#He had lots left to make

[aucoba]

Izzy's death is fucking sad and so meaningful to me at the same time. we won't see him take care oh his guys or of him self anymore yes, but that doesn't mean his death is meaningless : he gets proper closure with Blackbeard, his last words are him voicing out the peace he gained during this season, he goes away proving what he did before was wrong, embracing the love and support of the community he finally treated well and took care of rather than try to end.

Izzy was a living nightmare and lived beautifully. I am sad to see him gone and I will never regret knowing him or having to say goodbye.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Ghouls night out

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[hinamie]

congrats on your recovery n all yuuji but unfortunately for you I thought the scars were cool >:/

[shitpostingkats]

The most important part of the Altissia chapter is when they're being questioned by customs and Ignis looks at their party of:

1) Him 2) A college age punk 3) A man wider and taller than a fridge wearing no shirt and with several enormous scars 4) The actual crown prince of a neighboring country, making no effort to disguise himself

and decides their best cover story is

"✨We are students of the culinary arts.✨"

And it works.

[gingermintpepper]

In my Zeus bag today so I'm just gonna put it out there that exactly none of the great Ancient Greek warrior-heroes stayed loyal and faithful and completely monogamous and yet none of them have their greatness questioned nor do we question why they had the cultural prominence that they did and still do.

Jason, the brilliant leader of the Argo, got cold feet when it came to Medea - already put off by some of her magic and then exiled from his birthland because of her political ploys, he took Creusa to bed and fully intended on marrying her despite not properly dissolving things with Medea.

Theseus was a fierce warrior and an incredibly talented king but he had a horrible temper and was almost fatally weak to women. This is the man who got imprisoned in the Underworld for trying to get a friend laid, the man who started the whole Attic War because he couldn't keep his legs closed.

And we cannot at all forget Heracles for whom a not inconsiderable amount of his joy in life was loving people then losing the people around him that he loved. Wives, children, serving boys, mentors, Heracles had a list of lovers - male and female - long enough to rival some gods and even after completing his labours and coming down to the end of his life, he did not have one wife but three.

And y'know what, just because he's a cultural darling, I'll put Achilles up here too because that man was a Theseus type where he was fantastic at the thing he was born to do (that is, fight whereas Theseus' was to rule) but that was not enough to eclipse his horrid temper and his weakness to young pretty things. This is the man that killed two of Apollo's sons because they wouldn't let him hit - Tenes because he refused to let Achilles have his sister and Troilus who refused Achilles so vehemently that he ran into Apollo's temple to avoid him and still couldn't escape.

All four of these men are still celebrated as great heroes and men. All four of these men are given the dignity of nuance, of having their flaws treated as just that, flaws which enrich their character and can be used to discuss the wider cultural point of what truly makes a hero heroic. All four of these men still have their legacies respected.

Why can that same mindset not be applied to Zeus? Zeus, who was a warrior-king raised in seclusion apart from his family. Zeus who must have learned to embrace the violence of thunder for every time he cried as a babe, the Corybantes would bang their shields to hide the sound. Zeus learned to be great because being good would not see the universe's affairs in its order.

The wonderful thing about sympathy is that we never run out of it. There's no rule stopping us from being sympathetic to multiple plights at once, there's no law that necessitate things always exist on the good-evil binary. Yes, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to sufferation in Tartarus for what (to us) seems like a cruel reason. Prometheus only wanted to help humans! But when you think about Prometheus' actions from a king's perspective, the narrative is completely different: Prometheus stole divine knowledge and gifted it to humans after Zeus explicitly told him not to. And this was after Prometheus cheated all the gods out of a huge portion of wealth by having humans keep the best part of a sacrifice's meat while the gods must delight themselves with bones, fat and skin. Yes, Zeus gave Persephone away to Hades without consulting Demeter but what king consults a woman who is not his wife about the arrangement of his daughter's marriage to another king? Yes, Zeus breaks the marriage vows he set with Hera despite his love of her but what is the Master of Fate if not its staunchest slave?

The nuance is there. Even in his most bizarre actions, the nuance and logic and reason is there. The Ancient Greeks weren't a daft people, they worshipped Zeus as their primary god for a reason and they did not associate him with half the vices modern audiences take issue with. Zeus was a father, a visitor, a protector, a fair judge of character, a guide for the lost, the arbiter of revenge for those that had been wronged, a pillar of strength for those who needed it and a shield to protect those who made their home among the biting snakes. His children were reflections of him, extensions of his will who acted both as his mercy and as his retribution, his brothers and sisters deferred to him because he was wise as well as powerful. Zeus didn't become king by accident and it is a damn shame he does not get more respect.

[mutable-manifestation]

Ghost Chirps AU Part 5

Part 1 & 2

Part 3

Part 4

***

While “Jason” (i.e. Alfred with an empty jet that Jason will meet up with later in order to “arrive” in Amity) hops a private jet, Red Hood is busy searching the Fenton home from top to bottom.

The local police move slowly, and by the time they arrive Jack and Maddie Fenton are both tied up and disarmed in their living room under heavy guard.

They hadn’t been restrained immediately, Batman talking him into giving them a chance to implicate themselves first.

Hood let him take the lead, but he didn’t even get a chance to ask a question, being cut off at the first indication he might want to talk about their “work.” Less than 60 seconds in, and the pair had outright confessed to violating the meta protection acts - and in tedious detail.

The questioning didn’t suffer any from them being tied up.

Far from the mulish silence or crocodile-tear laden denial of most criminals, they instead doubled down, insisting that nothing they had done was illegal, then jumping to the assumption that they were “possessed” - and boy had it been a nasty surprise when the whole house came alive trying to attack them with a quick verbal command.

Well, trying to attack Hood. And only him, for some reason.

One laser also freed the Fentons, who turned out to have even more weapons built into their suits. 

Somehow. 

Despite them being skintight.

