#mostly just me yelling to the void

[editorofeverything]

Just speaking to the void, but I was fangirling as I rewrote one of my chapter to my Daminette fic and I cannot get over what good parallels there are between Marinette and Damian.

Like, Marinette's this sweet, kind, caring, talented, silly, goofy, clumsy girl who had to grow up too fast. All she wanted to do was survive school, maybe get a boyfriend, have a good time with her friends, and nurture her growing talent and prestige in the fashion world. She loves her parents and family, and she is this exuberant, friendly gal who makes friends with just about everyone. Then, she's given this huge responsibility of being a hero and having to learn how to fight and lead and protect everyone and everything from ultimate destruction, all while keeping her secret identity and constantly feeling like a failure in both her superhero and civilian life. Before being LB, she slept in because she was a heavy sleeper and she stayed up too late being inspired to design, or playing video games with her parents, or doing homework like your average preteen girl. After she became LB, being a superhero took over her regular life. There was no balance. Then came losing Master Fu. Then came Lila, making Marinette's life horrible as a civilian to the point she could become akumatized- which she can't because she's LB. And then her friend- who she became a superhero for- all but abandons her for Lila and makes excuses for her even after learning Marinette's LB. Marinette gains a lot when she became LB- her confidence, a partner, a new love, power, respect, integrity- but I would argue that she lost that much more- Master Fu, her friends (to an extent and bc of Lila), her childhood, her teen years, her normal life, Luka as her boyfriend, a peaceful night's sleep- I could honestly go on. She was an abnormally talented, kind, wonderful girl who would grow up to rule the fashion world if given the chance, and then she had to change when she became LB. She grew up fast and was burdened with a power and responsibility that she never wanted in the first place, and her normal life began to fall apart.

And then there's Damian who grew up with all these expectations to be the next leader of the League of Assassins and was groomed his whole life to rule the world with his immortal (immoral) grandfather at his side. He was taught how to be the perfect assassin since he was born. He was expected to be the perfect offspring of Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne/Batman, the world's greatest detective. And he loses everything he's ever known at the young age of ten- his grandfather, his mother as she take over the League, everything he's ever known- and is sent to his father, who he's heard so much about because, despite everything that happened between them, Ra's al Ghul and Talia both have huge respect for Bruce/Batman, and this ten year old assassin is faced with his great father hating who he is and what he was trained to do. Damian starts out with the batfam hating every minute of it. He thinks he's in the right, that they're soft and unwilling to do what it takes to protect the world by taking out the ones who threaten it. He scoffs at his father's rules that all life should be protected and to never kill another, no matter how much you think they deserve it. It goes against everything the League taught him, everything he's ever known, and he spends his childhood learning and failing and learning again how precious life is and how the League and everything he grew up learning is as evil as some of the villains they put behind bars. He becomes a vegetarian and adopts a cow, a dog, a cat. He plays video games and learns that he likes to draw. He goes to school and suffers a mundane life every kid his age goes through. He finds a family and friends and a team falls in love. He spends the second half of his childhood learning how to become a hero instead of a dictator, and it changes him for the better.

And when you put them together, the parallels in their stories and personalities really play off each other well. She had the world at her feet and became restricted as she became a hero. He was restricted to be exactly who his grandfather and mother expected him to be and the world opened up to him when he left them behind. They both suffered and grew up despite everything standing in their way, and I think that creates a strong bond between them when they get to know each other.

(It's also hilarious thinking about how they would handle the other's situation. Like Marinette would absolutely become the favorite child in the Wayne household if that's how she became a hero. And then Damian would take over the League and run the world if that's how he became a hero, which wouldn't be good exactly, but he would likely learn over time (I think))

[lupinedreaming]

If you like your men pathetic and absolutely obsessed with their love interests, I need you to watch 10th Kingdom. Wolf is all of this. He’s a weird but endearing werewolf man who literally whines and whimpers and has sad wet eyes sometimes. Please. Watch it

[sleepy-doobles]

I have reasoning for this I promise

[butevensomharewrite]

Introduction Post

Welcome to my sideblog (currently in hideous colours but I'm working on it, stick with me, they're temporary) for, as the title says, my My Hero Academia rewrite, But, Even So, because I need a place to put my ramblings and thoughts and sketches.

So, I'm never a fan of using the word "fixing" when it comes to rewrites, because that implies objectivity and also I'm not so arrogant I think I'm so amazing writer who knows best. I'm just doing a rewrite, not claiming to fix anything or be superior, to my specific tastes as a "what would I do" with hindsight. Like there's no way Horikoshi could foreshadow Humarise despite it being a really cool element of worldbuilding, when it was made just for the anime movie way later, and so the had to be backfilled rather than foreshadowed, and also knowing where arcs are going helps to plan for them. I'm just kicking over Horikoshi's tower, stealing his building blocks, and building my own tower with them.

That said, what's the overview and plan? Here's a few of the major points, feel free to pop in a chat about any of them or anything not on the list.

