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nari-writes · 10 months

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...........

The thing is, Tim doesn’t realise Kon doesn’t know his secret identity until Kon sighs, looks over at him longingly, and says, “Man. You’d be so good at this.”

“Good at what?” he asks, distracted by the plans he’s got spread out in front of him. Bruce wants an update on Lex’s new office, but Tim’s been trying to figure out why the old one has an extra hallway that seems to go nowhere. The last time Lex had a hallway that went ‘nowhere’, Tim and Bart had found a cloning lab.

“All the hero stuff, you know?” Kon says, and Tim blinks. He blinks again, trying to catch up while Kon keeps talking, “Like, you’re super smart, you’re super organised, and you’re totally obsessed with mysteries. You’d make a great Robin.”

“What?” Tim asks, feeling vaguely like he’s been shoved into a mirror dimension. But his undershirt is definitely half-hanging out of his laundry basket, and the R’s on the outside, so he can’t have been transported to an alternate dimension sometime within the last two minutes of conversation. Also, wait! he thinks to himself, he’s literally working on a plan to break into Lex’s building with Conner – why would he be doing that if he wasn’t-?

“Yeah!” Kon says, gaining enthusiasm at Tim’s bafflement, “Dude, you’re awesome. We could totally make a case. Where’s your computer? I bet I could get one of your powerpoints in front of Batman. Reasons why Tim Drake should be Robin, created by Superboy and validated by Young Justice.”

“Is it even my powerpoint if you’re going to take credit on making it?” Tim asks, and Kon waves off the question with one hand.

“Well, we can’t present a biased opinion,” Kon says, “and everyone in Gotham knows Robin’s the coolest, so if it was just from a civilian Batman may not take it seriously.”

Batman may not take it seriously, Tim’s brain repeats to itself, and then Tim has to stop himself from cracking up at the thought of Bruce sitting through a powerpoint on why his current Robin would make a ‘super cool’ Robin.

Presented by Superboy.

“Kon,” he says, unable to hide the laughter in his tone. Of course his friend is trying to joke - what other option is there? That Kon doesn't realise he's Robin? “What are you talking about? I can’t give Batman a presentation on why I should be Robin.”

Kon’s mouth twists in a mulish scowl. “Don’t,” he says, sounding more annoyed than Tim would’ve thought at such a joke, “You’re amazing, Tim. You would make an awesome Robin.”

“I know,” Tim says, and tries to ignore the flip in his stomach at how solemn Kon’s expression is, the way he’s serious about every word. It’s making his face feel hot, that Kon hasn’t immediately dropped the compliments, or paired them with an overly flirtatious wink. “Come on, dude, I get it. What bought this on?”

“It just- it’d be cool to hang out with you at the tower. Or do missions with you,” Kon mumbles and Tim stops entirely.

“Kon,” he says, because before it may have been a weird joke Kon was playing, some sort of ego-boost but he knows Kon well enough to read that expression, and- “Kon, I’m Robin. I can’t get Batman a presentation on why I deserve to have my own position.”

This time it’s Kon’s turn to look shell-shocked. “-what.”

“How did you not know?” Tim asks, feeling pained and also a little bit like a bad friend – had he inadvertently lied about something, made Kon think he and Robin were different people? Was he not clear enough when he’d introduced himself to Conner and Bart and Cassie, that weekend before Jason’s attack on the tower? Did Bart and Cassie also not know? Also, wait, back to his first thought of the day: “Why- why did you think I was helping you plan a break in to Lexcorp?”

“Lex sucks?” Kon says, the words an offering, and Tim squints at him.

“You think a normal civilian would help you commit crime?”

“What! How is this a crime?”

“This is literally breaking and entering! Technically, since I’m Bruce Wayne’s ward, it’d also be considered corporate sabotage.”

“It’s not a crime if the victim sucks,” Kon mutters bitterly, and Tim’s squint gets even more aggressive, brow furrowed.

“Kon. What was your explanation for how I knew you were Superboy?”

Kon shrugs, but his face has steadily been getting more and more closed off as his embarrassment deepens. “Dude, I said you were good at mysteries. I thought you just- figured it out. I wasn’t subtle the first time we met.”

“You didn’t have a name the first time we met!”

“What? Oh-” Kon says, “no, okay, the first time I met you as a civvy?”

"Huh?" Tim asks, and Kon cocks his head to the side.

"Yeah! Remember, it was the Mudders charity thing, and Superman and I volunteered in civvies but that girl got stuck in the mud pits so after I went to get her out you helped me hose off and said 'good job Superboy', and then I freaked out and you laughed at me."

"What," says Tim. He does remember that, but there's a key difference between his memory and Kon's- "you were in civvies?"

"Why did you think I kept showing up here as Superboy!" Kon says, this time his turn for exasperation.

"Because I told you my identity?!"

"You said your name was Alvin Draper! You wore contacts!"

"You have x-ray vision! I live with Batman!"

"Tim!" Kon yells, and it's not entirely angry but Kon's suddenly in his face, his hands wrapped around Tim's biceps. "Tim I didn't know! I just thought you were my cool civvy friend who figured out my identity while I was covered in mud and- and-"

Kon's suddenly beaming, and Tim has whiplash.

"Hi, Robin," Kon says, so soft that Tim's heart crawls up his throat with sticky fingers, his face burning. Is there a connection, between the blood rushing to his cheeks, and the migration of his pulse? He knows there's a connection between Kon's palms on his skin and the movement of his heart, at least, but this is-

"Yeah?" he says, and Kon's grin gets bigger.

"I am never ever letting you forget this."

#pre slash ish timkon?#timkon #batfam #identity shenanigans!#snippets #inspired by art of tim sitting LITERCHERALLY at the bat computer and kon being like #🥺 man you'd make a good robin #and tim being like. um excuse me.#anyway the ending is kinda F!!! :) but i wrote thing <3 #also dont @ me i know this isnt canon ok #im SLOW. and BAD at old comics #im TRYING

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aroacesetitoff · 3 months

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OG Infinight Reference Sheet + Headcanons

Marcy Burns/Elleve the Amender

-4 feet tall

-its mentioned that she has "rainbow robes" and ive decided to interpret that as sunset colored

-pre mining accident Marcy has longer hair and has already lost her eye to unknown circumstances

-post mining accident Marcy cut her hair and it turned whiter, and she switched to more monochrome clothing-symbolizes her turning away from her faith and also grieving her husband

-still wears her wedding ring, and keeps Fred's on a chain with a locket of his picture

-we know literally nothing abt Fred but I think he was also a halfling and had a sick ass mustache

-the symbol on pre-accident Marcy's eyepatch + staff is supposed to be of the Diarians (followers of Dia). The circle is Faeza, the hands are Dia herself, and the six teardrop shapes are the Diagems. Also meant to resemble a flower as a reference to Gum Gum

-magic goblet-does it have a name? Anyways Paralyte stole it from the Sheerays so I gave it an aquatic wave/seaweed design (water = life)

-idk how to design tattoos, but other clerics of dia would probably have similar ones-i think hers are religious in nature

Ostin Tashe/Slique the Symphonius

-ya boiiii

-4'6-so just barely taller than Bart. Barely

-had the most satisfying color palette for me- i love green and so does he

-i rewatched the hobbit/lotr trilogies so Ostin is def inspired by that-gave him braided hair and armor

-idk how a tuning sword works. Like a bident maybe? Ive drawn the sword in his right hand (the one with missing fingers) but he might prefer to fight left-handed. Idk ive trained with longswords before but ive never lost any fingers so i cant say

-magic lute-gave it a greener/mossier color palette to show it was from the Elderpines. The strings are vines and the rosette has a tree design

-dont know where Ostin's scars came from either, maybe he really did fight a dragon maybe he didnt-doesnt stop him

-post-Wight Winter i gave Slique a grey streak to match with Spectril

-also gave him a cool colored eye highlight for the same reason

Leonard Lank/Spectril the Surreptitious

-i put his height around 5'7/5'8

-made the rogue armor sharp and dark-had to recolor it from the origianly palette bc it was too dark tho lmao. Fur collar to foreshadow his time in the Ethereal Plane

-post-Wight Winter i gave him simple, more homey clothes bc at that point he had a family and wasn't focused on fighting. The fur is not bear fur i swear

-already mentioned it before but his hair started turning white + he grew it out/braided it back.

