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soggylampshade-11 · 1 year

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Dead Like Me. Chapter 2.

Hi. I didn't expect this to pop off the way it did, so thank you so much! Here's the second chapter, I hope you like it!

Trigger warnings: mentions of SA, language, body/sex shaming, brief mentioning of s*icide, brief mention of drug use

Chapter 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 2

For a lot of reasons, I waited until class was in session to go to the girls’ locker room. I wanted to wash Zach Hines off me and change out of the shorts he made feel dirty. I was grateful for the first time since I died that I was an athlete. I had at least two other changes of clothes in my gym locker that I grabbed before any police could take it as evidence or whatever they did during investigations.

I scrubbed my entire body until my skin burned then crouched under the water. I wasn’t going to sit on the nasty floor of the group shower, I knew all the things that touched it. I just needed a second to let out everything I was feeling about what happened. There were so many memories and emotions washing over me that I just had to sob for a minute without the prying eyes of other people. Even if they had good intentions like Charley and Wally.

After I felt a little better, I turned off the water and put myself back together. I wore leggings and a sports bra with a jacket over it and my sneakers. I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do now that I was dead other than wander around the school aimlessly. That was a better plan in theory because wandering aimlessly let me hear all the rumors swirling about me.

“Have you heard about Sabrina Wellington? She let the football team run a line on her then killed herself under the bleachers.”

“Have you heard Sabrina Wellington overdosed under the bleachers last night?”

“Have you heard about that cheerleader who hooked up with Zach Hines then got into an accident because she was drinking and driving?”

The last one didn’t even make sense because they found my body on campus. Regardless, it was hard hearing the rumors about me having sex with anybody. I was a virgin when I died. If things had gone any further with Zach before he killed me, it definitely wouldn’t have been because I wanted it to.

I ended up just putting in my headphones and running on a treadmill in the gym. I found out people couldn’t see me unless they were dead and couldn’t tell if I was using objects around them. I also figured out ghosts couldn’t sweat. That was nice considering I was running at full speed with Rob Zombie blaring so loud in my headphones I couldn’t string together a single thought if I wanted to.

By the end of the school day, I’d run almost seven miles on the treadmill. I’d listened to Rob Zombie and Slipknot’s entire discography. Headphones were the best way to block out all the bullshit. Unfortunately, they did nothing about seeing Zach Hines walk through the parking lot after class like nothing was wrong.

I wanted to scream and hit and punch and let him know how I felt. I tried, but he didn’t miss a step and continued going to his truck. I picked up a big rock from the parking lot and launched it through the back glass of his truck, but the glass instantly pieced itself back together.

“We can’t mess with anything in the real world,” Charley said, coming up to stand beside me. “If you can even hear me right now that is.”

“Huh? Why couldn’t I hear you?” I asked, turning my body to face his.

“Wally said he tried talking to you earlier when you were running, but you ignored him. Then I saw you wearing those headphones that kids wear now that have no cords on them. You still have them in, so I figured you might not be able to hear me,” he explained with a sheepish shrug. “But I guess that’s not an issue.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve had a horrible first day being dead and wanted to shut my brain off for a while,” I told him, getting my case out of my jacket pocket and sticking my headphones into me. “Sometimes the only way to do that is to blare music so loud it should burst my eardrums.”

“Right, I get that. I miss my discman like crazy,” he agreed. “I picked the wrong day to leave it at home.”

“When did you die?” I asked, realizing how rude that was a beat later. “Shit, sorry, that was insensitive.”

“No, it’s fine. I died of anaphylactic shock in 1994,” he replied, the two of us walking back into the empty school together.

“Are you and I the youngest ghosts here?” I asked, holding open the door for both of us. “Because I don’t recognize anybody but Wally and that’s because there’s a picture of him outside the boys’ locker room.”

“You’re the first ghost we’ve gotten since I’ve been here,” he agreed, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. “Rhonda was my guide when I got here. Not that she isn’t cool, but I think I’m a lot friendlier than her. Granted, I’m not 6’2 with big puppy dog eyes or anything… but I’m a close second, I think.”

“I’m glad I had you to greet me, you’re a very calming guy,” I praised, watching him smile proudly. “I died because a football player was pissed I wouldn’t hook up with him under the bleachers last night… and you saw my dead body. I feel like we’ve bonded on a whole different level.”

Charley laughed at that, the two of us falling into step together as we walked into the teachers’ lounge. Rhonda and Wally were already there, both greeting us when we entered. I sat on the sofa beside Wally and propped my legs up.

“I’m sorry I ignored you earlier when I was running out my anger,” I told him, bringing my airpods out of my pocket to show them to him. “I had these in and I was on a mission to outrun my anger. I didn’t do it today, but tomorrow’s a new day... at least I assume I can charge my airpods here.”

“Aipods?” he asked, glancing at the square box in my hand.

I grinned at that and opened them, handing one to him after I turned them on. “Put it in your ear and trust me.”

He did as I said without hesitation and I put in the other one, playing a Fleetwood Mac song. I figured Korn wasn’t really his jam. I wouldn’t admit to it, but I ended up playing a playlist I made for when I rode around with my dad. I refused to think about how they were probably around the same age, at least they would be if Wally wasn’t dead.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked a few songs in.

“My dad,” I answered honestly. “I can’t imagine he’s doing too good without me right now. I’d say my brother’s home from college and with him. I’m just glad he’s not alone.”

My dad and I lived alone in the home he bought with my mother back when they were pretending to be in love. My brother, Oliver, was born when they were nineteen and I was born when they were twenty-one. They were together until I was seven and Oliver was nine.

We woke up one morning and realized we were really late for school. Dad left before daylight, leaving the responsibility of getting us ready and on the bus to mom. We looked around the house for her and found a note stuck to the fridge.

I can’t do it anymore. Love, mom

My dad always said she was a free spirit who couldn’t be tied down for too long. I thought that was a really nice way of saying she was selfish. I hadn’t spoken to her since I was twelve and she crashed my birthday party at the roller rink. She’d been drunk and decided she should be celebrated for giving birth to me. That night my dad explained to me and Oliver that she’d always had a drinking problem and left because dad told her she had to get help or he was going to take us away.

“My dad stopped coming to my games years ago, but mom still shows up and screams like I’m running plays,” Wally sighed, bringing me back to the teachers’ lounge. “His seat’s empty until I sit in it. She doesn’t know I’m there, but it makes me feel better to be with her. Now that I say it out loud, it sounds really stupid.”

“Not stupid,” I disagreed, bringing my legs up onto the sofa to sit cross legged. “Thank you for making it feel kind of okay that I died.”

“It’s not okay, but I don’t want you to feel alone,” he corrected, squeezing my knee comfortingly. “I know what it’s like to feel alone in a room full of people. I don’t want other people to feel like that.”

“I do, too. Cheerleaders aren’t the most emotionally mature people in the world,” I agreed. “When I was fourteen, I went to the hospital because I sucked at eating. When I came back, one of the other girls on the team started a rumor that I got pregnant and went away to get an abortion.”

“There’s not enough money in the world for me to be a teenage girl,” Charley stated, reminding me he and Rhonda were in the room with us.

“Yeah, being a dead gay kid is so much better,” Rhonda remarked, making me snort.

“Try being a teenage girl who’s bisexual and dead. It’s a real riot,” I remarked, the music changing to a Joan Jett song. “Wow, fitting.”

I was shocked at how comfortable I felt with these people I didn’t know existed until this morning. My entire world was turned upside down in a night, but they made it feel like I could be okay here. At least as okay as you could be when you were spending your after life in high school, I guess.

Thank you so much for continuing to read my story! I appreciate each and every one of you so much!

#school spirits #wally clark #wally clark fanfic #wally clark imagines #wally clark x reader #milo manheim

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hersweetrevenge · 10 months

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corey cunningham headcanons [volume two 🌈]

i want to say that i am totally normal about this man, but who would i be kidding at this point? today i bring you even more thoughts about my favourite babygirl. based partly on these two lists, here and here. more hcs can be found over in volume one, which is equally as nonsensical.

topics include: his name and how he feels about it, his gender identity and sexuality.

WARNING for mentions of child abuse, passing mentions of homophobia and transphobia. no direct mentions of smut but implications of sexual relationships are there.

[images via @/slashericons and @/shitedits]

his name, how it got picked and his thoughts

corey wallace cunningham. joan picked corey's first name from a book of baby names. no real reason other than she liked it. she'd suggested a few other to wally that he had turned down, but he doesn't have a problem with 'corey' so that's what they go with. his middle name is after his dad, and it was joan's way of trying to sweeten wally up to having a baby at all (isn't he happy he's going to have a son to carry on the family name?).

his full name was decided before he was born. joan and wally were pretty sure they were having a boy (as sure as they could have been in the mid-late 90s, when ultrasound quality wasn't as good as it is today), so they had a name ready. they did have a girl's name picked as well, just in case.

corey likes his first name well enough, there's nothing wrong with it. joan pronounces it with a pretty strong accent, which rubbed off a little on corey himself and he's never been able to shake it. he prefers the way he's heard other people say it.

he's never had a nickname. 'corey' is kind of short already. sometimes his friends say core, which he's fine with but he's not particularly attached to that. joan (perhaps surprisingly) was never big into pet names, she'll call him 'baby' or 'honey' sometimes, or 'buster' if she's scolding him (that's novel canon, don't shoot the messenger, folks).

in the run up to joan and ronald getting married, corey did wonder if they'd change their name to prevo, but it never actually gets mentioned. joan doesn't even change her surname, let alone corey's (can't have ronald thinking he's any more involved than necessary).

if corey ever got married, i think he'd be more open to changing he surname to his partners. he wants to disconnect from joan as much as possible. and even if his name is technically his dad's, he has his middle name to still keep that torch burning, so he'll happily become mr. corey [insert name here].

gender identity

corey is a man. he could never be anything else, just look at him. he has a pretty unstable sense of self though, and idolises classic american masculinity. he's vintage masc, like if james dean was built like a collegiate wrestler. he's someone who revels in gender affirming presentation and behaviour, while he's constantly emasculated at home. it's part of why he becomes so obsessed with michael - who is the pinnacle of his masculine idealisations; power, strength, control, even violence.

@slutforstabbings made this excellent post about corey's relationship to gender and his own sense of masculinity and how michael plays into that. "is it a sex thing, or a gender thing?"

i won't go too much into this next point because it just isn't within my experience or frame of reference, but i love reading about people's interpretations of corey as a transman or in some way transmasculine. in-universe, i'm not sure what the ramifications would be for that being his identity, i'm not sure if joan would be supportive or if corey would even have the means to transition in the way he wants to. but, from a literary perspective, i can absolutely see joan being pleased to have a son rather than a daughter. "difficult daughters of difficult mothers" are often portrayed as two (indignantly) similar people who resent each other, whereas "passive sons of overbearing mothers" is in a whole other ballpark; joan would be delighted to have a son she can manipulate and emasculate into being a good momma's boy.

sexuality and labels

corey is bisexual, but to be honest he doesn't really label himself at all. the need to think of a label has never really come up so he never bothered with one, he just deals (or doesn't deal) with his attraction as and when it happens.

he knows the "main", broad labels people use, it just somehow bypasses him that one might apply to him, even when he reaches the point where he fully acknowledges that he's attracted to a lot of different people, for a lot of different reasons.

he experiences attraction to different genders very differently. because he hasn't put a name to what he feels yet (or ever), a lot of his early crushes (or squishes) never really registered to him. he's had crushes on men and women since he was a teenager, but it's not until he actually gets a chance to act on any of those feelings that it even occurs to him that he swings both ways.

he's a daddy issues cliché, but he does have a thing for older men. seeking all the validation and approval and attention that he never got while growing up. he feels like there's something safe about older men, even if that security is misplaced. but fear not !! he's a mommy issues cliché too !! the only way he's ever learned to love someone is obsessively. he has a tendency to put a lot of his emotional needs onto his s/o. he won't mean to, and he certainly doesn't want his girlfriend to be his mom, but joan would frequently cross emotional boundaries so he's not totally clear on which lines are for which relations.