An extended timeline. Lots of things as less rubbing when over the full 3 years of UA rather than one. Izuku mastering all the quirks of OFA? Makes way more sense if he's unlocking them slowly over 3 years. Bakugou's arc? He makes alright progress for a single year, but over 3 he's got even more to grow. Academia? I want to slow down and focus on academia. Less jarring transitions? For example, Todoroki goes from "nah sorry I'm not over my trauma enough to use my fire Bakugou" to "ok sure I will against Stain a week later" when we could spend time unpacking his trauma and working through this stuff.

Bakugou in general. A big contentious part of any rewrite, which is why this section is so long, he and fandom's relationship to him is lot to grapple with but he has so much potential. As I said, 3 years gives him more time to grow, but also I want to start earlier. I think a lot of the issues people have with him are seeded very early on but also in some culture clashes, but it's a tricky line to walk between softening his actions enough to make his redemption believable without removing what he did or his responsibility for it. So, I think it comes two fold, at the start, then a third later. First, Bakugou is supposed to be a sort of "society made this ego monster" type but we don't see enough of that society beyond the supposedly perfect UA, so I'd want to expand that more. The hype everyone builds around him and Bakugou's pressure to be perfect inadvertently put on him by Mitsuki trying to reign in his ego (pointing out his every flaw to try and counter the hype but instead enforcing yelling and slaps and the idea that if it's not perfect, it's not worth anything to her), and so a better look at Midoriya's bullying. People often ask why Bakugou doesn't get detention or why the teachers cover it up, and that shows the culture clash. Detention isn't really a thing in Japan, it's just having a chat with your teacher or counsellor, or public humiliation where you stand there and your teacher screams at you. And bullying in Japan is often led by the teacher. They're not covering it up, they're the ringleaders, because Midoriya is the weird kid who needs to be corrected (remember, public humiliation as correction) and even refusing to join in will make you a target. I'm not saying this is right, but that's how it often is, Japan is very victim blamey to the point where I know friends who've been called difficult for not forgiving someone who assaulted them, publicly (this is why characters like Natsuo refusing to forgive are so important). Status quo is king and everyone else's comfort is more important than yours, and for goodness sake's never admit there's a problem because that means you're a problem and you're making your problem other people's problem, how could you??? So it should be less "Bakugou bullied Midoriya" and more "Midoriya was bullied, and Bakugou was the only one who stayed in the plot" which does double duty of soften, a little, Bakugou's role by showing more people involved, and expands the idea that Midoriya is bottom of the pile by being quirkless where everyone is involved. Especially since, even in canon, we have 10 months of Bakugou ignoring Midoriya and still see the teacher humiliating him and classmates picking on him, I want to expand that to make it more obvious for western readers, since they'll be the majority of readers of this, I'm sure. Second, Bakugou's actions having direct consequences earlier, rather than the karmic ones. I mean, the plot goes out of its way to humiliate Bakugou sometimes, but it's more often than not narrative and karmic rather than direct. So, I intend to kick off Bakugou's journey a little early, while still in middle school, but making it clear it's a consequence of his own actions. He got himself into a position because of his actions, and now he's messed up. And this also avoids the suffering for redemption trope, because no you don't have to suffer for redemption because that quickly leads to a narrative implying if you're suffering it's because you've done something to deserve it, you know, victim blaming, and the slippery slope into hurting yourself as penance for wrong doings. Instead it's a matter of a serious incident, or suffering, making you revaluate your position. There's a difference, and it's important to me.

Thirdly, and it gets its own point, Bakugou needs a plot. I'm keeping Horikoshi's blocks, so Midoriya, Bakugou and Todoroki are the main trio, but Bakugou's story is so tightly related to Midoriya's he's taking screen time but also not doing as much as he could. Having a character arc be the main focus is fine, but it's a bit jarring when everyone else is doing their own plot and Bakugou is just following Midoriya. Midoriya has AFO/Shigaraki, Todoroki has his family, and Bakugou has... his feelings. So he needs to be doing his own but entwined thing. And I'm giving him Stain, because they've got fascinating potential. They both admire All Might but took the wrong messages, they both want to be heroes but kinda suck at the heroic nature part, they both have impossibly high standards that only All Might really meets, both get frustrated by heroes being more interested in appearances than doing stuff, and both lash out violently, and would despise each other, but can culminate in a slightly altered final war confrontation team up against AFO to protect All Might.

A focus on the a main cast. While I appreciate Horikoshi's wide and varied cast, the attempt to give them all somewhat even focus leaves them all kinda shallow to me, and also leaves some important characters side lined for too long. So, instead the theory is by focusing on Midoriya, Bakugou and Todoroki clearly as MCs with their own paths early on, we don't have the problem of people like Iida, Uraraka and Asui dropping off as Bakugou and Todoroki slowly take over their roles by Midoriya's side. Instead we clearly have the main three from start, and then the secondary group of Uraraka, Iida, Asui, Kirishima, Kaminara and Momo supporting them, and then everyone else. And hopefully, by streamlining and focusing on the core group, they get deeper, and strong character defining entrances from the others make up for their falling to the side. Also, giving these guys things to do as well. With an extended timeline there's more time for them to have more plot important roles. Letting Uraraka develop her martial arts and actually fight, letting the girls deal with the sexism of heroics (capitalise on the fact that one of Bakugou's earliest redeeming moments was seeing Uraraka as a competitor not just a cute fragile girl, expand on that Horikoshi why did you make that point just to drop it?), take time on things like Momo's second guessing in situations she can't prepare for in advance, Kaminari also has massive potential that's never tapped into but retool him in time to be a human stungun, give the heteromorph plot to Asui, there was nothing wrong with it being Shoji but it did come out of nowhere when Asui was right there and a solid character.

