#Parallel World Love Story

[ghostbsuter]

The house of Nightingale & Constantine ( P. 3 )

> previous

.・゜-: ✧ :-

"Why are you avoiding me." Green eyes, sharp and unflinching, locked on Danny.

Startled, he turns to the younger boy, Damian? Bruce's only blood kid, he reminds himself.

"I'm not avoiding you." He denies, shaking his head, eyes trailing off.

But Damian knows, he learned and memorised the movements, signs, and behaviour of human kind.

"Do not lie to me, Nightingale."

The use of the name triggers something, and both Damian and Danny jump back, startled and cautious.

"What's the meaning of this!" The boy demanded, snatching his sword from the hilt.

The other raised his hands, pleading. "Look Damian– put the sword down and let me explain, please?"

They stood in tense silence, the sword pushed down reluctant and swiftly tugged back in.

"Explain."

Danny sighs in relief.

"You're more than aware of your parentage, yes?"

A nod, if not slightly confused. "Wayne?"

"No, al Ghul."

He keeps his facial expression and body language closed, obviously trained, and tilts his head to the Ghost. Listening, assessing.

Danny swallows as the air takes on sparks, dangerously close to one another.

If only Dick was in the mansion, maybe he'd cut the air with a knife followed by laughter and help him escape.

"The al Ghul line is in a delicate balance that can be toppled any time," he explains. "it's an old house, new compared to the houses of ancient, but powerful."

"You're saying," Damian drawls, carefully placing the words to form the sentence. "that the line of Al Ghul is... magic." He is studying the older, eyes narrowed and focused.

He knew such accusation would be called ridiculous by the younger. It would definitely earn him a few attempted kills.

"Not all dark houses are magic, just magic adjusted. The reason al Ghul is where it is today is that the founder, your grandfather, is still alive."

"You're aware such claims would have your head."

A wince.

"Fine." Damian scoffs. "We will go back to that after, tell me of the name triggering then."

"Names have power, but family names are more powerful, especially those of dark houses. If another dark house calls—"

"It registers as a warning and summoning." He finished, unfazed at the owlish blinks received.

"You were taught."

"I was, you're right, the al Ghuls are not magic. I haven't taken it seriously back then, I now see the error of my actions." The boy simply states, arms crossed.

"Calling another house of dark by name and immediately pulling a weapon is a declaration of challenge." Dannt adds after a moment of quiet. "I would rather not fight and make an enemy here."

"Not an enemy, but neither an ally?" Is quickly thrown back.

The Nightingale shrugs. "I'm not fond of your grandfather," he admits. "but it's known that every generation changes the house, I would not mind being the ally of the al Ghuls, if it meant you did the contract."

"Being an ally to my name only and to the al Ghul if asked." Green eyes, borderline neon, it reminds Danny of the zone. "Bold."

A grin cracks through, and Danny gestures to the door. "We can discuss the terms during snack time, if you wish, al Ghul."

A spark and Damian scowls harder. "Stop that." He says. "Let's do so, Father would be quite pleased knowing I've made more allies."

As he stomps to out, Danny follows with a jump in his steps, very pleased.

Nightingale 1, Constantine 0!

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

I’m back from my coma to talk about Nimona again

Specifically these scenes 

Because this is the moment where the similarities between Gloreth and Ambrosius’ stories end

At face value, these scenes seem incredibly similar 

In both scenes, Gloreth and Ambrosius are watching terrified as their homes are burning down around them because of a “monster” 

But that’s where the similarities stop

Because in the first scene, Gloreth decides to listen to everything that her community has told her 

And in the second scene, Ambrosius has finally figured out that everything he’s been told since he was a kid is a lie

[mollysunder]

The parallel between the first and second posters is so insane. In the first poster we see a young Vi holding a young Jinx in her arms try to comfort and protect her from the world's harshness. But Jinx is too big for Vi to completely hide her face away from the light of the world. Yet the light itself doesn't feel sinister and Jinx looks at it and us in wonder.

While the next poster is nearly completely opposite in mood. Instead of a deep bear hug where Vi's warm red tones in color attempt envelope Jinx in comfort, Jinx and the cool tones in her hair, nails, and even skin are caging Vi in place. There is no illusion of comfort, in fact there's not even an attempt, because we see Jinx's face, a harsh and almost knowing grimace at what she's doing.

Jinx is forcing Vi to see the world as she did when she was younger. But instead of the curiosity and wonder at the world in its light, Vi is horrified of it, of us. This light is bringing Vi to tears, and that's how we know instead of embrace it like Jinx did, Vi will thrash against it.

[thestarlightforge]

New rule.

I’m not gonna base what Marvel stuff I get into on if Young Avengers characters are involved anymore. Not without reviews at least. That way lies disaster.

Instead— It’s based on if Jac Schaeffer or her team are involved, from now on. Because WandaVision is probs in my top 5 all-time favorites. Captain Marvel 2 was lovely, I thought. (My heart for Carol to get to kiss Maria on screen, but alas, censorship—and not the writers’ or director’s faults.)

And Agatha All Along… Oh my HEART. AGATHA ALL ALONG 😭 I’M GONNA BE SICK /POS

[epicfroggz]

Isn't a little hypocrisy when people hate on Messmer for being a war criminal but stan the other war criminal and genocidal demigods like Malenia/Marika/Godfrey etc... like I got not vibing with certain characters but acting so self-righteous over the people who like these characters is ultra cringe.

Heya, thanks for the ask! (There’s another ask in my inbox that’s a little more heated than this one but thanks for that one too, please take this as the answer!)

In essence, yep, agreed. There is no purpose to this self-righteousness when we’re all having a civil discussion about very terrible people and events. The only reason Fromsoft would write a “strictly morally good” character is to put them in a tragic situation that breaks them—like Artorias, who despite his good intentions is still implicated in flooding the entire city of New Londo with everyone in it (I’ll get to my “Messmer is Fromsoft’s next evolution of Artorias” post eventually!). No, they’re not in the business of simple heroes and villains, they write characters that are hopelessly human in hopeless circumstances of their own making.

Let’s not get real life and fiction confused, alright? Wars are horrible things that end up being no good for anyone, and genocide is the worst thing of them all. It is the human tragedy, and the loss of humanity that is necessary to commit these acts, that makes telling and learning about war stories fascinating, at least to me. I have my own personal reasons for finding Messmer’s perspective more compelling, just as others have their own reasons for finding the Hornsent’s side more compelling, or that of another god/demigod, or so on. We are all humans with differing backgrounds and our interpretation of art does not come from a vacuum. Sharing these views with each other leads to a more holistic understanding of the narrative as a whole, I think.

So yeah, I won’t be ashamed to say that I think Messmer is a badass and fuck the Hornsent, in the same sentence that I say that both sides of the conflict are absolutely unforgivable and choose to perpetuate a cycle of violence and despair that has and will continue to destroy them both. It’s not a crime to be passionate about a fictional character in a (really fucking good) fictional narrative.

I think that is all I have to say on the matter. Now I’ll get back to enjoying Elden Ring lore as per usual. ^^

- Froggo

[rhymaes]

Black Sails // Mysterious Lotus Casebook // Anne Carson // Madeline Miller // Rebecca Makkai // Ryan O’Connel

[pastafossa]

Pasta you are an absolute menace…I just figured out where you got Jane Hind from.

The third labor of Heracles: capturing the Ceryneian hind aka a deer that was hunted by him for over a year

“I am definitely not a hound I am instead an animal of prey”

I am not worried you are going to use more events from the story later

(Im kind of embarrassed I didn’t pick it up sooner considering I’m a classics major)

FUCK YESSSSSSS!

Like, I adore Greek Mythology and the classics, and I grew up watching Xena, Hercules, and also hunting down every last Greek and Roman Mythology text my tiny hungry Pasta hands could reach, and so the Hind from the labors absolutely played into it. Her (false) name in my initial drafts and outline was originally just, 'Jane Doe', a placeholder I would swap out a different name for later. But I got used to Jane, and then went, '...wait a fucking SECOND, I know another word for Doe!' Jane Doe -> Jane Hind.

Hind = Doe.

And so her name is symbolic with multiple layers.

Jane Hind is a variation of Jane Doe, aka: no name known, an unidentified person. This was her intent as a joke when she chose it, without really thinking of anything deeper, and so it's absolutely one part pun, but also:

Jane Hind, a play on the Ceryneian Hind, and like you said: 'Definitely no predator here, only prey, *deer noises*' but also a 'Yeah I be runnin from shit and I am FAST and you're gonna have to work to catch me motherfuckers'. She is the trophy that her hunter is searching for, the prey he requires if he wishes to free himself, and at the moment, she is guarded and protected, watched over by the Devil God one who's deemed her sacred. The Evil AU Heracles will have to get around our stand-in Diana if he wants to carry this Hind away. We'll see if he's as successful in Hell's Kitchen as he was in the myth.

Additionally, a little bit of foreshadowing of the myths Ciro taught her (seen again with the story of the Calydonian boar).

I FUCKING LOVE THAT YOU SPOTTED THIS, DO NOT BE SORRY, I RARELY GET TO TALK ABOUT IT.

[brightest-star2]

amazing how many of the dsmp character's story arcs can be boiled down to:

"I have to keep my friends safe by any means necessary!"

engages in self destructive behaviour

[distortedmoondisc]

Do you ever think about the parallels between Rinne and Aira

Not only they have a shared interest in protecting Hiiro and ensuring his well-being/growth as a person, (and it's extra interesting given how Aira sort of dislikes Rinne for how he dealt with Hiiro in general—by leaving him alone at their hometown and disowning him in the summer of the MDM—, so even though they have the same interests and goals regarding Hiiro, they aren't exactly friends nor like each other — though this is mostly from Aira's part, because Rinne does like Aira and even acknowledges him as someone important to Hiiro that he must keep in his life), but Aira kinda is what Rinne used to be, before his dreams of becoming an idol we're crushed by the new rules of ES.

!! Main Story, Episode 171, "Revolution"

I've seen many people talk about how Rinne and Aira would get along because they're both idol otakus, but I believe that's a common misunderstanding of Rinne's character, because Rinne isn't an idol otaku (at least not anymore). He doesn't like the current idol system and the way Ensemble Square is running the industry. That's why he tried to change it by force in the !! Main Story by acting out. This is different from Aira, who loves the idols born from this system, and is a participant in the ES system that is going to hurt the industry in the long run (because ES is mass producing idols like a factory, stripping them from their own individuality and what makes idols especial in the first place — which is why Aira likes idols to begin with! Because they're different from ordinary people!)

!! Main Story, episode 220, "Despair"

Aira is aware that the idol industry isn't perfect, in episode 171 he even acknowledges that the mass production of idols similar to items of consumption made in a factory is wrong and it strips idols from their beauty and value, but he doesn't have the insight and first hand experience with heartbreak as Rinne had, so he doesn't have the motivation to protest or change the way ES is running the industry. They both love idols and dreamed of becoming one, but Rinne isn't an idol otaku, because he can't be a fan of idols mass produced by the current system.

What Rinne does instead, is support underground idols that would otherwise be trampled or forced to disappear by ES because they don't fit their sets of standards (and because ES has monopoly in the idol industry, they can easily do this without much repercussions or public outcry) and gives them his protection. This is explained throughout the course of the story of Night Club.

Nigh Club, Epilogue 2

Aira tries to impersonate an ideal idol persona, as the ones he watched when he was younger. He wants to embody a model idol and inspire others as idols inspired him in the past. Rinne used to be similar, but ES arbitrarily destroyed his solo career making him lose that dream, and that's why he embodies the wild and rebellious persona he portrays on stage, which is a complete opposite to how a traditional idol should act (and this is a constant point of conflict between him and other idols, such as Himeru; Himeru tends to scold Rinne for being so wild and doing whatever he wants because it goes against what is expected of an idol, but in Night Club he comes to understand that this is Rinne's soft way to protest against ES, despite having lost to them in the first part of the !! Main Story).

(Sometimes, I wonder if Rinne is happy being the wild and playful self he is with Crazy:B, or if he would prefer to be on stage as an ideal idol like he used to do years ago....)

However, despite their differences and the dislike/intimidation Aira might feel towards Rinne, he admits he understands his feelings and where he comes from, and that he can't help but to relate to him due to the fact that they both love idols. Aira scolds Rinne in episode 220 "Despair" to make him stop his pity party, but later in episode 224 "Flutter" he comforts and encourages him instead—telling him that he should not give up being an idol, because he recognizes that Rinne loves idols as much as he does, and that he still has a reason to live because he has fans of himself and of Crazy:B waiting for him among the crowd, meaning that he is still loved and accepted by someone, despite all the wreckage he had caused.

(And if I'm allowed to get personal for a moment, I just need to make emphasis in how important Aira is to the development of the Amagi brothers in the last arc of the !! main story, and this scene is a perfect example of that. Aira is the one who encourages Rinne to join the others on stage and sing, and after that it is Hiiro that pushes Rinne to give that step which finally leads them to perform on stage together 🥹)

So as we can see, Rinne and Aira have a lot of similarities, but they act in completely different ways due to their circumstances. They have similar backgrounds as idol lovers but they have different views and feelings about the industry and the profession, (however, they seem to share the same ideals as to what an idol should be, and love the same type of ideal idol inside their hearts). Adding to that their shared most beloved person, Hiiro, and how the two of them want what's best for him but they have a point of contention due to Rinne's bad actions in the !! Main Story, and their relationship becomes x10 more interesting, and I wish we talked about it more!

And we know Happyele hasn't forgotten about them, because Aira appeared in Rinne's recent relationship chart, just below Hiiro.

(also, a little unrelated, bu i think it's funny that despite having a heart to heart at the ending of the main story, their relationship is still "want to tease him" and "he's a little scary" ahdks Aira, who scolded Rinne in front of hundreds of people in the MDM, regressed to feeling intimidated and troubled by him. A couple of friends commented that it was probably because Aira had a burst of courage in the MDM because of the severity of the situation, so he had the determination to call out Rinne, a senior that he particularly feels intimidated by, publicly without second thought. It is canon that after the fact, Aira admitted that looking back on the MDM he felt embarrassed for doing such a bold thing. Idk, it's just something i find very interesting and fun about their dynamic www)

So this leads me to believe that they haven't forgotten about the history these two had in the main story, and all I can do is just wait for them to expand on their relationship and dynamic more eventually in some future event.

[patchworkspringlocks]

The Mimic is genuinely such an interesting fnaf antagonist to me bc it’s a learning, thinking, autonomous being in a way that most of the other animatronic adversaries aren’t with it being entirely devoid of any remains of a human soul, its existence dictated by an algorithm and simple instructing program which it proceeds to carry out with horrifyingly deadly precision, nothing more than a rogue antique endo-turned-murderbot responsible for multiple bloody gore-fests in the tales from the pizzaplex stories and epilogues and yet, AND YET. it’s simultaneously the child it learned it’s mannerisms and ideas that originally shaped its view of the world from, given “life” not by another’s soul but simply the anguish of a father’s grief over the loss of that same child that it doesn’t understand, now learning and adapting as per its programming to the anger and pain and fear it sees in everyone that so much as looks at it, the same hands and arms that used to gently hold a homemade stuffed tiger it now uses to break and rend and maim, and in a way its (later) brutalizing murder-sprees can be seen as little more than an innocent, literal, almost childlike interpretation of its instructions. it is lifeless and robotic and emotionless and capable of learning and emulating and born from pain and loss and anger and adapted to fear and suffering and it is absolutely everything to me

[vaguely-concerned]

first of all rye 'hello fellow kids' ingellvar there is nothing in this world or any other I wouldn't do for you. second of all, considering where this story ends... I'm going to die. this conversation -- and how much he genuinely believes what he's saying at this point -- held up against the fact that in a couple of months max he's going to get her killed (well. that's how he feels anyway) and then go against everything she believed in and stood for as a person in the end and have to live forever with knowing that's how he honoured her sacrifice. (and live with how easy it is to live with, the way he doesn't regret what he did at all. she'll haunt him from time to time, that's fine, he's a watcher he's loved many a ghost before and will again. but that won't.) 'no one is beyond help? oh lace I'm so so sorry, wherever you are now please forgive me for who I am, but after what he pulled and by the time I'm done with him on my watcher's oath he will be beyond help. I'll hold every hand in this world that reaches back but his'. and she'll still be gone.

'or none of this matters'. im so fucking sad I feel sick *through tears* this is great I love fiction I love this game (embarrassingly genuine as is my wont)

[silkpages]

if i had a nickel for each otp i have that's destined not to be together because ultimately their stories are not about a happy romance but rather of coming-of-age/maturity and deep mutual affection that can't be destroyed even by the bittersweetness of the narrative and the recognition of the barriers that stop them from being together, then i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[dontstandmedown]

i need the improv comedians who are playing dungeons and dragons in my laptop to stop making me cry/stay up until 3:45 am

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

I want there to be an animated batman series that focuses on jaybin so bad. I just want it to start like bam this is batman you know him. Here's his second child he just picked up. Now let's watch them go on adventures together

[meitanteisachi]

watching ATLA live action and i am reliving my zuko loving, zutara shipping era

[bookshelf-in-progress]

I've had an odd nostalgia for the Once Upon a Time series of mediocre short-novel-length fairy tale retellings. I've been wanting to read the retelling of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" from that line.

The trouble is that there is no such book.

Which makes me want to write it.

Unfortunately, the only straightforward traditional retelling of that fairy tale I want to write doesn't fit with that style.

But thinking about it got me excited about that old idea all over again.