#these kids had it rough AS IS

[the-s-exy-squad]

That goofy little moment when you hear a song and the lyrics spiral into a very sad and heartbreaking au of AFTG and when your brain was done, you started actually crying.

But like what if Andrew never got sent to Easthaven to detox?

He would still be in that stupid induced mania and in a “silly goofy mood” and think the whole thing is funny or at the very least it seem that way to other people, and he’d start pushing literally everyone away even Renee.

What if Aaron saw Andrew’s happy go lucky attitude and deep down he knows it’s the meds but it doesn’t stop him from wondering if it is JUST the meds or if he actually finds the situation funny, and he felt so bad and guilty about it that he started doing drugs again? Andrew gets mad at him over the drugs but bc the mania he isn’t seen *as mad* and looks like he’s just taunting Aaron over actually killing a man and doing drugs again.

Nicky sees the both of them spiral and that pushes his guilt induced depressive episode even farther and he starts wondering about how none of this would have happened if he stayed in the closet and on good terms with his parents . He stops calling Erik as frequently claiming to be tired and exhausted from practice and school but that was only partial truth.

Neil Sees Andrew breaking down over it bc he sees things about Andrew that others don’t and he doesn’t know why (bc demisexuality and yk the “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t blow you” hasnt/might not even actually happen.) but his heart is shattering at it. His reason for staying wasn’t just the Exy and the only other reason was falling apart and through his fingers and he didn’t know how to help. He’d start to heavily debate running again and gets so so close to doing so if he didn’t actually do it.

Allison sees Aaron’s addiction again and how Andrew seemingly doesn’t care and is seeming to be urging him on and after Seth really triggers her.

Renee is trying to be supportive of Andrew but can’t figure out a way to get through to him without pushing him too far bc the meds. She starts to feel like despite everything Andrew still doesn’t care about how much she cares.

Kevin sees all the chaos and knows that Riko won. He got exactly what he intended by paying off Drake to be at the Hemmicks’ house that night and having him demand the Hemmicks’ ensure the twins are there. He starts drinking more and stops caring about exy bc his life is over. If not literally, at least in that regard, which to him is the equivalent.

Matt seeing Aaron start using again gave an influx on the urges of restarting which made him pull away from the team. He’d go to class and practices but lock himself in his room otherwise to try and minimize that urge and if his roommate was there he’d go sit in the lounge at the court.

Dan was with him throughout it and refused to let him pull away from her but she started to realize that the shit with the ravens was too much and there was no way they could beat them. She starts questioning her self worth and starts thinking abt all the misogynistic things she’s heard.

[haveihitanerve]

Okay but hear me out- the batkids as actual Vampires. Not bruce, just the kids, and bruce providing for them. Because he just has the tastiest blood.

Little Dick toddling over to Bruce, tears in his eyes because he ate his bloody dinner too fast and hes still hungry and Bruce just sighing and sticking out his hand and Dick lights up and they watch a movie while dick is happily gnawing on Bruce’s thumb and sucking his blood. Big Dick complains very loudly about how hungry he is and Bruce will glower at him before finally giving in and throwing an arm around his eldests shoulders and Dick pecks his cheek with a sweet “thank you dad.” before sinking his teeth into Bruce’s arm. 

Little Jason would very politely come over and tug on his hand and Bruce would pick him up and let him bite his hand and drink, but Big Jason just pounces on Bruce from behind and sinks his teeth into Bruces shoulder/neck for blood. 

Little Tim slipping five dollar bills into Bruce’s hand just before chomping his thigh and Big Tim very casually stabbing a needle into Bruce’s leg, extracting blood and then putting it into his coffee and walking away. Sometimes, if he’s feeling nostalgic, he will curl up with his head on bruce’s lap and actually bite him for blood, for pure blood, but he likes his coffee bruce blood blend better

Little Cass never once asked bruce for blood because she was scared, but Bruce would just scoop her into his arms and offer her his already cut open shoulder until she was comfortable enough scaling him like a tree and drinking from his shoulder. Big Cass still doesn't ask for blood, she just lands on his shoulders and bites his bicep. 