(if roger and theresa asked him to, he'd absolutely be their third, no questions asked)

is he open about his orientation?

not really, but it's not strictly speaking a "secret" either. he hasn't told anyone, but it's also just never come up before. i don't know if he'd ever feel the need to come out.

haddonfield itself is not exactly a liberal metropolis, but it's also not a right-wing nightmare town either; most LGBT+ residents just go about their lives without much trouble, but the chances of someone on the street being homophobic/transphobic are never zero.

he does have a bit of a crisis about it at around his junior year, which is the first time he realises what he feels for his physics teacher might not be just wholesome, academic admiration. but it also makes something click in his brain and he's pretty quick to come to terms with it. also, he realises he won't actually have to deal with any of the possible implications of what he thinks is going on for one reason and one reason alone: joan.

joan pitches a fit at even the smallest inkling of a crush, even just with girls, so it's safe to say his feelings for boys is something he'll likely never bring up to her (unless the day comes where he can be out of that house and living his own life). although he knows ronald's a good guy, he'd never think to come out to him, they just aren't close enough.

corey actually never admits to any crushes, regardless of gender, not even to his friends. he's a bit "girl crazy", always has a crush but never acts on it, and you'd seriously have to waterboard that info out of him. he also falls victim to crushing on one of the only out guys in school, imagining what would happen if he ever got the guts to speak to him at one of the parties he sneaks out to. but that crush passes quickly when corey's attention drifts to a girl in his homeroom, and then to the football team's quarterback, and then to his lab partner. he has a bit more of a chance at community college, and he don't think he'd deny it, but he's so hesitant to embark on any sort of relationship that he's honestly just taking what he can get anyway.

#corey cunningham #halloween ends #everyone clap and cheer for blake right now (or else) because they have to listen to me before any of you lot have to heehee #attempting to beat the allegations by putting it out on record that corey is *bisexual*

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hooked-on-elvis · 5 months

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He Loves Everyone, They Love Him — Broom-Sweeping Elvis, A Regular Guy Article by Anne Rowe © Published on August 6th, 1956 on St. Petersburg Times.

August 5th, 1956: Elvis with Anne Rowe, a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times, at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida.

Dressed as sharp as a cat in black pegged pants, striped belt, blue shirt, white tie, maroon jacket and white bucked shoes, the king of rock 'n roll picked up a broom and started sweeping out his dressing room.

This was my fabulous introduction to the four-Caddie Elvis Presley whose reputation had given this reporter reason "to proceed with caution" in his presence.

No need for alarm though, for Presley posed willingly for press photographers, answered questions without hesitation and seemed to us like a real regular guy during the hour we spent with him in his dressing room before his first appearance at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa yesterday. Presley will appear at the Florida Theatre here Tuesday for three performances.

Appearing just a little bit nervous, Elvis swept the floor clear of cigarette butts, and then transformed the broom into a microphone, crooning "Don't Be Cruel" into its handle.

Putting the broom aside, he walked outside, where it was only slightly cooler than the stifling heat in his dressing room, surveyed the curiosity seekers lined up at the gate, laughed and hollered, "I'll be right with you" -- with no obvious southern accent.

Elvis gave me the impression that he would have enjoyed going over to the gate and talking with his fans. He signed autographs of those who were permitted to talk with him and seemed to enjoy playing with a couple of tots nearby who were observing the commotion with wide-eyed wonder.

FAVORITE SONG Returning to his dressing room, Elvis picked up his leather covered guitar, plucked a few strings and began singing "Don't Be Cruel" once again ... his favorite of all the songs he's recorded because "it has the most meaning." Soon he was joined by the Jordanaires, the boys who back Elvis on many of his records. Elvis' nervousness apparently left him. He was doing what he loves best ... singing. He sang the song through, put down his guitar and when asked for an interview, was more than willing to submit to our questions.

Asked what he thought of those who imitate him, he said, "I think it's good. It shows I'm doing well enough, otherwise why would they want to imitate me?"

Naturally we asked him if he was interested in girls. To this he replied with a wink, a smile and a mere "yes," said he had a "steady at one time," but hasn't given much thought to marriage or the type of girl he would choose.

LIKES JAMES DEAN Queried on his recent motion picture pact with Hal Wallis, Elvis replied, "I won't give up singing for acting. I think I'll make about one picture a year, and whether I like it or not depends on how well I do." Elvis also said his screen favorites are the late James Dean and Marlon Brando.

What will he do when this rock 'n roll "fad" passes? "I'll probably sit back and think about what I once had ... with no regrets. Right now, I don't think about that," Presley retorted.

Apparently Presley wasn't pleased with his much publicized performance on the Steve Allen show, when he appeared in a dinner suit and was forced to stand still while going through his act. "All I thought about that suit," said Elvis, "was getting out of it."

NO QUARREL WITH CRITICS He has no quarrel with the critics who've panned him since he first won not only the admiration, but the hearts of almost every teen-ager in the country. "Those people have a job to do just like me. I think when you're in this business you've got to expect that sort of treatment. Some people wouldn't pay a nickel to see me. But as long as my records keep selling and these folks keep turning out to hear me sing, I'm happy."

Elvis is amazed at his sudden success, but is enjoying every minute of it. He does feel bad that his busy schedule gets him home only about once a month. He is very close to his parents who live in the $40,000 air conditioned ranch home he bought for them in Memphis. He says his mother and father encourage his career, feel he is not contributing to juvenile delinquency and accept his absence from home as a matter of course.

"I used to travel by plane all the time," replied Presley when we asked him how he commuted, "but once I got scared flying so now I travel down here on the ground in a car." Elvis did not arrive in one of his four Cadillac's, but instead propelled a slinky white, $10,000 Lincoln Continental which he purchased in Miami because "I couldn't very well appear on Ed Sullivan's show if I wasn't driving his sponsor's product, could I?"

LOVES THAT LINCOLN Like little boy with a new toy, he lifted the hood of his newest purchase, displayed the engine to several onlookers and when asked how fast the car could go, laughed "You mean how fast can it FLY?" Touching the hood ornament fondly he said, "This thing cast $350!"

Besides his cars, Elvis is an avid motorcycle fan, although he has little time to ride his own.

Our interview came to a halt when a knock on the door informed Presley that it was time for him to go on.

He thanked me for taking time out to talk to him and hurried out to the crowd eagerly awaiting his appearance.

He was greeted with deafening screams from the audience of about 1,000 teen-agers which oddly enough, was sprinkled liberally with adults.

IN HIS GLORY Now Presley was in his glory. He rocked 'n rolled his way through seven numbers, laughing, winking, pointing and wriggling in the well-known Presley manner. While his fans yelled, cried, pulled their hair, held their ears, jumped, clapped and laughed, Elvis displayed his terrific showmanship. It was more than obvious that he loved every scream and yell and ... every minute on that stage. He wrestled with the mike, breaking two apart in his frenzy, and finally with perspiration pouring down his face, he practically tore his jacket off and let go on two more numbers.

He may be an ex-truck driver from Mississippi, a rockbilly whose "gimmick" has carried him to success, but the ovation he received yesterday proves that Presley is the biggest thing in show business today.

Article by Anne Rowe © Published on August 6th, 1956 on St. Petersburg Times.

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Source (many more accurate info here, about this concert, the venue itself and more, guys): http://www.scottymoore.net/FtHomer.html

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I love talking about the aftermath. That's the an important part to every story, the closure. So here goes ✨ ADDITIONAL INFO:✨ on Anne Howe's article and August 5th 1956 in Elvis' life:

On the "LOVES THAT LINCOLN" bit of Anne's article on Elvis, just for a little more dimension, the pictures below are from the same day he met Ann - it's the moment she refers when wrote "Like little boy with a new toy, he lifted the hood of his newest purchase, displayed the engine to several onlookers (...)". Photos also taken at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida, on July 5th, 1956.

Elvis bought this 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II car just the previous day to Anne Howe's interview with him and his 2 Tampa, Florida gigs on August 5th. On the photos above, from August 5th, 1956, we see Elvis' cousin Gene Smith, also his bass player, Bill Black, and the guy in striped shirt is Bitsy Mott, Presley’s personal security chief. All of them by Elvis' side checking out his new car.

The 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II purchase date is August 4th 1956, just the previous day to this photos above —EP traded in another Lincoln (a Premiere) which he owned for only two weeks. Here's the invoice for the Lincoln Continental:

News reports on Elvis' new acquisition (Press Scimitar, article published on August 13, 1956), followed by some pictures taken on the day he purchased the Lincoln Mark II (August 4):

This car was damaged by Presley fans on the August 5th, in Tampa, Florida. The kids stole Presley's car gas cap and cigarette lighters to keep as souvenirs. Elvis talks about this incidente to DJ Bob Hoffer. You can check out the interview on another post, here.

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Back to some more pictured of Elvis and reporter Anne Howe on August 5th, 1956:

Elvis did read Anne Howe's article the very day it was published.

For one of those pictures below I wonder if he was worried about something she wrote or he was just being silly and grimacing for the pictures (as usual haha). If that flabbergasted expression is genuine, maybe the part of the article referring to cigarettes all over his room got him bad. Elvis smoked since the 50's but he worked hard to keep his image as clean as possible, considering his audience was mostly made by teenagers. He literally lied to the press many times repeating the "I don't drink and i don't smoke" remark. I don't see it as a bad think, because he was genuinely trying not go be a bad example for his underage audience, but he was an adult, therefore he could live his life the way he would like to. But anyway, if he didn't smoke, why the hell there would be cigarette butts all over his dressing room like Anne Howe's wrote in her article, right?

Well, I'm just jabbering. I don't know what the heck Elvis' surprise face is about. That's only my assumption the cigarette part of Anne Howe's article has something to do with it, since she was very flattering on her choice of words about the musician. But maybe that's just one of his famous silly grimaces.

August 6th, 1956. Elvis was in Lakeland, Florida. In there pictures we see him checking out Anne Rowe's full-page article in the St. Petersburg Times that was published that dat. Needless to say, and unlike most of the articles written about him at this stage of his career, the female reporter gave him two thumbs up, claiming 'Presley is the biggest thing in show business today.'

Source (another website with many more accurate info on those events): http://www.elvisechoesofthepast.com/hot-times-in-florida-1955-1956/

✨ well, that's it. ✨ I don't know if people gave much credit to Anne's words on Elvis' performances because of those pictures of them at the interview day. She clearly seems enchanted by Presley as much as he seems taken by her. Could she be impartial enough if being too intimate with the object of her writing? I don't know. But for me, well, that's what I call a productive working day. A full-page article on the talk of the town , watching a live rock and roll concert and a having a few kisses (on the cheek, maybe more?) to cherish forever. ♥

August 5th, 1956, Tampa, Florida. Elvis and reporter Anne Howe from the St. Petersburg Times newspaper.

#elvis presley #elvis the king #elvis fans #elvis fandom #elvis history #elvis #50s elvis #elvis articles

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finniestoncrane · 2 years

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HEY!! HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAYYYY!

Can I have 👀 📷 ❔ 💚

With Arkhamverse and Gotham Riddler Please?

Thank u xx

-🌸💕

aaaaaah THANK YOU omg every day we get closer to either me having a cameo from wally wingert or me divorcing my husband because he didn't get me that because he thinks it is christmas present material >:( 💚

and yes you absolutely can, thank you for picking two of the handsomest green boys to waltz around the planet u-u

thank u for the prompt!!

reply under here, minors DNI!! 🔞 there’s no outright smut but stay away anyway u-u

👀 - caught staring

Gotham: if he caught you staring at him, he wouldn't even think much of it. not that he's oblivious, it's just that there's a million reasons why you could have been staring and based on priority and likelihood, it's probably not because you're in love with him. but if you caught him staring at you, he's blushing and flustered instantly, fumbling over whatever he was doing, his brain gone walkies as he finds himself wordless and a bit dumbstruck for the first time ever Arkham: if he caught you staring at him, he'd be pissed more than anything. if you have time to stand and stare then you're not working hard enough, there's plenty to be getting on with around here. if you caught him staring at you, he'd play it off as cool as he could, mumbling something about being lost in thought about riddles and how average you are gives him a blank canvas to work from, but he's beet red and cursing himself when he turns away from you

📷 - favourite picture of you/them together

Gotham: it's so goofy, and he doesn't care. it's pinned to the wall beside his bed so he sees it when he wakes up and goes to sleep. you're both wearing extravagant and fancy outfits, emerald green tones and sparkles all over you. you were going out, but you ended up having so much fun doing a little fashion show together that you chose to stay at home instead. the picture is taken from the camera, a really low angle as it's balance on the floor, and you're both doing your best high fashion model poses Arkham: his favourite picture of you both together is one he keeps folded in his tool belt. it's a little creased and singed round the edges, and there's a couple of greasy fingerprints smudged on to it. but he loves it all the same and prints out a fresh one every so often. you're standing in front of him, holding the camera and smiling, scrunching your nose the way he likes it and he's to the side just behind, looking down at you with more love than he thought he could hold in his heart

❔ - wildcard bitches

Gotham: ok this is out there as a suggestion, but he definitely looks like the kind of guy who would place you on a chaise longue, kneel on the floor by your side, and feed you grapes one by one, smiling because he's grateful he gets to serve you Arkham: between projects, ed spends a lot of time and effort making big, medium, little and teeny tiny neon hearts to leave around the place for you to find, kind of like his trophies, but yours have a lot more love put into them than the ones he makes for batman. and they couldn't be in the shape of a question mark because he has no doubt in his mind about how much he loves you

💚 - what do they like to be called

Gotham: he likes to be called eddie, he has a real soft spot for it but it has to come from the right person, and he'll let you call him that whenever or wherever if you meet the standards Arkham: riddler, except for during sexy times where he kind of weirdly prefers E.Nygma or enigma. must be his alter-ego (or his stage name)

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neuromuse · 20 days

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FINALLY I CAN TALK ABOUT MY AU

This has been rotting in my head for like a year at this point, and I am not gonna do justice in this one post but!! Let's talk about Percy's Mercury!Bart Allen Au.