That had been a pain, but Red Robin was able to hack the system using one of the couples’ own devices while Hood dodged - and kept the stray fire away from the others - leaving everyone else to recapture the pair. A blessedly simple task once they found out the lasers would splash harmlessly off of their armor (save for a gross film of green goop left wherever they grazed).

They take turns knocking each unconscious to change them in order to properly disarm them - Batman and Nightwing taking Jack first, followed by Orphan and Spoiler dealing with Maddie. 

The only non-weapon laden clothing they own turns out to be pajamas. 

This is around when the police show up, looking hesitant.

They, too, cite the “Anti-Ecto Acts.”

Oracle had debriefed them on the supposed Acts and “Ghost Investigation Ward” on their short drive over. Both were utterly bogus - the Acts had never even been proposed, let alone been approved as law, and the so-called “GIW” had no ties to the government.

The Fentons had been furious and denied the information intensely when told, but the cops mostly just looked relieved.

Apparently there’d been a lot of property damage by the GIW and Fentons both that had supposedly been dismissed under the Acts as “necessary in the pursuit of ecto-scum.”

For the Fentons, half of this damage was in the form of broken fire hydrants, cracked sidewalks, and totaled cars - they’d never been good drivers, before, the cops disclosed, but they’d become even more negligent since the ghosts began appearing, to the point they had to have a news segment warning when they would be on the road.

The lack of fatalities thus far had been nothing short of a miracle, they claimed.

“Of course there haven’t been any fatalities!” Mrs Fenton defends. “Our work is to protect people from those things, not make more! Officers, listen to reason-” Hood snorts disdainfully -”The Red Hood is clearly a ghost! All our systems targeted him the moment they came online - and they only target ecto-entities. He’s clearly taken these heroes under his sway - why else would they be working with a murderer!? You have to do something before he starts up his killing here in Amity!”

The officers look at him a bit hesitantly, but Batman is unmoved and gives the cover story Hood had outlined back in the alley.

Any concerns the locals have are quickly assuaged.

But for the whole explanation, Jason is trying not to shake even as he falls apart in place.

Their little website called them ghost-hunters, making it pretty clear what “ecto-entities” meant. 

Their system supposedly only targets ecto-entities.

The system had only targeted him.

The system only targets ghosts.

Jason had died.

A lot of his family members had died, too, granted. 

But Jason was the only one who seemed to come back wrong - anger sticking in his throat and never quite fading, an inclination towards violence even when he wasn’t angry well beyond what he’d ever felt before, and a sea of other emotions (that he would never acknowledge aloud) and triggers for those emotions that he always struggled to make heads or tails of.

He doesn’t have the meta gene. He knows that. He knew that.

He just assumed that the test missed it, because he knows he doesn’t know magic - the All Blades being the only exception - and he couldn’t think of another explanation at the time.

But he came back wrong.

And as he stands there, he wonders if he came back at all, mind on Solomon Grundy.

Wonders if he isn’t just some ghost, wandering around possessing his own corpse.

He jolts, as the thought strikes him: what about Danny?

If he’s a ghost and chirping is a ghost thing then what about his KID!?

Absently, he notes that Bruce has started interrogating the cops on what they meant by “ghost attacks.” 

He ignores the discussion, hustling for the door in the kitchen down to the lab.

He slams and locks the door behind him - in Red Robin’s face - as he descends, making a b-line for the computer he’d seen when the Fentons had dragged them all down there to start bragging about their crimes.

The only thing Oracle could get out of the whole building was things that were openly available online; direct connections were impossible.

Opening up the screen, he gets to cracking.

Going for the surface level files first, it turns out he doesn’t even need so much as a password to find what he wants.

One of the video game sub-files has an unrelated file in it: ghost notes.

There are plenty of other notes, of course, but he’d only been skimming to start, looking for anything hidden.

The Fenton parents were too open to bother, of course, with plenty of more obvious files strewn haphazardly across the home screen, but it’s always better to check. That there is a hidden file means it was likely made by either Danny or Jazz.

And it’s a treasure trove.

Sub-files for rogues, allies, conditional allies, and “halfas” were what greeted him.

The last being the only term he didn’t recognize, he clicked.

6 files: Clones, Danny, Dani, Dan, Vlad, and Red Hood.

He clicks his own file.

What greets him is a picture of himself 4 days ago, looking just to the left of the lens in an alley that he distinctly remembers searching for the kid in.

Just below is text.

~~~

??? Name: Red Hood

Species: probably a halfa

Status: Nnnneutral? I think? I know, I know, heads in bags. But Valerie tries to kill me all the time! And we’re allies sometimes! Hood- uh- looked for me? Okay I guess I can’t really judge this yet but please read the first met section before you judge please you guys?

First met: Aug 17, 2005, was in Gotham to bother Batman, stopped to think a bit on some fire escape - decide on the first prank yknow - but then my ghost sense went off. It felt like a halfa so I thought “oh cool, must be Dani” so I chirped, but then Red Hood - who was chasing some guy down an alley at the time - froze and looked around. I dropped visibility and chirped again and yeah, he definitely heard it. Humans can’t so he’s definitely a halfa - no glow so he can’t be a full ghost and it felt nothing like an overshadowing. 

Ended up following Hood around the rest of week - forgot to prank Batman, damn - and playing hide-and-seek with the chirps. It was really funny. But he very obviously doesn’t know he’s a halfa. But the guy is, like, scary levels of smart, so I’m sure he’ll figure it out on his own now that the chirp thing made it clear that something is up. Hopefully.

I figure I can go back in winter break - he should have it figured out and let his emotions process enough by then to at least hear me out when I explain the AEA and GIW and everything, then it won’t matter so much if he can, like, track me by voice or something if I talk since we’ll have MAD by then.

Despite his reputation, the people living in his haunt seem to love the guy. I can see why. On top of the whole smart he’s actually really nice to people he’s not shooting in the knees (which only even happened one time in the week I was there? It was actually pretty relaxing - most quiet week I’ve had since the portal opened THANK YOU TUCKER for hacking the portal hatch to be inoperable for a week). 

Where was I? Oh yeah, he’s actually surprisingly nice to people? So like, I think he’ll probably hear me out if I go back and be polite? I hope. Hate to leave the guy in the dark and him end up on the GIWs dissection table for “lots and lots of painful experiments.”

Not that those guys could even catch the Box Ghost. But uh, Hood doesn’t seem to have powers either? Or if he does he doesn’t know about them I don’t think - he only used the chirp the whole time I was their - not even to cheat with moving around.

Seriously. That guy's acrobatics could make Freakshow’s contortionist green - er, red??? - with envy. Actually wait, aren’t contortionists and acrobats different things?

SAM NOTE: help^?

Powers: 

?