Little Steph was a little vampire gremlin and any time she saw Bruce without clothes (since his children feed off of him Bruce wears very little, just a tank top and shorts and makes sure to shave as much as possible to provide ample biting space, but as Batman he still wears his full suit just easy to slip off certain parts so his kids can feed easily) she would suction onto him like a little affectionate leech and dig her little teeth into his back. Big Steph also likes his back and has much the same habits as little steph did. 

Little Babs wasn't too keen on blood, but sometimes Bruce would offer her his forearm while she was working and she would work and eat. Big Babs has no qualms about taking his blood, but has few chances, so he stops by her Oracle hideout sometimes and just holds out his arm for her to drink

Little Damian thought drinking blood from a human was beneath him. Until he saw Cass doing it and wanted to follow her footsteps, but he cant climb bruce as well as her, so he just sank his teeth into Bruce’s calf. Big Damian will wait until Bruce sits or lays down and props his feet up and will then enjoy his calf blood. 

Bruce Wayne who is covered, littered in bite scars of varying sizes, who was once knocked over by his three eldest sons because they had been on a mission away from him for a week and were hungry and before they even said hello just sank their teeth into his neck, hand and thigh. Bruce Wayne who’s majority of scars come from his children, not villains and who willingly offers up his neck to any one of his children if they seem hungry. 

Bruce Wayne who, as Batman, will peel his protective bat suit arm off because Dick was hungry on a stake out. 

Bruce Wayne who is not a vampire but his children all are and he’ll be damned if he deprives them their nutrients. 

(selina kyle who is also a vampire and also gets her blood from bruce but from his-)

[luxaofhesperides]

I'm not sure if you're still taking Ghostlights requests, but if you are: Dick asking Duke to take Haley to the dog park for him in order to set up a meet-cute for him with the guy with the weird green rottweiler

And if you aren't, just know that you're doing great and I appreciate the hell out of you

“Oh, shoot!” 

Hearing Dick rush around as a frantic mess is not uncommon while he’s in Gotham. There’s too many people wanting to spend time with him that he ends up pulled in a bunch of different directions. Dick’s always in a rush, always busy, always making time for people because he has more love than Duke has ever seen in a person.

Dick’s also got pretty good time management skills after years of doing this. He’s only cutting out a few minutes early for their designated three hour catch-up session. 

That doesn’t mean he’s going to do it gracefully, though.

“Almost lost track of the time!” he says, moving to the couch to pick up his jacket. “Hey, Duke, can do you me a favor while I’m out?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you take Haley to the dog park? I usually take her twice a week around this time, but I totally forgot to include that in my calendar this week so I’ve got plans with the Titans just outside the city, and no time to take her out.”

“Yeah, man, of course I can take her to the dog park. The one attached to Robinson Park, right?”

Dick nods, shoving his shoes onto his feet. “That’s the one! Her treats are also in the bag hanging next to her leash. Oh, and she has a friend at the dog park! Don’t be scared when you see him, he’s just green.”

“Oh…kay?”

“Great, thanks! Bye, Duke, I’ll see you later!”

And with that, Dick is gone, closing the door to his safehouse as he dashes into the hall. 

Duke is left alone in Dick’s Gotham safehouse, blinking dazedly at the empty space where he once was. He’s certainly a whirlwind of activity when he realizes he’s going to be late. He’s also skilled in just saying things and leaving before any questions can be answered.

Haly jumps up onto the couch next to Duke. They share a look, then Duke shakes his head. “You have to deal with that every day, huh?”

Haly, the good girl that she is, doesn’t say anything bad against her owner and just puts a paw on Duke’s thigh, her tail wagging. 

“I hear ya, girl. Let’s go to the dog park to meet your green friend,  I guess.”

He has no idea what that means, honestly. Is Dick just talking about a dog that got its fur dyed green? Or is Haly’s friend like… a mutant dog? 

Well, he’s not going to find out by stalling. 

