dick too.)

Honestly, the most important thing for me when it comes to Dick and relationships is that he takes them very seriously indeed. Dick has not had a lot of one-night stands and is on record as saying he's not comfortable with casual sex. When he had one with Helena/Huntress, he wanted to talk about starting a relationship just because of that. When he (fake) married a girl to try to expose her as a murderer, he still avoided to sleep with her, and then he offered to stay with her when the case was closed, because he felt bad for deceiving her. Outside the blasted annual, I don't know of any time he was written as (knowingly) having sex with someone while he's in a relationship with another. Girls tend to break up with him, not the other way around. I'm sure other people have different ideas, and it can vary between writers and eras, but I think you can read Dick as someone who likes to be in a relationship, to be intimate with someone – but who's not into casual sex.

When it comes to Tom Taylor's run, I pretty much agree with you. I don't hate it, as some people seem to do, but I think the art has been the best part. It's mostly been pretty meh, TT has at several times spoken about how Nightwing is an A-lister among DC superheroes, but I don't think he shows it. And here and there he produces some really nice panels/pages (sometimes it's up to debate whether the characters are out of character or not). We're heading towards the end of his and Bruno Redondon's run and they've hinted he's going to stop being Nightwing. As if we need a third period of Dick not being Nightwing in ten years… 🙄 The best writer of Nightwing vol 4 was Sam Humphries, in my opinion. Unfortunately, it was very short.

Ok, this post has definitely gone on long enough... but if you want to go deeper into the rabbit hole, here are some earlier posts.

[olympeline]

Would you want to say more about omega Arthur and how he presents as an omega? I like both alpha and omega Arthur but as an omega I think of him as the more rebellious type who doesn’t want to be forced into that typical omega role. 🤔

Oh and maybe tell us about his potential alphas and their relationship if you want to? 👀

Would I like to talk more about omegaverse Arthur? The answer to that question is always and forever: yes, yes I would love to 👀

To me, Arthur is one of the most fun characters to headcanon as an omega. It works in any setting but for simplicity’s sake, I’ll stick with the canon Hetalia verse.

National personifications are born from their people and reflect the societal attitudes of the time. Make it omegaverse and why would second sex be any different. Every country would want their nation-person to be an alpha because they’re seen as being the best. The strongest, the most powerful, the natural leaders, etc. Being part of a nation with an alpha personification is something to be proud of. In contrast, a nation-person presenting as omega would be shameful. An ill wind, a bad omen, a portent of hard times ahead, all that good bad stuff. Betas would be in the middle: not as good as alphas, not as bad as omegas. There would probably be a shared attitude that alpha nation-people mean empires, omega nation-people mean getting stepped on by empires. It’s not actually true - there’s no link between how strong a nation is and which second sex their personification has - but people believe it anyway. They wouldn’t stop believing it until omegas started getting equal rights. Something I headcanon as only happening in modern times, but that’s another story.

So, that’s where my interpretation of Arthur comes in. He’s always struck me as a character with a huge thirst to prove himself, which makes sense if you look at England’s history. Specifically if you stretch it back to the pre-Roman era. Extreme oversimplification here, but England/the British Empire is kind of the opposite of what happened to the Roman Empire/Italy. A nation that started out in ancient times as Europe’s punching bag, but then went on to become a great power. Which fits so well with the trope of an omega hiding their true nature to stop it being a hindrance to their rise. They’ve come out into the world, teeth bared and fists swinging, and are determined no one is going to put them back down again.

Arthur wants to be great. He wants to be strong like the nations who used to rule him. He wants to be an empire. He’s been raised to believe omegas aren’t empires. Been taught that what he is is shameful and a hindrance for his people. So Arthur, ever ruthlessly practical, decides if being an omega is such a problem then he simply won’t be one. I said he might try to fake being an alpha for clout in my other post, but I actually tend to headcanon him as an omega who fakes being a beta. I’m not sure Arthur could pull off alpha and make it believable. Even in canon he’s described as being “slight” and alphas are tall and larger framed. Think Ivan or Alfred. Arthur isn’t built like them and he wouldn’t want to arouse more suspicion than he had to. So he grudgingly settles on faking a beta identity even though he would have preferred alpha. Better to fake being second rate and not get caught than to try for first and risk being outed as third, you know?