~~~

Jason leans back, breathing deeply.

“Not a full ghost,” “not 'overshadowed'” - a term that sounds likke some kind of cousin to possesision - “definitely a halfa,” “humans can’t hear chirps.”

Halfa. 

Half. 

Ghost. 

Half Ghost.

It should sound absurd - you can’t be half alive and half dead.

But Jason has seen the Lazarus pits, has met Solomon Grundy, has met aliens and bullshit magic and can pull magical swords out of his own damn chest.

Half alive. Half dead.

Hopefully not just a fancy way to say possessing his own corpse.

He doesn’t have time to deal with every file - he’ll “confiscate” one of their USBs with a copy of everything for himself before leaving the rest to Batman & co, of course, minus the halfa files (a small part of him wants to shove his condition in Bruce’s face and demand he kill the clown again even though he knows it’s a futile hope, but the rest - the same part that snapped and denied and refused to say he was a meta less that a day ago now - cannot stomach the thought of even more rejection. Of a Bruce that believes he’s a monster. Of a Bruce that mourns him even while he’s right there. Or at least, more than he already does.) - but while the files copy he take the time to look at Danny’s.

The image has two people, Danny Fenton on one side and a version of the kid in a black hazmat suit with white hair, tanned skin, and painfully familiar green eyes. And floating.

~~~

Human Name: Danny Fenton

Ghost Name: Danny Phantom

Species: Halfa (half-human, half ghost)

~~~

It’s the section after that that makes Jason’s breath catch in his throat.

~~~

Death: The Portal Accident

So like, there was no audio (thank GOD I do not want to hear myself screaming) so. Details: When the portal didn’t work when they plugged it in mom and dad left for fudge, Jazz went to try and talk them into a more realistic career choice than ghosts. Sam and Tucker came over and Sam dared me to climb in and check it out - it was broken anyway so no harm. Except it wasn’t broken, just that my parents put the on button inside. Which I caught myself on when I tripped on a wire.

Anyway, electrocution! 

(T - Danny for the love of god be more serious, the cheerful tone is creepy)

(D - Hey! I’m the one who died! Shouldn’t I at least get to write my own epitaph)

(S - …Danny this is not an epitaph. You don’t even HAVE a grave)

(D - wow way to rub it in Sam)

(T - yeah Sam)

(S - ugh! Whatever, just stop with the chatting in official files)

(T - “official”)

(S - Tucker.)

(T - shutting up now)

Electrocution! I got zapped to death, but the ectoplasm from the portal was also opening up on top of me and a lot got bonded to me I guess (S - probably because of the electricity with how you ended up with some of Vortex' powers for a little while) at the same time said electricity was reviving me? - probably getting my heart beating again or something, I was a little busy screaming to pay attention (T - yeah okay we're going to Nasty Burger after this. And playing Doomed) - not that it would’ve mattered without the ghostification preventing me from melting me all the way to death.

Status: Me!

Powers:

Chirps! (ghost echolocation of some kind! humans can't hear em - halfas can, of course, in either form)

Form Change (really Sam? This barely counts)

Human form

Ghost form (no need to breathe)

Flight (last clock speed 210mph) (T - and climbing. Dang dude)

Invisibility (S - don’t forget shareable.) (Shareable. sigh)

Intangibility (Shareable)

Ecto Rays (eyes & hands) (T - and butt) (D - dude! I’m deleting that. Tucker why can't I delete it. TUCKER) (T - bow down in awe of my ksill) (S - ksill) (D - ksill) (T - yeah okay it’s permanent now) (D - aw man!)

Ghost Sense (S - why do we never test your range?) (D - no need? They always make themselves obvious or are being sneaky specifically to annoy me so *shrug*) (S - I still think we should test it)

Power Absorption (that time with Vortex’s weather powers)

Cryokinesis (Wayyyyy to much ice. NOT testing max output on that) (T - yeah frozen city was enough, let’s not cause an ice age. Tech needs some cool but too much is still bad and I just upgraded Patricia)

Ghostly Wail (cone of destruction, very exhausting - always at max output. Not to be used)

GHOST FORM ONLY (but really just never)

Cartoon Body (D - what???) (S - Freakshow literally turned you into a puddle and you just turned back and were fine. I don’t know what else to call that) (D - okay fair. but:)

GHOST FORM ONLY

Physical Enhancement (better strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, balance, etc much better than human) (T - why does this look like dnd knockoff stats haha)

GHOST FORM ONLY (S - obviously mr last place in PE)

Resistances (pretty solid on the overshadowing, avoided being taken in by Ember until targeted, didn’t get turned to stone during the Medusa thing) (S - which was pure luck! Be careful!)

Ecto Electricity (ghost stinger, but I really don’t think this counts Sam. I mean I just. Make my ecto zappy. But it’s still just ecto) (S - so is your ICE and you don’t just call that "just cold ecto") (D - fine, but it feels overly specific) (S - maybe writing it all down will make you stop. Forgetting. POWERS!) (D - come on Sam that was a lucky hit! I was distracted! And it turned out fine!) (S - Fenton…) (D - oop okay doing fire now)

Ecto Fire (made Dash’s shoes melty that one time by make the ecto hot) (T - really needs more testing)

Tech possession (chasing Technus into computers, not very tested)

Ghost form only, i guess?

Overshadowing (control people, copy their voice, invade dreams - the control one erases the person’s memory so they don’t know they were overshadowed just lost time. I hate Walker. SO much) (T - rip Danny’s reputation, you’ll be missed)

Probably ghost form only

Duplication (T - That’s optimistic) (D - I’M WORKING ON IT OKAY!?) (S - pretty sure it just falls under cartoon body until you can actually separate) (D - :( betrayal)

Probably ghost form only

More? (D - ugh I hope not) (T - hey don’t say that, maybe you’ll get a power to make the JL give a crap about Amity) (D - honestly I’m getting pretty close to letting Boxy loose in Gotham) (S - Danny, don’t stoop to their level!) (D - it's only box ghost!) (T - I mean he has a point)