Duke pets Haly, then stands up and walks to the door. Her head perks up as soon as she hears the jangle of her leash being moved, and then she’s running to the door, looking up at him expectantly. Smiling, Duke slips the harness onto her, then attached it to the leash. He gives her another quick pet before shoving on his shoes and grabbing her bag of treats and waste disposal bags. 

He double checks that he has his phone, then takes hold of Dick’s spare safehouse key and steps out into the hallway with Haly. She waits patiently as he locks the door, checks that the lock holds, then runs down the hallway, ripping the leash right out of his hands.

“Haly! Wait! Stop, girl!”

She happily ignores him and goes straight for the elevator, leaving him to run after her and quickly scoop up the leash as soon as he’s close enough.

“Of course you’re a little escape artists,” he says to her, “Just like your owner.”

Haly woofs softly, then stands up and scratches at the doors of the elevator. Shaking his head, amused, Duke pushes the button to call the elevator and wonders if Dick has to deal with this every time they go to the dog park. 

On one hand, it wouldn’t surprise him since Dick is absolutely the kind of guy to give in to his dog’s every whims and spoil her rotten. On the other hand, Duke fully believes that Haly is smart enough and cute enough to misbehave only when Dick isn’t around so he never believes people when they try to tell him about all the mischief she’s caused. 

Dogs and their owners really do reflect one another. The internet was right about that.

Duke makes sure to keep a tight grip on Haly’s leash once they leave the apartment building. The streets are busy, as they tend to be on weekends, and the sight of Haly straining against her leash, ready to run, brings a smile to more than one face. 

He plots the route to the dog park in his mind, then starts up a light jog, tugging lightly on the leash to prompt Haly to follow him. 

It’s nice to run just for the sake of it. Haly makes a good running partner as well. 

How long has it been since Duke had time to relax and not be prepared for the worst? All the running he usually does these days is to catch up with criminals or run for his life. Being out during the day, moving through the city, without any lives in danger? Genuinely nice and relaxing. 

Maybe he can offer to take Haly to the dog park from now on. Join Dick whenever he goes. Create a set few hours where he doesn’t do anything but enjoy being outside in one of the few places where the smog of pollution and chemical toxins isn’t so thick in the air. 

He’ll just have to make sure Dick doesn’t agree to something else during those days. It’s still strange to think that Dick could forget to do something involving Haly when he’s such a good dog owner and a pro at juggling various responsibilities and a busy schedule. 

Well, they all have off days. This must be one of Dick’s.

The sidewalks get wider once they reach the street that leads to the park. Families fill up the space, walking with strollers in front of them or lined up at a food cart. The vivid green of spring fills the grassy fields that lead to the large patches of trees, marking the edge of Poison Ivy’s territory. Clovers decorate the ground, bees moving from flower to flower. 

There are other dogs on walks as well, making circuits around the park or running after toys. Duke spots a cat in a walking harness as well and wonders if he can convince Damian to get one for Alfred the cat. 

The dog park is on the other end of the park, as far away from Ivy’s territory as possible. The fenced off areas are separated into big dogs and small dogs, with a helpful guide as to which dogs go where posted at the entrance. 

Duke slows to a walk, breathing deeply to help settle his heart rate back down to something normal. Haly walks by his side, tail wagging, as she watches the other dogs run back and forth behind the fence. 

She’s still small, just growing out of puppy size, so Duke leads her into the small dog area, carefully making sure the gate doesn’t open enough for any quick dogs to make a break for it. He walks over to a bench and sits down before undoing the harness on her, setting her loose. 

Haly licks his hand once, then darts away, barking lightly as she joins the other dogs tumbling around each other. 

Amused, Duke leans back at watches as the other dogs sniff her, then do their funny little bowing stomps, moving back and forth before running off so she can give chase. 

He figures staying for an hour will be good enough. That should get the most of her energy out, and then they can make the long trek back to Dick’s safehouse so he can pick her up before he heads back to Bludhaven. Pulling out his phone, Duke settles in to wait, keeping half his attention on Haly just in case any of the other dogs decide to get a little too rough.