He gets away with it because he presented late. That slim frame came from a childhood of high stress where there often wasn’t enough to eat. Arthur got his first heat way past when he should have. Everyone had already accepted him as a beta, so it was easy to hush up his true nature. After that he just maintained the illusion. Until some handsome alpha catches him out during a surprise heat and all the steamy sex happens because yes please give it to me I will never get tired of this trope shut up and take my money

So, to sum up my thoughts: omegaverse Arthur wanted to be an alpha, thought he was a beta, only to eventually present as an omega. World prejudice against omegas made him decide to keep faking a beta identity. Both to avoid disappointing his people and to make the international community take him seriously as a potential world power.

There you have it. I hope this was entertaining to read because I love rambling about this stuff. Oh, and if you’re wondering about what happens with Arthur’s future mate, about his interactions with the alphas in his life, about when his true second sex would eventually be revealed to the world, about the resulting fallout from it, etc. my answer is: I think I’ll save those questions for their own post because this one is getting too long. 😉

[aphicelend]

Misaki Shirayama

26 y.o | 1.52 cm | Japanese | April 4th | Aries

(APH) Human | City Ver. | Colorful AU | BOX AU

Tags: #Art/HC tag | #Posts related to her

Wanted to do a profile for her here 💦 Misaki has been one of my fave oc's since 2012 and i'm having fun drawing her a lot again, and I love to put her in my other oc's stories 💃 so here's info of her hetalia AU(?

i wrote everything in spanish and im lazy to translate it properly so, google translator yay

| Personality

Introverted | Temperamental | Stubborn | Agressive | Kind | Caring

Misaki is a young woman with a fiery personality, she has little patience for stupidity. She is a hard worker, and likes to put effort into what she likes. She is also stubborn when it comes to opinions if it is not her way she will not do it, she tends to violence when someone bothers her. Her pride is something precious to her.

Despite this, when she gets upset she needs her time to calm down and then apologize. Even so, Misaki is a girl who cares about others, her way of showing her appreciation is through actions, especially cooking.

Socially inept, having lived surrounded by “nations” Misaki behaves awkwardly with other humans, for some reason she always feels distant and finds it difficult to understand them.

Having grown up with nations, Misaki did not develop “parental affection” or someone to consult her problems with, because she considered that Japan would not fully understand her.

He usually feels a constant feeling of loneliness, his heart is a hard shell that makes it difficult for him to let in emotions like love.

| BACKGROUND (Hetalia AU)

Strip about her background

In this AU, Misaki was raised by Japan who took care over her as she was abandonated. Her childhood was kinda chaotic, surrounded by nations of course she didn't grow like other kids, she felt distanced.

Japan tried his best to give her a normal life, of course he wasn't used to raise a kid. Misaki always wondered why did he took her? He felt lonely? She would never know.

She always had a sense of loneliness, a feeling of she doesn't belong where she is. Mother? Father? What's that, she only had "weird uncles"

Misaki was very problematic at school, her classmates teased her a lot and she answered back with violence.

Through her adolescence, she kinda developed a crush on Yao, and she was rejected, of course, the man only saw her as a little sister.

More about it here.

Time heals, she tried to moved on. On Uni, she meet a guy named Kazuo, they clicked and became a couple, Misaki thought that finally had someone who cared for her deeply, but no. The guy cheated on her. That was the point that made her close herself.

-> She lives alone in an old traditional house that Japan left for her, she works as botanic in a national park in Kyoto.

| Interests and facts

She LOVES gardering and plants. She has a traditional garden on her house and it's her first priority.

She's very good at cooking, Japan and China taught her very well.

Also Romano as shared with her some italian recipes so she could "learn something good"

Her way to show love is giving you food.

Her dream is to open her own restaurant.

One of her interests are kimonos, she likes to make her own

Favorite station is autumn, she loves when trees go orange.

Loves cats, and bunnies, loves cute things.

She likes minimalist clothing, plain clothes or stripped patterns

Her face may look annoyed but she's kind, and gets along better with girls.

She has been mistaken for a minor

Does she feel something for Alfred?? who knows.

She's just afraid to someone break into her heart and get too attatched.

| RELATIONSHIPS

I made this chart

| Music

Mostly vocaloid because i'm a weeb

Balsam / Misaki - About her loneliness

The Beast / Misaki - Her fear to open her heart

I'm glad you're evil too / Misaki - Her wish to find someone

Girl Pilot / MisAme - Their dynamic, Alfred trying to reach her but he can't

I can't stop the loneliness / Misaki - the song says it all lol, maybe her fear that its too late?

Hammer Song And The Tower Of Pain / Misaki - Pushing everyone away it's the best

MAD HEAD LOVE / MisAme - Their dynamic, they're idiots.

