#tim why on earth would u give her that idea

[mylifeingotham]

[ectonurites]

for the character headcanons ask, tim or steph

i ended up doing both LMAO

so for Tim:


A (realistic headcanon): i will stand by this being realistic but TIM CONTINUING TO SKATEBOARD! like okay yes in canon he only used redboard like twice, and once he had his car back he didn’t really rely on it, but he put the time into learning how to and really enjoyed it! i think it would be fun to see him do it more and like i think steph could also skate with him (altho honestly she has more roller skate energy to me but they could still hang out at a skatepark together) i also have this idea for a fic im at some point going to write of Damian finding redboard and Tim being like ‘oh i can show u how to use that-‘ and him being like ‘NO i will do it on my own’ but eventually it becomes a whole bonding thing for them

B (hilarious): other people joke about this a lot but Tim skateboarding around Wayne Enterprises will NEVER cease to amuse me. just the general chaos of a seventeen year old in a power position like that. I think like Lucius and Tam would keep record of stupid shit he does (skateboarding in the office, Interesting fashion choices, the mountain of mugs and takeout containers that build on his desk, his use of glitter gel pens on official documents, threats to pull a seto kaiba and make WE’s primary goals be trading card related, etc) and make a lil scrapbook to give him on his 21st birthday or something when he’s like Slightly More of an adult

C (heart-crushing): Young Justice being Tim’s first friends he can feel real around that he doesn’t think are going to just be temporary. like... i’ve done a lot of rambling about Tim and again we know he’s a kid who grew up going from boarding school to boarding school, he could make friends easily enough but they were very... fleeting. they weren’t meant to last and he went into it knowing that. even though at the start of the group he couldn’t tell them everything, I feel like Young Justice were just the people he eventually was able to be himself the most around, since he didn’t need to hide being Robin. (again him needing to hide being Tim for a while definitely created some distance, but it was very different than hiding the whole hero life from people he knew at home and at school) and then ya know the core four group moving onto the titans together further solidifying this sense of ‘we are a group who can get through stuff together’... until it all falls the fuck apart after Kon dies. and Tim & Cassie have their weird bad coping things. and Bart dies. i think for Tim it would just be so crushing to have the first group he was able to consider being more permanent fall apart like that (not to mention his dad and steph dying around the same time on top of it- being two of the other types of relationships [familial and a romantic partner] that had more permanence to him) and even when people come back and bonds heal, that sense of stability would just forever be shattered, he lost them once and knows that it could happen again and that fear would always be there in the back of his mind

D (canon is a coward and won’t): that he is bisexual LMAO

aaand now Steph

A (realistic headcanon): alright this is kinda canon related but okay. we have seen MULTIPLE alternate versions of Steph with really short hair (future state, that time she imagined herself as nightwing, earth-3) so i really feel like by current-ish canon she’s already thinking about chopping her hair off, like it’s one of those ideas that just every now and then she’ll see someone with super short hair and be like oh... i want that... but never really go through with it (like she’s had some kinda short looks preboot but i think the shortest was like a bob. im talking pixie cut here) and like im imagining maybe after some mission her hair gets caught on something or even burned or idk and she just says fuck it and her, Cass and Tim get back to one of their apartments/a safehouse after patrol and cut her hair in the bathroom at like 4am (yes im aware i place many situations in the middle of the night in the bathroom with friends... [like that timkon fic i wrote a bit ago] its just such a special setting okay) like Cass with the scissors Tim’s holding up a reference pic Steph found on pinterest. it looks great once it’s done

B (hilarious): the eggplant vs purple thing. i think that now in this post death metal world of dc, where everyone’s remembering things from before the reboot, steph should have a small mental breakdown about how she betrayed her old self by rallying behind the color purple (‘enemy of crime and people who hate purple!’) vs how she used to be so insistent her color scheme was eggplant (‘its eggplant. purple would look stupid’). everyone else is having their brains break because of like conflicting memories of their traumas (and she’s got that goin on too, dont get me wrong, she’ll get to freaking out about that later) but steph is just sitting there staring at a color wheel trying not to cry

C (heart-crushing): i’ve seen some fics explore this a little but i think she’d end up doing a lot of thinking about her baby that she gave up for adoption. like that was something she experienced so young and i feel that would just always be a lurking thought in her mind, where is the baby? is she happy? gotham’s a dangerous city, there’s a lot to be afraid about there. Not that she wouldn’t already because she is just a caring big sister type of person, but I think Steph looking out for all the kids in Gotham (especially once she’s batgirl) in some small part could tie back to wanting to make sure her kid is safe out there wherever she ended up. (additionally since she had a rough upbringing with her whole dad situation she just especially is protective over kids anyways. Sometimes I think she might get kinda insecure about it… maybe even question herself about why she’s saving people, is it because she genuinely cares or is it something more selfish? it’s definitely a self doubt i could see manifesting)

D (canon is a coward and won’t) not to be repetitive but also that she is bi i will stand by this

[birdlord]

Every Book I Read in 2019

This was a heavier reading year for me (heavier culture-consumption year in general) partly because my partner started logging his books read, and then, of course, it’s a competition.

01 Morvern Callar; Alan Warner - One of the starkest books I’ve ever read. What is it about Scotland that breeds writers with such brutal, distant perspectives on life? Must be all the rocks. 

02 21 Things You Might Not Know About the Indian Act; Bob Joseph - I haven’t had much education in Canada’s relationship to the Indigenous nations that came before it, so this opened things up for me quite a bit. The first and most fundamental awakening is to the fact that this is not a story of progress from worse to better (which is what a simplistic, grade school understanding of smallpox blankets>residential schools>reserves would tell you), in fact, the nation to nation relationship of early contact was often superior to what we have today. I wish there was more of a call to action, but apparently a sequel is on its way. 

03 The Plot Against America; Philip Roth - An alternative history that in some ways mirrors our present. I did feel like I was always waiting for something to happen, but I suppose the point is that, even at the end of the world, disasters proceed incrementally. 

04 Sabrina; Nick Drnaso - The blank art style and lack of contrast in the colouring of each page really reinforces the feeling of impersonal vacancy between most of the characters. I wonder how this will read in the future, as it’s very much based in today’s relationship to friends and technology. 

05 Perfumes: The Guide; Luca Turn & Tania Sanchez - One of the things I like to do when I need to turn my brain off online is reading perfume reviews. That’s where I found out about this book, which runs through different scent families and reviews specific well-known perfumes. Every topic has its boffins, and these two are particularly witty and readable. 

06 Adventures in the Screen Trade; William Goldman - Reading this made me realize how little of the cinema of the 1970s I’ve actually seen, beyond the usual heavy hitters. Ultimately I found this pretty thin, a few peices of advice stitched together with anecdotes about a Hollywood that is barely recognizable today. 

07 The Age of Innocence; Edith Wharton - A love triangle in which the fulcrum is a terribly irritating person, someone who thinks himself far more outré than he is. Nonetheless, I was taken in by this story of “rebellion”, such as it was, to be compelling.

08 Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis; Sam Anderson - Like a novel that follows various separate characters, this book switches between tales of the founding of Oklahoma City with basketball facts and encounters with various oddball city residents. It’s certainly a fun ride, but you may find, as I did, that some parts of the narrative interest you more than others. Longest subtitle ever?

09 World of Yesterday; Stefan Zweig - A memoir of pre-war Austria and its artistic communities, told by one of its best-known exports. Particularly wrenching with regards to the buildup to WWII, from the perspective of those who had been through this experience before, so recently. 

10 Teach us to Sit Still: A Sceptic’s Search for Health and Healing; Tim Parks - A writer finds himself plagued by pain that conventional doctors aren’t able to cure, so he heads further afield to see if he can use stillness-of-mind to ease the pain, all the while complaining as you would expect a sceptic to do. His digressions into literature were a bit hard to take (I’m sure you’re not Coleridge, my man).

11 The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences have Extraordinary Impact; Chip & Dan Heath - I read this for work-related reasons, with the intention of improving my ability to make exhibitions and interpretation. It has a certain sort of self-helpish structure, with anecdotes starting each chapter and a simple lesson drawn from each one. Not a bad read if you work in a public-facing capacity. 