The first twenty minutes pass peacefully. Haly runs around and the owners of the other dogs give her pets when she runs up to them. One even went over to Duke to offer him a pack of fruit gummies. 

Then a loud bark fills the air and Duke jerks upright, watching with wide eyes as a colossally large dog, green and glowing and slightly transparent, comes barrelling down the street, headed right towards them. 

He doesn’t have time to yell Haly’s name before the dog is in the fence. None of the other dog owners look alarmed, though, so he watches carefully, prepared to jump up and save Haly at a moment’s notice.

“Cujo!” someone yells from down the street. A guy with dark hair comes running up and smoothly jumps over the fence. “Cujo, how many times do I have to tell you not to run off like that?”

The green dog, apparently Cujo, barks happily.

“And you’re too big for this park right now, buddy. Shrink, boy. It’s time to be small.”

And then Cujo… obeys? The dog shrinks, and instead of being the size of a bus, it’s now small enough to be carried in someone’s arms. 

Green dog is not enough warning for all of that. Dick owes him so much for this.

Actually, he’s kind of shocked that Dick never mentioned this to anyone. Surely a giant green dog would get people’s attention. Why is this the first time he’s heard about it?

“You new around here?” someone asks, and Duke turns to see the person who gave him the fruit gummies.

“Kinda? It’s my first time coming to the dog park. I’m looking after Haly, that one right over there.” He points out Haly, who is running in circles around Cujo.

“Ah, I see. Dick mentioned someone new would be coming today.”

Duke narrows his eyes. He’s starting to get the feeling that he’s been set up for something, but he’s not sure what. 

“I’ll give you the spiel we tell all newcomers, in that case,” they continue. “Cujo is a ghost dog. Poor thing died during some animal testing, far as we know. Danny looks after him, since Cujo got attached to the kid years ago before he moved to Gotham. He’s a kind one, but very nervous, and we’ve all got an agreement to keep quiet about him and Cujo round this parts. You better be holding your tongue, as well, ya hear me?”

“Sure thing,” Duke nods. “My lips are sealed.”

He’ll just ask Dick about the ghost dog situation and do his own investigation if needed. But Cujo is just a dog, and his owner is just a guy. Nothing threatening, nothing requiring a Bat’s attention.

“Good,” they nod. “I’ll get out of your hair now.” They’re gone before Duke can reply, adjusting the hat on their head as they head back to their group in the back left corner of the dog park. 

Satisfied that things are under control, Duke relaxes back into the bench, watching Haly and Cujo tumble around with the other dogs, barking happily. Haly’s still growing into her paws, so she trips and falls often, but gets up without a moments pause, ready to keep playing.

From the corner of his eyes, Duke catches sight of someone walking towards him. 

He looks over and finds Cujo’s owner—Danny, wasn’t it?—approaching. Their eyes meet, and Danny offers him a sheepish smile and a wave. His eyes are a dark blue that seem to glow with some otherworldly light, and Duke can swear he sees something shifting around him, as if the air has turned visible and twists around his body like wisps of smoke. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” Danny asks, and Duke moves to the side a bit.

“Go ahead,” he says.

“You’re Duke, right? Dick told me about you last week.”

It’s looking more and more like Dick is up to something, and Duke will need to get his revenge. “Did he? All good things, I hope.”

“Aha, yeah, all good things. Um, actually I think I should apologize? I maybe said you sounded like my type so Dick promised that he’d get you here somehow. Sorry if this is messing up your plans for the day.”

Oh. Oh! 

Well. That’s interesting. 

Duke quietly shelves his plans for revenge against Dick and takes a proper look at Danny. He’s shy, but with a bright smile, glowing eyes and strange smoke curling around him still, and messy black hair windswept from chasing after Cujo. There’s a flush in his cheeks and his long fingers fiddle with the string of his dark red hoodie. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have any plans today. This is way better than just sleeping all day.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Danny laughs, “There’s nothing I like more than being able to sleep all day. That would fix me for sure.”