-he's got normal rogue daggers, and then the Ethereal daggers. Not shown but yeah they fade in and out of the Material and Ethereal Plane

-"Walls Have Ears-Doors Have Eyes" by Clan D. Stine-the wiki i think mentioned him having books that let him turn invisible and walk through walls-this one's definitely a Leitner (ifykyk)

-boots-deceptively simple in design from the Elderpines

-piercings include several ear piercings, snake bites, and an eyebrow piercing

-warm colored eye highlight to match with Slique-your honor i have (accidentally) sun/moon coded then because they are gay

Luz Prattle/Paralyte

-6'0 tall and definitely uses it for intimidation

-i think she dresses kinda emo/alt

-the only infinight with a unique logo-instead of two crossed swords its a snake eating itself

-committing to the snake bit-i gave her scale armor

-the gloves have two talons on the pointer and middle finger, based very specifically off a homebrew item i saw where the hand kind of looks like a biting snake. It contains a venom that paralyzes enemies and came from the Sheerays

-put a snake on her sword. Cause why not. Thats why she teamed up with Brink they are both snake lovers

-not drawn, but she would have a snake tattoo somewhere on her body

-hands are turning dark at the fingertips as a side effect of using the gloves so often. Her veins are visibly green because shes pale as hell and also suffering from long term exposure to Sangrianite

-facial scar-man im sorry i dont know where this one came from either. Kyborg shot her once tho i do remember that

Bo Bender/Grislee the Groundbreaker

-height is about 6'6, very tall lady

-all i had to go off was red bandana so its like her thing

-her locs are made of rocks and also have veins of gold in them

-the stuff on her shoulders and hammer are lichen-she takes such long naps outside they've started growing on her. And also earth genasi

-when shes raging she has magma veins coming from her eyes and hands, and the inside of her body also glows

-when shes not raging it cools to golden veins-still very hot to the touch sometimes

-didnt have a lot if ideas for her second outfit but i gave her a bearskin bc she is "grizzly"

-hammer is the other item from the Sheerays and is pretty much just a trunk on a stick in terms of design. Combined with the lute tho, they are probably some of the most powerful items in Faeza

Man thats a lot of characters. Should i have made these before I made 3 painting and a comic page? Yeah. But i didnt lol. Enjoy✌️

edit: fixed the magic item origins

#my art #tales from the stinky dragon #tftsd #slique the symphonius #ostin tashe #spectril the surreptitious #leonard lank #elleve the amender #marcy burns #grislee the groundbreaker #bo bender #paralyte #luz prattle #stinkydragonpod

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givemewallywestorgivemedeath · 1 year

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For characterization reasons it's important to me that everyone knows that Bart and Wally will say the stupidest shit to look like an idiot on purpose.

They are really really really smart and emotionally mature guys. And when it comes to respect they desperately want it because Wally has insecurities about living up to the legacy and Bart doesn't like it when people underestimate his intelligence.

HOWEVER!

That all goes out the fucking window if they think they can say something stupid because they think that is hilarious. Bart would be the person to look at a full jar of jellybeans and say that there's only five in there. He'd be the person to respond to "What's upstairs?" with "Stairs can't talk, you dummy." And he'd do it completely straight faced and he'd double down on it and pretend he doesn't understand the explanation because it pisses other people off and he thinks that's funny.

For Wally it's less about pissing people off and more 'he thought of something really funny and really stupid to say and no one can stop him from saying it goddammit'. Although it can be about pissing people off sometimes.

So yeah, basically what I'm trying to say is that Wally and Bart are both really smart but that doesn't mean they won't insist that a horse is just a giraffe with a fear of heights for 20 minutes or reply to "What's up" with "Idk, a few clouds I think?" They do know better, that's not the point. The point is that they commit to the bit.

#i just.... it doesn't have to be super smart genius or funny dumb idiot.... they coexist my guy.#they are both the funny dumb idiot AND the smart nerd #dc #the flash #kid flash #dc comics #wally west #impulse #bart allen

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stealingyourbones · 2 years

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This prompt makes me want to look up all the dc clones. I keep finding out about more every other day

The amount of clones in DC is fucking ridiculous. Let me try to make a cohesive list of the ones I know:

Supers:

Bizarro: Clone of Superman. Fuckin love this guy. Fucked up clone made of only supermans DNA. Is meant to be ‘reverse Superman’

Superboy: Connor Kent. Clone of Superman via Cadmus.

Supergrrl: no that isn’t a typo. She is Cadmus’s attempt at cloning Supergirl. Same punk connor vibes. Only reason I know about her is bc her name is wack.

Match: Also known as Kent Connor, Clone of Superboy. Hella angry all the time. Fucked up clone of Connor and is meant to be a ‘reverse Superboy’

Literally everyone has a Bizarro clone. See: Bizarro World.

Composite Superman: he’s a clone with combined powers of Superman AND Batman. Homie was a fucked up experiment by Professor Ivo and he ended up committing suicide bc of unstable mental states which is sad. Also look at this fuckers design it’s wild.

Doomsday: technically is a clone of Superman. Bro got forcibly evolved via repeated cloning and throwing the fucker onto krypton and having the baby die and repeating the process from square 1 but with the new baby having all of the other previous babies memories. Repeat until strong enough to defeat Superman.

Superman 1-3: to put it simply: golden and silver aged comic bullshit is the reason behind these ones.

Speedsters:

Bart Allen II: honestly I don’t know much about this guy besides the fact that there was a clone of him. There’s also technically speed clones which are kind of clones of Bart but also are him? It’s confusing.

Other:

The entire Justice League: By this is mean Flash, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern. They were cloned by the Wonder Twins in the 31st century to stop a Big Bad.

Bill Harper: Cadmus clone of James Harper. Guarded Cadmus operations.

Will Harper: only Young Justice TV Show. Clone of Roy Harper. Not sayin too much bc spoilers.

Dick Grayson: I don’t know much about this one besides the fact that this clone became the second Hush.

The Heretic: aged up clone of Damian Wayne. Killed off Damian once.

#tw suicide mention #dc comics #writing prompts #dc lore #bones explains DC lore #bones replies #anon

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twistedtavern · 1 year

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So for your swap au how do you think do they react to their canon selfs

Ooooo now THIS is a good question. I don't have all the really precise details down, but here's the list

Riddle: Probably finds Swap!Riddle uncanny, but eventually they'd come to an understanding. He just deals with Swap!Riddle the same way he deals with Cater.

Cater: These two would end up on lawn chairs wearing shades and sipping some trendy drink together by the end of the day, trust. They're both just realizing how happy they both are to be away from their sisters. I just want them to be friends ok

Trey: A bit confused, because Swap!Trey is probably directly behind him with a pencil and notepad 24/7. But, when he asks why he finds the reason kind of endearing. If the other him wants to be a good brother so badly, he wouldn't stop him. Most likely ends up showing him the ropes in making small treats his siblings or underclassmen enjoy.

Deuce: Oh they'd fight. Lawful Good himbo vs Chaotic Good himbo. No notes

Ace: Typical highschool boy asshole vs uptight preppy asshole, no notes.

Leona: Swap!Leona would ong be disappointed by his canon self, but ends up leaving him with some ideas on how to build his support and reputation at home. Overall, they'd be decent with each other after a while.

Ruggie: Oh they're SCHEMIN. Friends, but only because they're both about to commit some crimes together. Not a single madol in NRC is safe.

Jack: At first thinks his swap self is cool, but ends up disappointed. He's not a "lone wolf" as much as he is just crabby, apathetic, and friendless. Probably tries helping him out, and it depends on whether or not his efforts are successful that he deems his other self a lost cause or not.