----

If you got this far here's some old misaki drawings, old hetalia? ocs? she used to have friends and now she's DEPRESSED.

2012 | 2014

[pinkflipphonez]

Hello! Really love your content so far and it makes me so incredibly happy seeing more people reimagining Alfred and Matthew as nonwhite compared to it being controversial 8years ago.

Ever since I joined the fandom I always had the (at the time) unpopular opinion that the NA bros were from mixed heritages (White/Indigenous), which as an American non-white Latino with Indigenous roots made the most sense to me especially considering that even in the manga they don't really represent the government, but the people themselves and both countries (especially the US) are so diverse it absolutely baffled me that they were just plain white boys. I always imagined them being mixed, but never quite fitting in with either groups.

I am sorry if I overstep on this next bit, please feel free to correct me on anything I say, I've just had a long time to think about this and how other countries would react, which is gonna put England/France into a bad light but...they were straight up horrific to the Natives. Even France.

I know you mentioned how in Hetalia, the personifications get along with their overseers/colonizers and that they wouldn't be okay with this, and I think I may have to *slightly* disagree.

I think when it comes to Nations and how they view their fellow personifications, how they look won't matter as much compared to how they act or culture wise. I can see that while the two heavily resemble Native features, when they were taken in by their colonizers they were raised to hold to those same European values that still do plague the country today. I can imagine Arthur making sure that Alfred ignores his Indigenous roots and that he's raised as a proper British colony, speaking and writing in English only, being raised as a proper Christian etc. Forced to assimilate, which has been done to so many people that come from different cultures from the time America was colonized to even now in some places. They may not look completely white, but by god will he makes sure they act like they do.

I don't think he would have ever been okay with his people being killed, tortured, having their cultures and languages erased or even enslaved, because he does not represent the cruel ideas the government has, but the people itself...which also do include the people that *ARE* okay with this. A constant battle Alfred has to deal with, which ends up with him making not the best choices.

Things aren't perfect even today, there's still so many issues that's happening where Indigenous folks are still fighting for basic rights to water, working roads, etc. But at the current time, more Americans these days (especially the much younger generations that were taught/look up about the atrocities that our government has committed, especially now that the Native voices have platforms to speak on), are much more aware. I see the brothers trying to reclaim their roots, and start what will be centuries long reparations on what their people have done to the Indigenous community. Which honestly, reconnecting with cultures after being forced to assimilate to American culture is something big thats happening here all across the United States with Latino-Americans embracing their heritage, African-Americans who were descendents of those stolen from their homeland reconnecting with their culture, Indigenous people bringing their languages and foods back to light.

It's honestly just a very difficult journey I think they would have as they have to deal with Nationhood, but forgetting who they came from and having to give themselves up to a certain group. Again, never fitting in completely with one or the other.

Again, I'm so incredibly sorry if this is overstepping in anyway or if some things don't make sense. It's such a complicated subject that really can't be summed up super easily and I did want to go longer but I felt like this was long enough already @_@

Firstly, you are not overstepping in the slightest! I am legitimately so content and kind of misty-eyed to see so many other native fans of the show both interact within the fandom and give their own interpretation on both canon and OC characters. It was never this wholesome and community-oriented when I first joined the fandom and I'm glad I stuck around to see the tide change.

Secondly, your interpretation of France and England's involvement in Canada and America's assimilation is... very accurate, and while it's something I've fought about with myself in my plotting of Alfred's life (because I don't want to hate them lol), they most definitely did have a hand in his disconnection. However, as much as I agree they are influenced by both their natives and settlers, I do think they very much hold their own reservations and opinions on the social climate around them as any individual human being would.

While American society and most American presidents were anti-indigenous and pro-slavery, there were also vigilant indigenous activists and abolitionists; there were men and women who defended and engrained themselves with native communities and there were men and women who fought mercilessly to free enslaved people. I believe Alfred was one of those people. Alfred noticed the wrong within the society around him and despised it-- but alongside his overseers and the people surrounding him, his thought process was in the minority.

I don't see Alfred participating in the genocide, assimilation, or enslavement of indigenous or Black people-- and it is not because I wish to sanitize this true history, but because I earnestly do not see Alfred being so cruel (as he was someone who also thought himself a better person than his brutal fatherly figure). I do think he did try to feel indifferent most of the time to... well, assimilate, but I also like to think he was infuriated, enraged, while at the same time having convictions on where his help is best suited as a native man with the privileges and appearance of a white man (I hc that he very consciously slaughtered slave-owners and triple k members, especially during the civil war, but I realize that may be a heavy hc to have).