Academia! With longer to spread the timeline, there's more time for actual academia. Lessons and fun stuff like that. More interaction between departments. Hero students are paired with a support and business student at the start of the year, given a mock budget and taught to run a mock agency, to file reports on heroics class to make money and use that money for support upgrades and have their management spin the story to get more UA Bucks or get out of paying fines and damages. Which also works as commentary on how the heroes at the top get more money = more resources = bigger cases = more fame = more money becoming a cycle you have to figure out how to break into if you want to get to the top. And things like the ethics of heroics. When is it right to focus on defeating the bad guy over rescue? Is it ever? What if they get away and hurt more people while you're evacuating? Is "my quirk isn't suited" and excuse? Publicity training, training beyond just combat as more than a cute OVA, hero law, community service, handling trauma and victims and mental health (you'd think heroes dealing with victims constantly would have a better idea how to handle traumatised kids beyond traumatising them more), there's so much academia that could be covered!

Brief Villain Notes. More mixing and overlapping for villains and arcs in general. I don't hate the AFO possession plot in concept, but I think it's great way to have Shigaraki doing his own thing and maybe taking some of the league with him. Mr Compress actually known as a master thief, lets drop some hints, have some kids tracking him during internships, that kind of thing. Earlier Dabi. I don't have the reveal like Horikoshi did, so I have to play other cards with him. Give him ice before the last second and make it matter. He's Shouto's inverse. While Shouto uses ice to reject his father, Dabi uses fire because he wants Endeavor's approval and attention even in his own messed up way. At the same time, give Dabi more of a reputation, he wants Endeavor's attention after all. More about the Kurogirir stuff rather than just a weak reveal. Strengthen the Shigaraki and Midoriya line. Have them meet more, talk more, Midoriya even meeting Shigaraki pre-UA and simply offering help because he looks kinda lost. Toga in general is just kind of messy and needs some streamlining and I need to really sit down and ponder what her core really is and how to apply it, so I'm not too sure right now. The MLA, much like Humarise, should be seeded way earlier. Especially with plots like Uraraka, who can't help her family because she needs a license to use her quirk to do so and their goal is free quirk use, and they have a political party, and Curious should be in the press scrum at the Sports Festival, Re-Destro has a support and clothing company, he could be providing for UA.

Ok, I think that's the broadest strokes.

[yourclownpal]

sometimes im sad and then i look at the muppets and i am no longer sad

feat. my sillys : -3

[phoenixdaneko]

AHHHHHHHHHHH

[kideternity]

I don’t go into media for shipping reasons and I feel like I’ve made it pretty obvious I currently care more for the themes present in each kamen rider series then necessarily specifically the characters, but whatever thoughts and feelings I do have about Showa Rider relationships especially in a more crackship sense are so insane I feel like Im destroying the sanctity of Kamen Rider so I only really tell two people about it

[valiantwolf]

not to be dramatic but i'm big annoyed i can't actually edit my layout or pages, but i also absolutely do not want to have to go find and edit an entirely new layout just to make things work again

[himbopunk]

i like posting art to tiktok cuz its the only place ive consistently gotten art interaction both from new people and followers but also i hate tiktok cuz it does rly make me wanna keep making new things despite burnout or lack of time or whatever. less for me so much as to gain the approval of strangers. i dont know ehat it is because very rarely does social media interaction get this reaction out of me but ig again mb its just the lack of consistency

[nobdoy]

My mom gets so mad at my dad for having a disability and I just. Don't. Understand.

[biff-adventurer]

at this point i just have to accept that i am the gordon ramsay of writing and reading. i get incredibly angry and insane when confronted with certain kinds of failures, and that's just me, apparently X'DDD i am an absolute dragon about it and that is just me

[teaboot]

Feels weird leaving an ask, like I’m walking up to a sage on a mountain and asking advice but that sage is likely just some guy in his pj’s eating cheese. Anyway any advice for how to be okay with being perceived? It’s hard to not feel like everything I do whilst in someone eyeline is embarrassing

I'm actually eating Pierogi in the bathtub right now so this is perfect

Okay first off, currently working my way out of the wet paper bag that is Social Anxiety that once had me agoraphobic and melting down on my way to buy groceries, just so you know what you're working with

Care about how you dress, but not in like, a fashion way. Just a "I like how I feel in this shirt" sort of way. And not so much, "I look good in these pants so I will wear them to be perceived Correctly", as, "I feel great in these house slippers and when I feel good I'm confident and when I'm confident I give less of a shit what the haters might think". Wear what feels good. Cut your hair and do your face and nails whatever way feels good. Appearance is secondary to vibes.