Azul: This boy is FLABBERGHASTED by his swap self's business practices. How the FUCK, over the span of a WEEKEND, did he change industries? One minute, Swap!Azul is running a miniature factory, the next minute a god damn BANK, all in the same area?!? Somebody's gotta pick his jaw up from the floor. FURIOUSLY taking notes on this man's work ethic. Everyone in the dorm has resumes half a mile long, and Azul honestly applauds him. Although on a personal level, he dislikes Swap!Azul's Floyd-like tendencies, but tolerates him.

Jade: There is not a force in Wonderland that can shut these two up once they encounter each other. All anyone is gonna be hearing until whatever interdimensional rift that brought him here closes is mushrooms, mushrooms, MUSHROOMS. Good GOD the MUSHROOMS. They're like the painting of the two scholar dudes talking to each other. Instant bond.

Floyd: For a twin, he sure does hate when someone else looks like Jade. He tries to get him to be fun, but Swap!Floyd is too much a mix of himself and Jade to be palatable to him. Not friends.

Kalim: Tried walking up to Swap!Kalim, but he assumed he was an assassin taking his shape to kill him and take his place without suspicion. So basically, BONK. Not even a chance to explain, just BONK. On sight, no questions asked. Next thing you know, Kalim's being chased down every hallway in Scarabia by a maniac trying to beat him over the head with anything in range. It would take Jamil intervention to get Swap!Kalim to save canon Kalim from getting choked out Bart Simpson style. After everything is cleared up, Swap!Kalim just ends up feeling annoyed by canon Kalim. Probably chews him out about his carelessness being the reason why he can't defend himself and tries taking canon Jamil to 'protect' him.

Jamil: I think they'd have somewhat of a mutual understanding and just vent to each other. I think they'd initially be like "man I would honestly prefer your Kalim over mine" but eventually they'd reach a part that's a deal breaker and agree to stick with their actual Kalims. They'd cook and gossip together ^w^

Vil: Oh. Oh no. Vil has never seen the purpose of carrying crosses and other such 'protection from evil' trinkets, but now he DOES. Swap!Vil makes canon Vil want to become a nun at Noble Bell, the vibes are THAT bad. However, he cannot seek his newfound passion for divine protection because he's trying to prevent his Rook from being tied up and dragged into a dark hallway every 5 seconds. Despite canon Vil's ADAMANT desire to be as far away from Swap!Vil as physically possible, Swap!Vil is actually very interested in canon Vil, MUCH to his dismay. Somebody save him please

Rook: Two jungle boys, chilling in a hot tuuuub, five feet apart so they don't fight. Tbh they'd get on each other's nerves after a while if things don't go right, but otherwise I think they'd be somewhat okay. They have so many contrasting opinions that canon Rook would find interesting, but Swap!Rook just thinks he's weird. All in all could go both ways

Epel: Oh they hate each other's GUTS. Nary a note in sight, there is nothing that will change that INSTANT hate.

Idia: He is nerding OUT over Swap!Idia's tech, but the sort of okayness between the two of them is INSTANTLY soured when he gets near Swap!Ortho and immediately gets a murder lazer pointed square at his head. Maybe they'll patch up, but I severely doubt it now that I think about it. There is definitely potential for a dynamic between canon Shroudbros and swap Shroudbros though

Ortho: Would probably be friends with Swap!Ortho because they'd hit it off pretty quick. Ortho is naturally friendly and Swap!Ortho just instantly trusts robots. It's cute, really. Until Swap!Ortho meets canon Idia and they both just cling to each other and leave canon Ortho feeling like he was abandoned. Very much like that one song in Corpse Bride where Emily is sad because Victor only loves Victoria for the fact that she's alive. They might have a chance to patch up, but only if the right things happen.

Malleus: Goodness, Swap!Malleus is LOUD. But, when it comes to their dorm members, they both can agree that they’re the best ever ^w^!! Fast friends, these two. Despite their differences, they both talk about gargoyles together and enjoy having the company of someone new. They compare and contrast their lives and families, and find that really, they’re not so different after all. I’m sure there is absolutely nothing that can break this friendshi- Wait a minute- NO THAT'S MY CHILD OF MAN! PUT THEM DOWN YOU BASTARD

Lilia: Ah, yes. Two old men just chilling together, sharing war stories and being proud of their babies. Wholesomeness incarnate, no notes.

Silver: Would probably get dragged into one of Swap!Silver's pranks, either as an accomplice or a target. Other than that, I think he'd admire how his other self had learned how to master many fae abilities, and try to learn from him. They are friends, very nice.

Sebek: Oh Sebek is SO jealous of Swap!Sebek, it's unreal. He wants to feel the young lord's protection as well!! I think he'd be jealous on more than one front, because his swap self has a much calmer and more approachable disposition and appears more disciplined and mature. Meanwhile all of this goes completely over Swap!Sebek's head. They're kind of hilarious

#submissions #twst swap au

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crashcitycentral · 1 year

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[ Just some small practice writing snippit I wrote with adult Bart/Preston ]

It’s always the little things in life that remind you of what you miss the most. For Bart, it was the sunrise.

It’s trivial, something that happens every day, but no matter how early he has to be up, he’s always right there watching the sun come up over the horizon. Sometimes from different places around the world for a new angle or view.

No one really notices, or if they did no one asked why. Bart does a lot of strange things that are inexplainable, people stopped questioning him a long time ago. But staring at the sun coming up? That was special, something only for himself.

That’s how it started anyways. Later on he did more and more things for the same reasons, but again, nobody asked. Well, not until now.

“Where did you go this morning?” Preston asks into his next bite of eggs over the breakfast table. Bart was distracted pouring himself a glass of orange juice that it caught him by surprise.

“What?” He didn’t need to hear it again, he knew what Preston was asking, but it was jarring having someone call him out on it. He’d been doing this same routine since he was 15, and only now was it actually spoken aloud.

“It’s just, you got up super early and left for half and hour.” Preston ducks his head, embarrassment seeping into his voice as he adds. “Not that I was keeping track of you like a weirdo, I just woke up when you went out.”

“Oh.” Bart mutters with baited breath. They sit in more awkward silence before he actually caught up to his thoughts. He’d never actually sat down and explained this, but if he was going to trust anyone with this, it was Preston.

“I was watching the sunrise.” Bart smiles a bit and picks up his glass, sipping slowly at it.

“You got up that early just to watch the sunrise?” Preston gapes at him like he couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing. “Is that some kind of daily ritual from the future I’m not getting?”

Bart chuckles and sits down in the chair opposite of the blond, tangling their legs under the table out of habit. “Sort of? I’ve always done this. Growing up in Virtual Reality, I never had real people or experienced real things, like feel the breeze or smell the fresh air. I didn’t even know that I was missing those things until Grandma rescued me.”

“For a while I had the mindset of being in virtual reality. I didn’t find things dangerous cause there was always a reset button before. I took things for granted.” He chews on his lip with a furrow slowly creasing his brows. Preston reaches across and twines their fingers, squeezing his hand comfortingly with a reassuring smile.

Bart answers back with his own smaller grin, falling a little bit more for this blond idiot. “I never knew my parents, not until mom came and brought me to the future with her for that short time.”

“I remember that.” Preston recalls quietly. “You two were practically twins, I was so shocked when I met her.”

“You were also starstruck.” Bart chuckles, stroking small circles into Preston’s hand with his thumb.

“Only because I was a closet case with the biggest crush on you. I was presented with a girl version of my best friend who I was in love with, my head made weird connections.” Preston grumbles, kicking Bart’s shin under the table.

“Right.” Bart smiles fondly, nudging his foot back. “Anyways, even if I couldn’t be with her long, and I likely won’t be able to see her again, she’s.. She used to call me sunshine. Watching the sunrise is like my way of holding on to her memory.”