I appreciate you bringing up the increase of younger folks in America beginning their decolonization/reconnection journeys because that is absolutely what I feel Al and Matt are going through actively, but I like to think they began their reconnection journey much earlier, during the rise of AIM in the 1970s. I see them being the biggest activists for all their native communities and they help in every possible way they can. Not only because they want to reconnect and amend their mistakes, but because they altruistically care for their people.

Their hobbies absolutely include remodeling the homes of elders and delivering food to them. They are very much for the landback movement and will call out anti-indigenous sentiment without hesitation. I also think Alfred separates himself from his governmental supervisors in current day and will challenge them now compared to when he stayed relatively compliant as a young nation.

I still have SO MANY theories about Alfred and Matt's origins and experiences with assimilation that I am working out, but I want to carefully plot it all out so as to not trivialize legitimate indigenous trauma, especially as a reconnector. All I can say is that if the land I stand on had a personification, it would be an indigenous being, no question.

[dragon-chica]

This is literally my first tumblr ask lol…but in response to your one-word, one-character prompt thing, I was thinking Jason Todd and Hunger? Have a good day (or night)!

Welcome to tumblr! I'm writing this at 2:57am, all these blurbs are going differently than I intended.

If it was possibly for food to be a 'Love Language', it was Jason's.

It might sound silly, but food and love have always played a big part in Jason's view of 'care'. There's something that deeply stuck with him, the times that food and being cared for have overlapped in his life.

He'd heard a lot lately about 'Love Languages'. Dick talked about them, he'd overheard others, you'd taken to trying to guess about people's preferences on occasion, Jason didn't really understand to give too much input on that.

You'd explained the concept to him, and for some reason when you talked about 'receiving language' the first thing he thought of and understood, was food.

Jason knew hunger. As a child, it was a constant feeling he could never quite get enough to escape. Even on the rare occasion he could find himself with a full belly, the knowledge it wouldn't last left him with a lingering hunger.

When he told Batman he was going to sell the Batmobile's tires for food, Bruce, in full gear, went into Bat Burger and bought him a meal right then. When he saw how fast Jason scarfed down the food, trying to get the last crispy bits of fries, Bruce went back to the counter and bought him another.

When Alfred called him in for dinner, every night, Jason couldn't believe it. And was there on time every evening after. 'Finally, someone who appreciates my work.' the words were pointed at Bruce, barely shuffling to the table, but Jason keened at the praise and Alfred had a very genuine smile for the boy.

The moment Alfred said yes to teaching Jason how to cook, he had shouted in glee, jumping up and hugging the old man around his waist, and became a very diligent protégée in the kitchen.

Those were some of the best memories he had, it always felt. Warm. Learning and being taught patiently, being told he did well and proudly (nervously) presenting the food to Bruce afterwards.

He'd cooked for his friends, teammates, before. And they all were impressed and sometimes (Roy) pleading for more. (Even something 'simple' by his Alfred-taught standards, and he scoffed at their surprise.) He felt that same warmth when he fed them too.

Jason wasn't nervous the first time he cooked for you, but he couldn't help but preen at how your eyes lit up tasting the dinner he made you, and be sure to tell Alfred 'Thank you' for walking him through the recipe he knew by heart one last time.

There's always been a distinct feeling of 'care' associated with food for Jason. Whether it's quick takeout eating on the couch leaning end to end and your legs entangled with his, or the slow nights of cooking dinner with you (though mostly him, he insists) in a warmly lit kitchen with smells that fill you with a sense of warmth, and often attract other acquaintances crashing in to get their own meal, because Jason always makes enough to offer.

[josnhoes]

What about Duke, Jason and Barbra around knak mc?

Duke takes his job as the family braincell seriously. Look he knows technically speaking Tim is the smartest. But he was the one in the family with common sense...aside Alfred obviously... so obviously *he* had the brain cell.

Well that's how he sees it.

His time with reader is spent with him take the role of fun but safe big brother. He takes you to age appropriate activities and enjoys them as much as you. (He snuck you to the zoo once. Sneaking because otherwise Damien would want to come and he wanted one on one time!)

As responsible as he sounds on paper he is still young so he doesn't plan for things like snacks or things to keep you occupied during car drives. He's not used to being around 6-8yr Olds. He isn't bad he just doesn't have the full bordering dad/mom/parent brain going.

Jason is the cool brother who borders uncle that parents *don't* want you to be around. Which just makes you want to be around him more. Well that's the energy he has. Actually he's fairly responsible. Makes sure you eat, keeps you safe, other then that he let's you do what you want. With him watching over you though.