~~~

Jason changes his mind, seeing the commentary, and deletes the entire hidden file from the computer as soon as his copy is made. He can go over everything and bring any important info to Bruce separately, the bat’s can just chew on the parents’ files for now.

Once the original files are thoroughly and irretrievably removed he pockets his shiny new USB, makes a second one with all the official files, and heads back up and out - carelessly brushing past a thoroughly irate Red Robin with a pair of firemen and broken jaws of life. And not a scratch on the door; impressive - just in time to get Oracle’s text that he’s got 2 hours and 16 minutes to be at the location on his HUD so he can “arrive” to Amity.

And a fresh set of civilian clothes will be waiting in the plane, Alfred as reliable as ever.

“Files,” he says, tossing the safe USB to Batman and interrupting his interrogation of the police officer.

He catches it effortlessly of course, but the officer stops paying attention to him to jolt at Hood’s reappearance - even outside of Gotham his reputation is fierce.

“I sent a copy to myself. I’ll review them and give you an overview, but other than that consider this the end of my involvement in this little shitshow,” he says, continuing smoothly to the door. “I’m heading back to Gotham.”

Now, he has a little over two hours before Jason Todd needs to arrive in Amity Park. He only needs to lay hands on a laptop that he can isolate from Babs’ influence and he should be able to review the Halfa files in full before he "lands" - after he figures out just why the kid has a grudge against the JL.

[thedaythatwas]

I’m just thinking long and hard about the way Akiren and Akechi are written as foils for each other. Because of course, the game drives it home for us that the two are narrative foils: Akiren is the champion of free will who finds power through his friendships, Akechi represents the ways society binds us. He is chained by his desire to be wanted (importantly, by the wrong people– I’ll get to that).

At first glance, Akiren and Akechi’s point of divergence has to do with their relationships– Akiren has confidants, Akechi doesn’t, and this is the deciding factor in Akiren’s victory over Akechi on November 20th and in the engine room. Still, while this is certainly part of what makes their relationship important as a narrative device, it’s not the full picture. That, I think, has more to do with the fact that they both desperately want the very relationships that are used to foil them. They have common ground, and that’s what makes the emotional beats of their differences hit as hard as they do.

Even though Akechi doesn’t have the close bonds that Akiren does with his friends, he is defined as a character by his desire to belong. He wants to be praised and given everything he feels he was denied by Shido’s callous disregard for his mother and society’s unjust treatment of him after her death. He was a self-proclaimed “undesirable child” who spent his young adult life doing everything in his power to never feel unwanted again. He literally spells it out in his engine room monologue– “I was extremely particular about my life, my grades, my public image, so someone would want me around!”

Akiren, like Akechi, begins his character arc as a social outcast. Unlike Akechi, who appeals to systemic power to claim social clout and chase his own sense of belonging (the Shido revenge plot, which would, uhm, theoretically end with Shido acknowledging his son’s worth), Akiren finds family with other outcasts. All of the Phantom Thieves understand his struggle, and because of this they foster a sense of understanding and community that Akechi never gets to experience.

It is important to note that these bonds are deepened when Akiren helps those around him. While there’s absolutely nothing bad about doing things for the people you care about– in fact, most would argue that this is what makes a friendship a good one– we can take a reasonable guess that Akiren craves the love of those around him just a bit more than is healthy for him. He plays therapist for half of Tokyo– he stretches himself absurdly thin for the sake of his friends. That’s a bit much to ask of one person, but Akiren seems to demand it of himself. This is the nature of confidant routes as a game mechanic, of course, but hey, reading into game mechanics is important to getting a solid reading of who Akiren is behind the mask!

The crux of it is, Akiren and Akechi are both lonely characters. Their desire to be loved quite literally drives the narrative of the game, both in terms of plot and gameplay. What makes their foiling so tragic is the fact that Akechi so obviously wants what he has himself determined he can’t have. He says as much in the engine room when he questions why Akiren has things that he doesn’t, despite being (as he says) criminal trash living in an attic.

And yet, Akechi’s isolation is frankly the result of his own decisions. He is the one who chooses to work for Shido. He is the one who acts on a worldview that requires he keep his cards close to his chest to win— against Shido and against the world that wronged him— and to be considered desirable (even despite the fact that this mindset obviously works against satiating his hunger to be loved. He really needs to go to therapy, but I digress).

I don’t think Akechi even knows how to go about claiming what Akiren managed to. Akechi has agency in the actions he takes, absolutely– he would be furious about any suggestion to the contrary– but in many ways, the choices he feels himself able to make are constrained by his circumstances and the lessons imparted to him by his past.

All this to say, Akechi and Akiren aren’t different because Akechi doesn’t want teammates, or even friends. He sincerely wants everything Akiren has. He tells us this in the engine room. He shoots himself in the foot by prioritizing approval from society and love from Shido above other relationships. But thinking from inside his shoes, what else was he going to do? Where else would he have thought to turn to find what he wanted? He was dealt a horrible hand and he played his cards according to the rule book he was given. If the world were just, Akiren and Akechi wouldn’t be foils. It’s the injustice implicit in that that really drives home the point I think P5 is trying to make when it foils Akiren and Akechi in the first place. It also, personally, has been making me want to scream all day.