So the idea of Bart taking Max's mantle is not my own original idea, I see it all the time on comic book twitter and tumblr and it's a very common concept and it makes a lot of sense. Given how Bart failed Terrifically at being the flash, and so if he were to grow out of the Impulse title and role, I think this would be that story (if that makes any sense??). Cue: my rambles

So there's a lot of parts where I could start this AU, but hear me out, what if we start with an alternate ending to Mercury Falling? Inertia pulls a rotting Max Mercury into the speedforce and Impulse barrels through to try and save his parental mentor figure. Bart canonically wants to save both Thad and Max, and I think at the state Bart was with his training meant that the ability of him saving either of them when all chaos breaks loose in the speedforce is incredibly thin. In a good ending Bart ends up saving Thad and Max and there is a possible start of Thaddeus redemption arc, in the real ending we got Bart saves Max and Thad poofs into speedforce dust, and in a bad ending Bart watches Thaddeus and Max fade in front of him.

Can you take a guess at which one I'm gonna pick for this AU? What can I say, fuckers love angst (I am fuckers).

Ok so Bart crawls out of the speedforce, torn in shambles and in front of him is Helen and Max's colleague who was attempting to treat him. They all stare at each other with thick disbelief of what had just happened, and neither of the adults can find it in themselves to ask the quivering teen in shambles the thick details. All they can manage is to pick up the boy and comfort him, rest assured he is safe at the end of the day. The rest of the details follow out similar to the end of Impulse, where when Max goes missing the Allen family decide to assign Jay Garrick as Bart's caretaker since he can continue mentoring him and be the best fit. When Bart moves in with the Garricks, across the country and away from his school friends and Helen, he is still injured and recovering, which he shouldn't be injured since speedsters usually only take like what? a few hours and they're back on their speedy feet? Jay speculates Bart still has broken bones because they not only settled in the wrong spots, making it impossible to make a proper recovery (unless he wants to repetitively break the same bones until they set them in the right spots) or because the injuries forming in the speedforce threw the body and metabolism in for a loop.

Either way, from this point on the canon stays loosely the same. Bart stays with Jay, learns with him, and some Young Justice shenanigans ensue. Up until we get to around the Flash Rebirth comic, I'm gonna mess around with this point. Wally notices that when Barry comes back the speedforce is acting very strange again, and so does Barry as they both hear the souls of Max and Johnny Quick in the speedforce. This peaks Bart's curiosity, and just like when he was a younger kid he's gonna try to make a run back into the speedforce to check it out. Everyone advises Bart not to run back into the speedforce, a whole dictionary's worth of reasons why it's not a good idea, but Bart will stay stubborn and keep working his way up into breaking that barrier.

Bart eventually enters the speedforce looking for Max, and he enters the speedforce a handful of amount of times before finding him. He treats these visits like entering a containment zone, enter for only a short time and once anything feels funny evacuation ASAP. When he finds Max, on his seventh run through, the man is ethereal, what was a conduit of the speedforce is now a spectral image of what the speedforce captured him as. The two manage to hold conversation in a thick maelstrom of kinetic energy, which now limits their time as Bart is starting to get battered up for being a freshie to the intense form of travel.

It was obvious that Max couldn't go back to earth with Bart, as his body wasn't the same and it would put the two in a whole bunch of unnecessary issues. When it's getting to that point where Bart is hitting that upper limit of speedforce exposure, he asks Max if he could see him soon. In the typical always cryptic Max manner, he just laughs and puts a phantasmic hand on Bart's shoulder and tells him that he'll know where to find him. This is what I'd consider to be the transfer of "zen speedforce master" powers to Bart, and it kinda fucks him up you know, it's a lot of beyond radioactive energy being transferred into one of the most unstable conduits. He's gonna knock out and wake up on the floor of Jay's basement with the ability to feel everything moving, and at what speed they're moving.

The shuffling of Jay and Joan cooking dinner together is magnified in a sense that even Clark Kent couldn't understand it, he could clock down Wally running to the Titan's tower, he could feel Tim Drake grapple building to building. It's a lot to take in, but he could also very faintly feel a swirling force in him, a very soothing force that reminds him so faintly of that house in Manchester, Alabama.

#dc #impulse #max mercury #impulse 1995 #jay garrick #dc impulse #Impulse AU #ohmygod this writing is horrible #i just had to get this out there #i will maybe write a fanfic for this

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veorix · 10 months

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Chapter 6 - Puppetry

⚠️Tags: scopophobia, hypnotism, mind manipulation, autistic wally darling, romance (in a bad way), friends to lovers, reader is a puppet (...or are they), gender neutral reader, bad ending, descriptions of childhood trauma.

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Day 7:

My nightmares are finally coming back. I had the birthday memory again. It seems to be some sort of core memory from my past, but that’s all I can remember.

It’s strange, though; the more I remember this memory, the more bittersweet it feels for some reason.

Day 8:

I had another nightmare. The figures were yelling at each other, or I think they were. It was hard to really see, as everything was blurred out and dark. The X's on top of their faces don't really help, but I'm pretty sure it was my mother and one of my siblings.

I felt… very overwhelmed. It's strange; in my birthday memory it was bittersweet, like I was happy but at the same time not. In this memory, where everyone was fighting… it was nerve-wracking.

I'm beginning to think my past wasn't a happy one.

Day 13:

This is the further I've gotten, I think. The nightmares are a little less frequent, which helps, but I'm still very tired and having to pretend everything is fine around Wally is even more tiring.

I wish I could just talk to him about this instead. I wish I could rely on him for this. I just want to be able to remember my past, where I come from, and why I moved in Home in the first place.

It’s rather unfortunate, he’s… simply the most, I think. That’s the only way I can describe it. He makes me feel like I'm floating on clouds. I really wouldn’t mind staying there, but I can’t just shake this off… the nightmares won’t stop either way. This cycle will just continue, and I don’t want to be put through that – no matter how much I stupidly adore that man.

You put your pen down, stretch, and take a sip of your coffee. This is how your morning starts now, with you sitting down to write your journal entries as you nurse a cup of coffee.

You were hanging out with Wally today, and fortunately you didn't have any nightmares, because this will be a very busy day.

Sally, Julie and Barnaby are planning a tea party – a real one this time – and both you and Wally were invited.

Tea parties with Sally are a special occasion. Just like when people sometimes play house, everyone has a special role in Sally's tea parties. The role you play is up to you; she likes it when everyone uses their imagination to come up with something, using their creativity to elaborate a somewhat-character to have fun with.

Just for the fun and giggles, you and Wally decided to go as the very annoying couple that shows affection in public every five seconds. You both have decided on matching outfits; very red and heartsy, to emphasize the point.

Everyone, of course, adds their own contribution to the tea party. You decided to bake cup sized strawberry fraisier cakes; they almost looked like elaborate muffins, tall and gorgeous with their whipped cream, strawberries, and daisies on top for decoration.

For your outfit, you decide to wear a crocheted cardigan with a heart pattern, with some simple white shorts and a beret to add a cute accessory. The beret had a heart charm on it, making it a perfect addition for the fit. A couple of cute sneakers, and you were ready to go.

The day goes by in a flash, and soon it’s time for Wally to pick you up. He had insisted on doing so, saying that you two should arrive together to stay in character anyway. And besides, how could you deny him such a sweet gesture? Of course you said yes.

So of course, when you hear a knock on the door, you know it’s Wally. You open the door, eager to see what his outfit looks like, only to be met with–

“Oh my God!” You exclaim. “Your hair!”

Wally smiles at you with his big doe eyed smile, though perhaps he’s blushing a little bit as he sees you for the first time that day. He is wearing a red cardigan, his neckerchief replaced by a bow on his dress shirt, along with some red and orange striped pants. His most striking feature though, was his pompadour: it was now red, and somehow, Wally had managed to turn the tip of it into a heart. Was that red eyeshadow on his eyelids?

He laughs at your surprise, finding your reaction amusing, but quickly reassures you:

“It’s only a temporary dye, so my hair will be back to blue when I wash it off. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity… It seemed fun.”

You can only gape at him for a few more seconds. To think he would go to such lengths for a costume… and besides…

“You look gorgeous,” your mouth blurts out on its own, and you quickly put a hand on top of it, looking away. From the corner of your eye, you see Wally’s eyelids widening, a blush firmly coating his cheeks. He laughs monotonously.

“Thank you, but I think you look the most, darling.”

Ah, yes. You forgot you were dating this man for a moment.

Your blush worsens, and you can’t help but hide behind your hands. Wally’s monotonous laughter rings again, and he gently takes one of them so he can see your face.

“Oh, don’t hide! We have a tea party to go to!”

You giggle a little bit, the embarrassment fading away as you take your hands away from your face. Excusing yourself for a moment, you go grab the basket where you put your strawberry cakes on, and then you’re ready to go.

Wally peers at the basket curiously, but you say it’s a surprise. He says, playfully, that it’s not fair – the red velvet cake he brings to the party is full on display, but you just innocently bat your eyelashes and say it’s not your fault he wasn’t a little more secretive about it.

On the walk home, you two decide on a few lines you could deliver while play-acting, and some behavior that you both could display. Wally suggests holding hands as much as you both can, while also doing some doe eyed staring. You suppose that won’t be too hard at all – you do have a tendency of staring at Wally as he speaks or does the most mundane tasks, so it won’t be a problem for you.

Now that you both are dating, you wonder if it’s the same for Wally. Butterflies flutter around in your stomach.

You on the other hand suggest sometimes leaning on each other, maybe even whispering things between you and giggling, though you ended up interrupting yourself in mid thought. “We should dance on the table!”

“What?”

“We should dance on the table!”

Wally gives you another laugh, looking at you like you were someone very silly. Maybe you were, but that’s not what this was about!

“Silly, silly darling of mine. How could we dance on the table? There’s going to be things in the way. Cakes, teacups, plates…”

“We’ve danced semi-complicated routines before, you’re going to let food stop you?” He looks surprised at the question.

“Well, it would be rude to step into someone’s food.” “This is Sally’s tea party, you cannot be saying that when there have been numerous food fights in the past!”

Wally paused, seeming to think for a moment. “Hm.”

You pout, but you suppose Wally looks at least semi convinced. Maybe you can do the rest of the convincing at the tea party.

By that point you reached Sally’s house. You knock on the door and she absolutely squeals at you both, then remembers she has a character to play, and pauses to look at the two of you sternly.

"You're a bit late, aren't you?" She scoffs. What Sally's wearing makes you giggle internally – the dress she's wearing is so puffy and pompous, it takes at least three people's space. She’s also wearing a puffy scarf-like cloth on her neck, making her character look ostentatious. The round hat on her neck was a delicate accessory. It was clear Sally's character was someone meant to belong to some sort of aristocracy.

"We're so very sorry," says Wally with a bow. You bow with him. "We were talking on our walk, and time just flew by."

Sally scoffs once more, but steps aside to let you both in. Even though she was acting, it was clear to you she wanted nothing more than to jump and squeal, unbound energy hidden in her body.

Everyone has already arrived at the tea party. Julie is dressed like a witch – she brought potions (juices of different flavors) for everyone to drink, which seemingly had different effects. Barnaby, hilariously, came as an old grandma. He brought a pie that looked suspiciously very like a pie clowns throw at people's faces.

You can already tell this meeting will be chaotic, and grin internally. Maybe you and Wally will get to dance on the table after all.

Both you and him take a seat, together of course, and put your goods on the table. Wally smiles at your strawberry fraisier cakes, giving you a mwah! on the cheek and telling you they look very cute. You hide your smile behind one of your hands and giggle.

"Ah, young love," Barnaby sighs dreamily. "I remember being in love when I was as young as you two!"

Julie squeals in delight, clapping, and Sally rolls her eyes.

"You both should be taught some public decency!"

You gasp dramatically, hugging Wally and giving him a mwah! on his cheek.