12 Against Everything: Essays; Mark Greif - The founder of N+1 collects a disparate selection of essays, written over a period of several years. You won’t love them all, but hey, you can always skip those ones!

13 See What I Have Done; Sarah Schmidt - A retelling of the Lizzie Borden story, which I’d seen a lot of good reviews for. Sadly this didn’t measure up, for me. There’s a lot of stage setting (rotting food plays an important part) but there’s not a lot of substance there. 

14 Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy; Angela Garber - This is another one that came to me very highly recommended. Garber seems to think these topics are not as well-covered as they are, but she does a good job researching and retelling tales of pregnancy, birth, postpartum difficulties and breastfeeding. 

15 Rebecca; Daphne du Maurier - This was my favourite book club book of the year. I’d always had an impression of...trashiness I guess? around du Maurier, but this is a classic thriller. Maybe the first time I’ve ever read, rather than watched, a thriller! That’s on me. 

16 O’Keefe: The Life of an American Legend; Jeffrey Hogrefe - I went to New Mexico for the first time this spring, and a colleague lent me this Georgia O’Keefe biography after I returned. I hadn’t known much about her personal life before this, aside from what I learned at her museum in Santa Fe. The author has made the decision that much of O’Keefe’s life was determined by childhood incest, but doesn’t have what you might call….evidence?

17 A Lost Lady; Willa Cather - A turn-of-the-20th century story about an upper-class woman and her young admirer Neil. I’ve never read any other Cather, but this felt very similar to the Wharton I also read this year, which I gather isn’t typical of her. 

18 The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months of Unearthing the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country; Helen Russell - A British journalist moves to small-town Denmark with her husband, and although the distances are not long, there’s a considerable culture shock. Made me want to eat pastries in a BIG WAY. 

19 How Not to be a Boy; Robert Webb - The title gives a clue to the framing device of this book, which is fundamentally a celebrity memoir, albeit one that largely ignores the celebrity part of his life in favour of an examination of the effects of patriarchy on boys’ development as human beings. 

20 The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will be Glad that You Did); Philippa Perry; A psychotherapist’s take on how parents’ own upbringing affects the way they interact with their own kids. 

21 The Library Book; Susan Orlean - This book has stuck with me more than I imagined that it would. It covers both the history of libraries in the USA, and the story of the arson of the LA Public Library’s central branch in 1986. 

22 We Are Never Meeting in Real Life; Samantha Irby - I’ve been reading Irby’s blog for years, and follow her on social media. So I knew the level of raunch and near body-horror to expect in this essay collection. This did fill in a lot of gaps in terms of her life, which added a lot more blackness (hey) to the humour. 

23 State of Wonder; Ann Patchett - A semi-riff on Heart of Darkness involving an OB/GYN who now works for a pharmaceutical company, heading to the jungle to retrieve another researcher who has gone all Colonel Kurtz on them. I found it a bit unsatisfying, but the descriptions were, admittedly, great. 

24 Disappearing Earth; Julia Phillips - A story of an abduction of two girls in very remote Russia, each chapter told by another townsperson. The connections between the narrators of each chapter are sometimes obvious, but not always. Ending a little tidy, but plays against expectations for a book like this. 

25 Ethan Frome; Edith Wharton - I gather this is a typical high school read, but I’d never got to it. In case you’re in the same boat as me, it’s a short, mildly melodramatic romantic tragedy set in the new england winter. It lacks the focus on class that other Whartons have, but certainly keeps the same strong sense that once you’ve made a choice, you’re stuck with it. FOREVER. 

26 Educated; Tara Westover - This memoir of a Mormon fundamentalist-turned-Academic-superstar was huge on everyone’s reading lists a couple of years back, and I finally got to it. It felt similar to me in some ways to the Glass Castle, in terms of the nearly-unbelievable amounts of hell she and her family go through at the hands of her father and his Big Ideas. I found that it lacked real contemplation of the culture shock of moving from the rural mountain west to, say, Cambridge. 

27 Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of Lusitania; Erik Larson - I’m a sucker for a story of a passenger liner, any non-Titanic passenger liner, really. Plus Lusitania’s story has interesting resonances for the US entry into WWI, and we see the perspective of the U-boat captain as well as people on land, and Lusitania’s own passengers and crew. 

28 The Birds and Other Stories; Daphne du Maurier - The title story is the one that stuck in my head most strongly, which isn’t any surprise. I found it much more harrowing than the film, it had a really effective sense of gradually increasing dread and inevitability. 

29 Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Faded Glory; Raphael Bob-Waksberg - Hit or miss in the usual way of short story collections, this book has a real debt to George Saunders. 

30 Sex & Rage; Eve Babitz - a sort of pseudo-autobiography of an indolent life in the LA scene of the 1970s. It was sometimes very difficult to see how the protagonist actually felt about anything, which is a frequent, acute symptom of youth. 

31 Doctor Fischer of Geneva or The Bomb Party; Graham Greene - Gotta love a book with an alternate title built in. This is a broad (the characters? are, without exception, insane?!) satire about a world I know little about. I don’t have a lot of patience or interest in Greene’s religious allegories, but it’s a fine enough story. 

32 Lathe of Heaven; Ursula K LeGuin - Near-future sci-fi that is incredibly prescient about the effects of climate change for a book written over forty years ago. The book has amazing world-building, and the first half has the whirlwind feel of Homer going back in time, killing butterflies and returning to the present to see what changes he has wrought. 

33 The Grammarians; Cathleen Schine - Rarely have I read a book whose jacket description of the plot seems so very distant from what actually happens therein. 

34 The Boy Kings: A Journey Into the Heart of the Social Network; Katharine Losse - Losse was one of Facebook’s very earliest employees, and she charts her experience with the company in this memoir from 2012. Do you even recall what Facebook was like in 2012? They hadn’t even altered the results of elections yet! Zuck was a mere MULTI-MILLIONAIRE, probably. Were we ever so young?

35 Invisible Women; Caroline Ciado Perez - If you want to read a book that will make you angry, so angry that you repeatedly assail whoever is around with facts taken from it, then this, my friend, is the book for you. 

36 The Hidden World of the Fox; Adele Brand - A really charming look at the fox from an ecologist who has studied them around the world. Much of it takes place in the UK, where urban foxes take on a similar ecological niche that raccoons famously do where I live, in Toronto. 

37 S; Doug Dorst & JJ Abrams - This is a real mindfuck of a book, consisting of a faux-old novel, with marginalia added by two students which follows its own narrative. A difficult read not because of the density of prose, but the sheer logistics involved: read the page, then the marginalia? Read the marginalia interspersed with the novel text? Go back chapter by chapter? I’m not sure that either story was worth the trouble, in the end. 

38 American War; Omar El Akkad - This is not exclusively, but partially a climate-based speculative novel, or, grossly, cli-fi for short. Ugh, what a term! But this book is a really tight, and realistic look at the results of a fossil-fuels-based second US Civil War. 

39 Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation; Andrew Marantz - This is the guy you’ll hear on every NPR story talking about his semi-embedding within the Extremely Online alt-right. Most of the figures he profiles come off basically how you’d expect, I found his conclusions about the ways these groups have chosen to use online media tools to achieve their ends the most illuminating part. 

40 Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm; Isabella Tree - This is the story of a long process of transitioning a rural acreage (more of an estate than a farm, this is aristocratic shit) from intensive agriculture to something closer to wild land. There are long passages where Tree (ahem) simply lists species which have come back, which I’m sure is fascinating if you are from the area, but I tended to glaze over a bit. Experts from around the UK and other European nations weigh in on how best to rewild the space, which places the project in a wider context. 

FICTON: 17     NONFICTION: 23

[starspatter]

Heroes and Thieves, Ch. 14

Title: Heroes and Thieves Fandom/Universe: BTAS, pre/post-RotJ flashback

Summary: A story about second chances, healing, and having hope.

Rating: PG-13, for references to character death, child psychological torture and trauma.

Genre: Romance/Family/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2,526 Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Also on ff.net and AO3.