On a related note, this is also the exact reason that Akechi being the one to bring up that things might have been different if only he met Akiren a few years sooner makes me want to throw things, but this post is long enough. I’ll save all that for later!

[kagoutiss]

as if it was never there at all.

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Gabriel trying to entertain an iPad baby as his confidence rapidly declines - A Compilation

Not going to transcribe these as its just songs being "sung" if you can call it that.

Anyway.

Chug Jug With You Audio Source

Happy Birthday Audio Source

Under the Sea Audio Source

Chug Jug (again) Audio Source

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Friends Reunite

It is here! The moment has arrived! @spotaus are you ready friend?!

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

I don't think we need an introduction to this part :3

*----------------*

Nightmare watches out from the porch as he waits. They are waiting for Horror to finish putting their tools away.

As they wait Nightmare pulls on his clothes. feeling very nervous.

Killer grins "You look fine nighty."

Nightmare frowns "i guess..." he is wearing some of his new clothes. nice colourful ones. Things he never really wore. warm orange and pink today. it is loose and pretty. with a few nice ribbons as well.

Cross smiles as he helps him check his outfit "aren't you excited to see your friend again? I thought you missed him?"

Nightmare looks down as he rubs his arm "I do... Ccino is nice..." he isn't sure for a moment but tells them anyway "I was actually... When i thought you guys didn't... want to be near me... I had been on my way to him." he figured if there was any safe place for him it would be Ccino's.

Cross hugs him close "I am still so sorry we left you."

Nightmare shurgs and leans into the touch "you came back." that is what matters. they came back.

Horror walks over and rubs his skull and Nightmare leans into the tocuh with a happy sigh. Horror smiles a thim "ready to go little light?"

Nightmare feels embarrased at that new nickname. Sure he got used to Nightlight by now but little light is still new.

Horror chuckles and pets his skull again "ready?"

Nightmare leans into it still and nods "okay." he really wants to see Ccino. see if ccino still sees him as a friend.

after everything

after not visiting for so long.

after... now that he is different.

He doesn't fight it as Killer picks him up and holds him close "You sure you feel okay? Spine fine?"

Nightmare rolls his eye lights and nods "I feel fine." his spine only aches nowadays. Yet none of them seem willing to let him walk around a lot.

Nightmare doenst mind honestly. It is nice to be close to them and be held. like a long hug. it just feels nice and warm and safe.

Cross takes out his knife and cuts the fabric of the universe. a portal opens and cross smiles "ready to go."

And they step through.

The leave the warm autumn air for a chiller spring air and nightmare shivers slightly. Not truly becuase he is cold but mostly because he hadn't expected the sudden change.

Killer just holds him closer.

They are in an alleyway and Nightmare can see both Dust and Cross look around the corner. Nightmare feels so nervous. he tries to get any wrinkles out of his clothes as he waits.

What if Ccino didn't want to meet him again?

What if he was angry?

what if he hated him now?

Dust looks back at them "store is closed as we requested. I don't see anyone near."

Killer looks deeply unhappy but then he looks at Nightmare and sighs "okay. lets do this." still nightmare can feel himself be pulled closer and his face is hidden by killer's shoulder, making it a lot harder to see.

they move around and walk over.

he hears nothing for a while before a familiar voice speaks up.

"Wow you really are quiet..."

That is ccino. Oh no... maybe this was a mistake?

Dust hums "I pride myself on being quiet and unnoticable. I see you wanted to do this meeting after all."

Ccino sounds unamused as he answers "of course i do! But... i can't help but notice i don't see nightmare."

huh. guess killer is hiding himself and nightmare both behind the others.

DUst sounds unbothered "oh he is here. I just need to make sure nothing here could endanger him."

This time ccino actually sounds mad and insulted "I would never bring harm or danger to someone."

a moment of silence before Dust answers sounding very amused "good answer. Then I hope you also understand that all of this will stay between us and a secret from the multiverse as a whole?"

Ccino huffs "obviously."

Dust probably does something like a nod because the next thing he says is just Killer's name.

Nightmare feels killer move and probably step out into the open.

A dead silence around them. Nightmare takes a deep breath and pushes the anxiety down as he pulls back a bit from killer's shoulder and glances at ccino.

Ccino just stares at him. shock clearly on his face as he just takes the sight of him in. But... there is no anger or hurt or hate on his face.

Nightmare slowly raises a hand "hey ccino... it has been a while?"

Ccino shakes before smiling brightly "nightmare! You! It is actually you and you are okay!" then worry "wait are you okay?" he glares at dust "why is he a child?"

Dust shrugs as Cross slowly holds up the old Dreamtale book "yeah... that is a long story... at least as much as we know..."

Ccino looks between them before sighing but then he smiles "guess we can all just sit and talk? I will get the drinks and snacks."

nightmare leans against killer and the stress leaves his body. it is okay. ccino isn't mad. he doesn't hate him.

This is fine.

--

Nightmare pets one of the many cats that had swarmed him. all of them being the cat versions of his dads who all try to nuzzle and clean him.

Nightmare looks abck and notes that his dads are done explaining the situation to ccino. well as much as they know and understand it.

Dust's cat has disappeared a while ago but the other three are making up for it as they refuse to leave his side.

Ccino leans back "that... that is a lot..."

Killer snorts "that is putting it lightly. We have just decided to lay low."

cross smiles "yeah! Out of sight out of mind kinda deal. and it worked because they sned out the news about nightmare!"

ccino nods and seems to get it "meaning no one will bother you guys anymore..." he hold shis cup and frowns "then why? why risk any of it and come here?"

Dust shrugs "ngihtmare wanted to."

ccino blinks before smiling and shooting him a look. only to freeze and snort "you okay?" which makes the others also look over and stare in shock. probably noticing the very familiar looking cats.

nightmare speaks up "I think i need assistance..."

Dust is quick to free him from the cats's clutches but it doesn't discourage them as they just follow him again.

ccino chuckles as he hears the very confused questions about why the cats look like them. ccino shrugs "i don't know why. they just kinda show up here. and i can't exactly risk letting them wander and someone else who visits this universe find them."

which he then smiles brightly "This all does explain the new cat so much!"

nightmare blinks and tilts his skull "new cat?"

ccino grins and goes to the counter. he ducks behind it before removing a cat, dust's cat. then he walks over with noot in his arms but... nightmare frowns. his cat version doens't look so great.

Ccino gently lays it in killer's lap and killer immediantly starts petting it "holy... that is nightmare's cat?"

ccino hums and looks amused "from back when he had the god apples yes. but... about a year and a half ago he just got weaker and weaker and weaker."

nightmare puts it together "when i lost the apples's power."

ccino nods "i don't think Noot is your cat... but the apple's cat." ccino grins again and goes behind the counter for another moment before returning again. holding a very tiny kitten and- that is his own eyes staring back at him.

ccino carefully hands the kitten over to nightmare nad nightmare stares confused at his own cat.

ccino grins "i think that is your actual cat version." moments later dust's cat jumps into their laps as well and cleans the kitten's head for a moment before focussing on nightmare himself.

Nightmare shoots Dust a look to please help but Dust just watches him fondly. Not in any way in a hurry to save him from this very obvious and clear problem.

Killer snorts "The cats love you Night night."

Nightmare feels himself start to blush as Ccino nods "They always did. would follow him around and always gravitate towards him no matter where he sat." Ccino grins "Also when he fell asleep. They would refuse to leave his side."

Killer gasps and grins at Nightmare "Nap time with kitties? And you didn't invite me? I am hurt Nighty." he huffs but still grins "To make up for it... mmmmh... I want one of the kitty cuddle pictures." he holds up his camera.

Nightmare feels so embarrased and glares at Killer "Stop that."

Killer pouts "But you would look so cuuuute!" he says it like a whine and pouts "It is unfair he got to see it and not us!"

Nightmare huffs as he crosses his arms, it is slightly harder with Axe in his lap trying to get pets but he manages, "I was in the adult body back then anyway so it wasn't even cute."

Ccino shrugs "I mean. I must admit it was a very different side of your character that no one seemed aware of." he grins and shrugs afterwards as Ngihtmare stares at his friend with betrayal.

Ccino shrugs at the questioning look thrown his way by the others "I don't have pictures. I don't take picutres of customers that is weird. And even if i did i wouldn't do it of nightmare. too much risk someone finds it and realises he came by here a lot." he shrugs again.

Nightmare feels a bit smug and smiles a tiny bit "Told you Ccino was great." it takes a moment before his mind fully catches up and he feels embarresed again.

Ccino looks confused as Horror chuckles and shakes his skull "He is six. Nightmare is sitll getting used to some aspects of it."

Ccino blinks and looks curiously "and he was always six?"

Kilelr nods "Yup!! Just our tiny baby moving around a fake adult body made by god magic."

Ccino nods and looks thoughftul before muttering "explains feeling protective at least..."

Cross looks curious "What do you mean?"

Ccino blinsk and shrugs "after like the first visit? I felt very protective over nightmare. which is weird because god and all that. But this information? I guess my soul picked up on the fact there was an actual child in there even if i didn't know..."

Dust frowns "how could that be possible?"

Ccino shrugs again "Maybe it is because i work with animals a lot? I am already sensitive to their needs and theri shenanigans. Maybe it just included this as well. I am not sure." Ccino grins "It is also very new to me."

Cross frowns at him "How come you are this calm about this all? Nightmare visiting and stuff?"

Ccino blinks and shoots nightmare a look. Ngihtmare watches his friend, having wondered the same thing himself but never wanted to call attention to just how strange it had been.

Ccino looks at them "I just... never saw it as my place to question why the gods did what they do. You can try find logic in things sure... but there is no garentee that they would like... use the same logic as we would use. I figured nightmare was doing stuff for a reason and eventually i heard about balance stuff through the gossip and figured it was that." he rubs his cheek. "My biggest worry is honestly keeping the cats out of the cat treats. They are crafty."

Killer laughs and Nightmare watches his family actually relax and enjoy themselves.

See? This is why Nightmare loves Ccino's place. it is nice and peaceful and safe. It was why Nightmare had been planning on coming here after all.

Not that it ever came to that.

Ccino ends up going to the counter and retrieving some cake. Nightmare sits up and stares at the treat. it is his favourite! it is a vanilla cake with some peach frosting.

Ccino grins and gives everyone a piece and Nightmare happily starts eating his.

Ccino puts down a cup and Nightmare reaches for it only to frown "No coffee?"

Ccino laughs "Sorry Nightmare. I figured giving a six year olf caffeine isn't the best choice."

ngihtmare glares nad mutters "technically i am like 556..."

ccino looks unimpressed "Say that to your body, mind, magic and how all of our souls react to the sight of you. enjoy your chocolate milk." and he goes back to giving everyone else their drinks.

Nightmare grumbles but sips it. it is so warm and sweet and nightmare forgets his frustration as he enjoys his treats.

THe shop is warm and nice. it is all so familiar and the treats are just like that. his body relaxes and he feels so warm and happy.

Safe.

He is really safe... isn't he?

his treat is gone before he knows it and he tries to focus on the conversation of the others but it is all just warm and he feels so safe and he had been worried but there was no reason to worry at all.

He yawns and leans back against the large chair he is on. petting one of the cats near him as his sockets slowly close.

--

A soft plof gets their attnetion and they turn only to freeze.

holy shit.

Killer grins as he slowly pulls out his phone.

Nightmare had fallen asleep and has rolled up with some of the cats. One being his kitten version. the goop cat sits by his skull. clenaing him.

Killer aims the phone and siletnly takes a picture. that is 100% going on their picture wall!

Ccino grins and whispers "told you it happens."

Killer finishes taking the pictures and just leans against the chair. Nightmare is sound asleep. clearly the stress was higher than they thoguht it was if he is already this tired again. poor babybones.

Ccino gets to work on cleaning the plates and killer watches as Cross quickly offers the help him. Killer goes to play with the cats for a bit as dust and horror watch over their babybones.

God the cats are all so cute. though he can't pick a favourite. the others relax but it is very quickly time to go.

Dust gets up and mutters "we shoudl go. get him in bed so he can rest."

Ccino looks thorn but nods "Yeah. I get that- oh wait a second! I will be right back." and he rushes off.

Cross frowns "Why didn't he teleport."

Ngihtmare yawns as he rubs his sockets "Ccino can't teleport." he yawns againa s he leans against Dust in his hold "going home?"

Dust nods and nuzzles the tiny skull "That is the plan. you feeling oaky?"

Nightmare hums and nods "Yeah."

Ccino rushes back in and sighs in relieve "oh you guys are still here. good." he joins their side and grins as he holds up a set of keys. just two. Nihgtmare looks up confused but holds out his hand and Ccino places the keys in there. "for emergencies."

Nightmare looks at the keys confused before looking at Ccino.

Dust shoots him a look as well "what is that about?"

Ccino rolls his eye lights "calm down. As i said. It is for emergencies. if anything happens and he needs to hide anywhere. he can come here. I just want him to have his own set of keys in case i am not here." he huffs "I had been planning on giving him a set ages ago but... well... he couldn't visit for a while."

Killer huffs "We have a safe place and home." who the hell does this guy think he is?!

Ccino just looks at him unimpressed "Wasn't your hide out also safe?"

silence.

Ccino sighs as he rubs his face "Look. It is just a backup. just in case he needs to hide somewhere for a while. people won't expect him here."

okay... maybe that can work. Killer still shoots him a glare before nodding "fine." but if this guy even thinks about stealing their babybones...

Nigthmare however smiles a tiny bit "thanks ccino... means a lot..."

Ccino smiles and looks a bit more nervous "Can I hug you goodbye? I get it if you don't want that."

Ngihtmare considers it for a moment but nods as he looks at Dust. Dust watches Ccino for a moment but ends up handing over the tiny babybones.

Ccino just holds and hugs ngihtmare close and shakes slightly "I am so happy you are okay."

Nightmar ehums and seems to think for a moment before speaking "When... when i left the hideout... before they found me again.. I was on my way here."

Ccino blinks and looks surprised as Killer freezes.

He hadn't been making his way to dreamtale. Holy shit they had gotten so lucky that they managed to catch up with him.

Killer can't even be mad or jeaous about it. He feels a bit sad but even that is undeserved. They had deserted him. Left him behind when he was vulnerable. Of course he was trying to get to the one place that could give him shelter and safety.

Ccino laughs and nuzzles the tiny skull "You are always welcome here. You all are. I am happy to be able to call you my friend."

Ngihtamre blinks before smiling brightly. then he turns back and reaches for Dust. Dust immediantly moves forwards and takes their babybones back and only seeing dust holding him again calms Killer fully down.

Killer had never considered that nightmare had been any other end destination but Dreamtale. He had always figured that if they hadn't found Nightmare along the way they would have foudn him there.

Aparently it wouldnt have been that easy.

Nightmare would have gone here. to an AU they hadn't even been aware of. hiding away from preying eyes with someone who had no trouble lying through his teeth to anyone and everyone.

There is no way they would have found him. Not fast enough at least. Not fast enough before Ngihtmare got fully settled and comfortable. counting on someone else but them.

Ccino is unaware of the actual crisis this interaction caused. or maybe he is aware and he is just good at acting as if he doesn't know. He reassures them that he won't tell antoher soul about their visit and if they want to come by just send a message and they can figure it out.

The trip home is silent.

They enter their house and Dust goes straight to the nest where he rolls up with nightmare.

Nightmare looks up at him sleepy and confused "dad?"

and the doubt melted away. Killer fully relaxes and sees his mates do the same thing. Dust smiles nad nuzzles their babybones "Nothing. did you ahve a good day?"

Nightmare nods and yawns again before pushing himself closer to dust "yeah...."

dust hums and nzuzles the tiny skull "How is your spine?"

ngihtmare looks a bit more grumpy as he is kept away from his nap time "it is fine. doesn't hurt."

dust nods and nuzzles him "that is good."

Killer watches his mate and child fall asleep. All is well. their baby is happy and has a friend.

And now that he thinks about it? It is actually really good that they had a back up spot just in case.

Killer does not trust the multiverse with his mates and child.

*----------------*

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[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Normal boy spotted.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[pnfc]

i haint watched the dang chibisode and idk if ill actually watch it with sound on sdfjk but i have a hurt feeling about them casually imbuing perry with speech for a one off gag because the idea that he needs to talk to communicate is fake. we had 4 seasons of wacky magic hijinks cartoon where perry never needed verbal speech to communicate. they couldve done this gag at any point in the show but they didn't, and the fact that they didn't felt significant. perry's muteness is such a core part of his character, to me, to the way i conceive of him/write him. i don't wanna overreact to a goofy little side cartoon (even tho i'm doing it anyway) but it's still the characters, and it still upsets me! ok that's it i've said my piece

[sunnykeysmash]

Man of words

[fluffypotatey]

To be honest I am a huge Nalu shipper. But the thing is I want to know the difference between the way Natsu cares about his guildmates and Lucy. Like what is the obvious difference since that boy sees every as Nakama so how can we say that the wag he cares about Lucy is different?

Like even when Erza passed away? (All the way back in first season there was a segment where the guild was gathered at her grave and all) Natsu was still very reactive. Plus he was also said to be depressed even when Lisanna passed.