"Society and its rules will never be able to dampen and hide our love!" You declare. Wally looks very red. You smirk in delight.

Sally puts a hand on her chest and gasps, giving a sermon to everyone present about how public decency works and why it's so important and should be maintained.

You on the other hand roll your eyes, saying such things are outdated and frankly boring, and how you and Wally's love isn't hurting anyone. Sally gasps again, looking more than offended, and keeps arguing in favor of societal norms.

“It’s not my fault you’re just jealous!” “Jealous of what? Of your cavity inducing public display? At least I’m refined enough to know what the definition of discretion is!” “Discretion? More like… disappointment!” Sally then looks puzzled, giving you a look.

“Disappointment in what?”

“Disappointment that you’ll never experience the type of love me and my hubby do!” To emphasize this point, you hug Wally close to you – or rather, you hug his head, stuffing his face in your chest, trying to sell the “clingy” aspect of your character. Wally goes limp in your arms. Everyone gasps, Barnaby putting both hands on his mouth to not break character and burst out laughing. Julie is quietly sipping on her tea as she watches everything unfold. Sally stands up from her seat, practically fuming.

“I can get suitors just fine, thank you very much!”

“Oh, really? Why are you all alone then?” “I’m not an insufferable youngster with a codependency issue!”

You gasp this time, standing up from your seat to glare at the aristocrat. Wally made a disappointed noise.

"How dare you call our love a codependency issue! You're just sad and pathetic and all alone with your rules and nothing more!"

Sally gapes at you, and at this point, she cannot be contained any longer. A food war starts.

It's almost always her who starts them, and today is no exception. She grabs a piece of the cake Wally made, and throws it at your head. Laughing, you grab one of your strawberry cakes and launch it towards Sally's head, the whipped cream exploding all over her face.

Then everyone joins eventually, Julie because one of your throws misses (oops!) Barnaby because he's Barnaby and he wanted to throw his pie at someone, the someone being Wally.

You saw the beagle ready his aim at your unsuspecting boyfriend, and thought quickly to shield him from the attack – as it would be a shame to ruin his cute hair-do with pie. When it struck the side of your head, you sputtered, laughing for a moment before falling over. You clenched where your heart was, gasping. “Oh! This might be the end for me!” You exclaim, dramatically putting one hand on your messy forehead and arching your back.

"My love!" Wally exclaims, crouching beside you and holding you in his arms.

Julie runs to your side, Sally approaches slowly, and Barnaby takes his hands to his head in play-horror.

“No, my love! Stay with me!” Wally faked a cry, which wasn’t really much of a cry at all. He tried his best, though. “I-i’m sorry… I’ve been… pied…” Sally and Barnaby pulled out handkerchiefs to weep into. “No! This can’t be the end! We… we’re soulmates!” You tiredly smiled up at him, before caressing his cheek. Then, without missing another beat, you go limp in his arms.

(Of course, you included the “blegh” sound to indicate you were dead.)

“NO!!!”

…

And then everyone breaks character and bursts out laughing, filling the room with giggles.

You all clean up a little bit before continuing to eat whatever's left of the food, sipping tea and laughing as you talk; sometimes in character, sometimes not.

Eventually the time comes for everyone to say goodbye, so you quickly help Sally clean all of the mess everyone made, and then excuse yourselves out of her home. Sally bids everyone goodbye with the biggest of smiles.

"That was fun," you say as Wally walks you home. "But I'm still a bit disappointed we didn't get to dance on the table."

Wally gives you a monotonous laugh.

"We can dance right now!”

This time you laugh, and let Wally lead you to a slow waltz. Both of you are absolutely covered in cake, dancing in the middle of the road on a sunny afternoon. It's a goofy image, yet you can’t help but smile dumbly as Wally holds you close.

"I should escort you Home this time," you say. Wally raises his eyelids.

"You want to escort me Home?"

"Of course I do!"

"Alright then," Wally nods. "If you wish. I’m sure Home would love to see you again.”

You smile at that. You haven't seen Home in a while.

Both of you twirl around some more, Wally leaning his forehead against yours, leading you in a soft and gentle pace. Eventually you part, Wally laughing in his own silly way, clearly delighted.

You can’t help but giggle a little bit with him. He just looks so happy.

When you reach Home, he puffs on his chimney and lets a few bang, bang, bangs! , excited to see you again.

"Hi Home," you greet with a wave. "I've brought Wally safe and sound."

Home's eyes turn smiley, and he opens his door to beckon Wally inside. Smiling, you two nuzzle on each other's faces with a mwah! It felt a little sticky.

Wally waves goodbye, cake and sweets on him everywhere, and his dopey smile in the sunset makes your heart clench. You love this man so much.

“Creaaak.”

“Oh, I know, Home. I won’t get your carpet stained, I promise.”

Laughing, you bid your final goodbyes to Wally and Home, promising him you'll visit again soon. Home puffs on his chimney a little more at that.

* * * * * *

Someone is shouting at you.

You think it’s your mom, given the cardigan, but the big X on her face still makes it hard to tell. Everything seems to be extra dark in this memory, like there’s even more layers of black paint added to it. The X on top of your mother’s face is also extra scribbly.

She is pointing at you with her finger, stabbing it in the air aggressively towards you, wildly moving her arms and gesticulating at… something you’re holding?

Yes, you’re holding something. You’re hugging it very tightly. It’s very clearly dear to you – a plushie, you realize. It was from a show you liked a lot, you owned a lot of things from it, mostly plushies. But this one was your favorite: it was from a very purple character, with sleepy eyes and a lazy smile. They liked to sleep a lot in the show, so naturally this is the plush you slept with back then. It always gave you sweet dreams.

You realize your mom wants to take it away from you.

You hold it tighter, taking it away from your mother’s grasp as she tries to reach for it, and she’s yelling some more. You can’t quite tell what she’s saying; everything is just so blurry here, even the sounds of your memory are more distorted than normal.

And then your mother raises her hand, and slaps your cheek.

You jolt awake, sweating. Your heart is pounding wildly. Warily, you raise a hand to touch the cheek that your mother slapped in the dream.

It’s become more and more obvious that your past wasn’t the best. Yet still, you’d like to remember it; you don’t like being oblivious to what happened, you don’t like not remembering anything beyond the neighborhood and its friendliness. It’s like you’re missing a part of yourself, a piece that makes you fundamentally you.

Sighing, you replay the memory in your head for a bit, before reaching for your notebook and adding a new entry. This one had been the most unpleasant so far, along with the one where one of your siblings fights with your mother.

The moon is high in the sky, surrounded by stars, but you’re too agitated to go back to sleep. Maybe a walk can help you calm your frayed nerves.

You decide to do that, putting some shoes on and going out. The chilly air is something you welcome, helping your body cool off and slowing your overworking brain. You look at the woods surrounding the neighborhood.

How far does the forest go, anyway?

Humming, you decide to find out for yourself. You take a turn, entering the woods, and as you walk you get lost in your thoughts. The dream won’t leave your head. You were little, you were pretty sure you were little in that dream. Your mother had seemed so mad at you, mad enough that she wanted to take your precious plushie away. You wonder why that was.

Maybe you had been naughty? Still, why would she want to take your plushie away for that? There’s other forms of punishment. And besides, why would she hit you anyway? That’s uncalled for. You frown. You wish your memories were happy instead of bittersweet at best.

And then you snap back into focus, and you can’t make sense of what you see.

Because you’re standing on one of the roads that leads to Home instead of the woods, which you had been in seconds ago.

Blinking, you try to process what just happened. Maybe you walked back to Home unconsciously while you were lost in thoughts? That could explain it. But you swore you were walking in a straight line…

Well, no matter, you’ll just go into the woods again. Shrugging, you make a turn and go into the forest again, making sure you don’t get lost in your thoughts this time. That way you won’t make the same mistake of walking back anymore.

You think you see someone from the corner of your eye all of the sudden, a familiar strike of blue hair flashing in the very edge of your vision, but when you turn to look at it, it’s gone.

Frowning, you turn around and keep walking forwards, but you can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching you. You take a few more steps before it’s too much, and you have to turn back around to make sure nobody is behind you.

Yes, there’s truly no one there. How odd. You turn back around–

And you’re standing in the middle of a road again.

This doesn’t make any sense. You begin to sweat a little. You swear you were walking in a straight line this time.

What was that blue? Was it Wally?

Dread begins to settle into your stomach. This was all so confusing. What did he exactly get out of from toying with you like this? Even if his intentions weren’t malicious, all it was doing was scaring you in the end, was it not?

“Wally?” You call as you look around. No one answers.

Maybe you were just imagining things. You shudder, thinking of what to do in this situation. You should go home.

Yes… yes, maybe you should just go home. You’re getting nothing out of this, after all, and you were beginning to get a little tired anyway.

As you make your way back to your house, you frown. Why did you want to go beyond the forest anyway? What a silly thing to want to do. What would you even gain from it? What a silly thing to want to do.

Yes, this whole little trip you had was just unnecessary. You should just lay in bed and rest now.

When you get home, you do just that.

* * * * * *

It takes a bit for you to figure out that you were influenced that night. Somehow, someone managed to enter your thoughts and convince you to just go back home and sleep instead of getting through the woods.

Your bets, sadly, were on Wally.

You could swear you had seen him that night from the corner of your eye, and you wonder how much power you submitted back when he made you feel all blissful, that one day he admitted to erasing your memories for the first time.

So, Wally Darling not only had the power of erasing your memories, he could also possibly have the power to influence them. You write that down in your journal.

An idea pops into your head then, curiosity perhaps taking the best of you.

What if you tried to leave Home?

You wanted to know about your past, you wanted to know what truly happened. Staying in Home was getting you nowhere so far. It only served for Wally to keep you close and in check, for some reason erasing your memories when he realized you found out about your past. So why not leave?

You thought about your journal entry, and about your recorded instance of trying to confront him. Would it hurt to try again? You sit there, letting your thoughts silence themselves to think rationally. You could record your plans, and if they go awry, then you’ll definitely try to leave. All you had to do was make sure to write the details down…

Yes, you should talk to him once again. Just to make sure.

Day 32:

I’ve noticed I was manipulated a few nights ago when I went for a walk after the nightmare of my mother hitting me took place. I think it was Wally. I couldn’t leave the forest for some reason, always ending on a road back to Home, and I swore I saw a flash of blue hair that night.

It made me think of trying to leave Home to find more about my past. Staying here isn’t getting me anywhere. But before I do that, I want to talk to Wally once more. I’ll go do that this afternoon.

If I end up forgetting my memories and the cycle repeats itself, I’ll try to leave again without telling him anything.

You nod. That should be good enough, you suppose, putting your notebook back under the mattress. It should be good enough for if you lose your memories again. You’ve documented everything with as much detail as possible.

Suddenly you’re nervous. You really, truly want to believe Wally is doing this for your best interest, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. You can’t shake the feeling something will happen to you if you talk to him.

Oh, no matter. You have everything written down. If worse comes to worse, you’ll just have to start over, but you won’t have to do it from a blank start.

Taking a deep breath, you steel yourself, and set your way to Home.

When you reach it, Home seems happy to see you, his eyes zeroing on you as he lets some puffs of smoke out of its chimney. You giggle.

“Hi Home,” you wave. It shuts and opens his windows in a greeting. That must call Wally’s attention, because after a moment, he’s looking out of the window to see what caused such a commotion. He smiles at you tenderly.

You can’t help but smile back, but your nerves return, so it’s a little wobbly.

“Darling,” Wally greets as he opens the door. “I didn’t know you were coming today. Come inside.”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about something…”

Wally peers at you curiously as you enter Home. You two have a seat at his table. He brings apple juice, but you can’t make yourself drink it out of nerves.

Maybe you’re just being stupid and making a big deal out of this, you tell yourself. This is Wally. He loves you. You have nothing to fear.

With that in mind, you take a deep breath and look him in the eyes.

“I took a walk in the woods a few nights ago,” you begin, “but something strange happened. I kept ending up on a road that led here, for some reason, but that didn’t make sense because I was walking in a straight line. And then, out of nowhere, I had the sudden idea to just go back home and sleep instead of finding out what was happening. Wally…”

You look at the man you love in the eyes.

“Was that you?”

He is silent for a moment, looking at his glass and sometimes sipping on it with his eyes. They dilate when he does that. After a long, long while, he finally looks at you.

“Yes.”

Your heart sinks.

“Why did you do that, Wally?”

“You would have gotten lost.”

You deadpan at him. You cannot believe he’s trying to play that card.

“No I wouldn’t have. You know it. Why, Wally?”

His eyes expand, just a little bit. You hoped he wasn’t going to do what you thought he was going to do.

“It was the middle of the night. You should have been resting.”

Your nerves begin to turn into anger. Under the table, your hands curl into fists.

“Quit that, Wally. What are you not telling me?”

“It’s true, your nightmares barely let you rest as it is.”

What?

“I never mentioned that.”

Wally looks like he realized he’s messed up. He had caught himself off guard, his eyes snapping back to normal.

Finally.

“Please, Wally. What are you hiding from me?”

Wally stared at you, you stared right back at him. As if you had something to prove, and you did. You were not going to let him puppet you around, no matter if you loved him or not.

Silence engulfs the both of you for a long time.

“Well?” You push.

Wally looks away from you. He fiddles with the sleeves of his cardigan for a moment, something you’ve never seen him do.

“You can’t leave.”

That’s not quite what you were expecting.

“What?”

“You can’t leave.” He repeats, an underlying desperate tone in his voice. You weren’t expecting that either.

“I’m not trying to leave, Wally.”

But Wally shakes his head, looking nervous.

“All roads lead to Home.”

You frown. Now he was acting all cryptic. It’s beginning to scare you a little bit.

“What do you mean, Wally?”

“They do.”

Silence, for a little while. You mull on Wally’s words, trying to figure out what they mean. Does this mean…? No. He’s not trying to say you’re trapped here, is he?

“You walked in a straight line and in circles. You would have been there for hours if I did not send you back Home.”

Your fists clenched tighter.

“Maybe I wanted to walk for hours. Maybe I didn’t want to go back home that night. Maybe I just needed a walk.”

Wally looks to the side.

You shouldn’t worry about such silly things.

Huh, maybe you shouldn’t. You were kind of getting worked up over nothing. You were–

Being manipulated by Wally Darling again.

Your anger explodes a little bit. You stand up abruptly.

“Wally!”

At least he looks sheepish now.

“I don’t understand.”

“I don't understand either!”

“Why do you want to leave me?” “I...”

Pity takes over your anger. Wally looks miserable again, like that day where he told you he was just trying to help. He looks a little desperate, so convinced you’re trying to leave him, and your heartstrings pull at the sight.

“Oh Wally… I’m not trying to do that,” you try to reassure. Wally looks a little less nervous.

“Then why do you keep trying to leave?”

Keep trying, he said. Maybe you’ve tried this multiple times, then. You wish you could write this down immediately.

“I just… Would like to remember my past, that's all.”

And then Wally’s expression changes drastically, so drastically you’re a little scared.

You’ve never seen him look angry before. You’ve never truly seen his smile fall. You’ve never seen him frown, ever, in the time you’ve been in Home.

But you do now, and it’s a scary thing.

“No.”

That’s all he says. For a moment, you’re confused.

“What do you mean no?” He stands up at this, and you feel your nerves spike. Though, the only thing he does is look at you.

“I mean no. They’re rotten.”

You gape.

“You can’t just make me forget all of my past because it’s rotten, Wally!”

“You were rotting too!”

You’re stunned into silence, as Wally starts pacing around the room. He looks more than restless. Suddenly, he walks up to you and grabs you by the shoulders, a desperate look in his eyes.

“You were rotting. I had to remove them so it would stop.”

So it was him who made you forget your memories, too. For some reason, the thought hurts.

“You can’t just do that, Wally,” you whisper.

He looks even more mad, the nerve of him. And suddenly your anger and indignation is back.

“Wally. They were mine! You can’t just take them from me!”

And then the anger in his eyes vanishes, replaced by a twinge of guilt for a solid three seconds. But then he shakes his head, stubborn, and grasps at your shoulders more tightly.

“It was necessary,” he insists. Your eyes begin to sting.

“It was not!” Wally opens his mouth to speak again, but you interrupt. “You took a part of my being away from me!”

He pauses, then speaks softly this time.

“You were miserable.” You hesitate, “You looked so… sad. All the time. I just wanted to help…” He looked sheepish before continuing, “You looked so much happier, without all the mold.”

This time, your eyes water.

“There are other ways of taking it away.”

But Wally shakes his head again, like you don’t understand what he’s trying to say. His smile returned, though it was more sad than anything.

“I tried. I really did. But your smile… it just wasn’t the same.”

The same? What did Wally mean? Did… did Wally know you before you moved in?

“Wally,” you begin, but his irises are growing and your tongue feels heavy.

No…

“Shhhh,” Wally soothes, cupping your cheek and caressing it. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“Wally,” you say again. “Please.”

“It’ll be just fine, my darling.”

Your ears begin to ring, and everything around you loses its color slowly. And there it is, the sensation of losing balance and never recovering it, unable to move.

Your eyes are brimmed with unshed tears, and they eventually roll down your cheeks. You want Wally to stop. He still cups your jaw, looking pained as he wipes your tears away, grasping at both of your shoulders at the same time.

“It’ll be fine,” Wally tries to soothe. You don’t know if he’s talking to you or to himself. “I promise.”

Your ears ring louder, and you can only watch Wally’s sad eyes grow larger and larger. You think you could drown in them, his very soul, the core of his being.

The ringing is unbearably loud, and all you can see is black, black, black and those big eyes staring at you.

* * * * * *

It takes you a few weeks to find out about everything again. You have a nightmare again, giving you a strange sense of déjà vu, so you searched everywhere around your house for something</i>; you felt like you had something to find and it made you restless. Eventually, you find your journal under the mattress and you read the entries all over again.

You cry. You feel betrayed all over again, because you’re sure, you’re certain that this time you had explained Wally everything, and Wally only confirmed your fears. You wish you could’ve written down the conversation with him somehow, but memories always come back to you eventually when you start writing your journal entries, so hopefully you’ll remember what he had to say.

And it better be a good excuse, you think as you wipe your tears away furiously. Because you’re starting to get a little fed up.

Taking a deep breath, you stand up from the floor and dust yourself off, heading to the table to write a new entry in your journal.

“Day 1:

The talk did not go well. Wally erased my memories again. I think a few weeks have passed since then, but I cannot be sure. If I ever remember what happened during that conversation, I’ll be sure to write it down immediately.

I’m going to try to leave home today. Hopefully I don’t bump into him again. Last time I tried to go away from Home even the slightest bit, he manipulated me into just killing my curiosity and going back to sleep. I wonder if the way out of Home is through the woods. I’ll try that first.”

Nodding, you put your pencil down and hide your notebook under the mattress again. You get ready for today; after all, you have this feeling that you’ll be in the woods for a long time, so you’ll have to dress accordingly.

Once you have comfortable but sturdy clothes on, you nod to yourself once again and take a deep breath before coming out of your house. For some reason, something compels you to look at your surroundings, just in case you catch a familiar strike of blue.

But you see nothing, so you hurry towards the woods; not through the main road this time, but going straight into the tall colorful trees from one of the curved paths.

You walk in a straight line for what you think is hours, and it’s because you’ve been paying attention to the smallest of details that you notice you haven’t been going in a straight line at all. It’s like all of the sudden you jump from one place to another, like this is a huge maze that keeps putting you back in the beginning of the woods.

You notice it’s the beginning of the woods again whenever there’s a tall, old crooked blue tree to your left. Whenever you look back when you’re there, you can see the roofs of the neighborhood through the trees. Again and again, you swear that you were walking in a straight line, yet you always end up here.

So maybe walking in a straight line isn’t the answer.

And through curves and little clues, you manage to form a pattern in your head.

The old crooked blue tree is the beginning of the forest. You have to turn left from there. There’s a tall, voluminous yellow tree in the middle of the path where you should turn right to keep going forwards. Then there’s a thin red tree where you just have to keep going forwards, until you encounter another blue tree and you have to turn to the right.

Clues like that lead you to new places, but whenever you make a wrong turn, you’re back at the beginning of the woods. You notice that as you keep going forwards, the colors of the nature surrounding you get duller somehow, like they’ve lost saturation. The grass keeps growing taller and taller, and for some reason the trees begin to change color; they go from vibrant yellows, oranges and blues to dark greens of various shades.

You think you can see the end of the woods by some point, though judging by what little you can see of the sky, it’s the afternoon now. Come on, you think as you walk through grass that is almost as tall as you, just a little more now. Just a little more and you–

Wrong direction to take. You’re back at the beginning of the woods, with their vibrant colors and rounded shapes. Panting, you put your hands on your knees and breathe for a moment.

Dang it. You were so close.

Sitting up, you were mentally going through all the curves and paths you have to take when a familiar ring in your ear makes your heart drop. You feel the look of someone’s eyes boring into your back, and you realize that you’ve screwed up. You turn around to look at him and try to properly explain–

But locking eyes with Wally Darling is a mistake. The world immediately loses its color, and your tongue is too heavy for you to even try to swallow. You lose your balance, but you can’t make yourself look away from him.

He looks a little mad. His usually dopey smile is nowhere to be seen, his mouth a flat line instead, and there’s no droopy eyelids making his eyes go soft. He is just staring at you, not saying anything, and yet he looks mad at you.

You try to open your mouth to explain, but you can’t articulate any words. It seems Wally wants none of your excuses.

The ringing is getting louder and louder, your body heavier and heavier, so much that your knees feel like they’re about to give. They tremble, because of your weakness and because of your fear, because Wally looks mad right now. Your eyelids are getting heavy. You blink–

And you’re met with… a worried Julie?

What?

“Neighbor?” She asks, waving a hand in front of your face. You almost dropped your sandwich. Since when were you holding a sandwich?

What even happened? Where were you? You were just in the forest a second ago, and yet…

Blinking out of your stupor, you look around. You were sitting on a picnic mat, along with Frank, Barnaby, Sally and Julie. All of you are looking at you with concern in their eyes. Wally is leaning on a tree as he sits down near all of you.

He looks at you from the corner of his eye, arms crossed, then looks away.

“Neighbor, are you alright?” Julie insists, and you realized you haven’t replied to her at all.

“O-oh, yes, I’m alright.”

Everyone frowns the tiniest bit, but they continue to eat and talk with one another. Except for Julie. She stands up and beckons you to the side. You stand up and follow her.

“What’s been going on?” Julie asks. She looks so worried, an uncharacteristic frown plastered on her face as she looks at you.

“What… what do you mean?” You ask back, because frankly you’re just confused as to what just happened.

“You’ve been acting strange these days. You’re always so absentminded, and you barely talk to anyone… you rarely make any expressions at all. Did something happen between you and Wally?”

You look at Wally’s direction. He’s looking at you, his smile almost gone.

“I think so,” you reply. Julie looks sad.

“Can I help at all?”

You smile at your friend fondly, but shake your head.

“I think I’ve got it,” you try to reassure. Julie doesn’t look pleased, but nods anyway.

“I hope you two can work it out.”

You look at Wally again. He’s talking to Barnaby, who is likely making a joke, because everyone around him laughs all of the sudden. When Wally spots you looking at him, his smile drops a little.

“I hope so too.”

Silence engulfs you both, and after a moment Julie gestures to you to go back to the picnic. But you have one more question to ask.

“Wait. Julie?”

She turns around to look at you, curious.

“How long have I been acting like this?”

Julie looks puzzled, like you should maybe know the answer to your own question. Still, she seems to pick on the urgency of your voice, so she replies.

“Three days. One day you disappeared to go on a walk in the forest, according to Wally, and then the next day you were acting all weird…”

You nod and thank her, excusing yourself for a moment and telling her you’ll be right back for the picnic.

Three days. You’ve been under Wally Darling’s control for three days.

Anger, sadness, a bit of heartache. It was all that bombarded your senses as you stood by a tree to cool off from the overwhelming dread you felt in the pit of your stomach.

Three days.

Three days of acting like a zombie, three days practically trapped in your own body. Three days. All you had done was blink. You blink again, heat blooming in your face, and realize you couldn’t do this anymore.

It was hard to resist the sob that escaped your throat. When it did, you slapped a hand over your mouth. You were not very far from the others, you would hate to cause a scene.

You retreat behind the tree, trying to calm yourself down. Was it hopeless? Were you truly stuck here just to be running around in circles? Running around in circles with Wally taunting you with a carrot on a stick.

Another choked sob leaves your throat, and you put both hands on your mouth this time. Shutting your eyes tightly, you tried to refuse any tears from flowing down your cheeks.

But Wally seems to notice.

Everything’s just fine. It’ll all be okay.

And for a moment you believe those words and begin to calm down, only to notice what it truly was. A manipulation, an external thought implanted in your brain to try to steer your thoughts away from the problem. Still behind the tree, you look in his direction.

Stop! You mentally yell at him, and you’re pleased to see Wally jolting on the spot.

Standing up from the tree, you turn around to face the picnic, looking at him with hurt in your eyes.

How could you do this to me?

You think that question internally, with all of your might, and you see Wally’s shoulders drop. Good. He should feel bad about it.

Suddenly you’re mad. You’re mad at this confusing man who thinks he can make it all better just by deleting memories, by taking pieces of yourself away from you.

You turn around and stomp away. You’ve had enough. You think you can see Julie looking at him questioningly, but you don’t have enough in you to care.

Practically running to your house, you can’t stop the tears from falling this time. You wipe at them furiously, and enter your home, slamming the door shut.

What are you going to do now?

#welcome home fic #wally darling x reader #wally darling x you #no use of y/n #gender neutral reader #self insert #x reader

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tatedeco · 2 years

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My recs for Nightwing!Dick-comics

This is the real meat of it when it comes to Dick Grayson-recs. Most of his modern stories have been as Nightwing ever since he took on that mantle in 1984. You will hear different recs from different people but these are the stories I personally enjoyed the most. Strap in because this is a long list:

Nightwing's Solo Title

These are the stories I liked the most from his solo title. If you want to read Nightwing as a main character, these are the stories I can recommend:

1. Nightwing: Rebirth by Tim Seeley (2016-2017)

Recommendable? Yes, perfect for newcomers. This very much feels like it brings Nightwing back to his roots. You can't go wrong with this as your first Nightwing-comic.

What is it?

It's Dick going back to being Nightwing (he was a secret spy before but don't worry about it). He goes back to his city Blüdhaven and re-establishes himself there.

What do I like about it?

This just captures why Dick is such a beloved character for me. It includes the fun of reading him but also his grit and need to be independent. He very much makes Blüdhaven his own. Blüdhaven is a delightful setting here. Seeley reimagines it as a former whaling town that tries to reimagine itself as a neon-lit casino city. It's a flashy underdog city that fits Nightwing.

This run has one of my all time favorite romances for Dick with Shawn Tsang (a former low-tier villain) and it introduces one of my favorite DC villains Raptor. Giving Dick a villain who is connected to his mom and his circus days is brilliant in my eyes.

2. Nightwing The Untouchable by Sam Humphries (2017-2018)

Recommendable? Yes, one of the best Nightwing-arcs ever. A short read that is collected in one volume. This follows Seeley's arc directly so you could just read this once you've finished the Seeley-issues.

What is it?

It's a story arc where Nightwing fights a new villain The Judge. This villain is very much connected to Blüdhaven, the sea and Dick's past.

What do I like about it?

Sam Humphries filled in on Nightwing directly after Seeley left but he gave us one of the best Nightwing arcs ever. I love how this arc draws on Dick's past and the Blüdhaven-setting to create a new villain. The Judge feels very mythological and the story is well-told over a short time. Humphries did so much with so little. I'd love to see him come back to Nightwing for a longer run.

3. Nightwing by Tom Taylor & Bruno Redondo (2021-now)

Recommendable? Yes, also for newcomers. It's currently going on so you would be very up-to-date with where Dick is now.

What is it?

Dick's return to form after his amnesia (don't ask, you don't need to know). He is heroing in Blüdhaven again and trying to change his community through his newly-acquired wealth He inherits a lot of money from Alfred who's been dead for a few years (but will hopefully return soon).

What do I like about it?

This entire run is just pure positive vibes. I feel like it very much captures Nightwing's positivity and empathy. Fans of Dick/Barbara will also have a good time here because Babs is featured heavily. The plot moves very slowly - which makes this run a bit controversial among many fans - but if you're here for the vibes and the slice-of-life, you'll have a good time. There are also many team-ups, especially with Babs, Tim and Wally.

The art is also to die for. Bruno Redondo is just perfect for Nightwing. There is an entire issue that is one continuous chase-scene and it's one of the most impressive Nightwing-issues ever. Every Nightwing-fan should at least pick up Nightwing #87 for this reason. It's a masterpiece of comic artistry.

4. Nightwing by Peter J. Tomasi (2006-2009)

Recommendable? Yes, a very self-contained run that shows how connected Dick is to the DC universe. Dick is very competent but also fun here. It's all collected in one book.

What is it?

This run has Nightwing move to New York and have adventures there. He is very connected to the DC-universe and there are some cameos and team-ups. Superman shows up at one point, Wally, the Justice Society, Tim Drake... Our boy is beloved.

What do I like about it?

You very much feel how integrated Dick is in the superhero-community. At the same time, he is very independent and competent. There is an especially epic fight here that I won't spoil. You have to love a run that starts with Dick jumping out of a plane for fun and Bruce giving him the disappointed DadTM-vibes.

Nightwing with the Titans

These are the stories where Nightwing is part of the Titans. Either he is the lead for an arc or he gets some great character moments within the team. I also threw a team-up with Wally in here for fun:

5. The Judas Contract (1984)

Recommendable? Yes, if you're interested in Dick's first appearance as Nightwing and classic Titans-stories. This is *the* Teen Titans-story. It is an arc within the pages of New Teen Titans/Tales of the Teen Titans. Be aware of the dense 80s style. It's manageable though.

What is it?

Deathstroke makes his move against the Titans and captures all of them except Dick. Dick takes on the identity of Nightwing and has to save his team with the help of Slade's son Joey Wilson.

What do I like about it?

If you read all of New Teen Titans (which you should because it's a masterpiece), you'll feel the masterful build-up to this arc. It's a pretty well-known spoiler but I won't spoil it here in case you're not familiar.

This specific arc shows Dick fully stepping into his own and moving forward with his new identity. It's a central piece of characterization for him. He's also really badass here, the way he takes on Deathstroke. He's the only non-powered Titans but he deserves to be there 100%. This arc really shows what Dick contributes to the team.

I also love the introduction of Joey. He's a great character - a pure cinnamon role with a compelling backstory and a great addition to the Titans. One of the few mute characters in comics. He actually communicates in sign language.

6. Titans: Rebirth (2016)

Recommendable? Yes, for the pure fun factor.

What is it?

It's the Titans coming together again. Wally is the driving factor here. He was erased from existence for a while due to the 2011-reboot (don't ask, you'll learn everything you need in this comic) and makes his friends remember him again. This time, the team consists of Dick, Wally, Roy, Donna, Garth and Lilith. Bumblebee and other characters also join at some point.

What do I like about it?

I love all of the characters. You just feel the love these long-time friends feel for each other. There are also so many great Dick & Wally-moments. The overall vibe is just very wholesome and I love spending time with all these characters.

My only gripe with this run is that the Titans are quite obedient to the Justice League. In my mind, the Titans should be their own independent network. The point of them is that they don't want to be controlled by their mentors. Still, this is a great run for anyone who likes these characters and wants to spend some time with them.

7. JLA/Titans The Technis Imperative (1998-1999)

Recommendable? Yes! A great story-arc that highlights what makes the Titans so special and different from the Justice League. There are information boxes for all key characters so newcomers should be able to catch up.

What is it?

An event-comic in which all the (former) Titans get abducted for a specific reason. The JLA and the Titans have to deal with what develops into a global crisis.

What do I like about it?

This story arc highlights why I love the Titans so much. They are friends who are close enough to be family while the JLA are more like co-workers. Many of the Titans get some great character moments, including Dick. There is a particularly heart-wrenching page here that says a lot about Dick's relationship with Bruce. Always a gut punch for me when I see it. Again - it's complex.

8. The Flash plus Nightwing (1996)

Recommendable? Yes, for everyone who loves a good Dick & Wally team-up. This is very much a beginning point for their very close friendship in modern comics.

What is it?

It's Dick & Wally going on their yearly vacation where shenanigans happen. Did I sell you on it yet? It's just one issue so it's a very quick read.

What do I like about it?

These two are just too much fun together. There are so many great character moments and you can just read it with some bare knowledge about Dick & Wally as characters (any fanfic-reader should be fine). The plot is also really wacky. Not spoiling it - but it gets wild.

I also love the premise that Dick & Wally go on yearly vacations together. It's a retcon (in the sense that it was never mentioned before & Dick&Wally weren't that close before) but it works so well - one of these great retcons. Since then, these two have been one of the best comic friendships. (And I like to ship them of course. So, any shipper's heart will also find some great moments here.)

Nightwing with the Batfam

These are the stories where Nightwing's relationships with the Batfam are in the foreground. I have two great arcs that deal with the relationship between Dick, Bruce, Alfred & Tim. They follow up on each other so you could just read them one after another:

9. Batman: Year Three (1989)

Recommendable? Yes, if you have bare knowledge about Batman-lore and Dick & Bruce as characters. Again, fanfic readers should be fine. This is very much related to Dick's backstory with Zucco - the killer of his parents. The arc is contained in Batman #436-439.

What is it?

Such an underrated story arc. Basically, it takes place after Jason's death and deals with the possibility of Tony Zucco coming out of prison. We see Dick, Bruce and Alfred reacting to the Zucco-situation.

What do I like about it?

This takes place after Jason's death but before Tim's introduction. So, it's a very dark time for the Bats - Bruce in particular as Batman gets more brutal. I love how this little arc illuminates Dick, Bruce & Alfred as characters. The characterization is very nuanced.

There are a lot of flashbacks back to Dick's time as Robin and the way he deals with grief. In the modern time, Nightwing tries very hard to get Batman back from his more violent tendencies. Great character moments for Dick, Bruce & Alfred!

10. A Lonely Place of Dying (1989)

Recommendable? Yes, again with knowledge of basic Batlore. A requirement for Tim Drake-fans because it's his proper introduction as a character! You can easily get this collected. It takes place directly after Batman: Year Three.

What is it?

The introduction of Tim Drake that takes place after Jason's death. He has figured out Batman's identity and sees the brutal rampages Batman goes on. So, that little fanboy goes up to our boy Nightwing and tries to convince him to become Robin again.

What do I like about it?

This story sold me on Tim Drake as a character. It is very much a case for why Batman needs a Robin. Tim, Dick & Bruce get great character moments. Dick's & Bruce's relationship is very complex here again. You also see Dick meeting one of his little brothers for the first time which is a lot of fun.

Nightwing with the Outsiders

This is a very special time in Nightwing's history. This recommendation shows him with the Outsiders - a more edgy team:

11. Outsiders by Judd Winick (2003-2007)

Recommendable? Yes, if you want to see a moodier Nightwing with a more edgy team. Also, for any Dick/Roy-shippers. I see you and I hear you. This is like the Dick/Roy-bible.

What is it?

The Outsiders form as a black ops team. Their mission statement is to do what other teams aren't willing/ready to do. Roy gets Nightwing on as the leader. Other team members are Jade, Anissa Pierce, Grace Choi, a version of Metamorpho (it's complicated) and Indigo.

What do I like about it?

On paper, I should dislike this concept. Nightwing is very moody here and a giant asshole (I love my boy but he screws up hard here). There is very much a reason though for Dick's mood shift:

Donna - his bestie - died before the Outsiders formed and the Titans disbanded for that reason. Dick is very much grieving and doesn't want to join any teams. He doesn't want to get close to anyone again for the fear of losing them. Still, Roy gets him to join the Outsiders under the condition that they won't be friendly with each other - purely professional.

So, the premise of the comic and the context explains Dick's cold and harsh behavior. I like this comic because it's interesting to see Dick in this dark place. Despite his attempts though, he can't help but get attached over time. He also has so many fights with Roy. The tension between these two is running high - no wonder you see so many Dick/Roy fics related to this time (it's headcanon though, I don't want to mislead anyone here).

Also, the characterization for each team member is supreme. I hadn't read much with characters like Jade, Anissa or Grace before but they quickly became some of my favorite DC-characters.

Dick/Roy may not be canon here but Grace/Anissa is a *canon sapphic romance* within the pages of this comic. It's a wonderful relationship and very unexpected for the early/mid 2000s. So, this may also interest you if you are looking for some cool LGBT+ superhero-couples.

This comic shouldn't work on paper but it did. It has so much heart that I can recommend it also to those who may not find the idea of Nightwing in his edgy-phase appealing. An interesting time for his character that I'll probably dig into at some point with a future post.

Events

Events often concern the entire DC-universe. They bring characters together. Here, I recommend an event where Nightwing is part of the larger cast and gets some character moments that made me very happy as a Nightwing-fan:

12. Infinite Crisis (2005-2006)

Recommendable? Yes, also if you are interested in reading an iconic DC-event where most of the DC-universe comes out to play. This also has some great moments for Dick & Bruce's complex relationship.

What is it?

A giant DC-event. Basically, characters from the old DC-universe try to erase the new DC-universe because they believe that the new universe is too dark and corrupted. What is Dick's role here? He's involved in the action and there are some great character moments that will make most Nightwing-fans squeal with joy (okay, maybe it was just me).

What do I like about it?