Absolutely teaches you to fire a gun and how to steal from people. Just don't tell Bruce. Might even get you a custom small gun in your aesthetic.

Not just scary dog privileges, you get Feral scary dog privileges. He never *ever* wants you to suffer like he has. If the Joker even sniffs around you he will absolutely kill him. Sure he's trying to make good with Bruce again, be better. But your safety is more important.

And obviously as yanderes the batclan would see his point, and while they scold him lightly they'd actually get over it.

Barbra always enjoys when more girls are added to the family and you're just so cute! Likes to teach you about her role as oracle low key hoping you'll pick up the mantle someday. It'd be much safer then you going onto the field. *If* anyone would even let you.

You're kind of her little flying monkey. You help her find blackmail...I mean cute family memories to save.

Very happy to help nurture your hobbies and help with any class work. Though she will admit you rarely need her help with your normal class work. Such a smart baby sister!

Is the most concerned for your mental state. Because she looked you up and there was no adult with your name where you claimed to be from. So obviously you were never an adult. It leads her to wonder where you got that idea. Is it some sort of mental block you use to protect yourself? Something you were taught so your parents could just have you taking care of yourself? Why did they think you needed to understand taxes? Regardless it's signs you had a neglectful family so she and the family will just have to step up so you can be a kid again!

[khneltea]

Harmonies of the Multiverse

THEME

When Jupiter collides with autumn, a single moment is born between two entities. Equal harmonies with balance, dancing along a fine line of too far and too near, of brightest and dimmest, of perfect alignment. People say that on an equinox, the sky divides into two parts, golden light and silver darkness.

For Damian Wayne, it meant heading to the rooftop instead of sleeping peacefully in his bed, staring at the sky, but not seeing anything. His eyes would remain blank as they stared up at the twinkling stars almost covered by the rancid smog. He learned at too young of an age that life was not about myths and fairytales, but of monsters in the form of flesh and bone which held their smiles on their face and their daggers in your back.

The equinox meant facing the demons of his past.

He always knew he was never the best person. He wouldn't ever be as selfless as Dick, he wouldn't be as level-headed as Tim, or even as passionate as Jason. He wouldn't have his father's ingrained need to help the dying cesspool they lived in, and he would never have Alfred's heaven-bound level of patience. There would always be that selfish, rash, cold-hearted, narcissistic, impatient prince lying inside of him, waiting to rear its foul head. It surfaced every second he held a blade in his hand, at every mob member terrorizing innocents and criminals alike, every abuser, every villain. A voice inside him purred to rid the world of their filth, of their moral grime. And every single time, it grew louder and louder and louder and louder.

Each time a criminal escaped through his grasp was another chip in his fortitude.

Each time an innocent civilian broke a smile at him, only to die minutes later from an explosion was a stab in the wall between morally good and vengeance.

For every stabbing heart, for every gutless cry of a mother who lost their child.

Wouldn't it be so much easier to erase them before they could commit such barbarisms?

The cold kissed his cheeks, so much like a viper's poison, and he shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. Ah, she's still inside my head.

Maybe symphonies are built on a beautiful melody. However, the melody would never work if they worked on different concepts. The one his father blasted into his mind was a righteous march, darker in tone than most melodies, but an overarching victory for Good reigned. It taught him patience, morals, ethics, light against darkness.

But, his mother taught him the cellist's devil nature. The darker tones, the echoing, vibrating puppet master giving the audience the illusion that the melody is in control, but in reality, all the melody can do is fall victim to the villainous, tragic whirlpool of misery, murder, and fascist brutality. She placed the blade in his hand, had him earn her love through feats of glorious atrocities, built him up from the ground up into the perfect weapon, too jagged and unpredictable to be used for Good, but whittled down, rusted and corrupted for far too long to be remolded into something useful.

Now, he didn't know where he belonged. Did his melody rise above the dark cello nurtured in him? Or will the melody drown under the alluring, tempest bass driven through his heart, buried deeper than the center of the Earth?

The wind, maybe sensing his demise, could do nothing but blow harder to calm his feverish head filled with questions he could not answer. The somber cold stung the sweet chapped lips all too used to the desert's ice and fire of his childhood, but it stung more bitterly as the North Atlantic ocean blew in the new change in season. Gotham was an outlier. A ghost town of improbabilities and plausibility all clashed together to create a cesspool of madness, hate, and impossibilities.