There’s a loud bark, and Danny’s eyes snap back to Cujo, who is growing bigger. “Cujo!” Danny yells, voice sharp. “Shrink down, or we go home.”

Cujo grumbles, whines, then goes back to being little. The green dog only has a moment to look sad before Haly is tackling him, sending them back into another chase around the park. 

“Sorry about that,” Danny says, slouching against the bench. 

“It’s all good,” Duke replies. “So. I’m your type, huh?”

Danny’s cheeks turn a deep, charming red. He looks away, then nods and ducks his head down. 

“And that hasn’t changed after meeting me?”

Danny shakes his head, then peeks over at Duke, gaze slowly moving up his body until he meets Duke’s eyes. “Definitely hasn’t changed,” he says.

Now it’s Duke’s turn to feel his cheeks burn, flustered and pleasantly surprised by Danny’s boldness. It doesn’t help that Danny is cute, someone he can see himself falling for. 

“Good,” he says, then knocks his knee against Danny’s. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more. On one condition.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Tell me what Dick told you about me. I wanna make sure he wasn’t sharing an embarrassing stories about me. If I’m gonna make a fool of myself, then I’ll do it myself with no outside help.”

Danny’s laugh is bright and warm and sends butterflies dancing in Duke’s stomach. “Fair enough!” he says. “And you know what? I’ll trade you for embarrassing stories. Trust me, I have so many. Nothing you’ve done can be worse that the dumb shit I do on a regular basis.”

“Woah, woah, woah, confident, aren’t we? Don’t say that until you’ve heard about some of the stupid situation I choose to throw myself into.”

“Please, I’m an younger brother. If anyone knows how to be stupid, it’s me.”

“I’m part of the disaster that is the Wayne family. I think that has you beat.”

“My parents are mad scientists and my dog is a ghost. Try again.” The teasing smile on Danny’s lips makes him want to be reckless, to keep pushing, to go down this path as far as he can.  Duke can’t remember the last time he clicked with someone so instantly, to be so comfortable with them so soon. 

Damn. He’s gonna have to thank Dick for this, isn’t he?

As if on cue, his phone buzzes in his pocket. Duke pulls it out with an apologetic smile to Danny, who leans back a bit to give him some privacy.

The text that pops up is from Dick. It’s a photo of him and Danny from the side, heads bent close together as they talk with bright smiles. He can just make out the wild red curls of Kori’s hair. 

“I’m gonna put jello in his socks,” Duke says cheerfully, already looking around to find where Dick is hiding. 

He probably already moved locations, the ass. 

“What’s up?” 

He holds out his phone so Danny can see the screen. Danny stares at it, then looks around, then stares at the screen again. 

“...Is he watching us?”

“Yep.”

“...Should we do something about it?”

Duke shrugs. “I mean, I’m up for hunting him down and tackling him if you are.”

“I can do you one better,” Danny says with a sharp grin. He whistles, and Cujo comes running over, Haly at his heels, and he skids to a stop to sit before Danny. “Cujo. You remember Dick?” Cujo barks, as if answering. “Fetch! Go fetch Dick!”

Cujo jumps to his feet, grows from the size of a pug to a bear, and takes off for the art instillation farther into Robinson Park. Moments later, they hear a yell followed by loud laughter, and Cujo and running back, Dick hanging from his mouth, with Kori, Donna, and Roy following after him at a leisurely stroll. 

“I think we’re gonna get along great,” Duke says. “He’s gonna wish he never set us up.”

“That’s the way to do it,” Danny agrees.

“Say, wanna grab lunch together tomorrow?”

Danny blinks, then blushes again. “What, like a date?”

“Yeah, as a date. You up for it?”

“How could I say no? I was promised embarrassing stories.”

He watches as Cujo drops a rumpled looking Dick to the ground, half his shirt soaked with saliva. He dramatically mimes being shot in the heart when he sees them both looking at him, and goes limp when Kori picks him up and tries to set him on his feet. 