Lean into the funny. I waited 10 minutes in line for a coffee order that had already been set out for me this morning, and when the barista noticed, we both had a good laugh. Five years ago that would have killed me. Now I'm glad these poor workers will have a funny story over their bland ass shift. When I was in retail that would have been adorable and hilarious! And so, my goofemup is a gift. I am full of blessings

Get louder and watch as nothing bad happens. Take up more space and watch as nobody yells at you. Wear brighter or skimpier or janglier outfits and bask I the glory that is "Nobody gives a shit except the nice strangers who give me compliments". Marvel at how far you can push the envelope before anyone so much as comments on it. This will free you.

Say yes to terrifying opportunities to be Seen. Karaoke, dance, improv. And if you can't do it sincerely, embody a caricature of yourself. It's terrifying and it sucks eternally and forever and ever and ever like hellfire until suddenly it doesn't. Then have fun.

Be honest. Not unkind, but blunt if you need to. "I'm having a bad time". "This kinda sucks for me". "I know you hate this song but you can deal with these last 30 seconds because I need it to live". Mostly people will think it's a joke but respect it anyway. God bless

Please keep in mind that I am flying by the seat of my pants here and this is just stuff that's worked for me. I am still a nervous disaster crying into the void. Good luck space cowboy

[wileys-russo]

https://www.tumblr.com/wileys-russo/753695268809162752/its-giving-alba-and-fresa?source=share

could we pleaseeee get a litle fic about this 😭

the void masterlist

the roadtrip (before the void blurb) II a.putellas

if there was anything your mami was a sucker for, it was family traditions, especially after your papi passed away, believing they would make the four of you closer together.

so every boxing day when you were all exhausted and still bloated full of copious amounts of food you'd pile into the car together and drive six hours to your tio's house to spend a couple of days before you'd return to barcelona for new years.

the drive had always been, interesting, to say the least with the four of you cooped up in a car together for so many hours and as little breaks or stops as eli could manage.

alexia and alba had both begged to take a plane, offering to even pay for the tickets which would shorten the trip to only fifty five minutes and give the luxury of being able to stretch your legs and use the bathroom at will.

but though they'd asked for years, they'd been shot down each time with a firm shake of the head and a warning look from eli when they tried to argue their point further, giving up with defeated groans and going back to packing.

you however loved the journey, you loved the view, the snacks, the talking, story telling. but as your sisters grew up they became less interested in these things and more in their headphones, naps or books which left you normally bored and restless since eli had to focus on the road.

you always sat in the back, on the right behind eli while alexia always rode up front, alba sat behind her begrudgingly as every year she'd lose the battle for the coveted front seat.

"maybe next year hermana." alexia would smirk after easily yanking alba out of the seat she'd just camped out in for a half hour before you were due to leave in hopes this might clench it for her, eli dismissing the argument with a wave of her hand.

the first few hours were normally civil, with everyone in a halfway decent mood still riding out the high of the holidays there was lots to discuss, mostly whatever scraps of family drama and gossip alba managed to find out as she moved from seat to seat around the table during christmas dinner.

then you'd all stop briefly, just to use the bathroom and be bribed with snacks at a rest stop.

"aquí pequeña." alexia mumbled with a mouthful of food, tossing you whatever candy or snack you'd requested, often a couple of extra than you'd normally be allowed which you knew well enough to hide before eli got back to the car as your eldest sister gave you a wink and motioned to zip her lips before she did her seat belt back up.

though after the rest stop was usually when the cracks started to show.

"oh for me? gracias fres!" alba gasped sarcastically, swiping the packet of sweets from your hand as you frowned and reached for them back, held off easily with her hand against your forehead.

"give it!" you huffed, only seven years old so regrettably with arms not long enough to snatch back whatever snack the seventeen year old had snaked from you.

"what? you don't know how to share with your hermana?" your sister teased, tipping half the packet into her mouth as you gasped and pushed harder against her hand much to her amusement. "you didn't ask!" you fiddled around with your own seat belt before it finally clicked undone.

letting out a cry you lunged at her, scratching and clawing, alexia having tuned you both out cluelessly with her earphones shoved in and sunglasses dropped over her eyes.

"give it!" you grunted, stood up on the seats and trying your best to get the much taller girl into a choke hold. "just take it then." alba grinned, still easily holding them out of your reach as you jumped on top of her right as eli slid inside.

"oye! basta ya!" the older woman warned, reaching over to smack both of you on the leg right as you sunk your teeth into alba's hand and she yelled, shoving you back into your seat as your back thumped into the door.

"don't push her!" alexia finally decided to pull one of her earphones out as alba kicked her seat, her own head whipping around as she leaned over to punch your other older sister in the thigh.

"all of you! stop!" eli yelled right as alba leaned forward to retaliate and your leg shot out to kick into her ribs, causing her to drop your candy which you scrambled to snatch back, groaning when most of it had now been eaten or dropped on the floor.

"mami she bit me!" "mami she took my candy!" "then she punched me!" "mami she pushed the baby!" "i am not a baby!" "you are too!"

after a stern warning and another disagreement between your sisters about taking turns in the front seat, alexia winning out with the 'i'm older, taller and i need the leg room' argument, you were back on the road and all in a significantly worse mood.

"fresa if a single part of you crosses this line, i will snap it in half." alba warned drawing an invisible line through the middle of the seat in between you as both you and alexia rolled your eyes in sync.