He wondered why his father, or his ancestors before him, would ever want to stay in a city like this for the rest of their rich, detached lives. Why they would ever choose to spend their lives in this miserable landfill, giving what they have to make the ever-draining city a better place. Why they gaze at the buildings and streets with fond gazes. Why they find it so easy to smile at a Gotham native without feeling like they will get a knife's edge poking their sternum the moment they show their backs.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he cursed God that he was not given this ingrained sense of belonging and mercy to Gotham like all of his family before him.

Pages rustled on in the breeze, and, by miraculous luck, the cover tipped open. Blue light shone through the darkness beyond his closed eyelids, but he did not notice beyond the salty river squeezing through the crevice.

"S'il te plaît, ne me dis pas que tu pleures." Please, don't tell me you're crying. Soft French carried over the quiet din. "I never know what to do when you are crying."

He pried his eyes open, and a vision filled his eyes. A girl, no older than he was, but with a more youthful smile cracked in sorrow, dressed in a midnight blue evening gown glowing in the darkness, blowing in the wind to its own rhythm as it reflected the stars ten times brighter than Gotham Fair's lights. She floated over the torn book of ancient Tibetan magic he brought with him that night, just like he did every solstice, her legs crossed underneath her in an informal squat. Cheeks blossomed like dusky luminescent wisteria, and constellations made of stars brighter than Rigel lost across the bridge of her nose. Her blue crown of hair burned a halo around her, framing bluebell eyes that looked older than a thousand of his lifetimes staring deep into his own green eyes.

The only word he could say was, "Marinette."

Her grin made his heart's symphony subito pianissimo. "Hi, Damian. Happy Autumn Solstice."

================

not me wanting to make this a full fic ;v; (hence the chapter title "theme")

for @jumpingjoy82 for the maribat gift exchange 2022 (i posted on time on archive, just not on tumblr ;v;)

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

Review of Seven Kings Must Die

I feel like people are going to have mixed feelings towards this film, however I really liked it and I think it did a good job within the constraints it had. Could it have been better as a whole season? Probably. But I think it was still a fitting way to end TLK.

Overall an 8.5/10 from me. I have written a very detailed review (lots of spoilers!!!!) under the cut. It is perhaps too detailed - I got carried away lol.

First things first, I loved the opening credits with the extended title sequence. Loved that it incorporated the original title art alongside movie specific sequences. Also the fact that the music started off different and then went into the iconic TLK theme was great, signalling that the film is both it's own thing and part of the TLK story. I have always loved the way they use the titles as a storytelling device, like how they changed it for season 5 to make Northumbria the 'last kingdom' rather than Wessex, so I thought changing it to have the burning start in Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man etc where the 'kings' in the film were from was really effective. Maybe it's the nerd in me, but I love these kind of details.

Finan doing the voice over was interesting as we've never had anyone else but Uhtred do the narration. It gave a different perspective from what we usually get which was cool. I also like to think that this was Finan telling the story of how Uhtred made England happen after Uhtred's death (I know it was left opened ended, but I personally think Uhtred did go to Valhalla at the end) which is cool as Uhtred always said he would live on in the songs his men will tell of him (thinking about his dialogue with Alfred in 3.09).

I was fine with Ingrith having the 'prophesy'. Yes it kind of came out of nowhere but it didn't really matter - by that I mean if she had not had the vision nothing would have changed, Uhtred was not acting on her advice or took real heed of it, in fact he shrugged it off. Having the prophesy gave us extra intrigue and the twist that 'the woman you love' was directed at Finan and she was the one to die was surprising and I thought well done. I did like that it was the sons of kings that died rather than the kings themselves, especially after the kings talked about how having an heir meant their kingdoms would live on.

In terms of the new characters, I cannot say they were particularly memorable (with the exception of Ingilmundr who I will talk about later). We did not get much of a chance to get to know them which is to be expected due to time constraints. I personally didn't mind this as I think most movies have a similar problem so I am used to it. I think the kings served their role for the plot and I was fine with not knowing much about them. Same for the Danes, they served their purpose plot wise. It would have been nice to have a bit more focus on Astrid (the Dane's daughter who spied on the Saxons) but I'm not that fussed about it.

Onto Ingilmundr - I thought he was an excellent antagonist. He was everything Aethelhelm was trying to be. I think with Aethelhelm in season 5, he felt a bit too much like a comic book villain to me, I kept expecting him to break out into cackles of evil laughter. But Ingilmundr felt more real and I thought the actor's performance was very good. He was manipulative without being too obvious. I also liked how he was the opposite of Uhtred - born Dane, taught Saxon ways and eventually betraying them for the people of his birth (just like how Uhtred was born Saxon, grew up Dane, but in the end chose to serve Saxon kings).