Lies, lies, lying little beast Lying little man on the corner of the street Singing "Why, I can't come out to play Can't come out and say that I'm afraid of what they'll say"

-Run River North, "Lying Beast"

————————–

Then.

Stephanie walked purposefully down the dormitory hallway towards her destination, which she had learned of through Cass after the other had shockingly announced she was now… “involved” with someone and asked point-blank for her advice.  Steph had been surprised (not to mention maybe a tad jealous) that she had been granted visitation rights before her – especially when she herself wasn’t even sure if she had reached an official “dating” stage yet with her suitor- er, tutor (although they had undergone several “study sessions” together by this point) – but nevertheless was happy for her roommate.  …Besides, her profile’s “single” status would hopefully change today.

Checking her hair and outfit, she nervously fixed and fidgeted a little in front of the doorway, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the entry.  After a moment, it slowly creaked open a crack to reveal a rather confused-looking Tim.

“Steph?  What are you doing here?”

“Hey!  I just came to ask you something quick, if you’re not too busy.”  She beamed her best and brightest.

Tim’s eyes darted anxiously aside as he swallowed.

“Uh, now’s not really a great time…”

“Who’s that, Tim?  A friend of yours?”

Stephanie blinked as a stunningly beautiful woman unexpectedly emerged from behind Tim, ravishing red locks and coquettish lips smiling cordially.

“Ah, you must be Stephanie! Tim’s told me a lot about you.”

Steph’s gaze shifted suspiciously to Tim, who looked like his world had just come crashing down around him.

“…Has he now?”

The stranger grinned widely as she extended her slender palm, revealing twin rows of perfect pearl teeth.

“I’m Barbara Gordon. Pleasure to meet you.”

Tentatively, Steph took it.

“...Nice to meet you. Wait, ‘Gordon’ – as in the new Police Commissioner?”

The woman nodded.

“Bingo, you’re looking at her.”  Her voice abruptly took on an authoritative tone.  “I’m here on official police business, conducting a top-secret investigation.  You wouldn’t happen to have seen any suspicious individuals around, would you?”

“Babs,” Tim cut in sharply as Steph started to sweat and panic.  “That’s enough.  Quit frightening her.”  (Although rather than relieve her apprehension, it only increased further at such informal address.)

…On a first-name basis?

“Kidding, kidding. I’m giving a guest lecture on Criminology over in the West Wing.  Speaking of which,” Barbara glanced at her wristwatch, “I should probably get going. Class starts in 10 minutes.  I just came by to say ‘hi’ to Tim.”

She began to gather up her things, bustling out the exit with a wink to Tim on the way, who only winced and shrank further in response.

“I’ll leave you two kids alone.  Take care, Tim.  I’ll stop by again some other time.”

Steph watched her figure’s wake until it was gone, silently envying sophisticated style and… mature body shape as it sashayed away.

“She’s awfully pretty,” she mused aloud, suddenly feeling even more self-conscious.  “What exactly is your relationship with her?”

Don’t tell me he’s actually into older women.  There’s no way I can compete with that.

Tim rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“It’s not what you think. She’s like an older sister.”

“…Seriously?”

How strangely ‘convenient’ all his supposed ‘relatives’ seem to be gorgeous supermodels.

“Trust me, there’s nothing like that between us.”

She gauged his earnest expression, before accepting assurance.

“All right, I believe you.” Her smile returned as she relaxed. “In that case…”

She fished around in her pocket, pulling out two tickets she won at the Theta-Kapa-Gamma Harvest Festival last week.

“Ta da~!  Tickets to see the monster movie marathon at the old Monarch Theater on Saturday!  You are free, aren’t you?”

Tim blinked as she practically shoved the tiny pieces of perforated paper in his face, fanning gleefully in invitation.  Temptation.

“I am, but…”

He gulped, hesitating as he seemed to desperately search for an excuse.

“I’m… not really a fan of old films…”

He mumbled lamely, appearing extremely uneasy for some reason.

Oh crap.  Don’t tell me I screwed up again.

Steph’s confidence sank in disappointment, recalling how she had once enthusiastically tried to engage Tim in a spontaneous water pistol fight going on in the campus courtyard (despite the season being somewhat ill-suited for the sport), having snuck up on him whilst the victim was reading unawares underneath the shade of a nearby tree, hitting him with a lighthearted squirt.  He had sat there, stunned, as he stared at the childish toy weapon in her hand, before wiping his soaked cheek with the back of his sleeve.  Slamming his book shut, he stated with such startlingly quiet, intense anger it took her aback:

“I don’t like guns.”

…Before standing up and stalking off in silence.

Still, she had hoped this would make up for it, that it could be something they’d both enjoy, spend some real quality time doing together (besides studying anyway, which she was starting to get sick and tired of as tests approached).  Who didn’t care for a good old-fashioned camp scare around Halloween?  …Maybe he just needed to give it a chance.

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it.  Have you ever even seen Dracula or Frankenstein?”

He shook his head.

“Whaaat, you’re missing out on some classics!  Come on, it’ll be fun.  We’ve both been working so hard, we deserve a break.  Cass has a pair of passes too, so she and Conner are going to be there as well.  We can totes double together.”  (Incidentally, it had been a little odd how her partner had been so fortunate as to receive the exact same prize at the booth’s trivia guessing game right after her, but she’d learned not to question Cassandra’s keen – if sometimes creepily uncanny – sense of intuition.)

Tim bit his lip, but acquiesced at her pleading puppy eyes, which shone with eager stars of anticipation.

“…Okay.”

“Great!  It’s a date then.”  She exclaimed excitedly as she handed him his half of the voucher.

“A… date.”

He repeated robotically, surveying the stub as if in disbelief.

“I’ll see you on Saturday then.”

She waved as she skipped off, emboldened by sweet success.  In her jubilee, she accidentally ran straight into Conner as he coincidentally came round the corner, heading back to his room as well.

“Whoa, watch it there!”

He caught her just before she fell (unlike before, this sturdy target was obviously a lot harder to knock over), and she blushed a tinge as she felt his huge, strong arms wrap around her shoulder.

Man, what is it with me and bumping into hot guys recently?  …Not that I’m complaining, mind.

She wasn’t sure whether to be overjoyed or embarrassed by this recurring situation, but settled for leaning towards the former.  Conner, on the other hand, seemed a little less thrilled upon realizing the person in his grasp.

“Oh, it’s you. …Actually, good timing.  I want to talk to you about Tim.”

He raised her up, but kept a firm grip on her collar as he drew her back round the bend.  …It was almost a little painful, the amount of pressure his paw was putting on her petite stature.  His countenance was severely solemn as he stooped forward to meet her level.

“…Look, I’m just gonna come right out and say it so you don’t get the wrong idea.  Tim’s… ‘delicate’.  I mean, really delicate.”  He frowned, icy blue irises flaring dangerously as his dense, digging fingers deepened into the folds of her blouse, contracting and contacting to the bone.  “You need to watch what you say and do around him.  I swear, if you ever do anything intentionally to hurt him, I will never forgive you.  You got that?”

She recoiled, reasoning he was likely referring to the gun stunt.

Is he… making a genuine threat?

Steph was somewhat scared now as his shadow loomed over her, backing her against the wall.  She nodded meekly.

“U- understood.”

“Good.”

He released her, and she rubbed at the sore spot on her skin, wondering if it was going to leave a bruise. She was also starting to wonder what the heck Cass saw in this big dumb brute.  He was admittedly attractive, sure, but personality-wise he was Tim’s complete opposite: loud, brash, obnoxious – not to mention arrogant – basically your stereotypical jock.  And yet…

“You really care a lot about Tim, don’t you?”

Conner sniffed.  “Of course I do.  He’s my best friend.”

…’Friend’, huh?

The way he behaved seemed to go far beyond mere “friendship” though.  He was almost acting like an overprotective guardian.  …Or a possessive one.

“Could it be that you’re… jealous?”

“Me?  Jealous? Of you?”  Conner scoffed.  “Why on earth would I be jealous?  Just because you’re the one getting him to finally open up and trust you, participate in a bunch of social activities he never normally would, even though I’ve tried so hard to motivate him to be more outgoing over these past few years? To convince him to talk to me about his problems?  To be the kind of stupid-ass cliché you huma- people find so damn popular just so no one else would dare to mess with him?”

He laughed like a bark, though it sounded slightly strained.  Pained. Stephanie softened at such a display of devotion.

…Maybe he’s not such an oaf after all.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’ve done a lot more for him than you give yourself credit for.  I’m sure he appreciates having you as a pal.”

She cautioned a comforting pat on his broad muscle.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m trying to steal him away from you or anything.  Besides, you’re doing the same thing for Cass, aren’t you? Trying to help her break out of her shell?  Heck, I’ve noticed she’s been a lot more vocal ever since you two started seeing each other.”

Conner rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You think?  I mean, I guess you could say that.  I dunno, it feels like I’m not really right for her…  She’s so serious and deep, and – and next to her I feel like a total doofus most of the time…”

Stephanie couldn’t help but sympathize.  They were a weird couple, to be sure, but then the same could easily be said about her and Tim.

“Hey, far be it from me to judge, but even if it doesn’t seem like you’re made for each other off the bat, I think you owe it to yourselves to try and explore those feelings at least. You never know, maybe it will work out.”

…It might’ve been her imagination, but the margins of his mouth seemed to twitch a bit at the word “made”.  He coughed as he replied contritely though.

“Thanks.  And, uh, sorry about being rough earlier.”

“It’s all right.”  She smirked.  “You were just defending your ‘delicate’ flower’s honor.”

A humiliated flush crept onto his visage.

“Oi, despite what you may have heard, it’s not like that.”

“It’s okay,” she giggled in understanding.  “I feel the same way about Cass.  …I suppose you could consider it even then?”

“Um… I suppose.”  He looked confounded by the straightforward confession, but shrugged, not wanting to think too hard about it anymore, lest things get overly complicated.  “So… We good then?”

She smiled.

“Yeah.  We’re good.”

…

When the weekend rolled around, Stephanie dragged Cassandra clothes shopping before the big day, insisting on doing her hair and makeup as well.  By the time they arrived at the cinema, the boys were already there waiting, checking their watches out in the cold.  While she sheepishly apologized on both behalves for being “fashionably late”, Steph figured it was worth it when she saw their slack jaws at how much fashion had transformed them.  The guys were dressed decently to impress as well, both sporting smart leather jackets (although Tim’s looked a size too big for him, and Conner still had on that ruddy black Superman T-shirt underneath that seemed like it came from a little kid’s closet).

She took the initiative in lining up with Tim to order snacks and soda, in the meantime telling the other two to go find four seats together.  Luckily they didn’t have to wait long, as there didn’t seem to be many customers despite it being a Saturday.  (To be fair those tickets were probably pretty cheap and undesirable to given away free at some college fest.) Although she kept chatting cheerfully to try and pass the time, her other company seemed even more uncomfortable than usual in the lightly crowded lobby, hardly able to carry a conversation – let alone the food – all the way to the viewing room.  She began to worry if this had been a mistake to bring him here, and prayed the darkness and drama onscreen would at least be able to distract him enough to loosen up a little.

Cass and Conner had saved them two seats near the edge, and she sidled in next to her girlfriend (for moral support) while Tim took the one closest to the aisle.  He kept glimpsing tensely around though, still just as jumpy as before.

“Hey, chill out a bit, will ya?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he muttered. “It’s just, in my experience, this is usually the part where the place catches fire, or some punks try to rob the box office, or…”

She stared at him, shaking her head.

“You fret too much.  Just try to relax and enjoy, okay?  Here, have some popcorn.”

He passed on the salted kernels though, and she pouted as she popped one in her mouth, chewing over whether she’d made the right decision after all. He looked almost claustrophobic, stressed.  In distress.

Things didn’t improve much as the motion picture started to play.  The first feature presentation in the lineup was indeed Frankenstein, and although Tim managed to remain relatively calm enough throughout the monochrome, monotone introduction, he started to stiffen at the famous “awakening” sequence.

“Quite a good scene, isn’t it? One man crazy, three very sane spectators.”

Out of the crook of her eye, Steph sensed her companion cringe every time there was a thunderclap, as lights flashed and machinery sparked with mounting electricity, while the movie madman merrily turned the wheel to “adjust the batteries”.  Together, he and his assistant unrolled the cloth covering the table to expose a humanlike form strapped to it, albeit with limbs limp and lifeless.  Tim’s claw clutched at his armrest as the stretcher was gradually lifted up through a hole in the ceiling towards the stormy sky, where pulses of galvanizing lightning presumably struck the subject repeatedly.

Stephanie divided concentration back and forth between the increasingly agitated boy beside her and the big screen in growing alarm as his breathing accelerated, gasping and wheezing audibly as he bent forward and put his hyperventilating head between his knees.  Cass and Conner were casting concerned looks as well, while other annoyed audience members revolved around and shushed to keep it down.  As her attention was arrested by the scientist maniacally screaming “It’s alive!” over and over again, she turned back one last time to ask if Tim was all right in a worried whisper – but there was no answer.

Tim was gone.

————————–

Oh Lord, whatever did I say? Whatever made me think that this was all okay? No one held me to the flame The hell if I could take the dark from my face

[incarnateirony]

Democratic Debates, Day 1

So a few ground rules:

If you’re going to reply, be an adult about it, and don’t try to read everything in bad faith default lens. Ask questions of anyone who engages rather than accusing. And not in that presumptuous white guy bad faith questioning that isn’t a question tone.

If replying, put your comments with a lead in no longer than two (reasonable) sentences behind a cut. Because

some of us are fandom blogs first or whatever interests and our followers aren’t deeply invested

I just don’t want goddamn pillars of text on my reblog wall if I respond to discussions.

Literally if you’re a republican out to just be a shitlord and start whining or complaining or insulting or “no u”ing, see rule 4

I will not reblog or reply to any commentary that doesn’t fit these very basic guidelines, because internet trolling etc is not worth the future of our country. And that’s very much at stake now.

If you don’t want to see this, blacklist #politics and/or #democratic debates. Now, my takeaways on this, some surprising.

So, I’ll start with some disclaimers: I’m pretty much “vote for my dog over Trump” party line right now but we need to figure out a mix of “our best chance of winning” along of “award for the least tool” with hopefully a side of “I really like them and their policies”

Honestly, I entered this without being fond of Warren. She had some... establishment backing and other things that were just rubbing me wrong. I actually went in to day one looking to hear about Tulsi since I heard great buzz about her but honestly had only pulled up a few pages that sounded great on paper, but wanted to see her in action. Everyone else was littered policy ideas disembodied and, as a very visual person, I need to be able to connect to how they handle their podium beyond writing nice policy platitudes or listening to the toss back and forth online with everybody screaming at everybody else.

I’m also going to get something out of the way, and BEFORE you flame me on my marks on the image, read why I selected one that... I generally wouldn’t. First, this was my original graphic I released.

Okay so sore thumb here: De Blasio. The reason for the circling being simple: if you took every semi-valid idea of every other white guy’s platform on this lineup, gave it a little bit of meat, and showed ACTUAL LIVING PROOF OF HAVING ENACTED IT ALL IN HIS TENURE AND MAKING THE IDEAS WORK, you get De Blasio. A lot of the ideas of the other nominees is basically *hand raise* “I did that.” So like. That’s that.

Anyone with no mark whatsoever is kinda like “you’re there and not trump so good for you” but there’s some updates further down this conversation on one of those.

The internet keeps acting like Klobuchar did well and I really don’t get why. It kinda feels like our token non-canuck trying to appeal to them-there northern hunter-type and cheese folks to reach out as a middle ground without actually committing to much and honestly, she’s just not going to last.

Booker caught my eye even if I was kind of head tilting because that is quite literally the whitest black man I have ever fucking seen, but he made a point about intersectionality, marginalized groups, and held his ground. He was all but unknown to me but I at least looked at him now. On the other hand, a lot of it felt like borderline pandering. I don’t know. I’ll keep an eye on him, but he actually stood out a bit at least. Not hard with the mayo jars up there but whatever.

It’s not a rare take online that Castro took the internet by storm. I love him. Everyone loves him. I do have some concerns long-term though; it’s less having actual problems with his ideas and more knowing that ... our country is too fucked for him right now. He’s advocating some pretty heavily open borders and while in principle I enjoyed watching him stomp on Beto about that, I honestly feel like if we put him against Trump, we’d lose. 

There’s people in the red party that ARE tired of Trump, that ARE experiencing a crisis about the inhumane shit going on at the border, that WOULD be willing to crossvote to make it end -- but we can’t forget that a lot of them initially voted for Trump BECAUSE of a deep seeded Xenophobia, and the level of aggression -- again, the kind of aggression I personally agree with -- Castro had may end up being very dangerous long term in getting that vote. Pretty much everyone up there agrees we need very comprehensive immigration reform and immediate action about the travesty, but I feel like unless Castro smooths his roll a bit we’re in for a long term faceplant that gives us another four years of Trumpian hell by people pulling back into their xenophobic mindset and -- if not voting for Trump -- abstaining from voting for him, which I think several other candidates have in their court.

Castro made a bit of a gaffe about switching trans genders but the fact that he tried, I guess. And considered trans in the discussion of choice and birth control etc. It could have very easily just been a stupid fumble. He’s still trying to take it into account. I can forgive that, in the scale of it, even if it has a bit of performer aspect.

Also I’m left to wonder where Castro was when they needed help running in Texas to begin with. I also just don’t see the passion in his eyes of several candidates, it’s strangely calculating on most topics. I like his platform, in theory, but I’m very cautious. 

Jay Insley is just weird even if everyone likes him.

Dulaney is a meme and I don’t know why he’s even here.

Tim Ryan accidentally wandered in on his way to the Republican debates as best I can gather.

Tulsi was the one that I was watching. All in all, I was underwhelmed. And then... it got worse.

The better part of her time was spent repeating her time in the military. And while it was great watching her school Tim Ryan, that’s not exactly hard to do. The fact that she lit his ass on fire when he just about self combusted in front of the party without her help -- I mean, it was the highlight of her showcasing aside from the snazzy Rogue hair.

Somehow, for as woke as tumblr is, and the progressives that had me looking her way, I hadn’t heard of her anti-LGBT past which she’s mostly couched her opinions on and held as recently as 2014 or THE FACT THAT I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT SHE WAS VETTED BY THE FUCKING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO BE ON THEIR CABINET, I’M FUCKING HORRIFIED.

BUT THEN THERE WAS THIS LITTLE GEM THAT I FOUND BEFORE ACTUALLY DISCOVERING THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH.

What the FUCK? What are you, seven? That’s literal pre-emptive “my sister stole my phone lol sorry” level tweets. YOU’RE A FUCKING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TALKING ABOUT IMPORTANT NATIONAL MATTERS LOCK YOUR GODDAMN PHONE.

Because THAT’S just what we need, we’ll go from Trump impulse-tweeting to like “LOL fuck korea - lmao sorry my sister texted that”???? 

Neverminding how STATISTICALLY INCORRECT that is. Depending on exactly HOW you count time Warren got 2nd or 3rd most time -- yes, more than Tulsi. She did not have the most. She did not have “more than all the other candidates combined.” And Tulsi did not have the least time, but center-ground on time. She wasted a bunch of it endlessly reciting her time in the military, scoring an okay shot on Ryan, and... well, vagueblogging about her opinion on LGBT to the vein of “something something equality my bad I was raised conservative” great. Great selling point. Great couching there. Five years ago you were fighting against me having rights and now you’re basically against government deciding what people can’t do but what the fuck is your opinion on me as a human being?

Doubling back from that problem though, that’s when I dug in her LGBT history and ended up tripping over the Trump stuff. AND THIS IS THE CANDIDATE I WENT IN TO HEAR FROM TONIGHT LIKE “YES PLZ LET ME HEAR MORE” because people I knew LIKED her, but then I find out she’s a Trump frand that has Trump-like hyperbolic meltdowns on twitter? NO I DO NOT WANT FEMALE TRUMP WITH ROGUE HAIR THANKS BUT NO THANKS. 

Back to Warren, who I started with a MEH on, she came out WICKEDLY strong out of the gate. Her second half was weaker, she kinda has next to no active plan beyond talking/passing around more research on gun reform, but everything else, yes. Do I think she has the potential weight to pull it off, yes. And most of all, watching as she gets mad, upset, or emotional, do I believe she believes everything she said tonight, yes. Look, I know there’s STUFF about her claiming she had Native American heritage or whatever but I’m honestly so far past giving a fuck about the obscure shit like that if they have decent policies because our country is so FUCKED right now that I DONT CARE. She held her ground.

So in the end my spread ends up looking more like

of day 1 contenders, Warren still maintains her strong chance. Castro kind of sprouted up out of the earth and I really goddamn like him, but I do hold caution for my reasons above, because again, our country is THAT FUCKED.  

Booker really turned some heads and I liked him Booker... Booker’s very concerned about a lot of marginalized intersectional issues and it took him from “who the fuck is that” onto my radar which is a leap, but he didn’t drill in as hard as Castro did to my mind and I feel like he’s just... I dunno, I could be wrong but I feel like he’s gonna fade. Beto, IDK, still exists, isn’t an embarrassment and doesn’t just morph in with the other white guys up there. He’s not Trump. So I won’t delete him, but let’s say he barely, and I mean BARELY hedged into my consideration in this image, I almost just cropped it over to Warren.

De Blasio is just sort of “status quo, but actually enacts it” but I wouldn’t weep to see him vanish, either. In the end out of this debate though, I see like

Everyone else go home.

ON THE OTHER HAND, MOST CANDIDATES I’M ACTIVELY INTERESTED IN ARE ON THE FLOOR TOMORROW, WHICH BY THE LINEUP IS SLATED TO BE A BLOODBATH.

I’m really, REALLY hoping everybody has the common sense to make such an ass of Biden he’s knocked out early. Like that’s part of why I’m so goddamn interested in day 2. If we end up with Trump vs Biden we might as well all just put on our goddamn clown suits but he has the fiscal backing to push through even if he shouldn’t unless he’s utterly DECIMATED early on.

I don’t like Kamala Harris’ prison industrial complex CRAP but I’d be HAPPY to watch her drag Biden around like a wet rag. Sanders is a given point of interest. Buttigieg is another one to watch. Yang... isn’t... gonna last. But is just sort of a ... fun thing to watch I guess in this mix up. Someone else may surprise me, I don’t know.

[lfthinkerwrites]

Regarding Jonathan Crane, pt. 3

Title: Regarding Jonathan Crane

Fandom: Batman

Rating: T

Warning: Mentioned Character Death, brief descriptions of past violence

Summary: Bruce is made aware of the situation and reflects on the events that brought them to this point.

Previous Chapters:  1/2

AO3 Link

Saturday, February 3rd

8:30 pm

Since he'd escaped from Arkham Island almost 24 hours earlier, Croc had kept a low profile. Bruce knew though it would only be a matter of time before he caught his trail somewhere beneath the city. Croc was predictable. Dick was already out scouring the Bowery for information, while Oracle and Tim listened in on any radio chatter. Bruce himself was driving into the Bowery, after giving Gordon his latest update.

"How goes your search Master Bruce?"

Bruce pressed the intercom on the car to respond. "No sign of Croc yet. I'm going to meet Dick now in the Bowery. According to an associate of his, Croc has a lair somewhere beneath the old Blue Line subway tunnels. We'll be checking that out first. How's everything back at the Manor?"

"As well as can be expected, though Master Damian is quite insistent that he should have been allowed to accompany you."

"No," Bruce said adamantly. "Damian's not prepared to take on someone like Croc just yet."

"You and Master Dick should exercise caution as well. I know how difficult your last encounter with Croc was for you sir."

Bruce's grip tightened on the Batmobile's steering wheel. His last encounter with Croc had been the night of the Arkham Riot, when he'd been down in Croc's lair to get the spore samples that would counteract Dr. Young's TITAN formula. His encounter with Croc had been difficult yes, but it was what had happened before that still haunted him at night, almost two years later...

...He's still fighting off the effects of Crane's latest toxin as he chases the Rogue down into the sewers. It's more potent than it's ever been. He should of seen this coming he thinks. Crane had been too quiet since Nigma went into his coma. That always meant that he was up to something. Finally, he reaches the door that leads into Croc's lair and goes through it. He stops and slowly walks in. Scarecrow is in control tonight, not Crane. That makes the situation even more dangerous.

He sees Crane at the edge of the water, holding his pouch above it. "Stay back!" He cries out, his usually deep voice high and tinged with mania. "Or this goes into the water supply!" He dangles the bag over the edge and Bruce pauses. There's no reasoning with him at this point. Any scraps of human decency that Crane had ever had had gone with Nigma. Bruce slowly begins to reach for a batarang from a back pouch on his belt.

"Don't! I warn you!" Crane shouts again. "There's enough toxin to drive Gotham mad with fear for a hundred years!"

"Don't do it Crane," Bruce says. Then he pulls the one card he thinks he has left, even if it disgusts him to do so. "Edward is still out there Jonathan. Will you doom him too?"

For a moment, Crane hesitates. "Edward..." he says. Then his voice hardens. "You took him from me. You"ll pay for that. This whole goddamn city will pay for that!" He raises the pouch over the water again and Bruce reaches behind his belt. He'll only have one shot, he needs to make it count-

Suddenly something rises from the water and grabs onto Crane. Bruce realizes it's Croc. Croc raises the scrawny man above his head and the pouch falls harmlessly onto the ground. Bruce races to pick it up before firing the batarang at Croc's shock collar. The collar goes off, shocking Croc, but he does not let go of Crane. With a growl, he plunges back into the murky depths, taking Crane with him.

Bruce should go after them. He's not sure what Croc intends to do with Crane, but he has to stop him. He's about to dive into the water when the Earth above him shakes. The TITAN infected plants are still growing. He needs to get the spores for the antidote or everyone on this island will die, to say nothing of what Joker will do if he gets into Gotham City. But if he doesn't go in, Jonathan Crane may die. One life, vs hundreds, potentially thousands... He takes one last look at the water, then he continues into the lair...

...That was the last time anyone had seen or heard from Jonathan Crane. As far as Gotham and the rest of the world was concerned, the man was dead. Bruce sighed. He should have been more resistant to the fear toxin. He should have been quicker to disarm Crane. He should have gone after Croc. Every death that happened on his watch, no matter whose it was, was his responsibility.

"Are you alright Sir? You've been quiet."

Bruce shook off the memory and focused back on the road. "I'm fine. I'll check in again when I meet with Dick." Bruce shut off the intercom and prepared to make the turn into the Bowery. Then his car phone rang. Bruce narrowed his eyes. That couldn't be Alfred or Barbara. He pressed the talk button to answer the phone. "Yes?"

"Bruce?"

Bruce's eyebrows raised under the cowl. "Selina? What is it?"

"I need to see you."

The almost desperate tone in her voice immediately set Bruce on edge. Selina's never desperate. "What's wrong?"

"It's Eddie. I think he's in real trouble."

Not Nigma. Not now. What could he have possibly gotten up to-Croc. Did Nigma-

"You look like Hell," is the first thing Selina says when he staggers into her apartment. He should go back to Wayne Manor to rest, but he needed to see her first. Selina can sense something deeper than exhaustion brought him here. "Bruce. What's wrong?"

Bruce takes a breath. "Jonathan Crane's dead."

Selina's eyes widen. "What? How?"

"I chased him down into Croc's lair. He was dangling a pouch of fear toxin over the water. Croc grabbed him and dragged him under." He should have gone after them. He knows now he had time. Why didn't he?

Selina sinks onto her couch. "Jesus..." her hand comes up to her mouth as she gasps. "Oh God! Bruce! Eddie! How am I going to tell Eddie?"

Bruce shook his head. "Where are you?"

"I'm on the roof of the Iceberg Lounge."

Bruce made a sharp u-turn. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Selina was waiting alone on the roof of the Iceberg Lounge, just as she said she'd be. She looked visibly relieved when she saw Bruce as he approached. "Hey handsome."

Bruce wished he could take the time to exchange pleasantries with her. "What happened with Nigma?"

Selina sighed. "He's gone Bruce. He's not at his apartment or his office and he hasn't answered his phone for over 24 hours." Selina's eyes softened slightly. "When I was by his apartment earlier, he had a box of news clipping about Crane out on his coffee table. He's gone after Croc Bruce. I know it."

Bruce knew she was right. He remembered when Selina told him about Edward's reaction when she informed him about what had happened to Crane. He should have told Tim or Dick to check on him when they'd gotten word about Croc's escape. "When was the last time anyone saw or spoke to him?"

"Yesterday morning," she answered. "We didn't know he was gone until earlier this afternoon."

So Edward had potentially been gone for over 24 hours. Bruce narrowed his eyes. He could be anywhere underneath Gotham by now. He might be dead. He clenched his fist. He should have never let Croc take Crane. He should have kept a closer eye on Edward. He should have done better by both of them, but he didn't and Crane was dead. And Edward potentially was too.

He felt Selina's hand on his shoulder. "Bruce," she said gently. "What happened to Crane wasn't your fault."

"I'm responsible for it Selina. I could have done more to prevent it. I should have gone after Croc."

"Bruce, the whole island was going to Hell, you'd just been exposed to enough fear toxin to drive ten people insane and you were on Croc's home turf. If you'd gone after them, you would have died." She gently reached up to cup Bruce's chin. "What happened to Crane was horrible, but he knew the risks going down there. You can't make yourself responsible for everything. We can't bring Crane back, but we can still save Eddie."

She was right. Edward's safety was the priority now. He reached up to take her hand. "I'll find him Selina," he promised. "If Edward's down there, I'll find him before it's too late."

Selina withdrew her hand and smiled. "I know," she said. "I'm coming with you."

"Selina," Bruce warned. "This will be dangerous."

"Oh really?" Selina drawled. "Going down into the sewers to chase Killer Croc will be dangerous? You don't say." Her face grew serious. "Eddie's my friend. If we find him before Croc does, I'm one of the only people around who might be able to talk sense into him. We both know he won't listen to you."

Bruce didn't like the idea of Selina coming with him, but he conceded the point. "Alright, but be careful."

"Relax," she said, sauntering towards the edge of the rooftop. "I'll just grab Eddie and get out. I'll leave the fighting to you. "

Nightwing was waiting by the entrance to the Old Blue Line Bowery Station when Bruce pulled up in the Batmobile. He gave Bruce a quick nod of acknowledgement then did a double  take when he saw Selina exit the vehicle. She gave him a small wave. "Hi Boy Wonder."

Nightwing looked over to Bruce. "You wanna fill me in?"

Bruce locked down the Batmobile and walked over to Nightwing. "Nigma's gone after Croc," he explained. "We need to find him before he finds Croc."

Nightwing's eyes went wide under his domino mask. "Aw jeez..." He looked back towards Selina, who had joined him by the entrance. "I take it you're here to try to save Eddie from himself?"

Selina stretched her arms out above her head. "Try the key word there." She glanced at the entrance. "Ready boys?"

Nightwing stepped to the side and swept his arms towards the entrance "After you my Lady." Selina chuckled a bit and stepped through, followed by Bruce and Nightwing. The three descended the steps into the old station and walked out onto the old platform. Bruce winced as he saw the homeless gathered around meager fires, barely looking up at them as they passed. Budget cuts had forced the city to close down much of the shelters. Bruce would have to see that some of the Wayne Charity Foundation's budget went towards opening new ones. The three passed one older man who was sitting by the edge of the platform. He looked up at them with vague curiosity.

"You here for Croc or for Riddler?"

Selina looked sharply down at the man. "You saw Riddler? When?"

"Last night," the man answered. "Told him Croc was there. I warned him not to go down there. He didn't listen though."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. Edward had been down here for 24 hours. They needed to hurry. He jumped onto the tracks and gestured for Selina and Nightwing to follow him.

As they walked down the tunnel, the faint light from the fires on the platform completely dimmed. Bruce pulled a small flashlight out of a pocket on his belt and clicked it on, illuminating the tunnel before them. For a while, they walked on in silence, until Nightwing broke it.

"Going up against Croc...what's Eddie thinking? He's got to know he doesn't stand a chance against him."

"He's not thinking," Selina answered. "He's not being rational." She clucked her tongue. "He never really was rational where Spooky was concerned."

"I'll say," Nightwing muttered. "I never understood what he saw in Crane."

"Neither did I," Selina admitted. "But Eddie loved Crane. He still does love him. It doesn't matter what I think. And I think Spooky loved him back, in his own way. It wasn't like Joker and Harley."

Crane was a misanthrope who enjoyed the terror he caused, despite a token attempt to pass off his actions as 'pure research.' He disregarded all other concerns, including his health, as something completely beneath his notice. If there had been anyone on Earth that Jonathan Crane had truly cared for though, it was Edward Nigma. His always precarious grip on himself had slipped for good after that last fight in Metropolis, when Edward had finally bitten off more than he could chew. Bruce had been at that battle with the rest of the League, but he didn't see Edward go down. It wasn't until after the fight that he saw Shining Knight, standing over Edward's limp body. He almost didn't recognize him through all the blood. Shining Knight was still holding the bloody mace, stammering out apologies as Bruce had cradled Edward's body and yelled for a medic. Bruce suspected that Edward's earlier dip in the Lazarus Pit was the only reason he survived, even if his memories couldn't be salvaged. The only thing that comforted Bruce was the fact that Crane hadn't been there to witness it. Regardless, that had been the start of his final, fatal descent. Bruce felt his grip on his flashlight tighten. He'd had a hand in everything that had happened to Crane and Edward in the last few years. That was something he'd never forgive himself for.

Bruce paused when he noticed something up ahead. An open manhole, with the lid cast aside. He slowly walked over to the open space and shone his light down. It was about a six foot drop, with railings. Bruce went down first, shining his light  to make sure there were no surprises waiting for them. When he saw it was clear, he gestured for Dick and Selina to follow him.

"You think Eddie was here?" Selina asked when she joined him.

"Yes," Bruce answered. "Let's keep going."

"He's been down here for a whole day," Nightwing said. "What's he been doing? Do you think he found Croc?"

"He could have gotten lost down here," Selina argued. "Maybe we'll run into him."

Bruce doubted that and he'd be surprised if Selina actually believed that.

"So what's the plan if we do find him?" Nightwing asked.

"I'm going to try to talk him into going back up with me," Selina answered. "And if he doesn't listen, I'm going to need your help hog-tying him and dragging him back up."

Nightwing snorted. "Great. Just like old times. I'm sure he'll really appreciate it too."

Bruce's attention was caught by the sound of water. That and the smell told them that they were in the sewers proper.

"I really hate when we have to chase after Croc," Nightwing complained, holding his nose. "Just once, can't he hide out in a bakery, or a field of flowers or something?"

"Eddie must be driven to find him," Selina added. "That's the only reason he'd be down here."

Bruce didn't respond, leading the way forward. If Croc was down here, they needed to be on the alert.

"Either of you boys have the time?"

Nightwing pulled up the sleeve of his costume. "12:30. We've been down here for about four hours, I don't think we're in the Bowery anymore."

Bruce accessed the palm top computer embedded in his right glove. "According to my schematics, we're under the Diamond District."

"You think Eddie made it this far?" Nightwing asked.

"He's got to be down here somewhere," Selina said. "You don't happen to have a tracking device on Eddie, do you?"

"No." Bruce said. He'd considered putting one in Ed's cane when they worked together on the Sharp case last year, but he'd decided against it. There was too much of a risk that Edward would have found out and be set off by it and there was a part of Bruce that had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. With everything that had happened since then, Bruce wished that he had. He'd promised himself when Edward had woken up and announced his intent to reform, that he'd do what he could to ensure he stayed reformed...

...The office Edward had chosen to set up shop at is small, but Bruce supposes it will do. He'd decided that morning to pay the former rogue a visit as Bruce Wayne. There were things he needed to know about Edward, things he didn't think he'd find out as easily if he went as Batman. The door to what he assumes is the waiting room was wide open, so Bruce walks in. He raises an eyebrow at the open boxes that litter the floor. "Hello?" he calls out. "Anyone home?"

He hears a noise and Edward appears, walking out of the room just beyond the waiting room. His eyes widen in recognition when he sees him and Bruce tenses. The moment of truth. Does Edward remember that Bruce Wayne is Batman?

"I know your face," Edward murmurs. Then a smile appears on his face, one that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Of course! You're Bruce Wayne!"

This is a good sign, Bruce thinks, but he's still cautious as he reaches out to shake his hand. "Indeed I am."

Edward takes his hand and shakes it, more out of a desire to be polite Bruce thinks. "I'm sorry for the mess in here. I just moved in."

"No worries," Bruce says. "I can only imagine how busy you must be."

Edward picks up one of the boxes on the floor and sets it on what will probably become a secretary's desk. "So," he says in a jovial tone that sounds just a bit forced, "How can I help the wealthiest man in Gotham today?" A look passes on Edward's face. "You're not here to settle a score with me are you? I don't remember if I've ever robbed you or not."

Either Edward is doing a very good job of mocking him, or he legitimately doesn't remember. Bruce is beginning to think it's the latter. Time to do another test. "I actually came to ask for your help."

Edward's eyes widen in genuine surprise then. "You-my help?" He recovers and claps his hands together. "Well then! What kind of conundrum do you have for me?"

Bruce takes the opportunity to study the man before him. Edward's put on weight since he's been released, looking healthier than Bruce had seen him for a long time. His eyes no longer have that manic gleam Bruce remembers from the last few encounters they'd had before Metropolis, but Bruce thinks they're a bit duller than they used to be. The purple shades obscure them somewhat. Bruce clears his throat and continues. "We've been having a rash of break ins at Wayne Towers in the past two weeks. I'd like you to take a look into it." Bruce had already figured out that a security guard was part of a robbery ring and was assisting his friends in breaking in. He wants to see if Edward can come to the same conclusion. He wants to know how sharp his mind still is.

Edward pulls out a pad of paper and a pencil from the desk drawer and jots this down. "Break ins...Do you have security footage?"

"Yes. You'll have access to everything you might need." Bruce pulls out his checkbook and writes an amount down. "I think this should about cover it."

Edward takes the check from Bruce's hand and his eyes almost bug out at the amount. "This-Mr. Wayne I-" Edward passes the check back. "This is too much. I can't accept it."

Selina told Bruce that Edward wasn't quite his old self just yet. Now Bruce fully believes it. "Mr. Nigma," he says. "Edward. Please. I want you to take it."

Edward eyes the check for a long moment, then takes it and puts it in his pocket quickly, as if he thinks that Bruce will change his mind and demand it back. "I'll get started on the case right away," he says. The man wets his lip and continues. "You must have a lot of options Mr. Wayne. Why me? I can't imagine your board at Wayne Enterprises would be too happy about this."

"No, the probably won't be," Bruce admits. "But I believe you really do want a fresh start. And I believe in second chances..."

"Bruce!"

Selina's voice jolted him out of his memory. Before he could respond, she rushed past him, running to what looks like a scrap of cloth on the ground about ten feet from them. A green scrap of cloth. Bruce rushed to catch up to Selina as she picked it up off the ground. When he was next to her, he got a closer look. It was Edward's green bowler hat. "He was here," Selina said. "I knew it."

"So what happened?" Nightwing asked. "Did Croc...?"

Bruce shone the flashlight around the immediate area. No blood. The water wasn't deep enough in this part of the sewer for Croc to have dragged him under either. His lair must be close by. "Come on," he said. "Stay behind me." He can hear Selina unfurl her whip and Dick ready his fighting sticks. The three of them continued on down the sewer. About ten minutes later, they hit a junction.

"Which way?" Selina asked.

"It's too dangerous to split up," Bruce said. He looked back down at his glove. The signal was weak down here, but he could just make out the map of the sewer system that Oracle had uploaded to the server for such an occasion. "The left leads to deeper water. The right's a dead end. We should go left."

