#this was going to happen eventually

[shrimpricebowl]

oh thank god

[excessive-moisture]

[canisalbus]

✦ 2023 summary of art ✦

[vwoop-prince]

YJ S3 Dick, still in the midst of his fever dream, hides underneath the 'souvenir' instead of behind some boxes, and accidentally opens the airlock trying to take care of the Parademons. The others get it to close... but not before Nightwing is thrown into space.

There, he stares at the ship holding his friends and mentors. There, he wishes more than anything that he can, somehow, survive. There, he tries to live, if only so his family don't have to bury him like Jason.

There, Nightwing dies, wanting to save everyone, even with the cold seeping into his bones far too quickly for a regular section of space.

Then, Dick opens his eyes to... Earth? There's a little house, and grass, and trees, but there's a bubble of green over it all. Outside of that green was an entire castle, one that looked like it should have far more support beams than it does for even a hope that it stays standing.

And the sky was swirling shades of that same green. It makes him think of Lazarus.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day." He whips his head behind him, a bit too fast for Earth's atmosphere, but it doesn't hurt him. Past the bubble of green was a blue-skinned adult in purple robes, the insides of a grandfather-clock fitted inside their torso, and a black staff with a stopwatch on its top. Beside them was a man with snow white hair, glowing green eyes, a crown of frozen fire dancing above his head, and the most galaxy-like cloak Dick's ever seen clasped to his shoulders. He's wearing... a hazmat suit? Maybe? The twinkling stars and odd lighting of wherever he is were giving him a bit of a headache.

But in front of those two, within this bubble, was...

"DICK!" Wally shouted with unrestrained glee, a blur overtaking his spot for barely a heartbeat before Dick's stuck in a crushing hug that he reciprocates once his brain stops feeling like its melting.

He doesn't know how long it took for them to calm down, but the man with the crown spoke up after a time, as Wally was still wiping their faces free of tears. "Welcome to the Infinite Realms, Nightwing." Dick barely even registered that he was still wearing his suit, but now it felt suffocating. "I suppose you're the one Clockwork was holding out for; There shouldn't've been enough Ectoplasm around you to form a Ghost, and your physical body's still in space. I can see why you like this one, though, Clockie," he states flippantly, turning to his companion. Almost like he didn't expect Dick to pay too close attention to what he was saying.

"Either way, there's two options for you." The man didn't let Dick swallow his tears and question anything. Dick's not sure if he's grateful or not. "First: Stay in the Realms permanently. You'll see Kid Flash whenever you want and learn to be a Ghost with the denizens of the Realms. Maybe find your parents."

"But..." Dick pulls away from Wally, keeping him at arms length, eyes flitting between them. The two outside the bubble were distinctly... ghost-like, so the mentions of 'Ghosts' make sense. But Wally looked... alive. A bit pale, a bit thin... but alive. Dick can't see any of his own skin to see if it was blue or tinted that way, but the Nightwing symbol on his chest kept flickering between its own blue and this 'Realms' green. "But--What about the others? What about you? Why can't you come home?" The last two, he focuses on Wally, because now he can feel a heartbeat beneath his gloves. Wally's alive. He's alive.

His friend just shrugs. "Something about their portals not fit for the living? I'm meant to wait for someone to figure out a permanent portal, but they won't tell me how long that'll take." Wally glares at the... 'Ghosts'? There was a heat to it, but it also seemed like this was a well-worn argument.

"The permanent portal was always an 'if', Wallace West. And that is entirely dependent on if Richard Grayson takes the second option," the clock Ghost--Clockwork?--speaks up. But instead of the adult Dick was expecting, there was an elderly Ghost in their place. Still with the time motif. Was that... more literal than Dick took it?

"Yes, the second option..." The crowned man glares daggers at Clockwork. The temperature dips below comfortable. Dick tries to blink the spaceship and stars out of his sight, withdrawing his arms from Wally to try and warm himself. Tries to remember he's not in space. "The second option is that you return to your body... changed. You'll be able to protect Earth better, stay with your alive family, save the Lost Ones... for a price."

Dick doesn't know if he should ignore the plural in 'Lost Ones'. He doesn't know if he's reading too much into how, in this Realm, apparently only his parents were able to be found. Where's Jason? He doesn't dare hope, but...

"What's the price?"

The man smiles and a ring of blue forms around his waist. It splits in two and travels up and down his body, replacing the cloak and whatever clothes he was actually wearing with a NASA shirt, worn jeans, and red sneakers actually duct taped together. The blue tint to his otherwise tan skin fades completely. His hair turns black. His eyes turn blue.

He was like a taller, slightly slimmer, way hotter version of Bruce.

The man walks through the bubble, but doesn't disturb the grass beneath his feet. "You become the Ghost King's vassal." Dick flinches away and almost hides behind Wally. "Not my idea! But, well... it is either this, or your permanent death."

"What does becoming a vassal do to him?" Wally asks, gently trying to stop Dick from breaking his ribs with how tightly he was hugging himself. Does he even have ribs?

"He gains my powers. Ice, electricity, invisibility, intangibility, flight... He becomes a Halfa. He becomes what I was, in life. Just... needing to make offerings to me, now and then. Something like that, at least. I give him powers, he gives me a chunk of, I don't know, chocolate once a week. Like a warlock."

Wally keeps talking to the man, keeps getting information that he knows he should pay attention to, but something in his chest screams to accept this deal, and he can't focus on anything else.

Nightwing can protect. He can return to life and go back to Blüdhaven, be the Vigilante they need. He can visit Gotham every now and then, help with cases and stop criminals from harming others. He can see his brother. He can see his friends. He can eat Alfred's cookies, and have little get-togethers with Babs and the Team--hell, he can argue with Bruce.

And all he has to do is... give an offering to this guy? The Ghost King? Every once in a while?

"There's no other price?" The King turns his attention to Dick. His eyes had shifted to a blue-green that almost hypnotize him. The green swirls, the blue forms and melts like snowflakes, and he can't look away.

He takes another step forward and Wally steps to the side. There was familiarity between them. Wally deferred to him. Dick can't quite tell why. Though, with how Wally hasn't once looked at Clockwork, maybe it's because he's... grounded? Are all speedsters in trouble with, what, the Ghost of Time? That... actually makes perfect sense.

"I'll be honest, Nightwing: You've impressed me." The weight behind the King's words lifts the ones that've been on his shoulders since he was nine. "You remind me of myself. Maybe, if I wasn't a Halfa... If I had a mentor... I could've been like you.

"Despite Clockwork's insistence over the years that I get back in touch with the living, I've held off. When he eventually suggested that I help create another Halfa, I locked him in his tower for twenty years. I didn't want anyone to go through what I had. But, now... I see that you won't. You can't. Even if you hide this deal--our shared powers... You'll still have people by your side. Strong people. Smart people. You can already handle yourself. And I'd love to see what you can do--who you can save--with my help."

There was maybe two inches between their faces when the King finishes speaking. Dick roves his eyes across the other's face, trying to find the common and familiar ticks that show lies and deceit and manipulation. All he finds is sincerity and genuine care.

Wally plays with his fingers from the corner of his eye, gaze hopeful as he looks between the two of them. Wally, who was alive and breathing and able to leave if he accepts. Eventually. Somehow.

Dick Grayson sends a quiet apology to his parents and hopes they will forgive him for being a little bit selfish.

"I accept."

He flings his eyes open. Above him, domino mask too wobbly to be properly secured anymore, was Robin crying and begging him to wake up. His hands were sloppily placed over his heart. Batman was trying to drag him away, the firm set of his jaw screaming grief.

Nightwing gasps once he registers his lungs burning.

There's a large cacophony of noise, multiple bright suits and people hounding over him, and the distinct artificial taste of slightly-too-much oxygen that the ship with the Parademons had. That he flew out of and died. He was still too cold.

Someone moves their arm beneath his knees and shoulder and Dick passes out.

(Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson dies in space. Ghost King Danny Phantom likes this too-human Hero. They split their souls in half, take one piece of the others, and all they know is that Phantom is now Nightwing's Patron Deity. Danny uses ice, for electricity killed him. Dick uses electricity, for ice killed him. They are opposites, and yet so incredibly similar. Clockwork was looking forward to when Danny starts putting off his paperwork to hang out with his new 'friend'.)

[egophiliac]

So how’s ride kamens going for you as I just pulled my self together long enough to read the other half of the current main story

I've been working on catching up on the event stories since they announced the upcoming main story update! (I totally bombed the last few events...they're so fast-paced and I just didn't have time...😭)

and then of course they went and dropped THIS on us today

(you don't understand, I LOVE Tajador and I already love the two blurry frames they've given us of non-silhouetted Kelka, I'm ready to absolutely lose my shit come the announcement/reveal(?) stream on Thursday --)

[kokoasci]

00:05

[meagancandraw]

You ever think about how neither of them got to say goodbye?

[lgbtlunaverse]

the wangxian + a-yuan "dads with an adopted son" thing is fine and enjoyable in fanfics honestly but I think we as a fandom are really not utilizing the idea of all of them in unconventional familial structures enough. Like, canonically it wasn't so much that wwx was a-yuan's guardian as that a-yuan was being raised collectively by the wens and wwx was adopted INTO the larger wen family. And lwj got attached to him through that. A-yuan just has these very attached weird uncles/older cousin figures that aren't related to him by blood at all but keep sticking around.

Just think of a modern AU with a lot less death where lwj does as he does in canon and keeps showering a-yuan in gifts as much as he can and when wwx is like "aiyah lan zhan you're gonna spoil him. Not everyone is as rich as you! What's his family supposed to say if they can't buy him all the stuff you do?" lwj just goes "Hm". And from then on out every year once a-yuan's birthday is near the extended Wen family members (well. the ones that are invited that is. No one wants wen chao at a birthday party) wakes up to a wechat payment from lwj.

Random wen cousin number 6 texts granny like

cousin 6: i just got 400 yuan????

granny: oh that's just wangji

cousin 6: i've never met this guy in my life???

granny: he wants you to buy a-yuan a nice birthday present!

cousin 6: how does he know my bank account???

[front-facing-pokemon]

[agent217]

Fr this whole time i thought farcille was just a popular fandom ship because they're two girls that have enough unintentional subtext for shippers to go insane over. but no these are straight up lesbians there is no heterosexual explanation for the bath scene

[ratwithhands]

I'm astounded by how many people were interested in the magical boy AU! So sorry for not updating on it, I really didn't think it was that interesting 👁👁💦

This is Emmet's warped uniform, essentially what his fighting form looks like after his soul stones lose sight of Ingo and attempt to work alone. To compensate for not having a battle partner, his weapons and attacks have gotten more aggressive to deal the damage he'd usually get as a pair. His clothes have also lost much of their brightness and charm, getting tattered and shredded, reflecting his own outlook on things trying to fight Team Plasma alone while maintaining his normal routine.

This was fun to sketch! I had a lot of fun with Emmet's coat (especially the coattails!), having it white on the outside and black on the inside added a contrasting backdrop for his body. The torn edges were cool too, I was trying to think of how I could make him look more malicious/unwelcoming and immediately thought back to Princess Kraehe, which is where the wing shape idea came from.

I drew Ingo's warped form several months ago, but now that I finished Emmet, I have to redo him 💀 He actually had two, since his were based on the level of his amnesia. His first one retains much more of his original uniform, morphed to match the clothing of the people around him, but his second one is a completely different outfit, the result of him relating more to his new roles and disconnecting from his past. These sketches are butt ugly since they were meant for drafting, but I'll post them now or they're going forever

The weapons used are a naginata and ōdachi, I might pick different ones later but they felt solid at the time. Hopefully he will be more fabulous after a rework ^^*

[canisalbus]

I've had Ludovicas girlfriend on the brain for months and finally sketched her out. I see her as the opposite to machete in that she has dark colours and softer shapes. Her ears and facefur kinda blend together and she gets big soft browneyes..

.

[toonagi]

UM. MASS ATTACK

it's been a hot minute since i've done a big group shot like this (and by "hot minute" i mean like 5 years) so uh. zoo wee mama that's a lotta hedgehogs (plus one (1) warrior cat and a porcupine)

individual groups under the cut. i'll be putting character names & owners down there too :]

this attack has a whopping 33 characters in it so um....... long post warning

group #1 (also known as Mandatory Vacation in my files):

Archie ( @interstellarchaosss )

Astraeus ( @simpalert )

Zonic of PZSFI ( @ciphergrowl )

group #2 (aka Beast Pack in my files. look i had to name the folders to keep everything organized ok)

Agartha ( @sa2ration )

Werehog Spikes ( @hyper-cryptic )

Monster AU Sonic (Rougelynesdisco on ArtFight)

Halcyon ( @mystigaron )

group #3 (silly billies)

Blurfoot ( @guiltypandas )

2000s Web Sonic (Prismsonic on ArtFight)

Nicolas ( @zzcarnotauro )

Prism Sonic (also Prismsonic)

group #4 (Therapy)

TDC!Sonic (donnie on Artfight)

Virtuosity!Sonic ( @minecraftfan11onscratch )

Nikopulous!Sonic ( @bensbean )

group #5 (da bench)

Frost ( @simpalert )

Tactile (ULTRAVIXLENCE on ArtFight)

Dreamwalker Sonic ( @the-cosmic-blogger )

group #6 (nincombots)

Murder Drones Sonic ( @cat-dragron-arts & @cherbearsz )

SD-C (also cat-dragron & cherbearsz)

Dr. Needlemouse ( @lilcrazybat )

group #7 (eeeek a spider - also mva sonic's quills are cut off a little sorry)

Undertale Sonic ( @gettingfizzical )

MVA!Sonic ( @weirdozjunkary )

Mach Spider ( @chaosspear )

group #8 (oooooo spooky)

Rise ( @mercurymarine404 )

Taxidermy!Sonic ( @cxrpsehub )

group #9 (gender)

Sonic the Squidhog ( @stormloup )

Nikki ( @transgirlsonic )

Crystallized AU Sonic ( @12neonlit-stage )

Arrow (SparksSystem on Artfight)

Vi (also SparksSystem)

group #10 (no silly folder name for this one. sorry) :[ )

SOMA!Sonic ( @citystreetfunk )

Vampire Sonic (the-cosmic-blogger)

group #11 (actually not a group it's just speedy)

Speedy the Porcupine ( @jays---wing )

and some bonus doodles from while i was working on this. as a treat :] (feat. zonic having The Day Ever)

hehehehaha i love an excuse to draw a niche character that i really like for some reason. anyway hooray yippee my adhd ass completed a large project!!!! ^_^ time to write a whole novel in the tags as per usual

[re-colligere]

FINE PRINT [AO3]

In which Disgust goes through Fear's nonsensical paperwork out of dream duty boredom, only to accidentally stumble upon his true feelings written within.

As promised, I've reposted an old fanfic of mine on AO3! Simple, but sweet.

[ryssbelle]

N2 au Brucey babe!! He really doesnt change much tbh, it's mostly just an outfit change plus his gropes about his brother would be a bit different in that they're extended to all of them and not just JD, theyre just mostly centered around JD.

Cuz from his side he knew all of his brothers were alive at least Floyd, JD, and Branch. He just couldn't leave Vacay island, at first due to fear, and then he started a family there (first kid was accidental).

He'd heard rumors about JD and the others due to JD traveling all over the place and hed sent put the postcard as a way of extending an olive branch and then nobody showed up :/

Also Bruce's outfit change is purely for me I hate drawing his canon vest lmao

[animatedjen]

orange saber orange saber orange saber