I was pleased that they gave Aethelstan a male lover as I believe it's referenced in the books (I have not read them personally) and I didn't know if Netflix had the balls to do it. I think it added to the manipulation and helped to explain why Aethelstan was so easily influenced by him (as I feel like Aethelstan genuinely cared for/loved him). It also makes the sense of betrayal on Aethelstan's part greater and I thought that was portrayed well.

In terms of Aethelstan in general, I think the writer's did a good job building him up to be the antagonist in the beginning third of the film. Him killing his brother in cold blood after the surrender clearly signalled he'd changed from who we met in season 5 and showed how Ingilmundr influenced him. Killing Aldhelm really shocked me and made me SOB (especially how he went calmly and accepted his fate). As much as I hated to see Aldhelm die as he had grown to become one of my favourite characters over the course of the series, I think his death was effective. It showed that Aethelstan had gone mad from paranoia and how lost he rally was, both to the audience and the characters - it's only when Uhtred sees Aldhelm's body does he realise what Aethelstan is capable of and realises he isn't the young man he had raised.

The change from Aethelstan being an antagonist to siding with Uhtred was a little abrupt and could have been done better over the course of a whole season, but I still thought it worked. Harry Gilby did a good job with the scenes he had, from the denial when Uhtred first tells him of Ingilmundr's betrayal to the acceptance and guilt when he discovers the truth.

The attack on Bebbanburg and the killing of Ingrith and the rest of the people was gut wrenching but thinking about it in hindsight I wonder what purpose it served? They would have still gone to look for their sons regardless. I guess it made Uhtred feel totally defeated and maybe alerted them to the immediate danger but I feel like it wasn't necessary. Ingrith's death destroyed me, mainly because of Mark's acting - that man knows how to sell an emotional scene! His scream and the sobbing was soul destroying. However, what really took me out of this moment was wondering where the hell Sihtric's wife and kids are? I guess they no longer exist?

There were lots of characters that were absent without explanation. This always happens when a series with a whole range of characters developed over many seasons have to condense down into a two hour film - it happened with Downton Abbey, although I feel like the writers of the Downton movie at least gave missing characters reasons for not being there. I didn't care so much about Hild or Eadith as much as I love them as I don't see what role they would have played in the plot anyway, but I feel like they should have at least explained Stiorra's absence as it feels odd she didn't come to Uhtred/Bebbanburg's aid if she had been able to.

I liked the introduction of Osbert and Edmund, although we didn't get much of them. I don't think there was time in the movie to address the whole 'Uhtred abandoning Osbert for most of his childhood' and I guess there has been a big enough time jump to assume they have worked out their differences. I also liked the fact Osbert protected and trained Edmund, it feels like it's carrying on the legacy of Uhtred teaching and protecting Edward.

I was glad that Eadgifu's characterisation was the same as in season 5 despite the change in actress. Her friendship with Uhtred was a surprise but worked well.

We didn't get a whole lot of Finan and Sihtric which was sad but was what I expected. There really wasn't time for side plots which means Finan's past is reserved for fanfic alone. I did like how they inferred Finan was getting older (falling asleep, sore arse etc) which at least acknowledges the fact that these guys should be like 80 by now lmao.

As always in TLK they travelled across the country in what seemed like no time at all - however I feel like although we didn't get extended scenes of them travelling places, the length of time it takes to get to places was acknowledged: when they get to the cave where the residents of Bebbanburg were imprisoned, it's said that Ingrith last spoke three days before they got there, which at least signals that time has passed since Uhtred left and not five seconds like it feels in the movie.

Something both the movie and Season 5 did was show the barbarity of the Christians. I feel like in previous seasons it was always presented as the Danes being the savages that rape and pillage and leave destruction in their wake, whilst in Season 5 we saw in the massacre at Rumcofa Christians doing the murdering and we saw it again here with them slaughtering everyone in Aegelesburg even after they surrendered and the burning of the Scottish settlements etc. I think this gives the show more nuance and makes it less black and white.

The end battle was epic. I loved that it was a return to the standard shield wall which was so iconic in the series but I feel like they moved away from in seasons 4 and 5. The tactics of moving them around so they could attack them from behind was clever, especially as I didn't realise that was what they were doing. The putting down of spikes in front of them was also such a cool idea. The whole battle reminded me a lot of Ethendun and so it feels like we've come full circle. I really thought Pyrlig was going to be another Leofric, but he miraculously survived yet again. Honestly I think this man is invincible - he's been stabbed TWICE, tortured, walked for miles and been through numerous battles. I love Pyrlig so I'm not complaining lol.

I thought Uhtred was going to die laying on the battlefield. I can't decide if I would have preferred him going down with a blaze of glory on the battlefield rather than the ending we got, but it was still emotional seeing him fight on whilst bleeding out. Sihtric and Finan finding him afterwards also made me tear up.

Uhtred seeing the feast hall of Valhalla with his friends laughing together was very emotional and I really liked it. It would have been nice to have seen Young Ragnar, Gisela and Thyra (although maybe Thyra is in heaven with Beocca) there alongside them but I know the actors were probably unavailable.

The fact that they don't specify if Uhtred lived or died was clever, especially with Finan's voice over saying that the chronicles didn't record his fate. It ties into this idea that Uhtred was written out of history, again linking back to his dialogue with Alfred in 3.09. I like the idea that we can pretend that the events in TLK did happen, that the Uhtred we know did exist, just it wasn't included in the chronicles.

I loved that the ending shot was modern Bambrugh castle, showing that the thing Uhtred fought so hard for lives on. Bebbanburg was such an important part of the show; even in Season 3 when we don't go to Bebbanburg at all, it still looms over the show and everything Uhtred does. It's also integrally linked to Uhtred's 'destiny' and as we know 'destiny is all'. The way the camera pans away in that final shot reminds me a bit of the last shot of Season 5 which ties the endings together.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I thought it was done well. As always with TLK the costumes, hair and makeup, stunts, fight scenes and music were awesome. The crew really outdid themselves. I do think that it would have benefitted from having a bit more space to expand on certain plot points and it would have been more effective as a whole season, however, I am really glad we got this movie and saw the creation of England which (alongside Uhtred reclaiming Bebbanburg) has always been the biggest theme running through the series.

I can't believe TLK is really over. I might cry. I will miss it dearly.

[stalwaria]

(a kiss after treating a wound + a kiss that says thank you — vague setting)

“There,” Alear declares after securing the last of the makeshift bandages in place, checking the surrounding area one more time for signs of enemy reinforcements. They’d gotten separated from the rest of their allies during a skirmish with bandits, leveraging the trees as cover to whittle down the latter’s greater numbers; slipping further and further away until finally came a moment to breathe. “That should last until we make it back to the others. The enemy really had it in for you, didn’t they? They must have assumed you’d be an easy target because you’re an archer.”

A big mistake on their part, that. Etie is among the strongest people he knows, and he’s surrounded by quite a lot of them. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He dips his head, dual-toned hair swaying with the motion as Alear presses a brief kiss to the back of a hand roughened by fresh callouses — in the childish, superstitious sense of trying to chase the pain away, but as a show of gratitude too. “For all the cover fire you provided earlier. I don’t know how I would have managed if I’d been alone instead.”

kiss meme (accepting!)

Whatever injuries she took paled in comparison to the consequences of letting the Divine One get hurt—with Queen Lumera gone, he was their last remaining beacon in this war against the Fell Dragon. He was the world's salvation, and its last hope. So it didn't matter if the enemies' attacks were focused on her, as long as none of them touched Lord Alear.

If her muscles helped her to be a more effective body shield for him? So be it.

Etie counts the last remaining arrows in her quiver as Alear tends to her injuries, mostly mended through the use of the elixirs and vulneraries she had on her person—valuable supplies she never went out into the battlefield without.

Only two arrows left. She couldn't exactly go back and get her discarded ones, lodged as they were in bandit corpses. "Heh. I'd say my punches taught them a hard lesson, but... o-oh?"

Etie stares, dumbfounded, as he dips his head, strands of his two-toned hair tickling the back of her hand. He... kissed her. Kissed her hand, really, but—she was kissed. By the Divine Dragon.

By the Divine Dragon.

As if him staring at her all the time, complimenting her confidence wasn't already embarrassing enough...

"It's, it's—nothing, really! Just. Doing my job, you know?" She chuckles awkwardly, free hand held to her cheek. Oh, she was blushing. She was definitely blushing. She wishes she could run away right now. "You're important. To the world, and m-me—and everyone! We'd be devastated if something happened to you. So I'm just... doing my part to keep you safe."

Because that's all she was. A knight. The muscle. If her efforts could protect people like Lord Alear and Prince Alfred, then she's done her part.