"alba." eli sighed tiredly with a shake of her head, your sister ignoring the warning and crossing her arms, looking out the window as your mami just turned up the radio to try and drown you all out.

of course though with nothing to do but think, it didn't take you long to come up with a loop hole.

for christmas you'd been gifted a clever hand made wooden puzzle from your albuelo, it was linked together with elastics and could be manipulated into almost any shape without breaking or coming apart.

to everyones surprise it was your favourite thing you'd gotten all day, spending the entire afternoon messing about with it, so naturally eli had packed it for you to amuse yourself with on the journey.

grabbing the puzzle out of your bag with a few moves you'd managed to make it into a straight line, around thirty or so centimeters long with all of the pieces locked together like that.

you glanced to the side and smiled noticing alba's eyes had closed as she rested her head on her hand, leaning against the window clearly dozing off. so with the puzzle in hand you crossed the line, poking her a few times with it and quickly pulling it back as her hand tried to snatch it.

"fresa if you touch me again, you die." alba mumbled, eyes still closed as her nostrils flared and your smile widened, waiting a few minutes until she settled again.

*poke, poke, poke*

"what did i say!" your sister shot upright, eyes snapping open as again you yanked the puzzle just out of her grip. "not to cross the line with any part of me or you'll snap it." you parroted.

"sí. so give me your hand i'm gonna break it!" alba growled as you shook your head. "no. my hand didn't cross the line, this did!" you grinned wiggling your puzzle happily.

"well if that crosses the line one more time...its going out the window." your sister warned quietly with a glare before settling herself again.

but of course, growing bored again after a few minutes you didn't listen.

*poke poke poke*

this time you were quick to pull the puzzle away and drop it to the floor where your sister couldn't reach, and without it to follow through on her threat alba hit you instead.

"no no no i'm sorry i'm sorry!" she whispered frantically seeing the tears well up in your eyes and your bottom lip start to wobble. "no no pequeña don't cry!" alba practically begged but by then it was too late as you audibly sobbed first capturing alexia's attention and then eli's.

"fres? nena what's wrong?" alexia turned around right away with a frown, reaching her hand out toward you as you linked your fingers with hers. "alba hit me! it really hurt." you sniffled wiping your nose with your free hand as alexia's eyes flickered to alba whose were wide in fear.

"ale i-" "i am going to kill you."

"alexia!" eli sighed as your eldest sister dropped your hand and lunged, alba curling up into a ball as best she could to avoid the hands lashing out at her as your mami did her best to tug alexia back into her seat.

"stop it! all three of you sit still, no talking, no touching, no moving. dios mío you are giving me a headache and we are barely halfway there!" eli raised her voice silencing all of you as alexia reluctantly settled but not before sending alba another deathly glare of warning and sneaking you a chocolate bar as your eyes lit up.

though as alba caught your gaze to apologize again her own eyes widened as you smiled smugly, tear tracks dried on your face as you happily munched away on your snack and your sisters features hardened and she shook her head.

"diablillo."

around the four hour mark you'd grown bored again, and so had alexia whose music was failing to entertain her anymore as her arm snuck back and tapped your knee.

catching your gaze in the reflection she made a gesture and your face lit up knowing exactly what it meant, another favorite way to pass the time during these trips.

"alba." you kicked her lightly as she hummed and rubbed her eyes, awoken from a nap as she raised an eyebrow in your direction. you began to make gagging noises as she suddenly woke right up and clutched her stomach.

"stop, right now." your sister warned through gritted teeth, alexia catching your eye with a grin and an encouraging nod as you fake retched louder and began to gag.

"stop or i swear-" alba started to warn but as you made a particularly realistic retching noise her face paled and she covered her mouth and blocked her nose, shaking her head.

"fresa." eli warned seriously catching onto what was happening but it was too late as you gagged again and alba cracked. "mami por favor pull over. pull over!" the girl could barely get the words out as eli swore under her breath and quickly pulled to the side, stopping the car.

right as the car stopped moving your sisters door was open and she was rushing to the nature strip, emptying the contents of her stomach as both you and alexia tried to hide your laughter behind your hands.

"they do this every time! voy a mataros a los dos." alba grunted out before alexia gagged this time and she was doubled over again as the pair of you made no move to hide your laughter.

"why are such a bad influence on your hermana? grow up ale!" your eldest sister whined as eli's hand slapped against the back of her head with a loud smack.

"get in the back ya mismo, alba gets the front." eli pointed as alexia sighed but didn't argue, wincing again as eli's hand collected with her back as she did, mumbling under her breath about making it there in time for lunch.

"one more argument and the three of you can sleep in the backyard in a tent, together."

much paler than normal but seemingly steady again alba dragged herself into the front seat as alexia clipped in and patted the middle seat right beside her, both of you ignoring the death threats muttered under the breath of your middle sister.

"vamos fresita, nap time." alexia wrapped an arm around you as you settled into the middle seat and leaned into her, shaking your head.

"i'm not tired." you mumbled, but your sisters fingers threading through your hair and scratching at your scalp had the words sounding much less sure than you'd intended, eyes already starting to close, and within a couple of minutes you were out like a light.

