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izunias-meme-hole · 3 months

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Since you’ve been doing a fair amount of Batman posting, mind if you list your favorite members of the Gotham Rouges?

Okay. I’ll list about 10 of my faves, though we’ll be counting backwards here.

Also I'll be listing the variations of my faves whom I like the most to make things clearer.

Number 10. Poison Ivy (B:TAS) - If we're talking about character alone, this is the blueprint for literally every present day version of Poison Ivy, however this specific incarnation of the character has aged pretty well. She's every bit the dangerous eco-warrior that she makes herself out to be and will gladly turn someone into a tree for bulldozing a forest, but there is still a level of humanity to her character much like half the villains in the show.

Number 9. Mr. Freeze (B:TAS & Batman Beyond) - I feel like this is a "to the surprise of absolutely nobody" moment, but come on! Mr. Freeze here not only was made into a more tragic character compared to his early comic counterpart, but he actually had a whole arc across the entirety of B:TAS which ended at Batman Beyond. Victor Fries was a scientist trying to save his wife, Nora, from a rare disease, so he put her into a cryopod to preserve her until he found a cure. Then he and Nora were almost killed, but Nora was still kept on ice, while Victor got turned into a literal cold hearted monster. Even after Nora was finally cured, Victor was forever unable to be with her due to his own condition worsening to the point where he was just a head in a jar, angry with the world. A couple of decades later, and he is given a new body by the Wayne Powers CEO, Derek Powers, and while things were finally going well at first and Victor was reforming as soon as he had the chance, things went horribly wrong again, resulting in Victor dying as Mr. Freeze. I may have missed some details here, but yeah that's a summary of this sad ice man.

Number 8. Dr. Crane/Scarecrow (Nolan Trilogy) - Crane wasn't a big villain in the grand scheme of the trilogy, but my god Cillian Murphy does a great job with the character. Like I wish that his supervillain outfit wasn't just a bag over his face, but Scarecrow manages to be quite the dangerous loon with a mask of sanity in Batman Begins, an active member of the underworld in The Dark Knight, and the guy actively sending folks to their deaths in The Dark Knight Rises. Could we have had more of him? Yes. Did he use up his screen time well? Absolutely. Though his fear toxin could've been infinitely wilder.

Number 7. The Phantasm (B:TAS but movie) - The Phantasm is the literal best darker counterpart to Batman a lot of levels.

Number 6. Harley Quinn (B:TAS yet again) - The minor side villainess turned breakout character of the show. If anyone has seen B:TAS and then seen the rest of the media she's in, then you know why this is the best version of her. A good amount of things about the character being based around her actress (R.I.P Arleen Sorkin), her interactions with half the cast, Peak HarIvy content, the best representation of how bad her situation with her abusive ex was, and the perfect mixture between being a not-so-great-person and a precious lil' thing who deserves better.

Number 5. Harvey Dent, Two-Face, & The Judge (B:TAS) - The first well developed Two-Face, and the definitive. I mean he was never a bad villain, but the character was never utilized to the fullest like he was in B:TAS. Harvey Dent was a good guy with an other half that was the literal manifestation of his bottled up anger, an anger that turned into something else entirely after the left side of his face got blown off. Now Harvey and his other half start their own crusade to eradicate organized crime by taking it over from within. In other words, Two-Face here wanted to originally wanted to achieve something good through something bad, and yes a lot of it is due to a fair coin flip. However Harvey began to disagree with some of the shit his other half was getting up to, and as a result developed a third personality that was so separate from both himself and Two-Face that it tried killing both of them and, by extension, himself. This third entity would end up being The Judge, a ruthless, wraith-like vigilante with a judge's attire. So after being detained in Arkham for good, all three Harvey's are literally stuck with each other, and in a spin-off comic set directly after that whole situation with The Judge, Two-Face was given another double headed coin that would constantly come up on the "good side," and spent a lot of time dismantling his criminal enterprise, before doing (another) suicide attempt. This take on Two-Face was something else.

Number 4. Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham) - If I were to list everything that this smug snake has done, along with some of the shit that happened to him, we'd be here all day. However, this is the most well characterized iteration of The Penguin that we've ever had, in my humble opinion.

Number 3. Catwoman (Batman Returns) - I'm dying on this hill gentlemen. Despite not being... anything like her comic counterpart, outside of name, confidence, etc, Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina is something great in her own right.

Number 2. The Riddler (The Batman 2022) - Turning the Riddler into a a catholic, terrorist, cult leader that looked up to a young and angry Year-Two Batman, while also keeping the core elements of his character the same is something I'll never stop praising. He's still intelligent, he's still creative, he's still on the verge of breakdowns when his ego is badly damaged, etc.

Number 1. The Joker (B:TAS & Batman Beyond) - This is a "to the surprise to absolutely nobody" moment, though in this case I cannot be blamed. B:TAS understood the assignment and provided the definitive iteration of The Joker, completely inspired by his early comic appearances and some elements from Jack Nicholson's take on the character. An ex-mafiosi turned Clown Prince of Crime that lives to only spread misery across Gotham in the most creative way possible with a smile on his face. That was the idea that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm ran with when conceptualizing this bastard, and they just explored the concept for all its worth. Not only that, but this was the first time that Mark Hamill ever voiced this bastard, and it was just perfect casting. Overall, nostalgia got me to re-examine this take on the character, and I can easily say that without a doubt, this is the best Joker.

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nyhti · 7 months

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Hello! If you don't mind it, do you have any favorite Pre-Crisis comics or issues you would consider required reading for that era? Thank you!