Thing go quiet again, companionable silence instead of the awkward interval. Preston had that calculating look in his eyes and Bart watches him think, committing every detail of his face to memory like he could lose that too.

Preston lost his mother when they were kids too, in a way, if you could consider her a mom. It wasn’t the same situation but Bart could tell that he understood. Maybe that was the reason he felt so comfortable telling this to Preston, he got it. He met Meloni, and not many people had got that chance before she had to go back to their time and ward off the evils of that world.

“Can I go with you tomorrow?” Preston finally asks, and the surprise almost threw Bart back.

“You want to watch with me?” No one’s ever done that, how would that even go? Would it be the same? Would that give it a different meaning? So many unknowns and yet all Bart could do was nod with a shy smile.

The next morning they both got up and left in total silence, still in their pyjamas. Bart carried Preston out to the cliffs, his favorite spot for watching, and they sat in the dew covered grass waiting for the sun.

“You know, I bet she looks at the sun too and thinks of you.” Preston says randomly after some time. Bart stares at him with absolute wonderment, his vision going blurry as they watered.

“Yeah.” Bart smiles, wiping at his eyes and turning his head to catch the first rays of light peeking through. He was right, watching it with someone did give it different meaning.

#bart allen #preston lindsay #Bart x Preston #help?? do they have a ship name?#if not why??#underrated ship

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spidey-bie · 6 months

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heyy, for I only just saw you reblogged this ask game🤡 I'm curious about 11, you mentioned giving hobie a nickname based on biscuits at some point (or I'm misremembering) and 41👀

11. How do they feel about nicknames/pet names? If they like them, what pet names do they use? If they hate them, why do they feel that way?

41. What would they do if they lost the other?

I know technically they did lose each other when they were younger, so you can describe what it was like when they were sperated, or how they'd react if it happened again, or both since you love angst so much /lh

I think you're referring to this post somebody in the comments mentioned them calling Hobie Hobknob after the brand but that was not me 😂

11. How do they feel about nicknames/pet names? If they like them, what pet names do they use? If they hate them, why do they feel that way?

Ansi loves nicknames she has multiple for Hobie that I mentioned here. But he switches between Bee, Bean, and Barty-Bee.

When he's upset or irritated with Hobie he calls him Bart or Princess.

Hobie calls Ansi Annie, Tricky, and Trickster.

41. What would they do if they lost the other?

Depends on what your definition of loss is. If you mean if they lost touch then I think they'd both cherish the time that they spent together but secretly hope that they're reunited again. Similar to how they were separated as kids.

If Ansi were to die Hobie would try and push down and ignore his feelings.

He'd wander around her dimension on the days he's especially missing her. He wouldn't go to May's house. It wouldn't feel right.

Instead he'd visit their most frequented spots and stop by Ansi's apartment. The first time he went to her apartment would probably be the first time he'd cry after Ansi's death.

(Ansi definitely has a letter or a video goodbye set up for Hobie somewhere around her apartment. That's what triggers Hobie's breakdown.)

Ansi would be practically despondent if Hobie were to die.

She already has abandonment and commitment issues from the abuse she experienced as a child. It'd take some time before she mentally recovered from his death.

He'd seem fine on the outside but in reality he's falling apart. He'd be more snarky and aggressive and even less willing to get attached to people.

He'd probably burn a lot of the stuff that Hobie gave him because it holds too many memories. (Similar to how he burnt everything related to his past at Alchemax that wasn't important.)

I can see them both shutting people out more too, especially if it was a mutual friend.

Ask Game

#ill stop there for now because i thought too hard about this 😭#Ansi and her Bie #Ansiniya Taratella #ansi taratella #my spidersona #jay webs words #hobie x oc #atsv angst

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zahri-melitor · 10 months

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New(ish) Comics Day:

Superboy: Man of Tomorrow #4: back on the Clones Are People narrative, which, way to hit Kon over the head with the fact he’s a Real Boy, again. Kon! Sweetie! You ARE enough and also ouch if that hurt as much as a Superboy Prime punch. (Also Clark finally, FINALLY notices Kon’s disappeared off into space)

Also oh no. I’m really glad Kon won the Round Robin, but…DC you have a whole Constantine and Etrigan story sitting there that’s this good? HELLO JASON BLOOD I LOVE YOU. Stop making us vote on these things and just give us the goodies.

The New Champion of Shazam #1-3: this was entirely due to reading the Shazam trade last night. It was helpful in providing more context about who these characters are. Mary! This is a very relatable young adult “I’m going to university…oh wait my dreams have to be put on hold because of family commitments” storytelling. It also is clearly, CLEARLY written by someone who loves the whole Shazam family (Hoppy! The way Hoppy is used is hilarious and I’m glad I had the context to enjoy it). I am hoping that after Mary learns about responsible power and the importance of family she DOES get to go back to Vassar though. She was really enjoying it for the 30 seconds she was there before magic intervened and she had to transfer to the local college with the biology professor who is clearly ignoring ethics requirements in her experiments.

The Flash #790: it’s the first issue of One-Minute War! Look! Everyone’s here! Doing their thing! And oh no, OH NO, I adore this Bart and Ace dynamic and I’m now afraid this is the only place it exists.

Warlord #6: truly, reading this comic is like getting a tour of Mike Grell’s brain. Today, Travis Morgan is no longer in Skartaris! He’s visiting a group of very very white archaeologists (from the US, UK, Sweden and the USSR) at Machu Picchu. The one from the USSR is the only woman (Mariah Romanova) and she has red hair and talks about capitalist tricks and oh look we might have a femme fatale/black widow here.

Mariah and Travis get into a shouting match over the fact Travis is from the US military and he admits he flew a spy plane (to spy on USSR treaty violations! he insists) and Mariah calls him “Capitalist Warmonger” and look do I really need to draw the parallels to Grell’s work with Travis’ identical twin who wears green? It’s funny seeing the bearded one on the other side of this dynamic. (Mariah totally goes off to Skartaris with Trevor). Also there’s a cat demon statue that comes to life.

#z canon read throughs #newish comics

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kaths221b · 1 year

Text

Rosie Fics

Hi all,

for today's post, there will be fics in which Rosie plays a large part.

Wednesday (the best day of all) by UnrelentingHost

Sherlocks picks up Rosie from daycare like he does every Wednesday, but today he's not Sherlock anymore. Apparently he's 'Daddy'. Fuck, what to tell John?

2. The Only Thing Worth Fighting For by KittieHill

“It’s alright, it’s going to be alright,” John insisted, his hand pressing on the gunshot wound at Mary’s chest. Neither he nor Sherlock would ever mention the irony of the location of her gunshot wound.

“The baby,” Mary muttered weakly, her eyelashes fluttering.

“She’s going to be fine,” John nodded, grabbing Sherlock’s hand and ordering the younger man to keep hold whilst John pulled the arm from his pyjama shirt to press against the wound.

“Forgive me,” Mary whispered, her teary eyes focussing on Sherlock before closing and reopening, allowing a trail of wetness to run down her bloodstained cheek. “Sherlock.”

“Stop this silly talk,” Sherlock said, attempting his best ‘everything-is-definitely-going-to-be-okay’ voice.

“Sherlock, say it,” Mary wheezed, her breathing becoming more laboured.

3. Becoming Us (A reunion in three parts) by addicted2hugh

After watching Mary's last message, Sherlock and John try to be the "Baker Street Boys" again. Rebuilding the destroyed flat is the easy part. Will they manage to rebuild their friendship as well? And what did Mary mean when she said: "And if I'm gone, I know what you could become."?

Warning: Mentions of violence, drug addiction, and self-harm.

4. Forward Momentum by Bluebuell33, ohlooktheresabee

After the events of Sherrinford, the Holmes family is forever altered. Mycroft no longer has anything to hide, but instead must find a way to win back his brother's trust. Sherlock is faced with truths about himself long-buried, and both of the brothers Holmes realize that their positions in the world are no longer as fixed as they might have seemed.