[yuriosakawa]

Ride or Die 

As Danny Phantom and Johnny 13 drifted through the Ghost Zone, Danny’s hands firmly around the older ghost’s waist as he drove, the eerie green mist swirling around them, Danny spoke up.

“So… can I ask you something?”

Johnny, who had been quiet until now, smirked and glanced at Danny. 

“Yeah, sure, kid. What’s on your mind?”

Danny hesitated, but then decided to just go for it. “Kitty.”

Johnny’s smirked died down, and his grip on his bike’s handlebars tightened ever so slightly. He returned his gaze at the rocky road in front of him. 

Danny continued carefully, “I mean, when she—when she, y’know, followed you… what was your first reaction?”

For a long moment, Johnny didn’t say anything. His jaw worked like he was chewing on the right words. Finally, he sighed and ran a hand through his greasy hair.

“I was pissed.”

Danny blinked. “Wait, really?”

Johnny let out a humorless chuckle. “Yeah. I loved Kitty, don’t get me wrong. But when I found out what she did? I lost it.” He clenched his fists. “I yelled at her. I told her she was a damn fool. That she had everything—her whole life ahead of her—and she just threw it away. For me.”

Danny had expected sadness, maybe regret, but not outright anger. “But… wasn’t she just trying to be with you?”

Johnny shook his head. “That’s the thing, Danny. Yeah, I missed her, but I never wanted this for her. I wanted her to live. To move on. Not… this.” He gestured vaguely to himself, to the swirling, endless void of the Ghost Zone. “She was supposed to grow old, have a life, have a family if she wanted one. Instead, she got stuck here with me.”

Danny could hear the bitterness in his voice, but there was something else beneath it—something raw and painful.

“A part of me is still mad at her for it,” Johnny admitted, his voice quieter now. “But mostly? I think I’m just mad at myself.”

Danny frowned. “Why?”

Johnny sighed and looked away. “Because if I hadn’t been such a reckless idiot… if I hadn’t gotten myself killed… she never would’ve done it. I know it was her choice in the end, but I was the reason she even had to make that choice.” His fingers tapped restlessly against the handlebars. “I guess a part of me wonders if she ever regretted it, y’know? If, deep down, she wished she had stayed alive.”

Danny thought about Kitty—how, despite everything, she always seemed devoted to Johnny. But he also thought about the way she sometimes looked at the human world, the way she tried to fit in, the way she occasionally longed for something she could never have again.

“I dunno, Johnny,” Danny said finally. “I think she loves you. But I think she probably misses being alive, too.”

Johnny let out a long breath, nodding slightly. “Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

They rode in silence for a while after that, the hum of Johnny’s bike the only sound in the endless expanse of the Ghost Zone.

[silverryuan]

TWST with an Ubuyashiki Child reader (Part 2)

Crowley: "Welcome to Night Raven College, child!"

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "... Night Raven College?"

Crowley: "Yes, yes. Now come with me, we must hurry back to the ceremony. Everyone is waiting for you-."

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "I do not understand. May you please elaborate more, sir?"

Crowley: "Oh? Very well then. I shall elaborate more, for I am gracious! ... Ahem!"

• Crowley cleared his throat as you walked alongside him to reach the ceremony.

Crowley: "You, dear prodigy, are enrolled into this school to learn about magic."

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "...Magic?"

Crowley: "Yes. Those who are selected by the Ebony Carriage are fortunate to enroll here! Young mages such as yourself are to be trained and taught how to hone your magical skills to full mastery! The Dark Mirror orients you to a dormitory specialized in each category for your type of magic!"

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "... What is the Ebony Carriage?"

Crowley: "The Ebony Carriage is the horse drawn carriage that escorted you here."

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "... I do not remember a carriage. Why did it bring me here despite me not possessing any magic?"

Crowley: "No magic? That's absurd! You don't have to be nervous on an important occasion such as this. I am sure you'll do just fine!"

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "But I--"

Crowley: "Ah! We have arrived!"

• Crowley was quick to interrupt you now that you've reached your destination. You hear voices behind two doors. You peeked through the tiny gap of the doors as the headmage tightened Grim's restraints and see hooded figures and a floating... Piece of metal?

??????: "Now where could the headmage be?"

?????: "Think he had a stomachache?"

????: "Ditched us maybe?"

??????: "Yawn... This is tiring. Can't this stupid ceremony go any faster?"

???: "Ugh... You always say that."

Crowley: "NOT AT ALL!! I've found the last one and brought them back!"

• Crowley slammed through the doors, startling a few students. He then pushed you toward an old and intricately designed mirror. Instead of seeing your reflection, a scowling face appeared in the mirror's surface. You stared at the face, and it stares back.

Dark Mirror: "State thy name."

Crowley: "Ahem! Go on, take off your hood and say your full name."

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "...And if I won't?"

Crowley: "Then this ceremony will go on much longer. You wouldn't want to keep everybody waiting now, would you?"

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "....."

• The silence dragged longer and the students in room began groaning, yawning, and complaining.

Random Student A: "..Ughh! I can't take this anymore 😮‍💨!"

Random Student B: "I'm so sleepy 🥱..."