It's an epic event. The action is big, so many great characters are here, incredible art... But apart from that, this event shows how much Bruce loves, respects and appreciates Nightwing. I won't spoil this moment but it shows how important Nightwing is to the DC-universe. The original plan for this event was to kill Nightwing off so they were really trying to make you sentimental about him. Thankfully, he didn't die so we only get the wonderful character moments highlighting our boy's impact.

It also has another big character moment in Nightwing's history that is related to his city. Slade is a real bastard here and this is a key event in their rivalry.

Comics that didn't quite make my list:

Nightwing by Chuck Dixon (1996-2002)

Recommendable? Depends, if you want to see where much of Nightwing's lore comes from and don't mind older tropes and writing.

What is it?

The first long-running Nightwing-solo. Dixon established Nightwing as a solo hero in Blüdhaven after his time on the Titans. He takes on a lot of organized crime and one of his most iconic villains Blockbuster.

Why do I not quite recommend it?

This is probably the most iconic Nightwing-run. It firmly cemented Nightwing as a solo hero and established Blüdhaven as his city. If you want to understand where much of Nightwing's lore comes from, you should read it. I'm personally glad I read it and got a lot of enjoyment out of it.

I wouldn't quite recommend it though especially to newcomers because it feels quite dated in some of the writing and art. A lot of the tropes are well-worn and I needed some time to get into it. The plot can feel a bit unremarkable with Dick working his way from one forgettable gangster to another.

Dick is also characterized in a more angsty way. It fits with this point in time because he still has a lot of tensions with Bruce and is struggling with his independence. Still, not my favorite characterization of his. I'm definitely grateful this run exists though because modern Nightwing builds on this a lot. Anyone interested in Nightwing's history should read it.

New 52: Nightwing by Kyle Higgins (2011-2014)

Recommendable? Depends. It's very understandable for newcomers but it is held back by more company-wide decisions. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.

Why do I not quite recommend it?

In 2011, DC rebooted its entire universe. Newcomers could just jump on. This also goes for this run. In principle, it's cool that newcomers can just pick this up but the New 52 (as it's called) had a lot of issues though which you can feel here.

A lot of the beloved Batfamily-characters are missing (Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown) and the lore is very stripped down (this Nightwing was never really part of the Titans). So, the entire universe feels more empty and bleak.

More importantly though for this run, there were a lot of Batfamily-events (Death in the Family, Night of the Owls). These events call all of the Batfamily together and they interrupted the storylines that were currently happening in Nightwing. So, you can feel that Higgins isn't really allowed to let loose because he has to write around these events.

So, I can't really recommend this run as one of your first Nightwing runs. I would still encourage anyone to check it out eventually because I got a lot of enjoyment from it. You can feel that Higgins has a lot of love for Nightwing and when he is allowed to let loose (especially towards the end), he has some brilliant character moments.

I would be happy if he came back to Nightwing at some point with more creative freedom. He still delivered a solid run despite all the hurdles he was forced to overcome. There are just other runs which are more in line with the more classic Nightwing-lore that I would recommend first.

This is it! Take some deep breath because this was a long list. Again, these are all my opinions and there may be stuff I missed or haven't read yet. Nightwing-fans are quite divided on many of these stories.

So, pick what seems interesting to you. I've got enjoyment out of pretty much every Nightwing-solo run (except the run with the tentacles, don't ask).

I have a list of Robin!Dick-recommendations up and I'm going to make one for Batman!Dick-recommendations.

#nightwing #Comic recommendations #titans #new teen titans #batfamily #bruce wayne #tim drake #wally west #dick Grayson #dc comics

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johnnys-breastmilk · 5 months

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Wally anon: No, it MUST be said that Hooper needed to stay dead. I know he was an important character & all, but the e n t i r e Russian plotline dragged S4 down when we damn well know Joyce could've been doing more important shit elsewhere. So, I'm right there with you on only wanting her to make it from the adults. Winona is the primary reason I started watching the show & they need to stop. sidelining her with the Russians & Hopper & w/e other nonsense they can think up when she was in the thick of shit in 1/2. As for S3, I controversially think the whole goopy, blobby ~consumes everything it touches~ concept is the show's best/scariest monster design & they REALLY dropped the ball not having it cause infinite more damage instead of just using it as an excuse to fully make Billy a villain & kill him off (& still be inconsistent about it cause we get his backstory and. him sacrificing himself, so it's like what do y'all want us to take from him djdgdb). The picking & choosing with characters is just too much to deal with sometimes. 💀

Ya'know, I had not even thought to consider what his full name is so that's a good thing to wonder lollll.

Yupyupyup. It's nice to have that security, but he knows it's very conditional on how well he performs & that's not what he actually wants to do, so it leads to this lonely limbo of kinda sorta contentment. I hope he's able to get a happier outcome as the series goes on (after he finds out more of who he is first) & if not, well, that's what fix-it fics are for. ❤️

In more ways than one, huh? @ inches. 🤫 It's not quite as pronounced for me (I'm 5'10), but 6'+ guys are still huge that it's impossible to not be into the difference on principle.

You're absolutely right about the detention. I feel his thoughts would be even more out of control than the norm cause there'd be nothing else to distract him. So he really lucked out being so charming fr. 👍

Oh, I can completely. visualize the finishing/moving to shake with the same hand djfbdb (spot on Wally headcanon). And you know he'd get even more excited by realizing you aren't a ghost & what that even means & trying to understand how it even happened. And, if you can actually touch him, how that would change things completely for his regular routine. Meanwhile, the entire time, you're still trying to wrap your head around the entire thing (double entendre for the situation itself & ~another thing~ cause the size).

I think what they give her to do in 3 and 4 lines up with her character but it really struggles to be tonally consistent. Season 3 in general is much more comedic and bright (which is why I think the Billy and big gloppy glop falls flat cause it’s in a season with more lighthearted themes). It’s just crazy that she was ready to throw hands with the demogorgon and go into the upside down to retrieve her son (which season 1 has the worst upside down, worst in the best sense because i mean it in violent, unknown, and scary.) But in Season 3 and 4 it’s russians, and terminator homages, and just stuff that’s so unserious. I hate it sm. At least the teens got a better story in s4 than the adults (minus Eddie.)

I wonder if it’s sewn into his underwear ugh that’s such a good way to find out what Wally is short for. (lmao it’s just kinda hot to see the name embroidered in there, because you know they’re his)

I hope he gets to be with Maddy but I can see that season 2 is leading into his downfall because if she gets her body back… she’s gonna get with Simon (no hate to him but Wally clears the floor.)

Dayum five ten is still taller than me by a mile😭 my best friend is 5’9” and he towers over me. But yeah, anyone taller than six feet deserved to be classified as a stratospherical disturbance

The ticking clock and the fact that he’s mere feet away from a teacher who would only have to give his attention to him. Wally would be having a field day in his head about it.

Oh totally, you’re trying to understand that ghosts are real and that you can talk to one of them and this ghost is packing some heat. There would definitely be long silences as you tried to pay attention in class, but he’s filling the empty seat next to you (but it still looks empty to everyone else.) If you can touch him, you can guarantee that he’s got you taking a “bathroom break” every class to sneak off and… well, I’ll let you decide the rest on that. Lunch periods are dine and dash type of events where you eat and hurry off with him elsewhere.

If you guys haven’t gotten to a physical relationship yet, it’s probably best to keep an eye out for him after phys. ed in the changing rooms, because he just might be there… (not in a creepy way, just hormonal teen way yk)

#wally clark x male reader #wally clark x you #wally clark

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ninjastormhawkkat · 10 months

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Nate wouldn't call himself insane or very imaginative. So there was no way he would be chatting with a puppet.

And yet here he was talking to one.

A live puppet. Couldn't say breathing because Wally didn't have lungs. And yet he sighed, whistled, gasped, wheezed, and huffed. As…if he did have lungs. He sang, he talked, he walked. All on his own. He did not, however, blink.

He was a puppet after all. Made out of cotton sewn into colorful fabric with thread and buttons. A creation from his creator's imagination. The absurdity of it all!

Though that just added to the strange and uncanniness of his existence. An enigma. Nate wasn't even sure when or how Wally was even alive….he just was.

"I can't remember…" Wally said when he was asked. He exhales as if sighing a bit. "I suppose…maybe I've just been alive the whole time." His eyes stared almost blankly and yet at the same time full of life. His gaze was unwavering. Staring directly at Nate. And that's the thing about Wally. He enjoyed STARING.

It had creeped Nate out more times than he could count. He had come to learn that was just how Wally was. He wasn't staring, most times to be intentionally creepy or even intimidating (ha! That would be funny in a way. A 3 foot puppet being intimidating…) though when in the dark or dim lit places, he looked like he could be in a horror flick instead of a kids TV show.

Even now as Nate sat at his workspace, the thought still plagued him.

He felt someone staring at him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Hello Wally." Nate said knowing it was him before he even heard the pit patter on his shoes tapping on the floor. "Hello neighbor" Wally's soft and almost monotone voice said as he neared. His black eyes bored into Nate's green one. Once eye contact was made it was hard to look away. Like an unspoken game of eye staring….an eye staring contest.

It was like this for a few moments before Wally looked away. His eyes looked at what Nate had been working on. "What's this?" He asks, curiously. "Just another prop in the works." Nate says, cracking a small smile. "For the next episode, Julie is hosting a mock business meeting. I am a bit behind on props making so I am staying here late to finish."

"That's nice." Wally says softly. He paused as if wanting to ask Nate something. His hands fidgeted a bit as he held them.

"Is something the matter?" Nate asked, looking at Wally. The puppet opened his mouth a bit, hesitant. "Well, I was wondering…" he began. "Since you have a lot of props to make…maybe… maybe I could lend a hand?" Wally asked. The puppet sounded nervous and unsure which was a bit different than how he usually acted. He looked at Nate waiting for a response. Nate nodded. "Sure I don't see why not." The man said.

Wally's permanent grin seemed to smile wider. The stitches being tugged at. "Whoa careful now." Nate says. As much as he was happy to see the puppet genuinely smile, he was ripping his stitches. The prop maker wasn't sure if it was painful or not. He knew his coworkers would begin to question why Wally was getting tears on him.. "Ah right…" Wally said, stopping himself.

Nate was among the few people that even knew Wally was alive. And had been adamant about keeping that secret. Wally couldn't understand why. If he was real shouldn't he just be allowed to do whatever? However the puppet figured there had to be a reason behind it. And this decided to keep his existence a secret.

He didn't stay mulling over this fact for very long, due to the excitement he felt. His fingers itched to create.

"Here I have spare brushes and paint." Nate says gesturing to his art supplies toolbox. Wally practically ran over to the box. His hands dug in and picked up a small paint set.

"Thanks Nate!" The puppet chirped. The man smiled. "No problem Wally."

And that's how Wally ended up helping him with the props. They chatted in-between, mostly about silly episodes or ideas they had. Eventually Wally found himself rambling about something that had bugged him. Nate would give an occasional sound of affirmation and say I see among a few other short sentences.

Not that Wally minded. He was happy to be able to get whatever was in his chest out. Right now he talked about how there wasn't enough apples around the studio.

"I just thought that maybe we should have at least one apple hidden somewhere in every area! Then it could be like a search and find. The one with the most apples wins!" Wally mused as he held up a prop he had painted on top of. It is dry now.

"That's a good idea, don't you think so Nate?" Wally asked his friend suddenly. Silence was his only response….

"Right Nate -?" Wally paused. Not having heard his friend speak for some time. The puppet turned around, concerned about the prop maker. His eyes landed on Nate's sleeping form. The man's paintbrush had fallen out of his hand, as he slumped on his desk. "Ah…" Wally said, lowering the prop in his hand. He then softly chuckled. Right…sleep. Humans needed sleep.

He also knew Nate's prop work was due the next morning before shooting began. With Nate sleeping, he would not be done in time. The props needed time to dry after all. He stared at the unfinished work. "I could work with this!" He muses.

….

In the morning, Nate sat up, realizing he hadn't meant to pass out. He sat up adjusting his glasses on his face. The first thing he saw was the assortment of props that had been made. Even the one he fell asleep doing was completed. Wally was no longer in sight, a red apple sat on Nate's desk. A small note that read. "Apple @:)"

Gift fic for you!

aww I love this, wholesomeness from the past. Lol Wally is really obsessed with apples pfft.

#welcome home #welcome home au #wally #nate #mr. novoice #fic #melodythebunny #tw: slight mentions of horror #foreshadowing #answered ask

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libertys-lovers · 1 year

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OOH okay wait, can i get a list of "Would kiss you on the forehead" and "Would get kissed on the forehead" for your goobers? This is vital information to me 👀 (also Licorice has to be "kisses you" i don't make the rules😤)

WHA-!?!