Along with these realizations come new opportunities. Mycroft finds himself drawn to Inspector Lestrade, and now that all his secrets have been laid bare he finds he doesn't want to hold back anymore. Sherlock too begins to find it harder and harder to remember why he has been repressing his desires - especially when he is around his best friend, John Watson.

The past is a dark and melancholy place, and neither Holmes wants to return there - so it's time now to push forward, and take a chance on something brighter.

Note - this one is both Johnlock and Mystrade ;)

5. If Equal Affection Cannot Be by blueink3

Sherlock fled London a couple of years after John left him in hospital with nothing but an old walking stick and a half-hearted goodbye.

Rosie grew up thinking that Sherlock died when he committed suicide in front of her father by jumping from Barts' roof.

So it's somewhat awkward when they run into each other in a Sussex general store between the loaves of bread and the Mars bars...

Follow for more and don't forget to save for later!

Have you read any of these? Share your feedback <3

#sherlock #sherlock x john #sherlock bbc #fanfic #ao3fic #johnlock

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dementedspeedster · 11 months

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5. is there a muse you really want to try? if yes: what’s stopping you?

Accepting || Questions for Muns

@kryptonianclone

//Oooooo! Good question! Honestly, there are three characters that immediately come to my mind that I would be really interested in writing: Bart, Kon, and Tim. But what's stopping me from writing them are somewhat similar reasons.

Though I have admit I have been writing a KF version of Bart on Discord and been having fun with him, but I'm still nervous about writing him even as I do it. I am worried that I'm not able to get that sunshine, peppy, impulsive personality and voice from him that people love about him, which is partially why RP Bart as Kid Flash specifically. I'm very used to writing serious characters like Thad. Though with KF Bart I do like that he is struggling with the idea of being good enough and taken seriously by others while also having that fun personality and energy. He's got both sides I can play with which I can lean toward so he allows for some of my natural serious voice to seep through.

90s Kon is also in the same vein of being this cool, fun personality, with a specific voice that I'm worried I can't pull off. I'm worried I wouldn't be able to do him justice, or that he won't feel like his character if I'm writing him. Also I'm worried about writing him just because of my lack of familiarity with his comics and history.

Tim is the same. I am less familiar with his history and comics, and personality in the sense of what is displayed in the comics. Also he's so much smarter and competent than I am, which is the big reason why I haven't exactly tried to write him either.

So overall, my worries with venturing out to other characters generally has to do with not knowing their backgrounds or concerns about not doing them justice or accurately conveying their voice, which is why I'm such an intense researcher before I ever commit to writing characters (this is also why my fanfics take so long; I try to pick up on their vocab and speech patterns and general personality). Though this worry is also funny and ironic considering I started Thad's blog by reading wiki articles and googling comic pages he appeared in since I didn't have access to his comics back in the day.

#ask #kryptonianclone #Fun fact: I've ventured out and rp other characters like Bernard Dowd/Bart Allen/ and an AU hero version of Thad (who i really love.)#I've also been thinking about writing Match for a while too. Suicide Squad version of him.#Hero!Thad though really has been getting my brain to spin. I love the concept of inverting Thad's background and asking what if he had the #same sort of background but was created for heroics by a hero family and following in that legacy.#//it's still a tiny bit messed up but also Thad is also a much chipper and a different yet familiar person.#I really just need to set up my multimuse blog #long post #ooc

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brown-little-robin · 2 years

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27: A Packed Suitcase

part one | previous | next | masterlist | ao3

When Wally West carries Thad back into the house, the boy is trembling.

Wally puts him down. Max comes quickly towards them, intending to give Thad some security from Wally, but the boy shrinks back as he approaches. Wally West steps protectively in front of Thad.

Max stops, confused. Helen comes up beside him.

Wally looks down at Thad and says softly: “Go on. I’ll take care of it.”

Thad studies Wally’s face for a moment. Then he vibrates so hard his face blurs. He skirts around the edge of the room and flees into the hallway.

Only once Thad is in his room, perfectly still and therefore almost invisible to Max, does Max look back to Wally West. He can feel his expression going steely.

“Tell us everything,” Helen says.

Wally West tells them everything.

Thad threatened Jai. Max apologizes on his behalf, but Wally says that Thad already apologized. Extensively. Wally is frowning in what looks like anger but Max guesses is actually self-reproach as he admits to attacking Thad, pinning him against a cliff, and shouting at him. Max’s heart sinks as Wally describes a version of Thad that Max has only seen in the boy’s most desperate moments: tense as a coiled spring, half sobbing in fear, pleading for his speed and his life.

Max pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. An entire month of work slowly building trust with Thad… probably erased.

“I’m sorry,” Wally West says. “I didn’t mean to scare him so badly. I was just scared for my kids, you know?”

“I know,” Max sighs. “It’s just a bad situation.”

“Speaking of that, Thad wanted me to tell you something.”

“Oh?” Max asks, surprised again by Thad’s trust in the man who, besides Bart, was probably the biggest threat looming over Thad’s childhood.

“He made me promise to ask you if he can go stay with Joe Wilson for a while. Like a trial run.”

Oh. This. Max has been trying not to think about it… the strong chance that Thad will leave in the near future.

Helen sighs.

They call Joseph Wilson.

“Hello, this is Joseph Wilson,” the slow mechanized voice says.

“This is Max Crandall,” Max answers. “Helen and Wally are here with me, too. We’re calling about Thad.”

“Yes.”

A long pause. Long enough that Max worries that Joseph is trying to find words to say he no longer is willing to consider taking Thad. Maybe he looked up Inertia and decided he doesn’t want to deal with all that baggage. Max wouldn’t blame him… but, oh, how could Max explain it to Thad?

At last, the voice says: “I am sorry for going out of contact. My mother went missing. I had to find her. We got her home a few days ago. But her leg is broken.”

Helen and Wally make commiserating noises.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Max says. “I… suppose this is a badly timed question, then. But Thad has requested to stay with you for a while, as a sort of trial run. I don’t expect you to say yes—”

“I would love to have him,” the voice interrupts.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Max says, and his relief is too strong in his voice. He doesn’t want to weaponize his desperation to make Joseph feel obliged to help. He pauses, and Joseph speaks before he can recover.

Joseph Wilson speaks slowly, even slower than is necessitated by his voice aid. “I would honestly love to have him over. But my life is unstable right now. I don’t know if I can take him permanently. Please tell him that it is not his fault. And I am sorry.”

“I understand,” Max says.

He finishes the conversation with more grace, hammering out the details of the visit and thanking Joseph for his understanding and wishing his mother a speedy recovery from her injury. But half of his awareness is on Thad, on his uneven breathing, his racing heart.

Joseph Wilson would love to have Thad over this week. He could keep him until next Wednesday. When do they want him to take Thad?

Max says he’ll drop Thad off on Thursday, but leaves his agreement on the length of the visit vague. He wants to talk to Thad before he commits to sending him away for a long time.

Wally and Linda make their excuses and leave. By unspoken agreement, Max and Helen head to the couch without cleaning off the table.

They both sigh hugely. Helen laughs a little.

Max says, “I suppose I ought to go talk to Thad.”

Helen sighs again. Max stands up and goes to Thad’s door. Knocks.

No response.

Max calls: “May I come in?”

“Yes,” calls a voice from under the desk.

Max comes in and kneels by the little lump of blankets.

“Thad-boy,” he says. “I’m so proud of you.”

The boy shudders and curls up. The movement shows Max how he’s positioned, like a bat sensing the outlines of a thing with its radar sense; the boy has his back to the opening of the desk, shoulders raised, hands clenched by his chest.

“May I touch you?” Max asks.

No response. Slowly, hoping this is right, Max leans down, reaches into the desk, and touches Thad’s back. Again, a shudder goes through him, but he holds still. So Max takes a bigger gamble.

He leans further in and slides his hand under Thad’s shoulders, pulls the boy with his blankets out of his desk and onto Max’s lap. Thad doesn’t struggle or vibrate away, but he’s very, very stiff.