Random Student C: "At this point, we'll be behind schedule for the entrance exam 😓..."

Random Student D: "What entrance exam 😒?"

Random Student C: "The NRC entrance exam? I heard that you'll need to pass it after orientation 🤨?"

Random Student D: "There is no entrance exam, you bum 🙄."

Random Student C: "Wait, seriously?! I just wasted my time studying then 😨?!"

Random Student A: "JUST SAY YOUR DAMN NAME ALREADY 😡!"

Random Student E: "Yeah! We haven't got all night 🤬!"

Crowley: "Quiet down, students, quiet down!"

?????: "Oh no... Are they scared? Nervous?"

????: "I am so glad I'm not this normie lol."

??????: "What in the Great Sevens is taking so long?"

• The crowd of students started yelling while you're just standing there... What would father do? What would mother do? What would your siblings do? What would they do in this situation?

• .........What would you do?

• Although your expressionless face never faltered, your hands hesitantly lifted the hood of your robe, revealing your youthful appearance and void of emotion eyes. Although your mind is panicked with a thousand worries, you say your name in a calm manner.

Ubuyashiki! Reader: "... Ubuyashiki! Reader..."

• The hooded students whispered among themselves, mostly regarding the fact that you are a child.

Random Student C: "Woah... Is that a child 😧?"

Random Student D: "Oh no, it's a dwarf. Yeah, of course it's a child, duh 🙄."

Random Student A: "Oh shit. I just yelled at a kid 😨."

Random Student E: "We're totally gonna get an earful from the headmage after this... Do you think he heard me 😰?"

Random Student B: "Ch-chill, guys. Just chill out, it's just a kid 🫢..."

?????: "Wow! They look so young, you guys!"

???: "We can see that, Kalim."

????: "Great. Another pompous shortstack."

????: "Oh? And what magic does this child possess to be enrolled here?"

????: "Never thought I'd live to see the day where Azul plots to scam a kid."

Azul: "How preposterous, Idia. I would never do that! And I'd never scam anyone, mind you!"

Idia: "Yeah, yeah. Whatevs."

• The mirror was surprised and looked at you intensely. After a few seconds the mirror said...

Dark Mirror: "Thy soul is....... Empty."

Crowd of Students and Crowley: "WHAT?!"

[audliminal]

Survivability Bias Pt 4

Masterpost - Ao3

“Cassiopeia,” Danny murmurs, his eyes never leaving the glimmering void above him. “Though epsilon looks dimmer than it usually is. I wonder if it still has a ring...” Around him, the world is shadowed, the distant lights of cities visible on the horizon but not bright enough to truly disrupt his view of the night sky. It had been a bit nerve-wracking leaving the town, but he’d been making an effort to lay low for the last week, and had seen nothing to indicate anyone was coming to search for him. The idea of visiting the firefighters still makes his skin itch, but a little trip to stargaze had started seeming like a reasonable risk to take, and with the calm expanse of void above him, Danny can feel something deep inside of him settle. The buzz of fear that’s been around since before he even got here evaporates, as he counts the stars and constellations. They’re not all the same, Cygnus seems to be mostly missing, and a few of the individual stars Danny remembers seem to be gone, but for the most part, it’s the same. Certainly more familiar than anything else has been so far. The technology here is all far more advanced than anything Danny’s seen before, which is ironic considering the portal.

It’s funny, really that he can be this far away from home (a literally incalculable distance), and the stars are still generally the same. Even the ones that are new are still stars; still the same burning masses fueled by fusion and gravity, and feeding the universe at large with new material. They're still millions of light-years away, and yet they’ve been there for so long, streaming their light into a void, where it can eventually reach this very spot where Danny’s currently standing. All his problems seem so small in the face of the great expanse of space.

“Amazing!” Danny exclaims, letting himself just laugh with delight. Maybe he’s alone here, but has he ever felt this free before? Nobody to drag him away, or force him into fights, or yell at him about the chores he hasn’t done yet. Hell, if he really wanted to, he just take off, go hang out in space, maybe fly until he finds one of those alien planets that he’d seen mentioned on Wikipedia. Sure, it would probably take a stupid amount of time to get there, but he could , if he wanted.

Behind him, there’s a rush of air, and the sound of a person taking a breath, and Danny tears his gaze away from the stars, flipping himself into a fighting stance as he runs through the list of heroes he’d read about, trying to remember which of them could fly. As he turns, his eyes lock on to another boy, though, that looks to be close to Danny’s own age.

“Woah, dude.” The boy says, holding his hands up and floating a few feet backwards. “I’m not here to fight?”

“Then why are you here?” Danny asks. He is just a kid, so like, maybe , it’s safe, but also the symbol on the kids chest is the same one Superman was wearing, so he could just be a recruit or something.

“I dunno, man, I just heard you talking and got curious? Not exactly many people around that can just hang out in the sky, you know. I can leave if you want.” The other  boy’s expression seems sincere. Mostly he looks startled and a bit uncertain, and deeply unlike the weird, heroic, confident posture that Superman seemed to have in every picture. This guy looks like he’s trying to look confident, sure, but not like he actually is .