🥺🥺🥺🥺💖💕💖💞💗💗💓💘💖💖💗💝💞💝💕💞💗💗

Well… I guess a cheating answer is that all of them get kissed on the forehead, because smoochin’ their skulls is one of my favorite pastimes, yes indeed!

BUT… because you’re based… I’ll make a proper list too~

Just warning you tho… this is a long as hell post BEJKDKFKG

Kara - Gets Forehead Kisses: The married life has lead to MANY nights where I get to hold him in my arms and kiss his head mindlessly as he falls asleep… so-. But, even then, Kara’s not much of a forehead kisser; he much more prefers to kiss my hands!

Flug - Gives Forehead Kisses: Mainly because Flug prefers to be the one initiating affection, but also because it’s a quick & easy kiss to give when he’s busy!

Sniper - Gives Forehead Kisses: He’s real tall, so it’s kinda the easiest kiss for him to give. It’s also just nice for him to hold me & plant a soft kiss on the noggin sometimes.

Pauling - Gives Forehead Kisses: There’s not really like… some deeper reason on why she does it; it’s just one of the kisses she leans towards doing!

Lúcio - Gets Forehead Kisses: It’s a simple game we have; he’ll kiss my cheeks purely because he wants to be cute, and then I kiss him all over his face to get revenge 💖😈💖. I do this for just about everyone, but doing it to Lúcio is real fun just because of how much he giggles 🥰

Stein - Gets Forehead Kisses: This is… a strange one to put down. ‘Cause like, the man is HUGE compared to me?? What do you MEAN I’m the one to kiss his forehead? It’s not like he never kisses my forehead; he often does it when I’m busy and he’s passing by. But I love being able to levitate myself to his height and giving him a kiss back! And I love doing it… a l o t

Licorice - Gives Forehead Kisses: I guess you’re right… you don’t make the rules 🥰🤷‍♀️. Make no mistake, I smother this man in kisses… but he sure has an affinity for holding me close and kissing my forehead with blush painted on his face… only for him to deny that’s he’s blushing at all-

Cherry Blossom - Gives Forehead Kisses: Cherry Blossom is one of the few that enjoys mindlessly smooching their partners more than I do! She just adore kissing my face in general, really 🥺😭

Royal Margarine - Gets Forehead Kisses: He’s in a similar boat as Kara; by default, he prefers giving hand kisses or or peppering kisses up my arm. So, he gets more forehead kisses than he receives by default~

Rengoku - Gives Forehead Kisses: There’s no deeper reason for this outside of the fact he’s slightly taller than me; he just happens to give them more!

Hawks - Gets Forehead Kisses: Hawks is more of a cheek kisser than a forehead kisser, not to mention that I always let him cuddle into me and talk about his day when we have a private moment of peace, which is a prime way to attack his forehead 😈

Dororo - Gets Forehead Kisses: I get to pick him up like a little ragdoll, which works greatly in my favor for this, ha!

2-D - Gives Forehead Kisses: Mainly because of his height; it’s a lazy but intimate sort of kiss for him to give, which is PERFECT for him!

Gary Fischer - Gives Forehead Kisses: His height definitely plays a factor into it, but it just seems to be one of his default kisses to give anyway!

Sasha Nein - Gets Forehead Kisses: Another Stein situation. Like, this man is LITERALLY 2 feet taller than me. For most kisses I gotta levitate up to his face anyway… so I might as well spoil him if I’m up there!

Red - Gives Forehead Kisses: Mainly saying this cause like… his eyes are where his forehead should be, so it’s a lil difficult to kiss him there? But he’s tall enough to give them to me anyway so~!

Wally - Gets Forehead Kisses: Largely because of his height, but he also just enjoys the attention! He’ll always try to return the favor tho, with his own Wally brand of smooch (AKA he tries to put his mouth to my forehead & just makes a comedic “mwah” sound! Which is a canon thing he does! Ya love to hear it!)

Gamma 2 - Gives Forehead Kisses: Oh he ADORES giving these kisses… or, well, he enjoys face kissing in general. It just feels like a superhero move to him, kissing his partner in those cute but intimate ways. And also… once again, his height influences things as well BWKDKFK

#SLEP. You’re a sweetheart Slep. Never change.#Thank you so much man this genuinely made yesterday so much better 🥺😭#self ship #self shipper #self shipping #romantic f/o #🏩lavender lovers🏩

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juggaloautist · 1 year

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TW: spooki eye. Stare. But with one eye.

Here’s a welcome home oc- I updated the first picture- I’ll probably change it once it hits Morning.

His name is Ronnie Rider, he’s a horse, he’s pretty small. I did that on purpose so I can make him strong as fuck, he can pick up four cars if he wanted too. He’s rude as fuck, you talk about his buck teeth he’ll dog on your ass🤡

He’s been behind home once. He just decides not to talk about what he saw or think it was real at all. Sometimes his eye looks quite weird when he looks in the mirror, he just covers it or keeps it closed, he’s too stubborn for all the malarkey going on around Wally’s little home. The only reason his eye looks like that sometimes is because while he was behind home he got flashed by something, it felt like it touched his eye, but he didn’t understand why it didn’t hurt.

#art #welcome home #just art #welcome home oc #my oc art #oc art #oc lore

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crystalelemental · 6 months

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PokeFair Rerun Value

Two Triple PokeFair banners are running this month, and in pretty close succession! I figure, for funsies, I should talk about them, since...apparently a lot of people on Reddit are thinking the Tapu are a better value than Nate? God I love that place. Such an uproar about Nate being under-appreciated, and he finally gets a legitimately staggering alt, and people are clamoring he got fucked over because SS Serena's damage is comparable. Lunatics.

Set A: The Tapu Alongside the Alola VA events rerunning, SS Acerola, SS Mina, and SS Lana are running as a combo focus. To be direct about my own biases, the Tapu are among my greatest regrets as far as pulls go. None of them were particularly exciting picks as far as characters go, I don't really like the costume choices for anyone barring Lana, whose game iteration is one of my least favorites in the series, and I was devastated at no Lusamine/Nihilego like there should have been. I was drawn in by field effects, my eternal loves, but frankly I am not a huge fan of how they actually function.

SS Lana's the easiest one to speak out against. She's a DPS pair who is physical for no real reason, and it absolutely fucks with CS parameters, necessitating that you have both Physical and Special Damage Reduction 8 not checked off. Those 100 points are obnoxious at best, and devastating at worst when attempting to off-type. Lana also does the same AoE no penalty shit as Lusamine, so despite being the long-awaited partner, the two have this nasty tendency to fail when it comes to pressuring center. Their single-target damage is just not up to par. SS Steven can make use of Lana, but there's also something to be said for the notion of, why Lana? What does Lana seriously contribute? Extended Terrain? Because yeah, sure, but is that substantially more valuable than what others present, especially when Lana's Buddy move animation sharply eats into that extended duration anyway? I've used her, but I unironically like Anni May better.

SS Mina is, frankly, a pretty poor overall support. Team Sharp Entry and an immediate cap of Sp Atk is nice, but if you pulled NC Blue, there is absolutely no reason to pull Mina. Like, imagine if Blue were just hella slow, couldn't cap crit, didn't have offense debuffs backing his defensive buffs, and healed less on his 1MP trainer move, and also couldn't flinch or paralyze. Mina is nice for Fairy compositions, but little else. Her Rain support is downright laughable with SS Kris around, and her Fairy Zone requires her to constantly take sync to keep up, which messes with pairs like Diantha and SS Wally who need to sync to contribute. And don't forget, slow and has a minimum of two-bar spam with Draining Kiss, so she exacerbates a major problem the type tends to have. Tanky stats are one thing, but there are a metric ton of tanky supports these days, including this new Sycamore. Her only relevant contribution is Fairy Zone, and SS Wally's a far better option for that effect.

SS Acerola is the only real consideration. Lauded as one of the best supports due to her rapid-fire boosting of PMUN, and ability to cap all relevant physical stats, Acerola...now has direct competition in Argenta and NC Rosa. No I'm...not joking. Acerola's contributions are that field effects like weather, terrain, and zone activate a +1 PMUN for the team, which is nice, but her own applications are "on sync" and "2MP Sun." Her Buddy move gives +1, but only up to three times. Yes, this is often sufficient. But it does mean she runs out, and it's actually difficult to get the speed boosts from her TM when you'd want them half the time. Argenta has no such problems, is more persistent with PMUN, and grants accuracy, while being able to ditch field effects for a less threatening spread of CS parameters. And NC Rosa is now coming in with comparable stacking ability thanks to her TM, which gives better gauge performance, better defensive backbone with pop healing, the ability to support special strikers as well, and can also do accuracy and less threatening CS parameters like Argenta. Acerola is good, but if you're F2P and thinking man, I only get so many picks, keep in mind that Acerola, while broadly applicable, is specifically superior only for Grass/Fire type physical pairs. In every other situation, Rosa wins, and Argenta at least competes.

My overall stance on the Tapu is harsh, but I hold firmly to it. Their kits are interesting, but I've found very, very little use for any of them. Acerola sees the most play, go figure, but since getting Argenta, I've used her less and less. And with Rosa coming up, I expect she'll drop even further.

Set B: Gauntlet Trio This Legendary Gauntlet focuses on Entei, Tapu Bulu, and Uxie. As such, the decisions they made for PokeFairs were...SS Blue, SS Korrina, and Emma. Korrina is the only Ghost PokeFair, and I guess Lysandre was busy. Also we're going Blue because we hate you.

Let's get the big one out of the way: SS Blue may have been top dog in his day, but I earnestly don't believe you. He offers only Def and crit as reliable buffs, otherwise relying on 50%s for Sp Def, and random activations for Atk or Sp Atk. His healing potential is some of the worst, relying on 30%s to maintain. Unless you have him 2/5, I legitimately think Dawn is a better starting tank for a new player, just due to the value of built-in Vigilance when you don't have lucky skill availability. His position was downright dire when I got here, and it's only gotten worse over time. I'll admit, he takes hits pretty well, but this is not unique to him, and I've never found success with him in CS unless it was stall parameters. And even then he doesn't do well with Challenge Stall in the 10k and 15k meta. Blue is a bad pick at this point.

SS Korrina, my beloathed. Coming in here just outright better than Anni Lillie in literally every way that matters. I'll never forgive this bullshit. The only joy in my life is that her limited MP Snatch move can miss and tank her run. That's what you get, Korrina. This is what you deserve. I'd say Korrina is good. She's always seemed to do well for people who pulled her, and the CS parameter of Five Stats +3 is hilarious when they're trying to use it against Korrina. It's free money. I...honestly don't have a good reason to say you shouldn't do this. Ghost isn't exactly thriving right now, and neither Anni Lillie nor Renegade Cynthia can be said to be "better" than her. Which still makes me mad, those two are fucking Master Fairs, why are they such garbage?

Emma is my girl. Poison damage has come a long way, but Emma's still peak. Her Buddy move is obscenely overpowered, and in 3v3 content is absolutely devastating. Her ability to give the entire team +4 speed means any team is running perfect gauge control, and she can even get Free Moves Next when hitting poisoned foes. Her sync is explosive, her Potions can be nice, Emma is just an excellent all-around Striker. Who cannot do Gauntlet worth beans. Seriously, it's bad. I don't know why they did this to her.

I'd say this one has better overall value. Emma remains exceptional, while Korrina is still very good even if I can't personally vouch for her. Blue sucks though, so like. The highs are higher than the Tapu, but the lows are much lower too.

Final Verdict Skip both. I'm so serious.

Look, the Tapu set seems appealing, but having run them, they're not as significant as you'd hope. Acerola is really strong, but she isn't doing a single thing NC Rosa can't also do, and Rosa covers special too. Mina's really bulky and has capped Sp Atk for allies, but often this isn't as relevant as you'd hope, and the Fairy/Rain combo does almost nothing half the time. Lana...look, she's fine. Psychic's kinda fallen off in a way where its supports and F2P-adjacent pairs are the most interesting thing about them.

Meanwhile, SS Blue sucks, SS Korrina's pretty good, and Emma's extremely good...but the split between the three hurts a lot, because you're always dealing with those lower rates, and the possibility of getting bodied by Blue, who just isn't really worth it.

Moreover, all of them are happening around this month's new additions. You want absurd power, NC Nate has more than anything these sets provide. You want really good support, NC Rosa is arguably the best there is. You want a really powerful defensive support, honestly Winter Sycamore ain't lookin' too bad. You need a rare type covered? I get that Poison isn't super common, but at least that's had a lot of powerful picks drop recently, Bug is still a wasteland, and we're given one with excellent utility and Zone. I just can't think of a scenario where either of these sets outperforms what's new this month.

#poma rerun value

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