Ok ok ok. Lissen. I tried. I really did. The thing is that pre-crisis is a looooooooong era. It wasn't easy going through 47 years of bathistory and try and pick notable moments, especially because what counts as notable is very subjective. Also I just simply wouldn't consider myself a bathistorian. I mean, I only really care about the rogues, you know me. But! I tried! Here are some moments, that I think are noteworthy, or otherwise interesting. I wrote down why I think each issue is interesting, so you can decide for yourself if you think it's worth reading or not. I know I put things in here that other people might find filler stories and also left out things that some might consider really important (for example, you will find no Justice League here, as I just never cared about them.) It's my list, so it will have my biases. I hope I got all issue numbers and years correct. I was going to go through them one more time to check but........... I don't want to. Also, some of these I read literally years ago, so my memory of them might be hazy. Anyway, I hope you find at least a couple issues on this list you like :33 Golden Age (1938-1956) Detective Comics #27 (1939) ”The Case of the Chemical Syndicate” First Batman story Detective Comics #38 (1940) ”Robin the Boy Wonder” Dick's First appearance Batman #1 (1940) The first two Joker stories, the first Catwoman story and the second Hugo story. Really not a single skippable story in this one Batman #16 (1943) ”Here comes Alfred” Alfred's first appearance Detective Comics #83 (1944) ”Accidentally on Purpose” Alfred gets a makeover and starts looking like the Alfred we know and love today Batman #35 (1946) ”Dinosaur Island” Where the dinosaur in the Batcave came from World's Finest Comics #30 (1947) ”The Penny Plunderers” Where the giant penny is from Detective Comics #168 (1951) "The Man Behind the Red Hood" Joker's first origin story Superman #76 (1952) ”The Mightiest Team in the World” First Batman/Superman team up. They learn each other's identities. It's so fanfic-y. They actually have to share a room on a cruise, because there are too many people aboard. Only thing missing is if there was only one bed. Detective Comics #233 (1956) ”The Bat-Woman” First appearance of the original Batwoman Kathy Kane Silver Age (1956-1970)

World's Finest Comics #88 (1957) ”Superman and Batman's Greatest Foes!” First Joker/Lex Luthor team-up The Flash #123 (1961) ”Flash of two Earths” Not a Batman story, but quintessential to the lore as this is the introduction of the multiple earths Batman #164 (1964) ”Two-Way Gem Caper” Debut of the ”new look”. They refreshed the artstyle here. There are also other changes like the elevator to the batcave and a new batmobile among other things. This also starts my favorite era in bathistory, 1964 to 1970. Sooo many interesting things happened here. Detective Comics #327 (1964) ”The Mystery of the Menacing Masks” New look debut in Detective Comics Detective Comics #328 (1964) ”Gotham Gang Line-up” Alfred dies and we get aunt Harriet instead This story continues in: Detective Comics: #334, 336, 340 and 349 but if you want, you could just skip to: Detective Comics #356 (1966) ”The Inside Story of the Outsider” Alfred returns. Detective Comics #359 (1967) ”The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl” Barbara's first appearance Detective Comics #387 (1969) ”The Cry of Night is – ”Sudden Death”” A modern re-telling of the first Batman story. Well, modern by 60s standards, but that's what I love about it so. Detective Comics #389 (1969) "Batman's evil eye" Here the writers are really longing back for the days of old when Batman was spooky and goffik. Also!! It's a Scarecrow story woooooooooo!!! My favorite Scarecrow story, in fact! Really the only villain you could've had in a story like this. Batman #217 (1969) ”One Bullet Too Many!” Dick leaves for Hudson university and Bruce and Alfred move to a penthouse in the city. Bronze Age (1970-1986) Batman #251 (1973) ”The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!” This is the issue where Joker starts murdering again Detective Comics #457 (1976) "There is No Hope in Crime Alley" Re-telling of Batman's origins. The first appearance of Leslie Thompkins my beloved. Just an all around good fucking story. Detective Comics #469-476 (1977-1978) Steve Englehart's run. Really a must read Batman #348 (1982) ”Shadow Play” Bruce, Dick and Alfred return to Wayne Manor. Also a Man-Bat story! Yippieeeeeee! Batman #357 (1983) ”Squid” Jason's first appearance (for one panel only, though) Detective Comics #525 (1983) ”Confrontation” First time Jason actually speaks Detective comics #526 (1983) ”All My Enemies Against Me!” Jason's parents die and he plays hero for the first time. Last issue of Gerry Conway's banger run. Also first time Jervis uses mind control (and it's on Jonathan!) Batman #365, Detective Comics #532, Batman #366 (1983) Jason dyes his hair and makes first apperance as Robin, but Bruce doesn't approve. A Joker story. Batman #368 (1984) ”A Revenge of Rainbows” Dick gives Jason his blessing and Jason finally becomes Robin officially. Detective Comics #566, Batman #400 (1986) Last issues of pre-crisis. Rip.

#sorry it took so long DDx

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thebl00dmaster · 9 months

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Limbus Tamers 2

Time for a part 2 of this unlikely crossover ! This time around I've given partners to the rest of the limbus crew and to some bosses. I might do some of the NPCs as well as rework Rodya and Hong Lu's partners since I wasn't wholly sastified with these. For part one go here

First off everyone's favorite amnesiac clock. I felt there was no way they wouldn't have Clockmon somewhere in their line, as for the rest: any rookie that was listed could have done the job but lego Agumon won my heart, Mamemon 'cause it's kinda goofy and CatchMamemon because gatcha.