“You’re not Superman, but you’re wearing his logo.” Danny says. Dropping his stance, but not letting himself fully relax. Just because it’s not a fight, doesn’t mean he’s safe, after all.

“Yeah, uh, I’m Superboy.”

“Superboy,” Danny echoes. “I read something about sidekicks? Is that-” Danny cuts himself off when the other boy winces.

“No, I’m not his sidekick. More like he’s helping to train me. We’ve got the same powers, so... Yeah.”

“Huh. Training sounds... Nice? What’s that like?” Honestly, training sounds downright miraculous. Danny hasn’t been able to stop thinking about the destruction caused by the train crash, and how everyone in Amity had always complained about the damage caused by ghost fights. He hasn’t forgotten how much he’d gotten himself hurt in those early days either, not that anyone else had ever noticed that bit.

“Yeah, I guess it’s nice. I take it you don’t have a mentor, then?”

“I’m not a hero.”

“No? I thought- I mean, you look a lot like the description of the guy who helped with the train crash over in Concord.” Superboy frowns, glancing off in the direction of Danny’s hometown.

“I mean, yeah that was me but I’m not. I don’t wanna fight anyone.”

“Oh, yeah that’s totally fair.” Superboy immediately responds with a laugh. “Honestly most of what we do isn’t actually fighting people, so y’know. You don’t have to be a fighter to be a hero.”

“Oh.” That kinda makes sense. After all, Danny had done a lot of fighting back home, and nobody had called him a hero there.

“Yeah, it’s like. There’s a lot of stuff about emergency response and civilian rescue and stuff. Hell, from what I understand half of what the Bats do is just, like detective work. That’s a lot of what my training’s for, actually. I’m pretty good at destroying stuff, I guess, but Supes says I need better control, before I can be trusted to handle relief stuff, because I might accidentally hurt people with my strength or something.”

“That’s. Cool, I guess?” Danny risks a glance up at the stars. No attack comes with Danny’s split attention, though after a moment, Superboy slowly floats over to his side.

“What are you looking at?”

“The stars.”

“Just, like, in general?” Superboy asks. He sounds dubious, and Danny can feel him glancing between him and the sky every couple seconds.

“What, have you never gone stargazing before?” 

Superboy doesn’t say anything for a minute, and Danny glances over. The false confidence has completely evaporated from the other boy’s expression, and instead he just looks unsure.

“I’ve never really had the opportunity before.” Superboy finally murmurs, quieter than any of their conversation so far.

“Well, I guess you’re in luck!” Danny says, offering his new companion a smile. “Because I’m something of an expert in it!” And Danny begins to point to the different constellations, and tell Superboy as much as he can about all the stars and planets above them.

“You really are an expert, huh?” Superboy eventually says, in the middle of Danny’s tangent about why Pluto isn’t considered a planet anymore. That had been one of his most interesting discoveries in his Wikipedia explorations. He’d been kind of surprised at first when it hadn’t shown up on the list of planets, but he’d specifically searched for it, he’d learned about it’s reclassification, along with all the reasoning behind it. He’d been a little sad at first, but the realization that it came alongside the implication about a whole number of other bodies orbiting their sun had been exciting in it’s own way.

“Yeah,” Danny responds with a laugh. “I, uh, really like space. I actually wanted to be an astronaut as a kid.”

“But you don’t want to be one now?”

“I mean,” Danny hums. “It’d be nice, but I don’t think it’s really a plausible goal anymore. It- the way I got my powers came with some... complications. And anyway I kind of don’t legally exist anymore, so it’s. I can’t even go to space camp, let alone go to actual space.”

“Is that, uh, why you don’t have a normal heart beat? I didn’t wanna ask and be rude, but like, you sound kinda like a really large bee.”

“Yeah, that’s, um. I mean I’ve never been called a bee before, but yeah.”

“Wild. But like, if it’s meta stuff, then aren’t they legally not allowed to discriminate against you for it? They’re not just gonna be like ‘oh you don’t have a heartbeat guess you can’t go to space.’”

“I mean, there was, like, a meta scholarship on the website, but...”

“You’re worried about revealing your identity.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Well, that’s fixable. I mean, I didn’t have an identity to even reveal until this year, so the Justice League can definitely-”

“I don’t want them to know about me,” Danny interrupts.

“Oh.” Superboy says. “Well, what about just, like one person? Because Robin could definitely make you a whole new identity all by himself, and I know he has no qualms about keeping shit secret from everyone else.”

“Robin.” Danny thinks he remembers that name being referenced in relation to Batman. Something about a boy wonder. “Is he our age?”

“Yeah.” Superboy looks excited. “I could introduce you sometime if you want?”

“I dunno.” Even one Justice League associate knowing about him is concerning, and if Superboy knows about the thing with the train, then probably the adult members do too.

“Well, you don’t have to decide now! I have super hearing so if you call my name I’m almost guaranteed to hear it!”

“You can just hear me anytime?” Danny asks.

“Oh, uh. I mean technically yes? But generally it’s like effort to just tune into one person from a distance. But I listen for anybody calling for me, in case they need help or whatever, so I’m always kind of listening for that.”

“I’’ll keep that in mind, I guess.”

“Right. Uh, do you wanna tell me more about the planets?”