Then he tries to act very calm and cool as Danny leans against him. “Think he’s gonna follow up on our date?” Danny asks in a low voice.

Duke closes his eyes and tries not to despair. He didn’t even think of that. “Worse. He’s going to tell everyone else, then we’ll have every available Wayne kid stalking us on our date.”

“Guess I’ll have to rely on you to chase them off, huh?”

“Or we can sic Cujo on them again.”

“Or that,” Danny nods. “It’s always effective.”

He’s really going to have to bring his best to the date tomorrow, just to stay a step ahead of everyone else. Maybe he’ll ask Barbara for a favor and get her to lead them off? And if Bruce gets involved, then Duke is fully prepared to flashbang him, grab Danny, and run. 

It’s going to be a disaster.

It’s going to be fun.

He’s already looking forward to it, and from the mischievous smile on Danny’s face, he’s not the only one.

[fazedlight]

Birthday (Kara character study)

Some people were just better than others.

Kara stood nervously in front of the shop door, clutching tightly to the money Eliza had given her. Would they be ashamed?, she wondered to herself. Would this be unbecoming for the House of El?

She had just turned fourteen in Earth years. It felt odd, given that kryptonian years were longer - but Eliza had encouraged her to calculate the date that her birthday fell on that year, and she discovered it would be four months after she landed. On that date, in keeping with Earth tradition, Eliza had given her a gift - money meant to be spent on something that would give her joy.

But there was no joy on Earth. What she wanted most was to hug her parents, to look out her bedroom window and see red sun. What she wanted was to plan her next trip to the Jewel Mountains or visit family in Kandor. What she wanted was to see Krypton - not comb through the Fortress’ static pile of data and text, but feel what it was to be home.

I’m not supposed to be here, Kara thought, still staring ahead at the shop door. I was supposed to join the Science Guild. She closed her eyes, sighing bitterly, before stepping forward and grabbing the door’s handle. There was no Krypton, there was no House of El, there was no Science Guild.

Stepping inside, she eyed the humans making their way around the shop, before turning to grab her basket. These humans, they had no obligation to a vocation - they simply were here because they wanted to be. A strange thought, to control one’s own destiny, rather than to rank according to family name and have one’s options chosen accordingly. What does it mean to just be Kara?

She looked overhead, reading the signs for each aisle, before her eyes landed on her target: PAINT

Kara made her way up the aisle, passing brushes and canvases, before reaching bottles of vibrant hues. She tilted her head at the array of reds before her, trying to cast aside her guilt.

Kara Zor-El was above the Artists Guild.

The paints weren’t enough, they would never be enough. But Kara found herself piling the different shades into her basket, her heart swimming with what she might create. She pulled brushes and canvases too, almost frantic in her urge to start creating sights that she was afraid she’d soon forget.

Maybe Kara Danvers is allowed to paint.

Kara shuffled her way to the front of the store, hands trembling, reminding herself not to clutch too hard to avoid breaking the basket handle. When she finally reached the front desk, she placed the basket nervously in front of the cashier, dropping the money Eliza had given her next to the pile of supplies. 

“Good afternoon,” Kara said, the words of a human language still feeling alien on her tongue. “I would like to buy these.”

[sluckythewizard]

YOU JUST HƎARD IT FROM [HIS MOUTH] FOR SURƎ!!!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Aw! XL cooking reminded me of when I was working with children and they'd get nightmares/scared of monsters, so was go to the garden and make Monster Soup! Anything that looked good would go into the nearest source of water (often a bird bath) so that the monsters would know we are kind people and stay outside and not come inside. Also the monsters would think of us as friends and protect us instead of scaring us. Now I'm hoping that I have turned any of these kids into bad cooks bc I was like that flower looks good! Toss it in! 😅😄😄😄

Thank you for reminding me of this memory!

I'm-In-Love-With-The-Monster Soup.