Before either of his companions could reply, they heard a long, loud scream from the left. It was one of the most terrible noises Bruce had ever heard. It was a cry of pain, anger, and agony. Dick and Selina's eyes were both wide. "Was that Eddie?" Dick asked.

Selina stood frozen for a moment. "Oh my God! EDDIE!"

Without a word, Bruce ran towards the direction the cry had come from at top speed. He barely heard Dick and Selina behind him in full pursuit. He thought about Metropolis. He thought about the night Jonathan Crane had died. He would not fail Edward again.

[elpisofhope]

yo can u do Persephone and/orrrrrr Hermes??

Careful, this gets long as I’m doing both

Persephone

Full Name: Kore (Preferred name given at birth by Demeter)/Persephone (name given by Hades upon coronation)Gender and Sexuality: Cis female/HeterosexualPronouns: She/herEthnicity/Species: Goddess of spring growth and flowersBirthplace and Birthdate: In Demeter’s cottage sometime during the summerGuilty Pleasures: Naps in the sunlight, Tim Burton filmsPhobias: Death of a loved oneWhat They Would Be Famous For: Being the queen of the UnderworldWhat They Would Get Arrested For: Trespassing, assaultOC You Ship Them With: No oneOC Most Likely To Murder Them: Hera or something idkFavorite Movie/Book Genre: Musicals and Hallmark storiesLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche:Talents and/or Powers: Helps her mom bring life back to the earth every spring equinox, ability to soothe raging soulsWhy Someone Might Love Them: She makes a good play mate and she speaks her mind. A good daughter and loyal. Has a lot of ideas for improving her homes and more often than not goes through with them, whether they are good or not.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: She’s really freakin’ cocky and arrogant, does what she wants without telling anyone. Not that bright either.

How They Change: She’s very bratty and reluctant about becoming queen at first when it comes to her duties, but she eventually finds her place in the Underworld leading to a more peaceful kingdom.

Why You Love Them: She became queen without getting married and also her relationships are tedious but pure at heart. She loves her mom a lot and likes to pick on Hades, but Hades tolerates it and puts up with her shenanigans.

Hermes

Full Name: HermesGender and Sexuality: Cis male/pansexualPronouns: He/HimEthnicity/Species: God of travel, trading, basically everything no one wants to doBirthplace and Birthdate: Mount Cylene/Olympus and idk when he was bornGuilty Pleasures: Picking his nose/ear for that giant booger/glob of earwax, stealing auntie Hestia’s browniesPhobias: The dark, the ocean, scared of having his secret being found out, and spidersWhat They Would Be Famous For: Most likely to be put into jail and photobombing (He’s in a lot of pictures throughout history)

What They Would Get Arrested For: A LOT OF THINGS, JUST TRUST MEOC You Ship Them With: ApolloOC Most Likely To Murder Them: Apollo (accidentally) and AresFavorite Movie/Book Genre: Comedy and things that make him on the edge of the seat throughout the whole thingLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: RomanceTalents and/or Powers: The power to create a sort of barrier, and being able to use the caduceus and talaria

Why Someone Might Love Them: He’s a fun loving, caring guy who loves to give the gift of gifts. He’s very friendly and you find it easy to talk to him

Why Someone Might Hate Them: He won’t stop messing with you and your shizz and he keeps getting you and him into trouble, and thus very annoying like a fly you can’t swat.

How They Change: He doesn’t change that much actually. He learns to cope with his past but that’s about it

Why You Love Them: He’s the comic relief, they’re one of my favorite character tropes.

[greycappedjester]

Can you please give us romantic headcanons for all Romance in AFTO

....um, all of them?

Okay, guys, I'm going to be honest: I love answering asks a lot but please if you don't mind, could you limit it to one or two relationships per ask just because it makes them easier to answer. Anon, this is not on you at all. I've never mentioned it before so there's no way you could have known.

So, in the future and for everyone, please limit to one or two relationships per ask.

This is not done to discourage asks. I love asks. But, it will really makes it easier for me to answer quickly and effectively

With that, there's like over a dozen implied romances in the series. So, I'm going to stick to one each for the couples who: (a) it's implied they're both interested, (b) are both alive; (c) have a chance of being a couple either now or in the future; (d) characters that have both been introduced as of now and (e) ones that aren't spoilers. That should limit it to like 10.

Dick/Kory: One of Kory's favorite hobbies is gardening (she loves seeing how different Earth plants are to Tameran). However, she hates the idea of cut flower since it means they can no longer grow. Dick often brings new potted plants he finds to her on dates and every time it makes her smile. Dick took care of her plants while she was off Earth and was utterly terrified he was going to kill one of them. There were many panicked consultations with Alfred on how much water was "too much" water. The plants amazingly all made it.

Dick/Babs: Every time a major dance concert is in town, Dick makes sure to get tickets for both of them. Sometimes he's successful in getting Jason and Tim to go, sometimes not (the most frequent person he can convince is Alfred). Dick doesn't completely get ballet but he really loves hearing Barbara go into insane amount of detail about what the different dances mean and how that style originated. They are also both major supporters of the Gotham U dance club and frequently stop by local performances whenever they need a break.

Jade/Will: Weirdly they are the couple that people most definitely should and most definitely won't go to for relationship advice. They surprisingly have their shit completely together and are doing well raising both a teenager and a baby. They're actually really great at remembering and celebrating anniversaries and doing regular date nights. Everyone else finds this surprising but it's also partly because everyone is too terrified to interrupt Jade when she says she's taking the night off (someone has to legit be dying).

Garth/Tula: Now, that Tula is full-time living on the surface as she works with Titans Dark, a lot of her and Garth dates focus on various homesick things (like visiting the aquarium or Garth cooking traditional Atlantean food...Garth is an excellent chef for Atlantean food and terrible for everything else). Garth is planning to propose fairly soon (within the next couple of years, he's still trying to find the right ring)

Zatanna/Lilith: So, currently, Zatanna is the leader of Titans Dark with Constantine as Second in Command. That said, Lilith is by far the Team Mom. She's 1,000% the one that teammates come to complain to/ vent with issues. Zatanna both finds this amazing and is slightly miffed that every single one of their dates has the potential to be interrupted at any point by teammates. Constantine finds this hilarious. Zatanna hexed his hair blue.

Jaime/Bart: are not together yet...but it's mainly because I haven't had time yet to write more of Flash Facts. This is partly a Rogue one. When Bart and Jaime first started dating, Bart forget to mention this to any of the Rogues...or that he was interested in anyone....or that Jaime was a hero.

Kara Kent/ Vic Stone: Ugh, this is definitely the minor couple I'd be most interested in writing a short story about and calling it Those of Steel since I love that the nickname fits both of them. It took years and a lot of self-confidence issues on both sides (Kara because of the alien thing and Vic because getting used to the cybrog thing) but they are finally together as of this last chapter. Kara has also moved into the Tower to be closer.

Mal/Karen: With Mal not being a superhero in this one, there's still a bit of friction (luckily made better by the Titans more inclusive friends/ loved ones parties compared to canon). That said, Mal is doing great work as a composer and dedicated his last album to Karen (it was a derivation using Flight of the Bumblebee as inspiration). It's up for musical awards for promising incoming musicians.

Garfield Logan (Beast Boy)/Rachel Roth (Raven): are not technically together yet but both clearly like each other. Raven has come up with a variety of totally-legitimate research question on why Garfield simply has to be at the Titans Dark headquarters because who know how magic reacts with Martian/human spliced DNA. Billy is their ultimate wingman.

Lisa Snart/Sam Scudder: Sam is the first boyfriend that Lisa has actually seen a future with (following canon, her last boyfriends were kind of trash). He's sweet and makes her laugh all the time and always encourages her on whatever she wants to do...which honestly means a lot to her. Sam, meanwhile, gets very nervous when he's outside the reach of his mirrors (he has a lot of problems with uncertainty) but the longest he can go and feel safe is always the time he spends with Lisa....which honestly means a lot to him. Len would never admit it but he actually approves a lot.

*I'm probably missing some but also...at this point, there's already 10.