“Thad-boy,” Max says again.

And the speed force rushes into Thad; Max feels the power slam into his body like a wave, and into Max as well, an instinctive response, although Max is too slow to catch Thad even on a good day. Thad vibrates out of Max’s grip and runs, and Max doesn’t bother trying to follow him. They both know Thad is faster.

Thad doesn’t run far this time. He turns, slows, and slams his back into the corner of the room. His fists are raised. He’s breathing hard.

Oh, Thad.

Max sits there, arms empty in his lap, and looks Thad in the face until the boy’s eyes grow less wild, more present. Thad looks over Max and moves, starts to put his fists down. Then he gasps and raises them again.

Max says, “You’re safe, Thad. It’s over now.”

Thad nods jerkily, but remains pressed into the corner of the room. He bares his teeth and scrubs one elbow over his face in a rough gesture, like he’s trying to wipe away his panic, but nothing seems to come of it; he pants for breath. His cheeks are red.

“You’re safe. I promise.”

Max waits for a while, but the only change is that Thad starts trembling. Slowly, he stands up, and Thad presses himself harder into the corner.

“I’m gonna let you be for a while,” Max says. “Call me if you want me, okay?”

Thad looks at Max with wide eyes and says nothing. Max turns his back and goes out. As he shuts the door, he feels Thad slide down the wall and bury his face in his hands.

Later, Helen coaxes Thaddeus out of the room to watch Star Trek with her. Max doesn’t know how she managed it. When Max comes to check on them, her arm is draped over the boy’s shoulders, and his head is leaning into her shoulder.

After their episode finishes, Max comes and kneels in front of Thaddeus. The boy looks at him, silent and wary.

“You can go to Joseph Wilson’s house for a while,” Max says quietly. “Wally told me you want to try it out… living with him.”

Thaddeus nods.

“That seems reasonable to me. We can talk more tomorrow,” Max says quietly. “I just thought you’d like to know.”

Thad smiles wearily. But genuinely.

Good. It was an awful shock, but Thad is resilient. Max begins to hope that the clash with Wally West didn’t change anything for Thad… that it just tired him out. Helen says, “Here’s hoping.”

But the next day, Monday… well…

Thad eats breakfast quietly. He doesn’t initiate conversation, but when does he ever? When Max asks if he feels up to going out today, he says, “No, thank you.” Max asks how he feels, and he says “Better than yesterday,” pulling a laugh from Max. And then he goes silent, and Max doesn’t press him. He finishes his oatmeal, does his chores, and goes back to his room.

Something is wrong.

Max goes and weeds the garden, giving Thaddeus time to hopefully recover his voice. Then he comes and knocks on the door.

Thaddeus’s rough voice calls “What is it?”

“Just checking if you’re all right,” Max says.

Silence.

“How are you feeling?”

A long silence. Then Thaddeus gets up and opens the door. He looks up at Max.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he says. “Just… tell me the details.”

So Max tells him, “Wally said you’re struggling.”

Thad waits, seemingly unmoved.

“We agreed, Wally and Joseph and I,” Max says, carefully, “That you can go to Joseph Wilson’s place on Thursday.”

“Three days?” Thad asks.

“Yes.”

“Fine. How long can I stay?”

“Let’s talk about that,” Max says.

Thaddeus grimaces slightly.

“I want the best for you,” Max says. “I just need to know some things to make the best decisions for you.”

Thad flares, “I’ll make my own decisions!”

Max is almost relieved. Thaddeus has been so… so calm today. Unnaturally so.

“We’ve discussed this,” Max says. “I’m going to give you as much freedom as I can, but you are a child. I have a responsibility to keep you safe.”

“Whatever,” Thad says. “How long did Joseph offer?”

“Up to next Wednesday.”

“Then that’s how long I’m staying.”

Max hears a familiar stubbornness in Thad’s voice and represses a fond smile. He is so like Bart, sometimes.

“What?” Thad snaps.

“I was just thinking that I’m proud of you,” Max says.

Thad freezes, then looks down, blinking rapidly.

“What else?” he asks, and his voice sounds jarringly normal.

Max thinks about leaving the therapy discussion for later, but… Thad deserves to know. To prepare.

“We’re going to get you into therapy.”

The scowl comes right back.

“No.”

“Thad—”

“Can I not say no?” Thad asks, a note of desperation in his voice.

Max pauses.

Thaddeus could never say no to the Thawnes. Max knows.

“Well, generally, you can say no. But, Thad… think about it, please. Therapy isn’t going to hurt you.”

“I know that,” the boy snaps. “Just stop, okay? Stop. I’ll go when I’m ready.”

Max frowns.

“Thad, what’s wrong?”

“You want a list?” Thaddeus demands.

“Honestly, yes.”

A moment of conflict, and then Thaddeus drops his energetic facade. Max hears all of his six hundred years in his rough voice.

“Max… please. I know what I’m doing. ‘Consistency is critical when dealing with long-term child abuse,’” he quotes wearily. “So I need a therapist in the area I’ll be living permanently. I’ll go once I’m living with Joseph. Okay?”

Ah. Right. Hmm.

“That’s reasonable. But you should know that Joseph’s life is… complicated… right now. He may not be able to host a child long-term.”

Thad’s mouth pulls up for a moment in a bitter sneer.

“He told me to tell you it’s not your fault, and he’s sorry.”

Thaddeus takes a deep breath. The bitter expression fades.

“Acknowledged,” he says. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes,” Max says. “Thad… you can’t yell at people like you did to Wally West yesterday.”

The boy’s fingers tighten on the doorknob. Max wants to back down, to comfort him, but Thad has to know this.

“I know you’re under a lot of stress, but that’s not okay.”

“He deserved it,” Thaddeus says coldly.

“Whether or not he deserved it is debatable,” Max says, and holds up a hand when Thaddeus starts to protest. “Whether or not they deserve it, you cannot verbally abuse people.”

Thad flinches at the word abuse.

After a moment, he says in a low voice, “I understand, sir. But… how… how am I supposed to make myself understood?”

“There are ways. You can still… make an impact… without being quite so aggressive. You’ll learn.”

For a split second, Thad looks lost. Then he scowls.

“I’m not a nice person,” he says, low and angry. “You can’t expect me to be one all of a sudden just because I’m not Inertia anymore.”

“I don’t,” Max says. “I only ask you to try to learn.”

“Right,” he says skeptically.

“Thad,” Max says. “You are a good person. All you lack is communication skills, and those can be learned.”

Thaddeus’s face grows guarded. Slowly, he says, “Anything else?”

Max pauses. Thaddeus looks exhausted.

“No, that’s about it.”

Thaddeus exhales slowly. His hand clenches on the doorknob like he’s thinking of closing the door but doesn’t know if he’s allowed.

Max reaches out and touches Thaddeus on the shoulder. It might be selfish, to touch him when he’s so clearly struggling to hold himself together. He knows full well how touch overwhelms the boy. But, oh, Max cannot seem to get through to him any other way.

A helpless ‘mh’ sound breaks from Thad’s throat, and he closes his eyes.

Max squeezes his shoulder and it lifts, pressing into the touch.

“Can I hug you?” Max asks.

Thaddeus takes a shuddering breath and shakes his head.

“All right, kiddo, that’s fine,” Max tells him, and removes his hand.

Thaddeus steps backward and closes the door.

On Tuesday, Thaddeus is still… very removed. He refuses to go out again. He buries himself in his books all afternoon. But when Max asks Thad to help him make dinner, he agrees.

Max makes the gyoza wrappers. Normally he’d buy them, but he knows it’ll take Thad a while to make the filling. He makes the wrappers at the counter, allowing Thad to work at the table… where Max can’t see him. Hopefully, it’ll help the boy feel safe. Max pays careful attention to how Thad moves, looking for that slow heaviness or quick skittishness that Thad carries with him on bad days, but he seems… comfortable. He chops the cabbage with a quick, sure hand.

Max even coaxes him to talk about his books, and his voice becomes cautiously animated telling Max about how cleverly Sherlock Holmes solved the case of the blue carbuncle. Thad starts with Holmes’s pure deduction skills in extrapolating from a single hat and follows him through the adventure till he negotiates with a pub proprietor to find the supplier of a goose. Max misses some of the details. Thad gets most of the way through the story before faltering self-consciously and summarizing the rest.

“It was interesting,” he says defensively.

“Mm,” Max agrees.

He glances over his shoulder at him. Thad’s shoulders are hunched. It looks like he’s done mixing the cabbage-pork mixture.

“Get out the garlic now,” he tells him. “Chives and cloves.”

He goes to the spice cabinet for the garlic, and Max lets him keep working in silence. Gradually, the boy’s body relaxes, moves easier. Max grows immersed in the rhythm of cutting the wrappers into circles. He dusts off his hands.

“Get out the big pot now, Bart.”

“Sure!” Bart’s voice says.

The boy turns to the cupboard, the wrong cupboard, the one where the pots were when he was—when—when he was living as Bart.

Max and Thad freeze at the same instant.

Thad recovers first.

“How dare you?”

Max turns. Thad’s face is twisted into a snarl.

“I’m sorry. It was an accident,” and Max knows that calling Thad by Bart’s name by accident is little better than doing it to him on purpose, but he hopes Thad will understand that Max didn’t mean to hurt him—

“I HATE you!”

Max flinches. I would too, he thinks, and you don’t even know how I abandoned you in the speed force—and then he buries those thoughts. That wail of ‘I hate you!’ was the outburst of a child, not a well-considered position.

Max asks, “Do you?”

Thad stares at him for a moment. Then he breathes in deeply, exhales slowly. In that single breath, his rage is replaced by a despairing tiredness.

“No,” Thad says wearily. “I never could.”

And he turns and walks away.

This should feel like a victory, Max thinks numbly, watching him go. That vengeful Thaddeus could take such a grievous wrong so calmly. But it just feels like Thad is slipping out of Max’s reach. All the vulnerability of his early days, that precious rawness that Thad allowed Max to touch and soothe, is being hidden away.

Max has lost his trust.

On Wednesday, Thaddeus asks for his Inertia suit.

Max stares at him over his newspaper and blinks once, twice, three times before it sinks in.

Thaddeus is standing with perfect posture, chin lifted in a determined way. But his right hand is twisting his left wrist with a grip so painfully hard that it drags sharp furrows into his shirt around his fingers. He’s… what, afraid? Self-soothing? Self-punishing? Max can’t tell, and it scares him.

“Your…”

“Inertia suit,” Thad repeats.

Max puts down his newspaper without bothering to fold it.

“Thad,” he says, very carefully. “How are you feeling right now?”

“Irrelevant.”

Max waits. But Thad isn’t Bart to cave under the pressure of silence; he’s patient as a stone.

“Thad,” he says. “You understand how this could be… troubling for me?”

Sounding strained, Thaddeus says, “I have a right to my own posessions.”

“Yes, you do,” Max says. “I’m not saying no. I’m just asking why.”

“Irrelevant,” Thaddeus repeats. “I want my Inertia suit. Please give it to me.”

“No, this is very relevant,” Max says. “Thad… listen to me. Please. I’m worried for you. What’s wrong?”

Thad broke eye contact at the word ‘worried’, and his unoccupied hand clenches.

Max waits.

Slowly, Thad says, “If I said I would tell you, would you give me my Inertia suit and promise…”

Thad goes quiet again.

“Sophos Thaddeus,” Max says. “I promise to listen to you. I promise to take you at your word. I promise that no matter what you say, I’ll still love you. What do you need me to promise?”

Thad shifts his stance a bit, then says, “The suit.”

“And I promise to get you your suit,” Max says, hoping he can keep that promise. Last he knew, it was in the Watchtower.

“Fine.”

Thad’s eyes dart around the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Max asks softly.

“I… I’m just… scared. All of the time.”

His voice wobbles. He pauses.

“Not me. My body,” he clarifies.

Another pause.

He starts more firmly this time. “Everything has changed. And that’s good. But my body is traumatized, and… no one can just talk me out of that. I’ve tried. But I think… having something familiar would help.”

Max waits, in case Thad decides to say more. He waits until Thad adds:

“I am not, and will not be, Inertia.”

“I know, braveheart.”

Thad bares his teeth.

Max brings Thaddeus with him to the Watchtower. Unfortunately, the zeta tubes that bring people to and from the installation use DNA scans to identify people, and… well… Thaddeus Thawne’s DNA is listed as one of the most powerful and dangerous criminals in this galaxy. Max has to call Wally West and explain their mission and get his override code to get the Watchtower to allow Thaddeus in.

It’s very bright, in the Watchtower, and Thad snarls and squints immediately.

Max heads toward the room where Thad slept for that healing trance. Thaddeus’s whole body exudes antagonistic sullenness as he slinks after Max, hands shoved in his hoodie pockets. It’s a good thing the Watchtower is fairly empty. Neither of them, Max or Thad, need someone questioning them right now.

Max remembers Martian Manhunter’s gentle hands removing the deep green boots from Thad’s feet after Zatanna’s spell took effect, then arranging the boy’s body in the bed, checking his sleeping mind to find the best position for the eight-day sleep. He remembers Martian Manhunter putting the boots on the shelf in the shallow closet. So maybe the rest of the suit was there too.

Unlikely, but it’s a place to start. And Max would rather avoid talking to anyone about this if he doesn’t have to.

Max’s phone vibrates. He stops to check it. It’s a text from Bart. He looks down at Thad, but the boy seems enthralled by the open door to medical. Max opens the text.

Heard you were looking for Thad’s suit. It’s in the museum. I can get it for you?

Do that, but do not show yourself. Leave it in the Watchtower.

It’s in the closet in Thad’s Watchtower room now!

Ah, Max smiles at the way they think alike. He didn’t realize that Bart even knew where Thad’s room was. Max never saw him in the Watchtower… he thought Bart was too put on edge by his clone to come visit him while he was sick. But maybe Bart was there and Max just didn’t know it. Maybe Bart slipped into that windowless top-security room in the few hours during that week that Max wasn’t there. What for? Max wonders. Maybe the same as Max… a sense of responsibility. Thad is his clone, after all, despite everything.

Thank you, Max texts, and closes his phone.

Thad follows Max onward without comment.

Max stands on his toes to pull the costume down from the closet. The dark fabric is folded into a neat rectangle with the goggles and earpieces on top, the boots on top of those. No Flash ring to hold it in. Thad sighs and holds out his hands, palms up. Max turns and places the suit in his hands. It looks bulky, spilling over the edges of Thad’s hands, yet so, so thin.

Thad looks at it solemnly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know where the ring got to,” Max says.

Thad’s mouth twists.

“A burden it was and a burden it remains,” he says. And that is the only thing he says for the rest of the day.

Helen comes home late that day with a suitcase and a toothbrush and a small grey plush seal. She holds it out. Thad stares at it.

Helen says, “You don’t have to take it, but it reminded me of you, so…”

Thad takes her hand in both of his and kisses her knuckles. Then, in a burst of yellow lightning, he and the things disappear into his room.

On Thursday, Thaddeus comes out of his room at precisely noon with his suitcase packed.

Max laughs a little at the broad hint.

“We should eat breakfast first,” he says. “Then I’ll drop you off.”

Thad pulls his suitcase up beside his chair, places already set. Max opens the oven and pulls out the tray of pancakes he’d put there to keep warm. He sits down. Thad begins to eat… Max can only describe it as efficiently.

Trying to be casual, Max asks, “How’re you doing?”

“Fine,” Thad says.

“Not worried at all?” Max asks.

Thad shrugs.

“Joseph Wilson seems… trustworthy.”

“I think so as well,” Max agrees. “But if you need me, call me, okay? I can always come get you early.”

“I’ll behave, Max,” Thad snaps. “What, you think I’m going to throw away my chance with him?”

What? Oh.

“I’m not worried about you doing something wrong,” Max laughs. “Just if you feel like coming back early or if you forgot something.”

“Oh,” Thad says, and looks a little embarrassed.

“Or…” Max says. “If you’re lonely, or upset in any way.”

Thad’s expression closes off.

“Right,” he says.

“Thad,” Max says softly.

Thad puts down his fork.

“Stop,” he says. “Just stop. Grife.”

Thad doesn’t swear. Not like Bart.

“Thad—”

“You’re making this harder than it has to be,” Thad snarls. “I don’t understand you. I’m leaving! I’m leaving, and soon you won’t be beholden to me anymore. So why—”

Thaddeus shakes his head hard.

“Why keep trying to… offer me stuff? I can’t pay you back! You know that!”

“Because I love you,” Max says.

Thaddeus shakes his head again, slower.

“Thaddeus, listen to me,” Max says, and the steel in his voice makes Thaddeus look up, startled. “I know you don’t know what to do when I say I love you. Maybe you can’t believe me yet. But believe this, Thad: you will always have a place here. Here in this house, and here, too.”

Max puts his hand on his heart.

Thaddeus looks at his hand. Quietly, he says, “A place.”

“A place,” Max repeats. “Always.”

Thaddeus covers his face.

“A place,” he repeats, like a sob, like he can’t believe it, like he believes it anyway.

Oh, Thad. If this is what he can understand, then Max is glad he finally found the words for him, but why, why did it have to be just as Thad went away?

“Thad-boy,” Max says. “Can I touch you?”

And Thad doesn’t say yes, but he doesn’t say no, and when Max kneels beside him and puts his hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t pull away.

Max carries Thad to Metropolis and nearly slams into several buildings and trees along the way. He’s mostly paying attention to the shape and weight of Thad in his arms, trying to memorize the soft hiss of Thad’s lightning and the brush of his hair against Max’s neck and jaw.

Max puts Thad down outside the door to Joseph’s apartment and knocks.

Joseph opens the door with a bright smile and signs Nice to see you!

Thad signs it back, smiling. Max manages to smile, too.

But he misses Thad already.

He tries going on a run, a long, free jaunt around the world to clear his head. But all he can think about is the fact that his arms are empty. He’s weightless. Childless. Again.

He goes to commune with the speed force. He meant to just immerse himself in it, to let the rushing current of the eternal power loosen the knots of conflict and emotion in him; but he’s so upset that instead of loosening himself out, he ends up attracting spirits to the knot he’s made in the speed force.

Barry Allen comes first, silently, a warm bright presence. Then Johnny Quick, his lightning sizzling loudly into a spirit form, and Max opens his eyes to look at them with a sigh.

“Sorry,” Max says.

Johnny Quick says, “You’re gonna break your heart over that kid, aren’t you?”

Oh, Johnny. He’s insightful. But so… abrasive.

Max says, “Johnny, I can’t not break my heart over him. He needs me.”

Johnny Quick says, “Needs you? Thad Thawne is falling apart trying to live with you.”

“That’s not his name anymore. And that’s not true! He’s improved, he’s doing so well—”

Something in Barry’s face makes him fall silent.

“He’s broken,” Johnny says bluntly.

Abruptly, Barry changes positions; he’s facing Johnny now. He’s looking into his eyes, Max thinks. But it’s difficult to read faces made of lightning.

“He’s my grandson,” Barry says.

Max can feel something nonverbal happening between them, a facedown of some kind. He waits.

They both look back at him.

“Max Mercury,” Johnny says, gentler, “You don’t summon the dead for comfort, and you definitely don’t summon me for comfort. You came to me for the hard news. And the hard news is that Thaddeus will never fully recover.”

No, Max thinks. No. But it’s a denial of what he’s suspected all along.

Johnny asks, “Did you feel him in the speed force?”

“I did,” Max answers.

He remembers his sense of Thaddeus hovering in the furthest reaches of Max’s perception, a bright aching knot of lightning curling in on itself.

“He seemed… lonely.”

“He’s feral,” Johnny says. “Frankly, I’m impressed that he hasn’t seriously injured anyone yet. You don’t come out the other side of what he’s been through with a normal mind.”

“He’s not insane,” Max defends him.

Johnny shrugs. “He may not be insane, but he’s sick. You’re not doing him any favors by pretending he can make a miraculous recovery.”

“What do you expect me to do, then?” Max snaps. “Condemn him to despair? He has to have hope.”

“He does,” Barry Allen says softly. “He does. He’s strong, and you’ve given him more hope than you know. But it’s asking too much of him to live with a speedster.”

“Why?” Max asks, ragged. “Isn’t it better for him to be with someone familiar?”

Barry Allen says quietly, “He’s tired. He just wants peace.”

“And he can’t find peace with me?” Max asks, knowing what answer will come.

Johnny says, “No.”

Max chews that over for a while.

“I know he’s afraid, but I’m concerned that he’s going to spiral even further if he gets put into another unfamiliar situation. It took so long for us to build this trust with each other…”

Johnny Quick says, “My cousin once adopted a cat from Mexico. Ugliest thing in the world. And it was racist. Hated black men.”

Max raises his eyebrows. Johnny has an interesting way of making a point.

“But the thing was,” Johnny says, smug, like he’s getting to the punchline, “It used to be a street cat. It loved women, because women coddled it. But the only men it met were black men, and they only ever kicked it around. So of course it was scared of them. It was scared of black men ‘till the day it died. But for whatever reason, that cat seemed to think that white men weren’t quite the same thing as black men, so it could just barely tolerate white men if they were nice to it.”

“What are you trying to say?” Max asks.

“Thad is scared of speedsters,” Johnny says. “Maybe it’s because of those simulations you told us about where he got killed by speedsters over and over. Maybe it’s something else, too. But he’s never going to get over that. I know he’s a human being and the cat was just a cat, and he can control himself a lot of the time. And maybe he thinks of you as not quite the same thing as a speedster. Hell, I used to think that way. But you’re still a speedster.”

Max closes his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Johnny says.

“He’s afraid of me,” Max says, and a pebble shifts in a wall and a thousand cracks appear.

Barry says, “He trusts you more than anyone in the world. He loves you.”

“But I can’t keep him,” Max says, and tears come to his eyes. “I can’t keep him, because I remind him of the Thawnes.”

“Max,” Barry says, and reaches out and touches his shoulder with a shining hand, sending a jolt of energy through Max’s body. “You’re nothing like the Thawnes. You’ve loved my grandchildren as your own sons… and God knows they’re difficult!”

Max smiles tearfully.

“They’re three handfuls apiece.”

“Aw, you love them,” Barry chuckles.

“I do. I do,” Max says, then bursts out: “It’ll break my heart letting him go! Oh, Barry, are you sure it’s right to send him away? I abandoned him once before. I don’t want to do it again.”

“You won’t be abandoning him,” Barry says fiercely. “You’ll visit him, talk to him, stay in his life. You will, won’t you?”

“I will,” Max promises immediately. There’s pain in Barry’s voice, and no wonder. Only two out of his eight grandchildren are alive, and Barry can’t be there for them.

Max wonders if Barry takes care of the spirits of his five dead grandchildren… if taking care of someone is even something you can do in the speed force. He wonders how many spirits stay in the speed force as people and how many dissolve into part of the force itself. Did Barry help any of them transition to the afterlife? Soothe their frantic souls? It’s a conversation for another day. The living are the living, and the dead are the dead.

And Thaddeus—broken as he is—is one of the living. That is a gift.

The wall crumbles, and Max buries his face in his hands and weeps.

#The Strange Redemption of Thaddeus Thawne #WE'RE BACK!#and I would like to apologize to everyone for the length of this chapter #I think?? it might be the longest yet??#I just wanted to PUBLISH. IT.#I've been working on it for so so long.#Enjoy!#Thad Thawne #dc fanfiction #flashfam

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