[knight-of-aether]

Been on a bit of a creative streak recently, and wanted to draw something wholesome, so here's my design for Malon and the Hero of Time's kid, years after the events of Linked Universe. The concept was originally for their biological daughter (Twilight's great-grandma), but feel free to interpret them however you like - bio kid or adopted, girl or boy, or anything else, what matters is just that they're family.

[unhetalia]

More dysfunctional dynamics —

Arthur's favourite is Alfred, but years of bitterness over Alfred's revolution means he doesn't treat him very well even when they finally get over that hurdle.

Meanwhile, Arthur thinks of Matthew as 'ex colony' and 'ally' and not much else, yet takes his side whenever there's conflict between the brothers, and treats Matthew like an equal in a way he only does with Alfred when forced to, and doesn't bother doing with Australia and New Zealand at all.

This is terrible for Matthew, and he doesn't realise it until it's too late.

A younger Matthew basks in the attention and flaunts it at his newly independent brother — to prove he made the right choice by not leaving, to work off his righteous anger for the hurt Alfred caused Arthur. For a time, Matthew really believes he's now Arthur's favourite, and he thrives.

Arthur, of course, is lavishing Matthew with attention to make a struggling Alfred regret his decision to leave. Matthew has new, comfortable clothes, and Alfred has to patch up the holes in his scratchy old shirts himself. Arthur spends nearly all his time with Matthew in the years after Alfred's revolution.

But eventually, Arthur's attention wanes. He has other colonies, more valuable ones, and Matthew doesn't have that something that makes Arthur love him despite a lack of riches. (Whatever Alfred had, Matthew thinks.)

In the meantime, Alfred's bonded with Francis, and their relationship is real. Francis treats Alfred like a son and a friend.

Arthur starts treating Matthew with polite disinterest, now that he's no longer trying to make Alfred jealous. Still, the physical dynamic between Arthur and Matthew doesn't change. Arthur treats Matthew better than he treats anyone else because he's used to doing that - there's just no feeling behind it. (Eventually, of course, that polite disinterest turns into a real acquaintance, a comfortable dynamic, but never the affection Matthew craves.)

It alienates Matthew from Australia and New Zealand, too, who see Arthur's treatment as a sign of love and favour they felt they didn't receive. They joke around with Alfred about Arthur being a jerk and then stop when they notice Matthew in the room.

Matthew can't say anything, not when Arthur never interrupts him when he shares his ideas. When they meet for breakfast every month and Arthur takes all his advice into consideration.

Matthew has Arthur's respect but lost out on everything else — a closer relationship with Francis, a camaraderie with Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, no one thinks Alfred has Arthur's respect, but Matthew knows he has his heart, and Francis' affection, and a friendship with Australia and New Zealand.

How can Matthew not resent his brother for having everything he wants?

[theartgremlin]

It’s bring your kid to work day!

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

So, I was curious about this tidbit from the Patch 5 notes and I haven't seen anyone talk about it. Turns out one of my favourite new bits of content related to my favourite character is hidden behind betraying her in the most horrid way possible. Ugh.

It used to be that if you sided with Lorroakan in the Nightsong quest, you, him, and all the elemental myrmidons (and possibly Rolan) would just fight Aylin alone - a fight that obviously lasted one round, tops, and I think could only serve to make you feel bad about what you've just done.

Now, however, a really cool thing happens - Mum Gets Fucking Pissed. And four of Aylin's cool older celestial cousins (a nice new take on Slivers for my ol' 3e heart) come down to help her in the fight.

Amusingly, they put Aylin in timeout in a moon-flavoured Globe of Invulnerability every turn, which also makes her unable to attack or do much, even with her trusty moonbeam.

So you need to break their concentration (often on more than one of them at a time) in order to be able to even touch Aylin. Everyone being very angry and protective of her is A+++.

A good roll of that 12d12 can just delete characters instantly. Beautiful.