What's the difference between all of them and Lucy?

the fact that he stayed. the fact that before he met Lucy, Natsu wasn't one to stay in a group or even want to work with anyone besides Happy at the start of the story. hell, he was ready to just file Lucy down as "New Guildmate" once they reached Fairy Tail

but then, Lucy doesn't leave. she follows him on his mission to save Macao despite her not needing to or even really understanding everything about it. she stays and then fights with him and saves him. it's no secret that Natsu is strong and can take care of himself really well. he's been going on solo missions for years now, and no one has really stopped him, but that means he's been in a lot of sticky situations where he and Happy are on their own and have no backup. and yet, without asking, Lucy offers it

and i think this is the moment when Natsu considers that maybe it's okay to have someone there to have his back (sans Happy)

"but Natsu only needed Lucy for the next quest because of the requirements," well, Natsu also wouldn't have taken or even considered that quest if it weren't for Lucy, yeah? he was not a team player (in the picking job's sense) or really wanted other people to help him on his quests sans Happy. and then he goes and picks a job that caters to their team whilst ensuring that Lucy can't say no

or maybe i'm reading too much into it 🤷🏻‍♀️

or maybe Natsu's got horrible abandonment issues that he will latch onto people so fast (Igneel & Lisanna) but also cause him to distance himself so far when left behind (his 1st time at the guild, Lisanna's death). Erza and Gray are Natsu's closet friends after Lisanna and yet they cannot reach him when he closes himself off. and then we have Lucy, who stuck by and had his back, so who is to say Natsu didn't make some contingencies to ensure whether or not she'd join him?

but maybe it's the rose, colored ship glasses i have on

because yeah, Natsu cares for all of his guildmates. the power of friendship is his biggest motivator. when we meet Natsu, our first introductions of him is defending his guild's reputation from Bora (who was using it as a guise for human trafficking) and saving Macao. and our 1st big arc (Galuna Island), where Natsu adamantly refuses to allow Gray to use Ice Shell and sacrifice himself despite how antagonistic they've been to each other. we get Natsu 100% at Erza's defense throughout the Tower of Heaven and he is even ready to defend Wendy though they only met hours ago

Natsu is a character with a bleeding heart and cannot help but wear it on his sleeve, but we don't really see him allow others to fight his battles or have his back until Lucy comes in. to be honest, i don't even think he had his heart on his sleeve until Lucy. he still has a bleeding heart (i don't think anything could stop that), but he was not ready to be open in receiving company because he was so used to it being ripped away from him

that being said: of all the characters he interacts with, he finds Lucy to be someone compatible enough for him to start going on team missions and inviting her on them (for example, his 1st S-class mission, which he stole, he went to her house to show it to her. the fact that part of the reward was a celestial key might be a coincidence, but i wouldn't doubt it as Natsu and Happy's trump card in case she refused)

but yeah, the difference is that he stayed and didn't push her away at the beginning, but instead continued to invite her along with him to the point that doing a mission without Lucy wasn't his regular anymore. compared to the rest of the guild, of whom he spent most of his childhood with, even if he spoke to no one, they would still be around and talk to him anyway. he might not invite them on job and only challenge them to fights, but the guild is his home and a constant in his life, a constant he needs (bc heavy abandonment issues).

"okay, but he still pushed her away after he watched Igneel die right in front of him. and he left the guild for a whole year, too. so what's the difference there?" you may ask.

so 1) Natsu never thought the guild would disband. he returns to Fiore after a year and is the last to know that they disbanded. he assumed, like all the other times before and while he and others were sealed for 7 years, that Fairy Tail would still be there when he returned. he assumed that his disappearance would not impact so hard because the guild would still be around and Lucy would have the others with her

which, did not happen :)

and like, so many guild members go off on jobs, quests, or even just leave for an indiscriminate amount of time (which i, personally, believe was his rationality for leaving), so him being gone for a year was nothing! right? no harm, eh? his plan was never to be gone forever :))))

2) he just watched his father die and lose any chance of having some semblance of a long term reunion with Igneel. he literally lost one of his main driving motivations for getting stronger and taking jobs. before Fairy Tail, before anyone, it was Igneel. and to learn that a) Igneel was always with him to begin with and b) he only got to see him for less than a day after 14 years of nothing......i would feel lost too ngl

man's needed space from everybody. and he also needed comfort, but Natsu has been shown not to really be the character who asks to receive comfort (and when he does receive it, it's usually when he's already emotionally compromised). he is in the habit of shutting people out after being abandoned or losing someone close to him, with his next rationale being to "get stronger" in order to prevent what happened in the past to ever happen in the future.

anyway

what makes this different? well for one, he sent the letter only to Lucy (or it's implied since no one else is shown getting one) because of how the two spend most of their time together. even the line that goes with the panel makes it sound like Natsu is unsure on how the note will be received (maybe even hesitant? but that could be my own hopes)

and one of the 1st people he reunites with after a year is Lucy and we get such a similar parallel to the first chapter of Fairy Tail between the two as if the narrative itself is slotting them together to say "ah yes, now everything is back to normal and new journeys can begin"

but yeah, this is just a long way of saying, that Natsu does love his friends and guildmates but even when he is close to them, he kept to himself (and Happy) and sort of stayed in their orbit but always with some emotional distance because of his fear of abandonment. and then you have Lucy where he will stay for and allow her to orbit around him and he will invite to new adventures no questions asked

that's the difference

[roots-symphony]

do you think the reason agatha’s trial felt weird is because she was the only one who did not actually buy into the mythos of the road since she knew the truth? like that was why no perspective change and all the other reasons why people thought it was a fake trial

[birdantlers]

I didnt even know DB Daima dropped bc life shit but @peridotite has informed me that they just casually drop that namekians apparently originate from [checks notes] the demon realm

Yk everyone's favorite and most memorable DBZ setting ..... The Demon Realm .......... ..