For Charon I focused on transports with Locomon being the first one that came to mind and worked from there. Though with the Beach event you could make the argument that Submarimon could have made the cut.

Ol' man Vergil being our guide to hell I felt like giving him a hellhound would be appropriate and his ruthlessness made Plutomon more fitting than Anubismon (Yes this is the same line as in Digimon Survive). Though imagining this monster of a man with this Olympos XII adjacent mon sending the goon squad with rookie level mon to deal with the retrieval of golden boughs is even more hilarious.

Now for the first "boss" well since Canto 1 is mostly Abnormality fights and we don't have that much info on Hermann&co I fell back on Old G Corp Bugman. There's not much to be said, bug digimon for a bug man. Funnily enough Olg G Corp man is the first "major" non abnormality fight in canto I and Kuwagamon is the first threat in the digital world for the digidestined in the OG Adventure.

Now unto La Muralla de Canto II Aida. Same as above as there were Abnormalities boss fights, I had no idea for Sonya (yet) and Tingtang boss. Ponchomon was the first mon that popped to mind because, you know, mariachi then I remembered that Togemon X antibody also rocked a sombrero/poncho so elicited to put both, even though it's regular Palmon that evolved into it but hey, and BanchoLillymon is there because she's Syndicate boss.

For Guido I choose beefy and knightly looking Digimons. Craniummon is there because it's evil looking plus I gave Kromer LordKnightmon (aka Crusadermon) and they were both part of the antagonist faction in Cybersleuth.

Speaking of the bitch devil I made two lines for her. Base Kromer got a bunch of holy/angel digimons plus Crusadermon to go with "holy inquisition" theme plus LordKnightmon is known to be a dick amongst the Royal Knights. As for the distortion-like form I considered that she's so juiced up by the golden bough that her partner goes straight to Apocalymon with Ladydevimon being a steppingstone for it once we reach the "realm of darkness" phase of the fight, probably with her fighting us with "only" Angewomon on phase one and then it falls to Ladydevimon. I amsp considered giving Lilithmon because Kromer looks like a lust pecatula but Apocalymon is more messed up looking. Either way this means Demian pulled up with some powerful stuff to one hit kill Kromer.

For Dongbaek I focused more on the Spicebush E.G.O than the Sunshower one with Renamon paying lip service to it, though I imagine it'd go along the traditional line with or without the color swaps, with Lotusmon represented the fully manifested E.G.O with the two previous forms appearing as she steels her resolve before that.

Dongrang's line is disjointed because I tried to combine both his distorsion and his E.G.O.. Nohemon is for the farmer and scarecrow imagery plus the fact his achievement are fake, OG Falcomon is to contrast with Yi Sang's 06 Falcomon also I didn't find a cow rookie (plus the K Corp infinite chicken hack), Jyagamon continue agricultural theme being a crop ( a potato if the reference book is to be believed) that kinda look bovine-ish (?) to represent his distorted form and finally Machinedramon ... not really linked to the Farmwatch E.G.O. but I went with the angle of "I'll burn the past and anyone to pave MY future!" and what better choice than a giant death robot lizard ! .... ok Parasimon could have worked too, still it's messed up that this potatomon can turn into both. If I were to hazard a timeline for the evolution I'd say he would have Nohemon as a permanent champion kinda how Gatomon is in Adventure and 02 while Falcomon only appears in the dungeon for flashback part then both the ultimate and mega forms for both boss fights under the influence of the golden bough.

And that's a wrap. I'll do other NPC when inspiration strikes me again though maybe not full lines for everyone.

#limbus company #digimon #long post #limbus tamer

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argentumcor · 1 month

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Reasons I Think Gotham Knights Started Out as an Arkham Knight Sequel at Some Point

It clearly isn't an Arkhamverse game. For one, the tone is that of a contemporary Young Adult novel...or a CW show, like one maybe called Gotham Knights. The Arkhamverse is BTAS with a higher rating. But there's a lot of reason to think the concept started out as a sequel to Arkham Knight game somewhere.

I'm not watching any of the marketing stuff about this because games marketing is full of it and cannot be trusted. This is stuff about the game itself. Spoilers ahead.

I'll get to the list, but I'll start by pointing out that the Batfam is niche while Batman has much broader recognition and, yes, appeal (not the 'brainwash son with fear toxin for his own good' comics Batman, I mean the movie, cartoon, and game Batman). Triple-A titles are very expensive endeavors and there is no reason to pour that cash into a title about a niche set of side characters instead of the very popular main character...unless that title is a part of a very successful and popular game series. We know that Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League is only part of the Arkhamverse as a marketing tactic, the same reason all the characterizations line up more with the Suicide Squad movies than with the Arkham ones. Selling the Gotham Knights concept as a follow-on to the Arkham games was probably a viable way to get the project off the ground. What happened from there? I have guesses and I'll get to them.

After that, there is:

The cast. We've got Dick, Jason, Tim, and Barbara. That's the Batfam from the end of Arkham Knight, but not the Batfam that makes the most sense necessarily; Orphan instead of one of the boys (Jason, probably, grumble) would even out the sex ratio and she'd fit in with the story. But if this started as a sequel to AK, this would be your cast.

The way Jason feels like everyone treats him like he's a bomb about go off despite the fact they don't. It seems like Jason's recently back, but everyone seems to be trying hard to include him and there's no sign of what he complains about. A post-AK Jason, though, would be very much treated like that because of the whole...alliance with Scarecrow, fear toxin, invasion thing.

Freeze seems to have lost Nora and is on a nihilistic rampage. We know that Nora is dying after In From the Cold. While I prefer to assume Freeze left his suit and they died in each other's arms, because I'm a sap, her dying and him not could feasibly result in him doing what he does in GK. It's cynical as hell, but it's a not terrible way to bring him back as a villain. Normally, Nora is his main motivation and GK is the first time in a long time where she isn't, he just hates everything.

No Joker, no Two-Face, no Black Mask. Joker seems to be dead in GK as he is in Arkham. Tim fought Two-face in a DLC after he broke out of jail and committed quite a bit more crime, so he's probably still in, plus if they didn't want to revisit villains, he'd be written out. Jason killed Black Mask in his DLC and the name Sionis isn't even mentioned in GK.

Penguin is now an ex-con out and about. Penguin wasn't a direct fight in AK or a DLC, but Dick kept him from breaking out in another DLC, which meant he went to prison and could have served his time in total as he did in GK. He's also characterized as a crime lord instead of a kook like he was in the Arkham games.

Harley is around, starts out in jail, and is a villain. Harley was a monster in the Arkhamverse, a child-murderer and torturer. In GK, she's still terrible, if a temporary asset (not even ally) to the Batfam, and later tormenting and killing civilians for fun. It isn't very popular these days to have Harley just be evil even without the Joker, but GK did, just as the Arkhamverse did. At most she was to be pitied, but she was definitely a villain. You'd assume given GK's tone it would not go that way but it does without hesitation- one of the things I really like about it. She was very probably taken to jail after AK where she was originally captive in one of Batman's hideouts.

Batman is dead but not really/permanently. AS far as the Arkham Batfam knows at the end of AK, Bruce is dead. He isn't- if they ever found out, they would be so mad, because his plan is clearly not doing much for stopping crime in Gotham, as Tim and Barb have to leave their honeymoon to do that- but they think he is. If you were to do an Arkham GK, finding out Bruce isn't dead would be a rather major plot point...and in the GK we got, finding Bruce brought back to life is a rather major plot point.

Talia as major villain. AK hinted at Talia having been resurrected by the League and given the way the Pits are in that game- both in their mentally debilitating effects especially if impure and in the fact that Bruce destroys the last pure one in AK- her coming back crazy and evil would make total sense and be good setup for an Arkham GK main villain- especially if you wanted to have Damian as a plot point. Low and behold, Talia is the real big bad of GK, though it doesn't seem like she necessarily got resurrected.

I have no way of knowing if GK started out as an Arkham sequel and probably never will. I know Rocksteady did at least concept art of a Batman Beyond Arkham sequel that would use Damian in place of Terry, but obviously that didn't happen. I am assuming Rocksteady never touch GK at any point, but so many things line up that I feel like there was some outline or treatment for a Batfam Arkham game that got used to Gotham Knights.

It may have been that WB wanted this game to be used to market that ridiculous CW show of the same name, or vice versa, but that seems insane. The demographics for the two don't have that much crossover. The content is only alike in tone and that Batman dies at the start. But it is a boneheaded ivory tower executive sort of decision to make.

Honesty, looking at GK and at its marketing and at the way its budget seemed to be allocated- I think Jason's model rig is just Bruce's, kind of cheap to do for two major characters you see a lot of- it's almost like it got a pity greenlight. It's so odd to have two games, Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, both about Batman adjacent characters, with the same basic gameplay loop even, come out within a year or so of each other.

I don't like Gotham Knights, I don't like the art style, I don't like the way most everyone interacts and how...sanitized and therapy talk and 'relevant issues' much of the writing is... but it has all these little disconnects between that kind of writing and other parts that line up more with the Arkham games that it's bizarre, like someone took the superstructure of an Arkham Batfam game and stuck this brightly colored marshmallow thing around it to make the Gotham Knights we got. It's cool if you like it, it's not my kind of thing, no hard feelings, etc.- I come from the days of the old internet, when you could do say stuff like that and then admire that awesome Mora Jason Todd cover together. I do find the weird links between Gotham Knights and the Arkhamverse fascinatingly bizarre though.

#arkhamverse #game development history thoughts #game dev history should be a thing for all games #because it can be fascinatingly insane

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xiaosmoon · 3 years

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corn maze

pairings: thoma x gn!reader

content/warnings: fluff, a lil spooky ouuu-

note: SORRY this is so late i was so busy with schoolwork. not proofread.

tag list: @rim0na @sunny-star021 @xiaos-wrld @how-simpy @icecappa @clemmywrites

"thoma, i don't think we're going the right way." your boyfriend was amazing at an amount of things. he could cook, clean, knit, and even fight, but having a sense of direction was not one of them.

you both were wandering aimlessly around the corn maze for the past 15 minutes. the night was getting colder as the sun was almost no longer visible on the horizon. "i swear we've seen this scarecrow 10 times already." you huff, trailing behind thoma. thoma came to an abrupt stop, causing your body to collide with his back.

"i think we turned left the last time we were here, so right should be the way to go!" your boyfriend's statement was full with such confidence and enthusiasm, you were almost hopeful. almost.

"thoma, love, i think we should stop for a minute and think before making our next move." you softly smile and place a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop him from leaving. thoma turns his body to face you and returns your grin. "yeah, i suppose we should." the embarrassment slowly spread onto his cheeks. if it wasn't for the illuminating moon, you wouldn't have caught it.

for the next five minutes, you and thoma build up a plan for getting out of this damned maze. it was getting darker and the corn somehow seemed more terrifying than it was before. "alright y/n, let's go!" thoma beamed. he took ahold of your hand, intertwining it with his before leading you ahead.

you didn't want to say anything at first, but you were sure that something was moving in the cornfields. it was probably just your mind playing tricks on you, but for comfort you held onto thoma just a bit tighter.

continuing your never ending journey through the corn maze, you felt a sudden rush of cold creeping up your spine. shivering at the feeling, you nuzzle your body into thoma's for warmth. "are you alright y/n? we're almost out, i'm sure of it."

thoma's words did little to assure you. right now, all you wanted was to get out of this dammed maze and be hidden from everything by a mountain of blankets. "you're gonna think i'm crazy, but i swear somethings been watching us all night." you whisper so only thoma could hear. thoma smiled, ruffling your already winded hair. "its probably just the shadows playing tricks on your vision. come on, let's go."

you sigh, knowing it was as silly as it sounded. it was impossible for something to be watching you, ghosts weren't real anyway.

or so that's what you believed.

more under the cut!

"y/n, look! we made it!" and lord behold, the exit to the dreadful maze was only a few steps in front of you. not wasting any more time, thoma pulled you towards the exit where a pumpkin patch worker was waiting to greet you.

"congratulations on making it out of the maze! many people get lost." thoma let out an embarrassed chuckle. "well we definitely got lost alright."

the lady looked surprised at this statement. "well you didn't see her, did you? that means you made it out! anyway, there's a delicious churro truck right over-"

"wait a moment." you raised your hand to pause the woman mid sentence. "whos her?"

the woman's face suddenly was struck. she looked at you with such confusion, as if the question you asked should be common sense. "the lady in the corn maze, of course. who else? wait, don't tell me you don't know about the story?"

you looked up at thoma to see if he had any idea what this nonsense was about. but thoma looked just as lost as you, and even a bit more interested than you were. the woman sighed. "i thought you would've known. the lady of the corn maze haunts the place. those unfortunate enough to see her get paralyzed from fear, so we have to bring them out. it's a good thing you didn't capture her gaze."

you were glued to the floor, your entire body unable to move. a ghost? no way, it couldn't be. you let out a laugh, a laugh to comfort yourself. "that's nice to know i suppose. well, thanks for having us, we'll be going now." without another word, you take ahold of thoma's hand once more before walking away.

"you don't believe all of that crap, do you?" you ask your lover, afraid to meet his gaze. thoma squeezes you hand. "of course not, i'm sure it's some halloween story to go with the theme of the fair. now come on, let's go try some of that pumpkin ice cream!"

you knew you weren't crazy. letting yourself relax a bit, you head towards the other attractions with thoma, ready to enjoy the rest of your night.

it's unfortunate that you two will never know the lady in the maze was simply just a black cat who lurked around the area with its yellow glowing eyes.

#thoma x reader #thoma x you #thoma x y/n #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #thoma #thoma fanfic #genshin impact thoma #flufftober

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emma-nation · 3 years

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The Devil In I - Bela x OC (Resident Evil Village AU)

“Step inside, see the Devil in I”

Summary: Aleena Novak is a 19 years old orphan who desired more than living in a village in the middle of nowhere. A talented artist with a big future ahead, she gets the scholarship of her dreams in United States. But everything changes when her twin brother, Auryk, steals an important artifact from Castle Dimitrescu.

In this adventure, Aleena will find way more than she expected.

“You’ll realize I’m not your Devil anymore”

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x OC

Genre: Between T and M (Trigger warning for violence, blood, abuse and eventual smut)

Tag List: @nydeiri

Notes: This is my first RES fic, so I'm sorry if I mess it up a bit. English is also not my main language, so a mistake or two may happen. I hope you enjoy it :)

Trigger Warning: Language, abuse, blood and violence.

Eastern Europe - July, 2009

"If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"

Mother closed the book, placing it on the bedside table between Auryk's bed and mine. Then, she lowered herself and kissed my forehead like she did every night. Her long, blonde hair tickled my face and left a trace of her sweet lavender fragrance in the air. I giggled.

"Good night, sweetheart," she spoke.

"Good night, momma."

"Cherish your last night as a six years old. Tomorrow you will become a..."

"Princess?!"

"A seven years old girl. The prettiest girl in the village."

"Pffft," Auryk let out a displeased grunt from his bed, covering his head with the pillow to avoid listening another word from the conversation.

"And you too," mother sat by his side on the bed and repeated her nightly ritual of kissing his forehead to wish him a good night too. "You'll become the most handsome and brave warrior in this village. Do you understand?"

"I hope so. Good night, mom."

"Good night, buddy."

Mother left the room, leaving us both in the dark. However, we couldn't sleep. Not because we were thrilled about our incoming birthday party as any regular child, but because we knew our lives were about to change. Seven years old was the age every child from our village was introduced to the truth and started being trained to fight the evil that haunted our lands. Auryk and I spent minutes, or maybe hours, in silence, staring at the ceiling.

"Leena?" He was the first one to speak. "Do you believe a spell can broken? I mean, like a curse?"

"I don't know, Ryk," I answered, feeling my thoughts starting to drift away. "Maybe we're doomed after all. Or... we could learn how to love the beasts."

The birthday parties always happened during the daytime, rules of the village. We could no longer be outside after 6 PM. Mother got help from the other women to prepare the treats and organize the decorations. Auryk was disguised as a pirate and I... I was Belle, from the Beauty and the Beast.

"So, what do you think you will be getting this year?" My best friend Elena asked while we were playing with our dolls. She was about two years older than us.

"I don't know," I shrugged. Being a merchant, my father always returned home with the most unusual gifts: a magical music box, a voodoo doll that had a life on its own or a fragrance that chased away the monsters - and everybody else too. "A new book. I'm hoping for a new book."

It was only by the end of the party Adrian Novak made his entrance. That was the mystery about him. Nobody knew when he would show up, or if he would show up at all. He still had that same annoying smirk on his face. The corner of his mouth holding a cigarette. The months away made his beard grow longer, as well as his dark hair. In the sunlight, the scar above his eye was even more visible.

"Auryk," he shouted, "come here, son. I've got something for ya."

My twin brother, who had been climbing trees with his friends stop frozen in spot for a second. I couldn't tell if he hated or feared that man. Maybe both. He slowly followed father's command, approaching him cautiously.

"Hi, dad."

"Happy birthday, son," father ruffled his dark straight hair with his strong and calloused hand. "It's about time you grow up."

He handed my brother a large package. From our experience, we knew exactly what it was, a shotgun.

"T-Thank you, dad."

"I'll be spending some time at home. Tomorrow we'll start practicing."

Auryk consented. He shot me a quick glance. From our twin bond I could tell my brother was far from happy. When he blew his candles that afternoon, he didn't wish for a weapon. We wished to be a normal child.

"What did you get, Leena?" He asked once we were locked in the safety of our bedroom.

"Pencils and a drawing book. Dad thinks I'm talented."

Not really. Adrian Novak would never allow his daughter to hold a shotgun. That was, according to him, 'a man thing'.

"Good, at least one of us got what they wanted. Happy birthday, sister."

"Happy birthday, brother."

4 Years Later - October, 2013

It wasn't easy to be the weakest of the twins. Although he was born first, Auryk was the tinniest. The one who was always getting sick or getting injured. The one who couldn't hit a single fucking target when he had the alcoholic breath of his father on his neck.

He aimed for a crow, sitting still on a fence. How hard could it be? Even the eldest man from the village could do any better than that.

BANG! He shot again. And missed.

"Again?!" Adrian angered, shoving him hard on the shoulder. "What the hell is your problem, kid?"

"I don't know, okay? This gun... it's heavy!"

"Heavy? And why do you think we've been exercising for all these years, huh?! We do not live in Disneyland, Auryk. We need to fight monsters, abominations. Someday I won't be home and you need to be prepared to protect our people. Do you understand?"

Tears started forming in the corners of the boy's blue eyes. He couldn't cry. Not in front of him. Crying was a sign of weakness and he couldn't be weak. Not right now. Auryk started to think about all the things he could be doing. He thought about the ocean, as he had seen on TV and books. He could feel the warmness of the sun on his skin. The sand between his toes. His mom and sister were also there, of course - they'd carry them with him everywhere. And he would study Math and Physics. There would be no guns, no monsters, no blood, only numbers, only formulas, only theories. He smiled. He no longer felt like crying.

"I'm sorry, dad," kindness was always the answer, his mother said. "But this isn't for me, you know? I don't like it. I... Remember that boarding school my teacher mentioned? I thought maybe I..."

His words were interrupted by a hard slap on his face. Auryk could taste a small amount of blood coming out from his lower lip.

"So that's what you want? To become one of those little fancy fags? Maybe you're not my son after all."

Adrian started walking away, leaving his son alone, sitting on the floor.

"I AM!" Auryk yelled, enraged. "I am your son."

"Then prove it."

"You shouldn't take so hard on him," Savannah poured her husband a cup of tea. "He's just a boy."

"He's eleven years old, for god's sake," the husband punched the table strong enough to make it shake. "He needs to man up a bit. You should stop spoiling him."

As I left my bedroom I found my brother sitting on the stairs. He didn't have to be so close to listen to the conversation between our parents, father's voice was loud enough to echo through every wall of our small and cozy home.

I sat down by his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Maybe you should do it, Leena. You'd do it better, I know."

"I'm not so sure. Remember when I tried to shoot a scarecrow and almost shot that old witch?"

"Come on, you aimed on purpose! I know."

Auryk finally let out a small laugh at the memory.

"You're good at everything, Leena," he spoke fondly. "You're an extrovert, you're everybody's friend, you can cook, you can draw and paint... you're a true artist. I'm a mistake."

"You're not a mistake, Ryk," I pulled my brother closer, resting my cheek against the side of his face. "We're only at the wrong place and you know it."

Going back to our bedroom, we pulled from the drawers the postcards our grandma Louise sent us from San Diego. Mom had been born in California and lived there her entire life, until she met father during one of his trips. God knows what made her fall in love with that man. Adventure? Danger? I expected better from myself when I turned eighteen. Otherwise, I'd never want to fall in love. Love could be my ruin, just like my mom's.

"Leena..." Auryk held the postcard tightly, "do you think... if he died... do you think mom would take us to nana's home?"

"I don't know, Ryk," I didn't want to think of my father's possible death. But I also dreamed of a better life. "Maybe."

"What the hell?" Father's voice in the kitchen made me jump in fear. I knew that tone. I grew up used to that. Something was wrong in the village. We had to hide.

"To the basement, now!" He emerged at the bedroom, holding a rifle. "Lycans were seen surrounding the area."

We barely had any time to react, mom came and dragged us both to the basement. Father left, carrying his arsenal of weapons as usual. There were other hunters in the village but we always knew how badly it could end. Somebody could always get seriously hurt. Or worse.

The basement had been carefully prepared for that kind of situation years before. It had a big bed, two armchairs, a heating source, some stored food and a shelf. Mom sighed and forced a smile.

"So," she walked to the shelf, "what is it going to be today?"

"Frankenstein," Auryk suggested. My brother loved mystery and horror. As if his life hadn't enough of it.

"Romeo and Juliet," I spoke. There was something about forbidden romance that always caught my interest.

"Okay. I... I'm gonna say a prayer and you two can read the books you picked by yourselves. What do you think?"

"Great!"

Mom kneeled down by the bed's side, holding a crucifix. I could join her if I wanted to, but I'd rather watch in silence. I grabbed my book, sitting on one of the armchairs and pretending to pay attention, while I tried to distract myself from the fact my father could be the Lycans' next prey. Or all of us, if they managed to break into our house.

"Leena?" I woke up hours later with my mom shaking me. "Leena?! Where's Auryk? Where's your brother, Leena?"

I had no idea. I had fallen asleep and apparently, so did mom. She checked for the basement's door, it had been locked from outside.

"No..." she tried to force it open. "No! I can't be..."

All Auryk had to do was to successfully kill and take a Lycan's carcass as a trophy to his father, right? That was what that old douchebag wanted him to do, to prove his courage, his manhood. We had his shotgun, a binoculars and a knife, that should be enough, but first, he needed a good plan.

Looking down to his hands, he had the most perfect idea. Without thinking twice, he sliced a cut through his palm, letting some blood pour on the ground. Then, he found a tall tree. He climbed it and observed. The smell of blood his trail left behind should be enough to attract a creature.

"Come on... come on..."

From a distance, Auryk could hear the sound of destruction and death. There was a battle going on somewhere nearby. Once again Lycans should have found a family or a group of hunters.

And then, he could hear it. The heavy footsteps, the screeching sounds, the sniffing. The mutant creature was only a few meters away from the tree. He aimed, but it was still too distant. He needed to move to a closer branch.

It all happened in one second. He was almost there, reaching for the spot he had picked, but his weight was too much for the tree's branch. In a blink of an eye, he was lying on the ground. His vision was blurred. His head hurt intensely, as well as his arm. It was broken for sure. He possibly had a concussion too. He tried to stand up and run but his legs wouldn't follow his commands. The Lycan was coming straight at him.

"AURYK!" His mother screamed behind him. "NO!"

Time seemed to freeze in that fraction of second. How did she manage to escape the basement? How could she have found him?

But without hesitation, Savannah threw herself on top of her son, protecting him from the jaws and claws of the monster. Auryk couldn't see much, but he could smell it. He could feel it. Blood. There was blood everywhere. He couldn't tell who it belonged to, he or his mom's.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A fast sequence of shots suggested the hunters had found them. The creature stopped moving, stopped howling. It was finally dead.

"M-Mom... it's dead. We... We're safe."

She didn't answer. Instead, he heard another familiar voice.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" It was from his father. "Savannah! Savannah!"

"D-Dad..." Auryk tried to speak, but the words got lost along the way. "I... I..."

Adrian lifted him by his jacket, holding him inches above the ground.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED YOUR MOM, YOUR STUPID BASTARD!"

"I..." tears streamed down the boy's face, his injured brain trying to process what had just happened. "I'm sorry.'

After he was thrown back to the ground, he was hit with a hard kick on his stomach. He turned his head around to notice a small figure hiding behind a tree, watching the whole scene in pure horror.

"L-Leena..." he muttered.

"This is all your fault, Auryk. You're a disgrace to this family."

And then, he passed out. Rumors said he was unconscious for days or maybe weeks. When he woke up, he wished everything had been a nightmare.

Present Days - July, 2021

Nobody mourned Adrian Novak when he died. Not his children. Not his village mates. No human being would ever feel any sympathy for a man who abused and blamed his eleven years old son for his mother's death. It had been two years since Adrian left this world and I couldn't feel any more free.

"Hey," I left another message on my brother's voicemail, "in case you've forgotten it's our birthday today. I'd like to have my twin home, you know? Call me when you get this message."

It was useless, I knew. Auryk would only pick up his phone when he wanted to. Or when he was too drunk. God knew where that guy would be at that time, probably waking up at some girl's bed or getting some rest from... working.

After grabbing myself a cup of coffee, I checked the door's mat. Bills, bills, newspaper and... California Institute Of Arts? I remember having an argument with Auryk about this matter at some point. He wanted me to fill the application and send them my portfolio. I insisted we had no money, not even to pay for the tuition. I won - I always win every argument by the way.

"Your damn son of a..." I placed the envelope on the kitchen's table. I was a coward, I confess. However, I didn't know which pain was worse - to be sure I wasn't good enough or to be sure I was, indeed, but I'd never have money to leave that hellhole. Anyways, I decided to leave it alone. I had more important things to do.

My morning routine: to go to the middle of the woods and do some training. My father used to say fighting wasn't a girl thing, but I was no regular girl. And never in this life I'd allow someone to tell me what to do.

After running, climbing and doing a set of push-ups, it was time for combat training. Travelers from abroad taught me some different set of moves, I'd like to think I created my own fighting style. I was also very good with knifes, daggers or any kinds of short blades, they were useful during a close distance combat. My shooting was a work in progress, once or twice I'd miss the center of my handmade targets.

Then, like everyday, I'd go back home, shower and follow to my shift at the village's pub.

"Hiya, Leena," Gustav greeted me when I arrived. "I heard today is a special day... the day a little girl..."

"NO!" I stopped him. Gustav was my best friend. We had known each other since we were children and somehow, he liked to make my birthday a special - and embarrassing - event.

He placed a handmade fairytale-like book on the table. There were some edited pictures, mixed with some messed up drawings about my birth and childhood. He called it 'The Princess Who Carried The Light'.

"God, you're soooo stupid..." I rolled my eyes and moaned, before wrapping him into a very tight hug. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know. You'd probably marry me, if you weren't into girls."

We laughed together, as Olga, our boss emerged from the kitchen, bringing a cake with nineteen candles.

"Here's to another year," the older woman opened a wrinkled smile, "make a wish, my darling."

I fell pensive for a moment, besides having my twin brother back home, safe and sound, what else could I wish for? California, that scholarship, a new life... that's for sure.

"I wish for... a new life, a new adventure," I pronounced aloud while blowing the candles.

"Careful," a male voice spoke behind me, "words have power, little sister. You may get what you want."

"Ryk!"

I jumped straight to my brother's arms. I could swear that in only a few weeks he had gotten a little bit taller, and stronger too.

"I wouldn't miss my own birthday, right?" He smirked. "So, where's the cake? Please, chocolate... tell me it's chocolate."

"Your silly boy," Olga spread some icing on his nose. "Of course it's chocolate, as you love. And with cherries too."

Auryk responded with a satisfied smile. Olga and her husband, Kristoff, were those responsible for taking care of him after the Lycan attack, years ago. They sort of adopted him like one of their biological children.

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed taking a closer look at Ryk's forearm. He had gotten a tattoo. I hadn't been informed of those news either. Apparently, my brother had more secrets than I could even start to imagine. "This is... new. It seems like my kids are really growing up."

"And only now you noticed that, Olga?" Gustav joked.

Olga shook her head, grinning at herself and returned to the kitchen. The customers were starting to fill the pub. I stared at Ryk again, wondering what other secrets my brother could be keeping.

"So, what does that mean?" I pointed to his newly gotten tattoo, a strange and ancient symbol it seemed.

"Protection from the evil. This is what we need the most in our lives, especially in a place like this. What reminds me -" we turned around, taking a small box from the pocket of his jacket. "Your gift."

I took the black velvet box from his hands, it contained a golden necklace with a magenta gemstone as pendant. My blue eyes drowned themselves in the stone. It had a mysterious glow. Something hypnotizing. Something magical.

"Whoa..." was everything my mouth could pronounce. "And I bought you an Astronomy book."

Auryk stood up from his chair and went behind me, taking the necklace from my hands to wear it around my neck himself.

"This is supposed to protect you from any supernatural and inhumane beings. I won't lose you to them, Aleena. Not like I lost mom."

"Ryk, I... I can't even thank you enough."

"You don't have to. Just... stay alive."

First, I was overflowing with happiness. It either had to do with the fact my brother was home, alcohol, or both. Also, Olga should thank me. Most of the costumers of the day only stopped by the bar because of me. They absolutely loved me and knowing it was my birthday, they had to come and see me. A few of them even gave me some extra tips or a small gift, which was even greater.

"Okay, party girl..." Auryk helped me to get inside of the house as I tripped over the door mat. "Time to go to bed now. Don't you think?"

"Come on, Ryk! Have some spirit! You're home, Olga gave me the day off tomorrow, I earned some money..."

"You told Mrs. Hansen you secretly had a crush on her daughter during Middle School, you danced on top of a table, you're gonna get a hangover..."

"Party pooper!"

I threw myself at the couch. Auryk stood in front of me with arms crossed, looking like a father about to give his child a lecture.

"What?!" I yelled. "It's not like you've never been drunk before. Remember when you stole Adrian's..." I started to laugh, remembering the episode.

"When you were going to tell me about this, Leena?" He showed me the envelope. The Art Institute envelope. The one I had been struggling to open.

"Oh! I forgot. My bad, I didn't open it myself yet. I probably didn't get in anyways."

"You did."

I did?

"It's not like we have money to pay for my tuition. Also, how are we supposed to move to California, Ryk? I work at a pub and you..."

"I've gotten more than enough for that. You know that getting out of this place has always been the plan, since we were children. Leena, I've done some big jobs those last few months. I have the money to grant us a comfortable life in California."

"Smuggling, Ryk!" I raised my voice, saying aloud the information that was supposed to be a secret or not. "You've been stealing to grant us this life."

My brother stared at me in silence. I couldn't tell if he felt offended or embarrassed about my words.

"I'm getting out of here, whatever it takes," he ran a hand through his dark hair. "And you are coming with me. In two weeks, we move to United States for your enrollment."

"But..."

What I was trying to protest against? Leaving the village and starting a new life with my brother was everything I always dreamed.

"Look, I promise you," Auryk placed both of his firm hands on my shoulders, "once we settle down, no more smuggling."

"Okay," I sighed. "We leave in two weeks then."

There was a loud knock on the door. Being drunk as I was, I figured out I should have forgotten my purse at the pub. Or it could be a neighbor with some very stupid emergency.

Auryk opened the door and there was a strange looking man standing there. We wore sunglasses and a hat, behind his back he was carrying a giant hammer. According to the rumors and stories I heard from my parents, that was one of the Lords of The Four Houses, Karl Heisenberg.

"Auryk Novak?" He asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Come with me, kid. You've gotten yourself in big trouble."

#resident evil village #resident evil 8 #bela dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #bela x oc #resident evil fanfiction #the devil in i

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