Aylin also gets some very direct buffs, primarily Hug From Mum, and we have waited far, far too long for that:

I just found this oddly touching, that she gets to have at least this bit of very outright reassurance, even if it is under rather horrible circumstances. And ironic, of course, that if you help her and triumph with her in glorious combat (Lo!) against yet another bastard would-be captor, she doesn't, and is left to grapple with her anger and doubt and nascent feelings of abandonment:

Player: Let his demise serve as a warning to anyone else who'd seek you out. Dame Aylin: Let him be the last. If my dear mother has any mercy, she will ensure it. [Trying to stay her usual self, but her mask is cracking a tiny bit here. Privately, Aylin is dealing with a great deal of anger toward her mother, the goddess Selûne, but she's not yet willing to face it. How could her powerful mother let all this happen to her?]

Or the more determined-sounding but depressingly "no rest for the glorious Sword of the Silverlight" variants you can get if Isobel is alive:

[thecruellestmonth]

Stop stealing women's traits to give to Jason Todd!!!

Jason as an adult didn't slit a child's throat! He just nicked him a bit, because JASON IS A COWARD.

My FULL-GROWN ADULT WOMAN Cassandra Cain STABBED an UNDERAGE MINOR in the THROAT! So badly that the TERRIFIED CHILD choked in her own blood and needed emergency medical care to save her life!

Batgirl (2000) #64

Batman: Hush

Have fun!! Let full-grown adults stab children!

[butchviking]

i hate being a mentally ill adult actually. i hate that there’s always groceries to be bought and housekeeping to do and work in the morning i hate that we have no space to feel it all i hate that we walk around acting normal. there are so many people i know who are clearly deeply unhappy with their lives and we make silly little jokes that allude to it but sometimes i want to grab them by the shoulders and scream ‘i know you are miserable!! we can’t keep living like this!! this is why people break!!’ im sick of this drudgerous apathy i want us all to be dramatic like when we were teenagers i want us to sob together and scream bloody murder at each other and tell each other we want to kill ourselves not as a funny post-ironic joke but because we all feel like that sometimes!! i want us to get fucked up on god knows what til we can’t open our eyes i want us to take care of each other instead of always taking care of ourselves i want us to be vulnerable i want us to hold each others hands in the ambulance!!

[menlove]

paul mccartney was killing frogs to prove he could be emotionally tough & john lennon was hallucinating as a child and then they started the world's biggest rock band ever and became the first mega celebrities and people wonder why they had/have issues

[messymaelstrom]

I just want to talk abt this panel

It's hitting me really hard that the author (genius) is so accurately representing various types of trauma, particularly this.

Oh my fucking god do I relate. This is exactly how I (still) feel about adults/other people.

Laios has been "othered" throughout all of his developmental years. Everyone knew he was different (read: neurodivergent) and they made damn sure he knew it, too. From what we know of his relationship with his parents (from the brief nightmare & the fact Laios is no contact), we know his parents were doing the same thing to him.

He grew up with no sense of safety in being himself, and he still feels it. It's present in how he was reluctant to admit he likes (uh, loves. He loves them) monsters. I'm certain he was berated and shamed for that too. Once he crosses that milestone of just admitting it though, he's all in on being his authentic self despite the criticism he's still getting from the party (a lot).

It's really the perfect situation to try being authentic; if they want to revive Falin they need to get to her as fast as possible, which means no time to get money for "adventurer food," so they are eating monsters. Now Laios is able to indulge an interest, and it's fantastic Senshi is there to guide him and match that enthusiasm. Senshi is the least judgemental of Laios, and I hope Laios considers him a safe person.

And there's no doubt that Laios' deep interest (love) of monsters is continually saving the party's collective ass. It's practical knowledge!! Thank god he knows so much!!

Anyway thanks for coming to my Tedtalk, I have a lot to say about emotional abuse at all times

[neoncolorblocks]

⭐️Day 1: Favorite Turtle - 2012 Leonardo

I love 2012 Leo, he’s a nerd with eldest daughter syndrome. A true icon.

I’m a little late for TMNTober, so this is day 1 and I’ll hopefully upload more days later on.

[starlit-eudemonia]

Me thinking abt Leander and wondering what is off abt him. Then it hit me.

He gives off the same vibe as this: