#happy 4th have some lore

[theramblingsofadork]

⚙️ The History of Aethos (A Summary) by J.P. Higgenbottom

“—Aethos is often called the ‘City of Innovation and Unity’. It resides on the coastline, and is often brought up in conversation along with it’s much larger cousin, Spagonia.

Unlike Spagonia though, Aethos is much less populated. This is due to the geography of the surrounding area, and the nature conscious morals of the townsfolk.”

“The town is quite rich in history, having been built around a giant energy core that was discovered sleeping deep within the ground by my grandfather.

Said CORE powers the whole of the city, and naturally creates an atmosphere and environment that draws in an abundance of life and flora. As such, co-existence with the surrounding nature has been strictly maintained, and the CORE is carefully protected to ensure it’s energy doesn’t fluctuate out of control.

It’s power as well means that Aethos one of the few cities to be completely run by clean energy, and not be reliant on the mainland’s power grid.”

“With it’s beautiful coastlines and thick forest-filled hills, this thriving city is home to the esteemed Atmos Corporation*, and draws in inventors and tourists alike who wish to experience the city’s harmonic and innovative atmosphere; as well as partake in it’s great fishing, food, and festivities.”

(🌟*This is the company that’s running the competition Starline and the others take part in)

“The town of Aethos itself is centered inland and along the shore, while the facilities of the Atmos Corporation reside further up in the hills, protected by a single road highway and woodland trees.

Pop-up merchants selling their wares and restaurants have become abundant in the square, and there’s even a library and museum where you can learn about famous figures throughout Aethos’s history, as well as the power system and other advancements made under the Aethos banner.”

🌟 The CORE

💠 The CORE is an artifact of great power—much like the Master Emerald though much more mysterious—that was discovered by an explorer by the name of Bennetide Atmos Higgenbottom.

“My grandfather was called a crock throughout most of his career for believing the CORE and other wild folklore existed. But, he was the stubborn sort— all that negativity going in one ear and out the other.

Through a series of unexpected events, he managed to locate the sleeping CORE deep in the wilds of what would eventually become our great city. Feeling full of wonder seeing that giant artifact, he was spurred to protect it, lest it fall into the wrong hands and cause monumental damage.

When word of it’s existence got out, both Humans and Mobians fought over control of the land, not trusting the other with all that power as tensions between the two races was at an all time high.

To rectify this, a council of representatives was established, made up of 8 seats to be held by both Mobians and Humans alike to ensure both sides would have an equal say in it’s use and power. Their screening process for members to join the board to this day is quite extensive, set up to help ensure the CORE can never be used for evil intentions by either race.

They began to carefully explore and harness it’s power for the betterment of the world, and within a short amount of time, Aethos was born.

Nowadays, Aethos and the Atmos Corporation are well known. The latter is a trusted innovator of the technological industry, with their underlying goal being to help protect the planet and it’s people from outside threats, such as Eggman and extraterrestrials, as well as from the destruction razed into the land by rampant deities.”

Truly, so long as the intentions of the council stay noble, Aethos will continue to flourish for a long time.”

-end excerpt

—————

Author’s Note: Exciting!! I finally get to share a bit more about my beloved fan city, and give a background to the competition and the corporation running it! Why it’s such a big deal, and why Starline would take interest, as well as some potential hazards that could come as a result of such an event.

💠 The Atmos Initiative

❓— So, what is this competition that Starline and the others are partaking in anyways? Well, it’s called the Atmos Initiative Competition. It comes about when the council realizes they have need to seek out more brilliant minds to help them innovate new methods of protecting and restoring the planet, as hostile attacks are becoming wider spread and more commonplace.

The winning team will be allowed a victory speech and be granted the ability to become future innovators for the company. Such a title is held in high regard, and is the dream of many inventors, chemists, and more.

(Including one certain shadowy doctor.)

—

Aethos and it’s region was largely inspired by these two Thomas Kinkade paintings, as well as my personal love for seaside towns in Italy and mountain towns.

I wanted Starline and the others to have a nice place where they could relax and enjoy food and nice views on their off days. But I wasn’t keen on them having to travel far away from the competition grounds to do so, especially since early on Starline likely wouldn’t use the warp topaz for something as trivial as a group restaurant trip. (Although I do imagine he certainly uses it to visit Spagonia in his own time.)

Thus said, Aethos was born! I can’t wait to flesh it out more and have the group explore the town throughout their time together. :)

[sweetvalentinescandy]

struggled a lot with tweeks pose unfortunately. love how kenny turned out!! if only it was their week but its NOT!!!

[project-sekai-facts]

What's the deal with SEKAI?

Due to popular demand, here is a post compiling everything that we know about SEKAI lore, accurate as of At the Beginning of SEKAI With You. Happy 4th anniversary!

First off, what is a SEKAI? As stated multiple times in the game, SEKAI are worlds inhabited by Virtual Singers that are created by particularly strong feelings. These feelings can be those of a singular person (e.g: Tsukasa or Mafuyu), or ones shared by many (like the other three units). The only thing that determines whether or not a SEKAI is created is how powerful those feelings are. Additionally, even if they didn't create the SEKAI, other people with similar feelings can in special instances access and influence the SEKAI (refer to WonderlandsxShowtime or 25-ji, Nightcord de.).

SEKAI can be accessed through an untitled audio file that will appear on the owner's or accessor's computer or phone. Once the person has discovered their true feelings that the SEKAI is linked to, the untitled file will become a song. More songs can be created by the SEKAI as new feelings are uncovered, as demonstrated in event After Lives. The main stories also show that the singers will know the lyrics to the song even if they have never heard it before nor know what the lyrics should be before singing.

Despite what some believe that the SEKAI are inside the phone/computer of the accessor, it is shown on multiple instances that the characters retain their phones inside the SEKAI and can still use them, suggesting teleportation. We can also take Rui's observations from the main story into account here, that the SEKAI is a physical location rather than a virtual world. It's all but confirmed that SEKAI exist on a separate dimensional plane. That said, the phone/computer is the key to remaining in the SEKAI. Should the device run out of power, the connection to the SEKAI is severed and the person will be returned to Earth. The other way to exit SEKAI is to manually pause the Untitled song.

(TL by Puroeng on YT)

At the Beginning of SEKAI With You goes in depth on how SEKAI are formed and how they develop. SEKAI are initially formed as a Fragment of Feelings when a person or group of people exhibit a strong, unyielding desire. School SEKAI was formed when Leo/need saw the meteor shower as children and wished to stay together forever (roughly 6-7 years ago), Wonderland SEKAI formed when Tsukasa was a kid and wanted to make Saki smile (roughly 10 years ago), and Empty SEKAI was formed when Mafuyu started to lose sight of herself and wanted to find her true self again (roughly 3 years ago).

Stage and Street SEKAI aren't entirely clear. Stage SEKAI's Fragment was shown to form when Haruka, Airi, and Shizuku initially debuted as idols. However, all of them debuted at wildly different points in time. Haruka debuted earliest, so we can assume the Fragment formed then (an unknown amount of time ago). Street SEKAI's Fragment is actually never shown forming, so the trigger is unknown. All we know is that it formed during or just after RAD WEEKEND, 3 years ago.

SEKAI grow and change over time. This was first mentioned in Miku's Vivid BAD SQUAD 2* story and was since repeatedly mentioned in Colorful Festival card stories. When a SEKAI is in it's Fragment stage, it sometimes may be able to hold a physical form for a short amount of time. This physical form can be accessed through a glowing orb of light (as shown in the gacha animation) and has to be accessed inside of a fully formed SEKAI. Some Fragments are only temporary and will never become a full SEKAI, something that is alluded to in a few ColoFes stories as well.

If the feelings that formed the Fragment continue to stay incredibly strong, they can manifest into a fully-fledged SEKAI. Again, At the Beginning of SEKAI With You goes into more depth about this. For School SEKAI, it formed when the girls were separated from each other in middle school (~2-4 years ago), Stage SEKAI formed when Minori was attending one of her auditions, which was around the same time as when Haruka, Airi, and Shizuku began to feel dissatisfied with their careers (roughly just over 1 year ago), and Empty SEKAI formed around the time of the Someday, From the Depths of Despair event.

Wonderland SEKAI notably became fully formed incredibly quickly, when Tsuaksa was still a child (hence the presentation of the SEKAI and the fact that he doesn't even remember the feelings that created it when he first discovers it). It is unknown when Street SEKAI fully formed, but it seems to have been almost instantaneous, with the newly formed SEKAI being shown in scenes set not too long after RW. The vagueness could mean that it's possible that this will be elaborated on later.

(TL by Puroeng on YT)

It's not quite clear as to whether you can always access a SEKAI as soon as it has a physical form. In the main stories, the characters first discover Untitled on their phones when it flashes in response to them experiencing the feelings that led to the SEKAI's creation (e.g: Ichika wanting to mend her friendship with her childhood friends). The characters have no prior knowledge of Untitled being on their phones or computers at this point. Beginning of SEKAI somewhat contradicts this, by having Miku and KAITO constantly trying to reach out to Tsukasa and have him find untitled throughout the past 10 years. However, you could possibly say that the file wasn't there until he was 17 to justify why he didn't find SEKAI and respond to Miku and KAITO earlier.

SEKAI also continue to grow even after they obtain a permanent physical form, something which was first hinted at in Miku's Vivid BAD SQUAD 2* story, and later became the focus of the World Link events. As the feelings that created them continue to grow and change, the SEKAI continues to grow with them. It should also be noted that SEKAI, according to Miku's Protective Gaze 3* story, will never disappear, even if the creator were to forget about it.

The final thing to cover here is the Tree of Feelings SEKAI. Last year I wrote a post speculating on some of the lore surrounding this SEKAI, most of which was confirmed to be correct as of Beginning of SEKAI. That post covers this final part in mroe detail, so read that if you're interested. The Tree of Feelings SEKAI is a mysterious Fragment SEKAI that so far has appeared in Miku's Where Feelings Come Together 4* story, and the events Sakura Across SEKAI, Interconnecting Our Feelings and Let Your Song Resonate Throughout SEKAI. The Fragment briefly obtains a physical form whenever the inhabitants (human or Virtual Singer) of all 5 main SEKAI are experiencing a shared feeling.

As mentioned by MEIKO in Sakura Across SEKAI, the Tree SEKAI appears to be some sort of Nexus between the 5 we follow in the story. This is later confirmed to be the case in Beginning of SEKAI, with the same tree appearing in all 5 SEKAI, occasionally transmitting music from the other SEKAI it is connected to. Stage SEKAI MEIKO also mentions in the Sakura Across SEKAI story that this has never happened before.

While animated by an outsider source, so not entirely reliable, the NEO MV suggests that the Tree SEKAI is beginning to take on a permanent physical form with its own Untitled song. The Untitled song in this case is, of course, NEO.

Part two: What are the Virtual Singers? The Virtual Singers in each SEKAI are stated in chapter 10 of the WonderlandsxShowtime main story to have physical bodies. While we don't really know anything about their biological make up, they're at the very least, humanoid and sentient instead of being holograms, though they can present themselves on Earth in that form through any device that can display holograms (or on computer screens as seen in a few 25-ji, Nightcord de. stories and cards). While implied in Miku's Protective Gaze 3*, it is confirmed by Beginning of SEKAI that the Virtual Singers are immortal and don't physically age.

Versions of the Crypton VOCALOID characters that resemble their real-life character designs exist "between the SEKAI", which appears in-game to be some sort of white space, however the I'm Mine another cuts may be set in this location. While very early stories don't make it entirely clear, it is officially confirmed as of Sakura Across SEKAI that the Virtual Singers in each SEKAI are completely individual entities, rather than the primary Virtual Singers travelling between SEKAI and changing their form.

The versions of the Virtual Singers in each SEKAI are aware that they are derivatives of their primary form (mentioned in both Virtual Singer events). The derivatives are influenced by the owner(s) of the SEKAI, taking certain aspects of their psyche and abilities. It should also be noted that not all SEKAI start with all six of the Virtual Singers. This is heavily implied to be the case with Street SEKAI and Stage SEKAI, but it not the case with the School, Wonderland, or Empty SEKAI. School SEKAI started with just Miku and Luka, with the other 4 arriving during event stories. Wonderland SEKAI started with Miku and KAITO, though the Kagamines arrived immediately following the main story, shortly followed by MEIKO and Luka. Empty SEKAI started with only Miku, with the other 5 vsingers appearing in response to changes in Mafuyu and the others' mental states.

It is explicitly stated in Len's Vivid BAD SQUAD 2* card story that the Virtual Singers possess supernatural or magical abilities, and are actually incredibly similar to humans, although they have the innate ability to help people discover their true feelings. Despite this claim, Wonderland SEKAI MEIKO is shown to have superhuman strength, Wonderland SEKAI Luka's sleep schedule is controlled by Tsukasa and the others' emotions, and Wonderland SEKAI Miku is ambiguously a cat-humaoid hybrid. Not to mention the sentient plushies, and singing flowers and actual Phoenix. However, these can be somewhat justified given that the Wonderland SEKAI was largely influenced by the imagination of a 7-year-old child. It was also Street SEKAI Len that made this claim, and that is by far the most grounded in reality of all 5 SEKAI.

Now the final part, building off what Len said about SEKAI not being magical or supernatural. The only justifiable explanation is that they are alternate dimensions, as I mentioned briefly earlier on, where these sorts of inexplicable "magical" things are natural occurences.

So what are some of the physical capabilities of the SEKAI? Let's start with one that applies to all five, the innate abilities to create clothes out of thin air. The unit outfits for Leo/need, MORE MORE JUMP!, and 25-ji, Nightcord de. were all created by the SEKAI, which is mentioned in Honami's Unchanging Flavor 3* card story. The same card story also confirms that these costumes cannot be taken out of the SEKAI. Both Journey to Bloom -HOPE- and a 3rd Colorful Live 4koma illustrate how the costumes form. The 4koma shows it to be instantaneous, much like it is shown in vlives, so it's likely that Journey to Bloom animates the effect to be more visually appealing.

A notable new one is the ability to physically alter a person's appearance. This seems exclusive to the new Fragment SEKAI seen in Kanade and Rui's Bloom Festival 4* card stories, but given that they're technically still SEKAI, this may apply to regular SEKAI as well. In the aforementioned card stories, Kanade and Rui both turn into their younger selves temporarily. Also shown in those two stories and in Airi's To You Who Wants to be An Idol 4* story, the SEKAI (or Fragement SEKAI specifically again) have the ability to temporarily manifest a person's younger self, or separate versions of their present day self. It's shown that this is not a vision but a physical form, although they are clearly presented to have a separate consciousness to the true version of the person. The same can be inferred for the woman who appears in Haruka's Someday, I'll Deliver 4* card story, and Nagi's appearance in BREAK DOWN THE WALL.

A few SEKAI also deviate from Earth's rules of physics, notably, School SEKAI and Wonderland SEKAI. Wonderland SEKAI is incredibly obvious in its deviations, but School SEKAI recently acquired a flying train.

SEKAI also seems to prevent its inhabitants from dying or getting hurt. While falling from the flying train is treated as a danger in the Wonderland SEKAI Virtual Singer main story, Tsukasa falls from a height in Aye-Aye, Let's Aim for the Star that should have killed him, even with safety mats laid out. Wonderland SEKAI KAITO may or may not have been stabbed in the past too, though he is immortal anyway.

SEKAI can also give people amnesia, as shown in Akito's Wanderer's Thirst 4* card story. Additionally, whenever the unit representatives are summonned to sing together in Virtual Lives, or when they visit the Tree of Feelings SEKAI, their memories are wiped afterwards. However, unlike Akito's case, it's Miku herself who erases the unit reps' memories.

Lastly, the audiences in Virtual Lives. Obviously, no one inhabits the SEKAI other than the owner(s) and the Virtual Singers, so who makes up the audience. As explained in the First Star After the Rain After Live, these are Sparks of Feelings. Small sparkling lights (suggested in multiple Virtual Lives to be the small triangles seen floating around in the SEKAI) that respond to the songs heard in SEKAI. These are stated to be the feelings of other people (the player character) that resonate with the music and feelings of the performers.

And thus concludes this recap of all the SEKAI lore we know so far. Hope you enjoyed!

[urinarythreatinfection]

YOO what up!! You should def do some luffy x reader stuff. Safe for work plz I’d love angst or just some good hcs. I always wondering how he’d react when you like argue with him and you like flinch or back down and how it’d play out.

Thx pookie

Sorry for taking a bit, it's the weekday and I have school (I also stayed up watching videos on bloodborne lore on sunday). Anyway as apology I'll let you choose how this goes. Option'll be at the end.

Kindness Isn't Spineless.

Luffy x gn!reader angst. 1,088 words. Part 1.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

“Again…” You look inside the fridge and sigh, the leftovers you had got eaten again. You know exactly who it was . This had been happening for a while now, the first time it happened you told yourself it was okay, the second you said it was okay again, the third you finally talked to Luffy to ask him to stop, this is now the 4th time. You don’t even know why you bother at this point. Closing the door to the fridge you leave the kitchen and see Luffy fishing with Usopp, seeing them talking happily makes you feel worse; like you’re the dumb one getting upset over some missing food while he’s unaffected. “Dammit…” You end up just leaving to go to your room, not wanting to sour their mood with your own unhappiness. After shutting the door behind you, you flop onto the bed and sigh. You keep telling yourself the same things you have before, it’s just food, Luffy is more important than some leftovers, no need to get upset over something so small… but it’s not making you feel any better. Not when something so simple as continuing to eat your leftovers shows so little respect. “Maybe.. Maybe I should try telling him again, maybe he’ll listen this time.” You mumble to yourself and get up, walking out of your room and going back to where Luffy and Usopp were fishing. “Luffy?”

“Mm?” He hums.

“Can we talk for a bit in my room?” You ask him and he’s silent for a moment before turning his head to look at you.

“Can you wait? I’m fishing right now.” Is his response, your heart sinks and you consider saying yes, but decide to steel your heart and refuse.

“No, the fish aren’t going to disappear. You can continue fishing after we’re done.” You manage to muster out. He sighs and gets up, following you to your room. Once you’re inside, closing the door, you confront him. “You ate my leftovers again.”

“Oh, yeah I did. Oops.” He says, way too casually for him to care.

“Luffy I told you it wasn’t nice to do that, I don’t want you eating my leftovers. Sanji already makes you a lot of food and those leftovers were ones I got from the last island we went to. I was really looking forward to them since it was a specialty there.” You explain.

“Yeah, they were really good.” He responds, and you frown. Luffy’s acting so uncaring about all of this, he isn’t even being stupidly happy about it. Usually when he’s caught eating something that wasn’t his he fights about it, trying to weasel his way out of getting scolded; but this is just straight up rude.

“Luffy…?” You call his name, not believing what you’re hearing.

“Yeah?” The captain yawns. “Can I go now?”

“Luffy, what's wrong with you? You’re acting weird.” This is stressing you out.

“You’re the one acting weird, it’s just food. You can just get something else, maybe ask Sanji to make you something.” His words make you scowl slightly, you’re trying to stay calm but he’s being so disrespectful it hurts. It hurts and it’s making you angry.

“Why are you being so rude, did I do something?”

“Hmm…” Luffy puts a hand to his chin. “Well I mean it doesn’t matter anyway.” You tilt your head in confusion. “Cuz you’re just gonna forgive me, even if I keep doing it. So there’s no point in being all sorry about it, yeah?” You stare at Luffy in shock, he can be selfish at times sure but not like this; and not to a crewmate, this isn’t mentioning that you too are lovers as well.

“Luffy you’re being really mean, don’t say that.” You say, your eyebrows furrowing into a pained expression. “You’re hurting me.” Black eyes look away, not even bothering to meet your gaze. “Look at me, Luf, don’t just look away. Please?” He doesn’t respond. “Luffy! Please don’t do this to me. I’m sorry for getting mad at you, don't just ignore me like this…”

“You’re so spineless.” He finally responds with a frown and your heart sinks. “I don’t like it, you’re not even trying. It’s kinda um…” Luffy looks for a word in his head before it pops into his mind. “You’re really pathetic!” A smile forms on his face.

“Luffy!” You yell

“It’s true though. I liked you because you never backed down for what you believed in, but now that we’re dating you don’t even do anything to me. It’s annoying seeing you so much of a coward where you back down at any argument with me. I don’t like it.” Once he’s done there’s silence for a bit, Luffy’s about to try and continue when you stop him.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” You apologize and he perks up, but you don’t end it there. “I should’ve known, you don’t like cowards or crybabies. I don’t blame you, so we don’t have to be together anymore.”

“Wait, you-” He’s interrupted.

“No Luffy, I get it. You’ve made it clear enough that you don’t like me.” You talk as you start to move him out of your room. He tries to reach for you when you go to shut the door on him but you flinch away like he’s lashing out. It shocks him to freeze, giving you the chance to shut the door and lock it.

The captain stares at the door, spaced out before he snaps out of it. ‘...I think I messed up.’ Luffy thinks to himself and knocks on the door, but you don’t answer. He continues this for a while and considers breaking the door down but the image of you flinching away from him like he’d do something as horrible as hitting you is shaking his resolve. ‘I don’t want to see them do that again.’ He frowns, unhappy. His plan was to make you mad enough that you would gain confidence and grow a spine, but this went wrong. He made a mistake, or maybe this is really just you? Luffy doesn’t know, he hasn’t been in a relationship before, but he wants to know; and he wants you to tell him. You did so well when you didn’t back down and told him to follow you to talk, even when he was fishing. He was so relieved he even sighed, but now it’s all messed up and he’s stuck outside this door wondering if breaking it down will make things worse.

_____

The options are if he breaks down the door or not and whether you want this to have a happy or bittersweet ending (asker only). You dont have to say if you dont want tonyou can also just tell me to continue if you dont want the choice.

[azirafeast]

I am SO EXCITED for the 4th Annual #Azirafeast, The Feast Day of the Angel Aziraphale, an inclusive fandom event! It’s celebrated November 19th and is a made-up holiday that brings the community together, regardless of how a person participates in fandom.

On November 19th, everyone is welcome to celebrate the Feast Day of Aziraphale by drinking cocoa and wine, eating good food, reading, being stylish on their own terms, enjoying the company of friends and embracing the spirit of Aziraphale! Please share your pics on socials with #Azirafeast!

Creators are encouraged to show Aziraphale indulging in what makes him happy or why you love him (canon or fanon!) Create “Lore” for why Aziraphale has a feast day! What miracles throughout history has he performed? Creations can be dramatic, serious, sexy or silly!

All forms of creation are welcome: Draw, write, sing, act, sew, bake, cosplay or anything else! However YOU want to appreciate our favorite angel. All variations, versions and representations of Aziraphale are welcome on the feast of Aziraphale.

Anything tagged #Azirafeast or I will reblog, the same for Instagram and Twitter. I’ve had a permanent highlight on my Instagram for the last 3 years, and maintained this tumblr. Check out what others have made for previous years!

There is also an AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Azirafeast

Anything added to it I will promote on my socials for #azirafeast.

I know I don’t have the biggest following, but the idea is that on the feast of Aziraphale even fans who don’t have a large social media presence will still be seen, still have their experiences noticed, and will feel part of a community that cares.

Folk can get stressed about creating by a “due date.” I encourage folk to post early if they want, and to keep posting after Nov 19 if they miss the day or don’t finish in time. Aziraphale procrastinated on preventing the apocalypse, you’re just embracing that energy!

And remember, you don’t have to “make” anything to participate. Eating cake and lying to your boss is a great way to celebrate! Confuse some customers, watch a nature documentary, get drunk, be kind to someone (Muriel) who is new but trying their best!

Just make sure to tag your contributions with either #azirafeast so we can celebrate with you! Please feel welcome to take my words and reshare anyway that you like, and make your own posts to generate awareness! Please do share in any fandom communities you’re a part of, or feel free to try to convince people IRL this is totally a real holiday.

I do not run, own, control or anything of the sort in regards to #azirafeast. The idea came from Cliopadra and a private discord server, and the brilliant folk there picked the date and ran with it. I encourage folk to participate because I think it’s a lovely idea! It is NOT “mine.”

[call-me-strega]

How to Become a Step-Dad in 5 Easy Steps: ch.3/5 of p.2

First, prev, next, lore, ao3

OK SO- I’ve been working on this for months and I was actually supposed to have it done like a month ago but my parents took me on the last minute vacation to another country to visit family and I didn’t have access to my laptop most of the time. But it’s okay bc the timing worked out! I wrote most of this on my phone actually and I’m posting it from there too so I hope the formatting isn’t weird. Our flight back is tonight and we’re in a different time zone so I really hope this is going up at the correct time. Anyways I tried to make this chapter longer so I hope it’s worth it. Thanks for sticking around to read this and I’ll let you start now.

-Strega p.s Happy 4th of July!

~~~

Chapter description:

Danny and Jason comfort each other after a rough night, Jason teams up with Duke to stop a villain, and Jason spends the 4th of July with the Nightingales.

~~~

Everything was hot. Someone was laughing. Someone was crying. It's all too loud but he can't hear a thing. It was so hot. He could taste the bitterness in the air. His face ached. It's too much. All the textures overwhelm him but he can’t feel a thing. It was too hot. All he can see is rows of black upon gray, but he can't really see anything at all. He couldn’t- he couldn’t breathe. His forehead was wet and sticky. Why was it wet and sticky? Why was it so goddamn hot?!

With a desperate gasp for air, Jason launched up into a sitting position on his bed. He supported his body with one hand and the other pushing back his white, sweat-soaked fringes out of his eyes. He sat there for a few moments, just panting, trying to regain some semblance of control over his breathing. He felt a warm sweat drip down his face and back. It made his skin crawl.

He looked around his dark room and then down at his messy sheets for a moment, before pulling off the blanket and flinging himself off the bed. He couldn't stand the idea of staying there a minute longer. Not right now.

He stalked out of his bedroom and into his living area. He didn't want to stay inside. The thought of being in an enclosed space right now gave him the hives, no matter how spacious the apartment might be. Even if it's bigger than a coffin. Even if it's smaller than a warehouse. He can't see the sky. He's closed in.

Instead, he pushes open his window and pulls himself out onto the fire escape. It's not particularly open, facing into an alley, but it offers privacy and is heaps better than being inside. He slumps down against the brick wall of the building, feet planted and knees bent. He looks up and takes a breath trying to calm himself. Even with all the smog and Gotham's perpetual cloud cover, Jason is grateful to see the sky. He half-wished it was a clear night so he could see the stars. The other half didn't. It didn't think he could handle seeing the stars peeking out through the smog. It would look too much like a night sky tainted with smoke and bad memories.

His mouth felt dry as he clenched and stretched his hands. He almost wished for a cigarette or a joint, (no he didn't, he didn't want to see the smoke, to feel the heat of the slow burn) but the thought made his lungs constrict and he felt bile rise in his throat. Instead, he alternated between closing his eyes and taking several deep breaths, and gazing at the lights and laundry lines. Even in the sticky city heat of a Gotham summer Jason shuddered from the cool night air.

Suddenly, he heard metal creaking and his eyes snapped open. His head jerked to the side where the sound had come from. A few feet away, on the adjacent fire escape, stood a figure slumped over the rail. They must have also sensed his presence because they turned to meet Jason's gaze.

Before him stood a haggard Danny Nightingale with dark circles under his eyes and a head of bed hair. He wore an old worn-out shirt for a band called Dumpty Humpty, and a pair of basketball shorts that came down to his knees. Faintly, Jason could make out a faded scar on his calf. (Not that Jason had been staring at his legs or anything!) Jason soon became aware of Danny's own eyes assessing him as well. He felt his face heat up and was grateful that he slept in sweats and a white tank tonight.

And the two of them stayed there for a while, on their fire escapes. Two souls in the haunted hours before morning, looking worse for wear, just staring at each other as the world continued on around them.

Then, Danny weakly gave Jason a wry grin and in a rough voice he said,

" Hey, neighbor."

" Hey," Jason replied hoarsely, with a small grin forming on his face. "Funny running into you here, huh?"

There was a brief pause where the two continued to stare at each other, suppressing the quickly growing urge to laugh.

Danny broke first.

" Pffffffft, you dork!"

The two of them burst out laughing and the atmosphere grew lighter. The ever-present smog and darkness seemed to lift and the shadows haunting them seemed to fade.

Danny bubbled up with giggles that rang in Jason’s ear like a familiar song coming on on the radio. Jason looked at him softly in quiet wonderment. Well, I guess that’s where Ellie got her laugh from.

Jason heaved himself off the ground and walked over to the railing closest to Danny, who was just coming down from his high. He leaned over, one arm on the railing and the other coming up to support his jaw. He gave Danny a tired smile.

“Hey,” he said once more.

“Hey yourself,” came Danny’s soft reply.

Then the two, now standing closer, took a moment to examine each other once more. Danny took note of Jason’s sweat and unsteadiness. Jason could now see that Danny’s hands shook lightly and were covered in faded, barely-there scars. They met each other’s eyes and both just felt like the other understood.

Tonight hadn’t been a good night for either of them. But they didn’t need to talk about it right now. No, for now the two could just bask in each others presence The air filling with a certain solidarity and what felt like a near-tangible sense of mutual comfort.

Jason turned away first, observing the way light and shadow danced across alley walls and how the clothes on clotheslines fluttered in the night breeze. Danny followed his gaze in suit, trying to identify what Jason saw out in the city.

“ Ya know for being such a hell-hole Gotham really does have a subtle beauty to it.”

Jason turned to look a Danny with mock offense.

“Hey! Gotham may be a hell-hole but it’s our hell-hole! Just ask any true Gothamite, the city has a way sinking itself into ya.”

Danny looked almost amused by this statement, but nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, I think I kinda get it. It really sucked back home, but it was still home, ya know? And I agree, Gotham does have her ways of making you feel like she’s a part of you. We’ve only been here bout a month or so but I already feel like Ell and I are well on our way to become city slickers through and through.”

Jason chuckled, shaking his head and bringing his arm down to stand up straight. He decide to pursue the opening Danny had left.

“Speaking of Ell, she the reason your up so late?”

“Naw,” Danny’s smile grew a bit strained. “My little spitfire may have a lotta energy but the girl sleeps like the dead.” He grew a more subdued, looking down at his hands.

“Nah, this was something else.”

“Nightmare?” He probed gently.

Danny nodded.

Taking a breath, Jason said “Me too,” in a show of vulnerability that he found came surprisingly easy. Danny glanced at him sympathetically.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Kinda, but at the same time not really?”

Danny nodded as if he understood perfectly. Once more a comfortable silence overtook they began to shift closer. Even with the space between their fire escapes they felt impossibly close.

Danny interrupted the quiet with a light chuckle and Jason returned him a questioning glance. Danny shook his head,

“ Nothing I just think it’s kinda ironic we both came out to our fire escapes to escape our bad dreams.” He paused as his face clouded with confusion. “ Or at least I think it’s irony? Would you call it irony?”

“I think it might actually be symbolism but fuck if I know. I don’t have the mental capacity to figure which literary devices apply to our situation right now but remind me to come back to it later.”

Danny hummed in amusement before taking a deep breath.

“ I think I wanna talk about it.”

“Hmm?” Jason raised an eyebrow

“ I think I wanna talk about my dream.”

In a split second Jason makes a impulsive decision.

“Hold on,” he says, before climbing over the railing and extending his foot over to reach Danny’s fire escape.

“ What are you doing, ya maniac?!” Danny asked incredulously at Jason’s actions.

Jason stepped over onto the fire escape and shrugged as he walked over to Danny, “This felt like something I should be close for.”

The startled man seemed to loosen up and sunk to sit on the platform with his back to the railing. Jason joined him on the floor. They sat shoulder to shoulder, Danny staring at his trembling hand, and Jason, staring at him. Jason hand crept towards Danny’s, gentle taking it and interlacing the fingers.

Danny’s head swiveled to look at him and Jason returned him a gentle look and a squeezed his hand reassuringly. Faintly, the young man smiled and squeezed back. He took a deep breath and began.

" So you remember how you found my groceries in an alley the other day?”

Jason nodded.

“ Yeah well, the reason I left them there was because some mugger tried to kidnap Ellie. I ditched the groceries to grab her and get home.”

“ You did a smart thing,” Jason continued to nod as if he didn’t already know exactly what happened that day.

“ Mm I don’t doubt that, Ellie’s safety will always be my first priority. But the whole thing kinda brought up old fear. Some old … memories.”

A distant look grew on his face and Jason’s heart burned with sadness and anger for his friend.

“ The dream started out back in that alley. I had just pulled Ellie back into my arms but when I turned around it wasn’t the mugger standing there. It was Vlad.” Danny’s breath staggered before he continued.

“He started saying stuff about taking Ellie back since he’s the one who made her. The one who had wanted her originally, never mind that he’d lost interest after realizing she was a girl and not his perfect son. But he kept saying things about how he had more life experience and was better equipped to raise her. How he’d be able to do better than me and provide more for her. And for me, if I let him. I hated it. I hated him for leveraging his age and wealth to try to get into our lives again. I didn’t have many reservations about punching him in the face about it either.”

Danny tightened his grip around Jason’s hand. He squeezed back in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

“I turned to leave but at the mouth the alley was a van. And not one of those stereotypical white vans they warn you kidnappers use. No. No, it was my parents’ van. They slid open the door and and I felt like I couldn’t move. I looked down and Ellie was gone. They-” the words started getting choked up in his throat. His eyes becoming glassy as he fought with his next words.

“ They wanted to take her too. They said they still loved me even though I was different and that they could fix me.” His voice grew frantic and shaky. “They thought they could ‘fix me’ but that Ellie’s existence was unnatural. That it’d be better if they took her and tried to raise in a ‘normal’ environment, especially if she showed signs of being unnatural too!”

Danny turned his face into Jason’s shoulder, trying to fight back tears.

“ And I know they don’t actually think like that- that I need to be fixed, at least not anymore. But, the idea that they’d try to take her from me? Raise her better than I could? It tore me up inside. How could they want to raise her when the barely raised me and my sister? When my sister raised me more than they did? How could I trust them not to get her involved in experiments when they still store chemical samples the same fridge as our food? How could I trust them when I told them I didn’t want to be around Vlad and they still let him into our house? Because ‘We’ve know good ol’ Vladdie since college! Nothing to worry about with him!’ even though I told them I-!”

He paused trying to catch his breath. Jason lifted his other arm to wrap around the crying young man, tucking him under his chin. Danny shifted, now shuddering into his chest. Jason could feel the Pits ignite a fire in soul. His blood boiled and a voice cried out for blood in recompense for his friend’s pain.

‘What type of shitty parents-! No. Later’ he tried to reign in the voice. ‘Being here for him now is more important.’ He held the other even closer.

Finally, Danny calmed himself enough to continue, “ I know they don’t think that now. I know that they love me and, and Ellie too- and I still love them too and I know that they want to be better. But they just don’t get it. That there’s a lot of reasons I don’t want to be around them anymore. Reasons I don’t bring Ellie around if I can help it. Even though it was just a dream I couldn’t handle the idea that they- that anyone might try to take Ellie from me.”

Jason tilted his head slightly to press a soft, comforting, kiss on the top of Danny’s head. He rubbed small circles on his back and murmured gently in his ear,

“It’s okay Danny. It’s okay to be mad and upset and scared. From the sounds of it you have ever right to be. It’s okay for you to worry. I have a friend ya know. He’s a recovered addict, started getting extra serious about staying sober when his ex dropped a daughter off on his doorstep because he was worried at every turn that if he slipped up or relapsed someone would take her away. I know that it’s not the same but I think every parent is entitled to worrying over losing their kid. And it sounds like your own parents haven’t done you too many favors in minimizing the worry. But you don’t have to hold yourself back from being afraid. You’re allowed to be afraid, or upset or whatever else you might be feeling.”

He finally let go of Danny’s hand in order to hold him properly, once again shifting their positions. Now, they sat perpendicularly, with Danny partway into his lap, pressed against his chest. After a while Danny wiped his tears, whispering out a thanks to Jason and allowed himself to be comforted.

They sat in delicate silence until Jason finally worked up the nerve to speak.

“So you probably know who I am right?”

Danny lifted his head from Jason’s chest to give him a confused eyebrow raise. “Yeah I think I’d know whose lap I’m on right now?”

“Not like that,” Jason blushed. “ I mean since you asked about volunteering you must know who I am in a larger context right?”

“ You mean do I know you’re beloved Gotham celebrity and non-profit worker: Jason Todd-Wayne? Because I do. I did research this city before moving here, believe it or not. Actually I remember seeing a bunch of articles about how one of Gotham’s beloved sons had returned home with your picture around that time?”

Jason touched the back of his neck, glancing away in embarrassment.

“Uh yeah that, so you’ve probably hear about my- uuh, ‘resurrection’, huh?”

Danny’s expression sobered up. His eyes darkened and his voice got all quiet, likely due to the serious nature of the discussion.

“Yeah, I did. The media claimed you had been in a kidnapping turned terrorist attack slash hostage situation? And that you had managed to survive and were taken in by family who help you recover and reconnect with your dad once you were ready?” Danny recounted the cover story they’d given to the public. There was something in his tone that made Jason think there was more he wasn’t mentioning but it was likely all speculation or more sensitive details.

“Was-… was that what your dream was about?”

Jason bowed his head into Danny’s shoulder, not having it in him to say it to his face.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “It was.”

“Oh.”

Now it was Danny’s turn to hold Jason tight, one arm one his back and the other coming up to pet his hair, gently pressing the larger man further into his shoulder. It felt like something cracked open inside him. Suddenly, words came tumbling out before he could even think about them.

“ I was back in that warehouse. Laying on the ground, injured. I could hear someone crying. And- *gulp* -and his laughter before the explosion. It was … so hot. And when I woke up I couldn’t stand the thought of being trapped inside. The same way I was trapped … during some of the worst moments of my life. And I know I’m not there anymore but I’m still terrified by the memory! Sometimes I still get scared the man who took me the first time will find me again and I just-!”

He choked on a sob as Danny held him even tighter, as if trying to melt him into his skin.

“I just hated feeling that way so much!” He whimpered.

“It’s okay Jay, I’m here big guy. You can let it out.”

And for the first time in a long while Jason allowed himself to cry freely, sobbing into his neighbor’s shoulder. Danny continued to stroke his hair, rocking gentle as one would when comforting a child. But maybe that sort of gentleness was what Jason needed.

Once he heard Jason’s sobs subside Danny took a deep breath and spoke.

“You know what?”

“What?” Jason asked lifting his head to gaze into Danny’s icy blue eyes.

“I’m kinda glad I ended up out here tonight. I mean the nightmare sucked but at least I got to be here for you.” He smiled softly, “I’m in your corner if you ever need me.”

Jason couldn’t help the soft smile that worked it’s way onto his face.

“Yeah, me too. I’ll be there if you ever need help, with anything: Ellie, Vlad, your parents, your groceries.”

Danny giggled at that last part, knowing Jason was sincere. With a sigh he rested his cheek on Jason’s chest. Jason reach down to hold his hand again and the two enjoyed the feeling of holding someone who held them back.

With a sigh, Danny lifted his gaze from their hands to Jason’s face. Jason gave him a closed-mouth smile, his eyes asking if something was wrong.

“It’s the 4th of July in a few days.” He stated.

“Yes, it is.” Jason said back.

“If it’s not too short notice, Ellie and I would love to have you over again. We were gonna have barbecue and ice cream and then come out here and see if we could catch the fireworks. She’d love it if you could join us, and … and, well I would too.”

Jason swore Danny was looking at him with the biggest, roundest, most earnest eyes he’d ever seen, save for his daughter’s.

“ I’ll be there.”

Danny flushed at his quick response.

“Don’t wanna check your schedule first?”

“Doesn’t matter. I didn’t have anything else planned so I’ll do my best to be there.” He made sure the shorter man’s eyes met his as he said his next words. “Besides, I like spending time with the two of you too.”

‘His ears are pink, he’s just adorable.’ He thought to himself as Danny seemed brighten in a shy glow. He shifted in Jason’s lap, probably getting ready to get up when he did something that cause Jason to blue screen.

Danny tilted his head up planting a quick peck on his cheek before squeaking out a “see you then” and fleeing back into his apartment, leaving a wide-eyed Jason on the floor of his fire escape.

Jason sat there stunned, before a furious blush over took his face and decided to hurry back into his own apartment. The voice in his head came back to give its routine comments: ‘His lips are so soft, the stuff of dreams’

He somehow managed to blush even more violently. ‘Damn it’ he thought, shoving his head under his pillow, unable to tell whether he actually wanted to dream about Danny’s lips or not. ‘It’s actually embarrassing how worked I’m getting over a fleeting kiss on the cheek from a friend.’

~

~Bzzt~ “Calling for back up! Firefly decided to start his annual firework show early this year!” ~Bzzt~ Signal called through the emergency comms.

Jason cursed his luck, of course Firefly would attack just as he got off work! Now he might be late to dinner! He sighed and tried to look on the bright-side: If they dealt with this now that meant it was less likely for any of the other rouges to try anything later. Then, the comm crackled back to life.

~Bzzt~ “I could have got him by now but he keeps lightin’ more shit on fire! By the time I get the first fires under control and punch him in the face, he’s started 20 more! Normally I’d be able to handle it, but there’s a lot of civilians around right now and fires take priority. I just need someone to help me keep the guy down long enough to make the arrest.” ~Bzzt~

Jason started ducking through alleys trying to get to his near safe house in order to grab his gear. Hey called back to Duke over the comms.

“Signal, heard! I just got off work. See if you can herd him towards the Alley. It’ll give the Red Hood an excuse to show up and beat the shit outa him while you make sure nothing actually gets damaged. I’m heading to the safe house near the Catherine Johnson Rec Center. Try to get him at least two blocks away!”

~Bzzt~ “Heard!” ~Bzzt~

Jason tossed the comm to the side and started strapping into his body armor. He started fastening his helmet when felt something in the air change. Then the comms buzzed to life once more.

~Bzzt~ “Hood, I’ve got Firefly coming your way! He’s heading up Delancy Ave.!” ~Bzzt~

Hood readied his grapple on shot.

“Good, keep him there! I’ll see you in 5, Narrows!”

~Bzzt~ “On it! I’ll be waiting Alley!” ~Bzzt~

Jason swung through the rooftops, heading in the direction of the fires that kept spontaneously appearing and subsequently being extinguished.

When he arrived Hood found Signal split between stopping fires and engaging Firefly in combat. The madman was so absorbed in antagonizing Signal that he hadn’t noticed Hood’s approach. Signal was handling him pretty well but being unable to focus solely on the villain lowered his efficiency. Jason’s mind wandered back to his friend, who had wanted to see him tonight, and decided he’d end this quickly.

You see for all his bulk and bullheadedness Jason was still a highly trained and intelligent individual. Maintaining the element of surprise he approached in the shadows silently looking down from his perch on an adjacent building. He made subtle gestures for Signal to move the guy into place, which he returned with the slightest of nods. Signal moved Firefly over to the side of the building closest to Jason’s position. Jason got ready took make use of his high ground, tapping into what he learned from Dick.

With a deep breath Jason runs up and launches himself into a triple forward somersault, building up power and momentum. In midair he took account of his bearings, aiming his feet at Firefly’s back.

Firefly goes down like he’s been hit by a semi.

“AND THATS WHY YOU STAY OUTA THE ALLEY FUCKER!” Jason shouts, crouching over the rouge who was quickly losing consciousness. Even though it’d been his plan to lure him here Jason was still protective of what was his. And Crime Alley? Crime Alley was his territory.

He stands up and gives Signal a celebratory high five.

“Nice going, ya tank! I thought he’d never go down!”

“No problem, Dayshift! Nice work handling him, you’d have gotten him eventually. I just sped up the process.”

“Thanks Hood, I ‘preciate it.”

“Soooo, you good here oorrr…?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it. Get outa here before the cops show up and arrest you,” Signal dismissed him.

Jason gave him a quick, two-finger salute before running off to change before he was late to dinner.

~

Jason arrives at the Nightingales’ red faced and out of breath. His hair is a windswept mess and his clothes slightly messy from his quick change. He knocks on the door desperately trying to tame his hair and adjust his t-shirt and jeans.

Jason feels a burst of cool air as the door opens and he’s greeted by a smiling Danny and a surprised Ellie. He smiles at the two but Danny speaks before he’s got the chance.

“ Surprise! It’s Jason!” He says with some mild jazz hands.

To which seem to Ellie explode in glee. Jason swears she’s vibrating with how fast she’s bouncing.

“The secret surprise guest was Mr. Jason! Awesome!”

And just like that there is small child attached to his leg. He looks down at her, then up at Danny, who’s holding in laughter, then back at Ellie. Then he bursts out laughing. He bends down down to scoop the young girl up into his arms and she lets out a small “whoa!” Jason follows Danny into the apartment, Ellie resting on his hip.

“It’s nice to see you to princess!”

“Mr. Jason! You’re not wearing any red!”

“Huh?”

He looks down to see the young girl scrutinizing his plain white shirt and blue jeans and looks questioningly at Danny. The young man takes pity on him and explains.

“Ellie really wanted to wear red, white and blue for the 4th of July,” gesturing to his own outfit: a pair of blue jeans, a white shirt with a logo for a band called Fifth World Raga, and a lightweight red flannel wit the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“That’s right! I have a white skirt and socks, and a blue top and tiara, and my cardigan, my sneakers and beanie are all red!” She showed off. Then she pointed at Jason.

“You’ve gotta white shirt and blue jeans but no red!” Then she gasped, “Oooooh! I have an idea! Wait here!” She said, scrambling off to her room.

Jason looked at Danny who smiled and shrugged helplessly in a “eh, whadda ya gonna do” sort a fashion. To which Jason just huffed in amusement.

That’s when Ellie rushed back in, holding something behind her back. She patted Jason’s thigh indicating for him to bend down, to which he obliged by crouching down to her level.

“Close your eyes!”

Jason shut his eyes. He felt something being placed around his neck and on his head.

“Open them!”

Jason found himself looking into a small purple hand held mirror. Ellie had placed a cheap red-beaded party necklace around his neck and a silver tiara with red gems on his head, one to match her own silver and blue one.

“I have lotsa tiaras so you can borrow this one so that you can have red! And you can even keep the necklace!”

Jason’s internal monologue nearly burst into tears. ‘She’s an angel! She’s bestowed such a wonderful gift Must. Protect. At All Costs!’

He heard Danny burst into laughter but focused his attention on the grinning girl in front of him.

“Thank you so much Princess! I love it! Just what I needed! I’m honored to receive such a thoughtful gift!

“Yeah Ellie, it looks great on him!” Danny chimed in between chuckles.

“That’s great daddy b’cause I found a white one for you! Now we can all match!”

Danny stopped laughing and Jason returned him a wicked grin.

“Yeah, your highness! We can all match! Besides, what’s a king without his crown!”

Danny sighed, placing the tiara on his head.

“Thanks Ell, I love it.”

“Your welcome daddy!”

“Alright, now go wash your hands for dinner!”

“Okay!”

And the girl scurried off to wash her hands. Jason grinned at the interaction. He waited till the girl was gone before turning to Danny.

“Looking good your highness,” he teased.

“Oh, hush you!” Danny flushed. “Come help me set the table. It’s not a traditional barbecue but I made some chili, hotdogs, veggie skewers, and some coleslaw. We’ve also got fruit salad and some soda pop in the fridge. Ellie wanted to do a homemade version of chili dogs and I had to insist on some fruits and veggies in there. Ancients knows she needs her nutrients! If you could be a dear and grab some plates off the drying rack that’d be great!”

“Of course, your highness! You had me at chili,” Jason said following Danny into the kitchen.

~

Later that evening after finishing up with dinner. Danny herded them all onto the fire escape with some frozen treats. Ellie had drumstick ice cream cone, Jason an ice cream bar, and Danny an orange popsicle.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to see the fireworks from here but fingers crossed we do. Just don’t be too disappointed if you can’t see them alright Ell?” Danny told his daughter.

“It’s okay daddy! Even if I don’t see the fireworks I still have you and Mr. Jason and my ice cream!”

Jason and Danny looked at each other sharing the same thoughts: ‘She’s so precious!!!!’

Then the tell tale boom of fireworks started and the trio turned their attention to the sky. A streak of red danced across the sky before it burst into a shower of ruby colored sparks. Then came gold, and green and blue and white. One after another in a barrage of sound and color. And they were just able to see it above the end of the alley.

Ellie let out an awed “Whooooaaaa” as she watched the colors dance across the sky. She turned back to her dad tugging on his sleeve and point up at the sky. He chuckled, picking her up to give her a better view pointing at the sky with her saying, “Look at that one!”

It was near enough to make Jason’s own heart burst.

“Beautiful.”

“I know right!” Danny said, glancing back at him, talking about the fireworks. Silently, Jason thought about the way both of the Nightingales’ glossy black hair reflected the fireworks colors in their sheen.

Then Danny turned to hand his phone to Jason.

“Would you mind taking a picture of us?” He asked. “I never had many growing up and I want this to be something she’ll remember.” Looking back down at the child on his hip.

“Of course I can,” he said, taking the phone in his hand. “Smile!”

Jason looked down at the photo he snapped when he saw something that made his heart stall. It was a good photo, both Danny and Ellie smiling at the camera while the remains of a fireworks fell behind them in a shower of fading light. What stopped him in his tracks was the soft look on his own reflection in the window of the apartment staring at Danny and Ellie.

And he realized, ‘Oh. I like Danny’

And he doesn’t know when he zoned out and missed Danny taking his phone back, but he zones right back in when two arms are thrown over his shoulders and suddenly he’s in a selfie sandwich. Both Nightingales press close, Ellie throwing up a peace sign while Danny snaps the photo.

The two laugh at his startled face and he can’t help the laugh that bursts out of him.

“Hey! I wanna redo!”

~

That night Jason tosses and turns in bed while his brain replays images of Danny: his smile, his lips, his laugh, the way he licks an ice pop. If he hadn’t realized earlier then he definitely knows now.

Jason Todd has an undeniable, unequivocal crush on Daniel Nightingale.

~~~ I tried with that fight scene but I don’t have a lotta experience there. I know this is a fluff fic so sorry to angst you but it’s necessary for hurt/comfort. Have some “Jason accepts his feelings” to make up for it. Sorry if it’s too clunky or dialogue heavy. I’m open to constructive criticism so let me know what you think.

Fifth World Raga is a real band in the DCU their a rock band and their music is described as quote “spiritual in nature” so I feel like it fit Danny’s vibe.

[withered--s0uls]

OKAY, I think I'm done for now.

@electrozeistyking and I a little while ago talked about how GD!N would react to DAS!Cyn. They went on about in a reblog but basically he would be extremely happy bc DAS!Cyn is a separate entity to the Absolute Solver, therefore meaning she's not the one behind everything.

So at first they probably both would be extremely happy. DAS!Cyn in her own AU upon meeting N first is absolutely terrified that he might hate her after everything the AS made her do. So the fact GD!N would react very positively to her presence would be a huge a relief to her.

Now, the issue is that the "Dormant" in "Dormant" Absolute Solver is in quotations for a reason. It simply lost interest in her as a main host / had no need for her anymore. It still has admin rights over DAS!Cyn and she still has a Solver Form. Though she doesn't use it by choice bc of PTSD triggers (until possibly a specific point in Ep7 but I'm waiting for ep8 to decide).

So yeah I think that would make both GD!N and DAS!Cyn kinda anxious to put it lightly.

(More Art and stuff under cut because this crossover has been living RENT FREE IN MY HEAD)

Also fun fact

@electrozeistyking has mentioned and shown Beanie finding comfort in the sound of her fathers core.

Well funny story.

DAS!Cyn always was comforted by her brothers core back at the manor, when they first reuite at the start of Ep6 and she sees DAS!Uzi summon her Solver wings and tail, her instinct is pressing closer to DAS!Ns chest for comfort. Her memories of the Solver features are very very blurry, but she is triggered by seeing them regardless.

I thought It was cute the girls have that in common, so I decided to draw them and GD!N sleeping with the girls having their heads close to his core :3

OKAY FINALLY WE GET TO THE DOODLE PAGE

I didn't feel like fully making these so they're sketchy doodles :"

The first two are based on Zeisty saying GD!N would probably pick DAS!Cyn up and spin her around. Also you probably noticed between this doodle, the first drawing & the Tiny!N & DAS crossover post, but DAS!Cyn displays flowers on her visor to emote happiness!

The 3rd and 4th are just random interactions between the kiddos lol. I feel like Beanie probably would be happy to have another Auntie, not to mention one closer to her age so they can do silly kid stuff together. DAS!Cyn... oh boy

She would feel a whole range of emotions; grief about missing so much of her brothers life (like he has a kid ffs), guilt and self blame after finding out what happened to Uzi (she blames herself for everything the AS caused, even tho she never agreed to it) which might end up in a "slight" breakdown, anger at the AS for causing GD!N that kind of pain and eventually once she processed all those emotions she probably would be excited to get to know Beanie. Like!! Imagine finding out you have a little Niece!!

She probably would struggle to easily keep up with Beanie bc she still has motor issues like in canonverse so she's a little slower, so it'd be mostly her trying not to fall over her own feet whilst being dragged around by an excited toddler who probably even with child lock is stronger than her lmao.

Also I drew DAS!Cyn in an alternate outfit bc I wanted to actually kinda show the oil reserve canister,,,

Ok wanting to respond to the hashtags specifically bc :)) yay

Also ig this is some DAS lore fact drops lol

Yeah, DAS!Cyn kinda didn't take it well either when she first realized the AS technically can still take over if it really wanted to after she transferred bodies in an attempt to escape. Imagine getting your core nearly crushed in an attempt to flee from robo satan just to find out entity STILL can use you for their bidding. Like!!! Damn that's not fair the kid nearly fucking died trying to break free!!!

DAS!Cyn definitely would want to spare Beanie the horrors too. DAS!Cyn herself is mentally like 7-10/11 at best 6-9 at worst -- despite kids usually just saying whatever comes to mind, she repressed most AS related stuff for a reason, she definitely wouldn't share what she knows with her newfound niece

I feel things would be either super great and happy or super traumatizing depending on when in the timeline we throw DAS!Cyn at them. If she's there during ep 6-7? Oh boy. Oh no. DAS!Cyn & DAS!N have an exchange during Ep7 that would not go over so well if it was GD!N in DAS!Ns place, because it would be awfully similar to GD!Uzis death -- she doesn't die, because DAS!N can't get himself to shoot with her being so close to the AS, despite her literally shouting at him to do it and that she won't be angry, that'll be fine. -- yeah I don't think GD!N would handle that well 😭 Zeisty feel free to get the angst train rolling if you wanna add your two cents on how that'd go over -- any point before that? Probably fine. Post S1? I'd imagine also fine depending on what Ep8 throws at us (except like... look at ideas list for more info*)

I'll assume that'd be Beanie reacting to seeing DAS!Cyn having the Solver tail and possibly the glitching Solver symbol in her visor. Yeah she definitely would try to play it off and go try and hide somewhere until she can get it under control again. High stress or negative emotions causes her Solver to act up (unrelated to the AS, just her own Solver form without the entity controlling anything!!) So what I said above to her reaction to the news of GD!Uzi being dead? And possibly finding out the reason why? Yeah that might trigger her tail and wings to pop out and her to basically be reduced to a hyperventilating ball on the floor because of proceeding to blame herself for all of GD!Ns suffering due to thinking the AS actions & it being a danger are her fault

Other things I kinda wanted to doodle but didn't for now, might do at a later point;

Cyn still has a Solver Core, which is the same as a DD core (except smaller lol). So I was playing with the idea of Beanie noticing that her core sounds different from GD!Ns due to hers being severely damaged and actively leaking after the AS attempted to crush it during the body transfer. DAS!Cyn then trying to play it off

Some kind of acknowledgement of the Oil reserve canister on DAS!Cyns back, it was made by Tessa before the AS did the medurder and stuff. It's supposed to help keep the Solver in check by preventing overheating, hence why its directly connected to her chest where her core is

There was something else but it slipped my mind

Smth I'm not gonna say publicly for now until Zeisty posts something about it and/or eventually posts the chapters bc I don't want to spoil esp not bc it isn't my place to :" (if you're curious, Zeisty, lmk I can tell you in VC or DMs lol) but it partly would possibly be related to the 1st idea listed

* I have an idea for what happens to Cyns original body (the one the AS uses & that wears Tessa) post Ep8 IF Ep8 let's me do it that is. I think it could be fun to crossover that idea bc of GD!Ns ghost sight.... tho it definitely also would be fucking stressful and trauma inducing bc Solver stuff sooo yeah rip (again, if you want I could elaborate in vc or DMs on this bc I want to first wait and see what the season finale brings before I do anything "official" with this)

GD!N reacting to the information that DAS!Cyn canonly shot "Tessas" gun at the AS (well technically at its tentacles. Point being that kid fired a gun/knows how to use one) -- which again could be very interesting if we were to toss them into the same Ep7 bc that's when she does it

Possibly GD!N finding out ab the scars/cracks surrounding DAS!Cyns core bc,,, yeah

Anyways uuuhh heightbsheet bc I'm 99% sure I drew stuff inaccurate

These were actually so fun to draw and think & talk about. I'll post the GD x IC crossover once I'm done with that (yes, yes there is more than what you already saw Zeisty. Not much more but more nonetheless)

[jezabatlovesbats]

Athena P’s birthday is on May 4th, so I wanted to do something really nice for her! You can find her here as @what-is-my-aesthetic.

My first exposure to Athena’s channel was her Lore video for Sofia the First back in June of 2023, hence why I included the makeup design of Sofia’s amulet. I used to watch Sofia the First, so I was really intrigued by her deep dive into it. After watching the entire Lore series, her book reports, the Ranking Things series (I’m looking forward to the video on Ranking Cartoon Moms), her Lore Lites and much more, I’m proud to call myself a Butt Lover!

I’d like to give a big thank you to Athena for helping me feel more comfortable being an adult who watches “kids’ shows.” I often feel really self-conscious about the things I’m interested in. Back when I was 9 to 10, I used to watch Sprout (Astroblast was my favorite show from it), a channel aimed at preschoolers. But, as a teen, I often felt like I was going to be made fun of for my obsession with Unikitty, which was outside my demographic for being aimed at 6 to 11-year-olds. Was I really too old? Was I going to get called a baby? Were people going to say I needed to grow up? Did I need to cringe at things considered childish and stupid to fit in?

Well, who cares what people say? If I enjoy shows aimed at kids as a 19-year old, then I do. If I want to revisit shows I loved as a young kid, then I can. It makes me happy, and I don’t have to feel ashamed. So, thanks to Athena and her videos for helping me feel better about what I enjoy. I still love Unikitty with all my heart and soul, and I’d love to revisit some early childhood classics like Backyardigans this summer! Who’s gonna stop me?

Check out her channel if you’d like to. It’s entertaining, chaotic in the best way, and hilarious. I’m glad that I could join her Discord server, too.

Happy, happy birthday, Athena!!!

[6okuto]

Helloooo, your Ais and Mhin hcs are so nice omg! Can I ask for some Kuras headcanons, if you'd be so kind?🥺 Many thanks in advance💛

KURAS HCS 3

gn!reader | hello it's me :-) thank u vry vry much anon wherever u are I hope i reach u.... telepathically telling u i have done more hcs o7

nooo kuras don't have doctor handwriting noooo look at me... it's cursive and can be pretty but also the doctor handwriting curse :( /affectionate but if he's writing something for you he takes care to make it neat + makes your name look extra nice

kuras wearing all black instead of all white.... 😵‍💫like imagine him dressing up and you're staring as he walks past... and he goes to ask you a question, pausing when he notices your gaze evidently not on his face. he's amused by this obviously as he walks toward you and tilts your chin to make eye contact. your face feels warm while he teases you, tells you he's flattered you like his change of attire, but mind answering if you've seen his coat nearby?

writer who needs help with medical jargon and information and comes to kuras who's already expecting it after the 4th time. he hums and takes a few moments before casually replying with his thoughts. sometimes though if you're not paying enough attention, he says something super inaccurate (something about a heart disease when asked about a punctured lung) to see how much you write down before noticing

not very good at making playlists... or like, his music taste isn't very vast and there's a chance he doesn't know many artists in the genres you enjoy. he does try his hand at making one when he overhears it's a cute gift, but it doesn't end up seeing the light of day because he's unsure you'd like it ^^; he doesn't actually delete it though, so if you really wanna see it, he'll let you

^ feel free to make a playlist for him though! he'll let it play quietly as he works (so long as it isn't something that requires his full attention) and tells you his favourites the next time you see him :-)

! body doubling. nothing else to add

kuras offering to pay for you while out shopping.. you say he doesn't have to, but he says you've picked out something nice and you like it, so why wouldn't he?

i imagine that kuras doesn't really. keep up with...internet jokes and such... so if you're out with a friend and talking about something related, there's a good chance that his eyebrows are a little furrowed as he tries to understand. like, you know when there's a popular post going around and you say "did you see ___" and your friend immediately knows what you're talking about when you didn't even finish describing it. yeah he has no idea what's going on how did they pick it up so quickly

^ tries quite hard though. he does. but some memes have like 5 layers of lore and context and he just kind of sighs and laughs in defeat

also i think kuras might be a little nervous to meet your friends at first ^^; but intrigued/happy too !! he listens to you describe them so he can put names to faces (won't tell them what you said exactly, like he won't be like "oh, you're the one who..." but there'll be recognition on his face, and if it comes up he'll smile knowingly), plus he likes watching you enjoy yourself with them!

if you name your plushies he picks up all their names quite quickly. this also applies if you have a lot of figures/favourite characters! he'll notice if you've moved them around at all, and somehow remember one of their birthdays too?

there is a silly image in my head of kuras using a silly straw. like him working on some important document and sipping on it

^ also getting him to use cute bandaids and such... like if you cut yourself on something and he goes to get your bandaids and they're pokemon or sanrio. LOL. he finds it amusing when you ask if he wants some of your stash—you're always willing to share after all

you find out he's centuries old and start calling him old man. ask if his back hurts from his age And height or if he knew the dinosaurs (?? imagine they exist in the TS universe) etc etc. though watch out for any back pain jokes because if your posture is worse than his he'll throw it back at you :(

[wishingstarinajar]

I know, I know I'm a scratched record

But I'm dying to hear your thoughts on the Wakfu finale when you get to it!

I just finished watching it and it's uuh... hmm. I read people saying the finale was "satisfactory" but I am not fully on board with that sentiment.

Too much left unanswered, not enough wrapped up, too rushed to get to the end.

I know the Waven game is a continuation of sorts, it takes place decades after Wakfu's conclusion so that game might hold some answers or closure, buuuuttt... I'm not interested enough in the game to play and find out. I guess I've grown a bit tired of the whole cross-media info/lore some franchises love to do (like Blizzard and covering important info across the Warcraft games, books and short stories).

Wakfu season 4 obviously has an open ending, no matter that it is the final season, so who knows what might follow. I'm just a little saddened that the story picked up a little too late this season but the animation, particularly during action scenes, was pretty great... when not using the same static images of characters xDD They loved that a little too much but I understand the budget wasn't that big so I can't really fault Ankama for it.

Did I like this season? Mmmyyeeaaah, it's a mixed bag. Better than season 3 but not better than the first two seasons or even the OVA episodes. Glad it exists but I don't feel super satisfied with its conclusion.

HEAVY SPOILERS ahead, so be mindful but gonna share some thoughts:

Seeing Joris play a bigger part in the second half of the 4th season, and him vibing with Adamaï made me very giddy and happy. Love that for them, hope they become good friends. And thank fek neither of them died. RIP, Qilby, Armand and Brakmar (maybe?). The guys who needed to redeem themselves got their chance, at least.

Goddess Eliatrope was a big disappointment and an unlikeable character but I guess that was kind of the point...? Angry that she totally ignored Chibi and Grougal, like what the fuck even? Didn't even show a hint of acknowledgment towards them. What if they wanted to meet mom, huh?? And what even happened to Baltazar and Glip, who were in Emrub with the same kids that were asleep in Goddess Eliatrope's belly? What did she do with them?

But hey, at least my headcanon that the Sadida and Eliatropes will combine into a single kingdom/people (which I also wrote about in my Rebirth fic) actually happening was pretty satisfying x'D It even has Wakfu-infused trees, om nom nom.

A little frustrated with Necroworld (not the same Necroworld from the Transformers: Lost Light comics) because it's supposed to be a different planet in some other universe but it had dofus (dragon eggs) and races of the Twelve like Sadida, Sram and Sacrier. It was pretty confusing... Imo, it should have been something similar to The Upside Down (Stranger Things), or an alternate version of the world of Twelve rather than a completely separate place. But eh...

Why did nobody care about the state Inglorium was in, or that the Gods have disappeared? That bothered me so so so soooo much during the first two episodes; nobody non-Eliatrope or non-demigod cared that their God/Goddess was... well... gone. Aside from God Iop, where are they?? Hated the disinterest, hated the silence around it. Guess that's a mystery that will be unraveled in some other media.

Yugo grew tall and handsome and I'm not afraid to say it. Happy for him, though him suddenly growing so quickly was a bit silly. I figured there would be a time skip to justify his 'growth' that we saw in promotional images and teasers. Won't complain though, he deserved to finally be in a body that reflects his actual age, it took him long enough!

"Bootleg Alys" from the Dofus movie made a cameo in episode 11 which made me snerk. (I noticed a few more background characters from the movie that were re-used in episode 11.)

And that's all I have to say, at least here on Tumblr. It was quite a ride.

A big thanks Ankama and all the Kickbackers that made it possible; this show had its ups and downs over the past decade but it was enjoyable and loved. It still holds a special place in my heart and I will keep a tiny eye out for more Krozmos stuff in the future (like Welsh & Shedar, gimme!!).

[ageless-soul-au]

If someone was to start getting into asau, which order would you recommend? (Asking for a friend) (Definitely not for me) (Not at all) (Nope) (Nu uh)

I recently reordered the ao3 series, so it should be accurate now! Counterpart, Confidential, and Altars are the only ones you need to read for the main au (in that order) (and even then you could probably skip Counterpart but it's a short read so it's up to you. The series doesn't really start until Con). If you want to read the nsfw (P&C), some of it relies on plot things and some of it doesn't. It's different per chapter since Peaches & Cream is a catch-all.

If you wanna read the spinoff stuff, we have a separate au series for that! It's also linked in the pinned post. Faction is its own thing which receives semi regular updates, and the Lifeblood series is also separate (porn with plot, solely written by me). I need to go back and edit the fic Lifeblood since I wrote that first and then wrote the prequel. I'm kind of working on the third installment but it's slow going.

We're actively updating Altars and Faction, with an Altars chapter lined up for tomorrow (Sunday, Sept 1). Reading the main series is not required to read the spinoffs, though the characterization slightly differs between mainline, Faction, and Lifeblood.

A Condensed Guide to ASAU Fics:

Do you want to read slowburn romance that takes 30+ chapters to resolve? Confidential. Legend and Warriors spend that fic picking up (almost) every hero and having several miscommunications while learning about each other and falling in love. They deal with ✨traumaaaa✨ (and sexuality and gender) with kind of a B plot of the Quest Setup.

In The Stolen Altars, it picks up right where Con left off. With pretty much everyone assembled, it's time to get started on The Quest finally... After almost 300k words... They encounter dungeons and monsters and talk to deities, all while being toyed with by the main antagonist! A few more heroes join the cast! Be forewarned that this fic includes temporary death of major characters. It's tied in with the plot, you'll understand when you get there. This fic has surpassed Con's word count and we still have two more eras to go. It will be followed by a sequel. The main fics will maybe turn out to be a trilogy?????? But if it stretched to a 4th fic I wouldn't be surprised. The timeline on this is years lmao, I can't predict how wordy we'll get.

Faction is a political drama dealing with international relations and war, with a side of romance. It's got all the characters you know and love, but some slightly to the left! General fantasy setting with a bit of Zelda lore mixed in. It'll most likely be completed in one fic! WAOW!!!

The Lifeblood series is vampires and smut. What else do you need to hear? (Real talk tho, The Copper Kettle is higher quality/more cohesive in theme than Lifeblood the fic, gimme a little bit to fix the inconsistencies hxhdbsbsn)

Hope this helps! Happy reading! And don't forget to COMMENT!!!!! (probably with some context bc in some cases it's been years since we wrote this hxhxhsjs)

-Kio

[frostfires-blog]

Bleach Hanakotoba Analysis Part 3 ~ OP16: Scar & ED31: Saihate

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-> Division 01: Chrysanthemum

The flower insignia of the 1st division is the chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) which is known as kiku (菊) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies truth and innocence. Its meanings in hanakotoba include nobility, virtuousness, perfection, rejuvenation, longevity and good luck. A sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum is not only one of Japan’s two unofficial national flowers but is also used on Japan’s imperial seal. In Western floriography, Chrysanthemums symbolise cheerfulness, devoted love, loyalty, happiness longevity, joy, trust, optimism, fidelity and friendship. In some cultures, Chrysanthemums—particularly white ones—are only associated with mourning, sympathy and death.

-> Division 02: Pasque flower

The flower insignia of the 2nd division is the Pasque flower (Pulsatilla) which is also known as the nodding anemone and wind flower. It is called the okinagusa (翁草) in Japan. According to the official Bleach lore, this insignia means “seeking nothing”. Its additional meanings in hanakotoba include “untold love”, “pure heart”, and “love of betrayal”. The downward flower of the Pasque flower is said to have given rise to it symbolising "untold love" and "pure heart" as this is thought to mirror the feelings of a pure girl who is ashamed of her sentiments and finds it difficult to express them. The Pasque flower's symbolic meaning of a "love of betrayal" stems from the fact that after reaching their peak, the flowers that initially bloom face downwards turn upward. In Western floriography, the Pasque flower represents rebirth, renewal, hope, dignity, nobility, grace and the phrase “forsaken in love”.

-> Division 03: Marigold

The flower insignia of the 3rd division is the marigold (Tagetes) which is known as the marīgōrudo (マリーゴールド) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies despair. Its meanings in hanakotoba include jealousy, despair and sadness. In Western floriography, they symbolise grief, despair, and jealousy as well as the expression of deep feelings and passion.

-> Division 04: Bellflower

The flower insignia of the 4th division is the bellflower (Campanula) which is known as the berufurawā (ベルフラワー ) and otome kikyo (乙女桔梗 ) in Japan. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies that “those who grieve are loved”.  Its meanings in hanakotoba include gratitude, sincerity and pleasant chatter. Bellflowers are a symbol of gratitude, constancy, romance, and support in Western floriography. Additionally, bellflowers can stand for affection, delicacy, humility, and everlasting love. In particular, blue bellflowers are symbolic of peace, healing, openness, tranquility, and friendship—on the other hand, cream bellflowers are symbolic of thoughtfulness, grace, elegance, peace, and hope. Given that a bellflower's shape resembles a church bell, it is believed that the flower's symbolic meanings of gratitude and sincerity originate from church teachings. It is thought that the bellflower's symbolic meaning of pleasant chatter originates from the observation that its flowers which point diagonally upward bloom together giving the impression that the small flowers are merrily conversing with one another.

-> Division 05: Lily of the Valley

The flower insignia of the 5th division is the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) which is known as suzuran (鈴蘭) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower represents sacrifice, danger, pure love, humility and sweetness. Its meanings in hanakotoba include purity, humility, sweetness, chastity and finding happiness again. These flowers are symbolic of purity, humility, sweetness, rebirth, good fortune, joy, youth, discretion and a return of happiness in Western floriography. With its lovely, sweet aroma, it's difficult to believe that such a demure-looking flower could be dangerous. It is crucial to highlight, however, that this flower is an extremely toxic plant that, if consumed, can cause severe disease or death. The Lily of the Valley plant contains around 38 distinct cardiac glycosides (cardenolides)—which are a class of organic compounds that increase the output force of the heart and decrease its rate of contractions—that are exceedingly poisonous to both humans and animals. Given its toxicity, it's ironic, that the plant is associated with good fortune, purity, joy, and sweetness.

-> Division 06: Camellia

The flower insignia of the 6th division is the Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica) which is known as tsubaki (椿) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower represents “noble reason”. Its meanings in hanakotoba include modest kindness and pride. In Western floriography, camellias have a long-standing symbolic association with romance and devotion. They symbolize strong desire and passion as well as unfaltering love, devotion, affection, refinement, perfection, faithfulness, and admiration. Normally, the petals and calyx separate as a flower dies, but in the case of camellias, the petals and calyx fall together, preserving the entire flower. In recognition of this, camellias are used to represent longevity, perfection, and pure, unreserved, love that never fades. Red camellias are thought to represent romantic love, passion, or desire. Pink camellias convey feelings of longing and gratitude. White camellias are associated with purity, faithfulness, admiration, perfection, and good fortune. On the other hand, white camellias are regarded to bring bad luck in Japan since they are associated with death and mourning.

-> Division 07: Iris

The flower insignia of the 7th division is the iris (Iris japonica) which is known as ayame (菖蒲) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies courage. Its meanings in hanakotoba include glad tidings, loyalty, messages, hope, graciousness as well and kindness of the heart. In Western floriography, they symbolise hope, faith, friendship, wisdom, royalty, valour and messages.

-> Division 08: Crane flower

The flower insignia of the 8th division is the Crane flower (Strelitzia) which is also called the Bird of Paradise flower. In Japan, it is known as the Gokurakuchouka (ゴクラクチョウカ ). Its Japanese and English names are derived from the flower’s resemblance to a family of tropical birds native to New Guinea called Paradisaeidae. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower represents “everything that is obtained”. The phrases "date in love" and "pretentious in love" are its hanakotoba meanings. The exotic appearance of the flower, which is compared to a person in love, is considered to be the basis of these connotations. In Western floriography, the crane flower symbolizes magnificence, faithfulness, excellence, success and well as having joy in the face of both challenges and successes alike. Additionally, they also symbolize freedom due to the flower’s resemblance to a bird in flight. The Crane flower is native to South Africa where it holds the meanings of freedom, success, loyalty, thoughtfulness, immortality, love and optimism.

-> Division 09: White poppy

The flower insignia of the 9th division is the white poppy (Arctomecon merriamii) which is known as shiroi popī (白いポピー) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower symbolizes oblivion. Its meanings in hanakotoba are sleep and oblivion. In Western floriography. White poppies represent sleep and peaceful rest. They are associated with faith and the concept of the soul's eternal life, and they also serve as a symbol of remembrance for deceased loved ones. Given that white flowers are symbolic of purity; white poppies are a symbol of restful sleep, pleasant dreams and renewal.

-> Division 10: Daffodil

The flower insignia of the 10th division is the daffodil (Narcissus) which is known as suisen (水仙) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies mystery and egoism. Its meanings in hanakotoba include self-love and self-esteem. Yellow daffodils in particular are linked to the phrases "come back to me" and "I want you to love me again." In English floriography, daffodils represent self-love, respect, egoism, and unrequited love. In contrast with the aforementioned negative connotations, daffodils also represent strength, overcoming hardships, and the arrival of success and wealth. White flowers typically symbolize purity—however white daffodils signify a desire for transformation.

-> Division 11: Yarrow

The flower insignia of the 11th division is the yarrow (Achillea alpina) which is known as nokogiri (鋸草) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies fighting. Its additional meanings in hanakotoba include bravery and healing. The yarrow is a symbol of bravery in Western floriography, particularly in times of war, and wearing it is said to bestow courage and protection. The yarrow is also said to represent everlasting love, healing and good health because of its medicinal properties. Its Japanese name, “nokogiri”, translates to “saw grass” and is presumably derived from how the tooth-like shape of a saw’s teeth resembles the plant’s bipinnate/tripinnate leaves.

-> Division 12: Thistle

The flower insignia of the 12th division is the thistle (Cirsium spp.) which is known as azami (アザミ) in Japanese. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower signifies vengeance, strictness and independence. Its meanings in hanakotoba are independence, retaliation, sternness and “do not touch”. In western floriography, thistles symbolise austerity, nobility of character, independence and misanthropy.  In the Victorian era, the gift of thistle flowers served as a warning against unwanted meddling. These flowers are incorporated in the expression “as prickly as a thistle” which describes someone who is easily enraged, particularly in the face of criticism. As Scotland’s national flower, thistles represent bravery, luck and strength. Thistles are referred to as the "flower of the sun" and the "herb of the witches" in the Basque area of France. It is said that thistles provide protection from evildoers and witchcraft because witches are said to be unable to look directly at the sun.

-> Division 13: Snowdrop

The flower insignia of the 13th division is the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) which is known as the sunōdoroppu (スノードロップ) and the matsuyukisou (待雪草) in Japan. According to the official Bleach lore, this flower represents hope. Its meanings in hanakotoba are hope and consolation. In Western floriography, the snowdrop represents purity, rebirth, sympathy and hope.  A single snowdrop was seen by the Victorians as a symbol of death and was unlucky to bring into a home. On the other hand, the snowdrop is also associated with rebirth, springtime, and the ability to overcome life's challenges. The snowdrop blooms from mid to late January as winter slowly begins to end thereby reminding us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It reminds us all that if we put our minds to it, we can achieve great things in life. It also serves as a reminder of change and represents a willingness to grow. Snowdrops are thus often gifted to those trying to move forward from sadness and negativity.

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[If you liked this post, check out part 1 (here) and part 2 (here)... Also, here's the link to my directory of other hanakotoba analysis posts (here)]

[P.S. Here is the final part of my hanakotoba analysis on Bleach. I kept things brief and didn't go into how each flower suits each squad, captain and vice-captain primarily because of time constraints... Also, I doubt anyone wanted to do that much reading lol... I'll happily elaborate and answer any questions in the comments though...]

[fanged-cotl]

ITS THE SAME ANON THAT ASKED ABOUT NARI'S CHILDHOOD HIII

I have to apologize, I am genuinely obsessed with your Au, its so well written and it absolutely makes my day better when you give us lore!! While looking/reading at your recent art, I could feel the emotions from it. The tragedy... The pain, and you draw it so perfectly. I had to put my phone down for a while and just absorb it in because it was that POWERFUL.

Now, another question if that's okay! From what I Anzyaled, Shamura took Nari in, and cared for him. They were a big sister figure to him right? (Or at least a guardian) OHHH IM GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT HOW HE CAME TO BE A GOD OF DEATH...

I have to apologize, I am genuinely obsessed with your Au, its so well written and it absolutely makes my day better when you give us lore!! While looking/reading at your recent art, I could feel the emotions from it. The tragedy… The pain, and you draw it so perfectly. I had to put my phone down for a while and just absorb it in because it was that POWERFUL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS MADE MY WHOLE DAY DUDE U HAVE NO IDEA HERES A REALLY CONFUSING INFO-DUMP FOR YOU!

Shamura, God of Knowledge and War, took the nameless cursed kitten into the family. They named him "Narinder" King of Souls, when crowning him. (Because Shamura gained the crown of knowledge, they wanted to know everything about crowns, purpose, magic, ect. This was a moment of opportunity for them when they found the red crown.)

They spent thousands of years leading Narinder alongside the rest of the bishops, to master their domains and grow close as a family. Narinder was born into death, and Shamura would help him master it. Since the siblings were crowned, the lands began to change, new species would arise into sentience, cults raised in the names of gods, chaos, famine, sickness would spread, sacrifices would be made in order for both sides to thrive.

Narinder was not alone in being born (or turned) demonic in nature. He was simply the first. And in Shamura's curiosity, they would help him know this, and master death and manipulation of the mortals, who's lives were too short to see the lands around them shift and bend to match their gods over such a long time. Cults in Darkwood, Anura, Anchordeep, and the Silk Cradle would sacrifice their people, and Narinder would gain power from a portion of these souls. Some souls can be used for their god's needs and, some can be sent to the afterlife. This was Narinder's occupation. Shamura guided Leshy, Heket, Kallamar and Narinder into their god-hoods as well as managing their own and discovering as much as they could about magic and godhood. (Since each of the 4 gods rose, their new anthro races rose with them, and thus created a perpetual cycle of sacrificial religion- that the original mammalian anthros often joined out of fear or force. People would either become demonic via ritual (become turned) or be born demonic and serve there gods meanwhile the land around them was changing over thousands of years, things were getting worse and worse. Kallamar's people were getting sicker. Heket's hungrier, shamura's more animistic, Leshy's more savage. All of them sacrificing harder, praying harder, ritualizing harder, dedicating their lives, economy and infrastructure to their religions and becoming more and more devoted- not realizing the lands around them have completely morphed, in physically impossible ways to match their new gods in a sense of false beauty and righteousness. It is for the good of all that lives that these lands were severed from the rest of the world)

But Narinder was never a 4th horseman of the apocalypse. He never really had a land of his own, though he did have his worshipers. His siblings were happy, but Narinder wanted more.

[gwcocktailfriday]

This Week in Gundam Wing 22 September - 1 October 2024

Here’s the roundup for September 22th - October 1st, 2024!

Remember to give your content creators some love! Be sure to join in on the events at the bottom! And remember to send in any new works you see or make this next week!

~Mod Hel This one’s a bit late on purpose, so I could get the prompt lists and things in here. lol (Which *grumbles* were supposed to have posted YESTERDAY and didn’t... I had to just press post this morning.)

Fanfiction/Ideas/Snippets:

@cuteciboulette

Beilteine night https://archiveofourown.org/works/59334844

M/M, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Odin Lowe

Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, PWP, soft smut, magic in the air, Consensual Sex, Consensual Underage Sex, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Magic Made Them Do It, (they totally would have done it without the magic though), English

As he accompanies his father in his diplomatic visits to their Northen allies, Heero gets a chance at tasting their culture, for tonight is Beilteine night.

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@seaofolives

https://www.tumblr.com/seaofolives/762515998706466816/x?source=share

Quatre/Trowa, gifset

https://www.tumblr.com/seaofolives/761689212220243968/operation-meteor-show-me-the-hidden-3x4-lore

Quatre/Trowa + Duo, gifset

Calendar Events:

Gundam Wing AU Fest

https://www.tumblr.com/janaverse/755108738617245696/yay

All info about the event is in the post!

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompts for Friday, October 4th: https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/762865294729478144/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-october

In need of prompts!

@gwoc-october

Prompt List 2024: https://www.tumblr.com/gwoc-october/763150907755134976/gw-oc-october-is-back-going-a-bit-more-generic

@thisweekingundamevents

Events Calendar https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/730188053636841472/updated-events-calendar

If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates! We’ll add them to the Calendar and reblog your notices to get the word out!

GW Holiday Gift Exchange 2024

Sign-ups CLOSED:

Participant List: https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/763152631083433984/gw-hge-participant-list

GW Hallows 2024

https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/763151583438618625/gw-hallows-2024

[blanketorghost]

NRC! Yuu AU

Hehehe I've been thinking about this lil bastard for a while :^)

I wanted to toy with the idea of an AU in which Yuu was born in Twisted Wonderland and how he would affect the story if he was part of the main cast, so I came up with this fella. Rn the 4th long hair option is winning in the poll so I chose it for this design, but it'll change accordingly depending on which option wins. Not much from his appearance changes aside from giving him pinker eyes!

Student Info:

Grade/Class: Junior/Class E (No. 7)

Age: 18

Height: 179 cm (6 cm taller than his human counterpart)

Dominant hand: Ambidextrous

Homeland: Akabayashi village (赤林)

Club: Pop Music Club

Best Subject: Astrology

Hobbies: Poetry, Horror Stories

Pet Peeves: Responsibility

Favorite Food: All seafood

Least Favorite Food: Nattō

Talent: Strategy

Unique Magic: Liar's Dance

ライアースダンス (本音の仮面)- (True Intention's Mask)

Yuu can transform into a person of choice at the cost of an accelerated blot production. So far he's able to maintain a stable transformation for about 72 minutes.

His transformations are almost perfect, but he still cannot fully mimic people's eyes. Azul so far is the only one that can see through Yuu's UM.

Crowley never actually visited MC in Ramshackle for Ch3— it was Yuu using his unique magic.

Yuu has to syphon some of his magic towards the glamour charms, but he can change the strength of the glamour spells if he needs to use more magic. He numbers each level as a dance.

1st Dance: Ears + 1 Tail are revealed - all subsequent dances add a tail. The 7th and final dance adds markings to his skin resembling kumadori makeup.

Kitsune Lore:

Yuu is still the heir of his family, but backstories have been changed slightly and now he's much more willing on his role.

Floyd calls him "cuttlefishie" (イカちゃん/ika-chan) due to his many tails and his preference for seafood.

Kitsune only gain longevity after they gain their 9th tail. Before that, they age like a regular human.

Kitsune have 2 forms they can freely change into; their beastman and animal form. Culturally, kitsune are very overzealous about showing their natural ears and tails to other people in their beastman forms, so they use charms to maintain a glamour spell to make them look more human. Seeing a kitsune without glamours is only reserved to family, close friends or lovers.

A kitsune's animal form is like a 'hybernation' form for kitsune. They use this form to recharge after excerting a lot of their magic.

Kitsune used to be considered monsters until about half a millenia ago, so Yuu is extremely happy Grim got into NRC. He mistakenly thinks Grim is just a very very young Nekomata that has no control over his transformations yet.

Changes to Book 3-Onwards:

Yuu is Octavinelle's housewarden and is one of the very few students to have never entered a contract with Azul.

Azul challenged Yuu during the second half of his freshman year and lost. Yuu, though, saw his potential and appointed him vice-housewarden.

Has had a crush on Azul since the start of this schoolyear. Unlike Human! Yuu, he actually tries flirting from time to time. But due to Azul's low self-esteem, he thinks Yuu is actually making fun of him. Floyd and Jade are very aware of Yuu's crush, though.

As seen above, Yuu is actually the one who asks MC for help freeing the Anemones. Crowley is probably pro Azul since his deals actually increase the school's GPA let's be real.

Yuu helps the MC by using his UM to sneak into Atlantica's museum while the others distract the guards + tweels.

In a last ditch effort to appease Azul after Leona destroys the contracts, Yuu strikes a deal in which he gives his position as housewarden and UM. It all falls apart when the tweels eventually betray Azul and he overblots.

Confesses during the overblot battle like an idiot. Azul again thinks he's making fun of him (rip).

Yuu helps out in Book 4 by transforming into Kalim to figure out Jamil's plan.

Him and Azul officially start dating somewhere around ch 5.

[rain-ghoul-appreciator]

ok ive the brain was braining and i have ended up with headcannons on how the ghouls died and all the lovely shit

(tagging @ominousposting cause our ideas r so similar its kinda scary) ((super telepathy magic right here kids)) (((cause im like 98% sure ive never seen they're ghoul lore posts before this so i dont really wanna say i got inspo from them but yea its cool we're cool everything is cool 🫶🫶)))

under the cut and obv tw for death, murder, overdose, disease, drowning, fire, suicide, car accidents and poison (wow thats a lot)

phantom

died in 2010 from a car crash

will not get in a car no matter how empty the roads are

was only 17 when he died

youngest ghoul in the band (death year wise)

has all the humor from the 2000s still and it drives everyone absolutely nuts (inspired this post)

aurora

died in 1925 from accidental poisoning

was one of the flapper girls and was from a fairly wealthy family

was 24 when she was accidentally poisoned by a drink that was meant for someone else

3rd oldest band ghoul (death year wise)

still absolutely loves 1920s fashion and experiments with it by adding current trends and basically becoming the fashionista of all time

cumulus

murdered in 1953 by her husband

queen in the kitchen then, queen in the kitchen now (like seriously she can make anything and everything and its kinda scary cause how tf does she do it)

was 33 when she died cause her husband thought that she was to old and not good enough for him anymore (fuck this random guy)

4th oldest band ghoul (death year wise)

found some of her old cook books from before she died and makes nice little homecooked meals for all the ghouls every sunday because it makes her happy seeing all of them happy

rain

died in 2003 from suicide

emo kid emo kid emo kid (that kid was mcr's second fan) ((frank iero was the first obviously)) (((but he was second)))

was 15 when he killed himself, his parents were devastated

2nd youngest band ghoul (death year wise)

was absolutely stoked to find out that mcr was one of the biggest emo bands and influenced so many other bands (he almost passed out listening to music again for the first time)

mountain

died in his sleep from a disease in 1979

was the kindest guy ever but when he got sick everyone kinda avoided him cause they didn't want to get sick and felt bad seeing him like that

was 27 when he died and his whole neighborhood wished they could have done something more

5th oldest band ghoul (death year wise)

was really excited when he was introduced to the greenhouse for the first time because his room was always filled with plants before he died and it felt like his own little piece of home

sunshine

died 1995 from breast cancer

was very lonely because she spent most of her prime socializing years in a hospital bed

eventually died at 29 and was happy when she did

3rd youngest band ghoul (death year wise)

purposefully grows out her hair really long so she can cut it and donate it to make wigs for people with cancer cause she wants to help ppl be more confident with themselves and not end up like she did

dewdrop

died in 1991 from drowning

never really learned how to swim because he lived in the middle of a desert where there was no water so he felt like he didn't have to worry

was 25 when a friend pushed him off a boat as a joke and he was never able to get back up

4th youngest band ghoul (death year wise)

even though the element switch hurt like a bitch and ripped a whole piece of himself out, he felt somewhat relieved because the lingering fear of water was no longer plaguing his mind

aether

died in 1864 from a house fire

had 2 kids and a wife and they lived out in the country side in the middle of no where

was 38 when the house caught fire and he died saving his family from the flames

2nd oldest band ghoul (death year wise)

was still so incredibly british when he was summoned that dew had a heart attack when he started talking

cirrus

died in 1798 after being murdered by an angry mob

was a major activist for womens rights and had her own little rebellion against all the stupid expectations set for women back then

was 32 when an angry mov finally snuffed her out and killed her along with the rest of her little rebellion

oldest band ghoul (death year wise)

is still a hige advocate for women's rights and has to try not to laugh when someone says that she looks like/acts like herself before death (cause they obv dont know thats her lmao she cracks up everytime)

swiss

died in 1981 from a drug overdose

was an addict and wanted to stop but he couldn't afford getting help and his family didn't want to be associated with him so he was kinda on his own

overdosed at age 35 because he couldn't live like this anymore so death was the only option that he believed was available

5th youngest band ghoul (death year wise)

refuses to do any other drug than weed because he is still so extremely paranoid about becoming an addict again or accidentally overdosing